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Feb
01

New Orleans Museum of Art curator Miranda Lash flitted around the crowded Frederick Weisman Galleries for Louisiana Contemporary Art like a sapphire pixie. Miss Pussycat kissed cheeks and played the role of hostess with aplomb. As for Quintron, he looked like the nervous, dutiful museum employee he was dressed up to be: moving and fiddling with his recording equipment; dragging out and setting up an elastic barrier when too many drunkies got too close to one of his “studio audience” oil portraits.

Friday’s opening of “Parallel Universe: Quintron and Miss Pussycat Live at City Park” was a smash — and better yet, a hell of a lot of fun. Hundreds of visitors, of all stripes, ages, and walks of New Orleans life, filtered in and out of NOMA to catch a glimpse of what’s sure to be the most unusual art happening of 2010. Here are some of the stories behind the Gambit cover story “Live From NOMA.” First up: Mr. Q.

On the exhibition’s origins:
They approached us. We were walking down the street and got a call from Miranda. She said, “This is the curator for the contemporary wing of the NOMA. Do you want to do something there?” That was the best call. We almost didn’t know if it was real. We’ve never been involved in the gallery scene here. I’ve never been an artist in the sense of the word that I’ve sought out that career.

When we were home, we called her and she explained that she wanted to do something with us, and was open to whatever we wanted to do in the space. She was familiar with us from Dallas. Then we started getting these ideas that began developing. I started thinking about my involvement in it. I’m not a painter, nothing like that — except for the Drum Buddies, very beautiful visual objects that I make the same thing over and over. So I knew that would be part of it.

The most interesting thing to me, if we’re going to do it, would be to make something out of it, go in there every day. She didn’t tell us, “We want you to do this.” She said, “We want to do something with Quintron and Miss Pussycat, whether it’s a retrospective of all the work you’ve done in your life, or whether you want to do new stuff.” It was almost a year ago. It was a secret for a long time. We didn’t tell anyone.

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Jan
16
Thursday was Misunderstanding Day at the WWL-TV newsroom. First Misty Marshall and the Moonpie King performed, leading to this awkwardly revealing on-air exchange with Paulsen:
Eric: “Actually, Sally-Ann and I are former moonpie kings and queens …”
Band: “(Ba-dum-ch!) I never knew.”
Eric: “Settle down.”

Things only got worse when Paulsen and I were discussing the Over the Line Big Lebowski Party:
Me: “They’re having a dialogue contest, outfits, trivia, lots of Caucasians being drunk around the Rock ‘N’ Bowl …”
Eric: (Looking into camera and shaking head)

Only on Misunderstanding Day could “copious White Russians getting consumed” end up sounding like “a ton of boozed white folks acting the fool.” Although I’m sure the latter is also true.
MUSIC
9 p.m. Friday, House of Blues
10 p.m. Saturday, AllWays Lounge
FILM
9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center
Noon Saturday-Sunday, Prytania Theatre
STAGE
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, Southern Rep
8:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Le Petit Theatre
EVENTS
10 p.m. Saturday, Rock ‘N’ Bowl
3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jewish Community Center
ART
Opening reception 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Heriard-Cimino Gallery
Opening reception 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, New Orleans Museum of Art


 
Jan
13

290Congratulations to New Orleans’ best — OK, only — pure pop band, Generationals, who made The New York TimesNifty 50 list (basically a print version of America’s Got Talent, minus Sharon Osbourne, plus Maureen Dowd).

“Con Law,” their delectable debut, shimmers with the music of the British Invasion, Stax soul, Wall of Sound production, 1950s doo-wop and California-dreaming jangle filtered through a contemporary indie-rock lens. …
[T]hey share twin passions for their hometown’s rich music heritage — Widmer cites the legendary New Orleans producers Allen Toussaint and Wardell Quezergue and the engineer Cosimo Matassa — and late-20th-century fare (the Replacements, Squeeze and Aimee Mann). …
So how does an analog-based band — albeit one with a MySpace page — react to finding its music the subject of so much digital-based blogosphere hype on sites like Pitchfork? “What’s Pitchfork?” Widmer asks. “I’ll run a search for that on AltaVista.”
Widmer: Zing. Gensler: Clever, but no.


 
Jan
08

Add “a—hole” and “vagina” as the newest entries in the WWL-TV Eyewitness Morning News lexicon. And to think I nixed a mention of the Butthole Surfers back in September. At this rate, we’ll be casually parsing the merits of a F—k Buttons/F—ked Up/Holy F—k triple bill in no time. You can’t FCC me, Paulsen!

MUSIC

Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship? with Nana Grizol
10 p.m. Friday, AllWays Lounge
Gambit blog

Strange Bedfellows Series feat. Spickle, Giant Cloud, Metronome the City and White Colla Crimes
10 p.m. Saturday, One Eyed Jacks
Gambit feature

FILM

The Horse Boy
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center

The Breakfast Club
Midnight Friday-Saturday, Prytania Theatre

STAGE

Jewtopia

8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday, Le Chat Noir
Gambit pick

The A—hole Monologues
8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday, Hi-Ho Lounge
Gambit preview

EVENTS

Louisiana Museum Foundation Gala
6:30 p.m. Friday, The Cabildo
Gambit pick

Righteous Fur Nutria Design Challenge Fashion Show
8 p.m. Friday, AllWays Lounge
Gambit preview

ART

“Revival: Historical Processes in Contemporary Photography,” group show
Closes Friday, Homespace Gallery

“Aquiferious,” works by Margaret Ross Tolbert
Opening reception 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, LeMieux Gallery


 
Dec
17

How do you start some smack in the WWL-TV studio? Just ask them which Christmas film is the G.O.A.T. The question, it turns out, is WWL’s current Web query, and this morning, Eric and Sally-Ann — and meteorologist Laura Buchtel, several cameramen, a New Orleans Junior Leaguer and the O. Perry Walker choir — almost went to blows over the relative merits of It’s a Wonderful Life versus The Christmas Story. I’m afraid I’ve got your back here, Paulsen: Jimmy Stewart takes out that precocious little four-eyes every day of the week (and twice next Friday).

MUSIC

Judith Owen and Harry Shearer’s Holiday Sing-Along
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, CAC
Gambit feature

Forgetters
7 p.m. Saturday, Nowe Miasto
Gambit preview

FILM

It’s a Wonderful Life
Noon Saturday-Sunday, Prytania Theatre

Vieux Carre Matinees
11:30 a.m. Saturday, Le Petit Theatre

STAGE

A Christmas Carol
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Teatro Wego

Silver Knife Society
10 p.m. Saturday, Backyard Ballroom

EVENTS

Bywater Art Market
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Markey Park

Elysian Fleas Holiday Market
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Elysian Fields Avenue at Chartres Street

ART

“Blind Prom,” photographs by Sarah Wilson
New Orleans Photo Alliance
Gambit review

“Within Shadows,” photographs by Susan Burnstine
Canary Gallery



 
Dec
04

After a brief respite last week (a guy’s gotta eat turkey), the blogged summaries of my misadventures in TV land continue. Stumbling into the WWL studio every Thursday morning feels like the continuation of a dream — and not just because I’m bleary-eyed and usually still half asleep. There’s something comically nightmarish about a morning news set. First off, the glaring lights and broad grins are straight out of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” video. Then there’s the gaggle of oddly costumed performers that are always warming up for a spot. I’ll never forget wandering into a group of uniformed baseball players gathered in a corner reciting lines — the cast of Damn Yankees, it turned out, but just another predawn hallucination as far as I was concerned. This week, the trancelike sounds of Rachel Van Voorhies’ harp were a pleasantly new-age background soundtrack to Cajun chef Emile Stieffel’s turkey-gumbo tips. And then my alarm went off.

MUSIC

New Orleans Songwriters Festival
Friday-Saturday, various venues
Gambit preview

Antenna Inn with Micah McKee
10 p.m. Saturday, One Eyed Jacks
Gambit pick

FILM

Bicycle Film Festival
Friday-Saturday, Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center
Gambit preview

Global Lens triple feature
1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, NOCCA|Riverfront

STAGE

Silent Night of the Lambs
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday, Le Chat Noir
Gambit feature

The SantaLand Diaries
9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Actor’s Theatre of New Orleans
Gambit pick

EVENTS

Holiday on the Boulevard
Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Ashé Cultural Arts Center

PhotoNOLA kickoff signing and lecture
Saturday-Sunday, New Orleans Photo Alliance

ART

“Warriors of the Apocalypse,” works by Minka Stoyanova
Closes Saturday, Barrister’s Gallery

“Signs of the City,” works by Shirley Rabe Masinter
Opening reception 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, LeMieux Galleries



 
Nov
19

Paulsen to Bonaparte: “The jig is up!” You won’t find it online, but at the end of this week’s morning missive, WWL-TV’s esteemed senior anchor (Hi Eric!) admitted he, um, actually reads these things:

“So, lots of stuff going on this weekend. You can read about it in Gambit, and if you’d like more information about what’s happening around town or the metro area, you can always check out Gambit — the Web site is Bestofneworleans.com, or pick up a copy of this week’s Gambit at spots all over town.”

That part he says every week. Today, however, he added conspicuously, “Or you can check out Noah’s blog, too, where he’s spreading all sorts of rumors about me.”

It’s no rumor: Paulsen is even taller and more distinguished-looking in person!

MUSIC

Gordon Gano & the Ryan Brothers
10 p.m. Friday, Hi-Ho Lounge
(Gambit pick)

NOIR Fest III feat. Givers, Giant Cloud, Hurray For the Riff Raff and Loren Murrell
10 p.m. Saturday, Blue Nile
(Gambit pick)

FILM

Between the Folds
6 p.m. Saturday, Antenna Gallery
(Gambit preview)


Dance With a Stranger

2 p.m. Sunday, New Orleans-Birmingham Psychoanalytic Center

STAGE

A Raisin in the Sun
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Anthony Bean Community Theater
(Gambit review)

Roméo et Juliette
8 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts
(Gambit pick)

EVENTS

Elysian Fleas
11 a.m. Saturday, Chartres Street and Elysian Fields Avenue
(Gambit blog)

New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oak Street
(Gambit feature)

ART

“Congo Square Rhythms,” works by Louisiana artists
Closes Friday, Jazz & Heritage Gallery

“The Spirit World,” national juried photography exhibit
Closes Sunday, New Orleans Photo Alliance


 
Nov
13

In which Paulsen reveals his intense love for The Wizard of Oz — there’s a panorama of Dorothy and friends in his game room — and Disney animated films. Oh, was that stuff off the record? I never could get that straight. (Point: Bonaparte.)

MUSIC

Hip-Hop For Hope
10 p.m. Saturday, Tipitina’s
(Gambit feature)

Larkin Grimm
10 p.m. Sunday, Circle Bar
(Gambit pick)

FILM

New Orleans Middle East Film Festival
7:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center
(Gambit preview)

The Dark Side of Oz
Midnight Friday-Saturday, Prytania Theatre

STAGE

Ron White
7:30 p.m. Friday, Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts
(Gambit feature)

New Orleans Fringe Festival
Friday-Sunday, citywide
(Gambit feature)

EVENTS

Broad Flea
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, corner of Broad and Bienville streets
(Gambit blog)

Make a Joyful Noise gospel and arts festival
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Ashé Cultural Arts Center

ART

“IT IS,” works by Ursula Groser and Elisabeth and Albin Schutting
Opening reception 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, UNO St. Claude Gallery

“Dreams Come True,” art from the Walt Disney Studio
Opens Sunday, New Orleans Museum of Art



 
Nov
11

Last week belonged to the Saturn Bar. This week, the House of Blues is the place to pitch a tent for quality twofer concerts. The mini music festival began yesterday with Son Volt and Peter Bruntnell. It crests tonight (8:30 p.m.; tickets $12.50) with Elvis Perkins — son of Anthony and author of one of the year’s best albums, Dearland (XL) — and Alabama troubadour AA Bondy. Tomorrow’s denouement features the double-feature double feature of the Swell Season (Oscar-winning former-cutesy-couple from Once film fame) and Joni Mitchell ringer Rachael Yamagata on the main stage, and Toronto indie-rockers and former Broken Social Scenesters Hidden Cameras and Gentleman Reg at the Parish. Just pretend those Ticketmaster service fees are a good-music tax and skip the second Jameson.



 
Nov
05

Touche, Paulsen, touche. The brushback message, duly received: Nobody effs with Blues Traveler. Nobody.

Me: “… the King Khan & BBQ Show, which is a duo from Montreal that plays this very scuzzed-up kind of doo-wop punk music, really interesting band there.”

Paulsen: “How do you like their outfits, dontcha?”

Me: “Exactly. They’re not even showing the best part of this photo, which is the underneath shot.”

Paulsen: “Maybe that’s the best part to you, I don’t know.”
MUSIC

King Khan & BBQ Show
10 p.m. Friday, Spellcaster Lodge
(Gambit preview)

Shapes Have Fangs
10 p.m. Saturday, Saturn Bar

FILM

The Yes Men Fix the World
7:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center
(Gambit review)

Invisible Children
5 p.m. Sunday, Alcee Fortier Park

STAGE

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Muriel’s Cabaret at Le Petit Theatre
(Gambit pick)

I Am My Own Wife
8 p.m. Friday preview; 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, Southern Rep
(Gambit feature)

EVENTS

Dave Eggers discusses Zeitoun
8 p.m. Friday, NOCCA Institute
(Gambit feature)

Mirliton Festival
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Markey Park
(Gambit preview)

ART

“Pretty Babies,” works by Louis St. Lewis and Sean Yseult
Opening reception 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Canary Gallery

“Deep.Down.Dirty,” group show curated by Robin Wallis Atkinson
Closes Sunday, Antenna Gallery