Filmmaker/actress Jocelyn Marquis hosts an artists’ salon this evening to debut the trailer for her film Difficult Death, an adaptation of Rene Crevel’s 1926 novel of the same name about art, homoeroticism and social revolution. Cast and crew will be on hand to discuss the project, which is filming at locations around the city. Marquis plays Perinne Dumont (pictured), an art school student who becomes enthralled with the artistic life of a transgendered poet, Arthur. She also has feelings for a young painter named Daniel and is torn between the excitement of Arthur’s spontaneous and unconstrained lifestyle and the peace and stability of Daniel’s companionship. The salon takes place from 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 1128 St. Roch St. (at Marais St.) in the Marigny. Cash bar.

 The New Orleans Film Festival kicks off on Friday night with the premiere of The Secret Life of Bees, starring Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Alecia Keys and Jennifer Hudson. Later in the evening, Happy-Go-Lucky screens. The festival has a full schedule of feature films, documentaries, short films and more.  This year, there is a cluster of music related films, including Crazy, about the early Nashville country music scene, The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice, about Wanda Jackson, and The Wrecking Crew, a band including the recently deceased Earl Palmer, Glen Campbell, Tommy Tedesco, Carole Kaye and Hal Blaine that played on uncounted rock and roll hits. The festival’s closing night film is the drama/musical Dark Streets, a film set in a 1930s nightclub. It’s playboy owner is caught up with two of the clubs singers, and that’s only the beginning of his problems. Dr. John and Aaron Neville appear on the soundtrack. And Dr. John will be playing at the House of Blues the same night. The screening and the concert are not related, but it will be interesting to see who’s at Dr. John’s show.Check back this week for more preview trailers, and see www.bestofneworleans.com for film previews. 

In case you let your subscription run out, Smithsonian magazine is sponsoring Museum Day this Saturday, Sept. 27. Participating local museums offer free admission to Smithsonian subscribers and visitors to Smithsonian.com. Interested museum goers can download a get-in-free card here. But be inquisitive and check out the site anyway.  Participating museums include the Ogden Museum (pictured), the National World War II Museum, CAC, Historic New Orleans Collection, Longue Vue House and Garden, Louisiana Children’s Museum, Louisiana State Museum, NOMA and the Pharmacy Museum.  

I’d say I don’t know what’s up with Ted Nugent these days, but what  I really mean is that I have no idea what’s really up with Ted Nugent these days.

 

In the last week, I have been notified that Ted Nugent 1) has got a new book out (the news) 2) is reaching out to Sarah Palin by giving her a copy of his new book, 3) that he’s celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday (and did you know he has a book out?), and this is where it gets weird … 4) he’s offering to provide personal security to Sir Paul McCartney from unnamed “Muslim extremists” if the former member of Wings plays in a concert celebrating Israel’s 60^th birthday. And Ted will buy him a “nice dinner of tofu.”

 

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You may or may not have seen Sarah Palin bikini shots. The kind Tina Fey joked about on Saturday Night Live. But they are obvious Photoshop fakes, and there’s one easy way to tell: Sarah Palin doesn’t tan outdoors.

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Two things that you won’t hear at a McCain/Palin rally are Sarah answering questions and music. Actually the campaign keeps trying to rock the crowds, Politico reports, but artists keep asking them to stop. While the campaign has the appropriate licenses to play music, the musicians have objected that it suggests an endorsement by them. So far, Heart has asked the campaign to stop playing “Barracuda” when it introduces Palin (her high school nickname). (The campaign said it would stop, but apparently hasn’t.) Other artists not jumping on the bandwagon are Van Halen and John (once Cougar) Mellencamp, who is perfectly alright with “Our Country” selling Chevys, but not being rolled out for McCain.  The senator also crossed Mike Meyers when he used the Wayne’s World mantra “We’re not worthy.” On the other side, Obama has had one run-in with the oldies crowd. His campaign crossed the music publisher of Sam Cooke’s “(What a) Wonderful World.” The company didn’t ask him to stop using the song in an ad; it just issued a statement proclaiming neutrality. McCain, however, can count some artists among his supporters: including John Rich of Big & Rich, and country rapper Cowboy Roy.

The New York Times’ architectural critic, Nicolai Ouroussoff, was quite impressed by China’s olympic facilities, particularly buildings like the blue-bubbled aquatic center and the Bird’s Nest stadium. Not only was he impressed by the buildings but at how the Chinese government literally remade a major section of Beijing with grand public works. Ouroussoff has an interesting piece in the Sunday Times’ Week in Review section contrasting the public spending of China in creating its Olympic spectacle to the rebuilding of New Orleans and the lack of major federal spending to renew the city in terms of great public works. He mentions briefly some of the small scale innovative green projects, like Brad Pitt’s Make It Right initiative (pictured).

This is a snippet from CNN online (Monday afternoon). Sometimes it’s just hard to predict what makes news.  For the dog that dials 911, click here. The death toll is from the California train crash. Tune in tomorrow when the news will be a flutter about Sarah Palin’s personal tanning bed. 

NOMA’s exhibition “The Baroque World of Fernando Botero” comes to a close next week. Sunday, Sept. 21, is the final day. There’s a final fiesta for the Colombian artist on Wednesday, Sept. 17. From 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., visitors to the museum can enjoy the sounds of Acoustic Swiftness, a cash bar and food from West Indies. Entrance to the exhibition (and all other current exhibits) is free courtesy of the Helis Foundation. For more on Botero, see www.bestofneworleans.com here.

It’s hard to forget the Congressional earmark for the Bridge to Nowhere ($233 million to connect Ketchikan, Alaska, to an airstrip on the island of Gravina), especially since GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin is repeatedly saying that she opposed it (which turns out not to be true). She draws big applause with the line that if Alaska needs a bridge, they’ll build it themselves. Locals should remember a few things though. Katrina helped kill the Bridge to Nowhere - in November 2005. It was against the backdrop of the debate about what amount the federal government should spend to rebuild the Gulf Coast that the Bridge to Nowhere died in the sunshine of public scrutiny. Ironically, the bridge project was terminated, but the earmark wasn’t. Alaska got the money but diverted it to other projects. When Palin ran for Governor, she still supported the project (video of her supporting it here). Regardless of when Palin changed her mind, Alaska is still building a Road to Nowhere. The state received $24 million for a road from the Gravina airport to the point at which the bridge was supposed to be built. The alternative to building that road is returning the money to Washington. (Read the details in the Anchorage Daily News.) Sounds more like a parking lot for pork.