For this week's Gambit, I wrote a cover story about how Louisiana became the setting for a bunch of reality TV shows the last few years. One popular genre of Louisiana reality TV is shows about the backwood folks of the state's swamps and bayous ? a trend set by History's Swamp People.…

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An event note, per Legalize Louisiana: "Do not bring any illegal substance to this rally."

Grassroots marijuana reform campaign Legalize Louisiana has organized a series of statewide rallies tomorrow, from New Orleans to Shreveport. The group's statement is as follows:

The group demands policies creating safe and free access to cannabis medicine, for the promotion of human health in Louisiana; industrial hemp should be utilized to boost our state's economy and the health of her ecosystems; that personal use should be decriminalized, and that commercial use should be taxed and regulated, which will create justice where there is now abuse, and, simultaneously, reduce Louisiana's world-record incarceration rates.…

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The summer movie season starts in early May, but the Hollywood studios spend much of the year jockeying for position as to which specific weekend each blockbuster will open. So generally speaking, it's one major release (plus a few smaller ones) every Friday from here on out until September.…

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(second line route via Indi CNNDoll Sever - see below)

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Above, watch the Stooges Brass Band perform "We Make 'Em Say Ooo" live in the studio (courtesy of Red Bull). From the same session, here's "Why," featuring Mannie Fresh.…

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The second rendition of René Bistrot (700 Tchoupitoulas St., 613-2350) is set to open next week, on Tuesday, May 15. It?s the return of a restaurant that had a great run prior to Hurricane Katrina and the latest move from a chef, René Bajeux, who has made a lot of them lately.…

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Today we're officially launching Gambit Mobile, a new and better way to get Gambit listings and news on your smartphone.

Rather than attempting to replicate the experience of reading a newspaper, but doing it on a tiny screen, we've completely rethought what our readers want out of mobile technology.…

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City Councilmembers Jon Johnson and Cynthia Hedge-Morrell were both absent from today's Joint Disaster and Recovery/Housing and Human Needs Committee meeting today.

The meeting, a presentation on property demolitions from members of Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration, was the first since Johnson ? who serves on both committees as a regular member ? and Hedge-Morrell, who serves as an alternate on the Disaster and Recovery Committee ? walked out in the middle of last week's regular meeting, leaving only four members ? one short of a quorum ? for the remainder.…

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At last week’s U.S. Conference of Mayors, nearly 80 of those in attendance voiced their support for marriage equality. In that number: mayors of places like Lima, Ohio and Hallandale Beach, Florida. New Orleans didn’t make the cut. Now, I like Mitch Landrieu. I like him a lot. He’s one of the smartest men I’ve [...]

Many of us bitch and moan about the commenters on NOLA.com. To the site’s credit, it’s doing a better job of moderating these days, but it’s still pretty easy to find racist, homophobic, inflammatory remarks lurking below the fold. I mean, I’m not asking anyone to curtail her right to free speech — if you [...]

Since New Orleans isn’t directly in the path of Hurricane Irene, I haven’t heard as much discussion about the storm and all that she threatens to disrupt as I normally would. But of course, Irene is likely to cause a lot of damage, and at the very least, she’ll put a serious damper on people’s [...]

In case you haven’t heard, tonight is the Louisiana SPCA’s “Pause 4 Dinner” dine-around. If you’ve never taken part in an event like this, never fear: it’s simple and straightforward. Just head to dinner at one of the many participating restaurants. There’s a range of spots on the list — from the very affordable to [...]

We are having a great time celebrating Louisiana's birthday this year. I decided the Bicentennial is a great time to recognize some of the incredible talents, personalities, successes and even some blunders that have come from or through our state.

I developed a list of the 200 most notable people in Louisiana history. It is not necessarily a list of our greatest, most popular or, even, most significant people. It is a compilation of individuals whose influence was felt in Louisiana, but also spread beyond our borders.

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It is hard to believe that 2012 is already here. When I joined the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries team in 2008 I could not have imagined how much I would enjoy my time here or how quickly the time would fly. True, we have had our share of disasters to work through, but overall, [...]

There are plenty of videos from Jazz Fest on YouTube, not all of them officially sanctioned. But Jazz Fest and YouTube and Dell are cooperating to webcast many live sets from the second weekend and highlights from the first weekend over the next three days (May 4-6).…

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The Hollygrove name has lately been turning up on menus at more and more New Orleans restaurants, where it?s practically become a byword for locally-sourced food. Coming up on May 14, you can see a lot of these same restaurants at Hollygrove Market & Farm itself for its annual Party in the Garden.…

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Survey two levees that breached in 2005 and the neighborhoods in between during a bike tour Sunday, May 6. See the improvements made during the past six years, learn some history, get some fresh air and exercise ? all before the gates open on the final day of Jazz Fest 2012.…

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DISCLAIMER: In no way are we trying to invade anyone?s privacy, but it?s fun to hear about the great places celebrities are visiting while they?re hanging out in New Orleans. We?re appreciative of the people who are way more famous than we?ll ever be for visiting our city and state, spending their money, and sometimes even contributing to our rebuilding and recovery efforts.…

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