The continuous momentum of the Louisiana Entertainment industry has been a topic of local and national attention for the past 2 years- but now, it has even captured the notice of Forbes. The famous publication recently released an in-depth analysis of the success of the Hollywood south. Mentioning some of the more obvious specifics, such as the tax incentives and low cost of living, the article also discussed how the cultural community here in New Orleans is fueling the growth of this industry. Kotkin writes, “the Big Easy and the state of Louisiana have managed to turn the region’s creative energy into something of an economic driver”.  From artists, musicians, and actors, to special effects gurus and animators, the residents of NOLA provide directors and production teams a wide employee base without having to bring in outside talent. This, in turn, lowers costs and continues to add to the appeal of a LA shot picture.

The culture here, including history, food and architecture, has also attracted a great many celebrity residents. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Saundra Bullock, Lawrence Fishbourne, Nicholas Cage and John Goodman have all purchased homes here in New Orleans- and frequently host celebrity guests. Many local actors are also making their break into the big time thanks to their proximity to the Hollywood South. Brett Lapeyrouse performed in locally-filmed “21 Jump Street” alongside Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, and Madison Wolfe recently played the daughter of Will Ferrell in the new comedy “Dog Fight”. Both Lapeyrouse and Wolfe received training at the John Robert Powers Performing Arts Academy. Local resources, like JRP, are also seeing the benefits of this boom in our area’s entertainment industry. The experts are predicting that New Orleans may rival Los Angeles for the number of projects filmed, which would be an enormous spotlight on Louisiana.  This is exciting news for everyone here in Louisiana, not to mention everyone at Southern Celebrity Gossip.

For the full article, please visit Forbes online.

     New Sci-Fi flick “Ender’s Game” is all the talk in both Hollywood and Hollywood South. This movie, featuring Hugo’s Asa Butterfield, has been filming in and around New Orleans for the past month and seeks to recreate the epic adventures of the book on which it is based. In order to do so, the production team had to reach for the stars- literally. In order to realistically portray the grand scale of the setting, the cast and crew of “Ender’s Game” have been making use of the NASA sound stage. This area was previously used to build the actual space shuttles! The production team is keeping a pretty tight lid on what exactly this new picture requires such large set for, but it has everyone eagerly anticipating the film’s release. As if the setting and special effects weren’t enough, this new movie has recruited a long list of celebrated actors that shining an extra spotlight on New Orleans. In addition to Butterfield, the film has also cast Sir Ben Kingsley, Harrison Ford, and Viola Davis. So until the movie’s 2013 release, we’ll all just have to settle with spotting this fantastic cast around the Bayou.


For more on this story, visit MTV.com.

As the momentum for Hollywood South continues to grow, celebrity sightings are becoming more common in New Orleans than Mardi Gras beads. Just this past week, Sylvester Stallone was spotted at Whole Foods, and singer Pink was seen having drinks at the Hotel Monteleone. Combine that with numerous Leonardo DiCaprio encounters, and more then one spotting of the Jolie-Pitts and it’s hard to argue with the growing popularity of the Crescent City. But has this flood of Hollywood A-List caused NOLA locals to become a little jaded? Recently NOLA.com reported that both Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were in the French Quarter filming their new action flick. The article made a point to mention that many of the passers-by were entirely unimpressed by the cameos! It writes, “The star’s presence didn’t cause the pandemonium it might have caused in other, less jaded locales, and the Bourbon Street scene whirled on, with the Quarter’s characters acting out their own dramas.” While many did stop for the photo opportunity, the outcome was far from expected. This has your Southern Celebrity Gossiper wondering- have celebrities become so commonplace here that they go almost unnoticed? And is this a good or a bad thing? For those of us professionally involved in the entertainment industry, it is a VERY good thing. The more comfortable celebs feel here in our city, the more likely they’ll stay- and the more productive filming is (without gaggles of fans wanting autographs) the more likely it is that NOLA will stay the Hollywood of the South. And as for the buzz on what celebrities are working on here in New Orleans, you can always trust in SCG to give you the latest… from a respectful distance.

An in depth interview with heartthrob,
Zac Efron was just released by the Examiner’s Angela Dawson. In this article, the actor opens up about the physically and emotionally demanding character he plays in new movie “Lucky”. This film is based off of the Nicholas Sparks's novel, and was filmed in the Hollywood south. This Warner Brothers production required Zac to gain 20 pounds of muscle in order to accurately depict the Marine, Logan who walks to Louisiana to find his soul-mate. Efron doesn’t hold back about his reservations for taking on the role initially, nor does he underscore his love for NOLA. He says that “New Orleans is the most fun city in the world”, and here at Southern Celebrity Gossip we are inclined to agree!

For the full interview, visit the Examiner online.

The 1989 film, “Steel Magnolias” depicts a group of women living through love and loss in the great state of Louisiana. The original movie cast a remarkable catalog of actresses including Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine, and Olympia Dukakis. However, when the Lifetime Network had the opportunity to make a modern version of this iconic film, they jumped at the chance! The new version, which should premiere this year will feature an all African-American cast of equally fabulous talent. Actress and singer, Queen Latifah will take on the role of “M’Lynn”, with Alfre Woodard as “Ouiser”, Phylicia Rashad as “Clairee”, Grammy winner Jill Scott will be in the part of “Truvy”, Adepero Oduye will play “Annelle” and Condola Rashad will take on Roberts’ part of “Shelby”.  Sources are not certain if the film will still be set in Louisiana, but they are confident that it will shoot in Atlanta, GA.
       
Taking on the task of remaking such a famous, and favored film, poses many challenges. But the production staff for this film is equally as talented as the new cast. Sony Pictures Television will produce the new “Steel Magnolias”, and the movie will be executively produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (of "Chicago" and "Hairspray"), as well as actress Latifah. The three have worked together before on several projects and are hopeful to sustain their creative chemistry. Kenny Leon of "A Raisin in the Sun" will be consulting on the script as it is adapted for television.

This incredible talent and exciting new project has audiences and industry experts all anxious for its’ release. Helen Verno, Vice President of Movies and Miniseries at Sony Pictures Television even said that it is “an honor… to be revisiting the classic Sony film Steel Magnolias under the creative auspices of our producing partners…acclaimed director…and  team of brilliant actors.”

For more on this story, visit CNN Entertainment.

  Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet portrayed the iconic lovers in James Cameron's Titanic in 1997. The duo has once again captured audiences attention as the famous flick is now being released in 3D to honor the 100th anniversary of the shipwreck. The new version premiered in London recently and spectators were shocked to see an unaccompanied Winselt in attendance. It appears that Leo didn't make it to the showing! There was a great deal of controversy over this faux pas, but as usual it just came down to logistics. Dicaprio is currently on location here in New Orleans filming the new Tarantino film and couldn't make the international fight to join his lovely leading lady. According to sources, the two actors (who have gone on to have remarkable careers) remain close friends. One story even reports on how Kate joked about how they have aged since Titanic's release, and how Leo has gotten "fatter". Most local theaters are playing the new version, which this Southern Celebrity Gossiper highly recommends seeing!

Rewind just a few days, and you’ll see that we just reported on how a Louisiana actor landed a role in “The Hunger Games”. Well now we’re happy to announce that a “Hunger Games” actor has landed a role in Louisiana! Leading actor, Liam Hemsworth will be taking on a part in the new movie “Empire State” which will be filming throughout the state over this spring. The young actor can previously be seen in the movie “The Last Song” where he played the love interest of real-life girlfriend, Miley Cyrus. “Empire State” is starring Dwayne Johnson, who was recently here in New Orleans working on the newest G.I. Joe flick. According to sources at NOLA.com, “the film is about two childhood friends who plan to rob an armored car depository, and the NYPD officer who stands in their way". The project will be shot mostly in New Orleans, but also some of the surrounding cities such as Mandeville. Filming begins on April 30th and executives plan to wrap after just 3 weeks! Everything in Hollywood moves so fast- even here in the Hollywood South!

    Hollywood icon, Tom Cruise is making his way down to New Orleans to film a new sci-fi thriller this spring. Joining the cast will be local actress Melissa Leo, who was made famous by the HBO series “TREME” portraying the character, Toni Bernette. Before landing the role with Cruise, Leo was predominantly a television star having appeared in “Criminal Minds” and “Law and Order”. The actress is excited to join the cast for “Oblivion” which will be filmed mainly in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas. The cast for this picture includes actors Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko. Local actress, Lindsay Clift, will also be appearing in the picture playing the part of “young mother”. Clift is an active performer in New Orleans, and also is an acting coach at the John Robert Powers Performing Arts Academy. Joseph Kosinski is directing the film. Kosinski is best known for the
"TRON: Legacy", which features similar themes and aesthetics to the
much anticipated “Oblivion”.

For more on this story, visit NOLA.com.

 Following in the footsteps of actor and comedian, Will Ferrell is Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson is schedule to read the player introductions at the Hornets game taking place on Thursday night. The Pulp Fiction star is New Orleans working on the newest Quentin Tarantino film “Django Unchained”. This film has also brought to town Hollywood heartthrob, Leonardo DiCaprio. In traditional Tarantino fashion, this film is filled with incredible actors in an intense premise. The Business Insider reports, “"With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from the brutal Calvin Candie, a Mississippi plantation owner." DiCaprio will be portraying the plantation owner, and this will be his first time working with the acclaimed director. No word yet on whether Leo will be gracing the Hornets with a cameo, but Jackson jumped at the chance.

 Will Ferrell’s appearance at the 80’s Night in the hive was a tremendous success, and more sportscasters were commenting on his introductions than on the game itself for almost a week! Let’s hope that Mr. Jackson can live up to the expectation that Ferrell created. Tune in on Thursday night for a chance to see yet another celebrity sighting here in NOLA!!