Let’s go ahead and make it official, industry leaders are falling in love with the Hollywood South. As Forbes highlighted last week there is a “cultural richness” here that creative people love!

In fact, filmmakers are staying in town to continue the love affair by producing back-to-back features.

Director, Lee Daniels (“Precious”) wrapped “Paperboy”with Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, and Zac Effron, and will begin filming his next movie, “The Butler” this July
in New Orleans.
Daniels has also announced an Oscar winning cast of actors to include Forest Whitaker,
Oprah Winfrey, and Jane Fonda. Oprah Winfrey is heading back to the silver screen for the first time
in over a decade for a leading role in the film! Daniels says he wrote the role of the wife specifically for Oprah, who produced his Oscar-winning “Precious”. But, "she's not producing this, she's an actor
on this one," he says.

Although Daniels will try to have some fun with Oprah in the Big Easy, he says, "it's a very serious subject. It's such an important story. It's a black version of Forrest Gump. I'm very proud of it.

"The Butler”, is a historical drama and true-life story of Eugene Allan, a black man who worked as
a butler under eight presidents from 1952 to 1986.

Daniels himself is an African American pioneer, being the first African American director to win a
Best Picture Oscar for his film, “Precious”. In 2001, he also produced “Monster’s Ball”, a romantic drama set and filmed in Louisiana starring Halle Berry who won an Academy Award as Best Actress for her performance.

Let’s remain faithful to this affair with Daniels by supporting his pursuit to transfer amazing stories
into award winning films! In turn, we can welcome his high-profile cast to New Orleans!

     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.

    This past weekend, the HBO Series TREME hosted a benefit to raise funds for three of the area’s nonprofit organizations. Specifically dealing with musicians here in the Crescent City, the gala, “My Darlin’ New Orleans” took place on March 31st. In attendance at the event was the entire cast of the hit show, including local celebrities Wendall Pierce and Khandi Alexander.

NOLA.com reports that “the past two such events have raised more than $175,000 total to benefit organizations that provide support and safety-net services to the people who fuel the culture that the series spotlights.” The three charities selected this year were Sweet Home New Orleans, the New Orleans Musicians Clinic and The Roots of Music. Sweet Home New Orleans provides financial assistance to some of the area’s musicians, and the Clinic provides medical care. Roots of Music is an organization that makes after school music programming available to local kids- making sure that the tradition of New Orleans’ music lives on to the future generations.

Aside from the fundraiser itself, there is no doubt that the HBO series has been good to our city. Particularly on rebuilding the culture here that was affected by the storm. Mobley, from Sweet Home New Orleans comments “It's sort of a fascinating case, … I think that it has helped interest more people who could be part of the culture in becoming part of it. I think it's interested more people who are outsiders to learn more about it, to be engaged with it.”

While we don’t yet know the dollar amount raised on Saturday, we can be sure that the television series did not disappoint! For the full story, please visit NOLA.com.

 Recently, the Gambit reported on some of the more notable celebrity spottings of the week here in New Orleans. First, it appears that actor Leonardo DiCaprio was seen shopping at Saks 5th Avenue at Canal Place, and some are speculating that he may be staying at the Westin which is connected to the shopping center. Leo will be here throughout the filming of new movie, Django Unchained. Unchained director, Quentin Tarantino was later seen dining at the Freret Street spot, Ancora, Saturday night. Movie experts are not at all surprised with the directors choice in locale for this new film. The movie deals with tensions between a former-slave turned bounty hunter and his former plantation owner. The antebellum southern homes are a perfect setting to capture the essence of this story.  Unchained has also brought actor Samuel L. Jackson into the Crescent City, which Southern Celebrity Gossip reported on early this week. Joining Jackson and DiCaprio are actors Kurt Russell, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Foxx, and Sacha Baron Cohen, who have yet to be spotted!

   The Gambit also referenced Sandra Bullock’s appearance at Super Saturday. It appears the beloved southern actress was taking in some of the sights as the Mardi Gras Indians took to the streets this past weekend. As the weather here in New Orleans gets warmer, our celebrity residents are soaking in that NOLA culture and Southern Celebrity Gossip is happy to report when they do. Stay tuned with us here, or visit the Gambit for more Hollywood South news.

 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!!

Actor and comedian Seth Rogan has been the center of attention in the entertainment industry with movies like “Knocked Up”, “Pineapple Express” and “Superbad”. But now the funnyman is trying on a whole new role- that of director. Having previously worked as a screenwriter for some of his better known films, Rogan feels prepared to take his creativity to the next stage in his career. Collaborating with Rogan for this screenplay is Evan Goldberg who is also co-directing the project. Goldberg is also credited as a writer for many other Rogan projects, including “The Green Hornet”, “Superbad”, and “Pineapple Express”. Joining this talented behind-the-scenes duo are actors Jonah Hill, James Franco, as well as actor-turned writer- turned producer- turned director- turned actor Seth Rogan. Most of these actors will be playing versions of themselves in the movie, which is set in a post-apocalyptic world. In this movie, the characters are barricaded in a house after the end of the world has occurred. Over the course of the movie the friends realize how little they like each other, as close-quarters turns into torture- not to mention hilarity! The movie will begin filming here in New Orleans this April in preparation for its 2013 release.

For more information, visit NOLA.com.

The new year in the Louisiana Entertainment Industry is already off to an amazing start. With multiple major motion pictures already in production, and many more scheduled throughout the year, the experts are predicting even more growth in the local film industry from now until 2013. With this increase and filming, we are also seeing  bigger and bigger names make their way to the Bayou state. The LA Times writes, “Showing signs of continued robust growth, Louisiana’s film industry is gearing up for another busy year, with movies starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman, Harrison Ford, and Russell Brand”.  And they forgot to mention Tom Cruise, Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg and director Quentin Tarantino.

According to sources, the Louisiana Film tax incentives (which became permanent in 2009) have been one of the reasons for this big boom in blockbuster bookings. But the diverse settings available in Louisiana also have strong appeal for location scouts. Ranging from swamps, to city-scapes, and universities to plantation homes, there are an infinite possibilities for productions here locally. In 2011, production expenditures were “estimated to reach 1.4 billion dollars” which is a huge increase from the “nearly 900 million figure estimated for 2010”. Sources are predicting an even higher figure for 2012, and more jobs for local residents, more casting for local talent, and more star-sightings for the rest of us!

Visit L.A. Times.com for the full article.

_  Director, Tonya S. Holly is planning to remake the 1967 classic movie, “Bonnie and Clyde”. The original picture included Hollywood legends, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. But the remake will be out with the old- and in with the new! Holly has decided to cast two new stars whose careers are definitely on the rise. Playing the role of Bonnie will be Lindsay Pulsipher of HBO’s “True Blood”, and her co-star will be Sean Faris of “Never Back Down”. Holly had originally planned to cast Hilary Duff in the role of Bonnie, before casting Pulsipher recently. According to sources, some of the movie's original setting was destroyed in the recent tornadoes and because of the new schedule neither Duff nor the originally cast-Kevin Zegers were able to take part. Despite these setbacks, Tonya S. Holly is excited to move forward with her new cast in 2012! The movie will be filmed in the Gulf South, around the areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and… you guessed it, Louisiana! There isn’t a lot of information about this film available yet, but for the full article visit moviehole.net!

Tom Hanks is once again filming a project here in the Gulf South. Everyone remembers his Academy Award winning performance in Alabama-set “Forrest Gump” in 1994. But, this time it won’t be a shrimp-boat he’s captaining, but rather a vessel captured by Somali pirates!

This new Hank’s project, titled “Maersk Alabama” will begin filming in early 2012 throughout New Orleans and Mobile. This movie is based on the nonfiction book A Captain’s Duty with one skilled actor cast as the Captain. Director, Paul Greengrass wants to keep this flick as accurate as possible- right down to the extras! A craigslist ad was recently published looking for men and women with ACTUAL experience to help fill out the accessory non-speaking, and some speaking roles for this movie. The ad clearly indicates that Greengrass , “is interested in casting real veterans of Coast Guard, Merchant Marines and Seals for several of the roles in the film… Please ONLY people with REAL experience in these institutions or on a ship apply.”

So, if you're on leave from the Navy, and you find yourself on dry land for the winter, then you should send out an email for your chance to work with this entertainment legend! As for the rest of us, we'll just have to settle for catching the film on the big screen following its release.

For more information on this story, and how to submit yourself for an extra, read the full article on nola.com.

In honor of Halloween, we have some spooky Southern Celebrity Gossip for you today!  So, rumor has it that the “True Blood” cast aren’t the only vampires running around New Orleans. That’s right, according to ABC News, Nick Cage may just be a real-life vampire. It isn’t just his creepy roles in movies that have the public suspicious of his mortality- but more a photo that recently emerged. A photo from 1870! This Civil War Era photo depicts an all-too real likeness to the famous actor, and has people guessing… is he a vampire?

Now vampires aren’t really new territory for Louisiana. New Orleans in particular has a habit for attracting the unusual-  and any trip to the French Quarter will reveal that! The otherworldly quality of this town is why Anne Rice chose it for the setting in her book “Interview with the Vampire” which was later made into a movie starring Brad Pitt. In this millennium, “True Blood” is being filmed locally and is set in a fictitious town between NOLA and Baton Rouge which furthers this reputation of New Orleans as a rendezvous hotspot for the undead.

Nick hasn’t really been helping his case by occupying the Lalaurie House in the French Quarter when he is in town. Cage purchased the mansion several years ago, despite the infamy of it being the “most haunted house in the city”.  Reportedly, when in town, him and his family usually don’t venture out and spend most of their time inside this haunted house. This has neighbors wondering if it is the stardom or the sunshine that keeps them indoors. Perhaps this home was what influenced Cage’s son to assume the position of lead-singer in a black metal band called, “Eyes of Noctum”.

Huh? Black metal bands? Haunted House? Creepy roles? Not to mention his public outburst last year? With all the creepy details of this actor’s personal life, it seems like this 1870’s photo might just be the final nail in the coffin. Pardon the pun. Regardless of the truth in this rumor, this Hollywood star is certainly a long way from a “City of Angels”.