Two Louisiana directors have earned their 15 minutes of fame- and they managed to do it in just over 14! Authors William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg put together a short cartoon called “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” which has just received an academy award. The short, which is a production of Moonbot Studios in Shreveport tells a “magical story about the joy of books”.  Specific to the origin of this studio, the short also suggests a New Orleans theme. The main character, Morris Lessmore has his library destroyed in a Katrina-esque storm. Following the destruction, all of his books are replaced with an enchanted library of flying volumes. A brief clip of this short is available on Moonbot’s website. This special received the award for Best Animated Short Film, and has made the city of Shreveport, as well as the state of Louisiana very proud of the talent that we have here!

To watch the short in its entirety, visit youtube.com.

The Rebirth Brass Band has been rocking the streets of New Orleans, with classics like “Feel Like Funkin’ It Up” and “Do Whatcha Wanna” since the late 1980’s. So for the 2012 Grammy Awards, it is about time that the group earned some recognition. At the recent Awards Ceremony, The Rebirth Brass Band’s new album, “The Rebirth of New Orleans” was named the Best Regional Roots Album on Sunday, February 12th.

The band was founded by New Orleans’ musicians Kermit Ruffins, Phil Frazier, and Keith Frazier. Ruffins has since gone on to found his own band “The BBQ Swingers” which performed at the Joy Theatre for New Year’s Eve. Frazier was beside himself with the win. He commented that, “it’s like New Orleans winning the Super Bowl all over again”. The band has a performance book in L.A. this week, but will be home in time for the usually Tuesday night show at the Maple Leaf. You can hear their music in HBO's hit series, TREME, as well as here in the Crescent City!

For more on this story, visit NOLA.com.

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With the Academy Award Nominees having just be announced, everyone certainly has a lot to gossip about. Why shouldn’t they? With movies like “The Artist”, “The Help” and “The Descendants” up for best picture there are definitely a lot of different opinions. But one category is more clear that others: Best Supporting Actress. Having just won the Golden Globe in the same role, Octavia Spencer is a shoe-in for the Oscar as well.

Spencer is originally from Montgomery Alabama, and got her start in a Mississippi filmed movie, “A Time to Kill”. In this movie the budding actress had the opportunity to work alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, and Mathew McConoughey. After wrapping this project, Octavia Spencer relocated to Los Angeles were she has been featured in countless projects. But all of this success has managed to bring her back to right where she started! The Jackson, Mississippi set movie “The Help” has put Octavia’s name all over the press… not to mention the film awards. In the film, she plays the supporting character Minny opposite actresses Viola Davis and Emma Stone. The movie deals with racial tensions that existed in the 1960’s in Mississippi. The movie was shot predominantly in the town of Jackson, as well as Alabama and parts of Florida.

Octavia isn’t the only star in “The Help” nominated for an Oscar. Viola Davis has been nominated for best actress, as well as Jessica Chastain who is up against Spencer for best supporting actress. Despite this rivalry, the two cast-mates remain close friends and recently were interviewed by Tribute Movies about their work together. The movie is also nominated for “Best Picture”. “The Help” has shined a light, not only on the rich history here in the south, but also on the incredible talent that is from here. We are all hopeful that Spencer’s performance is recognized at the 2012 Oscars.

For a complete list of nominees visit the Oscar’s official website.

_ Angelina Jolie recently made the transition from actress to writer-director. Her first film under her direction, “In the Land of Blood and Honey” was previously reported here in Southern Celebrity Gossip. Since that time, the crew has wrapped production on the picture and movie has been released in select theatres around the US and Europe. The serious content of this movie have caused mixed reviews, and some find the movie difficult to watch. Regardless of the violent subject matter, the movie wasbee nominated for a Golden Globe Award! Even though it did not win for Best Foreign Motion Picture, this is still an incredible feat for the new director. Jolie and actress, Vanessa Glodjo open about this movie in a promotional Q & A.

 
In this video, Jolie goes into detail about what it is like working as a director after years of acting. She also discusses the responsibility of taking this movie on, and the anxiety she felt as a result.  Including her crying as Brad tried to console her. Glodjo, who acts in the film, also provides a unique perspective about her character, she the actress herself is a survivor of the war in Bosnia. This comprehensive interview has us all intrigued and we’re dying to see Jolie’s film on the big screen. So far the movie isn’t playing anywhere locally, but we’re hoping to be included in the upcoming wider release this month. For now we’ll have to settle for just the interview.

This video was sponsored by Marie Claire.