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.

Singer Joshua Ledet has been astounding audiences and viewers on the hit television series American Idol for the past few weeks, and we’re thrilled that he is still in the running! Ledet is a local of Westlake, Louisiana and a graduate of Westlake High School. Growing up he was influenced by the music of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and more recently, by Fantasia Barrino. Having previously auditioned for American Idol, Ledet was thrilled to just make the first cut this year. But, his increasingly wonderful performances have kept him in the running following each of the eliminations. Currently, 19 year old Joshua is in the top 7 with a few weeks left in the competition. His soulful, classic Motown renditions have gained him specific attention and have us all hopeful that he’ll come out of Idol victorious. We’re also happy to see he’s brought some of that Hollywood South heritage with him on stage. Perhaps his most famous performance was the classic A Change is Gonna Come by Mississippi-born, Sam Cooke. Definitely check out the video of this amazing performance, and be sure to tune in and vote for this local star!

Here at Southern Celebrity Gossip we previously reported on the new Quentin Tarantino film that is shooting throughout Louisiana. In our older posts, we only had a snapshot of the plot for this new thriller. But it appears that the director himself has released a much more complete synopsis for this new flick! As previously mentioned, the story follows the title character, Django who is a former slave turned-bounty hunter as he tries to free his wife from the plantation on which she is incarcerated. But that sounds a little tame for the director who released "Inglorious Bastards", “Pulp Fiction”, as well as the “Kill Bill” movies. How about including a slave ranched called “Candyland” where slaves are trained to fight one another to the death? That’s a bit more like it!

Actor Kurt Russell will be playing the overseer who is responsible for training the inmates for battle, include Kerry Washington’s character, and Django’s wife, Broomhilda. The owner of the Candyland Plantation is the Academy Award-Nominee Leonardo DiCaprio. Leo is a new player to the Tarantino cast. Quentin, like many directors, has a habit of using the same actors in many of his films. This list includes Uma Thurman, Christopher Waltz, Tim Roth and Samuel L. Jackson. Tarantino has made a name for himself with his (almost) ridiculous plot lines and avant-garde direction, so we’re all anxious for how this plot line with translate onto the big screen.

For the complete synopsis, visit theguardian.com.

The Annual French Quarter Fest is begins this evening and will continue throughout the weekend. The Festival kicks off with a  live performance by the Rebirth Brass Band, who recently earned themselves a Grammy Award. Now, Rebirth isn’t the only musical sensation hitting the streets. Over the next few days performers such as, Cyril Neville and the Royal Southern Brotherhood, Amanda Shaw and Troy “Trombone Shorty”, Deacon John, Jeremy Davenport, and Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra will be hosting live concerts throughout the historic quarter.

This festival is free of charge and features affordable sample-sized portions of food from the area’s restaurants. Attendees of the fest are most excited for the NOLA restaurant’s stuffed chicken wings, Royal House’s charbroiled oysters, and also Antoine’s famed baked Alaska with chocolate sauce! It all sounds good to this Southern Celebrity Gossiper, and it sounds like a great opportunity for some celeb sightings! With named actors such as Tom Cruise, Leo DiCaprio, and now Denzel Washington all in town for filming- hopefully, we’ll catch a glimpse of some of them sampling those oysters!

From everyone at Southern Celebrity Gossip, we’re wishing you a fun and safe weekend- and we hope you enjoy the fest!

Check out the line-up!

Celebrity super-couple, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were spotted sight-seeing around Louisiana! Cruise, who is here filming new movie "Oblivion" took a break to spend time with Katie, daughter Suri, and son Connor this past week. They enjoyed tours in Baton Rouge, a ride on the streetcar, and some shopping at J.Crew- all while dodging the many cameras! For more pics of this famous family, visit POPSUGAR. 

   The last weekend in April and first weekend in May marks the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. This year’s impressive line-up (which is available on their official site) includes the one and only Bonnie Raitt. Raitt rose to fame in the late 1970’s and remained there with hits like “Nick of Time” and “Something to Talk About”. Over the course of her career, this soulful American-blues singer has released more than a dozen albums. Her last album, in 2005, however marked the start of a 7 year hiatus from recording. Raitt enjoyed time off as an audience to the musical community. But, Southern Celebrity Gossip is happy to report that Bonnie is BACK with a brand new album to accompany her appearance at this year’s Jazz Fest. The new album, “Slipstream” features the soon-to-be hit single “Right Down the Line”. You can watch the video of this song on youtube. Everyone is excited for the singer’s show at Jazz Fest, and for her re-entry into writing and performing. Raitt is quoted saying, “you can be off only so long when you have this in your blood."

For more on this story, visit NOLA.com.

      Our local celebrities are at it again! Giving back to the community they love, many of the area's most celebrated chefs are dedicating their time and talents to benefit St. Michael Special School here in New Orleans. Here are the details...

35th Annual Chefs’ Charity for Children

What: Some of New Orleans finest chefs present a cooking demonstration and luncheon to benefit St. Michael Special School in New Orleans, which serves developmentally disabled students of all ages in the New Orleans area.

When: Tuesday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tickets are $65 and cover admission to the chefs’ demonstration, a sampling of all the dishes prepared by the chefs, and a cookbook featuring more than 35 of their recipes, including those prepared for the luncheon. Tickets can be ordered by calling 504.524.7285. They can also be purchased at the door. Visa and Mastercard accepted.

Featuring:

Emeril Lagasse -- Lasagna Bolognese

John Besh of Restaurant August -- Chicken and dumplings

Andrea Apuzzo of Andrea’s -- Crawfish ravioli

Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen’s – Crawfish cornbread

Leah Chase of Dooky Chase – Tutti frutti pork

John Folse of Chef John Folse & Company – Mirliton and spinach-stuffed breast of chicken

Gunter Preuss of Broussard’s – Bouillabaisse

The Wong Brothers of Trey Yuen – Pineapple delight

David Woodward of the Hilton New Orleans Riverside – Bermuda fish chowder

Lazone Randolph of Brennan’s – Steak Diane

For more information: visit NOLA.com!

  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!

    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.