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.

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.

   New movie, “The Hunger Games” is taking the nation by storm following its release on March 23rd. Thousands have flocked to the theatres this weekend for this much anticipated movie. But for one local actor the draw was much closer to home. Judd Lormand first became involved with “The Hunger Games” during an audition for an unnamed character. Following that audition, the casting directors offered the Baton Rouge actor the role of Peacekeeper No. 3 in the film. This role, which is featured in some of the most iconic scenes in the picture, required wearing a 30 lb costume in the 100 degree heat during filming. Despite the extreme circumstances, Lormand adopted the role with true professionalism.

The Louisiana resident is no stranger to the entertainment industry. He can previously be seen in “Memphis Beat”, “Wild Card”, and “Joyful Noise” before appearing in “The Hunger Games”.  Lormand studied Mass Communications at Louisiana State University before moving to Baton Rouge with his family. He began seriously pursuing acting in the 2000’s, but attributes his true beginnings back in high school. He participated in drama club, and the Forensic Leagues where he competed at various speech and debate tournaments. The success of “The Hunger Games” is certain to catapult his career, making him just another one of the celebrities here in the Hollywood South.

 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.

G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation has been filming here in NOLA since late this summer. The film may be set to release in July of ’12, but Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been keeping fans in the loop on all the latest news on the set. Followers of the flick, and of this action star have been keeping tabs on @TheRock on twitter where he has been posting facts and updates about the movie.

The wrestler-turned actor is portraying the character of Roadblock- all while working alongside an all-star cast. Bruce Willis is playing the film’s namesake, Joe Colton, Channing Tatum is acting as Captain Duke Hauser, and Ray Stevenson has signed on to play Firefly. Not to mention the acclaimed director, Jon Chu who previously directed the Justin Bieber flick “Never Say Never”.

This movie is filming just outside of New Orleans, and is using the Pontchartrain coasts for some of the heavy battle scenes. Dwayne Johnson was recently interviewed by ET here in town, offering a first peak at this action-packed film. You can watch the interview through entertainment.gather.com.

Active Entertainment recently added substantial production space when it moved into Raleigh Studios at Celtic Media Centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Emerging into the Louisiana market four  years ago, Active has since completed 12 feature films. Its latest features have had great success around the world, delivering some of the highest television ratings in its history. In addition, Acitve has expanded its contracts for international sales to include three more films in 2011. 


Patrick Mulhearn, Director of Studio Operations for Celtic Media Centre, said, "We are extremely pleased to welcome Active Entertainment as a true anchor tenant to Celtic Media Centre. Their seasoned management team, proven track record and volume of work currently in production and in development make this an exceptionally big win for Raleigh Studios and the Baton Rouge area."


The extraordinary facilities at Raleigh Studios, couple with Active's team of production and post-production talent, which is led by COO Daniel Lewis, will give producers around the world a great opportunity to enable their projects to be financed, filmed, and delivered with amazing quality and lower cost. 

Continue reading more about Active Entertainment here