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!

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!

   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.

    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.

NOLA local and rap star, Lil’ Wayne owns property in Kenner, along with his many residences around the country. But it appears that music sensation isn’t exactly winning the neighbor of the year award. Wayne was recently cited for having an unkempt lawn in front of his 10,000 square-foot mansion. The complaint mentioned “tall grass” and “weeds” which violated the code enforcement policy. This is not the first citation the musician has received, writes NOLA.com. “The most recent code violation was at least the fifth that Kenner says it has discovered at Lil Wayne's place. In 2007 and 2008, the city put liens totaling $3,635 against his property for previous citations for "grass, weeds, litter and stagnant pool," according to court records.” Lil’ Wayne (born Dwayne Carter), is originally from New Orleans, but does not spend too much time in the city because of his career. The home he has in Kenner is actually on the market currently, and is listed at 1.7 million dollars. The Insider Track reports, “Listed as a "celebrity" mansion, the house has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, two half baths and a "beautiful, spacious open floor plan. Among the house’s amenities are a four-car garage, a theater and movie room, an entertainment bar, a pool house. The master suite has a fireplace with his and her baths and a steam room sauna and Jacuzzi.”. With all that luxury, this Southern Celebrity Gossiper thinks that Lil’ Wayne can spring for the costs of lawn maintenance!

For more on this story, visit NOLA.com.

Metairie may be a small town, but some of its natives have gone on to big things. One local in particular just had the opportunity to join music megastar Justin Bieber for his 18th birthday! Television star and comedian, Ellen DeGeneres hosted the singer on her show today to talk about his new single, his role models, his fans, and, of course, his birthday presents. Justin was given a brand new, entirely eco-friendly luxury car by longtime friend and manager, Scooter. The car features an all electric engine and solar panels on the roof, not to mention an Ellen bobblehead for décor! Perhaps the best present of all was having one of his “superfans” appear on the show. The fan was picked up at her house, blindfolded and placed inside a present box to travel to the television studio. The best part was that she had no idea where she was headed or why. For a clip of her surprise arrival visit the Ellen show’s official website. The new single, "Boyfriend" is schedule for a March 26th release and has everyone talking! All of us at Southern Celebrity Gossip are wishing Justin Bieber a very happy 18th birthday, and are thrilled that he decided to spend it with someone right out of the Hollywood South!

As you are all very aware, the Carnival season has passed. But, while Mardi Gras may officially be over, but that doesn't mean the buzz has died down on the Celebrity Sitings! Over the past 4 or 5 days here in New Orleans stars from music, television and films have been parading around town decked in their very best costumes. Here are some pictures of the star-studded cast of this year's celebration for those of you that missed seeing it in person:

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.

We previously reported that musicians Cyndi Lauper and Bret Michaels were to ride in the Krewe of Orpheus. Since that time, more stars have followed the lead of these rocking celebrity monarchs! Louisiana local Harry Connick Jr., along with actresses Hilary Swank and Mariska Hargitay will also be joining in the parade. Swank is best known for her Academy Award winning performance in “Million Dollar Baby”, but also acted alongside Connick in the 2007 film, “P.S. I Love You”. Hargitay has also acted with Harry Connick Jr. during her television series “Law and Order: SVU” where she portrays detective Olivia Benson. But Mariska isn’t the only television star in the Krewe of Orpheus!  Sarah Hyland from “Modern Family” will also be in Orpheus along with her boyfriend, not to mention "High School Musical 3" sensation, Matt Prokop.

   
    Harry Connick Jr. co-founded this particular parade which gets it’s name from the god of music in mythology. The krewe rolls on Lundi Gras, which is the 20th of February this year. Stay with us and we’ll keep you posted about all of the other celebrities heading to NOLA for carnival!

For more on this Krewe, visit their official website.

_     Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are the king and queen when it comes to country music. The two have been married for the past 15 years and have three children between them. Faith Hill, a Mississippi native, has over two dozen music awards under her belt since she first captured the spotlight in 1993. So what does she credit as the inspiration behind most of her success? The singer opened up to People Magazine this month about how her husband is her inspiration “every day in many, many ways”.

McGraw, originally from Start, Louisiana, moved to Nashville when he was in college to pursue his career as a singer/songwriter. Since that time he has earned world-renowned success. Currently, McGraw is releasing his latest album “Emotional Traffic” on January 24th. The original launch was delayed after some legal difficulties with his former record label. But, now things are back on track! (Pardon the pun). The country super-star has also announced that he will begin a 20 city tour along with musician, Kenny Chesney, starting in June of 2012.

With his incredible library of music, as well as this new album which he calls “his best ever”, it is no wonder that his Faith is impressed! But in addition to his professional triumphs, wife Faith Hill also divulged his personal accomplishments as well. She says, “I’m inspired by watching him as a father and husband… He keeps his family first and wants to experience all the phases with his girls.” Despite the recording, performing, and other celebrity appearances, this Louisianian finds time for family, and his equally famous wife.

 For more on this story you can read the article through TasteofCountry.com