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.

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:

  Actress, Patricia Clarkson has been acting in major motion pictures since she performed as Mrs. Eliot Ness in “The Untouchables” alongside Kevin Costner. Since this debut she has gone on to work on other projects including “Shutter Island”, “Simply Irresistible”, “The Green Mile”, and the hit television show “Frasier”.

Clarkson’s current project hits a little closer to home. The Washington Post reports that Patricia has just arrived in New Orleans in preparation for the Krewe of Muses which rolls tomorrow evening. Clarkson, a native of the Crescent City, will appear on one of the floats and is part of the ever-growing list of celebrity appearances for this year’s Mardi Gras. The actress was born here in Louisiana, before moving to Connecticut to pursue a degree in the Dramatic Arts from Yale University. She frequently returns to her hometown here in NOLA, and this is her second time participating in one of the   parades, having ridden in Orpheus in 2007.

Other celebs to be on the look-out as we get closer to Fat Tuesday are Will Ferrell (Bacchus), Hilary Swank, (Orpheus), Maroon 5 (Endymion), Brett Michaels & Cyndi Lauper (Orpheus), and Harry Connick Jr., who is also riding in Orpheus. Clarkson is being honored as the “EveryMuse” and the all-female Krewe is thrilled to have her participate. One member commented that “it’s wonderful that someone who has been so successful and such a public figure is willing to come back to New Orleans and share her city with the rest of the country.”

For more on this story, visit the Washington Post.

Actor Mark Ruffalo has been in the Crescent City for the past few weeks working on the new film “Now You See Me”. In this flick, he plays opposite Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, and Isla Fisher in a crime drama centered around magicians. Ruffalo, who is best known for his performances in “Shutter Island” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is also working on a new movie with Scarlett Johansson titled “Can a Song Save Your Life?”.

Amidst all of this filming, Mark took a break this weekend to take in some of the Mardi Gras cheer here in New Orleans! Celebrity Baby Scoop is happy to report that Mark, his wife Sunrise, and their kids Keen, Bella and Odette took in some of the parade- and definitely took home some of the throws! The Scoop shows the kids decked out with beads, clearly enjoying a good time with mom and dad.

For more pictures, visit Celebrity Baby Scoop.

The parade organizers for Orpheus have just released the names of their celebrity monarchs, and we’re pretty sure you’ve heard of them. That’s right, Bret Michaels of the rock band Poison, and 80’s icon Cyndi Lauper will be rolling in 2012’s Carnival! Because, let’s face it… both guys and girls just want to have fun.

The Krewe of Orpheus wanted this year’s celebrity monarchs to reflect the theme of the parade. According to myth, Orpheus was the son of Calliope and Apollo and was the “greatest musician and poet of [the] Greek”. In honor of this muse, the Krewe selected Michaels and Lauper as the modern idols of this mythic tale. New Orleans is happy to have such a popular pair join us for Mardi Gras, and enjoy the festivities leading up to the big day. Orpheus begins at 6:00 p.m. uptown on the 20th of February.

Previous monarchs of this parade include, Lawrence Fishburne, Whoopi Goldberg, Saundra Bullock, Stevie Wonder and James Brown. For more information about this, and all other parades, visit the official Mardi Gras website!