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:

A new movie, “The Tomb” is set to begin filming here in Louisiana come springtime. This picture is bringing with it two of Hollywood’s biggest stars- literally! The famous muscle-men Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are cast to star in this film. The two men will be portraying inmates in prison, who want to escape from that life. Stallone’s character is the brains behind the break-out, and Schwartzenegger plays “a complex inmate who fights to keep the prisoners from losing their humanity in their darkest hour as they struggle together to stay alive.” According to IMDB, Sylvester Stallone’s character is wrongfully incarcerated and forced to live in a prison that he himself designed. Hopefully things won’t get too “Rocky” as these two try to “Terminate” their stay in prison.

The movie is set to film in New Orleans and the surrounding areas in April of 2012 and is planning for a 2013 release. As always, for this and other stories about Hollywood South, stay with us at Southern Celebrity Gossip!

Actor Zach Galifianakis was spotted uptown rocking a brand new mustache. This star of the “Hangover” movies is usually seen with an iconic beard, but it seems that his new movie has given him a whole new appearance. Galifianakis has been here in New Orleans the past few months working on the new movie “Dog Fight”. This film features actors Will Ferrell, Dan Akroyd, as well as local talent Billy Slaughter and Madison Wolfe. It seems that following wrapping this picture, Zach treated himself to Magazine Street Shopping- and hopefully some of the Mardi Gras celebration!

But there may be more than King Cake in the actor’s future as rumors of a third “Hangover” movie are leaking out into the media. According to the Hollywood Reporter, there is “likely to be a third Hangover film with Zach and co-stars Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms likely to secure a reported $15 million pay deal”. Not a bad deal for another sure success! The first movie earned a “total worldwide gross of $467,416,722, making it the sixth highest grossing film of 2009.” Adding to that the $581,464,305 of the movie’s sequel makes the $15 million for each actor seem like a drop in the bucket!

For more on this story visit the Daily Mail.

  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.

The New Orleans-shot historical-horror flick, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter will be hitting the big screen in June of 2012. But new images and a theatrical trailer have just been released! With period costumes, eerie music, and a title that includes the term “Vampire Hunter”, this new movie has audiences eager for its release- if for no other reason than to see what it is all about. It seems unusual that director Timur Bekmambetov decided to place the USA’s 16th president with the likes of the True Blood characters. But, it makes a little more sense once you learn that Tim Burton is producing the picture. Burton is known for his dark and bizarre films, including “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. Hopefully he, and maybe the influence of his wife- the equally extraordinary Helena Bonham Carter (“Fight Club”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “Harry Potter”), can pull this Vampire picture together!

Even from the trailer, this Southern Celebrity Gossiper is confused, and curious as to what exactly the plot of this new movie will be? Will it be a ridiculously unrealistic horror film, or a provocative merging of genres? Either way, it promises to feature much of Louisiana’s beautiful scenery! Check out the trailer for yourself on Nola.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.

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.

 It seems that actor and comedian Will Ferrell had a break in his schedule in between finishing “Dog Fight”, and making his guest appearance in the Krewe of Bacchus. What better to fill in this free time than with a New Orleans Hornets game! But Ferrell wasn’t just sitting on the sidelines as the Hornets played the Bulls, but was taking part in the action before the game.


Will Ferrell served as the announcer at the start of this “80’s Night” inspired game. In his typical style, the actor made jokes and quips about each of the players. Joking that certain players “still live with [their] mother”, or that another's “favorite movie is the Notebook”, he certainly got a laugh out of an excited crowd. Hornets fans are saying that Ferrell’s introductions were the highlight of the night… unless you were rooting for the bulls. In the end the New Orleans Hornets lost 90-67, but the fans were still enjoying themselves at the game!

You can watch a clip of the introductions here.

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.

Hollywood heart-throb, Tom Cruise, is heading down to Louisiana to film his next major motion picture. This new Sci-Fi thriller (which is yet to be named) is reportedly based on the comic book series “Oblivion”.  The website, screen rant claims that the movie is toying with the title “Horizons”, but for right now is just calling it “Untitled”. Even without a name, this movie is getting a lot of attention- and also stars! Along with the famed Cruise, actresses Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko have also signed on to this project. You may know Riseborough from the 2008 film “Happy-Go-Lucky”, and you’ll recognize Kurylenko as the bond-girl in “Quantum of Solace”.

 
 This isn’t Tom Cruise’s first time working on a film here in New Orleans. He starred in the movie “Interview with the Vampire” alongside Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst in 1994. This new movie will be filming both in Baton Rouge and New Orleans starting this month. So keep your eyes peeled for one of the most recognized faces in Hollywood- and if you see him, snap a picture and let us know!

1sureveille.com wrote a detailed article about this new movie, as well as all the exciting projects happening here in Hollywood South!