Scene Magazine February/March 2012 by Scene Magazine

KREAYSHAWN CAN’T STOP

ROBERT ELLIS REAL COUNTRY BEFORE THE SCENE

SHAUN

SIPOS

JUSTIFIED’S

M.C.

GAINEY

SPRING FASHION WITH ANDI EATON

THE BREAKOUT KING

DOMENICK LOMBARDOZZI

VOL. 3, ISSUE 2 | February/March 2012 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Micah Haley CREATIVE DIRECTOR Erin Theriot STAFF WRITER Brittney Franklin COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Elizabeth Glauser EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Kasey Emas, Jenny Bravo, John Vail GRAPHIC ARTIST Burton Chatelain, Jr. DESIGN ASSISTANT Kandice Champagne

EDITOR’S LETTER

ur sincerest congratulations go out to the team behind Beasts of the Southern Wild, which stunned the Sundance Film Festival in January by taking home the Grand Jury Prize for best dramatic feature. The win is not only an accomplishment for director Benh Zeitlin and company at Court 13, but also for Louisiana. The stated goal of the grand experiment that is the entertainment tax incentives is to develop an indigenous industry. Beasts of the Southern Wild is not only a film that shot in Louisiana, but it was done by people who live here and love the stories that are written in mud along the road, in wrinkles on faces throughout the state. The mild winter is ending, and as you read this issue, know that the film industry is in full bloom. Some of the biggest names in the film industry will be in-state simultaneously this spring, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt,

8 | February/March 2012

Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jamie Foxx and Sacha Baron Cohen in New Orleans for Django Unchained, and Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg in town for Now You See Me. In Baton Rouge, Tom Cruise will be around for Oblivion (ahem, the Untitled Tom Cruise Sci-Fi Project), Diane Kruger, Saoirse Ronan and William Hurt in town for The Host. It’s an amazing opportunity to expose our famous friends to the great things about Louisiana, but we want to encourage you to respect the privacy of the familiar faces you’re sure to see out dining at Fleming’s, shopping at Whole Foods, or even out seeing a movie at the theater with you. Often actors in town will be working nearly all day, five or six days a week. Remember the Southern hospitality we’re famous for and everyone will be dying to come back.

MICAH HALEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF editor@scenelouisiana.com

DIRECTOR OF SALES Gene Jones SALES Brinkley Maginnis, Sean Beauvais, Amanda Ducorbier EVENT COORDINATOR Ashley Russo FASHION STYLIST John H. Smith COVER PHOTO Teddy Smith CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Teddy Smith, AJ Buckley, Paul Schiraldi, Mitch Jenkins, Eliot Brasseaux, Caitlin Barry, Mario Perez, Christian Daigle, Mark St. James, Ashley Merlin, Robby Klein, Matt Beard, Jemal Countess, Keith Bernstein, Merrick Morton, Brandon Holley, Paul Moore CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AJ Buckley, James Napper, III, Andi Eaton, Kasey Emas, Jenny Bravo, Arthur Vandelay, Brittney Franklin, Jacob Peterman, Elizabeth Glauser Scene Magazine At Raleigh Studios Baton Rouge 10000 Celtic Drive • Suite 201 • Baton Rouge, LA 70809 225-361-0701 At Second Line Stages 800 Richard St. • Suite 222 • New Orleans, LA 70130 504-224-2221 info@scenelouisiana.com • www.scenelouisiana.com Published By Louisiana Entertainment Publishers LLC CEO, Andre Champagne President, AJ Buckley Vice President, Micah Haley Controller, Jessica Dufrene Display Advertising: Call Scene Magazine for a current rate card or visit www.scenelouisiana.com All submitted materials become the property of Louisiana Entertainment Publishers LLC. For subscriptions or more information visit our website www.scenelouisiana.com Copyright @ 2011 Louisiana Entertainment Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used for solicitation or copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher.

CONTENTS ON THE COVER

Domenick Lombardozzi

10 | February/March 2012

SCENE ON MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL TOM CRUISE, ladies and gentlemen. The biggest movie star in the world just reaffirmed his status with the international smash Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Now, he’s in Baton Rouge at Raleigh Studios filming Oblivion with Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski.

Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt

Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover

J. EDGAR After working with Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, and now Clint Eastwood on J. Edgar, LEONARDO DICAPRIO is working with another A-list director. The Oscar-nominated leading man who moonlights as a character actor is in New Orleans now starring in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

HANNA

Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg photo by Merrick Morton

THE SOCIAL NETWORK A string of excellent performances in movies like Rodger Dodger and Zombieland were the perfect lead up to JESSE EISENBERG’s tour de force as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Now the Best Actor nominee is in New Orleans filming Now You See Me.

12 | February/March 2012

Saoirse Ronan as Hanna

By far one of the most underrated movies of 2011, Hanna stars Irish actress SAOIRSE RONAN as a sixteen year old trained assassin. Now the teenage thesp is in Baton Rouge filming The Host, author Stephenie Meyer’s literary follow up to her hugely successful Twilight franchise.

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BEHIND THE

SCENES S

ARACHNOQUAKE The earth below New Orleans erupts, unleashing giant albino spiders on a killing spree across the Crescent City, in the latest Syfy Channel thriller Arachnoquake. Produced in Louisiana by Active Entertainment, the film stars Tracy Gold (Growing Pains), Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgement Day) and Bug Hall, best known as “Alfalfa” from the 1994 feature remake of The Little Rascals. photos by Eliot Brasseaux

Bug Hall leads with a shotgun as Olivia Hardt and Ethan Phillips follow

Special makeup effects are applied to an actor while director Griff Furst sets up a shot

Tracy Gold as “Katelynn”

Director of Photography Lorenzo Senatore with Bug Hall in a dive suit with a shotgun

14 | February/March 2012

A spider bite on actor Paul Boocock is ready to burst (with Lucky Johnson and Tiara Gathright)

Actor Earl Maddox has a problem

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by AJ Buckley

Before the Scene is where we all start. In a small town with our families. In front of a mirror with our friends. The days spent sleeping on a couch. The nights working at a bar. Living with the unknown and surrounded by uncertainty. It’s about the times that define us. It’s about the darkness just before the limelight.

SHAUN SIPOS Shaun Sipos is a Canadian actor best known for his work on television in Complete Savages and The CW’s Melrose Place. He recently starred with Chloe Moretz and Blake Lively in Hick, which shot in Louisiana. He can next be seen in the 3-D reboot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which recently shot in Shreveport.

What made you want to become an actor? I think, when I was younger, I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do. I thought that being an actor would help me to meet interesting people. I actually thought it would introduce me to some great love in my life…a wife or something like that. Then it actually did introduce me to a great lover - to acting - and kind of changed the way that I view the world. It changed my paradigm. And I fell in the love with the art of it. The art of storytelling. I realized that I have such a great love of mythology all through my life that I never really realized. There are all these great stories. It really brought that out in my life.

What was your biggest fear? Probably not being accepted. Not being seen for who I was. Not being loved. My biggest fear in terms of acting is probably just being a terrible actor.

What was your lowest point? Living out of my truck and then crashing on your couch. But it was also one of the most beautiful points in my life. I mean, I had nothing. It was very Jack Kerouac-esque. I was traveling around, staying with Justin [Chatwin], and we just really had nothing. Had no money. Ended up getting a television show, which was a wonderful adventure. But it was probably my lowest point in terms of self-esteem and surety that I was doing the right thing. But there was a wonderful adventure and curiosity about it. It was a big catch-22.

What were you doing before the meeting that changed your life? Drinking and not shaving. That’s probably what I was doing! There have been a couple of meetings that have had a significant impact on my life, my journey. I met Mel Gibson, who I think is a great storyteller. I think that he has his demons, but I do think he’s a genius and I was just being a rebellious, angry youth. This was when he had gone sober. Meeting him pushed me to gain control over my habits and he believed in me and he didn’t lynch me for acting out. That and then working with Ray Liotta and [writer/director] Bruce McCulloch, seeing what kind of work you need to do and what kind of work is expected of you.

What were the words that kept you going? I love you. I’m there for you. You’re special. I believe in you. Those are powerful words when they come from the right people. Coming from my family and my closest friends.

How have you changed? I’ve gained a greater perspective on the journey and having faith that, if I follow my beliefs and my heart, I’m stepping in the right direction. I have more faith when I’m unsure. If I feel really sure about something, it actually offsets me. If I feel slightly unsure and a little off kilter and scared, that’s probably the right direction. And I try and stay on that, whereas before, when I was younger I think I was just so frightened that I would try and run the other way.

What kept you from walking away?

What words do you have to inspire others?

I don’t think it ever entered my mind. I was too in love with the adventure to just walk off. I was just too captivated so I never thought of it. Which could be deemed as naiveté or it could be deemed as courage, I don’t know, but it just never really entered my mind.

Never say no to yourself. Develop your imagination and don’t censor it. Anything is possible if you work hard and have and tenacity. And trust your friends. S

What did you walk away from? I walked away from what I knew. What I grew up with. I walked away from people that I didn’t feel really supported me. I walked away from what my family probably thought was the way I should live my life. Probably being a doctor. From what is just generically looked at as being the right road in Vancouver Island.

Who was your closest ally? I’d say you and Justin Chatwin.

18 | February/March 2012

A partner in Scene Magazine and the president of Louisiana Entertainment Publishers, AJ has starred for the last seven years as Adam Ross on the hit TV show CSI:NY, now on Friday nights at 9pm. Originally from Dublin and raised in Vancouver, he has spent the past twelve years in Los Angeles acting, writing and directing. He is currently in pre-production in Louisiana on North of Hell, in which he will star and produce. Find out more on Twitter at @AJohnBuckley and at www.ajbuckley.net.

Never say no to yourself.

Develop your imagination and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t censor it. Anything is possible if you work hard and have tenacity. And trust your friends.

BEFORE THE SCENE SHAUN SIPOS www.scenelouisiana.com | 19

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STATE OF THE ARTIST

Jason Connery & THE PHILLY KID by Kasey Emas photos courtesy of After Dark Films Neal McDonough with Wes Chatham in The Philly Kid

s an actor, Jason Connery has appeared in over thirty films character,” says Connery. “I like to work with the writer.” In 2010, Connery released 51, a Syfy Channel alien flick shot in and television shows. With new projects planned for 2012, fourteen days at a mattress factory in Louisiana. With all of his past films, the talented Connery juggles being a parent, a budding he developed the project and then director and, occasionally, an sought financing. The Philly Kid actor. Now as he prepares for was different. “They brought me the release of his fourth film as a the script and said, ‘How would director, The Philly Kid, the son you shoot this?’” recalls Connery. of Sean Connery has generations “After I told them, they said, of experience to draw upon. ‘Okay. We’d like you to do it.’” Connery’s career as an Though larger than his previous actor began with Robin Hood films, Connery set The Philly Kid in 1984. “I was an actor for in Baton Rouge to maximize its about thirty years, but I started budget. “The fight was set around directing some theatre and then Baton Rouge so I could use all of six years ago, I found a script the Baton Rouge signage. I used called Pandemic. We made it for the bridge, the one that goes to $200,000 and shot it in twelve Lafayette and the river. There are a days in Arizona.” The indie lot of places we used that are very was released in 2009 and “did Jason Connery in the octagon on the set of The Philly Kid much Baton Rouge. And we shot pretty well. I really enjoyed the a bunch of nights, which was very atmospheric. We shot underneath experience,” says Connery. “It’s on Netflix now.” The transition has been a natural one. “I’ve been teaching the overpass that goes across the river, in the L Bar,” he says. “What’s acting for a while, and as a director, my strength is that I lovely about setting [and shooting] something in Baton Rouge is the work with actors. I speak their language. I love story. I love fact that wherever you shoot, you don’t worry about it showing

22 | February/March 2012

STATE OF THE ARTIST and I think we caught a lot of the flavor of this area, which was nice.” Though limited to eighteen shooting days, Connery had two cameras and was able to stretch creatively. “The crews here are great. There are some really good craftsmen here: the sound people, locations, stunts, makeup,” he says. “I like the actors. All of the local actors are good.” Connery used several local actors in the film, including Lucky Johnson, Benard Hoff and J.D. Evermore. “I like to use the same people if they’re good.” Evermore also appears in Connery’s previous effort, 51. When auditioning talent, Connery chose casting directors Brent Caballero and Hank Langlois. “They were great. They brought me Benard, and Lucky Johnson was also one of the main characters. Just fantastic.” For the film’s fight scenes, Connery also used local MMA fighters. Connery spent much of his postproduction time for The Philly Kid with Jerry Gilbert and Michael Baird of Post Digital at the Celtic Media Centre. “I think this place is a real oasis. I mean, until I came here, I had no idea it was here. It’s got huge stages. It’s got wonderful facilities. It’s a proper filmmaking environment and I think that’s fantastic. A lot of cities you go to, they don’t invest this kind of money into places like this,” he says. “It’s lovely to go into a big screening room and see your movie in the proportion that it will be shown in the cinema. It’s great. You have the ability to make a low budget film all the way up to Battleship and Battle L.A.” As for The Philly Kid’s release date, Connery says it’s coming fast. “It’s difficult to know how big the release will be and when but I would probably say around March. Although, it may be quicker than that, actually. I’m very excited. I think it’s going to be really good. But then again, I would think that because I’m the director.” After having good experiences on two films in Baton Rouge, he’s planning to return in March to shoot his third film, Lion’s Den. “I think obviously the incentives are great and they have a very healthy attitude towards film here from what I can see.” “I’m developing a lot of things for now,” he says. “You kind of throw things against the wall.” Another project he has in development is a romantic comedy that would shoot in Ireland later this year. In the meantime, Connery resides in L.A. with his fourteen-year-old son, who has a passion for music. “[Louisiana] is wonderful during this time of year. It gets ridiculously hot and humid in August, though,” Connery says. “The food is great but it’s not a good place to be on a diet. I’ve been to Port of Call and it’s one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.” Connery says he’s also found time to experience another Louisiana tradition: Jazz Fest. “All of those things are great. But at the end of the day, when one comes down here and you’re working on a film, 24 | February/March 2012

what’s really nice is to feel like you are surrounded by people who are good at what they do,” he says. “And that’s what it’s all about. It’s a collaboration. And you need everyone to be doing what they’re doing, but also communicating. Lack of communication on a film is deadly. From the assistant all the way up to the main producer.” As an actor and director, Connery is uniquely positioned to offer advice on the difficulty of finding work in front of the camera. “It’s universally like that. In L.A. there are thousands of actors. And here, you at least have less people and therefore there is opportunity. It’s just being in the right place at the right time,” he says. “Unfortunately the business is such that everything is dominated by the idea of name. Much of the revenue is created by who you have in your movie. However, it is my feeling that the right person is the right person to do the job.” Many Louisiana actors wonder if Los Angeles offers more opportunity. Connery disagrees. “I wouldn’t just go and say, ‘Hey, I’m here. I’m hoping to act.’ You could do that, absolutely. Especially if you were financially able to do that, but I think the best thing to do is build a resume here and then ride off the back of someone you meet here. The whole coming into town and hoping something comes up is a real long shot.” Though busy as a director, he still makes time for acting. “I still act every now and again if there is something interesting to do. It’s fun to be on the other side. Although it’s a bit weird, because I find myself talking to the crew and they are like, ‘Okay, you’re an actor. You’re supposed to talk to other actors.’ It’s different. I think acting is great. It’s very specific. And it’s one element in the story. It’s nice to have that. Just that. Because you have that to concentrate on,” he says. “When you’re a director, people are coming to you with questions 24/7 and even if you don’t know, you have to give the impression that you do.” “The whole process of filmmaking is, as an actor, you the take the idea of a film from one specific angle in a sense that you’re playing that part and their journey through whatever you’re doing,” Connery continues. “As a director, what’s lovely is that you take the whole story. You work very much in coordination with everybody else and hopefully it’s cohesive in that way. But it’s very much the idea of taking something and following all the way through with it. In pre-production, shooting and then post, there are elements that have to come together to finish a film.” Fans of Jason Connery’s famous father, Sean Connery, might be interested to know if they’d work together. “Never have. We were going to do a film together years ago and then it fell apart. He doesn’t really work now,” he says of his retired father. “You never know though. In life, I never say ‘never’ but in principle, probably not.” S

FILM |

GAINEY

UNCHAINED by Elizabeth Glauser

MC Gainey with The Others in Lost

photo by Mario Perez

“M

ove to New Orleans, baby! If you can’t get in the movies there, you should just hang it up,” says actor MC Gainey. The Mississippi native has witnessed Louisiana’s film industry grow firsthand, watching New Orleans and the rest of the state become a film phenomenon. During that time, Gainey’s own career has bloomed as well: his often ominous mug is quite familiar to fans of Lost and Justified. Now, he’s in New Orleans filming director Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Glad to be back in familiar territory, Gainey says he can always tell when a film is shot here. “There are some fantastic actors here. There’s a whole gang of them and you see them in movies,” the veteran actor says. “You can tell when a movie was shot in New Orleans, even if there aren’t any exteriors, because I’d see the actors.” “Back when I was a kid, they came to New Orleans because they wanted to shoot New Orleans, whether it was The Cincinnati Kid or This Property Is Condemned or Hard Times,” says Gainey. “They come here now because if you’re making an eighty million dollar movie, you can make it for seventy down here — or sixty-five. You know, a million here, five million there…pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” With the storied resume of a veteran character actor, Gainey’s face became instantly recognizable across the U.S. when he revealed as the first member of “The Others” to show his face on Lost. “It was the strangest job I’d ever seen, because I had no idea what I 26 | February/March 2012

MC Gainey in Haunted High

photo by Eliot Brasseaux

was doing or who I was. They didn’t tell me anything,” says Gainey. “It was strange. All of the things an actor uses to build a character - backstory, objectives, whatever - I had nothing. So I would hit the marks and say the words and hope it turned out alright.” Though a ratings boon for ABC, Lost’s intricate plots extended across space and time confused some, including the actors

| FILM MOVE TO NEW ORLEANS, BABY! If you can’t get in the movies there, you should just hang it up. themselves. “I kept up with it pretty well until the island moved. Once the island moved I was like, ‘I’m watching, but I no longer expect to understand it.’” “If you were to ask me right now how Lost ended, I really couldn’t tell you, but I know that I enjoyed the ride,” says Gainey. “And it was good for me. It did good things for me. It was a lot of fun just working in Hawaii year in and year out.” After getting off the island, TV roles kept coming for Gainey, earning a recurring role on the critically lauded FX show Justified. “I’m a huge Elmore Leonard fan, I mean his writing is splendid, and Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins are just incredible on the show,” says Gainey. “But I was really glad they killed me off because there are times where acting gets to be a little hard. When they’re constantly re-writing it and you’re learning it and re-learning it just wears you out.” After Gainey left Justified, his co-star Timothy Olyphant popped up in Louisiana, reminding him of his newfound notoriety. “He came down to Jazz Fest this year and I ran into him on the fair grounds and I said, ‘Congratulations on the show and the second season, but damn it you made me famous and I don’t like it!’” says Gainey. “I like to be able to watch people and when people know who you are they’re able to watch you back.” Even if his people-watching has been impaired by fame, Gainey is still able to enjoy Jazz Fest for the same reason everyone else does: the music. “I think it’s the greatest music festival that ever was and I’ve lived all over the world. I’ve seen every type of music festival there is. Nothing compares to Jazz Fest,” says Gainey. “You don’t have to be from New Orleans. It’s funny because some people come here and don’t even get the New Orleans flavor. They just go and see Jimmy Buffet and Van Morrison. Whatever it takes to draw the people in, to keep the thing going is fine with me, but I’m always looking for the old guys from my childhood to hear them one

MC Gainey as Tom Friendly in Lost

more time.” Jazz Fest has become an annual tradition for Gainey, and it won’t be the only thing bringing him back to Louisiana in 2012. MC Gainey spent plenty of time with us when he was in town shooting Haunted High for Active Entertainment. He’s back in New Orleans now with Leonardo

photo by Mario Perez

DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz to film the latest Quentin Tarantino movie, Django Unchained. “It’s a really interesting script. It’s really like a spaghetti western set in the old South,” he promises. You can see him as Big John Brittle when the film is released in theatres this December. S www.scenelouisiana.com | 27

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TODAY’S SCENE

That Championship Season by Jacob Peterman

photos by Ashley Merlin

he richly diverse cultures of South Louisiana are sometimes seemingly separate, resulting in the sibling rivalry between the capitol city of Baton Rouge and the international city of New Orleans. The 2012 BCS National Championship Game promised to bring the sister cities together for one memorable extended weekend, bringing the quintessential Baton Rouge cultural mecca, LSU football, to the Crescent City. After defeating Alabama at home, the LSU Tigers met the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. Coach Les Miles’ Tigers dismembered the Bulldogs in a straightforward 42-10 defeat of the SEC East’s best. The top-ranked Tigers finished the regular season undefeated, a rare feat in the current Golden Age of SEC Football. The dominance of SEC football is oft discussed by sports journalists and fans alike, especially this season, as winning the SEC Championship has all but guaranteed a team will win the National Championship. Anyone doubting that fact got a wakeup call when the final regular season rankings were posted: LSU was set to play none other than their SEC West rivals, the Alabama Crimson Tide, in New Orleans for the BCS National Championship. “If we played ten times, each of us would probably win five,” says LSU starter T-Bob Hebert. “Honestly, I have a lot of positive memories of this season. Just being a part of an SEC Championship team, those don’t really come around that often. Especially nowadays, with the Golden Age of the SEC, it’s so hard to win it. Being able to get that ring. In ’07, I got all those rings, but I was just on scout team, but this year definitely meant a lot more to me, being out there on the field and playing.” The rematch was set for January 9, 2012, a game that promised to unite Baton Rouge and New Orleans against a common foe: the state of Alabama. Led by Coach Nick Saban, himself a former LSU National Champion, the Crimson Tide headed for New Orleans. The night before the big game, former LSU and Alabama standouts Mark Ingram, Patrick Peterson, Marcell Dareus, Greg McElroy and Justin Vincent did what New Orleans and Baton Rouge natives expect: they threw a party to kick off the party. Dubbed “The Crystal Ball,” the exclusive event was held at Mardi Gras World on the Mississippi River. The next day, fans flooded the streets of New Orleans. Purple and gold mixed with the black and gold of the New Orleans Saints, as locals beat back the crimson tide that threatened to flood the historic city. Crowds gathered, marching bands marched, and LSU’s colors filled the space normally reserved for Saints. But it was not enough. LSU’s championship season would end on a low note, as the undefeated Tigers

30 | February/March 2012

TODAY’S SCENE

fell in the rematch against the Crimson Tide of Alabama. “Hindsight’s 20-20. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t believe in our game plan before the game,” says Hebert. “I was going around telling people I thought it was our best game plan yet. It definitely could have been executed better. We made way too many mistakes. It was just a bad game. The only real shining spot was that the defense played great.” With the championship season finally over, a nostalgia unique to football has set in for the Tigers’ graduating seniors. Unlike other sports, where the thrill of game play can continue to be experienced throughout life, once the cleats are hung and the pads turned in, there’s almost never another chance to suit up on the football field. “The best memories are hanging out with the guys, in the locker room, on the bus, just working out. Stuff like that,” says Hebert. “You think it’s boring but then you look back on it, and those are the times you’re really gonna miss.” “As far as on-field memories, I’ve had some crazy ones. Beating Florida in Florida on a last-second touchdown was great,” Hebert recalls. “And the Tennessee game at home when all that craziness happened, that was a lot of fun. There’s just no better feeling than winning a game on the last play.” When LSU played Tennessee in 2010, the game seemingly ended with LSU on the losing end. But then an official threw a flag, and a penalty against Tennessee gave LSU one more play. The Tigers pulled off a win. “It was such a cool feeling, thinking you’re going to lose one second, and then the next second, waiting on the last play, right by the student section with everybody just freaking out. That was pretty cool,” says Hebert. “It was the weirdest, most extreme swing of emotions I’ve ever had. I was so pissed off when I www.scenelouisiana.com | 31

TODAY’S SCENE

thought we lost. I was just so angry and then I saw we had another play. We were just like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to make this happen. We’re not about to lose to Tennessee right now. And then when I saw Ridley get in that end zone, I just threw my helmet off and started jumping.” Now with his senior season complete, Hebert is preparing for the next level. “I’m just training for the NFL Pro Day that LSU does and I’ll hopefully try to pursue football,” he says. “I’ve played football this long, I might as well see how far it can take me. I’m happy to be in Baton Rouge. I love the town, I’ve got all my friends and family, and I might as well just train for football with Coach Miles.” Wherever he is after his football career has run its course, Hebert will find himself in the same position as many who come to Louisiana: unwilling to live elsewhere. “Down the road, I definitely like Baton Rouge and New Orleans and South Louisiana better than pretty much anywhere else.” Though ending on a disappointing note, there’s no denying the historical accomplishment of LSU’s 2011 football team. “This season was incredible, it was just such a terrible way to end it,” says Hebert. “140 would’ve been amazing, but it just doesn’t happen nowadays, normally. It’s just crazy too, because we beat the Orange Bowl champions, the Rose Bowl champions, and we beat the National Champions.” The best part about the end of any LSU Football season is this: there’s another coming up right behind it. Just make sure to let the good times roll before, during and after. S 32 | February/March 2012

TODAY’S SCENE

Player Grid presents

THE CRYSTAL BALL photos by Mark St. James

n the eve of the National Championship Game, Louisiana and Alabama came together for “The Crystal Ball,” a pre-game event held at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans. Hosting the event together were former Alabama and LSU gridiron greats who once met on the field as enemies, including Mark Ingram, Patrick Peterson, Marcell Dareus, Greg McElroy and Justin Vincent. Rapper Yelawolf, an Alabama native signed to Universal Music Group’s Interscope Records, stirred the crowd with staunchly anti-LSU rhymes, and the always-memorable DJ Damion Yancy performed live. S

Rapper and Alabama native Yelawolf

34 | February/March 2012

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SCENE |

THIRD STREET FILM FESTIVAL by Kasey Emas photos by Christian Daigle and Mark St. James

n December 30, Baton Rouge kicked off the first annual Third Street Film Festival at the Manship Theatre. With over 325 attendees, the event was a sold out success. “The attendees couldn’t have been more gracious to our vision, and I am truly grateful for that,” says James Hebert, the festival’s founder and executive director. “Everything ran smoothly: the lighting was amazing which was provided by Randy with GRP Productions, the films were great and the food was phenomenal.” Attendees were treated to an assortment of gourmet foods from restaurants including Mike Anderson’s Seafood, Stroube’s Chophouse and Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro, while enjoying live music and film. The festival’s early programming was filled with short films. “I think short films are something the world hasn’t quite figured out how to digest. To show short films like that is a real gift to this community,” director Zack Godshall explains of the lineup. “All of the work was really strong.” The diverse selection of shorts included a comedic short about abstinence, a haunting love story and a documentary about compact discs. Award-winning director Zack Godshall headlined the festival with his recent Sundance hit, Lord Byron, a film made for practically nothing with a handful of local actors that made its first appearance at the Sundance Film Festival last year. “It’s always good to show the film in Louisiana because it was made in Louisiana,” says Godshall. “It’s a hometown kind of crowd. I think people around here get the humor. It played well everywhere.” “Growing up, movies were a foreign concept. Making movies happens on another planet,” Godshall remembered thinking as a child. “I always thought, ‘this place needs to be in movies. Stories need to be told here.’ And now it’s happened. There is literally a film community in Baton Rouge. I think it’s pretty unique what’s going on here.” Both Hebert and Mary Legendre, assistant director of the Third Street Film Festival, could not be more pleased. “The success of the Third Street Film Festival and New Year’s Eve party in its first year was unparalleled in my eyes,” Hebert says, “I don’t think the festival and party could have gone any smoother! I don’t think Baton Rouge has ever seen an event quite like it. We are so grateful for all of 40 | February/March 2012

James Hebert with the filmmakers of the Third Street Film Festival

Randy Pylant of GRP Productions and family

James Hebert and Mary Legendre at Scene’s New Year’s Eve party

the people who contributed to both our event and the growth of the independent film community in Louisiana. And I’ve got to say, it was such a blessing to have such a great team working with us from Scene Magazine,” Legendre

says of the event. “We are definitely planning on hosting the Third Street Film Festival again this year,” Hebert reveals. For more information on the Third Street Film Festival and a list of winners, visit www.lafilmspot.com. S

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ABOVE THE LINE

DOMENICK LOMBARDOZZI The Breakout King

by Micah Haley

Bronx-born actor from New York, Domenick Lombardozzi has worked with some of the most acclaimed creators in entertainment, including directors Michael Mann, Sidney Lumet, Joel Schumacher, James L. Brooks and James Gray. After starring as Thomas “Herc” Hauk on David Simon’s lauded HBO drama The Wire for five seasons, he now stars as “Ray Zancanelli” in Breakout Kings, the acclaimed A&E drama about U.S. Marshals who work with a team of convicts to catch other cons who’ve escaped from prison. After shooting the first season in Toronto, Lombardozzi and Breakout Kings relocated to Baton Rouge, shooting the second season on the lot at Raleigh Studios Baton Rouge.

MH: Congrats on the second season of Breakout Kings! Tell me how you became a part of the project. DL: I was pretty much just taking

MH: I watched the first season all at the same time, and it was impressive because each actor seemed so well cast for the part, and all of the parts fit so well together.

Domenick Lombardozzi as “Ray Zancanelli” photo by Mitch Jenkins

the trip out to L.A. during pilot season, being that my main home is in New York. And I get out there, I’m maybe out there for four or five days, haven’t unpacked, crashing with a friend until I find an apartment and lease something like three or six months something like that during the season. I get the script. I read it. I love it. But at first, I thought maybe I was too young for it. But my manager Michael Garnett was like, “No, go in!” So I ruffled up some things, I went in there, Gavin Hood was there, who’s awesome. An unbelievable filmmaker. Matt Olmstead, Nick Santora. They’re the producers of Prison Break so I was pretty familiar with their work. I was obviously familiar with Gavin Hood. I read for the part, and it was one of those twenty-five minute auditions. Gavin keeps you there and works with you and it was one of the most comfortable rooms I’d ever been in for auditioning, or anything like that. It was so calm and relaxed. It was supportive. I felt, “Well if it doesn’t pan out, it doesn’t pan out, but damn I hope all my auditions are like that out here!” And got the call and Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead made it happen.

MH: How did you put your character of Ray Zancanelli together? 42 | February/March 2012

DL: I came up with a backstory for Ray Zancanelli. Pretty much he’s a guy who, the only thing that really validated him in his life was being law enforcement. He lost his family due to the work and the only thing he really has is his relationship with his daughter, and at that point in the first season, he didn’t even have the Marshal position. That was taken away from him. He was borderline, a ticking time bomb and I used that as fuel for his energy in the first season. The constant battle with him and the Charlie character, being that they both come from different worlds. They have completely different approaches to the job, with Ray being more of the field guy and Charlie being more of the administrative desk guy. And we complimented each other really well. Laz has been really easy to work with and bounce back with. The rest of the cast…everybody had their own little stitch, everybody brought something to the table. It’s a very characterdriven piece.

DL: I think, Nick and Matt, what they wanted to do was create a

TV show with a different kind of concept, where at some point in the show, whether it be the first season or season two or three, these characters get fleshed out. And as much as it’s a procedural show, there’s a serialized aspect, which is happening this season. You know more about the characters, you know more about what makes them tick, what they’re vulnerabilities are. As you did in the first season, but everything sort of gets more fleshed out. There’s a really big surprise this year. A really big surprise.

MH: Are we going to find out about it early in the season? DL: You find out in the first episode. It’s what the promos are all about right now. You know, that whole thing: “A king will fall.” That’s what it is. MH: I first discovered you as an actor on HBO’s The Wire. An amazing five seasons of television. DL: It’s becoming more of a cult classic.

ABOVE THE LINE

photos: Teddy Smith styling: John H. Smith hair/mu: Whitney McMorris

www.scenelouisiana.com | 43

ABOVE THE LINE

photo by Teddy Smith

MH: A few years ago, I was working for the New Orleans film commission, and I can’t tell you how excited I was when Nina Noble contacted us to shoot David Simon’s next series in New Orleans. And that Treme would be about New Orleans. DL: And do it justice. MH: Yes! We’d had a few other series set in New Orleans, but Treme gets it right. DL: What’s great about what Simon did with The Wire was that the main character of the show was Baltimore. And Baltimore really represented every small American city in the United States. But at the end of the day, that was the main character and I think he’s doing the same thing with Louisiana. He’s capturing that post-Katrina thing really well on the show. MH: What was it like working with such a great ensemble cast on The Wire? Included in which is Wendell Pierce, a New Orleans native… 44 | February/March 2012

DL: Wendell is just one of the nicest, most genuine people I know. One of the sweetest guys. Working with that cast... when we first started, we were really raw, man. I remember doing the pilot and being like, “Wow, you gotta have guts to pick up this show.” Because we’re not doing what people are doing on television. And for a long time, when they did pick up the show, when we were shooting it [and received the next episode’s script], at first you’d look to see if you live, and then once you find out, “Well, oh nothing really bad happened to me,” then you’re itching for the next script. You’re literally like, “Man, what happens next?!” That’s what it was for five years for me. And sometimes because it’s such a big ensemble cast, sometimes you have to take a back seat. So, certain episodes were catered to certain storylines, sometimes we had three/four different storylines going on in a season. So, for me, it was more the first season, the fourth season, part of the third season, that that Herc character really got to shine. MH: The naturalism of the acting on that show is great. The actors seem as much a part of Baltimore as the locals cast on the show. DL: They also had it down from a production level. When we

ABOVE THE LINE

photo by Teddy Smith www.scenelouisiana.com | 45

ABOVE THE LINE first started, we had David Simon, who was the ears of the show, we had Bob Colesberry who’s the eyes, and then Joe Chappelle came, Nina Noble was always there as the producer. It was a well-oiled machine. Everybody knew what the intentions of the show were. Everybody knew how the show should look, how the show should sound.

MH: And looking back over 2011, my best memories aren’t of movies. They’re of television shows like Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire, which is produced by Scorsese, a feature director.

MH: And they did a lot of filming on location as well.

mean, you want to talk about character-driven pieces, look at all his movies. That’s what they are. Real movies, real blue collar movies. Another is Joe Roth, Freedomland. I’ve been really blessed to work [with great directors]. Sydney Lumet in Find Me Guilty. It had to be one of the most gratifying experiences of my acting career so far. When it comes to acting, The Wire opened up doors that…I don’t know if they would have opened up for me. So, working with Sydney Lumet, I take a train, I walk into his office. There’s no secretary, there’s no assistant, there’s nothing. There’s just this little office and we just start reading this twelve-page scene. And nine pages into the scene: “Stop, I can’t give you this part.” And you know…great! I just took a train from Baltimore because I was shooting The Wire, and I just had this audition and then I have to get back on the Amtrak, back to Baltimore and be on the set at one o’clock. And he’s like, “I like you a lot, I’m going to put you to work.” You hear that all the time. Sure enough, I get back to Baltimore, I hear from my manager Michael Garnett: “Yeah, they’re gonna write something for you. It’s pretty much as big as the other role.” And it was phenomenal. It was a phenomenal role. Just to work with him, his process. One, two takes, the rehearsals, all very precise and direct. This is what we’re going to do, this is where the camera is going to be, I’m going to shoot here, look here, there and you’ll be fine. And sure enough, you go there and there’s no switching up, there’s no hidden agenda, it is what it is, and it’s clean.

DL: A lot. And they do it, and from what I hear from Clarke Peters, they do a lot of that on Treme. It’s a lot of exterior shots and all that and it takes a lot of time. It looks authentic. It’s part of the essence of what a show should really be. You shouldn’t always be cooped up in an office or a house. The show is so much bigger than that. MH: Outside of television, you’ve also worked with some of my favorite directors. What’s it like working with Michael Mann? DL: A genius. Not only is he a genius, he’s a visual genius. He’s so precise, he knows what he wants and he’ll do it until he thinks it’s right, and you have to appreciate that. You really have to appreciate a guy that is so submerged in his work. It’s time consuming, it’s hard, it’s not easy, you know? But it’s like he has a battery pack. He just keeps going and going and keeps going until it’s right and he’ll do it over if it’s not. And you can never put enough trust into a director like that. You could say, “I’m yours, mold me the way you want to mold me.” Rest assured that if you’ve got to be in anybody’s hands, you want to be in Michael Mann’s. MH: He really seems like a guy that knows what he wants. DL: To a T. To the zipper to the button to the color, he knows. MH: Who are some of the directors that you admired growing up that you hope to work with? DL: Clint. I love Clint. I loved Clint as an actor. I love what he is. He’s so different from everybody. He didn’t change himself because of the times. You look at a lot of actors in the 70s. He stayed consistent, he did his thing, he did what worked for him and did great at it. As a filmmaker, he’s brilliant. Sean Penn is brilliant…actor, director… brilliant. And Fincher, Scorsese, you know, all those guys. MH: One trend that I love is the rise of cinematic television. The high quality shows that are on, and the freedom to tell a story, is drawing top notch feature directors to television. DL: You know, the whole taboo of television. Now, you have cable networks that are doing some really quality stuff, so you can flex your muscles. It’s like virtually doing one-hour movies every week. MH: HBO in particular has really done some amazing work, but it’s all of the cable networks, from AMC to A&E. DL: One of my favorite shows on the air now is Boardwalk Empire. Phenomenal. You really think you’re in the 20s and 30s. 46 | February/March 2012

DL: Another director that I have a lot of respect for is James Gray. I

MH: It’s amazing that he worked into his 80s. DL: I remember doing a table read with Sydney and he goes, “As long as the Bible,” - and he referred to the Bible as being the text, the script he goes, “When that’s okay, everything else should fall into place. And I guess that’s always been his philosophy, get the text right and we’ll be okay.” MH: What are some of the roles that you are looking for as you read scripts? DL: At some point in my career, I want to really shock people and be given the opportunity to just surprise, or play a really memorable character. What that is, I don’t know yet. I’m a character actor, so I think people assume I’m more suited for rough-around-the-edges kinds of characters. And as long as I play them truthful and really honest, then that’s what it is. MH: You’ve been in Baton Rouge for months shooting Breakout Kings. Have you enjoyed it here or are you ready to get back home? DL: Being a New Yorker, you always hear about the Southern hospitality. And when I was shooting The Wire, I felt that there. [Baltimore is] the beginning of the South and, you know, it’s “Oh, people are so nice.” Then I came here and it just solidified everything. People couldn’t be any nicer out here, to the point

ABOVE THE LINE

photo by Teddy Smith www.scenelouisiana.com | 47

ABOVE THE LINE

The cast of Breakout Kings

where [if you were] in New York and you’d be like, “What’s the catch?” You’re looking behind you. Here, you go to a convenience store, people are really friendly, they take their time, there’s no hustle and bustle.

MH: Even the mean people are still kind of nice. DL: It’s kind of like that, “Oh, give it to me tomorrow,” kind of attitude. My experience here from the get-go has been nothing but easy. The transition, moving from Toronto, coming here, shooting here, the crew, who are either from here or from New Orleans, some of them are from Texas, couldn’t be any nicer. Just the mood on the set…there’s no bitterness. We know that we’re all doing the same thing. “It’s all the same fight” kind of deal. It’s just great out here.

MH: I’ve heard from a lot of people that there’s not as much jadedness. DL: It’s not that handed-down mentality. MH: That might be because a lot of people here are firstgeneration filmmakers. DL: It’s great and a lot of the crew is really young. It’s a lot of energy, and who knows where this is gonna lead for them. Look back ten years from now and it’ll be a PA who’s directing, ‘cause they’re really young. MH: I talk frequently with people in the industry here that in twenty years, there will be this whole crop of filmmakers from Louisiana that are at the top of the film industry.

photo courtesy of A&E

DL: Sort of like a birthplace, you know? Like what Motown was. You have homebred people here who are contributing to the business. You have outside influences coming here and creating projects. A combination. But rest assured, there will be people that are from here that are going to be creating stuff, filming stuff here, that twenty years from now will be significant. I think that’s realistic. I think that we can expect that. MH: Where have you been staying that’s so comfortable? DL: Well, I’m staying at Perkins Rowe. It’s very convenient. I don’t have to drive anywhere. If I want something quick I’ll go to Zoe’s, I love Kona Grill. There’s a theater that looks like the clock is from Back to the Future. It’s really cozy. MH: Perkins Rowe is very similar to the Grove in Los Angeles. DL: Yeah it’s like living in a mall. It was really cool during the holiday season. You’d come home from work and hear jingles, so it was really a little cool environment. You always see people walking and moving. So if you go out on the balcony, there’s always something happening. I like that. MH: You’re almost done shooting Breakout Kings. What are you looking forward to afterwards? DL: I just want Breakout Kings to do really well, because I want to be back here to shoot a third season. S Season One of A&E’s Breakout Kings is available on DVD everywhere now. Season Two of Breakout Kings premieres on A&E this March.

48 | February/March 2012

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THE BY BR APP

ilmmakers that have worked in Los Angeles and New York for years have relationships with vendors they trust. On the ground in Louisiana, it can be frustrating to find what you need at a price your project can afford. Enter: the By BR App. Created by the Baton Rouge Film Commission, the free app allows any producer or PA with an iPhone or iPad to find a hotel room, gaffer’s tape, or a great rate on a pass van. The best part: you can still call production to get an overworked Office PA to use the By BR app for you. S Enter any relevant search term into the search field to narrow down your search for foam core. Once your criteria are selected, this is the button that makes the magic happen.

This is the category selection bar. But you knew that, didn’t you? Use it to narrow down a search to a broad area, such as Accommodations.

Subcategory selection helps you narrow down your focus even more. Looking for a school? Well, you talkin’ bout a nursery school or a university?

Make your search narrow or broad. In downtown Baton Rouge and just want lunch? Then STAY downtown.

Big fan of George Orwell? Then keep that GPS off and just punch in your ZIP code instead. Don’t know your ZIP code? Then just use the GPS on your phone to figure out what it is. Problem solved.

Because typing in your ZIP code can be daunting, just click Current Location to use your phone’s GPS location.

Looking for a last-minute location and your locations manager is stuck in line at Arby’s? Click here to find it and see photos instantly.

50 | February/March 2012

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SCENE |

Director Behn Zeitlin is embraced after winning the Grand Jury Prize

photo by Jemal Countess

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD TAKES TOP HONORS AT SUNDANCE by Arthur Vandelay

n 1989, Steven Soderbergh’s Baton Rouge-shot breakthrough feature, sex, lies and videotape, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film not only brought the director to prominence, but also spurred a revolution in independent filmmaking. This year, another Louisiana-shot indie has taken top honors at Sundance. Directed by Behn Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild was nurtured at the Sundance Film Institute prior to production in South Louisiana. The result was a narrative that follows sixyear-old Hushpuppy, who faces the end of the world in an idyllic fairytale setting. Her ailing father aids her by sharing how to survive without him as she faces signs of the apocalypse. The film boasted no big names but rather featured local talent from Louisiana, including a breakout star in young Quvenzhané Wallis, now eight years old, who plays the tale’s lead tyke. The film won top honors at Sundance, earning the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, as well as landing the most coveted of

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prizes at the Park City, Utah festival: a distribution deal with Fox Searchlight. After an active year of pickups in 2011, many of which underperformed in release, distribution deals at Sundance this year were expected to be few. But there’s much talk of the theatrical and new media release potential of Beasts, whose visual splendor has already earned comparisons to the works of Terrance Malick, and to 2002’s groundbreaking Brazillian opus, City of God. The Hollywood Reporter hails it as “the poster child for everything American independent cinema aspires to be but seldom is,” and “one of the most striking films ever to debut at the Sundance Film Festival.” Zeitlin is a New York native and founding member of Court 13, a “collective” based in the Big Easy that has created short films (including Glory at Sea, a lyrical meditation on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) and music videos, including MGMT’s “Kids” which shot up and down Magazine Street. To learn more about Zeitlin, Court 13 and Beasts of the Southern Wild, visit www.court13.com. S

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MUSIC |

Karma Karma

n w a h s y Krea by Jenny Bravo

photos courtesy of Audible Treats

Japanese schoolgirl slathered in blood took the stage, her addictive than Rebecca Black’s mindless “Friday” melded with C-section scar visible, ready for a New Orleans Halloween. Nicki Minaj, the video features Kreayshawn cruising down a This isn’t the first time California rapper Kreayshawn, street, surrounded by unsuspecting extras. “I was like, we got to shoot at Fairfax. That would be the perfect who surged to stardom after uploading place to get people in the video and get her music video for “Gucci Gucci” to some party scenes going on.” With only YouTube, has made a fashion statement two days of prep, Kreayshawn had to worth remembering. “You can’t be CEO rely on her own artistic instinct for the of a company and rock a headdress, you video’s vibe. The result was an authentic know? But when you are in the music party video of international proportions. industry, you can wear whatever,” she tells The inspiration behind the singer’s Scene. The experimenting doesn’t end swank hair and Goodwill chic comes from with her creative costumes. Her music, both celebrity icons and influences at like her stage name, is a creation: a mesh home. “There were just a lot of outspoken of pop, hip-hop and rap. Whether Mickey females in my family,” Kreayshawn says, Mouse ears or an impromptu music citing her mother, a former member of video, Kreayshawn can’t help but create. the surfer punk band The Trashwomen. “I’m a self-taught prodigy,” she sings “I was raised around [them], so I was in “Rich Whore.” A high-school dropout, taught to be myself and be outspoken.” the twenty-two-year-old took her talent She also names Gwen Stefani, the Spice to the streets of Oakland, filming music “Gucci Gucci” single cover Girls and Da Brat, and mentions Madonna, videos of local rapper Lil’ B and freestyling with the White Girl Mob. After studying at the Berkeley Digital Britney Spears and Ivana Trump in her music. “I think a lot Film Institute, the pint-sized player returned to the underground of it comes from a certain era, like late- and early-90s music.” Though Kreayshawn may rap against mass-produced fashion of O-Town. There, she got the itch to call out a basic bitch. Her video went viral, and Columbia Records, along with the and the drones that consume it, she doesn’t necessarily want rest of America, found itself hooked on “Gucci Gucci.” More everyone to throw the Gap out with the bathwater. When Scene’s

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| MUSIC

FASHION defines the artist as well as music. editor-in-chief Micah Haley confessed to her that he feels like a “basic bitch” because he shops at the Gap, she was supportive. “It’s all about how you put it together, you know? You can wear whatever. You just got to swag it out.” Saying Kreayshawn’s own clothing collages are statements is like calling Benjamin Franklin money. Like Madonna, the Oakland native’s fashion sense is a natural extension of her music. “I think they influence each other a lot,” she says. “When you are making music, you find out a lot of stuff about yourself, little stuff and you get a lot more freedom as a musician to dress however you want. You can really wear whatever and play around with different styles and designers, [who are] always showing you stuff and giving you things. Fashion defines the artist as well [as music].” In both style and substance, Kreayshawn is Lady Gaga for the hip hop hungry. Already gaga for her mix-tape Kittys x Choppas, the world still anticipates her first album. Kreayshawn keeps busy with tours and team tracks. Her song “Keep it www.scenelouisiana.com | 55

MUSIC |

Craccin’” with pal V-Nasty and Snoop Dogg, who also performed at Voodoo last year, is rumored to be on her forthcoming debut. She made another trip down to Louisiana in January, blowing up the Varsity in Baton Rouge with a sellout college crowd. She also scored a Best New Artist nomination at the MTV Video Music Awards. When her album finally drops, there will only be upside for the little rapper with the Flintstone hoodie. For a girl on the rise, Kreayshawn isn’t cringing in the limelight. On her website, she allows fans access to the pictures she snaps, the tweets she writes, and the places she’s rocked. There doesn’t seem to be another musician closer to her crowd, remaining as real as the Goofy tattoo on her bicep, even while throngs of festivalgoers at Voodoo echoed her lyrics. “It was just crazy. It was nighttime and you’d see the big lights flash, you’d see people going so far back. [I remember thinking], how do they hear me all the way back there? They’re so far. It was crazy. I couldn’t even imagine being in the middle of all that. It was hella fun: I had all my friends out there in New Orleans and I hadn’t been out there before. It was a good first time experience.” When we told her that she drew a larger crowd that night than Snoop Dogg on the main stage, Kreayshawn replied, “Well, make sure you put that in the article.” We didn’t forget. S 56 | February/March 2012

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MUSIC |

NO COUNTRY FOR YOUNG MEN:

ROBERT ELLIS & THE REBIRTH OF REAL COUNTRY

by Brittney Franklin Robert Ellis

photo by Brandon Holley

inger/songwriter Robert Ellis grew country music. It became this really big thing.” up on music, realizing early that Though his family supported his chosen he wanted a career as a musician. path, they encouraged a back-up plan, as A native of Lake Jackson, Texas, Ellis he entered a career with tough odds. “At a relocated an hour away to Houston for the certain point, they finally got it. I mean, they greater opportunities available in the arts. were scared and rightly so,” says Ellis. “This is “Here in Houston, you have art, music a very tough industry to be in and try to make schools, and a lot more opportunities— a living in.” From a longhaired, twenty-twoeven just to go see music and shows.” year-old with a smooth southern drawl, Ellis’s country is a nostalgic throwback to the days of Ellis landed a regular mid-week gig at Johnny Cash and country greatness. He was Fitzgerald’s, dubbed “Whiskey Wednesdays” signed to New West Records early last year. for the rowdy nature of the crowd. “It’s a “I think one of the first albums I really thing we did in Houston. It started out of fell in love with was Doc Watson—a CD nowhere, when me and some friends started that I got for Christmas. My uncle was a playing country music and it kind of grew Photographs album cover guitar player and he was really into Doc and grew,” said Ellis to Scene. “Every week Watson, and kind of exposed me to that would turn into this crazy thing, but it’s just whole style,” he says. Ellis credits Paul Simon as a huge musical really this unique time where there were a lot of like hipsters and influence, but listened to a variety of genres growing up. younger crowds coming out to see us do a bunch of rowdy, classic

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| MUSIC

photo by Paul Moore

www.scenelouisiana.com | 61

MUSIC |

Robert Ellis performing at the Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge

“I listened to country and bluegrass. My mother was a piano teacher so I got exposed to a bunch of really great jazz bands, and classical stuff at a young age, too. I was also a little impressionable kid, so I listened to pop music, and I think the first CD that I ever actually had was that No Doubt Tragic Kingdom album.” “A lot of the country stuff, Marty Robbins is something I can remember my grandfather playing for me, even as a little baby. Marty Robbins is still one of my favorite songwriters and singers. All that bluegrass stuff. I was kind of an audio nut so I listened to a lot of vinyl. It’s a lot of fun to rediscover a lot of that stuff on vinyl.” His second album Photographs, which sports pictures of the singer’s parents on the cover, was released in July 2011. “I could tell my parents were a little shaky about the photos being on the front of the record ‘cause I asked them and they were both like, ‘Oh yeah, fine.’ I don’t think they realized necessarily what the reach of the record might be,” said Ellis in an interview with MF Magazine. “I’m sure it’s a little exposing to let people in to that part of your life—or to have your son let people in to that part of your life.” He writes many of his songs about people and places he comes into contact with, “slanting” them a bit so the song’s inspirations

won’t immediately recognize themselves woven into the lyrics. Ellis describes the title track, the last song on the album, as a plea revolving around an “old lover” taking down photographs. “In terms of the record, it has more of a loose, figurative meaning. It’s more like photographs could be the same thing as memories and physical representations of those memories are just pictures. The name kind of came to me, then the artwork behind it came to me—everything kind of ties into the narrative of the songs. All of the photos that are in the artwork are family photos. A lot of them are actually the places that I’m talking about in the songs.” While it’s been exciting to see the physical product of her son’s critically lauded hard work on the store shelves, Ellis’ mother is awaiting the day his music hits radio stations. “She talks about radio. She’s like, ‘When are we going to get your songs on the radio?’ And like, in my mind, I know they live in a small town so they’re a little far from everything that’s happening right now. The idea of taking my stuff to country radio to me seems ridiculous, but to her, that would be a measure of success in some way.” Ellis is currently on tour in the UK with Los Angeles-based folk rock band Dawes. For more information visit: www.robertellismusic.com. S

62 | February/March 2012

photo by Caitlin Barry

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FASHION |

NEONS METALS

& PASTELS

OH MY! by Andi Eaton photos by Robby Klein

t’s spring, and in Southern Louisiana, that means brunching outdoors, picnicking in the park and ridingwith-the-top-down weather. The most fashionable ladies are gearing up for festival season and fashion week, and they (and their wardrobes) are warming up, readying for a sun-kissed, living life-for-life glow. You know them: the gals that can call on their inner hippie, city-girl cool and pulled-together preppy instantly, channeling each into the most perfectly appropriate outfit for every moment of life. And even better, it’s the South, so these true fashionistas always start with a dose of charm, and then let the clothing, hair and make-up do the heavy lifting. With the warming of the weather, it’s a time of breezy optimism and every gal has a chance to change up her approach for the season. So we’re taking a look at what these tastemakers will be wearing for the season by sharing our inspirations from the NOLA Fashion Week Spring/Summer ’12 season. From neutrals to neons, seafoam greens to steely blues, or a range of pastels from peaches to pinks, it’s

66 | February/March 2012

Ashlie Ming

at NOLA Fashion Week

| FASHION

Andrea Loest

at NOLA Fashion Week

www.scenelouisiana.com | 67

FASHION | all about beautiful macaroon-colored hues. Whether you color block the most vivid of them or keep it simple and understated, these color families feel fresh, sporty and like Willy Wonka-inspired pop art, all at the same time. How do you combine these color combos without looking like an oversaturated Rainbow Brite? Or not-quite-grown-up Strawberry Shortcake? Keep the sweet sorbets and pastel tones to a maximum of three shades. Your vibe will be sweet, ladylike and very prima ballerina. On the runways, a bevy of designers took this approach, from the glammed-out Matthew Arthur party girl, to the superchic and sensual silhouettes from Blackout by Ashlie Ming. Add a metallic accent, and all of a sudden, the look is futuristic and out-of-this-world, à la Amanda deLeon. Hair and make-up are fully minimalistic and naturally beautiful. A simple ponytail, whether high and sleek or loose and low, is perfect for day. At night, doll it up by braiding the length of the ponytail and wrapping it into a topknot for a glossed-up version that says “even at 4am, I’m fabulous” in just a few simple steps. If you’re feeling bold and going for the electric neons (we personally can’t get enough of the brightest yellows, despite Tangerine Tango being named the Pantone Color of the year), there are two simple rules. One: keep it highly monochromatic, possibly adding a touch of black or beige. Or two: actually, just forget the rules. Because in this case, as the gal that just can’t quite conform, you become that indie cool chic that effortlessly makes every single thing work (and secretly, we all love the quirky girls). Andrea Loest, New Orleansbased designer and artist, whose “clothing expresses collective knowledge,” does this brilliantly. Even the hair trend when working this look is to keep things from becoming overly done and impeccable. Add a side braid, throw in textured waves and twists, and prove that perfect imperfection is as chic as ever. The easiest and possibly most gorgeous way to update to spring is all in the lip color. Orange-y corals and pretty reds are classic favorites and warm up any skin tones (Vanidinite and Star Coral by AVEDA are absolutely to-diefor shades, nourishing and smoothing at the same time). And one last simple beauty trick the in-the-know fashion girls are already asking for in salons: peek-a-boo highlights. Whether pastel or neon, while your Ombre haircolor is growing out, add the peek-a-boos and keep it light enough to give just a hint of hidden color. It’s springtime, girls. Time to shine. S 68 | February/March 2012

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Scene presents NYE at the Shaw Center photos by Mark St. James and Christian Daigle

Many abandoned their yearly trek to New Orleans for New Year’s Eve, lucky to be a part of Scene’s invitation-only crowd of 1200 guests gathering at the SHAW CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Baton Rouge, filling the modern facility’s first and fourth floors. A line extending around the block kept the facility packed all night, as guests enjoyed complimentary food, drinks and cigars at the biggest New Year’s Party in the state.

74 | February/March 2012

ON THE SCENE

Guests arrived to find the front of the Shaw Center lit up, courtesy of GRP PRODUCTIONS, who transformed six stories of glass and metal into a light show. PARETTI showcased two stunners from its fleet of elite vehicles, a Jaguar and a Range Rover.

www.scenelouisiana.com | 75

ON THE SCENE

Scene presents NYE at the Shaw Center photos by Mark St. James and Christian Daigle

After making it through security, guests crowded around the RED CARPET to grab a photo against the step & repeat in the lobby before making it to the SHAW CENTERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FOURTH FLOOR TERRACE.

76 | February/March 2012

ON THE SCENE

Scene presents NYE at the Shaw Center photos by Mark St. James and Christian Daigle

Among the evening’s distinguished guests were Baton Rouge’s own MAYOR MELVIN “KIP” HOLDEN and his wife. Also seen walking around was popular Project Runway contestant ANTHONY RYAN AULD.

Project Runway’s ANTHONY RYAN AULD

YOJIMBO Artists ALEX HARVIE and TJ BLACK set up shop in the middle of the party, painting an original work that was sold to the highest bidder as the clock struck midnight. A giant projection screen counted down to midnight, as special musical guest YOJIMBO rocked the crowd, while couples kissed at midnight. Guests also danced to spins by DJ AMADEO.

Scene’s publisher Andre Champagne with MAYOR MELVIN “KIP” HOLDEN

Artist TJ BLACK 78 | February/March 2012

ON THE SCENE

Scene presents NYE at the Shaw Center photos by Mark St. James and Christian Daigle

Dressed in jeans and dark clothes, the best looking party people were, hands down, the models of DENIM LIBRARY. Wesley Leblanc, Taylor Simmers and Jarrel Bowens of Metro Models & Talent rocked dark jeans perfect for sneaking by Scene’s dress code in style. Asked throughout the night about their DENIM LIPS, it was all models Stacey Farnet, Sarah Baggett and Lily Filson could do to dodge gentlemen eager to smudge.

Stacey Farnet and Sarah Baggett In the VIP LOUNGE, beautiful women crowded in to take a seat after grabbing a shot of AVION TEQUILA, able to take a load off thanks to CORT FURNITURE. Featuring a complimentary bar with top shelf drinks, the VIP lounge also offered sushi courtesy of KABUKI, and relaxation via massages provided by ELUDE SALON & SPA.

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The VIP Lounge featured indoor and outdoor areas

But the VIP LOUNGE’s most unique offering was this: GRATIS CIGARS provided by the best cigar lounge in Baton Rouge, DON JUAN CIGARS. Guests fortunate enough to pass behind the red rope could visit with Denim Library models STACEY FARNET and SARAH BAGGETT, who would cut and light fine cigars made by MACANUDO, ROCKY PATEL and ASHTON.

A New Year's kiss 80 | February/March 2012

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JAMES NAPPER, III ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY

by Micah Haley

familiar face on the lot at Raleigh Studios Baton Rouge at the Celtic Media Centre, James Napper is a rare breed in Louisiana: an attorney who specializes in entertainment law. Like the lights, cameras and actors that used to be shipped in from New York and Los Angeles, Napper’s physical presence in Louisiana represents a significant step forward in the growth of an industry. But despite his East Coast law degree, Napper’s no carpetbagger. Born in Monroe, James Napper, III moved to Baton Rouge with his family at an early age. After attending Parkview Baptist High School and graduating from LSU, he began studying the law, later graduating from George Washington University with a Masters of Law (LL.M.) in intellectual property law. After studying intellectual property law in Washington, D.C., the Louisiana native considered moving to Dallas, New York and a few other major cities with well-established entertainment law firms. “When I left, I just wanted to be open to all experiences,” Napper says of his decision to study law in Washington, D.C. “Part of the reason I left was that I’d been here my whole life. I wanted to see what else was out there. Maybe I wouldn’t come back.” But he felt drawn to move back home, where his specialization is now in great demand. “The practice of entertainment and intellectual property law in Louisiana is so limited in scope. A lot of the work goes out of state to Texas, New York and Chicago,” says Napper. Though his office is on the lot of a film studio, he points out that many companies have intellectual property to protect. “Instead of using a Louisiana law firm, some of the big companies here that have needs that are patent or trademark related will use a firm from, say, Dallas, even just to send a cease and desist letter. It’s quite vexing that some entities in Louisiana have local counsel, but to send something as simple as a cease and desist letter, they will go to New York and pay three times the hourly rate.” “I think that trend is changing a little bit,” Napper continues. “That is my goal. When a large Louisiana-based company needs trademark or patent work, or whatever it is, they’ll come to me. And there are a lot of companies here, that – although they are great companies – don’t even realize they have intellectual property assets worth protecting.” As the film and television industry in Louisiana grows, the demand for entertainment legal work increases, amongst both visiting producers and indigenous producers. “All of the productions coming through could use local counsel. Not only do they receive the benefit of seeing someone here face to face, but they also receive the specialized knowledge of Louisiana’s distinct code of law,” says Napper. In addition, because the work is being done in Louisiana instead of New York, the legal work that he does qualifies for entertainment tax credits offered by the State. “Entertainment law is not necessarily limited to intellectual

82 | February/March 2012

photo by Caitlin Barry

property. A confluence of corporate law, contracts and intellectual property law, its demands are manifold and highly specialized,” says Napper. “Filmmakers run into sophisticated issues everyday that are not handled by standard corporate attorneys. While productions do deal with basic contracts and business formation, a specialized entertainment attorney is an invaluable asset to any project that hopes to be distributed in the global marketplace.” In a new Scene column premiering in this issue, Napper will discuss legal issues common to the world of entertainment. Letters of the Law will feature questions submitted by Scene readers, as well as professionals from within the entertainment industry. To submit a question, send a thoughtfully worded inquiry to lettersoflaw@scenelouisiana.com. To contact James Napper directly for representation, contact him at jnapper@napperlaw.com or visit www.napperlaw.com. S

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letters OF THE law by James Napper, III

James Napper, III discusses legal topics and answers legal questions submitted by Scene Magazine readers, both entertainment professionals and the general public.

If I have a screenplay that I have just finished, how do I secure a copyright?

Well, copyright protection subsists from the moment of creation, meaning that a work that meets the criteria for copyright protection will be protected from the very moment it is reduced to a tangible form. There is no requirement for registration. However, you must register a work if you wish to sue for infringement based on a work created in the United States because registered works may be eligible for statutory damages

and attorney fees in successful litigation. Additionally, if registration occurs within five years of publication, such registration will qualify as prima facie evidence for litigation purposes. Therefore, first, you should register the work with the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) and the U.S. Copyright office. These resources can be found online, or you can contact an experienced attorney to assist you with these processes.

I’ve heard a lot about so-called “Poor Man’s Copyright.” This is the widely held belief that I can mail my screenplay to myself in an envelope, leave it unopened, and it is “copyrighted” because the United States Postal Service has processed it. Is this a viable alternative to registering with the U.S. Copyright Office?

GOT A QUESTION FOR JAMES?

Submit your legal questions to

I hear this quite often, but unfortunately this is not a viable alternative to the benefits received via formal registration. The U.S. Copyright Office does not recognize this process, and as mentioned previously for

protection and enforcement purposes, the work must be federally registered. Additionally, the fees associated with copyright registration are not prohibitive for any writer.

lettersoflaw@scenelouisiana.com. To contact James Napper directly, email jnapper@napperlaw.com or visit www.napperlaw.com A Louisiana-based attorney who specializes in intellectual property and entertainment law, James Napper, III, J.D., LL.M. is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., where he studied intellectual property law. He is a recipient of the Stephen T. Victory Memorial Award for “Who Dat: The NFL, New Orleans, and the Implications of LSU v. Smack Apparel,” and the author of “Life as Art: How Technology and the Infusion of Music Into Daily Life Spurred the Sound Recordings Act of 1971,” which was selected for inclusion in the 2010 Entertainment, Publishing and Arts Legal Handbook.

What’s an example of a service that an intellectual property attorney can provide to a film production?

One vital service is creating the chain of title. This is a document that is essential for both distribution and insurance purposes, in that it demonstrates that a production has the right to display all the protected works contained within the film. While the production may not be the original owner of copyrighted or trademarked material contained in the film, the chain of title illustrates that the production has licensed all of the protected works contained within the film. When you are talking about a film

production, there are so many pieces of intellectual property contained within each frame that may require licensing before use, whether it be a logo on a t-shirt, a famous photograph or music being played in the background. Each of these items represents a protected work that the production must first receive permission to use. A chain of title is a necessity in demonstrating the production’s right to use such works, and quite honestly, it is indispensable for any production seeking distribution.

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is intended to provide general information and does not constitute legal advice. The content is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up-to-date. This information is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship between you and James Napper, Scene Magazine, or any associated companies, and you should not act or rely on any information in this publication without seeking the advice of an attorney. In reading this article, please note that the information provided is not a substitute for consulting with an experienced attorney and receiving counsel based on the facts and circumstances of a particular transaction. Many of the legal principles mentioned are subject to exceptions and qualifications, which may not be noted. Furthermore, case law and statutes are subject to revision and may not apply in every state. Because of the quick pace of technological change, some of the information in these articles may be outdated by the time you read it.

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THE UNSCENE Thankfulness is a Virtue At this year's Sundance Film Festival, one of the four most influential festivals in the world, an independent film out of Louisiana, Beasts of the Southern Wild – starring a young Louisianan, at that – has won top honors. I’ve had continuous work on films for the last three years, and there’s no shortage of films on the horizon. My inbox is empty. Everyone must be working. These are good times. These are the times to be thankful for what Louisiana’s got, and hopeful for what’s yet to come. - The UnScene Writer Submit tips to unscene@scenelouisiana.com. Anonymity guaranteed.

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