Cash 4 Gold Nuggets.com

With the Denver Nuggets being eliminated from the post season by the Orlando Magic it seems to be an appropriate time for this commercial to appear on Baller Bloggin'.

N.O.-shot 'Labou,' co-starring C. Ray Nagin, out on DVD

Life is kind of like reading the New Orleans Times-Picayune...you never know what you're gonna get. When I opened up this morning's Lagniappe section I was not ready for this. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has done it again...Just when I thought he couldn't top himself.

Excerpt from the T-P (that's the Times-Picayune, not, well, you know...):


In the film, three children get lost in a swamp near New Orleans while hunting for the ghost of a 19th century pirate. During their adventure, they meet the titular swamp creature (whose whistling race -- part Yoda, part Gremlin -- is said to have inspired the birth of jazz music), stumble upon a crooked development deal that can be traced back to City Hall and discover the pirate's treasure.

What a day!

Nagin plays Mayor Adams, New Orleans' corrupt leader, who agrees to seize privately owned land in order to sell it to oil company executives looking for a spot to build a huge refinery, regardless of the effect on the environment. When confronted with revelations about the deal, Mayor Adams responds, "There were offers, but nothing firm was put on the table."

Wait, so Ray Nagin portrays a "fictional" corrupt mayor in this straight to DVD release? and theres pirates? Oh, lawd...This family film was released on May 19 and I will be picking it up ASAP.

Bonus points for the film being "dedicated to the people of New Orleans and their courage to rebuild."

P.S. Do you think at any point in the film our mayor is referred to as 'Curly Head'...if so that would be AWESOME...talk about Baller Blockin'.

Tribute to George Strait

With the airing of the George Strait Tribute on CBS tonight I decided it would be a very appropriate time for this blog to honor the King of Country as well.



The above clip is not a preview from the tribute but rather Matthew McConaughey using his airtime as an award presenter at the Country Music Awards a few months ago to give George Strait a shout out/brag about his own conquests. Nicely done, yet kind of douchey...I approve...I'm also writing that line down for use in the near future...not really...

What good is a tribute without highlights? Of course anyone who knows me already knows where this is going.

Amarillo By Morning: IMHO, the best song of all time and widely hailed as one of the best country songs of all time...I can not begin to describe how much I enjoy this song. It is the perfect country & western song. PERIOD. I can listen to it on repeat for days on end. It should be the National Anthem of Texas...can we work on that?



All My Ex's Live In Texas: I will admit this song is rather hokey, but it's still one of my favorites. It's also amusing considering my past with Texas girls...If you know me you know this song often brings about a few chuckles. In fact this was the ringer on my cell phone for a while in 2007 and well I went over to this girl's house one night (she was from Houston...so she was kind of from Texas) and lets just say I showed her my boots. Well the next morning someone was calling me causing my phone to ring "All My Ex's Live in Texas." Her roommate, who I had hooked up with in college, heard my phone going off through the wall and immediately knew it was me and next thing you know I receive a text saying "Did you spend the night at my house last night?" Uhhhh....Moral of the story is I got lucky that night and also had an amusing morning the next day. Thank you, George.



Adalida: I grew up in Baton Rouge when this song was released and have been a fan ever since. An amazingly well done Cajun two step about a beauty from south Louisiana can be nothing but a winner in my book! King George has been known to kick off some of his tours in Lafayette and New Orleans...He knows whats going on Down Louisiana Way.



I could go on for days about the awesome songs of George Strait (Does Ft. Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, The Chair, How 'Bout Them Cowgirls, Unwound, Drinking Champagne, You Look So Good In Love, Marina Del Ray, The Fireman, Run, Fool Hearted Memory)...the list goes on and on...but I'll stop here for now...

George Strait: The King of Country... 'nuff said

I Sit On My Boxers, Me

Yet another example of why I frequently find myself saying "God, I love the New Orleans news." This clip from early 2008 is classic...



Sounds to me like this legislator wanted to make sure no one on the corner had a swagger like us.

As for State Senator Derrick Shepherd who proposed this ban on sagging pants...well, lets just say he got caught with his pants down, not literally.

Groom arrested at wedding reception in spat over saggy pants

In yet another case of Only in New Orleans, I'm reading nola.com this morning and see this headline: Groom arrested at wedding reception in spat over saggy pants. Of course, my initial reaction to the headline was "Oh, lawd, the ACLU is gonna have fun with this one." So I clicked on the article to see what had happened.

The first paragraph just about sums it up perfectly:

A groom was arrested at his own wedding for disturbing the peace after his nephew violated the dress code with low-riding pants, Kenner police said.

Groom John Lucas learns that the Kenner Police will get involved whether its a nephew, a cousin or a brother with their pants saggin'.

Highlights of the article include:

• The fact that this incident occurred in Kenner, bruh (a.k.a. Kenna...a.k.a. Kenya...a.k.a. "America's City")

• "They spent $1,500 on dance lessons and they didn't even get to dance." - two words: white people

• Wait, they spent how much on dance lessons but they were getting married at Crystal Plantation in Kenna, bruh? Apparently everyone was saved from witnessing the worst Cupid Shuffle/Stanky Leg dance of all time...

• The officer told Lucas: "We don't want to see your underwear." - they already see too many Ed Hardy logos in Kenna, bruh...its played out

• "I have beaucoup witnesses. All my cousins and everything said my pants were not sagging." - bahahahaha....oh no he didn't...he definitely dropped the 'beaucoup'

• But the teen-ager said he was actually asking the police to stop hurting his father, who was hit with pepper spray by police. - someone should tell him to wipe his faaace!

• Crystal Plantation's owner: "You have in-laws and you have outlaws."

How much do you wanna bet that the nephew with the saggy pants frequents Esplanade Mall with one leg (the stanky one) rolled up on his Adidas track pants and his matching visor cocked to the side? I guarantee he has a Scarface faceplate on his cell phone that rings "Got Money" when his "boo" calls. He pobably drives a mid to late 90's Mustang with mods. That's just how it is in Kenna, bruh!

New Orleans nabs the 2013 Superbowl

In case any of y'all haven't heard New Orleans was awarded the Super Bowl in 2013!!! It will be our 10th time hosting the event and 7th time at the Louisiana Superdome!!! Today's Times-Picayune has a great piece on the history and significance of our beloved Superdome.

It's a proud day for New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. It seems like a proper time to look back on the first event we held at the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina...the September 25, 2006 game between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta (dumpin') Falcons...a 23-3 victory for the Black & Gold was preceeded by what can only be described as an AMAZING pre-game show courtesy of U2, Green Day and Trombone Shorty...This performance still gives me chills...the vibe in New Orleans that day was absolutely surreal.

"The Saints are Coming" live from the Superdome:



To this day this performance is still one of the most played tracks on my iPod and watching this video never seems to get old.

Midget Supremacists = BIGotry

I might be going out on a limb (albet a short one) by saying these lil' guys are BIGots...except they're well little...



All of this midget talk (small talk?) reminds me of a joke I heard in the French Quarter while enjoying a ridiculous Sunday outing with friends...

If I married two midgets would that be bigamy?

Now that is something to think about...

Official Music Video for BTE's "Absolutely Still" is Here

Better Than Ezra's official video for the lead single from Paper Empire, "Absolutely Still," has been released! The video is a little strange yet oddly familiar. I can't place what music video it reminds me of but there are certain stylistic elements that I can almost swear I've seen somewhere else.

Better Than Ezra's Paper Empire is Here!

Paper Empire, the new CD from New Orleans alt-rockers Better Than Ezra hit store shelves/iTunes today!!! Go get your copy ASAP...I'll have a review coming in the next few days as I get a chance to listen to the album some more but my initial impressions are very positive. AOL Music is currently streaming the CD...click here to preview the band's 8th studio album!

I'm In Love With A Cougar

I'm watching TV a few nights ago and my jaw literally dropped when I saw this commercial. It really might be my favorite commercial of all time. Watch for yourself...



Ah, I really do love Cougars and have fallen victim to a few cougar attacks in my day...for every one's sake we'll refrain from the details of the incidents...especially the one that told me she was 29...bahahaha...she was pretty "weathered" for 29...oh, the infamous "pool table at F & M's incident"...those photos are PRICELESS!

This "Cougar" commercial actually reminded me of a post I wrote on a blog I had in college. So, for your entertainment...

Looking For A Car? (circa 2006)

I love cars. I absolutely love cars. If I don’t drive a car for more than a few days I get jittery. Everyone knows this. I have driven lots of different makes and models in my day. I am a big fan of the American and European models, but will never be seen driving an Asian car. Asian cars are just too small and all look the same even though they do give you a lot of bang for you buck. I guess that “20 thousand dolla, make you holla line” applies here. As a person who loves cars and is currently in the market for a new one I wanted to offer my friends some advice when on the car lot and kicking the tires.

When in the market for a car, I recommend always going for the demo model. You are essentially getting a brand new car complete with new car smell and a warranty to protect you in case it starts having problems. You also get the advantage of the engine already being broken in for peak performance and it’s also a little easier to get into the demo model than the brand new model, which will save you if decide to get rid of it. Additionally, the demo model will be a lot cleaner, in better shape and have less stains in the carpet than the used model.

And then there is the certified pre-owned vehicle, otherwise known as a CPO. These models have actually been purchased and used a bit, but must meet certain criteria. Despite their mileage they must meet the highest standards in regards to their condition, shape, cleanliness and reliability based on 100-point inspections. This insures that any issues that may arise from experience with previous drivers are mitigated and in case an issue does arise these vehicles are come with factory warranties to protect you.

I advise the demo model over the CPO, even given some apparent advantages of the CPO. The demo model may have been driven by a few people but was obviously very well taken care of which leads to more customer satisfaction upon purchase. The CPO, however, is still a pre-owned car, and not a demonstration model. The inherent problem in purchasing a pre-owned model is that even if it does meet the 100-point inspection there is still no way to precisely tell without a doubt how the car was treated in the past or if the car may just have some of its own problems that develop over time. These inherent traits of a used vehicle can cause it to have issues that could hound the driver and make you wish you had just put the extra effort for the demo model.

If you do decide to purchase a used car, that isn’t a CPO, be wary. One good thing to always look for is the condition of the tires. Kick them a bit and look at the treads. Are they worn down? Does it look like they have been changing the rubber frequently? Operating an automobile that currently has bad treads can cause one to hit a wet spot, spin off the highway and have an accident that could change your life forever, which is why you should purchase an extended warranty that will always bail you out, or at least get AAA so you’re not left stranded on the side of the road. Check maintenance logs if you can because a car that doesn’t have fresh rubber has not been well maintained. If the maintenance records show that the car was frequently driven on worn out rubber be wary as it could have had a few accidents in its day. The effects of these accidents may not be apparent immediately, but they were probably messy and issues could arise further down the road.

And always remember, there is nothing wrong with giving any car a one time test drive, just be careful when changing gears at high speeds, if you drop the clutch and miss a shift you could stall out, which is always embarrassing.

You may be wondering what I currently drive. I drive a Jeep Wrangler, purchased as a low mileage demo model, of course. With all the models out there how did I choose the Wrangler? Well, its little, fun and likes to be driven roughly. It’s definitely a car that likes to get dirty. They are known for being very top heavy and having a tendency to roll-over, but they are also most fun with the top off. Jeeps are an American classic because what guy doesn’t want to drive a car that likes it rough and is so much fun with its top off.

***Note: I was speaking of my second Wrangler. I traded in the '03 for an '04 demo...I wanted a newer model with bigger tires...Unfortunately, I am no longer a Jeep driver...I rolled the last one over one too many times, apparently...TERRIBLE...

Until next time let not your face be wiped...I'm heading out for a night of Cougar hunting...