Brad Pitt Rebuilding 9th Ward Home at a Time

But no, he's not running for mayor

(NEWSER) - To mark the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Brad Pitt spoke to MSNBC about his effort to rebuild the Lower 9th Ward with his Make It Right foundation—and the grassroots campaign to push him to run for mayor of New Orleans. He says he'd run if chosen, but “on the gay marriage, no religion, legalization and taxation on marijuana platform. I don’t have a chance,” he tells Ann Curry. “That’s not what I do best.” More»

Brad discusses New Orleans, lawmakers swoon

(NEWSER) - Brad Pitt was in Washington yesterday for a serious reason, but the effect he had on lawmakers was not entirely professional, with many employees ditching their offices to nonchalantly hang out in the halls hoping to catch a glimpse of the superstar, AP reports. It wasn’t all fun and games, though: Pitt managed to snag a secret meeting with President Obama, a White House spokesman confirmed. More»

Big Easy will host America's largest exhibition of contemporary art

(NEWSER) - A new biennial meant to restore New Orleans' cultural life—and expand it—opens this weekend in the city, the New York Times reports. With 81 artists participating in Prospect.1 and 50,000 out-of-town visitors expected, the exhibition could be a pick-me-up for a city still trying to come back from Hurricane Katrina. But New Orleans is as much a collaborator as a beneficiary. More»

(NEWSER) - Louisiana is still finding coffins displaced by Hurricane Katrina three years on, the Wall Street Journal reports. Katrina and Rita moved 1,500 bodies from their resting places in the state's swampy south, where floating coffins during floods have long been part of local folklore. Hundreds remain unidentified, and they are still turning up in woods and water. More»

Hurricane's shadow still looms, but New Orleans revelers make a comeback

(NEWSER) - Super Tuesday means Mardi Gras in Louisiana today, and the New Orleans bacchanal is slowly finding its feet 3 years after Hurricane Katrina. The predominantly black Zulu parade has as its king this year a 62-year-old native who left the Big Easy for Houston after the levees broke. He's only the second king, after Louis Armstrong, to live outside of New Orleans, the Times-Picayune reports. More»