NEW ORLEANS | The Situation is on notice -- New Orleans' Republic nightclub has a new dress code posted at its entrance: "If it's on Jersey Shore, it won't get through the door."

The idea came to Nick Thomas, the club's director of programming, while watching the MTV show. "The whole thing is so funny because I was literally watching Jersey Shore in passing at 4 a.m. after being at Republic I thought, nothing would make me happier if not a single person dressed like this was in Republic. Then I thought, "Why can't that be the rule?" The club put a flier on its window at Mardi Gras and the dress code spread across Twitpix which led to a mention on NPR. "It's been well received because we have the best clientele, but I never thought the story would have this kind of national merit."

NEW ORLEANS | In his first public return to the city since his 2008 performance with Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z stormed onstage at the New Orleans Arena last night before a sold-out audience and never looked back. When you have 10 Grammys, a net worth well over nine figures, your own record label and fashion lines, plus you are married to Beyonce Knowles, there are not a lot of challenges left to conquer. You would not know that from the way Jay-Z (born Shawn Corey Carter) attacked his performance Thursday night, riffing and flowing while he played to the full house, prowling from one edge of the stage to the other throughout the show.

Following opener Trey Songz, the influential Brooklyn-born hip-hop star commanded the attention of all 17,000 in attendance. Although his presence was enough to handle the crowd on his own, he alternated stage time with co-headliner Young Jeezy and was accompanied by a full 10-piece band, The Roc Boyz, including two percussionists, a DJ, guitarist, bassist and horn section.

NEW ORLEANS | Dionysus was known as the liberator, freeing one from one's normal self, by madness, ecstasy or wine.

The Greek god might not make an appearance, but there will certainly be ecstasy and most definitely wine this Friday at the grand opening reception for the 4th annual French Quarter Wine Festival at the Maison Dupuy Hotel. Ambrosial wine will come from vineyards in California, Oregon and Italy. The ecstasy will undeniably blossom from Chef Michael Farrell’s incredible cuisine. Together, it should easily culminate into a celebration worthy of any deity, let alone common folk like myself.

A few weeks ago, I received a mysterious invitation in the mail requesting my presence at an event hosted by the Greater New Orleans Chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association at Muriel’s Jackson Square. It was quite vague, mentioning only an unveiling of brand new culinary movement called “We Live to Eat”. As I read over the invitation again, I couldn’t help thinking “Well now, that’s what I do day in and day out!” After all, food has always been a hobby of mine, one I take quite seriously. I am always looking forward to the next great meal, trying out every restaurant in town and recommending the ones I love to our readers at NewOrleans.com.
So, how could this be different?

Spoken word artist Dessa may have arrived at her art form by accident, but now that she's there, it seems like she was headed towards it the whole time.

After a Valentine's Day spent single left Dessa a bit blue, her roommate took her to a slam to lift her spirits. Dessa, a self-professed literary arts lover, loved it. The roommate then said the magic, encouraging words: "I think you can do this."

Dessa had always been a writer, focusing on creative non-fiction, so the leap to the stage was not a far one. It just took a bit of serendipity.

That's right. Men's Health magazine recently released a list of the drunkest cities in America. And this is where you're expecting me to tell you that we are right up there at #1, where we usually seem to be on all those unfavorable lists: obesity, cancer rates, poor education, etc.

And that is what I would tell you - the sad fact that we are the drunkest city in America - if that were the case. However... we are not. Nope, we're not even in the top 20! Can you believe it?

Unlikely as all this may seem, considering that New Orleans as a whole is coming off of a three-week bender inspired by the unlikely conspiracy of the Saints and Mardi Gras, New Orleans is ranked at #21 on the Men's Health list. Top honors went to Fresno, Calif., Reno, Nev., and Billings, Mont.

I know there are some of you out there who are offended right now. "But we're the most fun city in the entire country," you say. "We can hold our liquor better than anyone else."

Mardi Gras is now just a memory. Now that it's time to put away the purple, green and gold, we’re left realizing, yet again, that accessorizing with boas and beads is only appropriate for two weeks out of the year. Mardi Gras' coming to an end means recovering. But more importantly it means the start of spring is quickly approaching. It's now time to give your closet a spring cleaning and take a look at the hottest new trends. From the predictable trend of colors and flowers, to neutrals and feathers, it’s all about making an outfit your own. This spring is about the ripped, high and low, pretty and ugly anti-fashion concept that is ever so fashionable.

NEW ORLEANS | Hot on the heels of MSTRKRFT's standout performance on Saturday and VH1's "Daisy of Love" Valentine's Day party, Ampersand nightclub brought in Mardi Gras day with a bang and a bass kick. The club's Lundi Gras party featured back-to-back performances by house music pioneer Charles Feelgood and breakbeat champions The Crystal Method.

Though the party was notably less crowded than MSTRKRFT's set this past weekend, the audience was in high spirits and the vibe in the club noticeably upbeat.

NEW ORLEANS | As a professed electronic music fanatic, I'll always jump at the chance to take in a mixed set from an established DJ crew, and this Mardi Gras weekend is no exception.  The CBD's Ampersand nightclub hosted an over-the-top Mardi Gras kickoff bash Saturday night, with Canadian electro duo MSTRKRFT headlining.

While my previous experiences at Ampersand were often a bit claustrophobic, the recently remodeled club was the perfect place for a dance party on this particular night. A throng of partygoers danced in Ampersand's outdoor area, which featured live video and (more importantly) audio feed from the party's main stage.  The club's front dancefloor was filled to capacity, with Louisiana-based acts like SKYHI and Beverly Skillz warming up the crowd before the night's main event. 

I guess you can say my life was somewhat changed in the Spring of 2007. It was during that semester of college where three simple words became a part of my everyday life.

Just as many locals do, I decided to attend college in New Orleans. But as we all found out, a certain hurricane that I refuse to name made plans rather difficult. That dreaded date of August 29, 2005 was the first day of my senior year of high school and life as I knew it would never be the same. That year quickly came and went and little improved in our city. The University of New Orleans was no exception. Still in the process of rebuilding, I found myself attending orientation and anxious for classes to begin. Immediately I started working towards a Bachelor's degree in Communication Arts with a strong focus on Journalism.