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This Oct. 4 marks 48 years since the very first Volunteer Jam, Charlie Daniels’ Nashville celebration of Southern music. The Allman Brothers’ Dickey Betts and Marshall Tucker Band’s Toy Caldwell both performed at the War Memorial Auditorium that Friday night, coming together for a summit of country and rock and launching a musical tradition that carried on for decades.

Today, the full live performance finally goes to streaming with the release of Volunteer Jam 1 – 1974: The Legend Begins. The collection of 12 songs from the Charlie Daniels Band’s headlining set leans...

You know that sweet spot during a vacation when you finally let go and forget what day it is? That’s pretty much where we are with American Idol right now, as we enter the seventh hour of Season 20 auditions.

And since we’ve already lost all concept of time, let’s begin this week’s recap with 21-year-old Zaréh, a fashion stylist whose mother happens to be Nadia Turner, one of the Top 8 finalists from Idol‘s fourth season. More than 15 years after her mother’s Idol journey, Zaréh surprised Turner by bringing her to the audition in a blindfold.

Louis Michot is a Grammy-award winning Cajun punk musician. When he’s not touring with Arcade Fire or the Violent Femmes, he lives outside of Arnaudville, Louisiana, on a stretch of land called Prairie Des Femmes, with his wife and three children. Michot, 42, built their home with the salvage of old Acadian cottages, held together with a traditional Cajun construction technique called bousillage: a mortar of Spanish moss and mud. The family speaks French at home, a piece of Louis’ lifework to carry Cajun culture into the future.

For the past 20 years,...

The Flash is poised to shed some light on the frosty relationship between Caitlin Snow and her mother, with the casting of Susan Walters.

RelatedArrow, Flash, Supergirl and Legends Put Their Best Feet Forward in 4-Way Crossover Teaser Photo

The alum of Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf and Star-Crossed will guest-star and potentially recur during Season 3 of the CW hit as Caitlin’s mom, Dr. Carla Tannhauser, a world-class biomedical engineer, EW.com reports.

In the Season 2 episode “Back to Normal,” an Earth-Two chit-chat between Caitlin (played by Danielle Panabaker) and her dastardly doppelganger Killer Frost (again, Danielle Panabaker) revealed...

New year, new movie. Mila Kunis was spotted during her first day shooting her upcoming film in New Orleans, an as-yet-untitled comedy formerly titled Bad Moms, from directing team Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The actress was seen walking around the crowded set on Monday. Kunis, 32, was dressed casually for the day, donning a plaid shirt and a pair of cuffed dark-wash jeans. She kept warm in the chilly winter weather with a large black jacket with a fur hood. She also kept her hair down and wore natural-looking makeup for the day on set. The Just Friends actress arrived...

New year, new movie. Mila Kunis was spotted during her first day shooting her upcoming film in New Orleans, an as-yet-untitled comedy formerly titled Bad Moms, from directing team Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The actress was seen walking around the crowded set on Monday. Kunis, 32, was dressed casually for the day, donning a plaid shirt and a pair of cuffed dark-wash jeans. She kept warm in the chilly winter weather with a large black jacket with a fur hood. She also kept her hair down and wore natural-looking makeup for the day on set. The Just Friends actress arrived...

The Salvatores and the Mikaelsons are reuniting.

Friday-bound Vampire Diaries and The Originals will stage a crossover later this season, CW president Mark Pedowitz announced Sunday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena.

RelatedVampire Diaries: Caroline’s Babies, a New Threat and More to Come in 2016

“You will see, organically, a crossover this year,” Pedowitz confirmed. “Not of the size and scope of we do with Arrow and Flash. They have to make sense [story-wise].”

The event kicks off during Episode 14 of Vampire Diaries, in which “Stefan finds himself very much in need of a mystical safe haven,...

The second season of A&E's Nightwatch premieres Thursday, November 5, 2015, at 10:00pm Et/Pt. Given how A&E spins the ratings in its press release, it doesn't sound like Nightwatch is in immediate danger of being cancelled.

The series follows first responders in New Orleans. The Big Easy is anything but for these fire fighters, police officers and EMTs, who can field as many as 1,000 calls during the overnight shift. A&E released a dual press release for The First 48 and Nightwatch. To keep it simple, what follows is only the press release information which pertains to Nightwatch.

Here are the Nightwatch related excerpts of the A&E press release: Read More…...

All week long our writers will debate: Which was the greatest film year of the past half century. Click here for a complete list of our essays. How to decide in the grand scheme of things which film year stands above all others? History gives us no clear methodology to unravel this thorny but extremely important question. Is it the year with the highest average score of movies? So a year that averages out to a B + might be the winner over a field strewn with B’s, despite a few A +’s. Or do a few masterpieces lift up a year so far that whatever else happened beyond those three or four films is of no consequence? Both measures are worthy, and the winner by either of those would certainly be a year not to be sneezed at. But I contend the only true measure of a year’s...

New Orleans is a city known for its unique environment and its fantastical feel. Now, a new web series is capturing the essence of The Big Easy. Chris Sheard is the creator of Easy, which serves as a love letter to New Orleans.

Easy stars Sheard and his brother Matt Sheard as (you guessed it) Chris and Matt, a pair of losers who are looking to change their lives. After Chris' busking attempts go awry and Matt loses his job for accidently calling his boss "The Italian Stalin," they team up to form their own record label. Along the way, they encounter all sorts of characters, from a mysterious bar patron with a braided beard to a loan shark named Gravy Train.

Here's the first part of the first episode, which begins with a clever sequence showing Chris' life as a busker:

Easy is filled with all sorts of absurd...

Here they are America, your Top 12! After weeks of auditions and hard cuts by the judges, American Idol has revealed final 12 contestants. But who has what it takes to actually become the fourteenth winner of the Fox reality series? People breaks down the contestants: Quentin Alexander, 21Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana Audition City: New Orleans Audition Song: "Royals", originally performed by Lorde Why He Might Win: The Big Easy's own Harry Connick, Jr. has said that Alexander encapsulates the music scene of his hometown and his unique fashion and song choices certainly make him stand out from the crowd. Why...

Here they are America, your Top 12!

After weeks of auditions and hard cuts by the judges, American Idol has revealed final 12 contestants.

But who has what it takes to actually become the fourteenth winner of the Fox reality series?

People breaks down the contestants:

Quentin Alexander, 21

Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana

Audition City: New Orleans

Audition Song: "Royals", originally performed by Lorde

Why He Might Win: The Big Easy's own Harry Connick, Jr. has said that Alexander encapsulates the music scene of his hometown and his unique fashion and song choices certainly make him stand out from the crowd.

Why...

Beyoncé stepped out Friday night in New Orleans to celebrate sister Solange Knowles's rumored wedding weekend. Solange - who is engaged to music video director Alan Ferguson - is reportedly set to tie the knot this weekend, and about 50 family and friends joined the happy couple in Nola for a pre-wedding bash at the Indywood Cinema. Solange, 28, and Ferguson, 51, showed a film they made of how they met before playing the movie they saw on their first date: Mahogany, a '70s flick featuring Diana Ross. "It was pretty adorable," Hayley Sampson, who owns the film house with brother Will,...

Beyoncé stepped out Friday night in New Orleans to celebrate sister Solange Knowles's rumored wedding weekend. Solange - who is engaged to music video director Alan Ferguson - is reportedly set to tie the knot this weekend, and about 50 family and friends joined the happy couple in Nola for a pre-wedding bash at the Indywood Cinema. Solange, 28, and Ferguson, 51, showed a film they made of how they met before playing the movie they saw on their first date: Mahogany, a '70s flick featuring Diana Ross. "It was pretty adorable," Hayley Samson, who owns the film house with brother Will,...

Sandra Bullock should be recruited to help with the Ebola crisis ... because she's a decisive chick in the face of medical emergencies.Sandra beat 911 by a mile when an extra on her current movie set collapsed. It was pretty apparent it was a case of heat stroke ... Sandra is shooing "Our Brand Is Crisis" under the blazing sun in New Orleans.Sandra took charge ... giving her fallen comrade water and fanning her in a shady...

In episode 2.4, ?Live and Let Die,? despite ongoing tension in The Big Easy between the werewolves and the vampires, a common enemy forces the two factions to form an alliance to achieve a common goal. Davina and Mikael's whereabouts are revealed to not one, but two Mikaelson brothers. Cami tries to appeal to Klaus' rational side, and Vincent is proving to be as nasty as his siblings. Check out these highlights from the show. For more on what happened, check out the recap.

Gather round, disciples - your mentors here at the Tube Talk Q&A have more wisdom to impart upon you...and by wisdom, we mean UK airdates for your favourite Us shows.

Find true enlightenment through your telly box - it worked for us.

Any idea of an airdate for Arrow or its spinoff The Flash?

An important update on this query from chocolategaga - The Flash is now confirmed to be speeding his way onto Sky1 on Tuesday, October 28 at 8pm, and if you want to know what we thought of the pilot, check out our review here.

Arrow - launching into its third season - will follow on Thursday, October 30 at 8pm and you know what this means, right? Us fans in the UK will get to see any-and-all crossovers between the two shows air in their intended order!

Seems like that would be a given, but it's...

Network: CBS

Episodes: Ongoing (hour)

Seasons: Ongoing

TV show dates: September 23, 2014 -- Tbd

Series status: Has not been cancelled

Performers include: Scott Bakula, Lucas Black, Zoe McLellan, C. C. H. Pounder, Rob Kerkovich, and Paife Turco.

TV show description:

A spin-off of NCIS, this military drama revolves around the local field office in New Orleans, investigating criminal cases that affect military personnel.

Special Agent Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula), aka "King", leads the team and is a native of The Big Easy. He's driven by his need to do what is right and is married to Linda (Paife Turco) . The two have a daughter together.

Working with Pride is Senior Special Agent Christopher Lasalle (Lucas Black) -- a man who plays hard but works harder. Special Agent Meredith "Merri" Brody...

Military investigation heads to The Big Easy in the second spinoff of CBS’ venerable NCIS franchise. Bakula stars as special agent Dwayne “King” Pride, the leader of a small satellite office serving the military men and women who reside in, visit and find trouble in The Crescent City. Fans were first introduced to Pride and his crew in a two-part NCIS case that aired in Spring 2014. How NCIS: New Orleans’ show format will differ from the original remains to be seen, but Bakula, playing an old pal of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, is a welcome and charming sight whose catchphrase … Continue reading →

The post NCIS: New Orleans Explores Crime In The Crescent City appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Exclusive, Updated At 6:06 p.m. with comments about Spotlight at end: You might call August, 2014 a full-circle month for Mark Ruffalo. His performance as Ned Weeks in Ryan Murphy‘s HBO version of The Normal Heart earned one of that film’s astonishing 16 Emmy nominations, with the winners to be announced on Aug. 25. He’s eager to catch the Broadway revival of the 1996 stage play that launched his career, Kenneth Lonergan‘s This Is Our Youth, which begins on the 18th with Michael Cera and Kieran Culkin.

Writing about his work in Lonergan’s You Can Count On Me, the New York Times’ Stephen Holden said, “Mr. Ruffalo’s star-making performance deserves to be added to the list of charismatic, grownup lost boys that includes the Marlon Brando of A Streetcar Named Desire and the Jack Nicholson of Easy Rider.”

Yet this is the same guy who plays the Hulk in the Avengers franchise.

CBS has enlisted Mark Harmon and the rest of his NCIS team to help ensure that the military crime drama’s New Orleans-based spin-off completes its ratings mission. Harmon will make another appearance on NCIS: New Orleans, which launches this fall, and this time he’s bringing more of his crew. Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Weatherly’s Anthony “Tony” Dinozzo, Pauley Perrette’s Abigail “Abby” Sciuto, and David McCallum’s Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard will all visit The Big Easy in an unspecified episode. The crossover will partner Harmon with fellow veteran prime-time star Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap...

Reese Witherspoon makes some cute kids! The New Orleans native posted a new photo to her Instagram account over the weekend, as she posed for a pic with her adorable 22-month-old son Tennessee James. "Last day of beignets with my boy #NOLAstyle," she captioned the cute candid. While Reese rarely posts photos of her offspring, we love when she does! How adorable is little Tennesse? He looks like the perfect mix of Witherspoon and her hubby Jim Toth. Witherspoon also has son Deacon and daughter Ava with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.The "Sweet Home Alabama" star spent her holiday weekend in The Big Easy with her family, and it definitely looks like she had a lot of fun showing her fam the town. Who do you think the blonde cutie looks like more? Tell toofab in the comment section below and click "Launch Gallery" above to see even more cute celebrity kids!

On Saturday, June 28th, Syfy is unleashing Snakehead Swamp, a new Original Movie airing on the network at 9/8c, and today we have the flick's trailer to share. With a cast that includes "Huggy Bear" from "Starsky and Hutch," how can you go wrong?

Ayla Kell, Antonio Fargas (the aforementioned "Huggy"), and Terri Garber star in Snakehead Swamp, which was written by Greg Mitchell and directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy (Bering Sea Beast).

Synopsis:

The Big Easy gets a shake up when snakehead fish terrorize Louisiana's swamp land.

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Vic Bateman, one of the UK’s longest serving international sales agents who handled films including The Deer Hunter and The Elephant Man, has died.

Tributes have been paid to Victor ‘Vic’ Bateman, the co-founder and vice chairman of London-based sales company Av Pictures, has died. He was 72.

Bateman’s career in film spanned more than 40 years. He began in the contract administration department of British Lion in 1961, where he developed detailed knowledge of the commercial, financial and legal terms governing distribution arrangements on a global basis. In the early 1970’s Vic was promoted to the international sales division of what was by then Emi Films.

Over the years, Bateman achieved notable sales successes and established his reputation with film buyers worldwide, handling major films such as The Deer Hunter, The Elephant Man, A Passage to India, All of Me, Highlander, The Hitcher, Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express, The Last Emperor and [link...

Making the most of her family vacation in New Orleans, Sofia Vergara posted a happy-looking photo to her WhoSay account.

The curvaceous Colombian stunner is in The Big Easy to film an upcoming film called “Don’t Mess With Texas,” also starring Reese Witherspoon.

And despite the fact that she just announced her split with longtime fiancé Nick Loeb, Ms. Vergara didn’t seem too downtrodden.

Over the weekend she explained, "Not that anyone should care, but in order to not give the press the chance to invent crazy and hurtful drama, I prefer to tell my fans personally that Nick and I have decided to be apart."

"We have been having too many problems with having to figure out how to spend time together and because of my work and now his, it's been getting worse and worse, not fun anymore. We are still very close but we believe...

The Big Easy! Beyonce is showing nothing but love for sister Solange Knowles following Solange's Standard Hotel elevator fight with Jay Z in NYC. The "Drunk in Love" singer posted a picture of the siblings smiling ear-to-ear while in New Orleans via Instagram on Saturday, May 17. "New Orleans May17th 2014," Beyonce, 32, wrote. In the snapshot, Solange has her arm placed around Beyonce's neck as they stare up into the camera. Beyonce is fresh-faced in a green-and-white tank top with her locks cascading down her shoulders. [...]...

Washington D.C. crossed paths with The Big Easy on tonight’s episode of NCIS, which doubled as a backdoor pilot for a Louisiana-based spin-off.

In the episode, we met the small but mighty team of NCIS: New Orleans: Scott Bakula as leader Agent Pride, Lucas Black as hard southern gent Agent Lasalle and Zoe McClellan as Nola transplant Agent Brody. Cch Pounder played the New Class’s medical examiner. Together with the regular batch of NCIS players, they worked the case of a dead congressman who was once a member of the Fed 5, the nickname given to a...

Almost a year ago, NCIS executive producer Gary Glasberg was pitching storylines to star Mark Harmon when he brought up the idea that would spawn much more than the episode he was hoping to flesh out that day.

“I had learned that there was this small office in the city of New Orleans — a real NCIS office — that this sort of fantastic, larger-than-life character/agent ran for 25 years. It was just him and a couple of other people — and that was it,” Glasberg says. “And I wanted to do it as a sweeps episode, and then Mark said to me...

A most unwelcome face from Klaus’ past returns to New Orleans to raise a little (more) hell.

Terror, thy name is Papa Tunde! The Big Easy’s new big bad reared his not-so-ugly head on the Jan. 28 episode of The Originals, and no vampire was safe from his sacrificial wrath — least of all Rebekah (Claire Holt), who temporarily had her powers sucked out by the well-dressed warlock.

But wait, did I refer to Papa Tunde as the new big bad? What I meant to say was that Papa Tunde, with his ability to suck out vampires’ powers, was merely a pawn in Celeste’s (Shannon Kane) ultimate plot to claim New Orleans for herself. The final scene of the episode found her slitting P.T.’s throat, absorbing the powers of all the fallen supernatural creatures.

In other words, everybody’s screwed. Like, even more so than we already thought.

Isla Fisher, Ellen Barkin and Jim Parsons have been linked to new thriller Visions.

The trio are in talks to star in the movie, which is directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Lucas Sussman, reports Deadline.

Visions tells the story of a pregnant woman who joins her husband at his vineyard home and begins to be troubled by visions which become increasingly realistic and terrifying.

Fisher was seen in two films this year - The Great Gatsby and Now You See Me. She also appeared in the fourth season revival of Arrested Development.

Barkin has appeared in numerous films including The Big Easy, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Ocean's Thirteen.

She also starred in Ryan Murphy's comedy The New Normal but it was cancelled after one season earlier this year.

Parsons is best known for his television role on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. He can next...

It's been a really long time since last we heard anything from Catwoman and Vidocq director Pitof, and he hasn't even used all this time off to go and get a last name. What he has done is cook up another horror flick called Twisted. Read on for details.

Sharon Stone, Billy Zane, Gina Gershon, Tom Berenger, Brad Dourif, Edward Furlong, Caterina Murino, and Claudia Gerini star. Read on for the plot crunch and sales art. Dig it!

Synopsis

As a child, Margot was witness to brutal events in her home. Now an adult and a famous novelist, she finds her inspiration on the darkest forums dedicated to violence.

In the steamy city of New Orleans, she writers Twisted, her latest thriller, live on the Internet. Each chapter describes a murder which is matched by a real-life crime.

As the murder investigations deepen, the carnal worlds of sex and violence...

Hey, Ryan Reynolds! We've missed you. Besides from a recent sighting of the celeb with his wife Blake Lively at the airport in New Orleans, the hunky actor seemed to go Mia lately (married life sometimes does that), but alas, here he is—wearing more clothing than we hoped, but that's Ok. Regardless of hiding his impeccable body, Reynolds still looked handsome as always while being spotted on the set of his upcoming movie Selfless, which is being filmed in The Big Easy. The A-lister was seen wearing a gray vest with matching slacks and a white dress shirt, and he also sported a tiny gash on the upper left side of his face, hinting that things get a little physical in this film. The...

It's the Season of the Witch on "American Horror Story: Coven" -- and these girls cast an intriguing spell.The FX horror series returns for its third incarnation tonight, switching gears from the aliens and possessions of "Asylum" to voodoo, potions and Big Easy enchantment.The third outing follows Zoe ("Ahs" alum Taissa Farmiga), who is shipped to an all-girls school in New Orleans after her first sexual experience goes horribly awry. This isn't any ordinary school though -- it's a school for witches, run by Cordelia Foxx (Sarah Paulson), daughter of the coven's "Supreme" (Jessica Lange, in full-on bitch mode).As fellow students, Emma Roberts, Gabourey Sidibe and Jamie Brewer all play off each other well -- and seeing them display their own unique powers promises an interesting dynamic ahead.While some of the set up feels a little like "X-Men" to me (Zoe's introduction is an R-rated version of Rogue,...

A Year of Daring Rescues Proves Life In “The Big Easy” Isn’t Always Easy for Tia Torres Pit Bulls have it tough-the breed is often judged unfairly. So do those people who successfully go through the prison system, re-entering life with a stigma still attached. There's a TV show we love that pairs the two in tales of redemption and rescue to make a satisfying smallscreen experience. From Animal Planet New Life. New Orleans. Tia Torres has spent 20 years building Villalobos, the largest pit bull rescue in the United States. Recently, she's spent over a year moving her entire operation, including 200+ pit bulls across the country from California to Louisiana and rebuilding it from the bottom up.

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes digital and DVD release information on The Seasoning House, a trailer for Loss of Life, first details on The Cage, the short film “Don’t Move,” and much more:

The Seasoning House Release Details: “Acclaimed prosthetic effects designer Paul Hyett (The Woman in Black, Unknown) makes his directorial debut with the harrowing horror revenge thriller The Seasoning House, debuting on Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD December 10th from Well Go USA Entertainment. The chilling film stars Rosie Day (Sixteen), Sean Pertwee (Event Horizon), Kevin Howarth (Gallowwalkers, The Last Horror Movie) and Anna Walton (Hellboy II: The Golden Army). In The Seasoning House, young girls are prostituted to the military and an orphaned deaf mute (Day) is enslaved to care for them. She moves between the walls and crawlspaces, showing a little kindness when she can.

So... did you enjoy our first official trip to New Orleans?

The Originals aired its series premiere last night, bringing new viewers up to speed with events in The Big Easy and reminding long-time Vampire Diaries fans of what brought Klaus and Elijah down south - and, perhaps more importantly, what is now keeping them there.

Look for the action to seriously pick up on Tuesday's "House of the Rising Son," when the drama moves to its regular time slot and Klaus begins to infiltrate Marcel's inner circle in his quest to eventually overthrow the king.

Along those lines, we see Klaus and Marcel getting along well in the following sneak peek, as the former asks some advice from psychology student Camille in order to help Marcel with his love life. Watch now:

 The Originals Clip: Advice from Camille...

On this day in 1941 Anne Rice was born in New Orleans Louisiana. Although she lived in California briefly Rice couldnt stay away from her heart and soul which belonged to The Big Easy. The citys creole heritage became the cultural setting for her first novel Interview with a Vampire published in 1977. She would go on to add The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned to the Vampire Chronicles in the 1980s.

In April, CW viewers were treated to a special episode of The Vampire Diaries, one that took them down to New Orleans and introduced them to the supernatural happenings in The Big Easy.

The installment was a hit, The Originals was ordered to series, but a challenge was therefore presented to Julie Plec and company:

How do you write a premiere after already setting up the show's premise months earlier? How do you draw in viewers who may not have tuned in for the backdoor pilot, while presenting something fresh for those who did?

"It's told through a different prism," Daniel Gillies explained to me of this Thursday's opener. "We're looking at what we saw in the pilot from a different perspective, showing the motivations behind Elijah's desire to see his family whole again."

And that won't be the only difference between the series premiere and the show from which The Originals is spun.

The fall television season is well underway, and there are some buzzy new shows and fan favorites premiering this month!Below are six shows we think are worth your time. There's something for everyone: comedy, reality, sci-fi, fantasy and of course, horror!1. "Super Fun Night" (premieres Wednesday, October 2, 2013 at 9:30pm on ABC)We've loved Rebel Wilson since her hilarious turns in "Bridesmaids" and "Pitch Perfect.""Super Fun Night's" premise is simple -- Kimmie (Rebel) and her two friends have set aside every Friday night for adventure and misadventure. Rebel's energy and enthusiasm carry this freshman comedy. Just check out the hilarious promo ... set to Queen, of course.2. "Top Chef: New Orleans" (premieres Wednesday, October 2, 2013 at 10pm on Bravo)The 11th season of "Top Chef" takes place in The Big Easy, but the competition may be the hardest yet!The premiere kicks off with a "soiree in the swamp,...

Daniel Gillies has left Mystic Falls behind.

The actor is now a series regular on The Originals, making the move (fictionally speaking) to New Orleans along with Joseph Morgan, Claire Holt and Phoebe Tonkin.

What inspires Elijah to settle down in The Big Easy? Why is he on such a quest to unite this effed up family And what can we expect from Season 1?

The former Vampire Diaries teases his character's motivation and gives us an idea of what's to come in the following interview. Check it out now:

 Daniel Gillies Talks The Originals...

Browse our gallery of new pics from ‘The Originals’ premiere & weigh in with your thoughts!

I hope you like awesome hair, because these new shots from the series premiere of The Originals are full of it! Along with present-day hair moments — Elijah’s (Daniel Gillies) mane remains flawless, as always — the Oct. 3 episode, titled “Always And Forever,” also takes us back to the early days of the Mikaelson family; and you know what that means: flashback wigs!

Both Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Elijah get to rock their famous — or, rather, infamous — history hair on the episode, as we learn more about their twisted family past. But they’re not alone; they’re joined by a special guest, who also has locks worth writing home about: Papa Mikael (Sebastian Roché)!

When we last saw Mikael on The Vampire Diaries, he was getting the White Oak Stake treatment from Klaus, but he...

So... how was your summer?

It may not have compared to that of Rebekah Mikaelson.

We sat down with Claire Holt on the Atlanta set of The Originals last week and the actress instantly smiled at a question about her character's summer, which was spent with Matt Donovan in Europe and which Holt happily described as "sexy," adding that she was shocked to read the opening set of scripts.

Yes, Holt will appear in both The Vampire Diaries Season 5 premiere before making her permanent move to New Orleans. What will she be doing in The Big Easy?

Reuniting with Marcel, with whom she shares a history, and trying to believe that Klaus possesses a single redeeming quality. Watch our exclusive Q&A with the star now:

Claire Holt Set Interview

Elsewhere, we talked with Ian Somerhalder about trouble ahead for Delena and with Paul Wesley about life as Silas during our time in Atlanta.

Alexandra Metz is moving to New Orleans.

The actress (Chicago Fire) has nabbed a recurring role on The Originals, according to Deadline, which reports she will head down to The Big Easy as a witch named Katie.

Look for this beautiful and mysterious character to possess a hidden agenda that will end up having stunning ramifications for the supernatural community of her hometown.

It was also announced this week that Todd Stashwick would recur on the series as priest, while Sebastian Roche will show up again as patriarch Mikael.

The Originals debuts Thursday, October 3 on The CW, following the opener of The Vampire Diaries Season 5.

Love "Top Chef"? Well then, good news. The franchise is stretching like a well-oiled gourmet pizza dough yet again. The show heads to New Orleans for season 11 on Wed. Oct. 2 at 10:00 p.m. Et, and this season kicks-off with a new digital video series. “Padma’s Picks,” available on BravoTV.com beginning Wed., Aug. 14., gives one of New Orleans’ most talented chefs the opportunity to cook their way onto the show. Host and judge Padma Lakshmi visits some of The Big Easy’s most celebrated establishments to find 10 of the best and brightest chefs from New Orleans. These chefs will then battle head-to-head...

Steven Krueger is on his way to New Orleans.

The actor, who recurred on Pretty Little Liars (below) as Ben, will appear on three episodes of The Originals, coming on board as a tourist in The Big Easy.

According to TV Guide, his character's casual night out will take a dark turn when he wanders in Marcel's bar. Uh-oh!

The CW announced yesterday that it will premiere The Originals a few days earlier than originally scheduled, pairing its Season 1 opener on Thursday, October 3 with The Vampire Diaries.

We can't wait.

On the red carpet of Comic-Con, we asked Joseph Morgan for some baby names and also wondered whether Klaus would soften as the central character on The Originals.

We also spent some time with Morgan's pretend sister, Claire Holt, who was not seen in New Orleans when this show's backdoor pilot aired as an episode of The Vampire Diaries last season.

What will finally bring her to The Big Easy? And will she be leaving Matt Donovan a broken down, teary-eyed mess after their jaunt through Europe? Watch our exclusive Q&A with the gorgeous star now:

Claire Holt Comic-Con Interview

And then check out the new Originals promo that aired during this pop culture event in San Diego and take note:

The Originals premieres on Tuesday, October 15.

Asylum Press recently announced the release of a new horror comic entitled Undead Evil and we have a 6-page preview you can check out right now. A digital first comic book, Undead Evil is now available on a variety of digital platforms:

“Undead Evil is the tale of Alfred Carter and his attempt to save his estranged family from a centuries old Voodoo curse. Written by Frank Forte (Heavy Metal, The Vampire Verses, Asylum of Horrors) and illustrated by Nenad Gucunja (Satan’s Circus of Hell, Girls and Corpses, Warlash) with a painted cover by Ben Olson (Area 51:Blacksite, Drakan 1 & 2, The Suffering,

Undead Evil takes place in New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A centuries old family curse is reignited by an undead Voodoo priest and paranormal researcher Alfred Carter begins to have disturbing visions of the past, present and future. When Alfred is summoned by the ghost of his ancestor,...

Today is Mardi Gras, and you know what that means, right!? Yeah, neither do we. Something about eating a lot on a Tuesday? All we know is that if you’re down in New Orleans, you’re in for the biggest party of your life! There are floats, beads, goofy hats, and enough booze to fill the Gulf of Mexico. The Big Easy is party central today, so strike up the zydeco and head on down the gallery below to see which of your favorite stars hail from the great city of New Orleans. They’ve got heartthrob vampires like Ian Somerhalder, Oscar winners like Reese Witherspoon and even a killer rapper or two (what’s up, Weezy?). Click the gallery for many more!

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