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B2 ARCADE . WWW.THEHULLABALOO.COM Andrew Bird delights Local styles and designers hit the runway

marketing and production. Eaton's up artists, hairdressers and mod- BY LAUREN COOPER specialty is in styling, editing and els - including several Tulane stu- CONTRIBUTING WRITER working with creative talent. The dents - filled the roles the proj- duo came together a year ago when ect generated, further enriching In this year's NOLA Fashion they were both helping emerg- the New Orleans and southern Week, which was held two weeks ing New Orleans-based design- community ago in the Warehouse District, de- er Matthew Arthur launch his line Since its inception, NOLA Fash- signers showcased their garments and create a lookbook and fashion ion Week has evolved from one day on models and presented in differ- show. to one week of shows and presen- ent galleries. The juxtaposition of "We realized there were more tations, parties, educational work- fashion and art sent a clear message 'Matts' out there, who we had an shops, and market appointments of the unique perspective each de- opportunity to support;' Eaton and has garnered national press signer offered. said. "Nick and I recognized the and sponsorships. COURTESY OF ANDREWBIRD.NET Designer Amanda deLeon's need to develop a platform to help "The momentum created within show was a standout, hosted in the strurnentals and pop sensibilities but these designers grow their skill set, the first year will support the de- BY STEPHANIE CHEN ballroom of the Martine Chaisson adopts a more subdued tone. Album find mentors to encourage and sup- signers we work with in further de- STAFF WRITER Gallery. The steel-colored walls, opener "Desperation Breeds ..." la- port them, as well as create an op- veloping their businesses;' Eaton With Andrew Bird narrating, an intricate chandeliers, marble floors ments dwindling bee populations, portunfty to further develop their said. "Our immediate intention is ordinary night becomes majestic, and Gothic fireplaces served as a ruminative song paired with glo- brands locally." to create substantial increase in re- full of melodies, exuberant whistling the perfect setting to frame deLe- rious spirals of sound. "Danse Ca- This meeting, the existing de- tail distribution for lines that are and clever performing. on's collection. Hairpieces matched signers, art and talent in New Or- already in production that show Last Friday's show at New Or- ribe" is a stunner, a lovely, soaring stroll. The album is rounded out by the chandeliers, while deep re9 lips leans, provoked Eaton and Landry with us. We also have a short-term leans' O\vn Howlin' Wolf Den was and a black, white and red color the rolling "Give It Away;' straight- to found The New Orleans Fashion goal of elevating the opportuni- no exception. Bird opened with an scheme conveyed deLeon's dark, forward rock in "Eyeoneye" and gor- Council and create Fashion Week, ties for production in Louisiana, as instrumental number, the exquisite romantic edge. Citing the architec- geous, swelling landscapes on "Hole fostering talent beyond that of the well as creating further resources beauty of a violin cutting through ture of the New Orleans cemeter- designers themselves. Local pho- through a local Fashion Incubator." the crowd chatter. The show was pro- in the Ocean Floor." He rounded the set out with old- ies as her inspiration, the young de tographers, videographers, make- pelled by his spinning, two-headed signer possesses a distinct point of Victrola speaker, upon which his toy er classics, including a perfect cover of "Bein' Green;' his contribution to view that is uniquely New Orleans. sock-monkey sat dressed in a suit. The city is a mecca in art, food, Any complaints of Bird being too the Muppets soundtrack, a rollicking rendition of"fake Palindromes" that film and music. The film industry whimsical for his own good were in Kew Orleans already surpasses swept away by the sheer charm and started a five-person mosh pit and a bluegrass encore. that of L.A. in terms of dollars into sincerity of his performance. His the community, and with the work, trademark style of elaborate layering In a time when electronic pads and pre-recorded bits dominate live passion and creativity of founders in full force, Bird looped violin sec- Nick Landry and Andi Eaton, fash- tions over guitar riffs and intricate shows, Bird's use of live looping lent an appreciated sense of risk to his liv- ion can follow the same trajectory. whistling. "By highlighting the rebirth of The multi-instrumentalist led his ing, breathing show. The most mem- orable moments in Bird's music are the city, all of its amenities and band through a set that emphasized culture, we are helping to put the his newest albupi., "Break It Your- those that allow listeners to close their eyes and inhabit a space built by city on the map as a destination for self;' easily his most accessible work global fashion, entertainment and in years. An amalgam of chan1ber gorgeous swells, a melody that twists around you, a wall of sound that art industry events;? writes Landry music, indie rock and pop, the al- and Eaton on the official Fashion bum reflected the crowd's eclectic seems to have originated from your very bones. I left his concert and en- Week flyers. mix: teenagers, NPR-extolling yup- Landry, founder and owner of pies and the occasional 70-year-old tered a perfect night: the stars an or- chestra, the echo of a whistle refus- prominent New Orleans PR and couple. On "Break It Yourself," Bird events company Nicholas Landry indulges more in spontaneous in- ing to fade. Events has a strong background in COURTESY OF NOLA-FASHIONWEEK.COM

'Hunger Games' finally arrives

BY RACHEL WEISS however, is by no means tra- struggle for survival and ?e- STAFF WRITER ditional popcorn fare. The roic defiance against the fas- Given that March is con- story centers on 16-year-old cist institution. sidered the proverbial dol- Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer In a society plagued by drums of box-office months, Lawrence), who through her class inequalities, political there's no reason not to head own self-sacrifice becomes an uprisings and glorification over to your local multiplex intended pawn of the auto- of the reality television for- ·and watch a feature about na- cratic regime of Panem. The mat, the themes of"The Hun- tionally televised adolescent dystopian world of Panem ger Games" are uniquely res- death matches - if you can was built on the smoldering onant. The story is rife with manage to find tickets, that is. remains of what is thinly ref- real-world parallels that hope Anticipation has been erenced as the United States, to catalvze what star Don- mounting for Gary Ross' ad- and requires each of its 12 ald Sutherland terms "our aptation of "The Hunger districts to send a male and dormant generation." With Games" - the first book in female tribute to participate Lawrence 'helming a bril- Suzanne Collins' young adult in the annual Hunger Garnes. liant caste of neophytes and trilogy - ever since Lions- The Hunger Games is a Lionsgate's aggressively in- gate purchased the rights to reality television/ gladiato- ventive marketing strate- the novels more than a year rial combat hybrid in which gies, "The Hunger Games" ago. Advanced ticket sales the 24 tributes, ages 12 to 18, is poised to become Holly- have already breached the SI must battle to the death. Kat- wood's next major franchise. million mark, and pundits niss nobly volunteers as trib- "The Hunger Games" opens expect it to be the blockbust- ute for District 12 when her in wide release Friday. May er monolith of the season. young >'risp of a sister is cho- the odds be in your favor. "The Hunger Gamesn , sen, and thus begins her epic COURTESY OF THEHUNGERGAMESMOVIE.COM 'Mad Men' returns: get your Draper on

BY CHARLES BRAMESCO it will air. Unrivaled by that of There's only one place to en- ASSOCIATE ARCADE EDITOR any currently produced show ter the "Mad" world: the first today - excluding, perhaps, minute of the first season's first the devotees of "Community" While the American public episode. - the fanbase of "Mad Men" is busy stewing over the presi- lhe viewing public has spo- is small but rabidly devot- dential election, it may not re- ken, and they've roared in sup- ed. Regular viewers have ag- alize that it is also on the prec- port of the script-eschewing ipice of a critical cultural elec- onized over the fate of enig- human exploitation engine matic ad-man Don Draper tion, with a vote of urgent im- known as reality television portance. On the night of the for nearly 18 months, patient- and the broad, bland comedy ly awaiting the next entry in premiere, America will vote currently sweeping the sitcom the saga of the fictitious Mad- with its remote controls, and landscape. ison Avenue advertising agen- it will get the ｰ ｲ ｯ ｧ ｲ ｡ ｭ ｭ ｩ ｮ ｾ "Mad Men" is a chance to it deserves. As "Mad Men' cy Sterling Cooper Draper rise up in support of a show airs on basic cable, there is a Pryce. The fans have blogged, that boasts challenging story- thrown '60s theme parties and certain deficit to be expect- telling, \.irtuosic camerawork, ed between the program and even created a planking-style characters so complex and network behemoths such as trend called Draping, in which self-contradictory they seem , "American Idol" and "The Big an individual sits in a fashion more real than most real peo- • Bang Theory;' which most re- mimicking the final shot of ple and dialogue that crack- cently drew in 16 million and the program's stylish title se- les with sexuality without sac- 15 million viewers respective- quence. There are very, very rificing decency or propriety. few people who casually enjoy ly, ､ ｷ ｡ ｲ ｦ ｩ ｮ ｾ the most recent Not to mention what may be episode of 'Mad Men;' which "Mad Men:' For most, it isn't the show's finest feature: its netted 2.44 million view- a mere TV show - it's a cult. painstaking attention to de- ers. These numbers, howev- The second fundamen- tail. 'Jhe costumes, the sets, er relative they may be, speak tal truth is that no new view- the props - every last bit of volumes. ers will be christened with minutiae is impossibly accu- The fifth season of "Mad ''A Little Kiss:' Nobody is go- rate, offering the viewer a vi- Men" premieres on AMC ing to dive into the show with sually stunning, eye-opening COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.COM/ MADMEN Sunday. Before extolling the the premiere of the fifth sea- look into a long-bygone era of show's virtues, however, two son - as well they shouldn't. American history. A body who enters the world It will be America's cultur- ings for season five's premiere seasons are available on DVD, know that we, as a ma ·s, are simple truths must be firmly are all but predetermined. Cit- established. of "Mad Men" cold would be al responsibility to curl up on Netflix Instant and, for the not undeserving of quality in izens who are unprepared for First, everybody who hopelessly lost, not privy to the couch, pour itself an Old technologically crafty, stream- our programming. Or forget the extensive histories of Don Fashioned and vote. The two ''A Little Kiss" would do well ing elsewhere on the Inter- about the social imfortance. watches the premiere epi- to take Sunday night to begin sode, entitled "A Little Kiss;' or his stalwart coworkers such aforementioned truths serve net. Now, reader, is the chance Just sit back and fa] into the as Roger, Peggy, Joan and Pete. their journey with Don and already knows exactly when to show that the Nielsen rat- for your opinion to be heard. most rewarding show on tele- company. The show's first four Let the makers of television vision today.