Mardi Gras’ premier website has been re-designed to serve you better!

Have you seen the new MardiGrasNewOrleans.com?

The premier site for Mardi Gras in New Orleans has been redesigned from the ground up. You can still find the same great content for history and shopping, and the schedule and map system has been recreated to help you keep up with all of the krewes.

Use the site on the go with our mobile-friendly version, and get to your parade routes on time!

MardiGrasNewOrleans.com was the first site to broadcast Mardi Gras live on the internet in 1996, and the site has continued to be a mainstay of information ever since.

MardiGrasNewOrleans.com also features extensive information on Mardi Gras Indians. Thanks to the HBO program Treme, the Indians have gained more exposure in popular culture. Learn about their traditions and watch exclusive videos of their parades.

The parades are coming soon! Be sure that you’re ready to enjoy them.

The New Orleans Comic Con returns to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with a stellar list of stars.

Enter the sweepstakes for your chance to win free tickets to the New Orleans Comic Con.

Geek enthusiasts, the end of January marks one of my favorite times of the year: The New Orleans Comic Con. Back for its second year, the convention will feature stars from science fiction and fantasy movies and television series, WWE superstars, and comic book artists and writers.

How big are these stars? Check this out. William Shatner, the icon of Star Trek, will be there. Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk himself will be there. Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor (the comic book / movie version), the Fantastic Four, Daredevil and many more, will be there.

Not enough? How about these stars?

• James Marsters (from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”)
• Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from the Star Wars films)
• Mary McDonnell (from “Battlestar Galactica”)
• Adam Baldwin (from “Full Metal Jacket” and “Serenity”)
• Boondock Saints stars Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery
• Chandler Riggs an Madison Lintz (from AMC’s hit series “The Walking Dead”)
• Carlos Pacheco (Artist for “X-Men” and “Green Lantern”)
• George Perez (Legendary Artist for “Superman” and “JSA”)
• WWE Superstars Zack Ryder and Diva Kelly Kelly

Great Deals and Exclusive Content

Comic conventions provide two unique opportunities for shopping. First, people can find great deals on books, movies and memorabilia. Several of the comic book booths have a bargain bin where people can find discounted items. I know I’ve discovered several great books through the bargain bin.

Second, collectors have the opportunity to pick up those hard to find items from statues to rare issues to all sorts of other memorabilia. Even if people aren’t looking for a specific book, they can commission artists to create an original sketch of their favorite characters. Artists charge different amounts depending on their schedule and their popularity, but sketches are one of the ways that fans can connect directly with the people who create their favorite books.

Costume Contest

I had the chance to visit Comic Con last year, and one of the absolute coolest parts of the experience was the costumes. Fans compete in a contest for adults and a contest for children to determine who has the most innovative costuming skills. Whole families were decked out in homage to the X-Men, and several went to great lengths to produce realistic representations of their favorite characters.

Costuming is definitely the portion of the weekend that takes the experience from just being a trade show and turning it into a celebration of geek culture. Whether you feel like putting on your Superman cape or just showing up as your alter-ego, you’ll have a great time.

Sessions with Creators

During the convention, Comic Con hosts sessions with several of the top stars on subjects as varied as a “meet and greet” for some of the biggest names like William Shatner and Stan Lee to Jedi Lightsaber classes where fans can take a class from Nick Gillard, fight choreographer of three of the Star Wars films. A full listing of programming is available at http://www.wizardworldcomiccon.com/programming-neworleans.html.

How to Get There

The convention will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Hours are Saturday, January 28 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, January 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are available for pre-purchase online at http://www.wizardworldcomiccon.com/neworleans.html at discounted rates. Single day passes are $25 online ($30 at the door) and weekend passes are $40 ($45 at the door).

Experience New Orleans Comic Con Contest

We want you to have the chance to go to the Comic Con! We have four pairs of weekend passes to give away to some lucky winners. Get over to http://www.experienceneworleans.com/contest-comic-con.html to enter.

See you there!

- by staff writer Michael W. Roberts

We’re counting the days to Christmas here in New Orleans. It’s an incredibly festive season for us here as Christmas will give way to New Year’s and soon enough give way to Mardi Gras! As you’re making plans for all of these exciting days, be sure to check out the festivities for the Crescent City Countdown.

Baby New Year – Image Courtesy of Frank Stansbury

The evening will kick off with live entertainment on the City Stage in front of Jackson Square and keep rocking all the way up to midnight when Baby New Year takes over. Set up on top of Jax Brewery, the Saints-and-LSU-Tigers-clad Baby will help us count down the seconds to 2012.

Hope to see you there! For more info, visit Crescent City Countdown.

New Orleans hosts both the Sugar Bowl and the BCS Championship in January 2012, along with outstanding New Year’s festivities!

Now is a good time to be a football fan in New Orleans. Even if you aren’t a fan of the soon-to-be national champion LSU Tigers (undefeated so far!), the Crescent City will soon play host to two fantastic games. Both the Sugar Bowl and the BCS Championship are scheduled in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome at the beginning of January. So, between the playoff-bound Saints and the two college bowl games, the Superdome will host three major games in the course of two weeks!

New Orleans will be a busy place at the beginning of January, with fans flying or driving in from Michigan, Virginia and Alabama. If you’re hoping to come down to the city, be sure to get your reservations in for your favorite hotel and restaurants. Rooms are still available, but hotels book up quickly in this city.

New Year’s Eve also deserves a mention, as festivities will once again return to Jackson Square. Live entertainment will keep the city rocking right up until midnight when Baby New Year will drop at the top of Jax Brewery. 15 minutes of fireworks will light up the night sky over the Mississippi River for a full evening of celebration.

Check out available hotels on BestNewOrleans.com and restaurants on NewOrleansRestaurants.com.

If you’re looking for something to do this month, you’ll quickly find events going on all around us!

This Saturday, December 10th, Copeland’s Restaurant in Kenner is hosting a Holiday Fun Kids Camp from 11:00 .m. to 1:00 p.m. Special guests include Gumbo, Sir Saint and the Saintsations!

Check out all of the great perks for kids:

• Free Kids Meal! - with the purchase of an adult entree.
• Enter Your Child to Have a Chance to be a Saints Jr. Tee Retriever – Watch the game from the sidelines with Saints players and retrieve the tee with every Saints kick off.
• Saints Kids Club Tent – Register to win a Saints VIP Experience! Winner will receive an autographed WR Marques Colston (#12) football. Also, the winner plus 3 guests will receive a tour of the New Orleans Saints practice facility and have lunch in the Saints cafeteria.
• Quarterback Challenge Inflatable – Practice completing a pass!
• 3-in-1 Bounce, Climb, Slide Inflatable – Just for fun!
• Madden Video Game Kiosk – Compete against your friends!
• Obstacle Course
• Copeland’s Goodie Bag – Come get yours!

The Kids Camp will only be offered at the Kenner location at 1319 West Esplanade Avenue from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.