Spike Lee: Mitch Landrieu ‘can do better than what Nagin has done’
Spike Lee is revisiting Hurricane Katrina’s impact on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, making another documentary for HBO, a follow up to “When the Levees Break: A Requiem in Four Acts.”
Lee and his crews have been seen around town and involved in all things New Orleans, filming a second line for Saints, even on the sidelines of the Super Bowl dressed in Saints garb and hobnobbing with Condoleezza Rice.
In a Q&A with Brentin Mock from The Root, Lee weighs in all things New Orleans, especially the recent election of Mitch Landrieu as mayor:
“I know Mitch [Landrieu, mayor-elect] a little bit. I think he can do better than what Nagin has done. But he’s going to need a whole lot of help. He’s the mayor, but you have a governor who doesn’t look favorably on New Orleans. The federal money has to go to the state first, and the state then disburses it. Just because Mitch is mayor doesn’t mean presto change-o [snaps fingers] overnight.”
Lee’s new documentary “If God is Willing and The Creek Don’t Rise” has taken him and his crew beyond the original, immediate scope of Katrina’s wrath from rising waters to issues such as the charter school movement which has taken hold since the storm to the NOPD-Danziger Bridge cover-up to the overflow of emotions when the Saints finally won the Super Bowl.
“So, the Saints—you can’t underestimate what the Saints did for the soul of the people in the Gulf region. And I’m happy for them. I wanted the Saints to beat the Colts. But that was coupled with Mardi Gras and every day that goes by is a day away from the Super Bowl win and Mardi Gras. So people are still floating, but every day the people’s feet are coming back to the earth, and pretty soon both feet will be back on earth, and back on earth here in New Orleans. The ills and issues they faced pre-Super Bowl, pre-playoffs, pre-Mardi Gras are a stark reality.”
Leah Chase inspires Disney princess
An article in the Sun-Sentinel says parts of Leah Chase’s life were used to create the Disney animation film based in New Orleans: "The Princess and the Frog."
“The producers borrowed parts of the now 87-year-old's story in creating Princess Tiana, Disney's first black princess. The movie tells the story of Tiana's wish to open a restaurant.”
Chase, who is considered a queen of Creole cooking, even reflected on making gumbo for Barack Obama as he campaigned for the presidency.
