Literary Friday, Edition 214
Fall reads released this week, Matthew McConaughey goes Wild Turkey & a lecture series at Flannery O'Connor's Childhood home, plus September fiction.
The “Real” Free State of Jones
One Mississippi county’s rebellion against the Confederacy comes to life on the big screen next year.
Newton Knight’s Jones County Today
Subject of the upcoming film "The Free State of Jones," Mississippi's Newton Knight is remembered in his home of Jones County as both a hero and a scoundrel.
Matthew McConaughey on Set of 'Free State of Jones'
Texas-born Matthew McConaughey, who starred in last year's award-winning "Dallas Buyer's Club" and HBO's "True Detective," might have been in Los Angeles at the Oscars last night, but it's back to the other La. for the actor this week as he films "Free State of Jones." Set during the Civil War, the film will tell the story of Newt Knight, a Southern farmer who led the secession of Jones County, Mississippi, from the Confederacy. McConaughey plays real-life figure Knight, who represented poor white farmers in the creation of a "Free State of Jones." "The Americans" star Keri Russell has been announced as playing his wife, Serena Knight, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw will play Rachel, the former slave Knight falls in love with. His relationship with Rachel established the region's first mixed-race community, and Knight continued his fight into the post-war period, becoming legendary for his rebellion. McConaughey visited Jones County and was pictured in Jackson, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama, earlier this month. On Saturday, he was pictured on set outside New Orleans looking pretty grizzly with a beard and tattered vest. Casting calls for the film have drawn extras from all over South Louisiana for filming expected to continue this week and next, asking them to "stop all
Fort Macomb and 'True Detective'
Exploring the connection between HBO's 'True Detective' and New Orleans' Fort Macomb.
Juleps to Johnnycakes: Deep South's 2014 Academy Awards Menu
The upcoming Academy Awards on March 2 are equivalent to the Super Bowl in our book and a great chance to throw a viewing party. The South is well represented this year in "12 Years a Slave" and "Dallas Buyer's Club," with Texan Matthew McConaughey the darling of this year's awards and Louisiana-born Jared Leto not far behind. Their performances in "Dallas Buyer's Club" are some of the most memorable. Kentucky gal Jennifer Lawrence also stole the show in "American Hustle," which has an excellent chance of picking up Best Picture. And let's not forget "The Great Gatsby," which didn't perform as expected but did dazzle with costumes and music. COCKTAILS The Mint Julep - "The Great Gatsby" may not have lived up to all the hype last spring, but it got an Oscar nod for costume and production design. Celebrate the movie on Sunday night with a classic cocktail whose silver serving vessel would fit right in with all the glitz and glam. Bourbon Milk Punch - In another nod to Gatsby, this New Orleans favorite is perfect for a late-night or early morning party and could also be served in a punchbowl to satiate a crowd. Blackberry Sidecar - The juice from
The Literary 'True Detective'
Inside HBO's new series that calls to mind a Southern Gothic novel with a mythological twist.
New HBO Series Set in Louisiana Premieres Sunday
Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey play two detectives hunting a serial killer in Louisiana across 17 years.
Fall 2013 Movie Preview
Movies about Texas cowboys, the assassination of JFK, the music of Muscle Shoals and a bestselling memoir about slavery make the fall movie lineup.
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