You can sample bread pudding from Don’s Seafood & Steakhouse,  Walk-Ons,  Poorboy’s Riverside Inn,  Coyote Blues,  Cafe Vermilionville,  Johnson’s Boucaniere,  Big Lou’s Catering,  La Cuisine De Maman,  Great Harvest Bread Co.,  Copeland’s,

submitted

Bistro Byronz & Pat’s Downtown.  Then you can vote for your favorite.

Frazer Harrison / Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:

Bill Paxton
Age: 57
Occupation: Actor
Known For: Starring roles in movies like ‘Apollo 13,’ ‘Twister,’ ‘Aliens,’ ‘True Lies,’ and ‘Titanic,’ and his role as patriarch Bill Henrickson on the HBO series ‘Big Love’

Craig Ferguson
Age: 50
Occupation: Television Host, Writer and Comedian
Known For: Starring as the title character’s boss on ‘The Drew Carey Show’ before going on to host the very funny and Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show, ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’

Bob Saget
Age: 56
Occupation: Actor and Comedian
Known For: Starring in the family-friendly ‘Full House,’ hosting ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos,’ narrating ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ and shocking people with his remarkable potty-mouth during live stand-up shows

Sugar Ray Leonard
Age: 56
Occupation: Retired Boxer
Known For: Being the first boxer to earn more than $100 million in prize money, winning world titles in five weight divisions and defeating name-brand opponents like Wilfred Benítez, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durán and Marvin Hagler

Trent Reznor
Age: 47
Occupation: Singer, Songwriter and Composer
Known For: Being the frontman for industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, known for songs like ‘Closer,’ ‘The Hand That Feeds’ and ‘Only,’ and his Oscar-winning score for the movie ‘The Social Network’

We talked about his CD “Laughing Down Crying“, touring, and his show “Live From Daryl’s House”. Click here to listen.

Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images Entertainment

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

If you’re a Verizon Wireless customer who was grandfathered in with an unlimited data plan after the company eliminated the option for new customers, enjoy it while it lasts — the company will be moving you to a tiered plan soon.

Speaking at the JP Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference on Wednesday, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said customers with unlimited 3G data access will be required to switch to a data-share plan after transitioning to the company’s 4G LTE service.

“LTE is our anchor point for data share. So, as you come through an upgrade cycle and you upgrade in the future, you will have to go on to the data share plan,” Shammo said. “Everyone will be on [it]. A lot of our 3G base is on unlimited… [and] when they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share.”

So when will that happen and how much will it cost? The data share plan is scheduled to launch in mid-summer, but pricing details have yet to be announced.

[Fierce Wireless]

I Feel Love:

Dim all the lights:

My favorite Donna Summer song:  On the Radio

Her music influenced decades of audiophiles and choreographers:  from radio djs to musicians, from pole dancers to club djs.  Many (if not most) of her songs were sampled/remixed for night clubs.  Here’s a remix of Power of Love:

Keep singing, Lady Donna, for you have a whole new audience.  Tell Keith I said hello…

(Via Youtube)

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, has passed away, after a battle with cancer. She was 63 years old. TMZ reports that she was in Florida at the time of her death. CJ and Debbie Ray will have a special tribute to the Disco Diva on the Polyester Power Hour, May 18, 2012.

PFCMA

Did you know that Americans purchase more than 15 million portable fuel cans each year? In years when hurricanes make landfall, sales run about 30 percent higher. The familiar red gas cans that are part of most storm preparation and recovery kits could soon be in critically short supply. The Portable Fuel Container Manufacturers Association is alerting emergency management officials to supply chain issues that threaten their ability to meet consumer demand in the event of an active hurricane season.

SGT Seth Trahan bloom

Do you know when to fertilize a potted hibiscus? Do you know how much to water it? Whether you have a green thumb or not, the Acadiana Chapter of the American Hibiscus Society invites everyone to their annual show and sale on May 20, 2012 at the Cathedral Carmel School Gym. They also encourage all military personnel (active or inactive) to come to the show with their military ID and receive a free plant as a way to say thank you for their service.

The chapter also has an ongoing project called the Fallen Hero Project in which local Acadiana area fallen service men and women are honored by naming a locally hybridized hibiscus bloom after them and presenting it to their families. So far, the Acadiana Chapter has honored four area Fallen Heroes.

For more information on this or the upcoming show please visit acadianahibiscus.com.

YouTube (2)

On tonight’s (May 16) episode of the penultimate week of Season 11 of ‘American Idol,’ the final 3 — Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez — sang a trio of songs for three rounds of competition. One was chosen by the judges, one by the contestants themselves and one by series mentor and Interscope Records chief Jimmy Iovine. It was a whole lot of singing with a lot on the line, as the final two competitors will be determined in 24 hours. Hello, nail biting situation!

Here’s PopCrush’s recap on how the ep shook down.

JOSHUA LEDET:

Everything he did tonight was good and Gospel-flavored. He leaves it all on the stage, with his natural ability to sing and to perform. He adds touches, like ripping off his jacket and his inner ear monitors. He’s a total package. We’d be shocked if he goes home. Seriously.

Judge’s Choice: He slayed Etta James’ ‘I’d Rather Go Blind,’ nailing every single sweet spot. Out of 70,000 contestants, there is only one ‘Idol’ and he sang like he was the one. Hard to beat, for sure.

Personal Choice: He showed us he can do subdued with his soulful rendition of The Beatles‘ ‘Imagine.’

Jimmy Iovine’s Choice: Mary J. Blige‘s ‘No More Drama’ is the perfect marriage of R&B and church, and since J. Lo is like the male Mary J., the song played to all his strengths. He sang with a Gospel fire and came alive on the stage, ripping off that jacket.

JESSICA SANCHEZ:

She is going to have a long career in music since she has such a money voice. Her youth, though, make us think now is not the right time for her. That said, she continues to rack up flawless performances that are predictable. When she gets a little more life lived in her, that “edge” we desire will manifest itself. Overall, though, Bebe Chez can sing her patoot off and we predict massive things for her.

Judge’s Choice: The belter and last female standing offered up a beautifully refined rendition of Mariah Carey‘s ‘My All.’ She showed restraint and a quiet tenderness. We can’t deny it was pretty, even though it lacked any sort of edge.

Personal Choice: She went the ballad route with Aerosmith‘s ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.’ She hit all the notes but it wasn’t anything particularly moving. She struggles to “connect,” despite performing in flawless fashion.

Jimmy Iovine’s Choice: The Jackson 5′s ‘I’ll Be There’ was her Iovine selection and she once again delivered a quality rendition and showed off a soulful tone. It lacked that “WOW! OMG!” moment.

PHILLIP PHILLIPS:

The girls love him, and he is artistic, yet does his own thing without catering to anyone else. He also goes off the melody of his songs and twists them to create something unique. But tonight, for his final performance, he stuck to the melody and had the moment. If he’s not in the finals, it’ll be criminal.

Judge’s Choice: He owned the melody of Madcon’s ‘Beggin’,’ a song you likely never heard. While the DMB comparisons haunt the double P, he is a true artist and the way he handled the mid-section of the song had us buying what he was selling. Steven Tyler said once he writes his own songs, he’ll be a new age Boss, as in Bruce Springsteen. HUGE compliment.

Personal Choice: He sang Matchbox 20′s ‘Disease,’ giving it a bit of a funky, jazzy feel. Only Phillip Phillips can turn radio rock into something totally fresh and new. However, the judges hated it.

Jimmy Iovine’s Choice: The song has a great melody and an emotional and romantic timbre, but the masculine quality was the reason that Iovine chose Bob Seger‘s ‘We’ve Got Tonight.’ It played to PP’s male and female fanbase. We can sum it up in one simple word: SWOOOOOOOOON! Dressed in black and singing while seated, Phillips showed us a tender, leading man side. His voice changed shape and he ventured into new territory. The ending where he harmonized with the choir? We got goosies, J. Lo. 

Tune in tomorrow night (May 17) at 8PM on FOX to find who the Top 2 will be. PopCrush has been struggling with our prediction, but we’re going to thinking the final will feature Joshua Ledet vs. Phillip Phillips.

Source: PopCrush.com

YouTube

For the third round, mentor Jimmy Iovine got to pick a song for the ‘American Idol’ contestants to sing. Lucky for Joshua Ledet, it really doesn’t matter what he sings. Iovine could have told the singer he was doing ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’ and Ledet would have somehow blown it out of the water.

For his third performance, Ledet sang ‘No More Drama’ by Mary J. Blidge. He started the song with a more controlled tone and pulled back attitude that was similar to his second performance. Just when we thought maybe he was going for a more subdued approach, Ledet ripped off his jacket, lost his ear buds, and took to the stage with everything he had.

Randy Jackson started off the commentary for the judges, “At this point it doesn’t matter what you do, or what you sing. You have laid everything on the stage you can lay, people should just vote for you.” Jennifer Lopez remarked that Ledet has the perfect marriage of knowing what he’s doing and being able to let go at the same time. She praised the singer for his spontaneity on stage, saying, “You don’t know what’s going to happen, but you know it’s going to be out of this world.”

Steven Tyler called Ledet’s rendition of the powerful Mary J. tune “beautiful” and “over the top.” These words are perfect descriptors for not only for his performance, but for Ledet himself! Will he get your vote, America?

Watch Joshua Ledet Perform ‘No More Drama’ on ‘American Idol’

Source: PopCrush.com

YouTube

Before ‘American Idol’ contestant Joshua Ledet ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon for round two, the contestant’s choice, we took a visit to his home town in Louisiana.

The whole town turned out for Ledet’s arrival throwing a crawfish boil, parade, and watching their ‘Idol’ in concert. (Did we mention he sold out the entire arena?) He also took us to church, and not in the kind of way he takes us to church each week on ‘American Idol’ – literally he took us to church.

As we said before, Ledet sang ‘Imagine,’  and we think maybe when he picked that song he was ‘imagining’ himself as the next American Idol. Ledet delivered a pulled back and controlled performance, which is different than we are used to seeing him.

Jennifer Lopez referred to his style as “preaching while singing,” which is appropriate considering he’s the son of a preacher man. “You dig deep into the meaning of a song and that’s special,” continued Lopez, “It takes a different kind of strength.” Randy Jackson called it “Brilliant” while Steven Tyler remarked it was another “Thank God moment” from the singer.

Win or lose, we don’t think Ledet has to worry – there are three music industry moguls who may just be his No. 1 fans!

Watch Joshua Ledet Perform ‘Imagine’ on ‘American Idol’

Source: PopCrush.com

YouTube

If ‘American Idol’ contestant Joshua Ledet is feeling the heat of being in the top three, he certainly isn’t letting it show. Opening up the night Ledet performed first and sang the judges choice, ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ by Etta James.

Randy Jackson said that while the judges struggled a bit with choosing a song that was modern or a classic, they ultimately decided to give him a classic because “Why fix what’s not broken!”

Ledet brought down the house with a powerful performance that had all three judges on their feet and left the audience screaming. Despite the uproar Ledet simply stood humbly and flashed his adorable smile, seemingly satisfied with his performance.

Steven Tyler called the performance “surreal,” referring to how Ledet can take an old song that many ‘American Idol’ viewers may not recognize and bring it into the present. He went on: “Out of 70,000 there is one American Idol and you sang like that ‘one’ tonight.” Jennifer Lopez complimented Ledet on being “brining down the house again” while Randy Jackson pleaded with the singer to help bring back the R& B genre which he called “ailing and aching.”

Could Ledet be Rhythm & Blue’s Luke Skywalker? We think so!

Watch Joshua Ledet Perform ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ on ‘American Idol’

Source: PopCrush.com

is an extreme or irrational fear of heights.

Extreme; irrational:  adjectives that we don’t like to use to describe ourselves, right?  When we take part in activities that are designed to give us a rush (hang gliding, skydiving, filing our taxes), there are usually safeguards put in place to ensure our safety.  Buckles, latches, safety nets, harnesses, unconsciousness, all mechanisms used to ensure our safety.   If one of these fails, SPLAT!!

Which brings me to my next subject:  can we overcome our fears by putting them to the test over and over again?  These people are doing the ‘Toes Over Toronto’ tour, at almost 1800 feet, and they are asked to allow themselves to dangle over the edge and trust the safety mechanisms.  The video is over 12 minutes long, but as soon as a minute into the video, you get the gist of what is going on:

That’s way up there!!  I get jittery sitting here at ground-level just thinking about being up there.

I went skydiving a few years ago with one of my best buds.  She had gotten an invitation to go, and her boyfriend was having no part of it, so she called me.

My experience was pleasant; we showed up at the ‘office’ two hours ahead of time (presumably to get ‘trained’), had a bite to eat, and then waited.  It was a processing plant in there:  people would walk in, get signed up, suit up, hit the door and climb into an airplane.  We must have seen 40 people jump before it was our turn.

JayCee and Sherrie, geared-up!

Something struck me weird, though; my friend, Sherrie, was getting some training from her instructor, but I hadn’t even met mine yet.  He spent over 15 minutes with her, twice!  Showing her what to do, letting her know what she was going to experience, telling her what to do in the event something ‘goes wrong’.  All I was being told was “Your instructor is Kevin.  He’s ‘up’ right now”, meaning he was jumping.  Again.  He made 8 or 9 jumps before I even realized which one he was.

Then, one of the employees explained it to me:  the instructor makes $35 or so per jump.  After the jump, it takes him several minutes to re-pack his chute, so he may miss one or two jumps while re-packing, therefore losing out on some money.  So, to remedy this, he hires a ‘packer’:  as my instructor would hit the ground, he would disconnect the spent chute and grab a fresh one from the packer (who gets $5 per packed chute).  So my instructor was losing $5 per jump, but he was able to get in so many extra jumps that it more than made up for the loss.  So, that’s why I hadn’t met my instructor yet; nor had I received any instructions!!

Finally, it was our turn to jump.  I walked out to the area to meet up with “Kevin”, and he had me step into the harness and walk with him to the airplane.  So I’m thinking “I am about to get on this airplane with NO training what-so-ever!!”.  My fear of heights was about to be overtaken by my fear of death!

Boarding the flight. I had a one-way ticket! First time ever! HA!!

As we are walking to the airplane, he goes into his training mode:  His voice is clear, his instructions precise.  He made me repeat each thing he said, and he said everything at least 3 times.  He checked each strap, buckle, and gizmo over and over again.  He would stop every so often, mid-sentence, and ask me if I was feeling okay.  And he did all of this for almost the whole ascent, taking two short breaks to ask me about my life, etc.

Straddling the seat, facing the rear of the airplane. Sherrie's adrenaline was pumping, obviously!

The ascent took a little longer than normal, due to ‘traffic’ in the area.  Normally, they would go to 10,000 feet, but on this jump we were above 11,000.

Now let me take a moment to tell you this:  at no time during this amp-up to the event was I ever nervous or scared;  I thought it was odd that I didn’t get any training on the ground prior to getting into the airplane, but no jitters, no sweat, no butterflies:  I was surprisingly calm.  Go figure.

I was strapped to the front of a man I had just met (when I was younger, this would have made me VERY nervous).  As he spoke to me over my right shoulder, he CONSTANTLY checked the straps/buckles, etc.  Sherrie was strapped to her instructor sitting right behind me (we were seated straddling a bench-type seat, facing the rear of the aircraft), and I could hear her laughing from time to time.  She would let out a big “ARE YA READY JOHN MACK??” (she calls me John Mack), and before I could ever answer, she was whooping and hollering, obviously ready to go!

Making our way to the door - it's "GO" time!!

As we neared “Go”, we scooted to the back of the plane.  They opened the door, we stood up (as much as we could, we had to remain crouched so that we wouldn’t bump our noggins on the ceiling of the plane), and we shuffled to the door.  They send up a cameraman with each skydiver, and he was ready to jump.  Kevin and I were standing right next to him, and asked me “Are you ready?”.  I nodded, and as soon as I did, we got REALLY CLOSE to the cameraman.  “When the cameraman goes, just step out!”  It wasn’t a question, nor a request:  this was it!

Remember those words ‘extreme’ and ‘irrational’?  As I think back, I am wondering if my feelings, right at that time, were ‘extreme’ or ‘irrational’, but in the opposite way —  I was feeling NO fear, nor nervousness.  I had developed a slight urgency to pee, but I knew that would have to wait!

Okay, back to the airplane.  The cameraman jumped.  Disappeared.  Gone; a now-you-see-him, now-you-don’t kind of thing.  Even though it was only a second later that we exited the aircraft, it seemed like a minute. I still remember lifting my foot as if to place it on an imaginary stepping stone right outside of the airplane, and then, in slow motion, leaning forward and ‘falling’ out of the airplane.

According to Wikipedia, Terminal Velocity

is the speed at which an object in free fall ceases to accelerate.

Within a few seconds, we were free-falling at 125mph.  Miles per hour.  One hundred and twenty five of them.  Down.  Towards the ground.  I still needed to pee.

I wasn’t wearing a helmet (if I were to hit the ground at terminal velocity, I don’t want to be wearing ANYTHING that might keep me alive for an extra 1/2 second.  Nope.), but I was wearing goggles.

Cuz I'm free!! Free falling!! (Tom Petty I ain't!!)

The free fall lasted about just under a minute, and then Kevin pulled a cord that causes your lungs, kidneys, liver, stomach, pancreas and half of Iberia Parish to get crushed up all together and sit on top of your bladder.

"Under canopy" for about 4 1/2 minutes....

We started our descent ‘under canopy’ (which lasted about 4 1/2 minutes) and I must say, other than the constant “Don’t pee!!  Don’t pee!!” coming from the back of my brain, it was quite peaceful.  A slight breeze, swaying back and forth, the great state of Texas spread out before me like a giant’s road map.  Farmland here, city there.  It’s amazing that, at over 7,000 feet,  I could still spot the Port-O-Lets.

As we got close to the DZ (slang term for the skydiving center, or “Drop Zone”), we bent our knees and prepared to hit the ground.

Like a sparrow!

As we made our way back to Sherrie’s house, we marveled at the amount of professionalism and sense of safety exhibited by our skydiving instructors.  I never got nervous, had no apprehensions about jumping, had a relatively pleasant experience, as did Sherrie.

You can tell how much fun it was by the look on her face!!

I still had to pee, though.

(Via Wikipedia, Youtube, TripAdvisor)

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 19th at 10:00 am.

Chris Hondros, Getty Images

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:

1792 – The New York Stock Exchange is formed (More info)

1875 – The first Kentucky Derby is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. (More info)

1954 – The Supreme Court rules against school segregation in Brown v. Board of Education (More info)

1973 – Televised hearings about the Watergate affair begin in the US Senate (More info)

2004 – Massachusetts becomes the first US state to legalize same-sex marriage (More info)

Stephen Lovekin / Slaven Vlasic, Getty Images

Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:

Janet Jackson
Age: 47
Occupation: Singer, Dancer and Actress
Known For: Dozens of hit singles including ‘Control,’ ‘Rhythm Nation’ and ‘That’s the Way Love Goes,’ early TV roles on ‘Good Times’ and ‘Fame,’ movie work in ‘Poetic Justice’ and the ‘Why Did I Get Married?’ film franchise, being of the world’s most awarded artists, and of course being the late Michael Jackson’s little sister

Tori Spelling
Age: 39
Occupation: Actress, Author and Reality Star
Known For: Playing Donna Martin on ‘Beverly Hills, 90210,’ starring in a string of campy TV movies, appearing with her husband Dean McDermott in several reality shows, being the daughter of late TV producer Aaron Spelling, and having an extremely busy womb

Pierce Brosnan
Age: 59
Occupation: Actor
Known For: Starring on the TV series ‘Remington Steele’ before going on to play James Bond in four movies and appear in other films such as ‘Dante’s Peak,’ ‘The Thomas Crown Affair,’ ‘The Matador,’ ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘The Ghost Writer,’ and his work for various charitable and environmental causes

Debra Winger
Age: 57
Occupation: Actress
Known For: Her breakthrough role in ‘Urban Cowboy,’ Oscar-nominated performances in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman,’ ‘Terms of Endearment’ and ‘Shadowlands,’ other notable work in ‘Rachel Getting Married,’ a previous marriage to actor Timothy Hutton, and having a reputation for being outspoken and sometimes difficult to work with

Megan Fox
Age: 26
Occupation: Actress and Model
Known For: Her roles in the first two ‘Transformers’ movies, other films including ‘Jennifer’s Body’ and the upcoming ‘Friends with Kids,’ having a chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease, her marriage to actor Brian Austin Green, and (allegedly) being currently pregnant with her first child

Tom Merton, Getty Images

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