Back in New Orleans, in Bourbon Street, Jackson Square and the French Quarter, in neighbourhoods that were until recently scenes of dereliction, the city erupted in one giant party that lasted till dawn and set the scene for the ultimate Mardi Gras celebrations over the coming week.
People poured on to the streets in the team’s black and gold colours, dancing, hugging and weeping. “Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” they chanted. Jazz bands let rip. Bars blasted out When the Saints Go Marching in. Fireworks exploded.
Police officers gave up the pretence of staying aloof and joined the pulsating throngs. Strippers stopped dancing. Priests and nuns joined the uproar. The city’s newspaper, The Times-Picayune, printed nearly 200,000 extra copies of an edition that is certain to become a collector’s item. Even dogs were dressed in Saints shirts, and Mitch Landrieu’s election on Saturday as New Orleans’ first white mayor in three decades was overshadowed.
See the full article from “Times Online”
Las Vegas has the gambling dens and bright lights but when America wants to party hard, when the people want to let their hair down and not give two hoots how it looks, they head for the Crescent City.
The Big Easy has long had a reputation as a modern-day Sodom, a place where anything goes, where you can drink all day and all night, and where you are viewed a little strangely if you don’t.
It is a city of strip clubs and street hustlers, home of Mardi Gras and a place where, in the middle of the afternoon, women rip off tops and bras, and let it all hang out on Bourbon Street for no more reward than a baying crowd and a few necklaces of festival beads.
See the full article from “Mirror.co.uk (blog)”
LOUISIANA: Ecstatic fans poured into
the streets of the French Quarter late on Sunday as storm-scarred New Orleans
celebrated its first-ever Super Bowl win by their beloved Saints.
A
city famous for diversions – Mardi Gras, music and colourful politics, to name a
few – set aside distractions to focus on the big game. Even the strippers on
bawdy Bourbon Street stopped dancing. Instead, they joined thousands of
revellers cheering the Saints on live television sets at nearby bars.
“We have no music, no stages. It’s the first time I’ve seen a club
shut down and I’ve been doing this for five years,” said Sam Stonebraker, 34, a
host at Rick’s Cabaret. “The game is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event in
this city.” White fireworks burst in the distance. Strangers hugged, whooped and
hollered in the streets, waving flags, shaking cowbells and dancing to
spontaneous brass bands. College students embraced restaurant waiters. A
homeless man toasted beers with well-dressed tourists. Cameras flashed.
Motorists honked horns with a cheerful cadence usually heard only at Carnival.
See the full article from “Times of India”
1:00pm Central time, February 7, 2010 – CBS’s pregame for Super Bowl XLIV begins, brought to you by chips, beer, Bourbon Street, and Dwight Freeney’s ankle.
3:45pm – Katie Couric interviews President Barack Obama on the Super Bowl. Next, Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter debate health care.
5:00pm – Rihanna and Jay-Z open the kickoff show on CBS, brought to you by Hyundai, who proudly announce they are not Toyota.
5:12pm – Solomon Wilcots reports from the Saints sideline, wearing a pink tablecloth and a pink-yet-still-horribly-mismatching tie. HD TV was made for moments like this.
5:20pm – Carrie Underwood performs the National Anthem, clad in white stripper heels and an outfit that can only be described as “Naughty Ice Cream Truck Driver.”
5:21pm – The camera pans the players. Nice of Jeremy Shockey to wash his hair for the occasion. He looks like Kid Rock’s big brother.
See the full article from “Examiner.com”
The incident happened around 8:30 in Sanders, Kentucky.
Officials say no one was injured and the train crew is safe.
Investigators are trying to determine the cause.
Illinois Summary:
Cohen Drops Out Of Lt. Gov. Race
(Chicago) — Amidst allegations of domestic abuse, Scott Lee Cohen has dropped out of the race for Lieutenant Governor.
Cohen made the announcement last night at a Chicago bar.
Top Illinois Democrats pressured the Chicago pawn broker Cohen for days to step aside after details of a 2005 domestic abuse arrest surfaced.
The charges were ultimately dropped, but others on the November ticket feared Cohen would jeopardize the party’s chances.
The ex-girlfriend who accused Cohen of holding a knife to her neck during an argument, later plead guilty to prostitution charges.
Cohen maintains he never knew he was dating a prostitute.
See the full article from “WTVW”
By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 2/8/2010New Orleans explodes with joy after Saints winEcstatic fans poured into the streets of the French Quarter late Sunday as storm-scarred New Orleans celebrated its first-ever Super Bowl win by their beloved Saints.
A city famous for diversions – Mardi Gras, music and colorful politics, to name a few – set aside distractions to focus on the big game.
Even the strippers on bawdy Bourbon Street stopped dancing. Instead, they joined thousands of revelers cheering the Saints on live television sets at nearby bars.
“We have no music, no stages. It’s the first time I’ve seen a club shut down and I’ve been doing this for five years,” said Sam Stonebraker, 34, a host at Rick’s Cabaret.
“The game is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event in this city.”
See the full article from “MSN Malaysia News”
… Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints! Who dat? Who Dat!,” a crowd in a French Quarter restaurant chanted, after the team scored their first touchdown.
A city famous for diversions – Mardi Gras, music and colourful politics, to name – set aside distractions to focus on the big game.
Even the strippers on bawdy Bourbon Street stopped dancing. Instead, thousands of revelers cheered the Saints on live television sets at nearby bars.
“We have no music, no stages. It’s the first time I’ve seen a club shut down and I’ve been doing this for five years,” said Sam Stonebraker, 34, a host at Rick’s Cabaret, a gentleman’s club. “The game is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event in this city.”
On a typical night, the club has 40 “entertainers” dancing on stage – not tonight.
A few doors down, the Temptations strip club was also upstaged by the Saints Super Bowl.
See the full article from “Sydney Morning Herald”
… Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints! Who dat? Who Dat!,” a crowd in a French Quarter restaurant chanted, after the team scored their first touchdown.
A city famous for diversions – Mardi Gras, music and colourful politics, to name a few – set aside distractions to focus on the big game.
Even the strippers on bawdy Bourbon Street stopped dancing. Instead, thousands of revellers cheered the Saints on live television sets at nearby bars.
“We have no music, no stages. It’s the first time I’ve seen a club shut down and I’ve been doing this for five years,” said Sam Stonebraker, 34, a host at Rick’s Cabaret, a gentleman’s club. “The game is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event in this city.”
On a typical night, the club has 40 “entertainers” dancing on stage – not tonight.
A few doors down, the Temptations strip club was also upstaged by the Saints Super Bowl.
See the full article from “Herald Sun”
… The No. 1 body part discussed all week was the ankle injury to Colts superstar defensive end Dwight Freeney. Never has an injury to a non-QB been covered so closely and in such great depth. Obviously this guy is a great, great player. All indications are that he will try to play, but will be very limited. He is clearly the third-best player on the field behind Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. It is a shame he is hobbling because he is a difference maker.
•Boisterous and outspoken New York Jets coach Rex Ryan’s middle finger got him in hot water this week. He was attending a mixed martial arts fight while in Miami and apparently some drunk Dolphins fan would not stop harassing the very confident Ryan. Rex responded by flipping the moron the bird. I only have two comments on the matter that cost Ryan a $50,000 fine by the Jets.
No. 1: When you are in Miami, why would you go to some stupid MMA fight? Were all the strip clubs and martini bars closed?
See the full article from “San Francisco Examiner”
… The controversy surrounding CBS’ decision to air a commercial during the Super Bowl featuring football star Tim Tebow once again confirms that there are no absolutists when it comes to free speech,” opines McCall. “The commercial, sponsored by the religious organization Focus on the Family, will feature Tebow and his mom, Pam. Although the commercial has not been publicly displayed, reports indicate the commercial will have Mrs. Tebow discussing her decision to carry her pregnancy to term, even after doctors warned that medicine she had taken might cause birth defects to her unborn child. That child turned out to be record-setting quarterback Tim.”
The network’s decision to accept the ad has come under fire, notes McCall. “Whatever one’s position on abortion, it is hard to miss the irony that pro-choice groups want to stifle the right of CBS to choose to sell commercial time as it likes. The Women’s Media Center has criticized CBS for throwing women ‘under the bus’ by airing the Tebow message. Interestingly, the center had little to say when CBS aired other programming that should concern women, such as fashion shows featuring women’s underwear, sitcoms featuring strip clubs, and so on.”
See the full article from “DePauw University”