Poke Salad

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 56 (April 5, 2017)

 

Shawn gets back from Seattle, Kelly from Nashville (where she picked up NEW listeners!). Shawn recommends I Love Dick (the Amazon series and the book), Into the Dark and Cork Dork. Kelly finally finds a podcast she likes: S-Town.

Mississippi

• Easter Egg Hunt schedules in state parks

• As part of the South Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a Mississippi Statehood Commemorative Forever stamp at a first-day-of-issue ceremony. The stamp features a close-up of the hands of Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, a blues musician from Bentonia.

• The folks at Bozo's Grocery and Grill have received plenty of accolades over the years for their po-boys and boiled crawfish. But now the Pascagoula landmark is being recognized by business leaders with the Small Business Administration's 2017 Generational Family-Owned Business of the Year award. Three generations have kept the business thriving for 61 years.

• For their April 22 game against the Jackson Generals, the Biloxi Shuckers will trade in their usual uniforms for a good cause. Special coast-themed jerseys will be worn during the game, then auctioned off with the proceeds benefitting March of Dimes.

• The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience last week released its inaugural Hall of Fame class of 18 Mississippi writers, musicians, visual artists and actors.

• New restaurants in Jackson: Taste Bistro in Flowood and Barrelhouse in Fondren.

• Jackson is the "fattest city in America," according to a recent study. Coming in second on the list of fattest cities was Memphis.

The South

• The New Orleans air show returns to the Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base on Louisiana 23 in Belle Chasse April 22-23 for the first time since 2011. The Blue Angels have announced they will perform. Fun for the whole family. Bring earplugs. Free admission and free parking.

• It's possible to be too popular. That happened to the inaugural Fried Chicken Festival, which last fall drew 40,000 people in a single day to Lafayette Square. For its second year, the free festival will move to Woldenberg Park on the riverfront and run two days, Sept. 23-24.

• French Quarter Festival is this weekend - and the weather is expected to be PERFECT. The free, four-day festival, presented by Chevron, runs April 6 through 9, with music on multiple stages. For a full list of all festival food, by location, visit www.FQFI.org.

• Sheryl Crow will perform on an upcoming episode of NCIS: New Orleans. The singer appears as herself in the April 18 episode, performing two songs from her upcoming album Be Myself — which will be released on April 21 — at a mansion for a charity garden party.

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 was the first year since Hurricane Katrina that more people moved out of New Orleans to other parts of the US — than the number of people who moved in. A net loss of nearly 900 people.

• Robert Smalls,  the 54-year-old former marketing executive for the likes of Coca-Cola and General Foods, was named the new president and CEO of the Charleston’s forthcoming International African American Museum. The project is set for completion in 2019.

Etc. Etc.

• Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the Fearless Girl statue, originally slated to be removed recently, will stay up for at least another year. The 250-pound, 4-foot tall bronze statue of a young, ponytailed girl stands opposite Wall Street’s iconic Charging Bull. Installed by financial services firm State Street Global Advisors, the sculpture was erected to advocate for more women on corporate boards.

• Did you know that gummy bears are made in Germany? German gummy maker Haribo announced recently that it will open its first U.S. factory in Wisconsin. The plant will create 400 jobs and is scheduled to open in 2020. The project marks one of the largest investments from a foreign company in the state's history.

• Roseanne Barr, creator and star of the ABC hit series, says the rowdy Conner family wants to follow the footsteps of Full House, Gilmore Girls, and Will & Grace and become the latest TV family to be reunited for a series reboot, according to Today. Roseanne Barr posted to her Twitter page, “Roseanne show cast is up for a reunion.” The fans immediately went crazy, begging her to make it happen.

• Most people don’t know what’s going to be written about them in their obituaries – but 91-year-old George Boivin did.

 

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 55 (March 22, 2017)

First of the Sunset Concert Series set for the Ross Barnett Reservoir this spring. Beautiful night!

Somm on Netflix. Preview Day at MSU. Heading for Seattle. Crawfish and fried chicken. Podcasts. Audiobooks. (All of the best things in life!)

Mississippi

• Grammy Award-winning blues harmonica master James Cotton, who was born in Tunica in 1935, died last week at age 81.

• J.C. Penney last week released a list of 138 department stores it plans to close as part of a previously announced plan to shrink its footprint as it grapples with industry challenges. Five of those are in Mississippi.

• On March 30, Downstage Productions Theatre in Gulfport will premiere The Little Mermaid. It runs two weekends in a row.

• The ninth annual Stella Yelling Contest is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at the Bay St. Louis Little Theatre on Blaize Avenue.

• Final plans are being made for the annual Black Biloxi Spring Break Weekend, which gets under way April 7-9.

• Around Jackson State University, you may notice some big changes surrounding the campus. Abandoned buildings are being removed by a nonprofit group in the city, called Revitalize Mississippi.

• Congrats to Bully’s in Jackson. Garden & Gun named it the best fried chicken in the state.

• Que on the Yazoo is set for May 5-7 in Greenwood.

• For more than a century, the Delta has also been a magnet for immigrants. I was intrigued to learn recently about one immigrant group in particular: the Delta Chinese. 

The South

• Only New York City had more James Beard Foundation finalists than New Orleans! The James Beard Foundation on March 15 announced the finalists for its 2017 awards, which are often called the Oscars of the food world. The list includes 11 New Orleans chefs and restaurants.  Vishwesh Bhatt of Oxford, Miss. was nominated in the Best Chef category. Outstanding Personality of Host: Emeril Lagasse for "Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse”. The Oxford, Miss., chef John Currence, who was born and raised in New Orleans, was nominated for his book, Big Bad Breakfast. The winners for the James Beard media awards will be announced on April 25.

• What do tourists need to know when visiting New Orleans?

• The city of Pensacola Parks and Recreation Department, Community Maritime Park Associates and Blues Angel Music announced the lineup for the 2017 Blues Angel Music Blues on the Bay summer concert series.

• In case you needed it, here's further proof that John Legend is cooler than you: His first concert was the Fugees, with opening act (and then up-and-comer) Jay-Z.

Etc. Etc.

• March Madness is underway and a new study shows there is actually a loss, to the tune of $2 billion, in productivity in the workplace. However, one type of business welcomes this time of year to boost revenue.

• GM has been testing a Book by Cadillac subscription plan.

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 54 (March 15, 2017)

Shawn and Kelly both make Mississippi Gulf Coast trips. Kelly went to the Biloxi St. Patty's Day Parade. Shawn checked out Margaritaville and the White House Hotel. SHAWN IS GETTING A NEW (DOUBLE) OVEN! (Can you tell she is excited?!) Shawn went to visit her mother for her birthday - and she and her Mom both want The Rest of the Story. Shawn dives into #trypod month and recommends Crybabies and Flash Forward.  One thing Shawn discovered while listening to these new podcasts? The meal kit industry is obviously buying podcast time like crazy. (So we do a free podcast ad for PeachDish, 'cause they are from the South too and all!)

Mississippi

• Biloxi and other coastal cities are seeing new investment in non-casino hotel rooms with more planned.

• Mississippi and Laurel’s own Ben and Erin Napier will premiere their show, Home Town, on HGTV Tuesday, March 21 at 9 p.m.

• A bill that would allow small craft breweries to sell limited amounts of their beers on the premises was signed on March 15 by Gov. Phil Bryant and will take effect July 1.

• Gov. Bryant also signed House Bill 976, which designates every March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day in Mississippi.

• The oldest building in Mississippi, the LaPointe-Krebs House in Pascagoula, is rarer than originally thought.

• The Biloxi Shuckers have posted their upcoming season and promotional fun days. Speaking of which, Ole Miss made its debut in MGM Park a successful one, defeating Nicholls 5-0. The game was the first time the Rebels have played on the Coast since 1911.

• As a fifth grader from Jackson, Cory J. is already a rapper and entrepreneur getting recognition from people like the Ellen DeGeneres. Cory J. or Lil C Note was featured on the comedian’s show for his rapping skills and business model.

The South

• The Mobile BayBears also released their 2017 promotions schedule. 

• Elvis wore some stunning stagewear during his career. The American Eagle jumpsuit from “Aloha from Hawaii,” the black leather suit from the ’68 Special, and, of course, his gold lamé suit. That gold lamé suit turns 60 years old this year – and it has a new home at Graceland’s new entertainment complex, Elvis Presley’s Memphis.

• Two Gannett Co. daily newspapers in Louisiana and one in Mississippi have announced plans to publish their print editions three days a week, beginning April 5. The Hattiesburg American in Mississippi and The Town Talk of Alexandria currently publish seven days a week; the Daily World in Opelousas publishes six days. All three announced plans last week to publish print editions every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

• When it comes to crawfish, Louisiana is a state of firsts. In 1983, it was the first to name the crawfish their official crustacean. Recently history was made once again at the old U.S. Mint in New Orleans.

• Everyone loves pizza. Everyone loves road trips. And now you can combine the two - a road trip to eat some of Alabama's tastiest pizza.  There’s a map for that!

Etc. Etc.

• When we were eating all of those pastries in Santa Monica at Huckleberry, our receipt said “There is a 3% surcharge in order for us to provide health insurance to our employees.” I thought it was a bit odd. We laughed about if all of our bills were “line items” of business expenses, but it’s obviously a California thing.

• Starburst is releasing bags filled with only the pink ones. I didn’t know they were such a hot item. I’m a fan of orange myself. (Obviously, they are easily turned into Cosmos - and I’m a fan of that so they could probably turn me easily.)

• Five women pioneers of NASA are becoming Lego characters. Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, mathematician Katherine Johnson, astronomer Nancy Grace Roman and astronauts Sally Ride, the first woman in space, and Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, are part of a new line Lego announced recently.

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 53 (March 8, 2017)

I got to cheat on my low-carb diet on vacation and tried pretty much every pastry at Huckleberry in Santa Monica - and a breakfast burger from Shaka Shack. (Both are on my highly-recommended list!) Kelly went to DC. I got to see the Hollywood sign on Oscar night (but they wouldn't let me park anywhere in Hollywood). Next up: Biloxi and Seattle. The Norah Jones concert for Kelly.

Mississippi

• They've decided cursive writing is important. Again.

• The developers of a proposed Gulfport harbor casino, Golden Harbor Casino Resort & Spa, want to build an outdoor pool with a shark tank.

• Several new steakhouses coming to the Coast.

• Long Beach (Mississippi, not California) has a new locally-owned restaurant, Doc’s Fried Chicken.

• Construction will begin soon on the first of six restaurant locations for a franchise new to Mississippi, Slim Chickens, that promises “life changing chicken.”

• Underground 119, the blues club in Jackson, will re-open April 1, 2017, with live entertainment three days a week, Thursday through Saturday.

• The GRAMMY Museum Mississippi has announced the opening of its newest exhibit, The Taylor Swift Experience.

The South

• For many, the end of Mardi Gras marks the start of another beloved time of the year - crawfish season. Baton Rouge couple and crawfish enthusiasts, Ryan and Laney King, developed The Crawfish App.

• John Mayer will be at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Aug. 9. It is the first time Mayer will play in New Orleans since 2013.

• The Flyer's Bacon & Bourbon festival returns for its second year to the Memphis Farmers Market on April 15th.

• Beale Street Music Festival released its 2017 concert lineup for May 5-7 in Memphis.

• Five miles of streets surrounding downtown Pensacola will be closed March 25 for the city's first Ciclovia Open Streets celebration.

• If you’ve always wanted to retire in a Disneyland for tequila-drinking beach bums, now’s your chance to get in on the ground floor. Inspired by Jimmy Buffett’s 1977 hit, Latitude Margaritaville is a mixed-use senior development currently under construction in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Etc. Etc.

• Snake check... (Thank you, Internet!)
• President Trump calls Mar-A-Lago the Winter White House. People grumble. Trump calls it the Southern White House...and people lose their minds! Don't worry folks - we all know (except for Kelly, it seems) that the REAL Southern White House is in Memphis!

• Oprah Winfrey says Trump's victory has her rethinking whether she could be elected to the White House.

• 5 new brain disorders that were born out of the digital age

• The Mall of America is looking for a Writer-in-Residence to spend five days “deeply immersed in Mall atmosphere” - and I applied.

• According to a report last year by Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, podcast advertising grew 48 percent in 2015 and it’s expected to grow an average of 25 percent annually through 2020, when revenue will reach about a half-billion dollars. So there’s hope for us breaking even one day on this podcasting thing yet!

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 52 (February 15, 2017)

Super Bowl. Mardi Gras. Galentine's Day. Pastries at La Brioche. Billy Joel concert. This Is Us. The Chemist. Upcoming trips to Nashville, Santa Monica and Seattle. We have a lot to catch up on!

Mississippi

• Laurel will hold its Mardi Gras parade at 2 p.m. Feb. 25 in downtown Laurel.

• The 2017 Hal's St. Paddy's Parade, set for March 18, will give a nod to Mississippi's 200th anniversary.

• The 28th annual Natchez Literary & Cinema Celebration is set for Feb. 23-25 at the Natchez Convention Center.

• Bobby Rush won his first Grammy!

• The Mississippi Arts Commission honored  six contributors to Mississippi arts at the 29th Governor's Arts Awards on Feb. 16 at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson.

• A new crime investigation docu-series about the death of Jessica Chambers.

• This weekend, filmmakers, actors, producers, directors and, of course, film buffs, will fill up theaters in Oxford for the 14th annual Oxford Film Festival.

• Mississippi Anime Festival is March 11 at the Trade Mart in Jackson.

• Mississippi State University recently announced that the Alabama Shakes would perform at the school's amphitheater on Wednesday, April 26. Admission is free. Three days later, Alabama Shakes will appear at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Saturday, April 29.

The South

• The Alabama Shakes are scheduled to headline Birmingham's Sloss Music & Arts Festival this summer scheduled for July 15-16 at Birmingham's Sloss Furnaces. Other acts set to appear include veteran jam band Widespread Panic, electronic dance music duo Odesza and country singer Sturgill Simpson.

• Saints fans are celebrating the Atlanta Falcons’ Super Bowl loss with a Mardi Gras float that features a “ringless” Matt Ryan, “Dirty Bird” gumbo and a voodoo doll, signaling it as the reason for Atlanta’s soul-crushing second half flop against the New England Patriots. The Krewe of Bacchus float hits the parade route Sunday, Feb. 26, through Uptown New Orleans.

Etc. Etc.

• Prince is back on Spotify.

• Chris Rock recently had his first standup comedy routine in nine years  - because alimony, he said. He got divorced last year after being married for 16 years.

• After 15 years and plenty of public pressure for greater diversity, ABC has named the first African-American to headline The Bachelorette. Rachel Lindsay, 31, is a Texas lawyer and contestant on the current season of The Bachelor. The 13th season will premiere May 22.

• Last year, Netflix ordered a half-hour comedy series based on Justin Simien’s 2014 film Dear White People. The show will debut on Netflix on April 28th, just a week after the premiere of Bill Nye Saves the World on the 21st.

• Playboy brings back nudity in March.

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 51 (January 25, 2017)

Shawn tries out Local 463 in their new place. Mississippi begins tornado relief efforts in the Pine Belt - and you can help too. 

Mississippi

• Save the date for Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival, April 1-2, 2017 at the Renaissance at Colony Park.
• Mississippi residents could be able to stay in their home and get their favorite wine shipped directly to them if legislation passes.
• December was strong for the Coast casinos and pushed 2016 revenues to their highest levels since 2008.
• The Mississippi List: 201 Places to Eat, Stay & Play in 2017
• Former Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning has been named a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

The South

• New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been named to the 2017 NFC Pro Bowl squad.
• Bill Moss, an engineer who helped build Talladega Superspeedway in 1969, has died. He was 81.
• Billy Corgan made stops in several small Alabama towns recently. The Smashing Pumpkins frontman is traveling the country as part of his "30 Days" project, where he’s road tripping across America and documenting his journeys. 
• Dave Matthews will perform at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater on May 3. Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. They'll cost $95 and $85.  He'll also be in Nashville May 6-7 at Ascend Amphitheatre and in Alpharetta, Ga., on May 31 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park.
• Do you know who else was in Alabama? Jimmy Buffett. In Mobile. He's saluting his Mobile roots in a documentary film about his early career. He is gathering shots and meeting with local musicians who were integral to the making of his first records. Sarah Delaney Buffett, a filmmaker and Jimmy Buffett's daughter, is among the list of names Buffett says is involved with the project.
• Speaking of which, the New Orleans Theatre Association announced that "Escape to Margaritaville'' will launch in New Orleans Oct. 20-28, 2017 to kick off the  season at the Saenger Theatre.
• Radiohead has announced nine additional U.S. tour dates and New Orleans is in that number.
• New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration is seeking to crack down on pedestrians reveling outside. He wants all bars to be closed by 3 a.m. as part of new security measures.
• Both New Orleans and Memphis were recently named to the Top 5 Most Livable Cities to Build a Music Career.

The Poke Salad Podcast is brought to you every week from the beautiful Lakeshore Studios in Brandon, Mississippi. It is sponsored by no one at this time. If you're interested, let us know. We can be bribed very easily. Quinn Rossi is our editor. Sleepy LaBoeuf performed our theme song. To subscribe to the podcast, go to iTunes or Stitcher and search for Poke Salad. You can follow Shawn on Twitter. Kelly says don't follow her because she never posts anything, only lurks. Email us at shawnzrossi@gmail.com. Sign up for daily Poke Salad updates from the South here.

Etc. Etc.

• Luke Bryan will sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Lady Gaga is halftime entertainment.
• Stephen Colbert got Billy Joel to tell his top 5 favorite Billy Joel songs, and they match mine pretty closely: “Vienna,” “And So It Goes,” “You May Be Right,” “She’s Right On Time” and last but not least, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.”  
• Instant Pot is a calculated viral phenomenon.  The Instant Pot is a product of a small Canadian company, founded by engineers. It has 25 employees, no traditional advertising to speak of, and an Amazon-centric sales strategy.
• Why do our recorded voices sound weird to us?

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 50 (January 18, 2017)

Shawn went to Paris over the holidays. Kelly to Puerto Rico. We both report back!

The best thing I ate this month: Sweet Potato Sundae from The Lucky Rooster in Hilton Head, SC!

Most people think New Orleans when they think king cakes, but Paul's Pastry Shop in Picayune is known as the home of the original fruit and cream cheese filled king cakes. Why did they decide to fill king cakes? “We didn’t really know much about king cakes because we we’re from California,” said Sherri Thigpen, the current owner.

It's the 100th birthday of the Girl Scout Cookie - and I bought the new s'mores flavor to help celebrate!

Ann Patchett - author and bookstore owner - offered a guide for bookstore lovers in the New York Times in December. And TurnRow Books in Greenwood and Square Books in Oxford both made the list. (I gave her a few suggestions from New Orleans to try!)

The New York Mississippi Society posted the following message on their website: “The 36 years of the Mississippi Picnics has been wonderful and a positive thing for all those involved but with the competition of funding sources and the rising costs and complexity of putting this event together, The New York Society regrets to announce that there are no plans for any future picnics.”

Dak Prescott will be the special guest and featured speaker at The Clarion-Ledger Sports Awards. The awards are set for May 25 at the Jackson Convention Complex, honoring the best in Mississippi high school sports. Tickets will go on sale in April. Athletes will be contacted this month via their school’s athletic director and/or coach with more information on how to attend.

And, last but not least, we answer the 26 Questions People From The South Need To Answer that Jon-Michael Poff asks in BuzzFeed.

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 49 (November 16, 2016)

Mississippi

• Free tickets are available for Mississippi residents to the inauguration of Donald Trump. Mississippians interested in tickets should submit a formal request via Inauguration@wicker.senate.gov. The deadline to submit ticket requests is November 23. Tickets will need to be picked up in Wicker’s Washington, D.C., office by January 19.

• The U.S. Secretary of the Interior announced recently that the Mississippi State Capitol was given the nation’s highest historical designation when it was named a National Historic Landmark.

• American Pickers is filming in Mississippi this winter and is looking for folks to pick. You can email leads to americanpickers@cineflex.com or call 855-OLD-RUST.

• Congrats to Dak Prescott. He’s starting - and Tony Romo will be his backup against the Baltimore Ravens. At 8-1, the Cowboys have the best record in the NFL. Prescott has 14 touchdown passes and has been intercepted only twice. (Kudos to Tony Romo for being so classy about it.)

• This year's Egg Bowl will kickoff Nov. 26 on the SEC Network at 2:30 p.m. 

• Freshman Shea Patterson was forced into his first start some 10 months before it was expected after Chad Kelley’s knee injury - and then led a dramatic comeback over No. 8 Texas A&M.

• The University of Mississippi was recently named a “Top 10 University for Aspiring Writers” by CollegeMagazine.com.

• University of Mississippi sophomore Michael Deauville grew up with two siblings, both with disabilities. As the youngest of the three, he experienced both hardships and benefits, which he highlights in his new book, A Brother’s Love. (Marshall Ramsey has a new book out too!)

• C Spire has announced that Kenny Chesney will be headlining the May 20, 2017 “Day of Country” concert event. The concert will also feature performances by contemporary country music artists Thomas Rhett, Jake Owen, Jana Kramer and Russell Dickerson.

• The Madison Middle School Arts Gala is set for December 8th from 5:30 - 8:00 PM.

• Sal & Mookie’s will open at Livingston Market. It will open in about a year.

The South

• Did you know Alabama is great for fossil hunting?

• The Poarch Band of Creek Indians has revealed details about a major amusement park, called Owa, designed to cater to families that travel to Foley, Alabama’s sports complex for ball tournaments.

• The Marlins' Triple-A franchise in New Orleans has a new name. After 25 seasons as the Zephyrs, the club will now be known as the ... drum roll ... New Orleans Baby Cakes.

• Celebration in the Oaks, the annual holiday light display in City Park opens to the public on Nov. 25, continuing through Jan. 1. This year, the lighting extravaganza turns 30.

• UberEats launched Nov. 2 in New Orleans.

Etc. Etc.

• In a pioneering prosecution against “body-shaming,” the Los Angeles city attorney’s office recently filed criminal charges against a former Playboy playmate, alleging she secretly photographed a 70-year-old woman in the nude while she was in the shower area of a Los Angeles fitness center.

• Each year, the department store Neiman Marcus releases its Christmas catalog with ridiculously expensive gifts. But this year, everyone is talking about a far more ordinary but equally silly catalog item: a $66 order of collard greens.

• Fox just renewed The Simpsons for an unprecedented 29th and 30th season. The previous record was held by Gunsmoke.

• Equine therapy. Yoga. Music therapy.

• In a partnership with Milka, Oreo just dropped its first-ever chocolate bars: The Oreo Chocolate Candy Bar and The Oreo Big Crunch Bar.

• Did you catch the first episode of Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party? Watch the first episode here.

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 48 (November 2, 2016)

My new sexy, raspy voice brought to you courtesy of Saints vs. Seahawks! 

Mississippi

• On Nov. 25, the city of Natchez is having a gumbo cook-off in conjunction with their lighting of the Christmas tree. No fee to enter and the winner gets a $300 cash prize. You can pick up an entry from any Home Bank location or at christmasinnatchez.com or listenupyall.com. (Here's my Tale of Two Gumbos!)

• Steve Grantham Jr. has brewed up a plan to put a private-label beer in Outback Steakhouses, starting with the nine he owns and shooting for many more restaurants and other establishments. Meanwhile, Lucas Simmons has been producing his own beer for two years at his Lucky Town Brewing Co. Now the two Jacksonians’ paths are converging. The result will be a new beer, Weevie Road, planned to launch in February of 2017.

• A traditional blues song off Eric Clapton's 1992 MTV Unplugged album is at the heart of a new lawsuit claiming that he, his label and others have failed to properly credit the track for 24 years and counting.

• Speaking of the Mississippi blues, the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale is set to receive $1.6 million from the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and its federal and state partners.

• The Mississippi State University Art Department Galleries will be hosting Starkville’s first ever Art Crawl on Nov. 4.

• The Polar Express train is setting off from north Mississippi again this year. It utilizes the revitalized Grenada Railway. The train will begin daily departures from the public square in Batesville starting Nov. 20 and ending Dec. 27. The train ride lasts one hour, and all passengers are encouraged to wear pajamas just like characters in the movie. For exact dates, fares and excursion times, go to www.GrenadaPolarExpressRide.com or call (877) 334-4783. Ticket prices range from $20 to $85, depending on booking date and class of service.

• As students hurry to their classes at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, they are stopping to take notice of some new outdoor sculptures on the west side of campus. These sculptures are part of the 2016 USM Outdoor Art Exhibition sponsored by the College of Arts and Letters, the Department of Art and Design and Partners for the Arts.  For more information, contact the College of Arts and Letters at 601.266.4315, visit us at www.usm.edu. 

The South

• More than 50 plein air artists will be convening in Gulf Shores Nov. 3-5. The event has evolved into a gathering of artists from Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee joining together with Alabama artists for an outdoor paint out.

Etc. Etc.

• I guess it’s an official split. They sold their house in New Orleans recently and now Brangelina wine will officially become a thing of the past. They are also selling their $60 million dollar French wine estate, Chateau Miraval, with "Jolie-Pitt" being removed from bottles immediately. So if  you’re in the market for a 1,200-acre property with 35 rooms and a moat…

• Chef Thomas Keller is known for amazing dishes at the three-Michelin-star Per Se in New York. Now he's tackling hot dogs. (Here's our Louisiana Dog that we mention.)

• Speaking of hot dogs, Google has announced it’s rolling out the ability to order delivery directly from a restaurant’s listing in Google Maps on iPhones and other iOS devices. Apple addicts will have to update to the latest version of Google Maps to get the new feature, and the update states that the new ordering feature does have “limited availability based on country.” Before you iPhoners start feeling smug,  this ordering-through-the-app feature has been available on Android for over a year.

• Girl Scout season is coming soon, and when it arrives in early 2017, there will be Girl Scout Cookie cereal. Yes, really. General Mills is planning a Thin Mint variety and another called Caramel Crunch, inspired by Samoas. The cereals will be limited editions, so fans should think about stocking up. This year is also the 100th anniversary of Girl Scout Cookies, so the organization is introducing two new flavors inspired by s’mores.

• Pringles is ditching the savory for sweet this Holiday season with its all-new sugar cookie-flavored potato crisps. Along with its new sugar cookie flavor, Pringles will also bring back two of its “classic” dessert flavors: Pecan Pie and Salted Caramel. You can find all three flavors now in stores. One caveat: Sugar cookie Pringles will only be available at Walmart. And the other two flavors will only be available at Dollar General stores.

• Just one day after turning 100 years old, Robert Allman of Murfreesboro crossed one more thing off his bucket list. He parachuted for the first time in his life.

• John Podesta did almost everything right.

Poke Salad Podcast: Episode 47 (October 26, 2016)

Mississippi

• Halloween on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: On Friday, Hard Rock Live on the Coast will have a free showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. On Saturday, the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum is throwing a Halloween party. Margaritaville Resort is having a Spooky Island Tiki Luau with fun for the whole family. Biloxi Little Theatre will have a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Halloween night and they will sell prop kits as a fundraiser.

• Congrats to Tato-Nut Donut Shop in Ocean Springs. They were named by Southern Living as one of the best donut shops in the South. Of course, every location of Krispy Kreme with a Hot Now sign was included.

• Palace Casino Resort Chef Dean Kronauer thinks he has the recipe for the best sandwich in the world, and he plans to put it to the test at the World Food Championships.

• Mississippi Today had a neat story about Chris Sartin of Soulshine Pizza.

• Costco is one step closer to coming to Ridgeland.

• Madison Countians Allied Against Poverty (MadCAAP) is seeking donations to help provide Thanksgiving for over 700 families in Madison County. To help fill food boxes to distribute for the Thanksgiving holiday, they need cans of green beans, sweet potatoes and corn and boxes of mac and cheese, stuffing mix, and instant potatoes. They are also collecting frozen turkeys and packages of rolls. The deadline for donations is November 16. For more information, contact Judy at madcaapcenter@hotmail.com.

• Kemper county’s board of supervisors passed an ordinance banning clown costumes, but the law will expire the day after Halloween. Anyone caught in clown costumes or clown masks can face a fine of up to $150.

• They say you can’t go home again, but playwright Jerre Dye came back to Mississippi for his play “Cicada,” which Tupelo Community Theatre will present in January at the Lyric Theatre. Theatre executive director Tom Booth will direct the show, which is set in 1970’s rural Mississippi.

• The legacy of Chucky Mullins still impacts Ole Miss today - and that legacy will be explored in the upcoming movie It’s Time. The movie will focus on Mullins’ friendship with Brad Gaines, the player he tackled when he became paralyzed.

• Gunslinger: The Remarkable, Improbable, Iconic Life of Brett Favre (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by Jeff Pearlman will be out this fall in time for Christmas.

• One of the best rocking chair makers in the country, Greg Harkins, lives in Mississippi.

The South

• The National Geographic Society recently rolled out their new Mississippi River tourism website. The website — www.mississippiriver.natgeotourism.com — is a digital travel guide, highlighting the entire Mississippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana, and points of interest in adjoining communities. 

Etc. Etc.

• “Mansplaining” has already been acknowledged by the Oxford English online dictionary ― and it’s now also been acknowledged by Jeopardy too. The term was featured during the October 19 episode  as the answer to the “That Explains It” category for $600.

• What is the equivalent of mansplaining for younger folks trying to explain certain technology to older folks? Techsplaining?