New Orleans: Back From the Brink

Image credit: Mark Mainz/Getty Images

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD
FEB. 6, 2006-PRESENT
The city's morale — and economy — receives another boost when Tinseltown decides it's safe to film there again. Notable movies shot in New Orleans since Katrina include the Denzel Washington actioner Déjà Vu, the Brad Pitt-starring Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Black Water Transit, which is set in the immediate aftermath of Katrina. A new police drama, Fox TV's K-Ville, is also shooting in the Big Easy.

Jennifer Day, director of the Office of Film and Video ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button wrapped this [past] spring. That was really exciting. It's a huge project. And Brad Pitt had done a tremendous amount for the city, partnering with Global Green.''

Trevor Neilson, philanthropic adviser to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ''The New Orleans project with Global Green started with Brad watching the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and wanting to do something to help. The project is an effort to build green, affordable housing in the Lower Ninth Ward. Brad was very upset that the government seemed to be just letting an American city die.''

Mitch Landrieu ''So many entertainers have lent a helping hand. George Clooney was down a couple of months ago in Cameron Parish. Dan Aykroyd has been down to help. Harry Connick's been down here with Branford Marsalis to do Musicians' Village [another housing initiative]. Brad and Angelina have moved here.''

Trevor Neilson ''Yes, they do have a home here. You're not going to get [where they live] from me. But they're right in the heart of the city.''

Cole Hauser, star of K-Ville ''I was given a tour of some of the harder-hit parts of the city by SWAT team members. To see Wal-Mart and McDonald's and all of these major corporate places desolate, it's just crazy.''

Tony Kaye, director of Black Water Transit ''Because the film is using the flood as a backdrop, we have to be careful. You don't want to benefit from someone else's misfortune. But we do have a scene where two insurance agents are killed, which will raise a bit of a laugh in the cinema.''

WALKIN' TO NEW ORLEANS
MAY 19, 2007-PRESENT
Despite ongoing health problems, Fats Domino delights fans by finally playing his first post-Katrina gig at Tipitina's on May 19, a huge symbolic moment. As the second anniversary of the disaster approaches, an estimated 60-70 percent of New Orleans musicians remain displaced. But the city is once again very much open for the business of pleasure, reflecting a spirit as unique as the city's music.

Roland von Kurnatowski, owner of Tipitina's ''Fats hadn't played in two years or more and he doesn't want to play substandard. At the last minute he was really struggling to get up and play.''

Roger Lewis, saxophonist, veteran Domino sideman ''It took them four hours just to get him out the house.''

Roland von Kurnatowski ''And then all of a sudden that old fire came back. You could see it in his eyes: Okay, let's go!''

Fats Domino ''It always feels good when you get up on that stage. I tried to do my best. [Sings] I got a good relation/With the Tipitina Foundation/It done for others/It will do...for...you...too!''

Roger Lewis ''Fats is our last big hero. He could've capitalized on his fame, but he stayed true to his roots. Fats is it.''

Troy ''Trombone Shorty'' Andrews, trombonist ''I'm not gonna say America forgot [about New Orleans]. It's just not in the news. When I'm out of town, when I'm on tour, as far as hearing stuff about Katrina, it doesn't exist no more.''

Tom Morello, the Nightwatchman and Voodoo 2007 headliners Rage Against the Machine ''I was there in November and toured the devastated areas. I had no idea the city was still in such a disreputable condition. I was inspired to write a song called 'Midnight in the City of Destruction.' I played it in New Orleans the last time I was there. The sadness and the anger in the room were palpable.''

Mitch Landrieu ''From a tourist perspective, you can come to the city and have the same experience that you had before Katrina. But, from a resident's point of view, this is a tough place to live in right now.''

Jason Patterson, talent buyer, Snug Harbor jazz club ''They used to call this the Big Easy. I don't think that's an appropriate word anymore.''

Glen David Andrews, leader of traditional jazz band Glen David Andrews and the Lazy 6 ''I'm living in a FEMA trailer. F--- that bulls---. I hate the trailer. I hate it, I hate it. They got big plans for the Ninth Ward and they don't include black people, that's for sure.''

Ani DiFranco ''I bought a house in New Orleans [after Katrina]. I did think twice. It was definitely a perilous feeling to empty my bank account into a swamp. But also a good feeling. Because it's my personal investment in the recovery. There's just as much magic in the city as there ever was.''

Armand ''Sheik'' Richardson ''New Orleans was founded and a hurricane wiped it out. Then a fire wiped it out, and some years later yellow fever wiped it out. And then another fire wiped it out. And then there's been hurricane after hurricane after hurricane. But we're just a bunch of tenacious crazy lunatics that are attached to this place. And we just ain't gonna let it go.''

Fats Domino ''People all over the world love New Orleans. I love New Orleans. I'm still alive and kicking. I ain't intending to leave.''

Additional reporting by Ethan Brown

EW Video: See post-Katrina pics from Michael Stipe, Mercy Corps, and the New Orleans Musicians' Relief Fund in this clip for R.E.M.'s ''New Orleans Instrumental No. 1''