Crystal clear: Though he continues to champion an anti-corruption message that you’d think would gain traction on the political racetrack for the GOP presidential nomination, former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer remains the “invisible man,” according to a lengthy feature on Roemer in The Atlantic. Roemer tells The Atlantic he feels a small gust at his back because he has begun broadcasting his first TV spot and will soon qualify for matching public funds. He says he’ll use that money—and a forthcoming social media strategy that he won’t yet reveal—to try to score a burst of last-minute attention that will lift him above the 5% qualifying cutoff for the final New Hampshire debates. But Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire’s Survey Center, says that he expects Roemer will remain a fringe candidate. “Once you get in that hole, it’s hard to get out,” Smith says. Read the full story here.
Act naturally: An Alexandria pawn shop with more than 100,000 artifacts—making it one of the largest pawn shops in the South—is the subject of a new reality television show on the History Channel, The Town Talk reports. Silver Dollar Pawn and Jewelry will be featured on the show “Cajun Pawn Stars,” a spin-off of the History Channel’s hit show, “Pawn Stars.” It will premiere at 9 p.m. on Jan. 8. The station ordered 14, 30-minute episodes for the first season, and the show will air each Sunday night. Shop owner Jimmie DeRamus says the show will allow viewers to discover central Louisiana. The store has a 20,000-foot showroom with more than 100,000 artifacts. Read the full story here.
Ticket takers: A new multimedia tour being offered in New Orleans takes passengers to locations where famous movie scenes were filmed and shows them a clip from the film on-site. The tour also includes peeks at the New Orleans homes of actors Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock and John Goodman. In the French Quarter, passengers look on as Bruce Willis escapes attackers outside a praline shop in the 2010 film Red. Besides hitting the tourist-heavy French Quarter, New Orleans Movie Tours includes stops in lesser-known neighborhoods such as Treme and the Faubourg Marigny. The tour is approximately two hours long, includes popcorn, and is packed with location stops and clips from roughly 30 films shot in New Orleans. It was launched this past summer by the husband-and-wife team of Jonathan and Michelle Ray, movie lovers from Willington, Conn., who moved to New Orleans roughly 10 years ago. They charge $29 to $39 per person for the tour. Read the full story here.
