“SOPRANOS” STAR GANDOLFINI
TO REIGN AS BACCHUS 2007
NEW ORLEANS,
LA – The Krewe of Bacchus has
announced that popular actor James Gandolfini,
best known for his role as Tony Sporano
in the long-running HBO drama “The
Sopranos,” will reign as Bacchus
XXXIX when the krewe hits the streets
of New Orleans the night of Sunday,
February 18, 2007.
Most identifiable as the troubled no-nonsense
boss of the Soprano crime family, Gandolfini
began his acting career in the New York
theatre where he debuted on Broadway
in the 1992 revival of the Tennessee
Williams classic “A Streetcar
Named Desire,” co-starring Jessica
Lange and Alec Baldwin. Gandolfini’s
breakthrough role was his portrayal
of Virgil, the brutal, woman-beating
mob enforcer in Tony Scott’s 1993
“True Romance.”
Gandolfini has portrayed mob boss Tony
Soprano since “The Sopranos”
premiered on HBO in 1999. The series
has received wide acclaim and multiple
awards, including three Best Actor Emmys
for Gandolfini’s word as Best
Actor in a Dramatic Series.
Gandolfini has appeared in numerous
big-screen productions alongside actors
such as Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington,
Nicholas Cage, Robert Redford and John
Travolta.
Most recently, Gandolfini has spent
time in New Orleans and other parts
of Louisiana filming “All The
King’s Men,” a movie about
a corrupt Louisiana politician loosely
based on the life of Huey P. Long starring
Sean Penn, Jude Law, Sir Anthony Hopkins
and Kate Winslet.
During his time in the state, Gandolfini
came out as a strong supporter of the
post-Hurricane Katrina restoration and
recovery effort in and around the New
Orleans area. Like Sean Penn, who participated
in on the spot rescues immediately after
the hurricane’s aftermath, Gandolfini
has openly committed to the ongoing
effort to save and preserve the unique
culture of the battered New Orleans
region.
The Captain and staff of the Krewe of
Bacchus cited this dedication and obvious
love of the city of New Orleans as of
the main factors in their selection
of Gandolfini to reign over their 2007
revelry.
Bacchus, one of the first New Orleans
Mardi Gras “Super Krewes,”
is best-known for its massive double-
and triple-tier Super Floats that carry
over a thousand bead- and doubloon-throwing
participants through the streets of
New Orleans during the uproarious yearly
celebration. Members gather from all
parts of the United States, some from
as far away as Canada and Europe, to
experience the madness that is Mardi
Gras.
Bacchus was the first New Orleans Krewe
to introduce the tradition of a celebrity
king and as Bacchus XXXIX Gandolfini
joins other luminaries such as the late
Danny Kaye (Bacchus I), Kirk Douglas,
William Shatner, Nicholas Cage, and
Elijah Wood (Frodo from “The Lord
of the Rings”) who have all enjoyed
reigns as the Lord of Wine and Mayhem.
The Krewe of Bacchus will parade through
the streets of New Orleans on the evening
of Sunday, February 18, 2007, following
the traditional Uptown route.
For more information on Bacchus XXXIX
and the Krewe of Bacchus visit the official
Krewe website at www.kreweofbacchus.org
Greek mythology,
was the god of wine and vegetation. He showed
mortals how to cultivate grapevines and make
wine.
As the son of Zeus, Bacchus
is usually characterized in one of two
ways:
First, as the god of vegetation specifically
of the fruit of the trees. Eventually, he
became the popular Greek god of wine and
cheer, and wine miracles were reputedly
performed at certain of his festivals. According
to tradition, Bacchus died each winter and
was reborn in the spring. To his followers,
this cyclical revival, accompanied by the
seasonal renewal of the fruits of the earth,
embodied the promise of the resurrection
of the dead.
The yearly rites in honor of the resurrection
of Bacchus gradually evolved into the structured
form of the Greek drama, and important festivals
were held in honor of the god, during which
great dramatic competitions were conducted.
The Krewe of Bacchus parade was founded
in 1968 by a handful of New Orleans business
leaders whose dream was to revitalize Carnival.
However, the seeds of the Krewe of Bacchus
were actually sown two decades before the
present carnival organization was founded.
The original Krewe of Bacchus was the brainchild
of Owen Edward Brennan, Sr., a true visionary.
Brennan, owner of the Absinthe House, a
famous bar on Bourbon Street, and later
founder of the word famous Brennan’s
Restaurant on Royal Street, was also the
father of the first Captain of Bacchus,
Owen "Pip" Brennan, Jr., and his
brothers, Jimmy and Ted.
In the late 1940’s, Brennan realized
that a large segment of his clientele was
seasonally unhappy – namely tourists
to the Mardi Gras. At that time, Carnival
balls at Mardi Gras were predominately closed
to anyone outside of New Orleans’
society circles.
So, In 1949, Brennan decided to spend an
enormous amount of money, buck the entrenched
New Orleans Society, and revolutionize the
Mardi Gras. He did so by creating a brand
new Krewe, called the Krewe of Bacchus,
wide open to tourists.
Brennan staged two Bacchus Carnival balls,
one in 1949 and the other in 1950 before
his death in 1955. Regrettably, he did not
live to see his idea develop into a new
and lasting form.
Fast forward to 1968. For years, Carnival
in New Orleans had been losing its luster
slowly but surely. There was a lot of talk
around town about what should be done to
give a spark to the celebration.
Early in 1968, Owen "Pip" Brennan,
Jr., son of the late Brennan, held a meeting
at Brennan’s Restaurant to address
this problem. What emerged was a rebirth
of the vision his father conceived almost
20 years earlier: The Krewe of Bacchus.
It was decided that the Krewe of Bacchus
would break with Carnival tradition by staging
a Sunday night parade that would be the
highlight of the Carnival season. Its floats
would be bigger and more spectacular than
anything previously seen in Carnival. Furthermore,
Bacchus decided to have a national celebrity
king lead its parade, breaking ranks with
113 years of Carnival tradition.
On Sunday, February 16, 1969, the Krewe
of Bacchus staged its first Mardi Gras parade.
The theme was "The Best Things In Life",
and the procession was led by celebrity
king Danny Kaye. The 250 member, 15 float
entourage took to the streets of New Orleans
showering thousands of spectators with over
a million strings of beads and 300,000 doubloons.
The new parade was a smashing success.
The Krewe of Bacchus had left a lasting
mark on the City of New Orleans and had
proven to be the boost that the Carnival
season so desperately needed.
Now, with more than 1,000 members and 31
animated super-floats, the Krewe of Bacchus
is revered as one of the most spectacular
Krewes in Carnival history.
Pip Brennan still serves as Captain of
The Krewe of Bacchus; overseeing each
detail with great pride and meticulous
perfection. He is now joined by his
three sons, Owen, III, Clark, and Blake,
all of whom serve on the Krewe's Board
of Directors. Owen, III also serves
as the Krewe's Executive Director. Like
their grandfather, father and uncles,
this third generation of the Brennan
family shares the same love of Mardi
Gras and New Orleans.
