CALLING ALL CREATIVES
TURN IT UP
Grammy-winning country singersongwriter Dwight Yoakam brings his “Cosmic Roundup & Rodeo Tour” to the Raising Cane’s River Center Arena, 275 S. River Road, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Mavericks and 49 Winchester also are on the bill. Tickets start at $40. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.
The Mid City Micro-Con is the place to be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.The Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., will offer an arts and comics market, games, workshops, cosplay show and tell, food trucks, author Alex Jennings and more. midcitymicrocon@gmail.com.
PARK IT
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND
BREC’s Saturdays in the Park offer pop-up activities to entertain, engage and inspire all ages at four parks this weekend: Jackson Community Park, Highland Road Community Park, Anna T. Jordan Community Park and Baker Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to noon. brec.org.
T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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F r i d ay, F e b r u a ry 7, 2025
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MODEL BEHAVIOR ‘Deal or No Deal Island’ is a win for Louisiana native Kamari Love BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer
Ask Kamari Love about her long-term goals, and she’s off and running. The cover of Vogue, Realtor licenses in both Texas and California, a certification in neurolinguistic programming with an emphasis on hypnosis. Oh, and an Oscar and an Emmy. Yes, the woman’s got plans. Television viewers can catch her on the second season of NBC’s “Deal or No Deal Island.” She’s not one of those competing for thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars. Instead, she’s a banker’s assistant (called briefcase models in the original “Deal or No Deal”). Picture the reimagining of the game show as a cross between the original “Deal” and CBS’ longtime “Survivor” competition series. Sub out a Hollywood studio for Panama’s Bocas del Toro, Joe Manganiello for Howie Mandel, and throw in a bunch of physical and mental challenges. Here, the Louisiana native, 32, who’s dividing her time between Dallas and Los Angeles right now, discusses her career paths, her beloved New Orleans and her hair in the Panamanian heat. What is the typical day as a game show banker’s assistant? When we go to “The Temple” (where the classic “Deal or No Deal” game part of the show takes place), we’re always involved as the briefcase models that viewers are familiar with. In the off time, Ben (Crofchick, the other banker’s assistant) and I would switch off in assisting with the challenges. If we’re not, then we’re usually resting, working out, doing our same routine. It’s better to stay in flow and stay in motion when you’re battling the elements of the jungle and working long hours. How did your hair and the humidity get along? That’s so funny because I actually have this big beautiful afro, and I love my curls. Usually, they do really well in humid climates, but that was almost too humid. My natural curls were shrinking quite drastically, and I love it when they’re big. First season, I just had my natural hair. We usually slicked it back to a nice sleek ponytail, and I had different ponytail extensions on just to keep it sleek and classy. This year, since I knew it was gonna be the rainy season, I went with a Bohemian braid, which was really cool because we got to just do a variety of different styles.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Larry Carlton’s studio work included New Orleans songwriter and pianist Allen Toussaint’s 1978 album, ‘Motion.’
GUITAR GREAT
Larry Carlton bringing his collabs, solo songs to Baton Rouge next week BY JOHN WIRT
Contributing writer In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Larry Carlton No. 85 on its list of the 250 “greatest guitarists of all time.” “You can’t plan something like that,” the modest four-time Grammy winner said last week. “I’ve just played the best I’ve known how to play through all of my career. People responded and I’m thankful.” Carlton’s six decades as a frontman and a valuable supporting player include recording sessions with Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, Allen Toussaint, Herb Alpert, Quincy Jones, Dolly Parton and the “Hill Street Blues” theme that won him a Grammy for best pop instrumental performance. The solos Carlton created for Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne” and the Doobie Brothers’ “Minute by Minute” are among his greatest hits. No doubt those songs will be on his setlist when he and his fivepiece band perform Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Manship Theatre.
ä See ‘DEAL’, page 3D
Louisiana native Kamari Love is back for Season 2 of NBC’s ‘Deal or No Deal Island.’ PROVIDED PHOTO BY PATRICK ECCLESINE/NBC
ä See GUITAR, page 2D
Theatre Baton Rouge tells story of ‘Radium Girls’ Workers painted, fell ill and made history BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
Maybe the girls thought it was cool at first. They could walk through the night streets without worrying about streetlights guiding their way, because they were the light. People around town called them the Ghost Girls because of their glow. Then came a point where the glow wasn’t so cool as one girl, then the next — and the next — began falling ill. There were 13 in all working at the Radium Factory in Orange, New Jersey. One was as young as 11.
‘RADIUM GIRLS’ A Theatre Baton Rouge production Friday-Sunday and Friday-Sunday, Feb. 14-16. Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m.; all other performances begin at 7:30 p.m. ● $38-$43 ● (225) 924-6496 or theatrebr.org. But Theatre Baton Rouge’s Young Actors Program will look at this true life story through the eyes of only three Radium factory girls when it opens “Radium Girls” on Friday in its Studio Theatre, where the stage’s set is filled with clock and watch motifs within a grimy workspace. The era is some time between 1917 and the early 1920s. At the center of this story is the Radium Luminous Material Corp., founded in New York in 1914. The company
produced uranium from carnotite ore, then eventually moved into the business of producing radioluminescent paint. “This was helpful in the war effort during World War I, because American soldiers could look at their watches at night without having to use flashlights, which would have put them at risk,” director Courtney Murphy said. “The numbers on the watch faces glowed (because they) were painted with radioactive paint.” And the painting of these numbers took place at the Radium Corp. The company also had locations in the New Jersey cities of Newark and Jersey City, as well as Ottawa, Illinois, and Waterbury, Connecticut.
PROVIDED PHOTO BY ARDEN HALE
From left, Camille Coco as Kathryn, Isabella Walton as Grace and Carissa Murray as Irene are featured in Theatre Baton Rouge’s Young Actors ä See RADIUM, page 2D Program production, ‘Radium Girls.’