Jean-Paul Villere: On hot dogs and hot off the presses

I woke up Saturday morning to the news story that John Georges plans to acquire The Advocate, and my head began swimming with the cinematic wonder of Citizen Kane.  My oh my, how art and life can imitate each other some times.  

While on the surface I don’t really feel this is definitively a good or a bad thing, the candidate-that-could (but has yet to) all ready and set to buy into publishing just seems like an ill-formed idea.  I mean, has Mr. Georges never seen this film?  Is he completely unaware of its own history and loosely veiled telling of the newspaper magnate Hearst’s story?  My guess is of course he’s seen it, knows all about it, and could care less.  Or care more, as the case may be.  While his businesses have flourished over the years, including his family’s recent dabblings in hot doggery via Dat Dog’s enterprises around the Crescent City, Mr. Georges’ political aspirations have yet to be fully realized.  And that’s okay.  He’s never come off as a sore loser and always picked himself and moved on to the next thing.  Which now apparently will be media based.

And based out of Baton Rouge too.  The capitol.  Where in a little while Gov. Jindal will be termed out.  Where Georges being Georges might run once again for governor when Bobby moves on to wherever.  After all, having lost to Mayor Landrieu in 2010, when Mitch runs for re-election soon, rather than go toe to toe again with him, why not shoot for the big chair up the road in the shadow of LSU?  Georges knows what he’s doing all right.  These are all calculated and forecast events and — while the future remains unwritten — sometimes a good guess isn’t out of order.  And to me, that’s interesting.  Because I’ve seen it in black-and-white many times over with the ending being the raspy reiteration of “Rosebud . . . “  I highly doubt the fate of The Advocate’s new owner to be him sitting alone on some lofty plantation one day whispering a named lament of a lost childhood pirogue, skateboard or Schwinn in lieu of a bobsled.  But if I were to write the ending here, the name of that long missing boyhood bauble might be something like “Charbonnet – - – “

In closing I’d like to leave you with the opening lyrics to a telling song featured in Citizen Kane (and once upon a time partially covered by The White Stripes) as it may very well sum up where we will be watching the political merry go round, and round again:

“There is a man – a certain man -
And for the poor you may be sure
That he’ll do all he can!
Who is this one? This fav’rite son?
Just by his action, Has the Traction magnates on the run?

Who loves to smoke? Enjoys a joke? Who wouldn’t get a bit upset If he were real-ly broke? With wealth and fame, He’s still the same. I’ll bet you five you’re not alive, If you don’t know his name.”

Georges.  Louisiana businessman, hot dog profiteer, and soon the maker of your daily news.

Jean-Paul Villere is the owner of Villere Realty and Du Mois Gallery on Freret Street and a married father of four girls. In addition to his Wednesday column at UptownMessenger.com, he also shares his family’s adventures sometimes via pedicab or bicycle on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.