Here is the 4th most viewed photo in my flickr photostream with 2,870 views:

That’s New Orleans institution Chris Owens appearing in the 2007 Shangri-La carnival parade. In my flickr photostream Chris Owens is almost as popular as Anderson Cooper–only the 3 photos I took of Cooper walking a dog in 2006 have been clicked more frequently.

If you’re from out of town and that link above to Chris Owens’ Wikipedia page insufficiently clarified the nature of her popularity, let me direct you to some posts I wrote in 2008 that reported on a blog war that erupted in New Orleans over Ms. Owens. Start here, then click over to here. It’s a fun story starring a theology professor and a pirate.

About the Author

Derek Bridges

Derek Bridges lives in New Orleans, trading in words and pictures. A carpetbagger of long standing, he grew up in the top right corner of IL and later went to college in the middle cornfield part. He has also lived in MS and FL, for educational purposes only, and was diasporized for a time in TX.

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