Excellent, guys. Prytania Theatre's been making enough money from its classic movie series to add more to the roster:

A Clockwork Orange (1971), starring Malcolm McDowell and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Anthony Burgess' novel. (This is a very hard R, parents.) August 14.

An American in Paris (1952), Oscar winner for Best Picture, directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. August 16-19.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), classic MGM musical directed by Stanley Donen. August 23-26.

The King and I (1956), directed by Walter Lang and starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. August 30- September 2.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962 - and my favorite of the bunch), starring Gregory Peck with a screenplay for Horton Foote's adaptation of Harper Lee's classic novel. September 6-9.

Singin' in the Rain (1952), the best of the MGM musicals, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debby Reynolds. September 13-16.

Hello, Dolly (1969), starring Walter Matthau and Barbra Streisand and directed by Gene Kelly. September 20-23.

New Orleans hurricane preparation can make all the difference to your property and to your life. Protect yourself, your family, your home, and your pets from wind and flood damage by drawing on the many resources available from local, state, and federal agencies.

The French Market will celebrate National Farmers' Market Week (August 2-8, 2009) by offering free Louisiana-grown peaches (one per person) and free lemonade (one cup per person) on Friday, August 7th from 12 - 2 p.m. at French Market Produce, just inside the French Market arch at Ursuline and N. Peters Streets.

During the same two hours, Washboard Chaz & St. Louis Slim will offer live music. There will also be a stiltwalker dressed as Carmen Miranda, and an artist juggling fruits and vegetables. I'm pretty sure one of those balloon animal guys will show up too.

In what is supposedly a move to "protect" artists in the French Quarter, New Orleans has decided to enforce an old law banning artists from selling prints in the Jackson Square area.

The main debate regarding this action has centered around economics and the tourism industry. Evidently, the city counsel feels that tourists are only interested in getting their art cheap and cannot understand the difference between original and replicated works.

But a more central issue to me is the idea that art not made "by hand" is somehow not really art. The current ban affects the sale of lithographs, serigraphs, computer-generated art, collages, and many other forms of artistic expression.

While I'm working on a proper article on this subject, I'm asking any New Orleans artists to weigh in on the matter here. Should there be a ban? If so, how should it be defined?