6 Comments

The really interesting thing about the newspaper story is what is leaves out. While taking a shot at the challenger for his tax evasion and his sensational ad (OK, two shots), the story avoids the question of just how old the “old” scandal at the Coroner’s Office actually is, and whether the Coroner’s employees made any money from the arrangement.The newspaper is clearly in the tank for the incumbent Coroner.

Why does the actor playing Dr. Minyard have an old-country Jewish accent?

Mike,

I get New Orleans TV stations and have seen the commercial. I think I heard the activity in question took place in the early 1990’s. Here is a link to a news piece in which both candidates are interviewed, and Dr. Minyard explains what happened.

http://www.wdsu.com/video/22410894/index.html

Ted-Many people who where born and raised in certain areas of the city have that accent, though they typically don’t speak in that cadence, if that is what you are referring to.

Completely tangential: Regarding the name of the paper Times-Picayune; why would anyone use picayune in their name?
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/picayune
I have never found any definition of the word picayune that has an even remotely flattering meaning.

Ted, he was probably supposed to sound like Dr. Frankenstein.

nevins,

Your answer, sir:
http://www.timespicayune.com/tphistory.html

“On January 25, 1837, The Picayune hit the streets of New Orleans named for the 6 ¼ cent Spanish coin it cost.”

“The Daily Picayune changed its name as it merged with several papers created in the wake of the Civil War. The Democrat, founded in 1875, annexed The Picayune’s bitter rival, The Times, in 1881 to form The Times-Democrat.
The Daily Picayune merged with it in 1914 to become The Times-Picayune.”

(Related: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/picayune
(formerly, in Louisiana, Florida, etc.) a coin equal to half a Spanish real.)