The Voodoo Music Experience was reportedly sold by longtime producer Stephen Rehage reportedly to a large dance music-oriented live music conglomerate, according to a Billboard Magazine report. Robert F.X. Sillerman's SFX Entertainment added Voodoo, along with other four other companies, to its portfolio, according to the report.

The Voodoo Music and Art Experience has come and gone, but Voodoo Fest is fast approaching. For fourteen years, Voodoo Authentica (612 Dumaine) has hosted a free daylong series of events to honor the Voodoo religion for its contributions to New Orleans’ culture, encourage the preservation of the practice, and educate those who may only know of Voodoo through its oversimplified and often erroneous presentation in media.

If you’re an avid festival-goer, you’ve camped out at Bonnaroo and Red Rocks, pretending for one weekend that real life no longer applies. This year some Voodoo festers get in on the pitch, packing their overnight bags and a cooler full of Bud Light and setting up shop just minutes from their favorite artists.

Neil Young is getting to ride the Horse once again. But first, he'll tweet. On Friday, the legendary rocker will once again wield his axe with Crazy Horse at City Park to close out the first day of the Voodoo Music Experience. The gig comes on the eve of the first new Neil Young and Crazy Horse record in nearly a decade, Psychedelic Pill (now streaming here). Amid all this latest activity  - which also includes the release of his memoir - Young got hip to the Twitter. Today, fans have a chance to pick his brain.

Green Day left a void in the Voodoo Music Experience schedule when they announced they were bowing out earlier this week. But the blank didn't stick around for long. This afternoon, the fest announced Metallica will be filling the Oct. 27 headlining slot, closing out the night at the Le Ritual stage for close to three hours. The infamous metal band is in its third decade of performing. From Lou Reed to New Orleans' own Soul Rebels, the quartet has been no stranger to collaborations and guest spots recently.

Updated: 3.1.12, 6:30 p.m.

The reactions and prayers are flowing today for conservative pundit and new media guru Andrew Breitbart, who passed away at the age of 43 today. Turns out, the man who helped make Weinergate may not only have been relying on ingenuity. He was a proponent of the gris gris as well. As The Other McCain relays, the Tulane grad was known on at least one occasion to regale all who would listen with tales of voodoo's past. Not bad for a guy who was known around the University area for "rollerblading around campus in derby shorts, and making proud shows of his lack of intellectual curiosity," as Alternet tells it.

Music fans got their gris gris for Halloween, and it seems to be working in their favor. Not only is there a huge fest in City Park. But, at night, superbills span across the city's clubs. Tonight's lineup includes a huge Halloween fest on St. Claude, an all-night afterparty at Howlin' Wolf and, naturally, Rick Ross. Click through for details.

The rides are up and the rider lists have been submitted. It's time, once again, for Voodoo fest in City Park. To help you navigate all those squares, NoDef has compiled our picks for where to go each day of the fete. Don't be scared, click "Read More" to check it out.

Even though the out of town acts get prime billing, Voodoo fest has plenty of locals. Often, the NOLA acts play alongside these national acts. But, other times they're billed on opposite stages. Today, the namesake of Mynameisjohnmichael talks about being in both of these positions.

Over the weekend, producers did a dry run of Voodoo fest. Those passing City Park would be excused for failing to notice, however, as the proceedings ran only on the Interweb. As a result of this second life simulation, the schedule is now completely filled out, and the fantasy fest seshes can now begin. (Find the full grids here.) The spectre of schedule conflicts haunts any festival rollout, but those aren't today's big news. Instead, it's all the big names that appear on the ground's smaller stages.