Val Kilmer ushered in Fat Tuesday as this year’s King of Bacchus, and as the honorary King of Mardi Gras, he also made a visit to the New Orlean’s Children’s Hospital. The King, I mean Kilmer, visited kids on every floor of Louisiana’s only full-service hospital dedicated to treating children, a royal tradition dating back 25 years. And while I’m not sure why the Krewe of Bacchus chose Val, apart from when he filmed Deja Vú in the city with Denzel Washington (“We had so much fun, blowing stuff up”), I’m sure the children were overjoyed when they saw this guy coming down the hall to visit them:

Spectacular!  Val Kilmer is alright in my book.  You can learn more about previous King’s of  Bacchus and more Mardi Gras parade history here, and takepart by supporting the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans.

Photo: Nola Agent’s Flickr Photostream (creative commons)