Old Town neighbors have turned on Erik Sten’s proposal to give the district $400 million in urban renewal money if they’ll agree to move forward with a day-access center for the homeless on “Block 25,” between 3rd and 4th at Flanders and Glisan in Northwest Portland. The neighbors—who seemed amenable to Sten’s idea immediately following […]
2008
Posted inNews
Fare Minded
TriMet Decides to Leave Fareless Square Intact For Now
Last December, TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen used his hour in front of the City Club’s weekly luncheon to make a big announcement: He had Fareless Square, an iconic symbol of Portland’s green and transit-friendly ways, in his crosshairs. As part of a several-step plan to “deal with issues of fare evasion, loud and intimidating […]
Posted inArt
Jesse Hayward
One None Done
When I visited Tilt last week to see Portlander Jesse Hayward’s installation, One None Done, it was clear the artist was taking the gallery’s role as a “project space” quite literally. Rather than display his work in a stable arrangement that would last the duration of the show, Hayward was frantically moving pieces around the […]
Posted inBooks
Triple Dare Reading Series
This Friday marks the inaugural event of the Triple Dare Reading Series, a joint venture from neighboring (and seemingly reinvigorated) indie stalwarts Reading Frenzy and the Independent Publishing Resource Center. If the premiere program is any indication, Triple Dare looks poised to set a new standard for well-rounded fun and quality smarts. Author Vendela Vida—better […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Alaska
One of the fantastic things about dance is that it doesn’t require translation. The emotions expressed in a successful dance performance come through clearly, regardless of where the work is created or performed. Though a few of us Pacific Northwesterners might argue the accuracy of the reference, the Alaska of Argentinean choreographer Diana Szeinblum’s imagining […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Believers
For the past several months, Fever Theater has researched cults and their followers, paying particular attention to the way that cult recruitment and brainwashing often invoke the apocalypse, and now Fever has built a show that draws on this recurring motif. Fever will be revisiting the show with an expanded design crew in March, so […]
Posted inLetters
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
EVERYONE SUFFERS DEAR MERCURY—In response to the article about the horrible death of Tracey Sparling [“Blind Spot of Justice?” Feature, Jan 17]: I am confident that the district attorney and the police department carried out a complete and thorough investigation regarding all of these unfortunate incidences. While my heart goes out to the pedestrians, bicyclists, […]
Posted inMovies & TV
This Week on Television
THURSDAY, JANUARY 24 8:00 ABC UGLY BETTY Season finale! Betty gets a plum interview with a famous novelist… except it’s not that famous novelist. 10:00 NBC CHUCK Season finale! Captain Awesome asks Chuck for Ellie’s hand in marriage. What… you’re going to say no to Captain Awesome? FRIDAY, JANUARY 25 10:00 USA PSYCH Shawn and […]
Posted inI Love Television
i♥television™
The State of the Robotic Union
My fellow Americans: We have a serious and potentially life-threatening problem facing our nation this week. Shockingly, the president of the United States has scheduled his State of the Union address to directly conflict with not one, but TWO of my fave new shows! First, there’s American Gladiators (a show which has already been proven—by […]
Posted inSold Out
Action/Re-Action
As I mentioned in last week’s Sold Out column [Jan 17], the Museum of Contemporary Craft is currently hosting two interesting jewelry shows, Framing: The Art of Jewelry and Touching Warms the Art. This week, local apparel designers are presenting a runway show of apparel responding to the Touching exhibit, titled “Action/Re-Action.” The lineup of […]
Posted inMusic
Just Say Yes
Yeasayer Devours Styles, Goes Pop
At first, Anand Wilder—who sings and plays just about everything in Brooklyn’s Yeasayer—might seem like your average guy who forms a rock band for predictable reasons. After all, he justifies his musical pursuits by explaining, (1) “It’s the only thing I’m good at,” (2) “It’s damn fun,” and (3) “It’s better than an office job.” […]