• The musical Wicked is 12 years old. It's wicked old. But Trent Moorman's interview with head witch Alyssa Fox (she plays Elphaba in the production that just landed in Portland) makes the ancient fascinating. Does the Wicked Witch of the West tan? What's her damage with Dorothy? Does an off-duty witch still have a witchy laugh? Answers to these (and more!) in Moorman's delightful interview.

• In December of 2013, campy champion John Waters told our own Courtney Ferguson that he'd hitchhiked across the country. Today, we have written proof of his journey, the new memoir Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America. Courtney Ferguson was obviously the only person for the job of reviewing it, and her piece is a Water-y rhinestone of a gem. Or maybe it's more like a bedazzled pocket square? IDK. A sampling, emphasis mine, because, wow:

Peppered with funny bits about his fondness for hitchhiking as a young man (with Patty Hearst! "'He made me do it,' Patty deadpanned" to a driver who picked them up), Carsick is surprisingly candid about some of Waters' most deep-seated fears. "Can I really give up the rigid scheduling I'm so used to in real life? Me? The ultimate control freak who plans, weeks ahead, the day I can irresponsibly eat candy?" These fears also include, but are not limited to: recycling zealots, heroin hags, infected DIY tattoos, unplanned bowel evacuations, and losing his mustache pencil.

Oh, just go read the whole thing. Bless you, John Waters!

• "We're keeping all the good vibes and Aerosmith-style sweet emotions from year one, that's for sure," says Jed Arkley, co-founder of the Stumptown Improv Festival, in our preview of the delights awaiting you at Milagro Theatre this weekend. Arkley and fellow fest organizers Erin Jean O'Regan and Leon Anderson have mapped out the whole festival for you, with pro-tips for all, whether you're an improv first-timer (LUCKY YOU) or a rabid scholar of sketch comedy. Temple Lentz and I will be covering the whole damn thing for Blogtown. See you there!