Attention officemates: Here are some famous last words.
Bobby Roberts
Bobby Roberts is one of the Portland Mercury's calendar editors, as well as one of its film and pop-culture critics. His past career choices included joining corporate broadcast radio just in time for its death, and leaving the world of independent podcasting just before it blew up, but luckily for him there is nothing more stable in the 21st century than a career in alternative print media.
Posted inSnowpocalypse!!
A Newcomer’s Guide to Portland in the Winter!
It’s snowing! Snow and Portland enjoy a strange, wonderful relationship, and if you wish to celebrate the miracle of cold, puffy water falling slowly to the wet, unforgiving pavement in the way a real Portlander would, this is how you do it! IF INDOORS: Step 1: Lick the nearest window Well, maybe don’t go so […]
Posted inGeek
Round 2, FIGHT! The Latest in the Three-Way Nerdfight for Portland’s Pop-Culture Fanatics
This year, a few days before FlashPoint Media launched their inaugural Rose City Comic-Con, Wizard World announced they were going to throw their own pop-culture party in Portland. You’d think the movie-loving, comics-reading, cosplaying, role-playing, bearded filking consumer masses would take such news with unbridled joy, but in fact, a lot of people found it […]
Posted inSports
Blazers vs. Spurs, and the Curious Case of LaMarcus Aldridge: A Prelude to Tonight’s Game
“And your name is “You’re wanting.” You can’t play the man’s game, you can’t close them? Go home and tell your wife your troubles. ‘Cause only one thing counts in this world: Get them to sign on the line which is dotted.” — Alec Baldwin, motivational speaker, collector of metal genitals, All-Star voter. As Mike […]
Posted inNews
The Oregon Zoo Was Totally Gonna Get Around to That Whole “We Sold The Baby Elephant Before She Was Born” Thing.
KPTV UPDATED WITH STATEMENTS FROM OREGON ZOO’S PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW I’m sure the Oregon Zoo meant to let us in on the fact the baby elephant they’ve been crowing about for the past few days might not actually stay. I’m sure they were just waiting for the conversation to lead to a natural segue about […]
Posted inMusic
Close Shaving Razor Technology Rends Asunder All Hopes of Outkast Reunion
In the early 2000s, more than a few hip hop heads regarded Outkast as the pokemon-esque evolution of A Tribe Called Quest, a southern-fried leveling-up of the lyrical interplay, musical adventurousness, and laid-back charm that made the Tribe a mainstay in many CD decks. And then Andre started getting goofy, and Big Boi surpassed him […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Skyfall Officially Joins the Ranks of Bond Theme Songs. But Should it Have?
Adele has finally assumed her position as Bond chanteuse. It had been foreseen as soon as she arrived in the public eye, and was guaranteed with the unceremonious fall of Amy Winehouse, the only other presumptive heiress to Shirley Bassey’s crown. A snippet had been released earlier in the week, prompting all manner of twitter […]
Posted inDoctor Who?!
Doctor Who Recap: Your Poor, Huddled, Weeping Masses
“How can they make these things scary anymore?” I asked. I’m an idiot. BOBBY: With the gentlest of taps on the shoulder, we close the book on “The Angels Take Manhattan,” season seven’s half-season finale, and the end of the Ponds’ tenure as companions to the Eleventh Doctor. But so many questions at the beginning […]
Posted inGeek
A New Challenger Has Entered! The Oregon Comic-Con Stomps Into Existence
image via Wonder Northwest, a local pop-culture expo. The running joke is that roughly two-thirds of the comics industry either lives here, wants to live here, or is sending their work through here to get it sold to the half-million people not-so-carefully spooning money into the drooling mouth of an industry that suffered a debilitating […]
Posted inArtsy
Trek in the Park: Your Unofficial Tips ‘n’ Tricks Player’s Guide!
photo by Kenna Conklin The full cast of Trek in the Park: Journey to Babel So, you’re thinking of attending the nationally-recognized theater phenomenon that is Trek in the Park, produced by Atomic Arts, but you’re a little daunted at the prospect of driving out to St. Johns, and navigating the crowd of thousands who […]
Posted inMovies & TV
NERD RAGE: Mindless List on Internet Riles Up Comics Fans to Extraordinary Degree With Horrendously Wrong Opinions
When last I took the time to publicly respond to the wrongness of a much-disseminated internet list, it was wonderful person Jill Pantozzi’s fun little bit of fancasting for a completely hypothetical Star Trek: The Next Generation reboot. This time, however, the focus of my indignant nerd ire is pointed at comics monolith Newsarama.com, for […]
Posted inMovies & TV
There, and Back Again. And Again. And Once More.
Because money, that’s why. Erik posted last week that Peter Jackson was thinking of turning The Hobbit into a trilogy of films. Today, Jackson made it official. His reasoning for taking a kids’ book that runs a little over 300 pages, and stretching it out to fill three films (at two-and-a-half hours apiece) is thus: […]