Chicago stand-up Rebecca O’Neal was a highlight of day one. Pat Moran Well, the comedy onslaught is here. Are you ready? I’m not. I feel weak as a kitten. Commence inner pep talk. The Bridgetown Comedy Fest started one full day early this year for five straight days of jokes about doughnuts, strippers, pot dispensaries […]
Courtney Ferguson
Mercury copy chief and appreciator of the most sophisticated form of comedy: PUNS!
Posted inMovies & TV
There’s More to Life and Death Than the Looming Dread of the Ancient Ones
At least that’s what Gwen Callahan has discovered when it comes to programming film festivals—not all horror flicks fit into Cthulhu’s tentacled purview. As co-director of the HP Lovecraft Film Festival since 2011, Callahan wanted to expand our horror universe—and that’s how this week’s debut of the Portland Horror Film Festival came to be. “Each […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Portland’s Horror Film Fest Pushes the Boundaries
A Two-Day Bonanza of Scary Movies!
A two-day bonanza of scary movies!
Posted inBooks
Kindhearted Author Joe Hill Talks Plague Novels and Comic Books
Not even a pandemic of spontaneous combustion can make me stop raving about Joe Hill’s Locke & Key. The horror comic-book series followed the Locke family, who moved to their ancestral home, the magical Key House, after the brutal murder of their father. For its nearly six-year run, readers pored over the story’s huge central […]
Posted inArchitecture
The Mausoleum (AKA The Coolest Place Ever) Is Open on Monday!
Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Courtney Ferguson It’s almost here! Memorial Day is the one day of the year that the Wilhelm Mausoleum (6705 SE 14th) opens to the public. Monday’s open house is from 11 am-6 pm (may close earlier depending on crowds). There’s usually popcorn, and more urns, miles of memorials, and shag carpet than […]
Posted inBooks
Joe Hill’s Still on Fire with New Novel The Fireman
The Author Talks Plague Novels and Comic Books
The author talks spontaneous combustion, influences, and Locke & Key.
Posted inComedy
Ahead of His Portland Show, Scott Aukerman Discusses Seven Years of Comedy Bang! Bang!
Yes, we chose this press image because there’s a horse in it. CHRIS RAGAZZO/IFC 2014 Guests must follow rules on the popular podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! Mainly, they’re to be as funny as possible, but there are other, lesser formalities. When playing “Would You Rather,” for instance, everyone must wait until host Scott Aukerman closes […]
Posted inPodcast
Scott Aukerman on Seven Years of Comedy Bang! Bang!
The Live Podcast Hits Town
The podcast hits town with Paul F. Tompkins and Lauren Lapkus in tow.
Posted inPizza Week
Pizza Week Preview: Roman Candle Baking Co.’s “Loaded Baked Potato”
Courtney Ferguson Every college student (and Idahoan) knows that a baked potato is an affordable, filling meal, and delicious to boot. Chef Chris Robertson also knows this, and Roman Candle’s Loaded Baked Potato is a crew favorite for shift-off. It’s piled high with everything that makes the tuber a perennial favorite: succulent bacon, bright green […]
Posted inPizza Week
Pizza Week Preview: Atlas Pizza’s “Whiskey-Soaked Smoked Brisket Pizza”
Courtney Ferguson Atlas Pizza combines two great tastes in this BBQ meets ’za creation. This pie is a slightly spicy, cheese-packed hit of Southern summer. Sitting atop a nicely cooked crust are layers of smoked provolone, roasted bell peppers, caramelized onions, and the not-so-secret ingredient: a savory, boozy braised brisket. Atlas tops off their special […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Tonight & Tomorrow: Barry Gifford & Wild at Heart
THIS WEEK we get a double dose of Barry Gifford’s many talents. Tonight, Gifford reads from his new book, Writers, at Powell’s. His slim new book is a collection of short plays, starring famous writers acting up. Ernest Hemingway gets blitzed with baseball players in Cuba. Jane Bowles carouses at a hotel bar in New […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Tonight at the Hollywood: Guy Maddin and The Saddest Music in the World
There are few weirdos better than a Canadian-film-director weirdo. Americans know David Cronenberg as the most visceral of Canuck oddballs, but what do we know about beloved cult director Guy Maddin? Did you know he’s like a knight or something in Manitoba, thanks to his films Archangel, My Winnipeg, and The Forbidden Room? But while […]