Yao Ming, the greatest Chinese basketball player ever, is hanging up his size 18 sneakers for good and retiring from the NBA. The enigmatic Ming had been devastated by a series of foot injuries—Blazers fans are well aware that big men have foot and knee problems—that never seemed to properly mend and he was limited […]
Ezra Ace Caraeff
Ezra Ace Caraeff is the former Music Editor for the Mercury, and spent nearly a third of his life working at the paper. More importantly, he is the owner of Olive, the Mercury’s unofficial office dog. His writing has appeared in The Fader, The Stranger, The Onion's A.V. Club, ESPN's TrueHoop network, and countless fanzines that are thankfully long out of print. He makes a mean tofu scramble and yes, Ace is really his middle name.
Posted inMusic
Richmond Fontaine to Release The High Country in September
It’s no secret, we’re kind of obsessed with Richmond Fontaine. Whether it’s fawning over Willy Vlautin’s three novels, or quietly hiding in a tree outside his bedroom window (Who is that other silhouette? I’LL STAB THEM!), we’re plaintiffs card carrying members of the Richmond Fontaine restraining order fanclub. That said, we’re pleased to announce that […]
Posted inMusic
This Week’s Mercury Music Section
Gillian Welch Another week, another Mercury music section to ignore as you watch the Australian television show Angry Boys which features an actor in black face playing the role of a rapper. How delightful! Gillian Welch is back, so that means all other Americana artists are no longer valid. Sorry guys.LISTEN: Gillian Welch – “The […]
Posted inName This Band
Name This Band: Blood on the Prance Floor Edition
I was totally going to make a “visit from Aunt Flo” joke until I realized that the dude was holding an axe. And why are they in Dexter Morgan’s room? Have at it.
Posted inNews
Casey Anthony Acquitted! Entenmann’s Guilty of Being Delicious!
Evidently Casey Anthony being found not guilty of murder is a big deal. So big in fact, the bakers of sweet cakes at Entenmann’s decided to weigh in on the results of the trial: Oops. The company has since pulled that tweet and just issued an apology and blamed it all on a hashtag mixup. […]
Posted inMusic
Redman Loves Fireworks
Rich Schultz for The New York Times Redman Has “Flower Power” We all know it’s literally impossible to go anywhere on the Eastern seaboard without running into an affiliate of the Wu-Tang Clan (everyone knows Kool G Rap works at the Sbarro’s counter at LaGuardia), which is why Redman made a surprise appearance on the […]
Posted inMusic
Let’s Party in the Blogtown Turntable.fm Room!
As your kid sister probably already told you, Turntable.fm is the greatest music site of the past ten minutes. Much like the month we were all obsessed with Muxtape, Turntable.fm turns everyone into a DJ (never a good idea) and lets you create “rooms” and play music online with your friends. Or complete strangers. Maybe […]
Posted inSports
NBA Players Want to Talk (and Rap) About Your Virginity
I’m not going to lie to you, the prospect of a long NBA lockout is making me really depressed. But don’t worry, no matter how down I feel I’m not going to do anything crazy—like have consensual sex with someone I love. Thanks to this totally-not-embarrassingly-outdated “It Ain’t Worth It” video, I know that NBA […]
Posted inSports
Lockout Coming: Say Goodbye to Basketball
Ain’t no cure for the NBA lockout blues Say goodbye to basketball for awhile. During a meeting this afternoon negotiations fell apart (when owners refused to take on the players in a high stakes game of one-on-one) meaning a NBA lockout is imminent. Today was the final day of the league’s collective bargaining agreement—as everyone […]
Posted inMusic
This Week’s Mercury Music Section
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you play a thrilling game of Metallica Monopoly. Ride the lightning, or the B&O, as Metallica Monopoly “takes the popular board game to a whole new level.” If you lose, no crying. This means you, Dave Mustaine. Black Joe Lewis […]
Posted inMusic
Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears Live for the Spotlight
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears live for the spotlight.