Events

ATHLETICS—Today, three ostensibly unaffiliated events cohere to make an airtight argument for the supremacy of American sport. In Puppy Bowl XI, we’ve got Team Ruff vs. Team Fluff. Kitten Bowl II brings three squads to the field: the Northpole Panthers and the Hallmark Hearties and Mountain Lions. And Super Bowl XLIX? Just the Seahawks against […]

ROLLER DERBY—The Rose City Rollers have a weekend filled with hard-hitting derby action. Friday, the up-and-comers of Portland’s league take on the Gorge. Saturday, it’s the High Rollers duking it out against last year’s champs the Break Neck Betties in the main event. And Sunday, the gals of the junior league will face a frosty […]

MUSIC—Composer Michael Giacchino has scored everything from Lost to The Incredibles, from Fringe to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. His best score, though, remains the one for J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek. Rousing and evocative, it occasionally riffs on the sounds of the classic TV series, but is far more interested in pushing […]

COMEDY—The reliably hilarious Patton Oswalt has a busy night tonight—one ending with a sold-out performance at the Newmark Theatre. But you know what isn’t sold out? His appearance just before that, at Powell’s, where he’ll be reading from his new memoir, Silver Screen Fiend, which charts both his early days as a stand-up and his […]

MUSIC—It’s unclear what “unplugged” means to the Blow. For this “unplugged” show, they claim their instruments will “employ a fair number of plugs, as well as a good amount of electricity. A lot of plugging and unplugging will be happening.” But because the duo of Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne make heart-stopping dollops of pop, […]

FILM—When it comes to action auteurs, there’s a godfather looming above all others: John Woo, whose hyper-kinetic Hong Kong action epics still stand as masterpieces. Tonight, the Hollywood’s showing a double feature of Woo’s two best movies, both starring the 100 percent badass Chow Yun-Fat: 1989’s noir-tinged The Killer and 1992’s ludicrously goofy Hard Boiled. […]

MUSIC—If the incredibly charming Vaselines were good enough for Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, back during their halcyon days in the late 1980s, then the Scottish garage pop duo’s expanded, grownup incarnation ought to be good enough for you, too. Especially in a cozier venue like the Doug Fir. DENIS C. THERIAULTw/Loch Lomond; Doug Fir, 830 E […]

GO-GO DANCE—Hope you’ve been polishing up your Batusi since last year’s swinging ’60s Batman-themed dance night Gotham a Go-Go. At the very least, you should be versed in the Batdance. Dress campy mod or as your favorite Catwoman (dibs on Julie Newmar!), watch the go-go dancers, and dance the night away to DJ Gregarious, the […]

COMEDY—Portland’s comedy explosion continues radiating outward and upward with the inclusion of Curious Comedy’s new monthly show, Minority Retort. Throwing the spotlight on funny folks of color (both local and national), this month’s comedy showcase debut features Katie Nguyen, Anthony Lopez, headliner Nathan Brannon, and more! WM. STEVEN HUMPHREYCurious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE MLK, 9:30 […]

READING—When it comes to being an all-around artist, nobody beats Miranda July. Filmmaker, performance artist, and app developer (!!), July is also a writer of the highest order, and her debut novel, The First Bad Man, is already the talk of the literary world. The story revolves around a woman who gives birth to a […]

WORDS—Studies show Aesop Rock has the largest vocabulary in hiphop. The Bay Area emcee’s lyrics are an intricately pretzeled mish-mash of cultural reference and is best experienced through headphones (density like that takes absorption). Rock dropped new material for the first time in a while, and he’s in town, so this is an easy call. […]