Because (and only because) some of you still want to know these things, Portlandia returns tonight (Friday, Jan 4, 10 pm) for its third season on IFC with two new back-to-back episodes. (Or in other words, twice the not-funny!) Here’s a clip in which the primary joke is about people (presumably Portland people) who get […]
Portland
Posted inFashion
Nights, Camera, Action: The Candids of Nightlifer Minh Tran
Minh Tran has long been a regular contributor to the pages and pixels of the Merc. I imagine he must go out eight nights a week, specializing as he does in the exploits of pretty party people, and yet he always seems composed and well rested, and supposedly has a day job, too. Some guys […]
Posted inPortland
Good Advice for 2013 from Portland’s Best Bodega
The Belmont Bodega on SE 25th and Belmont always has excellent phrases stuck across its front window. I liked their wisdom on New Years’ Eve.
Posted inPortland
Aquarium? More like a “Fish Petting Zoo”!
I went to the brand-new Portland Aquarium last week expecting it to be an abysmal scam, instead finding it to be a surprisingly cute and interactive place that was marginally better than what I expected from an aquarium built in six months in a former steakhouse. But I want to post an excerpt from a […]
Posted inPortland
Alien Boy to (Finally) Premiere at PIFF
Surely you remember Alien Boy, the documentary about one of the Portland Police Bureau’s darkest hours, when James Chasse Jr. was brutally beaten (16 broken ribs, 26 total broken bones, 1 punctured lung) and died in police custody in 2006. Matt Davis was on the Mercury news team at the time, and covered the event […]
Posted inPortland
Producers Portland: Last Minute Savior
Most of the big, local-focused shopping fairs have come and gone, so if you’re still struggling to finish your last-minute shopping (or looking for some special dranks for the big day(s)), here’s one of your very last chances, for real this time. Producers Portland is a small clutch of micro producers trafficking in wine, booze, […]
Posted inPortland
Backspace, Facing New Year’s Eviction Deadline, Looking to Raise Cash
Backspace—Old Town’s beloved gallery/coffee shop/music venue/community center—is facing a January 1 eviction deadline, owner Eric Robison says, after his landlords told him he had two weeks to pay up on his overdue rent or make way for an unidentified new tenant. Robison’s only way out? He’s asking the people who hold Backspace dear to help […]
Posted inPortland
Meet Jon Dutch (If You Haven’t Already)
A few weeks back, I attended the PDX Strippies, an annual performance and awards show celebrating the people—not just dancers, but the cooks, DJs and cocktail servers, too—who make Portland’s strip club industry tick. As is reflected in the clubs, the majority of the performers who danced in between award announcements were women. However, just […]
Posted inPortland
Like So Many Logs on the Fire, the Holiday Shopping Season Burns On and On
Not one, not two, but three additions to our weekly roundup of notable shopping events: 1) Palace is having their first annual December shopping event this Sunday, with DJ MSG, Sweedeedee pies, bubbly, and special guests Red Clouds Collective, OLO Fragrance, and Wolf Honey. Plus, past season merch (Karen Walker, Baggu, Cheap Monday, Butter London, […]
Posted inPortland
Coming Soon to the Hollywood Theatre: A Beautiful New Marquee
As we told you and told you again, the historic/still relevant Hollywood Theatre is raising money on Kickstarter to replace its decrepit circa-1970s marquee with a recreation of the original 1926 design. Today they announced that they’ve exceeded their $55k goal (the total was over $60k as of this writing), which means we’ll be seeing […]
Posted inPortland
Is Hometown TV Show Leverage Out the Door?
Of the three TV shows that are shot here in Portland, Leverage has been here the longest (since 2008)… but according to TV Guide, it might be on it’s way out. Executive producer and director Dean Devlin penned a letter to the TNT drama’s longtime fans about the unknown future of the series. In the […]
Posted inPortland
The Hollywood’s Marquee Fundraiser Is Preeeetty Close to Succeeding
About a month ago we called your attention to the Hollywood Theatre‘s launch of a Kickstarter campaign (something we do very sparingly) to replace its marquee, which is leaking, causing other damage to the building, and just generally falling apart. The proposed replacement is based on the original, which opened with the theater in 1926—an […]