My, What a Busy Week!

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

LA dream popsters Great Northern combines
stargazing melodies, male/female vocals, and moody arrangements to make
bubbles of perfect pop that hit your sweet spot. Nobody else does
radio-friendly pop-rock as well, so see ’em tonight and swoon. NL

w/O+S, Jared Mees & the Grown Children; Holocene, 1001 SE
Morrison, 9 pm, $10

Amsterdam avant-garde dance choreographer Anouk
van Dijk pushes to dissolve the stage in her electrifying work
STAU. Lean dancers writhe over audience members and twist their
way through the close-packed crowd in this bizarre, innovative work.
SM

Oaks Park Dance Pavilion, 7805 SE Oaks Park, 8 pm, $16-26,
through March 20, whitebird.org

The ’70s were the golden age of American
filmmaking, and Hal Ashby’s The Last Detail is a shining
example. NW Film Center screens this superb tale of two foul-mouthed
Navy sailors (Jack Nicholson and Otis Young) assigned to transport a
third (Randy Quaid) to the brig. MV

Northwest Fil Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, 7 pm, $8

FRIDAY, MARCH 13

KUFO’s Cort and Fatboy have been showing
Battlestar Galactica at the Bagdad since January, and now that
we’re headed into the final two episodes(!), they’re pulling out the
big guns: Tonight’s screening will be attended by Starbuck herself,
actress Katee Sackhoff, who’ll watch the show, do a Q&A with fans,
and then reply to my marriage proposal with an enthusiastic “Yes!”
Okay, maybe not that last part. But still. Starbuck! Here!
Battlestar! EH

Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne, 10 pm, FREE, 21+

Steven Soderbergh is one of the best directors
working today, and his latest, Che, follows
revolutionary/T-shirt icon Che Guevara (Benicio Del Toro). Don’t let
its epic runtime dissuade you—Che is absolutely worth
seeing, especially since Soderbergh will be in town for three
screenings this weekend, talking about the making of the film and
answering your questions. EH

Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, Soderbergh in attendance Fri March 13 at
7 pm, Sat March 14 at 1:30 & 7 pm (for complete Che showtimes, see Movie Times), $11-13, 21+
for evening shows

Don’t be confused: Buck and Bounce is not a one
dollar show and it’s unrelated to animals. Rather, DJs Brice Nice and
Beyondadoubt will be showcasing two popular Southern rap styles that
originated in Memphis and New Orleans, respectively. It’s straight-up
crunk party music, so don’t miss the chance to buck and bounce a bit
yourself. KP

Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $3

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

Along with the Adult Soapbox Derby and
SantaCon, the Portland Urban Iditarod is one of our city’s greatest,
and funnest events. Teams of barking human “dogs” pull shopping
carts and “mushers” over a four-mile course (frequently stopping for
“refreshment” along the way). It’s wildly entertaining for everyone
involved, except, of course, for the cops. Hurry, registration
ends Thursday, March 12! WSH

11:30 am, mush at noon, $50/five person team; go to keepportlandweird.org/urbaniditarod for details and location

Rarely does the multi-level
Branx/Rotture space come together like it does tonight. On the bottom
floor: Kim Ann Foxman, from hotshit DFA act Hercules and Love Affair,
with a DJ set that will surely pack the tiny Branx showspace. Head up
the stairs to Rotture and you’ll find the one-year birthday of
Supernature, with a live set from Copy and an onslaught of
Portland’s best DJs. EAC

w/Linger and Quiet, DJ Linoleum; Branx, 320 SE 2nd, 10 pm, $7 (or
$10 for both shows); w/Hooliganship, DJ E*Rock, DJ BJ; Rotture, 315 SE
3rd, 9 pm, $5 (or $10 for both shows)

OPB’s radio revue Live Wire! turns five years old today, and they’re celebrating with a lineup that
includes know-it-all sex advice columnist Dan Savage and
potty-mouthed diva Storm Large, who promises a sneak peek at her
much-anticipated Portland Center Stage solo show.

w/Asylum Street Spankers, Stephanie Schneiderman, Keith
Schreiner; Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $20-30, all
ages

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

The Shamrock Run is tiered in such a way as to
cater to varying levels of capability, so the actual runners can run,
while bumbling drunks can walk, celebrate the novelty of being
up early, and then be passed back out on their faces 2 pm. MS

Registration at SW Naito & Stark, 6:30-9 am, $19-29; full
info at shamrockrunportland.com including
pre-registration and schedule

“Classic” theater can be downright
excruciating—but as the Northwest Classical Theatre Company
perennially reminds us, in the right hands the canon can seem as fresh
as the day it was written. Here, a festival of one acts by Chekhov
promise an accessible (yet highbrow!) way to while away a Sunday
afternoon. AH

Shoe Box Theater, 2110 SE 10th, 2 pm, $5

Lemony Snicket’s jocose new children’s
book, The Composer Is Dead, is a murder mystery with
scads of his signature wordplay and humor. Here, “jocose” means
Snicket is a stitch and he’ll leave you in them. “Scads” means
it’ll cost some scratch, but you get a copy of the book with
illustrations by Portland’s Carson Ellis, and a CD with music performed
by the San Francisco Symphony, narrated by Lemony himself! CF

Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills,
Beaverton, 2 pm, $17.99 (includes copy of the book)

MONDAY, MARCH 16

Tonight at Powell’s is Smallpressapalooza!,
a celebration of independent publishing featuring a diverse selection
of readings from the best writers, poets, and zinesters you’ve never
heard of, but aren’t likely to forget. MV

Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 5 pm, FREE

At Tube, every Monday is Ladies’
Night—with a twist. It’s Heavy Metal Ladies Night, and there’s
nothing hotter than a lady who knows her metal. Guest DJ Viva Las Vegas
joins the weekly Bad Reputation metal party for a night that is going
to rawk. NL

w/DJ Nate C; Tube, 18 NW 3rd, 9:30 pm, FREE

TUESDAY, MARCH 17

The Irish have been maligned for
centuries as tiny, drunken, green-clad folk who cling covetously to
pots full of gold doubloons, hidden at the rainbow’s end. This is
ludicrously false. In fact, they are giants. Celebrate their special
day by getting trashed. PAC

St. Patrick’s Day, everywhere, FREE to spectate, $????? to
participate

Hear Saturday morning NPR presenter Scott Simon’s
Midwestern purr in person at tonight’s Portland’s Arts & Lectures
talk. Purrrrrrrrrrrr. MD

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm,
$10

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

Depressed? Then the Oregon Dance and Drill
State Championships have three words for you: CHEER UP, LOSER! Don’t
miss this hilariously fun competition in which tightly choreographed
and flashy pep squads bring it on to see who is the goddamn cheeriest
squad in the state! With these guys around, who needs Zoloft? WSH

Memorial Coliseum, One Center Court, 5:30 pm, $10

Fact! Star Trek II: The Wrath of
Khan is a fucking awesome movie—whether you like
Star Trek or not, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a cooler,
funner sci-fi adventure flick. Featuring the late, majestic Ricardo
Montalban, the incomparable William Shatner, and mind-controlling Ceti
eels, Khan is one flick you’ll want to catch on the big
screen—especially since J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Trek reboot
is gonna be one of this summer’s biggest films. EH

Laurelhurst Theater, 2735 E Burnside, see Movie Times for showtimes, $3

The surprising hybrid live
action/animated film Toe Tactic by Emily Hubley features the music of Yo La Tengo
and the unusual plot device of having the lead character’s destiny
decided by four dogs from another dimension. MD

NW Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, 7 pm,
$8