THURSDAY, JANUARY 13

MUSIC--It's a regular Evergreen College reunion (ova here!) as a slew of former Olympians--Mirah, the Blow, and Nomy Lamm--share their impassioned wares. Of course you know Mirah, and (according to Willamette Week) you've already forgotten about the Blow, so tonight's surprises come in the form of "bad-ass, fat-ass, Jew, dyke, amputee" Nomy Lamm's new project Tricrotic--along with the queer-centric hiphop of Rigamortis. ZP
Nocturnal, 1800 E Burnside, 7:30 pm, $10, All Ages

LOVELAB--This week's Low Dough Show is for the lovers of the world: a Mercury personals singles party with the Champagne Cowboys, and prizes from Spartacus! Our own Wm. Steven Humphrey will host a little trivia, plus a dating game, hosted by moi. MS
Dante's, 1 SW 3rd, 9:30 pm, $5

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14

MOVES--In Wayne McGregor's hugely successful London-based dance company Random Dance, dancers find themselves in an eerie futuristic world of shimmering light and shadow, flailing against round after round of McGregor's punishing movement sequences. The results are terrifyingly beautiful, like some nightmarish offspring of Philip K. Dick and George Balanchine. JWS
PSU's Lincoln Hall, SW Park & Market, 790-ARTS, Thurs-Sat 8 pm, $14-25

FLAMENCO--There is a steamy underbelly of Spanish dance-lovers in this town set to erupt in a cloud of sexy rhythm. Light the fuse tonight at the debut performance of the Lorca Project, a group of local Flamenco heavyweights who have banded together to weave Flamenco dance, music, and poetry into a seamless blend of cross-cultural fun. JWS
Nocturnal, 1800 E Burnside, 8 pm, $15

SATURDAY, JANUARY 15

MOVIE TRIVIA--As anyone who's seen a fight break out at Movie Madness knows, there ain't nothin' funnier than seeing movie geeks have at each other. Tonight should be a lot of fun, then, with The Ultimate Film Fanatic Challenge--the live version of the Independent Film Channel's film trivia series. And if you're a movie buff yourself, well jump on in, and maybe win a prize or two… like, oh, say… a trip to the Cannes Film Festival! EH
Ringler's Pub, 1332 W Burnside, 6-10 pm, FREE

MUSIC--Unlike all those cloying, annoying couples you know, Anita and Kevin did something useful with their marriage by forming Viva Voce, a gently eclectic pop duo whose new record, The Heat Can Melt Your Brain, sums up love's eternal sunshine. MS
w/Aqueduct, Mondernstate; Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $8

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16

BREAKFAST N' BOOZE--The self-proclaimed "best every third Sunday afternoon dance party in Portland," Breakfast of Champions, celebrates its one-year anniversary with more comedy skits, more cartoons, and more early afternoon alcohol-fueled dancing with DJ Sir Round. Be hungover by dinnertime and feel good about it. KS
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, cartoons and comedy skits 1-3 pm, Dance Party 3-7 pm, $3

MUSIC--With a career spent running in some of music's stranger circles, East Berlin-born chanteuse Nina Hagen is one of the most distinct (and oft-ignored) voices of the Euro-philic 1980s. Faux-operatic, dramatic, and completely ridiculous--Hagen is rare in these parts (this is the only Northwest appearance of her tour), and deserves a good chunk of your Sunday night. ZP
Dante's, 1 SW 3rd, 1-800-992-8499, 9 pm, $20

MONDAY, JANUARY 17

PROPS--Alright, asshole. Sure, you get the day off from work. And yeah, you appreciate the evils of racism and all that. But instead of just using today as an excuse for watching paternity tests on Montel and getting sloshed at 11 AM, how about actually appreciating what the day's about? Hit the Clinton St. for three short films about Martin Luther King, Jr. : Great Americans: Martin Luther King, Legacy of a Dream, and Martin Luther King, Jr.: Man of Peace. EH
Clinton St. Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, 9 pm, $6

DANCE!--In this issue of the Mercury, we're doing our best to inspire our readership to lift their flabby asses and leap into ACTION. And if Monday night action is what you're looking for, don't miss what's quickly becoming the hottest dance night in town: 2X4 on the Floor at the Doug Fir. Featuring the spin-ations of DJ Evil One and DJ Izm, this floor is packed with hotties shaking their sugar for FREE to the best in old school hip hop, electronica and more! WSH
Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 10 pm-2 am, free

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18

READING--Three cheers for Oregon authors! Local scribe Laurie Lynn Drummond's semi-autobiographical short story collection, Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You, about life as a female cop on the Baton Rouge police force, is both compellingly experimental and remarkably interesting. Be entertained and edified at Laurie's reading tonight. KS
Twenty-Third Avenue Books, 1015 NW 23rd, 7:30 pm, free

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19

OPERAOKE--Even if you don't like opera, surely you can get behind watching young opera enthusiasts do their best to perform karaoke versions of opera classics. The Bel Canto Club, an offshoot of the Portland Opera designed to appeal to a younger crowd, is hosting an all-karaoke version of Madame Butterfly with special guests including NPR's Ketzel Levine. If that doesn't get you, maybe the free sushi and sake will.
Bush Garden, 900 SW Morrison, 6 pm, $20, free for Bel Canto members, RSVP at 417-0591