Just another reason to love, love, LOVE the Conan O’Brien Show.

We had to cut it for space reasons, but this week Adam wrote a great (and wholly accurate) film short about Steve Martin’s brilliant The Jerk, which screens at the Artistery tonight:

Remember when Steve Martin was funny? Yeah, I know, it’s been a long time—before most of us were alive, I’m thinkin’. But when he was on, the guy was unstoppable. In 1979’s The Jerk, Mr. Bringing Down the House plays Navin R. Johnson, a huge moron that was “born a poor black child.” Only he’s white—incredibly so. It’s dead-on hilarious slapstick, social commentary, and—most of all—shows Steve Martin’s comic skills chopping like a damn Ginzu knife. Just lava-hot funny. Insert cliché about the mighty falling here. ADAM GNADE

The Jerk, at the Artistery (4315 SE Division), 8 pm, $3 recommended donation, w/ proceeds going to the SHAC 7.

The Oregonian doesn’t believe the Portland Business Alliance (PBA’s) position on the sit/lie ordinance. Larry Norton says he “isn’t buying” PBA boss Mike Kuykendall’s position on the new sit/lie ordinance. “I just happen to believe the PBA is out of touch with reality and too much of a force in Portland politics,” he writes. Kuykendall is featured in the February 1st edition of Street Roots, above, and argues that the sit/lie ordinance will be good for everyone in Portland, including the homeless. But there’s suspicion from Norton, and others, that the PBA will say and do anything to get the ordinance on the books. Thanks to Street Roots director Israel Bayer for the link, who has remained reasonable in the face of considerable anger on this morning’s post about a possible tax on house sales to fund affordable housing in Oregon. For example, “Cabbie,” writes:

Screw these professional beggars. I have no sympathy whatsoever for people who make it their life’s ambition to live solely off of the hard work of others without ever lifting a finger themselves. They will never get a dime from me. These parasites should all starve to death in the freezing fucking cold, and I mean that without a trace of irony.

Seeing such a view openly expressed without apology is a little shocking. But is it fair to link such an outlook with the position of the business alliance? Is the PBA interesting for what it’s not saying, for what some suggest is an unspoken agenda, to simply sweep the streets clean of our homeless, or does the PBA genuinely have Portland’s best interests at heart? The O isn’t buying it, but I’m still undecided. Is it ever possible to compromise where making laws about the treatment of a city’s homeless is concerned?

In a happy coincidence with Valentine’s Day, this week you’re going to meet some exciting singles on 3-Minute Limit. Check out tracks from DC Snipers, The Tampoffs, and MORE! Click here to listen.

This is beautiful. Watch it with the volume turned way up.

Many thanks to my friend Ezra, whom I am only friends with because he sends me great trailers.

If I ever get busted for the numerous felonies I commit on the daily, I’m definitely calling this guy!

Have you or someone you know been accused and/or convicted of a crime and face possible incarceration? Does the thought of time in prison scare the hell out of you? Regardless of what you may have seen on TV or in the movies, prison is a completely different reality than you are used to. For someone going into prison for the first time, overwhelming is an understatement; prison is downright DANGEROUS for a first-timer. The only way to have any confidence in surviving prison is knowing how to act, and what to expect. Dr. Prison gives you this knowledge, and knowledge is the key!

Whether you’re rich, poor, old, young, famous or an average Joe, Dr. Prison wants to give you the know-how to get through prison. Dr. Prison knows prison life, not as a mere spectator like a lawyer or judge, but as someone who has served extensive time in several prisons. Dr. Prison’s consultation is not based on some “prison logic” from television or movies, but personal experience with enduring all facets of prison life. Furthermore, the information, knowledge, and educated advice from Dr. Prison will not merely give you confidence; it WILL save your life.

The new trailer for Hot Fuzz—the latest comedy from the Shaun of the Dead guys—just hit. Click here to watch it. (It’s worth the click, trust me.)

Goddamn, I wish this movie was here. Like now. Right now. (Clearly, that Valentine’s Day release date is a lie. Maybe it’s true for those filthy bastards in England. For us, we’ll have to wait a bit longer.)

Thanks to AICN for the tip.

You’re a lot like me. This whole overwhelming ANNA NICOLE coverage is kind of creeping you out, and yet is strangely fascinating. Then after getting your Anna Nicole fix, you automatically feel dirty, and try to rationalize that guilt by wondering, “Isn’t there more IMPORTANT stories the media could be covering?” Well, the answer to that is “NO.” Unfortunately, the media knows how torn you are over the subject, and will therefore keep feeding you more juicy Anna Nicole tidbits until you are cured of your sick addiction.
On behalf of “the media,” we’re sorry—but it’s the only way.
HOWEVER! I’m more than happy to include “more important” stories as well as “creepy Anna Nicole” stories (of course, once again, “more important” is highly subjective… but what are ya gonna do?).

First? “MORE IMPORTANT” NEWS
• From the AP… A “very damning” report by the Defense Department’s inspector general depicts a Pentagon that purposely manipulated intelligence in an effort to link Saddam Hussein to al-Qaida in the runup to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, says the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

• From AOL News… Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who will announce Saturday that he’s running for the Democratic presidential nomination, says the brevity of his political résumé is his “greatest strength.”

• Paris Hilton was spotted bawling like a baby while shopping— for edible underwear. Says a source for I’m Not Obsessed.com, “[Paris] was going round the shop talking to someone on the phone and crying - she kept wiping her nose with a tissue. She picked up an edible bikini set, vibrating pink tickler and some raunchy Lovehearts.”

UNIMPORTANT AND KINDA CREEPY ANNA NICOLE NEWS:

• From Breitbart.com… The husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor said Friday that he had a decade- long affair with Anna Nicole Smith and may be her infant daughter’s father. Wait… WHAT?!

• According to the cops, no illegal drugs were found in Anna Nicole’s room, and she did NOT choke to death on her own vomit. Good to know.

• Everybody rest easy… boxing promoter DON KING will be holding a press conference to discuss Anna Nicole’s death. And maybe to bring up the fact that so called “more important” news loses to “Anna Nicole” news by a knockout?

Dear Merc –Why on earth did you print that pathetic diatribe from the “Roller Hater?” The Rose City Rollers exhibition bout against Seattle’s Rat City Rollergirls was an utterly entrancing spectacle of pageantry, camp, and hard-core skating skillz from start to finish! Sluts? There were sluts? Damn. I missed them. Uh, the fishnet comment above proves undeniably that these women are not insecure. Have YOU ever been in public in fishnets? Takes guts, my friend. Come on, ‘fess up. Which rollergirl rebuffed your lame attempt to pick her up at the after party?

That was Alice Passannante, who writes to complain about this week’s I anonymous, which says:

Have we as a city regressed to such a moronic state that we are moved by such horribly simple displays of stimuli; a bunch of sluts in fishnet stockings turning left for 20 minutes? Okay, maybe it’s not so bad; it gives some insecure women a place to showcase their underdeveloped athletic talents, and exploit themselves to a bunch of drunken moronic men.

Personally, I’ve always been into women playing sports. If those women happen to be wearing fishnets, all the better, but I don’t think it makes them “sluts.” Slut is such a great word, though, isn’t it. It’s the worst possible insult my mother would use, after all the others, if she really hated one of my many many many girlfriends. “She’s a slut, Matthew,” she’d say. And that was it. Game over. I’d take her word for it and ditch the lady in question. (My mother and I are very close. It’s a British thing). ANYWAY. Let’s get scientific and objective, here:

From SOHH Soulful:
Friday - February 9, 2007 by Jolene “foxxylady” Petipas

?uestlove of The Roots has revealed that he will be serving as the main producer on the forthcoming album from legendary soul singer Al Green.

According to the Philly-bred beatmaker, who spoke to Billboard recently, the album has been in making for two years and should be wrapped up by September.

?uest divulged that he has a very specific sound in mind for the album but he has met some resistance from the overseers of the project who feel Green should collaborate with today’s artists to appeal to a younger audience.

“If it were up to me and it was absolutely totalitarianism, I would live all my derivative fantasies out on this record
“I’m trying to get them out of that mode,” he continued. “It’ll be a struggle but I think at the end of the day it will be a quality record.”

The album, which will be released via Blue Note Records, will be Green’s thirty seventh CD, including his greatest hits compilations.

Al Green performing an acoustic vesion of “Simply Beautiful” (youtube)
?uest’s amazing record collection (youtube)

I just got back from the Broadway Metroplex, where I was supposed to see an 11 am PIFF screening of Zoo—a film about a real life horse-fucking “club” that was discovered near Seattle two years ago. I’m excited to see it—I know the guy who wrote it, Charles Mudede (we worked together at the Stranger), and I loved his last film, Police Beat. And I know enough about the story the film tells that I’m interested to find out more. (I’ve heard the film isn’t gratuitous, though, or filled with horse fucking footage. It was one of 16 out of 856 documentaries submitted to Sundance that made it into the film festival.)

Just as the lights dimmed, I got a text message from our film editor, Erik, delivering bad news: Zoo was rescheduled to 2 pm! I ran out into the lobby to call him back, and figure out what to do. I wanted to see Zoo, not the film from Spain replacing it this morning.

As Erik excused me from the a.m. screening and assigned me the p.m. Zoo one instead, two men rushed out of the theater to alert the Northwest Film Center volunteer: Zoo was playing! I was thrilled, and rushed back in. The two men, however, were not excited—the looks on their faces was somewhere between disgust and horror that they might have shown up to see a documentary about bestiality.

Not a minute after I’d settled back into my seat, the film froze. Immediately, people around me—the theater was nearly full with Silver Screen club members who get to see PIFF flicks early—sighed with relief and start twittering like eighth graders whose teacher just announced the beginning of the sex-ed unit.

“GOOD! I did not want to see that film.”

“Yeah, it’s not on my list of films to see.”

“I was planning to leave after this film!”

The volunteer asked the uptight crowd if they wanted to see the other film instead. They cheered. I left.

I don’t know about y’all, but since the advent of the internets I often turn to it as my “ask a nurse.” Like recently when my fingernail developed a strange ridge down the middle, I ran straight to stopbitingnails.com to find out what weird flesh-eating disease I had picked up. So after some serious browsing I was positive I had an overactive thyroid gland combined with an underachieving thyroid, resulting in the total absence of this mysterious gland. Also I was pretty sure that I had cancer, hair loss, and bi-polar disorder.
What’s the worst disease you’ve convinced yourself (thanks, internet) that you have?

Okay, so I live in NW, on Naito Parkway and at the base of the Broadway Bridge, and last night I came home to find a notice from the crew of Untraceable, that Diane Lane/Colin Hanks thriller that’s shooting in Portland and that Matt blogged about a little while ago. Here are the details:

…Diane Lane’s character plays a FBI agent who is tracking a serial killer. Since the story takes place in Portland, we are filming locations that show off the city of Portland. We have a scene that takes place on the Broadway Bridge. Filming is scheduled for one day, Saturday (2/17/07) and three nights (3/21/07, 3/22/07, 3/23/07).

Our work includes a full closure of Broadway Bridge and a street closure of Naito Parkway from NW 9th Ave to NW Davis St. To assist us in completing our work the Portland police department will be on site at all times…. These closures are required to complete some of the stunt work we have scheduled….

We are building a diner set in the parking lot of the Alber Mills building located at 1200 NW Naito Parkway. The construction process will begin on 2/14/07 and the diner will stay in place until approximately 3/28/07 with security on it at all times.

That’s RIGHT BY MY HOUSE. It’s practically IN my house. Which is awkward, since I just have a studio. Anway, now I have a special pass so that I can, you know, drive past the cops to go home and stuff. My home, I might add, which is practically in the Hollywood Hills now, relatively speaking, and if only for a few days. I will be living it up accordingly*.

*Hookers and blow.

WELL, THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG. Even though the coroner has yet to investigate why ANNA NICOLE SMITH mysteriously died yesterday, the internet is already crawling with crackpot conspiracy theories. The most prevalent one is that hubby HOWARD K. STERN did the evil deed, which might also explain—to their minds— why Anna’s son died of mysterious circumstances. According to Anna’s mom, Stern would be in the running to make a “killing” from the inheritance.
Meanwhile Access Hollywood is flaunting the more reasonable idea that Anna may have simply choked on her own vomit.
Me, I’m waiting for this afternoon’s coroner’s report… but until then…

Just because I have to, here’s Anna Nicole’s final foray into the world of acting; the trailer for ILLEGAL ALIENS where former wrestler CHYNA and Anna pop down from another planet to inform us that her “poopy hole hurts.” NOTE: I’m not making fun of Anna Nicole — I’m just trying to keep things in perspective.

The Trail Blazers head to Charlotte tonight, to play the Bobcats, and hopefully end their winless February. This month has brought nothing but disappointment to the scrappy Blazers, who have lost a pair of close overtime games, and a 2-point defeat to the Bulls. Rumor has it that tonight will be the beginning of the end for Joel “The Vanilla Gorilla” Przybilla, who seems to have lost his starting Center position to rookie LaMarcus Aldridge. Keep your head up, slugger. Maybe this new social-networking site can help you find some friends in your time of need.

This is the weekend that determines WHO YOU ARE, Portland moviegoers.

Are you going to hang out with your parents’ rich friends at the Portland International Film Festival, or are you going to get some nachos and a Coke and watch Eddie Murphy pretend to be a fat woman in Norbit? (Or are you going to do like I’M hoping to do, and CHECK OUT BOTH? If so, I warn you that your mind is going to be SO BLOWN.)

Other options: The continued beating of the dead horse that is the Hannibal Lecter franchise (check out our web-exclusive review of Hannibal Rising), or ye olde ’90s classic Reality Bites at the Laurelhurst, or ye old ’80s classic Valley Girl at the Clinton.

So what’s it gonna be? Huh? Huh? HUH?

Also, this still from Norbit is my favorite picture of anything ever.

Not content with taking one of my dollars every time I go to Trader Joe’s, Street Roots is encouraging readers to lobby in Salem for 1% of my house to “fund affordable housing”.

A real estate transfer fee is a small, one-time assessment — typically less than 1 percent — on the sale price of a home that is dedicated to fund affordable housing. For example, a 5 percent transfer fee, with the first $100,000 of the home sale price exempted, would amount to $500 on the sale of a $200,000 home. That equals around one cup of coffee a month for 30 years to help thousands of people gain housing and employment through economic development opportunities.

Okay, okay. So it’s not going to affect many of us who rent. But it sounds like a good idea and I’m all for it. After all, what’s $500 when you’re taking out a whopping great mortgage anyway? The Street Roots site lists phone numbers of state senators you can call to ear-bend on the issue.

Curious about whether Hannibal Rising—that new Silence of the Lambs sequel/prequel thing—is any good? Katie Shimer has the Mercury’s web exclusive review right here.

Attorney Tom Steenson, left, takes questions from reporters at this afternoon’s press conference, sat next to Jim Chasse’s father, James Senior, who remained silent.

You can read all about the Chasse family’s lawsuit here.

What more do you need to know? That it all starts at 9 pm?

It’s Beyonce’s worst nightmare! Hair extensions that actually come to life, strangle you, or grow from your eyeballs. And while you may think this is a joke movie trailer—it’s the real freaky thing from Japanese director, Sion Sono (Suicide Club) whose newest flight of cinematic terror is aptly named…
“HAIR EXTENSIONS”
Where’s a de-tangler when you need one?!?

Thanks to Cinematical!

Just got back from the press screening for The Host, which is playing at the Portland International Film Festival this year. The Host is awesome—a sharp, hilarious, relevant, scary, cool monster movie from South Korea. Don’t miss it when it plays PIFF on Feb 17 and 19. (It’s also supposed to open wider sometime in March.)

The Host is easily my favorite thing I’ve seen for PIFF so far this year, but there’s a ton of other solid stuff too. (And yeah, there’s some not-so-solid stuff, but let’s just ignore that shit and hope it just goes away.) Check out Marjorie’s great story on PIFF in this week’s Film section, and check out our Film Shorts (in the Mercury’s paper version now, online tomorrow) to get a feel for some of the other films playing. And even more info can be found at PIFF’s official site.

Best bets for opening week: Eagle vs. Shark (screening Feb 12, 13, 15), Hear and Now (Feb 10-11), and The Lives of Others (Feb 9). And as a preview for the following week, here’s the trailer for The Host.

This just in… Former Playboy model/reality show personality ANNA NICOLE SMITH has died, after being found unconcious in her Florida hotel room. Anna was recently diagnosed with pneumonia, only one of a number of traumas she’s dealt with in the past year, including the death of her son, a lengthy court fight for an inheritance from her former oil tycoon husband, as well as a paternity suit involving her daughter Danielynn. Says Access Hollywood…

Anna Nicole had been rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, shortly after 2 p.m. EST after collapsing at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.

According to reports, fire crews and emergency personnel performed CPR on Smith and put a tube down her throat.

According to a witness on the scene, when rescue workers arrived, Anna Nicole was unresponsive.

No further details on why she died are available at this time. Anna Nicole Smith was 39.

UPDATE! From Fox News…

Edwina Johnson, chief investigator of the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office, said the cause of death is under investigation and an autopsy will be done on Friday.

Wonk Level 4: Super Wonky

Even though he was on the losing side of two of the four Charter Review Commission recommendations, Commissioner Erik Sten came out as the clear political winner at yesterday’s council hearing.

First, he scored a victory with the commission’s recommendation for periodic charter review, which would set up a commission to review the charter every six years, and could forward changes to the ballot by bypassing city council. The CRC’s original recommendation was that a simple majority on future commissions—11 out of 20—could send recommendations to voters. After nudging from Sten last month, though, the final language requires a supermajority—anything less would have to go before council first. Sten used this battle to point out that not even a majority of the original Charter Review Commission voted for the current form of government change (out of the original 26 members, only 20 were left at the end, and only 13 voted for the recommendations).

Second, Sten managed to broker a compromise on the form of government ballot question, leading to language that more clearly shows what city council would be losing than what the mayor proposed.

Third, he got a 5-0 vote on tightening up city council’s relationship to the Portland Development Commission. Last summer, Potter and Dan Saltzman rebuffed any attempts by Sten, Sam Adams, and Randy Leonard to assert more control over PDC, and the Charter Review Commission responded by recommending that the relationship change very little. But then, last month, Sten and Potter co-wrote a memo to the commission, asking them to make city council the “budget committee” for PDC. The commission declined, so Sten introduced an amendment to the recommendation, and scored a unanimous victory.

Fourth, he used the hearing to deliver a fiery stump speech lambasting the form of government change and championing the existing commissioner form. From where I was sitting, that speech kicked off—and set the terms for—the coming campaign, and made the mayor’s following pro-reform speech sound tired and impatient (especially when he yelled at an audience member to “shut up while I’m talking”).

Boiled down, it was a debate between the longest-serving politician at city hall, who’s learned a thing or two about how to control an argument even when you’re losing it, and one of its newest, who had almost no political experience before becoming mayor.

The jumper. The jump suit. Romper. Last year I ordered one from Elizabeth Dye’s Spring/Summer collection, which, sick of winter clothes, I pulled from my closet this morning for the first time in months, adding the all-too-familiar extra layers of long sleeves, tights, and boots. It’s ok, I guess, but it’s really an item that is made for sunny days, for carefree, happy, happy days when you are definitely not required to wear tights. Or, with long versions, you can look like a Charlie’s Angels style ass-kicking vixen. Here are two examples, one of each version, I like (from TopShop)

[An aside: I am not necessarily advocating buying from TopShop’s website, where there’s the chance your item will show up with on of those grotesque Made in China tags. I don’t recommend buying anything before you know where it was made. Any online boutiques who are reading this: include this info on your items! Also, if it just says “imported” in a catalogue or on a site, that probably means it was made in China. When they’re proud of where it came from they frigging mention it. Nobody waves their hand vaguely at something Italian-made and says, “Oh, you know, it’s imported.” TopShop just has big clear images of cute clothes.] :

(This is the one I really want.)

(This one’s cute too, way basic and easy to winter-ize.)

Though I usually avoid these “News of the Weird” stories, this one blew my mind. In Japan, there’s an organization of celibate men who call themselves the JAPAN CHERRY BOYS, and according to this report, they have decided to start having sex with women in order to “do their bit to curb the nation’s dramatically declining birth rate.” The only problem? The guys admit knowing little to nothing about women. Here’s their plan…

“First and foremost, we study. To make sure we have an anatomical background of women, we all draw pictures of female genitalia and critique them,” says Nobuyoshi Watanabe, president and founder of the male virgins’ club. “We had one guy who just drew a straight line and said, ‘I’m finished.’ That’s how little we all know. It’s really pathetic.”

Watanabe says other male virgins practice judo throws so they can hurl their favorite gal to the ground, and a group of 50 club members went on a tour of Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya district in the hope of picking up somebody off the streets - a fruitless search, as it turned out.

Sigh, I only wish these guys could take the Mercury’s SEX SURVEY online now for your enjoyment! Maybe they could learn a thing or two…

Hi Blogtown,

Here’s a shot I thought you might like. I call it “Curbside in St. Johns”

Best,

Spine

todayinpdx@portlandmercury.com

I don’t go to strip clubs very often these days, but when I do, I end up checking out the dancer’s style as much as anything else. Like if she has the usual super-high platforms in, like, white vinyl? Ugh, BORING. If she can pull off erotic dance in witchy little flat heeled ankle boots? Incredible. (I’ve seen this, and fabulous legs, incredibly long black curly hair, esoteric music, and 5+ years of pole dancing experience help a lot.) Similarly, on the rare occasions I am playing video games, I prefer the ones where you can choose your character and sometimes even their outfit. I’m just going to randomly mash the buttons on the controller as my “fight style” anyway, so I just want to be the one who looks the coolest. So I actually kind of relate to this nerdy feature on Games Radar, wherein a certain Stephen Pierce, graduate of the London College of Fashion analyzes the outfits of armed witch character Alicia from Bullet Witch. However I disagree with his analysis almost totally, particularly with digusted regard to what he has to say about one school girl uniform ensemble, AKA the outfit so corny you should be embarassed to admit you are aroused by:

Employing a subtext that suggests the lessons she wants to learn are those of the flesh, this Britney meets School of Rock mash-up would struggle without the mischievous guitar-gun successory. The complimentary tonal accents in the socks and hair provide a stable foundation for the look, but overall it would improved if we could see some tit.

Oh shut up, you disgusting nerd. Anyhow, here are the getups I like:

UPDATE: More from the police at 10:18 am…

TRAFFIC INVESTIGATION CONCLUDES BOTH BICYCLIST AND DRIVER IMPAIRED

On February 8, 2007, at 12:11 am, Northeast Precinct officers were called to a serious injury collision at Northeast 15th Avenue and Northeast Skidmore Street. Officers arrived and learned that 25-year-old Dawn Slawta, who was riding a bicycle, collided with the side of a Ford Ranger pick-up, driven by 44-year-old Mark Grover. Slawta was transported to Emanuel Hospital after having sustained serious and possibly life-threatening injuries.

Due to the serious nature of the injuries, officers called out the Traffic Division Fatal Team to conduct an investigation. Investigators concluded that the collision occurred when Slawta, who was traveling westbound on N.E. Skidmore Street, failed to stop at the stop sign. The driver, Mark Grover, remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation. Investigators concluded that Slawta and Grover both appeared to have blood alcohols over the legal limit. Investigators believe that speed is not a factor in this collision, and that contributing factors include alcohol consumption on the part of both drivers and the fact that Slawta was wearing dark clothing, not wearing a helmet, and was operating her bicycle without lights.

Grover was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and was booked in the Multnomah County Detention Center.

This investigation is continuing.

***
Originally posted at 7:12 am

Just days after Nick Bucher was hit and killed on SE Stark, another serious—possibly fatal—bike-car collision occurred overnight.

From the cops:

At 12:11 am, Northeast Precinct officers were called to a serious injury collision at Northeast 15th Avenue and Northeast Skidmore Street. Officers arrived and learned that a 24-year-old female riding a bicycle appears to have collided with a 44-year-old male driving a vehicle through the intersection. She was transported to Emanuel Hospital after having sustained serious and possibly life threatening injuries.

Due to the serious nature of the injuries, officers have called out the Traffic Division Fatal Team to conduct an investigation. Officers told me that it appears that the consumption of alcohol by both drivers will be a factor in this collision. I will let Fatal Investigators arrive and conduct their investigation before I release any additional information.

Two Saturdays ago Someday Lounge fired booker Noah Mickens after (what seemed to be) a few months of solid, interesting show booking. When I asked Noah why Someday canned him, here’s what he said…

The reasons they gave during the big firing meeting were both numerous and vague, and I don’t think I agree with much of what they had to say. Most telling among these was a recurring complaint that my vision for the space was very different from theirs, and I fear that in time this difference in vision will become clear even to the casual observer.

Someday’s official statement (and the full text of my interview with Noah) is after the jump.

What do YOU think?

Someday says:

Someday is a center for artistic, creative, aesthetic, and technological adventures. It’s a medium for the myriad of Portland’s visionaries, an infrastructure for their expression. The vision is vastly inclusive, and not tied to a particular method or aesthetic. Our team is determined to stretch beyond our boundaries, beyond borders delineating artistic expression.

From puppet shows, improvisational jazz, the forefront of contemporary dance, to four dudes in a rock band wailing about anything other than heartbreak, we have thus far presented a range of styles. We intend to build on this success, and broaden our range ever further.

Our venue aspires to be the beating heart of the experimental. This space is a home for performers of any ilk. We welcome all Portland residents to experience what was heretofore cryptic, now present in an accessible, inviting atmosphere.

In order to fully understand our vision, it is important to know our history.

The vision of Someday Lounge coalesced around a sequence of underground, unofficial, unpermitted performances beginning in the space in 2003. These events were enabled by the owners of Backspace, brothers Eric & Kris Robison.

The first of these events occurred three months after Backspace opened. In October 2003, Kris and Eric, with the help of Meow Meow founder Todd Fadel, hosted an awesome, eclectic, mixed-media Halloween evening. This happening set the tone for the future of 125 NW 5th--it would foster a convocation of artists exploring a variety of ways to express their innovative art.

A variety of unconventional events followed the Halloween Show. By 2005 the space was unofficially dubbed the “Backspace Annex” and activity and discussion about how to take the space to a new level grew on a daily basis. In July of 2005, Eric, Kris, and artists in the community curated a weekend’s worth of events at 125 to celebrate the second anniversary of Backspace. Following the weekend, confronted with a room and a stage, and the success of these back-to-back shows, Kris and Eric began to move toward formalizing what was happening at the Annex and make this space a permanent venue for performance art.

Both brothers were skeptical and hesitant at first—they know how hard it is to open a business and weren’t necessarily ready to delve into that process again. Luckily, key members of the Portland art community inspired them to push forward. Joel Jackson of MusicFest Northwest encouraged Eric to make a serious venue out of what was happening at the space. Of course, the success of PICA’s annual T:BA Festival fortified their determination. Simultaneously, Lisa Newman, director of 2Gyrlz Performative Arts, asked Eric if the Annex was available for use during their “enterActive Language Festival”. Eric and Lisa Newman had a few inspiring conversations surrounding the festival that helped to solidify the idea that Portland needed a home for experimental, progressive performance art. Eric and Kris grew more and more committed to the idea that Backspace Annex could become that place.

Thankfully, they were not alone. Friend and artist Giuseppe Lipari came on board as a partner, helping to solidify the aesthetic & brand for what would now be called “Someday.” Musician and computer geek Adam Fazio also joined the team as a partner, influencing the technological direction of Someday. Mike Grimes, a musician and DJ finalized the official Someday team. His contacts with the local music community have been and will be critical for Someday to maintain its diverse artistic origins.

These five, with architects, designers, contractors, and an innumerable army of volunteers & friends came together to build the space in an impossible amount of time. Every day, the Work continues to solidify this vision in reality.

Here's the rest of the Noah Mickens interview.

MERCURY: Why are you being fired?

The reasons they gave during the big firing meeting were both numerous and vague, and I don't think I agree with much of what they had to say. Most telling among these was a recurring complaint that my vision for the space was very different from theirs, and I fear that in time this difference in vision will become clear even to the casual observer.

You moved here to take this job, right? Isn't that kind of putting you in a tight spot?

To say the least, yes. I moved here in April of 2006 to take this job, having been alternately living in Seattle and on the road for almost exactly one year at that time; touring with Steve MacKay and the 999 Eyes of Endless Dream, working on the EnterActive Language Festival, performing the musical score for this German Expressionist play, studying butoh, working in a kitchen. The whole starving artist routine. They fired me on one week's pay last Saturday. In the intervening months, I've been working 70-hour weeks booking and facillitating every show, writing all the press and promo copy, MC-ing and stage managing where necessary, coordinating the tech staff as well as the actual purchase of the sound and light systems, and producing a significant amount of original content for the Someday stage. For all that to have come to such an ignoble end hurts me very deeply. I'm cool, though. I'm not really someone who needs money, and I've been putting on shows in this town for almost 10 years. In the end, they needed me a lot more than I needed them.

What's your next move?

First priority has been to make sure that the 70+ shows I have booked between now and May, featuring some 300+ performing troupes from all over the world, will go on as planned. I've got that taken care of—according to my highly worthy replacement Chantelle Hylton everything on the calendar will stay on the calendar. That's a huge relief to me—my first duty is to these artists who put their trust in me and are counting on me to put on a good show for them in Portland. I'll be available to help with those shows where necessary, too. Beyond that, I've got the next Societas Insomnia to write and produce by March 17th; three nights of circus to put together for Convergence 13 in May at the Crystal Ballroom (which I am also MCing, of course); and quite attractive offers for recurring nights at four of the grooviest clubs in Portland. So my work as an organizer hasn't slowed down a bit. I intend to put more attention into my own performance as well, which I've been neglecting during my stint with Someday. I've got a new band project that's been on my mind for the last few years, and I think the time has come at last. It's called Dig the Butcher. Also, I'm on the new Steve MacKay CD and vinyl that just came out and garnered a full-page article and photo in The Wire; Nequaquam Vacuum's got a new CD coming out this year on URCK Records from Los Angeles; and I'm cooking up some tours for this Summer. Still, the joke's on me, because what I would love to do more than anything else right now is continue working on the Someday project. But, as the great Donald Rumsfeld reminds us, you don't go to war with the army you wish you had.

One day, they’ll be getting excited in New York when stories get picked up here in Portland. I’m sure of it. But in the meantime, remember that hole in SE?It turns out, it’s the start of something horrible.

In today’s issue of the paper, John Motley interviews photographer Marc Joseph, whose loving images of book and record stores from across the country (including Reading Frenzy and Jackpot Records) are hanging at Reed College through March 11. For anybody who loves the smell of dusty book jackets or the sound of people flipping through crates of vinyl, this show is one step short of being straight up porn for you. Joseph’s photos capture the anti-corporate, individualistic character of these great shops and focus on the fantastic treasures therein (Daydream Nation on vinyl, old Penguin paperbacks).

As “important works of art,” I found the photos lacking much depth—they’re well made shots of inherently interesting and evocative spaces, but they do little to transcend that. Erik Schneider, owner of Quality Pictures, has his own interesting quarrel with the works, which I don’t disagree with, either. But for fans of photography, music, books, and the dusty places that house them, I’m pretty sure you’ll find something to like here. I’ve posted a bunch of pictures from the show after the jump.

Reed’s Cooley Gallery is open Tues-Sun, noon-5 pm, and Joseph’s photographs from this series have been collected in the book New & Used with essays by Thurston Moore, Jonathan Lethem, and others, and is more successful than the gallery show in most ways.

OK, on to the pictures…

This meeting of the JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE APPRECIATION SOCIETY will now come to order. First and only piece of business? Justin’s concert at NYC’s Madison Square Garden last night where he not only reportedly put on an amazing show, but teamed up once again with SNL’s ANDY SAMBERG for a live version of the most hee-larioso SNL sketch ever, “DICK IN A BOX.” Check out the story here at People.com, and if you are a diehard JT fan like myself, take a peep at this live concert footage of the song—which is annoyingly shaky, but I loved it all over again. Plus, it amply demonstrates that I’m not the only person in the world who goes apeshit over Monsieur Timberlake!
OH, WHY CAN’T YOU VISIT THE NORTHWEST, JUSTIN? WHY? WHY? WHY???

The family of James Chasse, jr will announce its federal lawsuit against the city of Portland this afternoon at 1.30pm, as predicted in this week’s Mercury.The family is being represented by civil rights attorney Tom Steenson, pictured above, left, with Chasse’s father, James Senior, at a press conference last October.

Steenson has accused the police bureau of lying to the public over Chasse’s death and of “spinning it” to protect its officers. We’ll have full coverage of the announcement and follow-up analysis on Blog Town this afternoon.

On SE Stark at 26th:

A memorial for Nick Bucher, who was killed when he was hit by a car while riding his bike Saturday night, on his way home from work at Noble Rot. BikePortland.org has a few posts about this tragedy, so I’ll defer to Jonathan Maus. Meanwhile, cyclists put up a ghostbike in Nick’s honor last night—it’s currently attached to a sign post a few yards from the tree where Nick’s body reportedly ended up after the grisly collision. There’s a funeral planned for Friday, and a celebration of Nick’s life slated for Monday night.

Be careful out there: todayinpdx@portlandmercury.com

As expected, city council voted to pass all of the Charter Review Commission’s recommendations on to voters this May 15. That means that you, dear voter, will have a chance to vote on how the city functions.

Without skipping a beat, the opposition campaign to changing the city’s form of government has already kicked off.

The Committee for Accountable City Government will be co-chaired by local activist Chris Smith and former mayor Bud Clark.

Here’s the press release:

“On the question of whether Portland is the wonderful city that it is because of, or in spite of, its form of government, we firmly believe that the Commission form of Government has contributed to Portland’s prosperity, livability and active culture of citizen engagement. The Charter Review Commission has not met the burden of proof that the current system is broken, or that their proposal will better meet the needs of our city.” said Clark.

Smith added, “Having the city bureaus accountable to elected Commissioners, rather than an administrator, provides accountability, access and improved constituent service to citizens. Concentrating power under a strong mayor reduces opportunities for accountability and access.”

Other initial committee members include:
Josh Alpert
Tom Badrick
Jo Ann Bowman, former State Representative
Jillian Detweiler, member of the Charter Review Commission
Amanda Fritz
Ted Gilbert
Justin Gottlieb
Gretchen Kafoury, former City Commissioner
Jewel Lansing, former City Audtor
Staci Paley
Ethan Seltzer
Margaret Strachan, former City Commissioner
Chris Woo

Steven Cohn, manager of Portland band Sophe Lux, writes in to urge Portlanders to vote for the home team:

I am writing to ask for help and support. The Sophe Lux music video, Target Market, is a finalist in an international video competition. Yeah. Actually, we’re currently in FIRST place. This is a unique video. Shot in black-and-white in the style of the German Expressionists. The video is a collaboration of many Portland talents: Greg Arden (of Russian Disco), Sol Burbridge (Ugly Parade), and Tanya Smith (Todd Haynes’s assistant), and Gwynneth Haynes. These amazing local talents will
benefit from a win.

Vote here.

I was just talking to a coworker about Norbit, the new Eddie Murphy movie in which the once-funnyman finally figured out how to fuck himself on camera. It reminded me of this great sculpture by Los Angeles artist Charles Ray, which features eight life-like mannequins of the artist engaged in an auto-orgy. Enjoy.

I used to get really excited every year when the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics Poll came out, but for the life of me, I can’t remember why. Actually, I sort of can. The list (complied from almost 500 music critics’ choices) used to be a good source for catching albums that slipped by me earlier in the year, and I could always count on hearing about a few good records that I needed to add to the collection. But this year, the choices are so painfully obvious and so similar to every other year-end list I’ve seen already (like, two months ago), that the P&J seems completely superfluous. Watch:

1. Bob Dylan—Modern Times
2. TV on the Radio—Return to Cookie Mountain
3. Ghostface—Fishscale
4. The Hold Steady—Boys and Girls in America
5. Gnarls Barkley—St. Elsewhere
6. Arctic Monkeys— Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
7. Clipse—Hell Hath No Fury
8. Neko Case—Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
9. Joanna Newsom—Ys
10. Tom Waits—Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, & Bastards

Still awake? Me neither. (Looking for Portland bands? Decemberists=#13, Thermals=#41, M. Ward (still count?)=#54, the Gossip=#116, the Blow=#254.) Some of the contributor’s comments are pretty funny, and you can see what each critic send in as his/her top 10, but beyond that, you’ve basically got a big pile of “no duh.”

PS—Gnarls Barkley sucks. There, I said it.

The world is obsessed. Seriously, world, you are starting to get a little too creepy with this Kate Moss thing. This is like the kind of behavior usually reserved for situations that usually end in restraining orders. But so it must be: The National Portrait Gallery has comissioned Corrine Day to create “a fresh portrait of one of the world’s most photographed women.”

Exhibit opens Feb 15 and runs through May 28 if you happen to be in the NYC neighborhood.

At what point does the power of North Portland neighborhood politicking—and its power to influence city hall, undermine Chief Sizer’s ability to make sensible decisions about the allocation of her budget?Last week we ran this story about North Portland opposition to Police Chief Rosie Sizer’s plans to restructure command staff at North Precinct—suggesting Sizer might be trying to gain leverage with the mayor by getting the vocal North Portland neighborhood associations to lobby Potter for more money for the entire bureau.

Since we ran the piece, Sizer has remained adamant this is not what she’s doing, and you know, since writing the piece, I’ve changed my mind about her “motives.” It seems she is trying to make a sensible business decision in the running of her bureau, by shifting some command staff from North precinct to East precinct, where they’re more needed.

But the neighbors are having NONE OF IT. On Monday night, the chairs of nine North Portland neighborhood associations met to decide on a plan of action, and are now handing out fliers like the one pictured, saying “the Portland Police Bureau intends to kill North Precinct.” They also plan to lobby the media and city council until they’re blue in the face, starting now.

“We have a lot of respect for the chief and do not want to undermine her,” says Kenton chair Doretta Schrock. “But we just don’t feel she knows the consequences of what she is doing. Without a commander, North Precinct will just be a place where the officers go to pee and pick up their cars.”

“You might as well have them work out of a cubicle in a warehouse,” says Chris Duffy, chair of the Arbor Lodge neighborhood association.

“It will be nothing more than just a parking garage,” says Thomas Ebert, chair of the St.Johns neighborhood association. “We’re both suspicious and disturbed by the proposals put forth.”

“In this community, we feel we can take charge if we need to,” says Susan Landauer of the Portsmouth association.

Brian Schmautz of the Police Bureau responds: “The Chief is not ducking this issue and she is happy to listen to anybody’s opinion. There are politics to this, and what the chief believes is best for the bureau, but if you believe that you are somehow being harmed, then you want to fight back.”

Will the mayor and city commissioners be prepared to endure the barrage coming their way, or would they rather placate North precincters and not have their names dragged through the mud? The neighbors will be out in force next Monday night at the St.Johns neighborhood association meeting, but right now, I’m off to “overstretched” East Precinct to hear about some of the problems out there…whatever happens, it seems North Precinct is not going to go down without one hell of a fight.

Mayor Tom Potter’s currently making the case for sending charter reform to the ballot—Scott’s been following the nitty gritty of this all day (see below), and I just dropped in via satellite.

I caught Potter talking about how past votes on charter reform have typically been on the ballot in May or June—it’s tradition! That was one of his many points in favor of sending it to this May’s ballot.

Um, Potter? You’re for this measure, right? If so, I don’t think making decisions on this measure—when to put it on the ballot—based on the past ones is such a good idea. Because they all failed.

Also, a few minutes earlier, Potter told Irwin Mandel to shut up.

(P.S.—Scott just IM’d me to say he was heading home, the fireworks are over. All that’s left is chatter about PDC, which the council isn’t going to argue as much over. Not a minute later, as Amanda Fritz got up to speak on the PDC reform, Randy Leonard took a look around city council chambers and said “anyone who is left here now is officially a wonk.” Sorry Scott. You’d already left. You don’t get your wonk wings.)

The New York Rifles:

Want to watch more dweebs play video game themes on various instruments? Click right here.

With NY Fashion Week underway, the internets are teeming with fresh-from-the-runway photographs of the big-name fashion houses, and I’ll get to them. In the meantime, the more entertainment-oriented house of Heatherette’s photos are up, revealing that they’ve chosen The Wizard of Oz as the springboard for their most recent spectacle. The result? A bunch of stupid outfits. The advantage? Models walking with cute little doggies! And a drag queen.. Somebody must be bummed out that Paris Hilton wasn’t able to do her usual turn on the Heatherette runway, because the whole thing seems tailored to her favorite kind of accessory (furry and alive). Behold:

Look at that tiny guy!

Aw… is that one awake? OK, here’s where it starts to get really stupid:

The good witch:

Ahh, the joys of Craigslist:

We’re looking for likeable, average, quirky or geeky guys 21-31 who are a bit socially stunted when it comes to the ladies. Good guys who are intellectual but have “no game” and need help asking women out. Guys who are shy and awkward when it comes to interacting with beautiful women, or, guys who are not shy, but always manage to say the wrong things.

It’s not “Beauty & the Geek”. This is a new show is based on a proven scientific method to pick up women by the #1 greatest pick up artist in the world!

The guys will live in a mansion with other guys and be taught everything they need to know to get the girl they always wanted. The guys will learn how to approach any women, how to know when or if she is interested, how to make the first move, how to start a conversation and how to get her to call back!! This is the reality show and opportunity of a lifetime time for those guys to gain the self-confidence desired with the opposite sex!

Got “no game?”…willing to fake it? It’s shooting March 9-31.

We got a tip this morning, alerting us to a “really strange” local posting on craigslist. Our tipster also flagged the posting, so it’s gone now.

What was the scandalous post?

Are You a Virgin? Date: 2007-02-06, 1:42PM

If yes, then you may qualify to participate in a study of an investigational blood test for herpes simplex virus type 2. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate. If you do enroll, you will be reimbursed $50 for time and travel. To find out more, contact Westover Heights Clinic at 503-226-6678.

Sounds like a routine medical testing ad—the sort of ad I’d answer in college when I needed a few bucks. But our tipster, Paul (er, “buchan fastard”), thought it was fishy.

He writes:

AS YOU CAN SEE HERE THIS IS REALLY STRANGE STUFF….IT ROLLED UP TODAY 1:42 P.M. AND I FLAGGED IT AT AROUND 2:00A.M……POSTED IN ETC. JOBS ON CRAIGSLIST.

THE SAME COMPANY SEEMS TO DO V.D. INSPECTIONS…YEAST INSPECTIONS….WHAT A PARTY…..$50 virgins and 25 dollar yeast infections….(they pay)free swabs for herpes victims…..do they all hang together…………??????????…what is this??? ..looks like a story to me……..HAVE MORE IF YOU WANT MORE>>>>>>>>>>>

p.s. i am buchan fastard notes from the underveldt and this is what i sent craigslist and poster………….>>>>>>>>>>

what the hell is this….being of sound mind and not of a religous lean i frankly am amazed and flabbergasted……what next …this reeks of perversion and geneticism……….with a touch of child molestation……… i am considering a law suit ……………………………….

Is he concerned that virgins are hanging out with those that have STDs? Is he upset that they’re specifically calling for virgins? If so, what’s the problem with that, exactly? I mean, the clinic certainly seems legit, at least from its website, and we’ve written about the place before. So I wrote back to the guy, asking for clarification…

I'm a little confused as to what you're concerned about... it's a medical clinic conducting a research trial. I imagine they want to try this test on both people with sexually transmitted herpes, and on people who aren't sexually active, to see if the test registers false positives (or to see if it catches herpes that aren't sexually transmitted).

What's so strange about that? I'm not trying to antagonize you—I'm honestly trying to understand why you're upset.

He replies:

come on now is this the 21st century...50 bucks for some virgin blood on etc. jobs on craigslist...... it reeks of eugenics..thats how the nazis got started......and then there is the question of sending "virgins" into a s.t.d. clinic..a touch of putting the lambs in with the foxes....it seems that everything has a price in this decadent backward country........

Oh! I get it now.

Tonight marks the return of ABC’s LOST (9 pm) after the stupidest and most useless 13-week hiatus ever decided upon by a soon to be fired executive. For many this will probably be this TV shows LAST FREAKING CHANCE to solve a few mysteries, and show us Kate in the nude. Or Sawyer. Or both. GET WITH IT PEOPLE!

DID YOU WATCH AMERICAN IDOL LAST NIGHT? One of night’s fave auditioners AKRON WATSON (he’s the guy who came in with his cousin and sang Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come”) has been DIS-invited to Hollywood, because the producers found out he has a pot bust on his record. So I guess that means if we want Paula to get kicked off the show, all we have to do is make sure a cop is around during one of her booze and pills tirades?

AND! Check out this clip from the HBO comedy/news site “THIS JUST IN,” which mashes Fergilicious with Condoleeza Rice appearing before the Senate sub-committee on Iraq. Condy never looked so good!

Okay, yeah, I know how dorky this is, but I don’t care: My new favorite TV show is Star Trek: The Animated Series. IT’S AMAZING. It also just came out on DVD, so I’ve been catching up on this jaw-droppingly sweet cartoon from the ’70s—and I swear to god it’s one of the greatest things ever. Even if you don’t like Star Trek, I dare you not to enjoy this show: It’s cheesy and stupid and clever and excellent, all at once, either in spite of or because of its super-cheap animation, hilarious stories, and the voices of the original show’s cast. (Finally, an animated William Shatner!)

One of the raddest things, though, is how the animation lets the writers put the characters in situations they could never get away with in live-action. Check out this clip from one of the episodes, in which a constantly shrinking Kirk and Spock rock the Enterprise all Honey, I Shrunk the Kids style:

After a conversation I had yesterday, I realized that I’m waaaay too wonky when I talk about charter reform. In reality, it’s one of the most important things a city government can consider—and its impacts on the city, and you, are far reaching.

It doesn’t have to be boring, so here’s an explanation: What city council is currently discussing is a wholesale change to the way city government functions. Under our current system, each city council member is a “commissioner,” the head of a portfolio of bureaus, like water, transportation, and parks. That means that bureaus are ultimately controlled by elected officials who are accountable to voters. By design, that makes them responsive to the needs of voters. If not, and if elected officials aren’t responding to the needs of voters, we can all vote them out of office.

Under our system, the mayor is essentially an equal among his or her fellow commissioners. The mayor’s only power advantage—and it’s actually a biggy—is assigning the bureaus to commissioners.

Here’s what Potter and Saltzman, and the Portland Business Alliance and their friends at the Oregonian editorial board want to change: Giving all authority of bureaus to the mayor and a chief administrative officer under him. Have concerns about a bureau? Take it to the CAO, an unelected bureaucrat who’s not even accountable to city council.

City council would only be legislative—that is, they would just propose and vote on laws, but would have no other authority. Oh, and the mayor would still be on council, controlling 20 percent of the legislative branch n addition to ALL of the executive.

If any of this sounds intriguing, peep my ongoing post here.

Of course, the Charter Review Commission has also recommended three other changes, which are also important, but way less sexy. Like changing classifications for city employees, setting up a periodic review, and tightening city council’s authority over the Portland Development Commission.

Clarification: Saying that Saltzman wants to change the form of government isn’t quite right. He supports referring it to voters, but he’s neutral on the change itself.

Spartacus (300 SW 12th) wants to make sure you’ve got everything you need for the upcoming day of romance, so tonight from 7-10 pm they are having their Third Annual Pre-Valentine’s Day Shopping Event, during which all purchases will be 25% off, a drawing will be held for gift certificates and other prizes, treats like champagne, strawberries, and chocolate truffles will be served, and the goddamn Porcelain Twinz will be there modeling Valentine lingerie.

(I’ll keep this as an open post, which I’ll just keep updating after the jump. It’s less cumbersome, and it seems like that’s what all the kids are doing these days.)

Even though Sten promised he wouldn’t keep dragging on the fight with commission chair David Wang, their fight dragged on. Sten is calling for more public process, more input from the community, while Wang and Katz are defending the process, saying they worked hard, and went out to the community. I guess that explains why nobody I know has any idea what the hell I’m talking about when I say “charter reform.”

Leonard’s response: This council has spent more time debate whether we should put a parking garage in Northwest than we have on this issue.

Finally! Leonard is diving into the substance of the recommendations, taking up b!x’s concerns over the fact that the ability to sell off city property—like, say, the Mt. Tabor maintenance yard—would now be te sole power of the mayor, as opposed to four-fifths approval of council. Leonard is asking why that change was made, and why the mayor would have sole authority to enter long-term contracts. Wang didn’t have an answer, and didn’t recollect the discussion. The city attorney jogged his memory—the split between the council and the mayor would be legislative/executive, and selling property and entering contracts seemed like an executive duty.

10:40am: Snap! The Multnomah Youth Commission just called out the mayor. Last year, the mayor managed to push through the Children's Bill of Rights, which requires that youth be consulted and considered in city policies--but the proposed charter says jack shit about it. Are they saying that the mayor wasn't actually serious about the Children's Bill of Rights? Harsh!

10:45am: Neighborhood activist Linda Nettekoven is following Amanda Fritz' testimony, by urging council to NOT refer the changes to the May ballot. Her neighborhood coalition, Southeast Uplift previously sent a letter supporting sending the changes to the ballot. Apparently, they wrote their letter before the recommendations were even released, and were approached by the review commission for support.

10:50am: Irwin Mandel isn't pulling any punches. He's calling the periodic charter review idea--wherein a separate body could send charter changes to the ballot without going before council--anti-democratic. "It will make the city council, assuming there's still a man on the council, emasculated."

10:57am: The amendments are already starting. Council is still just considering the first recommendation, periodic charter review, and commissioners are working over amendments that will ensure that future charter review commissions would be reflective of the city's diversity--including age. This doesn't bode well for any of us getting out by noon, so, uh, b!x, would you watch my stuff in a bit so I can go put more money in my meter?

10:59am: Good gravy, finally some levity. Leonard took a little potty break while the city attorney was working through the legality of the amendments. Potter: "We should put a monitor and a phone in the bathroom. Although I don't know if that would constitute an emergency." Leonard, waltzing back in: "It was definitely n emergency."

11:00am: Checking back in with Adams. He's still there, but he sounds tired.

11:04am: Sten has inserted language that would require future CRCs to have a supermajority in order to bypass council with charter changes, pointing out that not even a simple majority of the original review commission voted to pass the current recommendations. Wang says the supermajority is in the "spirit" of the recommendations, leading Sten to ask, "How is it that when we make a change to your recommendations that you agree with, it's as if it came from you. But if you disagree, it's that we're meddling too late in the game?" Boiled down, Sten's argument is that Wang and the CRC are only using the "don't modify our recommendations" on changes they disagree with.

11:18am: Majority or supermajority may not matter. Leonard's proposed an amendment that would require all charter changes to be referred by city council. So, a charter review commission would recommend changes, but they wouldn't go to the ballot unless they were approved by city council. Near problem: Adams' checked out for a bit, and they're voting on the amendment. He's probably still the swing vote on this. He's back, and miraculously has been paying attention.

11:21am: Four no votes to Leonard's one yes vote. The periodic review changes can still go directly to the ballot without going through council. Sten is supporting the recommendation, but only because it includes his supermajority language. Passed 4-1.

11:27am: Two hours, and they've only knocked out one of the four recommendations. And this was the EASY one. Steve, I won't be in the office any time soon.

11:30am: We've moved on to the second recommendation, reforms to civil service. It's already lost me, although I know this is important. There are significant changes to how the city uses "seasonal" workers, which the Laborers union i