Blogtown, PDX, Portland Mercury

This Weekend at OCAC

Marjorie Skinner — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:57:33 -0700

I feel a little ashamed to admit it, but despite its close associations with other area institutions—most notably our incredible, progressive Museum of Contemporary Craft, whose gift shop is one of my favorite places to shop—I've never actually made the trek out to the Oregon College of Art and Craft mainly because it is on SW Barnes, and every time I have ever ventured anywhere off the grid in SW I become terribly lost, confused, and angry.

However, this weekend there will be a flurry of activity on campus, with their 19th Annual Tea Party happening on Friday from 2-4 pm, showcasing a project every third-year Metals Department student is tasked with: fashioning a functional tea pot out of flat metal. A display of all of this year's pots will be displayed at Steven Smith Teamaker June 1 through June 15, but the event will get you a first glimpse as well as first dibs on a new Steven Smith tea to mark the occasion (it is described as a "blend of herbs and flowers, including African rooibos, exotic spices, and Oregon-grown mint."

The action continues all weekend, too: Saturday and Sunday is also the spring art sale, with "functional, inventive, and sculptural ceramics, book arts and fibers pieces, as well as limited-edition original jewelry" from up-and-comers who are currently unknown, meaning original pieces you've likely never seen before can be snatched at low prices in the $10-50 range. Admission is free, and runs from 10 am-5 pm both days.

Stephen Funk Photography

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Blogtown's Poster of the Week

Courtney Ferguson — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:44:39 -0700

Designed by Tim John O'Brien of Vanimal, this is a lovely bit of telephone-pole fodder. Have a poster you'd like to nominate for Poster of the Week? Email me.

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My Side of the Mountain Author Dies at 92

Alison Hallett — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:29:10 -0700

Children's book author and naturalist Jean Craighead George died today. Maybe you don't know her name, but you've probably read her books: She's best known for My Side of the Mountain and Julie of the Wolves. She was 92.

Her books are among the best children's literature has to offer—thanks to My Side of the Mountain every time I see a really big tree I still think about whether it would be a good one to live inside. Library Journal has a lengthy article about George's career.

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Win Passes to QDoc!

Erik Henriksen — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:59:24 -0700

VITO A documentary about Vito Russo.

I've got a pair of festival passes to QDoc: Portland Queer Documentary Festival sitting on my desk. Would you like them? You should! They are good for admission to all the screenings and the opening night party, so you will feel very fancy. Very fancy indeed. These things normally go for $75 each.

To win 'em, email me no later than 4 pm today (Wednesday, May 16), and make sure "Q" is your subject line. I'll pick a winner at random at 4 and email them back to let them know they've won and tell them how to get the passes. Also it will totally be random, but anyone who includes their favorite quote from Q in their email might have better-than-average odds. And yes, this connection is tenuous at best. Whatever. Just enter to win the passes already.

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Suicidal Man Threatens Cop with Rifle—but Winds Up Sent to Treatment

Denis C. Theriault — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:44:37 -0700

This could have turned out very ugly. Yesterday, a suicidal man who approached a Portland officer with what looked like a rifle (it was really a BB gun), and threatened to use it, was taken down by that officer and placed under a mental health hold.

I've got a message into the cops asking for more details. But it mostly went down like this:

The armed man then crossed the street and approached the police car. The teenager saw the man approach and asked what he wanted at which point the man replied, "Don't be stupid." The teenager ran into his house and the officer got out of the patrol car to challenge the armed man.

The officer gave the armed man commands to drop the rifle and get onto the ground. The male refused and the officer was able to take the man to the ground using control holds and take him into custody.

Realistic-looking guns often provoke deadly force from cops. Two officers shot and killed a suicidal Bradley Morgan in January after he pointed a replica gun at them, and in March, another man, Jonah Potter, was wounded by police who said he had what turned out to be an air pistol. (Another man who threatened suicide, armed with large knives, was peaceably arrested in February.)

No sense rewriting the rest of the news release when a cut-and-paste will do. Hit the jump.

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Romney Team Kind of Apologizes for Denying Press Access to Mitt Romney

Paul Constant — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:29:56 -0700

You may know about the Romney campaign's attempts to keep reporters off the rope line. CNN has more:

Press aides for the Romney campaign and a lone Secret Service agent attempted to physically block reporters from asking questions of the GOP contender along an event rope line in Saint Petersburg, Florida on Wednesday.

The brief altercation was captured on video by CNN. A spokeswoman from the Romney campaign later called it "an error."

"We're not going to do this," Romney press aide Kristen Warren can be heard saying in the video as she held out her arms to prevent various reporters from approaching the rope line, an area where Romney was shaking hands with supporters.

My favorite part of that video is that the reporters are being denied access to the presidential candidate as Kid Rock's "Born Free" plays in the background. It's not like freedom of the press is in the Constitution or anything, after all! In any case, the Romney campaign has admitted that physically restraining the press was an "error."

Meanwhile, the last anything-goes press conference held by Mitt Romney was back in March.

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LAST CHANCE! Sponsor Team Mercuroke!

Wm.™ Steven Humphrey — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:14:36 -0700

Yer old pal Steve Humphrey here either reminding you or asking you for the first time that you have ONE MORE DAY (until Thursday noon) to sponsor either me or the fabulous Mercuroke Team in tomorrow night's Ethos-a-roke competition!

As you may know, Ethos is an AWESOME Portland non-profit that provides music education to kids in low-income, high-need areas—but they can't keep doing it without our help! That's why we're doing this karaoke fundraiser going down tomorrow night at Voice Box, in which I and Team Mercuroke will sing our guts out to help raise money for these kids.

CAN YOU HELP? We're very close to reaching our goal, and anywhere from $5-$50 would go a long way AND provide some great music education for kids.

Check out my profile here! An check out Team Mercuroke's Profile here!
Then just hit the donate button, where you can easily and quickly donate from Paypal. (That way all the money goes to Ethos and not my "Escape under the cover of darkness to Brazil" fund.)

Promise, this is the last you'll hear from me about it! We and Ethos appreciate your generosity! YOU'RE COOL!

This picture is horrifying.

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Campaign Targets Defense of Marriage Act

Alex Zielinski — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:44:37 -0700

A new campaign, "Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry," released its first (emotional) video against the Defense of Marriage Act—a federal law that doesn't recognize same-sex marriages and ultimately denies military personnel's same-sex spouses the privileges that "traditional" spouses have (ie: access to military bases, legal counseling). In this video specifically, a woman's request to contact her possibly-endangered deployed wife is neglected by military officials due to their "unlawful" relationship.

Says Evan Wolfson, the founder of Freedom to Marry, in a press release: "Many people assume that, with the repeal of 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,' gay men and lesbians serving our country are now being treated fairly and equally, but that’s not the case. We ended the ban on open military service for gay and lesbian Americans, but there is still federal ban on treating married service members as what they are: married."

Here's the clip:

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The Best Blow Job You'll See Online Today

Bobby Roberts — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:44:14 -0700

It's a very easy recipe, and so many people manage to completely screw it up: You take some science, and then you add some art, and you smash it together until awesome happens. One of the few who execute this perfectly is Lithuanian artist/photographer Tadao Cern, who set his camera in front of a parade of beautiful looking people, as photographers will do, but just before taking their portrait, hits them in the face with gale force winds. The result looks something like this:

His collection, entitled Blow Job, consists of over 100 such portraits. Should you wish to destroy your entire afternoon scrolling through, laughing your ass off, going back to the top and scrolling back through again, the link to the full collection is here.

After the jump for a short blast of some of the best portraits in the set:

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It's Happening Tonight!

Alison Hallett — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:29:47 -0700

FIN DE MERMAID—I can't believe something as cool as this is going to happen. While the super beautiful, surrealist 1976 Czech new wave film Mala Morska Vila (The Little Mermaid) screens, crazy good local bands Good Night Billygoat, Wooden Indian Burial Ground, and Blood Beach will score the film. SS
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $5

DERBY CLUB—This ain't no Southern affair... The Third Annual Stumptown 40 (hosted by WebVisions) features pine wood-derby racing-car kits designed and decorated by Portland creative types and benefits Buckman Elementary. Get rowdy at Spirit of 77's full bar while you watch tiny fancy cars race for bragging rights and a good cause. CG
Spirit of 77, 500 NE MLK, 7 pm, FREE

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Roller Derby Recap: Portland vs. Denver

Courtney Ferguson — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:59:54 -0700

Masonite Burn (AKA Sharkey)
Rose City's White Flight sticks inside the track.

Purple power! Portland's Rose City Rollers rolled over the Denver Roller Dolls this weekend in a resounding win over Colorado's closely ranked roller derby squad. I think derby fans were expecting more of a squeaker on the scoreboard after PDX's all-star Wheels of Justice barely beat Chicago's Windy City last month in an astounding last-minute tooth-and-talon jam from Rose City's Scald Eagle. Plus Denver was feeling pretty fabulous after a 235-97 thrubbing of Bay Area in April. And they beat Rose City the last two games they've played. But get this! Final: Rose City Rollers' Wheels of Justice 151, Denver Roller Dolls' Mile High Club 115. No questions there—Wheels be winners. Couple that with Friday's hometown victory against Denver's B travel team and everything came out smelling like roses. Final: Portland's Axles of Annihilation 158, Denver's Bruising Altitude 130. Rose City's jammers were streaking 'round the flat track during both games, with SoulFearic Acid making a familiar appearance in the lead-scorer stat box (66 points) and B-team lead scorer Honey Hellfire with an amazing 101 points. Throw in some tough, tough blocking from PDX, and it was enough to send Denver back home disappointed.

Portland highlights: Texine doing the worm on the track. An eight-year-old girl winning retired skater Rhea DeRange's jersey. The Wheels of Justice's intro was totally epic, like 2001: A Skate Odyssey. The strong man during halftime balanced a humongous kayak on his face... no big deal. Pugacorn! Frenchie, Penny Dreadful, Mel Mangles, Mercy, Scylla Devourer... Rose City has got a buttload of fierce and effective blockers. Denver highlights: Denver fans are loud! Bruising Altitude's coaches looked like adorable Oompa Loompas. And Gator Dunn's got some flair.

More of Masonite Burn (AKA Sharkey)'s photography after the jump.

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New Witch Mountain Track and Album News

Ned Lannamann — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:16:55 -0700

That's the album cover for the new, excellently titled Witch Mountain record, Cauldron of the Wild. (We love Jack London puns more than any other puns.) The cover's by Sam Ford and Jason Lewis, and a preview track from the album turned up over on Pitchfork today. It's called "Aurelia" and it's mighty long, clocking in at 11 minutes. We couldn't magically portal the song over here, but you can stream it over there.

Cauldron of the Wild comes out on June 12 on the esteemed Profound Lore label. It's hot on the heels of the last Witch Mountain album, 2011's South of Salem, which appeared a full decade after the album before that. What gives with Witch Mountain's accelerated pace? Not sure, but we'll take it. Witch Mountain kicks off a US tour at the beginning of June before returning home to Portland for a show at Backspace on Saturday, June 23. In the meantime, a track-by-track look at Cauldron of the Wild is over at the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

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The Greatest Documentary Ever Filmed

Wm.™ Steven Humphrey — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:44:13 -0700

What follows is a parody of the 467 documentaries that we have to screen and review every year here at the Mercury. It's called PoolJumpers—and I have to admit... if it were real? I'd probably watch it, goddammit.

POOLJUMPERS trailer - watch more funny videos

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Tonight in Music

Courtney Ferguson — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:29:40 -0700

Good Night Billygoat (Via)

Holocene—Fin de Cinema: Good Night Billygoat, Wooden Indian Burial Ground, Blood Beach, 8:30 pm, $5
Doug Fir—Jolie Holland, Stefan Jecusco, 9 pm, $15-17
Ella Street Social Club—The Dead Beat, The Ghost Ease, Roselit Bone, 9 pm, $5
The Know—Arctic Flowers, Criminal Code, Freedom Club, Happy Noose, 8 pm
Mississippi Studios—Mimicking Birds, When the Broken Bow, Casey Montgomery, 9 pm, $8-10

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Professional Acting Advice for Mitt Romney

David Schmader — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:14:00 -0700

From Inside the Actors Studio's James Lipton, via NY Mag.

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Alley 33 Lineup Announced

Marjorie Skinner — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:59:00 -0700

One of the hottest summer-style tickets of the year is the Alley 33 fashion show (which takes place, appropriately, in an alley off of Hawthorne). For the second year running it will take place on Saturday, July 28 with a huge lineup of over 20 designers, including favorites like Ms. Wood's Alicia Wood, Heather Treadway, Clair Vintage Inspired, and so many more. Click over for the full line-up and mark your iCal for some hot fun in the summertime.

Alley 33

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SL Letter of the Day: Bi Boy Problems

Dan Savage — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:29:26 -0700

I'm a 16-year-old bisexual guy with a preference—at least at this point in time—for guys. I have a girlfriend. I have known her for almost five years. We have been in a long-distance relationship since September 2011. Despite the fact that she moved from where I live up to about four hours north by car, we still manage to have a great relationship. For example, I attended her Prom earlier this month.

However, I also attended my city's LGBTQ Prom this past Saturday. There I met a 17-year-old guy that I found somewhat attractive. He hit on me throughout the night. I gave him my number, not thinking he would take that as an initiative to try to start a relationship with me, but that night and the day after, however, he texted me often, and made me both uncomfortable and enthralled.

My girlfriend—let's call her "Selena"—and I have a very good relationship, but, both of us being bisexual, we have discussed the possibility of being in an exclusive heterosexual relationship with one another whil having smaller relationships with the same-gender partners on the side. She had a friend-with-benefits near the beginning of our relationship that she no longer sees but the topic hasn't been brought up in a while. I am worried as to the outcome of telling her about my "crush." Selena has always enjoyed our talks about each other's same-gender attractions, but I'm incredibly clueless as to how to discuss this to her.

The texts that the boy—let's call him "Dave"—sent me, some of them at least, were sexual in nature, and we discussed possibly meeting up and starting a sexual relationship. He lives very close to where I do and attends a school a block from my house. I am a virgin—both genders considered—and the idea of sex right now makes me uneasy. But I am interested. Still, sex as an idea scares me at this point and I don't think I'd be ready for that sort of thing. As such, this afternoon, I told Dave that I felt we were moving too fast. He agreed. I still, though, felt like I wanted to get to know him better, possibly as a future boyfriend.

I suppose I have two problems:

1. How should I talk to Selena about this? I'm sure she wouldn't be too opposed to the idea, but if she were, I would probably feel a bit inhibited. Should I bring it up as a question or as an idea? I'm sincerely clueless.

2. How can I have a good relationship with Dave in a non-sexual way? He has gone as far as giving and receiving blowjobs, and I would be uncomfortable with both at this point in my life. I like him a lot, but is it a bit too much to ask to be more than friends if he is sexually active and I am not interested in the idea.

Thank you very much.

Not Agreeable Intervals

P.S. My apologies if this problem is a bit juvenile.

My response after the jump.

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Here's that Trailer that'll Make You Kill Yourself (Okay, Fine... The Goodwin Games)

Wm.™ Steven Humphrey — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:14:58 -0700

FOX is drop-kicking this new series into the mid-season 2013 lineup... and for good reason. IT'S STINKO! It's called The Goodwin Games which is a cross between The Hunger Games, The Gilmore Girls, the worst Wes Anderson movie he will ever make, and you digging your eyes out with a junkie's needle. Starring that guy from Felicity, the other Bridges brother (Not Jeff), a douchebag, and a blonde.... and OH! They added a black guy. Anyway, this family of spoiled richy-riches have to compete to win their dad's massive inheritance, and SURPRISE! They remember why they loved each other in the first place, at the same time reminding me how much I hate the world. The Goodwin Games! Trailer! Roll it!

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Reed College Students: Good at Huffing Bongs... Not So Good at Spelling

Wm.™ Steven Humphrey — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:59:11 -0700

As Pat Sajak, host of Wheel of Fortune, aptly notes, "It's a weird game, and you just never know." Translated: "You are a dope-huffing pot head stoner Reed student and you've just embarrassed your entire college and town on national TV."

In his defense... okay, there's no defense.

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Did President Obama Swear?

Paul Constant — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:44:37 -0700

So it has come to this:

News of Obama’s usage of the dirty “s” word [NOTE: She means "shit," but she cannot type the word "shit," perhaps because she is Mormon, or an elementary-school student.] came when Huffington Post editor Ethan Klapper tweeted “Obama hot mic just now — ‘I gotta get my sh……’” right after the president allegedly used the full-length version of the obscenity....Fox Nation has muffled audio of the utterance, although I’ve listened to it about ten times and still cannot make out any bad language. And Mary Ann LoFrumento says he never swore to begin with, having tweeted in the aftermath of Klapper’s tweet, “I was sitting close to the President on the platform and he said ‘I gotta get my gift’ referring to his medal of distinction.”

This is the most important issue of our time! Here's the video:

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Good Morning, News!

Wm.™ Steven Humphrey — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:30:22 -0700

GOOD MORNING, BLOGTOWN! Heaven's just a sin away, just a sin away. Can't wait another day, I think I'm givin' in. LET'S GO TO PRESS.

After raising (and spending) a stunning $1.2 million, mayoral candidate Eileen Brady is OUT, which means Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith are heading toward a November showdown. Hey. Did you check out our Mercury Election Battalion Live Blog last night? IT'S GODDAMN DOPE.

Other big winners in last night's election? Ellen Rosenblum (AG), Steve Novick (city council), Bob Stacey (metro), Sam Chase (metro) and the Multnomah County Library. YAY BOOKS! And it's gonna be practically penniless Amanda Fritz vs. well-heeled Mary Nolan in November for that city council seat. Check out more results in our "everything else" election live blog from last night, because... IT'S GODDAMN DOPE.

Yugoslav war criminal and ethnic cleanser Ratko Mladic is on trial for his crimes against humanity—and as it turns out? He's quite the little drama queen. Put a lid on the theatrics, Frances!

Here's how you help make Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg billions of dollars, brown-nosers.

The defense rests in the John Edwards trial, and the jury is set to convict... uhhhhh... start deliberating on Friday.

John Doe #1 has dropped his sexual harassment lawsuit against John Travolta who feels "vindicated." And when John Doe #2 drops his, Travolta will probably feel even "vindicate-ier."

A new report proves that a man was wrongly put to death in Texas—which has never happened before, I bet!

Sketchers shoe company is forking over $40 million for erroneously stating that their shoes "toned muscles." So THAT'S why I'm forty pounds overweight!

A bunch of richy-rich dickhead Republicans are launching a $25 million attack ad campaign against Obama. That's right, assholes... spend allllll your money.

Now here's what's going on in your neck of the woods: A few clouds rolling in and cooler, but still nice and another gorgeous weekend ahead!

And finally, a shocking report about an obese man who protests an all-you-can-eat restaurant for not giving him enough to eat! LOOK AT HIM!!! HE'S STARVING!!!

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Election Night Live Blog: The Mayor's Race

Mercury Election Battalion — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:25:34 -0700

Welcome to the Blogtown Election Vulture's Lair, where in this post we'll be covering the Portland race for mayor. Scroll down for the latest on the Oregon Attorney General race, council races, ballot measures... everything else. The latest updates start at the top of the page! For up to the second news and results follow us on the Twitter @portlandmercury, and in particular #mercelex.
Signed,
Mercury 1st Election Battalion (nickname: Nightmare Warriors)

•••••

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 10:37 pm: Well the "10:30 pm" results are in, and while not a poop ton of votes have been added, the numbers are basically the same. Check it: Charlie Hales 38.36 percent, Jefferson Smith 29.22, Eileen Brady 23.80 percent. Unless something crazy happens between now and the morning light, we have our two mayoral candidates who will be butting heads all the way to November. Amanda Fritz and Mary Nolan are tied at 44 percent, and the only clear winners of the night are Ellen Rosenblum (AG), Steve Novick (city council), Bob Stacey (metro), Sam Chase (metro) and the Multnomah County Library (who I'm sure is gonna be wicked hungover tomorrow). Be sure to check out our party-night election wrap-up in this week's edition of the Mercury, hitting the streets by early afternoon tomorrow! THANKS FOR JOINING US!

Eileen Brady party 10:32 pm: "Hey," I thought, "Maybe everybody went up to party on the top of the boat!" (EH)

[Is that a river tumbleweed I just saw?—WSH]

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 10:09 pm: Looks like a low turnout election—campaigns estimate only 35 to 40 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. The next round of results is due at 10:30 pm—that is if you're not already in bed, or watching Revenge on your DVR. Have you guys seen Revenge? It's actually pretty fun. I'm tired. (WSH)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 9:43 pm: 19-year-old mayoral candidate Max Brumm tweets:

(Will you at least concede that Hostess Twinkies are delicious??)

Eileen Brady party 9:30 pm:

SADDEST BOAT EVER!! (EH)

Jefferson Smith party 9:13 pm: Alright, Jeff's finally arrived! I caught him on the street. His dad tried to make him cross the street on a red light, but Jeff waited for the green. (That's what happens when you get the police union endorsement.) And, aww, that's sweet! He won't stop kissing his wife. (AZ)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 9:25 pm: Now here's a happy-looking guy.

Dan Olson

Jefferson Smith party 9:13 pm: I hear Jefferson's been spotted at the Jupiter Hotel, home of the party for the three Multnomah County commissioner races and the library vote. But I kid you not, this has turned into a Bollywood dance party. The DJ is now a dance instructor, and old folks are shaking their thang. EXCELLENT. (AZ)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 9:02 pm: The 9 pm results are in and here's how it stacks up: Charlie Hales 38.28 percent, Jefferson Smith 29.02 percent, and Eileen Brady an even 24 percent. OUCH!! In some good news for Eileen, Tre Arrow is far in the back of the pack with a mere .72 percent. In your FACE, Tre! (WSH)

Eileen Brady party 9 pm: Results on TV: Hales 39 percent, Smith 29 percent, Brady 24 percent. Other than reporters, no one at the Eileen Brady party is even watching. (EH)

Jefferson Smith party 8:58 pm: Right now there's a crazy DJ with a scarf on, who's pumping house music. I'm confused. Where am I? Where is Jefferson Smith? Is this a dream? Jeff's dad is dancing. (AZ)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair 8:55 pm: The Oregonian is calling it... Mitt Romney is the Oregon Republican pick for President! (This message brought to you by Lake Oswego.)

Jefferson Smith party 8:50 pm: A ton of celebs are here, Cameron Whitten, Teressa Raiford (who's rooting for Fritz), Jeff Cogen, etc. Really lively, BIG crowd. Still no sign of Jeff. I still haven't eaten, which I'm just realizing. Everyone's getting loopy and yelling at each other over the music. Woo! (AZ)

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Election Night Live Blog: AG Race, Council, Et Al.

Mercury Election Battalion — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:25:13 -0700

Welcome to the Blogtown Election Vulture's Lair, where in this post we'll be covering the Oregon Attorney General race, council races, ballot measures... everything that ain't the mayor's race. The latest updates start at the top of the page! For up to the second news and results follow us on the Twitter @portlandmercury, and in particular #mercelex.
Signed,
Mercury 1st Election Battalion (nickname: Nightmare Warriors)

•••••

METRO RACE Bob Stacey party 10:37 pm: Metro Councilor-elect Bob Stacey says he'll focus on keeping that pesky urban-growth boundary in check. To do that, he hopes to develop nine potential sites inside the boundary for industrial development. Keeping growth in the city will keep jobs in the city and it will keep farmland from being developed, he says. We can assume Stacey will keep his word. He knows a thing or two about sustainability. Stacey also spent the first part of the night with his right pant leg tucked into his sock because he biked to his campaign party. And if that ain't a ringing endorsement for environmental credibility, I don’t know what is. (NG)

Mary Nolan party 10:30 pm: Party's wrapping up fo'real. Nolan is saying she needs sleep and is trying to coerce guests into taking home the leftover vegetables and beer. The couple at the piano are playing, and singing. The cheese plate looks about half empty. No, wait—about 44 percent to 44 percent. The rest is in my belly. (GP)

Steve Novick party 10:20 pm: After his win, Steve Novick says he plans on getting started right away planning for his new job as City Commissioner. Okay, so that’s not until January. And Novick already has a day job at the Oregon Health Authority. Come January this is what we might see: First on Novick’s agenda is mental health and public safety. Novick says he wants to work with the state and county to focus on funding prevention instead of jail beds. Second, Novick says he wants to help reform the state healthcare system. And third on his list is earthquake preparation, (I’m not kidding. Unlike many politician,s Novick takes the matter of our impending doom very seriously.) Novick says he wants to get low-interest loans for homeowners whose houses aren’t attached to their foundations (there are more of these in Oregon than you might think). Novick has other plans in the works, but for now, he is enjoying his victory, and tomorrow, a vacation in New Orleans. (NG)

METRO RACE Sam Chase's party 10:14 pm: "I'm feeling very good here," Sam Chase, who's running for Metro Council said at his campaign party at Santa Fe Taqueria in Northwest Portland. "We'll see where things are." Although Chase, who serves as the executive director of the Coalition of Community Health Clinics, had 58 percent of the vote in Multnomah County, he was still cautious about declaring victory before getting a concession call from his main opponent, Helen Ying.

"I think I've been really impressed with how much people care about the quality of life in our region and protecting what is unique in our region," Chase said.

"You're boring," Zoe Chase, his 9-year-old daughter, piped in.

Chase's phone rang. It was Ying calling to congratulate him. (JT)

Mary Nolan party 9:51 pm: A young man just jumped onto the piano here at the North Star Ballroom, and a woman is now perched in a foldout chair next to him, belting out ballads. They sound 1940s-ish, and her voice reminds me of Adele. KJ Lewis, Nolan's campaign manager: "This is great. Normally you pay money for this sort of show. They're just here, singing for us assholes!" The party is still hovering around just 15 people but it's kind of hopping. Beth Cohen, Nolan's communications intern, told me she likes Nolan because, "while she comes off as really tough, she's not one to dig her heels in. She will always reach across the aisle and come to a solution." Ooh! Barbara Roberts (Oregon's only female governor, 1991-95) is here! (GP)

Leaving Amanda Fritz's party: Going from Fritz's party (no alcohol was served) to Jefferson Smith's is like crossing the Berlin Wall. (JH)

Novick/Stacey party 9:45 pm: As election results continue to roll in, Bob Stacey says he and Steve Novick will continue to party. “I hope we can be a refuge for people battered and beaten in the other elections,” said Stacey. Well-said. I think there might be a few of those nearby. (NG)

From the Mercury Vulture's Lair: Nathan just sent in this pic of Steve Novick reveling in his win.

That is the sheen of victory, my friends! BOW BEFORE IT!!! (WSH)

AG RACE Ellen Rosenblum party 9:24 pm With no Republican candidate in the general election, Rosenblum told me she was "cautiously optimistic" about the election. And with current AG John Kroger stepping down early to run Reed College, Rosenblum is likely to be appointed to the post early. Rosenblum brushed off suggestions that her victory sends a message to those seeking to undermine medical marijuana laws. "It's actually a health care law," she said. (JT)

Mary Nolan party 9:10 pm Uncencorsed Kanye West "Better, Faster, Stronger." I can dig it. "Damn they don't make 'em like this anymore/I ask cause I'm not sure/Do anybody make real shit anymore?"—Mary Nolan for City Commissioner, 2012. These guys are having fun with fashion! (GP)

Amanda Fritz party 9:16 pm: Fritz says her plan for the runoff is to keep doing her job and that what she's best at is interacting with the people. When asked how she will face the financial disadvantage against Nolan—Fritz is limiting contributions to just $50 per supporter while Nolan is taking any and all gifts—Fritz said she just can't ask people for money. And if that means she loses? So be it.

Novick/Stacey party 9:15 pm: It’s official (and not surprising). Both Steve Novick and Bob Stacey have won their respective elections. (If you forgot already: Novick ran for the city council seat long held by Randy Leonard, Stacey for Metro). The most current results have Novick with 73.45 percent of the votes cast so far, with Stacey taking 83.86 percent in his. Novick confessed he was a little annoyed Stacey took a greater percentage of his election’s votes than he took in his own. (NG)

AG RACE Dwight Holton's party 9:11 pm: We move downstairs at Spirit of 77 to hear Dwight Holton's concession speech, as his wife and children stand by him: "I'm so proud of what we did. We fight for people and stand up for people and be on their sides... thank you very, very much." Cheering by all. Chants of "Holton, Holton, Holton." (CF)

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Free Screening Tonight: Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

Alison Hallett — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:16:44 -0700

Sorry for the last-minute notice, but we just found out about tonight's free screening of the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, which follows several years in the life of the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. (Among the things Weiwei is famous for: Collaborating on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics, which he later disavowed; attempting to hold the Chinese government accountable for the thousands of schoolchildren who died in shoddily constructed schools in the 2008 earthquake; documenting himself breaking a Han dynasty urn.)

I got a chance to interview the film's 27-year-old director Alison Klayman this afternoon; she told me that while she intended Never Sorry to serve as a study Weiwei's life and work, she had no intention of creating the definitive Ai Weiwei documentary. She might have just done so, however, thanks to the unintentional arc the film follows: While the film was in post-production, Weiwei was abruptly taken into custody by the Chinese government, a fact Klayman edited Never Sorry to include.

The movie's great—Weiwei is a brave, inspirational figure, and Klayman's doc is both an affectionate character study, and a fascinating look at art and activism under a repressive government. I'll run my full interview with Klayman when the Never Sorry officially opens in Portland later this summer, but if you're free tonight you could do much worse than checking out the free screening tonight at the Whitsell Auditorium, 7 pm

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Today on MOD

Marjorie Skinner — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:59:00 -0700

After a brief post-Open Season convalescence, the team over on MOD is back in action (about half of us were holding down some kind of duty at the show, from producing, to dressing, to modeling), blogging up a storm of post-event backstage peeking, sunny-day style recommendations, event announcements, and hot-night street style from the clubs of Chinatown. Hop over and peep at it.

Coco Madrid

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