Portland

So, yes, I strongly dislike the book Twilight, even though I couldn't be spoken to while I read it; it's one of those Pringles books that's terrible for you (does the world need any more impossibly-perfect heroines who can't do a damn thing for themselves?) and impossible to stop reading. BUT. I have a weakness for poor doomed (please, we are so out of spoiler territory on this one) Hogwarts student Cedric Diggory. When means I like Robert Pattinson, who played Cedric and is now playing Twilight's ever so romantic vampiric lead Edward Cullen in the movie adaptation (coming out in December). And in this MTV Movies Blog interview, Pattison says he's been "playing in Portland" while shooting there.

Oh, CRIKEY. Somebody find out where and tell me, mmmkay?

(Not like it'd be publicized, I'm sure of that. But it'd be kinda neat to happen upon.)

(OK, OK, I'll just keeping imagining the wildly unlikely.)

Hey y'all!

To the great chagrin of everyone else running around finishing up the largest paper in the EW history (sorry, guys! I'll bring Portland treats ... ), I'm up in Portland at the Oregon Arts Commission conference — excuse me, Arts Summit.

In the breakout session I'm in right now, talking about facilities and capital campaigns and all of that, there are about 21 people, including lots of arts org folks in Portland but also Craig Willis from the Leebrick, Karen Marie Pavelec from Maude Kerns and Riley Grannan from the Eugene Ballet Company.

Also, I'm hearing stories of people from Roseburg, Klamath Falls, Gresham, Hillsboro and Vail. Vail! Where the heck is that? Wait ... it's Vale!

View Vale Map Grannan knows where it is because the Ballet used to be a Boise/Eugene collaboration, and Vale's kind of on its way (check out the map).

I love the Internet. Now there's discussion of how to "brand" arts organizations. This normally makes me insane (witness my reaction to the Oregon Bach Festival's new branding thingie that involves a certain EEEEVIL corporation), but these folks are helping me understand how it gets money out of donors. Hey, even the donors in the room are talking about it.

More on this later. I know Mary Unruh of DIVA is in another room, and this morning, Frances Bronet, dean of the UO School of Architecture and the Allied Arts, was the keynote speaker (much more on her in a few weeks in the paper and online).

This is so cool.

I know, I've been a bad bad blogger. So much architecture to write about (Berlin; Tokyo; Iraq; Dresden and more), cover stories to cover, exciting theater to ... er. Well, actually, I've been going out of town a lot, and that means the weekdays are packed with, gasp, print-related tasks.

As loyal readers know, Chuck and I went to Portland and saw Twelfth Night and The Beard of Avon at Portland Center Stage. I loved the second play and wasn't as into the first one. Then I went to Portland the next week and, after spending holiday gift cards at Powell's, popped into the PNCA to see the Joe Sacco show — which reminded me of why I'd love to teach a sort of alternative forms of literary journalism class at the UO's Literary Nonfiction Progam, from whence I got a master's degree in 2004. Sacco's Palestine (now available in special edition) and Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995 combine journalism and graphic novel skills (or comic skills? There's not a good language for this now — illustration skills?) to create moving and fascinating stories.

Then we went to Portland again (!). And I went gallery-hopping in the Pearl, something I've wanted to do when it wasn't a crazed First Thursday event. My faves of the many galleries I hopped through in one morning: Dennis Zaborowshi at the Blackfish Gallery; Thomas Conway at Pulliam Deffenbaugh (where I had a good time talking with gallery owner Rod Pulliam as well); and finally, though I think the art is a bit too easily accessible in some ways, I did like Carolyn Cole at the Butters Gallery as well.

Now we're on Bainbridge Island after a trip through the UW School of Dentistry yesterday — a cricle of hell I don't recommend — and a long wait for the ferry. Not going to see any theater tonight, sadly; I think people want to see the movie The Savages. Going to recover blogging capacity soon. Still reading Guardian theater blogs and other theater things, still thinking, still reading a lot of books. Reporting on those things to come.

Hey fans, I know you're out there, waiting with baited breath. Hopefully, Molly will liveblog the Oscars tomorrow! Because I know she wants to comment on people's fashion choices ...

Thanks to its high percentage of resident college graduates, Corvallis was chosen by Forbes.com for inclusion on its list of The Smartest Cities in America. The Oregonian's blog mentions that while Portland has picked up "greenest city" honors in numerous publications, as well as "most livable" and "largest population of creative class hipsters outside of Brooklyn," Eugene has not been on any lists, lately. Eugene does host the Olympic Trials this year, we think that's worthy of note. But, somehow, Portland scored the Davis Cup, once again bettering us. Dammit!

The Davis Cup

Maybe I'm just confused. Half-remembered conversations are bubbling in my head; did The Fast Computers tell me they were going to move away? Does that mean I'll never get to play Wii Tennis again? Or are they from Eugene and Portland now? Well, regardless, The Oregonian likes 'em. In this article about Portland as "America's indie-rock Mecca," they anoint TFC "the best indie synth band in town!" It's a tie with Glass Candy, but it still counts!