Gossip Should Have No Friends

[July 4th, 2007]

FUNNY MONEY Fresh from championing the Platform International Animation Festival , local cartoon creator Joanna Priestley must decide what to do next. Fortunately, she now has $20,000 to help her find direction. The Regional Arts & Culture Council has awarded Priestley its Individual Artist Fellowship Award, which comes with a very nice honorific luncheon and that big hunk of cash. Priestley plans to use the fellowship to take a year off from teaching and work on combining 2-D computer animation with live-action sets. Here's to another Toon Town triumph!

RED AHEAD As curious as WW's Heidi Yorkshire found East Burnside's latest food destination, Rocket (see facing page), Scoop's even curiouser about the big, red, LEED Platinum-certified behemoth the restaurant calls home at 1111 E Burnside St. Lucky for us, Rocket Building architect Kevin Cavenaugh slipped us a line that his "creative services co-op," TENpod, which also lives there, is throwin' a huge, public grand-opening party 5:30 pm to midnight this Friday, July 6 , with the rest of the building's tenants. Cavenaugh says there'll be DJs and a band in a few of the spaces—which include Bishops founder Leo Rivera's graffiti bar Chesterfield on the main floor as well as an animation studio, Nervo.tv, and Pacific Rim Winemakers—plus tours of that chicken-infested roof garden everybody keeps yappin' about . Hell, the invite promises "access to all areas," so that means they want us to snoop through their offices, businesses and bathrooms without fear of lawsuit or imprisonment. In other words, our kind of party....

SUMMER DAZE In last week's Outdoors Guide we encouraged readers to schlep their asses all the way down to Eugene to take in the beauty that is Hayward Field. Well, our own asses are a little pinker now that we've learned Hayward Field is actually closed this summer so the powers that be can prepare it for next summer's Olympic Trials in track and field. Google us embarrassed.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT This week is your last chance to fill out WW's 2007 Best of Portland Readers Poll and win awesome prizes: A getaway for two at Sea Ranch resort in Cannon Beach; tickets to Download 2007, featuring Modest Mouse, Incubus and the Presidents of the United States of America; tickets to Slightly Stoopid and G. Love & Special Sauce; and tickets to Oregon Zoo concerts and Beavers and Timbers games. It's your chance to decide on the best our city has to offer. Head to wweek.com/bop to pick your faves before voting closes July 6!