Gossip Should Have No Friends

[July 26th, 2006] PIGGIN' OUT Just about everybody already knowns that Hollywood heavyweights Sean Penn , Vince Vaughn and Southern Oregon resident William Hurt are currently holed up just across the Columbia from Astoria filming a new flick—Into the Wild, based on former Oregonian Jon Krakauer 's bestseller about some guy who lived in the Alaskan wilderness. Yes, but what are the stars eating? Scoop, on "Spicoli Watch 2006 ," spotted Penn, piling on the pounds at Highway 30's world-famous Pig 'N Pancake . The homegrown breakfast chain has hosted the aging actor—twice. Did he go for Swedish pancakes? Short stack? Did he even have pancakes at all?! Sue Barry, who waited on the former Mr. Madonna, says Penn had —get this—plain crepes ! Oh, you've changed, Sean. Ordering French is so Hollywood. Why don't you just convert to Scientology already.

TOTAL BABE Not that we're saying it's a good reason to get preggers, but Black Wagon , the online children's boutique, is opening its flagship store on North Mississippi Avenue come September. Black Wagon creator, and former Retread Threads owner, Sarah Shaoul, actually lives in the Boise-Eliot 'hood. Now, we're not quite sure who's gonna be sportin' tha Wagon's Stevie Wonder and Dolly Parton onesies (almost cute enough to counter the $24 price tag) and winkingly cute rags from other baby-as-accessory labels like Gwen Stefani's new Harajuku Lovers and dwellbaby —or who will enroll in the store's toddler Japanese language classes , for that matter. But we're damn sure this marks the final transition of North Miss from blighted crack alley to eclectic-yet-upwardly mobile breeder central .

SWIM FAN AC-free club Holocene wisely shuttered its doors last Sunday in the face of P-town's Hades-like temperatures . The silver lining of the closure? Cupcake , the club's monthly queer-friendly "fatty fete," which was scheduled that day, relocated to North Portland's Peninsula Pool for a two-hour bout of aquatic chub love called the Chunky Dunk Pool Party . According to Fat Girl Speaks/Cupcake organizer Stacy Bias , more than 70 people showed up for the afternoon swim, "in their sexy suits and trunks with sunscreened tattoos glistening and perfectly coiffed Esther Williams hairdos floating carefully above the water line." Scoop hears there was even a freakin' cannonball competition. If you now feel as if you've missed the plus-sized social event of the summer, don't fret. Bias is busy planning Chunky Dunk II and III for two Sundays, Aug. 13 and 27 . Visit fatgirlspeaks.com if you wanna be part of it.

FINDER IS BACK That's right, folks: WW's indispensable, annual guide to everything you need to know about Portland is currently available all around town. But don't go lookin' for it in WW's regular ol' blue boxes. Oh no, we've thoughtfully deposited Finder at many of your favorite hangouts, from Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Powell's to even Uwajimaya way out in the 'burbs. To peruse a full list of places where you can find a Finder magazine, visit www.wweek.com/finder. And while yer there, you can check out all the pics from our Finder Launch Party last Wednesday, a rollicking WW World Headquarters parking lot free-for-all featuring some of our favorite Finder story subjects, from the MarchFourth Marching Band to top Sissyboy her-/himself Splendora. Or eyeball local photographer Xilia Faye's sexy-cheeky fly-on-the-wall view of the bash at photofaye.blogspot.com/2006/07/wweek-finder-party.html.