Gossip should have no friends

[May 2nd, 2007] DISJECTA EJECTED? Well, they actually don't know for sure, but it doesn't sound good. The Templeton Building —Disjecta's home since summer 2005—is being sold by its owner, Lance Robbins. Whether the DIY arts center gets to stay will be up to the new landlord. And, given the real estate's red-hot inner eastside location, Scoop's guessing the next owner isn't thinking nonprofit "large-scale contemporary art center" is where the money's at. We can't say it'd be too crushing: The building—a historic three-story sprawl of wide-open rooms right next to the Burnside Skatepark—was rad for art shows, but the acoustics uniformly sucked . Rest assured, executive director Bryan Suereth says, Disjecta will stick around, wherever it is: "We are prepared, and good things are on the horizon."

SINGING FOR THEIR SUPPERS This past Monday, more than 300 professional artsy fartsy types including Pink Martini man Thomas Lauderdale met in the state Capitol to rally around CHAMP, a $10.9 million arts, culture and humanities "reinvestment package" that would pump funds into the Oregon Arts Commission and Oregon Public Broadcasting, among others. The package carries Gov. Ted Kulongoski's stamp of approval but faces ruthless scissoring by the Legislature's Ways and Means Committee. According to Oregon Cultural Trust communications manager Cynthia Kirk, the rally went very well. Next step for CHAMP? "We have to keep communicating with legislators...We are trying to position ourselves as being worth full funding," Kirk says. Couldn't they get Wombstretcha to play? That's worth funding. Check out champday.org to see what all the fuss is about.

SOLID-GOLD SHOT El Gaucho may not have a spendy burger, but until recently the steakhouse's bar menu listed a cocktail that cost more than a Botox session. At $500, the Josephine was so popular that the restaurant ran out of its chief ingredient: a $6,000 bottle of cognac. While alive, the Josephine was made with Grand Marnier and L'Esprit de Courvoisier cognac, which contains traces of Napoleon's private stash and is nearly impossible to find in the U.S. For the well-heeled who still want to be seen holding something so dear, El Gaucho hottie bartender Mark Joseph still serves the Louis Side Car with Louis XIII cognac for a bargain $180. Body shots, anyone?

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEERS, OH MY It sounds like a recipe for disaster (or a really bad Clint Eastwood movie): copious amounts of beer and monkeys. Lots of monkeys. But this isn't just the setup for an awesome joke, it's Zoo Brew, the Oregon Zoo's first-ever beerfest. The 21-and-over event, scheduled for May 19, will feature more than 20 local brewers and music from the Lions of Batucada, Sneakin' Out, and Anomalous Quintet. The $25 ticket price includes a glass, 10 tastes and free run of the zoo. Giggle at the penguins while quaffing a sample from Laurelwood. Down some Amnesia while learning about eagles. But don't get any ideas with the monkeys—we already asked. With 2,000 people expected, you can bet there will be security personnel making sure nobody slips them a mickey. "We just don't want people to think it's a kegger at the zoo," jokes organizer Kris Terich. Wait, isn't that the point? Tix available at TicketsWest.