Gossip should have no friends.

[December 5th, 2007]

OPEN BOOK: At last Sunday’s Oregon Book Awards, held at the Portland Art Museum, Alison Clement nabbed the Ken Kesey Award for the Novel for Twenty Questions , while the Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction was claimed by Tin House editor Lee Montgomery for her memoir, The Things Between Us . But the award for “Best Reaction to Winning” went to Tom Blood , who picked up the Stafford/Hall Award for his debut book of poetry, The Sky Position . When he realized his name was about to be called, he physically recoiled from the recognition, three full steps, and when the time came offered a bravura display of nervousness at the prize podium, closing his speech with a simple, and humble, “Sorry. I was just kind of spacing out there for a second. ”

GLASS HOUSE: Fire up that endless looping C-major scale. Everyone’s favorite minimalist master, composer Philip Glass (“Einstein on the Beach,” “Koyaanisqatsi”), is rumored to be touching down at the Wonder Ballroom this April to help raise some cash for the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art. “He’s an old friend of PICA’s,” says PICA PR guru Brian Costello. “As a member of the advisory board, he’s been in conversations with us about helping out in some way.” PICA doesn’t have a firm date or venue yet for Glass, but things may get set soon....

MANO2BOCA: Hand2Mouth Theatre , fresh off a tour of their orgiastic pseudo-musical, Repeat After Me , announced that they will premiere Dos Pueblos/Two Towns, a new bilingual collaboration with Mexican director Ruben Ortiz , next fall as part of Miracle Theatre Group’s 25th anniversary season. The Portland performance group is also working on From a Dream to a Dream , a racy collaboration with Polish director Luba Zarembinska that will premiere on Artists Repertory Theatre’s second stage in June. Speaking of Artists Rep., peppy chanteuse Susannah Mars and frequent harasser of the local press Bruce Blanchard have been cast as the leads in the February production of Rabbit Hole, David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer-winning drama about a family coping with the loss of a child. Both talented performers are better known for musicals (Bat Boy and Les Miserables, respectively) than small-scale tragedy.

GOT MEAT? Davis Cup? Paula Deen protest at the Bagdad? A part in Gus Van Sant’s upcoming biopic about Harvey Milk? No one seems to know for certain why Susan Sarandon’s better half, Tim Robbins, was in town Wednesday, Nov. 28, but the actor-director was definitely seen that night scarfing down a bone-in ribeye at downtown steakhouse El Gaucho . Known for its dark lighting and pro-baller sightings, Gaucho was the perfect place for the 6-foot-5-inch Robbins to blend in as he sat at a center booth in the bar, quaffed a cocktail and chatted up an unidentified guest for most of the evening.