Gossip should have no friends

[January 30th, 2008]

»THE OSCAR GOES TO... Pink Martini , PDX’s favorite pop orchestra, will headline the Governors Ball in Los Angeles, the biggest of the big bashes that follow the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday, Feb. 24 . With the writers’ strike looming over Hollywood’s biggest night, it’s hard to say if the A-list attendees will show up for the ultimate see-and-be-seen soiree. But more importantly, “What the hell am I going to wear?,” says Martini lead singer China Forbes. “It’s weird for me, since my sister is walking the picket lines,” says China of her sis, Maya Forbes, a freelance TV and film writer who scribbled for The Larry Sanders Show . “She said it was OK, since were just the hired band for the party. But really, I just want to meet Oprah .”

»BEACH BOYS: Sauvie Island’s favorite berry-farming boys, the Parson Brothers (see “The Parsons Project,” WW , May 18, 2007), have joined the San Francisco cast of Milk, director Gus Van Sant ’s biopic on slain civil-rights leader Harvey Milk. The brothers four—David, John, Paul, Peter—flew down this week to participate in a fight scene for the film, starring Sean Penn and Josh Brolin . “They told us to keep our long hair,” David told WW about the look needed for the film’s late ’70s setting. The family that acts together also surfs together. “The waves are pretty good down in San Francisco right now,” says David. “We thought we’d kill two birds with one stone.”

»in bad taste: As reported on wweek.com, Terroir , the Northwest bistro helmed by serial plagiarist Stu Stein , is closed (portlandfood.org broke the news last Thursday). WW couldn’t reach Stein, but Terroir “beverage consultant” Cole Danehower says Stein sent him a brief email on Wednesday, Feb. 23, reading “FYI: Terroir is closed. No joke, for real...” The closure came on the same day as Stein’s starring turn as WW ’s Rogue of the Week . The accusations that the slippery chef’s latest ethical meltdown included cutting and pasting reviews from The New York Times ’ Frank Bruni and the San Francisco Chronicle ’s Michael Bauer (among others) on Terroir’s website had been buzzing around portlandfoodanddrink.com for a week or so. Terroir’s former reps, Seattle’s Randall PR, did confirm: “Stu handled the copy for his website personally.”

»TRAVEL GOLD: As usual, when Conde Nast Traveler published its 2007 Reader’s Choice Awards , big cities nabbed the top spots for Best U.S. Hotel . Chicago. L.A. New York. Cannon Beach . Wait…Cannon Beach? The Oregon Coast’s own Stephanie Inn took the No. 3 spot in the prestigious poll, beating out big names like the Four Seasons New York. How does a small, locally owned seaside getaway compete with corporate behemoths like the Ritz-Carlton? Meridel Prideaux, who does PR for Stephanie Inn, says it’s more romantic than the big-city boxes: “For starters, there are no children, and no pets.” The high rating could be a result of the jacuzzi and fireplace in every room , or the hotel’s four-course dinners, but we think it’s the chocolate Meltaway Mints that the Stephanie had custom created for its pillows by Phillips Candies in Seaside.

»MUSIC ON THE MOVE: Venerable independent record store Jackpot is moving out of its cushy Hawthorne digs, but luckily local music fans won’t have to work too hard to track down the new location. Relocating about 1 1/2 blocks up the street, the new space—designed by the same artist who created the original —is nestled at 3574 SE Hawthorne Blvd., in between Cup&Saucer Cafe and Red Light Clothing. The old building was sold for unknown reasons, and without the consent of Jackpot owner Isaac Slusarenko. “It’s hard to tell what the intentions are of the new owners,” Slusarenko said. “The owners seem more concerned about their investment than about the community and tenure of the occupants.” The new location opens the first of March, and should feature more room for music snobs to browse for the latest Sup Pop 45s.