Gossip should have no friends

[February 13th, 2008]

» JESUS H. CHRIST: So that’s why Scoop spotted Tim Robbins dining at El Gaucho last November. Word is that famed actor-director will begin filming The Heretic in and around PDX in the next few weeks. The Altman-esque ensemble piece (that means big-name stars, baby) has something to do with spirituality, religion and “breaking Jesus out of a mental ward” —that’s all we know so far. Casting is still under wraps, but let’s just say local restaurant tables will soon be filling up with some major players.

» FOODIES 1, BLAZERS 0: Not everybody feels unconditional love for our Trail Blazers . When one of our big boys (we won’t say which one) tried to reserve a romantic table for two at Paley’s Place, weeks in advance of Valentine’s Day, the best the lauded restaurant could offer for the special night was a dinner reservation near midnight . According to Paley’s co-owner Kimberly Paley, the hungry sports star just couldn’t be accommodated with a prime-time slot. The restaurant, which will serve specials like chilled oysters and roast marrow bones that night, had been taking reservations for the holiday for the past two months. No amount of assists or fancy ball-handing could make the bistro send one of their regular customers down to D League. Should we applaud Paley’s or pity the poor baller? Just don’t blame the Blazers if their free-throws are a little short next Tuesday against Sacramento.

» WHEEL LIFE: Sure, Lance Armstrong made an appearance at the North American Handmade Bike Show last weekend, but the real story of the NAHBS was Portland’s first roller-racing tourney, which yielded not one champion, but two . Roller races are ferocious contests waged on stationary bikes. Don’t let the cushy concept fool you: The 500-meter sprints are routinely biked in under 20 seconds—a ground speed of about 70 mph. Sponsored by British-based Rapha Racing at PDX’s Lizard Lounge , the beer-soaked event coasted smoothly until an equipment malfunction in the final round. That meant that victor Dean Tracy , who had already been crowned and sprayed the crowd with champagne, had to re-race his opponent, a walk-on named Chas. In the end, both finalists were named champion and each received the grand prize, a custom-built bike frame from PDX’s Ira Ryan and a Kreitler roller. Check out pics and video from the event at wweek.com.

» DID YA HEAR? Speaking of stars...Scoop crashed the post-performance reception Saturday night for Eartha Kitt following her smashing debut with the Oregon Symphony. The kicky 81-year-old Kitt was mobbed by fans, including equally height-challenged congressional candidate Steve Novick . No word if the sassy star will stump for her little friend.

»GOODBYE, ROCK: Earl Benson , frontman of influential Portland band the Sleezy Pieces , died on Nov. 26 of last year at age 68. One of the marquee rock outfits of Portland’s ’70s bar scene (when the OLCC loosened regulations on music and bars), the Sleezy Pieces played a mix of folk rock and electric material. Longtime Portland music critic SP Clarke writes: “[Benson’s] delivery was something to behold—a bearded boyscout in Bermuda shorts and a wrinkled sportscoat singing in a rich falsetto, while quoting St. Paul, fronting one of the best bands the city has ever seen. In the annals of Portland weirdness, Earl Benson stood apart. Way apart. ” The Pieces rocked Portland for more than a decade. Friends and fans will gather at 7 pm on Monday, Feb. 18 at Duff’s Garage . Surviving members of the Sleezy Pieces—Steve Bradley, Bill Wyatt, Jon Koonce and Bill Piland —will take the stage later in the evening.

»HOT BOX: If Scoop wasn’t so well-lubricated already we might’ve noticed a certain single-testicled sport star standing right next to us at the bar at Saucebox around 11:30 pm Friday night. The following morn the good folks at Saucebox confirmed Lance Armstrong (who was in town for last weekend’s Handmade Bike Show, see above) and an entourage of five friends indulged in Belgian beers and Grey Goose vodka drinks before jetting south on Broadway via a Radio cab.

»WEB BONUS! Angelheaded hipsters, feast your ears on this newly unearthed snippet of Allen Ginsberg's first-ever recording of Howl (in Portland!):

Download audio file (Ginsberg_Howl_open_Reed_Feb.mp3)

For more on the discovery, see WWire.