Gossip should have no friends

[July 2nd, 2008]

• XMAS IN JULY: Steps to world domination—No. 1: Win over the French. No. 2: Record songs for Starbucks. This week local swank-makers Pink Martini put their finishing touches on a number recorded exclusively for release on Starbucks’ upcoming holiday album . This is the second time that the Pink ones have teamed up with Starbucks (the first was for 2006’s “Santa, Baby”), although, according to published reports, the Mermaid chain is rethinking whether it wants to be in the music biz­—even though it sells about 4 million CDs yearly. For 2008, Pink Martini reworked “Do You Hear What I Hear?” a 46-year-old holiday standard that was written in response to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Nice choice.

• FOWL PLAY: Portland’s tumescent-goose-liver war continues! When animal-rights activists descended on Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill to protest foie gras on the menu last Thursday, June 26, owner Bruce Kaad let ’em know the fatty liver had recently been nixed from the menu. But protesters were rightfully skeptical. Adam Berger , owner of Portland’s sleek Ten01 , was caught on video in April telling the Portland Animal Defense League he was taking foie gras off his menu, yet a female protester calling herself “Firefly” says protesters have since “successfully ordered foie gras there.” (WW confirmed that the dish is currently on the menu.) The night after the Alberta protest, 30 to 40 foie protesters were out front of Ten01 again “Many people felt [Berger] had played us all for fools,” explained protester “Athena Hastings,” a.k.a. Nona Carrasco. She says they wanted to clue in potential Ten01 customers to the fact that Berger also owns Nutshell , a PDX vegan restaurant—a situation they find “hypocritical.” Though Berger and his employees refused to comment, Carrasco claims Ten01 staff taunted protesters from inside the restaurant—making hand gestures suggesting they were eating foie gras. On the bright side for Ten01, Carrasco says the manager on duty claimed the restaurant sold more foie gras that night than any other night that week.

• WORK IT: Does Tacee Webb ever stop? First she bought PDX boutique Seaplane, now comes word that the petite purveyor of all things fashion has snagged herself a high-profile “friend” to help her out at her third annual kids’ Fashion Design Camp—designer Jeffrey Sebelia, better known as the winner of the third season of Project Runway. According to Webb, Sebelia will share his sartorial skills with the kids who participate in both the Portland and L.A. camps. In other Webb news, the former Red Light Vintage honcho’s other project, Lovecraft Biofuels, will be the subject of its own “reality show,” although she didn’t divulge which network it will appear on. She did not confirm rumors that next week she will capture Osama bin Laden and cure cancer.

• PAPERS, PLEASE: In “Paddle Party” in last week’s Summer Guide package, we neglected to mention that a noncommercial float permit is required to run the Rogue River from May 15-Oct. 15. The permits, which cost $10 per person, can be obtained from the Bureau of Land Management at 541-479-3735. We regret the omission.