Gossip should have no friends

[July 9th, 2008]

• TOQUE ON THIS: Foodie Town U.S.A., a.k.a. Portland, looks to be on the verge of acquiring another school where Greg Higgins and Cathy Whims wannabes can sharpen their cooking skills as they sharpen their knives. The Art Institute of Portland, one of 40 such institutes across the country, is currently exploring the possibility of adding a culinary component to its curriculum, according to president Steve Goldman. Although there are no definitive plans yet, if it happens it will be a feather in the toque of the Art Institute, which currently offers 16 programs in media arts, design and fashion—and it’s sure to give both the nearby Western Culinary Institute and Oregon Culinary Institute a run for their beurre blanc.

• BEAR BARED: One of the Internet’s enduring mysteries, the identity of electronic musician Podington Bear —who anonymously released 156 electronic songs over the Internet in the past 18 months, to much online acclaim—has finally been revealed. Chad Crouch, founder of Portland’s own Hush Records (see profile, "Renaissance Man," in this issue), is the man behind the bear mask. “If I had attached Podington Bear to Hush from the get-go,” Crouch, whose work as Podington wound up soundtracking episodes of This American Life, told Scoop, “it wouldn’t have been as uplifting... you adopt an identity and you’ve got this superpower.” Hush recently released a 10-disc boxed set of Podington Bear’s complete works, as well as an atmospheric, album-length excerpt of P. Bear tunes called The End. So, how was Crouch unmasked? Meddling kids, perhaps? Nope—someone just entered his real name alongside Podington Bear’s via iTunes —information that was passed on to, well, everyone with a Podington Bear CD. Whoops!

• RIVER WATCH: Michael Fine, film and video liaison for the City of Portland, has confirmed shooting is under way for The River Why, based on David James Duncan’s beloved 1983 Sierra Club novel. The cast and crew, which includes Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights), William Hurt (Body Heat, Big Chill, Incredible Hulk) and Amber Heard (soon to be seen in the summer’s hotly anticipated Pineapple Express), were spotted Monday wading into character at a deserted ampm store at North Lombard Street and Portsmouth Avenue.

• AN IMPERFECT STORM: In “High Seas, Low Wages,” part of WW’s recent Summer Guide, we incorrectly stated that the only security at Fred’s Marina (12800 NW Marina Way, 286-5537) is a sign reading “No visitors past this point.” In fact, a 24-hour security guard apparently lives on the premises. The story’s author has never had any issues with security at Fred’s (visit the story for further clarification). WW regrets the error.