C is for...Choice-tinis at Friday's Planned Parenthood soiree.

Friday, Oct. 19

"C" Is for...Aw, it's too Easy

In the interest of tact, It List is holding its tongue (for the first time ever) on cracking potentially offensive C-word jokes concerning Planned Parenthood of the Columbia-Willamette's annual dance/masquerade party, C Is for Choice. According to Planned Parenthood, the C can stand for "choice," "costumes" and "Choice-tinis" (a cocktail that sounds suspiciously like a bad-choice potion were one to overindulge). Of course, there are other C's involved with the evening. Charity. Crunk dance moves. Contraception (hey, it's a PP event). What else could C stand for? (We'll pause here to let you make your own sophomoric jokes rhyming with "hunt" and, uh, "funnilingus.") All done? Let's move on. The party features music by El Rubio and Soy DJ, plus a raffle and silent auction. With its cool masquerade theme, the event at the Ace Hotel brings to mind yet another dirty C-word—Cruise. As in Tom Cruise, and his catastrophic Stanley Kubrick collaboration, Eyes Wide Shut, which managed to turn masquerades and freewheelin' sexuality into banality. Well, there'll be no bad acting, unsexy orgies or digital furniture here. Just a night of move-busting, cool masks and schmoozing for a good cause. Friday, Oct. 19. Ace Hotel. 1022 SE Stark St., 280-6150, ext. 2155. 8 pm. $13 advance, $15 at the door. All ages.

Saturday, Oct. 20

Pimp My Costume

All right already with the ghetto-ass costumes (unless you are, indeed, ghetto, in which case: More power to you). Tinfoil? Not an acceptable robot costume. Nothing but a bra and short-shorts? You look like a hooker, and your Britney costume is just a half-assed excuse to show some skin (and maybe do some coke and drop a baby or two). And no matter how grimy you get, a bum costume is simply the laziest costume ever. You need some pep, kid. Wanna be Britney? Grab a BeDazzler and go to town on those panties. Of course, not everybody has that DIY spirit, but dammit, there are people who want to help you. Check out the School and Community Reuse Action Project, a fashionable group that really wants you to have a kickass Halloween costume—and for pennies. The group is holding its annual Halloween workshop and costume graveyard for the next two Saturdays, with assistants on hand to help you turn from Wankenstein to a full-blown party monster. All you need is a basic idea, and the SCRAP-py volunteers will use their sea of used fabrics and materials to get you one step closer to gory glory. SCRAP's got everything you could want to piece together a costume, or—you lazy bastard—you can simply scoop up a used costume for under $10. Regardless of the route you take, with SCRAP on hand there's simply no excuse for a bullshit costume this year. SCRAP Halloween workshop, 3901-A N Williams Ave. 294-076. Drop in anytime between noon and 5 pm Saturday, Oct. 20 and 27. Free. ($5 suggested donation for assistance).

Life's a Bitch. Let's Celebrate.

There are many ways to transform a gathering from your typical elbow-rubbing party into a swank event. Replacing the word "party" with "soiree" and asking attendees to wear masquerade masks (a theme that's been floating around It List quite a bit lately) always works. But the DoveLewis Wet Nose Soiree has set itself apart from the usual lot of boring soiree fundraisers and stands firmly as an extremely fun, undeniably fancy-pants event at the posh Governor Hotel. The Wet Nose refers not to the after-effects of mountains of cocaine (bummer), but to the fundraiser's beneficiaries—pets of all sizes. Dogs, cats, parakeets, ferrets, leather-clad gimps—DoveLewis, the juggernaut of local veterinary care, seeks to benefit the creatures and friends it serves through a night of hoity, a little bit of toity and a whole lotta masks. Along with the masks guests will be wearing, the event features a display and auction of handmade animal masks modeled after various domestic animals, ranging in style from lifelike to cubist interpretations. The cocktail-attire event features the mask auction, another silent auction, a raffle, the DoveAwards and live music by Deja Nu. Unfortunately, this is a people-only event. While Fido will benefit from the proceeds of the party, the hotel itself will not abide drunken, ass-sniffing dogs. Only people. The Governor Hotel, 614 SW 11th Ave. 535-3383, wetnosesoiree.com. 5:30-10 pm. $100 general reservation. $150 VIP reservation.