Gossip should have no friends

[January 2nd, 2008]

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Northwest neighborhood haunt the Green Room (2280 NW Thurman St.) is yet another local business that has shut down or moved out of the west side in ’07. It’s true: Soon you will no longer be able to gobble up awesome sloppy Joes in the wee hours, nor will you be karaokeing with the Captain on Sunday nights—not until he finds a new end-of-the-week home. The roots-rock, singer-songwriter haven will close its doors Saturday, Jan. 19, because, as owner Beth Gray puts it, those in charge of the property “want the space back.” You’ll have a chance to send off the ol’ Green pub—which would have counted 2008 as its 15th year in business—with a fine, booze- and memory-soaked farewell at its last-night shebang. As well-loved bartendress “Trixie” puts it: “Shit happens.”

hand job: She sings! She dances! She stumps! Storm Large appeared on Outlook Portland, Nick Fish ’s weekly public-affairs show on KRCW last Friday, Dec. 28. Although the Cabaret and Rock Star starlet gabbed about CDs and singing a bit, much of the show focused on her political confessions , ranging from which GOP contender she once “stalked” to why she loves Gov. Ted Kulongoski . She also gave a Democratic Party shout-out to Barack Obama , whose inexperience she cites as a strength and whose wife, Michelle, she calls a “badass.” The best bit for those who didn’t TiVo the show: “[Obama] has this Mr. Smith Goes to Washington innocence,” Storm says. “I also like his hands.” See the video.

LIVE TO NEW YORK: Live Wire! , OPB’s radio variety show, was picked up by WNYC for a New Year’s Eve broadcast . New York City’s largest public radio station aired the show’s “Wordstock” episode, featuring Harry Shearer, Peter Sagal and Weinland, at 9 pm Eastern time on New York’s 820 AM. That’s great news for OPB, sure, but what will we do when East Coast magazine writers start buying out seats at the Aladdin ?

AXEMEN COMETH: Talk about a windfall. The northern Oregon coast area most affected by November’s severe winter storm is about to hit the big time—reality television big time. Following in the footsteps of the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch , the History Channel will begin broadcasting episodes of The Axemen in spring 2008. The 13-episode reality show features the lives of “career loggers” at four different logging companies, including Astoria’s Gustafson Logging Co. and Stump-Branch Logging based near Vernonia . Scoop’s heard word that the timber-focused production was on location before, during and after the big storm that cut power to the coast for over a week.