The American Idol Tour in 2009 made Portland the first stop on the trip. The buzz and excitement of Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta hitting the stage for the first time was palpable. This time around the American Idol Tour hits Portland as it is winding down. Rather than have all ten of the 2010 American Idol Finalists come out and talk to journalists, they picked five to represent the American Idol Tour experience.
The five interviews include Didi Benami, Crystal Bowersox, Casey James, Aaron Kelly and Tim Urban. Interestingly, the topic of a country album came up with many of the Idols (with Aaron Kelly on the road to making a country album and Casey James signed to Sony Country). Acting was also on the minds of a few of the American Idols, with Didi Benami and Tim Urban both considering careers in film and television. Read more…
In 2002 I picked up a copy of the film Haiku Tunnel. It was described to me as "Office Space" if Woody Allen had directed it rather than Mike Judge (a pretty spot on description). It was hilarious. Since then I've followed the career of Josh Kornbluth (the star of the film), as he's established himself as one of the nation's most sought after monologists.
Over the years, through Josh's email list, I'd hear about his many shows in Berkley, California and wonder what it would take to get him to perform in Portland? When Portland Center Stage announced that Josh was bringing his show Ben Franklin: Unplugged to Portland for a seven week run, I couldn't contain my excitement.
Josh Kornbluth's monologues are a unique mix of history, biographiy and observations. His disarming style sucks you into his world and leads you along on a fantastic trip.
Josh Korbluth's Ben Franklin: Unplugged runs at Portland Center Stage September 29 to November 22, 2009. It's a rare opportunity to see one of the nation's best monologists in one of his most acclaimed works.
Watch On Portland's Interview with Josh Kornbluth:
Mike Daisey is a breath of fresh air. In an era where there is so much derivative work appearing on stage (look no further than Shrek The Musical, Legally Blonde or Xanadu),Daisey reminds us why we go to live theater in the first place – to see something happen, in the moment.
Unlike many other notable monologists, Mike Daisey does all his performance extemporaneously. His monologues are never rehearsed and the only guide he uses is a set of notes which he amends at the end of every performance.
I've had the opportunity to see Mike Daisey perform on three occasions: 21 Dog Years (doing time at Amazon.com) in 2005, Monopoly! and If You See Something, Say Something which Daisey performed at the 2009 TBA festival. It's been an amazing experience to see Daisey grow as a performer, and so I was extremely excited to discover that PICA was bringing him back to Portland to workshop his latest work The Last Cargo Cult (which he performs on August 1st at 8pm in the Wieden + Kennedy Atrium 224 NW 13th Ave)
Here's our interview with Mike Daisey where he talks about the process of creating his monologues, The Last Cargo Cult, and why Portland has such a deep connection with his work:
If you had any questions about the huge impact that food carts have had on food services in Portland, look no further than Burgerville's new food cart "Nomad".
A rough economy combined with an explosive growth in food carts in Portland has motivated one of the Northwest's biggest chains to jump in the mix in a 'if you can't beat them, then join them' move. It's not only a significant endorsement to Portland's food cart scene, but a recognition that both the physics and the economics of running a restaurant have changed.
The importance of Burgerville's move is important beyond the fact that they are trying to keep up with the changing landscape. Burgerville CEO Jeff Harvey seems to understand the potential for using the food cart to expand his business in a way that wasn't fiscally viable before. Harvey plans to use Nomad to test out new markets, serve markets where a full restaurant isn't economically viable and extend their brand into places they haven't been able to reach before.
The real question to be answered though: is the boom in food carts a function of the bad economy or do they represent a real and fundamental change in the way people get food? It'll be interesting to see how Nomad fairs and if it becomes central to Burgerville's long terms strategy or just a tool they use to weather the storm of the great recession.
Here's our interview with Jeff Harvey CEO of Burgerville:
For more information on Nomad and Portland's food cart scene:
Randy Couture is considered by many to be on of the greatest fighters in the UFC and is often credited with bringing the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) into the mainstream.
Randy Couture is a huge force behind bringing the Ultimate Fighting Champion to Portland as he fights Antonio Nogueira at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira at the Rose Garden on Saturday, August 29th.
We interviewed Randy Coutre while he was in Portland for a pre-fight autograph session at the Rose Quarter. Coutre talks about bringing the UFC to Portland, his previous fight against Brock Lesnar, if Fedor Emelianenko might finally fight with the UFC and what his strategy is against Antonio Nogueira.
Here is Part 1 of our Interview with Randy Couture:
Here is Part 2 of our Interview with Rand Couture:
UFC 102 Headliner Randy Couture will be signing autographs and taking pictures with his fans at the Rose Quarter Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00pm. This event is free and is open to the public.
The 8th installment of American Idol Live makes its first stop at The Rose Garden on July 5th. On Portland had the opportunity to sit down and talk to the top 10 American Idol performers (in batches of two).
Reporters were given just 5 mins to ask questions and with two idols to cover it was tough to try to fit a lot in. Meeting the Idols in person I was struck by how closely they mirrored their 'personas' on the screen. What you saw on TV is pretty much what you see when you talk to them in person. Of the group I enjoyed Allison Iraheta's rambunctious humor, Adam Lambert's ultimate humility and Anoop Desai who seemed to have the best take on the event.
The biggest surprise was Megan Joy who talked about the challenges she faced during the show. She was a much more grounded and down to earth person than I had expected and her playfullness with Matt Giraud was fun to watch.
The thing that stuck me the most was how exhausted the Idols seemed. It was clear that they've been working extremely hard to prepare the tour and I'll be interested to see the results of all that effort.
Perhaps it's time to change Portland's motto from "A City That Works" to "A City That Eats", seems an appropriate change. 3 weeks ago
I don't get @mayorsamadams coliseum plan. If we're going to spend $20M shouldn't it be for something of real community value? 3 weeks ago
Looking for a source in Portland for Ghost Chili (Bhut Jolokia), been calling around but no one seems to sell them in Portland. 2010-07-25
American Idol Live Tour 2010 Ticket Special $10 till Wednesday. Just looked and they have FLOOR seats at this price! http://www.rosequarter.com2010-07-19
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