36.
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DECEMBER 7, 2007
MON • DEC. 17
Gather around the Portland Polyamory Circle
for informal discussions of open relationships
and commitment. (7 pm. Laury 503-285 4848)
Grease your wheels during Gay
VffiF Skate Night presented by Just Out
at Oaks Park. (7-9 pm. 1 SE Spokane
St. $5 plus canned food items for Esther's
Pantry.) /
TUE • DEC. 18
Vault Martini Lounge presents the monthly
queer social mixer Q-T. Enjoy a cocktail from
a selection of 44 exotic libations or take
advantage of exclusive drink specials benefit*
ing Basic Rights Oregon. (6-8 pm. 226 NW
12th Ave.)
Q Center presents Late Awakenings, a group
for women who came out later in life, every
third Tuesday. (7 pm 69 SE Taylor St.)
Doug Fir Lounge presents an evening cele­
brating the limited live CD release of Into the
Dark Unknown. Holcombe Waller's smash
performance at the 2007 Time-Based Art
Festival. Chris Garneau opens. (9 pm. 830 E
Burnside St. $10 from Tickets West.)
WED • DEC. 19
Elder Resource Alliance presents What Is
Skilled Nursing Care/lntermediate Care b
What Happens When You Need It at
Friendly House Community Center. (2-4 pm.
1737 NW 26th Ave.)
Learn how you can get involved during the In
Other Words volunteer orientation meeting.
(6:30 pm. 8 NE Killingsworth St.)
The Men's Wellness Center pre-
sents Meditation: Healthy Mind,
Joyful Life Learn about practices
for calming our minds and techniques for
transforming our attitudes to live more
joyfully, healthy and aware. Perfect for
de-stressing during the holiday season!
(7-9 pm. 928 SW Stark St.)
In her final show before heading to Las Vegas
to assume the role of Mistress of Seduction in
Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity, Portland native
Edie performs at Darcelle XV. This dancin'
dragster will high-kick her way through an all­
singing hour of all-out fun. mixing standards
with original numbers, all with her signature
1960s mod go go feel. (8 pm. 208 NW Third
Ave. $15 from 503-222-5338.)
Satori Men's Chorus performs some of the
music from its Winter Light concert at The
Grotto Festival of Lights. (9 pm. Northeast
85th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard.)
THU • DEC. 20
Dads Group, a support/social group for men
coming out later in life, meets every third
Thursday at Q Center. (7-8:30 pm. 69 SE
Taylor St.)
Extras! Extras! Read All About It
STEVE CHERRY POLARASTUDIOS COM
FRI • DEC. 21
In Other Words presents Girl Movie Night
with a scieehing of Cleopatra Jones. Watch
the special agent kick some serious ass as
she cracks down on drug trafficking in the
United States and abroad. (6:30 pm. 8 NE
Killingsworth St.)
PDX Lesbian Network presents
another wine pairing dinner. Come
enjoy five luscious nonvegetarian
courses paired with wine, with an opportu­
nity to purchase wine after the event. ($50
from pdxlesbiannet@yahoo.com)
Hot apple cider, Miss Mylar does Mrs. Claus
(hee hee) and great prizes?! All guys (and
their friends) are welcome to this month's
Chicos Latinos Bingo at the Men's
Wellness Center. (7-9 pm. 928 SWStark St.)
Q Center presents Cabaret with a Q,
Portland’s newest "anything goes" monthly
piano bar/cabaret. Because it's "the most
wonderful time of the year," come prepared
for some holiday music! (8-10 pm. 69 SE
Taylor St.)
SAT • DEC. 22
Hey, what's your vice? Holocene presents
Double Down, the fab queer party where
the player always wins, every fourth
Saturday. (8 pm 1001 SE Morrison St. $5.)
Holly Jolly Hullabaloo...Again! features Integrity Productions' version of "Little
Red Riding Hood" with a global warming message Dec. 13-29.
The Gender Fluids are at it again with the
second annual Queer Quistmas spectacu­
lar at Mississippi Pizza Pub! This year's
holiday cheer is loaded with things that
would make Jack Frost heat up and melt
into a big puddle of, well, Jack fluid. The
vignettes feature song and dance, spoken
word and a multimedia fruit pie only John
Waters could love! Electro-pop sensation CJ
and the Dolls open. (10 pm. 3552 N
Mississippi Ave. $5-$10 sliding scale.)
. WE HELP PROPERTY OWNERS...
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...LIKE NOBODY S BUSINESS
503.922.0600
From left, George Michael joins Ricky Gervais and Gerard Kelly for the
series finale of Extras.
“Reality TV” has survived, and to some extent thrived, on American dreams
of upward mobility and instant celebrity and wealth—not to mention being
incredibly cheap for the networks to produce. But the endless parade of annoying
wannabe superstars, chefs, psychics, etc. has spawned a more intriguing twin: the
reality TV satire. Shows like Reno 911 and Curb Your Enthusiasm have become cult
favorites here in the States by making fun of the genre, but Great Britain hits the
bull's-eye with Extras, seen in the United States on HBO and available on DVD.
Running only two seasons—a tidy 12 half-hours plus the series finale premier­
ing Dec. 16— Extras was conceived by, and stars, Ricky Gervais and Stephen
Merchant, also responsible for the highly acclaimed series The Office. In Extras,
Gervais plays nervous, ambitious schlub Andy Millman, a “little 43-year-old
actor” who spent the first season desperately trying to move from extra to star and
the second finding fame when he sells a show to the British Broadcasting Corp.
His “success” becomes incredibly humiliating, however, as the network dumbs
Andy’s artistic concept down to the gutter; he’s forced to wear a bad wig and
silly glasses and repeat brainless catchphrases like “Are ya havin’ a laugh?” In an
unbelievable exchange, Andy and his co-stars titter as they try to figure out if one
of them said “fish stew” or “fist you”! .
Extras’ 80-miniite climax reprises all that was best about the series, not the
least being the use of actual stars in situations that riff on the darker (or more
notorious) aspects of their fame. George Michael appears in a hilarious gay park­
cruising scene; hunky Clive Owen portrays an appallingly sexist male diva who
wants to do something incredibly nasty to a hapless extra on a movie set. Andy is
equally infected by egomania, but he’s not tough enough to pull it off. He pleads
for more respectable parts but ends up dressed as a vomiting dragon for a Dr. Who
episode. In a truly inspired sequence, Andy appears in the British reality series Big
Brother. The cult of celebrity has rarely been given such a drubbing. The finale is
obviously not the best place to start watching (Extras virgins should start at the
beginning), but for those who’ve seen the prior seasons, it’s a brilliant conclusion
to a comedy masterpiece and pnxrf positive of the stellar comic talents of Gervais
and Merchant.
—Gary Morris
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Classical Five-Element Acupuncture
treats the underlying cause of disease
Located in the heart
of Sellwood
DOG PARK
Margaret Sanger, M.Ac., L.Ac.
«
1427 NW 23rd, Portland
5010 NE 33rd
(Common Ground Wellness Ctr)
margaret@thetaoofacupuncture.com
503*221*6631
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