Arts & Culture

Every city in America has its musical secrets—they’re known, but never spoken of. One of Portland’s is Grouper, a one-woman show that is much more accomplished than your average listener might think, especially if she or he isn’t in on the secret.

“Today, art is all but dead anyway,” according to Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer, the
godfather of stop-motion animation who popularized claymation. The Portland Art Museum’s Northwest Film Center is presenting a retrospective of Svankmajer’s influential career that
continues to run this weekend at the center’s Whitsell Auditorium.

In any given week Portland is host to numerous concerts, its windows and walls perpetually advertising various shows around the city. It can get downright depressing to think of what you could be missing on those nights you have to skip seeing a favorite band or, even worse, forget to buy a ticket.

Once a year for more than 20 years, the Buckman Arts Focus Elementary School has provided the greater Portland area with a venue to view and purchase original, unique and modestly priced artwork at its annual show, the Buckman Art Show and Sell, which takes place next Friday and Saturday at the school. It’s an opportunity to beautify and benefit at the same time.

When it comes to the pantheon of today’s most recognizable superheroes, the vast majority can be traced back to Jewish-American roots. Heroes ranging from Superman, Batman and Captain America to Thor, the Incredible Hulk and the Fantastic Four were all conceived by Jewish creators.

Since 1929 the world of cinema has been celebrated and honored annually by a board of professionals known as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Every year, everybody who’s anybody makes their way down a red carpet wearing an extravagant gown or dapper suit with hopes of hoisting an Oscar. This year is no exception.

If you’re not familiar with the work of Mike Patton, I would normally say something to the effect of, “stop what you’re doing and look him up.” In this case, however, Patton has touched so many different musical acts over the years that I’d feel comfortable rolling the dice on the premise that you’re already familiar with the man’s work.

The world has always heard about regions in crisis: Germany’s Holocaust, Darfur’s genocide and Mexico’s drug cartel terror are a few prime examples. In an increasingly interconnected world, it is hard to imagine a conflict in one area that does not affect another. On Jan. 24, five PSU student groups will come together in support of one common cause: awareness.

One of the promos for Fox’s new show The Following, which premiered last night in the 9 p.m. time slot, claims, “You won’t believe it’s not on cable.” One’s initial assumption might be that the network is trying to say that the new show equals the quality of the hour-long, meticulously detailed, brilliantly written cable dramas we’ve come to love—shows like The Sopranos and Mad Men and Breaking Bad.

This tomato tart recipe is a protein- and vitamin-rich vegetarian entree that you will love. A savory tart makes for a beautiful dish that looks complicated to make but couldn’t be simpler. Create this dish with ease just by pouring and baking. Changing the ingredients to suit your personal preference is a great way to reinvent this recipe over and over again.

Portland has its own late-night talk show, and some of the guests have described its host as a lecherous buffoon. Even Aaron Ross, the creator of The Ed Forman Show, had mostly scathing words to say about host Ed Forman, referring to him as a “polyester-clad self-help guru, who’s really just out there to help other people so he can get laid.