And Elvis Wept

For almost a half decade it has been home to a weeping king, glow-in-the-dark matadors and Dog the Bounty Hunter. Now, the Velvet Curtain is ready to descend on one of Portland’s Greatest Treasures.

Another friggin’ list

This decade (which we still haven’t named yet- the aughts? The 2000’s? What the freak is it?) is almost over. That of course means thousands of “Best of” lists from blowhards on TV and numbskulls with keyboards. I happen to fit both of those categories, so I better get crackin’.

An Oregon Original

I never met Phil Cassidy. I never worked with him. Heck, I never even spoke with him on the phone. But the fact is, without Phil, I would not be where I am today.

Time to praise the Piper

There is an unspoken rule in television: the guys who seem nice are jerks, and the guys who seem like jerks are usually pretty nice. Take Pete Ferryman: on-air he’s a cuddly teddy bear with an adorable laugh. When the cameras are off, he cusses like a sailor and bets on dog fights.

Just kidding of course! But seriously folks, it turns out one of the meanest men to ever wear a kilt is really something of a sweetheart.

Let’s Play Make Believe

I live for Halloween. I’m not sure what deep-seeded psychiatric issues are to blame, but when fall arrives, I can’t wait to get all dressed up and act like a fool. Today the folks at Costume Avenue let me try on some of the hottest duds for 2009- everything from Mister Spock to the King of Pop. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good time to revisit some of my favorite Halloween costumes of the past. And since I’m all about painfully obvious pop-culture references, here’s a pic of me in the obligatory Kanye West get up:

I'm happy for you Taylor, and I'm a let you finish. But Joe V. has one of the greatest blogs OF ALL TIME!

Isn’t She Lovely

10 minutes old and already posing for the camera!

The wait is over for the Vithayathil clan. Josie Hansson Vithayathil was born Wednesday Sept. 23rd at 9:46 pm. Her birth proves that you can never out-plan mother nature: a lesson our family has now learned twice.

I Am the Walrus.

If this doesn't work, maybe we can revive the Monkees.

It must be nice to be rock and roll royalty. Think about it: The Beatles broke up 40 years ago and in a few days they will make millions of dollars by selling a video game to kids who weren’t even alive when Wings was around, let alone the Fab Four. Why do I have the feeling that Heidi Montag won’t have the same staying power?

Joe on Joe

Ninjas + Guns= Cool.

I never thought it could be done. Ladies and Gentleman, Stephen Sommers has made the Citizen Kane of all Sci-Fi/Military/Ninja Movies that was based on a comic book that was based on a toy. Yooooo Joe!

My ride on the killer elephant

The picture you see is from a recent trip to my family’s ancestral homeland of India. At the time I had no idea that I was riding an elephant who would eventually become an infamous killer, forever linked to that nation’s biggest movie star.

“This is our Twilight”

In a summer of wizards, giant robots and bachelor parties from hell, no movie has me more excited than a cheesy mix of sci-fi, ninja swords and Sienna Miller in black leather. When asked by a co-worker why he was excited about the new G.I. Joe movie, Good Day Oregon executive producer (and fellow Joe junkie) Brian Van Kleef responded simply and sagely: “This is our Twilight.”