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(For more playoff coverage: 2009 NBA Playoff Coverage: Portland Trail Blazers )

Posted by Andy Popp

And That's a Wrap.

The Rockets proved yet again to be too much for the Blazers to handle on the road. After a competitive first quarter, the Rockets found a gear the Blazers don't have and never looked back. Every time the Blazers would put together a run, cutting the lead, the Rockets would counter with one of their own.

We saw the usual solid performances from Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, but once again, nobody else showed up. In an attempt to create offense, Nate McMillan mixed things up and started Rudy Fernandez in place of fellow rookie Nicolas Batum. Aside from 3 steals, Fernandez was a no show. Steve Blake couldn't find the basket. Travis Outlaw threw up a barrage of errant jumpers. It was a sloppy end to an otherwise fantastic season.

Glaring problems from the playoffs (after the break): Read the rest of this entry »

(Win a pair of tickets to Word to Your Mother. All you need to do is comment on this post. We will draw the winner Wednesday afternoon.)

Posted by Nathalie Weinstein

Before I had a driver's license, my mom would drive my girlfriends and I to the mall. These trips were always interesting, because my mother realized that she had a captive audience whose only means of escape was flinging themselves out the car door. On one particular occasion, my friend Angela was lamenting the fact that she had no boyfriend. The following conversation ensued:

Angela: I miss having a boyfriend
Mom: You could get a BOB
Me: What is a BOB?
Mom: Battery Operated Boyfriend!

And that, folks, is why I love my mother. And if you love your mother, what better way to show it than by taking her to Word to Your Mother, an evening of true tales about moms told by performers from three of PDX's best nonfiction storytelling groups, Mortified, True Stories and Back Fence PDX.

I'll be there in a sassy apron handing out free cupcakes. Even if you don't have a mom, or don't really want to see yours, bring your aunt, cousin, acupuncturist or dog whisperer, because you won't want to miss these stories.

From Word to Your Mother… Read the rest of this entry »

From Jeff Guay

Jim Henson: Commercials and Experiments

I can hardly think of a director's body of work worth revisiting quite as much as Jim Henson's. The craft, creativity and sheer entertainment value of a his early commercials and experimental films, showing this weekend at the Northwest Film Center, at once reinforce the charm and skill of his puppetry, but also illuminate his ability as a filmmaker of other strengths. The program begins with black and white commercials, starring early versions of favorites such as Kermit and Rowlf, for everything from bygone domestic products to homeowners insurance. There's an innocence and transparency to these 1950's advertisements, and Henson's comic timing and farcical nature make these commercials feel more like sketch comedy than the manipulative advertising we're more used to these days.

"Do you drink Wilkin's coffee?" a tadpole, perhaps an early Read the rest of this entry »