BEST PUBLICATION THAT POSTULATES ABOUT PINBALL
BEST CABLE-ACCESS MUSIC SHOW
BEST INVITATION TO A GRAND OPENING
BEST CAMPAIGN TO GET INTO THE BEST OF PORTLAND ISSUE
BEST LETTER FROM A LOCAL PRINTED IN TIME MAGAZINE
BEST EXAMPLE OF MEDIA BONDAGE TO SENSATIONALISM
BEST NEWS SERIES
BEST WAY TO SUPPORT A HABIT
BEST LOCALLY PUBLISHED BEVERAGE MAGAZINE
BEST BOOK ABOUT A SKANKY SWAMP WRITTEN IN THE MULTNOMAH COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
 

Best Publication That Postulates About Pinball
It's an unlikely source of philosophical discourse, but the folks at Portland's long-running 'zine Multiballfind continual enlightenment in the most underappreciated of American pastimes: pinball. The recently published 14th issue explores the flashing, pinging machines from angles both esoteric ("Tommy Can You Hear Me? An Historic Perspective on the Sounds of Pinball") and functional ("Sporting Houses--Cool Spots to Play"). Branching out from their tilted stance, the editors and writers use the 60-page zine to critique records (7- and 10-inches only) and to expound on such matters as photo booths and candy bars. Lest this sound too cute, Multiball also engages in serious discussion with interview subjects such as thief-turned-novelist Edward Bunker and performance artist and provocateur Aaron Lee. Still, the emphasis remains on the beloved game; as one Multiballer writes: "Anyone can enshrine their local pinball machine and everyone should. Support local pinball today." Available at Reading Frenzy.

Best Cable-Access Music Show
Portland's Brit-pop fascination, already manifest in bands such as the Dandy Warhols and Marigold, extends to the boob tube with the cable-access program Alright--Britpoppers Unite. Hosted by a couple of avid fans, the show features videos by bands such as Blur, Oasis and Radiohead and lesser-known acts, as well as news, gossip, a call-in line for viewer comments and a concert calendar that informs viewers of upcoming local shows by U.K. bands. Alright is decidedly low-budget, but it's an informative and entertaining bit of programming for music fans. The next airings are midnight Wednesday, July 29, on Channel 11, and a live broadcast at 8:30 pm Thursday, Aug. 6, on Channel 33.

Best Invitation to a Grand Opening
If Griffin and Sabine created an invitation, it would look something like the announcement of the grand opening for the remodeled Lodge at Sunriver Resort in Bend. An elegant card on the cover of a hardbound journal announced the grand opening. The pages of the book, interspersed with pine needles and feathers, cleverly detail one person's experiences at the new lodge with accompanying sketches of the ponderosa pine bar in the Owl's Nest Pub, fly fishing and bird-watching.

Best Campaign to Get into the Best of Portland Issue
David Walker's fan base spreads across the country. The local writer and his fanzine, BadAzz MoFo, received more nominations than any other person, place or thing in this year's Best of Portland issue. Fans from Portland, Idaho and New York urged that Walker's publication be named "Best Guide to Blaxploitation," "Best Small-Press Publication" and "Best 'Zine to Ever Be Published in Portland." BadAzz MoFo, available at Reading Frenzy (921 SW Oak St.), is indeed worth a read. Plus, buying it allows you the opportunity to win the "Best Way to be Seen Reading a Best of Portland" award.

Best Letter from a Local Printed in Time magazine
With seven months' worth of Time magazine "news" stories to comment on so far this year (Monica & Bill, John Travolta, Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jordan, teen-age sex, etc.), Oregonians have made a solid showing on the letters page of the national magazine. To their credit, readers have sounded off on the more serious issues, such as bank mega-mergers and chemical warfare, but the best letter from an Oregonian to land in Time appeared in the May 25 issue, in which readers wrote in about Viagra. H. David Brannon, 70, wrote a one-sentence letter: "We old duffers are now downright dangerous!" Asked to explain his comments, Brannon--who runs a seafood deli and catering service in Winchester Bay--told WW, "My wife is very much scared of me now. You see, when women get older they lose their libido. With men, our libido is there until they close the lid on us. But we're embarrassed to do anything about it because we lose the ability to get an erection. Now, [with Viagra] women have to come up with excuses. 'Oh, honey, I have a headache.' They're frightened by the onslaught of romance when they know what we're after."

Best Example of Media Bondage to Sensationalism
Oregon Council for the Humanities (OCH), the independent state affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities, granted two annual $5,000 fellowships to Oregon scholars for 1998 research projects. One of the grants, given to Pacific University professors Nancy Breaux and Sarah R. Phillips, generated about 15 minutes of media frenzy last spring. Their project, "Mainstreaming and Identity Definition Within a Sadomasochist Subculture," titillated the press with its racy title. KATU-TV Channel 2 ran a silly piece on the 5 pm news replete with stock footage of leather-clad slaves and masters, as well as an interview with an outraged guy flipping burgers at a Forest Grove greasy spoon. The Oregonian showed restraint by printing a well-balanced article that revealed the competitive process of selecting the OCH grant recipients and pointed out that the council receives no state tax dollars. Lars Larsen of KXL Radio attempted to stir public ire on his talk show by questioning this dubious use of public funds. The sole responding caller cried, "Who cares? Who cares?" And nobody at all seemed to care about the other OCH research grant, given to Willamette University's Gaetano DeLeonibus for his project, "The Dark Side of Modernism," an exploration of the connection between modernism and right-wing ideologies at the turn of the century in France.

Best News Series
KOIN-TV's Reed Coleman has pioneered a new genre in Portland broadcast journalism. Combining a dash of method acting with undercover police work, Coleman has donned costumes and elaborate make-up to find out how, as the great muckraker Jacob Riis said, the other half lives. Coleman strapped huge pillows to her slender frame for "Fat Like Me," and this year she got more wrinkly than a Shar-pei puppy for "Old Like Me." What's next? We've got a few suggestions for Reed. Of course there are the obvious disadvantages such as "Homeless Like Me," "Disabled Like Me" and "Republican Like Me." But what about something a little more Portland? Let's say, "Pierced Like Me," "Californian Like Me" or "Driver Who Doesn't Use Signals Like Me."

Best Way to Support a Habit
Style Sheet creator Jill Spitznass wasn't thinking of riches when she ran off the first of her cheeky one-page fashion rap sheets in March; she just wanted to add a little panache to Portland. Style Sheet appeared anonymously, surfacing in worthy boutiques, clubs and restaurants; Spitznass kept her name off it in a clever move to promote mystery--and save face in case it bombed. She needn't have worried. By issue #2, the back of the page was checkered with advertisements. Free-lance Web designer Jeff Faulkner liked the hard copy so much he offered to fashion a Web site (www.waterengine.com/stylesheet/). All three installments of the bimonthly Sheet are cyber-posted, and print volume has ballooned from an original 100 copies to 750. Oregonian writer Byron Beck serves as editor and ad man, Patti Hearson is the graphic designer and Spitznass writes all the copy. While Style Sheet doesn't afford yards of opulent threads for its three staffers, Spitznass says it turns enough profit to buy "a pair of really great shoes" after each issue goes to press.

Best Locally Published Beverage Magazine
The prize in this highly contested competition goes to Fresh Cup, the Portland-produced, internationally distributed glossy magazine covering specialty coffees, teas and other gourmet beverages. The magazine recently won eight awards from the American Society of Business Press Editors for its stories and graphic design. The smartly designed publication is not just for coffee freaks: A column called "Unfiltered" tracks everything from the effects of the minimum-wage increase on coffee farmers to the latest Starbucks joke on The Simpsons. For subscriptions, call 236-2587 or visit www.freshcup.com.

Best Book About a Skanky Swamp Written in the Multnomah County Public Library
The best book to come out of Portland this year is a glorious examination of an East Coast dumping ground. Robert Sullivan moved to Portland six years ago but never lost his obsession for his home state's scariest wet spot, New Jersey's Meadowlands. He made several cross-country trips to research his book, The Meadowlands: Wilderness Adventures at the Edge of a City(Scribner, 224 pages, $23, ISBN 0.684.83285.2 ) but did much of his work here in the Multnomah County Library. "The librarians are great," he gushes. "They even managed to get rare maps from New Jersey for me." One way Sullivan gauges the success of his book is by the number of holds Portland library patrons put on the 14 copies there. "It topped out at 52 holds," he reports proudly, "and one guy argued with the librarians when they wouldn't let him renew it because of all the holds."