CONTENTS Battle of the Box Sets Entertainment Gadgets Gear Style Interiors Furniture Kids Books Revel in Relics Kitchen Food and Drink Body Frivolous

BY SUSAN WICKSTROM Pop Goes the Symphony This year, the Oregon Symphony Pops is attempting to boost its popularity with some hip acts. Though Maureen McGovern sang Gershwin at the opening concert, Thomas Lauderdale and Pink Martini breathed fresh air into the following show. Still, two tickets to the Oregon Symphony Pops ($34-$96, 719 SW Alder St., 228-1353) is probably a more appropriate gift for the folks or grandfolks. Upcoming performances include Holiday Pops starring Mason Williams, Bravo Broadway: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber and More, Your Hit Parade Radio Broadcasts, Burt Bacharach and My Fair Lady: A Concert Version. If this sounds hopelessly square, remember that swing is in and Bacharach just made an album with Elvis Costello. Avoiding Oprah People always say the book is better than the movie. Prove this old adage to busy friends by giving them the unabridged, 12-cassette Beloved audio book read by the author, Toni Morrison ($39.95, Random House, Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 SW Capitol Highway, 246-0053). Morrison's deep, rich voice is nearly hypnotic as she tells her horrific tale of American slavery. Audio books are thoughtful gifts that fill the empty hours commuters spend driving or riding mass transit. And it certainly helps if the book is an outstanding, Pulitzer Prize-winning example of American fiction written by a Nobel laureate. Recipe for Fun Caprial Pence, our city's gourmet goddess and star of a PBS cooking show, teams up with her charming husband John to deliver intimate cooking lessons in their restaurant. Hungry and willing students learn culinary secrets firsthand at Caprial's Bistro cooking classes ($40, 7015 SE Milwaukie Ave., 236-6457). Of course, students get to eat the marvelous dishes that Caprial and John whip up, topped off with wines from the Bistro's extensive collection. The classes are notoriously difficult to get into; you must call the day reservations open. But a gift certificate can also be put toward a delicious meal in the newly remodeled restaurant, a bottle of wine from the shop or one of Caprial's fabulous cookbooks. Hoop Dreams Screw the NBA. Who needs the Trail Blazers when we have another basketball team with loads of good attitude? The Portland Power, our women's American Basketball League franchise, has firmly established its games as some of the most entertaining events in Portland. Treat your favorite basketball fan to two really excellent Portland Power tickets ($36-$40 for lower level or floor seats, 287-HOOP). The team, boasting such stars as Natalie Williams and Katy Steding, plays at Memorial Coliseum and prides itself on being fan-friendly. The Play's the Thing Live drama is an experience that people just don't indulge in anymore. Attending a play is like going bowling: It's difficult to get motivated to go, but once you do, it's great fun. Encourage a friend or relative by giving a Portland Center Stage mini-subscription ($39.60-$129.60, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, 1111 SW Broadway, 274-6588), good for four shows. The season's remaining productions, A Christmas Carol, How the Other Half Loves, The Old Settler and As You Like It, offer an engaging array of comedy, farce, music and drama. (SW) Acid-Washed Tunes There's one in every family: an aging hippie who still clings to tie-dye and reefer. Give Uncle Free or Aunt Rainbow an instant flashback with Rhino Record's special four-CD set Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968 ($68, Music Millennium, 3158 E Burnside St., 231-8926 and 801 NW 23rd Ave., 248-0163). This collection of 118 one-hit wonders and obscure ditties offers a sampler of rock 'n' roll in this country after the British Invasion. As with any collection, some selections are stronger than others. But the whole will be an invaluable addition to any rockaholic's music collection. Back in Time The Kronos Quartet is one of the world's more eclectic ensembles. Since the ensemble's founding in Seattle 25 years ago, it has introduced hungry audiences to new music and interesting, unexpected covers by both classical artists and rockers such as Jimi Hendrix and Bo Diddley. The quartet celebrated its first quarter century by releasing a 10-CD collection, 25 Years of the Kronos Quartet ($99.90, Classical Millennium, 3144 E Burnside St., 231-8909). This excellent boxed set will appeal to all music lovers, not just those with a classical bent. Food for Thought One of Portland's greatest treasures is the Park Blocks. Spread the neighborhood around a bit by giving a trip to the Portland Art Museum ($6-$11, 1219 SW Park Ave., 226-2811) and lunch at Southpark (about $20-$30, 901 SW Salmon St., 326-1300). The museum now boasts the tremendously popular exhibit Monet: Late Paintings of Giverny from the Musée Marmottan as well as The Other 19th Century, After Impressionism: Printmaking in Paris and Recent Acquisitions: Contemporary Art in the Permanent Collection. All these exhibits run until January. After perusing the art, walk a few blocks north to dine in one of Portland's newest restaurants, recently opened by a slew of Pazzo turncoats. Look Who's Talking Portland's literati revels in the city's premier lecture series. Share the schmooze by bestowing two tickets to Portland Arts & Lectures ($36, 720 SW Washington St., 227-2583) upon your favorite book lover. This year, PAL's line-up emphasizes storytellers. Filmmaker Barbara Kopple, Julie Taymor of Broadway's The Lion King fame, and international writers Caryl Phillips and Julian Barnes are on the slate of upcoming events. Humanities maven Christopher Zinn delivers a free preview before each lecture that includes a biographical sketch of the speaker as well as a survey of his or her work. (SW) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published December 2, 1998