Tet Nguyen Dan—better known as Tet or Vietnamese New
Year—was on Jan. 23. The big celebration in Portland is this weekend,
however, since the Portland International Auto Show was at the
Convention Center last week and age-old lunar festivals have to wait
behind shiny new cars.
This
is the Year of the Dragon. That's a big deal, because it's the luckiest
year in the zodiac and the most popular in which to have children.
Sadly, I was born in
the year of the lame-ass ox. But in honor of 2012, I'd like to look back
at the best dragons of my childhood:
Puff the Magic Dragon
Smaug from The Hobbit
Falkor from The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter
Yes, II. I preferred the totally
bastardized 1990 sequel, probably because it starred the dreamy Jonathan
Brandis. Rest in peace, Jonathanâat least you got to fly on the back of
a giant talking dragon.
Dragonzord from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
that
GO: Tet Festival 2012 will be at the Oregon Convention
Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 10 am to 6 pm Saturday,
Feb. 4. congdongvietnamoregon.org.
Headout Picks
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1
FARNELL NEWTON PLAYS
WAYNE SHORTER
[MUSIC] A player well-versed in funk,
bop, old-time swing and avant jazz, Newton will be in the house to
perform a set of songs written by Wayne Shorter, a great saxophonist who
moves between genres with a similar ingenuity and panache. Ivories Jazz Lounge and Restaurant, 1435 NW Flanders St., 241-6514. 8:30 pm. $7. 21+. FRIDAY, FEB. 3
A SEPARATION
[MOVIES] If you think divorce in Iran is
as simple as a dude saying, âI divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce
you,â check out this engrossing drama from Tehran, about the 50 ways you
canât leave your lover. Regal Fox Tower Stadium 10, 846 SW Park Ave., 221-3280. Multiple showtimes. $10.50.
SUPERFRESH 3
[MUSIC] For 10 bucks, you can spend two
nights shaking your ass to the best dance musicâelectronic and analog
alikeâfor two nights straight. Hard to beat, especially when bands like
Wampire, Radiation City, Truckasaurus and Brainstorm lead the charge. Branx, 320 SE 2nd Ave., 234-5683. 7 pm. $7. All ages (upstairs shows are 21+). SATURDAY, FEB. 4
FOR THE BEST AND FOR
THE ONION!
[MOVIES] The Cascade Festival of African
Films gets an extensive review in our movie pages, but here weâll just
point you toward what is probably (though we have not researched this)
the only wedding drama about the market for Nigerâs purple onions. Know
yr African cinema! Portland Community College Cascade Campus, Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building, 705 N Killingsworth St., Room 104.
2 pm. Free.
SUNDAY, FEB. 5
45TH PARALLEL QUARTET
[MUSIC] A foursome of Portlandâs top
classical players convene to perform Dvorákâs âAmerican String Quartet,â
Schubertâs âDeath and the Maidenâ and a quartet arrangement of Guns Nâ
Rosesâ âSweet Child oâ Mine.â Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., 719-6055. 7:30 pm. $15. TUESDAY, FEB. 7
ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER
[MUSIC] Friedbergerâs debut album, Last Summer,
exudes humility in title and execution. Free of the cut-and-paste
aesthetic of her other group, the Fiery Furnaces, she indulges in
â70s-style pop that shuffles, swings and stomps comfortably, edged with
sparkling post-production touches. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $10. 21+. WWeek 2015
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