A Muse with a View

I started my week with a trip to the Doug Fir (one of my favorite live music venues) to see a little band called One Eskimo. I sent out an email the previous weekend trying to round up some friends to go, and I got a lot of responses saying things like, “I can’t make it because…” You fill in the blank.

I honestly didn’t care, because I was determined to go no matter what, even if I had to go alone. I had seen One Eskimo at the KINK Live Performance Lounge a few months back, and I wanted to come out to support them for the end of their U.S. tour. Besides, it is a kid-free week for me and I need to socialize!

My friend Michael ended up coming with me.

It was one of those really crappy rainy days that came on the heels of the deep freeze in Portland. We met at the Doug Fir bar upstairs a full three hours before the show was to start, and just ate dinner, had a drink and caught up.We hadn’t seen each other in person for many many months.

We finally walked down the stairway to the basement venue and it was almost totally empty. We stood around the bar, looked around the room, and decided that this would make the most awesome party room in a house.

People slowly started filtering in to see the first band whose name I couldn’t tell you because when they had the chance to introduce themselves the lead singer said, “Hi, we’re blesd leits. Thank you for coming.” Obviously their name is not “blesd leits,” but that’s what we heard.

Michael turned to the bartender and said, “What was their name?” The bartender pointed to the poster above the bar that said something with the word lights in it (I still don’t remember).

“What is with these bands and their mumbling?” I said. “They have this great opportunity to get their name out, and they wait until the end of the set to introduce themselves and then they totally blow it.”

“Believe me I know,” said the bartender. “I have seen a lot of bands from behind this bar, and there are three things I want to tell them. One, get some decent publicity shots. Two, Banter with the crowd, Three, say your name clearly and say it multiple times.” Amen!

The first band never talked to the “crowd,” except to self deprecate when they messed up a song.

When the band had finished their last song, and the crowd of about 50 people started to buzz again, Michael and I began to observe. There was a group of 20-something friends at some tables against the wall. A dreadlocked girl approached the table. One of her male friends turned to see her approaching and they both smiled with enthusiasm and embraced in an unabashed bear hug. They were not a couple. They were just friends who were happy to see each other. And not one of them was texting. They were there with each other, and fully present.

“What has happened to us?” I asked Michael. “Why don’t people our age have that much enthusiasm for each other?”

“I know,” he said. “They seem so naive and innocent.”

So what has happened to us? Have we let Facebook and Twitter replace our need for real human interaction? We put our most intimate emotional needs out their in a status update and hope someone will comment and fullfill that desire to feel needed and loved.

It’s a bandaid for a fatal disease. Real social intimicy is dying.

I struggle to get my friends to go out to hear live music, find a new restaurant, taste some new wine.

If the Internet died tomorrow, where would you be?

One Eskimo came on at 10pm, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed at their lack of interaction with the crowd as well. Very little eye contact, no banter. I enjoyed the music, but I enjoy it more when the band interacts with the audience, especially in a small venue like this where you can actually see the people you are playing for.

Even bands have forgotten how to be social.

I stayed afterwards to talk to one of the band members (Pete Rinaldi). We talked about the tour, the fact that they’ve been wearing the same clothes for a year, and how they’ve been stuffed in a decrepit van traveling the U.S. We talked about what it feels like to go home after you’ve been away for a while.

I think a lot of us have forgotten.

Unplug more often. Hug more often. Remember what it feels like to go home.

Like Austin, Portland has a vibrant music scene. If you aren’t getting out and exploring the small venues scattered around town you are missing out.

I had purposely made a pact with myself this past week to stop over scheduling myself, and just roll with whatever came up, which turned out to be a mighty fine plan. I ended up seeing some live music I normally wouldn’t have ventured out to see.

Tuesday: Ingrid Michaelson at Jimmy Mak’s

I am a KINK FM contest junkie. Once a week I log in to my KINK listeners account and enter every contest they have for passes to see the bands coming through town. The cool thing about KINK is that these performances are private, and they’re usually held in the KINK Live Performance Lounge at the KINK studios, which holds about 25 people.

Last week I won my way in to see Ingrid Michaelson, not at the KINK studios, but at a private mini concert at Jimmy Mak’s, which is even better. Michaelson flew in from New York that morning to play for us at 5pm. She brought one woman who played guitar and sang the backup vocals and that’s it. So, we were treated to an acoustic set with Micahelson on the piano or guitar.

Ingrid Michelson is one of those artists who could sing entries out of the phone book and make you stop and listen. Her voice is unique, and I personally preferred her live performance to any of the produced music on her CDs. Not that I don’t love the CDs too.

Video from her performance at Jimmy Mak’s

Wednesday: Jonathan Richman at The Aladdin

I was on my way to my Italian lesson on Wednesday, when I got a call from my friend Peter, “Hey, Anna and I are going to see Jonathan Richman at The Aladdin tonight, do you want to meet us there?” My first reaction was, “Who’s Jonathan Richman?” My second reaction was, I’d love to hang out with Peter and Anna and see some musician I’ve never heard of.

Richman had a band in the 70s called The Modern Lovers, but more recently he’s best known as the guy who plays half of the two-man Greek chorus in the movie  There’s Something About Mary. Do you remember the two guys who would pop up every once in a while and sing some commentary on the plot?

Richman is intense on stage, and I can’t decide if he’s brilliant and crazy or just crazy. He sang in English, Italian, Hebrew and French. He would say, “I wrote this song in English, but it didn’t sound good, so I’m going to sing it in Italian.”

Very engaging performer and I would go see him again in a heartbeat. He seems to have a large cult following.

Here’s a video of Richman singing the theme song from There’s Something About Mary

Richman doing Pablo Picasso

Saturday: Poi Dog Pondering at Doug Fir

My friend Jim invited me to join him at a wine dinner with some people we knew, and then said, “And I may have a surprise for us after the dinner.” Jim is notorious for buying concert tickets off craigslist and calling me up the day before or the night of the concert and asking me if I want to go. And I love that about him. We seem to have similar tastes in music, so we’re well matched concert buddies.

We arrived at the wine dinner at about 7pm, after much driving around trying to find this unmarked location. There were 20 of us at the dinner, and enough food to feed 40, or so it seemed. We started with sparkling wine, crab cakes, pate, and small bites of quiche, and quickly moved on to the white wine paired with a beet salad, halibut, mixed squash, and potatoes au gratin. Then on to the red wine paired with braised pork, and duck with a pear compote. But I digress.

Off to Doug Fir, where I discovered a new band I’d never heard of before: Poi Dog Pondering. Wow. I walked into the Doug Fir basement, walked right up to the front of the stage, and stayed there for the entire two and half hour set.

I’m not quite sure how to describe this band and their sound, except to say it’s rich and full, with a little bit of folk and Cajun thrown in. Lead singer Frank Orrall has a voice very reminiscent to ex Barenaked Ladies front man Steven Page. Susan Voelz, the only female touring with the group, plays a passionate violin and adds dimension vocals to create the robust sound that is Poi Dog Pondering.

They are currently touring with five members, but said they’d be returning to Portland with the full band this summer. Go see them!

Keri Murphy Case Settled out of Court

The case against former Murphy Management owner Keri Murphy (as reported here before: Keri Murphy Sued) was settled out of court over the Thanksgiving weekend, less than a week before it was scheduled to go to trial. The question on everyone’s mind now is how much did Murphy have to pay the plaintiff, and will the remaining unpaid talent file a new lawsuit? So far the settlement has not been made public.

Westby’s Hot in the Zipper

James Westby has transformed his Portland apartment into a 1947 Manhattan flat for his latest film Hot in the Zipper. The film gives us a glimpse into the lives of three distinctly different women, vying for the affections of a single man: the piano-playing neighbor next door. According to Westby the short film will be shot in a single day in a single location (his apartment).

Hot in the Zipper is written and directed by James Westby (The Auteur, Rid of Me), produced by Katie O’Grady, and stars Katie O’Grady (The Auteur, Rid of Me), Jana Lee Hamblin (Rid of Me), Elizabeth Strelow, and Spencer Conway. The film also credits Director of Photography Kevin Fletcher (Award Winner for Selfless), Production Designer David Storm (The Auteur), and Sound Recordist Morgan Hobart.

Gus Van Sant’s Restless in Production

Gus Van Sant has begun shooting some of the scenes for his new film Restless. Sources say he’s currently out at Indent Studios in SE Portland shooting some interior scenes.

Casting Couch

Commercial spots casting this week: Oregon Lottery, World’s Best Cat Litter, Intel. Print spots: four crews currently shooting for Nike.

Every once in a while I write a feature article for The Portlander. This particular feature is personal because I’ve known Suzanne Jauchius for almost 20 years. When I heard she had written a book I immediately called her to ask for an interview.

She gave me a copy of the book, which I devoured over the course of a week, and then we sat down for a 2-hour interview. I also attended the book launch party that I refer to in the article.

Suzanne is a pretty amazing woman. If she ever comes through your city on a speaking engagement, make an effort to go see her. She has an undeniable presence.

The original article is here: Psychic Suzanne Shows the Way Home

Psychic Suzanne Shows the Way Home

Suzanne Jauchius was just eight years old when her mother told her she would no longer be allowed to attend birthday parties if she continued to bring home all of the prizes from the guessing games, because this was “not normal.” Suzanne didn’t know it at the time, but she would later grow up to make a living using the very skill she was once chastised for – seeing things that no one else could see.

Now an enthusiastic 60, at an age when most people are slowing down or retiring, Jauchius has just launched a publishing company and released her memoir, You Know Your Way Home. This is a book that makes you think on every page and forces you to examine your own life. It chronicles her life and career as a professional psychic, where she uses her psychometric abilities—holding a personal object such as a watch or ring—to see pictures of what’s happening in someone’s life. Her clients are business professionals, law enforcement officials, search and rescue teams and the curious worldwide.

The book opens with a missing persons account:

“My God! Follow that car!” I shouted, pointing emphatically beyond the gravel parking lot to the road ahead.

My friend Debbi shook her head. “Uh, excuse me. You’re the only one who can see it,” she said with a bemused smile as she turned the car onto the deserted road.

It was October, 1989.

I’d been asked by Debbi, who worked with a local search and rescue team, to assist with the search for a little boy who had been abducted.

The missing person was 4-year old Lee Iseli, the last victim of serial killer Westley Allan Dodd.

This and other stories from her career are featured in the book, yet at its core the memoir focuses on Jauchius’ journey to find herself as she bounced from one bad relationship to the next and struggled to break destructive patterns she had accepted as the norm. This is why so many people identify with her story.

“In a way I feel like I’m speaking the secret for a whole generation,” says Jauchius. “It feels mostly like empowerment. People read the book—men and women—and their reaction is an ‘ah-ha’ moment of ‘Oh my God I need to start setting boundaries. Oh my God I think I’m co-dependent. Oh my God I didn’t know that was unacceptable.’”

Over and over people come to Suzanne after reading the book and say, “This is my story. How did you get into my head like that?”

Why write a book at this point in her life? “You accumulate yourself through the years and you get to a certain age where you’re like, you know I’ve made it this far, this feels good, and I’m doing what I love and now what? And when I asked that question I kept hearing, tell your story, if for no one else for your grandchildren.” What started as a journal for her grandchildren became a book.

The road to telling her story wasn’t easy. Unable to find a taker for her manuscript, Jauchius decided to start her own publishing company. Taking this step at 60 was terrifying, but it was an investment she made in herself, and she has never looked back. “This is my life purpose, and once I started the process I never questioned it.” The company is aptly named Bree Noa, which means “second wind” in Gaelic.

The investment paid off. In the months since the official book launch, You Know Your Way Home has been doing very well. “New Renaissance (bookstore) says it’s the fastest selling book they’ve had in two years,” says Jauchius, with the excitement of a child.

Her consultation business is booming as well. Hour-long sessions with Suzanne are scheduled out months in advance. She has a monthly stint with Daria, Mitch and Ted on 105.1 The Buzz that has rocketed her to psychic super-stardom in Portland.

On September 11, friends and clients gathered at the Oswego Hills Winery to officially launch her book into the world. The tables were set with white linens, the Pinot was flowing, and the sun was setting across the vineyards. A cage of butterflies sat on each table

According to Native American Indian legend, anyone who desires a wish to come true must first capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it. Since a butterfly can make no sound, the butterfly cannot reveal the wish to anyone but the Great Spirit. In gratitude for giving that beautiful butterfly its freedom, the Great Spirit always grants its wish.

Each guest whispered wishes to the caged butterflies and released them into the warm night air. And so far, as Jauchius launches into the next phase of her life, the wishes seem to be coming true.

You Know Your Way Home is available at New Renaissance Bookstore, Powell’s Books, Steiner Storehouse, and Annie Bloom’s Books in Portland, and online at Amazon.com. You can hear Suzanne on 105.1 The Buzz the first Monday of every month at 4:30 p.m. Suzanne Jauchius can be reached at psychicsuzanne.com.

Here is the latest Scene in Portland column from The Portlander.

Original article here: Scene in Portland

Keri Murphy Sued for Unpaid Earnings

Keri Murphy, who once ran the former Murphy Talent Group, MTG, Whilhelmina/MTG and ABC talent agencies is being sued for misappropriating money that should have been paid to talent. Murphy allegedly received checks for thousands of dollars from clients, but never passed the money on to the talent who actually earned it. Murphy is also alleged to have been collecting fees from hopeful parents for their children’s photo shoots, comp cards and modeling classes up until a few weeks before the agency closed its doors and filed for bankruptcy back in December 2008.

One 9-year-old girl’s parents decided enough was enough and is suing Murphy for over $8,600 they claim the girl earned in the summer of 2008, plus $10,000 in punitive damages.

Murphy was deposed on Monday. The trial is set for December 5. Judge Elizabeth Perris, U.S Bankruptcy Court of Oregon will preside.

Murphy is currently living in Los Angeles and hosting the CHASEit segments on IBC’s (Intertainment Broadcasting Corporation) “That Morning Show,” airing daily on the E! channel from 6-9 a.m.

We have not heard the end of this story. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Portland Model Makes Top 10 in Project Green Search

When Erika Schmid graduated from Concordia College this May with a degree in Environmental Biology she had no idea it would help her modeling career. But someone she didn’t even know saw her personal modeling website and encouraged her to apply for Project Green Search, which was hosting a competition for the next big “green friendly” model. Applicants were required to submit an essay on what green living meant to them and why they would want to be a green model. Two weeks ago Schmid received notice that she had been chosen as a Top 10 finalist, and would be flown to L.A. for the final days of the competition on November 5 and 6.

Schmid spoke to me from her hotel in West Hollywood, where she had just finished an intense day of interviews and fashion shoots. When I asked what the next 24 hours would be like she said, “Well, tonight we’re going out to do some guerrilla gardening around Hollywood.” For those of you who don’t know what that means, it’s when you go out at night and secretly plant things when nobody’s looking. Shhh.

The winner of Project Green Search will be announced at the ECCO Lounge in Hollywood at 7 p.m. tonight. Erika is currently signed with OMM in Portland. Good luck Erika!

Oregon Bride Magazine Chooses Local Models

Oregon Bride Magazine will feature three local models in its Spring 2010 and Summer 2010 issues. Jon Bebe (Q6), Amanda Wall (Mode) and Jillian Rabe (OMM) booked the photo shoot for Oregon Bride, which was shot in Central Oregon and Portland. The issues feature photography by Kevin Focht, and hair and make-up by Katherine Ross of OMMStyle.

OMM Co-Founders Join PAC at AI

Nina McLaughlin and Kit Garrett of OMM accepted an invitation to be on the Program Advisory Committee at the Art Institute of Portland. This committee is made up of industry professionals and educators and provides valuable information for curriculum development. Local PAC members provide AI with input on the most current industry needs and development. PAC members, being industry leaders in the local community, can help promote the program and build better working relationships in the business community.

Casting Couch

Currently casting for a Fred Meyer spot. Just finished casting for two Oregon Lottery spots. Spots for Cartoon Network and the Oregonian have wrapped.

I recently had an experience where I met someone online and then a few days later did some cyber sleuthing only to find out the person was not who they really said they were. I felt a little violated, you know like someone had hacked into my OS and planted a Trojan virus. And this is someone I met only once for coffee!

This experience got me thinking, why can’t I run my dating life like I run my servers (computers) at work?

Opening Ports of Communication

A port on a computer is a communication channel that allows devices to talk to each on the same piece of hardware without interfering with each other. Think of it as a phone number. If you publicize that port number anyone can call it.  Don’t publicize your port number unless you’re ready to communicate!

Install Anti-Virus Software

I would never open up a server at work to the outside world without first installing some sort of anti-virus software to protect it. You’ve all heard of computer viruses, those nasty little programs that hackers and spammers secretly install on your poor unsuspecting computer. In the IT world there are anti-virus software programs like McAfee, Norton and Semantic for that.

The anti-virus software in the dating world is called your gut instinct. Just like Norton your gut will raise all kinds of red flags when it senses danger. Would you ignore Norton if it popped up a message that said some malicious piece of code was trying to gain access to your computer? I think not. You would click that Quarantine or Delete button without a second thought.

So, the next time you’re on a date, and that anti-virus gut instinct software starts popping up messages, don’t ignore them! Hit that Delete button and run!

Whitelisting

My production servers at work are locked down tighter than Alcatraz in the 60’s, unless you’re a really good swimmer/hacker. I employ something called whitelisting, which means you can’t talk to my servers unless I know who you are. This is a difficult concept to apply in the dating world, but  it can be done. Before you decide to meet that person on Match.com for a cup of coffee talk to all of your friends who have been active in the online dating world. Ask them if they have come across this person before. The dating pool is small. The likelihood is that someone you know has already met this person for a date, and can give you some very valuable feedback. Positive Feedback=Whitelisting. Proceed with coffee date.

Blacklisting

In the Microsoft world you can blacklist a website by adding it to your hosts file. The hosts file is like a guest list that meaty bouncer outside the coolest club in town has on his clipboard. Not the V.I.P. list, but the OTHER list. You know, the one that lists all the people who have been kicked out of the club at one time or another, and are banned for life. That my friends is the blacklist, and you need one.

While whitelisting is the “known good” list, blacklisting is the “known bad” list. When you log on to Match.com and come across people you work with, add them to your blacklist. Just block them. You know you’ll never date them, and do you really want them perusing your dating profile while they’re deciding whether or not to promote you? And furthermore, blacklist the people you met on Match.com three years ago. The second or third time is not the charm.

Security Certification Process

Many of the clients I work with on a daily basis require my company and my servers to pass a rigorous security clearance. The process involves a lengthy verbal interrogation and a cyber scan of my servers from the outside world to see what they can see. In a word, they are trying to find out that I am safe to communicate with, and that I am who I say I am.

Thanks to the World Wide Web this concept maps very well to the dating world. Most people give you enough information in their dating profile and their initial communications for you to find out more than you ever wanted to know about that person. If all you have is a first name and a city, you may be hard pressed to find any useful information unless the first name is really unique. However, if you have a first name, a city and an occupation you may be in luck. Plug that information into our good friend Google and you’re off and running. You can often find the very pictures they have posted on their dating profile on their business website, which allows you to verify who they are.

If you have an email address or a first and last name and a city, I suggest you get familiar with a site called pipl.com, which takes the information you input and then crawls the Web for you. Pipl.com provides a comprehensive list of all references to that individual anywhere on the Web.

For the serious cyber sleuth I recommend a service called BeenVerified.com, which will give you a 7-day trial if you really need to do a deep dive on someone. This service provides past addresses, name changes, MARITAL STATUS, and criminal records. Don’t ask if you don’t want to know.

Proceed with Caution

People are not as black and white as computers, so even if you employ all of the above methods as you navigate the murky waters of the online dating world, you still need to proceed with caution. Think like an IT manager:

• Don’t open a port of communication unless you’re ready for that person to start calling you and texting you. You can always close a port on a computer when you want to stop communicating. In the dating world it’s called blocking his/her phone number!
• Don’t whitelist someone until you really know them. Whitelisting someone gives them access to things that no one else has access to.
• Do your due diligence, and if you find some compromising information on someone ask them about it before judging them. Not all computer programs are flawless, and not everyone who looks like a criminal online is actually a criminal today.

Go forth young grasshopper, and apply these Dating Ninja skills the next time you decide to try online dating.

Just posted my weekly Scene in Portland column on The Portlander. And because you subscribe to this blog you don’t have to click through to see it. This is the column in its entirety.

Original column is here:

Scene in Portland

CW Series Life UneXpected Shooting in Portland

The upcoming CW series Life UneXpected will be shooting scenes in Portland over the next few days. The series, which is set in Portland, is actually shot in Vancouver, B.C., so imagine my surprise when I heard through the grapevine that they were actually here in Portland. Series creator Liz Tigleaar posted a Tweet on Thursday morning that said “LUX 104 starts shooting today!!!” I confirmed with Tigleaar that they are indeed here in Portland.

Life UneXpected centers around 15-year old Lux (Britt Robertson, Swingtown), who was abandoned at birth and has spent her entire life bouncing through the foster care system in Portland, and has now decided to seek emancipation from the biological parents she doesn’t even know. The pilot sets up the hook of the series by reconnecting Lux with her birth parents Nate “Baze” Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha, Mad Men) and Cate (Shiri Appleby, Roswell), who are no longer together but agree to make amends when a judge decides Lux is not ready for emancipation.

Life UneXpected is produced by Mojo Films in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Liz Tigelaar (Brothers and Sisters, What About Brian) and Gary Fleder (October Road). The series premiere does not yet have confirmed date.

Let’s hope Life UneXpected loves Portland so much while they’re shooting in town this week that they actually shoot the next season here!

Comedy Trailer for Rid of Me

As promised, James Westby has released a second trailer showing the lighter side of his upcoming film, Rid of Me. While the first trailer portrayed the movie as a dark comedy, this new trailer will have you either laughing out loud or totally disgusted and reaching for a barf bag (just watch the trailer already). You can see the trailer here: Rid of Me Trailer.

Casting Couch

Casting this week for The Oregonian and Hasbro/Cartoon Network. Casting just completed for Pro Flowers and Chel White’s ultra low budget SAG feature Bucksville, which begins shooting October 23.

Last Week’s Column Goes Global

When I published the Twilight story last week I thought it might ruffle some feathers, but I had no idea how many. The column was quoted as far away as Brazil! And the Leverage ConCon peeps were equally appreciative, retweeting that column all over Twitter.

Kelly Jo Horton lives the life of a software and database geek by day, and the creative life of an actress, writer and improv comedienne at ComedySportz by night. She is the former writer, host and co-producer of TVC-TV’s political talk show “To the Point!” She holds a degree in journalism from San Diego State University.

In June of 2009, my friend Andrew sent me an email and said, “Hey I got accepted to Ignite Portland!” I had never heard of Ignite Portland, but it sounded interesting.

The premise, if you had five minutes onstage what would you say? And what if you had five minutes and 20 slides that advanced every 15 seconds? And what if you could do it in the Bagdad Theater in front of a full house?

That’s Ignite Portland.

Ignite was started in Seattle in 2006 by Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis. Since then hundreds, if not thousands, of 5-minute talks have been given across the world. There are thriving Ignite communities in Seattle, Portland, Paris, and NYC.

On “Ignite Night,” Andrew lined up at the side of the stage at the Bagdad with the 16 other people who’s proposals had been chosen. and he delivered his do-over of his 1989 commencement speech for his high school in Anchorage, Alaska. It was hysterical, and right then and there I thought, I have to submit a proposal next time. I want to do this!

Andrew and I went out after the show and had a bite to eat. I said, “Andrew, I really want to do this. What topic do I know a lot about that would be entertaining?” Without missing a beat he said, “Dating.”

“Oh my gosh!” I said, “You’re right! I’m a Dating Ninja!” And my proposal idea was born.

This past weekend I got notification that I am one of the 20 proposals they selected to present at Ignite Portland 7 on November 19, at the Bagdad Theater in Portland!

And what’s the name of my proposal? Confessions of a Dating Ninja of course.

When: November 19,2009

Where: Bagdad Theater Portland

Cost: FREE

Time: Doors open at 5:30. Show starts promptly at 7pm.

The event is FREE, but you have to line up early if you want to get a seat. It packs out every time. If you can’t attend in person, don’t worry, all of the presentations are posted online afterwards.

You can see the speaker lineup, and all of the proposals here:

http://www.igniteportland.com/

You can see all of the videos from Ignite Portland 6 (including Andrew’s commencement speech) here:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4D54EAEAFE7F1503

I have included my proposal below as well. You can follow me that night on Twitter at #DatingNinja. Hope to see you at Ignite 7!

The film industry is abuzz this morning since I posted the latest scoop on Breaking Dawn, the fourth movie slated to be filmed in the Twilight Saga. Will it shoot in Vancouver, B.C. or in Portland? You can see the full story in my weekly column on The Portlander:

Scene in Portland

The column is starting to get picked up all over the place!

http://castingscoop.blogspot.com/

Accidental Sexiness

My History of Blogging

1976 Snail Mail

My friend Kevin moved away and we wrote funny letters to each other constantly. This was my first attempt at “blogging.” Readership: 1.

1978-1978 Letters from Finland

In August of 1978 I left home to spend a year in Finland. There was no email or Internet back then, so again, I relied on my snail mail connection to my friends back home, and my new found exchange student friends all over Finland. I received over 500 letters during my stay, and I probably wrote 600. Readership: 25 family and friends

1986 to 1994 The Desktop Publishing Years

In 1986 I went to work for a company called Frame Technology. Their main product was a desktop publishing tool called FrameMaker. It was the first WYSIWYG desktop publishing tool I had ever used. It could do column layout, rotated headings (if you knew PostScript), and could import graphics! I was in heaven. I immediately started using the product to create my own newsletter and send it out to family and friends. Readership: 45 family and friends.

1994 I See the Light

In 1994 my friend Chuck sent me a link to a website called “Alex the Girl.” I clicked on the link and found a very simple website where a woman named Alex would post her photographs and her musings about life.

“Chuck,” I said. “This is what I’ve been looking for! This is what I want. How do I make a website like this?”

At the time there were no websites like Blogger, MySpace, or anything of the sort. If you wanted to blog you had to create your own website from scratch. I didn’t have the expertise to create my own “Kelly the Girl” website, so I continued to send my family and friends quarterly newsletters through the snail mail.

2003 Blogging Goes Mainstream

In 2003 a friend of mine sent me a Beta invitation to one of the first blogging websites called Yahoo! 360°. It was kind of crude, and didn’t have many users, but I started posting anyway. My first blogs were posted from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Readership: Probably 15 people

2005 Kelly Discovers MySpace

In 2005 my friend Brandon told me about this cool new website called MySpace. He was using it to promote his films and music, and said I should create a page so I could network too. I created my first blog on MySpace on August 1, 2005. It was entitled “Sunday filming.” Readership: 0. My second blog was called “Asses and Crotches,” and was posted on August 2, 2005. Readership: 1 (a guy named JL).

My readership did not really take off until six months later when Margie Boulé, a columnist for the Oregonian, published a story about my blog.

MySpace was the perfect platform for me. There were about 20 million users when I started, and has now flattened out at about 125 million users. That’s a lot of bloggers and blog readers! But with growth come growing pains, and MySpace has certainly had them.

Stay tuned for my “Dear MySpace” letter…