PoMo Picks: December 2013
The Tutu Index
Image: Courtesy Shutterstock
Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker by the Numbers
25 Percentage of OBT’s annual revenue brought in by The Nutcracker
32,500 Audience members each year
625 Pairs of pointe shoes decimated each year
73 Kids from OBT’s school in each performance
13 Parent volunteers required to herd said kids
235 Pounds of fake snow used during the run of the show
0 Performances that have been canceled due to actual snow
220 Loads of laundry done by the wardrobe department over the run*
492 Tiaras sold at the OBTique last year
*The costumes that can’t be washed are sprayed down with vodka to stay “fresh,” until they can be sent to the dry cleaner at the end of the run. We’re guessing Tchaikovsky would approve only of Russian brands.
Image: Courtesy Shutterstock
Started From the Bottom
Canadian artist Drake (né Aubrey Drake Graham) might be the reigning king of the hip-hop charts, but some of us can’t forget that he got his start as a child actor on the hit Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. We compare the real star with his fictional character, the basketball-star-turned-school-shooting-victim Jimmy.
| FICTION | REALITY | WINNER? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCHOOLING | Graduated from high school a year late due to school shooting | Graduated at age 25 due to shooting Degrassi episodes | We’re not great at math, but a one-year delay seems better than seven. JIMMY |
| LOVE TRIANGLE | With popular-girl-turned-goth Ashley and bad-boy Sean | With popular-girl-turned-goth Rihanna and bad-boy Chris Brown | Some things never change. DRAW |
| MUSICAL GROUP | High school band Downtown Sasquatch, which formed in Season 3 and lasted until Season 5 | Rap crew We Are Young Money, made up of artists on Lil Wayne’s Young Money record label, including Lil Wayne, Drake, and NIcki Minaj | Downtown Sasquatch’s hit song has only 73,000 YouTube views, compared to Young Money’s 107 million. DRAKE |
| LYRICS ABOUT WOMEN (AND, STRANGELY, FOOD) | And chicks like you ain’t worth too much / So shut up, girl, and make my lunch | And you don’t even have to ask twice / You could have my heart or we could share it like the last slice | Well, it’s not exactly feminism, but at least the girl gets to enjoy the meal instead of make it. DRAKE |
| INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE | “There’s one thing that makes all the drama and tears worthwhile. If you’re lucky enough to find someone you love, who loves you back, it’s a gift.” | “YOLO” (for those of you who don’t speak text message: “You only live once”) | Nobody has ever teared up when they heard someone whisper, “YOLO.” JIMMY |
Projecting Across the Pacific
While the art museum’s Samurai exhibition showcases medieval Japanese art, the Japanese Currents Film Series screens nine films that reveal the country is still on the cutting edge. Don’t miss opening night: Like Father, Like Son, by auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, won this year’s Jury Prize at Cannes. Dec 6–15, Whitsell Auditorium, nwfilm.org
