Gossip should have no friends

[August 20th, 2008] SOCK IT TO HIM: Evidently Barack Obama does indeed rock our socks. Carrie Atkinson, the Portland-based proprietor of Sock It To Me Socks (sockittomesocks.com) has teamed up with Red Light Clothing Exchange to release limited-edition women’s Barack Obama knee-highs. Only 1,200 pairs of the socks (navy blue with “Obama” emblazoned down the calf in red) have been manufactured. Buy ’em at the Red Light for $15 a pair.

GOT THEIR FIRST REAL SIX-STRING: Portland stand-up comic Ian Karmel is back in town after a run of shows at L.A.’s Comedy Store—and he’s brought a script with him. Karmel has tapped Clinton Street Theater owner Seth Sonstein to direct The Summer of ’69 over 10 days this month in Southeast Portland. “It’s an absolute farce,” Sonstein says of the script, which he’ll shoot in digital video. “There’s lots of nudity, drugs, rock ’n’ roll.”

MAYOR-LANDER: Sam Adams —commish, mayor-to-be and now... male model? Photos of Adams giving his best “Blue Steel” in a pinstriped suit with a GQ-worthy head-tilt are part of photographer Jeffrey Horvitz’s STANDOUT show at the Q Center (69 SE Taylor St., 234-7837) beginning Sept. 5. Among the other familiar faces in the show featuring notable local queers: Just Out publisher Marty Davis and WW’s own Byron Beck. Would Adams have stripped all if Playgirl called? “Oh gawd, no!” says our mayor-elect.

NO GLOW: In a letter sent out to the managers of all-ages music spot The Hawthorne Theatre, residents of the Southeast 38th Avenue and Mill Street Neighborhood Watch Group outlined an immediate need for the venue to cut down on the glut of loud, inebriated and disrespectful patrons who have been congregating between 37th and 39th avenues an average of twice a week. Tensions hit a new high last weekend when cops pulled guns on a couple of kids after fights broke out on adjacent streets. No word yet from the OLCC, but with a 30-day ultimatum to cut back the loitering, except to see fewer piles of puke on your late-night Freddy’s run.

HIP TO BE SQUARE: Bums and Hacky Sackers rejoice. KGW announced last week the launch of a new infotainment show called The Square Live at 7 pm According to KGW President and General Manager DJ Wilson, the show will broadcast from the station’s new HD Studio in the former Powell’s Travel Store at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Produced by KGW’s news department, “it will be very cool, hip and interesting,” Wilson tells WW. Riiight. She expects the Square-based show to interact with both its TV and live viewers. Stephanie Stricklen will be relieved of her 4:30-5 am weekday anchoring duties to host the new show, which is scheduled to launch the day after Thanksgiving.