PORTLAND

Whalin' on Palin

The former VP candidate could have proven her intellectual bona fides. She didn't, so let's move on.
Give Sarah Palin this: she isn’t driven by polls. If she wanted to improve her chances at political success, she would have used her book and promotional tour to convince America that she has substance and gravitas .

By EDITORIAL | November 24, 2009

Kudos to Phish nerds, and other music matters

Sibilance
We stand corrected

By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | November 24, 2009

Catching up with FairPoint’s decline

On the Ropes Dept.
We've been telling you for ages how bad the FairPoint deal was for residents of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

By JEFF INGLIS | November 24, 2009

Continuing homophobia

Letters to the Portland Editor, November 27, 2009
Deirdre Fulton's and Shay Stewart-Bouley's comments and Seth Berner's letter on the Marriage Equality Act repeal are insightful. I would add another perspective:

By PORTLAND PHOENIX LETTERS | November 24, 2009

Deep cuts

Kara Walker's emotional film at Bowdoin College Museum of Art
The beauty of Kara Walker's silhouettes lies in their concurrent brutality and daintiness, and in her unabashed exploration cutting to the meat of the black-and-white binary in American contemporary culture.

By ANNIE LARMON | November 24, 2009

Bay State update

A three-song EP for the holidays
Last we left the Bay State, they had turned out the excellent EP Let's Turn This City On , released just over a year ago. In the meantime, they've played the Warped Tour, picked up a booking agent, and worked hard on their live show. Their new three-song EP, released December 11, indicates they may have fallen in love with the live show while they were at it.

By SAM PFEIFLE | November 24, 2009

Bare bones

The burgeoning Benjamin Burgess
His press materials tell me the young Benjamin Burgess is "uniquely compassionate."

By SAM PFEIFLE | November 24, 2009

Youth to power

Going Green
Bates College junior Robert Friedman will be missing a couple weeks of class in December.

By DEIRDRE FULTON | November 24, 2009

Some strong choices

Shima melds tastes, traditions well
A pan-Asian restaurant comes in handy if you are having trouble making a decision. But thanks to several openings in the last year, Portlanders looking for a menu with several Asian cuisines will have to make a choice.

By BRIAN DUFF | November 25, 2009

Unmaking a bad federal law

Justice for Some
It's been a depressing stretch for supporters of marriage equality.

By ADAM REILLY | November 24, 2009

Glenn Beck's unhinged Sweater saga

Knit Twit Dept.
Hello, America. A special Glenn Beck Program tonight: I'm speaking to you from somewhere in the North Pole, and let me tell you [adopts cartoonish yokel voice with rubbery exaggerated shiver] it is coooooooold up here.

By MIKE MILIARD | November 24, 2009

Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Hell to play
You're standing in an elevator with men wearing bulletproof vests and wielding machine guns. "No Russian," the leader reminds you, as the doors open to reveal a line of persons waiting at the airport security gate.

By MITCH KRPATA | November 24, 2009

Review: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Knight of the Iguana: Nicolas Cage at his best
Nicolas Cage is at his best in Bad Lieutenant

By PETER KEOUGH | November 24, 2009

Review: The Road

No country for all men: John Hillcoat doesn't stray from Cormac McCarthy's Road
John Hillcoat doesn't stray from Cormac McCarthy's Road For those who found the Coen Brothers' adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men too lighthearted, John Hillcoat's relentlessly faithful version of the author's post-apocalyptic Pulitzer-winning novel might hit the spot.

By PETER KEOUGH | November 24, 2009

Interview: Nicolas Cage

Xtreme acting
"When people like to label any kind of performance as over the top, I suggest that if you were to go to the Guggenheim and look at a Francis Bacon, would you call that over the top?"

By PETER KEOUGH | November 24, 2009

The Big Hurt: Faces refaced

Also Spears speared, Hook hacked
Faces refaced, Spears speared, Hook hacked

By DAVID THORPE | November 24, 2009

10 memorable moments from Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

From historical to horrific to humorous, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is iconic
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an unapologetic, cross-promotional cheese-fest. But whether you love or hate it, you have to admit that its giant balloons are nearly as synonymous with the holiday feast as turkey, cranberries, and indigestion.

By ASHLEY RIGAZIO | November 25, 2009