New Portland TV series will feature our "Uber-liberal community" & "Crunchiness"

[SlyPokerDog]

"BEVERLY HILLS -- Cable network IFC will do its part to "keep Portland weird," ordering "Portlandia," a comedy series set in Portland that will film entirely on location, IFC announced this morning at a Television Critics Association panel.

"Saturday Night Live" player Fred Armisen and vocalist/guitarist Carrie Brownstein -- part of former Portland-based band Sleater-Kinney -- star in the six-episode series, playing themselves and other characters. Each episode will include sketches featuring the pair and will portray the progressive personalities, aesthetics and values of the creators’ dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, according to IFC’s description of "Portlandia."

Lorne Michaels, executive producer of "Saturday Night Live," also executive produces "Portlandia," which will include guest appearances by Kyle MacLachlan ("Desperate Housewives") and Aubrey Plaza ("Parks and Recreation").

In the pilot episode MacLachlan plays the mayor of Portland, who asks Armisen and Brownstein to write a theme song for the city. The segment also features real Portland Mayor Sam Adams as an assistant to MacLachlan's fictional mayor.

Other characters include the owners of a feminist book store, a militant bike messenger and a punk-rock couple (Armisen plays the woman in the couple; Brownstein plays the man).

IFC senior vice president of original programming Debbie DeMontreux said "Portlandia" was inspired by the pair’s Web series, "Thunderant." Executives wanted something more than random sketches, and creating the world of Portlandia pulls the sketches together.

"It’s the fact that Carrie is from Portland and that it’s such an uber-liberal community, very crunchy," DeMontreux said, explaining the reason for the Portland setting. "A lot of the characters and sketches are based on the world of Portland. The characters are very crisp in this world and it’s just a cool, unique, fresh take on sketch comedy."

"Portlandia" will not be studio-based, but plans to film scenes in natural locations over 19 days.

"The city is so kind and welcoming to productions," said Jennifer Caserta, executive vice president and general manager for IFC, "which is just so fresh for a television network to have to deal with."

The series, named after the Raymond Kaskey sculpture above the entrance of the Portland Building on Fifth Avenue, will air on IFC in 2011."

http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2010/08/ifc_announces_new_tv_series.html

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Uber-Cruncher ^

 

[santeesioux]

Sounds kinda douchey, but what do i know, i'm just one of those uncultured Southern Oregonian hicks

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Sounds kinda douchey, but what do i know, i'm just one of those uncultured Southern Oregonian hicks

Clearly your not crunchy enough to live in Portland.

and yes, it does sound very douchey.

 

[Eastoff]

Clearly your not crunchy enough to live in Portland.

and yes, it does sound very douchey.

no way, they are TOO crunchy in SoOr.

 

[Eastoff]

and Aubrey Plaza ("Parks and Recreation").

is it wrong that the first thing I thought was, "I want to get a picture with her!"

 

[BrianFromWA]

Sleater-Kinney may be Portland-based, but their name comes from one of the main cross-roads of Lacey, WA.

 

[MrSelfDestruct]

Sleater-Kinney may be Portland-based, but their name comes from one of the main cross-roads of Lacey, WA.

Indeed...its about two minutes from my place.

As an aside, as liberal and "crunchy" Portland is, after spending fours years in the Olympia/Lacey area I'm convinced it is even more crunchy than Portland.

As for the show, I will watch it just because I try to watch most of the stuff filmed in Portland. It's fun recognizing different locations.

 

[ucatchtrout]

Does the mayor have sex in the bathroom with his "assistant"?

 

[santeesioux]

no way, they are TOO crunchy in SoOr.

There's definitely something wrong with the people down here, you'd think it was Alabama instead of Oregon

 

[Mediocre Man]

This is what happens when you want to be known as an extremely weird city.

Congrats Portland, you have made me proud all over again

 

[ABM]

There's definitely something wrong with the people down here, you'd think it was Alabama instead of Oregon

I hear there are no drive-by shootings in Southern Oregon, though.

Yeah, the cars are on blocks and the houses are on wheels.

 

[santeesioux]

I hear there are no drive-by shootings in Southern Oregon, though.

Yeah, the cars are on blocks and the houses are on wheels.

We just have Mexican and white high school kids trying to act "hard" by walking the streets at night and tagging buildings, it's funny lol.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Cool!

 

[Eastoff]

We just have Mexican and white high school kids trying to act "hard" by walking the streets at night and tagging buildings, it's funny lol.

That's annoying, and could escalate to worse things, but atleast not violent.

 

[santeesioux]

That's annoying, and could escalate to worse things, but atleast not violent.

There's been some violence, like a big Indian and Mexican fight in a park a couple years ago in which some guys got stabbed. Nothing like Lake Oswego though i'm sure

 

[Eastoff]

There's been some violence, like a big Indian and Mexican fight in a park a couple years ago in which some guys got stabbed. Nothing like Lake Oswego though i'm sure

We only have pot heads that OD on heroin when they hit their 20s. And DUIIs. And Domestic Disturbances sometimes.

(i swear to dog, putting that up was the worst mistake I've made here...)

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I bought some granola today.

 

[Eastoff]

I bought some granola today.

Did it remind you of home?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

not really.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Bump!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

The first episode is out

[video=hulu;8rSUR0H1EI3qCUmWphzRkA]http://www.hulu.com/watch/206160/portlandia-farm[/video]


Meh...

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Gotta set my DVR to record this. Looks like its gonna be a good show!

 

[LameR]

I'm not a huge fan of when people assume the "weird" part of Portland is all there is to Portland. I don't see this helping.

EDIT: Watched it. It was tough for me to get through. For a half-hour time slot, there weren't many parts that I found funny, and a lot of it was really difficult to keep watching. Maybe it's just not my style though.

 

[LameR]

http://www.explosm.net/comics/2295/

 

[Nate4Prez]

"It's kind of a house, but it's kind of falling apart right now."
"I think that describes your life right now."

"Women can't read minds you know, if she read your mind she would be scared to death."

As someone who no longer lives in Portland, I found that very funny. But if I still lived there I would probably be pissed.

 

[Nate4Prez]

http://www.explosm.net/comics/2295/

Should I be ashamed that the second I read "Screaming Infidelities" I knew it was Dashboard Confessional?

Your hair, it's everywhere...

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I'm not a huge fan of when people assume the "weird" part of Portland is all there is to Portland. I don't see this helping.

EDIT: Watched it. It was tough for me to get through. For a half-hour time slot, there weren't many parts that I found funny, and a lot of it was really difficult to keep watching. Maybe it's just not my style though.

There were a few parts that were kinda funny but I thought for the most part it sucked.

What a huge waste of Steve Buscemi.

 

[MARIS61]

Seems like it's more about the always-behind-the-curve transplanted ex-Californian community rather than representing Native Oregonians in any way. Oregon-born men, straight or gay, have actual backbones. The rubber-spined "pets" represented in most of the male roles were strictly Bay-Area clones.

Steve Buschemi, and the old lady in the library came across to me like typical Oregonians. Maybe he can save it, but it's basically built around a single joke, and an old one that.

As usual, LA is twenty years behind "hip".