BIRCH WOODIE: Diane Birch has ALWAYS been different. A good different. And know the whole country is going to find that out because she's performing Wednesday night on "The David Letterman Show." Yes, that David Letterman. I met her a loooong time ago, back when she moved to Portland to live with my friend Gwen. She was fresh from Zimbabwe where she had been living with her missionary folks. I kept her in touch with her through Gwen and would see the pretty young girl (see photo above) turn into a ravishing young woman. I remember once asking her to model for me when she was working at our local Saks Fifth Avenue. It was for a "Shop" column I was doing for The Oregonian. The result was this photo we shot in front of The Standard Building:

Well little did I know that the girl went off to Los Angeles, worked the bar circuit, and has turned herself into a modern version of all those bluesy girl singers of the 1960's. And others have noticed too. Look at this feature frm the likes of Bill Bradley at Vanity Fair. She's something.
And now, tomorrow night, she's doing Letterman. According to this story in Billboard her album "Bible Belt" (buy it, buy it, buy it!) has become a bit of a viral hit via "mom" blogs. Whatever. I always knew the girl was a star. Now the rest of the country, at least those that don't watch Conan, will too.

Here is her song "Fire Escape."FireEscape.mp3

Can't wait to see her do a duet with China and the boys of Pink Martini. Wouldn't that be cool?
For more on this cool chick check out her official site here.

ROLL CALL: Columbia Sportswear is looking for nominees for its Pioneers campaign. That is they're looking for people who do awesome, weird, funny, adventurous stuff outdoors...yes, the parameters are broad. Check out this link and upload a video of your nominee to enter a summer contest for a $500 gift card. Make us proud (or at least make us laugh).

BOOTY & THE BEAUTY: The lovely, talented and always busy Allison Picard is packing up her Portland life and moving to Bangkok, Thailand. As she says, "where I will always be the tallest woman in the room and probably the only redhead." Before she left for her year-long sojourn friends Amy Stephens and Erin Ergenbright hosted a balls-to-the-wall blowout at Amy's place and also The Goodfoot. Let's just say we danced our asses off that night with old-school funk and soul provided by none other than DJ AQUAMAN. It was quite the night. Good luck, Allison. We will miss you!

(LGB)TRI-CITIES PRIDE: "I am Byron Beck. I am in Pasco. And I am gay." That's how I started my turn at the podium last Sunday in one of the little towns that comprise the Mid-Columbia oasis known as the Tri-Cities (aka Pasco, Kennewick and Richland, Wash.).
I spent a good chunk of my pre- through post-teen years in a little town called Burbank outside of Pasco. Claim to fame? I graduated with Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. I also went to junior college there too.
I left the area, affectionately known due to its desert clime as the "Dry Shitties," in 1982.
I went back once—in 1990—for a class reunion, but that was it.
You see, when I left it was right after I had come out of the closet as a gay man. At the time I was pretty much ignored by my friends, confused about my identity, well, it was just a really rough patch in my then young life.
I never had a reason to go back.
Until Sunday.
That was the second day of the Mid-Columbia Pride Celebration. And the sweet powerhouses behind that event—celebrating queer life in the middle of a friggin' desert—had asked me to speak at their awesome gathering.
And I did. I spoke about what it was like to be young, gay and alone in a small town that didn't really support you. And how the only reason I came back was because of them and the work that the group, who had put on the event, was doing in support of queer youth and queer life in my old "home town." You see, I had never really said I was gay in my old stomping grounds and here I was, telling everyone that could hear me in Pasco's Memorial Park, that I was a big, ol' homo. Man, don't believe what the tell you: you can really go home again. Even if it's just for a day. Here's a few photos from our day in the sun (and a couple from stopovers in the gorgeous Columbia Corge).

UPDATE Tuesday, July 21: Just in from a friend on Facebook. Portia was in town for a friend's wedding. Said "it was nice seeing her...gorgeous as always."

PORTIA DOES PORTLAND: Gawd, from the looks of it, the celeb scene in PDX is starting to get very crowded. Chappelle, McGraw and now another big name hits town.
I have it on very good authority that the wife of talk show comic Ellen DeGeneres, none other than actress Portia de Rossi (that's the two of them above) was spotted on the tarmac at Portland International Airport this weekend. According to my source Portia was seen deboarding a private jet near the main terminal (would that be the Mrs. very own?) and was then whisked away to a waiting vehicle. By the looks of the outfit she was wearing it's safe to assume Portia was heading off to some swank affair in our fair city. Who will be spotted next?

YARD & GARDEN: It was a veritable "hot night in the city" at last night's Grand Opening of the Courtyard By Marriott Portland City Center (wow..that's a mouthful). CBMPCC is Portland's first LEED Gold certified designed hotel and due to that the celebration included appearances by all the big brass from Sage Hospitality, Sera Architects, local fashionistas and plenty of pretty people who danced the night away to the sounds of the always fabu Sneakin' Out while they nibbled on snacks from the always original The Original.