Apparently, someone sold an ad in this year's State Chamber of Commerce Directory to Alaska Wild Salmon Protection, a pro-fish, anti- Pebble organization. Unfortunately for the publisher, Morris Communications, they had already printed up the directory when someone who cared noticed.
Alors! Consternation ensued. Calls were made. Art Hackney, whose agency bought the ad for the Wild Salmon folks, said he offered to tone it down, but it was no go. Morris had to reprint the whole directory without the offending message and reportedly ate about $2,000 in costs.
OUT AND ABOUT . . . The Redistricting Board meetings are attracting some interesting visitors: Earwigs say they spotted former Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom and her former legislative aide Kelly Goode at the Anchorage meeting last week. Doesn't Nancy work for Providence now? Hmmm. Checking the fortunes of the Hospital-University district perhaps? Looking to find a district to run from in 2012? We all remember that poor Nancy got robbed of the cushy Parnell administration job she was promised when she quit the Legislature last May. Some suggestion the offer was illegal?
EARLY WARNING . . . The Legislative Skits are April 2, and lawmakers with skitable baggage are already stressing. Who will get lampooned and how deep? Writers and material are a closely guarded secret, but with issues on the table like license plate fights, TSA groping, marmot songs, establishment of a state gun and The Love Caucus, jokes almost write themselves.
THE RACE IS ON . . . The guys who really want to be president are starting to make their moves, and the serious "rankings" have begun. This week, the National Journal evaluated the top 15 (yes, 15!) GOP contenders re money, campaign infrastructure, strengths and weaknesses. Sarah made the list, in 7th position, right ahead of Michelle Bachmann, who thinks the American Revolution started in New Hampshire, and five rankings ahead of Ron Paul, who -- oh, make up your own joke. Journal pundits think it unlikely Sarah will actually run, despite all those news photos of her in foreign places, pretending she knows what's going on.
Top in the Journal ranking is Mitt Romney, followed by Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour and Newt Gingrich.
ANCHORWOOD . . . Writer Lael Morgan has a new book due this coming week. "Eskimo Star, The Ray Mala Story" is a biography of Alaska's only real Hollywood star, who was also the father of former Commissioner of Health and Social Services Ted Mala, now a NANA executive. A book launch party is set for Tuesday at the Anchorage Museum with a "Hollywood Style Red Carpet," an appearance by Alaska's actress, Irene Bedard, and a performance by Pamyua.
This all seems like fun, and if Ear cringed at promises of "media coverage" of the red carpet arrivals, well, that's just the Dated Appendage being oh so 20th century. Earwigs say Morgan is writing the only non-Palin histories of Alaska that regular people might actually read, so good on her.
The Bear Tooth is running a Ray Mala Film Festival on Wednesday and Thursday, with a free showing of "Igloo" on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m., courtesy of the Arctic Slope Regional Corp. (Read more about the book, and Mala, in today's feature section.)
ON THE MOVE . . . Former police chief and five-term Valdez mayor Bert Cottle is now deputy city administrator for the City of Wasilla. Bert lost a bid for John Harris's old seat in the Legislature to Eric Feige last year and is perhaps anticipating favorable redistricting boundaries in the Valley.
LOCAL CRIME . . . One of the two connected women charged in the theft of $1,020.08 worth of shoes from Fred Meyer in December has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft. According to court records, Skye McRoberts was sentenced late last month to probation and community service. Her accused co-conspirator, assistant attorney general Erin Pohland, is charged with a felony and, as of last week anyhow, was still in the pre-indictment stage, which usually means negotiations, but maybe not.
Frankly, from the beginning, Ear has had only one question about this weird case. It's probably the same question that caused Outside papers like the Boston Herald to run stories about it: Just how many Fred Meyer's shoes do you have to steal to add up to $1,020.08? And why in the world would you bother?
NEW MOVIE INDUSTRY . . . Friends say Mark Robokoff, a local media marketing guy and actor who snagged roles in all three movie productions that got everyone excited here, has teamed with a couple of other local theater types to create Mountain Shack Theater Alaska, an offering this summer at the Alaska Wild Berry Theatre.
As Ear understands the concept, an old black and white Hollywood movie will be running on a regular movie screen while the trio appear in silhouette at the front of the theater and provide snarky, presumably funny, frontier commentary, thereby raising smartass remarks by smartass Alaskans to an official art form.
Ear can hardly wait. (Ear is told Robokoff was a reporter in "Everybody Loves Whales," the boat captain in "Ghost Vision" and will be an FBI agent in "The Doppelganger Principle.")
Compiled by Sheila Toomey. Message Sheila at ear@adn.com or 257-4341. Find Ear online at www.adn.com/ear.
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.