Carrie Brownstein after filming another episode of Portlandia with a skateboarding segment. They shot at Burnside last season. I haven’t posted that yet. Local skater Russ from Gorey Details suited up as an “old skater” for this episode.

Illustrator and vinyl toy designer James Jarvis made this station ID for MTV with Richard Kenworthy. It’s a cool animation and it’s not his fault that the network is flaming bag of dog poo. That would be a good station ID for MTV actually. [Source: Hypebeast]

The backwards truck phenomenon happens all the time when marketers attempt to use skateboards without consulting an actual skateboarder. How did it apparently happen to Rob Dyrdek’s Street League Skateboarding, an organization dedicated to presenting “real” skateboarding? You know he must have been bummed the moment he realized it. The reflective nature of the trophy makes it hard to see definitively, but it sure looks like it’s backwards, Randals notwithstanding. Because we’re not all sour grapes here, there’s a bunch of well done photos of the latest Street League contest. Nyjah Huston is the champ, in case you wanted some actual results. I’ve added a “Backwards Skateboard Syndrome” to the tags. When I get a chance I’ll go back and retag some of the old posts with examples. – Thanks to Seth Levy for the tip.

Pretty easy to have the record if you’re the only one doing it. I predict Dyrek will be visiting the Goat mills soon to make sure this, uh, respected honor belongs to a real skateboarder. Basically, the goat jumps on the skateboard and stands still until the momentum dies. I think I’ll see if I can train a squirrel to do the same thing so I can get on TV. Yes, this story was picked up by local news networks. Ladies and gentlemen, the Guiness World Record holding skateboarding goat. [Source: Boingboing] – Thanks to Danimal and others for the tip.

Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America opened in San Diego on April 28th at the Museum of Man. The show runs through September 9, 2012. It’s on tour for two years, maybe coming to a town near you. If not, there are open slots available. Hassle a museum or gallery in your neighborhood to bring it home. The Smithsonian Channel will air a program called Skateboard Nation starting on May 5th: Explore the underground movement that’s helping Native American youth throughout the U.S. soar above life’s challenges, one half-pipe at a time. Skateboarding is increasingly popular on Indian reservations, cultivating athletes, artists, entrepreneurs and mentors. From the streets of Albuquerque to New York City, from Washington, D.C. to Pine Ridge, SD, the sport is fueling a new form of self-expression and pride. – Hey Betsy!

That’s right S&A readers. I’m taking this opportunity to bravely throw off the shackles of oppression and let everyone know that I… Well, how do I put this? I like Ellen Degeneres. OK, her TV show doesn’t appeal to me but as a stand up performer and showbiz personality, I’m a fan of her. Ellen had Tom Schaar (no relation to Max Schaaf) on her TV show shortly after landing his 1080. Ellen’s is a bit out of her element, and it’s not a very interesting segment, but at least Tom got a few minutes of fame. Whoever came up with the idea of a mini-mega ramp for a live TV segment should be demoted. There’s nothing that makes for more exciting TV than watching a kid trudge up a ladder a minute for each second he actually spends on his skateboard. Fortunately, Ellen pulls shouts out a bunch of random skate terminology while this is happening. UPDATE: Tom landed a 1080 X Games Asia in Shanghai, China, beats Burnquist. Video after the jump. [Source: CA Rampworks]

The NBC affiliate 9 News in Denver recently aired a piece on the impending opening of the new Arvada skatepark. The emphasis of the spot, apparently shot on the set of Masterpiece Theater (see photo), is on the “construction workers” that built the park, a crew that would go entirely unnamed were it not for an appropriately placed company logo on a hoody. I know these guys are technically construction workers, but it seems like a misnomer. It’s worth watching though, and there’s even a good laugh. What’s the name of their video segment? Why it’s “New park will attract skaters to Arvada.” I dunno… seems a little far fetched. Arvada is a Team Pain skatepark. Team Pain is actually a finalist in a The World of Concrete “Crews that Rock” contest. I don’t know what they get if they win, but if you vote you become eligible to win an iPad 2. Make sure to scroll down to get to the Team Pain listing, the page is kind of long.

Rastamouse, is a BBC production featuring a detective and/or special agents who fight crime and play in a reggae band. Awesome voices. Visit one of their many web sites if you are in the mood to giggle and annoy your wife. Love it. Looks cool too. Rastamouse is not just a one episode skater, he’s on board for book covers and personal appearances as well. – Thanks to Andrew Mendoza for the tip.

The Maloof Money Cup is leaving permanent skate structures on each stop of their tour. This facility is scheduled to be built in South Africa by California Ramp Works. The mini mega ramp isn’t going to stay, but the vert ramp and street course will remain. Interestingly enough, I recently heard from a contract employee of the Maloof Money Cup that they let a bunch of people go due to an alleged… money shortage. True or not, this is some good news for the South African scene. Between skatepark donations and alternative construction methods, this is like the arms race of arena skatepark extravaganzas.

Saturday Starrs! It’s been a while, becuase Scott Starr keeps getting kicked off of Youtube, and I forget to search him out again. I found this by accident, a TV clip from 1976 with Tom Sims and tow Sims riders named Steve Monohan and Edie Robertson. Edie does a nice gorilla grip, by the way. I don’t recall ever seeing a female gorilla grip practitioner before. No word of what TV show this is from, probably to keep it from getting pulled. Maybe Scott will let us know. Check it out after the jump.