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    April Fools: Portlandia Spin-Off Series to Feature Columbus

    The city of Portland is long been synonymous with hipster culture, and that fact has been cemented even further since the launch of IFC’s hit Portlandia show in 2011. Currently in its fourth season, the show is branching out into other cities, starting with Columbus.

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    “We’ve scouted new locations all over the country, and what we discovered about Columbus is that there’s a lot of irony and post-irony to be mined here,”  said show creator and star Fred Armisen. “After four successful years as a hit indie tv show, we feel that now is the time to start setting up franchises, starting right here in Columbus.”

    Fans of Portlandia will be excited to know that the tone of the spin-off show will largely remain unchanged. Sketches are likely to poke light-hearted and good natured fun of local freegans, baristas, bike messengers, artisans and gourmet food truck operators.

    “I had heard that Columbus was just a suburb of Cleveland where Ohio State plays football, but when we started scouting locations I was really surprised by what we found,” explains show creator and star Carrie Brownstein. “Not only were there birds all over everything in the boutiques that we visited, but there were also shapes of the state of Ohio all over everything too. Well done, Columbus!”

    (4/2/2014 Note: Huge thanks to Mike Beaumont for putting together this great video!)

    The first season of Columbusandia will air in 2015, and filming has already begun. The cold weather has kept camera crews off the streets in recent weeks, but indoor filming has been taking place on sound stages set up inside Bodega over the past two months.

    “Yeah, sorry, but we didn’t actually close,” explained Bodega owner Collin Castore. “We were contacted by IFC and we agreed to rent out our space to their production team. This is something I’ve really wanted to do for the past twenty years. So I guess you could say that my dream from the nineties is alive in Bodega right now.”

    To celebrate the launch of the new show, Columbus Underground is hosting a Columbusandia preview party tomorrow at Little Rock. Join us from 6pm to 10pm for a new “Rocktails” menu. A hipster dress-code will be strictly enforced, so be sure to either wear your nicest clothes, or your shabbiest clothes, or something in between if you think you can pull it off.

    For more details on tomorrow’s party, CLICK HERE to visit our Messageboard.

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    Walker Evans
    Walker Evanshttps://columbusunderground.com
    Walker Evans is the co-founder of Columbus Underground, along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.
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