Scoop: Robots and Books Out, Secret Concerts In

1. STOP THE ROBOTS: Steven Spielberg, once slated to direct an adaptation of Portland author Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse, has indefinitely postponed plans for the film. The 2011 sci-fi novel by Wilson—who has a Ph.D. in robotics—was a New York Times bestseller, and Anne Hathaway and Chris Hemsworth were in talks to star in the film version. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg said the script (adapted by The Cabin in the Woods screenwriter Drew Goddard) wasn’t ready and that production costs were too high. “It’s back to the drawing board to see what is possible,” Spielberg spokesman Martin Levy said.

1. FUTURE DRINKING: Regal Cinemas’ Fox Tower 10 (846 SW Park Ave.) has applied for a beer and wine license. If it is approved, this would increase the number of brew-’n’-view screens in Portland by about 50 percent (and possibly take a bite out of nearby rival Living Room Theaters). Regal Cinemas has already started selling beer elsewhere in the country; prices at its Knoxville, Tenn., theater are $4 to $6.50 for a 12-ounce bottle. Some Regal theaters with beer service have been restricted to those age 18 and over.

1. WORD SCRAMBLE: They say April is the cruelest month; it will certainly be so for aficionados of red herrings and that peculiar whiff of almond in the drinking water. Mystery bookshop Murder by the Book has announced it will shut its doors for good in April and sell selected books at steep discounts starting this week. Meanwhile, zine shop Reading Frenzy—which announced in November it will leave its longtime downtown location on Feb. 15 after losing its lease—will hold a benefit art auction Feb. 7 to help fund a reboot across the river, location to be determined.

1. GOING TO EXTREMES: Experimental Portland, a local blog run by frequent WW contributor Robert Ham dedicated to the avant-garde extremes of the local music scene, is partnering with Mississippi Studios to put on monthly showcases of outre music. Although Ham—whose column Outer Worlds appears biweekly on wweek.com—has organized regular live events at various venues under the name “Experimental Portland Presents...” before, the concerts at Mississippi Studios will feature bigger-name (relatively speaking) touring acts, such as Pennsylvania-based noise collagists Blues Control, who headline the inaugural show Feb. 28 along with locals Plankton Wat and Fang Moon.

1. WATCH FOR VAMPIRES: Songs From a Room, a London-based operation that puts on secret, invitation-only living-room concerts in cities around the world, is coming to Portland. On Saturday, Jan. 19, the “global music movement,” as the organizers refer to it, is throwing a show somewhere in town, to be announced via the group’s mailing list a few days earlier. The bands are unknown as of press time, but past participants  have included DeVotchKa, Stumptown’s own Radiation City and, in one instance, actor Robert Pattinson. Interested parties can sign up for the newsletter at sofarsounds.com, though admittance is limited to roughly 60 people.

WWeek 2015