Scoop: Shakespeare Invented the Verb Gossip.

1. BLUE OREGON: Vancouver comic-book publisher Bluewater Productions is headed south of the Columbia. The company—whose upcoming releases include comics based on Kurt Cobain, Tyler Perry and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie—is moving to Beaverton. “I always wanted to live in Portland,” says Bluewater editor Darren Davis, who says he has family in Newberg and his partner attends the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Portland. “But I really just moved here to be closer to Veggie Grill,” he says of the chain, which has locations in Beaverton, Hillsboro and Portland. For more on Portland’s comic-book scene, see “New Bounty” here.

1. FUNGUS KILLER: The Pearl District outpost of Mellow Mushroom, the stone-oven pizza chain, will have its final day of business April 13. “They kept us all in the dark until last Friday,” says one of the shop’s employees, who told WW that 10 Barrel Brewing Co. of Bend is the rumored buyer of the pizza shop’s lease. Employees at 10 Barrel could not confirm at press time have nowthat they would move into the Northwest Flanders Street space and said nothing had been finalized; they confirmed, however, that the brewery was in talks to expand into Portland. 10 Barrel has confirmed they'll be expanding into a brewery house and pub int he space, with an expected opening date of mid-summer.

1. STUBBORN ’THORNE: Music fans gazing up at the marquee of the Hawthorne Theatre were probably alarmed to see a “FOR SALE” sign affixed to its side. No need to worry. While the building is on the market, a change in ownership won’t affect the venue—one of the few in town that regularly hosts all-ages shows—which has two years left on its lease, according to promoter Mike Thrasher. Landlord Anthony McNamer, a Portland lawyer and founder of the Expunged Records label, says he and the building’s other owners were looking to rent out an empty space on the second floor, and decided to test the market. He told Scoop that current tenants, including Szechuan restaurant Lucky Strike, will remain if there is a sale. “It shouldn’t change the underage-music landscape of Portland at all,” McNamer says.

1. FEEL THE BURNS: Portland Playhouse’s just-announced 2014-15 season has one particularly eye-catching entry. The scrappy theater company, which operates out of a converted church in Northeast Portland, will be staging Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play. The play, which The New York Times hailed last fall as “downright brilliant,” is set in a post-apocalyptic world where people sustain themselves by recounting episodes of The Simpsons. Playwright Anne Washburn used to live in Portland, as did Simpsons creator Matt Groening, so kudos to Portland Playhouse for snagging the play’s regional premiere. The show opens May 2015.

1. EAT MOBILE: Both regular and VIP tickets for WW’s Eat Mobile food-cart festival were still on sale as of press time. However, this year’s version of the popular festival has been scaled down at the request of attendees, meaning you’d be wise to buy sooner rather than later. You’ve been warned.

WWeek 2015