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saturday, april 7, 2012 Style EZ SU

THE TV COLUMN MUSIC SUNDAY ARTS Morning gabfests put up their dukes Item 1 in the Gift Janus Trio, Curiouser Lisa de Moraes weighs in on the past week’s sans jolt and curiouser ratings battle between ABC and NBC. Katie Giving Code: If it has The young players, The Washington Ballet Couric co-anchored “Good Morning America,” strings attached, then don’t part of New York’s prepares to premiere its and Ryan Seacrest visited “Today.” Visit new-music scene, “Alice (in Wonderland).” washingtonpost.com/tvcolumn. call it a gift.” Carolyn Hax, C4 fall flat at Atlas. C3 Coming Sunday

Turning a scientific mind to sweet ideas do in the lab involves a protocol of some kind,” Ambrose says. “You Bakery owner is at home figure out how to plan an experi- in kitchen and lab ment in order to test the hypothe- sis. When you do an experiment, there are proportions — so this BY R.C. BARAJAS idea of following recipes to get a Special to desired result is very much innate to me. When it comes to the kitch- On a perfect day, Winnette en, it’s kind of a similar thing. It McIntosh Ambrose would be in was just a natural fit for me.” the kitchen of the Sweet Lobby, The fit proved so natural that in the pastry shop on Barracks Row February, just seven months after she owns with her brother, by opening its doors on Capitol Hill, 6 a.m., in her National Institutes the Sweet Lobby won Food Net- of Health lab by 10 a.m. and home work’s “Cupcake Wars.” Ambrose, by 8 p.m. incidentally, has never taken a But not every day is perfect. cooking class. On this day, Ambrose is in the Any cook knows that science throes of training a new baker, has its place in the kitchen — it which makes her a little late to thickens sauces, raises souffles Building 6 on the NIH campus, and enables other seemingly mag- where she dons a white lab coat ical transformations. But Ambro- and peers through a microscope se understands the marriage of at mouse retinal cells. The cells sugar and butter just as she un- are being cultured on a new biom- derstands the link between tissue aterial that Ambrose hopes will and substrate. provide them with a better living And there’s something more in environment than regular sub- the way this 36-year-old has dedi- strate. She would like to see, cated her energies and expertise someday,sections of this biomate- toward healing the most essential rial transplanted into degenerat- parts of the human body — the ing retinas to restore vision. eye, the heart and the insatiable Usually,her two lives — one as a sweet tooth inside each of us. She creator of fine pastries and the is a perfectionist — tempered with other as a biochemical engineer — a gift for madly creative improvi- dovetail in a strange kind of har- sation. The same commitment to mony. Ambrose has a simple ex- planation why. “A lot of what we baker continued on C3

D.C.’s ‘brony’ meet-ups corral ‘’s’ Mane surprising fans: Grown men assembled here — is the organizer. A first-year computer science major at the UniversityofMarylandatCollege Park, R.S. wears attraction glasses and has per- FANBOYS: Andrew BY MELODY WILSON the Martin Luther King Jr. Library fect posture — as Singley, top, has Trixie Special to The Washington Post auditorium to watch and discuss the though he actually on his shoulder. Below, latest episode of “My Little Pony: listened to his mother “bronies” Jason Meyers, The lights dim, and the crowd qui- Friendship Is Magic.” The event is a when she told him to left, and Fen Ingram ets. When a bright pink pony appears meet-up of D.C. area “bronies”: adult sit up straight while check out stuffed ponies on the projection screen, the eight men — and some women — who he was playing his at a recent meet-up in CARLA SIMS/SWEET LOBBY people onstage begin trotting along follow the animated TV show reli- computer games. He the District. FAMILY BUSINESS: Winnette McIntosh Ambrose started the with it. One man, wearing a shiny pink giously. Make no mistake: This is not a is quiet, but when he Sweet Lobby with her brother, Timothy McIntosh. Ambrose divides hat shaped like a pony’s mane, leads small number of fans. Similar meet- talks about ponies, enthusiasm creeps her time between the shop and the National Institutes of Health. the others in song: ups have taken place across the coun- into his voice. Many have tried to “Come on, every pony, smile, smile, try and the world since the show first explain the show’s allure, he says, but smile! Fill my heart up with sunshine, aired in October 2010. they can’t quite put their finger on its sunshine! All I really need’s a smile, Standing in the semidarkness to wild popularity. The characters are smile, smile! From these happy one side of the stage is a tall, slim “cute,” he says, and they seem like BOOK WORLD friends of mine!” figure with wavy light-brown hair that About 50 people have gathered in descends past his shoulders. Eigh- bronies continued on C3 teen-year-old Andrew Rodgers-Schatz In ‘Calico Joe,’ Grisham — known as “R.S.” to family and friends and as “Xiagu” to the bronies knocks it out of the park

BY STEVEN V. ROBERTS Castle, a 21-year-old rookie first Special to The Washington Post baseman for the . Calico Joe (the nickname comes ohn Grisham’s legal thrillers from his home town of Calico are dense and hefty, full of Rock, Ark.) bashes home runs in J twists and turns and tension. his first three at-bats in the His latest novel, “Calico Joe,” major leagues and is hitting is not like that at all. It’s a sweet, above .500 six weeks later when simple story, a fable the Cubs play the Mets really. And like all fa- at in bles, it has a moral: Queens. Good can come out of Wearing the black evil; it’s never too late hat is Warren Tracey, a to confess your sins 34-year-old journey- and seek forgiveness. man pitcher for the Writers who deal Mets with a reputation with seem for hitting batters — drawn to its mythic and the bottle — with dimensions. Whether equal determination. they produce a novel His first time up, Calico (“The Natural”), a Calico Joe Joe whacks a homer off movie (“Field of By Tracey. When he comes Dreams”), a play Doubleday. to bat again, an 11-year- (“Damn Yankees”) or a 198 pp. $24.95 old boy in the stands, song (“Mrs. Robin- Tracey’s son, Paul, has a son”), they often focus very sick feeling. on outsize heroes, their feats and He’s obsessed with Joe, keep- their flaws. Maybe it’s the grass ing a scrapbook that records all or the lights or the uniforms. of his dazzling deeds. And he Maybe it’s the strict geometry of knows his father is about to the playing field that turns play- throw at Joe’s head. Paul knows ers into archetypes, characters in this because Tracey has called his a morality play: stars and bums, son a “coward” for not challeng- goodguysandbadguys.Andsoit ing batters with inside pitches in is with “Calico Joe,” a story about Little League. Years later, as he two men whose lives are fused narrates this story, Paul recalls together by one terrible instant the game at Shea: “I wanted to on Aug. 24, 1973. PHOTOS BY LINDA DAVIDSON/THE WASHINGTON POST Wearing the white hat is Joe book world continued on C4 KLMNO SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012 EZ SU C3

oped, after all, by toy giant Has- document the brony movement, bro to boost sales of its signature is the meet-up’s crafts organizer. Adult fans ride a ‘My Little Pony’ high toy line. In fact, “My Little Pony: She considers herself a mother Friendship Is Magic” first caught figure of sorts, because she is bronies from C1 on when a Cartoon Brew article older than many of the bronies criticized it as the end of “the and because she is a natural lead- “actual people.” He continues, creator-driven era of TV anima- er. “The writing is witty — it’s a smart tion.” It quickly became an Inter- But wait — girl bronies? Is that show.” net phenomenon among those allowed? Today’s episode centers on who read the article, watched the “ ‘Brony’ is unisex,” she says. three young ponies that join their show and got hooked. Isn’t there something a little school’s newspaper. A new editor From “My Little Pony’s” con- weird about grown men playing comes in with guns blazing: “No sumerist roots has sprung a cre- with rainbow-hued ponies? Pam- more namby-pamby like last ative revolution. Daily ela Rutledge, director of the Me- year’s editor,” she proclaims. “But serves as a centralized news dia Psychology Research Center, Namby Pamby was a great edi- source, and other sites and net- doesn’t think so. She says, tor!” the ponies protest. The bro- works have sprung up. YouTube is “They’re just a fan base revisiting nies in the auditorium hoot with awash with remixes of pony childhood and some of the things laughter. songs, as well as the documentary they have left behind” — and, in Like many of the fans, R.S. got “Ballad of the Brony” and a pre- some cases, the things they didn’t into the show at the prompting of sentation on the physics of “My get a chance to experience the a friend. He and about 90 others Little Pony.” first time around, such as brush- attended the first BroNYCon in At the meet-up, fans are hunt- ing a pony’s synthetic mane. June. The best part, he says, was ing for Easter eggs, some of which It’s escapist in a positive way, hanging out with bronies from contain tickets to a free raffle of she says: “It really is just different across the country. T-shirts and figurines from ToysR ways people have of fulfilling Riding that high, he founded Us. One brony struggles to comb these very fundamental human the D.C. Brony Meetup. He adver- the mane of his newly won Rain- needs.” tised on , the news bow Dash toy. “I don’t have a lot of For all his flamboyant pony site for bronies, and about 35 LINDA DAVIDSON/THE WASHINGTON POST experience doing this,” he says. “I shirts, R.S. has received surpris- people attended the first meeting ENTHUSIASM: Steve Decker, 32, holds up a plush Applejack as Simon Ladd, 27, looks on at a recent never thought I’d get a brush- ingly little flak. “I would’ve in July. Membership and attend- meet-up. The fans of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” often collect T-shirts, pins and stuffed toys. able.” thought it was weird — I did think ance have increased since. The Others cut out pieces of felt for it was weird, when my friend first meet-up has 227 members regis- a community art board of the told me about it,” R.S. says. “But tered online, about 50 of whom sode of the first season on Has- demographic of mostly 20-some- Collecting gear is a big part of District in springtime, complete no one cares.” And if he ever did regularly attend meetings. (Bro- bro’s animated TV channel, the thing, mostly white men. “My Little Pony” fandom; this is a with the Washington Monument, feel ostracized? He shrugs and NYCon drew 300 to its September Hub, Singley was hooked. He In a generation weaned on iro- subculture that literally wears its cherry blossoms and, of course, a spreads his hands. “Haters gonna gathering and more than 800 in brought his daughter and wife ny and sarcasm, such fresh-faced heart on its sleeve. The majority herd of ponies. One pony rears up hate, you know?” January.) Such meet-ups have an into the fandom. delight can seem startling. But of the bronies at this meet-up on its hind legs on top of the At the end of the meet-up, the “amplifying effect” on his enjoy- ’s third iteration of the bronies thrive on the convivial sport T-shirts featuring their fa- Capitol. The finished product will bronies gather in front of the ment of the show, R.S. says. Al- classic TV show was intended for bonhomie of the show. vorite characters: Applejack, be part of the Traveling Pony library for a group picture. Pass- though he usually chats online young girls such as Dayna; its “The show just has this effect Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Museum, which will begin at ersby shoot them curious looks, while watching a new episode, creators never expected men such on people,” R.S. says. “It manages Dash, Rarity, . June’s BroNYCon — expected to but the bronies, with figurines “it’s hard to maintain real friends as her father to be a driving force to inspire a community around R.S. wears the gear to signal draw about 2,000 people, says and plushies in hand, pay them no online.” behind its popularity. Lauren it.” that he’s into ponies, he says. John Feulner, head of VIP rela- mind. They’ve found the very love During the week, Andrew Sin- Faust, also known for her work on Several bronies have clipped When he’s on campus, he’ll meet tions at BroNYCon — and will and acceptance the show promis- gley, 32, models mathematical “The Powerpuff Girls” and “Fos- small figurines to their name tags other fans and maybe even re- tour various meet-ups and con- es. Friendship truly is magic. problems as an analyst for the ter’s Home for Imaginary or necklaces. Singley carries Trix- ceive “a random brohoof on the ventions in the . [email protected] federal government. On week- Friends,” wanted to create a show ie, a stuffed pony — known as a street,”he says. (A brohoof is like a “We decided to do felt this time, ends, he watches “My Little Pony” that would be enjoyable for par- “plushie” — that his wife made for fist bump. A fist bump is like ... because it would be a fun project Wilson is a freelance writer. with his wife, Samantha, and 5- ents, too. But neither Faust nor him. Catie Gardner, a 16-year-old oh, forget it.) that even people without art skills year-old daughter, Dayna, in their Hasbro was prepared for the over- high school student from Mary- There is no shortage of “My could do,” says Gretchen Sprehe, GO ONLINE See photos of the Silver Spring home. In October whelmingly positive response land, carries a custom-designed Little Pony” merchandise. This 29, of Arlington. Gretchen, an I “bronies” event at 2010, after watching an early epi- they received from the unusual plushie nearly as tall as she is. iteration of the show was devel- artist working on an e-book to washingtonpost.com/style.

Mixing her love of MUSIC REVIEW science with sweets Few sparks from the Janus Trio at Atlas Center BY STEPHEN BROOKES an inner lack of powerful ideas. mas de Arena” was a wonderfully baker from C1 was the one to bridge all the The group shook off its torpor in engaging work, full of colorful people she had to work with. In The concert by the adven- Barbara White’s “Gather,” provid- textures and an alert sense of trial and error that is evident in science, you don’t usually see peo- turous young Janus Trio at the ing the accompaniment to a purpose, and Wadden’s superb, her design of a cardiovascular ple with such social skills,” Elisse- Atlas Performing Arts Center grainy, jittery black-and-white dancelike playing on the harp was stent (Ambrose holds a patent for eff says. on Thursday had all the mak- film projected behind it, and the a joy to hear. Paul Clift’s “How Do the first Food and Drug Adminis- After Ambrose obtained her ings of a high-voltage evening. music was intriguing at first, both You Express X?” had a compel- tration-approved carotid stenting doctorate in 2009 and eight The players — flutist Amanda well crafted and full of life. But ling, otherworldly melancholy to device) is evident in her colorful months after accepting a job at Baker, Beth Meyers on viola you got the point in a minute or it, and “New Gates” from the macarons, which sit in mouth-wa- the NIH’s National Eye Institute, and Nuiko Wadden on harp — two, and from then on, both mu- brilliant Kaija Saariaho provided tering rows in the Sweet Lobby’s she decided the time had come to are seasoned virtuosos and sic and film went round and some of the most sophisticated custom-designed cases. put her culinary ingenuity to the key players in New York’s new- round in circles, exploring the and imaginative music of the test and open a boutique bakery music scene, and the program compulsive repetition of a mean- evening. Alas, it was too little, too Fascination with science with her younger brother (and was made up almost entirely ingless task (you know: commen- late: The concert closed with a As a young girl, growing up in a fellow MIT graduate), Timothy of hip, new pieces from hip, tary on modern existence, et cet- smattering of applause, a collec- middle-class family on the Carib- McIntosh. He moved to Capitol young composers. Moreover, era) until the static in this partic- tive shrug and a hasty rush to the bean island of Trinidad, Ambrose Hill, where Ambrose trained him the Atlas may be the best place ular mind began leaking out the doors. exhibited a highly motivated and in the techniques she had taught in town to get up close and DAWN WALSH/ARIEL ARTISTS ears. [email protected] ambitious nature. She always had herself. personal with new music. VIRTUOSOS: The players are Things did pick up after inter- a fascination with science, as well It took 10 months to convert a So why, then, was the eve- seasoned, yet Thursday’s show mission; Martin Matalon’s “For- Brookes is a freelance writer. as an interest in languages. 100-year-old former hair salon to ning such a dud? had little passion. “I knew from a fairly early age the sleek storefront that is the Maybe it was the half-empty that there was this place called Sweet Lobby. Ambrose was in- hall, which can dampen any crumpling paper and an ampli- MIT, where you studied engineer- volved in every detail, from the group’s mojo. Or it may have fied banjo over a pulsing electron- hilarious fun ing, and you had to work really high-capacity commercial kitch- been the odd-slash-lofty thesis ic track, but the trio played it so hilarious fun hard to get there. It was my goal en to the color palette. The boxes, of the evening, which, as Baker diffidently that you worried the for the from very early on.” At that point labels, even the tags were hers explained, was to “explore the musicians might fall asleep. Ja- in her life, she’d had little expo- from concept to creation. static of one’s mind to discover son Treuting’s “I Am Not (Blank)” whole familY! sure to things culinary. “What I Creativity in science can prog- what really exists” (a tricky followed and, while not entirely did do,” she says happily, “was eat ress at a glacial pace. “I think that game, as we know). But prob- (blank), came pretty close: a work a lot of really tasty food.” the gratification you get from the ably it was just the general whose surface simplicity masked At 19, she entered the Massa- life in pastry is a lot more immedi- sense, as the evening wore on, chusetts Institute of Technology ate. I can come in with an idea for of self-involved music being FROM THE PRODUCERS OF on scholarship, beginning a dou- something I think would be amaz- played without much passion ANIMAL KINGDOM ble major in chemical engineer- ing today and see it tomorrow. or discernible fire. ing and French language and lit- There are loads of opportunities Angelica Negron’s “Draw- “ erature. “So having this kind of for being inventive in science — ings for Meyoko,” for example, ffff dual mind-set is something I’ve that’s what it’s all about — but opened promisingly with A SLOW BURN THAT been comfortable with for a long knowing whether or not your in- I COULDN’T LOOK time,” Ambrose says. ventiveness plays out to impact “ AWAY FROM. Almost immediately, she met people is a very delayed process,” STARTLING, SCARY AND I was left thinking about FUNNY ALL AT ONCE.” the film long after it fellow Trinidadian Ricardo Am- Ambrose says. - Colin Covert, MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE ended and I really brose, a Computer Science major, Keeping both worlds aloft is a couldn’t ask for mirrormirrorfilm.com and fell in love. They were mar- Herculean task. “It has segment- anything more.” ried six days after graduation. ed my life in two,” she says. Until -MARK BELL, FILM THREAT Now PlayiNg at theatres everywhere! The food at MIT was ghastly, she won “Cupcake Wars,” she nev- “HAUNTING, CheCk DireCtories For showtimes. No Passes aCCePteD. she says, so under Ricardo’s direc- er told anyone at NIH — not even atmospheric and ACADEMY AWARD® full of mystery.” tion — he was an accomplished her boss — about her “other” life WINNER cook — they began preparing and at the Sweet Lobby. -HOLLYWOOD REPORTER WILLEM DAFOE freezing a month’s supply of meals. “I feel that when you’re in one FRANCES O’CONNOR Soon, they were entertaining sphere, it’s important to focus on SAM NEILL friends — he cooking the main that sphere,” she says. “Unneces- HHHH courses, she the appetizers and sary distractions can detract from THE “3D HAS MADE desserts. the integrity of what you’re doing During a semester at the Sor- in that space.” AGREAT FILM bonne in Paris, Ambrose discov- But if she had to choose? “I HUNTER ered French patisserie, particular- really don’t like thinking about it,” SOME MYSTERIES SHOULD NEVER BE SOLVED EVEN GREATER”. LOULUMENICK, NEWYORK POST ly the macaron, that whimsically she says, frowning. “Most of the LANDMARK’S AMC LOEWS CINEMA E STREET SHIRLINGTON 7 ARTS EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT LANDMARK’S colored and filled almond me- time, I am at peace, but I would CINEMA Arlington THEATRE BETHESDA ROW CINEMA Washington, DC 202-452-7672 888-AMC-4FUN Fairfax 703-978-6991 NOW PLAYING Bethesda 301-652-7273 ringue. Her admiration was based not be entirely truthful if I said I Daily: 11:25, 2:10, 4:40, 7:15, 9:50 .com/thinicemovie THINICE-MOVIE.COM www.magpictures.com/thehunter strictly looks — on a student budg- didn’t feel conflict at times. But et, she couldn’t afford them. Only it’s my choice.” She smiles. “ ” years later would she taste one, but “At the end of the day, too, we HITS THE BULLS-EYE! she was determined to learn how have to be careful not to take RANDY MYERS, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS to make them. ourselves too seriously.” Because when you live in two ‘A global perspective’ worlds, every day cannot be a It was after graduate school in perfect day. the Biomedical Engineering De- [email protected] partment at Johns Hopkins Uni- versity when Ambrose began her Barajas is a freelance writer. methodical experimentation with making the technically precise “A SLAM-BANG,, macaron. KNOCK-Y-YOUR-SOCKS-OFF “It was about finding existing recipes, figuring out how to modi- ACTION BONANZA!” -Gary-Gary GoldsteinGoldstein,, THETHE LOSLOS ANGELESANGELES TIMESTIMES fy them and making them my own, combining my technical background with what I call a global perspective.” She laughs REGAL CINEMAS AMC RAVE MOTION PICTURES and says, “A lot of trial and error, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY GARETH EVANS MANASSAS STADIUM 14 TYSONS CORNER 16 FFX CORNER 14 Manassas 800-FANDANGO #490 McLean 888-AMC-4FUN Fairfax 703-263-0792 too.” WWW.SONYCLASSICS.COM

Jennifer Elisseeff, Ambrose’s CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR ADDITIONAL THEATRES AND SHOWTIMES. NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT TICKETS ACCEPTED. AMC LOEWS LANDMARK’S adviser at Johns Hopkins, says GEORGETOWN 14 E STREET CINEMA FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES that she was good at bringing Washington, DC 888-AMC-4FUN Washington, DC 202-452-7672 CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS different things together. “She WWW.THERAIDMOVIE.COM