A cupcake taste off was had this weekend where the *typical Seattle cupcakeries and one cupcake blogger, Jamie of All Trades, were the contestants. The glasses of milk were passed around and we started piling Red Velvet cupcakes from Trophy Cupcakes, Cupcake Royale, Wink Cupcakes and JOAT (as she has nicknamed herself) on our plates. By the end, we were stuffed, hyper and in sugar comas – but in a good way. Here are the results.

Hands down Trophy Cupcakes took the prize for appearances. We all agreed that presentation seems to be their main focus. And while the cake was good and moist, it fell apart for almost every taster. Comments like, “best frosting” and “lovely with a little heart on top” seemed to be the overall verdict. But, not the winner.

Then there was Cupcake Royale. We had high hopes for these guys, yet they received the lowest scores. That doesn’t mean they were bad. Not at all. Comments like “creamy once you get inside” and “nice and light” declared that they were good. But just not the winner.

So we moved on to Wink Cupcakes, who gave us a nice surprise with what tasted like lemon in the frosting and cake. Comments like, “smooth frosting” and “most different taste” put Wink close to taking the cake. But still, not the winner.

That leaves us with – you guessed it – the winner. Jamie of All Trades might’ve been the underdog, but she didn’t disappoint us with her Red Velvet cupcake. Comments included “very red and very good” to “buttery, delicious frosting” to “best cake, fluffy and chocolatey” and thus, gave her the cupcake taste off prize!

But how could we stop at Red Velvets? Our contestants wouldn’t have it. Most of the bakers (except for Wink) gave us their favorite cupcake for another tasting. And man oh man, we needed more milk for the second half.

While Trophy dazzled us with their Tiger Tail (coconut cupcake with raspberry buttercream drizzled with raspberry sauce) and Cupcake Royale gave us a much-needed sweet break with their Salted Caramel, it was Jamie of All Trades who won yet again, with her Key Lime Pie cupcake.

Everyone just loved the Key Lime frosting that smacked you in the face with flavor and we were all pretty impressed that she created a crust on the bottom. Not only did her Key Lime Pie win in the “non Red Velvet” category, it also won overall cupcake!

We’d like to thank Trophy Cupcakes, Cupcake Royale and Wink Cupcakes for giving us their cupcakes to taste. Sure, they didn’t win overall, but we all agreed there wasn’t a bad cupcake in the bunch. They all had their good qualities about them. And to get a group of girls to shut up for 2 hours to eat copious amounts of carbs was an accomplishment in so many ways.

And to the winner, Jamie of all Trades, we can’t wait to devour more of your yummy cupcakes. If you want to taste them yourself (which you should, immediately) she’s willing and ready to take your orders. You can find her at jamieofalltrades.typepad.com

*We asked Yellow Leaf Cupcakes twice to participate, but they never answered our requests ☹

Fred Thomas and Ryan Howard of Saturday Looks Good to Me have put together a project called City Center, inspired by Thomas’ adventures after leaving Michigan at the end of ten years of touring with SLGTM. No longer having the luxury of soundproofed practice spaces, he had to adjust to keeping things down at a level okay for living in an apartment and from this shift in focus came City Center.

City Center has a quietly-abstract sound that blends a variety of aural textures, found sounds, and gentle psychedelia. They’re out on the road to support their EP Spring St with a tour that focuses on art spaces and DIY venues. Here in Seattle they’ll be at the Comet Tavern – not quite an “art space” but still one of the most fun places to see a band in town. Show is Friday, April 9, doors at 9.

When I walked in to Sakura-con Friday afternoon, I planned to stay for a short time just to check out the con and get a general feel for what was going on. Instead, I stayed for several hours, drawn in by screenings, panels, and other special events, as well as the fun of simply walking around and checking out the many excellent costumes attendees put together. There really is a lot to do and see at Sakura-con which is definitely the best-organized con I’ve ever attended. Being fan-created and fan-produced makes all the difference. All of the activities offered were things that people really wanted – not every room was jam-packed, but none of them were empty.
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Humboldt penguin chick at Woodland Park Zoo photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo delivers the exciting news that their Humboldt penguins have adopted to their new home well home well enough that they’ve started breeding. Six total eggs in three nests have arrived for the first breeding and nesting season since the new penguin habitat opened last May.

One of the eggs has already hatched to reveal the first offpsring for penguins Dora and PJ: another egg is expected to hatch shortly.

“This hatching is significant for the penguin Species Survival Plan,” said Mark Myers, a Woodland Park Zoo curator who specializes in birds. “Humboldt penguins are an endangered species and here at the zoo these birds are important conservation ambassadors to teach visitors about the impacts humans have on penguins in their range countries.” Species Survival Plans (SSPs) are cooperative breeding programs that work to ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in North American zoos and aquariums.”

“We are cautiously optimistic that the chicks will thrive under the care of their parents,” noted Myers. As part of the animal care protocols for penguin chicks, staff will attempt to weigh the hatchlings daily for the first five days or so. “As long as the chicks are achieving acceptable weight gains, they will remain under the care of their parents. Our goal is to minimize staff intervention and allow the parents to raise their chicks and gain experience as parents.” If necessary, keepers might offer supplemental feedings to chicks that fall behind the weight curve or if there is a large age difference between siblings.

The penguins arrived at WPZ last spring as part of a SSP for the purposes of creating a breeding colony. Not all of the penguins have recommendations to breed but additional breeding penguins are arriving in April and May to help grow the colony even more. Candles and soft music probably won’t help, but what will is your paid attendance at the zoo and/or your donation to their programs. A mere 12,000 Humboldt penguins are estimated to live in the wild, their population having been decimated by overfishing of anchovies, which they eat, and the over harvesting of guano, which they use to build their homes. Woodland Park Zoo is committed to conserving Humboldt penguins by supporting the Humboldt Penguin Conservation Center at Punta San Juan, breeding endangered penguins through the Species Survival Plan, and encouraging visitors to choose sustainable seafood options

The Humboldt penguin SSP is among 39 SSPs that Woodland Park Zoo participates in, including the western lowland gorilla, ocelot, Komodo dragon and red panda. Under the auspices of AZA, SSPs also involve a variety of other collaborative conservation activities such as research, public education, reintroduction and field projects.

Adrienne Warren (Lorrell), Syesha Mercado (Deena) and Margaret Hoffman (Michelle) in a photo by Joan Marcus

Dreamgirls is the story of an all-girl singing group in the 1960s whose rise to the top brings them heartbreak and pain instead of the simple stardom they imagined at the start. Deena, Lorrell and Effie begin their careers together but are soon torn apart by the complex manipulations swirling around them – will success bring them all their dreams or hand them nightmares instead?

Dreamgirls first opened on Broadway back in 1981 with a successful four year run; it’s gone on tour and been revived several times since then and even got a well-known movie production. Now it’s back on the road as part of the Broadway Across America tour and it’s here in Seattle from April 6 through April 11 at the Paramount Theater.

Dreamgirls stars Moya Angela as Effie and features Syesha Mercado as Deena Jones, Adrienne Warren as Lorrell Robinson, Margaret Hoffman as Michelle Morris, with Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Curtis Taylor, Jr., Chester Gregory as James “Thunder” Early, Trevon Davis as C.C. White, and Milton Craig Nealy as Marty Madison.

Tickets range from $27 to $70 and can be purchased online at Tickets.com, STG Presents.com or Broadway Across America, or by phone at 877-STG-4TIX (4849) or in person at the Paramount Box Office.

Christina is an isolated young woman so desperate to meet people that she pretends to be devoutly religious for the opportunity to travel with religious groups in Lourdes, makes its Seattle premiere at NW Film Forum.

Friday only at NWFF: Ukranian Time Machine, a collection of personal, experimental and non-fiction stories captured on film by Naomi Uman who returned to the tiny village her family fled 100 years earlier.

Saturday only at NWFF: Innocence Lost, a 1970 film unavailable on DVD in which a cute young inmate learns the hard way what it takes to survive prison.

At SIFF Cinema, 1947′s Brighton Rock, a thriller based on a Graham Greene novel that proves that noir exists even on a sunny beach as Fred Hale heads to a seaside resort town for a newspaper promo campaign with a sociopathic gangster on his trail.

Some films simply entertain and there’s nothing wrong with that but some films change the world. When it’s for the better, it’s worth respecting. Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives is one of those films that fits that latter category; originally released in 1978, Word is Out was groundbreaking. Twenty-six people, ranging from 18 to 77, from all over the US and living in all sorts of circumstances speak openly of their experiences as gay people when simply admitting to being gay was an act of courage. At the Grand Illusion.

Central Cinema pays tribute to the late Corey Haim with his best-known film, the incomparable Lost Boys. You know how sometimes you’ll watch some movie that seemed like the Best Movie Ever years earlier when you first saw it and find yourself wondering how you could’ve ever liked something so horrible? This will not happen to you with Lost Boys Okay, yeah, there are some dated pop culture references in it, but, hey, that happens. Joel Schumacher was smart enough to make the Molly Ringwald poster in Corey Haim’s bedroom a minor prop and, really, you didn’t like this movie for the fashions and hairstyles. Lost Boys remains a fine example of how comedy-horror can be done right and Haim does a great job here. At 7 pm nightly through the 7th.

Also at Central Cinema, 9:30 nightly through the 7th: the inexplicably popular Donnie Darko. You either love DD or you don’t; of course, you’ll never know which camp you fit into if you don’t ever see it.

Midnight at the Egyptian: SIFF Golden Space Needle winning Black Dynamite, an affectionate spoof of 70s Blaxploitation films.

Could it be that RJD2 picked Seattle as his last stop in his US Tour to promote his latest full-length album The Colossus? Should we all pack ourselves into Neumos on April 11th, a blessed Sunday night and then call in sick on Monday? Could we possibly dance our fannies off to the break of dawn? Should you pay the small fee for this once in a lifetime opportunity to see one of the best shows Neumos is likely to have?

The answer is yes – to everything. Now, here are the details:

Neumos Presents: RJD2, Busdriver, Happy Chichester
Doors open at 8pm
$15 for advanced tickets
Buy them now
Or purchase tix at Moe Bar
Sorry youngsters, this is for 21+