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Nikki M. Mascali
Well, here we are 13 days into the Year of the Dragon, and I’m still doing fairly well on my resolutions.
I’m one of those people who loves to make lists (mostly so I can cross things off of it). For as long as I could remember, I’ve relished in the writing of the resolutions at the end of every December.
Like so many others come resolution time, I’ve always vowed to lose weight, exercise regularly, save money, eat better and be an all-around kinder, gentler person.
There have been a few years where I’ve seriously stuck with the dieting and exercise part, and I’m planning on making 2012 one of those years as well, the first healthy year of the rest of my life (if, of course, the Mayans are incorrect).
In fact, I’m very happy to report that I’ve exercised 10 of January’s 13 days, and, despite some initial grumblings when the alarm buzzes at 6:10 every morning, I do look forward to getting on my beloved Air Climber and stepping to infomercials or shows on Netflix.
I’m not perfect when it comes to the money stuff, but I have gotten better about impulsive buying and am really making an effort to squire away money for life’s little bullshit incidents — as well as its fun ones.
As for the kinder, gentler Nikki? Well, there’s always 2013 …
I sport a free Hellboy mask at NYCC.
I wasn’t much of a comic-book fan growing up, beyond the few “Archie” comics I adored for some reason.
But, like any good little kid, I always loved the superheroes: Batman, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and above all others, Captain America. (Superman is omitted for a very good reason: Even as a child, I despised him.) As an adult, I loved the graphic novels “Priest” and “300,” and their subsequent movies.
When the opportunity came up to go to New York Comic Con, held last weekend at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, naturally I jumped at the chance to see its sights. And the fact that “300” writer/illustrator Frank Miller and Chris Evans, who brought Captain America to life on the big screen this past summer, were going to be in attendance sure didn’t hurt.
Bedlam is probably the best way to describe NYCC; crazy, fun bedlam.
As a first-timer, I didn’t know where to look or what to do first with the thousands of comics on the showroom floor, the many panels offered, new video games like “Max Payne 3” to try out and just watching the hundreds of costumed con-goers traipse by in their very best. I saw an incredible Bumblebee from “Transformers,” zombies, dozens of Captain Americas (much to my delight) and anime characters and one sight that I will never unsee: A hairy gentleman Wonder Woman, which was kind of brilliant actually.
Understandably, Mr. Wonder Woman was a Comic Con highlight, as was discovering the Dark Horse graphic novel, “Evelyn Evelyn: A Terrible Tale in Two Tomes.” The novel tells the peculiar story of conjoined twins Evelyn Evelyn, and it’s dark, sad and amazingly told thanks to writers Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley and illustrator Cynthia von Buhler, who was on hand to sign our copy.
Another wonderful discovery was the adorable Vamplets. These precious “Baby Vampyres,” with names like Cadaverson Nightshade, Lily Rose Shadowlyn and my personal favorite, Count Vlad Von Gloom, hail from Gloomvania and are the brainchildren of G-Ra, a former freelancer for Disney and Hasbro.
“It was too much cute,” she said of working for those two companies. “I had to balance my dark side with all that cute.”
And thus, the Vamplets, complete with their baby bottles of blood (which you can buy as an accessory) and sharp little teeth were born. Find out more at www.vamplets.com.
By the end of my two days of Comic Con, I was exhilarated, exhausted … and already planning what to wear to next year’s because there’s no way I’m attending without a costume. Which will probably be something related to spring 2012’s “The Avengers …”
About this time last year, I was introduced to — and became fascinated by —Nick Cave.
OK. It wasn’t a face-to-face introduction, but rather an initiation to his music via “Grinderman 2,” the newest album from his band, Grinderman.
The CD went on to become my favorite CD ever. Ever. Even more than — gasp — most of the Led Zeppelin albums I adore. I loved “Grinderman 2” so much I named it my favorite CD of 2010 and was subsequently turned on to Cave’s entire catalog, including Grinderman’s self-titled debut and his work as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which is also made up of the members of Grinderman. (Typing all that makes me feel like this is some sort of math problem, and I’m not good at math, so we’ll move on.)
There’s just something about his music that moves me, inspires me and just gets under my skin so much that I can’t go more than a few days without listening to something by him again.
When Staff Writer Stephanie DeBalko reminded me that her first book review for the Weekender was Cave’s 2009 novel, “The Death of Bunny Munro,” I maybe sort of begged her to bring it in for me to read.
Like his music, Cave’s writing style in this book about a boozing and cheating cad is gripping and enigmatic with a healthy dose of crassness, raw sexuality and enticing danger. As I make my way through its pages, I can’t wait to see what Bunny will do, say or drink next — and how he comes to terms with his wife’s suicide and being solely responsible for Bunny Jr.
Now that I’ve written about “The Death of Bunny Munro,” I wish I brought the book to work today. You know, for belated “research” into my fascination.
Throughout the course of a day, there are about a million things that piss me off.
Today, for example, it was the slow-driving granny in front of me on the way to work. And before that, as I ate breakfast, it was the rodent-like dog yipping nonstop in the yard behind my house. It’s always outside, which I think it hates because it never shuts up when it’s outside. I’m a huge dog lover — of big, bounding dogs like Labs — but that still doesn’t mean I don’t want to punt this little vermin clear across the street, as well as its owner who turns a deaf ear all the time. I especially love when the owner turns a deaf ear at 7 a.m., which is just plain rude to all of us in the neighborhood.
But the biggest thing that irked me today was an article I read in today’s Times Leader. The headline said “Ronald will remain; McDonald’s is not retiring its famous mascot.”
Basically, a corporate watchdog group, Corporate Accountability International, has called for the retirement of Ronald McDonald. The calling is thanks to the recent White House report that recommends food companies stop marketing junk food to children. CAI is also responsible for the retirement of Joe Camel, Camel cigarettes' former mascot.
Ronald has been around since 1963 and is a cultural icon. I personally don’t care for the face-painted fellow, but that’s just because I have an aversion to clowns. If I find myself eating a sixer of chicken nuggets, it is certainly not because Ronald made me do it. In fact, I try to avoid all pictures of him thanks to my coulrophobia.
CAI’s Senior Organizer Deborah Lapidus said during a meeting this week that Ronald is unethical because he “builds brand loyalty and eating habits that can last a lifetime” to children. She went on to say that McDonald’s made Ronald an ambassador of its corporation and sent him to schools, libraries and other locations where parents are usually not around.
So does that mean that parents are not the ones taking their children to McDonald’s in the first place? Did the legal-driving age drop, and the kids, high on happiness from seeing Ronald McDonald, are now driving themselves to the restaurants to stuff themselves with Happy Meals galore?
Cut me a break. Kids are obese in this day and age not because of clever marketing ploys, but because someone who is responsible for them buys them the very food that makes them obese.
When do Americans take responsibility for themselves?
When I was a smoker, I didn’t smoke Marlboros because the hot Marlboro man told me to or enticed me that I, too, could go out on the range and drive cattle and look hot in chaps. I smoked because I wanted to. I bought the cigarettes. I lit them, just as I drive myself through the drive-through of a fast-food restaurant on occasion.
Who’s responsible for me not being super skinny? Me, because I love food. Who’s responsible for overweight kids? Their parents or guardians. Maybe it’s time to turn the spotlight on them, dontcha think?
Every day, I get dozens of e-mail press releases about music. Being such a music lover, this is by no means a hardship. Many of them, though, are pretty useless since a lot of them are about bands on tours that won’t hit NEPA.
One e-mail caught my eye last week. It was entitled “a-ha’s Farewell Tour: First US Shows in Over 20 Years.”
My first thought: Why would a band that hasn't been heard from in decades and only had one hit do a farewell tour? It’s a valid question, yes? My second thought was more of a memory because I really, really loved that one hit, “Take On Me.”
It was a great song, and remember the video? It was so innovative for its time that it really changed the way music videos were made.
According to the press release, the Norwegian band — Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy — sold more than 35 million albums in the course of its 25-year career. “Take On Me” went No. 1 in 27 countries, was played 3 million times on American Radio — “the equivalent of 375 times a day for 22 years” — and earned a Guinness World Record for the largest audience ever at a paid concert: 196,000 at Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro in 1991.
And my bad, a-ha’s latest CD, “Foot of the Mountain,” put the band back in the U.K. Top 5 last year, so I guess it had been heard from after all.
More than all those accolades I just informed you of, a-ha holds another distinct honor that wasn’t in the press release. It’s a glaring omission and one that, quite frankly, upsets me greatly.
In 1985, at the height of a-ha’s popularity, my papa took me to the Gallery of Sound in the Dallas Shopping Center to buy the band’s debut album “Hunting High and Low.” I was 8 years old, and “Take On Me” was my favorite song. But even more monumental than me buying the album is this little tidbit: It was my very first music purchase.
I’ll say it again. a-ha’s “Hunting High and Low” was the very first bit of music this music lover bought. It was a white cassette tape, and I made my parents put it in the tape player in our big, brown “living-room-on-wheels” Ford van on the way from the record store to our dinner at Yester-Days. Talk about a trip down memory lane.
The U.S. leg of a-ha’s worldwide tour begins today, Thursday, May 6, at the Nokia Theater in New York City and ends Sunday, May 16 at Club Nokia Live in Los Angeles. The trio will perform together for the last time in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 4. Find more info at www.a-ha.com.
Do yourself a favor and watch the “Take On Me” video I’ve so kindly given a link for here. Do you still know all the words like I do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EXxMlIExpo
About the Author
Nikki M. Mascali began her career at the Weekender as an intern in 2005 - and holds the honor of being the oldest intern the paper ever had. She received her degree in journalism from Luzerne County Community College in 2007 and joined the Weekender staff full-time in 2006 as staff writer/designer before becoming associate editor in 2010. In March 2011, she was named editor.
Nikki has interviewed everyone from Gene Simmons to Richard Simmons, and her articles have run the gamut from local and national theater to music and in-depth reports on the radio industry and negativity in NEPA.
Nikki enjoys writing, quoting movies, traveling and being a diehard foodie - which is why she pens our weekly food and drink column, "Dish."