Review Fix’s Top 12 Pieces of 2012

2012 was a banner year for features on Review Fix, as a plethora of writers went out in search of cool, off-beat pieces and ultimately covered the entertainment world with gusto and determination.

Check out the site’s best articles of 2012:

From Model to Model Musician: Her dream was to create music. She spent hours on planes and in the studio as she perfected her mash between electronic, rock, and gothic, with somewhat of a bluesy undertone. It somehow came together to create a unique style. Even with her dark hair, porcelain skin and deep penetrative eyes, her dream almost died before it really began to live. Christina Marie Cliggott, lead singer of the band Christina Marie Magenta, who prefers to go simply by Christina Marie, spent two years hard at work on her first album with a friend who owned a basement studio. Although good friends, the two proved not to be good music partners. Their ideas about music conflicted with each other and after more than two years, the album still hadn’t been completed. After two years of struggle, hard work and commitment, her dream was replaced by reality and washed away within moments.

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Not Everyone Reads Comics for the Boobs: Alice Meichi Li said that artists “should draw like they fuck.” It was one of the more memorable moments at Bluestockings bookstores’“Nerrd Grrl Adventure Series” where a panel discussed female representation in comic–books with DC Comics artist Amy Reeder, web artist Sally Madden, zinester Elvis Bakaitis, Wendy Xu of Angry Girl Comics, and artist Alice Meichi Li. They agreed that comic books historically haven’t depicted women realistically, you know, like someone the artists have actually slept with. Not to say that artists have not had their share of bombshells, but there are many times we all have to agree that if you transplant the proportions of the female comic character into real life, they’d have endless back pains from the size of their breasts or would be unable to walk because of their thin legs. Mind you, not every female character has the right type of superpowers to compensate appropriately.

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Shinobi Ninja: A Band on the Rise: A few doors from the everyday bustles of the Gramercy Theater and the intense aroma of burritos from the Chipotle next to it beholds a slim, gray apartment building at 125 East 23rd Street. You can’t tell from outside, but behind sound proof walls on the third floor, a band’s hard at work. This is where the magic happens. Everything has been left here. It’s all or nothing. This is Shinobi Ninja’s current recording studio. The group consists of lead vocalists Dave Aaron (aka D.A./Duke Sims) and Edara Johnson (aka Baby G), Bassist Alex Confurius (aka Alien Lex), DJ Markus Hrdina (aka Axis Powers), Guitarist Mike Machinist (aka Maniac Mike) and Drummer Dave Machinist (aka Terminator Dave). They formed in 2008 when they met in Hell’s Kitchen at a recording studio named Progressive Music, where Aaron, Mike Machinist and Jonathan Nunes Simone (Jonny On The Rocks, original SN Bassist) worked and Johnson took vocal lessons. Johnson started her career as a background dancer for artists like P. Diddy, Rihanna, Jason Derulo, Nelly and Daddy Yankee.

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From the Console to the Tablet: Baking and developing video games have many similarities. It takes a lot of hard work and preparation to make the perfect creation. In this case, the energy went into an underwater squid kingdom under attack from an evil black ooze. Welcome to the Game Bakers world. An independent game studio headed by Audrey Leprince and Emeric Thoa, two industry veterans who both previously worked at “Ubisoft” and whose resumes include working on AAA console games like “Splinter cell,” “Ghost Recon” and “Rayman.” They traded all the pizazz in to make Squids, a tactical RPG developed for mobile cell phone devices and tablets, as well as the PC and Mac. It all started with the need for change. Sick and tired of the long production schedules in the console world, they wanted to make games their own way.

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Reality TV Hits Close to Home in Brooklyn: You don’t have to be a Jersey girl to party at the shore. Many New Yorkers and Pennsylvanians vacation there on the weekends. On any given night at Karma, a club in Seaside, NJ, you might hear a guy ask his girlfriend, “Oh, this is where Snooki comes, right?” Now, Brooklynites don’t have to travel very far to hit up clubs that those seen on TV frequent. Soon, patrons arriving at Cebu on 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge, will say, “Christie parties here.” “Brooklyn 11223,” an hour-long program that premieres March 26th at 11 pm, focuses on the lives of tight-knit kids in their 20s, who all live, work, and of course, party in Brooklyn. According to Oxygen’s website, the show will give viewers “a voyeuristic journey into the lives of two lifelong groups of friends who have been torn apart by jealousy, rivalry and a bitter betrayal that is clouded in mystery.”

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The Soul of the New York City Subway: The cold metal doors of the Q train closed quickly behind him as he nervously stepped into the first car. Donning his favorite brown ascot cap, an anxious Venor Yard waited for the train to begin moving. His unassuming audience was distracted- too busy recovering from a long day at the office. Yard knew it was time to shine. A performance on the train was nothing new to the 24-year old Yard, he still had butterflies in his stomach. “That first car is always the hardest, you don’t know how you are going to be received,” Yard said. The train began to wobble to the next stop as Yard shakily reached for his acoustic guitar, securely strapped to his clammy back.

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Indie Games: When Hobbies Become Careers: The soft croon of indie rock and smooth jazz fills the mellow, coffee-stained air of the off-Broadway Cosi diner under the mumble of idle chatter. Hip professionals and professional hipsters laze about, munching away at overpriced flatbread sandwiches and swilling cheap “espresso solos.” On the outskirts, in many of the lounge chairs and cozy booths, several solitary patrons read artsy, intellectual books or people-watch the various passers-by as they scurry home from work. Just outside, in the waning sunlight, an NYPD traffic cop is ninja-ticketing those unlucky enough to defy the almighty Eighth Street muni-meter. Yes, this is definitely Manhattan.

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From Mario Kart to Off-Broadway: Great comedy duos often play to each other’s strengths and weaknesses, complement one another and feel as though they are one in the same. David Rossmer and Steve Rosen do that in the off-Broadway production, “The Other Josh Cohen,” a story about a good guy on a quest for some luck. Rossmer born in Manhattan and raised in New Jersey and Rosen, a Rochester native, met at an improvisation session at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts. Already a seasoned performer at the camp, Rosen saw new French Woodite Rossmer as stiff competition, but recognized his talent immediately.

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Being Bond: James Bond. A name that has become synonymous with terms like, “espionage,” “covert operative” and “spy.” Many people in various law enforcement organisations refer to the character as the original inspiration for their work. Some would argue, however, that it is not Bond’s occupation that attracts admiration and envy, but rather, “The Bond Lifestyle.” Paul Kyriazi, wrote the book on being James Bond- Literally. “The James Bond Lifestyle,” by Paul Kyriazi asserts that, “Bond is resourceful and calm under pressure, but you do not have to be in danger to live like James Bond.”

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Erin Cronican: Passion-Infused: A disgruntled single mother from the Bronx plagued by a daunting past is a far cry away from a fresh-faced California uptown girl. Erin Cronican stepped into Roberta’s dark world in “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.” Perky with hazel doe eyes and dirty blonde hair, Cronican contrasts greatly from the roles she plays, yet manages to stay balanced. “I love relationship based stories that really talk about what it’s like to be human in relationships with others,” said Cronican. “I’m interested in stories about what makes people act the way that they do and how that affects their relationships. I usually gravitate towards people who have some sort of moral dilemma and they’re trying to do the right thing but don’t always have the tools to do it.” As a girl, Cronican attended a youth theatre performance and saw the actors sign autographs after the show. Cronican soon caught the acting bug. She was cast as the gander in a live production of “Charlotte’s Web,” a movie she knew by heart.

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Michiko Egger Interview: No Backup Plan Needed: With a haircut reminiscent of Joan Jett and an attitude as flashy as her green nail polish, Michiko Egger taps her foot and strums away on her beloved acoustic guitar. A small town girl with big dreams, “Michi” isn’t your typical 18 year-old. Ever since she pounded on her father’s drum set at the age of five, Egger knew music was it. She learned the piano and guitar in the succeeding years. Whereas many people nowadays get their 15 minutes of fame from televised talent competitions, Egger works her own way through perseverance. No “American Idol” wanted. No “X-Factor” or “The Voice” needed.

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Three Count: Fighting for the Pro Wrestling Dream: George Santiago always wanted to be a professional wrestler. As a kid, he’d scurry to his brown couch in the living room of his home in Borough Park, Brooklyn, and watch the Monday Night Wars every week. His 42-inch tube television often acted up and absorbed Ric Flair-esque chops to maintain a decent picture. He dreamed that one day the TV would show him – after a strong whack, of course – flexing his biceps as thousands of fans cheered his name. As he got older, his jet-black hair grew past his shoulders, like his childhood heroes, Chris Jericho and The Hardy Boys. At 5-feet-9, 150 pounds, he was smaller than them, but made up for it with a daredevil’s passion. As a teenager, he wrestled in backyards, schoolyards and anywhere else he could. His friends watched in awe as he delivered suplexes on the street with reckless abandon. He had no fear. He often laughed or stuck his tongue out before jumping off the top of 10-foot high monkey bars onto his opponents. It didn’t matter if he landed hard on the cement. He was in love.

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