Kevin Marshall's America
When I saw the trailer for a new cartoon series called “The Governator” starring Arnold Schwarzenengger as himself, I had assumed it was an April Fool’s joke. For one, real celebrities as superheroes is so early ’90s. Also, there’s no way someone would pump money into something so incredibly lame.
Then I thought “wait…this is an awful lot of time and money to waste on a dumb April Fool’s prank.”
I got suspicious, and turns out my suspicions were well founded. This was not an incredible waste of time and money on a dumb April Fool’s prank, but a waste of time and money on a very dumb new cartoon show with Arnold voicing himself, where he wears…armor, I guess, kind of? Also, he rides a motorcycle and fights robots.
They also got Larry King to voice himself, because if there’s one thing that’ll hook in the kids, it’s a legit Larry King cameo a la Don Knotts in “The New Scooby Doo Movies.”
Richie Shannon, one of many who benefitted from generosity of those like yourselves.
There is one star in Sparks, Nevada – Reno’s twin sister city – that shone brighter than others.
Richie Shannon wast just nine years old when he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in October of 2000. A young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, he was not just the picture of health but a nigh caricature of the all-American boy. Known for his enduring optimism in the face of overwhelming odds, Richie amazed his family and friends in his struggle against the disease.
After fighting off the disease twice, Richie was eager to give back. While children who did far less to deserve the three-month annual summer vacation bestowed upon them were playing video games and spending their days dreading their return to school, Richie was on mission trips for his local Church, assisting in the construction of homes for the needy. During his second Summer of giving back, he was in the midst of his third remission. He fought valiantly and bravely, never giving in to despair or the sense that he couldn’t give back in some small way.
He died later that year on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 15.
Reading his story remind me of that of another child, who at the age of twelve was diagnosed with the same form of cancer in the throat. Her prognosis was grim, and she went through a long and arduous process of treatments, wigs, and a struggle to maintain some semblance of a childhood. Even when it appeared the cancer had gone, she was informed that the treatment would most likely result in her being unable to have children.
My sister Davelyn is now in her fourth decade (for her sake I’ll leave it at that) and is married with four children. She gives back in her role as a nurse at St. Margaret’s, a facility for infants, children, and young adults that range from disabled to terminally ill. She also carries with her a demeanor free from the overwhelming cynicism and sarcasm that is so prevalent amongst her siblings, including yours truly.
It is for these reasons and others that I consider her a role model in many aspects, and also why I’m participating in St. Baldrick’s this Sunday, April 10th at 2:00pm at Savannah’s in downtown Albany.
My sister's a bit shy, so instead of a picture of her, here's her son Joey, whose existence is owed to the generosity of those like yourselves.
It may be foolish to put faith in the possibility of turning every story of a Richie into that of a Davelyn, but St. Baldrick’s does just that with its efforts to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research.
Yesterday, you readers made another step towards achieving that dream when you helped us surpass our goal of $1,000.
For that, and on behalf of my family and all those others that have had children battle rhabdomyosarcoma and other forms of cancer, I thank you.
That said, there’s still a need and you can still give HERE.
Now, with all that out of the way, come see me get all of my beautiful, gorgeous hair shaved off. There may be a Gorbachev birthmark at the tip of this skull, or at least that’s what my mother told me the one time I considered shaving my head. There’ll be raffle prizes, giveaways, bands, and more. It should be a ton of fun. I ask that you join us, particularly those of you who gave, so that I can thank you in person.
KEVIN MARSHALL LOSES HIS HEAD…OF HAIR
for ST. BALDRICK’S
- Sunday, April 10th 2011 @ 1:00pm
- Savannah’s The Dublin Underground (1 South Pearl Street, corner of South Pearl & State Streets)
- http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/KevinMarshall
Matt Ferguson of Beware! the Other Head of Science performs during Day One of the 2010 Restoration Festival. Rest Fest will return this September.
In a recent comment on this blog, Alex Muro (he of the Hobo Banned & the B3nson Family) announced that the Restoration Festival at St. Joseph’s Church in Albany will make a return engagement on September 10th & 11th August 27th and 28th (please note the change in date !).
Last year’s festival featured over a dozen bands including Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned, Restys, Beware! the Other Head of Science, Matthew Carefully, Swamp Baby, We Are Jeneric, the Scientific Maps, Alta Mira, Railbird and more.
The festival will once again be used to raise funds for the repair and restoration of St. Joseph’s Church at 38 Ten Broeck.
No lineup has been announced, but Alex said more information would be available later this month through the festival’s official website at RestFest.net.
After the jump: some pictures of last year’s festival courtesy the event’s official Facebook page.
This Sunday is the St. Baldrick’s event at Savannah’s/The Dublin Underground on South Pearl Street in Albany, which means time’s running out for Kevin Marshall’s America to reach its goal of raising $1,000 for childhood cancer research.
As of this post’s publication, we’re at $607. Over halfway there, but we’ve stalled. Yet if each person reading this post donated just $1 online, we’d have our goal met by the evening.
You don’t have to give a lot; you just have to give.
Plus, help meet that goal, and I’ll shave my head, which will be the first time since I was an infant that I’d be going bald.
Alright, folks, let’s do this. CLICK HERE to donate.
ST. BALDRICK’S
- Sunday, April 10th 2011 @ 1:00pm
- Savannah’s The Dublin Underground (1 South Pearl Street, corner of South Pearl & State Streets)
- http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/KevinMarshall
Today, the Times Union website’s first, primary, big-graphic front-page story is…two girls from Shen High School in a FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! from over a year ago.
No, seriously, look for yourself.
The story, it seems, is that these two girls got into a FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FI—sorry, got caught up there. Anyway, the big girl kicks and punches her for a little bit, one teacher comes in to break it up, then another school official actually does break it up by physically pushing the assailant off her victim.
That’s it.
Did I mention this was over a year ago?
An entry on the TU’s Parent to Parent blog (from a staffer) posts the video and commends the administrator for breaking it up in a timely manner. The news article itself, however, notes the real reason it’s news: because it was on Tosh.0 on Comedy Central. That’s not in the headline, however. Instead, it reads “Administrator puts a quick end to girl fight,” with a sub headline urging you to “check out this video of a girl fight.”
Let’s run this story through the Bulls*** Transmorgifier and read the more literal slant on this story, shall we?
…RUNNING…
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!
You guys, there’s a fight! C’mon, look!
(Albany, NY) Guys, there’s a fight! And it’s on YouTube!This one chick beats the Hell out of another chick. It’s so rad. Then this dude runs in and pushes her over!
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!
That dude in the tie could not be reached for comment. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!
(Daniel Tosh contributed to this story and is totally rad because he bought me milk at lunch yesterday when I didn’t have enough quarters on me)
So now the Times Union has a new editorial edict: if it’s local and on YouTube then it’s the lead story. These two girls were involved in an incident they likely had already put behind them and that the TU’s contribution to transforming it into a “viral phenomenon” will only serve to open up old wounds. A schoolyard fight is never big-time local news, let alone from a year ago.
But nevermind all that, there’s hits to be had.
It’s one thing where there are videos of rampant violence and property damage a la the Kegs and Eggs Riots. Those are, well, riots, and included arrests and all. It’s a story. This, on the other hand, is not.
I’m sure there will be an argument put forth – both in comments and personal e-mails in my inbox – that whatever garners hits and attention has to be considered news, and as such the Times Union has an obligation to not only cover but prominently feature to story.
To them I would just ask, hey, some countries put naked pictures of women in their newspapers. Why don’t we? The answer, of course, is because of journalistic standards. Pure profit by way of grabbing attention by any means necessary is not the sole motive of a newspaper; or if it is, then they desperately need to re-examine their priorities.
Today, the Times Union’s website will see an increase in traffic for featuring a viral video of an assault of an underage girl from over a year ago. However, in doing so they have struck a Faustian bargain, exchanging hits and traffic for irreputable harm to the credibility of the newspaper. Traffic for the sake of traffic comes with a price. It’s why the New York Times doesn’t put a picture of Kim Kardashian in tight jeans on its front page, and it’s why it’s ludicrous for the first thing I see when I visit the website of what should be the standard bearer for print journalism in this area is bold text and an image urging me to watch a “girl fight.”
It’s embarrassing, not just to the Times Union and those in the news room that perform fine and honorable work, but also to those of us who defend them and the area as a whole against those that would paint us as quaint and “the world capital of boring.”
No wonder they think so. Look at our front page news.
————–
UPDATE 2:45pm – After this blog was posted, the headline changed to “Shen Backs Principal in Viral Video.” Please note that no formal charges or lawsuits or complaints were filed in relation to the video. It is the very definition of a non-story. Would love to hear Rex Smith’s take on all this.
"Best grocery chain: PRICE CHOPPER! Best deli: PRICE CHOPPER! Best bakery: PRICE CHOPPER! Best auto dealership: PRICE CHOPPER! Best singer-songwriter: PRICE CHOPPER!"
On Friday, amidst the fake news and relationship changes on Facebook (I wonder how many unmarried women out there did the “I’m pregnant!” prank only to be taken aback when no one acted surprised), the Times Union launched its annual Best of the Capital Region poll.
And I let out a sigh. A deep, deep sigh.
It’s not entirely the readers’ fault. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough emphasis put on homegrown business and actual quality by our local media. That extends past the Times Union and is for a variety of reasons; i.e. a company like Price Chopper has more of a presence because they can afford the advertising time. There’s also the problem of false equivalence inherent in these types of things: popularity and quality are not universally proportional. That is, unless you think Taylor Swift really is, like, the best, like, writer of songs about stupid ex-boyfriends EVAR.
Which is why I’m not going to tell you who to vote for; though I do think if you’re unsure in any category, your best bet is to defer to the “Fussy Little Ballot” over on Daniel B.’s FUSSYlittleBLOG. Unlike me, he’s a foodie and a transplant to the area who has invested time in discovering all the little treasures and great things the area has to offer. He also has a method to his madness, so go check it out.
I am, however, going to encourage you to do two things:
- Vote for the best.
- Don’t vote in a category you’re ignorant about. Say, for instance, you don’t know much about local restaurants. Then, hey, don’t vote in that category. Or if you don’t know what Twitter is? Opt out of voting for “best local Tweeter.” Do you hang out on North Pearl Street on the weekend and spike your hair with gel? Then don’t vote on anything. At all. Okay? Just don’t. Please.
My (partial) ballot is below, if only to give you an idea of what a deluded jerk I am.
Best bakery – The Cookie Factory (Troy, NY)
Best farmers market – Troy Farmer’s Market
Best men’s fashions – J.C. Penny’s like a mother effer! What? I shop there, and I am not ashamed. (prepares to be chastised by Alan Ilagan)
Best bookstore (single location) – Market Block Books (Troy, NY)
Best used bookstore – Dove & Hudson (Albany, NY) Not just for price – which almost can’t be beat – but also for the fun of finding real treasures. A truly remarkable and charming space.
Best auto dealer (single location) – Fuccillo Hyundai They got good people there is all I’m sayin’.
Best coffee joint (single location) – Flavour Cafe Awesome hours, awesome staff, plus: THE BOOTY SHAKE.
Best gym/health club – NY Boxing (Cohoes, NY) You think you’re in shape until you go in and take a class with the Miller boys.
Best high school coach (include name and school) / Best high school athlete – boys (include name and school) / Best high school athlete – girls (include name and school) – Isn’t it kind of weird to have a vote in this if you don’t have a kid that plays? I don’t know, I just always found the concept of adults with a vested interest in high school sports that their children don’t play to be a bit baffling. I mean, I’m always like “good for them,” but…yeah. Maybe it’s just me.
Best concert in the past year – Restoration Festival @ St. Joseph’s Church What a blast this was, and I hope it comes back this Summer.
Best singer-songwriter – Matthew Carefully
Best band (pop/rock/country) – Que Caro
Best local comedian or comedy troupe – Greg Aidala
Best movie theater – Spectrum 8
Best place for kid-friendly arts and culture – The Arts Center (Troy, NY)
Best TV news anchorperson – Greg Floyd OM GF!
Best TV newscast – The Glen Slingerland Situation BREAKING NEWS: fetishized women in short black dresses and sunglasses terrorize local neighborhood. It’s a high-heeled Kegs & Eggs out there, folks!
Best print journalist – James M. Odato His work on the exploits of NXIVM alone deserves recognition.
Best radio station – WEXT Really the only radio station that “gets it,” in the sense that with the industry disappearing, they know that the only interest we have in earthbound stations would be with a hyper local focus. And they give it, in spades, rather than simply paying lip service to it like some other stations do. That said, guys, I love you to death, but it wouldn’t kill you to skew younger in your coverage. But that goes for all music coverage, whether through terrestrial airwaves or in print or on blogs.
Best local website – All Over Albany
Best local blogger – KC Orcutt of Keep Albany Boring
Best local tweeter – @patrickdodson
Students rally in opposition to proposed cuts to education in the State budget (image captured from video provided by Keep Albany Boring)
With all the talk and coverage given to the Kegs and Eggs Riot, it’s not only refreshing but a requirement that we give space and proper recognition to those students who, as pointed out before, are very active in their community and rallying for what they believe to be a higher cause.
In this case it’s the New York State budget and its proposed cuts to education.
Naturally, the rift between town and gown as Jordan Carleo-Evangelist termed it has extended to this issue. There are many that, unfortunately, used Kegs and Eggs as an excuse to express extremist opinions as it pertains to state funding of education, even going to far as to suggest cutting to SUNY be abolished completely.
It’s a ridiculous assertion, of course, until you realize that this sentiment, while small, does carry to the voting booth.
Since November, we have seen a movement across the country to cut costs in order to reign in what is referred to as “out of control spending.” Unfortunately, and in my mind reprehensibly, our country’s educational system has become a victim of this policy, making what should be precision cuts to trim the fat off state and federal funding instead the equivalent of waving a machete recklessly, banging against teh cutting board and chopping off our fingers in the process.
The real reform required for education in this country isn’t in dollars, but policy and approach. That we are falling behind countries like China and India in regards to maths and sciences isn’t a myth (Rensselaer President Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson refers to it as the “quiet crisis”). It is a direct result of an education system that needs an overhaul, and of a society that needs to put more emphasis and attention towards math, science, art, and all those other things that we need in order to cultivate a generation that can not only make the world a better place, but make this country greater and maintain its position in a global society.
That’s not going to be done by eliminating collective bargaining rights, cutting education spending, and/or forcing schools to lay off teachers that are already not only underappreciated but underpaid. Requirements to become a teacher are tougher than ever, and yet pay comparatively has rarely been lower in modern society.
But I digress. I urge you to give the following a read, and not to be as dismissive as some are in calling these students with very real concerns for the future of our State educational system “uninformed.”
Keep Albany Boring: “What democracy looks like”
Check out our new logo! Left to right: Gamejak Dan, Kevin Marshall, Johnny Hustle, and Harlow. Thanks to local illustrator Kate Peterson.
This is a reminder that Manville – Albany’s #1 local podcast – is going to be recording a show LIVE tomorrow (Saturday, April 2nd) at the Cask & Rasher in Coxsackie, NY (427 Mansion St.).
The event kicks off at 2:00pm, and it’s a doozy. In addition to myself and co-hosts Gamejak Dan, Rev. Johnny Hustle, and news correspondent Harlow, we’re going to have tons of guests: listener favorites “Dirty” Devin Barry, “The Other D.B.” Dave Burgess, comedian and television personality John DeVore, and other surprise guests!
We’ll also have plenty of giveaways courtesy Stitcher Radio and others, as well as MANville t-shirts.
Did we mention Albany Alive will be there as well? OH and did I mention that there’s no cover for this grand event? AND DID I ALSO MENTION that we’re doing the Jimmy Pig Feet Challenge?!
No! I didn’t mention any of those, because I’m mentioning them now!
The last time Manville did a live show, I got my first tattoo ever on the air. Who knows what’ll happen this time!
MANville LIVE!
Saturday, April 2nd starting at 2:00pm
The Cask & Racher (245 Mansion St., Coxsackie NY)
http://www.thecaskandrasher.com/
http://www.MANvilleShow.com/
http://www.AlbanyAlive.com
Details on the Jimmy Pig Feet Challenge after the jump…
Jim Kambrich will now wear a tuxedo while reading the news.
“Coverage You Can Trust” has been the calling card for WNYT for many years, but with an ever-changing media landscape, the station has decided to move away from it.
Effective Monday, the station will be changing its slogan to “Ladies and Gentlemen, Here is Your News.”
“We needed a change,” explains Curtis Loew, who works for the station’s marketing team. “And this was the best we could come up with.”
Along with the new slogan, changes will be made to the presentation. Rather than filming in their traditional studio, the 6:00pm and 11:00pm newscasts will instead be shot in front of a grand fireplace with anchors like Jim Kambrich and Benita Zahn presenting the news in formal wear.
“We want you to feel like you’re not hearing the news but discussing it with really really important people after a fancy dinner,” explained Loew.
Not everyone is happy with the changes, however. A source who asked not to be named has told me that Phil Bayly has refused to go along with the new format and has indicated that he’ll sit out in protest if forced to wear a tuxedo on the air.
“Phil’s too punk rock for that [stuff],” the source told me.
————–
Happy April Fools’ Day!
The full lineup of the Alive at 5 concert series has been announced. The concert series will emanate from the Corning Preserve and features a veritable who’s who in its lineup.
Haddaway, one of the featured artists of the 2011 "Alive at 5" concert series
June 2nd – Boz Scaggs
Lido Shuffle on down to the Corning Preserve!
June 9th – 98 Degrees
This is only the partial lineup, as Nick Lachay declined to be included. Still should be fun for the twenty-somethings who remember going ga-ga for them.
June 16th – Leo Sayer
Singer of hits such as “The Show Must Go On,” “One Man Band,” and “When I Need You.”
June 23rd -Michael McDonald
Blue eyed soul hits the Capital Region as McDonald tours for his forthcoming new album of covers of early 90s New Jack Swing songs.
June 30th – Jack Wagner
Actor and singer/songwriter Wagner is All You Need this Summer!
July 7th – Blackstreet
No Diggity, No Doubt that this concert will please audiences!
July 14th – Art Garfunkel
It’d be nice to have Paul Simon, but hey, it’s a free show.
July 21st – K-Ci and JoJo
I’m goin’ CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY just thinking about this concert!
July 28th – Haddaway
What is Love? Haddaway will let us know in the second to last concert of the season.
August 4th – The Refrigerators
OH MY GOD! THEY’RE BACK!
Really excited for this lineup, especially Jack Wagner. Check out some vids below.
Jack Wagner – “All I Need”
Haddaway – “What is Love?”
Blackstreet – “No Diggity”
Boz Scaggs – “Lido Shuffle”
…
Oh, and HAPPY APRIL FOOLS’ DAY.
STALK ME
