By Michael Lello | Weekender Editor
After gorging on your food of choice during the holidays, you might feel a little out of whack. Your waistline might be a bit ugly.
The national statistics on health, fitness and obesity are even more unsightly.
According to The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
More than 108 million adults are either obese or overweight. That means roughly three out of every five Americans carry an unhealthy amount of excess weight.

By Nikki M. Mascali | Weekender Staff Writer

Like millions of people the world over, I made my New Year’s resolutions this week. Every year, it’s the usual suspects: lose weight, go to the gym three times a week, save money, blah blah blah.
None of the above ever happens, no matter how valiant my efforts are. I know myself, and know I will lose interest and, probably within a week or two, be sick of getting up early to go to the gym, crave French fries or whip out the old credit card when I see a pair of stilettos I’ll “die without.”

By Kelly Clisham | Weekender Correspondent
William Shakespeare once said “All the world’s a stage,” and for Christina Reynolds, that statement definitely rings true. During the day, she plays the role of a mild-mannered Pre-K teacher, and at night she takes to the director’s chair to make sure Gaslight Theatre’s current production, “The Fourth Wall,” is ready for opening night. Whether she’s acting, directing, working backstage or entertaining a room full of preschoolers, she’s always right on cue.

By Mike Sullivan | Weekender Correspondent

With every passing year, I’m further convinced that Tim Burton might be one of the most overrated directors in film history. Granted, the man has a unique visual style and a wicked sense of humor, but a majority of his films are little more than shallow exercises in style over substance. Essentially, he’s just Michael Bay if Bay went to art school, got himself a Robert Smith haircut and developed a bizarre obsession with dark curly things.

By Allan Sculley | Weekender Correspondent

Last year, guitarist/singer Greg Lake (of Emerson Lake & Palmer fame) came out to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and its visually spectacular Christmas show.
After witnessing the spectacle, he had one simple question for Paul O’Neill, founder of TSO.
“Paul, how are you going to beat this next year?” was what Lake asked O’Neill.
O’Neill said he had a realistic answer for Lake: “Greg, I have no (bleeping) idea.’”

By Chuck Shepherd | Weekender Wire Services

By The Weekender Staff | weekender@theweekender.com
LUCKY KIRBY
Funnyman Louis CK will perform at the F.M. Kirby Center on Friday, March 7. The stand-up comedian, TV writer, producer and filmmaker was the star and creator of “Lucky Louie,” HBO’s first traditional sitcom, and his hour-long HBO stand-up special, “Shameless,” premiered in 2007 to rave reviews.

By Kelly Clisham | Weekender Correspondent
Some people just can’t seem to stay off the stage. Local resident Andrew Gruden is one of those people. This musical theatre major first fell in love with the performing arts when he was seven years old, and the love affair doesn’t show any signs of cooling off. So while most college students are home, recovering from finals and enjoying a few weeks of down time, Gruden is treading the boards, starring alongside Erin Canedy in “The Last Five Years” by Jason Robert Brown.

By Ignatious Schiavo | Weekender Correspondent
The lives of three strangers intersect with life-altering results following an act of tremendous violence in the cinematic gem “No Country for Old Men.”

By Thom Shubilla | Weekender Correspondent

Whoever proclaimed “ska is dead” obviously has not talked to Slightly Askew. For the past seven-plus years the band has been bringing their own brand of danceable ska of the northeast and have no plans of calling it quits. And despite being together for so long, Slightly Askew continues to evolve its sound.

By Weekender Staff | weekender@theweekender.com
CELTIC WOMAN TICKETS ON SALE
The international Irish music sensation, Celtic Woman, will make its first appearance at Wachovia Arena on Thursday, March 20. Tickets went on sale Friday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m.
Joining them on the tour is Lynn Hilary, a trained classical soprano, who has been a member of the renowned choir “Anuna” for five years and has been a featured soloist.

Interviews by Nikki M. Mascali
When it comes to sexy, looks are only part of it.
Sexy is the way that someone carries themselves.
Sexy is confidence. Sexy is ambition.
Sexy are the quirks that make up a personality. Sexy is being yourself.
The Weekender lists who it thinks are the sexiest people in NEPA.

Amy Sieklicki
Age: 23
Hometown: Mountain Top
Occupation: Miss Pioneer 2007. Just graduated from Wilkes University with a degree in biology.

By Michael Lello | Weekender Editor
Did you catch a local band the other night, but you didn’t get a chance to buy a CD at the show? Do you live out of the area but would like to snag a T-shirt from one of the region’s watering holes?
The folks at VeryScranton.com have created an online portal to not only serve those needs, but also create a central location for area artists, musicians and bars to market their wares.

By Kely Clisham | Weekender Correspondent

’Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the theatre, not a creature was stirring, not even a. … Darn it! What rhymes with theatre? Beaver? Close, but not quite. Besides, what would a beaver be doing in a theatre? Weevil? No. Weasel? Well, I’ve seen more than one weasel in a theatre in my day, but it doesn’t quite fit. So much for my clever holiday column spoofing “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Poetry never was my strong suit.

By Ignatious Schiavo | Weekender Correspondent

A horrifying virus wipes out Earth’s population, yet one man rages against the darkness hoping to save mankind in the thriller “I Am Legend.”
Lt. Col. Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last man standing. He resides in Manhattan along with his only companion, Samantha the German shepherd. What mankind thought was a cure for cancer has turned out to be the plague that decimated the planet, and scientist Neville has been on the frontlines of the fight from alpha to omega.

By Thom Shubilla | Weekender Correspondent
If you have talked to anyone about bands in the Northeastern Pennsylvania indie music scene in the past year, odds are the band Tigers Jaw has been brought up and you have heard rave reviews. But unlike many hyped bands, Tigers Jaw backs it up with actual talent.

By Michael Lello | Weekender Editor
Friends and family of Brian Langan are lucky folks come Christmastime. The frontman of the Sw!ms has started a tradition of giving out self-penned Christmas songs as gifts.
“I was just making two Christmas songs a year because I’m usually broke, and family likes homemade gifts,” Langan says.

HOW GREAT THOU ART

If in the future, people find a time capsule from 2007, what will say about us?
Let’s imagine:
Your smartest reality-show participants were the casts of “Orangutan Island” and “Meerkat Manor.”
You worshipped a crazed, drug-addled, shaven-headed woman, watching her every move as if it was coming from on high.
When she was busy, you worshipped a better looking yet wacked-out, drug-addled redhead.
Your biggest villain was a quarterback that killed dogs.
Your women took orders from someone named Oprah.

WILKES-BARRE UNVEILS MURAL
On Wednesday, Wilkes-Barre’s first community mural was unveiled by Mayor Tom Leighton, mural sponsors and community partners at Barnes & Noble. The mural depicts a spirited holiday scene in downtown Wilkes-Barre, complete with jam-packed city streets, a beehive-topped Christmas tree and, of course, Santa Claus.

Here it is, just in time for the holidays: our totally unscientific, wholly biased look at some of our favorite things from 2007.
Weekender Editor Michael Lello lists his favorite concerts and CDs of the year. Mystery Mouth recaps his (or her? We’re not telling) best meals of 2007. Correspondent Ignatious Schiavo takes a look back at some of the year’s top movies. Weekender General Manager Rachel A. Pugh lets us in on the best style innovations of the year, and Weekender Graphic Designer Steve Husted catches us up on the top tech toys of ’07.

By Ben Lovejoy | Special to The Weekender
With the Penguins, the day before a game we always end practice by playing a game called Juice Boy. Juice Boy is a shootout contest where each player on the team goes in on a breakaway and tries to score. If you score, you are done and your practice is over. If you do not score, you have to go back to the end of the line and try again. This goes on until there is only one shooter left.

By Kelly Clisham | Weekender Correpsondent
It all began 10 years ago when a couple of friends got together with the hope of bringing live sketch comedy to Northeastern Pennsylvania. Greg Korin, Tony Scaltz and Chris O’Donnell started brainstorming, and before long, some ideas scribbled on scraps of paper combined with their improv talents turned into One Laugh at Least. Local actress Shivaun O’Donnell (Chris’ wife) joined in as the funny girl in the group, and the quartet took to the Showcase Theatre stage for its first show.

By Ignatious Schiavo | Weekender Correpsondent

A young girl’s journey to save a friend has farther reaching ramifications in the action/adventure “The Golden Compass.”
Most young ladies do not live life as young Lyra (Dakota Blue Fanning). Her home is among the scholars of Jordan College and the untamed streets surrounding it. She thirsts for adventure with her young friends and has an uncanny knack for finding it. When one of her young cohorts is kidnapped by the mysterious Gobbles, she sets about finding him and other stolen youngsters.

By Michael Lello | Weekender Editor
Only 34 years old, Rufus Wainwright has accomplished several lifetimes’ worth of triumphs. The son of singer/actor Loudon Wainwright III and singer Kate McGarrigle, he is the rare major-label recording artist that has developed and retained a cult following. He’s a gay icon and a uniquely American singer/songwriter.

By Chuck Shepherd | Weekender Wire Services

Weekender Staff | theweekender@theweekender.com

By Nikki M. Mascali | Weekender Staff Writer
Most people today might not remember when motorcycle riders were looked at as trouble, rebels or vagrants. Today, however, bike enthusiasts are easy to spot with the hordes of bike runs and bike nights. That’s not to say that today’s generation is without its own “rebels”: the tattooed, the pierced, and of course, skateboarders.

By Michael Lello | Weekender Editor

By Kelly Clisham | Weekender Correspondent
In the beginning, there was “Nunsense.” And it was good. It was certainly good for creator Dan Goggin, who was able to spin the success of the original musical into six other shows featuring the Little Sisters of Hoboken. It’s been good for the legions of fans worldwide who have enjoyed the Sisters’ wacky antics. And it’s been particularly good for Rob Misko and the folks at the Corner Bistro Dinner Theatre, devout followers since the Little Sisters first hit the Carbondale stage in 1992.