Contrary to popular belief, Ray Parker, Jr. was TERRIFIED of ghosts

1. Catch Smile Swamp Princess at Pete’s Candy Store and you can fulfill your “see a rock opera” resolution you’ve been putting off all year, and just in time too (Monday)

2. Matchless invites you to welcome the New Year with comedy and some dancing. No, don’t worry, the comedy won’t be your dancing (Monday)

3. New year, new wave. Well, technically new wave is freaking old at this point, but who’s keeping score? Not us (Monday)

4. Our legal team says otherwise, but you know what would be a great prank at the Grand Army Plaza fireworks? Bring a bunch of easily-spooked cats (Monday)

5. It’s the first trivia of the New Year and everyone’s brains are going to be HURTING, so it’s OK if you barely know anything. You might win (Tuesday)

6. New Year’s Day brunches are for suckers. Cure that hangover with a New Year’s Day barbecue instead (Tuesday)

7. If you are in fact afraid of ghosts, let the Ghostbusters show you how to conquer that fear, at Videology (Wednesday)

8. The first First Thursday of 2013 means the art will be particularly fresh (Thursday)

9. If all you know of Cleveland are their tourism videos, let the folks reading from the anthology “Rust Belt Chic” teach you a thing or two about a thing or two (Thursday)

10. Check out the release party for Exit Strata’s second issue with an entrance strategy in mind, because that’s a much better attitude than going in with an exit strategy (Friday)

11. Britpop versus indie rock! Two mopey yet upbeat musical genres enter, one leaves! But you get to dance to both, you lucky ducks (Friday)