Archive for March, 2010
There is only 216 Days until Halloween 2010 !!!
It is time to start getting excited.
Many Halloween enthusiasts over the past few years have noticed the number of organizations and individuals attempting to spread rumors regarding the history and celebration of Halloween that are not true. Halloween fans do not find this acceptable.
In March, Halloween Army will begin working together to promote the positive aspects of Halloween. The army web site will provide free content and other tools for fans to utilize to spread the word and fight for Halloween.
As the Halloween season approaches, the army will work together to help stop un-true rumors regarding Halloween.
Halloween is great for local communities, charities, families, enthusiasts and the economy.
If you are a Halloween fan and enthusiast, Halloween Army wants to work with you! Please help spread the word on your site, blog, profile and signature. We will work to bring you additional tools as the season progresses.
We are fighting for Halloween!
Halloween Army
Web Site: http://www.halloweenarmy.org
Email: halloween@halloweenarmy.org
If we loved Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Pat Morita as Kesuke Miyagi in the movie “The Karate Kid,” then we will definitely adore Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan in their 2010 remake of the classic film. Jaden 
Smith plays Dre Parker while Jackie Chan plays as his mentor, Mr. Han.
The new movie still revolves around the original movie’s central theme, but things are taken a notch higher to create more excitement for karate and kung fu fans everywhere. Dre Parker (Jaden Smith), a 12-year old kid, needed to go to Beijing because of his mother’s work. He is very hesitant to move to a different country. However, he is left with no choice since he had to be with his mother. Upon arriving in Beijing, his new classmate Mei Ying catches his attention. This also catches the eye of their class bully, Cheng. He then becomes a victim of Cheng’s violence and misuse of the techniques of kung fu. Just when things feel hopeless for him, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) comes to the rescue to teach him the secrets of kung fu and to help him face his fears and be victorious.
Jaden Smith, Wil Smith’s son, fits the Dre Parker role perfectly. At first glance, you would think that he would not be able to defend himself. Jackie Chan is also the perfect actor for Mr. Han. Fans everywhere will be delighted to see their Karate idol on the big screen once again.
With almost all the scenes shot in China, viewers can get a more authentic view of the Oriental side and will be captivated by the lovely and rich Asian culture that has brought about martial arts and kung fu. It is also an effective means to show the cultural differences between Americans and Asians, and how these differences and barriers are transcended because of love.
The Karate Kid remake is also a good movie to watch if you are a fan of kung
fu and the martial arts. Through an entertaining and artistic presentation, kung fu fans can have a preview of the basics and the rigid discipline that the art of kung fu requires. The movie also showcases several fight scenes that would fascinate everyone and will give us an insight of what kung fu is really all about.
In addition, the 2010 remake still revolves around the main theme of not giving up even when you feel you are helpless and everything is not going your way. The movie teaches us that if we do not lose hope, there will come a time that we will eventually succeed in what we want and aim to do.
The movie also teaches us that winning is not only about mastering the skills and techniques we need to learn about a specific art or craft. It is also about discipline, perseverance, focus, and patience. In kung fu or in anything else we try to do, these virtues are very important and play a very crucial role in determining our success or failure. The Karate Kid 2010 remake is the perfect movie to watch if we want to have fun and learn some important lessons in life at the same time.
Medusa will no doubt be popular for Halloween this year because of Percy Jackson and other movies. If you have ever wondered what to wear for 
Halloween, worry no more: mythical gods are practically begging to be evoked for Halloween. They beat hands down bunnies, maids, dark queens, Dark Vader, or dark man eaters. For one, there is the undeniable powerful story that goes with each figure, their symbolism, their archetypal eponymous significance. We are really surrounded by references to mythology – Achilles heal, Odyssey, Oedipus, Trojans… oh well, forget that last one. To appear as one of those characters is to tap the collective unconscious, to refer to the vast treasure chest that is our cultural heritage, and to be recognized by others. Another reason why dressing up as a mythical god is virtually guaranteed successful and will land you – in case of a costume competition – an undeniable edge, is the sheer simplicity with which you can arrive at this perfect image you are trying to create. The ease of the disguise just can’t be beaten. To appear with a head dress that consists of a multitude of protruding snake heads will hardly require a label, no matter the rest of the costume. Medusa you are for the remainder of the evening. Unless, or course, you lose your head… The fact is, thanks to the Greek fashion of the time, long and flowing are the key words to their garments. Draping is another good description. You could, Scarlett O’Hara fashion, take a pair of old drapes and, well, drape them just so, and you would be half way there to your dream Halloween costume impersonating just about any Greek or Roman goddess. (Or god, for that matter, although in the case of gods, muscular thighs and calves would help a lot since the gods liked to show off their legs, in particular.)
To be concrete about it, you should begin dressing up with your head dress first so that you can match the rest of your outfit which is, after all, secondary to your head. Purchase rubber snakes at a party store and attach them to a wig, or even your own hair. For once it is better not to be a blonde – Medusa has always been depicted as dark-haired. You can also spray-paint your own hair if you don’t mind the mess, in which case a gory green would be nice, or an otherworldly dark blue. The snakes can be fastened to your hair with ponies. You do not need a lot of snakes on your head to make your point (they can quickly add up in terms of weight to make wearing them quite uncomfortable).
Once you have established your color palette (you may spray paint the snakes too if you feel like it) you can then move on to the dress. It should be long and gathered somewhere, in a draping fashion. Simple is better than intricate in this case – you will want the lines to be flowing. For inspiration, you could look to the lady with the torch – the Columbia Pictures logo. Imagine how cool she would be with a head full of snakes!
Michael Jackson’s remarkable music, striking image, checkered life, and tragic death all mark him as one of the most famous of America’s popular music stars. The colorful star flashed across the music scene with both 
meteoric brilliance and a generous helping of controversy and scandal, and his distinctive songs and appearance seize the imagination of people across the world. A skilled singer and songwriter, he could handle pop, rock, soul, R&B, and other genres with consummate ease and flair. Not only Michael Jackson’s physical appearance but his costumes changed vividly over time, from album to album.
With such an iconic personality and a mix of distinctive appearances, it’s no wonder that Michael Jackson is a popular choice for Halloween costumes. Costumes based on him were at the top of the lists in 2009, and all indications are that he’ll be a Halloween hit again in 2010. If you’re a fan of the King of Pop, you have many unique looks to choose from as you pick out a costume that will dazzle your friends and be the hit of the party.
You can choose to go for Michael Jackson’s early look, when he wore shirts with fringes and bell-bottom trousers in a fashion statement that was all his own. You can top this off with a Michael Jackson mask, or you can try for his early look, before the famous changes to his appearance, by wearing an appropriate wig.
Alternately, you can opt for the “Billie Jean” appearance — from the period when Michael’s vibrant, idiosyncratic fashion sense truly took off. This costume dates from the time when Michael Jackson’s sixth album, Thriller, was released. The singer explored a whole array of different styles in this album, from funk to rock to R&B, including the famous song for which the appearance is named. If you want to make a hit, this costume is probably the most iconic of many iconic appearances — the album is the best-selling recording in all of history. Black jackets rippling with sequins, black fedoras, sequined white gloves, and plenty of other snappy Michael Jackson accessories make this an excellent choice for a stylish Halloween statement.
If you’re looking for brilliant color rather than black and white style, then a Thriller costume is probably the way to go. In the Thriller video, Michael Jackson appears in a shimmering red jacket and pants, with black details and black shoes, as well as his signature single white glove. With striking sound effects, menacing lyrics, and the mesmeric effect of Jackson’s costume, Thriller is one of the star’s most memorable performances. Dressing up in this outfit is a good way to have a memorable Halloween experience as well.
The Bad look gives you yet another option for your Michael Jackson costume. Another look drawn from the Thriller album, Bad is a mostly black look with a streak of vivid red on the pant-legs and a studded belt for contrast.
Put on a Michael Jackson wig, and you’ll be ready to give your own Halloween tribute to one of popular music’s most admired artists and flamboyant performers.
Gulliver’s Travels is one of the most well known and most beloved books of all time, and new a movie adaption of the book is bringing Gulliver’s adventures to life for a new generation. Written by Jonathan Swift in the 18th century 
the book was a satire of the British royal court written in the popular travel genre at the time. The original book follows Lemuel Gulliver through four distinct adventures. The movie adaptation only follows Gulliver through one adventure, his famous adventure to Lilliput. When Gulliver awakes after being shipwrecked and floating to shore in Lilliput he is amazed to discover that all the people there are one twelfth the size of a human being. While he was asleep they have taken him captive and he finds himself unable to get up and face to face with his miniature captors. He goes to great lengths to talk them into letting him up and a good deal of the story focuses on the conversations he has with the Lilliputian soldiers who have taken him captive. Eventually they relent and take him the Queen of Lilliput, where he stays and has a few adventures in Lilliput before heading off for other lands.
The story of Gulliver’s adventures in Lilliput has been adapted into books, movies and television shows hundreds of times, but the newest interpretation of the story takes on a comical twist with two comedians playing the main roles. Jack Black plays Lemuel Gulliver in the 2010 movie, and British comedienne Katherine Tate plays the Lilliputian Queen. The 2010 adaption of the story, like the original story, is heavy with satire that will please audiences. Having two comedic actors in the main roles gave the directors a chance to play with the absurdity of the story in a way that other adaptations haven’t been able to do. Using special effects and computer graphics will also make it possible to bring the tiny Lilliputians to life without making them mere caricatures of full size humans. The Lilliputians have their own mannerisms, their own characteristics, and a distinct personality that comes across immediately.
The move is set to be released in December of 2010 and will give holiday film audiences the chance to relax from pre-holiday stress with a funny, whimsical trip to an imaginary land that they have known about for many years. Since this movie outlines only one of Gulliver’s adventures it’s quite possible that sequels could be made further in the future that bring to life Gulliver’s other adventures on his trip. It’s hard to take a storyline that is as old and as well known as the story of Gulliver and inject new life into it but the comedic angle and the satire of modern culture that are prominent in the 2010 adaptation should breathe some new life into this classic tale of trying to find out more about yourself through travel and discovering other cultures. This movie is sure to influence Halloween as promotions begin and continue for the movie.