Halloween 2010 is almost here. We will be posting more information about new costumes as we learn about them.
There are a number of major blockbuster movies and shows this year that have inspired some of the best costumes ever. 2010 Halloween will be the best year ever for costumes!
The story of Doctor Frankenstein and his creature is a classic horror story as well as a classic literary tale. The idea of a monster created from salvaged 
parts of human beings and given life by a “mad scientist” is one that inspired many books, movies, and TV shows. It’s tantalizing to humans to think of creating a new life form that mimics humans and has human understanding but isn’t human. However, in the original tale the suffering of the creature is an important part of the story and a warning about the pitfalls of creating another life form.
The original story was written by Gothic writer Mary Shelley when she was just 18. At the time the novel was written the Industrial Revolution was just coming into full swing and the novel was written as a warning against widespread use of machines as much as it was written as Gothic and Romantic novel. Understanding the context that the book was written in is very important to understanding the significance of the story. Machines that were being created at the time were represented in the story by the monster 
itself. Pieced together from parts, made larger and stronger than humans, and designed to make life easier for humans it’s not hard to see the correlation between the two. The monster breaking free of Doctor Frankenstein’s control is a metaphor for what Marry Shelley saw as the fate of humankind if it became too dependent on machines.
At the heart of the story though are the classic elements of a Gothic tale that inspire both fear and understanding in the reader. The story of Doctor Frankenstein working in his lab day and night to try and figure out how to bring the monster to life is horror storytelling at its best, and the film versions of the story leave little of the grisly process to the imagination. After a moment of triumph when Frankenstein is able to bring the creature to life comes the horrible realization of what he has done. He has created an incomplete life form, one that will suffer endlessly and needlessly because even though it has the capacity to feel it lacks the capacity to reason or understand at a functional level. The size and strength of the creature make it frightening and dangerous, but Mary Shelley also wanted readers to feel sorry for the monster and its suffering.
The monster that Frankenstein creates is really the first zombie representation in Western literature. Brought back from the dead with limited reasoning and understanding but an insatiable desire to survive the Frankenstein monster touches off primal fears of what comes after death, the existence of monsters, and the terror of being hunted by something totally alien to the human experience. Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein was a novel about the human condition as well as a story intended to frighten and fascinate readers. Movie versions of the story, like the classic 1935 Boris Karloff Bride of Frankenstein movie, presented a very different version of the original monster. Both versions will live forever in popular culture thanks to the impact of the story and the visual impact of the monster as brought to life by Boris Karloff.
Sarah Palin burst onto the American political scene practically overnight when she was selected as John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 
Presidential election. It was a shock to the press and to most of the American people that McCain selected her to be his running mate since she has very little national political experience. McCain’s staff and McCain himself said that Sarah Palin was selected as his running mate because of her common sense approach to politics and her ability to connect with real people.
Controversy about the choice started immediately. Palin has only been the governor of Alaska for a very short time, and had an unwed pregnant teenage daughter which pundits speculated would not play well with the Republican’s conservative Christian base. At the time she was introduced as McCain’s running mate and the Vice Presidential nominee Palin has almost no foreign policy or national political experience and made several notable blunders in her dealings with the press that almost cost her the nomination. Her lack of knowledge about the workings of government was skewered in the news and commented on frequently by the press.
However, Palin used her folksy charm and plain manner of speech to gather support and a large percentage of the Republican base did embrace her even though she was criticized in the press for her lack of experience and lack of knowledge about politics and national policy. As a former beauty pageant winner she was able to use her looks and charm to win the favor of most of the Republican party but not enough to beat then-Senator Obama . Some analysts say that the choice of Palin as a running mate may have cost John McCain the election, but Sarah Palin choose to stay in politics despite the fact that some Republicans didn’t have a lot of faith in her ability.
In 2009 she resigned her job as Governor of Alaska with eighteen months left to go in her term. She released a book, Going Rogue, which instantly became a best seller. She also became something of a spokesperson for the growing Tea Party movement. The Tea Party is a sub-sect of the Republican party made up of conservatives who believe that the government should have very little, if any, involvement in the day to day lives of citizens. She also works as a fundraiser for various Republican candidates who are seeking money for their re-election campaigns and acts as a political commentator on Fox News. It’s been speculated by the press and by some Democrats that she quit her job as the governor of Alaska to get herself ready for a Presidential campaign in 2012. While Palin herself denies that she has plans to run for the Presidency she doesn’t rule out the possibility and has been quoted saying that she will run if she thinks it is the best thing for the American people and for the Palin family.
G.I. Joe The Real American Hero
G.I. Joe was the first action figure ever produced, and one of the first dolls made to be marketed specifically to boys. When Barbie dolls were first introduced they immediately became popular, but there was no toy equivalent to the Barbie doll in size and scale for boys. The idea of a military based doll was introduced by a toy creator who was inspired by the idea of the military to create a doll for boys based on the armed forces. Citing the 1945 movie The Story of G.I. Joe the toymaker decided to call the doll G.I. Joe, or Government Issue Joe, which was a slang term for Army soldiers. The original G.I. Joe was based on a WWII infantry soldier but had a uniform and gear that blended the styles of WWII and the Korean War. Originally four different versions of the doll were made, one for each branch of the armed forces. The dolls, which were called “action figures” to make them more appealing to little boys, came with a uniform and a few pieces of gear but most of the gear was sold separately in action packs. One of the most prominent pieces of G.I. Joe’s gear, his gun, was sold separately which 
angered many parents.
After the Vietnam War created a highly anti-military sentiment in the general population the marketing team of the G.I. Joe action figures started focusing less on the military aspect of the dolls and focused on rebranding the figures as part of an “Action Team” that was created to fight the evil Cobra Command who were trying to take over the world. After the rebranding the G.I. Joe franchise became more popular with the public. When action cartoons became popular in the 1980s an animated G.I. Joe series was created as a merchandising vehicle for the action figures and the gear sets which became some of the most popular toys of the 1980s. In 1985 the marketing team again rebranded the line going back to the military roots of the figures and portraying the G.I. Joe team members as Special Forces type operatives who were caught up in a classic Good vs. Evil battle to save the world using super secret military training and cutting edge weapons. The size of the figures was reduced from 12 inches to about 3 inches to make them competitive with the popular Star Wars action figures that were selling out of store shelves all around the world. With the reduced size and then new storyline the G.I. Joe franchise became popular with an entirely new audience.
In the early 1990s interest in G.I. Joe was still strong but waned as the decade progressed. Until the 2009 G.I. Joe live action movie there was relatively little interest in the figures or in the franchise. The live action film renewed interest in the franchise for both older generations who grew up with G.I. Joe and with younger audiences whose first experience with G.I. Joe was the 2009 movie.
Robin Hood is one popular figure. This popularity is proven by so many things – Robin Hood movies, Robin Hood cartoons and animation, Robin 
Hood songs and even Robin Hood costumes for Halloween. We all know him as the man who robbed the rich people so that he can give to the poor. When we think of Robin Hood, we all imagine a man wearing a green suit and carrying a bow and arrow. Let us take a deeper look at how the story of Robin Hood began and how history plays a role in the creation of this popular “prince of thieves”.
In folklore, popular culture and in history, the man known as Robin Hood or Robyn Hod was based in the Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire of England. Whether he is a fictional character or a real man who existed, Robin Hood will be part of the English rich history. The story of Robin Hood became popular with ballads as traveling minstrels would often sing about his story. Thus, the story of Robin Hood spread and changed with every telling.
His birth was attributed to many places but many believe that he was sired from Loxley in South Yorkshire. Some believed him to be born in 1160 while some in 1285 or 1295. Robin Hood’s character is what made him quite popular. He is known as the outlaw who robbed the rich in order to give to the poor so his support from the common people was never lacking. He is often thought of as a representation to nature (as seen in his green attire) and freedom (as he fought against injustice). While he may be an outlaw who fights against injustice, stories about Robin Hood tell about him being fun and light in character. In modern stories, he and his merry men were often characterized as simple men who can have some laughs despite the seriousness and danger of what they do.
Robin Hood’s weapon is a longbow. His bow is made out of the English ewe tree and he is well known for this excellent skills in archery. This is quite natural in the 13th and 14th centuries as bows and arrows were used in hunting and also weapons for survival and protection. Until his death, Robin Hood is known to have demonstrated his skill in archery excellently.
There are different versions of how Robin Hood died. One of the stories tell about him and Little John going to the Priory in Yorkshire where his aunt is the prioress. One version says that Robin Hood was poisoned to death by his aunt in order to hide the latter’s secret affair. Another version says that he was bled to death under the pretention that the aunt was medicinally healing him. Little John came to his rescue but it was too late; Robin Hood can no longer be saved from the effects of the poison/bleeding. In a last attempt to give respect to his beloved friend, Little John placed Robin Hood’s bow and arrow on the dying’s hands. Robin Hood shot the arrow outside the window and told Little John to bury him where the arrow falls. The arrow landed in the yard of the priory where his grave can still be seen today.
The recent Tim Burton adaptation of the story of Alice in Wonderland has renewed interest in a classic childhood tale that has been celebrated around 
the world for inspiring the imagination of children and making adults remember the joy of being a child. In the Tim Burton adaptation of the story Alice is all grown up, and returns to Wonderland as an adult when she is running away from a marriage proposal that she doesn’t want to accept. Falling through the rabbit hole again into Wonderland she starts to remember bits and pieces of her adventures in Wonderland before, although this time the inhabitants of Wonderland have brought her back to help them fight off an enemy who wants to overtake Wonderland. This new twist on the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland has spawned renewed interest in Wonderland and in the classic Alice in Wonderland characters. Already Alice in Wonderland costumes based on the interpretations in Tim Burton’s movie are selling out for Halloween and also for birthdays, parties, and even wedding receptions that have an Alice theme. The amazing costumes and makeup in Tim Burton’s imaginative re-telling of the classic tale will be some of the most sought after Halloween costumes in 2010 because of their artistry and fantasy.
Alice in Wonderland is one of the most popular children’s stories of all time. The entire ‘nonsense’ genre of children’s literature sprang from the Adventures of Alice in Wonderland which was written by Charles Dodgson under the pen name of Lewis Carroll. He told the stories originally to the children of a friend of his to pass the time during a river trip, and the children loved them so much he later wrote them down and published them. All of the characters that he created for the stories are animal versions of people who were known to the children, and Alice herself was based on one of the children.
The tales of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland went on to influence other famous tales. Some literary critics say that Carroll’s books about Alice led to other famous stories about girls who are dropped into alien and unfamiliar worlds and have adventures meeting strange characters like Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz, Lucy Pevensie in the Chronicles of Narnia, and Wendy in the Peter Pan stories. Another famous novel, Finnegan’s Wake, also borrows from the Alice story. There have been more than a dozen retellings and interpretations of the story of Alice in Wonderland throughout the years in film, TV and in literature and those retellings have also influenced writers and film directors to add their own visions of Wonderland to the original vision that Lewis Carroll committed to paper so long ago. There is a lot of artistic variation when it comes to creating costumes for the characters of the Alice adventures because there are so many different interpretations of the story. The stylists and costumers who worked on the latest adaptation of the story created costumes that are in keeping with the feel of the original story but have a modern twist to them which will make them popular choices for Halloween costumes for years to come.
There are few characters in the world quite so well known as the witch. From 
the time we are children we’re terrified and dazzled by the powers they possess. Whether it is the old crone and her broomstick or the beautiful good witch with her wand, everyone knows that no Halloween costume party is complete without some kind of witch in attendance.
But when did this fascination begin, and how has it evolved to become the current image of the Halloween witch? There are stories and legends involving witches that date back to medieval times when Europe was overrun with a great fear of witches. It was believed that these practitioners of magic were able to do things that were unnatural to affect other people or their property against their will. Many women were persecuted and tortured as witches. They were blamed for natural disasters or sicknesses that befell their villages and were consequently burned at the stake as punishment.
Generally, we’re told now that it was wise-women who bore the brunt of the fear and hatred of others. Women who had knowledge of herbs and healing techniques were often respected for what they could do, yet that respect often carried with it a certain degree of fear as well. Such magical arts were rarely understood by those who did not study them, so the witch’s abilities seemed supernatural, and anything supernatural was to be feared. Therefore when something bad would happen it was quite easy for that mild fear to turn to blame. As the religions of 
Christianity and Islam began to grow, it became widely accepted that witches were minions of the Devil, fooling people with their supposedly good works in order to later steal their souls.
Looking back on these claims now only increases the allure of the image of the witch, because it enhances the mystery surrounding who they really were and what they could honestly do. Were they truly innocents who were unjustly accused, or were they vicious, conniving women who enchanted and tricked people to get what they wanted? Did they really communicate with the dead or do the devil’s bidding? What control did they possess over the world around them? Could they defy gravity and fly on broomsticks across the moonlit sky? Which are just stories and which legends are actually steeped in truth? We are left with so many questions in regards to these figures that it is inevitable for a bit of fear to mingle in our perception of them.
This uneasiness with the idea of the witch has more or less molded the image that we hold today of the old woman with green skin and a long nose sporting a hairy mole somewhere on her face. It was common, even before movies began to portray witches in this manner, to depict them in stories as haggard old ladies with no teeth, hunched over, with scraggly hair. A story was always considered to be more frightening when the antagonist was ugly or otherwise repulsive. It is believed that the green skin of the witch actually evolved from the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz”, in which the Wicked Witch of the West had a green skin tone, lending even more to her appearance the feeling of something unnatural.
Some might believe that witches are only associated with Halloween because they are scary, but this is not the case. In fact, it was witches and other pagans who are mostly responsible for bringing Halloween or All Hallows Even into existence at all. October 31st and April 30th are both celebrated by the pagans as holidays. The celebrations revolve around the changing of the seasons. Samhain, which is the pagan celebration that takes place on Halloween, is associated with death (and therefore fear) because it is the end of the summer. It signifies the time that the earth will be entering the cold season of sleep. Beltane, celebrated on the last of April, is the observance of the earth returning to life. Coincidentally, in some countries in Europe, like Sweden, children are known to dress up as witches on Easter, rather than Halloween and go from door to door trick or treating.
There is a great deal of history and meaning behind the current connection between Halloween and the witch. Even though the witch is no longer considered to be evil just because she is a witch, that small touch of doubt in her intentions is always enough to maintain a special spark of uncertainty that keeps us wondering. She is the perfect symbol for Halloween.
The movie is another creation with basic foundations on legends of Greek mythology. Percy Jackson the protagonist, soon found out that he is 
Poseidon’s son, ruler or primarily the god of sea and that of earthquakes. He also found out that the beings of the Greek Mythology considered as legends exists and has always been in existence, to include the monsters and Greek gods who lives in Olympus, which is now located at the Empire State Building’s 600th floor. Percy is always under attack by monsters for being one of the sons the “Three main gods”: the lord of the sky, Zeus, the ruler of the sea, Poseidon and the king of the Underworld, Hades who made a covenant after the Second World War not to have any offspring because they were unpredictable and very powerful.
There were other young demigods met by Percy who were friendly and there were also those who were hostile, who were also discovering their powers and ascendancy. Percy Jackson movie was actually an opportunity to give life and modern visual effects to the adventures of Greek mythology which in earlier times back in the 80s were considered to be primitive. The movie was 
intended to fascinate people of all ages, a combination of modern day setting and mythological creatures.
Although with some modern visual effects in the movie, it is considered to be average it didn’t remain long on cinemas. The way the story go did not really had an effect that would influence viewers to the extent of creating an impression that would last, something that people may want to talk about or generate much interest. Greek mythology is a great masterpiece by past creative writers and would have been much greater and accomplished a lot should the story have been given a classic touch. There is nothing wrong with mixing legends with contemporary imaginations of modern day writers; given the facilities we have today it is a clear manifestation of the advantage 
we have and this movie could have been more than what it had accomplished.
There have been many movies that were like Percy Jackson, it was all based on a book and the story may have gained much interest that it becomes best selling. However when you give life to a story fiction or non-fiction it becomes different. As what we see may not always be something that everybody perceives in what they read. It is always difficult to please everybody particularly in the field of entertainment; keeping the peoples’ interest aside from cinematography it is important to consider the flow of the story. How it went and connects with the theme, each situation of the film not only should it have significance it should also have the essential element which is to keep viewers’ interest on each part of the scenes. This may sound simple but it actually involves the actors’ portrayal of the characters they play, it is one of the biggest part which should be taken into account, actors’ way of taking hold of the viewers.
If Halloween is the holiday which celebrates the autumn season, and all the spooky associations that the end of the year, the shortening of the days, and 
the withering of summer’s life has, then Easter is in many ways its opposite. Celebrating the fresh life and brightness of Spring, Easter is a cheerful holiday, which most people think of in terms of colorful flowers, chocolates, brilliantly-colored Easter eggs, and, of course, that light-hearted icon of life’s renewal, the Easter Bunny.
Whether Americans are religious or secular, there are a lot of traditions that many families observe when Easter arrives. Making Easter eggs is one of the most popular traditions, and the one most recognizable. There’s no doubt that a colorful Easter egg, decorated in red, yellow, white, blue, black, and other vibrant colors in stripes, dots, and zig-zags, is a beautiful object and is a cheerful symbol of the time. Some people make their own Easter eggs, dyeing or painting actual eggs or egg-shaped forms bought from hobby and craft shops. This can be a lot of fun if everyone participates, and the eggs look great to those who made them, even if they wouldn’t win a beauty contest against a Faberge egg.
Alternately, many people buy pre-painted plastic Easter eggs. Many of these can be opened so they can be filled with chocolates and other treats, for the Easter egg hunt that often follows the painting or viewing of the eggs. The trade-off, of course, is that the eggs aren’t as unique as those you’ve made yourself.
Easter Egg hunts are an eagerly-awaited part of Springtime fun for many kids across America. Lots of families stage their own Easter egg hunts, with parents hiding eggs in every nook and cranny of the yard and house, and their children then enjoying a playful Easter Sunday searching for the colorful eggs. There are also official Easter egg hunts, of which the egg hunt at the White House is only the most famous. Schools, local governments, and churches all organize egg hunts for kids of various ages.
Americans also engage in Easter egg rolls — again, the White House’s is the most famous but not the only one. An egg roll is a fun competition where kids roll eggs over a lawn using long-handled spoons, sticks, or whatever other implement seems most useful for it. The federal edition of the event includes people dressed as the Easter Bunny and many speeches as well.
Special food is also used to mark the Easter holiday by Americans. Hot cross buns are a perennial favorite because of the cross symbol that is associated with Jesus and His resurrection, but there is also a traditional dish made out of baked ham, vegetables, and potatoes.
Since Easter is a major Christian holiday, many people attend dawn services specially arranged on Easter Sunday morning. At the opposite end of the scale from the spiritual, the sensual extravaganza of Mardi Gras is held during the Easter season in New Orleans and other American cities.
The Easter Bunny is this season’s equivalent of Santa Claus — a good-natured rabbit who, in folklore and legend, lays colorful eggs to symbolize fertility and rebirth. The Easter Bunny is a pagan symbol from antiquity — the hare of the goddess Eostre — but has become a fluffy, amusing mascot for the year’s most lighthearted, cheerful holiday.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is one of the most anticipated movies of 2010. Based on wildly popular Prince of Persia video game the movie tells the story of Dastan, a poor street orphan in 6th century Persia.
Dastan is adopted by the king of Persia after he displays courage in a fight which the king sees. The king doesn’t want his own children fighting over his throne so he adopts Dastan to take over the throne after him since he proved to the King that he is courageous and has a good heart. Dastan finds a friend and companion in the princess Tamina and they go on an adventure together to steal a special prize, the Sands of Time, from an evil Persian nobleman named Nizam. The Sands of Time was given to humans by the gods and with it a human can control time, so Dastan and Tamina are determined to get it for the King. In the movie version of Prince of Persia Dastan will be played by Hollywood favorite Jake Gyllenhaal. Tamina will be played by Bond girl Gemma Arterton and the evil Nizam will be played by legendary actor Ben Kingsley.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will be produced by veteran Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Jerry first became interested in the Prince of Persia project after the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the Curse of the Black Pearl, turned out to be much more successful than anyone had thought it would be. Studio execs at Disney realized that there was a huge market for period action movies and started development to bring Prince of Persia to the big screen. The Prince of Persia video game is one of the most successful video game franchises in history and the storyline of the poor street boy Dastan raised to unbelievable wealth as the King of Persia’s adopted son is a great premise for an action movie so it seemed like a perfect fit for the studio. The actual filming of the movie didn’t take place until 2008 though because the studio was scrambling to finish the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Originally no sequels to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie had been planned but after the wild success of the first film Disney quickly ordered two more to cash in on audience’s love for the characters and desire to see more of them.
Because the Prince of Persia movie is based on a video game there are plenty more storylines available if Disney again decides at the last minute to create sequels to the movie based on box office success. But, currently there are no sequels being planned for the Prince of Persia . However, if audiences love The Sands of Time as much as they loved Curse of the Black Pearl Disney may once again be working overtime to produce scripts and film sequels to keep fans happy and to keep the storyline of the Prince of Persia going.