Jane Lynch as her Wreck-It-Ralph character, Sgt Calhoun

Today is actual Halloween in the US and everyone's in on it, even celebrities. Naturally.

Here are some of the best celebrities in Halloween gear

Kim Karshidan as Catwoman

Avril Lavigne as a naughty sailor

THE ROCK AS THE HULK! HULK SMASH!!

Katy Perry and Shannon Woodward as Jane Lane and Daria

Neil Patrick Harris and partner do Wizard of Oz with their kids!

Gisele Bundchen as Cleopetra

Heidi Klum in something Eygptian

Nathan Fillion as Captain Canada!

Ellen Degeneres as Sofia Vergara!

That's Calista Flockheart and Harrison Ford as nerds. BELIEVE IT.

Chloe Moretz goes goth!

Seth Green and Claire Grant do Joker and Harley

Halloween is an awesome festival where kids go knocking on people's doors while in costume to get candy and say 'Trick or Treat'

However, as much as we like to believe the world is like a Disney movie/ children's book, there are crazy people out there and there have been cases of people going missing, getting killed/ hurt during Halloween.

Here's some sarety things to remember when your kids go Trick or Treating - from the Wellesley Police Department.

• Walk on sidewalks whenever possible, but be cautious of possible debris, tree branches and wires that may still be on the walkways, sidewalks and roadways.


• Trick or Treat close to your home, on streets that you and your family are familiar with.


• Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.


• Bring a flashlight with you and keep it on at all times to help you see the pathways and walkways better and others that may be out Trick or Treating.


• Always WALK and don't run from house to house.


• Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.


• Wear well-fitting masks, costumes and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips and falls.


• Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.


• Go out early when there is still some daylight and return home early to keep everyone safe.


• Don't stop at dark houses. Never accept rides from strangers and only enter homes if you are with a trusted adult.

Just a reminder. You can have fun but don't forget to note the safety stuff too

UPDATE 11/24 : A kind gentleman by the name of Matthew Pelletier dropped me an E-mail today to pass me a link to an even more comprehensive list of Halloween safety tips. Check it here! It's really great!

 
First, I'd like to say: My heart goes out to New York City. That storm looks horrific and you guys got hit pretty bad... stay strong! Hope the power comes back on!

Tomorrow is Halloween. I'm actually dressing up for work (because I can!)

Anyway, here's a great article featured in 'The Atlantic' about Sexualizing Halloween

Here's a section

"Sexy referee. Sexy tiger. Sexy hamburger. Every year, Halloween costume companies offer women a host of skimpy outfits to wear on October 31st. And every year, a lot of people—concerned parents, writers at the New York Times and CNN, cable talking heads—try to convince women, especially young women, not to buy them.

"There's always the mommy bloggers who get really angry, and then there's people like me who get really angry," says Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes and an expert on adolescent sexuality and self-esteem. But, Wiseman admits, the complaining about sexy Halloween ends with "limited success." Young women keep buying, and wearing, suggestive costumes.

That's probably because most of the anxiety about the sexualization of Halloween comes from adults—the very people teenagers are inclined to ignore. If sexy Halloween is going to die, girls themselves will have to kill it.  "

Well, what can I say. The media promotes sexy Halloween, businesses also sell Halloween as sexy cause it makes money. It's tough to make it go away just like that. Also, if Halloween was un-sexy then well, it's not 'fun' enough.

Here's that infamous clip from 'Mean Girls' that sums up Sexy Halloween


Cosplay and dressing up is 'fun' because you become someone you're not. Just for 1 day. As harmless as Halloween sounds, its really turned into this big, commercial making festival that it just loses its true meaning and just becomes an excuse to party, dress up and have fun.

here's another great clip from 'Modern Family' and sexy halloween outfits


It's really hard to draw the line at this stuff sometimes. Halloween is generally supposed to be a family friendly affair but it's also an excuse to party, let loose and have fun, the 'grown up' way.

Whatever side you're on, if I were a parent, I won't allow my teenage daughter to wear sexy Halloween outfits. That's just me.

Read the full article here

 
The Seminole Chronicle (town in Florida, USA) decided to do a small report about this year's Halloween Costume trends. It lists in ranking, the most 'in' costume trends:

1. Superheroes

2. Video Game Characters

3. TV Characters

4. Pop Culture Phenoms 

5. Political Figures

6. Zombies

7. Princesses

8. Monster High

9. Hunger Games


Hm. Yup, Superheroes is really popular now thanks to all the Superhero movies - eg. Avengers, Batman, Spiderman etc. And Superheroes are classic so you can always jump into an outfit any Halloween/ Cosplay event

Video game characters - sure! Lots of cool games released this year  - Diablo 3, Borderlands, Resident Evil etc.

Now TV shows is interesting. I haven't seen that many TV show characters around other than Dr Who. The article does state people are wanting lots of 60s style Mad Men outfits. Hmm. And also 1920s style Boardwalk Empire gangster stuff too.

Pop culture Phenoms. - Yup, Gangnam Style PSY is a big deal, also the Meme stuff is really big

Political Figures - yeah cause the US elections are on now. So lots of Obamas and Romneys will be about.

Zombies - cause zombies are frackin everywhere!

Princesses - just cause there are lots of princesses to choose from and some how, little girls like to be princesses (I'm not one of those people though)

Monster High - whoa, what is this stuff? Never heard of it? Oo. it's like Monster Bratz ok got it. Guess it's a tween thing

Hunger Games - yeah, the trend is sorta waning but that would be lots of Katniss's and Effis about.

Well you don't really have to follow 'trends' to be the 'in' halloween cosplayer. Just where classic stuff I says, classic stuff ain't never get old!

Hey Singapore peeps! Neo Tokyo Project is organizing a Zombie Cosplay Walk on Oct 27!

As stated on the event page

"The Neo Tokyo Project will be organizing this event for the first time this year, and it will be graciously supported by our friends from Fish & Co. Glasshouse (9 Penang Road), who have also promisedadditional cosplay friendly activities for participants who dine at Fish & Co. after the event.

The parade begins at 6.45 pm and ends 7.30 pm, but the venue will open for on-the-spot confirmation and preparations from 4 pm onwards.

There will also be stage games, a gaming competition featuring Lollipop Chainsaw brought to you by Robots Gone Bad, as well as a mini pageant for cosplayers.

Cosplayers who dare to brave the stage will be given the chance to win prizes including a PS3 Vita Game Console Bundle, a premium headset, and even a pair of Necomimi, also sponsored by Robots Gone Bad, as well as vouchers by Fish & Co."

They've also done a very cool promo video! See below