Southwest CEO Gary Kelly just posted a request on the airline's official blog: He needs our help coming up with a costume for this Halloween. In the past, he's gone all the way with portrayals of Gene Simmons, Jack Sparrow and Edna Turnblad (from "Hairspray"), so not just any idea will work.
We think we have a winner, though: We wanna see Kelly decked out as Kyla Ebbert. She is, after all, the airline's most famous passenger! We even put together this handy shopping list for the boss' trip to the costume shop:
1 tiny white tank top. 1 lime green bolero. 1 white denim mini skirt. 1 copy Playboy. (For research purposes only!) 1 invite to a party with Richard Branson.
We couldn't resist running just one more celebrity costume before Halloween fades completely from memory. So here's former New York Giant Tiki Barber dressed as an alligator--or is he a crocodile? And, awwh, he's even carrying his own tale.
See, not every star had to dress up as a sexy something like Britney Spears. The NY Post reported author Salman Rushdie attended a private party dressed as Darth Vader, while Roberto Cavalli showed up to Cipriani 42nd Street dressed as his competitor, Karl Lagerfeld.
But some celebs didn't get dolled up for the holiday. Owen Wilson and Mary-Kate Olsen chose not to get dressed up at all for their respective parties. And Audrina from The Hills didn't look much different than normal in her "Trashy Madonna" getup.
San Francisco won't be hosting the wildest Halloween party in America tonight. City officials are rolling up the sidewalks of the Castro, and they say you're better off staying home. Bars and restaurants have promised to close early, and BART will shut down service to the area. Officials even got local nightlife impresario Harry Denton to steer you clear of the gayborhood.
A spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom sort of explains:
The residents of the Castro are fed up with having a large, regional party in the Castro, and frankly anyone who thinks it's a good idea to have a large, regional event in the Castro on a weeknight needs to have their head examined.
As much fun as The Castro party can be, it's not necessarily a bad decision to close down the festivities. Shootings and other violence have marred Halloween the past few years, and even locals are sick of all the drama.
But with San Fran's famous party closed down, which city wants to step up to take over the title of Best Halloween Celebration?
Tonight's Mischief Night, you know. That's the eve before Halloween when teenagers around the world get up to hijinks and generally act like idiots. We're all for it.
But if you'd like something a little more old fashioned, there's loads of Halloween activities happening both tonight and tomorrow. Just don't forget your costume.
When it comes to haunted travel, maybe the traditional sights are best. If only Joerg Reichter had read up on our recommendations before passing out on a train ride between Bad Segeberg and Hamburg.
Feeling the effects of a booze-fueled Halloween party, Reichter nodded off on the train, which normally wouldn't be a problem--except he was still decked out in his fake-blood-soaked zombie costume. Some passengers took him for dead and called the cops. A police spokesperson explained:
His costume made him look like the victim of a serious assault as he appeared to be bleeding from the face and hands, and worried passengers called us up. Our officers realized what had happened and woke him up. They got him to take the fake blood and wounds off so there would be no more misunderstandings.
At least Reichter's fellow passengers were looking out for him. In Italy, no one on the trains bats an eye even if you're actually dead.
Freed slaves, led by Peyton Roberts, set up the town of Peyton Colony about 40 miles southwest of Austin after the Civil War. Today, it's a designated as a historic freedmen's settlement, but it's also considered a place with a hazy past--that brings cloudy apparitions late at night.
After a brief stint as Utopia (think, communal living, regular BBQs in the town square and softball and relay races in the park), the community fell on hard times in the 1920s and never completely recovered.
Today, the few remaining residents recognize their neighbor the poltergeist more than kids' laughter in the park. He floats around haunting the old church and schoolhouse, causes electrical problems in people's homes, turns faucets on and off by themselves. Resident Ellen Coffee has recorded some of the movements and sounds. After her work earlier this year, paranormal enthusiasts, psychics and other ghoul professionals flocked to the town to check out the action and try to capture a few of their own sound bytes and photos.
The poltergeist's spooky shenanigans and fleeting appearances are like the spooky version of Britney's crotch flashes, and he now has the paranormal paparazzi to prove it.
We haven't updated our Shopping in SoCal Map in a bit (eek!) but with Halloween just around the corner we couldn't resist filling you in on a Westside costume shop we like.
Ursula's Costumes on Wilshire in Santa Monica is perfect for all your silly, not-to-be-taken-too-seriously costume needs. To the point, we like it because it is stocked to the brims with those easy to assemble Halloween costumes that come in plastic packages and cost anywhere from $35 to $50. We have easily spent that much going from places like Goodwill to Target to Joanne's Fabric Store trying to put together a costume.
At Ursula's our only problem was trying to decide between the Slutty Wizard (really) or a Slutty Merchant's Wife (seriously). In the end we chose Slutty Corrections Officer because we get to hit people with a plastic baton all night. Men can choose from less slutty options like Caveman, Doctor, Zoot Suit Gangster and other cliched costumes. Also, your pet can have his or her pick of costumes too.
For those who want to go to the next level, Ursula's has a costume rental department as well as a tailor who will custom make your outfit. (That takes about two months, so you'll buy off the rack for this weekend. But it's never too early to get a jump on next year!)
The only downside is that during Halloween time it gets crowded and parking (as per usual) is either unavailable (meters on Wilshire are hard to score) or costly. We hit the lot behind the building which charges $1.00 for every 20 minutes. We were also disappointed in the wig section which carried a so-so collection. Plus you have to buy a $1.99 wig cap before you try any wigs on, even if you don't end up buying a wig.
Ursula's is still open after Halloween and orders are accepted online so it fits any costume party needs--not just those happening around Oct. 31st.
This time of year it seems everyone's running a haunted house. But what about visiting the real thing? For that, there's Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California.
The 160-room mansion was built in 1884 by a rich widow named Sarah Winchester. Unlike most of the homes constructed at the time, the Winchester Mystery House had modern heating and sewer systems, as well as three working elevators and 47 fireplaces. It also had a slew of paranormal activity after the death of Sarah's husband and daughter. Carpenters worked on the house for 38 continuous years because Sarah thought their noise would quiet the ghosts.
Although the Mystery House is open year round, only during the Halloween season can you take the hour-long flashlight tour. Travelers will experience the mysterious mansion by moonlight (and flashlight), which makes this already creepy place even spookier.
