For the fifth year in a row, people around the country will be showing supporting the troops by dressing up as soldiers. A soldier costume, whether pieced together from an army surplus store or purchased ready-made at a costume shop, is a popular choice. Men and boys alike can use this easy costume idea.

The phrase “everything old is new again” certainly applies to the next Halloween costume trend: the 80’s. Fashion and hairstyles from the 1980s now have retro appeal and make terrific costumes. Teens and young adults especially enjoy dressing up in retro 80’s goth costumes, or 80’s punk costumes. Acid-wash jeans, glam makeup and lots of “big hair” make the perfect 80’s wear for women who want to relive their teen days.

Politicians are always popular costume choices, and even more so this year as we are 13 months away from the next election. Men can choose from one of several George W. Bush masks. Political front runners Barack Obama and John Edwards are also likely costume choices. Women who want to get in on this costume trend can dress like Hilary Clinton or Condoleeza Rice.

The Simpsons made the leap from T.V. to the big screen this year, so costumes of the characters will be a big hit this season. Dressing like Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie would be great for a family of 5. Dressing like any one of the other characters, like Mr. Burns, Patty, Selma, Moe or Barney will be popular as well.

For the kids, there were plenty of feature films to draw costume inspiration from. Harry Potter and Spiderman, both popular costume choices in previous years, made their return to the big screen. Harry Potter’s trademark glasses, robes and a wand are going to be popular this year, as well as costumes that depict his many friends and foes at Hogwart’s school.

Spiderman has always been a popular costume, but this year the costume of his enemy Venom may be just as popular. This “black” version of Spiderman will probably sell out quickly. The other Spiderman 3 foes, Sandman and the New Goblin, will be popular picks as well.

Transformers was a summer blockbuster, and you can bet that Transformer costumes will be a hit this year. Optimus Prime, Megatron and Jazz costumes will be on the top of many boys’ lists.

For the girls, the Disney Princess and Disney Fairy costumes will be as popular as ever. Dressing like one of the enchanted Princesses of the Disney movies will always be a little girl’s dream come true. The new Fairies line features costumes that are just as delightful for little girls.

The movie “Hairspray” has inspired a flashback to 60’s dance wear. Girls, teens and even their moms will be dressing up like they are going to sockhop. Full skirts, crisp white shirts and bouffant hairstyles will be in style this Halloween.

No matter what type of costume you’re looking for, there are plenty of popular choices for 2007 for every member of your family.

Personally, on a critical standpoint, there were huge ups and downs in the movie, however, I can say I was more up during the movie since I wasn’t expecting any kind of acting masterpiece to begin with. I was pleasantly surprised by the comedy of the movie (I won’t give away any specific scenes), yet disappointed with how unbelievably cheesy some of the lines got. So I have come to the conclusion that this was a movie aimed at gaining the respect of the hardcore Transformer fans (I am one myself from back in the day to the present who still has a couple action figures at my parents’ house), yet appealing to the younger generation to create a new fan base of a timeless idea of robots that transform into the coolest machinery mankind can come up with. I mean really, who wouldn’t be intrigued by a fighter jet that would put the movie Top Gun to shame with it being able to transform in and out of it’s jet/robot hybrid constantly while taking out supremely skilled air force pilots with incredible ease?

Of course this is just the ramblings of an individual who can appreciate the developments and improvements of special effects over the years, and be wowed by the latest masterpiece of cinematography enough to overlook the lack of great acting and prevalence of pretty lame lines. When it comes to acting and story-lines, this is definitely not going to garner anywhere near an Oscar-worthy nomination. However I can say, for a “summer blockbuster” most people just looking for entertainment will not be disappointed. You won’t want to leave your seat halfway through, and you will be impressed by the special effects that were the main part of the advertising. You won’t be “duped” into giving up hard earned cash to see a terribly boring and idiotic movie. You will be able to sit down, watch a visually entertaining and impressive movie, and as long as you understand this isn’t an immensely deep movie, be able to enjoy the story-line that unfolds and even start to try to predict the plot of the sequel.

Good entertainment with sub-par acting: 3 out of 5

(I’ve never really had a rating scheme on movies but hey, it’s a start)

People who think that show is funny should be beaten with dead birds and forced to have pumpkin innards shoved in their pants. People that are painfully unfunny and take the greatness that is random humor, bastardizing it to write that show. If you like the randomness of ATHF, Venture Bros. or Harvey Birdman sight gags then you would expect to enjoy a show in which that was the main premise. YOU ARE WRONG. You are subjugated to fifteen minutes of drivel that may have been funny whenno, it was never funny. Putting eighties cartoon icons in situations is not the key to humor! Man ok like Optimus Prime in a crazy hat oh man EL-OH-EL wow that was way funnee! Cripes we have word for people that write Robot Chicken in Philly: Tools.

Seth Green though connected to Family Guy and what else, I don’t know Idle Hands is not funny nor has he ever been. Folks stop trying to constantly boost his ego, those of you are the people that think Nick Lachey and Carrot Top have talent. They are the people that watch the bug zapper or NASCAR and mindlessly lick their teeth saying “yep”. Cretin, I think would be an apt word. Randomness is funny when it revolves around something but a random blurb, a panda with a piece of cheese, okwell and then what? Wait it’s over? Wow. I think I would rather watch the Turkish Business Hour.

Now that I think about it, Robot Chicken came out in a group of crap from Cartoon Network. Twelve oz Mouse, Tom Goes to the Mayor and some other rubbish I can’t seem to recall due to me being far too livid. All those shows were like producers didn’t even try, just reached a pudgy hand into a box of Toastee Oats and pulled out a sparkly card with “crudely drawn mouse and shark” written on it. Man people I know you have small attention spans but you mouth breathers have to step it up so Andy Milonakis doesn’t get anymore work.

the CGI was the best i have ever seen, the acting was superb, and the very concept of the plot was more than a die hard transformers fan such as myself could have hoped for! not to mention the new look for optimus prime! i mean, FLAMES, BABY! this film managed to keep true to the essence of the transformers saga while, simultaneously, bringing the franchise to a whole new level.

trust me when i say, this is more than a kid-targeted sci-fi flick. this ain’t your daddies transformers, fan boy! my father, a fifty-something ex-Vietnam vet biker, a guy who finds science fiction to be, at best, hokey, sat through this movie with a look of astonishment on his face. my four year old son, who has the attention span of a mayfly, sat stock still for the entire almost two and a half hours! a feat that is , by no means, small!

in short, whether you’re a die hard fan or being introduced to the famed robots in disguise for the first time, you are guaranteed to walk out of that theater with a HUGE smile on your face!

AUTO-BOTS, ROLL OUT!

Remember when on Saturday morning how you would plop down in front of the tube for the cartoons. As a boy, G.I Joe’s or The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I would carry Donatello’s sword while watching the show and Imitate his every move. I remember my favorite show, the transformers, coming on at 8am. Transformers was better then any soap opera. Every week was something different. Sometimes the good guy one while sometimes the bad guy one. You basic action show in the 80’s featured the classic battle between good and evil. You could learn your child hood morals from Sergeant Slaughter during the commercial break of G.I. Joe. Optimus Prime preached about living the American way of life. All of the shows had the same basic themes. Honor, loyalty and love. No wonder the 80’s generation is the last great generation. Kids today are learning nothing from what they watch today. The games they play today or full of grotesque violence. I know in the 80’s we did have Atari and Nintendo. However, even in the War games of Nintendo there were no arms being hacked off or brains being blown out. It seems with the advancement of technology came the lack of morals taught on the tube. I guess the government didn’t want to step in. I understand you have to let the free market flow and grow at will. However, the violence has gotten out of control. Even worse, the influence of this violence in games has already made an impact on children in today’s society. Even worse, the cartoons children are accustomed to watch today have no moral teachings. At most you might learn the alphabet from sesame street. Not to say that this is bad, but kids don’t just pay attention to arithmetic on T.V. Cartoons for young teens are almost unheard of anymore. You might find a rebirth of shows like the turtles and transformers but nothing like what my generation is accustomed to.

With all of the trash that hit’s the airwaves these days, I yearn for an old cartoon. On the radio you have oldies 98, why not the 80’s cartoon channel. If it were a premium I would take it over any other. Somebody get Ted Turner on the line and remind him that preaching the American dream in cartoons should not be just another marketing scheme but a standard sub plot of any story. I guess I should just stop preaching to the choir. Thank you Optimus, Leonardo, Egon and Ray. Thank you Lionel, Splinter and even the evil shredder. Thank you for all of the great childhood memories. Thank you Howie Mandell for Bobby’s World. Thank You Snoopy and Charlie Brown for making me laugh after a rough day at school. Thank you to all the creators of the 80’s cartoons. You made my childhood much easier to deal with.

Right now, the law still considers animals as nothing more than property or objects that can be owned or disposed of little, if any, punishment. This is a sad state of things and I believe it needs to be changed.

Animals should have almost the same rights as people. I mean we don’t need to give animals to right to eat in restaurants or anything like that. Animals should have the rights to not be hurt or killed. They should have the right to food and water. They should have the right to shelter from nature’s elements.

Animals should have the same basic rights as humans. Most parts of the world have banned slavery of humans. I believe that it is time that animals receive their rights, not unlike that of humans.

Many people feel that animals do not think, which means that they do not deserve the same rights as humans. How does anybody know what the animals are thinking? Science has not found a way to see how animals think or how to fully communicate with them yet, so no one is in position to say that animals can not think.

Regardless of animals being able to think or not, this is no reason to prevent them from having rights. Some humans are mentally challenged, like with Downs’s syndrome or other types of mental disabilities. Do we not grant the rights? Of course we do, at least in this modern day an age. Some people’s intelligence is at or slightly above that of some animals, so both should be granted the same rights as anyone else.

Yes, animals are very different than people but at the same time people are animals. At this point of evolution, we just happen to be at the top of the food chain because we have the most intelligence – at least we claim to. If things had turned out differently, we might be the weaker species today and animals might be our masters. If you were a part of the weaker species and animals were above you, would you want the same rights as the stronger species or would you rather be subservient with no rights? I think the answer is simple. Of course you would want the same rights, so you should grant animals the same rights now.

If I might borrow the words of any seemingly out of place source, I want to quote the Transformers. In the show, Optimus Prime, leader of the heroes, often says that “freedom is the right of all sentient beings.” Sentient means aware. Some people do not believe that animals are aware but I think that they are.

Animals should have the rights to not be used for animal testing and, if they are a food source, such as cows, they have the right to be treated humanely until it is time for them to be put to down. I know it sounds cruel but we do need to eat and don’t forget, some animals to eat other animals for survival. But, animals used for food is no excuse for cruelty or taking away their rights.

While animals do not need to be given the same exact rights people, we are a far cry from rights that animals should be given. When people are found guilty of animal cruelty, they should receive a stronger punishment than just a fine or short jail sentence. I think that animal cruelty should be viewed this same exact way as we view human cruelty.