TIME FOR HALOWEEN WARS !!!!

My all time favorite thing on Earth is back…. That’s right people it’s time for Halloween Wars on Food Network!! This is such a uniqe and fun take on a “Halloween” special that I look forward to it every year. I LIVE for new episodes every Sunday. As I type this up I’m watching a replay of last years Halloween Wars cause I missed it that much. Incase you haven’t heard of this amazing wonderful thing Halloween Wars consists of a Pumpkin Carver, Candy Craftsman and a Master Cake Artist (AKA rice Cereal Treat Artist) who team together to create a cohesive show piece that wows the judges and keeps them in the game. It’s a 4 part series and this will be the 5^th season of the show. I truly hope it NEVER ends. Each episode, each year is so different because the competitors are different, even when contestants come back for a 2^nd time they have a different team which changes everything. Did I mention the winning team gets $50,000?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/halloween-wars.html

The 2015 Teams:

Maroon–Spell Binders (Kristen Lovulla, Joseph Yakovetic and Charity George)
Orange– Scream Team (Robert Teddy, Adam Bierton and Darci Rochau)
Purple – Morbid Morticians (Renay Zamora, Rebecca Wortman and Doug Goodreau)
Green– Gore Mayhem (Heidi Trelstad, Rocio Varela and Dean Murray)
Yellow– 2 Ghouls and a Guy (Diane Fehder, Jeff Munchel and Bridget McCarty)

Learn more about the teams here…

http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/tag/halloween-wars-interview/

The setup of an episode:

Each episode has 2 rounds…. Round 1 is the Small scare challenge (45 minutes) in which the winner gets an advantage going into round 2 known as the Spine Chiller challenge (5 hours) which includes a tasting element for the judges and could be the difference in staying or going home. Each round has a specific theme that the teams have to focus their displays on. At the end of each episode a team is sent home.


L-R Brian Kimney, Shinmin Li, and your new host Rossi Morreale

Judges:

The series is judged by 2 main judges who remain through all the competitions and a guest judge who is a fresh pair of eyes every week. The main judges, who return for another season, include Shinmin Li, a pastry chef, and Brian Kinney a make-up artist known for the movie Dark Skies. 

Guest judges for this season include: Episode 1: Robin Atkin Downes (The Strain). Episode 2: Benjamin Papac (Walking Dead). Episode 3: Bex Taylor-Klaus (MTV’s Scream). Episode 4: Elvira (if you don’t know Google or Bing her & you'll fall in love with her).

NEW HOST!!!!

I’m sad to report that my buddy Justin Willman will NOT be the host for this year’s War as he has gone back to his day job. He’s a comedian/magician if you didn’t know. Check him out cause he’s awesome but that’s a post for another day.  

However, I digress….. as I said the new host is Rossi Morreale a former college football player at the University of Arkansas and is now an actor/producer/TV host. He appeared on the 2^nd season of “Temptation Island” and was the host of Junkyard Wars on TLC. He’s was listed in People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" edition. He’s also hosted shows on G4, TBS, Extra, and On Air with Ryan Seacrest. I look forward to getting to know him better as this series progresses.

Follow Rossi on twitter @rossimorreale and welcome him to the War :D

Weekly Themes for the Spine Chiller Round include:

Week 1 – Infestation
Week 2 – Hybrid Horror
Week 3 – Grave Robber
Week 4 – Undead Dinner Party

Each team has a “leader” but all 4 have to come together to make it from week to week. There is a ton of chatter on Twitter each week so join the conversation by Tweeting #HalloweenWars and also hit @FoodNetwork so they will continue this event next year and for years to come.

It’s fascinating seeing these guys take these highly different mediums and get them to all work together to create a fantastic show piece. I love how each showpiece is so different even though they all have the same theme. The creativity of it is just awesome! Sometimes there are EPIC wins and other times epic fails but watching the steps it took to get there is great getting to see their creativity come to life and how working as a team affects the end result. One wrong move from one of them could ruin them all and send the team home.

This awesome show is on every Sunday with a new episode 9/8c. It’s only 4 weeks so jump on the bandwagon now and hopefully we’ll be back next year and for many years to come.

-Marcy (@beaslma)

Halloween Wars Is BACK!!!!

The premise:
A Pumpkin Carver, a Candy Craftsman and a Master Cake Artist (AKA rice Cereal Treat Artist) team together to create a cohesive show piece that wows the judges and keeps them in the game. It’s a 4 part series of AWESOME and my all-time favorite thing on the earth. This is the 4^th year of this series and I hope It NEVER ENDS!!!!! Each episode, each year is so different because the competitors are different. Even those who are returning they come with a new team and thus add a different dynamic.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/halloween-wars.html

A quick rundown of the show ….

There are 5 teams. As I previously stated each team has a has a pumpkin carver, candy maker, and a cake decorator, tho they often use rice cereal treats instead of cake which bugs me more than I'm sure you care to know. At the end each episode one team is sent home and the rest live to fight another week. There are 4 weeks of competition with an eventual champion crowned in an epic $50,000 battle.

The 2014 Teams:

Orange –Dead Reckoning
Blue –Spooktacular
Green –Malicious Intent
Purple –Sweet Nightmares
Yellow – Corpse Crushers

The setup:

The show has 2 rounds. Round 1 - is the Small Scare challenge (45 minutes) in which the winner gets an advantage going into Round 2 - the Spine Chiller challenge (usually about 5 hours) which includes a tasting element that the judges will taste and will factor into their score. Unlike other shows he hosts on the network Justin gets to taste the treats as well tho he gets no say in who goes home!

There are two main judges, who remain through all the competitions, and a guest judge, who is a fresh pair of eyes every week, which dictate the fate of these teams. The main judges include Shinmin Li a pastry chef, and Brian Kinney a make up artist known for the movie Dark Skies. Guest judges for this season includes: Episode 1: Naomi Grossman, known as Pepper on American Horror Story: Asylum. Episode 2: Adi Shankar, known for producing The Grey and Killing Them Softly. Episode 3: Francia Raisa known from The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Episode 4: Lew Temple from The Walking Dead.

Justin announces the theme of the challenge and the teams get to work. They have a few moments where they talk strategy and come up with the "design" then they all get to work. It’s fascinating seeing these guys take these highly different mediums and get them to all work together to create a fantastic show piece. The successful teams are the ones who make it all look like a single piece and it's hard to tell which medium was used for which piece. Seamless integration of all mediums is a must. Sometimes they have EPIC wins and other times epic fails, but watching the steps it took to get there is great. Getting to see their creativity come to life and how working as a team or not working as a team as is sometimes the case ends up hurting them in the end. One wrong move from one of them could ruin them all and send a qualified and creative team home.

2014 Spine Chiller Challenge Themes:

Week 1 – The Haunted Farm
Week 2 – Don’t Go Into The Forest
Week 3 – Mummies VS Werewolves
Week 4 – Haunted Carnival

Each team has a “leader” but all 4 have to come together to make it to the next week. Some of the contestants have been on previous years of Halloween Wars yet so far haven’t learned from their past mistakes. It's interesting to see dynamic of the team especially when things are NOT going well and who steps up and who melts down.
 

 

It does not hurt that the show is hosted by Justin Willman who is my all-time favorite person on earth. Seriously guys Justin is fantastic. He’s a magician who also hosts things to help pay the bills. I talked Golden into going to see him a few years back (she took the picture above) and it was a fantastic night. I can't wait until the next time. If he comes anywhere near your house you need to check him out. Here’s a link to his website and his tour schedule. Upcoming shows include the states of California, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, and Missouri.

http://www.justinwillman.com/#home

Episode one is in the can and a team has been sent home, did you agree? I think they were just over ambitious about what they could do in the timeframe they had. That’s the key, you can have the greatest concept but if you can’t deliver it then it’s just a sketch on the page. This is definitely a show where “go big or go home” usually means you are going home.

If you missed this week’s episode check it out in repeats then meet back on twitter for next week, it’s on every Sunday 9/8 central but only for 4 weeks so jump on the Halloween Wars bandwagon now!

There is a ton of chatter on Twitter about this episode so join the conversation by Tweeting #HalloweenWars and also hit @FoodNetwork so they will continue this yearly event next year.

 

-Marcy  @beaslma

 

By the way we just celebrated our 2nd month Blogaversary !! :D We also recently passed 1,000 views and Golden (AKA @theonlygolden ) and I thank you all for joining us on this trip, hopefully we have entertained you and made you smile.
 

Happy October!!!!!

As I've said before Halloween is my favorite time of year. IT's the one time of year people tap into their creativity and create things. They carve pumpkins, create cute fall things for their front doors, costumes for their kids, and it usually ends up being a family fun filled holiday. Ok there are some haters out there trying to demonize Halloween but those people suck and shouldn't be in your inner circle. I personally find it hilarious to see the Devil and Jesus on either side of the isle at the local shops around town.

 

This year, since we have a blog now I'm posting my annual Halloween calendar here instead of sending out a jpeg via twitter!!! Yeah I know shameless plug of our blog....but yeah what of it. You are getting endless hours of fun here people besides this year has flown by, I'm pretty sure I just sent the 2012 one out ... didn't I?

 

The calendar is set up for 11X17 format but if you tell it to fit to page it should print on an 8.5 X 11 page if you are unable to print the other size. The Jpg is such a large file because if it's on a phone and you blow it up to see a specific day the text shouldn't break down on you, well it doesn't on my Windows Phone and at the end of the day it's really all about me. :D

As always …. a few guidelines:

·         I live in the central time zone, the times on this calendar reflect that, adjust accordingly.

·         Unless otherwise stated the times are PM

·         This calendar contains shows I want to see, so it includes a mixture of adult themed shows/movies and kid themed shows/movies. Some are classics and some are new, so PLEASE be mindful of what is on before you sit the kids down with popcorn to watch Michael Myers in Halloween.

o    Don’t call me cause your little one watched Halloween and can’t sleep because that shadow looks like a guy holding a knife or an ax … that’s your mess not mine. Seriously don’t call, or that shadow won’t just be a shadow anymore. (true story btw)

I am sad to report that I cannot find when ABC is showing It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. I have begged everyone I can think of to let me know. This is the third year in a row and it’s depressing. Last year they showed it Halloween Night (which is just dumb) and ABC Family showed it randomly a few times, when they had an hour of “dead time” but I’m not finding it listed on either site at the moment. PLEASE watch out for it. You don’t want to miss it.

****UPDATE**** ABC finally announced that The Great Pumpkin will air on WED. Oct. 15th at 7:30 after Toy Story of Terror!!!!!! ****UPDATE****

That said keep your eyes and ears open as networks change their schedules and add movies depending on their air time throughout the month.

A few programs of note:

·         Halloween Wars is back on Food Network starting Oct. 5th this is a 4 part completion series from the makers of Cupcake Wars where teams of pumpkin carvers, cake decorators, and candy makers try to prove they are the best. Each episode has a different theme. Check it out every Sunday night!

·         Fox is showing the Simpson’s Treehouse of Horrors on Oct. 19^th, so check that out then turn over to Food Network for Halloween Wars.

o    Also FXx is also planning a Treehouse of Horrors Marathon on Oct. 26^th

·         AMC is once again doing their FEAR FEST starting on Oct. 14^th through Oct. 31^st for 18 days of over 70 films. Part of the Fear Fest includes Friday the 13th and Halloween movie marathons, Steven King marathons, and a Child Play movie marathon.

·         SYFY is also celebrating 31 days of Halloween starting Oct. 1^st showing great horror movies and science fiction awesomeness which includes original movies and classics. It also includes original programming like Scare Factor and Ghost Hunters.

·         ABC Family is once again celebrating the 13 Nights of Halloween starting October 19th lots of fun animation and family friendly movies and Halloween themed shows. ABC is showing Toy Story of Terror, Beetlejuice, Adams Family, and so many others including the Goonies which isn’t really a Halloween movie but is awesome all year long!

·         The Disney Channel  is having Monstober from Oct. 2nd through the 31st showing movies and Halloween themed shows as well. Their site says their lineup will include Twitches, Halloweentown, as well as premiers of Wreck-it-Ralph (not Halloween), Casper, Pirate Fairy (which I’ve never heard of) and more. However they can’t be bothered to really post their line up so they don’t appear much on the calendar. L so check them out for family friendly fun.

·         The Travel Channel has some fun programs that highlight decorating and celebrating the holiday across the country with shows like Halloween Crazy (Halloween Crazier) and my favorite America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions.

This calendar does not focus on regular show “Halloween theme episodes” so no a Halloween themed Pretty Little Liars isn’t shown here. It’s more for movies and TV specials tho I admit Roseanne should be required viewing for TV writers tasked with writing a Halloween Themed episode. If you are home and one comes on definitely stop and watch it.

Also this calendar focuses on what’s on my TV, aka channels I get, I don’t get Chiller TV (Tho I would like to) so you’ll notice there’s not much from them on this calendar. I did note Scary Social but that was more for a friend of mine. Other channels with a good suspense/horror lineup include Encore Suspense, Sundance,

If you’d like to see the line ups for those channels here’s a good site to check out:

 

This list is created by Savage Shawn and he's just fantastic (truth is I just found him via this page but this list is pretty epic and took a lot of time to create!) Hit him up on twitter at @theliberaldead 

http://liberaldead.com/blog/your-2014-halloween-season-tv-preview-with-schedules/

The intention of this calendar, much like the Christmas one is to get your family to pause and spend some time together making memories. Maybe carve a pumpkin while watching, or create some fantastic Halloween Treats from your various Social Media sites and RELAX with your family. I loved watching the Garfield Halloween special as a kid, and am sad that it no longer comes on. That’s the other reason for this calendar, if we stop watching they will stop showing. So just because you have the Great Pumpkin on a shelf, take the time to watch it with your family when it FINALLY airs on ABC.

So here it is in all its glory the 2014 Halloween TV Calendar ....

so sit back, scare yourself, and have a GREAT Halloween! It’s fall people enjoy it!
--Marcy