Tim Burton

Last of the 3D portraits.
Happy Birthday Tim Burton, my dark and quirky muse!

Curiouser and curiouser

There are very few movies that have me counting down the days
for their release. Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is at the top
of my list of must see on the big screen films.
Walt Disney Pictures has just released a sneak peek
of the illustrative cast of characters:
Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bona Carter as
the Queen of Hearts and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.
This feast for the eyes will hit the theaters March 5, 2010.

New Halloween Hall of Fame Inductee! (drum roll, please)

Academy Award-nominated director is recognized for his contribution through movies that have promoted Halloween and inspired costumes over the years

The Halloween Hall of Fame, an organization dedicated to promoting Halloween by sharing fun facts and other information, recognizes those who have contributed through music, movies, designing Halloween costumes and much more. This year, they have selected Tim Burton to be the next inductee into their Hall of Fame. The Academy Award-nominated director is recognized for his spooky film work including, "Nightmare Before Christmas", “Edward Scissorhands”, “The Corpse Bride" and many others.

Mr. Burton has produced several multi-million dollar movies that have inspired top selling Halloween costumes like “Batman" and "Planet of the Apes". Mr. Burton is joined by the existing hall of famers who have contributed to promoting Halloween and include Vincent Price, Lon Chaney, Jr., Bobby (Boris) Picket, Bella Lugosi, Elvira and Fred Gwynne.

“Tim Burton’s movies have had such an impact on the inspiration of the next greatest Halloween costumes. Due to his amazing vision, each one of his movies sets off a frenzy of ideas and demand for the next Tim Burton movie-inspired Halloween costumes,” said Harold B. Maxwell, Founder of the Halloween Hall of Fame. "The fact is, Halloween is fun, and we are so pleased to include a film director who shares our love of Halloween."

Each year, the Halloween Hall of Fame board recommends nominees and a new member is then selected by the public. Each nominee is added to the Halloween Hall of Fame website where the public votes. Just before Halloween, the votes are tallied and the public is then informed of the winner. Tim Burton won this year by a 20% margin, with John Carpenter coming second.

About The Halloween Hall of Fame

The Halloween Hall of Fame is an organization dedicated to honoring people who have contributed to the popularity and fun of Halloween. In fact, the Halloween Hall of Fame provides the history behind Halloween, Halloween trivia, customs, traditions, safety tips and current trends. The Halloween Hall of Fame board of directors is made up of Halloween industry professionals and those who support the holiday of Halloween.

Jack-O-Lantern Stencils

One of my favorite Halloween traditions is carving a pumpkin.

A perfectly carved Jack-O-Lantern is the second item on my Halloween list, right after the perfect costume.

Some of my favorite stencils can be found at Zombie Pumpkins. They feature stencil galleries including Tim Burton characters, movie villains (including The Joker), superheroes and other popular Halloween characters.

Get carving!