The theme park is a massive undertaking and painstaking details and planning have gone into its production. Of course, Harry Potter’s creator, author J.K. Rowling has given the project her stamp of approval. This sprawling 20-acre park site attempts to recreate some of the Potter-verse’s most memorable locales. Shops and eateries like Olivander’s wand shoppe (where it has been confirmed that visitors can purchase their very own souvenir wands) and Honeyduke’s candy emporium are proposed, as are pub-style restaurants such as The Three Broomsticks which will serve butterbeer and traditional British pub fare to hungry visitors. A replica of Hogwarts Castle is also supposed to be on premises, as well as countless other favorite places from the series.

Beyond that, rollercoasters and rides make up a good portion of the park. The Dragon Duel ride features two twin rollercoasters, while The Flight of the Hippogriff is a slightly tamer rollercoaster more suited to families, as opposed to mega-thrill seekers.

The one aspect of the park that is still under wraps, guarded with the typical secrecy surrounding nearly every Harry Potter project, is an attraction known as “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.” From the photos on the site, it may be speculated that this is a haunted house-style attraction, or some sort of a role-playing scavenger hunt.

One minor, disappointing detail revealed about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is that there will not be any costumed characters roaming the park, a la Disney World. However, that’s not to say visitors can’t strut their stuff with pre-made Harry Potter costumes based on their favorite characters, or even DIY versions of other beloved characters like a href=”http://www.costumzee.com/how-to-costumes/view/4950/”>Luna Lovegood and Professor Snape.

Although it’ll be a long wait until spring, some photos have been made available on the site of some of the proposed drafts for the attractions.

Check out the photo for “Ride of the Hippogriff”

and

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

More details and additional proposed renderings of rides and attractions, as well as a first look video can be found here: http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/

Are you planning a Halloween Costume Party and looking for great ideas? If you are like me you get a kick out of decorating for Halloween no matter the decorations you have accrued over the years. This year I was surprised to see how many seasonal stores have opened in my neighborhood with costume ideas and decorations. And it is the decorations that truly caught my eye!

For those who have a little extra to spend you could set up the best Haunted House for your costume party with all the accessories available out there. One such item that caught my eye was the headstone with a dead person. You stand on this mat, and wait for the decoration to work. As air fills the dead person he pops up and goes “boo!” It is one of the better choices because even though you know it’s going to pop up many still get a shock.

There are flying ghosts, Halloween doorbells, dismembered bodies, and even better zombies that crawl along the floor. But what if you don’t have the money? Don’t worry because you can still create your own decorations with the right smarts and a few tools. Check out our own decorations and accessories here.

Ghoul Hanging decorations, Halloween lawn stakes, flying bats and much more will help you get the right spin on your costume party. You are already looking for the best costume idea, so why not add a little more to your fun!

Toys R’Us and Disney have teamed up to offer twenty- five Disney costumes for Halloween this year. Each year there are millions of costumes available, which make the decision of who to be extremely difficult. This year you might elect to do something for someone else. Toys R’Us and Disney have twenty- five new costumes that will support the Children’s Affected by AIDS Foundation or CAAF.

At the start of September the costumes will be placed in Toys R’Us stores and online from their stores. The costumes include Disney Princess costumes, Disney Toy Story costumes, Tinker Bell costumes, and Power Ranger costumes to name a few of the choices.

These two companies have the right idea of supporting individuals who are important. A portion of the purchase price of the costumes will go to the foundation. But, you do not have to just support the CAAF. Perhaps you already have a charity or foundation you would like to help. Just because Disney and Toys R’Us have come up with the idea does not mean you cannot put your own spin on things.

Consider for a moment organizing a school drive for old costumes. I’m sure your children or even you have some costumes you no longer wear. By creating a situation where people can bring these costumes to you, you can help pass them out to children who might not have a costume. The times are tough. The economy is still recovering so some children may be without the means to get even last year’s popular costume.

There are a number of ways you can support a foundation or your local community with costumes. If you are handy with a needle and thread consider making your own popular costume like Harry Potter costume pieces or Transformer costumes. With cancer foundations, wildlife funds, abused pet charities, and much more you have plenty of opportunity to support what means most to you.

Coinciding with the show’s fifth season premiere on Thursday September 17th, 2009, “The Nightman Cometh” will be playing at Philadelphia’s Tower Theatre. While no previews of the show have been given to the public, the episode enough is incentive enough for fans of the series to check out the musical. The prospect of hearing the show’s cast including Philadelphia native, Rob McElhenny, who plays Mac (and who is also one of the show’s creators and writers), his real-life wife and co-star Caitlyn Olson who plays Sweet Dee, and Danny DeVito among others sing such songs as “You Gotta Pay the Troll Toll” and “Day Man” and its reprise is enough to pry fans away from their television sets.

If the mood strikes, dress up for the occassion and head to the theatre as some of your favorite characters from the musical episode! Ladies can dress as Dee’s character of The Princess Waitress and wear a pink Disney Princess Aurora costume as worn by the Sleeping Beauty character. Or, get creative and check out some of DIY tutorials and learn How to Make a Nightman Costume and How to Make a Dayman costume.

Tickets go on sale at 10AM on Friday August 7th, 2009 on Livenation.com for all six shows. Snap ‘em up for what’s sure to be a fun-filled show!

This traveling exhibit is scheduled to hit 40 cities in 5 years. This summer, it’s docked itself for the summer in Philadelphia’s famous Franklin Institute Museum showcasing not just costumes, artifacts, and props from the original show and films, but also the science behind Star Trek. The science aspect of the exhibit compares and contrasts how close we are with technological advancements as seen in the 22nd and 23rd century on the franchise.

Some of the items included in the exhibit include Captain Kirk’s chair from the original series, the main deck from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and various Klingon costumes from the original series with their more human look, to the most widely recognized alien version. Among other items, a “Shuttlepod Simulator” is an additional option that visitors can check out for an additional $6.

It runs Sunday through Saturday with various hours beginning at 9:30AM and tours as late as 8PM. Tickets range from more expensive daytime prices (the most expensive being $23.75 for adults and evening prices for adults at $12 with discounts for kids and seniors at all tour times.

While photography isn’t allowed, patrons are welcome to come dressed as their favorite Captain, Vulcan, or any other character from Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe! Live long and prosper!

The Ghostbusters are celebrating their silver anniversary this year. The 1984 comedy cult classic starred an ensemble cast bringing the quirky paranormal experts/scientists to life including Bill Murray as the snarky womanizer, Peter Venkman; Dan Akroyd as the brainy yet naive Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson as the no-nonsense hired gun Winston Zedmore; and Harold Ramis as the strictly scientific Egon Spengler.

2009 proposes to be the Year of the Ghostbuster with a 25th anniversary edition of the film being released on DVD and Blu Ray on June 16th and Atari’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game released on the same day. The premise of the video game is that New York is haunted once again and the Ghostbusters are taking on new recruits. The player gets to insert themself into the game as the newest member of the Ghostbusters’ team. A trailer for the game can be found here.

As a tie-in to the game, fans can send in their “video resumes” as to why they shoud be the new recruit for the Ghostbusters’ team. If you think you’ve got the stuff to wield a proton pack and collect gooey ectoplasm (”Great, Egon… Someone blows their nose and you want to keep it!) for paranormal studies, you can submit your video here: www.GhostbustersIsHiring.com

Additionally, a new film, Ghostbusters III has been proposed and is in the works. Dan Akroyd confirmed this and said the original cast will be reunited for the third installment. Although nothing is concrete yet, the Akroyd said he hopes that the film features an all-girl team of Ghostbusters for the older, male team to pass the torch to. Nothing is carved in stone yet, but we’ll keep you up to speed on developing details.

Til then, perfect your skills and get in uniform with a Ghostbusters costumes with officially licensed jumpsuits in shades of grey and tan, just like the ones worn by Venkman, Stanz, Spengler, and Zedmore. And even if the new crew of Ghostbusters are female, we’ve got you covered there, too with specially designed ladies’ Ghostbusters costumes with a sexy flair in a short jumpsuit style!

Whether or not Ray Parker, Jr. will be reviving his career with a new rendition of the classic theme song is still yet to be uncovered. Until then… “Who ya gonna cal!?”

Little Big Planet is a Play Station 3 puzzle game released in November 2008. Since its release the game has been one of the most popular for gamers who love story books. Little Big Planet has so far been a success due to the high level of graphics and fun you can have within the game. There are set levels of platforms you can play as single or multiplayer, yet there are also choices that allow you to customize the game for more adventure. Players are either Sackboy or Sackgirl owing to the appearance of the characters and their dress style.

During the game players are able to run, jump, and manipulate objects in their way. They can also explore several different types of environments. The player gets to edit their sackboy costumes as well as share anything they create. As the story progresses the player is able to unlock more adventure with mini bonus levels and over 50 different regular levels. The game may look 2D, but you still have a depth that makes the game more interesting.

It is the ability to change the characters clothing and create your own identity that yields Little Big Planet costumes for hardcore players. If you are looking for an innovative Halloween costume idea or a costume party idea, Little Big Planet has plenty of options. There are characters based on Kratos, Medusa costumes, Minotaur, Nariko, Final Fantasy costumes, and even Super Street Fighter costumes. The game has some online abilities as well, which helps to share your character creations and expand your world. An announcement on Tuesday was made to let players know there is now more in store for them. As of May 21st any Little Big Planet player can obtain new software to load with their game. This kit is called the Monster Pack. The kit allows you to purchase costumes for your game personality for 99 cents. Rotary saws, Mannequin head, legs, and torso will be available for the game. Also such costume ideas as reptile skin, fish scales, and orange fabric will be available. There are over 26 monsters you can design with tentacles, rusty nails, and much more. The kit also includes theme stickers and horror sounds.

So what does this mean for real life costumes? Well you know have more costumes to create based on the game Little Big Planet. One of the most popular ideas right now is the Monster Sackula. Count Sackula is a lot like a Count Dracula costume only the costume would be made out of a sack like look for Sackboy. The Bride of Sackula is yet another idea if you need a couples costume. Werewolf costumes and zombies are also part of the new release for the game providing us with more concepts for Halloween in the coming months.

You may think of orange and black when you hear “Halloween,” but this October 31st, you might want to think “green”!

Going green has become more than just a trend, but a way of life. With so many businesses adopting eco-friendly policies (that will earn them government aid and tax breaks), living green touches nearly every aspect of people’s lives from driving, recycling, and even advertising.

Bearing that in mind, it’s only logical that Halloween costumes will be going green in 2009. Green themes are already coming out in abundance with costumes celebrating greener living. Here is a sneak peak at some of the costumes that will be hitting stores for Halloween 2009 with a cleaner, greaner style in mind:

Guys can go for something humorous that still makes a statement with this Recycle “Garbage Man” costume:

Opt for a sexy, sassy “Recyclers Do It Better” costume and have your “world” on a string with this look!

Go ’60s mod with this “Go-Go Green” costume… Accessorize with a pair of white go go boots and you’ll be a green, go-go goddess straight out of a more eco-friendly decade!

Even if you’ve made the comittment to going green, what better way to cheer others on to do the same than with a Green Cheerleader costume?

These are just a few ideas to make your Halloween a bit more “green.” Other great, quirky options that you can choose this Halloween might include a Mother Nature costume…. Or a DIY Willie Nelson costume!

You will really feel like you are in the “Pits of Fun” when you buy the new Dreamgirls costume. The costume is yet another “Devil” with the horns and pointy tail. It is a dress comprised of a little red skirt and a slinky red body suit. The Devil is in the details with this brilliantly conceived light up skirt. The skirt works off batteries allowing the lights to sparkle throughout the flounced material.

You will be able to flash your way down the street, swinging your black tipped devils tail, while the faux jewel sparkles nestled in the black bow. The Devil horns are sewn on to a black headband. Your legs will be covered in sheer red stockings, ending at mid thigh. Lastly you will need to have some sexy black platform shoes!

The SheDevil is all dressed up with plenty of places to go, but she shouldn’t be alone. The sinners will automatically follow, and the saints are irresistibly drawn to this provocative cutie. Make sure you have The Angels and Demons Costume for your couples costume idea.

Don’t miss out on this wonderful costume at your next costume party or Halloween extravaganza!