HALLOWEEN 2010: HOW WAS IT?

It was a pretty good year, considering that everyone was bummed out by the economic crisis. Even fashion magazines had Halloween issues (above).

I collected plenty of good Halloween pictures on the net, but I forgot to label some of them. Where did I get this (above) from, and who did it!?

There were some really imaginative outdoor displays (above) this year.

It's amazing what people will put on their lawns (above)!

Since we're on the subject of outrageous Halloween efforts, I wonder if Glendale artist Peter Montgomery ever built that Jules Verne machine in his driveway? He went on the internet to ask for money for it.

This year saw zillions of gross pumpkin displays (above).

I'm wondering if Tim Burton and ray Bradbury have made Halloween Trees (above) a permanent holiday fixture. I saw a lot of Halloween trees this year. Some  people have beautiful trees on their lawns and simply hang pumpkins on them...

...others set up Halloween trees inside their houses. Mostly the indoor trees are dried up twigs painted black. People either buy ornaments or hang homemade stuff from them: little poison bottles, paper witches, Godzillas, etc.

The "Blair Witch" movie (above) continued to influence reality TV this year. A zombie mini-series debuted, but I missed it.

Zombies (above) are still a big item at Halloween time.

Expensive rubber masks took a hit this year; nobody could afford them! I saw lots of cheap masks, though, some of them good. It looks like the last of the old vintage masks (the two pictures above) have finally been put out to pasture. They lingered on for years in updated versions, but I haven't seen any this time around.

I saw some vaguely similar ones, though. How do you like this one (above)? It's the love child of the famous Ernie Kovacs caveman mask with a Schnauzer. 

I stumbled on a couple of Halloween blogs which featured photos of abandoned amusement parks (above).  

Gee, it kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Everything we know and love will eventually end up like this park (above). 

So that was Halloween, 2010! The holiday is alive and well, at least in my part of the world. 

ACTING AND STAGE MOVEMENT FOR ANIMATORS

STROMBOLI'S PUPPET THEATER

Disneyland is sitting on top of a gold mine, and they don't seem to realize it. That's it above: Stromboli's theater from "Pinochio," pictured here in a concept painting by Tenggren.

What a beautiful building! It has the feel of a wooden circus tent. It's architecture that's meant for fun.

Here's (above) the original Albert Hurter drawing that Tenggren referenced. The perspective's off, and the rear of the building lacks detail, but it's still a powerful statement. Tenngren improved it by moving the Russian-style tower closer to the front and bringing the banner poles closer in.

Hmmm...well, maybe the tower is okay where it is.

I'm always amazed to see how cloth artifacts can improve the look of a building. Awnings, banners, draperies...all serve to take the hard edge off structural geometry.

The Hurter/Tenggren building was never used in the film. The design didn't go to waste though, it's one of the main attractions in Fantasyland.

I love this facade, though it seems underused in its role as the front door to a crystal glass store. It would work better as the come-on of a functional marionette theater, with a barker and teaser puppet show on the balcony. With poles and banners restored, with some real wood, it would make a great stand-alone structure as Hurter and Tenngren imagined it, especially if it was kept small and intimate, as in the original artwork.

If Disneyland hosted a real marionette theater, imagine how many puppets they'd sell in the gift shop!

 Maybe the show would be hosted by a Stromboli look-alike. I nominate puppet enthusiast Steve Worth. For the puppeteers...maybe the Flexitoons people.

The plot for the show? Just like the film: a bewildered Pinochio interacts with manic puppets.

                                                                  C'mon Disney!

"NOW, VOYAGER"

Aaaargh! Lots of goof-ups here! It's blurry, too small, full of misspellings, the story doesn't make sense, the characters aren't sufficiently identified, typos....what a mess! Unfortunately I'm busy and don't have time to correct any of this! So here it goes....AS IS. It's the comic book version of that venerable 40s love story........"NOW VOYAGER"

Copyright Note: The film, "Now Voyager" is owned 100% by Warner Bros, or the subsequent owners. This is a one-time only parody.

RECENT ASTRONOMY PICTURES

Here's more pictures from that never-fails-to-please astronomy site, "Astronomy Picture of the Day," link on the right sidebar.  Above is the clearest picture yet of the surface of the Sun. Click all these pictures to enlarge.

Recently a gigantic rip appeared on the Sun's surface. Flares were ejected and the rent closed again.

Here's (above) the Earth and the Moon as seen from the Messenger probe near Mercury.

Above: not a ring nebula....a ring GALAXY! A number of these things are on record. Nobody knows how they formed, but it's speculated that bar-shaped arms may have been present earlier in the galaxies' development.

Above, a Martian plain as it was recently seen from the Opportunity rover. I mistook this for an aerial view when I first saw it. Click to enlarge.

Not recent (above), but still interesting: a Voyager picture of the odd wrinkling in Neptune's atmosphere.
It reminds me of the way that pond scum distorts near the shore.

Above, dark clouds in the Carina Nebula, home of supermassive stars. Do you see those canine shapes? I'm surprised that it's not called The Dog Nebula.

Here's (above) a vortex in the clouds over the South pole of Venus.

Above, Calypso, a moon of Saturn. Nobody knows why it's so smooth.

Last but not least: turbulent clouds in the Lagoon Nebula.

THE NEXT NEW THING (PART 2)

Here it is: my prediction for the next new thing, the sweeping change that will alter everything in the next 10-20 years. It'll effect the way you dress, the way you speak, what you name your children, the kind of house you live in...everything. That sweeping change is........

...STEAM PUNK! I know, I know...you think Steampunk is a niche thing, something a few fans do at sci-fi conventions. Until recently I thought the same thing myself, but then I stumbled on the Steampunk sites on the net.

They're all over the place! Don't take my word for it; check them out for yourself. Check out the number of times it appears in design and architecture magazines. Check out the number of anime films and manga that are devoted to it. Check out the fan art.

 Don't be surprised if you wake up one day to discover that post-modern architecture has morphed into Victorian Steampunk (above). The two styles are more compatible than you might think. You can find a lot of hybrids right now.

Ordinary stores like Restoration Hardware and Ikea are carrying Pseudo-Steampunk lines. They don't call it that, but that's what it is.

This (above) is from Pottery Barn's Fall catalogue. It's an updated version of a Victorian living room, something Jules Verne would almost have found comfortable.

Make no mistake about it: Steampunk is in our future. It'll morph into a more pure form (above) with each passing year.

Eventually even your computer (above) will look like something out of George Pal's "Time Machine" movie.

Cars (above) will look a lot different. Inside they'll be high-tech for sure, but on the surface they'll resemble something your great grandfather might have seen when he was a kid.

Expect clothes (above) to change. Expect a return to etiquette. Far from resisting the new fashions, goths and emos will embrace them.

So that's my prediction for the not too distant future. Ignore it at your peril!