Category: Fun

It’s not quite October yet, but the air is turning crisper, the temperature’s starting to drop (at least a smidge), and the world’s talking about pumpkin-spiced everything, so naturally, we’ve got Halloween on the brain.

Today marks the launch of Collegiate Cook’s #Halloween15 series, where the site will post one new All Hallows Eve-themed recipe or set of pop-culture costume ideas each and every weekday. And, since CC is our sister site, we thought we’d give you a little spoiler: Day One is Suicide Squad.

Get the full details on those costumes here, which could totally double as 2015 Comic Con costumes too. Muhahahaha.

Collegiate Cook has been posting pop-culture costume roundups for years now — almost as long as the site’s been in existence — and we start thinking about ideas as early as July. We have Google Keep files where we share inspiration, though admittedly, many concepts never make it to even the “draft” stage. Today’s Pizza Rat is tomorrow’s, “wait, why was that a thing again?”

We also troll the interwebs to see what’s trending and what people might be interested in dressing up as. According to the National Retail Federation, most people tend to go with tried-and-true costumes: Witch, animal, zombie and pirate regularly top the lists.

That’s why we’re committed to coming up with costume ideas that are a little less ordinary, that people can recognize and identify with and go, “Whaaat?! I need to take a picture with you…NOW!” Not that you need the recognition. It’s just that Halloween’s a little more fun when you have a head-turning costume. You’re dressing up anyway, so why not go all out?

If you have any ideas you’d like to see in this year’s #Halloween15 series, comment or tweet @CollegiateCook.

Pumpkins Photo: Hide Obara/Unsplash

Every September and October brings a whole new round of shows to watch — some great, some mediocre at best, some destined to be canceled before ever airing a fourth episode. Here are the five I’m most looking forward to catching (and, oddly enough, most of them seem to be on NBC).

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It’s fascinating to me how many famous musicians have penned hits for other celebrities. So much so, in fact, that I recently fell down a digital rabbit hole looking up who wrote what — and, naturally, I had to share my findings with you.

Are there any hits I’ve overlooked? Tell me in the comments! (Inquiring minds need to know.)

The Song: “Diamonds”

Performed by: Rihanna
Written by: Sia
Even if you don’t immediately recognize Sia’s name, you definitely know her voice. The singer, who often wears a wig that obscures her face in public, has is known for her hits “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart,” and for crushing the chorus on Flo Rida’s “Wild Ones.”

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Like many people, I rarely open retail email blasts, unless it’s the weeks leading up to Black Friday. But this one made me click the subject line before my brain could even fully register the subject line: New Beauty Box. Just $5.

It was from Target. Target?

We’ve covered all kinds of beauty boxes here before — and we’ve seen all kinds of brands enter this world — so naturally, I was immediately intrigued by Target’s promise: $19 worth of goodies in exchange for an Abe Lincoln. I can swing that.

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I’ve been known to take a sudden detour when something catches my attention. Particularly when it smells like freshly baked cookies.

While the scent wafting from The Cookie Man in Cairns, Australia, initially caught my attention, I found myself standing in front of the shop for a full two minutes, awkwardly telling the baker I wasn’t sure what I wanted, as I stared, slack-jawed, at the conveyor-belted machine pumping out cookies by the dozen.

There’s something strangely captivating about it, especially when timelapsed and sped up. See for yourself:

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Though summer doesn’t technically end until Sept. 23rd, our minds tend to start shifting toward fall just after Labor Day. The long weekend feels like a last hurrah, so why not do it up big, before you start getting consumed by sweater weather and all things pumpkin spice?

Consider this your Labor Day weekend must-do list:

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Hands down, the biggest thrill of the VMAs is its sheer unpredictability. The show’s big, milestone moments can earn a celeb at least a few days’ worth of PR — see: Lil’ Kim’s strategically placed seashell ensemble in the late ’90s, Britney dancing with a boa constrictor in the early 2000s, Miley Cyrus introducing the world to manic teddy bears and twerking just two years ago — so almost every guest treats the night as an evening to go ALL OUT.

Naturally, that makes for some great fashion moments, too. Some become instant Halloween costumes (cough, Gaga’s meat dress and Miley’s teddy bear leotard, cough). Some set trends.

Here are the VMA looks that set the stage on fire — at least in my mind:

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Beyond football season, sweater weather and pumpkin spice everything, fall is also a huge time for new book releases. Hundreds of titles come out during these months, and out of the ones I’ve seen, here are the ones I can’t wait to read:

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Think card and board games are just for kids? Pssh. We may have given up Candyland years ago, but we’ll never grow tired of these games. (Honestly — even the haughtiest, I-don’t-have-fun-at-parties types can’t resist them.)

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When Heroes went off the air in 2009, I was ready to start a petition for its return. In my mind, it was just starting to recover from the convoluted, achingly boring turn it took during the Writer’s Strike, and I held out hope that it could return to its chilling, I’m-going-to-lose-my-mind-waiting-until-Monday-for-the-next-episode drama that the first season had.

Heroes Reborn is the series’ epic second chance, but, given how abruptly Heroes ended, we immediately wondered: What direction is the show taking? Is it a complete do-over? Will it try to pick up where it left off? Or serve as a prequel to the “Save the Cheerleader” days?

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