I’ve done a little time traveling.

Yep, strapped myself into a medieval gown and went to a Renaissance Festival. That’s as far back in time as I go cuz I can’t be without my wet wipes, make up, hot baths, books, my computer and cell phone. I’m a hardcore 21st century gal.

But across the country, more dedicated historians do a little “time travelin” themselves with the help of Historical Reeanactments. There are Civil War reenactments, Fur Trade reenactments, Old West Train Robbery reenactments, 19th century Women’s Education Schools and the Old Time Base-Ball League, to name a few.

In period uniforms and language, the players of the 1860’s baseball league and their fans (called “rooters”), also dressed in the fashion of the day, are devoted to accuracy. The players use real dinner plates as bases which was standard protocol in the late 1800s and the “hurler” pitches underhand. Hand-sewn, leather-bound baseballs are caught with bare hands and you get four strikes before you’re out at the old ball game.

Late night talk show host, Conan O’Brien, caught wind of the league and decided to pay them a visit. Conan said his 1860s Baseball experience was his favorite video clip in Late Night history. Besides being hilarious, this video will give you an idea of what you can expect when you get involved with historical reenactments:

[via Mental Floss]

You know how I love vampires. So, of course, I couldn’t miss this opportunity to post the trailer for the new CW production, Vampire Diaries, due out this fall.

Based on the books by L.J. Smith, the Vampire Diaries tells the story of beautiful and popular high school student, Elena.

As the school year begins, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another.

But Stefan is a centuries-old vampire, struggling to live peacefully among humans and his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) is a violent and brutal vampire. Now these two vampire brothers are battling for Elena’s soul…and possibly the souls of the whole town of Mystic Falls, Virginia.

Heavy Sigh. What girl wouldn’t want two good-looking vampires fighting for her soul? Even if one is a little…ok, a lot, naughty, eh?

Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one! Vampire Diaries will air on Thursdays, starting September 10th, along with Supernatural…guess I’ll have to stake out two full hours of TV time.

There are many fun things you can do with costumes…dressing as your dead mother shouldn’t be one of them. Especially if you plan to commit grand larceny, forgery and conspiracy while you’re at it.

And yet, a New York man is accused of doing just that.

Officials say Thomas Prusik-Parkin donned a wig, heavy make-up and old-fashioned dresses and used a cane to portray his mother, Irene, who died in 2003 at the age of 73. The man posed as his mother for six years, to steal approximately $115,000 in benefits.

Parkin made sure his mother’s death wouldn’t be accurately recorded, giving the wrong Social Security information to the funeral director, so he could collect $700 a month in Social Security in her name (in addition to his own disability checks).

He is also accused of posing as his mother to file for bankruptcy and collect $39,000 in city subsidies to help pay rent on an apartment.

Parkin even enlisted a close friend to pose as Irene’s nephew, “helping” the “ailing aunt” get around town, cash government checks and assist in property transactions.

[via Daily Mail]

It seems like everytime you see Johnny Depp in a new film, you fall in love with him all over again. Even in Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Depp was so quirky and brilliant you couldn’t help but love him.

It’s going to take some getting used to Johnny’s new look, though. If you haven’t guessed, the picture above is a first peek of Depp as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s upcoming Alice in Wonderland adaptation. In place of the dark, floppy hair and tan skin we ladies love so much, Depp is unrecognizable with curly orange hair, pasty skin and pink make-up.

In addition to costume transformations, the cast’s features have been digitally altered, making them look even more garish. Check out these photo firsts of Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway:

The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter, above) has overthrown her sister, the White Queen (Hathaway, below) and has turned Wonderland from a peaceful kingdom to a land of paranoia and fear. Her head has been digitally ballooned as a representation of her character’s enormous ego.

As you can see, the look of the film is decidedly Burton-esque, with Victorian styling and extreme colour contrasts.

Fans will have to wait until March 2010 to see the film, but thanks to Disney, we have these first glimpses of what’s to come!

[via Daily Mail]

I have my reasons for liking Sci-Fi…and none of them have to do with the dangerously appealing male characters in other-worldly costumes. Yeah, okay, that was a lie. The truth is, I fantasize about men in sexy Sci-Fi costumes.

So, I was hardly opposed to taking a peek at Convention Fans’ Top 20 Sexy Male Sci-Fi Costumes when it was presented to me by a friend. While I agreed with some of the elected winners, others left me perplexed and unimpressed.

That’s when I decided to make my own list. It is my opinion that this list should be expanded to include Sexiest Male Fantasy (including the paranormal genre) costumes as well. While technically Fantasy is NOT Sci-Fi, and visa versa, there is a great deal of overlap between the two genres which both fall under the umbrella of speculative fiction (so there). Besides, it’s my list so you don’t really have a say in the matter…but I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed!

Anyway, here’s what I came up with…

Medieval Majesty

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy – The chivalrous medieval-style warrior, whether peasant-like or knightly, will ever attract the romantically-minded female.

Lusty Leather

Jason Mamoa as Ronan Dex in Stargate Atlantis – # 7 on the CF Top Twenty List. Nothing says “All Male” like distressed, form-fitting leather.

Keith Hamilton Cobb as Tyr Anasazi in Andromeda – The long dreads and fitted leather vest strategically cut to highlight one firm pec really made Andromeda worth watching (no, I didn’t watch it for Kevin Sorbo).

Eclectic

James Marsters as Captain John Hart in Torchwood – The blending of historical, weathered and modern costume elements creates a Steampunk-feel that’s bad-boy appealing. (# 20 of the CF Top 20 list).

Adrian Paul wore many costumes in his role as an immortal, from kilts to aviator gear to tuxedos…and he wore them all well. But if I had to choose, the traditional Scottish plaids would be have to be my fave.

Attired for Adventure

Brendan Fraser as Rick O’ Connell in The Mummy - Reminiscent of the tough adventurer persona in Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones character. It has a rugged quality that says “I’m man enough to protect you, battle supernatural forces AND find you a nice little treasure!”

Military Masculinity

Michael Beihn as Dwayne Hicks in Aliens: Military togs give off that strong, fit and disciplined vibe that compels women to croon, “I love a man in a uniform.”

Tantalizing Tanks

Hugh Jackman as James Howlett (aka Logan) in X-men Origins: Wolverine - What girl wouldn’t smack her lips in the presence of the feral Wolverine looking alarmingly virile in muscle tank, dog tags and denim…GRRR! (#3 on CF top 20 in his X-men suit)…simple but savory.

Steve Bacic as Telemachus Rhade in Andromeda – His snug sleeveless T-shirt and long fingerless, leather gloves compliment his muscular arms perfectly (by the way, this guy also looks great in SG-1 in a Gladiator-like costume…that’s him at the very top of post).

Vampire Vestment

Alex O’loughlin in Moonlight - Thank heaven’s vampires no longer wear the goofy high-collared black cape and tuxedo-like suit. This long black duster over a tasteful button down Henley and snug jeans is more likely to seduce a woman into letting the undead bite her…right, ladies?

Werewolf Wardrobe

Jason Behr as Varek in Skinwalkers – Biker denims accessorized with leather holsters, arm cuffs and a cool tattoo (Oh, and great facial hair) hint at the beast within.

Michael Sheen as Lucian in Rise of the Lycans – Knowing that a primal creature lurks under all that structured warrior-y leather goodness could drive a gal wild.

“Dressed” to kill Dragons

Christian Bale as Quinn Abercromby in Reign of Fire - If one is going to slay the dragon and save his people (including his damsel in distress) he needs to demonstrate that he has the strength necessary to get the job done. I’d say this less-is-more “costume” rather proves that Quinn is up to the task. The minuscule proportion of the teeny-tiny neck scarf augments the broad expanse of his ripped chest (I think I’ll buy my husband one of those scarfs).

Sad news, folks. David Carradine, beloved star of Kung Fu and Kill Bill has been found dead at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. He was 72.

Carradine was in Thailand working on his latest film Stretch. He became famous after starring in the 1970’s television series, Kung Fu. Modern pop culture will always remember his role as “Bill” in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

He had a great career which included more than 100 feature films, two dozen television movies as well as some theater work.

[via ComingSoon.net]

Farewell Grasshopper, we will miss you.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD

Twilight fans got a mouth-watering glimpse of the first New Moon trailer, which was sneak-peeked at Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards.

In the trailer, a drop of Bella’s blood nearly turns her birthday party into a feeding frenzy…causing the emotionally tortured vampire, Edward (Robert Pattinson), to excuse himself from her life. Enter the very chesty, primal Jacob (Taylor Lautner) as Bella’s now best friend and werewolf.

Go ahead and growl, if you want to. I did. And I’ll be howling, again, with the rest of the New Moon fans when the film hits theaters on November 20.

[via TV Guide]

Soccer fans have a reputation for fighting.

Soccer players on the other hand…well, let’s just say that there’s at least one group of football players who now have a reputation for being very cheeky.

Seventeen current and former members of the Bristol Hanham Athletic League were arrested last Saturday Night in the Greek town of Malia for wearing naughty nun costumes.

A police source quoted in a UPI article alleged that the players wore thongs under their skirts and were showing off their backsides. The official charges against the group were “causing a scandal by provocative acts and misrepresenting a uniform.”

The cheeky group, aged 18 to 65, spent 48 hours in a jail cell not fit for barely clad “nuns,” or anyone else. But on Monday morning, the court dropped the charges because no witnesses showed up to complain against them.

This wasn’t the first time the soccer players have engaged in costumed antics. In the past, they’ve dressed up as St. Trinian’s schoolgirls in Portugal and babies in Cyprus without encountering any trouble. But the town of Malia, located in a predominately Greek Orthodox country, was having “nun” of it!

[via SkyNews]

Fanime Con just wrapped up on Memorial Day weekend (May 22 through May 25). It’s the largest anime convention in Northern California, with over 10,000 attendees who enjoy the world of Japanese animation and related arts.

Fanime offers live concerts, engaging panels, competitions, video screenings of anime and Asian cinema, plus guests of honor from around the world. Oh, and plenty of costumed characters, of course.

The Naruto Konan-inspired costume above is rather impressive as it’s made almost entirely of paper, from the wings and coat to the paper rose in the young lady’s hair. It’s a fitting tribute to the female ninja (Konan) of the Akatsuki who can create ninjutsu out of paper.

Well done!

[via Manga.About.Com]

The world has experienced two major shocks in pop culture this week…the win of Shawn and Mark over favored Dancing with the Stars couple, Gilles and Cheryl, and Kris beating out Adam on American Idol!

Well, here’s another shocker, people…after nearly 70 years of stringing along both Betty and Veronica, Archie Andrews is getting married. That’s right, Archie will finally propose to one of them.

News of the perpetual bachelor’s pending nuptials leaked out Wednesday on the Internet and was confirmed on the official Archie Comics’ blog. It will be a six-part story beginning in Issue 600 of his comic book “Archie,” shipping on Aug. 12th and hiting stores on Sept. 8th.

In the story, Archie has graduated from Riverdale High School and college! Heck, he may even be a working stiff when he gets engaged.

But who will Archie choose…the elegant, wealthy Veronica Lodge? Or girl-next-door, Betty Cooper? On Archie’s blog, Jughead has suggested that Archie flip a coin to choose between the two ladies.

Hey, you think that’s how America decided who to vote for on Dancing with the Stars and American Idol?

[via TODAY on MSNBC]

Okay, I’ve been waitng, most impatiently, to see the Sherlock Holmes trailer and now that I’ve seen it…

I admit, it looks exciting. And Robert Downey appears to do a fabulous job—not surprisingly–as Britain’s most famous detective (although his version of Holmes is quite cheeky).

But if I were to try and describe the movie to you, I wouldn’t know where to start…”Sherlock Holmes: A Swashbuckling Victorian Romp,” perhaps?

Maybe the post I saw on the Cinematical web site is an apt description. It states that the new Sherlock Holmes movie looks like a fusion of “Young Sherlock Holmes meets The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vs. Van Helsing: At World’s End….”

What do you think?

With Paramount’s new blockbuster Star Trek movie, PC world is featuring some seriously functional Trek tech gear. Check it out…I think you’re seriously gonna want some of this stuff:

Light up your life with this Satin nickel-finish “Star Trek” chandelier ($189).

Feed your face Star Trek style with this Spork ($20) or train your digits to do the Vulcan greeting with these “stay warm and prosper” gloves.

Blast off with your killer surround sound in the ultimate ‘Trek’ home theater. Just install a small kitchenette and a potty…and you’ll never have to leave the room.

You’ll be light years ahead of the gang with these galacticly designed time pieces. But…can someone explain to me how to tell time with the wrist watch?

The Star Trek” USB Communicator Internet Phone ($44) comes loaded with 21 different sound effects and a LCD screen that spins when the cover is open, so you can boldly talk where you’ve never talked before.

Pimp out your iPhone in Tricorder style (free) using your iPhone’s Web browser. You can tap the various of buttons for different effects, like data and biology sensing mechanisms.