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This Blog Post is from Associated Content and sponsored by Dating

Want to shake things up this Halloween? Try a super sexy costume.

This Love Bite Halloween Costume is sure to be a hit this year with the success of such vampire films and television shows as True Blood, New Moon and The Vampire Diaries. This costume includes a corset, skirt with attached garters, neck piece and mini top hat with bat applique. It comes in sizes S-L and sells for $88.95. Hair can be done as natural or elaborate as you want, curls make a statement. Wear light foundation and blood red lipstick. I suggest Revlon Color stay Lip Color in Red Velvet for $9.99. Add a bottle of Tru Blood to complete the look. It sells for $16 per four pack.

Whether or not you enjoyed the film Watchmen you have to admit that Malin Ackerman looked very sexy as the Silk Spectre. This costume includes a romper, garters and boot tops. It is available in sizes XS-M for $54.99. Add Rubies Costume Co. DC Comics Watchmen Silk Spectre Wig for $16.99 to complete the look.

This True Blue Fairy Light Up Costume actually lights up. It includes silver rope belt, headband, wings and light-up wand. It is available in S-XL for $49.95. Try Rampage Marquis High Heel Sandals in blue to deck out your tootsies. They are available in sizes 6.5-10 for $23.98.

If you want to show some skin pick up the Ride Em Cowgirl Costume. It is available in S/M or M/L for $37.99. Vest, chaps and wrist cuffs are included. Add Black or Brown Cowboy Boots in sizes 6-10 for $49.99. The City Slicker Cowboy Hat is only $22.99. All of these items are listed on the same page as the costume and can be easily added to your cart.

Need a more risque costume? Try the Leg Avenue 3Pc Pin Up Lion Tamer Set. It is only available in a size large for $27.55. This costume includes a bra, waist cinch-er and fringed panties with attached garters. I wore this costume a few years ago and although most people will have no idea what you are, they will find you very sexy. Add a Black Velvet Felt Top Hat for $6.99, Glitter Fishnet Tights (one size) for $6.50, Penthouse Allover Corset Heeled Boots in sizes 6-11 for $59.99 and Small Cat O Nine Tails Whip for $4.99. Although the panties have garters, I suggest wearing full fishnet tights underneath because if you wear thigh highs they may make your legs appear fuller. I also recommend wearing a thong under the panties and a push-up bra under the bra for support and coverage.

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This Blog Post is from Associated Content and sponsored by Singles

“These boots are made for walkin', and that's just what they'll do” this song lyric comes from the one hit wonder sensation, Nancy Sinatra, the daughter of Frank Sinatra. Her #1 hit single from the mid-1960's literally started the boot craze for girls and women, primarily go-go boots. However, the song has seen a renaissance in recent years on television commercials, films, music videos, and cover versions. Now for the Fall/Winter 2009-2010 season boots, more specifically cowboy boots are making a huge comeback. They are the hottest shoe fashion trend. You can wear them with a pair of jeans or a skirt. You'll find them in bright colors or the standard neutrals.

Cowboy boots aren't just riding boots for cowboys any more. These traditional boots were and still are made with comfort and durability in mind. There are two styles of cowboy boots: Western or Classic and Roper. The Western is one everybody knows with its tall boot shaft and angled heel. The lesser known style, Roper, is a shorter version of the classic cowboy boot. Both boots are usually made from cowhide leather, however, it has become in vogue to have the more “exotic” skins such as alligator, eel, ostrich, and lizard just to name a few. Let's find out what are the top ten cowboy boots for women for the Fall/Winter 2009-2010 season.

1.) Lucchese Classics – Fashion Collections – L4706

The Lucchese Boot Co. was established in 1883 in San Antonio, TX. They are the ultimate makers of cowboy boots. Their Lucchese Classics Fashion Collections are designed for the very sophisticated customer who only wants the best. These are all handmade with only the best quality materials used. Their prices may be high, but isn't that what high fashion is all about? Listed on their website catalog as L4706 this beautiful Ladies Red Marble classic cowboy boot is 13″ in height and the materials listed is Patent Ladies.

2.) Lucchese Classics – Fashion Collections – L4662

Continuing on with the Lucchese Classics – Fashion their original design boots fit the human foot like no other cowboy boots around. L4662 stands at 14″ in height with an off-white base and silver metallic designs scattered about the boot. The material is Hair-On-Calf.

3.) Lucchese Classics – Fashion Collections – L4705

Lucchese still continues to use the twisted cone last design simply because nothing else compares to it on how it makes a boot fit. With that in mind here is a unique looking stylish cowboy boot with brown and White baby leopard skin that is 12″ in height made with Hair-On-Calf materials.

4.) Lucchese – Diva Collection – ADONA – DV0001

This Roper is their Sky Blue Stonewash Maddog Goat with Kixie Wingtip using Maddog Goat materials that is from their Diva Ladies Collection.

5.) Lucchese Cowboy and Cowgirl – Cowgirl Collection – C2052

Here is the traditional cowboy boot for women who don't want something too stylish, yet it is in trend with the fashion season. It is Amber in color with a three piece vamp and materials from the ultra crocodile belly that stands 12″ in height. This is a very chic looking boot.

6.) Frye Women's Deborah Grey Distressed Leather – $498

A definite roper style cowboy boot. With scads of beads and studs and its beaten-looking leather upper it features an urban twist giving it a hip, cool vibe to a once traditional piece. The designer has put some funkyness into it to add a bit of fun.

7.) Old Gringo Hanna for Harness – $366.95

Old Gringo boots feature their classic harness style that gives it a chic updated look. The leather upper is printed with lovely floral embroidery. This boot company goes through a 130-step handmade production process. They also develop and tan their own leathers to make sure it is of superior quality.

8.) Rocket Dog Sheriff – $70

Finally, there is an affordable pair of cowboy boots that are roper, mid-calf boots. These brown distressed cowboy boots feature fabric lining, rubber outsole, and 100% upper synthetic.

9.) Old Gringo Yippie Ki Yay Ashton – $219.95

A beautiful pair of turquoise cowboy boots with a luxurious leather upper and a three-row stitch pattern that gives it that high fashion look.

10.) Charlie Horse One by Lucchese Fashion Diva – $403

Last but certainly not least are some very sexy cowboy boots for a change that lets you show off your sassy fashioned diva side. These are made with patent leather and the upper features a snake print design that is made by the world famous boot company, Lucchessse.

As you can see prices for most of these women's cowboy boots are not cheap, especially the more chic and trendier boots. A vast majority of your cowboy boots are handmade, which explains why they are expensive. I remember owning a pair of roper cowboy boots many, many years ago from Tony Lama. They were over a hundred dollars. Now they would be a lot more. However, a range of prices, styles, and colors are there for you to choose from this list of Top 10 Cowboy Boots for Women. “One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.” when you own a pair for this fashion season in 2009 and 2010.

SOURCES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.lyricsondemand.com/onehitwonders/thesebootsaremadeforwalkinglyrics.html

http://www.lucchese.com/

http://www.millionlooks.com/footwear/hot-cowboy-boots-trend-aw-2009-2010/

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The Following Story is sponsored by Country

The Cowboy Junkies have been recording albums for 20 years. Their style of music falls somewhere between country, blues and alternative rock. The band was formed in Toronto, Canada back in the mid 1980's. Although never a mainstream act, the Cowboy Junkies have remained on the fringes of Canada's pop music culture. Over the years, they have captured a dedicated following in the United States as well.

Three of the bands members are family. Margo, Michael, and Peter Timmins are joined by Alan Anton. Margo does all the vocals and takes a back seat to few female singers around today. The Cowboy Junkies have rather quietly succeeded where so many bands have failed. They have remained true to their roots and never compromised their “sound” just for the sake of pleasing the mainstream.

Among the Cowboy Junkie's best known albums are The Trinity Sessions and Miles From Our Home. The latter being the closest that the group has come to entering the pop music genre. Listening to the Cowboy Junkies you get tear-laden blues and some upbeat country-rock. Not to mention the occasional stunning rendition of songs recorded originally by others. But most of the Cowboy Junkies' material is all their own featuring the seductive low-tempered vocals of Margo Timmins. Over the last two decades, this critically acclaimed group has managed to create a style of music that penetrates to the bone.

Rock And Bird
The Cowboy Junkies have an affinity for writing songs about birds. This song is from the 1990 album, The CautionHorses. It learns toward sounding like country with a mild easy-rock flare. One of the many numbers by this group that never get old.

My Wild Child
This song is rock oriented. It features a great guitar that highlights the solid vocals of Margo. An example of this group's ability to instantly change moods and still remain true to there music. From the 2004 release, One Soul Now.

Southern Rain
From the 1992 album, Black Eyed Man, this song might be defined as rural country. This entire album almost awakens the band from it low-keyed rapture. However, the prevalent quietude strongly remains as the Cowboy Junkies explore beyond their slower Southern blues and country guitar picking pace.

Good Friday
Once a rock station favorite, this 1998 tune was one of many from the album, Miles From Our Home, that almost broke the Cowboy Junkies into the mainstream. Stylish and popsy, it still reflects the more somber mood often displayed in every album.

Sweet Jane
Perhaps the best known of all Cowboy Junkie songs. This was a remake of the original tune done by The Velvet Underground in 1969. It certainly made its way to many pop stations around the country in 1988. Although they didn't have many charting singles, this was the highest of a handful.

Anniversary Song
Another attempt to break through the sweet sadness exhibited in many earlier songs. Rather upbeat and raunchy, this tunes flows with energy rarely found in previous recordings. From the 1993 album, Pale Sun, Crescent Moon, this vibrant outcast tries to inject atmospheric melody to an otherwise listless affair.

Angel Mine
This song is country-rock all the way. But not the tear-jerking type of song one might expect. It is featured on one of the better albums by this group, Lay It Down. Again, the Cowboy Junkies were on the verge of pushing fully into the country-rock-pop scene. Thankfully, they maintained their more primal moods and kept the effervesce toned down a notch.

Misguided Angel
Laid back and passionately soulful. Margo does a splendid job singing the vocals. The darker flavor of this tune more resembles the misty and moody traditions of this band. Like so many songs originated by this group, it stands in a class of its own. Mournful and sullen, but faintly airy and light; all in typical Cowboy Junkie style.

Miles From Our Home
If there was ever a song to propel this group into the top 40 chart madness, this was it. Highly vibrant and forceful, it moved the group away from its melancholy filled mystique. Still, it was pure “Junkie” and rooted with implicit undertones of longing and desire.

Somewhere Out There
Haunting and stimulating. This song expounds harmonious depth and wistful yearnings. It doesn't seem to fit into any limiting genre. So much of this band's music crosses into a variety of sentiments. And that is what creates such a unique sound that never blends into the mainstream for very long.

The Cowboy Junkies have gained legendary acclaim. This despite the fact they are so uncommon. Grounded by the intimate and sometimes far away vocals of Margo, the band continues to pleasure the most discerning listener. They are so unlike many of the flash-the-pan musical acts that invade the music scene today. Their style is undaunted and never imitated. The Cowboy Junkies are always a refreshing escape from the hum-drum excuse that makes up much of today's lifeless music.

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The Following Story is sponsored by Cowgirl

Dubbed “America's Team,” the Dallas Cowboys have been one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. Along the way, the Cowboy's team rosters have been littered with Hall of Famers and Pro Bowl players at virtually every position. Besides having All Pro quarterbacks like Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, and great runners like Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith in their fabled past, Dallas has also enjoyed its fair share of great wide receivers. Here then is a list of the 10 greatest wide receivers in Dallas Cowboys history.

1) Michael Irvin (1988-1999)
Irvin, who was instrumental in the franchise's three Super Bowl winning seasons in the 90's, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. A five time Pro Bowler, Irvin holds team records for most catches in season with 111 (1995), and most yards in a season with 1,603 (1995). He also tops the Cowboy's charts in a number of career totals having caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards in 159 regular season games, with his 65 lifetime touchdowns ranking second to Bob Hayes. At his best in the playoffs, Irivn caught 87 passes for 1,315 yards in 16 post season games. Those numbers include a 12 catch, 192 yard performance in the 1995 Conference Championship against the 49ers. In all, Irvin had 47 games in which he broke the 100 yard barrier for Dallas, and he would have added to his overall totals had his career not been cut short by injury.

2) Drew Pearson (1973-1983)
Mr. Clutch for Dallas during the team's heydays of the 70's, Pearson would see action in 22 post season games, catching 67 passes for 1,105 yards in the process. More often than not Pearson was the Cowboys “go to” receiver when a game was on the line, and he is probably best remembered for his game winning catch against Minnesota in the 1975 Conference Championship. A three time Pro Bowler, Pearson ranks second on the all-time Cowboy receptions list with 489 catches for 7,822 yards. Passed by in the Draft, Pearson was one of the team's greatest free agent signing of all times.

3) Bob Hayes (1965-1974)
The Bullet, Bob Hayes was hailed as the world's fastest human after his double gold medal performance in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Bringing that kind of speed to the NFL, Hayes is recognized as the person most responsible for making defenses go away from man to man coverage in favor of zone coverage. Though he was drafted in the 7th round of the 1964 NFL Draft, Hayes blazed onto the NFL scene with two brilliant seasons in 1965 and 1966. In 1965, his rookie season, Hayes caught 46 passes for 1,003 yards and 12 TDs. In 1966, his numbers improved to 64 catches for 1,232 yards and 13 TDs. Those totals included a 246 yard performance against Washington. Over the course of his career, Hayes was at the receiving end of so many long passes that he finished his career in Dallas averaging 20.0 yards per catch (371 catches for 7,414 yards). Equally gifted as a kick returner, Hayes holds the team's single season mark for punt return average with a 20.8 in 1068. For his contributions to the NFL, Hayes was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.

4) Tony Hill (1977-1986)
Nicknamed “The Thrill,” Tony Hill was a big play receiver drafted by Dallas out of Stanford in 1977. Playing opposite of Drew Pearson for a good portion of his career, Hill gave the Dallas teams of the late 70's and early 80's the deep threat they lacked since Bob Hayes. A three time Pro Bowler (78. 79. 85), Hill caught 479 passes for 7,988 yards and 51 TDs in 141 regular season games for the Cowboys. In his 10 year tenure for Dallas, Hill also caught 46 passes for 618 yards in 16 post season games, and had 23 games in which he broke the 100 yard plateau.

5) Frank Clarke (1960-1967)
Clarke was the first in a long line of great Cowboy receivers, starting out with the team in 1960 after playing three years for Cleveland. Clarke lead the NFL in touchdowns in 1962 and in average per catch in 1961 and 1962. In 1964 Clarke was named to the NFL All-Pro Team as a Flanker, before switching over to Tight End the following season. In what was to be his best game for the Cowboys, Clarke caught 10 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns against Washington in 1962. During his career Clarke would play in 104 regular season games for the Cowboys, catching 281 passes for 5,426 yards and 50 touchdowns.

6) Terrell Owens (2006-2008)
Love him or hate him, Owens was the Cowboys best wide receiver in his three year tenure with the team. In those three season, Owens would score 38 receiving touchdowns in just 47 games, going over the 1,000 yard barrier each season. In 2006, Owens led the NFL in touchdown receptions with 13, and would post another 15 TDs in 2007 when the league would vote him to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time in his career. Owens, like Bob Hayes before him, would also set a team record when he caught 4 passes for touchdowns in 2007 game against Washington. Owens overall totals in Dallas included 235 catches for 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns.

7) Lance Renztel (1967-1970)
Lance Renztel's career in Dallas was a brief but productive one. In the four years he spent with the Cowboys, Renztel caught 183 passes for 3,521 yards and scored 31 touchdowns. His best year for Dallas came in 1969 when he led the league in yards per catch (22.3) and in touchdowns with 12. In both 1967 and 1968 Lance would also finished in the top 10 in the NFL in total receptions. All of Rentzel's 12 career +100 yards games came when he played in Dallas. In 1967, against the Washington Redskins, Lance would enjoy his finest game for the Cowboys, catching 13 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown.

Terry Glenn (2003-2007)
Injuries ended Glenn's career with the Cowboys prematurely, still the former Ohio State Buckeyes enjoyed some successful campaigns in Dallas. In a total of 54 games for the Cowboys, Glenn caught 208 passes for 3,337 yards and 20 touchdowns. He posted back to back +1,000 yards seasons for Dallas in 2005, and 2006, and had a total of 9 games in which he gained over 100 yards for the Cowboys.

9) Billy Howton (1960-1963)

Howton was a four time Pro Bowler long before he came to Dallas, having spent the early part of his stellar career in Green Bay. Playing his last four seasons for the Cowboys, Howton appeared in 50 games catching 161 passes for 2,368 yards and 17 TDs.

10) Rocket Ismail (1999-2001)

Only Michael Irvin, Jason Witten and Terrell Owens have caught more passes in a season for Dallas than Ismail who caught 80 passes for 1,097 yards and 6 TDs in 1999. A college football star in college and the Canadian Football League, before coming to the NFL Ismail finished out his career with the Cowboys where he caught 158 catches for 2,281 yards in 39 games.

Statistical Source:http:
www.pro-football-reference.com/players

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The Following blog post is sponsored by Cowboy

After the resounding success of my last article on some of the best known disasters in entertainment history I had to follow the lead of Hollywood by creating something out of nothing. So here is the enviable sequel to that earlier article. Here you will find poorly researched nominations, political mistakes, films that would make better banjo picks and stars that should have retired while they were ahead. I hope you enjoy reading these's lesser known mistakes. On with the show (I guess)

Life with Lucy .(1986)

In Lucile Ball was still smarting over the failure of her last attempt to become a film star and was growing restless with retirement. ABC approached her in late 1985 to make another typical Lucy sitcom produced by Aaron Spelling who would surround Lucy with familiar faces. These faces including two of her I Love Lucy writers and her long time co-star Gale Gordon. ABC desperate for a hit, gave her complete control over everything, a million an episode, no requirement to make a pilot and her pick of any time slot she wanted. Thinking what worked before would work now Lucy slotted her new show in her old home of 7:30 PM (EST) where both I Love Lucy and Here'sLucy ran together for over 15 years. Though the first episode gathered impressive ratings the show lost viewers as the weeks went on. What Lucy had forgotten was that time had caught up with the aging star and what was funny in 1953 wasn't funny in the 80's. Though it was heavily promoted by ABC as the centerpiece of their fall season fans preferred the Lucy of the 50's and 60's and ABC took it off the air after only eight episodes had aired. The aging star felt that her fans had deserted and she never fully recovered from it's failure. Eventually the last five shows of the series eventually aired on Nick at Nite in 1996 . But by that time Lucy had passed away and she wasn't around to see them flop as badly as they did in 1986.

Garth Brooks in the Life of Chris Gaines .(1999)

In the 1990s there was nobody bigger in country music than Brooks with 70 hit singles and more than 115 million albums sold in the U.S. alone to his credit. So like many before him who felt they could do no wrong, Brooks released this collection of dull pop songs written ,or as he said, by his alter ego Chris Gaines. Both the critics and his fans greeted the release as a flop of monumental proportions. Even Rolling Stone declared that Brooks' weird alter ego album was “the most monumentally disastrous marketing idea that mainstream pop had seen in years.”(see * below for source of quote) The album sold less that a million and a half and found it's way into the cutout bins within 6 months of it's release. Brooks lost his superstar status and has yet to regain the popularity he once had within the Country/Western community

Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandThe Movie (1977)

After the success of Saturday Night Fever producer Robert Stigwood felt that he could turn anything and anyone into a hit film. Following the long established path of never listening to your head, he bought the rights to the best known album of the 1960's and proceeded to stuff every 70's pop and disco star into a multi-colored flop. Gathering the two biggest stars in his stable, Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees , to lead this motley crew into a nonsensical plot Stigwood by putting them in someone's idea of a bad 60's trip. One example of the excess was when the Bee Gees' sang Lucy In The Sky in front of bloated gigantic cheeseburger . To further give the film more of a Beatle look Stigwood recruited the unofficial fifth Beatle Billy Preston to star as Sergeant Pepper. For the finale he recruited over 50 non stars like Carol Channing, Connie Stevens and the all girl rock group Heart to sing with the stars. The best they could do was look like a group of leftovers from a failed “We are the World” Recording. Only the venerable George Burns (singing “Fixing a Hole” ) and Steve Martin (as Dr Maxwell Edison) came off the best while the RB group Earth. Wind and Fire had the only hit off the double album (singing Got to Get You Back Into My Life). The film was a resounding flop, Frampton promptly faded from the scene, Stigwood lost not only money but his record company and the projected Bee Gees' film career came to a screeching halt. By the way the Beatles hated the film but could do little about it as they had lost the rights to their own music years before

Nikita Khrushchev's Visit to the Set of Can-Can (1959)

The late 50's were water shed times in the Cold War. When Russia launched Sputnik in 1958 the thought that nuclear war could come form anywhere was very real. In order to cap his Presidential career, return the visit that his VP Richard Nixon made to Russia the year before (where the famous Kitchen Debates took place) as well as defuse tensions, President Eisenhower invited the current Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev to the US for a visit. Having never been in our country before there was only one place he wanted to see. It was the place every American wanted to go to on their vacation in 1959: Disneyland. However much Disney would have wanted the Russian Premier to visit, the secret service could not guarantee security in such an open and crowded space and denied Khrushchev the chance to wear mouse ears in a Pravda photo op. Instead the US government sent him to the other American magic land: Hollywood. Khrushchev arrived on the Twentieth Century Fox Lot and after lunch in the Fox commissary moved on to the set where Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine were making the film version of Cole Porter's Can-Can. Mistakenly assumingKhrushchev would enjoy a look at a typical 50's musical number, the Fox publicity department set up a performance of the title song which included a dance where women would be showing their undies for the Russian leader. What they didn't know was that Khrushchev was very concertive, still fuming over the Disneyland incident, and looking for a good reason to denounce the decadent West. As the number continued the Russian leader grew redder and redder by the moment until he stopped the performance cold. In front of the world press, Sinatra and Fox executives he denounced the whole thing(and by extension, American and Western culture) as depraved and pornographic by storming out of the studio. The American government and Eisenhower was totally embarrassed while they lost a golden opportunity to outdo the Premier. A few days later when an American U2 spy flight was shot down in Russia, Khrushchev left the US, the whole trip a failure. The only good thing that occurred from the whole affair was that Fox received lots of free publicity for the film and it became the second highest grossing film (after the Oscar winning Ben-Hur) of the year.

Legs Diamond (1988)

If you thought Carriewas the only flop of the 1988 Broadway season then you would be wrong. Australian singer/dancer Peter Allen crafted (and I use the word lightly) this musical based on the hard to kill 20's New York gangster but rewrote his life story by changing him into an ex-dancer who wanted to break into Broadway by wiping out all his competition. Doubling up on the chores Allen not only was the star but wrote the score to a book by Harvey Fierstein. Broadway wags sensed the show might be in trouble as the opening night came and went and was rescheduled while the cast and audience trudged through a record number of previews (73 to be exact).When the show finally opened on the day after Christmas the New York critics shot(pun intended) down the musical as totally bad with statements of disbelief. Many citied Allan for playing against type and turning the gangster into a suave lothario while the others complained about the dull book and poorly written songs. Allen slogged through 64 performances (sixty more than Carrie did) and when the show finally closed not only did investors loose over 2 million. The owners of the Mark Hellinger Theater (where My Fair Lady had played for over 6 years) closed it as well and sold the property to a church which it remains as today. Allen never played Broadway again though his life made a great subject for the 2002 Tony winning musical (where a few of Diamond's songs resurfaced) named The Boy From Oz andstarring X-Man (and fellow Australian) Hugh Jackman as Allen.

The 1957 Oscar Writing Nominees (1957)

The 50's were a dangerous time in Hollywood. With Congress looking for Communists under every rock and behind each set it looked like the only real Americans making movies that weren't on the blacklist were John Wayne and Bugs Bunny. So when it came time for the 1957 Oscar nominations the Academy wrote a new rule (with the help of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper who was a supporter of the blacklist) stating that no person or group who had been accused of or was found to be a member of any socialist or communist group could receive a nomination. Well that made the writing nominees a mess. First the academy nominated two people who they believed had written the Bing Crosby/ Grace Kelly musical High Society. Who they really nominated were the two writers of the Bowery Boys film of the name. The two men thanked the Academy for the nomination but promptly took their names of the list of nominees, but the fun was just beginning. Next the Academy nominated writer Michael Wilson who had written script to the film version of Friendly Persuasion. When it was pointed out to the Academy that Wilson had been a member of the Communist party in the 1930's (as most writers were at that time) they quickly sited their new rule and Wilson's name was dropped of the list of nominees. So with those events over the Oscar ceremony was held on March 28. As the award show moved on it looked like Michael Todd's all star film version of the Jules Verne novel “Around the World in 80 Days” would be the big winner (and it did win Best Picture) When it came time to the writing awards presenter Deborah Kerr announced the winner of the Best Original Story as The Brave One, the story of a young Mexican boy who attempts to save his beloved bull from the bull ring and certain death. When Kerr asked the writer Robert Rich to come up to the stage and accept his Oscar no one moved and no one came forth as Robert Rich.Then the buzz started “Who was Robert Rich?”. Finally the Producer of the film came up on stage and accepted the Oscar on behalf of Rich whom he said was at the hospital seeing the birth of his first child. The next morning Hedda Hopper on her national radio show complained that not only was there no record of a Robert Rich being a member of the Writers Guild but that after searching every hospital in Hollywood, so such person ever excised. So started a 20 year mystery on who Robert Rich really was. The Producer of the film knew but he wasn't talking and a few other people in the know also knew. Finally in 1975, long after the blacklist had ended the real “Robert Rich” who was in reality one of the infamous Hollywood Ten, Dalton Trumbo, finally received the Oscar he had deserved in 1957, making a laughing stock of the whole blacklist,Hopper and the Academy. The original rule that caused all the trouble was rescinded in 1964 while Michael Wilson had the last laugh the next year. Winning the best screenplay Oscar for “Bridge on the River Kwai” by using Pierre Boulle the original author of the book the film was based on, as a front. The joke was that Boulle spoke or wrote any English and never even spent any time on the set. In 1986 the Academy apologized for the mistakes it made and permanently changed the names of each winning script to the real men who actually wrote them.

Parnell (1937)

MGM was the biggest studio in the world from the mid 20's through the early 50's Their stable of stars was the greatest of any studio system. However that same studio system often put the wrong star in the wrong film where that same star couldn't usually say no. So enter the biggest star of them all Clark Gable. Thinking that Gable in a costume drama about the 18th Century Irish politician and his attempts to free his country from English rule might be a hit they shoved him into uncomfortable costumes and gave him silly lines to say. Gable suspected there might be a problem with the film after his co-star Joan Crawford opted out of the production and was replaced with Myrna Loy. As filming progressed the director used an old silent film trick by playing sad music over and over to get the two stars into the mood for the tragic ending of the movie while Gable complained bitterly to his current girl friend Carol Lombard about the practice. When the film finally was finished and MGM released it to theaters it became the biggest flop of the year losing almost a million dollars at a time when films rarely cost that much to make. It was the biggest flop of Gable's carrier and so much so that Lombard rarely missed an opportunity to rib him on it. Gable finally went to his agent stating that he didn't want to star in any more costume pictures. An action that almost cost him his most famous role in Gone With The Wind.

And finally my all time favorite Entertainment disaster:

Chicago's Disco Demolition Night

By the end of the decade the 70's disco cycle was running thin with both fans and music lovers. It seemed that there was a disco in every mall and every town no matter how small. Disco radio stations were also losing listeners while disco artists were having more flops than hits. Enter Chicago radio jock (and one of my high school classmates) Steve Dahl who came up with the idea of holding a big party to mark the end of the era. Some how he convinced White Sox owner Bill Veeck to hold the event between the games of the July 12th upcoming double header with the Detroit Tigers. Dahl then convinced his bosses of the opportunity for some free publicity. With arrangements made Dahl promoted the event heavily on his radio program. The whole gimmick was that if you brought a disco record to the park you would get into both games for only 98 cents and between them Dahl would pile the records together, announce the death of disco and blow them up in the middle of center field. Well already you can see where this might be leading. Attracting an audience that really could care less about the Sox Veeck and Dahl under estimated the amount of people who would show up. So when the date arrived for the game, and estimating an extra 5,000 people would show up, Veeck and Dahl were shocked to find that almost 50,000 turned out for the event while many more were locked out of the park. Add to that the group was not your typical fan but a disaffected, rowdy mob. As the first game continued the players were forced to duck the many records which were being thrown like Frisbees into the field making the game look like a war had broken out. When the game finally ended as both teams raced off the field the mood of the crowd just got worse as Dahl marched onto the field dressed in Army fatigues and a helmet looking like Patton. Piling the records in the center field around an explosive box Dahl pushed the plunger and records and pieces of records flew everywhere. This was the signal the crowd was waiting for and hundreds of audience members rushed onto the field as Dahl ran for his life. The mob soon turned into a full fledged riot and started ripping up the field, the batting cage and each other. Veeck and announcer Harry Carey attempted in vain to get the crowd off the field but the mayhem continued until the Chicago police, using fire hoses and riot gear, were able to restore order. Unfortunately the damage was done. The bating cage was in pieces, center field had a big hole in the middle and two of the three bases were missing. Unable to start the second game Veeck and the Sox were forced to forfeit it to the Tigers. Though Veeck took full blame for the fiasco Dahl didn't escape punishment. He was demoted by his station and though he has remained a fixture in Chicago radio he never quite regained his former popularity though he was once quoted as saying that disco was on it's way out anyway and that he had few regrets about the night, Veeck's son Mike, who green lighted the whole fiasco, finally apologized to the disco group KC and the Sunshine Band in 2001 for ever agreeing to the promotion in the first place.

I hope you enjoyed this second set of entertainment disasters. I promise there will not be a threepeat. I thank you.

Sources used in the creation of this article include the following:
Slouching Toward Fargo (1999) by Mike Veeck
TV Turkeys(1998) by the editors of TV Guide
Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops(1992) Ken Mandelbaum
The Hollywood Hall of Shame: The Most Expensive Flops in Movie History(1986) Harry and Michael Medved
The Cold War: A New History (2006) by John Lewis Gaddis
Forever Lucy: The Life of Lucille Ball (1998 ed.) by Joe Morella and Edward Z. Epstein
Oscar Fever: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards (2001) by Emanuel Levy
Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards (1987) by Mason and Damien Bona Wiley
* Rolling Stone review of Garth Brooks in the Life of Chris Gaines (10/28/1999)by David Wil(1979)

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The Following Blog Post is from Associated Content and sponsored by Cowgirl

The beer always flowed in Texas like the Red and the Rio Grande but here the Baptists rule and if you are seen coming out of a red dot, which is literally a white building with a huge red circle on it to designate it as a liquor store, then heaven forbid the ladies on the porch swing across the street would be a whispering a flurry behind your back about how bloodshot your eyes looked yesterday in church. Why, Lord have mercy knows you only came to church because your daddy insisted and the poor man, bless his soul, sitting there so proudly with his two daughters sitting on either side of him in the pew! Now, that younger one with all those piercing! Lord have mercy, can you imagine her daddy's shame? Then the oldest one, well don't she think she is something! She isn't pulling any wool over this old woman's eyes riding into town on a high horse and hiding her alcoholism! Yep, I am the Paris Hilton of this county, I hear those lovely belles voices ringing loud and clear! This is the chronicle of a misplaced cowgirl and how a few old southern belles, a few hoochie mamas, a GRIT or two, and my overly pierced sister altered the course of my life in one long, hot summer!

Chapter 1

My sister, the one with the two lip piercings, multiple ear piercings, and oh, let us not forget the cartilage piercing since that, for some odd reason, does not count as an ear piercing, is right now ducking her head in and out of my room. Her voice is oddly reminiscent of a fog horn blowing deep into the night. Her short hair had at one time been dyed a shocking color called atomic orange but had now faded to a dark red with black roots. The wave of her hair was one that would make a flapper jealous! My sister wasn't a rare beauty, rather an earthy beauty just coming into her own. She is only sixteen to my twenty eight, a total opposite of me, and Lord I pray will someday be toned down since normal is only the setting on my dryer to her!

Me, the older sister, the conservative of two daughters. No piercing, not even in my ears and no shocking colors in my hair! Unlike my sister, I did not shave all my hair off for cancer research and make the front page of a major city newspaper. I never have had a way of wearing hideous plaid bell bottoms with the frayed cuffs splayed widely around the ankles, pink sequined platform flip flops and a tight black AC/DC rock star shirt, and make the whole outfit look fresh, hip, almost a new classic! My signature rather, is pink cowboy boots and low slung hip huggers blue jeans. Pair that with a baby doll t-shirt and a cowgirl hat-voila! That is me! I guess if I could relate to anyone I would be like Carrie on Sex and the City but my sister would be a Miranda before she lost her virginity!

My sister and I have the same dad, different mothers and we are eleven years different in age yet we look alike, finish each other sentences and share a zest for writing and the arts. We both love word searches, animals, our dad and the United States of America! She wants to liberate Ireland and save the world someday and me, well I just want to settle down and leave the cowgirl world behind. Guess that dream is what drove me clear across the southern United States one April night, out of Texas and into South Carolina. Two different worlds, one world apart. I miss Texas, plain and simple. The smell of the damp earth beneath the East Texas pines after a brief thunderstorm. Riding horseback along some desolate county road watching the sunset over a longhorns back. The morning sky was something that a Remington painting couldn't even touch. Shoot, Thomas Kinkade couldn't even capture the light and colors in the morning sky! I miss the smell of taco meat wafting in the humid summer air and the sound of a rodeo announcer blaring across an arena, my horse snorting and pawing anxiously beneath me! I miss my home! Your trolling across the dance floor when suddenly this gorgeous cowboy taps you on the back only to have you turn into his arms and you two step away with him! Yep, I have waltzed across Texas many a time! I miss the music in Austin, Cowtown, Houston, and the skyline of Dallas at night. Now, here I sit in Carolina so far from home relieving memories every time a sixteen foot gooseneck trailer rumbles by with a load of horses. Oh, they have horses out here but again a world of difference. I come from the world of western horses, rugged men in wranglers, cowboy hats slung low over their furrowed brow and larger than life women! I now reside in a historic place full of GRITS aka Girls Raised In The South which to me spells out a modern southern belle and horses bred for racing and polo matches. The food here sure isn't Texas! Brisket here is tough, greasy and slathered in a mustard sauce whereas at home it would be tender, burnt at the edges and you put your own red barbecue sauce on it. Finger licking good!

Chapter 2

Sunday in the old South is very different than anywhere in the world! It is the one day in the week when suddenly everyone is dressed in their best and doing the catwalk in the church aisle which is now the red carpet runway of the Milan fashion show and you are Naomi Campbell or Cindy Crawford working it! The old men in the church are wiping drool from the corners of their bottom lip, lost in lusty thoughts about the young girls, hereafter called the Hoochie Mamas, while their wives are thinking about the next garden club meeting or historic society meeting oblivious to their husband beside them. Doesn't the Bible speak against dressing in a manner that is provocative to an old man? Then again I believe the Bible speaks against a wife being oblivious to her husband as well. Anyway, a hoochie mama by Texas definition is a woman who has the money for designer labels but wears them like a high class call girl. Also, a hoochie mama usually has the right last name so no one dares to say a bad word about her since, Lord have mercy, her Father strike you dead and I am not talking about her heavenly Father! The little old Southern Belles, hanging themselves in their own family trees, speak highly of them like this: “Why there is sweet little so and so! My! Doesn't she have on a beautiful dress today? Why, I do recall when I once had the legs to wear such a nice hemline but that was in the days of rumble seats and Model Ts, dontcha know? I was never a flapper, though..”. Flappers, by the old Belles definition, were women who basically kept the alcohol and fun flowing in the speakeasies but they were never whores. The old Belles always say these things behind your back with a huge hat on their head, their voice is sweet and thick like the wisteria in April. Now the GRITS and the Belles do not have to take their hats off in church whereas in Texas we do out of respect for the Lord. This appalled me and I found myself anticipating Preacher Terry mentioning something about hats and respect for the Lord before he began his sermon but instead he overlooked the gaudy hats sprouting fake flowers that kept diverting my thoughts from his sermon to the hats! I hate those hats! They are hideous! I mean if you want to wear flowers wear them on a lapel pin or in a print but don't put them on your hat! Save the fake flowers for your mamas gravesite!

Anyway, between the hoochie mamas, the Belles and GRITS hats, my own thoughts on the weird people surrounding me, I suddenly found myself not hearing a word Preacher Terry was saying! By the end of the service I found myself looking for the lightening bolt so I could stand, fearing not God striking me dead, directly in the bolts path but unfortunately he is God and notorious for unanswered prayers! Trying to leave the church is no laughing matter either! You are caught up in a line that reminds me of how a heifer feels in a chute when we load her into a trailer to be taken to an auction. Yep, same feeling that somehow I am heading straight to a slaughter house! You steadily march onward shaking hands with the various people, finally a few words to the preacher and just when you think you can breathe fresh freedom outside you are suddenly surrounded by the Belles and Grits again! They repeatedly tell you about your tiny waist, how wonderful your Daddy is, how great it is your baby sister is home and when you feel your stomach lurching into your throat your illustrious Daddy slaps you on the back to remind you that it is hell being the daughter of a famous man! Thanks Daddy, just what I needed. My father is like a politician in many ways. The ladies love him, the men are like old college friends to him and he kisses a lot of babies. My father is my idol to say the least. He is strong, lithe, politically correct even if you may not want to hear what he has to say. Yet I know someday soon I will have to let him go just like his physical body is letting go of his soul…

Chapter 3

The memories flow in my mind. Vivid like a picture taken yesterday. I was laying on my bed trying to sleep when suddenly I heard Toby Keith croon Upstairs Downtown. I began to cry because suddenly I was eighteen again leaving the damp cornfields of Southern Illinois behind as the Greyhound bus wheels hummed along Interstate 55. There I was young and bright eyed taking on the world and not the college world. I didn't need college, I was smart ya know! Then the wolf came at the door oddly at the same time my job laid me off. I moved around, I lost my babies one at a time. My babies, something that to speak of brings tears to my eyes right now. Uncontrollable, rolling, huge tears that I am powerless to stop. Show me a baby with big blue eyes and curls and I will show you my memories of CJ, Carly and Trey. My three babies that I wish to Christ in Heaven I could hold right now. Unfortunately, I done everything I could with the circumstances I was facing and I lost. I was painted out to be a Brittney Spears when inside of me all I wanted was to be loved, to be held, to be someone's baby not someone they were using and setting up. I needed Daddy back then but he wasn't there. A bitter custody battle tore me from him when I was only eleven leaving me at the mercy of a family that was worse than a pack of starving wolves. I survived the wolves but it cost me dearly….. The memories are overwhelming and I must find my way loose from them before they hang me in their tangled web.

I pull myself over to my vanity watching the makeup run in thick black rivers. War paint, that is all it is but right now I need all the war paint I can get to hide the pain in my blue eyes. Gosh are they puffy right now! Nathan calls and I stare deep into the phone wondering if I should answer it and give unrequited love a chance to stab me again. No, not today but he is persistent so I answer it. He wants me to move to Texas, no he wants me to get a plane ticket and send my sister to him. Oh he hopes I am not mad and I lie again, masking my pain. The storm outside rages almost in unison with the storm inside my mind, my sister bellows across the house telling me in her foghorn voice that she is ready to go out to eat. She wants to go to the Mexican restaurant because she is dating one of the waiters, her pappi as she calls him. I wonder when I will find love, when will I feel like that again but I know there will never be another like the first. I silently admit that to myself. I thought when I found my daddy that the search would be over, like maybe I was searching for something to fill the void in my soul that he left behind. The knawing hunger is gone but the search is still ongoing. I want to know what it is like to lose myself like I lost myself in Nathan, who was the first man since my true love that I unconditionally let in my life. Nathan forced me away though, the memories of his ex never far behind his eyes. Now he says he is over her and wants to be with someone, me. Yeah, right. Yahoo personals never lies and his profile is recent and updated. He wants a woman, someone he can control, someone to be his sugar mama. Am I that? No, never. I stare back into the mirror shocked at what I see. Funny how a mirror lies and tells you how beautiful you look when it sees only one dimension of you and you see the rest, all the layers. I may look okay on the outside but on the inside the depression is eating me like alcohol eats the liver of an alcoholic. Will I ever smile again?

Chapter 4

I stand a statuesque five feet eight inches without heels but put me in a pair of stilettos and my sexy black cargo tuxedo pants and guess what boys, I am ready to take you on. I am killer tonite, all in black except for my red stilettos. Every woman should own a pair of red high heels! My mood lifted I talk, cajole and flirt with all the waiters at our favorite restaurant. I notice keenly how daddy feels, his eyes once a bright blue are now dimming. The illness is washing over him like a river, he is succumbing daily to it and I wonder why me? I am not selfish, I love taking care of him but why am I the one who will probably bury a parent before my children are grown? I try to shake the thought out of my head hoping that it does not show or bring my mood down. Daddy is clairvoyant and he reads my mind deftly, like it is a open edition of the New York Times. He sweeps the clouds of doubt away with a quick smile and a flash of those blue eyes. His eyes are almost clear at times, an unusual color that I have inherited. My sister is embarrassed suddenly and my eyes flash quickly over to her. It is like I am in a dream listening to her tell me about the waiter, George, and how he creeps her out. Fransisco is the one she is dating and he obviously has feelings for her. I wonder if it is because of her age, if she is a trophy? I hope not, I pray that I am wrong but I read a mix in his eyes, as if he doesn't know what he wants of her.

I thanked God when I got home to my office, my space in the house where I could crank up Toby Keith and lose myself in the memories. The memories of Ronnie, my third grade boyfriend if you can call it that. I remember back to our high school years when me and my best friend Erin would cruise the main drag of Hillsboro Illinois. We would ride in an open top convertible driven by our best friend Josh. He was my Teddy Bear back then but then he lost a massive amount of weight and it transformed him into this monster I refuse to know. I miss those days when were free…. I remember Erin and I loved two guys who were best friends. They never knew we existed though. Oh, wait a minute, yes they did. I remember one Valentines Day when one of us and I am not saying who since that is dispute that drove two friends apart! One of us ordered roses and sent them to those guys. They have never spoken to us since and I regret going along with that. Hind sight is fifty fifty they say. Gosh, I am back in my old high school again. The memories are rolling like an old reel film and I find myself under a summer sky with that crazy grin, loving life, feeling the burn in my soul as I told my friends what I wanted to do with my life. There we were cruising the strip again in that mustang, KNIS76 on the plates, the wind in our hair as we rounded the courthouse in Hillsboro. Hollering at the guys parked uptown, watching Stephen on his roller blades as he rounded a corner heading to the Orpheum Theater to show off to the girls coming out. We were heading into Subway and he literally came at me laughing as I ducked and he jumped over me. Why is it when you are seventeen you want to be older? Seventeen is the age of freedom, the days of fun in the sun, the one time in your life when you know exactly who you are. Those days are gone and sadly I find the reel film slipping and slapping in my mind, letting me know the end of the movie is near. The smell of popcorn stings my nose and I feel like I am back in the Orpheum watching a movie, eating buttery popcorn and sipping syrupy cokes. Those were the days when food was food and we did not count calories. We were cool with our makeup on, our tight jeans, our attitudes that we knew it all. Yeah we were a rock, ready to roll, and we were in love! Seventeen…

Chapter 5

The phone is buzzing again… Dang why does my phone ring off the hook but is never a Saturday night date? Never. Is there something wrong with me other than my age? In the white mans society I am old baggage and my sister who looks regally beautiful in her stilettos and tight skirts is the fresh meat on the platter. Sting croons in my ears as I eye Reese up and down praying she doesn't develop further. I wish none of the heartache I have suffered. I try to teach her that with beauty comes heart aches. Look at Marilyn, at Anna Nicole, at Judy Garland and so many other “tragic beauties” in our society. My mind rolls back to my Aunt Saundra, Saunie Jo as we called her. She was a tragic beauty and Reese looks oddly like her, acts like her. It is like when Saunie died she was reincarnated in my sister. Both are so intelligent and beautiful. Reese has now given up her multiple lip piercing and ear piercing for a cell phone. She is now normal, her hair died back to its natural dark brown and the curls circle close to her face framing those incredible blue eyes. I have the family eyes with the heavily hooded lids whereas my sister has the eye color but her eye shape is an almond, eerily reminiscent of a geisha. I have the smile of Angelina Jolie according to her but the style of Jackie O and she is now morphing into an exotic beauty. She loves pinstripe pants or a tight pinstripe skirt paired with a black shirt and blazer and her black and white stilettos. She is shorter than I am with less in the chest and more in the rear than me but we look very much alike. Different mothers will give you different gentetics but the same daddy will give you uncanny abilities. Reese is like me and we have ESP. She struggles with her gift and I wish mine would go away. We both have photographic memories, another thing I wish on no one. It is like the past is forever captured on reel film and stuck in my head, constantly replaying itself. Those two gifts cost me so much pain in life and now she is dealing with the stigma herself. I try to help but instead she grabs my favorite volume of Faulkner and storms out of my space retreating into her own. Her space is the bath tub, overflowing with bubbles and candles to light the area. She is the girly girl but she fights it so much. I tell her it is okay to be girly just not Hoochie. She laughs at me and tosses those curls back, so unaware of her beauty. She reminds me of myself back then, confident and edgy, searching for my identity in fashion. It saddens me to think that soon she will be returning to Virginia, to her mother and him, so she can finish school. Her pain is evident in her eyes and I wish I could read it better but she is good at blocking me from her thoughts. Lord I pray silently, don't let her be like me….

Chapter 6

Frank calls to tell me he wont be able to talk to me until Monday. Something about a friend in the hospital. Nathan still hasn't called back, nothing new between us. My sister comes in the door in a hideous cow print dorm shirt. I tell her to tell a lie and live it like a movie when a man tries to be coy with her. Funny that is how I live my life anymore…. Lie about your feelings, live like a tortured movie star. That is me, grab a beer, slam it down when the memories get too thick and wonder where the sunshine is, will it ever shine on me again? They wonder what is going through my mind, well here it is. What do you think of it now? I don't say what is on my mind when I get upset, I retreat to the bottom of a beer bottle or a shot of whiskey, numb the pain and life goes on. The million little pieces of me scattered across two states, now three. Will I ever get them back together? With computers we can defrag and pull all the lost pieces together but what can we do with our lives? Should I return to where it all began, one more time, and start there?

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As we enter the biggest seasons of the year for weddings I wanted to share some of the best country love songs that I recommend. Some of them are newer while there are some older songs that are classics among country love songs.

Big and Rich's new song may be one of the top wedding songs of this season. “Lost in This Moment,” is the latest song to make a dreamer's heart melt. Big and Rich have recorded many good songs but this is a nice change of pace from some of their other songs.

Keith Urban has recorded his fair share of romantic songs. “Making Memories of us,” is one of my all time favorites by him. Although a song about two young lovers just starting out may well be, “Better Life.” The song, “Somebody Like You,” he said in an interview was about finding a way to love himself but it can easily be seen in finding a soul mate to love as well. “But for the Grace of God,” is another good one about being blessed to have the right person in your life. The latest song by him that would be good in a wedding is the song, “Once in a Lifetime Love.”

Rascal Flatts first captured my attention with their first song, “Praying for daylight,” and has impressed me with many beautiful love songs since then. Songs such as, “I want to love you out loud,” or “Melt” and especially the song, “the Broken Road.”

Brad Paisley's love song, “She's everything,” is enough to make any woman feel special as well as his song, “The World.”

George Strait has consistently released warm love songs such as, “Write This Down.” He is perhaps best known for the classic country love song, “I cross my heart.” One of latest love songs, “It just comes natural,” is a beautiful love song as well.

Martina McBride has had some country love songs over the years from the light-hearted, “My Baby Loves Me Just The Way that I Am,” to the holiday season song, “Valentine” which is good any day, not just Valentine's day.

There are love songs that have been recorded and performed by country music couples such as the love song, “When I Said I Do” by Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black. Not to forget all the love songs that have been sung together by Faith Hill and her husband Tim McGraw. Songs such as, “It's Your love,” and “Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me.”

Other older country love songs I recommend are:

“Forever and Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis, “Keeper of the Stars” by Tracy Byrd, “I do” by Paul Brandt, “To Make You Feel My Love” by Garth Brooks, “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane,” by Tanya Tucker, “When You Say Nothing at All” by Keith Whitley.

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The Following Story is from Associated Content and sponsored by Singles

“Mommy, Mommyyyyyyy!” Your 10 year old is yelling from the second floor. Apparently the costume she picked out is not what she thought and she does not want to wear it to school. She thinks everyone will laugh. What do you do now? How about making her a quick, easy, ultra-affordable costume? How are you going to do that when she has to be at school in less than an hour? Easy. This simple cowboy or cowgirl costume can be made by using your child's own clothes and just a few accessories that are probably around the house.

For this super simple Halloween costume, all you need is a pair of your child's jeans, a dress shirt, some cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, and a handkerchief. The items are the same whether you'll be creating a costume for a cowboy or a cowgirl. A belt with a huge buckle can add to the look. For a girl, you may also want to add an extra handkerchief to cut up for hair ties. You'll see a few options for that shortly.

The first item to put on is the dress shirt. It should be one with a button-up style. One with metal buttons can sometimes have even more effect, as can one made with corduroy or blue jean material. Next are the blue jeans. The blue jeans can be any style. However, those with more slender legs work best. Tuck the dress shirt into the blue jeans and pull out the shirt slightly on the sides, still leaving it tucked in.

Once the jeans and shirt are on correctly, pull on the boots. The jeans should be tucked into the cowboy or cowgirl boots. After tucking in the boots, it is time to add the accessories for your last minute cowboy or cowgirl Halloween costume. Tie the handkerchief around the child's neck and allow the child to put on the belt, securing the buckle in the front. The bigger, the better, as far as the cowboy or cowgirl belt buckle is concerned.

If you are dressing up your little girl as a cowgirl, you may want to accessorize the hair somehow. You can use the handkerchief as a headband, securing it around the child's head and tucking it under the hair in back. Another hairstyle option could be to create two braids and cut pieces of the handkerchief to act as ties for the ends of the hair. One more hairstyle option for this Halloween costume is to make a single French braid in the back. Secure the end by tying a piece of a handkerchief to the bottom.

The last step to creating a last minute cowboy or cowgirl Halloween costume is placing the cowboy hat atop your child's head. Some may prefer to also tie a handkerchief to the cowboy hat as a hat band. Great cowboy hats can often be found at thrift stores. Thrift store cowboy hats work well because they are often the real thing, versus a cheap Halloween accessory. The boots and belt buckles can also be found at thrift stores. Also, don't forget to ask friends and relatives about these items. If you don't have any of them on hand, chances are that someone you know might.

If you and your child will be out at night, don't forget the glow sticks or flashlights. Have a safe and happy Halloween.

*For more Halloween and parenting tips and ideas, click on the author's name or picture above the article.

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The Following Story is from Associated Content and sponsored by Dating

The long-awaited Neil Young Archives have finally been released to the public with Live at the Fillmore East, which is part of a subsection entitled Performance Series, and is inexplicably, though not surprisingly considering the artist, designated as Disc 2. There had been so much hype and delay that even Axl Rose was wondering if it would ever happen.

A month after releasing 1969's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, his second solo album and the first backed by Crazy Horse, Young joined up with Crosby, Stills, and Nash. They played Woodstock for their second gig, and recorded Déjà Vu. Their musical talents, combined with the void created by Bob Dylan's refusal to accept what fans wanted him to be and the break-up of The Beatles, saw them rise as a voice for and stars of the counterculture; however, they broke up soon after their 1970 summer tour, which was captured on 1971's Four Way Street.

As part of his arrangement to join the CSN, Young was allowed to carry on with his solo career, so during February and March of 1970, he went on tour to support Everybody Knows… with Crazy Horse (Danny Whitten on guitar, Billy Talbot on bass, Ralph Molina on drums) and producer Jack Nitzsche on electric piano.

Collected from two nights is their brand of electrified county rock straight out of the canyons of Los Angeles, quite possibly the home Young refers to in the album's title track. “Winterlong” is an unusual love song, finding the couple at place where moving forward together is difficult and the end can be seen. The song was first released on the 1977 best-of compilation Decade, and later covered by The Pixies. Whitten joins Young on the vocals creating good harmonies.

However the real genius of their joining is revealed on “Down By The River,” a love story with a different ending. The country sound disappears and rock comes to the forefront as the song wonderfully winds into a sprawling 12-minute epic of guitar virtuosity as Young and Whitten exchange leads on the bridges.

The country elements return on “Wonderin'.” When Young introduces it, he says it's “from our new album. When we record it.” He laughs, but it would take 13 years for the two-minute song to be released on 1983's Everybody's Rockin' where it was given a rockabilly treatment.

“Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown” is a Crazy Horse tune sung by Whitten. When Young introduced it, he wasn't sure what album it would be on since Crazy Horse was recording their own album. He said he was going to play on it but didn't. The song appeared on their debut and a live version from this tour was on Young's 1975 album Tonight's the Night.

“Cowgirl in the Sand” repeats the brilliant formula of “Down By The River.” It is over 14 minutes and as much attention that leads get it is the rhythm section that is just as worthy of adulation creating the steady foundation that allow Young and Whitten to soar.

The album showcases a talented quintet during a historic time in their careers. The band's musicianship and the disc's fidelity sound fantastic. While I think everyone who hears it will enjoy, I can't recommend anyone buying it. People have waited decades since this was first hinted at, and all they get is six songs, a mere 43 minutes, for a retail price of $18.98?!

There were two nights recorded in this stand, which included solo acoustic sets by Young. They want you to believe this is all there was, but in a trailer from Young's website there's footage from 1997 where it's stated that multi-track recordings of only five songs survive. So where did number six mysteriously come from?

I'm pretty sure fans would have been okay getting single-track recordings, unreleased material, or demos from the same time period. And all there is for liner notes is a review of the show from Cashbox Magazine. Nothing by Young or anyone else to provide a little history or context about what makes this release special.

In the future, Young can spare me the righteous indignation over artists singing for Pepsi and Coke. At least, there's not of feeling of being ripped off after seeing someone appear in a commercial. To see how releases like this should be handled, see Dylan's Bootleg series.

Send a message: don't buy this album; copy it from a friend.

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Cowboy action shooting has been gaining in popularity ever since its creation in the year 1981. The era of the Wild West has always held a fascination for Americans, as evidenced through its love affair with western movies. These movies proved to be the inspiration behind the creation of this innovative shooting sport.

Californian Harper Creigh had an idea one rainy Saturday afternoon. He could combine his love of sport shooting with the excitement of the old west. After presenting the idea to two of his fellow shooters, Gordon Davis and Bill Hahn, cowboy action shooting was unofficially born.

Originally, the three men simply agreed to use authentic western-style guns to compete at their next shooting match. As the sport grew and evolved, however, they began to enumerate a formal set of rules. It is these rules that govern the sport today.

The first major competition, called End Of Trail, was introduced in April of 1982, with a total of 65 competitors involved. Five years later, the Single Action Shooting Society (also called SASS) was formed. This organization is the governing body for the sport of cowboy action shooting today, and has grown enormously since that first year. Over 500 local SASS clubs serve the more than 75,000 members, representing all fifty states and many other countries around the world. The best of the best still come to the End Of Trail competition each year to shoot it out.

The Single Action Shooting Society, in its original inception, was governed by five members, each of whom adopted a Wild West pseudonym: Harper Creigh (Judge Roy Bean), Boyd A. Davis (General U.S. Grant), Brad L. Myers (Hipshot), Don Ormand (Tex), and Lamar Shellnut (Coyote Calhoun). These men, known as the Wild Bunch, instituted some rules that gave cowboy action shooting its truly unique flair. Each member would have to adopt their own Wild West moniker, and would be issued a SASS badge and number. Each shooter would also be required to wear a costume while shooting; either authentic Wild West garb or Hollywood western movie wear.

Today, SASS owns a large ranch in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which hosts the annual End Of Trail World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting competition. In addition to this and other regional championships throughout the year, SASS also produces a weekly television series with information about the sport and the Western heritage that inspired it.

SASS also sponsors an Affiliated Gun Stores program, which educates gun stores about the requirements of cowboy action shooting. SASS members are referred to stores who have completed this training in order to ensure that they can obtain all their gear (guns, ammunition, etc.) from a store knowledgeable in SASS regulations.

Today, cowboy action shooting has become more than just a shooting sport. It is also a social organization which involves family members of all ages. Men, women, and children alike enjoy attending matches and dressing up in Wild West costume. True sportsmanship abounds at these matches, in the spirit of the western heritage that brought the sport to life.

Source: SASS, “A Brief History.” Single Action Shooting Society.

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