Most years, friends of mine have pumpkin carving parties. This year, the economy sucks so hard that spending a bunch of dough on squash abuse seems profligate. So I’ve been getting my jack o’lantern fix from the internet and photos of Halloweens past.

The Pumpkin Lady posts, in addition to her premium templates, free pumpkin carving templates. I admit that watching her pumpkin carving videos is not the same as the real thing, but it is still fun.

One of the supermarkets near me hasn’t been selling their pumpkins at all this year. I so deeply want to buy like a zillion of them, when they are marked down on November 1, and have Halloween late this year. And I just might get me and my unsavory pals some pumpkin carving template designs from Pumpkin Lady and do just that. If every day is Halloween anyway, that is really just taking it one step farther. Whoo-hoo! Pushing the envelope!

I wonder if Los Angeles has more unqualified people attempt heists than the average city.

I just came in from my balcony. It is too dark tonight to see the Hollywood sign clearly. Or maybe it is too bright and the sign is overwhelmed by the nearly full moon and the holiday decorations visible on top of the Capitol Records building.

I just finished watching the Halloween episode of Boomtown. Boomtown is a long-canceled crime drama, which starred Donnie Wahlberg as a hard-driving detective with a good heart and a depressed wife. Each episode is shot from the point of view of multiple characters, who come together to show the whole story. I imagine show creator Graham Yost probably referenced Pulp Fiction during the pitch meeting. It is a sympathetic way to tell a story, such that the viewer understands where even characters at odds with one another are coming from.

Boomtown’s “All Hallows Eve”, written by show creator Graham Yost, features, in addition to a pumpkin hunt gone laugh-out-loud horribly wrong, an ambulance hijacked by a heist crew of desperadoes, dressed as cowboys, one of whom has been shot. The ambulance paramedic is one of the show’s more lovable characters, yet your heart just goes out to the lead hijacker.

The heist mastermind, Holden McKay, and his wounded brother Sam, came out to Hollywood to be stuntmen. After working as a janitor in a movie studio, Holden decides that a heist would be easy to pull on Halloween, when masks would not seem suspicious. Even though his master crime obviously failed badly enough that his brother got shot, listening to Holden explain how he could have been a janitor in Tulsa, but he came to Los Angeles for something more, I find myself thinking that pulling a heist would be totally reasonable.

The actor seems so convincing and compelling that I’m sure I must have seen him in a major role in something else. According to the internet, I probably saw the actor, named Tyler Christopher, also dressed as a cowboy on CSI, but his main claims to fame are that he used to be married to Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives (which I have never seen) fame and, oh yeah, he is apparently a huge soap star, having appeared on approximately nine gajillion episodes of General Hospital. I looked up how many episodes of General Hospital George Clooney was on, so I could make a statement about how every huge success in Los Angeles is somehow dwarfed by someone else’s. Only it turns out George Clooney was on E.R. I’m assuming they both take place in hospitals populated by hunky men, so anybody (who had never watched either) could make the same mistake.

A funny thing about Los Angeles is that there is always the sense that there is something bigger, something really huge, something incredibly larger than the average life. And that something is just barely beyond your grasp. It doesn’t matter how ridiculously successful you are either. You don’t have to be a janitor to feel like this here. There is the sense that if you were just a bit bolder, just a bit more extroverted, just a bit more elusive, or just a bit more in the right place at the right time, then you would finally break through to the big time. I don’t think anyone in Hollywood is ever so rich or so famous that they don’t feel like this, like they could hold the moon in the palm of their hand, if they could just figure out how to possess a slightly better balcony.

In “All Hallow’s Eve”, the ambitious lawyer, played by Neal McDonough, who is planning to run for District Attorney goes to a party at a Hollywood home with lavish Halloween decorations. They are there because the attorney hopes to eventually hit the party-thrower up to film a campaign commercial. He and his wife joke somewhat disparagingly about how their host wrote “that one with the bus” and “that other one”. Graham Yost, in addition to creating Boomtown, wrote Speed, which was okay, was indirectly responsible for Speed 2: Cruise Control, which I had the sense not to see, and wrote Broken Arrow, which was bad enough to stall the careers of both Christian Slater and John Woo in one movie.

Boomtown seems solid so far and I was interested in the show because Graham Yost also created the more recent Raines cop drama, which is pure genius. Raines is brilliant enough that I can forgive Broken Arrow. Jeff Goldblum plays depressed Detective Michael Raines who solves crimes by being a crazy person who hallucinates speaking with dead people, but who has the misfortune to know he is out of his gourd, although very good at his job. Detective Bobby “Fearless” Smith from Boomtown has a cameo on Raines, so they both take place in the same world. It is a world where both horrible and wonderful things happen.

So I wonder if Los Angeles, as compared to most cities, has statistically way way way more giant crimes attempted by amateurs. I’ve also got a pal at the District Attorney’s office I could drop an email, but I can’t decide how a statistician would quantify such a thing. Maybe a statistician wouldn’t quantify such a thing. Maybe the aggregate average of longing for greatness, expressed as the cosine of plucking the Hollywood moon out of the sky, can only really be quantified by midnight philosophers and dudes who create unjustly canceled cop shows for NBC.

So, who wants to pull a heist with me?

Dana Dark is one of Blue Blood’s online OGs. It was after staying at her beautifully-appointed home in Houston for a week that Blue Blood launched its first membership site. Dana creates beauty and warmth in every little nook and cranny of her home. Like, if there is some tiny square of wall in the bathroom, she will think of the perfect antique frame or something like that to dress it up. There are now twenty-seven photo sets featuring Dana Dark in the Blue Blood VIP area.

I’ve spent more than one holiday with Dana and there is seriously nobody who does up holiday cheer better than she does. She really gets into the festive spirit, she is fabulous at decorating, she cooks, and she is starting her own clothing line. When my guy friends look at photos of Dana, she is always the girl they fantasize about marrying.

Amelia G: What are your favorite holidays?

Dana Dark: For me it would be Halloween, Christmas and Easter but I think holidays in general can help us forget about the worriments of our lives and connect us with others – even if it’s for only a day.

Amelia G: What are your favorite kinds of Halloween treats?

Dana Dark: As I look back of past young Halloween nights, longing of warm caramel popcorn balls and rice crispy treats still haunts me today. Another favorite of mine are homemade, moist, thick, Halloween sugar cookies with vivid icing and spooky sprinkles. Also a must have beloved treat for this season’s spell is a visit to my local Panaderia (a Mexican bakery) for Dia de Muertos Sweet Bread and autumn spiced pastries.

Amelia G: What kinds of Halloween decorations did you make this year? If you can even list off half of them all because nobody does up Halloween like you do!

Dana Dark: Now that I have my daughter Bella and a three year old niece, I find it very important to spend memorable time with them – and what better way then to do so making Halloween decoration! We have made glitter pumpkins, old fashion garland and a pumpkin and ghost lantern.

Amelia G: What Halloween outfits have you made this year?

Dana Dark: For Bella, I decided that I would make a Halloween dress, or more, each year for as long as she wishes. With the scraps I’m saving from each dress, I’m going to fashion a Halloween quilt for her to have as a keepsake. The first dress I made Bella for this year is an apron Victorian witch dress. I love how it turned out. The second dress I made (for my niece as well) is a glitzy spider number with a sweet touch. The third is a punky dress. Making these dresses for my Bella has inspired me to start a children clothing line called NaNa and Bell.

Amelia G: What Halloween-inspired tattoos do you have?

Dana Dark: Mostly all of them ;) One I would like to mention, my black cat, is from a vintage 1940s-50s Beistle Halloween diecut which I like to collect.

Amelia G: Can you share a Halloween recipe or two with us? Maybe one for something healthy and one for something nice and sweet.

Dana Dark: Well, for a non-grave related healthy dish, I made a delicious curried coconut pumpkin soup, which by the way is vegan if you fallow the original formula, vegetarian if you replace the rice milk with cow’s milk and carnivorous by replacing the tofu with chicken. A must for everyone! Another recipe I would like to share is Colcanno, traditionally made on Halloween, is an age old Irish fare. I’ve made colcanna for years and as part of my dumb supper – a feast for the dead prepared on Samhain. For a super sweet bloody bite, I’ll leave you with this, a family recipe and my ultimate favorite in this undead world – My Bleeding Sweet Cake.

Recipes:

Curried Coconut-Pumpkin Soup

2 tablespoons light olive oil
1/4 cup minced red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 1/2 cups peeled, cubed (1-inch), seeded pumpkin
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cup rice milk
1 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds discarded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
In large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno, and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add curry powder and pumpkin. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
Stir in coconut milk and rice milk; bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer; cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add more milk or water if needed.
Add tofu and red bell pepper. Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, uncovered, or until pumpkin is tender. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Garnish with whole cilantro leaves. Serve hot.
Yield: 4 servings

Colcannon

2 pounds russet potatoes
4 slices bacon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 leek, rinsed and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1/3 cup butter
1 cup hot milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
Peel potatoes and cube. Place in saucepan and cover with cold water. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in large saucepan until crisp and browned, turning often while cooking. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain; crumble. To drippings remaining in saucepan, add olive oil. Cook onion, garlic, and leeks until crisp tender, about 3-5 minutes. Then add cabbage, cover, and cook for 6-10 minutes until cabbage is tender.
When potatoes are cooked, drain and return potatoes to hot pot; shake over low heat for a few minutes to dry. Add butter and mash. Add milk and salt and pepper; beat until combined. Stir in bacon and cabbage mixture. Serve immediately, or place in serving dish and keep warm in 200 degrees F oven for 1 hour.
Serves 6-8

My Bleeding Sweet Cake

1 cup butter
1oz bottle red food coloring
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoon vanilla
Combine butter, shortening and sugar in a super large bowl – cream (mix) until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time mixing well. Mix in Vanilla and food coloring. Combine flour and salt – add to creamed mixture alternately with milk beating well. Pour batter into a greased and floured pan. Bake at 325 about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Coll completely and frost witch choice of frosting. I prefer a butter powder sugar frosting.
Serves 16

As part of the Halloween festivities, a series called spiderwebs, featuring Natalie Addams shot by Matthew Cooke just posted to the Blue Blood VIP members area. (I actually meant for it to post tomorrow, but I’m a little distracted with the Halloween holiday celebration, so y’all get it a day early.) Natalie Addams busted out the gothic cobwebs beautifully for this. These sexy spooky images are the eighth Blue Blood set of Natalie Addams and mark photographer Matthew Cooke’s first set for Blue Blood. Forrest Black and I have shared a house with him before, but this is his first Blue Blood appearance, although you should expect many more. Let’s make him feel welcome! Although I promise Natalie is delightfully nude on BlueBlood.com, we can’t show you any nudity here on BlueBlood.net, but you can check out a very hot preview in this free Natalie Addams Halloween gallery. Some of Natalie’s other credits include magazine appearances in Marquis, Sonic Seducer, Rue Morgue, Bizarre, Gothic Beauty, Tattoo Savage, DDI, Drum Pro, and Secret. Blue Blood superstar hotties do tend to get immortalized in print. And now, I’d like to share the sensually artistic Natalie’s thoughts on Halloween with you all.

Amelia G: What are your favorite kinds of Halloween treats?

Natalie Addams: Vegan Candies!! peanut chews, pumpkin pie.

Amelia G: How do you like to spend Halloween in general and do you have any special plans for Halloween this year?

Natalie Addams: I love dressing up, and of course halloween seems like it’s everyday to us goths ;) I usually like to go out and strut my costume on halloween, and see everyone’s costume creations. This year I am in New York filming some amazing zombie footage for the SMack! Halloween party. Hope to show you the photos and video footage soon :)

Amelia G: Last year, you were a sexy marionette. What are you wearing for Halloween this year?

Natalie Addams: I am wearing a rad zombie costume featuring a amazing waist cincher by Eirik Aswang, lots of latex, blood, gore, medical crosses. Kinda a medical barbie doll/giesha gone horribly wrong.

Amelia G: What are your favorite holidays?

Natalie Addams: ^v^Halloween!! by far!! An excuse to dress up and make even crazier outfits!

I’m going to admit that this year, like many Americans, I’ve been too caught up, either following election coverage or avoiding it, to properly celebrate Halloween. Sure, Blue Blood is sponsoring a few Halloween parties, most notably the Release the Bats decade anniversary. And I remembered to freshen up my hair color and play with squash a little. Some years, I get all freaked out about wanting to do too much for Halloween, but this year I haven’t even had my favorite holiday at the front of my brain most of the time. But I’ve been enjoying a bit of vicarious Halloween joy today, checking out the work of people like Dana Dark and Ray Villafane.

More on Dana Dark’s Halloween secrets later, but I want to tell you all about Ray Villafane now. He is an artist who primarily appears to work on sculpture for folks like Sideshow Collectibles and McFarlane Toys. In the unlikely event you are not familiar with those companies, they make collectibles for the horror, science fiction, fantasy, and general monsters and comic books realm.

But, wow, can Ray Villafane sculpt a pumpkin! Some people paint or draw on pumpkins. Most people just scoop out the guts and cut holes for features. I like to make jack o’lantern art at one step remove and have nude models scoop out the guts and cut holes for features. But Ray Villafane turns the pumpkin carving process into real sculptural works of art.

I’m feeling more buoyant about Halloween just thinking about it!