Have a very 80s Halloween

Remember Halloween in the 80s? Sure you do. It was the last time people willingly opened their front doors when you rang the doorbell after dark. And your mom made awful costumes for you to wear. You can relive the magic of the 80s this Halloween too. Just follow these easy steps from the Stuck in the 80s gang.

YOUR MUSIC: Start your day with a mix of Halloween-themed music from the 80s. Times pop music critic and Stuck in the 80s co-host Sean Daly offered these suggestions on his blog:

• Bela Lugosi's Dead -- Bauhaus
• Weird Science -- Oingo Boingo
• Pet Sematary -- the Ramones
• Thriller -- Michael Jackson
• House of Fun -- Madness
• Dead Man's Party -- Oingo Boingo

Heck, any song by Oingo Boingo pretty much works. After all, they turned this holiday into an art form with their legendary Halloween shows in L.A. (Bring Back Boingo!) Don't forget to add a little Van Halen ("Running with the Devil"), Iron Maiden ("Number of the Beast"), Chris de Burgh ("Don't Pay The Ferryman") and Billy Idol ("The Dead Next Door") to the mix. Or a little Bow Wow Wow ("I Want Candy.")

YOUR JOB: They wouldn't let us wear costumes to school back at Countryside High School in the 80s. But here at tampabay.com and the St. Petersburg Times, if I came dressed as someone from the 80s, who would know the difference? (Today, someone is dressed up as a psychotic urologist -- don't ask me how I know.) Your boss will be cool about a great costume too. So try dressing up as Adam Ant today. You know you want to.

YOUR EVENING ENTERTAINMENT: Consult our list of top 20 horror movies and go rent one -- but go old school and find it on videotape, not DVD. Sean Daly usually opts to watch Halloween, probably because he doesn't value a good night's sleep. Our other co-host, Cathy Wos, prefers the 80s shlockiness of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, which we all agree is the epitome of 80s horror flicks.

But for my money, give me a double feature of Poltergeist and The Lost Boys. I like a little humor mixed with my blood-letting. And if there's a Corey or two thrown in there, who's to know the better?

Pop some corn, uncap the Bartles & Jaymes and Busch beer and you're set. (Oh, and of course, listen to our special Halloween in the 80s podcast again. It's always funnier and more embarrassing the second time through. Just like sex.)

Dolby's coming to town

Thomas Dolby is expanding his string of one-man shows from just a handful of West Coast stops to an entire nationwide tour. Although the dates aren't confirmed on his website, Dolby should be visiting Colorado, Texas and even Florida before heading up the East Coast to wrap things up by Christmas.

A date at St. Petersburg's State Theater is set for Dec. 17.

Dolby is co-headlining the tour with "trance pioneer" musician BT. Dolby will be releasing a new album on DVD and CD, "The Sole Inhabitant," in November on his own label.

[Click here to see a fuller list of dates for Dolby and BT.]

Wino forever

Winona Ryder turns 35 today, and although she's probably more associated with her work during the Dark Ages (the 90s), let's not forget her nuggets of entertainment from the 80s. But where do you go after the genuis of Beetlejuice?

Well, not far it seems. Her career seems to have peaked in 1994 with Reality Bites.

Her biggest contribution to popular culture outside of acting and shoplifting? Gotta be the tattoo on Johnny Depp's arm, which changed from "Winona Forever" to "Wino Forever" after the couple broke up.

So where does that leave us for a top 5 list? Desperate.

Top 5 Winona Ryder flicks:
5. Mermaids (1990): "Oh god. I think I might be pregnant with the next Jewish Italian Messiah."
4. Girl, Interrupted (1999): "What kind of sex isn't casual?"
3. Heathers (1989): "Lick it up, baby. Lick. It. Up."
2. Reality Bites (1994): "I just don't understand why things just can't go back to normal at the end of the half hour like on the Brady Bunch or something."
1. Beetlejuice (1988): "I myself am... strange and unusual."

Stay away from: Lucas, 1969, Great Balls of Fire, Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Age of Innocence and many more I wouldn't admit to having watched.

Chase Squires ... 80s blasphemist

Former Times TV critic and Stuck in the 80s special guest Chase Squires celebrates his birthday today. Chase was the genius behind two of my favorite episodes of our podcast: the TV in the 80s show and the Miami Vice tribute. (Click those links to relive the magic that is Chase Squires.) Nowadays, Chase is shoveling snow in Denver as a reporter for the Associated Press. He also writes a hilarious blog about his running adventures.

He e-mailed Stuck in the 80s today to give us his review of our special Halloween episode ("I was laughing my a-- off on the treadmill") and to share the tale of his favorite Halloween costume in the 80s:

"My best Halloween Costume of the 80s ... I was at The Citadel, no money and not a lot of clothes to work with ... I pulled out a wool blanket, a couple bedsheets, some flip flops, a fake beard and a halo I made with a coat hangar and cardboard ... carry a bottle of mad dog "wine" ... presto, I'm Jesus! ...Yeah, it didn't go over so good at my girlfriend's parents' house, the whole South Carolina thing, you know ..."

Chase had no photos of his costume, but he was nice enough to recreate it with some photo-editing software. (Please forward all charges of blasphemy to Chase Squires, c/o The North Pole.)

Speaking of Jesus and Halloween, a quick trivia question for you 80s addicts: Chase isn't the first person to dress up as Jesus for a costume ball. It happened in an early 80s movie. Can you name the movie and the actor?

   

Andy Taylor quits Duran Duran

Sad news for 80s fans: Guitarist Andy Taylor has parted ways with Duran Duran. The news is confirmed on the band's website. Billboard.com says the choice was Andy's, and the decision came from a "gulf" developing in their partnership.

The band is set to begin a leg of U.S. shows, starting with a stop tonight in Chicago, that will last until Nov. 11. Dom Brown will replace Andy for the shows. Brown, a London-based singer and songwriter, has worked with the band on previous tour dates. The band plans to return to the studio to produce a new album after the tour.

One of the founding members of the 80s lineup, Andy has left the band before. In 1986, he left the band and formed the Power Station with Robert Palmer, Tony Thompson and John Taylor. He rejoined Duran Duran in 2001.

A statement posted on the websites for Andy and Duran Duran is signed by the other four members of the band (John Taylor, Simon Lebon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor): "The past five years have been an incredible journey for us all - and having the original five back together was something that we had wanted to see happen for some time.  As of last weekend, however, the four of us have dissolved our partnership and will be continuing as Duran Duran without Andy."

[Click here to hear the special Stuck in the '80s podcast on Duran Duran, featuring an interview with former lead singer Andy Wickett.]

They're here: Best horror movies of the 80s

"You wanna see something really scary?" Great line from the 1983 flick "Twilight Zone: The Movie." And the perfect way to begin our list of best horror films of the 80s.

The list is generated by reader suggestions, reviews of the movies and a little personal opinion here and there. It's not as long as our previous lists of best comedies, worst songs, best videos and worst films. But it'll still give you a great guide to picking movies to watch between now and Halloween.

Excerpts from critic reviews are only included in the top 5 for this list. Critics are traditionally harsh on horror movies and their comments weren't pretty beyond the very best of the movies. I picked the "taglines" for the rest of the flicks.

Enjoy the list and remember: "You can't choose between life and death when we're dealing with what is in between."

Top 20 Horror Films of the 80s:

20. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986): Dennis Hooper, Caroline Williams. "After a decade of silence... The buzzz is back!"

19. C.H.U.D. (1984): Daniel Stern, John Heard. "You Won't Want To Know What It Means."

18. The Changeling (1980): George C. Scott, Jean Marsh. "Whatever you do...DON'T GO INTO THE ATTIC."

17. Hellraiser (1987): Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins. "Demon to some. Angel to others."

16. The Evil Dead (1981): Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss. "The Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror."

15. Fright Night (1985): Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale. "If you love being scared, it'll be the night of your life."

14. House on Sorority Row (1983): Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson. "Sisters in life.  Sisters in death."

13. Re-Animator (1985): Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott. "Herbert West Has A Very Good Head On His Shoulders... And Another One In A Dish On His Desk."

12. The Lost Boys (1987): Jason Patric, Corey Haim. "Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire."

11. Dressed to Kill (1980): Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson. "Every Nightmare Has A Beginning ... This One Never Ends."

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): Johnny Depp, Robert Englund. "A scream that wakes you up, might be your own."

9. The Believers (1987): Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver. "They exist. Fear them."

8. Return of the Living Dead (1985): Clu Gulager, James Karen. "They're back ... They're Hungry ... And they're NOT vegetarian."

7. Prince of Darkness (1987): Donald Pleasance, Jameson Parker. "It is evil. It is real. It is awakening."

6. Christine (1983): Keith Gordon, John Stockwell. "Hell hath no Fury...like Christine."

The top 5...

5. The Shining (1980): Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall. One critic said: "It is not just a great horror film; it is a psychological profile of how people wrestle with their unsavory pasts."

4. Night of the Creeps (1986): Jason Lively, Steve Marshall. One critic said: "Rarely is a horror comedy as much fun to watch as this movie is."

3. American Werewolf in London (1981): David Naughton, Jenny Agutter. One critic said: "It may be one of the best endings to any movie, ever."

2. The Thing (1982): Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley. One critic said: "If you don't repeatedly drop your jaw and gape at the screen in disbelief, you might need to lay off the PCP."

1. Poltergeist (1982): Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams. One critic said: "This is the movie The Amityville Horror dreamed of being."

The scariest scenes: The face-ripping scene, that dreaded clown, the bodies floating in the pool. The list goes on and on. The cast of Poltergeist was virtually unknown before the movie. And though ToBe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is given credit for directing it, rumor had it that writer Steven Spielberg often took control of the shooting, giving this move the quintessential 80s feel.

So there's the list. Feel free to share your darts and laurels.

Speaking of horror flicks...

Our Stuck in the 80s special Halloween podcast is now online, featuring music and scenes from our favorite movies, along with the stories that made the day special for us back in the 80s. Click here to listen or click here to subscribe to the series for free on iTunes.

Sending in my RSVP early

So my 80s hero Tom Cruise and his gal-pal Katie Holmes have set their marriage date for Nov. 18. How embarrassing ... I won't be able to attend! Turns out that I'm juggling several invitations for the same day. I'm sending them a nice electric fondue pot though. (I originally picked out a book on Kama Sutra, but I hate when gifts go unused.)

10 Reasons I'll Be Missing Tom Cruise's Wedding:

10. The Wiggles: I have seats to the 1:30 show in Tampa.
9. Celebrating 21st anniversary of Joe Theismann breaking his leg on national TV.
8. Sleepover at John Travolta's house. (Kelly's out of town.)
7. Trying to sell DVD copies of Vanilla Sky and Mission Impossible 2 on eBay.
6. Attending Calvin & Hobbes Festival. The strip debuted on this day in 1985.
5. Auditing class on practical psychiatry with pal Matt Lauer.
4. Waiting for "Personality Test" results back from new church in town.
3. Have 10:30 seats to Zamora the Torture King at Las Vegas' Bourbon Street Hotel & Casino.
2. Appointment to give foot massage to Nicole Kidman.

1. Just lost touch with Tom since he wouldn't sign and return my mini Ampipe Bulldog helmet from "All The Right Moves."

Why, Tom? Why?!?

Harrison Ford is kidding himself

This is not a photo of Harrison Ford today. This is a photo of him back in .... oh let's say 1979 or so. But that's seemingly how Ford thinks of himself today, because he continues to say he's fit enough to play Indiana Jones again if a sequel is ever made.

(Don't hold your breath. A script has been in the works for 10 years now. We're more likely to see a sequel to American Graffiti at this point.)

At 64 years old, Ford is older today than Sean Connery was when Connery played Indiana Jones' dad in the The Last Crusade.

For the record, Ford looks more like this today. He's old, gray and grumpy. He should be playing Henry Fonda's part in the remake of On Golden Pond. Or maybe he can co-star with Ted Danson and Burt Reynolds in another installment of the Cocoon movies.

Checkup with the Doc

Christopher Lloyd turned 68 over the weekend. Seems like he'd be older than that by now, right? Probably because he's always playing parts wearing a white shock wig. Though he's best known to 80s fans as Doc Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Lloyd has appeared in a wide range of roles over his career (along with 200 stage productions.)

Dare I try to hold his top 5 list to the 80s? Let's give it a go.

Top 5 Christopher Lloyd movies of the 80s:
5. Clue (1985): "Never mind about the key, unlock the door!"
4. Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai (1984): "Use more honey. Find out what she knows."
3. Eight Men Out (1988): "Shoeless Joe is ignorant; Hap Felsch is just dumb."
2. The Dream Team (1989): "Can you recommend a good clinical psychiatrist in the area? We seem to have lost ours."
1. Back to the Future (1985): "Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."

He needs a little help from his friends

Poor Paul McCartney. He's on his third-or-so wife and things are going badly again. According to court filings, he beats her (or she beats him), he drinks too much and belittles her. All in all, sounds like a night at the Kid Rock or K-Fed households. But my third-favorite Beatle could rewrite one of his 80s classics to make himself feel a little better:

"I can wait another day, until I sue you
You've only got my wallet on a string, and every quid a flutter
But another sober night
Might take forever
We've only got our lawyers to blame
It's all the same to me, witch
Cause I know what I drink feels so right
No more sober nights
No more sober nights
Divorce is my only light
Day or night it's always there...

(Other possible remakes: Silly Love Songs, My Brave Face, and of course, Live and Let Die)