Michael Jackson leads the pack in banner year for tasteless Halloween costumes

Since Halloween is supposed to bring out the ghoul in us all, I guess it's no surprise that partygoers are planning to masquerade as dead celebrities this year. The high-profile recently departed from the worlds of music and TV seem to be the most popular, which means there will be lots of Michael Jacksons, Farrah Fawcetts, Billy Mays and Ed McMahons wandering around this weekend. Guess nobody's bothering to ask, "Too soon?" (Jackson, by the way, is the top costume choice in numerous polls.) Movie-ticketing service Fandango found in a survey that the much-anticipated concert film This Is It may be inspiring tons of Jackson wannabes, but Twilighters aren't far behind. (Neither is the comic-based Wolverine.) Trick-or-treaters will be drawing from movies based on graphic novels (Watchmen), toys (G.I. Joe), children's books (Where the Wild Things Are) and sleepers (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, The Hangover). Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton's update of the acid-trip tale, doesn't launch until next spring but snagged the most write-in votes in Fandango's survey of more than 1,200 people. Media and pop culture continue to spawn the lion's share of dress-up ideas, like Kate Gosselin and her ridiculous hair-don't, the steamy True Blood vamps and President Obama. All I know is, I'd better not open my door to a blubbering Glenn Beck. No candy for him!

—Posted by T.L. Stanley