Halloween Costume Ideas from True Blood, Friday Night Lights, Mad Men, and one Govenor candidate

Halloween is creeping up on us! Several of you may be wondering about costumes and what to dress up as. Several more of you might also be waiting until the last minute to figure it out. Here's some quick ideas when you're in that 11th hour and absolutely need a costume. The good news, most of these pieces can be found right from your closet and are inspired by your TV.

Sookie Stackhouse, (Anna Paquin) True Blood. As an avid lover of Twilight (just the first book and ONLY the book) I can tell you that vampires aren't going away anytime soon. True Blood helped to further push vampires into the mainstream as an everlasting theme for entertainment. Sookie is a telepathic vampire who works at the restaurant "Merlotte's". Her simple uniform of a white T-shirt and short green skirt should be easy enough to find, or you can buy one from 80stees.com. You can make a name tag with a safety pin, cut piece of green felt, glue, and a silver marker. Buy a long, blond wig and any vampire die-hard will know you a mile away.

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Meg Whitman. Her stiff, political attire is a cinch to pull off. Thrift a boxy and unattractive blazer with matching loose black slacks. Find a simple button up blouse or plain, white shirt in your closet and you're almost there. To complete the look, buy a frizzy blond wig, some faux pearl earrings and you're as obvious as Sarah Palin with her bump-it hair style and square glasses.

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Joan Holloway, (Christina Hendricks) Mad Men. Quite possibly the most buzzed about TV show that I'm not watching, but so desperately want to! Joan is the sultry secretary the men want to be with and the ladies want to be. She's beautiful and buxom, a deadly combination. Her look is completely 60's office chic and so easy to achieve. Pencil skirt, low cut top, and short red wig should complete your costume. Of course if you're not as blessed in the chest as Joan, there's no harm in adding a little tissue.

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For all you gents out there, Friday Night Lights is your best bet. This is possibly the best show you're not watching. Choose from any number of the stellar, mostly male cast and you're golden. There's Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler), an honest man who spends most of his days in khaki slacks, sneakers, windbreaker, sunglasses and baseball cap. Of course, a few of those items tend to disappear come game time.

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There's also my personal favorite, Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch). A simple guy whose former football glory seems to torment him as he tries to make a living long after the high school highs have ended. Either way, his clothes of plaid button-ups, torn jeans, and cowboy boots shouldn't be hard to locate, either in your closet or at a thrift store.

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Here a few more tips when shopping for your costumes:

-If you're looking into face paints, consider the water-based pastel crayons at art supply stores like Blick. They're called NeoColor II by Caran d'Ache. They're nontoxic, hypoallergenic, go on smooth, and easy to remove later with soap and water. I used them for my four years as a children's entertainer and never had a single problem.

-If you're going to wear a wig, buy a wig cap. They're available at places like Sally's Beauty Supply. They're incredibly cheap and come in nude and black for your various wig needs. They hold your hair in place, flat against your head and work as a nice barrier between you and the itchy backing found on most wigs.

-Try hitting up uniform supply stores, like Banner Uniform. They'll have the most authentic looking outfits if you don't have the time to thrift shop. You can find medical, restaurant, and security uniforms here for rent or purchase.

                   ~Amanda