Tag: Halloween costume

Doc’s Thumbs Up: Faded by T.ali Official Music Video (Halloween Release)

Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m still sharing Halloween treats well into November. That’s what you’ll get, and should expect from me anyway when I share in the spirit annually participating in the holiday each year. For Halloween 2020, I chose dressing as a Covid Germ. But the Halloween treat featured as Doc’s Thumbs Up this week is hip-hop artist T.ali’s official music video for Faded. 

[Read: Baltimore Artist Contracts Coronavirus on Halloween and Infects 2 Seniors at Owings Mill Red Run Stream Valley Trail (Halloween Recap)]

T.ali, formally known as Kaseo, released visuals for his single Faded from his April album Since We’re Being Honest this Halloween. Finally! Listeners anticipated the video dropping as early as mid-September when casting calls for extras were first mentioned. A month and a half later, we can now feast our eyes on what’s been cooking. I just couldn’t wait to write about it because I already knew T.ali would push some greatness.

I was tuned into the hype posted every couple of days promoted on T.ali’s Instagram and other social media feeds. Mini clips of the mini horror film that advertised to us, the audience, as the official music video was finally pieced together into a full masterpiece. 

The video is relatable and reminiscent of growing up watching short, but somewhat lengthy-for-a-music-video, films. Music videos like Thriller and Bad created by the King of Pop Michael Jackson always come to mind as the greatest short musicals ever made. So when fresher artists take on the challenges to carefully create references that skew inspiration within their work to reach heights many other talents have previously succeeded in completing, pure greatness is bound to shine through. That’s what’s seen in T.ali’s performance; an artist who’s challenging himself to own and exploring those heights a plethora of talented people blueprinted. And he’s doing it while collaborating with many other dope artists, bringing them along for the ride too.

The video was produced by filmmaker Juba Productions, styled by Al Rogers, and makeup by Yeah Shae the MUA and Kay L.A.. The team of artists putting this project together is phenomenal. It’s right to assume that Faded would be a hit amongst the listeners because of the magnitude of dopeness. It’s not many times a group like this can come together and not produce great art. Some other Baltimore artists, just to name a few, featured in the video were Forty the Plug, Doowy Lloh, Da’Rious, Brandon Woody, Teddy Alexander, Miss Kam, J Lovey, and various others amazing dancers, actors, and singers. These guys really put on a show.

There’s a second release for the album Since We’re Being Honest this week Friday, November 6 for the deluxe edition. Listeners can get an even deeper listen to other tracks from T.ali and hear a few features from some of the artists spotted in the video.

Watch the full video to Faded:

Would you say this video is creepy? Would you bump this in your car? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Baltimore Artist Contracts Coronavirus on Halloween and Infects 2 Seniors at Owings Mill Red Run Stream Valley Trail (Halloween Recap)

Halloween 2020 is a little different this year because of what’s happening all over the world. People are being more cautious celebrating because of the country’s current status and are uncertain when making decisions navigating how to live during these covid times. Times are crazy and I decided to be a visual representation of what’s causing chaos around the world in 2020.

[Read I Wanted To Be Triggered for Halloween on Doc’s Castle Media]

I dressed as a coronavirus germ this year because it was literally all that was talked about in mainstream culture. I started hearing about Coronavirus towards the end of January before the virus reached the United States. At the time, I wasn’t so sure that disease would reach Americans. It seemed so far removed from my life as Wuhan, China was shut down on the opposite side of the world. Every day I rode public transportation during peak hours to work at the office in Downtown Baltimore. But now, 7 months later, sitting on a packed train never seemed so dangerous in my life.

[Read timeline of how coronavirus got started on ABC News.]

This world being consumed by Covid 19 affects not only human bodily functions. It’s infectious to our everyday lives affecting us in every area and physical function. People are seeking ways of dealing with mental stress and financial hardships. I’ve even seen churches battle with government policy to continue having Sunday service. This disease affects everyone everywhere even if you don’t contract it. 

The holiday season is here. It doesn’t come as a surprise that many people are finally peeking out of their doors to explore the new world. We’re ready to socialize with our friends and family after being quarantined for nearly a year. Sadly, covid cases are still rising. Earlier in the week, American’s were warned of a third Covid 19 surge taking place as predicted. So I chose to be a walking reminder of what’s lurking in our atmosphere ready to penetrate our respiratory systems if we decide to ignore the rising cases.

The makeup artist behind this masterpiece is Nelli from GlambyNelli on Instagram. Nelli is a Baltimore Artist well versed in a multitude of talents but she wow’s us away with this project! I told her my vision and boom! She turned my head into a covid germ and still made me look pretty!

Nelli began taking her Halloween makeup artistry seriously just a year ago in 2019 while doing makeup for family and friends and sharing images of her work on social media. But she’s always had a love for art. While visiting her art studio for my appointment, I found she surrounds herself with inspiration from her own creations. She told me she’s an artist for many years. I learned she’s a makeup artist, painter, and photographer. She absolutely loves creating. I could tell from the creative aura that surrounds her studio.

I was drawn to contacting Nelli for my services after seeing her recreation of the 2009 science fiction film Avatar. The makeup was done so well, the client looked exactly like an actor from the movie. I had to see if she would accept my challenge to make me germy. I believe she had it in her to do it. She definitely succeeded.

Afterward, I went to find a safe socially distanced park where I could take pictures of me infecting others with my germs. It was so funny to hear people murmur to each other their guesses of my costume. “She’s so pretty,” was not what I intended to hear but it’s nice to know that I’m an attractive infectious disease. I continued my stroll through Owings Mills Red Run Stream Valley Trail with CtrlMyCamera taking shots of me jokingly pretending to spoil the other walkers on the trail. 

View more from my Coronavirus photoshoot in the slideshow below. *I do not own the rights to this music. The song is titled Coronavirus by Imarkkeyz on YouTube.*

I hope that people remain cautious while celebrating the holidays this season. These are crazy times we’re living in. We should have empathy for human life during these times as always. Even though it sucks as our more thankful and merriest time of the year approaches, we’re pressured to keep socially distancing. We should remain vigilant in protecting ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally as best as we can while socially distancing. We can still be there for one another. Humans need to stay connected. But we should be extra cautious and remember what steps to take to remain safe as we visit and spend time with the people we love.

Are dressing up for Halloween? Have you seen any cool costumes? Let me know in the comments below.

I Wanted to Be “Triggered” for Halloween… (Photo Gallery)

Trying to keep in the spirit of Halloween, as I always do around this time of the year, I wanted to share this throwback costume from last year’s Halloween 2019 because I never had the opportunity of sharing on my blog. My followers know that I dress up every year for Halloween. I’ve shared so many of my costumes; from Tyler the Champion of Courage to Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers. I love dressing up for the holiday sometimes with no destination in mind. But last year, I chose to be “Triggered” for my costume.

[Read Get in the Spirit of Halloween: 5 Halloween Costumes by Doc on Doc’s Castle Media]

http://www.instagram.com/p/B4T3spap7Cb/?igshid=1kqvz7ejzqqiy

Triggered means to be activated by an event or circumstance that is the cause of a particular action, process, or situation. It’s to have an intense emotional or physical reaction to a situation.

Gradually over time as I scroll social media, I sense some annoyance seeping from my gut whenever someone is offended by something most people would consider to be minuscule. Topics that should be intentionally subjective spark absurd debates among peers that wouldn’t usually split relationships, divide, and conquer. More recently, the lines are being blurred on what is acceptable versus what is downright offensive. 

Now we’re dealing with the emergence of a mob of individuals who make up what we call Cancel Culture, “a form of public shaming that aims to hold individuals and groups accountable for their actions by calling attention to behavior that is perceived to be problematic, usually on social media.” It’s like modern-day biblical stoning, except with mean trendy hashtags on our Twitter and Facebook timelines. 

There are many victims of cancel culture. Just to name a few celebrities that have fallen to under the hammer of cancel culture conviction as of lately are Tory Lanez who allegedly shot Megan Thee Stallion in foot being shunned for dropping diss on the date of Breonna Taylor’s verdict, the once lovable but now turned villain Ellen Degeneres who’s catching heat workplace toxicity on her afternoon talk show Ellen, and even 50 Cent tried to call out the public to cancel Oprah for coming after black men in #MeToo Cases. We’re trying to rid everyone in the limelight.

Some of these stars may rightfully deserve being canceled. But there are times where mob mentality gets so triggered that pop culture turns to cancel people for simply having an unpopular opinion. That can be dangerous because we become afraid to make our next moves. Just look at how comedians have to move in this climate. Comedians nervously share new content in worries of their careers ending saying or doing something labeled unacceptable. They’re comedians. They’re supposed to make fun. Entire lives change when society resorts to canceling things, ya know. But do we think we could be going a little too far to rid society of what we feel is unpopular?

[Read Why Cancel Culture is a Distraction for The New York Times.]

Cancel culture is a phenomenon at the least because it leaves me astonished at how basic someone’s stance could be, yet they can go to ridiculous lengths to make a point about it.

So…I wanted to create a visual representation of how silly cancel culture has become. It’s ridiculous to see people get upset over the most trivial concepts. I’ve seen people disown their friends over food choices. I’ve even read news stories of people going mad and killing their entire families over someone choosing to not honor their wishes to not smoke near their family.

http://www.instagram.com/p/B4TySDHptKL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

A bit much, I’d say. But it’s quite the example of someone pushing their opinions on other people as the “is all, be all.” The sensitivity is out of control. Telling someone “no” when we don’t want to agree with someone is starting to cause everyone to be cautious about what we say or do. Why can’t we respect other people’s opinions and go on about our day?

How did I do being Triggered for Halloween? Did you get it? Leave your comments below.

Three Reasons To Be Tina Belcher (#DocsCastle Halloween Recap)

Every Halloween, I have to go all out and do my best to dress up as whatever the hottest trend of the year may be at the moment. For 2016, I decided to be the loveable Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers.

Photo by Google Images
Photo by Google Images

In Doc’s Castle Media history, I’ve dressed as some pretty questionable characters; as “ratchet girl” and “Tyler, the champion of courage.” This year I took an easier approach to finding a costume, partly because I procrastinated on buying the costume I really wanted, which was Donald Trump’s musty toupee. But I mainly ran with the idea of being Tina because I knew everyone would “get me” for simply being her.

Bob Burger’s has taken the Fox Network by storm. The show is on its 7th season, and it’s going strong holding it’s 7:30 pm ETA spot Sunday evenings on Fox with other longer running shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy.

Everyone loves Tina Belcher because she is so weird but absolutely loveable. How could anyone not love her? A Tina fan cannot help but root for her as she lusts over Jimmy Junior for a lengthy 7 seasons. Or how about when she’s put in charge as baby sitter of her two younger siblings Jean and Louise? We just know that something is bound to go down because of her leniency to care about the consequences of her actions while horseplaying with her little brother and sister. Tina can be confused as the responsible one, but she’s just as fun as the rest of the Belcher family.

When I went out for Halloween as this spunky teen, I received so many compliments. Whether it be that I nailed her look or people confessed their love for her character on the show, everything was so positive. Those kind of reactions make me love participating in Halloween. It’s the only time of the year someone can dress up as anything and not be rejected by their peers for it.

Awesome!

It wasn’t enough to simply dress like Tina. I have to share my Three Awesome Reasons I’m Glad I Choose to Be Tina Belcher for Halloween, of course! So here it goes…

One: Tina can be an awesome role model.

If I had to choose role model of a cartoon character from what we know to be an adult cartoon, Tina Belcher would have to be the best candidate. Unlike Haley Smith from American Dad and Meg Griffin from Family Guy, Tina Belcher doesn’t try to be beyond her age. She’s only 13 years old, that’s around middle school years, while Haley and Meg are a few years older and well off in high school. Tina doesn’t annoy us with bickering hatred or whiney slurs towards her parents like the stereotypical television teenager. In place of that, is a burning yearning curiosity and imagination; something we never want to die within ourselves. She keeps any kid who’s spectating down to earth in a reality suitable for their age.

Two: No matter how weird Tina may be, she always ends up being true to herself.

This analogy can actually be addressed to Tina’s entire family, but to remain focused, Tina does this exceptionally well to be only a preteen. When dealing in shenanigans with her frenemy  Tammy, she always unbothered with Tammy’s insults. She fails to get embarrassed easily whenever in a moment of uncertainty. But if there is a time she’s feeling threatened emotionally, it’s only for a split second as Tina is reminded by her Belcher family of her greatness.  It’s amazing, and also makes Tina more funny because it’s like she has blinders on whenever a moment you’d expect her to react go completely left field. It’s those periods when she shows us how to remain true to ourselves. She leaves us with the message that being real with ourselves makes us happier, always.

Three: Tina is an aspiring author.

Tina is a writer, just like me! Tina spends her time writing erotic fan fiction about herself, her biggest crush, and her friends in her journals. She keeps her erotic stories in her composition notebooks with aspirations to share her work with peers one day. I can relate to her unyielding ambition because I journal too. Tina being a writer fit so perfectly for me because I can still take on role-playing her and carry my journal along the way if I need to jot something down.

Tina is the new sexy in these three ways so much so animators should model their future characters off of her spunk. What do you say? Who’s your favorite Belcher? Tell us in the comments below.   

Did you see the awesome costumes of people dressed up for Free Comic Book Day? Read Free Comic Book Day: Visit Collectors Corner Now ( A #DCM Recap) on Doc’s Castle Media.

Happy Halloween from Tyler (Champion of Courage)

Happy Halloween folks! I hope everyone had a good one. By the looks of my Facebook timeline, it definitely looked like everyone had a good time being “wanna be’s” for the day.

I enjoyed myself in Halloween spirit this year a day early while I dressed as a spin-off of the biggest wannabe of the year!

Can you guess who that spin-off might be?

I had to dress up for work at the last minute, and I never like picking the average costume to wear. So I had to come up with something quick. You won’t find me being a Wonder Woman or Batgirl costume, ever. But you’ll see me trying to be a little unique. Three Halloween’s ago, I was “Ratchet Girl.”

I just like to roll with what’s the talk of the year. So what better to do it by making the most talked-about move this year.

I’ll become the opposite sex. It seems easy, right?

Caitlyn Jenner, formally known as Olympian Bruce Jenner, made a huge statement earlier this year with his announcement to take on a new gender role; he decided to change from man to woman. He was later granted numerous awards such as the courage awards and woman of the year for making such a move. He’s even open up many gateways for other people to come out about who they truly are.

Not saying Tyler is someone I truly am…haha. I just wanted to remind people what Caitlyn did.

There’s a lot of controversy behind Caitlyn’s decision, and whether she truly deserves any of the honorable titles awarded to her throughout the year. But there is no denying she changed our history in many ways, publicly. She provided an opportunity for a new conversation amongst a curiosity which is called to the forefront of American society; the lifestyle of transgender.

My entire reasoning for choosing to be Tyler wasn’t too complex. I just thought maybe some of the luck she had from becoming a woman would rub off on me while being a man for the day. Haha.

What do you think about my costume? Do I look better as a man or a woman? Leave your comments below.

Check out my last post from Halloween.