I’m in a great mood this morning. It could be the giant bag of candy corn I housed upon waking up at 6am, or it could be the fact that tonight kicks off HALLOWEEN WEEKEND, 2009!!

I’ve been preparing for this day for months now. I found a group to costume-it-up with, set a very strict partying schedule (chock full of awesome drinking games!), and even made my own candy corn infused vodka (twice…I drank the test batch back in August…). And now the time is here! There are only a few short hours (and another XL bag of candy corn pumpkins) between me and my favorite weekend of the year.

After last year’s costume debacle (I went as Rachel Zoe and everyone thought I was an Olsen twin…) I decided to go with something a bit more obvious this year. The costume is awesome, but not only is it not sexy, it’s so bulky I couldn’t make out with a guy if I wanted to! But that’s OK – I made out with The Joker in a corner last year and couldn’t get his makeup off my face for hours.

But enough about me.

I wanna know what everyone else is gonna be this weekend. You gonna Lady Gaga it out? Perhaps do a little Mario Kart? Or are you just goin’ for straight-up skankified? Share your Halloween costumes below. I can’t wait to see what everyone else has up their sleeve (or super short skirt…).

Sure, times are tough right now. Money is tight. But that is still no excuse for the 20% increase in shoplifting this holiday season. What is wrong with people? Have they learned nothing from all those episodes of family shows where the kids went to steal something, got caught, almost got arrested and then learned the important lesson that stealing is bad?

No? Didn’t watch TGIF? Well, then CollegeCandy is going to teach you a lesson about why shoplifting – especially for the holidays – is bad:

1. No Gift Receipt: How embarassing is it for the person who gets that stolen gift and tries to return it without a gift receipt? Best case scenario: they get a really crappy deal (like store credit on the new clearance amount). Worst case: someone at the store figures out that the gift was purchased with the five finger discount and arrest that poor recipient.

2. Embarassing for You: Imagine getting caught. In your neighborhood Target. Stealing Christmas cards. While all your parents’ friends and neighbors (and your old teachers) stand around watching it go down.

3. So Wrong!: Besides being illegal, it’s Christmas season! This is the season of giving, not taking without paying. What would Santa think?

4. It’s not what the holidays are about: If you can’t afford to get your brother Mario Kart for the Wii, grabbing it and running out of Best Buy with 12 members of Geek Squad chasing you is not the answer. Make him something, get him something cheaper, or just remind him that it is far better to give than to receive. He’ll understand (maybe).

5. It’s a lot of work: The planning, the baggy and unflattering clothes, the running away from the Popo…is it really worth it?

Sometimes, it’s not enough to make your own fab entrance at a Halloween Party; you and your whole crew need to be noticed. On the other hand, sometimes your crazy costume idea is so unique that nobody will get it… unless your faves are by your side to complete the picture. Want to make the biggest splash this Halloween (and have some killer bonding time with your buds as you shop, create, and play dress up)? Here are just a few ideas for some great group costumes. And most of them can be done on a budget!

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For a group of twenty-something young lads, the guys of Panic at the Disco have made quite a name for themselves. Their first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, went double platinum. Before they were even 20 years old, the guys were blowing up the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards. And now, three years later, Panic (no more exclamation point) at the Disco is touring the world with Pretty. Odd., their wildly successful new album.

CollegeCandy got to sit down with Jon Walker, Panic’s super hot and talented bassist, to find out the secrets behind the music, how the band is handling all the success and just what a group of guys does on a giant tour bus. (Well, CollegeCandy was actually lying on the couch, but we assume Jon was sitting down on the other end of the line…)

CC: So, you guys are back on the road again. How is the tour going?

Jon: This tour right now is actually really fun. The Hush Sound is a really great band and Phantom Planet is out on tour with us right now, as well, and they’re also a really great band. We’ve been on this tour for about 2 months now we have about three or four shows left. That’s pretty exciting.

CC: And what do you guys have coming up next?

Jon: We are wrapping up this tour and going over to Europe. That’s our main focus right now.

CC: Wow. The tour never ends. What do you like best about being on the road?

Jon: Just playing shows, I guess. It’s fun to be able to travel around with your friends and hang out everyday, but some days it’s not always that fun until you get on stage and remember why you are out here doing this.

CC: Yeah, I am sure being cooped up on a bus all day isn’t always so glamorous. What do you guys do all day to pass the time?

Jon: Well, luckily Nintendo recently came out with Mario Kart for the Wii. That’s really pretty much what we’ve been doing . We’ve been writing a lot as well on this tour and we’ve been trying to demo some songs. In between Mario Kart and demo-ing songs and sleep… that’s pretty much the top 3 things we do on the bus. Read More »