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18 ENTERTAINMENT EXTRA Wilkinson Heating & Plumbing 2 x 3" Royal Center Locker Plant 1 x 9" By Michelle Rose TV Media A s we head into October, the Halloween season is officially in full swing. That's certainly the case on the Food Network, which got into the spirit of things a little early this year with a full slate of spooky and sweet-themed programming. We're used to seeing shows like "Halloween Baking Championship" and "Halloween Wars" popping up on our screens around this time — last year, the two shows premiered on Sept. 23 and 29, respectively. But for 2020, Food Network is offering nearly 35 hours of Halloween-themed programming, five more than in 2019; and it all started with the Sept. 13 premiere of "Road to Halloween Wars," a one- hour special that led into the season premiere of "Halloween Wars." That's also when Food Network debuted a new series, "Outrageous Pumpkins." If the title sounds awfully familiar, then you're probably thinking of the one- hour special that aired in 2019. That version of "Outrageous Pumpkins" was hosted by Casey Webb ("Man v. Food") and featured three rounds of challenges that put the most serious pumpkin carvers to the test. This year, Food Network decided to turn the concept into a limited series with a tried-and-true weekly elimina- tion format. Hosted by Alyson Hannigan of "How I Met Your Mother" fame, the series start- ed off by introducing viewers to seven of the nation's expert pumpkin carvers, who are now vying for the $25,000 prize. We've had to bid farewell to one of them each week, and five carvers remain. But even if you missed the previous two episodes, there's still time to get in on the action — espe- cially if you have an apprecia- tion for extraordinary works of art carved out of a squash or gourd. (Fun fact: Botanically speaking, pumpkins are fruits, not vegetables.) The classic jack-o'-lantern and the Seven Deadly Sins were covered in the series pre- miere, and last week's episode featured 3D dioramas of trick- or-treaters. The new episode airing on Sunday, Sept. 27, is all about spooky structures. In the first challenge, aka the Quick Carve round, competi- tors must create a cemetery- themed scene with zombie animals; but the structure must be at least two pump- kins tall, and the entire pump- kin must be used, from stem to seed. Round Two, the Big Carve round, is one for dino lovers: the carvers will have to create ginormous prehistoric animals, but weather will make the challenge difficult. So far, we've seen plenty of impressive creations that make this series a must see for anyone looking to step up their pumpkin-carving game. Check out a new episode of "Outrageous Pumpkins" airing on Sunday. And if you catch yourself thinking, "Well, I could do that," there's already a casting call out for Season 2, which will likely film next month. 'Outrageous Pumpkins': Series carves out a spot in Food Network's seasonal lineup Alyson Hannigan, host of "Outrageous Pumpkins" Valley Girl Ruby Richman (Morrone) arrives home, distraught after breaking up with her boyfriend, to pursue her ambition of attending a study-abroad program in Japan for her final semester of high school. Her mother, Julie (Silver- stone), tells Ruby about her own final weeks of high school, and the film flashes back to the early 1980s. A young Julie (Rothe) is a typical Valley girl living in Encino and enjoys frequent shopping trips to the mall with her friends. Director: Rachel Lee Golden- berg. Stars: Jessica Rothe, Josh Whitehouse, Jessie Ennis, Ashleigh Murray, Chloe Bennet, Logan Paul, Mae Whitman, Rob Huebel, Judy Greer, Mario Revolori, Camila Morrone, Ali- cia Silverstone. 2020. 102 mins. Comedy. Weathering With You Coming to mainland Japan from the small island of Kozu-shima, first-year high-schooler and run- away Morishima Hodaka (Daigo) travels to Tokyo. After a chance encounter with Keisuke Suga (Oguri) on his journey to the city, the middle-age man hires Hodaka for a position at his small occult magazine publishing company. Director: Makoto Shinkai. Stars: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Shun Oguri. 2019. 112 mins. Anima- tion. Welcome to Sudden Death When a basketball team's owner is taken hostage at the opening- night game by a tech-savvy and hostile terrorist group posing as the venue's security team, Jesse Freeman (Jai White), a member of the security personnel and former special forces officer, must insert himself into the action as the de- mands of the terrorist group not only threaten the area in which he is trapped, but also his beloved daughter. Director: Dallas Jackson. Stars: Mi- chael Jai White, Michael Eklund. 2020. 81 mins. Action. video releases Cass Plaza 2 x 2" U Know Pizza 2 x 2.5"

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