Howcast

49-year-old mom Donna Purnell (aka Alexanderia the Great) enjoys being bound in chains and padlocks by her husband. Get your mind out of the gutter, people…she’s an escape artist! In these double-dip-recessionary times, the Purnells have taken their penchant for chains and turned it into a living.

In her “Leap of Faith,” this badass mommy straps on 55 lbs. of chains, dives into a pool, and resurfaces in 60 seconds, using only a hairpin to free herself. And then, you know, goes home and cooks dinner for kids. NBD.

Before you go attempting any of this Houdini stuff, consider starting small. Knowing how to escape from handcuffs might come in handy one day.

In Production: Pool Trick Shots with Andy Segal

Trick shot hotshot Andy Segal showed us exactly why they call him “The Magic Man.” Check out some “shots” (pun totes intended) of our upcoming series with the pool pro!

Eye of the freakin’ tiger with this one.

Who said white balls couldn’t jump?!

Imagine the poor fool who challenges Andy to a regular bar game of pool!

Um…we’re just gonna let Andy explain this shot!

Let the (paper) creatures of the night take flight!

Whether you want to make Halloween cupcakes that are cute or creepy, these decorating tips will do the trick for your treats.

It’s Christmas in October! Professional singer and actor Paul Sandberg takes us through the classics in our upcoming series “How to Play Christmas Songs.” Check out this behind-the-scenes clip!

The complete walkthroughs for Batman Arkham City. Enjoy!

Totally stuck on what to be for Halloween? Check out these easy costume and makeup ideas for inspiration:

• Sexy Schoolgirl 
• Burlesque Dancer
• Zombie
• Hipster
• Drag Queen
• Vampire
• Cowboy
• Broken Doll
• Werewolf
• Mermaid

Asshole Baby

When you think of babies, you think of soft, squishy bundles of adorable, right? Not so for this dad. He’s the creator — literally! — of Asshole Baby, a hilarious blog that chronicles the absurdity that is being a new dad who has no clue what he’s doing. Think Three Men and a Baby meets the digital age. Though we’re not sure how this baby feels about being called an asshole, we’re sure she’ll think it’s sweet when she’s older…

For you fellow parents out there, blogging isn’t the only way to bond with your baby. Connect with your kiddo using these ideas.

Paranormal Pandemonium

Seems like only yesterday the itty bitty budget horror flick Paranormal Activity had audiences a-freakin’ and a-faintin’. Now with the 3rd installment in theaters, we can finally get some answers as to why that demon is all up in that poor family’s Kool-Aid.

We would be remiss if we didn’t do our damnedest to keep you out of paranormal pandemonium. Detect strange activity (put the Ouija board down), conduct your investigation, and get rid of the ghostly bastard. You’re bound to get so good at this you could make a career out of it. 

When You Give a Penguin a Sweater…

…you make the world a better place! In the wake of a New Zealand oil spoil, these happy-footed little fellows are in need of some cozy warmth and protection until they’re healthy enough to be clean. A Kiwi-based yarn shop has even posted patterns for “penguin jumpers,” as well as instructions on where to send your completed penguin knitwear.

Should this small act of pengui-tarianism inspire you, here are some great ways to get started.
 
image via Flickr: “Penguin Posing” by Lord Biro

#OWS Gets Real

This is the true story of seven strangers picked to live…in Zuccotti Park? It’s almost too crazy to be true: MTV is now casting straight from the Occupy Wall Street picket lines for the 27th season of The Real World. While we’re not sure exactly how these 99-percenters will feel about appearing on corporate reality television, we suppose we’ll just have to watch what happens when protesters stop being polite and start getting real.

Not a 20-something revolutionary but still hoping for your own 15 minutes of fame? Find out how to make the perfect audition tape. You might just get your own show.

image via Flickr: “Occupy Wall Street marcher: America, Wake Up!” by Carwil

Meet Your Facebook Stalker

If ever you needed a cautionary tale about Facebook stalkers, look no further than takethislollipop.com. Give the site access to your account and you’re immediately thrusted into the dank lair of your very own stalker who not only looks through your wall and pictures, but is determined to find you too. 

Seriously, Zuckerberg. With Facebook’s ever-changing layouts and privacy settings it wouldn’t be so unlikely that some sweaty creeper in a basement could hack into our accounts…and hack other things as well.

Should Take This Lollipop’s twisted scenario ever become reality (and we hope to sweet baby J. that it doesn’t) learn how to protect yourself. 

Matt from Nintendo talks to Howcast Gaming about Super Mario 3D. Tell us all about it, Matty!

Channel your favorite movie character this Halloween with these suggestions:

• Freddy - A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Jim - Rebel Without a Cause
• Jigsaw -  Saw
• Holly - Breakfast at Tiffany’s
• Samara - The Ring
• Alex - A Clockwork Orange
• Optimus - Transformers
• Leia - Star Wars
• Max - Where the Wild Things Are 
• Carrie - Carrie

Corn Maze Confusion

 

Imagine taking your spouse and newborn child out on an autumnal excursion to the local farm’s corn maze. Reveling in the corn, basking in the fall-ness of it all — sounds festive, right? Not so for one unfortunate Massachusetts family. On a late fall afternoon, they got so lost in the labyrinth that had to get rescued by the police!
 
If fall has you jonesin’ for a good puzzle, here’s how to make your own straw bale maze. Don’t forget to learn how to solve it. We hear that’s kinda important.

image via Flickr: “The Art Institute of Portland visits the Kruger’s Farm Corn Maze” by Art Institute of Portland
source: www.latimes.com