Today's Entertainment

On Sunday, Oct. 6, Food Network premieres the third season of the competitive reality show "Halloween Wars," which pits cake decorators, candy makers and pumpkin carvers against one another in search of the $50,000 prize. Judges are pumpkin carver Robert Childers, cake artist Veronique de Groot and candy crafter Heather Hurlbert. Host Justin Willman sees his role as a multifaceted one. "I wear many hats," he says. "I'm the referee, I'm the cheerleader, I'm the emcee, I provide the color commentary, I've got to tease the tension. As you know, it is a war. "It's serious business. As a performer, as an entertainer, I like to release the tension and put people at ease, but for good television, you've got to build on that tension. "So I walk the line between the two – crack people up when I need to, or let them wallow in their awkwardness, which makes great television." In the first episode, "Zombie Prom," five teams – each with a pumpkin carver, cake decorator and sugar artist – try to create scenes depicting the theme. The special guest judge is actress and "scream queen" Danielle Harris. " 'Zombie Prom' was exceptionally delightful," says Willman, "because it's got a sense of irony to it. The prom, we associate with prim and proper and tuxedos and dresses and corsages. In this episode, they get to take that and cross it with this pure gore and gross, oozing sickening-ness." As to his own Halloween costume, Willman has to defer to his girlfriend, Jill, because they are "one of those sickeningly adorable couples that does some sort of couple outfit." Willman then consults with his lady love, who informs him she is dressing up as the warrior queen Khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen from HBO's "Game of Thrones." "If you're Khaleesi," says Willman, "I'm (her warrior husband) Drogo. Now I'm going to be one of those poseurs who's going to be dressing up as something he doesn't understand. Reminded that Drogo is deceased, Willman says, "I'm Zombie Drogo. OK, good. Is that a thing?" Food Network's home page for "Halloween Wars," at www.foodnetworkcom/halloweenwars/index.html, offers several recipes for fun Halloween party food. These include individual spooky white pizzas (ghostly shapes with just cheese and black-olive eyes), phyllo-wrapped hot-dog mummies (essentially pigs in blankets that look as if they're swathed in bandages) and pull-apart graveyard cupcakes (they're put together to look like a cake, then decorated in proper scary-cemetery fashion). Sandra Lee also suggests putting a bowl of punch (with or without vodka but thickened with lime gelatin and pineapple juice) in a cauldron on top of a larger bowl containing dry ice, then wedging a fake hand (sterilized, of course) in the gap so it seems to be waving forlornly for help. BY KATE O'HARE 'Halloween Wars' host Justin Willman wears many hats BEST TELEVISION WITCHES Alyson Hannigan Catherine Bell 8 Lana Parrilla The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • October 7-13, 2013 BY JAY BOBBIN Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery, "Bewitched," 1964-72, ABC) This charmer worked her literal magic on husband Darrin and many others in trying to live the life of a "normal" wife and mother. Endora (Agnes Moorhead, "Bewitched") Samantha's mother was such a character in her own right, she deserves her own entry for all the mischief she generated ... particularly for the mortal son-in-law she called "Darwin." Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes, "H.R. Pufnstuf," 1969-72, NBC; 1972-73, ABC) This comically grotesque villainess schemed against young hero Jimmy (Jack Wild) and his music-making companion, a flute named Freddy. Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart, "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," 1996-2003, ABC) More amusing than frightening, this "Archie" comics graduate spent much time getting used to her powers and what they meant for others. Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," 1997-2001, WB; 2001-03, UPN) Willow developed her yen for witchcraft over the course of the movie-inspired series, ultimately converting into one of the title heroine's (and, for that matter, the entire world's) main nemeses. Phoebe, Piper and Prue Halliwell (Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs and Shannen Doherty, "Charmed," 1998-2001, WB) Other witches would come along later as the show morphed – as did its network, into The CW – but our salute goes to the original deployers of "The Power of Three." Tabitha Lenox (Juliet Mills, "Passions," 1999-2007, NBC; 2007-08, DirecTV) One of the most offbeat characters to date in daytime television was this witch, whose residency in the town of Harmony dated back 300 years. Cassandra Nightingale (Catherine Bell, the "Good Witch" movies, 2008-present, Hallmark Channel) Officially, it's never been declared that this eventual small-town mayor truly is a witch ... but all the evidence strongly indicates it. Regina Mills/The Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla, "Once Upon a Time," 2011-present, ABC) Black magic is a big part of the power-grabbing formula for this formidable resident of Storybrooke.

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