It’s that time of the year again, a time for candy, ghosts, gore, and debauchery. Yes, my friends, Halloween is just around the corner

, a holiday that many consider the most magical time of the year. No longer is this day just a celebration for the 12 and under crowd, but one that appeals to the 21 and over crowd as well and begs the question, “What are you going to be for Halloween this year?”

Now, if you’re like me then you’ve probably had your Halloween costume mapped out since around August (don’t judge)…but for those of you who are still racking your brain in search of the perfect ensemble, or for those of you who like to take the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach, fret not.

Throughout the past month or so, I have devoted myself to analyzing and drawing up predictions for the costumes that will reign supreme this Halloween. In my research, I have kept up with current news & events, popular award shows, celebrity deaths and the recent on slew of trendy vampires. I’ve read up on what retailers are forecasting and stalked out places like Halloween Adventure and Ricky’s here in Manhattan, and now I’m sharing these insights with you.

So if you’re still unsure of what you’re going to be wearing on October 31st let me help you get into the creative spirit.

For starters, it didn’t take long for me to realize that fangs were high on the popularity scale, so pale people rejoice because this is your year! Thank you, “True Blood”, Twilight, “Vampire Diaries”, and The Vampire’s Assistant. The undead seem to be in the lead and what’s more is that it’s not just the blood suckers that people are going to be emulating this year, both werewolves and zombies are also ranking high on the list for 2009.

Aside from the vampire mania, many people I spoke to are opting for the celebrity route. I can see that, even I have donned an outfit as “Posh” Beckham in my time. It’s been a good year…there was the whole Kanye/ Taylor Swift VMA fiasco that occurred less than a month ago, Lady Gaga has certainly been topping the charts as well as perplexing the masses with her odd fashion trends (I’m secretly praying to see if someone out there can pull off the “Kermit the Frog” frock she sported at an interview) and let’s not forget the fact that many will undoubtedly pay homage to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Movies and T.V. are also creating quite the costume stir as well, so prepare to see a good amount of G.I. Joe’s, possible District 9 aliens and girls decked out in blood-splattered prom gowns a la Jennifer’s Body. Jigsaw is also a possibility considering they keep spewing out Saw movies like their hot cakes, but let’s face it, it’s been done. On the prime time side there will probably be a few characters from hit shows like “30 Rock” and the “Office” (There was that recent Pam and Jim wedding, after all)

So, let’s recap on some of the top Halloween costume predictions of 2009 (in no particular order, of course):

1. The “Vampire Brigade” (This includes all Edward Cullen’s, Bill Compton’s, Sookie Stackhouses, Bella’s and so forth)

2. Bruno

3. Sam from the 2009 horror film, Trick ‘r Treat

4. Top Charting Pop Singing Divas (Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Beyonce, etc.)

5. Jon & Kate Gosselin

6. Action Heroes/ Villains from recent blockbuster movies (G.I. Joe, Transformers, Wolverine, Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body, etc.)

7. Tim Gunn & Heidi Klum from “Project Runway”

8. Iconic recently deceased celebs (R.I.P. Michael Jackson, honorary “Golden Girl” Bea Arthur, Farah Fawcett, etc.)

9. Kanye West / Taylor Swift

10. Prime Time TV characters (Calling all “30 Rock” Liz Lemon’s, “Office” Dwight’s and “Gossip Girls”…)

Other honorable pop/icon mentions are: Any one of the Kardashian sisters (this may require about 10 lbs of make-up), gossip columnist Perez Hilton, and even our President, Obama (be sure to cash in on his recent Nobel Prize win for extra points!).

If these options still don’t tickle your fancy, there will always be the “fall-backs”. Superheroes never seem to go out of style (thanks to Hollywood’s continuous re-makes) and who doesn’t love the occasional Ghost Buster or well-done Chewbacca? And for the females out there, there is always an endless supply of “sexy” nurses, cops, storybook characters, and French maids; you can pretty much pick your poison. Sometimes the best costumes can come from your own closet with just a pinch of creativity. It’s the one night a year when anything goes…

And if all else fails, then wrap up in tin foil and go as a left over. Or my personal favorite, dressing up from head to toe in black, then covering yourself in glow in the dark stars and if when people ask you what you’re supposed to be, you can retort back with an ever-confident, “What are you? I’m the night sky…Duh!”