Let the Deceased Decide

Check out my article TLC's Paranormal Court is in Session on Technorati about the newest paranormal show featuring medium Robert Hansen, from Long Island.

Here is a preview from YouTube.

A number of years ago I had gone to a Borders book store where Hansen appeared in front of a group of believers hoping to get a message from beyond. A good friend of mine did get messages from her brother -- or at least answers that fit the personality of her brother. I thought some of those answers could have been from the person I was hoping to hear from -- my grandmother--but I didn't claim them and my friend did.

I subsequently went to see Hansen give audience readings (a la John Edward's gallery), which he did at the time in his karate school in Wantagh, Long Island. I did not get a reading that night, though I paid to be there. I noticed a few years ago that Hansen was doing regular Saturday night audience readings for a reasonable price on Long Island, and never had the chance to go. It just bothered me to keep paying to go, and not to get a reading.

At least the Spiritualist church in NYC where I went to a seance gave everyone a reading who paid to participate -- don't know if that is a good or a bad thing -- makes you wonder if they are really getting a message or just making sure you get your money's worth so that you'll keep coming back.

Unfortunately, I was out of town the night this aired and I was unable to DVR it. I asked a friend to tape it, which he did, and he accidentally taped over it. So I guess I wasn't meant to see the show. However, I understand that he gave readings similar to the way Lisa Williams did on her show "Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead" but that Hansen has a specific mission of solving disputes, and that when he gave the answer, everyone agreed to abide by the "ruling."

For a couple of reasons I hope Hansen's show succeeds -- one reason is the selfish fact that I am writing about paranormal television for my dissertation and the other medium shows have been cancelled, for the most part, except for Psychic Kids. The other reason is that I think Hansen is a good medium and a really nice person. I just don't know if the whole premise of the show will fly or at least be sustainable for the long haul. I think just doing a basic show about a medium's work is better than a medium with a gimmick, but this show is airing when the others are not (Cross Country with John Edward, and Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead).

Good luck, Robert. Hope to see more of your show, and more of your peers.

When All the World Watches the Paranormal

It is Halloween week again -- sweeps week for paranormal television programming. Ghost Hunters has their annual LIVE event (though, as this article describes, it is not like past years) and now Ghost Adventures is having one the night before Halloween. The Bio Channel's new show, Celebrity Ghost Stories, is also having a Halloween night marathon.

I actually like Celebrity Ghost Stories, which I will go into in more detail in another post, but it's a great idea -- mixing celebrities and the paranormal. People who are not necessarily well-versed or even interested in the paranormal might be interested in the celebrity aspect of the show. And people who ARE interested in the paranormal may be even more fascinated by celebrities reporting their own experiences. Celebrities help ratings, help popularity of an idea, and bring their own value to a story.

Cable television has a lot to offer this week. The History Channel has programs on haunted cities like Washington and Hollywood. They have shows on Haunted History of Halloween and a great Halloween History page on their website.

Even the Travel Channel has documentaries about hauntings for Halloween. Their website has its own Halloween page, including Haunted Travel Destinations, Haunted Hotels and the Top 10 Creepiest Places among lots and lots of other shows about haunted locations around the world. Plan your next year's vacation as you watch!

Lately, John Edward's show on WEtv (John Edward Cross Country) has been noticeably absent, but this Thursday and Friday several episodes are scheduled to be shown.

As this blog is only focused on reports of actual hauntings, communications and paranormal activity, these are the only programs and websites that are mentioned. But this week also invites a host of movies and other paranormal shows featuring ghosts, vampires, demons,crazy murdering masked men, and other productions that quite often are focused on death, spiritual activity and the afterlife. A listing on this Inside TV blog gives a more comprehensive schedule of shows that will be aired this week, many of which are only available intermittently throughout the year (though nowadays, between the Internet and Netflix, its often possible to see them "whenever").

Look for upcoming reviews on Ghost Lab, Celebrity Ghost Stories, and a report on my new LEAST favorite paranormal program.