Whoa! Vacations can really cause a blog to atrophy.
So, as the 2wenty no doubt informed you, NBC is coming out with a new show called Medium, starring Dream Warrior Patricia Arquette as real-life fraud Allison DuBois, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Hmm, she kind of looks like a televangelist.
Ah, but she's much more evil than your run-of-the-mill televangelist! This woman charges people to talk to their dead relatives. Yeah, yeah, so does everybody. But come on -- she gets a whole TV show based on her? The hell? She doesn't even have enough supernatural powers to put together a halfway decent website.
Sadly, DuBois used her amazing gifts to peer into the future and see that James Randi is totally lying about the existance of a $1 million prize to anyone who can prove a supernatural claim. (Never mind that he's provided proof on more than one occasion, and agreed to put the money in escrow for Larry King favorite Sylvia Brown. Yes, Larry King has these idiots on his show all the time, because it boosts ratings, even though their best trick is figuring out you know someone living or dead whose name starts with "J" or "S".) (Read that last link through if you have time, it's hilarious.)
OK, so, I like James Randi more than the next guy, but his latest challenge to Allison DuBois is completely senseless. He says that, according to the rules of the million dollar prize, DuBois can claim that prize by proving it doesn't exist (or by proving her claim that Randi has never provided proof of the prize's existance). Ummm...Randi? Claim what exactly? She'd have to prove it doesn't exist, man!
In conclusion, I suspect James and Kimberly will not be setting their newly acquired X-Mas Tivo to record Medium. Thumbs...down. Thumbs down thumbs down.
My favorite part of her site is when she cites a university study by Deepak Chopra that proves her claims. I suppose if you're gonna be a fraud you should site the man who had his hands in most of the great frauds of the 20th century.
I spotted that name and figured it was suspicious, but I didn't recognize it. More internet research will be necessary. It's a good thing that that's...what I do.
At the moment, Chopra is selling himself as the nation's spiritual advisor. He first gained notoriety for helping make "Maharishi" Yoshi (best known as the protagonist in "The Fool on the Hill" by the Beatles) billions of dollars.
fuck the 2wenty. I told you this 7 months ago. (though I am surprised how much money they are putting behind promoting this thing. 5 spots in the Apprentice finale? Wow.) The worst part is it's not even that original.
My favorite part of her site is the ad hominem attack at the bottom of the "friends" page agaisnt Randi. Other than that, I like how she constantly plugs her book. Seriously - that's the first thing you see on the site and all that fills the next two pages.