ghost hunters-related stories
Posted Nov 7th 2009 3:01PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows
The
Ghost Hunters name is starting to rival
CSI and
Law & Order in the spinoff department. What else do all three of these franchises share? There's just as much hard paranormal evidence in the last two as appears in the first.
Please don't misunderstand me -- since I've gone off on this topic before. I'm not saying ghosts don't exist. I'm not saying there's no afterlife. I don't begrudge any scientific investigation into parapsychology or realms described as paranormal. I'd just like any of the endless march of "ghost-based" shows to dig up one scintilla of proof that they found something and, therefore, deserve to be on TV every week.
The latest entry is Syfy's
Ghost Hunter's Academy -- sort of
Most Haunted meets
The Rookies from the 70s. Each week, ghost hunting "professors" (the show's conceit, not mine) Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango welcome first-time paranormal investigators onto
The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) team.
Continue reading Syfy's Ghost Hunters Academy busts spirits with rookies
Posted Nov 4th 2009 7:29PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Animation, South Park
Even though the show has been on forever, I still enjoy my weekly dose of the new
South Parks. But lately, they seem to be running out of targets or have narrowed their focus too much on one particular evil: reality television.
The season opener featured a rather nasty swipe at Disney's Jonas Brothers. The recent "Dead Celebrities" chortle-fest took a much needed pot shot at
Ghost Hunters, aka, "the gayest f#*$ing show on television." And last week launched an all out attack on Discovery's
Whale Wars and
Deadliest Catch, particularly against
Whale Wars star Paul Watson.
The show has always been a bitch to write and making every episode a satirical masterpiece is impossible without suffering a full-on breakdown. But should the show lay off reality TV and take some bolder shots at reality, which as we all know are two completely different things?
Posted Oct 31st 2009 9:36PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Programming, OpEd
Part of my Halloween tradition is to watch the
Ghost Hunters Halloween Live special, broadcast (live, of course) from some spooky place somewhere in the country. Tonight, the crew is at the Essex County Hospital in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, along with some recruits from the new
Ghost Hunters Academy, which premieres Wed., Nov. 11 at 10/9c.
It's pretty cool because you can
log into the Syfy Web site and watch the live feeds on several cameras positioned around the hospital in dark tunnels and ancient rooms. There's even one in the morgue. If you see something suspicious, you're supposed to hit the "Panic Button" and the team will go check it out like hungry hound dogs.
I'm not sure what's so intriguing about all of this, but it's pretty fun. Maybe it's the interactive nature of viewers helping the team search for ghosts. Is anyone else watching? Have you seen anything spooky on the live-feed cameras? I haven't, but I'm still looking!
Posted Oct 31st 2009 12:10PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
Biography Channel has a Celebrity Ghost Stories marathon all night.- HBO Family has a Ghost Trackers marathon all night.
- At 7, Syfy has Ghost Hunters Halloween Live Countdown.
- At 7:30, FOX has Game 3 of The World Series.
- NBC has College Football at 7:30, Notre Dame vs. Washington State.
- At 8, ABC has College Football, USC vs. Oregon.
- Food Network has Spooky Cake & Candy Cook-Off at 8, followed by two Halloween episodes of Challenge.
- TCM has 1941's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at 8.
- At 9, CNBC has a new Suze Orman Show.
- BBC America has a new Robin Hood at 9, then a new Graham Norton Show.
- Bravo has 13 Scarier Movie Moments at 9.
- Animal Planet has a new Dogs 101 at 9.
- At 10, CBS has a new 48 Hours Mystery.
- History Channel has The Real Wolfman at 10.
- At 12:30AM, Cartoon Network has two new episodes of Bleach.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed!
Posted Oct 29th 2009 1:31PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, OpEd, Video
I've never been big on scary ghost stories -- perhaps I'm still traumatized from my older siblings scaring the crap out of me in my early years. But for some reason, I've found myself watching
some of the ghost hunter-type shows on the air right now. I'm actually looking forward to the Oct. 30 live broadcast of
Ghost Adventures from the
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Asylums are darn scary even in broad daylight.
Maybe I'm just getting in a Halloween mood. Maybe I need something to jolt my psyche into fast-forward. Whatever the reason, I'm currently into ghosts -- even though I have to believe they're just sitting around laughing with glee over all the people who are out looking for them. I probably won't see
Paranormal Activity, though, because I DO want to sleep again, after all. But
Extreme Paranormal on A&E will suffice just fine.
Continue reading What's Hot on SlashControl: Extreme Paranormal
Posted Oct 24th 2009 11:02AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, OpEd
It's that time of year when we get all the deliciously creepy shows and movies haunting our TV sets as we head into Halloween. Turner Classic Movies is airing some great ones this weekend, including
Poltergeist,
Dr. X, and
The Blob. Check out
their schedule to see when they're airing.
I have to agree with John that sometimes
the ghost hunter shows don't always deliver. Then again, sometimes just the idea of where they're going is frightening. Last night, I watched an episode of
Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel, and the guys took their gear into the bowels of an abandoned insane asylum. I happened to grow up in a town with an abandoned insane asylum (converted to very nice retail/business now), and I know firsthand that these places are pretty creepy.
Continue reading Ghost Adventures: Asylums and castles and prisons, oh my!
Posted Oct 23rd 2009 7:02PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows
If a show like
Top Chef never found a meal, would you watch it? If
Ice Road Truckers couldn't find snow, would you pay attention?
Yet, every week, paranormal investigation shows like
Ghost Hunters or
Paranormal State hit the air and unveil the whole pile of absolute squat they found. Now, there's a new contender in the "Hey! Look! We found pretty much nothing!" category with the Discovery Channel's
Ghost Lab.
Each week two thick slabs of Texas beef named Brad and Barry Klinge (right) take their Everyday Paranormal investigation team out into the wild haunted yonder. They come armed with their traveling "ghost lab" -- a 24-foot car hauler "capable of providing 200,000 watts of electricity to power audio, video and photo analysis stations; flat-screen televisions and an interactive touch-screen smartboard."
Continue reading Ghost Lab haunted by dispiriting lack of spirits
Posted Oct 16th 2009 2:04PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Reality Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Food/Home/DIY, Programming, The Simpsons, Children, Reality-Free
I visited the pumpkin patch last weekend and totally massacred a 30 lb. pumpkin and feasted on its flesh, so I am officially in the Halloween spirit. Luckily, there's a crapload of TV to help sustain my ghoulish mood. TV Tango has compiled a pretty comprehensive list of
Halloween-themed programming starting today and going through the rest of the month.
Some of the highlights include a
Moonlight marathon starting today on SyFy, as part of their "31 Days of Halloween" programming. On Sunday,
The Simpsons is airing their 20th "Treehouse of Horror" episode, while Monday has a some good kids' fare, with Halloween-themed
America's Funniest Home Videos on ABC Family, and
Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie on Disney.
Continue reading For the rest of the month, TV is all Halloween, all the time
Posted Oct 14th 2009 12:23PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
Hallmark has an I Love Lucy marathon all night.- At 8, ABC has a new Hank, followed by new episodes of The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, and Eastwick.
- CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, then new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
- NBC has new episodes of Mercy, Law and Order: SVU, and The Jay Leno Show.
- FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance at 8, then a new Glee.
- There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8.
- PBS has a new American Masters at 8.
- Discovery has two new episodes of Mythbusters starting at 8, followed by a new Time Warp.
- At 9, Syfy has a new Ghost Hunters, then a new Destination Truth.
- History Channel has a new Nostradamus Effect at 9, followed by a new MysteryQuest.
- Showtime has a new Inside The NFL at 9.
- At 10, FX has the season premiere of Nip/Tuck.
- Bravo has a new Top Chef: Las Vegas at 10.
- Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, then a new Secret Girlfriend.
- Current has the series premiere of Vanguard at 10.
- Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
- Also at 10: Travel Channel has a new Man vs. Food.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: The Middle, South Park, Nip/Tuck, Man vs. Food
Posted Oct 5th 2009 6:00PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: TV on DVD, Reality-Free
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.
Not only is
The Lola Falana Show on DVD now, I didn't even know there
was a
Lola Falana Show. I knew that there was a Lola Falana (that's a fun name to say: Lola Falana Lola Falana Lola Falana). She was a dancer and actress who was pretty well known back in the 70s, but her TV show escaped my radar. This set includes guest stars Dick Van Dyke, Bill Cosby, Sonny and Cher, and Muhammad Ali.
There's also a
Heeere's Johnny: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson "Holiday Set." It looks like the same set that I've owned for a couple of years (several DVDs split up into different categories: Timeless Moments, Standup Comedians, Carson Country, and the original Ultimate Collection disc), but with a special Christmas disc thrown in, with three classic episodes.
- Ally McBeal - Season 1 and Complete Series
- Astroboy - Vols 1 and 2
- Blood Ties - Season 2
Continue reading New TV on DVD releases this week
Posted Sep 30th 2009 12:20PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 8, ABC has the series premiere of Hank, followed by the series premiere of The Middle and new episodes of Modern Family, Cougar Town, and Eastwick.- CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, then new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
- NBC has new episodes of Mercy, Law and Order: SVU, and The Jay Leno Show.
- FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance at 8, followed by a new Glee.
- The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8.
- PBS has a new episode of The National Parks at 8.
- At 9, Syfy has a new Ghost Hunters.
- History Channel has a new Nostradamus Effect at 9, then a new MysteryQuest.
- Food Network has a new Throwdown with Bobby Flay at 9.
- Also at 9: Showtime has a new Inside the NFL.
- At 10, Travel Channel has a new Man vs. Food.
- TruTV has a new Black Gold at 10.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Hank, Gary Unmarried, Ghost Hunters, Bobby Flay
Posted Sep 4th 2009 6:10PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, Reality-Free
Ah, Labor Day. Isn't it great to have the summer over (yes, I consider Labor Day as the end of summer) and the new TV season about to begin?
Here's a list of the various marathons, specials, and sports that you can see on Sunday and Monday. Let us know if we've missed anything.
Sunday
- At 8 AM, Hallmark has a Golden Girls marathon.
- At 9, USA has a Law and Order: SVU marathon.
- At 10, WE has a marathon of Girlfriends episodes.
- At 10:30, TV Land has a Beverly Hillbillies marathon.
- At 11, CBS has U.S. Open coverage.
- At 1 PM, Discovery has a Planet Earth marathon.
- Bravo has a Top Chef: Las Vegas marathon at 1.
- At 3, Spike has a Band of Brothers marathon.
- NBC has the Deutsche Bank Golf Championship at 3.
- At 5, TV Land has an Andy Griffith Show marathon.
- At 9, it's the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon (check local listings).
Continue reading A guide to Labor Day marathons and specials
Posted Sep 2nd 2009 4:03PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 7, ESPN has more of The U.S. Open.- At 8, ABC has a new Wipeout, followed by new episodes of Crash Course and Primetime: Crime.
- NBC has a two new episodes of America's Got Talent at 8.
- FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance at 8, then a repeat of the series premiere of Glee.
- PBS has a new American Masters at 8.
- TCM has Mr. Smith Goes To Washington at 8, then Casablanca.
- Also at 8: Cartoon Network has a new Bobb'e Says, followed by a new Dude, What Would Happen?
- At 9, TBS has two new episodes of Meet the Browns.
- TNT has a new Leverage at 9, followed by a new Dark Blue.
- Discovery has a new Man vs. Wild at 9.
- Syfy has a new Ghost Hunters at 9.
- BBC America has a new Gordon Ramsay's F Word at 9.
- At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter, then a new Criss Angel Mindfreak.
- At 10, Bravo has a new Top Chef: Las Vegas.
- Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
- MTV has a new episode of The Real World at 10.
- Travel Channel has a new Man vs. Food at 10.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: American Masters, Ghost Hunters, Man vs. Food
Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:05PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
- At 8, ABC has a new Wipeout, followed by the series premiere of Crash Course and a new Primetime: Crime.
- CBS has Ted Kennedy: The Last Brother at 8.
- NBC has two new episodes of America's Got Talent at 8.
- ESPN has more coverage of The Little League World Series at 8.
- Cartoon Network has a new Bobb'e Says at 8, followed by new episodes of Dude, What Would Happen? and The Othersiders.
- At 9, TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns.
- Discovery has a new Man vs. Wild at 9.
- There's a new Leverage on TNT at 9, then a new Dark Blue.
- History Channel has a new MonsterQuest at 9.
- Lifetime has the movie Spring Breakdown at 9.
- Also at 9: Syfy has a new Ghost Hunters.
- At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter, then a new Criss Angel Mindfreak.
- At 10, ABC has Remembering Ted Kennedy.
- Bravo has a new Top Chef at 10.
- MTV has a new episode of The Real World at 10.
- Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
- At 10:30, Comedy Central has the season finale of Michael & Michael Have Issues.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Crash Course, Dark Blue, Michael & Michael
Posted Jul 29th 2009 4:03PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
- At 8, FOX has a new, two-hour So You Think You Can Dance.
- PBS has a new Time Team America at 8, then a new Ascent of Money.
- At 9, ABC has a new I Survived A Japanese Game Show, followed by a new Primetime: Crime.
- NBC has a new America's Got Talent at 9, then a new episode of The Philanthropist.
- TNT has a new Leverage at 9, followed by a new Dark Blue.
- History Channel has a new MonsterQuest at 9.
- There's a new Throwdown with Bobby Flay on Food Network at 9.
- BBC America has a new Gordon Ramsay's F Word at 9.
- Also at 9: Syfy has a new Ghost Hunters International.
- At 10, Bravo has a new Top Chef Masters.
- MTV has a new episode of The Real World at 10.
- SoapNet has the series premiere of Holidate at 10.
- At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Michael & Michael Have Issues.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: America's Got Talent, Leverage, Real World
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