Syfy greenlights three paranormal reality series
51 Minds, Ping Pong Productions and Pilgrim Studios have received the green light for three series to air on U.S. cable network Syfy in the first half of 2013.
Ghost Mine, Stranded and Notorious Hauntings will build on Syfy’s paranormal reality block that includes Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Witness and Haunted Collector.
51 Minds’ Ghost Mine will premiere on January 16 at 10 p.m. and follows a colorful team of miners exploring an abandoned mine in the remote woods of Oregon. A new owner has decided to brave the mine’s infamous reputation of being haunted and the team of miners will aim to find fortunes alongside a pair of paranormal investigators in the 6 x 30-minute series.
51 Minds’ Mark Cronin, David Caplan and Jay Bluemke serve as executive producers.
Ping Pong Productions, the company behind Finding Bigfoot; Josh Gates (star of Syfy’s Destination Truth); and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse (Paranormal Activity) are behind the 6 x one-hour reality series Stranded. Premiering on February 27 at 10 p.m., the series takes groups of paranormal enthusiasts, places them in one of the most haunted locations in America and tasks them with filming their experience with hand-held cameras.
In addition to the user-generated footage, security cameras will be used to document first-hand accounts of each group’s stay.
Stranded is executive produced by Brad Kuhlman, Casey Brumels and Josh Gates, who also serves as showrunner, for Ping Pong Productions and Jason Blum for Blumhouse. Gerard Bocaccio, who heads up Blumhouse TV, will be a consultant on the project.
Pilgrim Studios, the prodco behind Syfy’s Ghost Hunters, will deliver Notorious Hauntings (w/t) for a spring 2013 airdate.
The six-part series features a group of researchers who investigate reports of extreme and dangerous supernatural activity across the world, and determines if they’re the cause of present day hauntings. The series will include the case of Jack the Ripper in London and Dracula in Romania and Slovakia
Notorious Hauntings is produced by Pilgrim Studios with Craig Piligian and Mike Nichols serving as executive producers.
“Each of these series takes a known and successful formula and turns it on its head,” said Mark Stern, president of original content for Syfy and co-head, original content for Universal Cable Productions. “Whether it is eclectic gold miners in the midst of paranormal activity, paranormal enthusiasts self-documenting the most haunted locations in America, or investigators researching and examining history’s most notorious criminals and legends in the world’s most haunted locations, these shows celebrate imagination while further strengthening Syfy’s successful reality brand.” - Real Screen
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Doomsday French mountain to be closed 'on day the world ends'
New Agers and UFO watchers will be barred access to the flat-top mount outside Bugarach, population 179, during a four-day period around the date they are convinced represents Armageddon.
Harbingers of doom base their apocalyptic prediction on an ancient Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world will happen on the night of December 21, 2012.
They believe the Pic de Bugarach is an "alien garage" and that extraterrestrials are quietly waiting in a massive cavity beneath the rock for the world to end, at which point they will leave, taking, it is hoped, a lucky few humans with them.
To avoid a sudden, massive influx of esoteric outsiders, the mayor has banned gatherings of any sort, and anyone landing in a light aircraft will be arrested.
But some from among the end-of-the-world crowd claim the real reason authorities are shutting down the area is that they are really there to investigate dozens of recent UFO sightings.
Local police are also clamping down on those hoping to cash in on doomsday fever by selling end-of-the-world memorabilia at out of this world prices.
Local press reports say one landowner is offering to rent out his four-bedroom house on the slopes of Bugarach for 1500 euros a night next month, or an empty field for those wishing to camp at 400 euros.
"I possess a rare asset, the land of immortality," the owner is cited as claiming in La Depeche du Midi.
Intergalactic hitchhikers can book a place in a bed and breakfast room 19km away on December 21 for the cut price of 500 euros, even though it is outside the "pick up zone".
A local winemaker is even marketing an End of the World vintage – and a Survival Vintage next year for those who make through to the other side.
Eric Freysselinard, the prefect of the Aude department, or county, which comprises Bugarach, expressed outrage over the trade last week. "I find it really outrageous to abuse the naivety of people and rush into commerce that defies common sense," he said.
With the clock ticking, a government-backed anti-cult watchdog is warning against a repeat of the 1995 mass suicides by the Order of the Solar Temple sect in the Alps when their predicted Doomsday failed to take place. - Telegraph
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The 'stoned' red fox
Our friend and colleague zoologist Richard Freeman of The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) forward the following unusual article:
My name is Adele Morse and I am an Artist and taxidermist, I currently live in London I have been making work for the past year about the mysterious Sumatran Orang-pendek, an unknown species of ape. I am going on an expedition to the jungle for two weeks in 2013 and have been getting all my jabs and equipment. I found a taxidermy fox i made a year ago when i was doing my Masters at the Royal Academy Schools in a box. I almost threw it away but decided when i saw that sweet little face to sell him on ebay.
I got lots of interest and messages about the fox. It sold for way above my estimate for £330!
I then contacted the buyer who wanted to pick the fox up in person. He lived in manchester but would be coming to london to collect the fox. we got talking via email to arrange delivery and he told me why he had bought it. DJ space dimension controller had posted a link to the listing on his facebook page. offering to play at the party of the person who buys him the fox. Mike who bought the fox is a huge fan and is planning to get the DJ to play in his house.
All quiet for a week or so. Then.... Continue reading at ADELE MORSE IS A FOXY LADY
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Ghostly Entertainment for Christmas
Ghost Stories of Christmas
Christmas Ghost Stories: a collection of winter tales
A Christmas Carol
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Christmas Terror Tales: Stories to Enjoy from October through December
Haunted Christmas: Yuletide Ghosts and Other Spooky Holiday Happenings
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'In Search Of...' Coming Home for the First Time
Entering our galaxy for the first time in any home entertainment format is In Search Of... The Complete Series
available December 4th in a special DVD collector’s set from Visual Entertainment, Inc. (VEI).Hosted by the iconic, Emmy Award-winning Leonard Nimoy ("Star Trek"), this popular documentary television series (1976-1982) traversed the globe with a team of researchers, scientists and highly skilled technicians to conduct in-depth investigations of a wide variety of mysteries and to explore the unexplained.
So popular it spawned six books, "In Search Of…" took a fresh look at such controversial and mystifying topics as the paranormal; witchcraft; notorious murders; infamous cults; conspiracy theories; missing persons, cities and ships; naturally occurring phenomena; scientific breakthroughs; age-old myths; the lore surrounding historical events and figures; and the downright peculiar!
From the rumored existence of Nazi plunder to the real-life inspiration for Sherlock Holmes to tracking the Loch Ness monster to reincarnation to UFO cover ups (and much more!), it’s an entertaining romp that no sci-fi fan, mystery enthusiast, scientific devotee or history buff will want to miss!
INCLUDES:
152 episodes on 21 discs (approx. 63+ hours).
BONUS:
Two Rod Serling-hosted specials, which aired prior to the start of the Nimoy-hosted series, and the re-launched 2002 series (eight hour-long episodes) hosted by Mitch Pileggi ("The X-Files").
In Search Of... The Complete Series
is presented in full screen (aspect ratio: 4x3) and stereo.**********
TUESDAY NIGHT - 10:30 PM ET
I will be appearing LIVE on 'The Panic Hour' radio in Philadelphia - Tuesday 10:30PM - 11:30PM ET - http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-panic-hour - The Panic Hour - Lon
