Deconstructing The Dead: Cross Over - One Last Time To Expose Medium John Edward

The Skeptic ^ | 4/02 | Michael Shermer

[stands2reason]

Yeah! I'm not really big on science-fiction TV, but that show was great!

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

i work for the sci-fi channel

Mucho thanks for the Dark Shadows reruns, even tho it's not sci-fi...

[kidd]

I will not watch the show. A fake host and a gullable audience. Might as well watch Politically Incorrect.

[Burkeman1]

I am at a loss for why this guy is popular and people believe him. I watched the show a couple of times when it first started airing on the Sci Fci channel and immediately recongnized the guy as a fraud. I spotted the techniques he uses instantly. Anyone could do what he does. I find the show disgusting and can't believe anyone would air something so blatantly fraudulent. People even advertising during his show should be ashamed of themselves. The man is a cretin. He is literally a con man and a grifter.

[Burkeman1]

When is Sci Fci going tgo buy the old Star Blazers cartoon series- that is entertainment! And Sci Fci's "dune" was better than the movie.

[Harrison Bergeron]

"embarrasingly enough, i work for the sci-fi channel and really hate the fact that this fraud is on TV"

Damn. Do they realize over there that dedicated nerds like me all but stopped watching their channel when Edwards took over a prime witching for male channel surfers? They traded a smart, relatively wealth demographic for an audience of old ladies and new age bimbos.

[BronzePencil]

Mucho thanks for the Dark Shadows reruns, even tho it's not sci-fi...

i hope we get more cool shows that you'll like

[LurkerNoMore!]

I flipped out when I saw they're bringing back Forever Knight!

[discostu]

It's a how to book not a debunking book. I remember the big thing it focuses on is THE SCAM, which stands for all the pieces of a good cold reading (travel, health, sex and career are the only ones I remember off hand). The big thing it talks about in the intro, that is pretty much all Edwards does, is that to do a reading you actually let the "client" do most of the talking, you stick to massive generalizations and high percentage stuff and they fill in the blanks.

Like in one episode I saw Edwards starts off talking about flowers, then goes to "your husband gave you flowers" (duh), then he jumps to "not flowers in a vase but flowers in the yard", next thing you know the "client" is rattling on about how her husband bought and planted these violets in the yard and she was upset because she hated violets but... blah blah blah. Then in the post read commentary she talks about how amazing it is that he mentioned the violets... but HE never mentioned the violets, she did.

We've got a guy in Tucson that does radio cold reads, frankly he's better than Edward's and should replace him. But he relies on the same tricks, it's amazing how nobody catches it. The "client" will tell him she's an aspiring model, he mentions that she's concerned with her looks a few minutes later and she's shocked (shocked I say) that he knows so much about her.

You ever really want to screw up a cold reader, keep all your answers to yes and no. They're doomed then.

[BronzePencil]

i couldn't agree more with your opinion of edwards, he's such a fraud

and i also couldn't agree more with you on bringing back Star Blazers, i loved that show and have suggested it
but i guess a few yrs ago sci fi had an animated show that didn't do so well, so the powers that be are now leery of animated series

which makes no sense IMHO

if it's any consolation, Star Blazers is available on vhs and dvd

glad you liked Dune, sequel called the Children of Dune is scheduled to air, possibly in December

[BronzePencil]

it's all about the ratings and networks will show anything for ratings
witness crap like celebrity boxing, etc, etc

if you have time go to www.scifi.com and send an email or send a letter to
Bonnie Hammer
SCI FI
1230 Ave. of Americas
NY, NY 10020

[eddie willers]

new episodes start in june (i think)

YIKES! guys......
I have been on pins and needles waiting for the new episodes that begin:

TONIGHT!

at 9:00PM Eastern...with a one hour synopsis special preceding at 8:00.

[Flying Circus]

I used to turn on Sci Fi almost every night after work and leave it on until I went to bed. Since they put this con-artist in the prime spot I turn to History Channel instead. And since they dropped Farscape, Fridays, the one night in the week they don't feature John Edward, haven't been worth watching.

I guess that SciFi doesn't really want the upwardly mobile, twenty-something, male demographic anymore.

[BronzePencil]

oops - i'm a bad employee - i should've known the 4-part season finale starts tonight - it's going to be 1-part stormy relationship - 3 parts explosive action :)

[eddie willers]

it's going to be 1-part stormy relationship - 3 parts explosive action :)

Gee....thanks for giving it away. :)

[BronzePencil]

that was just what the ad for it says - no worries :)

[Flying Circus]

I guess I will be watching SciFi again tonight. Why the long Farscape hiatus? I had it writen off as cancelled.

[ctonious]

Disclaimer: I have no idea if John Edwards is for real or not, but I do know that the Senator by that name is a complete fraud.

Anyway, here's a little exercise for people who disbelieve everything:

1. Do you have friends/relatives/colleagues that told you they've seen something that doesn't fit our classical 4 dimensional world view? (time being the 4th dimension - and no, seeing the 5th Dimension in concert don't count)

2. Are you religious in any way? If so, do you believe in the miracles of your faith?

3. Do you think science knows everything? If so, are you aware of what whacked-out realities that true pioneers of science (physicists) have already discovered, about are supposedly classical existence?

4. And suppose you had an idea for a new business that you had never told anybody about, concerning gathering discarded banana peels for a new synthetic-oil lubricant, and a fortune teller said "Your business idea won't work, because banana peels tend to rot real fast, and dry up", would you:

A) laugh and think "What a wacko - she was guessing. She didn't mention anything about oil", or

B) say, "Oh, big deal, everybody has ideas on how to make a fortune. Now let's get on with some REAL fortunetelling." or

C) stand up and accuse her of cheating, saying "You don't know the future! You're just reading my mind!!"

I say this because I've been to see the real thing, a moderately famous woman in North Carolina, who is quietly used by the NC SBI (State equivalent of the FBI) whenever they can't crack a case. In one case, they landed on her lawn in a chopper and picked her up to find a missing murder victim, right before one of my appointments with her. Pissed me off, until I found out what happened.

[BronzePencil]

no specific reason - i guess it just takes a long to time to write and film

there haven't been any new sopranos in a long time and they don't even have space ships!

[Governor StrangeReno]

Im getting a B any one here with a dead relative starting with that...no wait a sec I see a man who died in a car accident theres some S connection but its a bit vague...