Donna LaCroix … Ghost Divas … Ghost Hunters.. Who’s Hoaxing Who?

I’ve been a little behind the times, lately. A friend of mine brought the whole Donna LaCroix and Ghost Divas interview to my attention yesterday. I can’t say that I was surprised by any of it. By that, I mean I can’t say that I’m surprised that Donna pointed the finger at someone else for her difficulties.. she and Brian have spoken out before and implied that they were mistreated.

Let’s take a look at what she actually said with  a brief excerpt from the interview.

DIVAS: Honestly, the staging thing. Cuz the rumor is, now, is that there’s a staging crew on the TAPS production, there, there, where they do nothing but stage the evidence that’s going to be… so they, I don’t wanna call them magicians because they’re not even that good. I mean the things that they’re putting out here lately are just total crap. Now I gotta ask, back in the day, did you have any run-ins with, um, you know, him, them saying, “Make sure the, the cable’s in there, the EMF meters, and the FISHING LINE?”

DONNA: Uh, I never was exposed to any of those conversations and I think it’s because had I been exposed to that I would flip my lid and they, they knew me enough to know that uh, I could not know of any of that. And I do believe the same thing with the other cast members because it would put them in an awkward position.

I don’t know about you, but it sure sounds likes Donna was confirming Ghost Divas’ accusations that Ghost Hunters or TAPS had a staging crew. Apparently, Donna doesn’t see it that way. She later clarified her statements in a letter to address her comments in the interview.

Issue #1. TAPS fakes evidence and Donna knows of a staging team that is part of the crew that does this. (So, please Dan, take down the You Tube please).

Answer: NO! I never said I caught them staging things. I said I had a turning point moment where I saw something I considered staged and it upset me to an incredibly disappointing point. And I never heard of TAPS having a “staging crew” on their Ghost Hunters show until it was mentioned in the interview. And I said it in the interview. I have since verified that they DO NOT have a staging crew.

So, my question this morning is: Which is it Donna? Your interview was filled with how all this was personally difficult for you because of your personal commitment to honesty. Seems a bit contradictory to me.

Want to hear it in her own words? You can listen to Donna LaCroix’s interview with Ghost Divas

Don’t miss the Geminids Meteor Shower December 13 and 14

Geminids Meteor Shower Peaks December 13th and 14th 2009

The Geminids meteor showers peak in the early morning hours of December 14 promising a show of slow moving meteors that may exhibit flashes of color. Find out the best times to observe this amazing event and bit of info on why the Geminids intensify in rate, size and brightness each year.

Ghost Hunter’s Academy: Who Will Make the Cut?

On the latest episode of Ghost Hunter’s Academy hints were dropped that someone on the team will be booted on this week’s show.  Of course, I know it’s all about drawing in the viewer and the drama portrayed in the show is orchestrated, but it’s still a bit of fun to predict who that person will be. I think all of us have an idea of who is and who isn’t performing up to par, but will Steve and Tango agree?

If you’ve missed the show, or are curious how this paranormal enthusiast views the Ghost Hunter Academy Recruits and their performance so far, you can find a detailed review  in Ghost Hunter’s Academy: Who Will Make the Cut?

Stop back and let me know what you think or leave a message in the comment section of the article. I’d love to hear your thoughts on who should go and why!

 

 

 

Ghost Hunter’s Academy Review

As you probably know, Ghost Hunter’s Academy premiered last night on SyFy. To be honest with you, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  I like seeing some new faces and I like the idea of TAPS Steve and Tango doing the training. I’m just not sure that this isn’t going to turn into the classic reality show that pits these young ghost hunters against each other in the race to be the best. I hope I’m wrong.

I’m curious to see Ghost Hunter’s Academy unfold. I’m not sure  what kind of training the new recruits received prior to the show, but I would hope they have participated in investigations with Steve and Tango to observe first-hand how TAPS conducts an investigation. To throw them into an investigation expecting them to perform according to TAPS standards, without the benefit of some first-hand experience with the best investigators first, seems a bit odd. Perhaps,  Steve and Tango didn’t see the need to explain the type of training that took place prior to this investigation.

It would be interesting to see Steve and Tango review the same evidence the Ghost Hunter’s Academy students did, just to see if there was any evidence overlooked. Again, perhaps that was done, but not shared with the viewing audience.

At any rate, Ghost Hunter’s Academy shows promise and these young men and women did a nice job with their first assignment. They weren’t perfect and made some errors, but that’s why they have Steve and Tango as teachers.

If you missed the show, check out the videos below. I’d love to hear your reactions to this new show. Take a moment and leave your comments for everyone to read.

Ghost Hunters Live Halloween Broadcast a Letdown

I don’t know about you, but the Ghost Hunter’s Live 2009 Halloween Broadcast left me a bit disappointed. I respect Jason and Grant’s desire to spend the evening at home (although I’m not convinced its the real reason they didn’t take part in the show), but I think Syfy took us for a ride. As far as I’m concerned they didn’t deliver what they advertised. I mean, really, are there any Ghost Hunter fans out there who haven’t seen those shows multiple times already?

And what’s with Steve letting one rip on national television when he and Tango investigated noises heard near the thermal camera. His justification was he didn’t think anyone would see it. Come on, Steve, you were in front of a camera with a live feed. What do you mean you didn’t think anyone would be watching you?

And then, there was the delicate issue of publicly criticizing one of the Ghost Hunter Academy students for how they answered a question on air. Sure, Steve was whispering to Tango…. on national television. I’ve always liked Steve (and I still do), but the lack of professionalism that surfaces now and then reflects poorly on Ghost Hunters and TAPS.

I spent some time watching the cameras and listening for sounds. Camera 1 had plenty of sounds. There were numerous conversations in the background…presumably from the crew. It would have been nice to let us know where the crew was, so we’d know whether or not to expect human sounds on the audio.

It was a great idea, really, but it fell short of my expectations. I’d love to hear from you about your observations during the show.

Ghost Hunter Academy Auditions

Check out the audition videos for the newest Ghost Hunters!

Heathyr Hoffman
Ghost Hunter’s Academy audition

Karl Pfeiffer

Ghost Hunter Academy

Ben Smith

Susan Slaughter

Chris McCune

Don’t Miss Out on the Orionid Meteor Shower Tonight

Photo by seriousfun/morguefile

Take time out tonight to watch the meteor shower. Who knows, you just might spot a UFO while you are out stargazing.

Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight October 21, 2009

The annual Orionid meteor showers occur from October 17th to October 25th and reach their peak on the Wednesday October 21st and Thursday October 22nd.

The Fourth Kind: based on truth or work of fiction?

The Internet is abuzz with speculation over the movie The Fourth Kind due out on November 6, 2009.  The more I read, the more questions I have. If you are wondering if its for real or just another Hollywood thriller check out what I discovered when I did a bit of research.

Nome, Alaska Alien Abductions: The Fourth Kind

The Fourth Kind claims to be based on real-life evidence of alien abductions in Nome, Alaska. Is there a connection between FBI investigations of unsolved missing person cases and alien abductions?

Seeking Spirits: By Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson with Michael Jan Friedman

Well, my book finally arrived by mail 11 days after ordering it from Amazon. I might have saved a few bucks in shipping, but waiting for it to arrive was, well …  lets just say difficult.

I grabbed a diet pepsi,  made myself comfy and cracked that baby open, ready to read about residual ghosts, intelligent haunts and an occasional inhuman spirit. I won’t say I was disappointed (because I wasn’t) but I will say I was surprised on a number of occasions.

I’m not going to spoil it for you and give you specifics, but I did write a review  Seeking Spirits: By Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson with Michael Jan Friedman: Book Review to share my reactions. Don’t worry, I don’t give away anything to spoil the book.

If you have read Finding Spirits already, take a moment and read my review and drop me a line in the comments. If you haven’t read it then stop by for a quick peak of what you can expect from this intriguing new book.

Ghost Hunter’s 2009 Live Halloween Broadcast

Despite rumors that Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson will spend Halloween night with their children, Syfy has announced a Live Halloween Investigation on October 31, 2009 at 7pm. The TAPs team will be joined by Josh Gates and the Ghost Hunter Academy to investigate the Essex County Hospital in Cedar Grove, New Jersey.

The site is riddled with rumors of paranormal activity believed to stem from the horrendous conditions that claimed the lives of some 10,000 people over a century of pain, violence and starvation.

For more detailed history of the Essex County Hospital and the events that lead up to the haunted location you can read the complete article TAPS Ghost Hunters: Live 2009 Halloween Broadcast from Essex County Hospital.