Medium to the Stars?

[the Sphinx]

The in-between is that the crews and network executives don't care either way. It's just entertainment. If you watch, their reputation for doing their jobs (from getting the shot to getting you to watch) is in fine shape. There are dozens of shows about total nonsense, from scripted drama presented as "reality shows" to "documentaries" about ancient aliens. No one's reputation suffers from those.

Reputation is not the issue. The fundamental honesty of TV crews is and the fact that the executives supporting Henry's show haven taken public positions in support of the show. It is in writing. You can be wrong about Ancient Aliens and it is not fraud, just a different point of view. Henry is different and those Execs, some of the most famous in the industry are open to very expensive civil action if it can be demonstrated Henry was intentionally misleading people who were suffering after a family death. Big money to be gained.

Watch Henry's manner and voice. He's either real or he's better than Brando.

 

[the Sphinx]

Of course it does. It's a legal requirement in the UK, as the article explains.


Yes it does, as the article explains.

I sign NDA's all the time, some involving classified information, and I can tell you that in the US, aN NDA does not protect you from fraud and they are, here, almost impossible to collect on. If you go down the list of outed TV shows, Catfish is recent and comes to mind, there are no repercussions. I can't speak to the UK.

What great scandal? It's a trashy TV show. Nobody takes it seriously except the gullible fools they're using it to sell stuff to.

The Executives who produce the show take it very seriously. That is in writing regarding their history with the show. You attempt to trash it because you aren't smart enough to recognize it for what it is.

Caveat emptor is the usual defence. Like when Fox News defended one of their blatant liars by arguing that no reasonable person would believe word of it, a defence which was accepted.

You are referring to Sydney Powell who made the claim that no one would believe what she was originally saying, and that line of defense was decidedly not accepted. Her lawyers quickly shut her up.

Maybe actors can fool you. That's your experience. It is not mine. I can't imagine a guy in a TV studio convincing me he's on the Moon or Henry convincing me he's rehearsed what he's doing because he did hot reading research.

 

[Pixel42]

I sign NDA's all the time, some involving classified information, and I can tell you that in the US, aN NDA does not protect you from fraud and they are, here, almost impossible to collect on. .

I'm not talking about NDAs, this is something else entirely.

The Executives who produce the show take it very seriously. That is in writing regarding their history with the show.

What they say and what they actually believe may be two very different things.

You are referring to Sydney Powell who made the claim that no one would believe what she was originally saying, and that line of defense was decidedly not accepted. Her lawyers quickly shut her up.

No, I'm not referring to Sydney Powell, I'm referring to a Fox News presenter. And the defence was accepted in court.

Maybe actors can fool you. That's your experience. It is not mine. I can't imagine a guy in a TV studio convincing me he's on the Moon or Henry convincing me he's rehearsed what he's doing because he did hot reading research.

And your inability to imagine it is why they can fool you.

 

[RolandRat]

some of the most famous in the industry are open to very expensive civil action if it can be demonstrated Henry was intentionally misleading people who were suffering after a family death. Big money to be gained.

Under what law? Programs like this in the UK always preface their openings with the get out of jail free statement "for entertainment purposes only".

And why do you keep insisting people have to prove he is hot/cold reading? Surely it is the original argument that needs to be proved, that this guy is truly doing what he is claiming to be doing.

 

[Resume]

You are suggesting . . .

I not suggesting. I'm stating a plain fact that reality shows do not reflect reality and the writers, producers, production assistants, et all are all aware that what they are doing is producing a TV show.

That you do not understand this exposes your naivete. You are easily fooled.

 

[Resume]

Van Praagh was exposed hot reading an audience member during a break in filming, then lying about it afterwards. It didn't affect his reputation much, mostly because no one besides apologists give much of a ****. The general public doesn't care all that much either.

 

[Pixel42]

I'm still waiting for Sphinx's best example of information given by Henry that could only have been obtained by communicating with the dead.

 

[Resume]

There are actually three extraordinary claims being made here

1) Somehow consciousness survives death.

2) Somehow, some way, some people can communicate with that consciousness.

3) Henry is one of those people.

As none of the above has ever been demonstrated, and mentalist/magician/conjurors parlor tricks have, I'll go with that until one of these claimants can demonstrate otherwise.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

>>Blavatski even bored herself with it.

Blavatski never wrote about higher states of consciousness.

But Blavatsky did.

 

[xjx388]

When Alan Thicke was on the show, shortly before he died, Tyler Henry told him something about high blood pressure and his heart and someone in his family having died of heart problems. Indeed, he went further than that and said there was some genetic issues that ran in his family relating to heart arrhythmias or heart murmurs- extremely imminent issues in the general population. Mind you, Alan Thicke was a 69 year old man -high blood pressure and heart problems are a ridiculously easy no-brainer as a guess. I think one of the dead loved ones supposedly communicating with him said something like, “i died needlessly, this stuff is treatable.” Thicke died 3 months later of a type A aortic dissection and Henry fans count that as a major hit.

Now, the aorta is proximal to the heart, but it’s not the heart. So he did not die of an arrhythmia or murmur or anything else directly related to the heart. Henry did mention high blood pressure, but again, most people that age do have HBP. But the biggest miss I see here is that Henry had no inkling of just how serious Thicke’s condition was. No mention of, “Alan, you need to get to a doctor right away and have your aorta checked out.” Had he said that, it’s very likely Thicke’s docs would have found a bulge that could have saved his life.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

There is no doubt John Edward has an ability that other people do not have. This is obvious by observing him especially during the period when he did readings with his chair turned around so he could not see the person he was reading. How accurate he is, whether he cheats, I don't keep up with him.

Gallop poll last week stated that 38% of Americans believe they have communicated with a deceased loved one. Same poll in 2008 had the percentage at 28%.

 

[sackett]

>>Blavatski even bored herself with it.

Blavatski never wrote about higher states of consciousness.

Okay, then it was Mandrake the Magician.

But I really think that the old bag lathered up an awful lot about states of consciousness, as the theosophists still do -- and no doubt always will. It's one of those topics on which it's possible to multiply words at phone-book length without uttering a single paraphrasable sentence. I said it's boring, didn't I?

At the risk of a trip to the woodshed, excuse me, AAH, I want to ask: Why are you so invested in this topic?
Simple questions seem to exasperate you all out of proportion to the significance of -- pardon me, a television program?

How about less heat, if not more light?

 

[Myriad]

Reputation is not the issue. The fundamental honesty of TV crews is and the fact that the executives supporting Henry's show haven taken public positions in support of the show. It is in writing.

They have, or they haven't, taken public positions? What is in writing, and where can I find that writing?

You can be wrong about Ancient Aliens and it is not fraud, just a different point of view. Henry is different and those Execs, some of the most famous in the industry are open to very expensive civil action if it can be demonstrated Henry was intentionally misleading people who were suffering after a family death. Big money to be gained.

I checked and you're correct about there being no on-screen disclaimer at the beginning of the show. I didn't check for one at the end, because my On Demand provider won't allow fast-forwarding, and I'm unwilling to leave that smarmy kid on my screen for an hour even with the sound off.

But, the "people who were suffering" are celebrities, professional television performers, most of whom are associated with the network that carries the show. If the production staff aren't total idiots, those performers sign contracts and release forms and those releases include a disclaimer that whatever is said about anyone's relatives is opinion and for entertainment purposes. Lawsuits are no more likely (and no more likely to garner big money) than Sarah Michelle Gellar suing Mutant Enemy for all the vampire assaults.

Watch Henry's manner and voice. He's either real or he's better than Brando.

He's quite talented at sounding empathetic, in an oily sort of way. I've seen funeral directors do that just as well. And he certainly relates well to other minor celebrities, especially when it comes to the mandatory fawning and flattery. I certainly couldn't manage to do that. He's the biggest fan of every single celebrity on the network, except for the ones he doesn't know at all! I'd have trouble saying those porkies with a straight face after a show or two.

 

[Resume]

He's quite talented at sounding empathetic, in an oily sort of way. I've seen funeral directors do that just as well. And he certainly relates well to other minor celebrities, especially when it comes to the mandatory fawning and flattery.

Yes, he's salesman. Anyone spending time in a car dealership or a motivational seminar can recognize smarm and treacle. Well, almost anyone.

 

[Resume]

When Alan Thicke was on the show, shortly before he died, Tyler Henry told him something about high blood pressure and his heart and someone in his family having died of heart problems. Indeed, he went further than that and said there was some genetic issues that ran in his family relating to heart arrhythmias or heart murmurs- extremely imminent issues in the general population. Mind you, Alan Thicke was a 69 year old man -high blood pressure and heart problems are a ridiculously easy no-brainer as a guess. I think one of the dead loved ones supposedly communicating with him said something like, “i died needlessly, this stuff is treatable.” Thicke died 3 months later of a type A aortic dissection and Henry fans count that as a major hit.

Now, the aorta is proximal to the heart, but it’s not the heart. So he did not die of an arrhythmia or murmur or anything else directly related to the heart. Henry did mention high blood pressure, but again, most people that age do have HBP. But the biggest miss I see here is that Henry had no inkling of just how serious Thicke’s condition was. No mention of, “Alan, you need to get to a doctor right away and have your aorta checked out.” Had he said that, it’s very likely Thicke’s docs would have found a bulge that could have saved his life.

Good Post.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., as I'm sure you're aware. Just wanted to highlight how ridiculously simple that guess was.

ETA: I do not know where that emoji came from.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Reputation is not the issue. The fundamental honesty of TV crews is and the fact that the executives supporting Henry's show haven taken public positions in support of the show. It is in writing. You can be wrong about Ancient Aliens and it is not fraud, just a different point of view. Henry is different and those Execs, some of the most famous in the industry are open to very expensive civil action if it can be demonstrated Henry was intentionally misleading people who were suffering after a family death. Big money to be gained.

Watch Henry's manner and voice. He's either real or he's better than Brando.

Um. No. Watch:



A complete debunking of Ancient Aliens. Lies. Fraud. And misrepresentation.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Van Praagh was exposed hot reading an audience member during a break in filming, then lying about it afterwards. It didn't affect his reputation much, mostly because no one besides apologists give much of a ****. The general public doesn't care all that much either.

My favorite Van Praagh moment was when he was doing a reading for a woman about her dead mother or something. He got in a good guess and a series of hits on vague stuff. He was on a roll and the audience seemed to think he was doing well and he was getting a lot of applause. He had his patter going and then said something like:

Q: What did your mother do for a living?
A: She was a teacher.
Q: Yes. I was just getting a sense, a message, that she was a teacher. Is that correct?
A: Yes!
***APPLAUSE***

 

[Resume]

My favorite Van Praagh moment was when he was doing a reading for a woman about her dead mother or something. He got in a good guess and a series of hits on vague stuff. He was on a roll and the audience seemed to think he was doing well and he was getting a lot of applause. He had his patter going and then said something like:

Q: What did your mother do for a living?
A: She was a teacher.
Q: Yes. I was just getting a sense, a message, that she was a teacher. Is that correct?
A: Yes!
***APPLAUSE***

That's about as good as it gets for old James.

 

[Resume]

Proof That Hollywood Medium Is Totally Fake

Thanks Tyler . . . Bwahahahahahahhahahahahaha!

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

The lobby to get information in the 15 minutes you have before everyone is seated as the basis for performing a hot reading keeping all those people and their image straight, for 90 minutes, this is ridiculous.

Popoff did it. Mark Edward did it.

I recall some magician who actually did the work himself. I think he just didn't have enough money to have somebody else do it. He didn't have any strong distinguishing features and he looked a bit different in costume and make-up and the lights a slicked back hair. He could just tousle his hair, put on jeans and tee shirt and maybe some fake glasses and mingle in the lobby before the show without being recognized.

He would mingle. Or even stand in line. I think sometime she even worked the ticket booth. Listen to conversations and maybe make some small talk. As I recall, he was a magician and he just did a small psychic reading bit so the audience members weren't on the lookout for that type of thing.

I thought that was great. Skip the usual tactics of looking up info based on names from pre-show ticket sales or using "surveys" or sending somebody else out to get information. He could get away with literally asking people questions and then repeating back their answers 45 minutes later. I wish I could remember who that was.