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American Horror Story – Freakshow – S01E01

image I just got done with the premiere episode of American Horror Story and I have to say it didn’t disappoint and it managed to stick in plenty of creepy characters. Right off the bat we get the creepy damn clown who has quite the penchant for stabbing people and keeping them prisoner. Of course, you have to wonder, is that a mask? Somehow I think not.

We also have the Siamese twins who have been rescued from the hospital so they can be the main attraction at the show. We have Lobster Boy, who has an interesting set of hands that seem to be a big hit with the ladies. Oh my goodness, I’m not sure if he’s using his powers for good or not. The other cast of characters include the bearded lady, the contortionist (who showed the entire tent a good time), the world’s smallest woman, the tall woman and several other characters who talents we are sure to meet along the way.

In the center ring we have Elsa, the woman who brings all the talent together. Her dream is to be famous or perhaps recapture the fame she once had. She enjoys being in the limelight and these new attractions will help give the troupe the boost they need to sell seats.

So we have the Siamese twins who have a few skeletons in their closet. We have Lobster Boy who has done away with the local constabulary because he was going to take away the twins and he used the word "freak" one too many times. We have the sinister clown that has a way with a pair of scissors and seems to collect people as toys. And we have Elsa who’s past I’m sure is so twisted and demented we’re going to shake our heads in disbelief.

But a damn fine kickoff to this season. And if you happen to catch the preview for the rest of the season more characters are on the way. This is going to be pretty damn exciting and oh so damn creepy. I already don’t like that clown. He’s not giving me nightmares yet, but then again he’s only been around for one episode. I have a feeling by the time we figure out his story and see the path of bodies he leaves in his wake, that guy is going to mess me up. I can already see we are going to see some really interesting people in this season.

So what do you think? Is this going to be the most bizarre season yet?

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American Horror Story – Freakshow

image Tomorrow is the new season of American Horror Story – Freakshow and from everything I’ve seen this is going to be even more messed up that the seasons that have before it. You know darn well and good their going to come up with the most bizarre and unusual things to throw at us this season. I’ve seen a few of the commercials and while we have them, we’re going to go far beyond the bearded lady. They even have the world’s smallest woman onboard so you know they scouted high and low for some thrills and shocks.

From what I can gather this season will focus on some murders that take place in a farming community and the horror it instills can be used to the advantage to the circus carnies. It also tells of the owner looking for new "attractions" for his freakshow. Considering we are right around the corner from Halloween there is going to be plenty of grim and outrageous scenes. And I have every reason to believe there will be some scene and a story involving demonic and twisted clowns that will make the Pennywise from IT seem tame. I’m looking forward to it!

The first episode of the new season is tomorrow night, Oct 8. The episodes run right throw Halloween so you know this is going to be twisted!

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Forever – Interesting stories and an interesting look at life

image There are several things I like about Forever, the first being it’s actually got a British actor using what I assume is his natural speaking voice and it has interesting mysteries to solve. I have to say, I think it’s a shame that US shows hire foreign actors and then change their voices. You can hear this in the Mentalist, Rush, House and others. Considering most people enjoy hearing a different style of accent, why does this keep happening?

Anyway, Forever actually has a nice sound to it and I like how there is a narration where we get to hear more about a character and what they’re thinking. I liked how Dexter used this and it was also something we heard (although not very often) on the show Silk Stalkings way back in the 90s. I think this is a neat device and I think a show like Forever uses it to their advantage. There is a whole lot of backstory for Henry Morgan so it’s nice to get a little bit of that insight.

I wouldn’t say it’s subtle, nor would I say it’s blatant, but there is the undertone of what goes into a life. Henry has lived for 200 years and he sees it as a curse. Would the rest of us feel that way? What we do if he had nearly unlimited time? Henry speaks of relationships and growing old and what it’s like to love and lose that love. While none of us can live forever, there is the message that we should make the most of the time we have. What does tomorrow bring? As we see from the opening minutes of the first episode, life can change in an instant. We never know what we’ll get to finish tomorrow.

I like the stories so far and I like the message. Perhaps we do need to take a step back from the computers and Twitter and Facebook and phones and focus on the people around us. Perhaps we should take that time to read a book (to our kids) rather than sitting in front of the TV. Or perhaps I’m getting a little sappy.

Another thing I like is that the CGI is a minimum so far. I grow tired of shows that zoom in on a totally pixelated and grainy picture that magically becomes crystal clear, or they run through millions of photos in seconds and find the person their looking for through facial recognition. I know what computers can and can’t do so it’s nice to see someone using their brain and going with their instincts for a change.

So far, a pretty neat show with characters I like and stories that are actually interesting. Hopefully this one will stick around for a few seasons.

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Ghost Adventures – The Queen Mary – S10E01

image For this adventure Zak, Nick and Aaron head out to California to visit the floating museum of the Queen Mary, a steam liner that one served as an opulent cruise ship for the rich and famous, but was then pressed into service as a troop transport. While it didn’t see actual combat, it brought back plenty of men who did. And it wasn’t the enemy that caused damage to the ship, but an accident that involved it’s own escort ship. The two collided which killed hundreds of men on the smaller boat. From reports, many of those deaths were caused when men were literally pulled into the wake of the massive propellers of the Queen Mary. Certainly a grim way to go.

There are reports of figures and the voice of a little girl heard in multiple places from the pool to the hallways. Interestingly, there are no reports of a girl ever being killed on board. There are also reports of numerous voices as well as shadow figures. Multiple groups have investigated this location including Peter James who may have done first documented paranormal investigation on board. His video also records the voice of a girl. Some claim it’s the same little girl. Based on the activity, many claim this to be the most haunted ship in the world. Mind you, they never say how many ships are on the list. While the ship didn’t see combat deaths did occur, both from wounded soldiers being brought back and from prisoners who apparently died in the less than spectacular conditions below decks.

Right from the start the team feels like they’re experiencing the paranormal and without any real evidence to support it, they conclude it to be dark energy. There is a claim the voice of the little girl heard by Peter James is the same girl that was captured 20 years later. There was some sort of forensic analysis, but let’s not give out the name of the company that did the work. that would be silly. This feel of dread seems to be based on feeling dizzy in the area by the pool and that the "voices" seem angry. Billy feels he’s choking on smoke while filming and a bad vibe is running through the place. They haven’t captured any real evidence yet, but it’s time to draw conclusions

Zak brings in Debby Constantino to validate the voices they hear. Without skipping a beat she picks out the voices are angry and that since there is no reported death of a little girl, the voice must be an imposter and something sinister. Zak has contacted some friends of Peter James who brought his favorite jackets with them. Zak jumps at the chance to do a séance (which he’s been against multiple times in the past because of the evil spirits that slip through) and immediately states he hears a door opening which must be the presence of Peter. He also concludes that balls of light are heading straight for those same jackets. Any ball of light they see is deemed spirit energy and it always seems to end up in someone. It either comes down on top of their heads or sneaks up and goes in through their backs.

As the investigation goes on they feel the presence of someone, Nick claims to get pushed right around the door 13 where a sailor was killed. And according to Zak it was a suspicious death. No evidence to support that claim, but that’s what he’s going with. They see a figure move in front of an open door and hear a girl calling out to them. Oddly, the voice of the girl sounds remarkably like Debby Constantino who just happens to be off by herself. Additionally, Zak says he sees more orbs making their way into both him and Debby as they work their way around the ship. Clearly a ship of this age can’t have dust or particles flying around, it has to be spirit energy.

Armed with what appears to be a Kinect attached to a camera or some such, Zak claims to get a figure coming right at him. Oh course, he nearly soils himself as it sounds like he’s on the verge of screaming. It’s an interesting phenomenon to be sure, but it could be anything and who knows what their device is registering. They put a lot of faith in an Xbox toy from Microsoft.

So far the ship has revealed orbs, voices, bangs, knocks, pushes and a full figure walking in front of a door. Oh my goodness, it’s the most haunted ship in the world!

From, where I’m sitting, I’m not convinced by a single piece of evidence they caught. I don’t believe the ship is anything more than a creaking, old, metallic boat that makes plenty of odd, but perfectly natural noises and I don’t believe any of the voices they captured are real. They went into this investigation utterly convinced the ship is haunted and as soon as they put a foot on the ship they state their is a demonic presence. How in the hell can they be objective and debunk anything when their mind is already made up? It happens all the time, but is more and more blatant with every episode.

I’ve been less than impressed with how Ghost Adventures conducts themselves and this has pretty much pushed me over the edge. It’s really getting hard to tune in for this nonsense any more. It’s degraded to showboating and overly dramatizing every little thing that happens. Every place they visit is haunted, all the spirits are evil, all the orbs are trying to take over Zak and demons are parading around as kids. And this is what they believe before opening the front door. The idea of waiting for the evidence to come in before coming to a conclusion is a lost idea for these guys.

I used to enjoy the locations they went to and hearing about the history. It’s just become too "emo" for me. Not everything is a portal to hell. As with so many other shows, I think this one has run it’s course.

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