More bottom-of-the-barrel TV "psychic" behavior

[Gravy]

This invitation to 9/11 victims starts out fine but doesn't end so well.

The Lifetime Channel is Looking to Cast Sept. 11th Victims and Their Heroes Dear 9/11 Family:

My name is Sasha and I am contacting you from Bunim-Murray Productions. As a production company we have won many Emmy Awards for many of our reality shows including "Starting Over." ...For our current project, we have teamed up with The Lifetime Channel and are looking to cast Sept. 11th survivors and their heroes. We are looking for stories of survival and courage to display the hardships and suggest that the people of New York had to endure. We would specifically love to get a hero and a victim's story so we can reunite them and give them an opportunity to tell one another how they feel and say thank you.

Our show is also dealing with psychics so each individual will have an opportunity to talk to a psychic and perhaps bring some answers and closure to their story. The victim and the hero must be available for filming from August 27th-August 30th. They will receive compensation for their time and an all expense paid trip to California for the taping. You can contact me at SFischman@bunim-murray.com (SFischman@bunim-murray.com).

Thank you so much.
Thankfully Yours,
SashaMy email to Sasha:

Dear Sasha,

Using "psychic" frauds to try to manipulate the emotions of 9/11 victims is disgraceful. I'm sure you'll get splendid ratings. Sleep well.

Mark Roberts
New York City

[magi]

Oh... your... gawd.

That is utterly despicable. Get some stories, whore people around for ratings, and oh, yeah, as an aside, snag some clueless victims into allowing a psychic remora to sink their slimy fangs into their soft underbellies.

We have Rabbit season -- shoot rabbits. Duck season -- ducks. When will it be Psychic season? Ah, never mind, they would stink to gut, and be near impossible to clean.

[Gravy]

Ah, never mind, they would stink to gut, and be near impossible to clean.That's one of the best descriptions of a TV psychic that I've seen.

[Susan Gerbic]

Thought it was an urban legend. Looked it up on Snopes.com and they have nothing on it. Where did you get the OP?

Wish it was an urban legend.

Susan

[dudalb]

If Lifetime really is going this route I am going to email them stating it will be a cold day in hell before I ever watch their channel again.

[Lisa Simpson]

Did you forward this to Mr. Randi?

[Normal Dude]

Letter sent. This stuff really peeves me.


Sasha,

A moment ago I was dismayed to learn that you will be featuring a program that brings victims and heroes of September 11th, 2001 into contact with purported psychics. It is a disgrace that you would allow con artists to work on people who have suffered a terrible tragedy in their lives, on public television for all to see.

If this show goes forward I never will watch Lifetime Channel ever again, and I will ensure that as many people as I can reach will do the same.

Sincerely,
Chris Nelson
Davis, CA

[fuelair]

Sent one myself - told them if the show runs would stop buying from any sponsers(and let the sponsers know), would stop watching Lifetime/ancillaries (love Wild Card even in re-runs, but will give it up) and that the idea made reprehensible look good.


Next, e-mail or other contact to Lifetime directly.

[Monza]

What is wrong with some people?! Ratings and money, no matter how much, is poor justification for exploiting people and their tragedies.

[Gravy]

Thought it was an urban legend. Looked it up on Snopes.com and they have nothing on it. Where did you get the OP?

Wish it was an urban legend.

SusanIt was on the website of a WTC cleanup worker who became ill, started a foundation to aid sick WTC workers, and who happens to be donating a kidney tomorrow to another sick worker. http://www.fealgoodfoundation.com/Bulletin.html

[Gravy]

Did you forward this to Mr. Randi?Not yet, but I will.

Thanks for writing, friends!

[magi]

This episode of televised dreck will, in all probability, be aired. Going to lifetimetv.com and using their search function, for the word psychic, reveals dozens of pages of hits, going far back in time. It's clear to me that Lifetime intends to make exploitation of the weak and/or vulnerable a major part of their income stream.

To all the preachers out there who rant and rave about combatting evil: Here you go, here's a great mission for you. Don't worry so much about keeping the Native Americans from getting casinos (which eat up your bingo income), do something constructive -- protect the sheep in your flocks from this speading evil. Join the cause, let's stop TV Psychics!

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Ha. I have just contacted my personal psychic, WHO HAS NEVER BEEN WRONG*, and she says that Sasha and bunny-nip productions will burn in HELL for ever if they go ahead with this production. :mad:

---------------------------
* It's her first prediction. :jaw-dropp

[Gravy]

I'll be calling Lifetime Television tomorrow. (212) 424-7293

Their home page (http://www.lifetimetv.com/) is quite a bastion of woo. Astrology, numerology, sweepstakes, dieting tips, and hot wife/chubby hubby shows. What more does a girl need?

[Hokulele]

I'll be calling Lifetime Television tomorrow. (212) 424-7293

Their home page (http://www.lifetimetv.com/) is quite a bastion of woo. Astrology, numerology, sweepstakes, dieting tips, and hot wife/chubby hubby shows. What more does a girl need?


To enjoy all that? A lobotomy.

[Invidious]

To enjoy all that? A lobotomy.
A sexy lobotomy? Roll cameras! Someone call Lifetime! I've got a great idea for a show!

[Normal Dude]

A sexy lobotomy?

I had a friend who would do that. He would repeat things that I said and add sexy to them, with emphasis. ;)

Try it sometime, you can add it to anything. :D

I wonder if he works for TV now......?

[Hokulele]

I had a friend who would do that. He would repeat things that I said and add sexy to them, with emphasis. ;)

Try it sometime, you can add it to anything. :D

I wonder if he works for TV now......?


Let's see. Sexy Sylvia Browne.



AAAAUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!



That did not work well at all. :mad:

[baron]

I frequently wonder why "psychics" are allowed to legally ply their trade. I've asked many people this question and not one has provided an answer. If I "fix" someone's roof that didn't need fixing and charge them £500 I'd go to jail. If I take £500 for lying to them about their dead relatives then that's fine. Do it with enough panache and I might even get my own TV show. I don't understand it.

[magi]

I frequently wonder why "psychics" are allowed to legally ply their trade. I've asked many people this question and not one has provided an answer. If I "fix" someone's roof that didn't need fixing and charge them £500 I'd go to jail. If I take £500 for lying to them about their dead relatives then that's fine. Do it with enough panache and I might even get my own TV show. I don't understand it.

You don't understand it, because your ethics-generator isn't burned out. Your scruple valve hasn't rusted shut. Your Morals Remaining Indicator does not read Zero.

Sylvia<puke>Browne and other TV<puke>psychics of her ilk were either born without these, had them removed, or they just are not wired right. If they are not wired right, they are mutants, not human, and can therefore be gutshot with impunity. If they deliberatly burned out their decent-human-being control hardware, they are psychopaths, and can be hunted down and impaled onto public urinals. Also with impunity, and celebration.

I gotta switch to decaf....

[fuelair]

You don't understand it, because your ethics-generator isn't burned out. Your scruple valve hasn't rusted shut. Your Morals Remaining Indicator does not read Zero.

Sylvia<puke>Browne and other TV<puke>psychics of her ilk were either born without these, had them removed, or they just are not wired right. If they are not wired right, they are mutants, not human, and can therefore be gutshot with impunity. If they deliberatly burned out their decent-human-being control hardware, they are psychopaths, and can be hunted down and impaled onto public urinals. Also with impunity, and celebration.

I gotta switch to decaf....Why? you sound just fine to me!!!

[NobbyNobbs]

I had a friend who would do that. He would repeat things that I said and add sexy to them, with emphasis. ;)

Try it sometime, you can add it to anything. :D

I wonder if he works for TV now......?

Don't you mean, sexy TV?

[NobbyNobbs]

What I sent....

Dear Sasha,



I have just recently learned of your plan to produce a show with The Lifetime Channel involving 9/11 heroes and victims. I thought this was a wonderful idea.



Then I found out you were planning on putting these heroes in contact with "psychics", and any respect I had for your project disappeared. The charlatans take advantage people in unstable emotional situations, make claims that have never been backed up, and essentially rob people of their money in time of emotional need. When they are not robbing people of hope, they are offering false hope.



Should this project go through, I want you to know that I will never again watch The Lifetime Channel or any of its dependents. I will contact the sponsors of the show to let them know that. I will not promote in any way a single Bunim-Murray production. And I will encourage every single person I can to do the same.



What you plan is detestable.



Sincerely,

<NobbyNobbs>
<Philadelphia area>


ETA: I know there are grammatical mistakes in there. I rarely make them, and did not notice until I posted it here. Chalk it up to extreme rage.

[Big Les]

I frequently wonder why "psychics" are allowed to legally ply their trade. I've asked many people this question and not one has provided an answer. If I "fix" someone's roof that didn't need fixing and charge them £500 I'd go to jail. If I take £500 for lying to them about their dead relatives then that's fine. Do it with enough panache and I might even get my own TV show. I don't understand it.

I think the fact that they bothered to come up with the Fraudulent Mediums Act shows you what you're dealing with. The establishment gives at least notional credence to the idea that it might be possible to talk to the dead, and that it's impossible to prove that said mediums aren't doing so. I assume that the only way you could prosecute one under that act would be in a Colin Fry "whoops where's me trumpet" type uncovering of fraud, and where a client or paying audience member decided to take action. Even then.

I don't really get it either. We ought to be able to prosecute anyone taking money who claims to be able to talk to the dead or divine information in this way, and they can then prove their abilities to avoid censure.

Or is that too harsh?

[VespaGuy]

I sent an e-mail as well. I just find this disgusting.

[magi]

Why? you sound just fine to me!!!

Well, I appriciate it, fuelair(explosive?..:D )

The whole public urinal thing... what a mess. And some poor dude will have to clean it up, it might give him the heebie-jeebies, somebody will recommend a damn psychic to releive his stress, and it starts over. Then we run out of urinals. It's an environmental disaster. Better to just render the mutants down for diesel fuel, burn it in trucks carrying pig waste. Or, hell, feed the psychics to the hogs directly! That way, they will become immortal. As bacon. And poop.

Seriously... Is there any way to get a list of all the shows Bunim-Murray produces/supports? Need to make sure we get all of them.

[Gravy]

Seriously... Is there any way to get a list of all the shows Bunim-Murray produces/supports? Need to make sure we get all of them.There is. (http://bunim-murray.com/index.php?session=home&id=1) But Lifetime (and their sponsors) are the ones to go after. They've got the final say, and they can always get someone else to produce the show if Bunim-Murray didn't. I didn't make much progress with my calls today, but I haven't had the time to keep at it.

Edit: btw: Sasha Alpert is vice president of Creative Affairs at (ahem) BM, so she's not just an intern. That's good to know.

[magi]

There is. (http://bunim-murray.com/index.php?session=home&id=1) But Lifetime (and their sponsors) are the ones to go after. They've got the final say, and they can always get someone else to produce the show if Bunim-Murray didn't. I didn't make much progress with my calls today, but I haven't had the time to keep at it.

Edit: btw: Sasha Alpert is vice president of Creative Affairs at (ahem) BM, so she's not just an intern. That's good to know.

Thank you for the link, Gravy. I looked at the load of dung they already produce, and can safely say, I can declare a retroactive boycott to the beginning of time on all those shows. Then again, I can read, tie my shoes, and wave bye-bye two out of three times successfully... so I'm not in the target audience anyways.

I agree, it would have to be Lifetime. Has anyone actually received a reply from Sasha?

[VespaGuy]

I agree, it would have to be Lifetime. Has anyone actually received a reply from Sasha?

Nothing yet.

[dudalb]

I got a certain relief about this from putting on my DVD of "Batman:The Animated Series;First Season" and watching the episode entitled Prophecy Of Doom which ends up with Batman beating the crap out of a phony Psychic.Great stuff.

[tracer]

This story cannot possibly be true.

If this is really the Lifetime Network producing this show, it would have been about 9/11 victims who were married to men who abused them and their daughters.