StopSylviaBrowne - Help: Angel in the TV

[steve s]

You could try posting at Snopes.com. They have a pretty big skeptical community.

As for having this backfire on us, I don't think that's really a problem. If no one can identify it, all it means is that it's an original piece of artwork that hasn't been published.

Steve S.

[Jon.]

Originally Posted by steve s

You could try posting at Snopes.com. They have a pretty big skeptical community.

Not a bad idea. RSL, I'm a member on the snopes.com message board. I'd be happy to post it there and see if anyone can identify, if you would like.

[alfaniner]

Remember, you don't have to say what it's for, just that you're looking to find out what it's from.

[Tanja]

You could try posting it on http://www.picanswers.com/ - I don't think it has a huge readership, but it's a neat website.

[alfaniner]

Bumping for those who have not seen this in a while, and to ask new members for their input also. We've had a lot of "maybe's" here, does anyone have a definitive answer? Thanks.

The original pic was taken on Christmas Eve 2002.

[Nova Land]

I'm still working on this, but very sporadically.

I've eliminated quite a few of the items that were listed here previously (and quite a few that weren't). I'm pretty sure that the solution is not going to be anything which is widely-viewed and easy to find (such as the Harry Potter movies were) -- otherwise someone would have recognized the image already. So harder-to-find less-widely-viewed items are what have especially intrigued me the past few months.

I am somewhat limited in my ability to check out possibilities so it's slow going. I'm mainly able to do this when I make trips to Knoxville -- which I like to do once a month, but which have been much less frequent this year. I am hoping to make a trip there next weekend, and if so I'm hoping to be able to cross a few more possibilities off the list.

I haven't been pursuing this as energetically as I'd like. Earlier this year I posted on several other sites and e-mailed some inquiries, but I have been increasingly slow at getting things written -- often takes me weeks to get something written which should take a few minutes -- so I've largely let that slide. If the image is from a music video, then that kind of pursuit is probably going to be necessary to finding it -- and if the possibilities I'm hoping to check out in Knoxville this trip and next don't pan out, I'll try to get back to the idea of music videos later this winter. But I'm currently more inclined to think this is a Hollywood actress.

I also haven't had the energy to post regularly to this thread. Apologies.

It occurred to me that a thread over in Puzzles might work better than one here in GenSkep. One advantage is that there's less traffic over there, so a thread doesn't vanish so quickly off the page. On the other hand, one disadvantage is that there's a lot less traffic over there.

I still think this is an eminently solveable puzzle.

[Hellkat9940]

I picked up an old RPG on gog.com and have found that one of the characters in the opening movie looks a great deal like the pic.

The game is called Stonekeep, I found the opening video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ20Id6E6VM

[rjh01]

I think Hellkat9940 has found something that needs a good look at. Start at the 2.55 minute mark and look at the woman. We may not be looking at the scene, but I suggest that it is the woman.

[Ocelot]

Originally Posted by rjh01

I think Hellkat9940 has found something that needs a good look at. Start at the 2.55 minute mark and look at the woman. We may not be looking at the scene, but I suggest that it is the woman.

Certainly look very similar. Warrents further investigation.

[Ocelot]

Having investigated further the title is from 1995, I susspect that only the opening sequence is of high enough quality to contain our Image and it appears that the you tube is the entire opening sequence. However ti may be that the actress appears elsewhere.

Just to confused the issue, imdb lists two voice actresses for this character - Thera but no live action actress. The voice actresses are Lisa Parker and Madalyn Rofer

[Professor Yaffle]

Originally Posted by Ocelot

Just to confused the issue, imdb lists two voice actresses for this character - Thera but no live action actress. The voice actresses are Lisa Parker and Madalyn Rofer

That's because it's animated...

[Grimes]

Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle

That's because it's animated...

If you are referring to the woman in the Stonekeep intro, it is indeed a live actress.

[BillyJoe]

That live actress is a dead ringer!

(sorry, bad joke)

[Klimax]

Hello,a little bump.
What is da status? I suppose help still needed,is it not?

What routes were already investigated?(I think after review of thread that games are not done... might help there as gamer and collector of old games(by downloading...) )

[Sherlock]

Sorry I'm a late to this thread. I’m not skeptical about the “angel image” on the TV, it may be a real image displayed by the TV.

In addition to be a long-term skeptic --- particularly one examining psychic detectives (see www.amindformurder.com) I have 35-years in the TV business (including working for 3 of the largest TV manufacturers in the world) and I can assure everyone that the TV shown is not a flat panel television screen (front LCD or plasma), nor a 36” 4x3 or 38” 16x9 tube set. That narrows it to a “rear projection” TV and based on its wider edge trim “bezel” with the appearance of imitation wood wrap I would suggest the vintage to be about 1986-2002 and perhaps a 46-52” series though fewer rear projection series had this wide of bezel.

However “widescreen” 16x9 versions (which it appears from using the folding chair for room depth and size perspective) place it more likely from 1989-2002.

I can recognize TV’s much like automotive fans recognize years of cars, but without a better photo I can’t sort it out. And if that’s imitation wood trim then I’d push back the TV manufacturing date and might believe it could be a 4x3 rear projection set.

However assuming I’m correct and the photograph has not been altered (I also was employed by Eastman Kodak for 7 years), there can be some likely scenarios established.

The photo shows a reflected room lamp in operation (indicating low-level lighting in the room) that is approximately equally distorted and near the same light level as the angel image. That likely indicates the TV has a factory screen protector that allowed reflection and further narrows down some TV manufacturing time frames. The hands of the person closest to the camera and the right corner back edge of the folding chair and the left TV bezel appear to be lit by camera flash due to color and level. Others of you noted the same.

Yet the image of the angel is still soft and unlikely front projected. The person closest to the camera appears to be sitting on a sofa. I would calculate the distance to the TV from the sofa would be about 7 ½ feet. Without getting overly technical I’m of the opinion that if the photograph is not doctored --- color film negative anyone? --- and that the angel image is internally projected by a rear projection TV with a progressive-scan source such as a computer or DVD player. TV models of this vintage had DVI, component cable and VGA+ inputs and my bet is the image shown could be a DVD disc “screen saver” image as the remainder of the screen is dark.

A number of “X” rated DVD’s and overseas DVD’s provide similar “pop up” screen saver images. If not, then it could be a “pop up” personal program fed from a computer using a progressive scan output. In any case, if not a doctored photo, then the image appears to be an authentic image displayed by the TV itself.

John Merrell
www.amindformurder@gmail.com

[Reno]

Are you Monk?

[Sherlock]

No Monk here. John Merrell = amindformurder@gmail.com and also founder of web site www.amindformurder.com

[BillyJoe]

Hmmm...Noleen Renier

Quote:

Renier recently revealed that she had a lengthy conversation where she "chattered long and interestingly" and was able to get her informant to reveal previously unknown events, including where a river once flowed and how and where a fight had taken place. An who was this psychic informant? Amazingly Renier claims this vast and informative conversation took place with an oak tree.

Quote:

Renier describes the results of her talks with a mighty oak in her book A Mind For Murder and writes that at one point "suddenly I was told by the ancient oak, 'We have one fear and that is fire. Would you mind not smoking while touching me?'"

Unbelievable!

[Sherlock]

Thanks for taking a look at the site. If you ever have the time read the segments covering her claims of locating the air crash. It makes talking to oak trees look tame.

[RandFan]

Originally Posted by amindformurder

Thanks for taking a look at the site. If you ever have the time read the segments covering her claims of locating the air crash. It makes talking to oak trees look tame.

Cool. Thanks.

[Eliz Bathory]

I just wanted to remind people to keep an eye out for this image during the holiday season. It seems possible that if this came from a holiday special it may be on again.
Thank you.

[BillyJoe]

Hmmm....

[Glite]

I'm still working on this off and on as well.

I had a thought, and it may have been mentioned, what about Rankin/Bass specials. Some of the stop motion can look realistic especially in the lighting that the picture is in.

I've noticed that the "hat" she's wearing has a strap that goes down the left side of her head. Also if you play with the brightness/contrast and observe the lower left of the image, there is definetly something man made there.

Glite.

[alfaniner]

OK, it's been some time and we have a lot of new eyes here. Can anyone identify where this image is from? It was apparently shown on TV around Christmastime 2002.

We've already had enough speculation ("It might be..." "It could be...") I want to know what it is, for sure!

I tried a Google image match search, but only came up with this enhanced image used on another web page (by someone who posted in this thread) so that's not it.

[Marduk]

seen it, iirc there was an advert for some natural product around the turn of the millenium which featured a woman blowing air from her mouth to represent wind

can't remember the product though
sorry

[lylfyl]

I think I've found the source. It's from an artificial sweetener, Splenda, commercial from 2001.

Left is Splenda commercial, Middle overlaid images, Right is Sylvia's angel.

Splenda-Moon overlay.jpg

Google Image Search led me to here {after wading through all of Novaland's avatars }
http://www.blingimaging.com/2009/08/splenda-moon/
The screenshot was taken from the first few seconds. The moon shows up at the end again, but at a different angle
The upload date was 2009, after the original '05 claimant.

Google Searching for "Splenda moon" found a video from 2001, so it WAS before the picture was taken
http://adland.tv/commercials/splenda-moon-2001-030-usa
Annoyingly, this site won't let you freezeframe, but it's the same commercial.


Trying to find more confirmation on airdate, Google found a couple of people's CVs listing it as a 2000/2001 commercial by Marcus Nispel.
I didn't find it on his website, but he is a movie director who started out making commercials.

[alfaniner]

Thank you! That's it!!!

This has been bugging me for a long time and I'm sure Robert will like to see this post as well.

Finally, conclusive proof that Sylvia lied.

(OK, so it may not be the first time...)

[steve s]

Wow! Great job tracking that down. Of course the woo-woo crowd will brush it off.

Steve S.

[kakariki]

Wow. Finally solved. Great job there!

[Brown]

That's a hit, all right. "Mystery" solved.

[FFed]

Finally. Good job.

[Nova Land]

Originally Posted by lylfyl

I think I've found the source. It's from an artificial sweetener, Splenda, commercial from 2001.

Wow! Thank you for solving this. Like alfaniner, I've been bugged by this for years. It is nice to finally know the solution.

Quote:

Google Image Search led me to here {after wading through all of Nova Land's avatars }

My apologies for complicating the search. I've been using the image as the Sunday Puzzle logo over at Daily Kos in hopes someone seeing the logo might recognize it.

[Brown]

Some time ago, I was going to post that "the face" resembled one of the spirits that came out of the Ark of the Covenant in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." When I eventually saw "Raiders," and compared the spirit to "the face" in question, it was decidedly not a match. Here, the comparison jumps out as being a match, and a point-by-point identification of features essentially confirms it.

Turns out it's actually a pretty lady projectile-vomiting Splenda all over the Earth. Sweet!

[YoPopa]

Splenda does nothing for me but make my mouth taste odd.

This Splendid news is especially sweet though.

[rcfieldz]

Too funny...and look at my posts total..ewww...

[Olowkow]

Nice work lylfyl! I was trying to find it a while back when I discovered Google image search, but never could. In the process, I found a very nice plug-in for Firefox called TinEye.

http://www.tineye.com/

When installed, it provides a "right click" feature that will search among 2 billion images for the one you are trying to find, and provides a list of URL's. It comes in very handy here on JREF from time to time.

[ExMinister]

That's great!! I am still always looking for this image in tarot or greeting cards when my son insists on going to the New Age store for gemstones and rocks. Finally, mystery solved!

[RSLancastr]

Originally Posted by steve s

Wow! Great job tracking that down. Of course the woo-woo crowd will brush it off.

Steve S.

Certainly many will, but probably not all.

As I have said here many times, it seemed to me that every article I post on StopSylvia about one of her blunders, no matter how trivial, is the "last straw" for someone out there.

I see no reason to believe otherwise about an article I will write (and post on the site when I can) about this.

Many thanks to lylfyl for this find!

[LarianLeQuella]

Originally Posted by RSLancastr

THIS WAS TOTALLY EXPLAINED IN THE FINAL SEASON OF ST:TNG!!

Nitpick. It was Season 6 (out of 7) Episode 20.

[RSLancastr]

I sit corrected.