Controversial medium, Derek Acorah, dies at 69
British TV personality and ‘Most Haunted’ medium Derek Acorah died Jan. 3 after a short battle with pneumonia and sepsis. He was 69.
Not without controversy, Acorah allegedly made up the spirits he would channel while on ‘Most Haunted’. The show’s parapsychologist Ciaran O’Keeffe accused him of being a fraud. Executive producer Yvette Fielding, who prided herself on ensuring that there was no acting on the show, discovered he fraud and let Acorah go.
Before he was known for his channelling and seances, he played football and was a member of the Liverpool Reserves. He also played for Wrexham, Glentoran and Stockport County before moving to Australia to play for USC Lion.
He is survived by his third wife, Gwen, and son Carl, whom he had with first wife, Joan.
A ‘Paranormal State’ of mind
Paranormal investigator and television producer Ryan Buell dropped hints that ‘Paranormal State’ may experience a second coming.
Buell shared photos of former cast members to mark the show’s 12th anniversary on Instagram, as well as asking for case submissions back in April.
“12 years ago today, ‘Paranormal State’ first premiered to audiences across the country! Over a decade later, it’s still airing on TV. It was so much fun to invite audiences in on PRS’ investigations. Thank you to all who contributed to this series, which was ahead of its time and STILL stands the test of time with audiences!”
He’s also been posting photos of himself with members of the new Paranormal Research Society team, which he started 18 years ago at his alma mater Penn State.
Betty Francis, UFOs love you
Actress January Jones, known for her roles on “Mad Men” and “The Last Man on Earth” admitted to Jimmy Kimmel, while on his late-night show on Jan. 9, that she was “very much” into aliens.
When probed further by Kimmel about any experiences, after she admitted she was a big fan of Robert Stack on “Unsolved Mysteries”, she shared an experience she had in an Iowan field during her early 20s.
Jones, born in South Dakota, had seen a light in the sky making odd movements while she was in a car.
“It made a shape,” she said, while making erratic gestures with her arms. “It was definitely a spaceship. Or a shooting star that just couldn’t figure it out.”
Navy gets ‘carrier’ed away by UFO files
The Pentagon has discovered slides and video footage that relates to the 2004 encounter between the USS Nimitz and an unknown aerial phenomena (UAP).
Researcher Christian Lambright sought more information about the event and filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Motherboard, an online tech news site owned by Vice, launched its own FOIA to confirm the rumours.
“The Department of Defense, specifically the U.S. Navy, has the video. As the Navy and my office have stated previously, as the investigation of UAP sightings is ongoing, we will not publicly discuss individual sighting reports/observations,” Susan Gough, a Pentagon spokesperson, told Motherboard. “However, I can tell you that the date of the 2004 USS Nimitz video is Nov. 14, 2004. I can also tell you that the length of the video that’s been circulating since 2007 is the same as the length of the source video. We do not expect to release this video.”
Hand of God?
Argentine soccer icon Diego Maradona, known for on-field and off-field shenanigans, dove into the world of paranormal in December.
The manager of the soccer club Gimnasia admitted that he believed in UFOs in an interview with TyC Sports. He also admitted UFOs had taken him as he was missing for three days after a late-night bender.
“I got home and said that UFOs had taken me,” Maradona said, “I said ‘They took me, I can’t tell you about it’.”
Maradona also shared how he lost his virginity during the interview, so we have our doubts about the former story.
From Bender to Brexit
In another tale of benders, psychic Uri Geller admitted he believes his paranormal abilities could secure post-Brexit trade deals with economic trade partners.
The 73-year-old answered the call after a call for “weirdos” by Boris Johnson’s adviser, Dominic Cummings, to apply for jobs.
“With my energies, with my mind power, with my know-how, with my connections to world leaders, I can definitely help with the Brexit negotiations,” he told the Press Association in an interview from Israel. “In the last 50 years I’ve been called everything under the sun – from paranormalist to a miracle worker, to a magician and a weirdo, so I thought ‘Now I think I can really help Boris’s administration’ because – I know I’m now boasting a bit – but I have a very, very impressive track record.”
Demon-eyed baby
Elise Bannister had a late-night shock when she went to check on her child with a new baby monitor.
The young, cradle-bound infant was staring back at them with bright white eyes, similar to the kids in Village of the Damned.
White reflex can be an early identifier of retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer that affects babies under the age of six.
Health scares aside, the mom posted to social media where it went viral. Surprised by the response, the mom later admitted it was just for the proverbial shits and giggles.
“A lot of people are giving me legit advice here, which I appreciate but this was a joke. I actually use Relaxio and it’s really great,” she tweeted.