Hello, beautiful people! Today, we have guest writer Eddie D. Shackleford here to talk about my personal guilty pleasure: ghost shows. In particular, he’s interested in discussing Bio’s “Celebrity Ghost Stories.” Enjoy!
I recently came across a relatively new television program, “Celebrity Ghost Stories,” which is aired on the Bio channel. This program is similar to other programs where people relay accounts of supposed encounters with the supernatural or spirit world. I’ve always been leery of these programs. I question whether the stories are true or whether the people who tell them are attention seekers or just plain wrong when they interpret odd occurrences.
In my opinion, “Celebrity Ghost Stories” actually adds some credibility to the claims of ghostly encounters. I find it hard to believe that a celebrity would put himself out there to be ridiculed if he didn’t think the story he was telling was true. I have considered the fact that some D-list celebrities will do anything for attention or air time (e.g., Celebrity Apprentice, Dancing with the Stars, and the worst of the worst, My Fair Brady). Why wouldn’t they make up a ghost story to get some air time on the Bio channel?
On the other hand, some of the celebrities presented on “Celebrity Ghost Stories” are pretty famous folks who surely don’t need the publicity afforded them on a cable channel. Experiences have been shared by the likes of Jermaine Jackson, Diane Ladd, Mariel Hemingway, Shirley Jones, and Joan Collins. According to According to cable.tv, upcoming episodes include accounts from Joan Osbourne, Ahmad Rashad, and Alan Thicke.
From a television production standpoint, I think the creators of this show got it right. People are always interested in what celebrities have to say and we tend to believe what they tell us in personal interviews. Though I don’t understand the psychology behind this last statement, it still appears to be the case. Add to that the fact that television networks are running out of ideas for programs that share spiritual encounters. It seems that it’s all been done before. The celebrity format offered by “Celebrity Ghost Stories” is a refreshing and interesting change from the norm.
When I see a celebrity relaying an event that I would normally consider absurd, I listen. Why? I consider my long relationship with this celebrity (one-sided as it is) and whether this person has a history of histrionics or false claims. Most of the folks showcased on “Celebrity Ghost Stories” seem to have been rather upstanding citizens throughout their careers, and this adds to the legitimacy factor for me. Why should a credible, popular, and successful celebrity make up a story that will be aired to the world? It seems unlikely to me.
My opinion here doesn’t mean that because of “Celebrity Ghost Stories” I now believe in ghosts or even life after death. It just means the show gives me pause to consider the possibilities because I tend to trust these stories from familiar faces more so than I do from total strangers. I think familiarity is the key word here. I trust a familiar source more, especially when the topic is one that is hard to swallow in the first place.
Eddie D. Shackleford is a well-established freelance blogger who loves to write and research topics around the paranormal field. Eddie now lives in NC and spends a lot of his time writing. In the near future, Eddie is planning to write his first horror novel.