Ian Somerhalder LFCC Q&A 28 July 2019

Finally got to meet Ian Somerhalder at LFCC on Sunday seeing as it was postponed from last year!  Well he couldn't make it as he was filming V Wars.  But he didn't have to live up to the hype, he is genuinely the most sweetest, caring person out there!!  He spoke a lot about the bad things going on in the world, re his ISF Foundation and how working tirelessly to save our world from "climate disruption" as he calls it, to dirty water, pollution and plastic pollution/waste.  How everyone needs to have a hand in speaking up and doing the right thing.

He said how we all need three words: "gratitude, reverence and compassion" and make ourselves better people and those around us too.  That parents can teach their children to be good, teach themselves too in that process.  That it all starts with the parents.  Which is so true, unless you have a starting point and good role models there's no hope of teaching anyone about life and doing the right thing; and I allude to Ian's three words again above.

As well as speaking of being nice to one another.  He loves how everyone comes together at cons, fans et al and are so nice to each other, but as soon as they leave here and go back into the 'real' world, the niceness ends!  Why can't you just carry on being nice?!!  The sense of community vanishes!  No truer words have been spoken and his sentiments weren't demonstrated; but sadly the opposite was.  Actually both were.  Most were all smiles at his talk but once they left and went to his photoshoot, boy did the claws come back out.  Quite a number of fans were, what can I say, butter couldn't melt and all that.  Which was immediately doing the opposite of what Ian just said.  Boy does it not get any better.  That was an insult to everything he stands for and what he meant to better ourselves and those around us!  Never had I seen such pasty faces, snobbery etc, in a lot of people in the queue.  (Sorry but this also included some crew and pit bosses as well!)  Feel I need to apologize to Ian too, seems we need more than just words and even words from someone as cool and awesome as Ian fell on deaf ears!  Sorry dude,  we need to help them do better!

He mentioned his new show, V-Wars and where it's about vampires too, but he doesn't play one this time round and he's a scientist, Dr Luther Swann.  That we gotta watch his shows on Netflix etc when they come out cos he wants a season 2!!  Even if you just click the round button and don't even watch it he added!  Ha.
Also how he had no say in the direction of The Vampire Diaries as it wasn't really his show.  He also died in season 1 so...Then he had a coffee spillage on stage!  Not too major!

Great photoshoot, sadly the prints have shrunk and have so much room around the actual photo, they didn't come out so great and were really dark for some reason.  I looked like a bloke with thick set eyebrows - no joke!!  Anyhoo I said to Ian how I would've loved to have seen him last year and he replied he was filming V-Wars and "you will watch it won't you."  He then took my arm and gosh I had to hold his (hairy! ha) arm back and say 'yes' and that I watch him in everything!!  Of course.  Then they came to drag me outta there, well almost, as I said my farewells!!  (Loud sobbing!)  Hands down he's such a darling and he lives by everything he says about being kind!!  A true humanitarian ambassador if ever there was one!
(Take note all you grumps who couldn't even manage a smile!)

However he made my year with his compassion and positivity!  Would that we all could and should allude to be the same!! Such a shame he couldn't make it last year but hopefully will make it back here more times!

Ghost Adventures 18.13 "A Haunting in Scottsdale"

                                             
Zak et al are called to the home of Todd in Scottsdale, Arizona as he's been plagued by negative activity, leaving him with feelings of rage and violent thoughts. As well as being told about a girl, a former resident who died on the property, whom he saw walking on the trail one night and asked her how she was, replying she's okay.  So surreal, almost like a Supernatural episode (Roadkill) comes to mind but in that ep the spirit didn't know she was really dead and they filmed it from her point of view.  Finally realizing she had passed, but not left this earth.  Wonder if this female spirit actually knows she's passed.  Especially since they did get female EVPs, then we don't actually know if it was her or not, or whether it was someone else and whether they were manipulated when Billy got "Trail" on the Paranormal Puck.  After all that voice he got when he did go alone to the trail later, didn't even sound female.

As soon as Zak stepped into that house he felt feelings of anger and directing violence even against Todd.  He's been feeling that quite a bit lately and how Todd felt the same towards him.  As well as cold spots and the meter getting some static readings.  They brought in Patti Negri on the request of  Todd who personally asked for her.  The Go Pro getting knocked over when interviewing Krys.  Also getting a female voice on the spirit box sounds like "yes" when asked if there's anyone there. When they move to the other bedroom, sounds like "who".  It's not clear enough.

Zak feels it's something ancient there, particularly as the area was Native American beforehand.  (Isn't everywhere!)  Billy gets "Girl" on the Puck when Patti goes into the house.  She feels stifled and not being able to talk, or being prevented from speaking; who needs to be heard, she isn't at rest. There are seven non-responses on the Puck and Aaron gets spikes on the meter.  More light anomalies are seen.  Apparently the broom and rake weren't knocked down Zak left on the first level and the laser grid wasn't broken either.

On the second level, Aaron gets dizzy and  "have to make that wish" is what I hear on Billy's recording on the trail in a male voice.  The Direct Link back at the house captures a female voice saying "help."   The second capture says "voice" and then when asked if she can tell them her name, she says "no."  The male spirit says "touch this!"  The thing about the US pronunciation of Aaron is that it sounds the same as Erin, so it could be either name.  I don't hear Zak, but "it's sad."
Aaron takes the Direct Link and the female voice says "help."  "I missed you" doesn't sound female, but a mimicking male voice, highly pitched!!  A male voice says, "? Eddie?"  Sure sounds like a name.  Next response says "ancient."  Before that it sounds like "death" which comes through when Zak asks, "what happened on this land?"

Zak gets one of the most best stick figures on the SLS!  For a first, the figure sits on the loo, pulls up its pants and vanishes!  As for sitting on the loo, I said it pulls its pants up.  Poor spirit caught in the act! But imagine if someone sits on top of the spirit when it was on the loo!  Eeww!  Then again does this capture show that even spirits need to pee and poop still!

Then the figures in the mirror and coming through the mirror as it's a portal.  It stepped through for a quick pee! ha. When Patti cleanses the house, she too heads to the two mirrors and a light anomaly rushes as if to get through before any portal closes.  Wish they told us if the house was actually cleansed.

Some of Billy's pics on the trail appear to have faces in them, feel free to find them all.

Ghost Adventures 18.12 "Idaho State Tuberculosis Hospital"

                                       
The Idaho State tuberculosis hospital which later became an asylum and now houses a family with twelve special needs children, two of whom died in this place at so young an age. Svetlana saying they feel Johnny's spirit here; as well as locking himself into a room, that is sad and awful, have to wonder if it was just a coincidence.

Gloria, a housekeeper, seeing a man reflecting in the mirror of  the bathroom standing by the edge of the bed.
The door being pushed when Zak was opening number 3 and catch a tall figure on the SLS camera before the investigation began.  As well as the deep EVP voice, sounds like "some bad" after Zak asks if there was "something evil there, something bad?"
Aaron goes into the basement with Nick, an investigator who felt like something went through his body.  Zak looks through the research of those who had passed there and the name Anton Beaver resonates with him.
That spirit box session was uncanny, I'm sure you can hear "An-ton" after Aaron asks "can you tell me his name?"
Sounds like "it's Steve to me" not "it's me;" even though Zak says "it's me."  There's a heavy emphasis on a 'v.'  After Aaron asks "something more clear."

During the investigation, Aaron and Zak both see a dark mass on the floor which frightens Aaron, in turn shocking Billy with his reaction.  Zak sends Jay to the attic where they haven't been before and no one ventures.  The sound appears to be a child's voice saying, "knocked me down, or knocked you down."  Lots of light anomalies floating around too. Then Aaron asking "what do you want me to do?"  Which will echo for Billy too later when he sneezes and Zak exclaims, "why you gotta sneeze?!"  And why not dude!

Aaron feels a lot of energy and Zak tells him there's a glowing face over his shoulder. Which doesn't really freak him out.  The long sentence was a bit grainy "I might get hanged?? for speaking to you..."  Yeah that's just my initial listen through, I need my trusty headphones to decipher further and will get back to ya here!
Billy tells him to do another EVP and they get a voice, when Aaron gets a coughing fit.  The screaming could be the spirit mimicking what he went through and the way he reacted when he coughed uncontrollably, same thing as happened to Aaron?? Should've used the Direct Link here too, it's clearer than the recorder.  Zak then sees some light which could be the one Jay captures on camera in the attic.  The 'creepy' laugh was definitely a child.  Appeared to be laughing at Aaron for his fit, or just generally.

Zak getting "Geek" on the Ovilus was funny cos that's how he would've looked to a child. As well as the stools being moved and plates in the kitchen.  His favourite animal: wolf.  Billy gets spooked by a toy dog moving.  As well as a light anomaly whilst setting up a camera in the family's quarters.
Zak gets the words,
Cold
Measure
Around on the Ovilus and Aaron gets cold in the basement.  With a voice on the spirit box saying "gonna get ya."   Appear; anomaly; comes through the Ovilus for Billy.  Wonder if the activity has decreased since their investigation or whether it's still the same.  It's not clear the actual end result of this investigation, with so many children there, it would've been helpful if they had said more.

Ghost Adventures 18.11 "Union Hotel"

                                             
As almost all historic hotels go, this one in Benicia, was no exception with hauntings relating to the Californian gold rush, a flophouse, saloon...  With its employees having encounters and one, Nina, getting an attachment and being possessed, after working in the Peony Room (or as Zak pronounced it 'PandE' - that's what it sounded like on my computer!  They caught a voice in the same room after Aaron holds the meter over the bed and Zak asks about the device and if he's causing it to move.  The voice saying "yeah."  That was much clearer than the usual EVPs they get.  Especially when Nina was in the room with them too.  One where a prostitute hanged herself.   In that same room where Zak got angry, nothing on the Ovilus and the word 'make' came up after Zak hands Nina the recorder.

Zak also talking about the stone tape theory again as the hotel still boasts the presence of the original bar, recording every moment that went on there when drinks were ordered, fights broke out etc.  Hearing growls and seeing figures in the hall.  Heard a muffled voice which they say said "hello."  Zak hearing footsteps behind him during the investigation and lots of bangs, especially on command. The laser mic moves and sounds like walking can be heard. With 'big' showing up on the Ovilus.

The static energy detection device goes off many times.  The Direct Link device is used and a mist is caught by the full spectrum camera.  The voice at that time says "run."  A forewarning perhaps before the hectic events in the Poeny room.  Zak gets, "one, two, three" in response to his question of "how many spirits are here with us?"  The female voice sounds like "all the f*ed up music."  "Adam" comes through.

The male voice says "hurt Zak."  Who then passes out on the bed.  Boy I wish I could fall asleep like that!  Ha.  But of course he's blacked out and has no recollection of what happened to him within those two minutes. That's what was possibly meant by "hurt Zak" but also makes sense in the context of Aaron and Billy also getting affected in the room with violent thoughts and especially Billy.  Who wants to overturn the bed and attack Zak!  Then Billy goes out onto the balcony and if not for the cleanliness of the air who knows what might've happened.
I don't hear "ashes" I hear 'Scott' or 'hot'??  Though hot could be relevant as Nina was feeling hot out in the hallway earlier on.

The Geo device shows up a ten degree temperature fluctuation.  A figure is mapped by the SLS from the lamp crawling onto the bed and the camera freezes.  Around the 28.26 mark you can hear almost like a breath which Zak says is a growl and no one else hears it.  Unless it's him, but you can hear something if you listen carefully.  It goes "huh."  That's when the agitation increases even more.
The recorder captures an EVP asking "are you talking to me?" in an accent. After Zak asks "is this what you want to do to us? and I wanna hear its voice."  Not being funny but that voice sounds like Miss Piggy in a deeper voice!  The Ghost Adventures School of Languages and Accents.

A shame we didn't get to see the female figure if she could have been caught on camera and Zak asks her to do something and she makes a banging sound.  In the room directly below on the second floor, after Aaron puts a paranormal puck on the bed, Billy types in 'is there a portal' and 'Adam' comes up.
Something is moved or dropped above them but they don't find anything.  Then Billy gets "between, killed, cleansing" on the Ovilus.  Wonder if they did anything about the cleansing though it'd be up to the owners to do so.  Doubt if they'd want any spirits to be cleansed or removed; no matter how much Adam may have wanted this plea for help to not be ignored.

Rob Thomas Cradle Song - Ten Glorious Years

                                                       
Anniversaries can be good for the most part but not for everyone.  Yet the ten year anniversary of the release of Rob Thomas's album Cradle Song brought back many memories for me; as I'm sure it did for many others.  I don't know; I write about things, his songs and what they mean to me and then I like how I always always come across interviews and such, where Rob talks about the meaning behind them and what prompted him to write them.  This album was no exception.

Going back to what I wrote before in an earlier piece about some of the song meanings, it was good to know that Fire on the Mountain was inspired by a fave book he enjoyed by Dave Eggers What Is the What? The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng (2006) based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese child refugee who immigrated to the United States under the Lost Boys of Sudan Programme and ended up living in Atlanta.

There are plenty of songs on this album that have had an impact on me over the past decade.  As well as in the way Rob spoke of how Twitter came about back then and he didn't know what to do with it.  Same.  Especially since I didn't grow up with social media around either; back when life was so simple without the added complications of technological imprints!
Her Diamonds, Real World '09, and Fire on the Mountain (mentioned in my previous piece.)  Mockingbird is again almost a lullaby style of song and lyrics especially with the mockingbird not singing and I love that catchy theme.  Snowblind; Gasoline, among some of my faves.  Natural giving an impression of something much more haunting and possessing our lives.

He said that Cradle Song was from the German for 'lullaby' and he wasn't aware of that.  When I heard the title it made me think of the William Blake poem Cradle Song - very poignant considering William lost two of his six siblings.

Looking back to 2009 is a good vantage point to regress back into the past from 2019.  Knowing what was to come and happened.  Thinking how you could have and would have wanted to do things differently.  How inspiring to listen to heroic lyrics that have gotten better with age, found new meanings for me and I'm sure for others.  But also looking backwards/forwards to how the wonderful songs don't stop coming and having so much more to look forward to, from then to now and onwards into the future and another ten years.
Nostalgia through Rob's music is a gloriously, sublime feeling to relive!

The other piece I mentioned:
https://mila255.blogspot.com/2019/05/rob-thomas-chip-tooth-smile-reflection.html

Private Eyes 1.4 "The Devil's Playground" Review

                                         
An ep of a show always has one on a writer and the elusive book mystery, but if they can get the right mix then it works.  This was no exception but what made it good was that their reason for investigation, being hired as Angie (Cindy Sampson) had read the book, The Devil's Playground, was a good enough reason.  Especially being hired by a writer named Thomas King (who played himself!)  Having plenty of emotion this series has grown to include, especially where Angie's father is concerned.  As she reads that book every year at the same time to remind her of her father and also cos he gave it to her when she was 14, was sad.  And no I didn't agree with Matt (Jason Priestly) that she should move on from that.  Sorry writers no points for that.  Though he is pragmatic, he shouldn't have said she should make new memories.  It's true you should, at the same time you can't just magically forget the old ones and nor would you want to.  At least I wouldn't cos a father is not someone you can just move on from in place of new memories.  As Jules (Jordyn Negri) said to him congrats on being a dick!  Obviously not here referring to private dick either!

Matt having to deal with Jules getting a male friend,Liam (Jonny Gray) who is popular with the other girls.  Having to reach out and trust her  and that she'll do the right thing.  Which Angie made him realize too.  Also Matt talking about books such as Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, etc, with her that she's never heard of; why is it children never read the classics, or read, period! 

They get to hang out at Toronto Island which Angie calls creepy, okay maybe it was but in the sense of there being very few people.  Coming across a man, Kurtis (Ennis Esmer) who likes to take recordings of sound and him telling them he was by the lighthouse when Frank (Nicholas Campbell) was attacked.  He plays the recording and as soon as he did you could tell it was water.  At least I did.  Leading them to the gay TV design couple, Wil (Pascal Langdale) and Gil (Thomas Allison)  where only Gil was gay.  (Too much of a Will and Grace name chime there! ha.  Also with Grace being a designer and Will joined her.)  Frank's daughter, Eliza (Joanne Boland) and Sarah (Laura Cilivetz) the daughter of the man he wrote about in the book being a closet gay, who killed himself after it was exposed, and of course the publisher, Larry (Dan Warry-Smith).  Well there you have it, he was my suspect.  As soon as he said he'd publish anything Frank wrote, that sealed it for me.  Haven't not gotten a suspect yet.  Clearly I missed my calling.

Of course the book wasn't Frank's and was written by Sarah.  So plenty in this ep about fathers and daughters wasn't there with the entire cast and guests too.  That was the theme in this ep.  Several references to Matt's not so hot career too, again highlighting the ups and downs of his life, professionally and personally too.  What matters is what we do with what we have after suffering adversity.  Frank finally making amends with his daughter.
I wrote about this ep as it was aired last Wednesday and particularly on 1st July as it would've been my later father's 90th!  SO as apt an ep as there'll ever be!!