Paranormal still reigns at the box office.

As the metaphysical world gears up for December 2012 amidst a growing whirlwind of end-of-the-world theories, the new global disaster film from Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) hits a worldwide jackpot!

2012 brings to life on the silver screen a mega-view of global doomsday which coincides with the end of the Mayan Calendar’s current cycle.  Experts of gloom tout that life as we know it will cease to exist on or around December 21, 2012.

Last weekend, the paranormal genre dominated the screens at movie theaters across the country including the holiday season’s most well-known and beloved ghosts, a recently deceased legendary entertainer (okay, paranormal may be a stretch here), psychic abilities, alien abductions and frightening paranormal activity in Orange County.

In order, the top 5 grossing films at the box office:

#1 - A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring Jim Carrey with $31 million
#2 - THIS IS IT - MICHAEL JACKSON with $14 million
#3 – THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS with $13.3 million
#4 - THE FOURTH KIND with $12.5 million
#5 - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY with $8.6 million

This weekend, Roland Emmerich's big budget doomsday film 2012 will spread disaster in more than 3,000 movie theaters and paranormal powers of the mind aside, predictions say 2012 will dominate the box office.

Once upon a time, when I was in second grade, our class was forced to watch a propaganda film about pollution.  It depicted the year 2000 in which all humans would have to remain inside their climate-controlled homes because the atmosphere was so completely damaged that no one could leave their homes without gas masks.

As a slightly sensitive little girl, I pretty much freaked out.

When I was growing up, my favorite “monster” was Frankenstein.  I never cared too much for zombies, mummies, swamp creatures or vampires.  Of course, there were vampire movies that I actually liked a lot like THE LOST BOYS and several campy and humor-filled vampire movies and of course, as a little girl, I adored the supernatural soap opera DARK SHADOWS.  And although I watched vampire movies with stars from Bela Lugosi to Jack Palance, the un-dead blood-suckers were still not my favorite supernatural being.

In the early 1990s, while recuperating from a spectacular car accident, I read Anne Rice’s INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE after reading THE WITCHING HOUR (loved The Witching Hour).  But I didn’t care for INTERVIEW at all (in all honesty, it could have been due to the aftermath of the accident), although surprisingly enough, I enjoyed the movie – many times.

Kurt Knutsson is the CYBER GUY; America’s most watched tech authority.  The CYBER GUY originated from KTLA (Los Angeles) and quickly went into syndication across the country, today reaching a staggering audience of 48 million viewers not counting the millions reached daily when each segment hits the Internet.

The focus of the live October 30, 2009 CYBER GUY feature, was technology used in the field of parapsychological research with veteran field parapsychologist and ISPR founder Dr. Larry Montz.  Dr. Montz was demonstrating the new $38,000 HD FLIR P660 Thermal Imaging Camera with built-in GPS using previous test shots with the FLIR P660 taken throughout the DEGAS HOUSE & MUSEUM as seen on side-by-side computer screens and live thermal imaging demonstrations inside LE PETIT THEATRE.

Almost a week ago, veteran field parapsychologist and ISPR founder Dr. Larry Montz wanted to use a very unique property for some field testing of the new HD FLIR P660 Thermal Imaging Camera with built-in GPS (retails for $38,000).  He was interested in a property that was not known for paranormal activity, but a property that has significant historical and cultural importance to the city of New Orleans.  That property is the Degas House and Museum.

I received the following release regarding a wonderful exhibit to celebrate the life of Dr. Hans Holzer.  The exhibit was on display at the PARAPLEX from January 24, 2009 through mid-April 2009.  When the PARAPLEX re-opens, we hope to have this fascinating exhibit back!  In the meantime, if you're in New York, you're in a wonderful position to see this amazing exhibit and meet in person, Countess Catherine Buxhoeveden and Tricia Rother!

Southampton:  The Paranormal world lost a giant this year with the passing of Hans Holzer, 89, the original “Ghost Hunter.” Holzer’s paranormal investigations took him to haunted castles, houses and graveyards across the globe with his investigation partner and local resident, Countess Catherine Buxhoeveden.

The 2009 International Vampire Film Festival Line-Up

The Vampire Film Festival (Vampire Fest) is finally coming home!  “After two years in Los Angeles we wanted to permanently move the festival to the city most connected to the vampire myth - New Orleans.  This glorious city is a place of mystical allure, the city where Anne Rice rethought the myth of the vampire. With its Gothic architecture, above the ground graves, voodoo and colorful history, New Orleans is the perfect location to celebrate the vampire myth and build the foundation for an annual must attend film festival event,” announced Festival Director, Asif Ahmed.

The 4- Day Vampire Festival slated for Oct. 23- 26 will showcase films, a vampire ballet, a New Orleans Jazz Style Funeral and a French Quarter scavenger hunt.

Paranormal matters are everywhere now and so much is going on in the Most Haunted City in America...New Orleans!  Here’s a few items to get you in the Halloween Season mood:

Opening at 6pm this Saturday (October 3rd) at the brand new Sibley Gallery at 3427 Magazine Street, is Babette Rittenberg’s drawings and sculptures Exhibit, AMERICAN HEADS.  And although it may not entirely fall under the category of ‘paranormal’, it sounds like it makes the category on the fringe…and hey, even if not, it should be a very cool exhibit to check out.  The description of the 13 heads on display explains, “While eyes are the windows to our souls, for artist Babette Rittenberg, heads are a means for considering an often strange otherness, a mirror that asks viewers to consider their own imperfect and perhaps sometimes skewed existence”.

If  you’re creative, there’s a Halloween season event tailor-made just for you.  It’s the Arts+Gardens+New Orleans arts festival to benefit the New Orleans Botanical Garden at City Park.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create a one-of-a-kind, really cool scarecrow which will be offered for sale throughout the Fall Garden Show on October 17th and 18th.  All scarecrows must be freestanding and the Garden Gift Shop has, absolutely free of charge, six foot tall scarecrow frames for you to use.  Pick yours up Tuesday through Sunday, from 10am until 4:30pm.  Keep in mind, all scarecrow creations must be designed to withstand the elements and if you need a little assistance with figuring out what materials you can use, check out the City Park website for more information and a registration form.   And one final point, all scarecrows should be ‘family friendly’!