10.7.7 : binnall report

We're a little behind schedule this week, as I've been pretty much enthralled by the baseball playoffs and when the Red Sox games are on, all work must stop. Hopefully this will be a trend that will continue throughout October. Sorry to see the Cubs get eliminated yesterday, they were my pick from the National League.

Anyway, we've got a few interesting items in this week's report. There's some more info on the upcoming premiere of BoA : Audio, Season III, a fairly in-depth preview next weekend's esoteric double-bill that is the Mass UFO Show / Monster Mash, some brief Coast Notes, and the usual Pop Culture Thoughts coupled with End Notes.

BoA : Audio, Season III ... 10.20.7

Less than weeks from today, 10.20.7, the underground esoteric sensation, BoA : Audio, returns for our landmark third season. I'm happy to report that in about one week's time, we ought to have all of the next six weeks worth of programs locked in and ready to roll out throughout October and November. December will most likely be the month which sees the return of many favorites from season's past, culminating in our annual Christmas Special, with you-know-who.

As noted in this space a few weeks back, our Season Premiere will "air" on 10.20.7 with the venerable and legendary Jim Marrs, discussing the re-release of his book "Psi Spies" plus his thoughts on the last year in Ufology and 911 research.

Once again, I'm going to hold off on naming names just yet, but will say that amongst the episodes to be aired will be an in-depth discussion on an infamous and long-running esoteric mystery, along with the first ever interview from a newcomer to the field of Ufology who's new book serves as a refreshing look at the UFO field from a reputable outsider. We'll also be featuring our first "theme" episode of the new season as well as an interview covering an often overlooked, but critical, era in UFO history.

The audio preview for the new season will serve notice that BoA : Audio is coming back in a big way. We expect to have it up and running around the end of next week as we wind down the days until we storm the internet airwaves again.

Stay tuned ...

Mass UFO Show / Monster Mash preview

I am now 100% confirmed to be in attendance at next weekend's esoteric double-bill that is the Mass UFO Show / Monster Mash in nearby Watertown, Massachusetts, next weekend (October 12th & 13th). Having spoken with conference organizer, John Horrigan, I've been assured that BoA will be allowed nearly unfettered access to the event, allowing your humble correspondent some really cool behind the scenes insight into the festivities.

This second annual event is New England's largest paranormal conference. It's the perfect opportunity for the many esoteric enthusiasts in the area to convene, discuss the paranormal, and have some fun. Last year's version was a pretty big success and generated a ton of buzz, so I expect that this year's installment will be more of the same. From what I understand, tickets are still available, but are going fast, which is always a good sign.

Without any further superfluous discussion, let's take a look at some of the esoteric happenings scheduled for this jam packed weekend ...

Friday night's Mass UFO Show kicks off @ 7 PM and features an interesting crew of UFO researchers. For starters, former BoA : Audio guest Chris Styles will be discussing the famous Shag Harbour UFO case. Don Ledger will be talking about the "black triangle" phenomenon. Carl Feindt will be there to talk about the USO (Unidentified Submarine Objects) enigma, one of the UFO field's less discussed peripheral mysteries. Nancy Talbott will be covering the Crop Circle phenomenon. And, the event's host John Horrigan will be revealing, for the first time ever, his footage from the Roswell 50th anniversary, including what has been dubbed the "controversial press conference". The night will be co-hosted by Matt Moniz, who has been involved in a number of key UFO cases over the years.

I'm looking forward to meeting Chris Styles after talking to him, at length, on a number of occassions last Spring. All of the presentations sound interesting, but Carl Feindt's session on USOs piques my interest the most, since that phenomenon remains on the edge of most UFO discussion. It should be an enlightening evening all around.

Saturday night, beginning begin @ 6 PM, is the Mass Monster Mash, which is devoted to a mix of cryptozoology and ghostly type stuffs. The big draw is, of course, esoteric superstar Loren Coleman, who has done a ton of research on the various mysteries in New England and will be talking about the Dover Demon in what is billed as a "rare Boston appearance". Other presenters include Jeff Belanger, discussing poltergeists, Don Keating covering the Ohio Bigfoot, and Karen Mossey talking about EVPs.

Additionally, Tom D'Agostino, author of "Haunted Rhode Island", Kristyn Gartland, a member of the TAPS franchise from "Ghost Hunters" infamy, and Chris Pittman, Bridgewater Triangle expert, are also scheduled for appearances in roles billed as "Special Guests" for the Mass Monster Mash.

Another special guest will be my friend Christopher Balzano, of Massachusetts Paranormal Crossroads, who has three new books that are set to roll out starting in early 2008. He's also been waiting patiently for me to get him a copy of that After Dark article I wrote about our trip to the Bridgewater Triangle last April, so I can finally cross that off my "to do" list.

On top of all that, the esoteric radio show "Spooky Southcoast" will be broadcasting from the event throughout the weekend. I've heard a lot of good things about SS over the past few months, so it should be cool to hear their show and see them doing it in person. Along with the speakers and special guests, there will also be "a trivia contest, souvenirs, concessions, exhibits, a slideshow, and a Q&A session" scheduled for both nights of the conference. Sounds like a killer weekend of esoterica and entertainment.

As long-time BoA readers may recall from my previous writings, the real thrill of an event like this is seeing the people in attendance. Despite how pervasive BoA has been on the national stage, I'm not a big socializer in the Massachusetts pararnormal scene. So there is a pretty rich community here in the Bay State that I have yet to explore and I'm really looking forward to meeting some of the regional talent that has done a great job of investigating our local mysteries. Hopefully, some of these meetings will bring about some new avenues for BoA to explore in 2008 and beyond.

Ticket Information :: Prior to this past week, the Mass UFO Show / Mass Monster Mash made tickets available only via pre-order on the web, but now their site is saying that "a limited number of tickets will be sold at the door". Be forwarned that only 200 tickets, total, are available, so if you are planning on attending, you better act quick before there is no more room available. Tickets are a mere $25 per night, which makes this event emminently affordable for people want to attend, especially since most other conferences take place on the West coast and require a plethora of expenses.

All information on tickets & directions can be found @ the appropriate websites : Mass UFO Show / Monster Mash

Should you decide to make it to the big event and you see me, feel free to say hello. I'll be lurking somewhere in the building.

Coast Notes

Not much to report here, other than we'll be getting a full dose of Richard C. Hoagland on Tuesday (10.9) evening. Sir Hoags will be joined by Mike Barra and they will be talking about their forthcoming new book "Dark Mission : The Secret History of NASA". Despite all my misgivings about RCH, I'm looking forward to both this interview and his new book. When Hoagland is talking about Mars or NASA conspiracies, he is pure gold. It's when he gets into the yawn-inducing hyperdimensional theories or jumping on the bandwagon whatever esoterica's mystery du jour is, that's when I have a problem with him. Hoagland's been beating the NASA conpsiracy drum for a long time, so I expect some really solid material to be on the horizon and, thus, the Tuesday episode should be killer.

The other big note for the upcoming week is that Jim Sparks will be back on C2C on Thursday (10.11), after setting the esoteric world afire with his two previous appearances on Coast that straddled the beginning of 2007. Of course, those interviews were with Art Bell, not The Noor, so I'm not sure what to expect here. Sparks is a polarizing figure in contemporary Ufology and it will be interesting to see if this interview will cover new ground or end up as a rehash of the previous two strong showings from Sparks.

Pop Culture Thoughts / End Notes

My attention to the new Fall TV season was diverted this week, as baseball playoffs began. When there is a triple-header of big games on back-to-back days, I find it hard to get excited about the latest offerings of scripted programming and bad reality TV. That said, I'm nearly through with all the shows that I decided to sample so far this season. Next week, I expect to have a pretty thorough look at what I liked and what sucked.

Speaking of which, I assume that next week's binnall report will arrive sometime around Sunday (10.14) evening, since I will be very busy @ the Mass UFO Show / Monster Mash on Friday and Saturday night.

That about does it for this week's installment. Have an excellent week, my friends. I'll catch you on the flip side next weekend.

- TB

9.29.7 : binnall report

Rounding out the month of September, this is the binnall report. Kind of short one this week, hitting on BoA : Audio, Season III, Art Bell's one off guest host spot on Friday night, a mini-preview of the Mass Monster Mash / UFO Show coming up in a couple of weeks, and some Pop Culture Thoughts as well.

BoA : Audio, Season III ... 10.20.7

Not all that much to report on the BoA : Audio front as of now. We've taped another interview this past week ,one more will be taped this coming Monday, and hopefully we'll get three or four others down on tape before the Season III premiere on 10.20.7 with our special guest Jim Marrs. I'll refrain from naming names just yet, until we figure out the schedule for the first few weeks.

This is kind of a "hump week" while we are in the midst of production, so I don't have much tangible news to share with you. Things are percolating at a fairly decent clip. That said, I've gotten a lot of interesting guest suggestions and returning guest suggestions so far, so feel free to keep them coming.

Bell Returns Again

C2C founder and all around demigod, Art Bell, returned from his quasi-retirement for a guest hosting shot on Coast this past Friday night (9.29). As expected, it was quite a lot of fun. Right from the beginning, things had that familiar feel to them. Art has a way of melding his introduction with the C2C theme music and dragging that mix out for so long that it just becomes awesome. For that brief moment, all is right with the world.

Bell started things off with perhaps the C2C line of the year as he said he wanted to answer the question that everyone was asking. Then he announced that he missed radio and was coming back to host five time a week. A beat skipped. And then he laughed, because ... it was a joke. The sad part of it is that the humor was derived from how many C2C listeners and die hard Bell heads surely lost their shit when they heard him say that, only to be disappointed that he was jesting.

It was on that sly note that the night began. The first hour was really good. Bell went through the usual hoops, updating us on his new kid and wife, giving his take on the news and fielding calls from the fandom. It felt like old times again and was a night of sheer bliss for lovers of nostalgia, especially as those old bumper music gems were busted out.

The highlight of the hour had to be the call from "JC". He was ranting and raving about Senator Craig, which should tell how long it has been since JC has graced C2C. JC hilariously included Noory in some kind of homosexual mafia that was framing Sen. Craig. It was outstanding. He also brought up "food porn" again and went after Rachel Ray, of all people. Gotta love the Rachel Ray reference. Art ended up hanging up on him when he endorsed Lima beans. Seriously. It was wackiness done right.

The guest was Graham Hancock, who was decent, albeit a tad dry. I listened half-heartedly while in a chat with some friends. Some of Graham's stuff was pretty wild and he is still endorsing ayuahasca and talking about that realm of esoterica. There was some nice historical stuff at the beginning of the interview, as well, when they re-hashed "Fingerprints of the Gods". Bell was, obviously, excellent throughout the interview, interjecting at the right points and keeping a loose reign on the evening which allowed for some nice flow.

While Hancock was pretty entertaining and some interesting insights, the true star of the evening was Bell. Along the lines of how I waxed nostalgic last week, a full unfettered Open Lines would have been excellent. I suppose we'll have to wait until Halloween for that, though.

Mass UFO Show / Monster Mash ... 10.12 & 10.13

At this point, I am about 75% sure that I will be attending this esoteric double bill in a couple of weeks in nearby Watertown, MA, which is a stone's throw from BoA headquarters. The UFO show, obviously, features UFO related speakers and discussion while the Mass Monster Mash focuses on cryptozoology, which has a surprisingly rich heritage in Massachusetts. Both nights look to be pretty well put together and should be a lot of fun. Info on it all can be found either at @ Mass UFO Show or @ Mass Monster Mash.

I'll probably do a proper preview next week as we get closer to the festivities. Suffice it to say that the two day affair ought to be a nice mix of a few strong names from the national scene alongside a plethora of regional esoteric talent. Having only really met a few of the local New England folks who delve into the esoteric arts, like the ultra cool Chris Balzano, I'm looking forward to seeing what the people in attendance will be like.

I expect to tape a few soundbites and short cuts over the weekend for use in a future BoA : Audio episode. And, much like last year's CRC IV special, I'm sure that there will be connections made for future BoA interviews down the line later in Season III.

So if you are from the New England area, this is one of, if not the only, big esoteric weekend of the year and you ought to try and check it out. As noted, I'll have a more in-depth preview next week, once my attendance is assured.

End Notes and Pop Culture Thoughts

Despite my claims last week, no Fall TV thoughts just yet. I've only watched a few of the new shows and don't have enough to say about them just yet. I've still got to see the Tivo'd pilots of "Chuck", "Reaper", and "Journeyman". Plus, "Cavemen" and "Pushing Daisies" haven't premiered yet either. So, we're kind of in the hump week of the Fall TV season as well. I've already given up on one show : "Kid Nation", but I'll say more about that next week.

A slight follow up on the BoA : Audio, Baseball Special predictions. Attentive listeners may recall that my preseason pick was, aside from the obvious Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, who made the playoffs alongside the Sox this past Friday. I can't recall exactly who Greg Bishop and Adam Gorightly picked, but I do recall that Paul Kimball picked the Detroit Tigers, who did not make the playoffs. Sorry, Paul. I'll go back and dig into the episode again and find out who the other guys picked and try and update that next week as well.

That's about it, so we'll call it a night here. Have a nice week, my friends.
- TB

9.23.7 : binnall report

Ah, yes, I have already abandoned "binnall thoughts" in favor of returning to the classic name "binnall report". We just have too large an archive of "tbr" to switch over to a whole new name for essentially the same column.

A little of this and a little of that in this week's column. I'll start rolling out some serious info on BoA : Audio : Season III, we'll talk about Jaques Vallee finally showing up on C2C, Art Bell returning to guest host Coast, and my various Pop Culture thoughts for the week just past.

BoA : Audio, Season III is coming

To be more precise, BoA : Audio, Season III will be premiering on 10.20.7, a little less than a month from today. I'm happy to report that our season premiere guest will be, as always, the venerable Jim Marrs. Of course, I'll have a full preview of the interview as we get closer to the premiere, but the gist of it a lengthy discussion on the re-issue of Jim's book "Psi Spies", which details the US Army's remote viewing program. Along with that, we'll find out Jim's thoughts on the past year in Ufology and 911 research and where both fields seem to be heading.

I've already taped another interview and have several waiting to be scheduled. We're hopeful to have the bulk of 2007's interviews taped before the premiere episode, which should make it easier to produce the show this season. Also, the official logo for Season III will be unveiled sometime around the beginning of October.

Along the lines of guests, I am pulling out a call to any hardcore BoA : Audio listeners to chime in now with your request for returning BoA : Audio guests. We've featured around 50 different esoteric minds on the show, ranging from up-and-comers to bonafide legends. But the question is, who do you to see back on BoA : Audio ? Drop me a line and let me know, as we fine tune the guest list for Season III.

So ... 10.20.2007 ... BoA : Audio, Season III begins with Jim Marrs talking about Psi Spies.

I Want My Jaques Vallee

There was enormous buzz all last week over the re-emergence of Jaques Valle on the esoteric scene with his appearance on Coast to Coast on Monday night. Many websites, that normally gloss over C2C's fare, made a special point of posting news of this big interview. Kudos to C2C for, finally getting some positive buzz out of the hardcore esoteric community. After a Summer that included a disappointing Roswell episode, the infamous Ouija Board debacle, Art Bell "retiring", and six Jerome Corsi appearances, this was a welcome change of pace.

Of course, it wouldn't be C2C without them putting their unique "spin" on the evening, as Vallee was only the solo guest for the first hour of the interview and then was joined by Paul Smith for the rest of the night. The bulk of the discussion with both guests centered around Remote Viewing, so the much anticipated "Vallee on Ufology" topic was tragically cut short. I can't blame Coast for this one, though, as I suspect that Smith probably played a hand in getting Vallee on the show and it does appear that Vallee is more interested in RV than UFOs nowadays.

Regardless of that, the night was so good that my only real quibble lies in the fact that Vallee sounded so much like Dr. Louis Turi that it was distracting. Obviously, we must blame Louis Turi for this. Somewhere in the last 10 years, during Vallee's self imposed Ufological exile, Turi swooped into the "plucky Frenchman" gimmick in esoterica. It's disgraceful and I demand that Turi drop the French accent if Vallee plans on staying in esoterica and doing interviews again.

That first hour was radio majic and Noory did a fine job during the interview, to the point that I can't think of any Noory blunders to poke fun at him about. The rest of the night was also quite good. Vallee had a unique air about him, in that everything he said carried a lot of weight. C2C media whores Richard C. Hoagland and Jerome Corsi could learn a thing or two from the near hysteria that Vallee's appearance caused.

I'm not sure what came out of the interview, regarding Vallee's retirement situation (i.e if it is coming to an end or not). Let's hope that he decides to stick around for a while. The esoteric media has changed and there are many places that would like to have a good chin wag with the esoteric icon.

Bell Returns ... Again

Okay ... who had "99 days" as their pick in the Art Bell Un-Retiring Pool ?

That's right, the mysterious and reassuring creator of C2C, Art Bell will be back from his self-imposed exile on Friday night (9.28) as he guest hosts for The Noor and interviews Graham Hancock. I'm not sure what caused this impromptu guest host appearance for Bell, though the 4th Friday of every month is Ian Punnett's "Mr. Belvedere Fan Club" meeting. Anything that bumps out Noory-hosted Friday night Open Lines is alright by me.

Hopefully this news of Bell's guest hosting spot will help to settle down some of the fervor that his surprising re-re-re-retirement caused in early July. I'm just wondering how many of the guests that Coast trotted out for the "Art Bell Tribute" feel just a wee bit silly, since he will manage to host yet another episode less than 100 days since the tribute. I know I'd be pissed if I worked at Premiere and chipped in $5 for a "Thanks for the Memories" ice cream cake.

Don't get all excited that Bell will be hosting C2C on any kind of regular basis, though. For starters, George Knapp just announced last weekend that he'd be hosting Coast every 3rd Sunday of the month and I wouldn't be surprised if Rollye James is penciled in for some kind of similar deal. With the folding of "Ian" and the creation of "Time Fishing with Art Bell" (or whatever they are calling that archive show), it's highly doubtful that C2C would undergo the logistical nightmare of Bell coming back to do weekends as he did for the past few years. I suspect the earliest we'll see him after Friday will be in late October for Ghost to Ghost.

Be that as it may, mark down the return of Bell as yet another step forward by the critically challenged C2C. First they manage to convince Vallee to appear and then they bring Bell back for a one night shot. Could we be seeing a turnaround @ C2C ? Stay tuned.

End Notes & Pop Culture Thoughts

Next week, I'll preview the Mass Monster Mash, which I hope to be attending in early October. I'll also talk a bit about what I like so far during this new Fall TV season, including the return of Heroes and the debut of Kid Nation. Plus, we'll discuss Art Bell's C2C return. And, of course, other esoteric hijinks.

A look @ my scorecard from last week's Emmy picks ... 2 out of 13. Ouch. I really should get credit for two more, since I wanted to pick Katherine Heigel, but instead picked "don't care". Also, Lost's Terry O'Quinn winning was really close to my pick of Lost's Michael Emerson. So let's call it 4 out of 13, with an asterik.

One prediction that I did make that panned out was the victory by Evel Dick on Big Brother 8. My favorite characters always get eliminated between 5th and 3rd on these shows, so finally seeing my favorite win was entertaining as hell. Congrats to Evel Dick for winning and putting on a hell of a show all Summer.

Quickly now, my pick for Survivor : China is the gay flight attendant or the NYC waitress (if she can get her act together). There, we have it on the record.

Till next week.
TB

9.15.7 : binnall thoughts

Wow, three straight weeks of "binnall thoughts". Me thinks we are getting back on track, finally. In this week's missive, I announce both another binnall interview appearance and a new collaboration for BoA. I'll tease you with more information about the upcoming BoA : Audio, Season III. Coast to Coast AM will get some face time as I preview what, on paper, looks to be one of the strongest C2C weeks in recent memory. Rounding it all out, I unveil my Emmy Award picks for tomorrow night's ceremonies.

binnall speaks ... again

Mark your calendars, my friends, as I will be appearing on the Blue Rose Report podcast this coming Wednesday evening (9.19) from 8 to 9 PM (ET). Host Stephen Miles Lewis and I will be discussing the upcoming return of BoA : Audio, the world of esoterica, and all sorts of other hijinks.

The interview will also serve as the kick off to a new collaborative relationship between BoA and the Anomaly Radio Network, which will see classic BoA : Audio episodes joining the line-up of shows on the ARN. That's right, every Wednsday from 3 to 6 PM, BoA : Audio episodes from Season One and Two will be aired on the ARN. I'm very excited to be potentially reaching a whole new segment of the esoteric radio audience and I'm looking forward to hearing from the ARN listeners who will be discovering BoA : Audio for the first time.

I've had a lot of different online esoteric radio networks approach BoA about syndicating the audio show, but I have been leery about working with anyone until now. Positive kudos for the ARN from both Greg Bishop and Adam Gorightly helped assuage any fears I had about granting re-broadcast rights to a third party. Couple that with a lenghty discussion with ARN founder Stephen Miles Lewis, the decision to go ahead with this new flank of the BoA : Audio empire became an easy one.

Having talked with Stephen in the past few weeks, I can see that he is cut from the same cloth as many of my friends in esoterica. He's a straight up dude with an earnest interest in the esoteric. Since the BoA : Audio archive is just sitting there, already being enjoyed by people who have discovered the show, it only made sense to start farming the program out, so that we can reach more people who haven't yet heard of us yet.

So ... Wednesday, 9.19.7 @ 8 PM (ET) ... binnall is on Blue Rose Report.

And ... every Wednesday from 3 PM to 6 PM, classic BoA : Audio episodes will be airing on the Anomaly Radio Network.

As a bombastic way of launching this historic coalition, the Anomalist Radio Network will be airing a BoA : Audio marathon, featuring some of my favorite episodes from the past two seasons. Details on the marathon to be announced shortly.

BoA : Audio, Season III is Coming

The wheels are in motion as I speak. I've got a couple of interviews already scheduled to be taped this coming week, a few more are in the midst of being scheduled,and feelers are out to still more folks who will most likely be joining the guest line-up for Season III. The official logo should be unveiled soon and I expect to announced a premiere date either during my Blue Rose Report interview or in this column next week.

Sometime before the premiere, we ought to have a few teaser previews up and running @ BoA to give you a taste of what is to come when Season III kicks off.

From here on out, BoA : Audio, Season III news ought to be coming at you on a pretty steady clip.

C2C's Best Week Ever

Okay, maybe not "ever" but it may turn out to be pretty damn close. After kvetching all Summer about C2C or just outright ignoring it, I can't help but heap high praise on the line-up they unveiled for this coming week.

To kick things off, on Sunday they have George Knapp guest hosting the program with guest Joseph Farrell. For starters, I had the pleasure of meeting up with BoA legend Joe Vee this past week and he was practically gushing like a schoolgirl over George Knapp, which is the most positive he's been about C2C in months (if not years). Secondly, guest Joseph Farrell comes with a high recommendation from BoA's own Lesley, who endorsed Farrell for last year's 12 Guests C2C Needs. So you've got the combination of a high potency guest host with a critically acclaimed guest, all the makings for a stellar evening.

Monday sees what has the makings of an all-time classic interview, as the reclusive Jaques Vallee comes out of hiding to appear on C2C. The Noor (and just about every other esoteric show on the planet) has been trying to get Vallee ever since he "retired" from Ufology and stopped doing interviews. Personally, this is probably the most stoked I've been for a C2C episode featuring a pure esoteric guest in quite some time. I am slightly worried that The Noor could somehow fuck this all up, but I'm praying that he will just ask the questions and get the hell out of the way so that Vallee can disperse some wisdom. Before start preparing The Noor effigy, lets not forget the C2C appearances of Zecharia Sitchen, who came across more as a bitter old man than some kind of genius. This episode really could only go two ways : best episode of the year material or fundamentally bad disappointment. Either way, it will be a fun ride.

Tuesday, Marie D. Jones & John Savino talk about "Supervolcano". Marie Jones is, perhaps, subject for subject, the top woman in the field of esoterica today. Her co-author is also her father, which should be interesting. And the subject matter is a nice mix of high strangeness and real science. Another strong looking episode.

Wednesday is your usual wildcard Wednesday, TBA. The addition of another A-list esoteric name would probably push this week to the upper echelons of all-time C2C weeks. The week wraps up with Thursday's appearance of Philip Carlo discussing serial killers. Carlo, you may remember, "called out" all serial killers in his last appearance on C2C. He also has a penchant for drifting into foul language when he starts ranting about criminals. His antics are beyond entertaining, bordering on the sublime.

If ever there was a week to break me out of my C2C slump, this may be it.

binnall's Emmy Award Picks

These are really who I want to win, not who I think will win. It seems like it's always the asshats who win and my favorites get shafted.

The full list of nominees can be found HERE.

My picks ...

Best Drama : Heroes

Best Comedy : The Office

Best Actor (Drama) : Hugh Laurie, "House"

Best Actor (Comedy) : Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Best Actress (Drama) : Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order, SVU"

Best Actress (Comedy) : Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Best Supporting Actor (Drama) : Michael Emerson, "Lost"

Best Supporting Actor (Comedy) : Rainn Wilson, "The Office"

Best Supporting Actress (Drama) : Don't care.

Best Supporting Actress (Comedy) : Jaime Pressly, "My Name is Earl"

Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series : The Daily Show

Best Reality Show (Competitive) : "Project Runway"

Best Reality Show : "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List"

Check back next week in the End Notes, when I tally my score of picks.

End Notes

Not much else to say this week, really. Congrats to Evel Dick, who made it to the final two of Big Brother 8 this past week. I've watched tons of reality shows in the last seven years and can probably count one one hand the number of times my favorite contestant made it to the final. It's a gratifying feeling.

Next week, more BoA : Audio, Season III news, my thoughts on whatever C2C episodes I manage to catch, and some other fun stuff, I'm sure.

Have an excellent week.

9.8.7 : binnall thoughts

Just some quick hits and stuff for the week, talking about my upcoming After Dark article, pre-season hype for BoA : Audio, Season III, next weekend's X-Conference, C2C not having a 911 special, and my Summer obsession that is Big Brother.

binnall's Oak Island adventure coming to "After Dark"

I'm happy to report that the final draft of my "After Dark" article on Oak Island has been finished and sent off to the "powers that be" @ C2C. Despite being much harder than I expected it to be, this piece turned out to be one of the better articles that I have written. It really tries to break through the cookie cutter Oak Island stories and aims to include some new details that haven't been reported elsewhere yet. I suspect that I will get the final sign off on the article sometime early next week and then will know what issue it is in and all that good stuff.

BoA : Audio, Season III update

Starting next week, I'll be sending out the requests for the first batch of BoA : Audio, Season III guests and will truly get the ball rolling on the new season. Probably in about two weeks, I'm hoping to be able to unveil the official logo, some guest names, and a premiere date.

Season III will probably feature a fair amount of returning guests from the previous two seasons. I tried to avoid having return guests for Season Two, which now gives us a pretty big pool of potential folks to have back on the program. I'm looking forward to digging into my rolodex and cherry picking some of my favorite guests for a second go-around in Season III.

Of course, we will have a lot of new folks on the program this season as well. I'm trying to track down some fairly obscure names, along with making a renewed effort in locking some of the people I wanted to interview last year, but proved too elusive.

Overall, I'm looking forward to getting my interview chops back and seeing how Season III evolves. Hope you check it out and enjoy the upcoming new material.

X-Conference III

The third X-Conference is next weekend in Washington, D.C. and, sadly, I will not be attending. I don't have the financial means to make that kind of trip right now and the whole September date for the conference really snuck up on me. I know that they have already scheduled X-Conference IV for April of 2008, so I'm hoping to attend that one instead.

I know that Paul Kimball will be there to present "Best Evidence" and I'm sure he'll have a great time rubbing elbows with the Exopols, lol.

The speaker line-up looks pretty sweet and does make me ornery that I am not going to be there. J. Antonio Huneeus and Gildas Bourdais both sound fascinating and are people I'd like to snag for BoA : Audio, considering our penchant for international Ufology. Daniel Sheehan should also be a great presentation, as will Jaime Maussan, regardless of what you think of his work, he is a great presenter.

If you are able to attend, I give the X-Conference my highest recommendation. It's a great chance to meet some of the big movers and shakers in Ufology, without having to fly all the way across the country for one of the big West coast conferences.

No C2C 911 Special

Color me surprised that Coast to Coast AM decided not to have a special episode, nor any significant coverage, of the 911 6th anniversary this coming Tuesday. Instead, they will feature Dr. Jaysen Q. Rand to talk about Planet X. Meh. I presume the reasoning for the lack of 911 coverage is that "it will be all over the news that day", but that doesn't quite hold water for me. 911, for better or worse, is a huge part of the fabric of contemporary esoterica.

One would think that after last year's critically acclaimed 911 Anniversary Special that C2C would go out of their way to try and capture lightening in a bottle once again. Instead, there will be nary a word about 911 on Tuesday, save for perhaps a 1st hour pop-in or some words from Noory at the start of the program. All this is, of course, hugely ironic as C2C continues to delve further and further in mainstream news and endlessly sounds the terror alarm whenever they can.

Anyway, jeers from me on this decision, although I am a fan of C2C cutting back on the theme episodes.

My Summer Obsession

And, finally, we close out this week with thoughts on what has been my Summer obsession : CBS's reality show Big Brother. I discovered this twisted gem last year and enjoyed it quite a bit (thanks mostly to Dr.Will and Chicken George). This year's installment sucked me in right away. What I really like about the show is that it is ongoing all Summer and you can follow along, live, with what the "hamsters" are doing in the BB house every day. While I don't have the infamously addictive "live feeds", I do follow the major websites that track the BB goings-on and have really enjoyed the 3 hour live feed program that is on every night on Showtime Too. It has been fascinating to see what really goes on inside the BB house and comparing it to how CBS edits the thrice a week prime time show.

Thankfully, though, this year's installment is winding down, they are at the final four contestants this weekend and I can finally start to get my life back. For me, the show kind of peaked on Thursday when there was a double eviction (taking it from six to four people left) which served as the "final battle" between my favorite houseguest "Evel" Dick and my other favorite Eric "America's Player". While both of them said some pretty vile things at times, they were far and away the two most entertaining people inside the house.

Now, only Evel Dick remains of the contestants that I really dig. His daughter is also still in the house, but I find her beyond obnoxious, despite being a fierce competitor. I can only hope that Dick can keep it together for the next few days, win the necessary competitions, and ultimately win the big prize. Best of luck to Evel Dick.

End Notes

I think, for now, we'll stick to the "binnall thoughts" as my primary weekly vehicle for getting information out and pontificating on the world at large. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with BoA throughout a very long and difficult Summer. Hopefully your Summer was better than mine and, collectively, we'll all have a great Autumn.

Until next week, this is binnall ... signing off.

7.20.7 : binnall report preview

This week's binnall report will be posted tomorrow. I'm about 75% done with it, but want to be sure to give a good once over in the afternoon on Saturday before we put it up.

Here's a little preview of what we'll be talking about tomorrow ...

C2C's Art Bell Tribute Review :: The strong parts and negative parts of the festivus celebrating the creator of C2C. Which two guests "got it", which guest provided the most cringe worthy moment, the episodes unequivocal lowlight, thoughts on the "special topic line", the pacing of the three hours, and overall thoughts on where the episode sits in the pantheon of this year's shows.

C2C's Atomic Ouija Episode Preview :: A preview of the upcoming Coast to Coast AM "Ouija Board Experiment". The guest lineup, my confusion over what will be happening during the episode, two potential ways the show could play out, the esoteric backlash against the Ouija experiment episode and why we shouldn't just laugh at it, and the potential problems as a result of the episode.

Other C2C Stuffs :: A look @ the past week's shows (that I missed), a preview of next week's shows, and a look at the new C2C nostalgia spin off "Art Bell : Somewhere in Time".

End Notes :: Plugs for upcoming BoA material, maybe a preview for next week, and other stuff.

7.12.7 : She's gone.

C2C Coastriders forum ...

Time of Death : Approx. 6:55 PM (EST)

http://coast.premiereinteractive.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21214&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=2520

God speed, my sweet dear.

One era ends, a new one begins.

Hope to see you all @ www.theusofe.com