So, the simple answer to the OP question is: Neither.
Thanks Beajerry, but you didn’t detect my sarcasm. I know the man is a trader in bottles of false hope to the gullible masses. He is fairly knew to us in Aust, and it’s an interesting observation that his deceipt raises so much attention, I guess that if so many people are willing to open their cheque books he deserves a pat on the back for his entrapreneurial skills.
So how long will it be before we can expect to see copycat charlatains?
I would think he’s the copycat himself… there’s a grand old tradition of charging people money to sit around a crystal ball or Ouija board and speak, through the medium, to a dead relative.
The history of psychics and their cons is covered in Madam Blavatsky’s Baboon.
Before Edward came on the scene, it was ruled by James Van Praagh.
Edward was just smart enough to parlay the con into a successful tv show.
Sorry, Dobso, I certainly did miss your sarcasm.
Even if he weren’t being sarcastic, the SDMB is exactly where someone should sign up and ask that question.
Go easy on the new guys unless they really start spouting garbage as opposed to asking about it, huh?
Don’t forget, what people see on television is the edited version. You will never see him getting stood up or stumble around. This really borders on deception.
First: Great Book.
Second: If reading isn’t your bag, I want to assign a watching of the Penn and Teller show “Bullshit”. Their first episode deals with this and it even has a former “psychic” come on and admit he was being fraudulent.
Of course he’s a receiver. I have him bent over right in front of me…[snigger]
I also heartily recommend the South Park episode entitled “The Biggest Douche in the Universe”. That’s what Tapioca Dextrin was referring too, in case anyone didn’t know.
A purely brilliant episode. I would love to see it get an Emmy nomination.
I haven’t seen the episode, but I’ve heard pretty much all that is in it. I know that I must check it out, I’ve heard so many good/funny things about it. 
Meatros, not only is it a funny episode, but one of the characters in it describes exactly how cold-reading works. Gives pretty interesting examples during the show, too.
I think any skeptic would be well-advised to see it if only for that much.
Yeah, but then when he tries to demonstrate how he’s just cold reading and not actually talking to dead people, no one believes him and he ends up with his own show for a while.
Best South Park I’ve seen for a while.
Hmmm…that sounds familar…