I live in Greece, but rent my house of a Dutch guy. Consequently I have Dutch satellite TV, which is ok as they show UK/US stuff in English with subtitles.
Late last night I was flicking channels and came across a show starring everyone’s favourite charlatan Uri Geller. It appeared to be a talent show type of thing with Uri judging ‘acts’ who professed to have psychic talents. It was, obviously, in Dutch (which is a surprisingly easy language to get the gist of), but the man himself talked in English when giving his judgements. It was called, I think, The New Uri Geller.
Anyway, I was all sorts of appalled. I caught two acts before having to run away and vomit. One was a guy who claimed to be able to harness your inner powers (I’m guessing exact details). He proved this claim by putting people in a trance and then handing them a light bulb that then mysteriously lit up. If this sounds like a dressed-up version of a cheap magic trick, that’s because it is. Uri’s judgement? Something along the line of “You have extraordinary powers that you need to harness”!
Much more scary were the creepy father and daughter double act. She was about 14 and her dodgy looking father used her as a psychic ‘channel’ in a set of what looked like cheap parlour tricks. She appeared like she was totally bought into her ‘powers’ and one can only hope she was a good actor, otherwise she is basically suffering abuse. Once again Uri’s judgement went down the line of how ‘special’ her psychic phenomena were.
Now I like a good magic act, but these were crap magic acts, and they were dressed up as psychic phenomena in the worst way. I wouldn’t be so bothered but how the hell is Uri fucking Geller still getting away with this shit. I have to say that even Uri looked a bit embarrassed when praising the mystical light bulb man. At least Uri made a dime store trick look good.
Two questions:
Is this the lowest that Uri Geller has sunk? The talent show format looked like a pretty frank admission that all his, and other’s, stuff is an act.
Dutch Dopers - please tell me this isn’t a popular show over there. I thought better of you guys! (Not to generalise about an entire country (although there can’t be more than 3 or 4 of you in that small place, can there?)).
Apparently, the show has just started, so I can’t say how popular it is yet. I personally hadn’t heard from it yet, but that may be because I mainly watch DVD’s. It is on SBS6, which isn’t our most high-brow broadcasting network.
The formula is akin to “The Apprentice” where young people wanted to be hired by Donald Trump, or shows like America’s Next Top Model. At the end of twelve episodes, one of twelve contestants should be “the next Dutch Uri Geller”
That show already aired here (Germany), and, much to my dismay, was apparently enough of a success that we’re now getting a second season, where new contenders have to challenge last season’s winner (some dude in a ridiculous coat that talks to the dead via ravens named, very originally, Vincent Raven). There also was a special about Geller and Raven on TV recently, and Geller’s been in some dreadful spoof of investigative journalism of the paranormal, Galileo Mystery, as an ‘expert’ for whatever the fuck it was they were pretending to investigate. Apparently, he’s really getting new steam over here, which makes me throw things at my TV.
There was a US version of this show that aired in 2007 called, “The Phenominon”. It had Uri Gellar and Chris Angel as judges. The only saving grace of this version of the show was that Chris pretty much provided the skeptical viewpoint throughout the series which NBC surprisingly didn’t cut out. Otherwise the show was crap.
Does the Earth really revolve around the Sun? Or is Galileo’s theory merely the cover story for a fantastic 400-year-old conspiracy? Using his incredible psychic abilities, Uri Geller uncovers the truth that astronomers don’t want you to know-- extraordinary evidence revealing that the Solar System actually revolves around Uri Geller.
You seem to have a very low threshold of what you consider to be “abuse”. Do you really mean to equate her with children who are battered or sexually molested?
I mean, c’mon…she got to be on television! What teenage girl wouldn’t enjoy that?