#Contacts after William's wife was murdered by him she haunted him

[connectionterminated13]

Being Spring locked is bad but you want to know it's worse? Being stuck in a straight marriage for the rest of eternity

#Contacts after William's wife was murdered by him she haunted him #His ghost wife is following him around constantly telling him how horrible a person and parent he is #It's a living hell for both of them #fnaf #fnaf inferno au #william afton #clara afton

[midori-laboratories]

Ashes In The Fall - Chapter 7: Tension and Calculation III

Book 2 of the Calendula Chronicles

Resident evil, Wesker X OC

Story Summary: Marigold Ashford escaped the mansion, only to face new incarceration with a familiar jailor. She may yet have to make a deal with the devil, if she can unearth what this Faustian bargain would cost her.

There is always something left to lose.

Chapter summary: An old contact reaches out to the remnants of STARS, and Marigold's activities are discovered.

Kate Everett, senior corporate manager for the Raccoon City Umbrella headquarters, had begun seriously examining her life choices once again since the Arklay disaster.

Another disaster. More ‘accidents’. Except this one was so bad it had taken out two STARS teams, a train, the old training facility and the Arklay mansion itself. Most of the work kept her tied between New York and the town; it wasn’t the only lab, or even the important one. But damn.

She had barely paid attention to the recent uptick in murders until the STARS team was announced, with their shiny new roster. Most of the old lab crew had transferred away since the eighties. So when the paper had shown pictures of the team, her eye had caught upon a face that snagged in her memory: the Arklay researcher that had split off to parts unknown several years earlier. He was older, and had clearly done a few tours out...better not to think too hard on that. Still, the face in the photo was unmistakable.

Something…really bad was expected to go down soon. She’d put in a call to her ex back in May and asked him to let their daughter stay with him in New York for the summer. She couldn’t get away herself, but she felt better for making the decision. He had worked in the same office as her during those rocky years after the training facility had been shut down. Some things didn’t need to be said.

Sometimes Kate Everett really, really hated being right. The officers went in. Most of them didn’t return. One helicopter returned with only a few survivors.

And then things started to get really weird when her phone rang late that same night.

“Where have you been?!” Kate had sat down hard in her recently redecorated kitchen. It had been years - a broken marriage, a daughter, a house, and a promotion, in that order, but that voice transported her back like it was yesterday.

“Same place you left me, obviously. I’m glad you weren’t there for it, but it is what it is.” The mansion...oh, god. Somehow, it kept slipping out of her head that she had left the woman there. The connection just wouldn’t hold. That was likely why no one had looked to hard at her following the mysterious incident that had occurred on the same day. Walls ripped apart. A couple of guards, and an office manager had died. A few others had been quarantined for a few weeks before being released. Their frightened, haunted eyes shone in her dreams.

Marigold...somehow...had warned her of what was about to happen, that cold November day in 1981. “You told me to run, back then, didn’t you.”

“Yes.” She sounded distracted. Then: “The newspaper said that the researcher you had me meet...there...was leading a rescue team into the mansion. Are they all company?” So careful to avoid names.

“The...oh!” Everett stammered, picking up the thread of the question. “They’re all cops, I think. No, he went into the Intelligence Division years ago.” A cold pit was forming in the pit of Kate’s stomach. She really hated being right. At least the one name on that list that actually caused any concern for her team hadn’t survived the mansion. Umbrella had sent an email out to the senior heads at the office to prepare them for the impending shitstorm about to hit them all.

Marigold - good lord, she was alive - then had to run off, and Kate had to hold down the fort while the bombshell of the mansion exploded all over the town for the next few weeks. Doctor William Birkin had withdrawn into his work, and his wife had recently been ambushed by reporters who knew a bit more about her work than was strictly safe at this time.

Kate Everett was a survivor in a million little ways. Sometimes that meant avoiding seeing things that would put her on someone’s hit list.

Sometimes it meant wondering if this was the right time to leave the company.

Twelve days after that call, Kate woke up early. She was still groggy. She’d been sleeping poorly lately. If this kept up, they’d notice at work.

Kate kept a legal pad and pen on her bedside table with a telephone. Reaching for the pad automatically, she jotted something down without thinking, then went back to sleep. When her alarm rang, she got up as per usual and went about her day.

She’d just stepped into her bedroom to change out of her work clothes at the end of another long day, when she saw the note she had written herself.

[email protected]

IF YOU WANT OUT: BE SURE. -MA

At the bottom of the note was a messy scrawl of the Umbrella logo. In her own handwriting.

The call is coming from inside the house, she thought, bleak. R Chambers...was the biochemist who had signed on as a medic for STARS. Marigold was offering her a way out. Or you’re losing your mind.

Well, she had the email. Did she want out?

Yes. Yes, she did. Her estranged family was bundled away in New York. She was suddenly sharply glad they had agreed to stay there for the summer.

She looked at the note. There was only one way to be sure whether this was real or not.

But first, she’d need a glass of wine to fortify her nerves.

-----

Rebecca sat in Chris Redfield’s living room, surrounded by Chris, Barry, and Jill. Brad had begged off. They hadn’t fought him on it. Brad would get off light with the precinct for ‘just’ being branded a coward. What was being said about them...

Jill looked steadily at Rebecca. “Okay. We’re all here now. We need to figure out what we’re going to do next.”

Chris looked crestfallen. “I can’t believe Irons was in their pocket the whole time.”

“Can’t you?” Barry replied, just as dejected.

Chris hesitated, then shook his head. “I wanted it to be over so bad. Can we even do anything from here?”

“Um...I mentioned to you guys that someone came over with a tip the day after, right?” Rebecca started, timid. She had moved over to Jill’s computer and logged into her old university email address. After reading through the contents of the notebook from her visitor, she’s started checking it two, three times a day. So far, nothing.

“You did. Sorry, Rebecca.” Chris had the grace to look embarrassed. “I...I kind of thought someone from the company was trying to psyche you out, with everything that’s gone down since.”

“Well, I didn’t want to get into all of it over the phone. I had to check over the notes that she gave me.”

Jill perked up. “Notes?”

Rebecca pulled the lab notebook from her satchel. The bracelet and the ID card were tucked inside the cover. She held it out to Jill. Frowning, Jill took it. Flipped it open, saw the ID card of Doctor John Clemens. “That’s...he was just outside the lab with the...holy shit.” She plucked the ID up and handed it to Chris before refocusing on the other object inside the cover. “A patient bracelet? It’s from the mansion.” She looked back up at Rebecca. for answers.

Rebecca sighed. “She was in the lab - she said that Doctor Clemens managed to get her out - she was a little sketchy on the details of how. I might have just missed crossing paths with her if that’s true.” She looked miserable. “I know how it sounds, but just look at what she’s giving us.”

“Beck, we were all in that forest. even if she got out of the mansion...” Barry trailed off. Both teams had lost people in those trees on arrival. So many people, just gone.

Jill broke back in, flipping through the pages. “Guys, Rebecca’s right. A lot of this stuff is old, but it’s all of the internal structures. Maps, corporate structures. I think she uses a different name for the virus. There are pages here on the mansion in the late seventies to ‘81.” Jill went still. “Wesker’s in here. Jesus, Rebecca.”

Rebecca nodded. She had their attention, now. “She really, really wanted to be sure that he was dead. I told her what I could. She...seemed annoyed.” At Barry’s incredulous look, she kept going. “No, not like that. She just thought it sounded like a stupid way to die. Just walking at the Tyrant and being the biggest target. She said it sounded sloppy for him. She’s written up what she knows there, too.”

Jill opened her mouth to argue, then stopped, nodding in agreement. “...kind of, yeah. You would have had to be there.” She skimmed through the section. “It stops in 1981. Because that’s when they grabbed her then, you said. Was she a spy?”

“No. Worse. She got infected with a version that stayed…dormant, I think, about a decade earlier, and managed to hide it. Apparently, she was a senior bigshot for a while. But it made them pretty mad when they found out.” Rebecca glanced at the computer screen again, frowning. She continued. “She was able to back up some of what I saw before Alpha team arrived - and she was able to corroborate my description because she recognized him.” Rebecca reached into her bag again for her thermos, packed with dry ice. Popping open the top, she showed them two and a half small vials of blood. “That brings me to the other reason I think she came to me. I was able to take these.”

“She let you?”

“She insisted. I think she was afraid I wouldn’t believe her. Wouldn’t stay more than an hour, and she said she was skipping town as soon as we were done.” The thermos had a special cold seal for portable sample storage. “I was able to duck into the university between sessions on a Saturday and check it out myself. I couldn’t do much, but...I believe her, for what it’s worth.” Rebecca glanced back to the computer screen, refreshing the browser window. A small green flag for a new message appeared.

Jill noticed. “That’s not all, is it.”

“Nope,” Rebecca suddenly grinned. “She - sorry, she seemed spooked about using her name, and I think I’ve picked up that tic as well now - she said that she would see if an old contact of hers still wanted to get away from Umbrella. One who could pick up the story where she left off.” Rebecca clicked open the open new email. “And it looks like she’s ready to talk to us. Listen.” Rebecca leaned in the read the message aloud for the room. “A mutual friend reached out to me, in case I wanted to run this time. When she says it’s time to run, it’s a good time to listen.” Rebecca glanced over her shoulder at the team. Her smile was pure triumph. “I have a phone number.”

-----

It was shocking, really, how much farther she could cast herself out since before that fateful trip to Arklay. Physically, she hadn’t changed much. But this...she could sense dozens of people still out around the continental US alone- executives, organizers, intermediaries. People, places to intercept. She’d read about magnetic resonance for brain imaging, and wondered if that might be an option. The technology might just be where she needed it these days.

Of course, pursuing that would mean either escaping and hoping she could beg or borrow that sort of access, or breaking the increasingly uncomfortable holding pattern she had established with Wesker.

The old manor in England was too far away, but the people around it still lived, little fireflies in the darkness. Too far to reach, and the point of the exercise wasn’t to push. Not yet. Just…observe. But with time? Perhaps more.

Enough to risk staying off her suppressants, at the very least.

She reached south, and west. Towards Rockfort. Alfred must have absorbed some of her staff. As far as they could tell, she physically affected her family less, but the connection wasn’t any weaker. Alexia had been fastidious about containment. But Alfred...he had been too young to not seek hugs from his favorite (only) aunt. The little boy had just seemed so damned lonely when the others weren’t looking. Her last conversation with him from Racoon City still bothered her. Alfred was also there. If she reached, she might see more. Too much for her to push through today. But also…

The Antarctic facility wasn’t empty. Did any of hers take over the work? Possible. Alfred had mentioned a plan. None of it will matter, soon enough. What in the world had he meant by that?

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, approaching her rook. She’d been under for longer than she had meant to go. There no real way to mark time down here, and surfacing took time. Not much, but it would be noticeable.

Time to pay the piper.

-----

There was a strange bubble of calm as Wesker approached Marigold’s room. I’ll know if something happens, you realize. Alfred Ashford’s words echoed from his memories.

He reached her door and hit the release. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed.

Marigold, in the Arklay conference room in 1981, sitting very still in the plush conference room chair, head bowed and eyes closed, with hands folded primly in her lap.

A moment passed. Here in the present, Marigold’s eyes flickered open, meeting his calmly.

“Your escort slipped out just after the meeting started,” he stated. His mouth felt dry. “It was put down to nausea, even after you started trying to fight your way out. No one put it together.”

”I’d know if something happened.” She replied, in an eerie parallel to a conversation he’d had in New York nearly ten years ago. History never repeats itself, but it often rhymes.

He could easily chase down this lead, but it would take hours to do it in person. Communication or inducement to filter was a possibility unless Marigold was sedated here and now. Frankly, it would burn the wrong bridge.

Besides, there was a wonderful opportunity right before him, if he let the lesser prey run free. A bird in the hand, and all that rubbish. The video feed had shown she hadn’t moved in hours from that position. Back then, she had arrived to the meeting fresh, but under the influence of suppressant medication. She had grown suddenly exhausted over the course of the meeting, masquerading as a headache.

Dark circles had returned below her eyes. Her stomach gurgled in protest, and she winced.

“Gym. Get some water, but we’ll go now. There’s something I’d like to test, and you may prefer an empty stomach.” He wouldn’t get a better time.

She shrank back. “Neither of us wants another blackout.”

His eyes seemed to gleam behind the glasses. “So it is reflexive. We can work around that.” She didn’t move, but a wariness was creeping back into her face. “I’ve seen you do it twice now if memory serves. Do you really want to worry about that catching you off guard?”

Marigold bit her lip, and closed her eyes again, for just a moment. He allowed it. The snare on the prey he wanted was already snapping tight.

Then she opened her eyes and looked up at him. She slowly unfolded her legs. “I may need a moment. I think my legs have gone numb. I could do with a glass of water, though.”

He stepped into the room.

#calendula chronicles #resident evil fanfiction #marigold ashford #albert wesker x oc #ashes in the fall

[jordanianroyals]

Princess Haya: Dubai ruler had ex-wife's phone hacked - UK court

By Frank Gardner (BBC Security Correspondent), 6 October 2021

The High Court has found that the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, interfered with British justice by ordering the hacking of the phone of his ex-wife, Princess Haya of Jordan.

The phones of her solicitors, Baroness Fiona Shackleton QC and Nick Manners, were also targeted during their divorce custody case, according to the court.

Princess Haya said the discovery had made her feel "hunted and haunted".

Sheikh Mohammed denied any knowledge of the hacking.

He said the court's findings were based on evidence that was not disclosed to him, and that they were "made in a manner which was unfair".

The judgments are a blow to the sheikh and a further revelation as to his treatment of female members of his family.

'Serial breaches'

The High Court judgments, which were published on Wednesday afternoon, referred to the hacking as "serial breaches of (UK) domestic criminal law", "in violation of fundamental common law and ECHR rights", "interference with the process of this court and the mother's access to justice" and "abuse of power" by a head of government.

The president of the Family Division of the High Court found that "the mobile phones of the mother (Princess Haya), two of her solicitors, her personal assistant and two members of her security staff had been the subject of either successful or attempted infiltration by surveillance software. The software used is called Pegasus software and was that of an Israeli company, the NSO Group."

The court concluded that the surveillance was carried out "by servants or agents of the father (Sheikh Mohammed), the Emirate of Dubai or the [United Arab Emirates] and that the surveillance occurred with the express or implied authority of the father".

Difficult to detect

The extent of the hack is shocking in what data it gave the hackers access to.

NSO's Pegasus software, often referred to as "spyware", is able to track the location of the individual using the phone, read their SMS messages, emails and messages in other apps, as well as eavesdrop on their phone calls and access their contact list, passwords, calendar dates and photographs. In other words, it gives the hacker complete access to all the data they want to see in their target's phone.

It also allows the hacker to activate the target's phone without their knowledge, recording their activity and even taking photographs and screenshots.

Similar spyware is alleged to have been deployed by Saudi government agents, working on the orders of the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, against dissidents living abroad, including associates of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

It is extremely difficult for a victim of such spyware to even detect that their phone has been infected with Pegasus.

'Very substantial amount of data'

In the ongoing custody case between Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Haya at the Family Division of the High Court, her legal team said the hacking took place with his "express or implied authority".

The president of the court concluded that "in relation to the mother (Princess Haya), it is clear that the [hacking] attempt succeeded with a very substantial amount of data (265MB) being covertly extracted from her phone".

Sheikh Mohammed denied any knowledge of the hacking and said he did not instruct anyone to use NSO "or any software in this way". His legal team said he was not prepared to enter into any debate in relation to what security systems the UAE might have.

The allegations against Dubai's ruler were supported by testimony given by an expert technology witness, Dr William Marczak, who is based in California and is a senior research fellow at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, which researches digital surveillance.

He told the court he had no doubt the phones were hacked using NSO's Pegasus software. He also concluded "with high confidence" that the phones were hacked by a single operator in a nation state. He concluded with medium confidence that it was most unlikely to be any state other than the UAE.

Alarm raised by Cherie Blair

Princess Haya's legal team first became aware that they had been hacked after an urgent phone call made by Cherie Blair QC, the wife of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, to Baroness Shackleton. Mrs Blair acts as an adviser to NSO Group on business and human rights related issues.

A senior member of NSO's management team called Mrs Blair from Israel on 5 August 2020 to inform her that "it had come to their attention that their software may have been misused to monitor the mobile phones of Baroness Shackleton and HRH Princess Haya".

The NSO staff member then told Mrs Blair that those phones could no longer be accessed using NSO software and they asked for her help in contacting Baroness Shackleton.

NSO, which has previously been accused by human rights groups of enabling autocratic states to carry out intrusive surveillance of dissidents and journalists, has insisted in public statements that it only supplied its spyware to enable governments to counter criminals and terrorists.

NSO is believed to have terminated its contract with the UAE.

'Living in fear of her life'

The hack took place during a critical phase in Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Haya's divorce custody case at the High Court in the summer of last year.

The guardian appointed for her children said it "impacts crucially on the mother and her wellbeing. It is a very pernicious experience if the mother has been subjected to surveillance of the type that she understands that she has been".

Princess Haya's legal team told the court that "the mother has been living in fear of her life frankly, and in fear of the children's security since April of [2019]".

The court also heard how Sheikh Mohammed had attempted to buy a property in Surrey, Parkwood Estate, so close to his ex-wife's home at Castlewood, that "if anyone chose to use it, it is in prime position for direct or electronic surveillance".

Her legal team said "there is a powerful objective case as to why the mother should be genuinely in fear if the father has access to a property overbearing her own".

Referring to the proposed property purchase, Princess Haya told the court: "It feels as if I am being stalked, that there is literally nowhere for me to go to be safe from (the father), or those acting in his interests. It is hugely oppressive."

Hacked during 'significant events'

Princess Haya, a daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan and half-sister of King Abdullah II, fled Dubai in 2019 for Britain along with her two children after learning that her husband had ordered the abduction of Sheikha Latifa and Sheikha Shamsa.

She has since said she is living in fear of her life after receiving threatening messages from agents of her former husband.

Now her legal team is accusing agents of the Emirate of Dubai of acting on his behalf in hacking the phones of Princess Haya, her solicitors, Baroness Shackleton and Nick Manners, as well as her personal assistant and two members of her security staff.

The hacking took place in July and August 2020 "at a time of significant events" in the court proceedings when hearings were taking place over the welfare of the children.

The judgment concluded that "the allegations of hacking came before the court at a time when it had already made very serious findings against the father".

'Terrible life or death game'

During the long-running custody case at the High Court, Sheikh Mohammed has tried on several occasions through appeals to keep details of the allegations against him out of the public eye. But both in March 2020 and now, in October 2021, they have been made public, although he did not seek to appeal the most recent order permitting publication of these judgments.

Wednesday's ruling that, despite his denials, a sovereign ruler has interfered in the course of British justice by ordering the hacking of UK phones, including of a member of the House of Lords is both shocking, embarrassing and damaging to Sheikh Mohammed's international reputation.

Summing up the hacking allegations made by Princess Haya, her barrister Nicholas Cusworth QC told the court: "It is now clear, essentially, that the mother is engaged in a terrible game, a terrible life or death game of grandmother's footsteps in the dark. While she seeks answers about property purchases, hackers apparently get to work interfering with her privileged communications."

After the publication of the judgments Sheikh Mohammed said in a statement: "I have always denied the allegations made against me and I continue to do so. These matters concern supposed operations of state security.

"As a head of government involved in private family proceedings, it was not appropriate for me to provide evidence on such sensitive matters either personally or via my advisers in a foreign court."

He added: "Neither the Emirate of Dubai nor the UAE are party to these proceedings and they did not participate in the hearing. The findings are therefore inevitably based on an incomplete picture.

"In addition, the findings were based on evidence that was not disclosed to me or my advisers. I therefore maintain that they were made in a manner which was unfair."

Embarrassing as this is for Sheikh Mohammed, there is little or no prospect of his ever having to face any police questioning.

As Dubai's sovereign ruler, he remains a huge figure in the equestrian world, he owns extensive properties in the UK and has been photographed with the Queen at race meetings such as Ascot. The emirate of Dubai is home to around 100,000 British expatriates and both he and the wider UAE government are considered close allies of the UK.

The story is unlikely to get much coverage in the government-monitored media in the UAE, and here in London the UAE Embassy has declined to comment on the case, saying it is a private family matter.

The sheikh himself has sovereign immunity from any future potential prosecution.

#Princess Haya #Dubai Princely Family

[bulletballet-arch]

The Revised [ Full ] History of Eve in Picture Perfect

( until I decide to tweak and edit it some more )

In this verse, Eve’s mother Linda would reside in Brooklyn for three years after the death of her husband, William Littlejohn, his brother Malcolm, and Malcolm’s wife Yvette. Initially, she stays in Brooklyn simply because she feels she is supposed to. Her in-laws, Amos and Liza, want to observe her. Similarly, Linda’s parents want to ensure she is fine after narrowly facing death. Haunted by the massacre, Linda suffers from survivor’s syndrome, but she is never allowed to vocalize the pain felt. In the midst of secretly attending therapy sessions ( while Eve is taken care of by her Grandma Evelyn and Papa Giuseppe ) Linda finds that her lifestyle is stagnant. She feels as though she is a woman who does whatever someone else wants. Therefore, Linda decides to move to Manhattan with the five-year-old Eve in tow. They live in a luxurious apartment and Linda makes her living as a secretary on Wall Street while Eve attends ballet classes.

Linda didn’t have to be a secretary, as the Littlejohns (and her father) provided her with money, but she liked working. It kept her mind off things. Sometimes things would feel great until people asked her was her husband the late William Littlejohn. In time, Linda gets a boyfriend who is a stockbroker. He’s white, he’s a recent divorcee and because she worked so closely with him, Linda knew it would be unprofessional to date him. But she thought to herself, ‘this is my decision. It’s okay because I have some control.’ The idea of control was a myth, though. She became his arm candy, similar to what happened within the Littlejohn Family when she initially became linked with William.

Linda could not complain too much, though. Because her new lover was good to Eve. The overall excellent dynamic caused them to get married. Their marriage lasts for four years. Eve is eight years old when they divorce. It’s a divorce that’s long. Messy. He was going to jail for a pyramid scheme was a part of and Linda didn’t want to stand by him. After the divorce - and the trial - Linda decides she could use a break. She decides that she and Eve should leave the country for a little while. Because why not? She has the money. The first country they go to is England, staying in London.

It was supposed to be a month-long vacation, but she kept putting off returning home. She didn’t want to house hunt back in New York, she didn’t want to be identified with a scandal, she didn’t want to see any family. So they began living in London. When Eve is nine years old, Linda would decide to go to South Africa. Eve experienced cities such as Durban, Ghana, Cape Town. While Linda was really in Africa to become more connected to her ancestors, all and all, she thought the experience would be good for Eve. Her baby girl could have a lot of memories of different buildings, landscapes, cultures. And, this exposure did make Eve happy, however, she had no stable school life or friendships. So on a social level, Eve was miserable. She also tried having pen pals, but that only worked for so long before both parties ceased writing one another.  Eve did feel at home when she was in New York with her extended family during holidays like Christmas. Eve’s maternal grandparents wanted her to live with them, but her mother refused it. Eve has a vivid memory seated in the back of a taxi, crying because she didn’t want to go to the airport. And as for Linda - well, she would never notice this, but whenever she was deeply distressed, her mental desire was to just keep moving.

When Eve was fifteen years old, her mother fell in love with a highly esteemed professor from the University of Cape Town. This would be her mother’s third significant relationship. They all began living together and he begins an inappropriate relationship with Eve. It’s all an act of grooming that Eve isn’t aware of. Linda catches on to it and calls out her boyfriend for his behavior. However, he is offended by the accusations. He moves out, but he still contacts Eve through phone calls and  even picks her up from school at one point without her mother’s consent. Eve remembers her mother always asking her questions, ‘did he touch you?’ ‘What did he do to you?’ Eve was overwhelmed, as she felt her mother didn’t believe her. It caused Eve to give her the silent treatment, which in turn caused Linda to decide to move again. This time, they would leave Africa to live in Europe - France, specifically.

In France, the two moved twice. First to Paris then to Lyon. Eve liked Lyon more than Paris, but was much too stubborn to admit it. Part of Eve was worried that if she was open about her love, then her mother would want to move somewhere else. She attended college with a focus on art conservation. Ultimately, she did not fully complete her apprenticeship because she would meet Alexandre DuBois, a con artist she fell in love with.

He did not expose his true nature to her at first, but she began questioning the source of the jewelry he was continuously giving her. When she reached the conclusion that he was a criminal of some sort, Alexandre kept insisting that it wasn’t as much of an issue that she was making it out to be. To prove this he wanted Eve to come with him to a job wanting Eve to participate as well. Eve declined, she wasn’t trying to get in any legal trouble. However, Alexandre said he didn’t like boring women. Offended, she agreed.  He slicked down his hair so it could appear straight. Wore his best suit. Meanwhile, he instructed Eve to dress as though she was going to attend the most extravagant party. When they stood side by side, Alexandre was looking like a wealthy white man with a young, black mistress. The trick, Alexandre told her, was to always act as though you belong. For days Eve waited for consequences. For the police to knock at her door. Something. It didn’t happen. She told herself never again, but she got addicted to stealing with Alexandre, as it became an adrenaline rush.

Eventually, Eve and Alexandre were apprehended by law enforcement. Linda bailed Eve out and told her that if she was not going to continue reaching for her career goals then she would send her to America. Eve would fight back, insisting that she was an adult, so she doesn’t have to go to America just because she said so. Linda then has enough and states that since Eve is a young adult, she can live with Alexandre.  The relationship that would progress between Eve and Alexandre was not without its faults. Even when Eve moved in with him, Alexandre was cheating on her discreetly. He had his alternate hookups and one-night stands, with Eve simply being his main girlfriend. When women smugly confronted Eve of how Alexandre was nothing but a womanizer and she was his latest victim, she fought for the sheer integrity of his name. Behind closed doors, when Eve confronted Alexandre about his inability to be monogamous: he blackened her eye.

The relationship comes to an end when Alexandre gains access to an elite party. During their fumbled job, they would be acknowledged by someone who would be very influential in Eve’s future, Gisella Agostini of the Corsican Mafia. The two would leave the scene in shame, fiercely arguing in the car about who messed up. Eve brings up how he’s a liar and manipulator, only for Alexandre  to rip the pearls from her neck and kick her out his car. She had to find her way back to safety in the dark of the night.

While Alexandre and Eve are separated, the Agostini family does research on the two. They see that Alexandre has a long history of theft, and even a previous murder charge, while Eve just seems to be a college student who got caught up in the thrill of crime. First, Alexandre is snatched off the street by Agostini goons. In what he deemed as an act of self-preservation, he sells Eve out, claiming it was her idea.

When Eve is abducted by the crime family, Gisella confronts her directly. The old woman states that she could fix everything and spare her from her ‘husband’s wrath.’ But the truth is, Gisella’s husband doesn’t do anything in the crime family any longer due to his age and illnesses, but Gisella uses him as a ‘front’ to reign.  Eve ends up working for the crime family,  and in little moments, she ever so gradually speculates she is in the midst of a female mob boss. As the months go along, Eve’s mother wants to make amends but Eve doesn’t want her mother to know she is now gang-affiliated. Eve is very afraid for her life. This leads to more mother-daughter tension due to the lack of communication.  

As the years pass on, Gisella is progressively attached to Eve. This is reflective of how she has her own passion for the world and the diverse people who live in it (especially those of the African diaspora.) In turn, Eve initially grows to feel like she’s a part of some sort of stable family. Ultimately, their relationship gradually becomes overbearing and toxic. Eve is literally feeling like she’s owned and controlled by an old white woman. Therefore, Eve distances herself from dealing with Gisella personally because it was too much. However, Eve continued working for the crime family in regards to assassinations and heists, but she was not eating at Gisella’s home for dinner or talking over tea. Eve decides to make amends with Gisella by the time she is 31. Little did she know, the woman was on her death bed at this point. They were kind to one another and Gisella lets Eve know she can do whatever she wants now. Later that week, the old woman would die. While Gisella’s death comes as a shock - Eve was also feeling relieved. Afterward, Eve has mild conflict with Gisella’s nephew who feels like she should not be leaving the crime family, but Eve insists Gisella harbored no ill will towards her and wanted her to do whatever she wanted. So, she’s leaving.

Eve relocates to New York to begin a new, stable life. It’s what she wants. It’s what she needs. Or so she thinks. She thought New York would have her feel at home and content as it did when she was a child, but she didn't feel this way at all. She felt like a stranger among her family, like a guest or something.  Eve proceeds to sell the art she makes for a living and gains recognition from it. Admittedly, she’s bored with a quiet life. It is entering a relationship with Salvatore Scozzari that sparks her passion for crime, although he would much rather her marry him and live a quiet but glamorous life. But in the end? Eve can���t do it. Breaking up with Sal by claiming she’ll be working at a gallery in California, she travels to another state. Her life as a thief starting up a second time.

#long post tw // #grooming tw // #v; picture perfect.

[afzdsfdz]

The priests denounced him, the lords rose against him

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[myhauntedsalem]

Ghosts of Hollywood

Marilyn Monroe The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard is said to be the current residence of several ghosts of popular film stars. Marilyn Monroe, the glamorous and funny star of such pictures as Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, was a frequent guest of the Roosevelt at the height of her popularity. And although she died in her Brentwood home, her image has been seen on several occasions in a full-length mirror that once hung in her poolside suite. The mirror has been relocated to the hotel's lower level by the elevators.

Montgomery Clift Another respected star who died before his time, Montgomery Clift, was a four-time Oscar nominated actor who is best known for his roles in A Place in the Sun, From Here to Eternity and Judgment at Nuremberg. His ghost has also been seen at the Roosevelt. According to some of the hotel's staff, Clift's spirit haunts room number 928. Clift stayed in that suite in 1953, pacing back and forth, memorizing his lines for From Here to Eternity. Loud, unexplained noises have been heard coming from the empty suite, and its phone is occasionally found mysteriously off the hook.

Perhaps it's fitting that the Hollywood Roosevelt should be the stirring place of celebrity ghosts since it was the site of the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. In fact, the Blossom Ballroom, where the ceremony was held, has an unexplained cold spot - a circular area measuring 30 inches in diameter that remains about 10 degrees colder than the rest of the room.

Harry Houdini Houdini is best known as a magician and escape artist, of course, but at the height of his fame he was also drawn to Hollywood, where he made a handful of silent films from 1919 to 1923. With such titles as The Man from Beyond and Haldane of the Secret Service (which he also directed), the films were not regarded well enough to give him much of a Hollywood career. Houdini's interest in the occult was well known, and although he earned a reputation as a masterful debunker of séances, he earnestly sought contact with those who have passed on to the other side. Shortly before his death, Houdini made a pact with his wife Bess that if he could, he would return and make contact with her from the other side. Perhaps he truly has attempted to return. Some claim to have seen the ghost of the great Houdini walking around in the home he owned on Laurel Canyon Blvd. in the Hollywood Hills. Film historians Laurie Jacobson and Marc Wanamaker, in their book Hollywood Haunted, dispute this story, saying that "Houdini most likely never even set foot in the Laurel Canyon mansion he is said to haunt."

Clifton Webb Clifton Webb was a very popular star of the 1940s and '50s, earning two Oscar nominations for his roles in Laura and The Razor's Edge. He may be best known for his portrayal of Mr. Belvedere in a series of films. It's not too often that a ghost haunts the place in which the person is buried, but this seems to be the case for Webb. His ghost has been seen at the Abbey of the Psalms, Hollywood Memorial Cemetery, where his body is interred. But it seems to be a restless spirit, as his ghost has also been encountered at his old home on Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills.

Thelma Todd Thelma Todd was a hot young star in the 1930s. She was featured in a number of hit comedies with the likes of The Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, and Buster Keaton. But that all ended in 1935 when Todd was found dead in her car, which was parked above the café she owned on the Pacific Coast Highway. Strangely, her death was ruled an accidental suicide, but many suspected murder and a coverup by powerful Hollywood figures. The building that once housed the café is now owed by Paulist Productions, and employees have reportedly witnessed the starlet's ghost descending the stairs.

Thomas Ince Ince is considered one of the visionary pioneers of American movies. He was one of the most respected directors of the silent era, best known, perhaps, for his westerns starring William S. Hart. He partnered with other early Hollywood giants such as D.W. Griffith and Mack Sennett, and founded Culver Studios, which later became MGM. Ironically, Ince's death overshadowed his film legacy. He died aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924, and although the official record shows the cause of death as heart failure, the hot rumor is that he was shot by Hearst in a fit a jealousy over Hearst's wife, Marion Davies. Ince's ghost - as well as several other ghostly figures - have been seen in the lot that was once Culver Studios. Film crew members have seen the specter of a man matching Ince's description on several occasions; in one instance, when the workers tried to speak to the spirit, it turned and disappeared through a wall.

Ozzie Nelson Ghosts and hauntings are the last thing that come to mind when you think of the perpetually cheerful Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. The couple, with their real-life sons Ricky and David, were stars of the long-running sitcom "Ozzie and Harriet," noted for its good-natured, gentle humor. Yet poor Ozzie doesn't seem to be as contented in the afterlife. Family members, it is said, have seen Ozzie's ghost in the family's old Hollywood home, and it always appears to be in a somber mood. Perhaps he's unhappy about how another Ozzy and his family have gained notoriety on TV.

George Reeves From 1953 to 1957, George Reeves was TV's Superman. Reeves had been around Hollywood for a while, playing bit parts in such films as Gone with the Wind and dozens of B-movies, but it was "The Adventures of Superman" on TV that brought him fame. Reeves died of a gunshot at his home in 1959. The official cause of death was suicide, but that conclusion has been hotly disputed, with some believing that Reeves was murdered. Whether it was suicide or murder, Reeves ghost has been seen in his Beverly Hills home. A couple claims to have seen the ghost of Reeves - decked out in his Superman costume - materialize in the bedroom where he died, after which it slowly faded away. Others believe that Reeves succumbed to the "Superman curse," in which those associated with the fictional character over the years allegedly have met with disaster or death. But is there really a curse? 

More Celebrity Ghosts

Rudolph Valentino - This silent film heartthrob has been seen in the bedroom and stables of his old Hollywood home. Jean Harlow - The spirit of this blonde bombshell is said to haunt the bedroom of her home on North Palm Drive, where her husband allegedly used to beat her. Mary Pickford - This legend of the silent era - actress, writer and producer - was co-founder of United Artists with her husband Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin. Comic Buddy Rogers, who lived in the house Pickford once owned, saw her ghost appear in a white ruffled dress. Grace Kelly - Princess Stephanie of Monaco believes that the ghost of her mother, Grace Kelly, helped her write a song from the spirit world.

Celebrities Who Have Seen Ghosts

Nicholas Cage - This Oscar-winning actor (Leaving Las Vegas) refused to stay in uncle Francis Ford Coppola's home after seeing a ghost in the attic. (Cage was also cast as Superman in director Tim Burton's film project, which was never made.) Keanu Reeves - The star of The Matrix films and Devil's Advocate was just a kid in New Jersey when he saw a ghost that took the form of a white double-breasted suit come into his room one night. He wasn't imagining it; his nanny saw the phantom, too. Neve Campbell - She's been in more than her share of paranormal-themed movies (The Craft, Scream), but she's had real-life encounters as well. A woman was murdered in the house she now lives in, and friends have seen her ghost walking around. Matthew McConaughey - This popular actor (Contact) says he freaked out the first time he saw the ghost of an old woman, whom he calls "Madame Blue," floating around his house. Tim Robbins - Robbins, who was nominated for an Oscar in Mystic River, didn't see ghosts, but strongly felt their presence when he moved into an apartment in 1984. Following his instinct, he moved out the next day. Hugh Grant - British romantic comedy lead Hugh Grant (Love Actually) says he and friends have heard the wailing and screaming of some tormented spirit in his Los Angeles home. He even speculates it might be the ghost of a former resident - Bette Davis. Dan Aykroyd - The Ghostbusters star (and Oscar-nominated for Driving Miss Daisy) has long had a fascination with the paranormal. He believes his home, once owned by Cass Elliot of The Mamas and The Papas, is haunted. "A ghost certainly haunts my house," he said. "It once even crawled into bed with me. The ghost also turns on the Stairmaster and moves jewelry across the dresser. I'm sure it's Mama Cass because you get the feeling it's a big ghost." Sting - Rock star Sting (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and his wife Trudie have seen ghosts in their home. "I was absolutely terrified," he said. "I now believe those things are out there, but I have no explanation for them." Jean Claude Van Damme - The Belgian action star (Timecop), also known as "Muscles from Brussels," swears he saw a ghost in his bathroom mirror while he was brushing his teeth. Richard Dreyfuss - He won an Oscar for The Goodbye Girl, but at one time had a cocaine problem. Visions of a ghost, he said, helped him kick the habit. "I had a car crash in the late 1970s," Dreyfuss said, "when I was really screwed up, and I started seeing these ghostly visions of a little girl every night. I couldn't shake this image. Every day it became clearer and I didn't know who the hell she was. Then I realized that kid was either the child I didn't kill the night I smashed up my car, or it was the daughter that I didn't have yet. I immediately sobered up." Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman - This Hollywood couple was forced to flee their "dream home" in Sneden's Landing, N.Y. when it became all too apparent that it was haunted. They still are reluctant to talk about their frightening encounters. Belinda Carlisle - This pop singer and founding member of The Go-Gos, who appeared in Swing Shift and She's Having a Baby, says she saw a "misty shape" hovering over her as she lay in bed one night. She also says that when she was 17, while nodding off to sleep in a chair in her parents' home, she levitated and had an out-of-body experience. Elke Sommers - This German-born actress, who appeared in the 1966 film The Oscar, claims to have seen the ghost of a middle-aged man in a white shirt in her home in North Beverly Hills. Guests in her home have also seen the specter. So much paranormal activity was reported in the house that the American Society for Psychical Research was brought in, and which verified the unexplained events. The severely haunted house was bought and sold more than 17 times since Sommers vacated it, and many have reported ghostly phenomena. Paul McCartney - Ex-Beatle and Oscar-nominated songwriter ("Live and Let Die") says that he, George Harrison and Ringo Starr sensed the playful spirit of John Lennon when they were recording Lennon's song, "Free As A Bird" in 1995. "There were a lot of strange goings-on in the studio - noises that shouldn't have been there and equipment doing all manner of weird things. There was just an overall feeling that John was around."

#Ghosts of Hollywood #paranormal #ghost and hauntings #ghost and spirits

[trashgoblin81]

The Winchesters and The girl

 Supernatural x OC 

Summary: Sky meets the boys for an unexplained murder. read to find out what happens.

Warnings: Cussing,death, sexual thoughts. let me know if i missed anything.

A/N:  I do not own supernatural but i do own the character. like for a part 2. I’m pretty bad at writing so if you have any thoughts or ideas please hmu.

I’m so tired. This last case tired me out.  I had to deal with a ghost, a very pissed off ghost might i add. This bitch wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone. Her name was Lilian Micheals, she passed away in the 1800′s, she was a rich farm girl that was ran over by a cultivator. She kept killing people at this plantation in the middle of the night, so i wasn’t able to get much sleep.  Not to mention the people she decided to haunt were rich, stuck up, assholes. But that’s alright, that didn’t stop me from stealing this beautiful necklace. 

It’s a sapphire necklace, real sapphire, I could sell it for money. Being a hunter is hard, which means credit card fraud and stealing. A girl has to get around somehow,  and you know what they say, a beautiful sapphire necklace is a girls best friend.   

For right now i’ll just get another drink. That is why I’m sitting at this bar, asking the bartender for another shot of vodka. 

“Long day, sweetheart?” said a blonde haired man. He was handsome,very handsome. He had emerald eyes and jaw line that could cut you. I want that jaw line to cut me.

“You don’t know the half of it.” I said. “What’s your name handsome?” 

He chuckled and held out his hand. “Dean, What about you sweetheart?” 

“Sky” I said as I took his hand in mine. “So tell me Dean, what is a man like you doing in a place like this? Surely your girlfriend is worried.” 

Dean smiled, “not really, considering I’m single, my brother on the other hand, he might be scared. He’s the soft type, the type that gets scared by little things, ya know.”  

I smiled at him. I was about to say something when a woman rushed in screaming.

“Help me, Help me please! He isn’t breathing! He was attacked! Please, oh God please help me!” she screamed.

 A couple of people looked at her like she was insane while everyone else thought she was drunk. Dean and I jumped up at the same time and started walking over to where she was. She started to run out of the bar and we chased her.

“excuse me, ma’am, come back, we can help!” I yelled as we chased her.

She stopped and looked at us, she was sobbing uncontrollably.  

Dean put his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay sweetheart, calm down, can you do that, explain to us what happend.” 

“I don’t know, I couldn’t find my husband, so i walked out of the bar looking, and when i came down this alley he was-” she cut herself off by crying even harder, “I should have never taken my eyes off him. Oh God, Harold, I’m so sorry” 

“okay can you lead us to this alley?” I said. 

She nodded as she leaded us down the alley. That’s when we saw him and sure enough, he was laying there, dead. He looked as if a wild animal attacked him. She knelled beside him and held his face, sobbing even harder.

“I’m gonna call 911, Okay” Dean said to me as he stepped away. 

I hugged her for a little bit. Then, I got up and started to walk over to Dean.

“...well apparently not Sam! The son of a bitch is still alive and it just killed this girl’s husband.” I heard Dean say.  “Yeah, try and get your ass over here, we have more work to do!” 

Dean turned around and saw me standing there. He gave me a look. We heard sirens and saw flashing lights. 

“Agent what are you doing here so quickly?” the sheriff said.  

At first i thought he was talking to me until Dean spoke up. “his wife led me to him.” he said.

“Ah, I see, well, you know the drill, we have to evacuate the area.” the sheriff said to Dean as the other officer tried to get the woman off her husband.

“No, please, please let me stay with him, please!” she wailed.

“Ma’am, they can’t help him if you are in the crime scene, come with me.” i said walking over to her.

She looked at him and stood up, there was blood all over her shirt and jacket. “Okay, Please find who did this to him” she said taking my hand.

We walked past the cops and Dean. I made eye contact with Dean, there was something weird about him.

“I think i have a shirt you can wear in my bag.”  I said as we walked over to my car. I opened the trunk and grabbed my duffel, I searched for my black Guns and Roses shirt. “So whats your name?” i said.

“Molly, Molly Williams.” she said sniffling.

“Well Molly, My name is Sky Walker. Its nice to meet you.” I said handing her my shirt.

“Like Luke and Leia?” She asked.

I chuckled. “Everyone asks that. My real name is Sylvia, but i don’t like it that much, so i go by Sky.” 

“Oh.” she said.

I saw a yellow taxi pull up,a tall man with long hair got out and walked over to a Impala.  “Why don’t you go to the bathroom and get cleaned up and i’ll meet you in there.” I said as she nodded. 

I saw Dean walk over to the taller man. I  shut the truck and started to walk over to the both of them. 

“So now what Dean? We have no idea where he went!” the taller man said.

“ Maybe you should of check if it was dead before you left Sammy.” Dean told the Man. 

“You’re blaming this on me?! You were there too Dean, you could’ve check too!” he said. 

I heard them arguing when i got over to them. 

“What are you guys talking about?” I asked.

“Nothing Sweetheart.” Dean told me. 

“Really cause it sounds to me like two hunters failed to kill a werewolf.” i said. They both looked at me in shock and confusion. 

“Wait,” Dean said, “You’re a-” 

“Hunter, yes I am and a very damn good one, better then you two apparently. So, how are we gonna fix this?” I said cutting him off.

“Do you two know each other or something?” the taller man asked. “cause i can leave and let you two figure this out.” 

“Uh, no need Sammy and what is this us you’re talking about?” Dean asked you.

“ Look clearly, you and Sammy didn’t do your job correctly, let me help.” I said.

“Uh, It’s Sam, Sam Winchester, You already know Dean.” Sam said sticking out his hand, staring at Dean.

“Oh, The Winchesters, Nice.” I said grabbing Sam’s hand. “Sky Walker, nice to meet you.”

Dean smiled and spoke up saying “Like-” 

“If you say it, i might just punch you” I said irritated.

“Okay, why don’t we go to the place we buried the werewolf, see if its really alive” Sam said.

“And if it is, what are we gonna do? kill it again?” Dean said looking at Sam.

“Yeah.” Sam said.

“I can’t believe that you two are feared by almost everyone and everything. I’ll follow you.” I said as i started walking back to my car. 

They were actually really handsome in my opinion. They both were built and i would be dammed if their faces weren’t anything to ride on. I mean come on Dean, the older brother, very handsome and a face you could ride till the crack of dawn. And Sam, the younger brother, also very handsome and shoulders you want to wrap your legs around. This wasn’t gonna be so hard.

I got in my car and followed them. It was a short ride to basically the middle of no where. They slowly pulled into this field. We parked and i saw Dean get out of the car. He walked over to my window, i rolled it down.

“We buried him over there, Sam is gonna check to see if there is still a body” Dean said looking over at Sam.

“Shouldn’t we be over there helping him?” I said.

“Sam’s a big boy, right now i wanna know about you sweetheart.” he said looking at me.

“Guys, you might wanna come and look at this.” Sam said calling us over.

“I’m sorry Dean, Looks like your big boy needs us over there.” I said while rolling up my window and turning my car off. Dean smirked at me and opened my door for me. “What a Gentlemen.” I said sarcastically. Dean and i started walking over to Sam.

When we got there Dean looked down at the grave and said, “well would you look at that, the son of a bitch is still here.”

I looked at Sam then back at the grave.

“Maybe you guys stumbled upon a wolf pack.” I said looking between the both of them.

“Awesome.” Dean said grumpily.

“Lets just go back to the hotel and think about it, Dean.” Sam said as Dean started to walk back to the cars. “You wanna come back to the motel with us?” Sam asked me.

“You asked that like i wasn’t gonna follow you.” i said as Sam and i walked back to the cars.

I got in my car and soon enough i was at their motel room with them. It was a place to sleep but I wouldn’t necessarily say good, in my opinion it was very sketchy.

“Well you guys just picked the worst motel in Wisconsin, didn’t you?” I said looking back at the two boys who were sitting at the table by the window.

“Hey, i do see you staying anywhere at the moment, so don’t come after us for actually having a place to sleep, Okay.” Dean said.

“I don’t have a room to sleep in because i just got finished with a hunt in Ashland jackass, thats why in here in Sawyer.” I said looking back at Dean.

“Okay, no offence, but can you both shut up?” Sam asked.

i sat down on one of the beds. ‘So much for letting me help’ i thought. i just looked around. the wall was one of the ugliest things i have seen.It was shit green, with trees painted on it. And don’t get me started on the beds, how could anyone sleep on them. they were hard as a rock. And there was this weird stain on the floor. 

“So get this...” the sound of Sam’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. “There is a thing as wolf packs but they aren’t found around here. They are mostly found around Wyoming.”

“What the fuck? Then what the hell attacked that man and stole his fucking heart?” I said. 

“Well potty mouth, maybe we could go back and see the security cameras?” Dean said.

I just kinda stared at him, I couldn’t believe we didn’t think of that earlier. My head is somewhere else and it’s probably cause of these hunks of brothers.

“Why didn’t we do that earlier?” i said. 

“Alright, so lets go down there and see what we can find!” Dean said.

“Okay well, my tank is almost empty, can i ride with you?” I asked.

“well im surprised,you seem like the type that doesn’t ask.” Dean said.

“And you seem like the type that has to pay child support, but we are all full of surprises, right?” I said. Dean gave me look, like he was staring into my soul, meanwhile Sam was laughing his ass off. 

“Shut up Sam.” Dean said irritated while walking out of the room with his keys in his hands.

Sam slowly stopped laughing, standing up following Dean to the car, I followed Sam. Dean had already started the car and Sam got in the passenger seat. I opened the door and got in the back.

It was quiet when we pulled out of the motel and on to the highway. 

“So,” Sam said trying to break the ice “how did you become a hunter, Sky?” 

“I’ve been hunting since i was 14.” I said awkwardly. I’m not a big fan of talking about my past.

“Does your family know about it?” Dean asked while looking at me in the rear view mirror. 

“Uh,” I said trying my best not to get irritated. “My family is kinda, uh, dead.” 

The boys got really quiet. It was a thick silence.

“I’m sorry, we lost our family also.” Sam said. He was sweet and caring, that i could tell just by looking at him.

“Don’t be sorry, it was a long time ago.” I said. 

“Well if you don’t mind me asking, What happend sweetheart?” Dean asked.

“When i was 4 years old, uh, someone broke into my house. It was me and my 8 month old little sister, My older brother was spending the night at one of his friends houses.” I said taking a deep breath.

“They came up to my mother and fathers room, where my little sister was and shot my mother then killed my father by bashing his head in. I went in the room and saw them on the floor.”

“Oh my God!” Dean said breathless. “That’s horrible.” 

“That was just my parents, it got worse when i got older.” I said, I was hoping and praying that this ride would be over soon enough. And just as i hoped we were here at the police station.

“Okay, so am I going in with you? I have an FBI badge?” i said.

“You can go in, we can tell them we got more back up.” Dean said.

“Alright, lets go then” I said. 

We all got out of the car and walked into the station. You could tell that everyone there was stressed. 

“Agent Lincoln, Agent John, Im guessing you are here to see the Sheriff?” the deputy. “Who is this?” He said pointing to me.

“We decided that we needed back up so this is Agent-” Sam said but i cut him off.

“Agent Saunders” I said showing my badge. “We need to see the security footage from the crime scene earlier.” 

“You wanna see footage of a murder that happened at 11:30 at night? When it’s..” The deputy looked at his watch, “3 in the morning?” 

“Is that gonna be a problem, deputy?” Dean said looking at him with a confused look.

“No Sir,  right this way.” he said leading the three of us the the back. We were led to a room with a TV and a VHS tape player. The deputy walked over to a basket on a shelf in the corner. He pulled out a tape marked ‘WILLIAMS’.

“Here you go agents, I have to get back to my desk, now but do what you need to.” The deputy said, he looked a little nervous as he walked back to the front. 

“That was weird.” I said.

Sam picked up the tape and put it in the player. we saw the murder and the murderer. 

“Oh Come on, Really!” Dean said. I agree with him, out of everything that could of killed this man, why was it this?

Like for part 2!

one of my closes friends gave me the title, lol

Taglist: 

@super-gayqueen​

@strangehumanoidtreepaper

#supernatural fandom #supernatural x oc #dean winchester #sam winchester #winchester boys #supernatural #to be continued #dean winchester smut #sam winchester smut #sam and dean

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, October 12

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Devil cult burns JonBenet Ramsey’s grave 

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Kaley Cuoco and her dog in a stroller in New York City, Donatella Versace off the coast of Italy, Johnny Depp gets a gander at fans in Spain 

Page 3: Jude Law jogging in London, Mama June Shannon gets her roots dyed, Jon Stewart lends his voice to support U.S. military vets in Washington, D.C. 

Page 4: Man-hungry Kathie Lee Gifford has a mad crush on Craig Ferguson but he’s married and since she’s isn’t about to be a homewrecker instead she cast him to play her kissy-huggy love interest in Then Came You a flick she penned and released a couple weeks back 

Page 5: Tyra Banks has turned Dancing with the Stars into a miserable sweatshop behind the scenes -- Tyra is not only the host but an executive producer and she takes that title seriously and even with all these big personalities and egos Tyra wants it to run like a military operation which was how she did things on America’s Next Top Model -- Carrie Ann Inaba is seething and Bruno Tonioli is revolted and Derek Hough is huffing with displeasure, Chris Rock revealed he’s in therapy seven hours a week after being diagnosed with nonverbal learning disorder meaning he doesn’t understand nonverbal signals when talking to people 

Page 6: Fierce fights during lockdown have shredded strong-willed sweethearts Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell’s 37-year love in -- Goldie and Kurt recently had their worst-ever clash which led them to axe plans to finally get hitched this winter, you’d think filming Elf would have been a ho-ho time but bad blood between star Will Ferrell and writer-director Jon Favreau killed plans for a sequel 

Page 7: Shocked by the frighteningly gaunt and frail appearance of Bob Newhart friends of the hard-working star fear he’s working himself into his grave 

Page 8: Queen Elizabeth’s personal wealth is estimated at $450 million but she could wind up in the poor house because most of her wealth is locked in her two sprawling country estates which cost a king’s ransom to run: Sandringham and Balmoral 

Page 9: Prince Harry is sporting a choppy-sloppy short-cropped haircut that makes him look like a pauper apparently given to him by his wife Meghan Markle

Page 10: Kirstie Alley has been firing herself into a frenzy about everything these days from her weight to world affairs and her yo-yoing antics are driving friends batty and she’s also becoming more of a recluse 

Page 11: Joan Collins claims she was haunted by her sister Jackie Collins after the novelist died from breast cancer in 2015 -- Joan recalls upon learning her little sis had passed away the electricity went out putting her and husband Percy Gibson in the dark, country music legend Willie Nelson admits to being far from a model husband in his no-holds-barred new book -- the four-time married Willie admits to cheating and says his wandering ways were too much for any woman to put up with 

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Gabourey Sidibe (picture), Lisa Rinna laughingly brushes off claims that her husband Harry Hamlin had a steamy 2018 affair near their Canadian getaway home, Jane Fonda believes in ghosts because she’s seen the ghost of her mother who committed suicide when Jane was 12, Kim Cattrall is still hot and heavy for her British boyfriend of four years Russell Thomas and the two start each day with a cup of tea, not even two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19 Robert Pattinson dropped his mask at a London park to kiss girlfriend Suki Waterhouse even though production on his big-budget flick The Batman was thrown into a tailspin when Rob tested positive for the virus

Page 13: David Harbour grabs a bite in NYC (picture), Rebecca Gayheart runs errands in Beverly Hills (picture), Michael O’Keefe of Caddyshack plays a real-life caddie on Long Island to raise money for charity (picture), Tiffany Haddish isn’t joking when she says she tried for years to be on The People’s Court 

Page 14: The People’s Court’s judge Marilyn Milian enjoys filming her show from her Miami living room where she sees litigants testifying from their homes via remote and she can see how they live, it’s a true kiss and tell by Adam Levine who’s getting loose-lipped about a wet wild kiss he shared with the late Kelly Preston in the music video for Maroon 5′s hit She Will Be Loved, Fashion Verdict -- Gabrielle Haugh 3/10, Paris Hilton 2/10, Keira Knightley 5/10, Tilda Swinton 7/10, Janelle Monae 9/10 

Page 16: Leah McSweeney of The Real Housewives of New York City is sporting black eyes after getting a nose job, Storage Wars star Rene Nezhoda bought a storage locker abandoned by Daniel Baldwin that houses $2500 worth of model trains 

Page 17: The coronavirus plague, natural disasters, the stock market crash, civil unrest, raging wildfires and gruesome death are all signs we are now living in the biblical End Times as predicted by Edgar Cayce and Grigori Rasputin and Nostradamus 

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Drew Barrymore, Wendy Williams has come clean about using binoculars to get an eyeful of the naked dude next door in the shower, The Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darby dishes that she and husband have engaged in threesomes 

Page 20: American Justice -- dentist Seth Lockhart jailed for yanking a patient’s tooth while riding a hoverboard among other crimes, it’s game over for a deputy sheriff Pasquale Salas from Texas who was convicted of grooming and exploiting young girls he met while playing Minecraft with them online 

Page 21: Blake Lively is fed up with husband Ryan Reynolds’ juvenile practical jokes and she’s ordering him to knock it off and after years of putting up with ridiculous Ryan’s weird pranks her nerves have been rubbed raw since COVID lockdown, dog lover Jon Hamm handed a twice-rejected rescue pup a new leash on life and now the pooch Splash is turning him to mush 

Page 23: NeNe Leakes won’t be returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta after a tumultuous season 12 which saw NeNe feuding with most of the cast, Lady Gaga claims superstardom helped feed her deep dark depression and she was terrified to leave the house and she was often catatonic and says she’d sit outside and spend hours chain-smoking and crying, the $6 crown that Notorious B.I.G. wore in his final photoshoot sold at auction for $594,750 

Page 24: Cover Story -- JonBenet Ramsey’s family is facing new horror after the murdered child’s grave was defiled in a shocking incident investigators fear is linked to Satanic rituals 

Page 26: Health Report -- anxiety linked to thyroid problems 

Page 36: Lindsay Lohan has pulled a vanishing act while begging pals for much-needed cash -- she’s been living out of a suitcase for years and very few people know how to get hold of her or where she is -- now a high-profile book publisher has sued her after forking over $365,000 for a tell-all that she failed to complete so she’s hitting up all the big contacts she can and the word is she’s running on empty 

Page 38: Real Life -- Alzheimer’s stricken granny’s home of 50 years was seized by cold-hearted bureaucrats because she owed a paltry six cents in back taxes 

Page 44: Straight Talk -- we’re tired of scripted reality shows 

Page 45: Just months after the deaths of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna his mother-in-law Sofia Laine says a shocking rift has shredded the close relationship she had with her daughter and Kobe’s widow Vanessa Bryant, Tom Petty’s kin have ended their feud that got so petty they sued each other over salad dressing and now the clan’s uniting to re-release his legendary 1994 album Wildflowers which was almost scrapped due to nasty infighting between Tom’s widow Dana and the grown-up daughters Adria and Annakim from his first marriage 

Page 47: Hollywood Flashback -- Jeff Goldblum as Tricycle Man in Robert Altman’s Nashville, Bizarre But True 

#tabloid #grain of salt #tabloid toc #tabloidtoc #jonbenet #jonbenet ramsey #JonBenét #robert pattinson #rob pattinson #rpattz #suki waterhouse #batman #dcbatman #dc batman #the batman #Kathie Lee Gifford #craig ferguson #then came you #tyra banks #dancing with the stars #dwts #chris rock #goldie hawn #kurt russell #johnny depp #elf #will ferrell #jon favreau #bob newhart #prince harry

[porti0ncontrol]

The Gray Man of the Chelsea Hotel

this article originally appeared at www.theawl.com

Every New Yorker worth their salt knows of and respects the history of the Chelsea Hotel with its vast hellish neon sign hanging over 23rd Street, a lamp for moths such as Dylan Thomas, Holly Woodlawn, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sid Vicious, Edie Sedgewick and William S. Burroughs. It is a ship for lost souls, a sort of Noah’s Ark of the damned - and the parties can be a lot of fun. Seeing those glowing letters forty-odd feet high through a fogged or rainy night can send a thrill up my spine rather reliably.

Naturally any vast sprawling old thing with a predilection for murder, suicides, murder-suicides and overdoses (perhaps we can just use the umbrella-term ‘loose cannons’) is going to attract its share of ghost stories, and I have my own little tale to add to the apocrypha of one of New York City’s most venerable institutions of art, madness and hedonism starring one of it’s most famous permanent residents.

A friend of mine and film producer I work with has a large grandfathered apartment on the 10th floor of the Chelsea, with a roof-deck, that he inherited from his mother who lived there at the place’s height of notoriety in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Every year in the spring he throws a rooftop party where friends and his neighbors all gather to eat, drink and smoke joints on the roof, and there are usually more than a few photographs and super 8 movies being taken as some of the most notorious New York artists mix with some of the most notorious New York derelicts, and for a few hours in June everything is as it should be.

About a year ago in the late fall, my friend and his wife were out of town for a long weekend and he had asked me to stop in once or twice to feed his cat for him and told me I was welcome to hang out at his place and spend the night if I wanted. On the Saturday night of this weekend my friend Lauren and I had gone to see ‘Milk’ at the Chelsea Clearview and as we left I said ‘hey I have access to an apartment and rooftop at the Chelsea Hotel, why don’t we go hang out there?’

After quick shopping for pate and two bottles of Prosecco we were in the elevator (that the ghost of Sid Vicious has been rumored to haunt). Then we were having a cocktail on the antique leather sofa and making a plate of snacks to take out onto the roof.

As a brief interjection to the narrative thrust: the particular ghost which is supposed to haunt the 10th floor of the Chelsea is known as the Gray Man, and he is (to put it mildly) not predisposed to kindness, so to speak. He lurks in the stairwell of the 10th floor and tries to get people to leap to their deaths (mainly children). Keep in mind, I was not thinking of this legend and Lauren had never heard of it at the time.

The roof of the Chelsea Hotel is a dark, twisty and brambling place with towers, odd little doorways to rooftop apartments, narrow alleys and idiosyncratic cornices, and many many dark and shadowed corners. Being up there at sunset with a large gathering of people is an entirely different experience then say, being two waifs in skinny jeans scurrying around a gothic rooftop in the dead of a November night.

Lauren, I will let you know, is a very level-headed and critical person, not prone to flights of fancy, and so we sat on the roof talking about its architecture and various events in our lives when she stopped mid-conversation and turned and looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face. “Chris! Did you hear that?”

I hadn’t heard anything outside of the traffic down on 23rd Street and the occasional jet engine, and when I asked her what it was she said “I keep hearing a man’s voice saying ‘jump, go on jump. You’ll be fine, just go ahead and jump” and explained to me that a bizarre and inexplicable urge to jump off the roof of the Chelsea Hotel had entered her mind and would not be shaken. She asked that we move away from the edge of the roof where we had been perched, which is when we saw it.

A few yards away, half obscured by a chimney-stack was the darkened silhouette of a man, watching us from an inkwell of a corner. It could have been my eyes playing tricks on my mind and I tried to convince myself this was the case. That is up until it moved, stepping back into the darkness behind it.

Lauren and I quickly gathered our things and made our way across the roof, through coal black alleys that felt filled with eyes all the while feeling a menacing presence following behind us, just out of our field of vision - and it was not until we were safely back inside with the sliding glass door closed and locked behind us that we began to feel safe.

My friend has told me before that he feels his mother is still in the apartment she left to him, and so perhaps she kept at bay whatever angry presence dwells on the 10th floor of New York City’s answer to The Overlook. Lauren was visibly and deeply shaken, and we quickly finished the first bottle of Prosecco and did considerable damage to the 2nd before our nerves began to calm. We left soon after.

Later I shared with Lauren the story of the Gray Man, who urges people to jump from the 10th floor stairwell. Having never heard the legend she became positively aquiver and dropped the phone when I told her.

As a final footnote, two years later I had been devouring Patty Smith’s ‘Just Kids’ which recounted her life with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe; a large portion of which was spent in the Hotel Chelsea. On pages 197-98 (paperback ed.) she mentions the composer Lee Crabtree, a fellow resident, and “after several days I asked around for him, and Ann Waldman told me that, facing the loss of his inheritance and the threat of institutionalization, he leapt to his death from the roof of the Chelsea.

Is Lee Crabtree ‘the Gray Man’ or just one of his victims? One of the many casualties of the Chelsea. The incident has never left her mind and to this day Lauren is absolutely terrified of the Chelsea Hotel and refuses to set foot within its walls. Others, it seems, never leave.

***

Note: I was later contacted by the sister and a friend of Lee Crabtree.

Sue Crabtree Spalding: “I am the sister of Lee Crabtree, who reportedly leapt to his death form the roof the Chelsea. Indeed, my brother leapt to his death, but not from the Chelsea. Indeed he was mentally ill, but the circumstances of his death - inheritance/institutionalization as reported by Patti Smith - are fiction. I find it very distressing that this urban myth is still being perpetrated.”

Wayne Ross: “Lee was a very good friend of mine and there are few days I don't think about him. He was kind, gentle and a really great piano player. I was visiting him a week before his death at the Chelsea. I still have a postcard that he sent me after my visit. Anyone is entitled to thier opinions but in my opinion he was not mentally ill. I seriously doubt that he and Patti Smith were even friends. I love Patti Smith records and I'm sure he would have mentioned her knowing that I was so fond of her. At the time he was visiting Gert Shiff a french writer and a comic artist, who's name I don't remember. He played with The Fugs, Bruce Mackay, Eric Anderson, Holly Model Rollers ( if I spelled it right ), Pearls Before Swine and others. He was working on his own music composition with a friend just before he died. Just as Sue said he did not jump from the Chelsea. I have music pieces myself which are dedicated to him. Lee Crabtree could not be the Gray Man it would not fit his personality. Sue is right it is an urban myth. I find it absurd that anyone would believe.”

#halloween #ghosts #nyc #new york city #new york

[comic-movieheroesranked]

Cinematic Comic Characters Ranked! (Year 2009) Part Three

It’s rough coming right after a fantastic year of movies (2008) but 2009 did pretty well for itself. Terminator Salvation is our only sequel and we also get an X-Men spinoff with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Kids favorite shows come out with Astro Boy, Dragonball: Evolution, and G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, and we got a couple of thrillers with Whiteout and Surrogates. We also get the debut of the controversial Watchmen! Let’s get started with numbers #40-21!

*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ALL HIGHLIGHTED MOVIES ABOVE*

40. President Stone/Peacekeeper (Astro Boy)

"Declare war! This is gonna get me re-elected."

How did this guy even get elected in the first place? He's an idiot who thought the only way to stay in power was through violent technology. It's his arrogance that gets Toby killed and it's his arrogance that puts the whole city in danger when he still decides to use the red core energy. He ends up getting absorbed by the Peacekeeper and starts a city-wide battle with Astro that only ends when Astro sacrifices himself and connects the two cores. Stone is then arrested by his own men and taken away.

39. Delfy (Whiteout)

"They don't make them like that anymore."

Delfy was just a regular pilot who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He's the one who first discovers Weiss's body out on the ice and contacts Carrie. Afterwards, she makes him her personal pilot as she sets up an investigation. This new job ends up nearly killing him twice: Once when he gets buried under fifty feet of snow with the others inside the Russian plane, and another when Haden breaks out and stabs him. He recovers and ends up bonding with Pryce and Carrie for six months until the winter is over.

38. Abel Shaz/Breaker (G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra)

"Is that Double Bubble?"

Although he isn't the only brains on the team, if anyone needs advice on technology, Breaker is your guy. I will always enjoy the member of the squad who understand gadgets like no one else can yet doesn't truly understand most jokes that said. With the nanobite warheads being the most dangerous pieces of technology known to man, Breaker comes in handy in helping the team stop Cobra from bringing whole cities down.

37. Agent Zero (X-Men Origins: The Wolverine)

"It's funny how innocent people tend to die around you!"

For some reason Wolverine and Agent Zero DID NOT get along with each other. Everyone would be joking along with everyone else then all of a sudden they're both threatening to kill each other. The years after Logan leaves Stryker's team doesn't cool off the tension because those two are ready to pop off again when they reunite. It's a pointless rivalry though because we all knew Logan would come out on top, and it's not because he's the main character either. I mean, yeah, Zero is really good when it comes to shooting bullets and jumping over high fences but bullets don't do anything to Wolverine especially once he gets the adamantium in his skeleton. So when the two clash, Agent Zero ends up exploding in a helicopter and Logan...remains unharmed.

36. Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre (Watchmen)

"I don't hate him because he gave me you."

The original Silk Spectre and one of the few remaining heroes alive from the Minutemen. Sally Jupiter is retired now and totally missing the game, so much that she trains her daughter to be the next Silk Spectre. She reminds me so much of those pageant moms that now live through their daughter's lives to fill young again. Although I'd really like to know why, it's never really explained, only assumed, why Sally goes back to sleep with The Comedian, who tried to rape her previously. The result of their one night stand is Laurie, who ends up coming to terms with it by the time she finds out and confronts Sally about it.

35. Chi-Chi (Dragonball: Evolution)

"Just because my name is Chi-Chi doesn't mean I'm an idiot."

I liked Chi-Chi and I'm pretty sure the only reason why they didn't have her in the movie more was because they knew I'd rank her higher than Goku if they did. I mean if I were in the group hunting Dragon Balls I would have totally added her in once I saw her fighting skills but it never happens. Instead we just see her every time we need someone to flirt with Goku.

34. Maggie Greer (Surrogates)

"It's better this way."

Maggie is Greer's wife and together they lost a son before surrogates became globally used. This causes her to mourn in a unique way where she locks herself in her own room and just lives her life through her surrogate. Even though she cares for Greer, she ignores the distance between them instead for the new fun life she has as a surrogate. When the surrogates are destroyed, she almost kills herself but ends up connecting with her husband again in their child's old room.

33. Dr. Bill Tenma (Astro Boy)

"You're still my son."

It took me a very long time to like Tenma, and I was starting to believe that he was a lost caused until he pulled through in the end. First he completely ignores Toby when he was alive, treating him like a unbothered teacher would a student instead of a father, then goes into a huge depression after he dies. Because of this, he creates Astro, a robot version of Toby but then completely abandons him shortly after and then aids President Stone in capturing him and shutting him down. It isn't until after he removes the core from Astro that he finally accepts him as his son, returning the core and bringing him back to life.

32. Goku (Dragonball: Evolution) 

"Kamehameha!"

With Dragon Ball being a Japanese anime I was glad that there was a lot of Japanese influence in the movie. The setting, the background actors, even some of the core cast but you know who wasn't? GOKU! Like I don't understand the reasoning as to why they thought casting a white guy as Goku would be a great idea when Grandpa Gohan was clearly Asian! But besides that, Goku was lame! He wasn't exciting to watch, which is a huge shame because I loved the watching the show with my older brother when I was little.

31. Bulma (Dragonball: Evolution)

"Everybody has a price."

Bulma was my favorite in the movie. I loved the guns, loved how she handled herself with the boys, and loved all her cool technology that basically was the reason they got around (her compact motorcycle) and found the Dragon Balls (Her D.P.E.). Her interest with Yamcha was fun and flirty and when it came down to business she was ready to help any way she can. She definitely should have been Asian, but at least her character wasn't as bad as Goku's.

30. William Stryker (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

"Welcome to the war."

Our mutant-hating government official is back and now we get to see how his connection with Logan came to be. On a mission to create the strongest mutant weapon for the government, Stryker creates a team of mutants, including Logan and Victor, to hunt down adamantium. When this costs the lives of innocents, Logan's out, which is bad business for Stryker since Logan's he key to his secret weapon. He creates an elaborate plan, staging the death of Logan's girlfriend, Kayla, and pinning him against Victor to bring him back so he can put the adamantium inside him and successfully create, Weapon X. Of course, everyone that's a mutant figures out he's playing them all and his plans go down the drain with the death of Weapon XI. His adamantium bullets are what cause Logan to lose his memories and they're eventually what kill Kayla, but not before she can control his mind and send him away for good...at least until he turns up again.

29. Cora (Astro Boy)

"Didn't your nanny-bots teach you not to sneak up on people?"

Cora accidentally ran away from Metro City to the surface world where she becomes a sort of leader to the orphan kids Hamegg takes care of. She's the first one to discover Astro and quickly befriends him and he proves he's a kind person. She's the only one who feels betrayed when it's revealed he's actually a robot, but she quickly gets over it and helps him save Metro City from President Stone. After everything is done, she's even able to reunite with her parents.

28. Edward Blake/The Comedian (Watchmen)

"This is a joke. This is all a joke."

The biggest asshole in this movie BY FAR. Like even though everyone had their faults and definitely weren't saints, The Comedian was straight up a bully working for the government. In his worst moments, he beats the shit out of citizens protesting, attempts to rape the original Silk Spectre, and ends up murdering a Vietnamese woman carrying his child! For some reason he suddenly cares about being a father when he wants to get to know his other daughter, Laurie, but ends up just drinking his life away until Adrian shows up to murder him. Even though he dies in the beginning of the movie, his bad punchline of a life haunts everyone throughout the film.

27. Wade Wilson/Deadpool/Weapon XI (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

"You whip out a couple of swords at your ex-girlfriend's wedding, they will never, ever forget it."

Wade Wilson is very conflicting because even though he's missing his signature costume, he was absolutely spot on when he worked on Stryker's team. He's deadly with the sword, has the same healing abilities as Logan, and will never shut his mouth. Then things got weird. Somehow Stryker is able to gain control over Deadpool and turn him into everything he's not by giving him powers of previous mutants Victor has either killed or kidnapped. Mouth sewn shut, Deadpool becomes Weapon XI and is such a threat it takes both Wolverine and Sabretooth to take him down.

26. Kate Connor (Terminator Salvation)

"I'm a doctor, not an engineer."

I don't know why, but I kind of expected Kate to have a bigger role? Not that being one of the only doctors in the resistance isn't important, because it is, but I always thought she would be like what Barnes was, a second in command. Still, she was fiercely loyal to her husband and was his support when he needed her. He especially needed her towards the end of the film, as it was her hands that operated on him to save his life.

25. Dr. Lionel Carter (Surrogates)

"My son's death will not have been in vain. Not if it heals mankind."

Lionel Carter created surrogates because he wanted people with disabilities, like himself, to live a better life then his partners and company took it to a global scale and by 2017, ninety-eight percent of the world population used a surrogate for basic every day activities. After his son dies for being mistaken for him, Lionle decides enough is enough. Using all his resources he gets a hold of the weapon that killed his son to return the favor to the man responsible. He also creates the ultimate virus that will destroy all the surrogates and kill everyone attached to them. Thinking his plan will never fail, Lionel takes a cyanide pill before seeing his plan come to life.

24. Dr. John Fury (Whiteout)

"I never meant for anyone to get hurt, but Haden got greedy."

I'm not gonna lie, I felt some type of way when it was revealed Doc was working with Haden to smuggle the diamonds. He probably had the closest relationship with Carrie and their personal conversations were some of my favorite scenes in the movie so when it turns out he was working with Haden, the guy who cause Carrie to lose two of her fingers, I was shocked. I guess the silver lining is that once he was caught he didn't fight it. He explained why he did it then walked outside to the deadly snow storm, killing himself.

23. Ana Lewis/The Baroness (G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra)

"Do it. You already killed me once."

I'm so glad it was revealed that Ana was being brainwashed to act as The Baroness the whole time because I just could not accept her willingly participating in the death of millions all because Duke disappeared after her brother's death. No one is that dramatic. Still, as The Baroness she was a force to be reckoned with. She killed all of the men in Duke and Ripcord's old unit, gave Scarlett her first fight, and she helped nearly destroy Paris. Good thing for the Joe's that Duke's gorgeous puppy-dog face broke her out of her mind control and she was able to free him and help stop her evil brother once and for all.

22. Dr. Elefun (Astro Boy)

"Everybody has their destiny, Toby."

Out of all the older males in the film, I truly believe that Dr. Elefun cared the most about Astro. He never saw him as just a robot that can be used for his own personal gain (President Stone, Hamegg) and he definitely didn't think he was a mistake that needed to be destroyed (Dr. Tenma). He really took his time to get to know and bond with Astro, who was still trying to come to terms with himself. I think in the future Elefun will morph into a huge father figure to Astro.

21. Remy Lebeau/Gambit (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)

"You miss me?"

Gambit has been the mutant everyone wanted to see on the big screen ever since the first X-Men came out. He's always nearly made it in the previous films but was cut out at the last minute. Well now he's here and he was a little bit of a let down. He wasn't horrible but he had such a minor role. He's a mutant that escapes Stryker's island before going back to his thief lifestyle in New Orleans. His fight with Logan was cool because we saw his signature staff and kinetically charged deck of cards, but after that he just remains in the background. He takes Logan to the island then is the first one to talk to him after he loses his memory, going his own way shortly after.

#terminator salvation #astro boy #Dragonball: Evolution #g.i. joe #Rise of the Cobra #Surrogates #watchmen #whiteout #x-men origins: wolverine #president stone #Delfy #Abel Shaz #Breaker #agent zero #sally jupiter #silk spectre i #chi-chi #Maggie Greer #Bill Tenma #goku #bulma #william stryker #cora #edward blake #the comedian #wade wilson #deadpool #weapon xi #kate connor #Lionel Carter

[likeappletrees]

some of my favorite short films (in no particular order)

So @slyindoorssmoke asked me for a few short film recommendations and the list ended up a bit bigger than either of us expected, so I thought I’d post them here. The films below range from disturbing to touchy-feely to  entirely style-over-substance, and I can’t really explain why I particularly like some of them. I might have forgotten some favorites, so a second version of this post may be made. 

Click on the title in bold to go straight to the film or trailer.

Michelle, I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Action

7.2 dir. Nida Manzoor (14 minutes): Cleo, a schoolgirl, regains consciousness to find herself lying on the ground with no memory of who she is, only to be confronted by Daisy, the school bully, who issues a cryptic ultimatum. (also very funny)

Hit TV dir. Saman Kesh (12 minutes): An illegal TV show appears every night posting murderous bounties. The organization running the show highjacks broadcast channels to air a haunting call-to-action where people are identified for murder and priced accordingly. (apparently this film is also called “The Prologue” although of what I'm not sure)

Comedy

1500 Words dir. Andrew Chaplin (9 minutes): When Stanley Franks is told he has 1500 words left to live, he faces a battle to keep both his marriage and himself alive using the fewest words possible.

The Black Hole dir. Philip Sansom and Olly Williams (2 minutes): A sleep-deprived office worker accidentally discovers a black hole. (hashtag Relatable)

JohnnyExpress dir. Kyungmin Woo (5 minutes): Johnny is a space delivery man who travels to different planets to deliver packages. However, things never go as planned.

Movie Mind Machine dir. Maureen Bharoocha (12 minutes): Two movie buffs invent a memory-erasing machine that allows them to watch their favorite movies over and over again like the first time. (who wouldn't?)

Sudden Death! dir. Adam Hall (19 minutes): Finally, a musical where everybody dies.

What Cheer? dir. Michael Slavens (17 minutes): After the sudden passing of his wife, Stan (Richard Kind) finds himself in a state of shock. He tries to ignore his pain but finds himself followed by inescapable grief. (I know what you're thinking, and I'm telling you, it's much better)

Drama

1985 dir. Yen Tan (9 minutes): A dying man seeks out a beauty consultant to hide his symptoms.

Goodbye Blue Sky dir. Brandon Zuck (17 minutes): Long after the end of the world, five strangers sharing an abandoned desert motel are forced to decide between love and survival. (bad acting, but in an endearing way)

Hala dir. Minhal Baig (14 minutes): A Muslim-American teenager struggles to reconcile desire with family obligations.

He Took His Skin Off for Me dir. Ben Aston (11 minutes): A simple, domestic love story about a man who takes his skin off for his girlfriend, and why it probably wasn't the best idea.

I Don’t Care dir. Harry Wootliff (24 minutes):  Luka Bartholomew cares for his bed-ridden mother in the run-down resort town of Porthpunnet. On his thirtieth birthday his mother hires a carer to give him a day off. (starring the loves of my life Iwan Rheon and David Leon)

SLAP dir. Nick Rowland (25 minutes): A teenage boxer searching for self-definition gives in to his true colours at the risk of losing everything.

Still In the Cage dir. Jonathan Desbiens (20 minutes): Three girls journey from the city to the jungle in search of an abandoned settlement in the hope of becoming “free spirits”. (essentially a Skrillex music video, but still pretty good)

The Wilding dir. Grant Scicluna (15 minutes): When juvenile inmate Malcolm is offered a chance at parole, he is torn between his chance for freedom and protecting the one he loves. (I could only find the link to the trailer, sorry!)

Horror

The Pig Child dir. Lucy Campbell (17 minutes): A scientist makes a reckless decision to carry on with an illegal surrogacy experiment, using her own body.

The Root of the Problem dir. Ryan Spindell (13 minutes): In the candy-colored world of 1950’s suburbia, a reluctant housewife suspects that the friendly neighborhood dentist is hiding a horrible secret... but is it just the anesthesia, or is something more sinister hiding just below the surface?

So Pretty dir. James Williams (9 minutes): Late at night, on the last train home, one girl's fantasy is about to become her greatest nightmare. (basically a Twilight parody)

Tonight It's You dir. Dominic Haxton (17 minutes): CJ ventures out for a late night hook up when things take a dark turn, leading him into something much more sinister than he could ever imagine.

Science fiction

ANA dir. Factory Fifteen (4 minutes): The sole human worker in a futuristic car manufacturing plant is tricked into relinquishing control to the A.I. that runs production.

The Awareness dir. Henry Dunham (18 minutes): On the eve of a technological breakthrough, an insignificant janitor and a prominent engineer are faced with a decision that will alter the course of humanity: the release of the first aware computer system into the world.

The Brain Hack dir. Joe White (19 minutes): Two students create a short-cut to induce hallucinogenic visions of God, and find themselves hunted by a deadly religious sect. (huge epilepsy warning)

Controller dir. Saman Kesh (8 minutes): A girl that can control everything perpetrates her own rescue by taking control of her boyfriend. (I don't know why she doesn't control her captors and the extent of her powers is never revealed, but it's incredibly stylish, so that's why it's on the list. Saman Kesh advises to play it loud and in full-screen)

The Landing dir. Josh Tanner (18 minutes): A man returns to the Midwestern farm of his childhood on a desperate mission to unearth the horrifying truth of what landed there in the summer of 1960.

Lost Memories dir. François Ferracci (3 minutes): A beautiful couple, a city over-saturated by holograms and digital stream. A Polaroid camera. Tomorrow will never be the same. (I don't particularly agree with the overall message conveyed in the film, but I can appreciate the perspective; has a sequel, Lost Memories 2.0)

The Narrow World dir. Brent Bonacorso (15 minutes): A giant alien creature comes to Earth. The reasons for its arrival, however, remain unknown as mankind fails to make contact with the visitor. (very similar to Arrival, but with the optimism of Pacific Rim)

Payload dir. Stuart Willis (18 minutes): A family of scavengers. A corrupt spaceport. A callous matriarch. A home in the shadow of a space elevator. After a brutal attack on his father, Simon Carter must sacrifice everything to save his family. (not particularly good, but it intrigued me for some inexplicable reason)

We Ate the Children Last dir. Andrew Cividino (12 minutes): What happens when society embraces a radical medical breakthrough without fully understanding its side effects?

Thriller

Bugcrush dir. Carter Smith (36 minutes): A small-town loner's fascination with the new kid in town leads him into something much more sinister than he could ever have imagined. (also just the trailer. Sorry!)

Prosopagnosia dir. Hugo Keijzer (18 minutes): Alfred finds his best friend Julia dead in her apartment and looks the perpetrator right in the eyes. He is unable to identify him, because of his extremely rare condition known as face blindness, or prosopagnosia.

#slyindoorssmoke #short films #my shit

[myhauntedsalem]

Ghosts of Hollywood

Even after death, some Hollywood celebrities can’t stop putting in appearances

Marilyn Monroe

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard is said to be the current residence of several ghosts of popular film stars. Marilyn Monroe, the glamorous and funny star of such pictures as Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, was a frequent guest of the Roosevelt at the height of her popularity. And although she died in her Brentwood home, her image has been seen on several occasions in a full-length mirror that once hung in her poolside suite. The mirror has been relocated to the hotel’s lower level by the elevators.

Montgomery Clift

Another respected star who died before his time, Montgomery Clift, was a four-time Oscar nominated actor who is best known for his roles in A Place in the Sun, From Here to Eternity and Judgment at Nuremberg. His ghost has also been seen at the Roosevelt. According to some of the hotel’s staff, Clift’s spirit haunts room number 928. Clift stayed in that suite in 1953, pacing back and forth, memorizing his lines for From Here to Eternity. Loud, unexplained noises have been heard coming from the empty suite, and its phone is occasionally found mysteriously off the hook.

Perhaps it’s fitting that the Hollywood Roosevelt should be the stirring place of celebrity ghosts since it was the site of the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. In fact, the Blossom Ballroom, where the ceremony was held, has an unexplained cold spot – a circular area measuring 30 inches in diameter that remains about 10 degrees colder than the rest of the room.

Harry Houdini

Houdini is best known as a magician and escape artist, of course, but at the height of his fame he was also drawn to Hollywood, where he made a handful of silent films from 1919 to 1923. With such titles as The Man from Beyond and Haldane of the Secret Service (which he also directed), the films were not regarded well enough to give him much of a Hollywood career. Houdini’s interest in the occult was well known, and although he earned a reputation as a masterful debunker of séances, he earnestly sought contact with those who have passed on to the other side. Shortly before his death, Houdini made a pact with his wife Bess that if he could, he would return and make contact with her from the other side. Perhaps he truly has attempted to return. Some claim to have seen the ghost of the great Houdini walking around in the home he owned on Laurel Canyon Blvd. in the Hollywood Hills. Film historians Laurie Jacobson and Marc Wanamaker, in their book Hollywood Haunted, dispute this story, saying that “Houdini most likely never even set foot in the Laurel Canyon mansion he is said to haunt.”

Clifton Webb

Clifton Webb was a very popular star of the 1940s and ’50s, earning two Oscar nominations for his roles in Laura and The Razor’s Edge. He may be best known for his portrayal of Mr. Belvedere in a series of films. It’s not too often that a ghost haunts the place in which the person is buried, but this seems to be the case for Webb. His ghost has been seen at the Abbey of the Psalms, Hollywood Memorial Cemetery, where his body is interred. But it seems to be a restless spirit, as his ghost has also been encountered at his old home on Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills.

Thelma Todd

Thelma Todd was a hot young star in the 1930s. She was featured in a number of hit comedies with the likes of The Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, and Buster Keaton. But that all ended in 1935 when Todd was found dead in her car, which was parked above the café she owned on the Pacific Coast Highway. Strangely, her death was ruled an accidental suicide, but many suspected murder and a coverup by powerful Hollywood figures. The building that once housed the café is now owed by Paulist Productions, and employees have reportedly witnessed the starlet’s ghost descending the stairs.

Thomas Ince

Ince is considered one of the visionary pioneers of American movies. He was one of the most respected directors of the silent era, best known, perhaps, for his westerns starring William S. Hart. He partnered with other early Hollywood giants such as D.W. Griffith and Mack Sennett, and founded Culver Studios, which later became MGM. Ironically, Ince’s death overshadowed his film legacy. He died aboard William Randolph Hearst’s yacht in 1924, and although the official record shows the cause of death as heart failure, the hot rumor is that he was shot by Hearst in a fit a jealousy over Hearst’s wife, Marion Davies. Ince’s ghost – as well as several other ghostly figures – have been seen in the lot that was once Culver Studios. Film crew members have seen the specter of a man matching Ince’s description on several occasions; in one instance, when the workers tried to speak to the spirit, it turned and disappeared through a wall.

Ozzie Nelson

Ghosts and hauntings are the last thing that come to mind when you think of the perpetually cheerful Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. The couple, with their real-life sons Ricky and David, were stars of the long-running sitcom “Ozzie and Harriet,” noted for its good-natured, gentle humor. Yet poor Ozzie doesn’t seem to be as contented in the afterlife. Family members, it is said, have seen Ozzie’s ghost in the family’s old Hollywood home, and it always appears to be in a somber mood. Perhaps he’s unhappy about how another Ozzy and his family have gained notoriety on TV.

George Reeves

From 1953 to 1957, George Reeves was TV’s Superman. Reeves had been around Hollywood for a while, playing bit parts in such films as Gone with the Wind and dozens of B-movies, but it was “The Adventures of Superman” on TV that brought him fame. Reeves died of a gunshot at his home in 1959. The official cause of death was suicide, but that conclusion has been hotly disputed, with some believing that Reeves was murdered. Whether it was suicide or murder, Reeves ghost has been seen in his Beverly Hills home. A couple claims to have seen the ghost of Reeves – decked out in his Superman costume – materialize in the bedroom where he died, after which it slowly faded away. Others believe that Reeves succumbed to the “Superman curse,” in which those associated with the fictional character over the years allegedly have met with disaster or death. But is there really a curse? Read “The Truth About the Superman Curse” by Superman expert Brian McKernan.

More Celebrity Ghosts

Jean Harlow – The spirit of this blonde bombshell is said to haunt the bedroom of her home on North Palm Drive, where her husband allegedly used to beat her.

Mary Pickford – This legend of the silent era – actress, writer and producer – was co-founder of United Artists with her husband Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin. Comic Buddy Rogers, who lived in the house Pickford once owned, saw her ghost appear in a white ruffled dress.

Grace Kelly – Princess Stephanie of Monaco believes that the ghost of her mother, Grace Kelly, helped her write a song from the spirit world.

Celebrities Who Have Seen Ghosts

Nicholas Cage – This Oscar-winning actor (Leaving Las Vegas) refused to stay in uncle Francis Ford Coppola’s home after seeing a ghost in the attic. (Cage was also cast as Superman in director Tim Burton’s film project, which was never made.)

Keanu Reeves – The star of The Matrix films and Devil’s Advocate was just a kid in New Jersey when he saw a ghost that took the form of a white double-breasted suit come into his room one night. He wasn’t imagining it; his nanny saw the phantom, too.

Neve Campbell – She’s been in more than her share of paranormal-themed movies (The Craft, Scream), but she’s had real-life encounters as well. A woman was murdered in the house she now lives in, and friends have seen her ghost walking around.

Matthew McConaughey – This popular actor (Contact) says he freaked out the first time he saw the ghost of an old woman, whom he calls “Madame Blue,” floating around his house.

Tim Robbins – Robbins, who was nominated for an Oscar in Mystic River, didn’t see ghosts, but strongly felt their presence when he moved into an apartment in 1984. Following his instinct, he moved out the next day.

Hugh Grant – British romantic comedy lead Hugh Grant (Love Actually) says he and friends have heard the wailing and screaming of some tormented spirit in his Los Angeles home. He even speculates it might be the ghost of a former resident – Bette Davis.

Dan Aykroyd – The Ghostbusters star (and Oscar-nominated for Driving Miss Daisy) has long had a fascination with the paranormal. He believes his home, once owned by Cass Elliot of The Mamas and The Papas, is haunted. “A ghost certainly haunts my house,” he said. “It once even crawled into bed with me. The ghost also turns on the Stairmaster and moves jewelry across the dresser. I’m sure it’s Mama Cass because you get the feeling it’s a big ghost.”

Sting – Rock star Sting (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and his wife Trudie have seen ghosts in their home. “I was absolutely terrified,” he said. “I now believe those things are out there, but I have no explanation for them.”

Jean Claude Van Damme – The Belgian action star (Timecop), also known as “Muscles from Brussels,” swears he saw a ghost in his bathroom mirror while he was brushing his teeth.

Richard Dreyfuss – He won an Oscar for The Goodbye Girl, but at one time had a cocaine problem. Visions of a ghost, he said, helped him kick the habit. “I had a car crash in the late 1970s,” Dreyfuss said, “when I was really screwed up, and I started seeing these ghostly visions of a little girl every night. I couldn’t shake this image. Every day it became clearer and I didn’t know who the hell she was. Then I realized that kid was either the child I didn’t kill the night I smashed up my car, or it was the daughter that I didn’t have yet. I immediately sobered up.”

Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman – This Hollywood couple was forced to flee their “dream home” in Sneden’s Landing, N.Y. when it became all too apparent that it was haunted. They still are reluctant to talk about their frightening encounters.

Belinda Carlisle – This pop singer and founding member of The Go-Gos, who appeared in Swing Shift and She’s Having a Baby, says she saw a “misty shape” hovering over her as she lay in bed one night. She also says that when she was 17, while nodding off to sleep in a chair in her parents’ home, she levitated and had an out-of-body experience.

Elke Sommers – This German-born actress, who appeared in the 1966 film The Oscar, claims to have seen the ghost of a middle-aged man in a white shirt in her home in North Beverly Hills. Guests in her home have also seen the specter. So much paranormal activity was reported in the house that the American Society for Psychical Research was brought in, and which verified the unexplained events. The severely haunted house was bought and sold more than 17 times since Sommers vacated it, and many have reported ghostly phenomena.

Paul McCartney – Ex-Beatle and Oscar-nominated songwriter (“Live and Let Die”) says that he, George Harrison and Ringo Starr sensed the playful spirit of John Lennon when they were recording Lennon’s song, “Free As A Bird” in 1995. “There were a lot of strange goings-on in the studio – noises that shouldn’t have been there and equipment doing all manner of weird things. There was just an overall feeling that John was around.”

#Ghosts of Hollywood #paranormal #ghost and hauntings #ghost and spirits

[sjohnson24]

Haunted Nebraska, Israel & The Bahamas

Ghosts & The Supernatural –  I checked with some of my Arizona contacts and they tell me that Marana prison is very haunted. Most prisons and jails are haunted, due to the fact of insider murders and suicides that take place in these institutions. A good example of that is the Nebraska State Penitentiary, see below:

GHOST STORIES FROM NEBRASKA: The Nebraska State Penitentiary opened in 1869. This prison is located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Sources say that prisoners have seen shadow people moving from cell to cell. One prisoner says that when he awakened from his bunk, he saw a man hanging from the bars. He thought it was his cell mate. As he looked at the hanging man, he started calling for the guards. When this happened, the hanging man disappeared. Some prisoners have heard the sounds of clanking noises and odd moaning when everyone is asleep. One prisoner makes claim that he felt someone slap his face and there was no one around. Other prisoners have complained of feeling cold spots in their cells and the cold spots seem to move around from one location to another.

Ghost of Blackbird Hill, Nebraska: The story goes back to 1849. Omaha Indians were out hunting and came upon a disheveled man with torn clothes. The man was lost and starving. The Indians brought him back to their village and their medicine man helped the man to recover. The man was for a while delirious and could not speak, but when he fully recovered, he told an odd tale of being on a shipwreck, getting lost in his travels searching for his fiancée, who promised to wait for him. When he did find his fiancée, she had remarried. The woman tells him that she never stopped loving him and that she will leave her husband to be with her one true love. When she tells her husband, it angers him and he stabs her repeatedly with a hunting knife. The husband then takes his wife into his arms and runs up the cliff and jumps into the river below. The man that she loved witnessed the jump into the river and he falls to his knees in extreme sorrow. Since this murder happened, no grass will grow from the path of the cabin where the couple lived to the cliff where the couple went over the cliff. Every October 17th, the residual screams of the woman can be heard and witnessed by many.

GHOST STORY FROM ISRAEL: The Ari Sefardi Synagogue, Israel: The Old City of Safed is located on the upper slope of a mountain. Below the city is the ancient cemetery where some of the most renowned Torah sages of all the ages are buried. Many witnesses have claimed that they have seen specters in robes moving about the cemetery. The staircase leading out of the cemetery into the city brings people to the Ari Sefardi Synagogue. This gigantic synagogue has a long history dating back over five hundred years. When Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the Ari Zal, moved to Safed in 1570, the synagogue was already ancient. He prayed there on an irregular basis, preferring to change his place for communion from one synagogue to another.

The reason the synagogue was named after him is because on a few occasions he would meet up with Elijah the Prophet. In those days, there was a small cave-like room over to the side, barely large enough for two or three people to stand in it. There the two of them would meet and discuss about the mysteries of the Torah. Surely, Elijah revealed many secrets to his beloved disciple at that spot. Today, that tiny room is kept sacred, with people lighting candles there throughout the day. Many witnesses have seen flying orbs with their own eyes and have felt cold spots. Some witnesses have even made claim of being touched.

GHOST STORY FROM THE BAHAMAS Dixon Hill Lighthouse, Bahamas: In the Bahamas, many of their lighthouses are haunted. Here is an example. The Dixon Hill Lighthouse was constructed in 1856 on the highest point of San Salvador Island, which is also known as Watling Island. The round tapered brick tower reaches 164 feet and is one of only 10 kerosene-powered lighthouses in the world. Tours are conducted by two keepers who live on the premises. The property was first owned by British loyalist Burton Williams and eventually wound up in the hands of his descendant named Thomas, who lost his foot in a boating accident. Thomas died in the 1950s around the same time the American military set up a missile tracking base on the island. Since then, sightings of a one-footed ghost have been reported around the lighthouse by both servicemen and local college students.

Well folks, there you have it, ghost stories from places that I have never been to, but places that my sister has visited. So if you ever head over to the Bahamas, Israel or Nebraska, you know where to visit if you want to experience the paranormal. Well, just don’t visit the Nebraska State Prison, that’s not a place you want to visit while their are still inmates there. Just saying.

Paul Dale Roberts, HPI Esoteric Detective Halo Paranormal Investigations (HPI International) https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/HPIinternational/

[swipestream]

Science Fiction New Release Roundup: 9 December 2017

This week’s roundup of the newest titles in science fiction features a murder mystery on a generations ship, captured space princesses, a reformed thug battling aliens in the back alleys of a dying world, and the return to publication of the eighth volume of the classic anthology There Will Be War.

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The Black Flag (Crimson Worlds Successors #3) – Jay Allan

The Triumvirate. Three clones of Gavin Stark who survived their evil master’s destruction. Now they have cheated death again, downloading their minds into an alien intelligence, a relic of the First Imperium. For three decades they have worked, silently, diligently, preparing their forces for the day that would launch the final assault.

Erik Cain, the legendary hero of the Marines Corps, the man who killed the real Stark. For years he was a prisoner of the triumvirate’s minions, held in brutal captivity on a dark world. Now he is free, battered by his long nightmare but never bowed, ready for the final struggle.

Darius Cain, Erik’s son, dread warrior and commander of the feared Black Eagles, the greatest of the mercenary Companies. Darius and his forces freed Erik Cain, and together with his father and his long-estranged twin brother, he is ready to rally the free forces of human space.

From the barren ruins of shattered Earth to the farthest reaches of human habitation in the galaxy, the final battle has begun. The Cains and their comrades are outnumbered, but the blood of warriors flows in their veins, and they will never stop, no matter what the cost…not until the battle is won.

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Capital Starship (Ixan Legacy #1) – Scott Bartlett

The Galaxy’s Doomed Without Him

The Ixa smashed the galaxy to bits before they were defeated. Captain Husher has sounded the alarm in the decades since: the Ixa’s creators will return to finish the job.

But unlike Husher, the galactic government didn’t battle the Ixa, and the politicians have convinced themselves that maintaining peace means limiting the ability to wage war.

Now, the enemy has returned, with high-tech weapons that prove they haven’t limited their own combat capabilities in the slightest. If Captain Husher and his beleaguered supercarrier crew can’t manage to stop the invaders, they will happily devour the galaxy whole.

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Forgotten (The Forgotten #1) – M.R. Forbes

Sheriff Hayden Duke was born on the Pilgrim, and he expects to die on the Pilgrim, like his father, and his father before him.

That’s the way things are on a generation starship centuries from home. He’s never questioned it. Never thought about it. And why bother? Access points to the ship’s controls are sealed, the systems that guide her automated and out of reach. It isn’t perfect, but he has all he needs to be content.

Until a malfunction forces his Engineer wife to the edge of the habitable zone to inspect the damage.

Until she contacts him, breathless and terrified, to tell him she found a body, and it doesn’t belong to anyone on board.

Until he arrives at the scene and discovers both his wife and the body are gone.

The only clue? A bloody handprint beneath a hatch that hasn’t opened in hundreds of years.

Until now.

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Grey Cat Blues – J. D. Cowan

Siege on the Shadow Planet!

Ex-punk Two Tone is left for dead and his friend is taken. His assailants: men of mud from some place darker than Hell!

The inscrutable Sarpedon has slithered from the depths to rule a planet that has long abandoned hope for a better tomorrow. With no one to stop his spree of violence, it is only a matter of time before Two Tone’s world is overrun.

Old friends and a mysterious beauty gather by his side, but are they enough? Is it too late for this dying world? If all cats are grey in the dark, will anyone see the panther stalking its prey? Two Tone will find the answers the best way he knows how—through his fists!

Grey Cat Blues tells the tale of a distant planet at humanity’s end. In this place, a man must choose between love and hate. And where his choice leads him might not be where he expects . .

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A Looming Shadow (Galaxy Ascendant #2) – Yakov Merkin

The war is over, but true peace remains elusive.

It’s been six months since the High Lord’s destruction at the Battle of Dorandor, and the Galactic Alliance is at peace—nominally, at least. While the Tyrannodons have become members of the Alliance, and their wartime allies readmitted, the anger and resentment against them has only somewhat subsided, despite efforts by High Executor Darkclaw to make his people into a true part of the Alliance.

First Scion Dalcon Oresh, hailed as the hero of the war, is focused on tracking down the fallen Scions, led by his former mentor, who have not been seen in some time—along with a number of Tyrannodons who remain loyal to the destroyed High Lord.

When Dalcon finally locates his quarry, he, as well as Darkclaw and Grand Admiral Nayasar, who had been looking forward to peacetime for an opportunity to start a family, are drawn into the hunt. More troublesome, the world to which they tracked the fallen Scions lies outside of Alliance space, in the territory of the mysterious Revittan Empire—who consider any intrusion into their space an act of war.

While Dalcon, Darkclaw, and Nayasar struggle to track down their enemies in a situation that they increasingly realize they had not properly prepared for, trouble is brewing outside, and their direct subordinates, Executor Keeneye and Admiral Felivas, have to make decisions that could threaten the hard-won peace that they have only recently managed to achieve.

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The Recognition Rejection (Recognition #2) – Henry Vogel

After beating almost insurmountable odds, Jeanine has laid claim to her birthright: the largest duchy in the Star Kingdom. As Jeanine’s sworn enemy, Princess Olivia, distances the royal family from direct confrontation with the new Duchess, a new enemy arises. When Jeanine and Olivia are both kidnapped, their husbands — Drake and Prince William — must bury the hatchet and work together to rescue the women they love.

The Recognition Rejection continues the star-spanning saga of royalty and revenge that began in Vogel’s award-nominated novel, The Recognition Run, with the same flair for exciting story-telling fans of Vogel’s previous best-selling space operas have come to know and love.

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Star Warrior – Isaac Hooke

In a galaxy where the fabric of reality can be bent and shaped by a privileged few, and almost any skill desired is a mere injection away, one young man is thrust into the fight of his life.

Tane, a hydroponics farmer with some mad cereal crop gene-splicing skills, decides to get chipped. The operation gives him full control over his autonomic nervous and endocrine systems, plus the ability to install custom memories.

All seems well until a couple of days later aliens come knocking at his door. And they aren’t the friendly type.

Soon Tane finds himself on a frenzied flight across the galaxy with a woman who can warp the very fabric of spacetime, her bodyguard–who’d just as soon kill Tane than protect him–and a starship that calls him snarky pet names. He’s on the run not simply from the aliens but the whole damn human space navy.

He only wished he knew why.

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Terra Nova (Terra Nova Chronicles #1) – Richard Fox and Josh Hayes

Terra Nova. The promised world is humanity’s new home, safe from the threats of a dangerous galaxy, where veterans of a long war could live in peace. The promise was a lie.

Chief Katherine “Kit” Carson, of the elite Pathfinder Corps, joins the mission as a last-minute replacement, hoping to put a spotty past behind her and build a new life on a brave new world.

The expedition arrives on Terra Nova, expecting to join the first wave of colonists, instead they find abandoned cities and are soon faced with a new, terrifying enemy humanity has never encountered before.

For the colony to survive, Carson must unravel the mystery of her new home and learn the fate of the first mission to settle the planet…

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There Will Be War Volume VIII – Edited by Jerry Pournelle and John F. Carr

Created by the bestselling SF novelist Jerry Pournelle, THERE WILL BE WAR is a landmark science fiction anthology series that combines top-notch military science fiction with factual essays by various generals and military experts on everything from High Frontier and the Strategic Defense Initiative to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. It features some of the greatest military science fiction ever published, such Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” in Volume I and Joel Rosenberg’s “Cincinnatus” in Volume II. Many science fiction greats were featured in the original nine-volume series, which ran from 1982 to 1990, including Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Gordon Dickson, Poul Anderson, John Brunner, Gregory Benford, Robert Silverberg, Harry Turtledove, and Ben Bova.

33 years later, Castalia House has teamed up with Dr. Pournelle to make this classic science fiction series available to the public again. THERE WILL BE WAR is a treasure trove of science fiction and history that will educate and amaze new readers while reminding old ones how much the world has changed over the last three decades. Most of the stories, like war itself, remain entirely relevant today.

THERE WILL BE WAR Volume VIII is edited by Jerry Pournelle and John F. Carr, and features 21 stories, articles, and poems. Of particular note are “Surviving Armageddon” by Jerry Pournelle, the brilliantly inventive “Dinosaurs” by Geoffrey A. Landis, “As It Was In the Beginning” by Edward P. Hughes, and the haunting “Through Road No Whither” by Greg Bear.

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Who Takes No Risk (The Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes #7) – Ryk Brown

Old allies go dark… New worlds join the fight… A rescue from an enemy held world… A lone operative with a dangerous plan…

The Karuzari finally have the support of an industrialized system, but they need time to build their forces. Unfortunately, time is the one thing they may not have.

Captain Scott now faces a difficult decision: To risk it all on a single roll-of-the-dice, or to turn his back on an old friend, and a plan that could buy them the time they so desperately need?

Science Fiction New Release Roundup: 9 December 2017 published first on http://ift.tt/2zdiasi

[myhauntedsalem]

Ghosts of Hollywood

Even after death, some Hollywood celebrities can’t stop putting in appearances

Marilyn Monroe

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard is said to be the current residence of several ghosts of popular film stars. Marilyn Monroe, the glamorous and funny star of such pictures as Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, was a frequent guest of the Roosevelt at the height of her popularity. And although she died in her Brentwood home, her image has been seen on several occasions in a full-length mirror that once hung in her poolside suite. The mirror has been relocated to the hotel’s lower level by the elevators.

Montgomery Clift

Another respected star who died before his time, Montgomery Clift, was a four-time Oscar nominated actor who is best known for his roles in A Place in the Sun, From Here to Eternity and Judgment at Nuremberg. His ghost has also been seen at the Roosevelt. According to some of the hotel’s staff, Clift’s spirit haunts room number 928. Clift stayed in that suite in 1953, pacing back and forth, memorizing his lines for From Here to Eternity. Loud, unexplained noises have been heard coming from the empty suite, and its phone is occasionally found mysteriously off the hook.

Perhaps it’s fitting that the Hollywood Roosevelt should be the stirring place of celebrity ghosts since it was the site of the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. In fact, the Blossom Ballroom, where the ceremony was held, has an unexplained cold spot – a circular area measuring 30 inches in diameter that remains about 10 degrees colder than the rest of the room.

Harry Houdini

Houdini is best known as a magician and escape artist, of course, but at the height of his fame he was also drawn to Hollywood, where he made a handful of silent films from 1919 to 1923. With such titles as The Man from Beyond and Haldane of the Secret Service (which he also directed), the films were not regarded well enough to give him much of a Hollywood career. Houdini’s interest in the occult was well known, and although he earned a reputation as a masterful debunker of séances, he earnestly sought contact with those who have passed on to the other side. Shortly before his death, Houdini made a pact with his wife Bess that if he could, he would return and make contact with her from the other side. Perhaps he truly has attempted to return. Some claim to have seen the ghost of the great Houdini walking around in the home he owned on Laurel Canyon Blvd. in the Hollywood Hills. Film historians Laurie Jacobson and Marc Wanamaker, in their book Hollywood Haunted, dispute this story, saying that “Houdini most likely never even set foot in the Laurel Canyon mansion he is said to haunt.”

Clifton Webb

Clifton Webb was a very popular star of the 1940s and ’50s, earning two Oscar nominations for his roles in Laura and The Razor’s Edge. He may be best known for his portrayal of Mr. Belvedere in a series of films. It’s not too often that a ghost haunts the place in which the person is buried, but this seems to be the case for Webb. His ghost has been seen at the Abbey of the Psalms, Hollywood Memorial Cemetery, where his body is interred. But it seems to be a restless spirit, as his ghost has also been encountered at his old home on Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills.

Thelma Todd

Thelma Todd was a hot young star in the 1930s. She was featured in a number of hit comedies with the likes of The Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, and Buster Keaton. But that all ended in 1935 when Todd was found dead in her car, which was parked above the café she owned on the Pacific Coast Highway. Strangely, her death was ruled an accidental suicide, but many suspected murder and a coverup by powerful Hollywood figures. The building that once housed the café is now owed by Paulist Productions, and employees have reportedly witnessed the starlet’s ghost descending the stairs.

Thomas Ince

Ince is considered one of the visionary pioneers of American movies. He was one of the most respected directors of the silent era, best known, perhaps, for his westerns starring William S. Hart. He partnered with other early Hollywood giants such as D.W. Griffith and Mack Sennett, and founded Culver Studios, which later became MGM. Ironically, Ince’s death overshadowed his film legacy. He died aboard William Randolph Hearst’s yacht in 1924, and although the official record shows the cause of death as heart failure, the hot rumor is that he was shot by Hearst in a fit a jealousy over Hearst’s wife, Marion Davies. Ince’s ghost – as well as several other ghostly figures – have been seen in the lot that was once Culver Studios. Film crew members have seen the specter of a man matching Ince’s description on several occasions; in one instance, when the workers tried to speak to the spirit, it turned and disappeared through a wall.

Ozzie Nelson

Ghosts and hauntings are the last thing that come to mind when you think of the perpetually cheerful Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. The couple, with their real-life sons Ricky and David, were stars of the long-running sitcom “Ozzie and Harriet,” noted for its good-natured, gentle humor. Yet poor Ozzie doesn’t seem to be as contented in the afterlife. Family members, it is said, have seen Ozzie’s ghost in the family’s old Hollywood home, and it always appears to be in a somber mood. Perhaps he’s unhappy about how another Ozzy and his family have gained notoriety on TV.

George Reeves

From 1953 to 1957, George Reeves was TV’s Superman. Reeves had been around Hollywood for a while, playing bit parts in such films as Gone with the Wind and dozens of B-movies, but it was “The Adventures of Superman” on TV that brought him fame. Reeves died of a gunshot at his home in 1959. The official cause of death was suicide, but that conclusion has been hotly disputed, with some believing that Reeves was murdered. Whether it was suicide or murder, Reeves ghost has been seen in his Beverly Hills home. A couple claims to have seen the ghost of Reeves – decked out in his Superman costume – materialize in the bedroom where he died, after which it slowly faded away.

Others believe that Reeves succumbed to the “Superman curse,” in which those associated with the fictional character over the years allegedly have met with disaster or death. But is there really a curse? Read “The Truth About the Superman Curse” by Superman expert Brian McKernan.

More Celebrity Ghosts

Rudolph Valentino – This silent film heartthrob has been seen in the bedroom and stables of his old Hollywood home. Jean Harlow – The spirit of this blonde bombshell is said to haunt the bedroom of her home on North Palm Drive, where her husband allegedly used to beat her.

Mary Pickford – This legend of the silent era – actress, writer and producer – was co-founder of United Artists with her husband Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin. Comic Buddy Rogers, who lived in the house Pickford once owned, saw her ghost appear in a white ruffled dress.

Grace Kelly – Princess Stephanie of Monaco believes that the ghost of her mother, Grace Kelly, helped her write a song from the spirit world.

Celebrities Who Have Seen Ghosts

Nicholas Cage – This Oscar-winning actor (Leaving Las Vegas) refused to stay in uncle Francis Ford Coppola’s home after seeing a ghost in the attic. (Cage was also cast as Superman in director Tim Burton’s film project, which was never made.)

Keanu Reeves – The star of The Matrix films and Devil’s Advocate was just a kid in New Jersey when he saw a ghost that took the form of a white double-breasted suit come into his room one night. He wasn’t imagining it; his nanny saw the phantom, too.

Neve Campbell – She’s been in more than her share of paranormal-themed movies (The Craft, Scream), but she’s had real-life encounters as well. A woman was murdered in the house she now lives in, and friends have seen her ghost walking around.

Matthew McConaughey – This popular actor (Contact) says he freaked out the first time he saw the ghost of an old woman, whom he calls “Madame Blue,” floating around his house.

Tim Robbins – Robbins, who was nominated for an Oscar in Mystic River, didn’t see ghosts, but strongly felt their presence when he moved into an apartment in 1984. Following his instinct, he moved out the next day.

Hugh Grant – British romantic comedy lead Hugh Grant (Love Actually) says he and friends have heard the wailing and screaming of some tormented spirit in his Los Angeles home. He even speculates it might be the ghost of a former resident – Bette Davis.

Dan Aykroyd – The Ghostbusters star (and Oscar-nominated for Driving Miss Daisy) has long had a fascination with the paranormal. He believes his home, once owned by Cass Elliot of The Mamas and The Papas, is haunted. “A ghost certainly haunts my house,” he said. “It once even crawled into bed with me. The ghost also turns on the Stairmaster and moves jewelry across the dresser. I’m sure it’s Mama Cass because you get the feeling it’s a big ghost.”

Sting – Rock star Sting (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and his wife Trudie have seen ghosts in their home. “I was absolutely terrified,” he said. “I now believe those things are out there, but I have no explanation for them.”

Jean Claude Van Damme – The Belgian action star (Timecop), also known as “Muscles from Brussels,” swears he saw a ghost in his bathroom mirror while he was brushing his teeth.

Richard Dreyfuss – He won an Oscar for The Goodbye Girl, but at one time had a cocaine problem. Visions of a ghost, he said, helped him kick the habit. “I had a car crash in the late 1970s,” Dreyfuss said, “when I was really screwed up, and I started seeing these ghostly visions of a little girl every night. I couldn’t shake this image. Every day it became clearer and I didn’t know who the hell she was. Then I realized that kid was either the child I didn’t kill the night I smashed up my car, or it was the daughter that I didn’t have yet. I immediately sobered up.”

Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman – This Hollywood couple was forced to flee their “dream home” in Sneden’s Landing, N.Y. when it became all too apparent that it was haunted. They still are reluctant to talk about their frightening encounters.

Belinda Carlisle – This pop singer and founding member of The Go-Gos, who appeared in Swing Shift and She’s Having a Baby, says she saw a “misty shape” hovering over her as she lay in bed one night. She also says that when she was 17, while nodding off to sleep in a chair in her parents’ home, she levitated and had an out-of-body experience.

Elke Sommers – This German-born actress, who appeared in the 1966 film The Oscar, claims to have seen the ghost of a middle-aged man in a white shirt in her home in North Beverly Hills. Guests in her home have also seen the specter. So much paranormal activity was reported in the house that the American Society for Psychical Research was brought in, and which verified the unexplained events. The severely haunted house was bought and sold more than 17 times since Sommers vacated it, and many have reported ghostly phenomena.

Paul McCartney – Ex-Beatle and Oscar-nominated songwriter (“Live and Let Die”) says that he, George Harrison and Ringo Starr sensed the playful spirit of John Lennon when they were recording Lennon’s song, “Free As A Bird” in 1995. “There were a lot of strange goings-on in the studio – noises that shouldn’t have been there and equipment doing all manner of weird things. There was just an overall feeling that John was around.”

#Ghosts of Hollywood #paranormal #ghost and hauntings

[myhauntedsalem]

Ghosts of Hollywood

Even after death, some Hollywood celebrities can’t stop putting in appearances

Marilyn Monroe

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard is said to be the current residence of several ghosts of popular film stars. Marilyn Monroe, the glamorous and funny star of such pictures as Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, was a frequent guest of the Roosevelt at the height of her popularity. And although she died in her Brentwood home, her image has been seen on several occasions in a full-length mirror that once hung in her poolside suite. The mirror has been relocated to the hotel’s lower level by the elevators.

Montgomery Clift

Another respected star who died before his time, Montgomery Clift, was a four-time Oscar nominated actor who is best known for his roles in A Place in the Sun, From Here to Eternity and Judgment at Nuremberg. His ghost has also been seen at the Roosevelt. According to some of the hotel’s staff, Clift’s spirit haunts room number 928. Clift stayed in that suite in 1953, pacing back and forth, memorizing his lines for From Here to Eternity. Loud, unexplained noises have been heard coming from the empty suite, and its phone is occasionally found mysteriously off the hook.

Perhaps it’s fitting that the Hollywood Roosevelt should be the stirring place of celebrity ghosts since it was the site of the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. In fact, the Blossom Ballroom, where the ceremony was held, has an unexplained cold spot – a circular area measuring 30 inches in diameter that remains about 10 degrees colder than the rest of the room.

Harry Houdini

Houdini is best known as a magician and escape artist, of course, but at the height of his fame he was also drawn to Hollywood, where he made a handful of silent films from 1919 to 1923. With such titles as The Man from Beyond and Haldane of the Secret Service (which he also directed), the films were not regarded well enough to give him much of a Hollywood career. Houdini’s interest in the occult was well known, and although he earned a reputation as a masterful debunker of séances, he earnestly sought contact with those who have passed on to the other side. Shortly before his death, Houdini made a pact with his wife Bess that if he could, he would return and make contact with her from the other side. Perhaps he truly has attempted to return. Some claim to have seen the ghost of the great Houdini walking around in the home he owned on Laurel Canyon Blvd. in the Hollywood Hills. Film historians Laurie Jacobson and Marc Wanamaker, in their book Hollywood Haunted, dispute this story, saying that “Houdini most likely never even set foot in the Laurel Canyon mansion he is said to haunt.”

Clifton Webb

Clifton Webb was a very popular star of the 1940s and ’50s, earning two Oscar nominations for his roles in Laura and The Razor’s Edge. He may be best known for his portrayal of Mr. Belvedere in a series of films. It’s not too often that a ghost haunts the place in which the person is buried, but this seems to be the case for Webb. His ghost has been seen at the Abbey of the Psalms, Hollywood Memorial Cemetery, where his body is interred. But it seems to be a restless spirit, as his ghost has also been encountered at his old home on Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills.

Thelma Todd

Thelma Todd was a hot young star in the 1930s. She was featured in a number of hit comedies with the likes of The Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, and Buster Keaton. But that all ended in 1935 when Todd was found dead in her car, which was parked above the café she owned on the Pacific Coast Highway. Strangely, her death was ruled an accidental suicide, but many suspected murder and a coverup by powerful Hollywood figures. The building that once housed the café is now owed by Paulist Productions, and employees have reportedly witnessed the starlet’s ghost descending the stairs.

Thomas Ince

Ince is considered one of the visionary pioneers of American movies. He was one of the most respected directors of the silent era, best known, perhaps, for his westerns starring William S. Hart. He partnered with other early Hollywood giants such as D.W. Griffith and Mack Sennett, and founded Culver Studios, which later became MGM. Ironically, Ince’s death overshadowed his film legacy. He died aboard William Randolph Hearst’s yacht in 1924, and although the official record shows the cause of death as heart failure, the hot rumor is that he was shot by Hearst in a fit a jealousy over Hearst’s wife, Marion Davies. Ince’s ghost – as well as several other ghostly figures – have been seen in the lot that was once Culver Studios. Film crew members have seen the specter of a man matching Ince’s description on several occasions; in one instance, when the workers tried to speak to the spirit, it turned and disappeared through a wall.

Ozzie Nelson

Ghosts and hauntings are the last thing that come to mind when you think of the perpetually cheerful Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. The couple, with their real-life sons Ricky and David, were stars of the long-running sitcom “Ozzie and Harriet,” noted for its good-natured, gentle humor. Yet poor Ozzie doesn’t seem to be as contented in the afterlife. Family members, it is said, have seen Ozzie’s ghost in the family’s old Hollywood home, and it always appears to be in a somber mood. Perhaps he’s unhappy about how another Ozzy and his family have gained notoriety on TV.

George Reeves

From 1953 to 1957, George Reeves was TV’s Superman. Reeves had been around Hollywood for a while, playing bit parts in such films as Gone with the Wind and dozens of B-movies, but it was “The Adventures of Superman” on TV that brought him fame. Reeves died of a gunshot at his home in 1959. The official cause of death was suicide, but that conclusion has been hotly disputed, with some believing that Reeves was murdered. Whether it was suicide or murder, Reeves ghost has been seen in his Beverly Hills home. A couple claims to have seen the ghost of Reeves – decked out in his Superman costume – materialize in the bedroom where he died, after which it slowly faded away.

Others believe that Reeves succumbed to the “Superman curse,” in which those associated with the fictional character over the years allegedly have met with disaster or death. But is there really a curse? Read “The Truth About the Superman Curse” by Superman expert Brian McKernan.

More Celebrity Ghosts

Rudolph Valentino – This silent film heartthrob has been seen in the bedroom and stables of his old Hollywood home.

Jean Harlow – The spirit of this blonde bombshell is said to haunt the bedroom of her home on North Palm Drive, where her husband allegedly used to beat her.

Mary Pickford – This legend of the silent era – actress, writer and producer – was co-founder of United Artists with her husband Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin. Comic Buddy Rogers, who lived in the house Pickford once owned, saw her ghost appear in a white ruffled dress.

Grace Kelly – Princess Stephanie of Monaco believes that the ghost of her mother, Grace Kelly, helped her write a song from the spirit world.

Celebrities Who Have Seen Ghosts

Nicholas Cage – This Oscar-winning actor (Leaving Las Vegas) refused to stay in uncle Francis Ford Coppola’s home after seeing a ghost in the attic. (Cage was also cast as Superman in director Tim Burton’s film project, which was never made.)

Keanu Reeves – The star of The Matrix films and Devil’s Advocate was just a kid in New Jersey when he saw a ghost that took the form of a white double-breasted suit come into his room one night. He wasn’t imagining it; his nanny saw the phantom, too.

Neve Campbell – She’s been in more than her share of paranormal-themed movies (The Craft, Scream), but she’s had real-life encounters as well. A woman was murdered in the house she now lives in, and friends have seen her ghost walking around.

Matthew McConaughey – This popular actor (Contact) says he freaked out the first time he saw the ghost of an old woman, whom he calls “Madame Blue,” floating around his house. Tim Robbins – Robbins, who was nominated for an Oscar in Mystic River, didn’t see ghosts, but strongly felt their presence when he moved into an apartment in 1984. Following his instinct, he moved out the next day.

Hugh Grant – British romantic comedy lead Hugh Grant (Love Actually) says he and friends have heard the wailing and screaming of some tormented spirit in his Los Angeles home. He even speculates it might be the ghost of a former resident – Bette Davis.

Dan Aykroyd – The Ghostbusters star (and Oscar-nominated for Driving Miss Daisy) has long had a fascination with the paranormal. He believes his home, once owned by Cass Elliot of The Mamas and The Papas, is haunted. “A ghost certainly haunts my house,” he said. “It once even crawled into bed with me. The ghost also turns on the Stairmaster and moves jewelry across the dresser. I’m sure it’s Mama Cass because you get the feeling it’s a big ghost.”

Sting – Rock star Sting (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and his wife Trudie have seen ghosts in their home. “I was absolutely terrified,” he said. “I now believe those things are out there, but I have no explanation for them.”

Jean Claude Van Damme – The Belgian action star (Timecop), also known as “Muscles from Brussels,” swears he saw a ghost in his bathroom mirror while he was brushing his teeth.

Richard Dreyfuss – He won an Oscar for The Goodbye Girl, but at one time had a cocaine problem. Visions of a ghost, he said, helped him kick the habit. “I had a car crash in the late 1970s,” Dreyfuss said, “when I was really screwed up, and I started seeing these ghostly visions of a little girl every night. I couldn’t shake this image. Every day it became clearer and I didn’t know who the hell she was. Then I realized that kid was either the child I didn’t kill the night I smashed up my car, or it was the daughter that I didn’t have yet. I immediately sobered up.”

Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman – This Hollywood couple was forced to flee their “dream home” in Sneden’s Landing, N.Y. when it became all too apparent that it was haunted. They still are reluctant to talk about their frightening encounters.

Belinda Carlisle – This pop singer and founding member of The Go-Gos, who appeared in Swing Shift and She’s Having a Baby, says she saw a “misty shape” hovering over her as she lay in bed one night. She also says that when she was 17, while nodding off to sleep in a chair in her parents’ home, she levitated and had an out-of-body experience.

Elke Sommers – This German-born actress, who appeared in the 1966 film The Oscar, claims to have seen the ghost of a middle-aged man in a white shirt in her home in North Beverly Hills. Guests in her home have also seen the specter. So much paranormal activity was reported in the house that the American Society for Psychical Research was brought in, and which verified the unexplained events. The severely haunted house was bought and sold more than 17 times since Sommers vacated it, and many have reported ghostly phenomena.

Paul McCartney – Ex-Beatle and Oscar-nominated songwriter (“Live and Let Die”) says that he, George Harrison and Ringo Starr sensed the playful spirit of John Lennon when they were recording Lennon’s song, “Free As A Bird” in 1995. “There were a lot of strange goings-on in the studio – noises that shouldn’t have been there and equipment doing all manner of weird things. There was just an overall feeling that John was around.”

#Ghosts of Hollywood #paranormal #ghost and hauntings