Check the Yellow Pages under “Wizard”
Published August 4, 2011 | 
“My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I’m a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I’m the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under ‘Wizards’. Believe it or not, I’m the only one there.” -from Storm Front, the first novel of The Dresden Files.
A large number of Jim Butcher’s fans were very critical of the television series because they thought it was supposed to be a direct adaptation of the books.
Well, Mr Butcher himself wrote on his own forum: “The show is not the books. It is not meant to follow the same story. It is meant as an alternate world, where the overall background and story-world is similar, but not all the same things happen. The show is not attempting to recreate the books on a chapter-by-chapter or even story-by-story basis.” He continued by saying that viewers expecting that would be sorely disappointed.
With that being said, the series was quite well done and personally I sincerely hope the SyFy network finds a way to resurrect the series in some way. Hopefully with the same actors.
Paul Blackthorne as the title character, Harry Dresden – The Wizard, Valerie Cruz as Lt. Connie Murphy – the Chicago police officer, Terrence Mann as Hrothbert “Bob” of Bainbridge – the old spirit owned by Dresden. Bob is an immense source of knowledge which Dresden taps to solve supernatural crimes. Conrad Coates as Warden Donald Morgan – a Warden of the High Council, the governing body of the wizarding community, and is assigned to the Chicago area.
One of the main recurring roles was played by Joanne Kelly as Bianca – one of the most powerful vampires in Chicago, and a member of the Red Court.
Excerpt from The Greater Chicago YellowPages:
HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other Entertainment.
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The Vampire Diaries – The True Beginning
Published July 31, 2011 |
The Vampire Diaries
After taking a long deserved break from writing for several years, L. J. Smith announced, in 2007, a new spin-off trilogy entitled The Vampire Diaries: The Return, continuing the series, with Damon as the main protagonist. The first installment, Nightfall
The next trilogy to be written and released after The Return trilogy, The Hunters, will go back to featuring Stefan and Elena as the main characters. It will focus on Stefan and Elena the college years. The three novels in The Hunters trilogy are called Phantom, Moonsong, and Eternity.
The Vampire Diaries has been adapted into a loosely based television series which premiered on September 10, 2009, on The CW. The third season will begin broadcasting in September 2011.
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Vampires… Myth, Folklore Or…
Published July 30, 2011 |
Vampires are referred to as the “undead” in myth and folklore. In some stories vampires are huge, bloated creatures, dark red in color. The more popular and current description of a vampire is a very thin, pale creature of human form that sleeps in a coffin during the day and hunts for human blood at night. To facilitate the drinking of this blood, the vampire has two long pointed eye-teeth or fangs.
Legend has it that the only way to kill a vampire is to drive a wooden stake through his heart, different wood types are required according to each story. Other legends say that the only way to kill a vampire is to cut his head off, to shoot him, drown him, sprinkle him with holy water, or have a priest conduct an exorcism.
The actual term “vampire” wasn’t used much until the early 18th century. Most Vampire superstitions were imported from areas where vampire legends were rampant, mainly the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
The influx of vampire folklore into Western Europe created mass hysteria that resulted in people actually driving stakes through the hearts of corpses, just as a precaution. As the hysteria grew many people were accused of really being vampires.
Today, vampires are generally considered fictional creatures. Still, there are groups of believers, particularly in South America, in Mexico, and in Latin American neighborhoods in the United States. These particular vampires are called Chupacabra. The Chupacabra is described as a large, non-human creature, approximately the size of a small bear, with a row of spines or spikes starting at the neck and extending to the base of the tail.
Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula” continues to provide the basis of the modern vampire legend.
You can grab a .pdf file of the original work HERE.
Vampires are a dominant figures in modern-day horror films and television programming. For example the Twilight Saga novels and currently a very popular motion picture series. The Vampire Diaries and TrueBlood on television along with the cult-like following of the old 1960′s TV series “Dark Shadows”.
The Ashmore Estate, Illinois
Published July 30, 2011 |
For over 20 years, the Ashmore Estate had been off limits to the public. Doubters will tell you that the Ashmore Estate is uninhabited and has been closed since 1987. Well… it’s true that no HUMANS live at the Ashmore Estate; but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is uninhabited, now does it?
The Ashmore was built in 1916. It has three stories, and it was used as a poor house for the less fortunate residents of Coles County, Illinois. In 1956 the Ashmore Estate was converted into a home for the mentally challenged and operated until it shut its doors in 1987.
Since then, the stories of the paranormal about the Ashmore Estate have absolutely gone nuts (no pun intended). It’s said that residents of the home who have died there simply refuse to leave. There are those who say that these apparitions have been walking through the Ashmore for years and that some of them have even been captured on tape. It has even been said that the walls of the Ashmore Estate can talk and have many stories to tell.
For many years ghost hunters and paranormal investigators visited the Ashmore Estate illegally and say that they were a part of the hauntings firsthand.
In 2004 the Ashmore Estate was acquired by new owners. These new owners have made the Ashmore Estate available to the public once again in several different ways. Flashlight tours are offered year-round and there are often special events as well as opportunities to spend the night at the Ashmore Estate (at your own risk, of course).
Over the years there have been several prominent and legal paranormal investigations at the Ashmore Estate. Internationally renowned paranormal investigator “Christopher Moon” and the International Society for Paranormal Investigations was one.
Posted in News of the Weird | 
Ashmore, Ghost Hunters, Halloween, Paranormal Investigations, Youtube | 
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Vampire Ghost in Guadalajara
Published July 27, 2011 |
The story is told of a vampire who lived in the Mexican town of Guadalajara back in the early 19th century. Strange things began to happen. Small animals, livestock, and even newborn babies were found dead – no blood left in their bodies – night after night after night. The ‘creature’ responsible for the deaths was called El Vampiro.
Finally, the town’s people decided to try and catch El Vampiro, when a man was seen sneaking back into his home directly following another attack. The town’s people burst into the man’s home and killed him. Then they drove a wooden stake through his heart and buried him without ceremony in the town’s cemetery, El Panteon de Belen (The Pantheon of Bethlehem).
Peace returned to Guadalajara, but a tree mysteriously began to grow from the stake that had been driven through the heart of El Vampiro. They say that it was fed by the blood of the vampire, and the tree grew and grew and grew. Branches that were broken off the tree had sap mixed with blood in them.
The roots of the massive tree began to lift the casket of El Vampiro to the surface. It was believed by the locals that once the casket reached the surface, El Vampiro would live again.
There is a story of a young girl who released El Vampiro and was saved by an exorcism. She was a curious child who had heard the legend of El Vampiro all her life and decided to investigate. Because the metal casket was nearly rusted through, she made a hole in it and El Vampiro escaped. The tree was then cut down. It hasn’t grow back yet, but you can see the stump of the large tree at El Panteon de Belen in Guadalajara today, and there are those who say you can also see and feel the evil spirit of El Vampiro.
So, how much of this story is true and how much is total bunk… Your guess is as good as mine.
Posted in News of the Weird, Vampire Books & Stories | Casket, Deaths, El Vampiro, Exorcism, Ghost Story, Guadalajara, Wooden Stake | Leave a comment42″ TV Plus xBox 360
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