Television - Ghost Whisperer # 1

**-maybe someday love-** · 09-02-2005, 07:30 PM

Ever since she was a young girl, Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt), has been able to see and talk to dead people--earth bound spirits who have yet to cross over to the other side and who seek her help in communicating and resolving unfinished business with the living. Melinda sometimes has a hard time accepting her "gift," especially now that she's a newlywed and looking forward to starting her new life with her husband, Jim Clancy (David Conrad), a paramedic. Her friend and business partner in the antique store, Andrea Moreno (Aisha Tyler), is fascinated by Melinda's talent. Although Melinda embraces her unique "abilities" as a blessing and sometimes a curse, she always helps her clients--alive or dead--find emotional closure.

GW Fans

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Melinda & Jim

by sktweety20

Official Site

You can see weekly previews, and get cast info here.

Sneak Peak Video Clip

From TVguide.com, it features a scene from the pilot.

The Cast

Up Next

Friday, October 7
"Ghost, Interrupted"

Melinda meets Zoë, an audacious dead girl haunting Natalie, her twin sister. Natalie is stuck in a psychiatric ward for believing that Zoë is still "with" her. Melinda must convince everyone that Natalie is not crazy before it’s too late.

Elusive One · 09-02-2005, 08:06 PM

I'm looking forward for this. I thought it was like what another "Medium" then I read like two reviews and it said it may sound like "Medium" but it's got its very own stuff. I forget.

**-maybe someday love-** · 09-02-2005, 08:24 PM

Hey welcome to the thread!

I was hoping someone would come in here.

I acutally saw the pilot already. It's pretty solid and I enjoyed it a lot. Jennifer was excellent in it, and the story in the pilot was very touching. I'm looking forward to this show too!

***Enigma*** · 09-02-2005, 09:55 PM

I'm still a little bitter about Joan of Arcadia being cancelled, but it won't stop me from checking the pilot out. I like JLH. I love Medium, so I don't want this to be a rip off of that. But, I've heard that's not the case which is good.

I'm undecided about this show, but I'll check it out.

Shauna - You've given me a bit more hope about this show.

**-maybe someday love-** · 09-02-2005, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamWalker

Shauna - You've given me a bit more hope about this show.

I'm glad!

Yeah, I was a little bit angry and not to mention suprised about JOA being cancelled. But I gave thet pilot a watch and ended up really liking it. I've never seen Medium before, so I can't make the comparison, but all I know is I that I liked what I saw, and Jennifer did a convincing job of it.

***Enigma*** · 09-03-2005, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTUgal21

I'm glad!

Yeah, I was a little bit angry and not to mention suprised about JOA being cancelled. But I gave thet pilot a watch and ended up really liking it. I've never seen Medium before, so I can't make the comparison, but all I know is I that I liked what I saw, and Jennifer did a convincing job of it.

Cool. I'll be back to post after the pilot for sure.

thuggie8 · 09-03-2005, 12:56 AM

I just watched the extended preview and it looks pretty decent. I''m a fan of Medium and at first had my reservations about Ghost Whisperer, but JHL is pretty convincing, not to mention, that David Conrad, on my favorites from Miss Match is in this show as well. I'll most definitely give the show a shot ... can't wait .. man, I love the new tv season!

PiCkLeS4dAwSoN · 09-03-2005, 05:29 AM

I don't know if I'm going to continue watching this, but I am tuning in for the Pilot just for Wentworth Miller!

Nikki K · 09-03-2005, 12:27 PM

Watched the Pilot when it was on up on isohunt and to my surprise I liked it well enough. I love Medium and I feared this was just a rip-off. So far, I don't think it is because it lacks the crime aspect. Also I was pretty much okay with JLH's performance. It's not the most brilliant thing ever and I still don't see why they think this will do better than JoA but I'll continue watching.

**-maybe someday love-** · 09-03-2005, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikki K

Watched the Pilot when it was on up on isohunt and to my surprise I liked it well enough. I love Medium and I feared this was just a rip-off. So far, I don't think it is because it lacks the crime aspect. Also I was pretty much okay with JLH's performance. It's not the most brilliant thing ever and I still don't see why they think this will do better than JoA but I'll continue watching.

I agree. It's not an amazing show, but the pilot was pretty decent, (which I was suprised about) as well with Jennifer Love Hewitt's performance. I don't know how it will do better than JOA either, but I guess we'll wait and see.

Yeah, and if anything Wentworth Miller's enough to watch just for the first episode.

**Rainstorm Jenny** · 09-03-2005, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamWalker

I'm still a little bitter about Joan of Arcadia being cancelled

Same here, but I will check out the plot just to see if I like it or not

**-maybe someday love-** · 09-03-2005, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainstorm18

Same here, but I will check out the plot just to see if I like it or not

Yeah, you should give it a chance. It's a pretty decent show. Not life changing or anything, lol. But it was decent enough..

Yeah, I am still suprised they cancelled JOA... I never thought they would have. I don't know if Ghost Whisperer can really do that much better. Who knows.

Hermione Weasley · 09-04-2005, 08:43 AM

I loved JOA and wish it wasnt cancelled. I'll most likely give this show a try anyway though, especially since Wentworth Miller is in the pilot. I like Jennifer Love Hewit as well so I may like it

**-maybe someday love-** · 09-04-2005, 11:59 AM

Here's an article. The show is actually based on the real life experieces of a woman:

NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio - Mary Ann Winkowski’s paranormal experiences as a ghostbuster for hire have inspired CBS to place “Ghost Whisperer” on its fall lineup, with Jennifer Love Hewitt in the title role.

Winkowski, a paid consultant to the series, is booked four months in advance to chase unwanted ghosts from people’s homes.

“I never would have thought 20 years ago this would have been a full-time job,” Winkowski said. “I don’t advertise or drum up business. People call me. I don’t call them.”

Winkowski is matter of fact about what she sees, discussing it as plainly as she does her former pet-grooming business, which helped pay the bills before ghostbusting.

She says she can only talk to spirits who have not crossed over into the afterlife. Most hang around for just a short time.

Winkowski is often hired to attend funerals and tie up loose ends (“Where did dad leave the will?”) or to help relatives have one last conversation with a loved one.

“The ladies will always walk over and check out the flowers,” she said of female spirits. As for the male ghosts, “They have to count how many cars are in the funeral procession.”

Spirits who refuse to cross over are the ones that keep Winkowski busy. She charges $100 or more to guide them to the white light.

Hollywood became aware of the 57-year-old’s work through her friend, best-selling medium James Van Praagh, the subject of the CBS miniseries “Living with the Dead.”

“I looked right past her at first because she’s the least likely ghostbusting person,” said John Gray, executive producer of “Ghost Whisperer.” “She’s from the Midwest. She’s friendly. There’s no mystique.”

Spirits, and a latte
Winkowski first met with Gray a year ago. Gray recalls they went for coffee and he asked where they could go to find ghosts.

“She said, ‘There’s people here right now.”’

“I said, ‘Right here in Starbucks?”’

Gray worked the experience into the series’ pilot episode. Later, he began hearing strange noises and doorbells ringing in the middle of the night at his New York home.

He summoned Winkowski and said she sent the ghosts away, but not before giving him a full description of the people in the house next door where the ghosts were also hanging out.

He hasn’t had any problems since.

“’It was pretty impressive. No matter how cynical you are, you have to think, ‘How does she know that?”’ he said.

“Ghost Whisperer” (scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Fridays come fall) is just the latest paranormal TV drama, following the success of NBC’s midseason hit “Medium,” which stars Patricia Arquette as psychic Allison DuBois (another real-life woman).

Gray thinks there’s an audience for such shows right now.

“In this climate we’re living in after 9/11, people want to feel there’s some larger plan,” he said.

Jim Longo, chairman of the education department at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa., doesn’t take a position on whether ghosts exist, but he collects stories of people who believe they have experienced the paranormal.

“Some cultures really believe that a spirit lingers until the body is buried, and some cultures believe they linger up to a year,” he said.

By the way, honey ...
Winkowski recently spent a week in Los Angeles, demonstrating her craft for the show’s writers and for Hewitt, who plays a newlywed trying to cope with her unusual talent

Winkowski says it wasn’t until age 7 that she realized no one else could see what she did. A lot of people didn’t believe her, but her grandmother did and took her to funerals to talk to the recently departed.

“Mom didn’t have a clue,” she said.

Neither did her husband, Ted.

She told him she was seeing “other” people only after they exchanged vows.

“At first, I thought she could wiggle her nose like Samantha on ‘Bewitched,”’ he said. “I wouldn’t be selling cars if that were the case.”

Thirty-seven years later, he takes her ghostbusting for granted.

“I never had a reason to doubt her,” he said.
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

***Enigma*** · 09-04-2005, 12:49 PM

Thanks for posting that Shauna. Interesting.