News, Views, & Interviews

New England is known for its history and known for its ghosts. Ron Kolek is the founder of the New England Ghost Project, and with us is the Jane to his Tarzan, Maureen Wood, a fifth-generation trance medium who has accompanied the New England Ghost Project on over 100 investigations. Together, Kolek and Wood authored the book, The Ghost Chronicles: A Medium and a Paranormal Scientist Investigate 17 True Hauntings. Did the team uncover a haunted pole dancing studio? Tune in to find out!

In Episode 45 we talk about paranormal childhood with Ursula Bielski. Ursula is the founder of Chicago Hauntings, one of the Windy City’s most popular ghost tours. She’s an historian, the author of the Chicago Haunts book series, and she’s been investigating the unexplained for almost 20 years. She’s written for children, she’s a mom, and tonight’s she here to talk about her latest book: There’s Something Under the Bed: Children’s Experiences with the Paranormal. You’ve seen her on A&E, The Learning Channel, The History Channel, PBS, and now 30 Odd Minutes. We discuss poltergeists — especially the Tina Resch case, demons, and the Cottingley Fairies. Don’t miss a One Question Interview with Troy Taylor!

In Episode 44 we talk parapsychology with Dr. Ciaran O’Keeffe! Based in England, O’Keeffe received his undergraduate degree from Washington College, he then went on to get a masters degree in Investigative Psychology at Liverpool University where he looked into the mental make-up of serial killers and criminals. In 2005 he was awarded a doctorate entitled “Assessing the content of advice given by practitioners claiming paranormal ability” from the University of Hertfordshire. He’s perhaps best-known as the parapsychologist from the television shows Jane Goldman Investigates and Most Haunted. What are his favorite cases? What’s his most embarrassing photo? Tune in to find out!

In episode 43 we talk ghosts, curses, and legends of baseball with author and paranormal guy Dan Gordon. Gordon is the co-author of Haunted Baseball, the first book to focus on the haunting and supernatural beliefs surrounding America’s pastime. Tonight he’s with us live to discuss his new book, Field of Screams. What’s the most haunted ballpark in the United States? What baseball legends are still hanging around? What players are easily spooked? Is Bigfoot a baseball fan? Tune in to find out!

In Episode 41 we talk about the Ghosts of Gettysburg with Mark Nesbitt. Gettysburg is considered one of the most haunted places in the world since the horrific battle that took place there July 1-3, 1863. No one knows the history and hauntings better than historian, paranormal investigator, and author Mark Nesbitt. Nesbitt is the author of the popular Ghosts of Gettysburg series of books, he’s owned and operated a ghost tour in town since 1994. Nesbitt and his stories have been heard and seen on The History Channel, The Travel Channel, A&E, Unsolved Mysteries, and on this episode he shares his experiences and evidence with you.

In Episode 41 we overcome a few technical difficulties and our host’s cold to bring you alien abductee and Fire in the Sky author, Travis Walton. On November 5, 1975, a group of loggers working in the mountains of northeastern Arizona saw a strange, unusually bright light in the sky. One of the men, Travis Walton, left the safety of his truck to check it out. As he walked toward the light he was blasted back by a mysterious bolt of energy. His fellow loggers left in fear to get help. For five days authorities mounted a massive manhunt for Walton’s body. When he was found, Travis was disoriented and unable to tell the whole story of his encounter. His book, Fire in the Sky, is one of the best-documented accounts of an alien abduction to-date. In 1993 Paramount studios made the book into a movie starring James Garner, Robert Patrick, and D.B. Sweeney… in Episode 41, Travis Walton is all your, Oddballs.

In episode 40 we visit with H.C. Noel — a professional illustrator, cartoonist, and paranormal investigator. His character, Tara Normal investigates with the stars of TV’s Ghost Hunters in a comic published in every issue of TAPS Paramagazine, the official publication of The Atlantic Paranormal Society. Tara Normal has also appeared online in her own award-winning webcomic which won the 2009 WRCA Reader’s Choice Best New Webcomic. Noel’s artwork has helped raise thousands of dollars for charity, and he’s a graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Don’t miss an interpretive reading of Noel’s comic by the Oddball crew and a live sketch of host Jeff Belanger during the interview. 30 Odd Minutes… if the truth is out there we will find it… but only by sheer accident.

In episode 39 we speak with Bill Chappell, an engineer in the robotics and semiconductor industries who uses microprocessors and electronics skills to solve complex problems. At the age of 47 he was asked if he could build a device to communicate with the dead. At first he thought the whole idea was amusing. On April 23, 2007, he tested the device and the results forever altered his life and perspective on the paranormal. He’s since dedicated his skills to the pursuit of a tangible answer to the paranormal. You may have seen his inventions on: Travel Channel, the Syfy Channel, A&E, Animal Planet, E!, and Good Morning America, just to name a few. In this episode you get to meet the man behind it all. Plus don’t miss our exclusive interview… for the first time on television (and probably the last)… with the Ovilus. Does the Ovilus find our show boring? Tune in to find out!

In episode 38, the Oddball Crew discuss the paranormal community, our favorite legends, and we debate the pros and cons of using equipment in paranormal investigation. Does the show end in an all-out brawl? Tune in to find out!

In episode 37 we visit with Christopher Balzano, the founder and director of Massachusetts Paranormal Crossroads, an online collection of legends and ghost stories from the Bay State. He’s been investigating the unexplained for over 15 years. He’s the author of several books including: Dark Woods, Ghosts of the Bridgewater Triangle, Ghostly Adventures, and Picture Yourself Ghost Hunting. He’s been on dozens of radio programs talking about the legends in our lives and tonight he made his 30 Odd Minutes debut. Don’t miss a field report featuring a Long Island, New York, legend that still gets talked about today! 30 Odd Minutes… if the truth is out there we will find it… but only by sheer accident.