In the first half of Friday's show, George Noory welcomed magic historian and illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer for a discussion on Dracula and vampires. Steinmeyer recalled reading Bram Stoker's Dracula for the first time and the profound impact it had on him. His most recent work, Who Was Dracula: Bram Stoker's Trail of Blood, is about Stoker and how Dracula was composed. Steinmeyer said several personalities influenced the novel, including Henry Irving (Stoker's boss), Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde and Jack the Ripper. As a side note, he suggested that Stoker may have known Ripper suspect, Francis Tumblety.
A collection of Stoker's notes reveal the books he used for research, Steinmeyer continued, noting that the author likely knew little about the bloodthirsty ruler after whom he named his villain. Though there were many stories on the vampire mythos, Stoker can be credited with formalizing the rules for vampires as well as those governing how these creatures are created, he explained. One of the flaws of Dracula is that after defining how one can kill a vampire, the characters do not kill them in that way, Steinmeyer added. He also talked about Bela Lugosi, who is famous for his 1927 portrayal of Dracula. Steinmeyer noted how Lugosi's appearance was markedly different from Dracula in the novel and how the character is continually reinvented.
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During Open Lines, George offered a 'rude' hotline for callers to share their own experiences with disrespectful people. Dan in Orlando, Florida, admitted the day-to-day treatment he receives in his current home city is worse than what he encountered as a law enforcement officer in Indiana. According to Dan, it's one of the worst places to drive in the U.S. and people there do not return his greetings. TJ from Miami expressed his frustration with his lawyer, who allegedly has refused to release funds from a lawsuit he won.
Jared in Lincoln, Nebraska, told George that he noticed extra ribs on his body after losing some weight. Jared said he consulted a medium and discovered that the additional bones were placed there by Gray aliens to 'promote' him. He admitted to being taken by them since childhood. Doug from Oregon revealed how he was approached by a person connected to Osama bin Laden's Hamburg cell prior to 9/11. The man asked for his passport (to slice open and insert another person's photo) and threatened to feed him to pigs if he didn't comply, Doug explained.
News segment guests: Richard C. Hoagland / Ed Grimsley