Thursday, October 30, 2008

Elvis Left The Builiding ... But He's Still Drawing Interest ...


Elvis Presley may have left the building several decades ago, but his earning power is far from diminished with Forbes.com ranking him the top-earning dead celebrity for the second year in a row.

Presley pulled in $52 million in the past year, helped by increased visitors to his Graceland estate to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death and new ventures like the Elvis Sirius Satellite Radio show, according to the web site.
"While things might be topsy-turvy in the financial markets above ground, it's still a bull market in the boneyard," Forbes.com said.

Presley earned more between October 2007 and October 2008 than some of the music industry's biggest living pop stars like Justin Timberlake ($44 million) and Madonna ($40 million), Forbes.com said.

Coming in at No. 2 with $33 million in earnings was cartoonist Charles Schulz, who died in 2000 and is best known for his "Peanuts" comic strip, while Australian actor Heath Ledger nabbed third spot.

Ledger, 28, died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January and his last film role was as the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

"With the 'The Dark Knight' grossing $991 million in box office revenue worldwide, we estimate his earnings at $20 million," the web site said.

Forbes.com said it spoke to experts and sources inside the dead celebrities' estates and researched gross earnings, before taxes, management fees and other costs, from the period of October 2007 to October 2008 to come up with the rankings.

German-born physicist Albert Einstein comes in at No. 4 with $18 million in earnings, mainly from Baby Einstein, the majority Disney owned videos and toys for children, while TV producer Aaron Spelling -- whose shows include "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Charlie's Angels" -- was ranked No. 5 with $15 million in earnings.

The full list can be found at http://www.forbes.com/.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Patricia Reaney)

Friday, October 17, 2008

Edie Adams ... The Muriel Cigar Girl

Edie Adams died yesterday. A true glamourous woman of the 50s and 60s. Anyone remember the "Muriel Cigar" commericals with Edie Adams? They were among one of the favorites for many kids (and adults) back in the early 1960's for its catchy tune.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Life in Legacy ... Check it Out!

Looking for up to date information on those who have passed on? Check out Life in Legacy. Amazing site for the curious and those who love history and people. Site highlights those who are famous, not so famous, young and old alike. It's a nice place to visit...

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Seven Sisters Inn May be Calling Your From Beyond


Sunch a pretty house ... Heading to Florida? Want an encounter with the other side? Check out the pink and purple Victorian Seven Sisters Inn.

Inside, the air is heavier and sometimes cold. Slow piano music plays interminably, interrupted by the creaks and rumbles made by any 120-year-old structure.

But is there more to those sounds, those rushes of air and subtle drafts, those flickering of lights? The personalities for the SciFi Channel believe so, so much so that they will feature the inn during Wednesday night's episode of "Ghost Hunters."

Inn owners Bonnie Morehardt and Ken Oden say they don't need spiritual mediums and paranormal experts to tell them their homes are haunted. They've already seen enough.
"There is a feeling of energy here," Morehardt said Monday afternoon. "I think the spirits are here to care for the building and to care for us. It's a protective thing.

"But there are definitely different feelings at each house."

The Scott House, the pink-colored home on the property, is the older of the two and, Morehardt says, the brighter. Built in 1888, it's hard to keep track of all the possible spirits that may reside within its three stories.

Morehardt says she's seen a mysterious dressed-up woman, a young boy and an old man. Guests at the lodge have told her about a woman wearing white passing through doors and closets and checking them out in the bathroom.

Then there are the little things. Morehardt says she's heard a few shouts, countless footsteps on the old wood floors and the slamming of more than one door. She had to move an end table because she says a ghost kept tipping it over.

"I had this table up in the loft and it got overturned and broken three times," Morehardt said. "I finally just put it in another room. Clearly whoever is there didn't like the table."
Morehardt and inn manager Charlie Childes have trouble lighting candles, keeping the lights on and even keeping the locked front door from opening.

"I'll be sitting in the house by myself with the door locked, and all of a sudden I'll hear the bells on the door," Childes recounted. "I pulled up to the house one time and saw a man dressed like Abraham Lincoln walk right in through a wall."

One of the alleged spirits may have saved Childes life. As he was walking down the open staircase to the home's living room, something caused Childes to trip and fall forward toward a stained-glass window.

"I was falling head first, but something grabbed me with two hands," Childes said. "Then I was about to fall right on the coffee table and someone held me up."
The ghosts can be playful too, Morehardt said. They like to move furniture, flip lights on and off or just move some items to another room. Monday, as she looked around the third-floor loft, Morehardt found a book - "The Lady of the Lake" - that belonged in a downstairs bedroom.
"That's supposed to be in Sylvia's room," she said to Childes.

"Well, it wasn't here yesterday when I was up here," Childes answered back.

As playful and helpful the spirits in the pink house may be, Morehardt said, the same does not apply to the purple home next door. Built in 1892, the home's bedrooms have been outfitted with decor from across the world. Rooms pay tribute to France, China, Egypt and India, countries diverse enough to bring with them a diverse clash of spirits.

"You will hear fighting and arguing in these rooms," Morehardt said.

It's not the environment Childes prefers. He works the day shift and tries to stay away from the purple home at all costs.

"I don't like being here at night," he said. "When I walk into the other house, it's like walking into my mom's house. This one is darker."

Both homes will be featured on SciFi Wednesday at 9 p.m. For more information on Seven Sisters Inn, call 352-867-1170. (source)