From: Suddi
Message:
this is one of the best things ever made for television.... buy it for
someone (from amazon) this Christmas. You'll make em (and yourself very
very happy)
theres only so many times i can say that without elaborating int there?
a bit about it here that i grabbed from the net...
In the investigative tradition of master illusionist and early
20th-century ghostbuster Harry Houdini, magicians Penn Jillette and
partner Teller debunk the paranormal in their wildly entertaining
Showtime series, Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t!. The first season of this
unusual show finds the garrulous Penn and silent Teller taking aim, over
13 episodes, at such perennial hokum as "Talking to the Dead," "ESP,"
and "Ouija Boards." But they also go after a couple of contemporary,
exploitation-driven industries they believe con vulnerable people in the
same way phony mediums rip off the bereaved and "regression therapists"
lead on would-be alien abductees.
One of these industries is the network of charlatans promising sexual
enhancement through bigger breasts or male genitals; the other is the
publishing world's raging river of self-help books. But our boys don't
stop there. Just to make sure each viewer comes away impeached at least
once for championing a sacred cow, Penn and Teller take on creationists,
anti-smokers, vegetarians, extreme environmentalists, and feng shui
enthusiasts. Everyone is bound to feel a little offended at some point
in this boxed set's 360 minutes, but P&T offset their indignation with
wily humor and the occasional, dazzling trick.
"Talking to the Dead" doesn't dwell on Houdini's penchant for exposing
the fakery behind old-fashioned seances. But it does attack today's
celebrity mediums, especially the Sci-Fi Channel's John Edward, whose
off-screen methods for gathering useful, private information about his
audiences are revealed. "Alien Abductions" seeks reasons behind claims
of extraterrestrial probing of human orifices, but saves most of Penn
and Teller's wrath for those who profit from others' delusions. "Near
Death Experiences" challenges assumptions about glimpsing the afterlife,
and "Alternative Medicine" weighs in on the ever-sensitive subject of
non-medicinal remedies for illness.
The most fun episode, by far, is "Sex, Sex, Sex," which is adorned by a
lot of beautiful, naked men and women milling about while Penn and
Teller chase down sundry hucksters, including a hypnotherapist who
claims she can enlarge naughty bits through subconscious suggestion.
This engrossing, three-disc set is rounded out by a number of delightful
special features, including entertaining outtakes and a bonus "Ghost Segment."
