The internet is full of Helium Balloon Boy articles this morning. Speculation that Richard Heene, storm chaser and Wife Swap cast member, had set his boy up, up and away on a balloon ride hoax all in the name of publicity. Comments and posts started floating around soon after the boy was found safe and sound in the Heene attic. When I first read the hoax idea I wasn’t shocked at all. This doesn’t mean I believe it was a hoax. I haven’t a clue what it was but it did make me wonder why I wasn’t shocked at the notion.

Why should we be surprised by a family creating an elaborate hoax to get more publicity? This is 2009 and in the last decade the reality of reality TV has gone from good, bad and now the inevitable, an ugly helium balloon.

Reality TV seemed like a swell idea. Remember MTV’s Real World? It felt like a sociology class experiment put together in a new and artful way. Then along came the survival shows, the biggest losers, the American idols, the girls next door, wife swapping, and rockers, rappers and wannabes handing out passes to their future lovers.

We’ve watched celebs in their houses and families larger than the Brady Bunch adding on another car seat to their school bus at home. We’ve felt guilty watching the breakdown and public separation of the Gosselin family yet still we watch the scripted antics of non actors acting out unreality we call Reality TV. All this unreality in the name of reality must alter our perceptions of what happens in the name of publicity. These days 15 minutes of fame can go on for a decade.

Our television dial has already been tuned to a different channel. Another dimension in time, a bit like The Twilight Zone, things that seemed bizarre before are now common place on the boob tube. I’m reminded of Bela Lugosi’s classic scene directed by Ed Wood in the film Glen or Glenda.

“Pull the string! Pull the string! A mistake is made. A story must be told.” In this case it’s more like “Don’t pull the (expletive) string! I mean tether!”

Legions of vampire fans are praising the new HBO series, True Blood. You don’t have to be a fan of the undead to find this show intriguing. It’s a well done, smart show, with a modern and original twist to vampire legend.

Since the 1800’s, with the birth of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the vampire genre has spawned generations of books, films, and television shows. Bela Lugosi and Barnabas Collins to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Blade, vampire based stories fascinate audiences.

Do you find yourself eagerly waiting for Sunday night? Have you been bitten by the new HBO series, True Blood? Are you wondering what a bottle of Type O Tru Blood beverage really tastes like?

Leave a comment and let us know if you Embrace the Night?

With all The Dark Knight hype this weekend I’ve been thinking about bats lately. I pondered all the exciting Batman related topics I could come up with. From 5 Cool Batman Gadgets to 5 Supporting Dark Knight Actors but for some reason my heart just wasn’t in it. Don’t get me wrong I’m excited to see a film based on the comic book character from Frank MIller. The much talked about outstanding performance by Heath Ledger, along with the amazing visuals and direction of Christopher Nolan, with supporting roles by Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Anthony Michael Hall, but I had to come up with something a bit more Housewife in Hollywood and less Entertainment Tonight. Let’s face it, doesn’t everyone know how great the movie is going to be and how cool Batman’s Batcycle (Batpod) is?

With all the Batman ideas on the brain, I was reminded of my cute little bat Bootsana. Yes I adopted a bat! I am one of the many other people who want to help these wonderful creatures with the help of the Bat World Sanctuary, a place for orphan, and injured bats to heal and live up to their full bat potential. You can help a bat without having to keep one hanging in your living room.

Here’s a pic of Bootsana. Isn’t she cute?

You can adopt a bat too at Bat World Sanctuary. Find out more about bats and reasons why they should be protected at www.batworld.org

So here they are:

5 Bat Inspired Characters

1. Stellaluna, children’s book character also starring in the movie of the same name.

2. Rouge the Bat, from the Sonic the Hedgehog Gaming Series

3. Fu-Fu, from the animated series children’s series Sagwa on PBS Kids.

4. Dracula, of course I’m talking about Bela Lugosi’s version:

5. Batman, no not The Dark Knight, this one: