Monday, May 18, 2009

S.M.A.P.I.S. Finds the Funny


There's a new ghost hunting team in town. S.M.A.P.I.S., The Southeastern Michigan Alliance of Paranormal Investigators Society, is in search of Grandma's urn. Ever since their leader, Rodger, heard his grandmother's ghost whisper Find us, in his ear, it has been their motto, and the source of the name of their show, Ghost Finders.

Rodger is a ghost hunter by night, plumber by day. . . . [he] prides himself on his almost completed book, The Search for Paranormal Phenomena: a Guide. He often quotes himself with relevant passages from it. He aspires to make SMAPIS a national venture, envisioning himself as the president of a huge, non-profit organization from which he makes a huge profit.
Hmm, sound familiar? A nice cross blend of Ryan and Jason/Grant.

Mary is an assistant fourth grade teacher by day. She works at a quaint public school in rural Romeo, Michigan. She is a true believer in all things paranormal.
Of course, she is. Cute as a button, witchy but with a clear complexion. I like her.

Simon is a Radio Shack manager by day. . .  the resident skeptic of SMAPIS. He tries to keep Rodger and Mary on track as they tend to think everything they pick up must be a ghost.
Every group needs one to give the illusion that real science is happening.

Randy works at the corner gas station by day and/or night. He is the official SMAPIS gopher, and supervises the setup and breakdown of equipment on location.
He's the comic relief, apparently. I wonder if he has any tattoos?

Visit their website to learn more about the team: http://smapis.com/bios.html

I'm not sure who is responsible for this, but they are having a great time spoofing the popular ghost hunting shows. I like the way they mimic the camera angles of the shows, that wide-eyed look from the night vision camera, the guys sitting around a table going over the evidence and saying, What the hell?,  one of them looking sincerely into the camera and telling the audience for the millionth time what an EVP is, etc. I realize there are some Republicans who still think that Stephen Colbert is one of them. But, those of us with finely-tuned funny bones get him, and we get this, too. Enjoy the show.


4 comments:

  1. I wish WE had this! No such luck, unfortunately. I'll have to keep my eyes open ...

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  2. As far as I know these episodes are only available on the Internet. So, you can watch these at your leisure. That's the beauty of the Internet. Visit their website to learn more. It's a gem.

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  3. Thanks for posting! Your words are too kind. I'm very happy that someone completely gets the show. I'm usually dealing with two extremes: those who are not at all interested in the paranormal who find it geeky and silly and those who are extremely involved in the paranormal who take offense.

    It seems that the show appeals most to a small niche of level-headed thinkers who share a common interest in the paranormal. I'm good with that!

    We just finished shooting episode 3. Look for it sometime in September.

    Regards,
    Andy

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  4. Level-headed thinker . . . I like that. I'm glad you liked my post, and I look forward to your next episode. I've always found having a sense of humor essential for keeping things in perspective and I could never trust anyone who didn't have one about him or herself. I have a sign in my house that says: "Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused." Thanks for the laughs. Keep on keepin' on, Andy!

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