Murky Crystal Ball: Texas Psychic Ordered to Pay $7 Million for Bad Prediction

How come she didn't see this coming?

A psychic medium in Texas has been ordered to pay up almost $7 Million US in damages to a Houston area couple after her murky crystal ball churned out some very bad predictions. The bizarre case all began back in 2011 when the alleged psychic Presley "Rhonda" Gridley (who goes by the name of Angel), told authorities she had been having clairvoyant dreams and visions of a mass grave on the property of Houston couple Joe Bankston and Gena Charlton.

Madame Zelda's claims brought about a media frenzy in the city, as at the time there were a series of missing and abducted children in the area. The couple filed suit against Gridley, alleging that she called the Liberty County Sheriff's Office and falsely claimed that 25 to 30 dismembered bodies—including those of young children— were buried in a mass grave at the plaintiffs' residence. The complaint also stated that the defendant's false statements injured the couple's reputation in the community and exposed them to public hatred, contempt, ridicule and grievous financial injury as well as putting their lives in danger.

Judge Carl Ginsburg awarded $3 million in damages to Bankson and $3,849,000 to Charlton, plus 5 percent interest from the date of the occurrence in 2011. Ginsberg found that Gridley had made defamatory statements about Bankson and Charlton when she volunteered false information to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, claiming that a mass grave containing dismembered bodies was located on the plaintiff's property.

No word on how Grindley is going to conjure up that $7 Million!

Scrap Paper: First Library without Books to Open in Texas

The world's very first library without books is scheduled to open in San Antonio, Texas, later on this year.

Apparently, physical, hardbound books are sooo last century, as the new BiblioTech Library will only "house" digital copies of your favorite titles that library-goers will be able to view in the library's sparkling new facility. The library will have 100 e-readers available for circulation and to "borrow", 50 e-readers designed for young children, 50 computer stations, 25 laptops and 25 tablets for customers. Customers can also bring along their own tablets, Nooks or Kindles and can download books directly to their own devices. 

The library will be partnering with e-book publishers to give clients access to more than 10,000 titles by the end of 2013, with expectations to add at least as many new titles each year. Nelson Wolff, who designed the new facility after reading a biography on Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, says "If you want to get an idea of what [the new library] looks like, go into an Apple store." 

 "You will be able to check out a book, read it on-site. It will be a learning environment -- you'll be able to learn about technology itself as well as access a tremendous amount of information," Wolff stated in an interview with local San Antonio media. 

For bibliophiles who complain there is nothing compared to opening the pages of a new book and diving in, Wolff assures "We all know the world is changing. I am an avid book reader. I read hardcover books, I have a collection of 1,000 first editions. Books are important to me," Wolff told ABC News. "But the world is changing and this is the best, most effective way to bring services to our community."

New Stage Play about End of Days Available, Royalty Free!

We didn't see it coming...

Orbit, a new royalty free drama for the stage, is now available to Kindle users for only .99 cents. The play features an All-American family going about their normal lives until the inconceivable news arrives that today might very well be the last day of their lives. Highly emotional and gut-wrenching, Orbit does not shy away from the terror and anguish of the moment.

It was just an ordinary day.

What would you do if you received only a few hours notice that the entire world you have known would be coming to a shocking, cataclysmic end? Where would you want to be, who would you want to be with and what would you want to say? This is the premise of "Orbit", a new drama for the stage centered around a typical American family facing just such an unimaginable horror and how they must come to terms with a terrifying, inescapable truth...



The play is available to any drama organization, theater group or budding film makers interested in producing a short film. The play would require three young actors and can be adapted to fit your needs. A paperback version will be available soon as well. Anyone interested may contact me by commenting on this page.



The play can be downloaded to a Kindle device directly from Amazon by clicking HERE:

As luck would have it, (if you want to call it luck) a real life massive meteor explosion was seen and felt over a three state area on the very day my play became available on Kindle Amazon. It has been confirmed that a bolide meteor did explode at high velocity over Louisiana shaking homes and breaking windows over Texas and Arkansas as well. Quite a coincidence, if you believe in such things...

Because He's Worth It: Man Steals $40,000+ in Skin Care Items

A Coppell, Texas, man has turned himself into authorities after being on the lam for stealing over $40,000 worth of skincare products from stores during a six-month period starting this past December!

Efrain Hardman, dubbed the "Oil of Olay Bandit" by local media and police, was caught on various surveillance recordings, walking away with large quantities of high-end cosmetics and skincare products. It is believed his intentions were to re-sell the products on the open market, earning a hefty profit, seeing as he didn't pay anything at all for the items.

The smooth-faced 27-year-old criminal recently lost his job at an Irving, Texas, fast-food restaurant, and was in dire need of some quick cash, police are guessing. Hardman surrendered to the police after the local NBC affiliate news program aired a story about him, naming him as the prime suspect in the robberies once authorities identified him from surveillance footage recorded at several Tom Thumb grocery stores, which seemed to be his favorite target.

Hardman has been charged with four counts of theft in Coppell, but other cities in Texas are also interested in pressing charges against him.

Magic Matthew McConaughey Set to Wed in Texas

Magic Mike star Matthew McConaughey is set to wed this weekend in his native Texas.


McConaughey, 42, will marry his longtime girlfriend Camila Alves at a lavish ceremony in Austin, Texas. Guests of the ceremony will have their own private, air conditioned luxury tents, which have been set up on the Old Oak Estate, just outside of Austin. 


McConaughey has been engaged to the Brazilian model Alves for since last December, but have been together for five years. They have two children together, three-year-old son Levi and two-year-old daughter Vida. 


Press helicopters photographed a relaxed McConaughey yesterday afternoon, lounging in a hammock located on the estate property and spending some last few moments as a formerly longtime confirmed bachelor with his bongo-playing beer buddies. E Online is reporting that all guests were asked to sign exclusive non-disclosure agreements before attending the ceremony.


Camila was to be honored at the Step Up Women’s Network event in Beverly Hills, California, today but instead sent a video message thanking the committee. Matthew recently moved his family back to his native Austin homestead from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, stating that he enjoys the city's quirky, laid-back lifestyle, feeling it is the better choice to raise his children. 

Matthew's latest movie, the male stripper epic Magic Mike, opens June 29, and co-stars Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer and True Blood's Joe Manganiello, and features plenty of skin from the sexy male stars.

Sasquatch Season: Bigfoot Killings Legal in Texas

Mythical beast Sasquatch (aka Bigfoot) might want to avoid ambling through the forests of Texas, as shooting the legendary creature there is actually legal.

The matter of legal Bigfoot killings came up recently when Sasquatch enthusiast John Lloyd Scharf contacted Texas Parks and Wildlife official David Sinclair to see if he could kill the hairy beast should he encounter one in the Lone Star state and not face any legal repercussions.

As it turns out, Texas doesn't have a decree on the books expressly forbidding the killing of a Sasquatch. A key question in the debate is whether or not a Bigfoot creature can be classified as an "exotic creature" under the terms of state laws regarding the hunting of animals.

“An exotic animal is an animal that is non-indigenous to Texas," Sinclair tells Fox News. "Unless the exotic is an endangered species, then exotics may be hunted on private property with landowner consent.”

Scharf has interpreted this to mean it's open season on Sasquatch. "We’ve got hundreds of sightings going back decades. I don’t think we’d have any problem proving it’s indigenous," he says.

Even Naked Cowgirls Get the Blues: Nude Woman Leads Police on Slow-Speed Chase

Corpus Christi, Texas, police were lead on a strange, slow speed chase through a suburban neighborhood by a nude cowgirl... wearing only her cowgirl boots!

Police say that they first saw Taylor Burnham, 18, standing naked outside of a Jeep Wrangler parked in an alleyway, wearing just her boots made for runnin' at three o'clock in the morning. When the officers turned on their lights, Burnham quickly hopped into the vehicle and left the scene.

She wasn't too hot to get away, as she took her time, ambling through residential streets at a slow rate of speed, while a league of police cars followed along in hot pursuit. Burnham eventually drove the vehicle onto a sidewalk before coming to a stop.

The police report states that the suspect appeared intoxicated and was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor drunk driving count as well as a felony count of evading arrest in a motor vehicle. The report doesn't give any reason why Burnham was running around in the buff.