More than 3,000 fans packed San Francisco’s Masonic
Auditorium. Many had driven for hundreds of miles to
see their idol. Others held up signs reading, "We
Love You John!"
Then the man they came to see strode onto the stage -
- an unlikely superstar, to say the least. As the
Washington Post put it, his New York accent makes him
sound more like a cab driver. And the only artistic
activity listed on his risumi is his affinity for
ballroom dancing. But John Edward is a superstar --
one uniquely suited for our credulous age.
John Edward is America’s most famous medium. His
nightly television show, Crossing Over, is a staple
of the Sci-Fi channel’s prime-time programming. Every
night, more 600,000 American households tune in to
watch Edward and his "guests" -- by which he means
spirits -- minister to the loved ones left behind.
The show is such a success that in August it will be
syndicated nationwide. Then, even those without cable
will be to watch Edward comfort the living by
speaking with the dead.
But it’s not only television. Edward’s autobiography
made the bestseller lists. His live appearances, like
the one at the Masonic Auditorium, are sell-outs, and
there’s a two-year waiting
...