All I can say is – the Cartoon Network is nothing like I thought it would be! I just got done watching “Othersiders” for the first time – what a show! Definitely not a cartoon. The premise of this show is that a team of teenagers goes out each week to explore a site known to have paranormal activity. They job to to try and prove (or disprove) that such activity is going on.

This is a very well organized team, each with their own function. KC is the case manager, and has the final decision on which site they will be investigating. Riley is the lead investigator. Zack is the tech manager (and a very good one!). Jackie is in charge of research (so they know what they are walking into, and if it is worth spending time on). Sam is the web master – at the end of each show the results of the investigation are posted on the show’s website.

The aim of the team is to choose the most credible site to investigate each week. This week they investigated the Lincoln Heights Jail – a building that has been abandoned for over fifty years. The first thing that the team does is to create a base camp – a safe place that is central to all reported paranormal activity. Cameras are set up in places where paranormal activity has been reported.

Part of the activity that has been reported is doors opening and closing by themselves. The area of solitary confinement is the first place that they investigate. One of the techniques that they use to check for activity is “call and response” – they ask a simple question, and wait for any type of response from energies in the area.

One of the interesting things that happened was that a chair moved – on its own. It moved one time, and then remained stationary. Another happening was the flash of a person running down the hall that two team members experienced.

There was also an investigation of the freight elevator using infrared cameras – cameras that sense heat, rather than movement.

The day after an investigation is done, the team meets at their clubhouse to analyze their findings, which include electronic voice phenomenon. In one series of images, we see a glowing orb coming down the hallway.

This week the team decided that there was paranormal activity at this location. Results were posted on the show’s Internet site - http://http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/theothersiders/index.html. The audience also gets to vote (by phone) as top whether the site being investigated is haunted or not haunted.

Next week the investigation will be held on shipboard!

© June 2009