SPREADING LOVE TO SPIRITS

by Terrina Hussein

“I just got married. I just moved to a small town. I just opened an antique shop. I might be just like you. Except from the time I was a little girl I knew I could talk to the dead. Earthbound spirits my grandmother called them. The ones who have not crossed over because they have unfinished business with the living and they come to me for help. To tell you my story, I have to tell you theirs.”

- Jennifer Love Hewitt
a.k.a. Melinda Gordon

IT was only a matter of time until someone was going to take the M. Night Shyamalan movie, Sixth Sense, and turn it into a television series.

But, the unlikely part of the whole thing, is the lead actress of this darkly intriguiging new drama is none other than former teen starlet, Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Who can forget the first time she graced our screens, as the squeaky clean gilfriend, Sarah Reeves, of Scott Wolf’s character, Bailey Salinger, in the teen drama, Party Of Five?

Fast forward more than a few years later, and it seems like she’s now competing with former Party Of Five co-star, Matthew Fox (who played, Charlie Salinger, the big brother on the teen show, and is now Dr. Jack Shephard on the hugely popular Lost), for current popularity stats.

Now, little Miss Hewitt (or Miss ‘Pheuwit!’ as her Malaysian male fans call her), is all grown up, just gotten married, but, still seems to be plagued with drama.

Sure, in her recent comedy, Garfield, she could almost talk to the animals… but that doesn’t hold a candle to what she’s capable of doing in Ghost Whisperer. Unlike the movie, The Horse Whisperer, where Robert Redford has a one dimensional silent conversation with a bunch of wild horses, there’s definitely nothing one sided about Love Hewitt’s dialogue with these spirits.

Her character, Melinda Gordon, can see, hear and talk to ghosts, some of which are not all that friendly, but her gift of seeing the other side is one with a purpose.

She’s supposed to help these earth bound spirits settle their earthly business, and send them on to the path of the light, where they’ll eventually find their way to the other side.

As luck would have it, her new husband is a paramedic, who’s emergency life saving skills come in handy, with her dealing with death on almost a daily basis.

In between sending spirits over to the other side, Melinda works on her new house with her new husband, and runs a quaint antique shop with her friend Andrea.

Both Andrea and her husband Jim are aware of Melinda’s gift, and don’t think she’s crazy at all. In fact, they not only encourage her quirky abilities, but are at her side when she needs their help in helping these souls find closure.

Ghost Whisperer only debuted in the US late in 2005, which is a testimony to 8TV that Malaysian terrestrial television audiences now have the opportunity to watch it so quickly.

The pilot episode begins at Melinda and Jim’s wedding.

During the dinner she sees something being drawn on the window of the ceremony hall, and she knows it’s a ghost.

But for the first time, the ghost comes inside her house and that unsettles her, because usually, the spirits leave her private life alone.

Despite being afraid, she tries to help him reunite with his family and pass along the message he needs her to say.

Season One promises lots more ghostly encounters, as Love Hewitt and gang set out to show us that there may be more to life, than meets the eye (except hers, of course).

Ghost Whisperer replaces another hit 8TV series, NCIS, which ended on a climactic note, with one of its key characters getting shot in the head.

But fans of NCIS never fear, 8TV has definate plans to deliver season two to its Malaysian fans.

Ghost Whisperer airs every Monday on 8tv at 10.30pm.