"Celebrity Ghost Stories" Review: Joan Rivers Made Me Believe in Ghosts

Biography Channel or Bio's Celebrity Ghost Stories delivers on its promise. Stars like Joan Rivers and Scott Baio offered up startling personal tales of the supernatural. Of celebrities interviewed, the late David Carradine's segment may be spookiest. In a truly weird coincidence, or paranormal phenomena owing to the subject matter, he described his wife's ex-husband's ghost haunting a closet. That authorities discovered David Carradine in a hotel room in Thailand, hanging dead in a closet, definitely contributes a grisly, bone chilling flavor to Bio's compelling new show.

I'm fascinated by ghosts, but who's not to a degree. After all, each of us will find out in the end if things that go bump in the night or poltergeist prowling is indeed true. Such musing preoccupies all of us at some point. While on location, the great filmmaker Stanely Kubrick director of The Shining, based on Stephen King's novel, waxed practically when discussing ghosts. If it had a basis in reality he reasoned, it meant there's indeed an afterlife.

I'll watch Ghost Hunters on Syfy occasionally. Undoubtedly that TV show's success prompted Bio to create Celebrity Ghost Stories. What's so compelling about it is the famous, wealthy and powerful sharing such personal anecdotes. These stories aren't likely to come up in a lively chat with Matt Lauer on The Today Show or a celebrity puff piece on The View or 60 Minutes. Baio's tale about his dad is touching and believable. David Carradine's wife's ex-husband's ghost, who projected messages by a perfectly chosen morbid reminder of a Grateful Dead tie clip, resonates strongly because of his recent departure. However, Joan Rivers made me believe in ghosts.

Comedian, actress, writer, talk show host, QVC jewelry maven and devoted plastic surgery fan isn't one to pull punches. For years, she got flack for making Elizabeth Taylor fat jokes, and though you may not like her humor, you can't rightly call Rivers a liar. Husband Edgar Rosenberg took his own life, around the time of her much public, bitter feud with NBC talk titan Johnny Carson. In short, Rivers life's been a veritable open book. She earned a good living and a respected reputation by being more honest than many a celebrity.

Her ghost tale coincides with a most sorrowful time in her life, after Edgar committed suicide. When she was terminated as guest host of The Tonight Show in Los Angeles, CA, she packed up and moved to New York City, seeking peace and healing. The show tells us, "She found neither."

What follows is a fascinating, frightening and believable tale of her literally battling a ghost named Mrs. Spencer for months. Not only did Rivers fully believe the weird events in her New York City apartment was attributed to a ghostly woman, but the ritzy building's doorman believed as well, and gave Rivers lowdown on the ghost. When Rivers desperately calls in a Voodoo ghost busting priestess to rid her apt, and eventually the whole apartment building of Mrs. Spencer, with full cooperation of all tenants, you're blown away by the scope, and number of players involved. Simply put: Either Joan Rivers and her neighbors have a really active imagination, concocted tales for giggles, or something truly bizarre, or paranormal went down there.

Treat yourself to Bio's Celebrity Ghost Stories. The Biography Channel premiered it during the perfectly frightful month of Halloween. Not only will it creep you out, but it'll give you new insight into celebrities you love, and most importantly of all, may provide insight into just what lies on the other side.