Dr. Ruehl appears on Ghost Whisperer

Tabloid Baby pal and contributor Dr. Franklin Ruehl continues his meteoric rise to mainstream film and television acting prominence with an appearance tomorrow night on Ghost Whisperer, the hit CBS drama starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. Fresh from the premiere of his new movie, Nothing But The Truth, in which he plays a bigshot Hollywood producer, the man who has been a legend in public access broadcasting, a corpse on Sunset Tan and a beatnik on Mad Men, fills us in on his next network showcase:

I will be appearing as a church ghost in this Friday's episode of "Ghost Whisperer" entitled, "The Weight of What Was," on CBS at 8 PM (October 26, 2007) .

Specifically, I will be 1 of a number of church congregants who was burned to death by afrenzied mob driven mad by bread contaminated with ergot back in 1840, being seen in the following scenes (barring being left on the cutting-room floor):

* Flashback scene entering church carrying metal cups;

* Screaming as the church is burned to the ground;

* Hideous ghost peering out of a window (this scene was shown briefly in the previews last Friday);

* Ghost scene at barred window of church door with my fingers wrapped around the bars (for this scene, I immediately clenched the bars when the director mentioned that he wanted 3 congregants at the door window-when he said he wanted only tall congregants, I stood on my tiptoes throughout the scene as I am only 5'8");

* Ghost at back of church terrified of an evil demon.

Notes:

* On the 1st day of shooting, where the churchgoers were filmed before the fire, lasted from 3 PM to 8 PM at Universal. The director then selected 5 of us to portray burned ghosts (I was amazingly chosen, perhaps because I had angled myself toward the front, anticipating his announcement).

* We underwent heavy blackened makeup and donned clothes that had actually been burned for realism.

* We remained there until 6 AM (since this was a SAG production, this entailed time-and-half for hours 9-12, dinner time not counted, and double time for the remaining time. We did not quite reach "golden time," which begins after 16 hours, equivalent to $130 per hour. There were, however, 6 meal penalties, worth another $67.

* I was also there for a regular 8-hour day of shooting for some additional scenes.

* I will hardly be recognizable due to the makeup and the fact that I could not wear my glasses as they are not of the period.

* I was surprised to learn that everyone calls star Jennifer Love Hewitt simply "Love." Indeed, her chair, which I accidentally sat in briefly until chased away, is embossed on the back with the name "LOVE."

* Because of my fascination with the paranormal, this is my favorite TV program. I especially appreciate the scenes where Melinda (Love) is acting as intermediary between the living and the dead. Indeed, these scenes should be expanded in each episode because of their powerful emotional content!

May the Power of the Cosmos be with You!

Dr. Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D.