Psychics

I was sleeping lightly Tuesday morning and the shaking woke me up, but I didn't think it was an earthquake at first. I thought it was raccoons or skunks tearing up the frontyard again. I jumped off the sofa with my camera, ready to take their pictures, then realized my mistake. Let me explain. I had been asked by an animal communicator to photograph the invaders if at all possible. Dana Miller, of the Sunland-Tujunga area, says she is better able to "connect" with animals if she's got their photos.

Zelda Rubinstein, the diminutive character actress with the childlike voice who was best known as the psychic called in to rid a suburban home of demonic forces in the 1982 horror movie "Poltergeist," died Wednesday. She was 76. Rubinstein, who also appeared as the mother figure in a high-profile mid-1980s public awareness campaign in Los Angeles aimed at stopping the spread of AIDS, died of natural causes at Barlow Respiratory Hospital in Los Angeles, said Eric Stevens, her agent.

The mysterious gray, hairless animal was first spotted last summer lurking in backyard gardens, sacked out on a chaise lounge and strolling down narrow lanes. Was it a chupacabra? A strange dog? The missing link? Soon, all of Laurel Canyon was abuzz. For several weeks starting in August, they tracked the animal, with residents communicating by walkie-talkie because cellphones don't work in the canyon. But the creature, which turned out to be a sick coyote, was too wily.

Start the New Year with a preview of what's ahead at Psychic Reading Jamboree , a celebration of psychic skills, where you can get 20-minute readings on the topic of your choice, including past lives, career, love, money and more. Readers use a variety of techniques to answer your questions. Southern California Psychic Institute, 1737 21st St., Santa Monica. 1 to 4 p.m. Sat. $10 per reading or $25 for three readings. (310) 587-3536. www.socalpi.org.

Jeff Bridges, looking like a Malibu prophet with his bushy beard and seasoned surfer smile, says he had a bit of a flashback while filming "The Men Who Stare at Goats," which fictionalizes the oddball odyssey of a U.S. military program that tried to train soldiers to use mental powers as a weapon (and, yes, to snuff out farm animals by glaring at them). "I found myself remembering my own experiences in the 1970s when I hung out with John Lilly, the man who invented the isolation tank and did experiments with trying to communicate with dolphins," Bridges said.

Knowing Summit, $26.99; Blu-ray, $34.99 There's a substantial amount of "not this again" weighing down the sci-fi thriller "Knowing," which stars Nicolas Cage as a divorced, reluctant prophet of doom with a son who talks to spirits. Although the dialogue's overheated and the tone heavy-handed, "Knowing's" thoughtful depiction of how one man reacts to a coming apocalypse is lovely to look at and even haunting at times. Just try not to think about how much of it you've seen before.

ALEX PALERMO Psychic -- On the sixth floor of the Paddock Building downtown, a line of people milled restlessly along the hushed hallway. They paced in front of a wooden door, which looked more like the entrance to a broom closet than the law offices surrounding it. The curious leaned inside, hoping to catch a whisper of someone else's fate.

Marie Castello, 93, a fortune teller in Asbury Park, N.J., and a figure of rock 'n' roll mythology thanks to Bruce Springsteen, died Friday, her great-granddaughter Sally Castello told the Asbury Park Press. A cause of death was not given. Known as Madame Marie, the psychic reader and advisor had told people's fortunes at the Temple of Knowledge on the Asbury Park Boardwalk since the 1930s. Castello, a native of Neptune City, N.J., became known worldwide in 1973 when Springsteen paid homage to her in the song "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

Those of us who grew up in the 1970s probably remember a popular psychic named Uri Geller, who was always on TV back then, bending spoons with his brain, correctly guessing the content of people's doodles and generally blowing the audience's mind. But who could have guessed that his powers would eventually warp free speech and copyright law in the 21st century?

In the moment that writer-director Todd Robinson was rolling his bright red Siai Marchetti upside down in the sky over the beaches of Malibu, it was hard to recall the 10-second speech about how to jump safely from the airplane in an emergency. Wearing a dark blue flight jacket, jeans, black ball cap, sunglasses and grin, Robinson ("White Squall") clearly relishes flying, which he's done whenever possible for nearly 20 years.