I would do this on Twitter, but it's more than 140 characters.The real secret behind Allied victories in WWII
One of my favorite contributors, HHH, pointed me to a link that reveals how the New Wage helped win the war for the good guys.
Reverse feng shui and healing aquamarine crystals... who would have guessed, huh?
Heriot's afire
The Secret's producer Rhonda Byrne and her merry band o'barristers can't totally stop the wheels of justice from turning, but they are apparently trying to make things as difficult as possible for the original DVD's co-writer and director Drew Heriot, who recently filed a lawsuit claiming that Rhonda and company screwed him out of millions and millions of dollars.
[Rhonda Byrne's] company, TS Productions, is seeking an injunction from the Federal Court in Melbourne to stop Heriot proceeding with a lawsuit in the US. She wants the case heard in Australia, arguing that The Secret was conceived, produced, most of it filmed, edited, and finished by an Australian production company using Australian crews and equipment. Of the 120 people who worked as crew members on The Secret, only 12 were Americans and 80% of cast members were Australians.
Hmmm... 80 % of the cast members were Australians? Now, if we're including all of the minor players, such as the young fellow who wished for a shiny new bicycle and got it, or the gal who lusted for a diamond bracelet and got it, or the dude who did the voice-over for the Big Giant Universe Genie, well...maybe so. But if we're talking about the talking heads, who were, after all, the main selling point of The Secret...gee, I thought only Rhonda and the infamous David Schirmer were Aussies. Sounds like someone's really, really stretching here. But then, that's what lawyers do.
At any rate, Drew Heriot is determined to pursue his case.
However, Heriot's lawyers have applied to have the case in Melbourne delayed until the US case is finalised. They claim Heriot stands to make at least $150 million in damages if the case is heard in the US because that is where most of the revenue from The Secret was generated. They said Byrne wanted the case heard in Australia because she was much wealthier than Heriot and knew if he pursued the case in Australia it would come at "enormous expense" to him as he now lived in the US.
I guess I don't need to tell you that I'm rooting for Drew, as well as for others who have apparently been screwed out of millions by Rhonda and TS Productions (e.g., Dan Hollings, the original Internet marketing strategist for the DVD). (Here's a link to one of my original posts on these matters.)
But maybe he at least got to keep those parking spaces he visualized...and he'll always have those whited-out bank statements
Speaking of Aussie Secret star David Schirmer, that big house he's been bragging about, and even took A Current Affair staffers on a tour of last year, is now on the market. Is he selling it off to help pay his debts, or just movin' on up to the Big House...um...I mean, to a bigger mansion? One suspects the former. No word on whether the $250,000 dining room table he boasted about to ACA is also included.
As noted here earlier, he's also moving out of his offices and warehouse, and rumor has it that his staff continues to shrink...now, stop giggling. I'm talking about his office staff – you know, the people who work for him. Any disgruntled ex-staff members can feel free to send comments to me, either for publication or not.
Someone said that Rhonda Byrne was
ReplyDeleteher own patient zero, that is
probably true. I am not sure if she
still believes in the LoA or if she is
just trying to escape with as much money as possible. It looks as if
the Hickses have inherited the universe. Have you read the new
statement on their website?
Something like "it all started here".
I'm with you Connie, screw the bastards who have used people for their own gain. If the will of the universe applies to all of us then is damn well applies to them too. To think that these people tried to create a "them and us" universe is nothing short of unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteThe Aussie says HE was the only Aussie in the secret so Rhonda has just blown his cover big time either that or they are both lying, no surprises there either. Takes one to know one.
They only have themselves to blame so its impossible to feel sorry for these people who greedily took from other people to feel big chested for a short time.
ReplyDeleteAnon 2:01 PM: Hmmm...Rhonda as patient zero...Interesting.
ReplyDeleteBTW, anyone wanting to know more about this reference can go to
http://tinyurl.com/6kn4rz
Esther Hicks and her imaginary buds "Abraham" were in fact one of the main original inspirations for "The Secret," and it would appear Rhonda screwed them over too. At first Esther and Jerry (and "Abe") pretended to be all philosophical and loving about it, but as time went on, their resentment became more apparent. I would imagine that the only reason they're not pursuing legal remedy (at least that I know of) is that they're cleaning up left and right anyway with their LOA stuff.
Still, as I've noted here before, even if I think they're full of crap, and even if they are making tons of money on their own, that doesn't change the fact that they were apparently unfairly treated by Rhonda and TS Productions.
Anon 10:28 PM: Yes, it does seem there's an inconsistency between Schirmer's claim that he's the only Aussie in the movie (besides Rhonda), and the things that TS Production's legal counsel is now claiming. Of course, Schirmer has mostly described himself as the only Aussie *teacher* -- so that still leaves the minor players, the everyday folks who were hamming it up to illustrate the Law Of Attraction In Action.
ReplyDeleteStill, as I noted, it was the talking heads who were the big selling point of the DVD. Without them, Rhonda would have had just another mediocre commercial or documentary, instead of a mediocre New-Wage infomercial that became a raging bestseller. And not only were the majority of the "teachers" Americans (with a few Canadians thrown in), but the DVD first hit it really big in Self-Help Sucker Central...er... the US. So I believe Drew Heriot is justified in insisting that the case be heard on these shores.
Curley, I certainly don't feel sorry for Schirmer or Rhonda, but I do feel sympathy for both Drew Heriot and Dan Hollings, and even for the Hicks, because from what I can see they weren't compensated properly for their contributions to "The Secret."
ReplyDeleteOh too bad that Schirmer has to lose that house. He used it in so many marketing pieces of crap that you would almost think that was all he thought about. Well I hope he is back to his pissy little rented house as soon as possible so he can reflect on what an ass he has been to screw people over like he has. In fact anyone who does that gets their comeuppance in due course, thats what the universe told me.
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:02, that's a wise Universe you've been talking to. This couldn't be the same Universe that gave Schirmer his "checks in the mail" and his parking spaces, could it?
ReplyDeleteCould it be that there is in fact more than one Universe?