"The Big Question"

From the Head's first run ends with a question — the big question — and an unexpected cliffhanger! While we wait for the next batch, catch the first nine episodes all over again right here.

Doing the devil's work for him.

The Pigeon Drop strikes again! Caroline Stevens was so anxious to get a huge chunk of some "found money" (her take would’ve been a cool $15,000) that she handed over $2,700 – money she says her family would’ve used to pay bills. The Pigeon Drop is a fairly simple scam that we mentioned the other week and, even thought it’s a cliché, those who fall for it have only themselves to blame. Not that Caroline sees it that way. Even though she gave thousands to complete strangers who promised half of the $30,000 in exchange for her $2,700 “deposit,” she’s playing the victim here. She says she wasn’t thinking about the money. She just got confused. “They had me so cluttered,” she told a reporter, “I didn't know nothing about what I was doing.” This includes a drive to the bank to withdraw the cash.

Caroline claims she trusted the women because one said she went to the same church and had been “saved” too. But greed, and nothing else, is to blame. At the very least, shouldn’t she have tried to convince the ladies to give the found 30K to the church? Did she forget Luke 12:15, where Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed”? It’s a sin and it might be time for Carolin to hit the confessional.

And now she’s getting all preachy, saying "You better plead the blood of Jesus on the people because they're out there. They'll get ya." (Someone please translate.) Fine, but we’ll throw it right back at you, Caroline, straight from 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (via Google): "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction."

Idiot.

"Resilience"

Mr. Personality returns to From the Head. Next week's ninth episode is the last of Series One. Shoes, please don't keep us waiting long for the next batch.

Moving at the speed of lies

“A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” - Mark Twain

Seemed like an appropriate Quote of the Week... if not the year.

Cover your tracks, people

Margaret B. Jones wrote a memoir about being raised by a foster mom and and surviving as a drug-dealing gang member. Love and Consequences is the name of the book, out last week, by Penguin. An editor worked with Jones for three years to get the book written. Turns out Jones went to a private Episcopal day school while being raised in the sunny San Fernando Valley by her real family, and that nothing in the book actually happened.

And the craziest thing is it all fell apart when her own sister read about the book in The New York Times. The lesson: find the weakest link in whatever scam you're running, and never forget that weak link's birthday. Ever.

Anyway, the best part about having a book called The Modern Con Man (available in just 28 days) is that no one expects it to be entirely truthful.

Full story here.

Impossible

Not long ago, wanting to "keep up with the Jonses" meant having to maintain a lush, green lawn or buying a BMW. But pressure to "keep up with the Jonses" is the reason Robert Irvine - celebrity chef host of the Food Networks' Dinner: Impossible – is giving as to why he lied on his résumé, fabrications that make you wonder who the hell the Jonses are anymore? Among those lies:

That he is friends with Prince Charles.
That he cooked for four U.S. Presidents.
That he was granted British knighthood.
That he owned a castle in Scotland.

From the network's website this morning (although probably not for long), an intro for Irvine says "If you could combine James Bond and MacGyver, you would get Robert Irvine, a real life chef extraordinaire." Hmmm.

(Food Network, this is a minor point since you're probably changing the site, but if you'd really wanted to make that point above, one of the two people in your "If you could combine" scenario probably should've been food-related. A Bond-MacGyver spawn would kick major ass but it doesn't make us think Black-Pepper-Crusted Wagyu New York Steak with Black Truffle Vinaigrette. And while we have you, if we find out that Rachael Ray isn't really Italian royalty and a direct descendant of the Medicis, we will never forgive you! We love her BBQ Spiced Chicken.)

The So-Called Pigeon Drop

This week, a man in Shreveport, LA, was duped into handing over $40,000 in cash to a sharp-dressed (see for yourself) con artist. The scam used was one of the classics - The Pigeon Drop. There are many variations but the key to them all is how the greed of the marks works against them. And if you're not sure what the Pigeon Drop is, do not ask Detective Bobby Herring, who is handling this case. As he explains:

"Someone offers you more money or some money, but they want a trust and they want to hold your money before you can get the money."

Got it? If not, try this. The Pigeon Drop has been used in everything from The Golden Girls (in the episode "Cheaters"), to Lost. The best use we've seen though is in Mamet's House of Games but just in case you haven't seen it we won't say why. But we will link to the brilliantly played set-up.