Baller Alert Entertainment & Lifestyle
A documentary highlighting the reign of famed TV psychic Miss Cleo is headed to television screens everywhere.
Filmmaker Senain Kheshgi is directing the documentary and will interview people who knew Miss Cleo before her 2016 death.
Miss Cleo, whose real name is Youree Dell Harris, was a household name in the 90s for her famous slogan, “Call me now!” that could be heard in the charismatic television ads for her tarot card readings. The turban-wearing woman claimed to be a Jamaican fortune teller when in actuality, she was a playwright from Los Angeles who became the face of the Psychic Readers Network.
With Cleo as the star of their operation, the pay-per-call service collected over $1 billion from callers seeking authentic psychic guidance. In 2002, the Federal Trade Commission accused the network of deceptive advertising, billing, and collection methods. This ended Cleo’s reign as a TV medium. However, the representation of a Black woman clairvoyant was permanently embedded in Black pop culture.
“Youree Harris may have been an accomplice or perhaps a victim in the Psychic Reader’s Network fraud, but she also had talent and personality, which for women doesn’t always translate into access or wealth,” the award-winning director stated.
Entertainment studio XTR and production company Majority are behind the film, but it is unclear where and when it will air.
