Psychic predictions for 2013 and fails of 2012

At this time of year a lot of media outlets turn to psychics to enlighten us all about what to expect for the year ahead.

Maybe it's a bit of light-hearted fun or something more financially sinister but let's face it, if people weren't interested in psychics they wouldn't get so much attention.

What's important to remember is what was predicted the year before is rarely dusted off from the shelf and analysed.

So what did some famous psychics predict for 2012?

Getting it wrong
Self-confessed medium Sylvia Browne has appeared across US television shows, including Larry King Live, for years.

She claims, as many psychics do, to help police solve crimes and find missing persons.

But when 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck went missing in 2002, his parents turned to Sylvia on The Montel Williams Show, hoping to find some answers on the whereabouts of their son.

Shawn was kidnapped while riding his bike and Sylvia told them he was dead.

He was discovered alive in 2007.

Some of Browne's predictions 2012 include earthquakes in Japan (it's worth noting Japan has more than 1500 seismic activities annually) and that a cure for Multiple Sclerosis would be found.

Perhaps her biggest fail was that Barack Obama would not be re-elected as President of the United States.

An election year is a publicity dream for clairvoyants.

Failing to pick a winner in a two-horse race
Mitchell Coombes, who appears weekly on The Morning Show, was also on the election bandwagon.

He said, during a segment on predictions for 2012, that President Obama would not be re-elected.

Other prognostications included Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux's relationship not lasting (they became engaged in August) and worries about a disaster in China.

He also predicted the US economy would bounce back, which isn't too hard from the lows it reached, but can anyone say fiscal cliff?

So what does 2013 hold for us? According to Mitchell, Prince William will become king with Prince Charles being bypassed, and we'll face some of the hottest days on record.

There is also some good news for Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He said she will be re-elected but if you watch his predictions from 2012 Mitchell is adamant there would be a Coalition victory.

Many psychics tend to focus on the Royals and celebrities.

Mitchell foresees health complications for the Queen's husband which is perhaps unsurprising since Prince Philip is 91 and has spent much time in hospital in 2012.

Celebrity deaths
Self-described 'Psychic to the Stars', Psychic Nikki, has listed more than 200 predictions on her website.

She takes credit for envisaging the deaths of Amy Winehouse and Elizabeth Taylor, but upon closer inspection of bucket loads of celebs in her 2011 'health/death watch' list Ms Taylor was notably absent.

For 2012, she predicted a marriage for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, that a country music legend will pass and that Kim Kardashian would re-marry and have a baby.

EDIT: So it turns out Nikki got this one right, well, half-right.

These are all yet to occur, as is an obscure forecast that the Holy Grail would be found.

Doing away with flim-flam
Perhaps all our psychics should take up the James Randi Educational Foundation offer of $1 million for anyone who can show under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event.

If they don't use their gift for financial gain or it's not about predicting lottery numbers, do the test anyway and donate the proceeds to science, which does use logic, reason and evidence.

Maybe it's "for entertainment purposes only", in which case did I mention we have horoscopes?