Funerals To Die For

(CBS)  For thousands of years, the rich and powerful have been buried with weapons or treasures, and with great fanfare.

Now, more and more "average" Americans are planning their own funerals, personalizing and customizing them, going out in style, in ways that are sometimes elaborate, sometimes non-traditional -- and sometimes -- even fun -- perhaps making the Grim Reaper a little less grim!

The Early Show explores them in a three-part series, "Funerals To Die For."

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008

Thinking Inside the Box

In South Korea, some people are getting a jump on the grim reaper, staging their own funerals, as a way of appreciating their lives.

As CBS News correspondent Celia Hatton reports, they go so far as to get sealed into coffins for 15 minutes and have gravel thrown on them.

To watch Hatton's report,

click here

.

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008

Making Your Own Funeral Tribute Video

Tribute videos for funerals are becoming big business.

Many baby boomers are forgetting about traditional home videos and opting for elaborate, high-end productions to share with future generations. And they're spending big bucks while they're at it!

CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy told the story of Jack Susser, who set out to make a tribute video and ended up starring in a $75,000 short film!

To see Tracy's report,

click here

.

For more information:

www.thetributenetwork.com

Monday, Feb. 25, 2008

Planning Elaborate, Sometimes Fun Funerals

Boomers are at the forefront of the movement, as Tracy explained.

He spoke with someone who might best be described as a "funeral concierge" -- Mark Duffey, who runs Everest Funeral Planning. Tracy also chatted with two people who already know just how they want to go to the Great Beyond. To see that Tracy report,

click here

.

Then, he took viewers to "Big Mama's Kitchen" at the Wade Funeral Home in St. Louis. You can't cook there -- the room is actually a set -- but the kitchen-like design has helped make mourners feel more at home. Tracy and Wade's director, Debora Kellom, also walked viewers through Wade's sports-themed room. To view the walkthroughs,

click here

.

In New York, The Early Show's Russ Mitchell and Maggie Rodriguez displayed a Harley-Davidson hearse, and a casket that's also a couch!

For more information, check out these sites:

http://www.tombstonehearse.com

http://www.everestfuneral.com/trialoffer

http://www.memorialspaceflights.com

http://www.lifegem.com

http://www.neptunesociety.com

http://www.casketfurniture.com

http://www.eternalimage.net

[soulsaver40]

Video has swept our nation in every area of our lives. It has many advantages and disadvantages of putting our lives in the spot light. I started a mission some years back trying to bring to light the great advantage of using video to help educate the public on making end of life decisions. As cool as these videos are it is still my hope that people will also come to use this tool to leave special messages like of thankfulness & forgiveness and realize the bigger impact they can have on helping the people they leave behind to accept death and move forward with their own lives. It has been my experience that in the lives of those we leave behind, it is not the THINGS we have to leave behind or even how we choose to say good-bye. IT"S really the things that we are not saying or explaining that keep our loved ones from moving forward in a more productive and healthy way, and aren''t they the ones that count?
Just to add perspective; You can make it fun and make it count. soulsaver40

[towmaytor]

My dad always said he wanted to go out with a bang. He had been a Civil War reactor for about 20 yrs. He had made it know that when he died he wanted his ashes to be shot out of a cannon. So that is what we did.

[sunderan]

I would like to plan a "MOCK FUNERAL", and video tape it for future reference, for myself. I want to see who comes, especially who do not come to my funeral. I would also hear what people will say of me and then I would like to look around the church, and see who is sitting where. It will be a great picture, and I will feel comfortable to watch that DVD on and on again.