Friday, March 16, 2007

In my "In Box" • a pic from a bud

Kind Bud

There's No Business Like Show Business

There's no business like show business like no business I know
Everything about it is appealing, everything that traffic will allow
Nowhere could you get that happy feeling when you are stealing that extra bow

There's no people like show people, they smile when they are low
Even with a turkey that you know will fold, you may be stranded out in the cold
Still you wouldn't change it for a sack of gold, let's go on with the show

The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Are secretly unhappy men because
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Get paid for what they do but no applause.
They'd gladly bid their dreary jobs goodbye for anything theatrical and why?

There's no business like show business and I tell you it's so
Traveling through the country is so thrilling, standing out in front on opening nights
Smiling as you watch the theater filling, and there's your billing out there in lights

There's no people like show people, they smile when they are low
Angels come from everywhere with lots of jack, and when you lose it, there's no attack
Where could you get money that you don't give back? Let's go on with the show

(There's no business like show business like no business I know)
You get word before the show has started that your favorite uncle died at dawn
Top of that, your pa and ma have parted, you're broken-hearted, but you go on

(There's no people like show people, they smile when they are low)
Yesterday they told you you would not go far, that night you open and there you are
Next day on your dressing room they've hung a star, let's go on with the show!!

HBO's "Big Love" season 2 Wrapped

home_main_winter_07_01

Polly is now done with Big Love and didn't waste anytime getting picked up as Department Head on a pilot shooting at Warner Brothers. Today is her first day. I'm very proud of her. It would be great if the show got picked up.

Here is Polly and her good friend and boss, Scott. They both worked on Scrubs together as well as Big Love. There's no business like show business.


This picture was taken on the last day of shooting. . . no wonder they look so fucking happy.

New Street Magic Magazine

Just ordered a copy. Not sure what to expect. I'll let you know. . .

Street Magic Magazine

The ULTIMATE magic magazine is here! In the premiere issues of Street Magic Magazine, you’ll find an eclectic mix of modern content that brings magic magazines to an entirely new level. Cyril is featured on the front cover and inside with an eye-popping 12 page interview, another 8 pages are dedicated to the underground legend De’vo—founder of XCM, and this Guinness Book of World Record holder for the coin roll teaches you how to do it his way. You’ll also find the hilarious “terrorister”, what’s hot and what’s not, great reviews on the top products on the market, and some hard hitting articles that will make you seriously think.

Ran across this

Fantasma Magic now operates over 20 magic kiosks around the world. We are now going to be opening up one in Dubai within Toys R Us. This new store will be the second largest Toys R Us in the world. Dubai is an amazing country to live in and Toys R Us is offering a 6 month contract along with room. If anyone knows any magicians that can also demonstrate that is either in Dubai now or wants to live there, please contact me.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Roger,

My name is Tom Frank and I think I might be the right guy for the job.

I was a magic shop owner for 12 years (Carew Tower Magic Shop in Cincinnati and Seattle Magic in Seattle) Currently I am pitching decks and street performing exclusively at the Universal City Walk in Hollywood, CA.

I started my career in magic demonstrating at Haines House of Cards at the age of 10. For the last 31 years I have mastered the art of getting the crowd, keeping the crowd and getting the money. I owned magic shops and toy stores and consider myself an excellent manager. I can hire, fire and train people to SELL magic. . . not just demonstrate it.

Give me a call to discuss this further.

Sincerely,


Tom Frank
http://www.industrialstrengthmagic.com/
323.683.5844

Video du Jour • John Scarne

Quote du Jour

"If your wife doesn't like the aroma of your cigar - change your wife."

-- Zino Davidoff

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Paco's Private Lesson

Last night and tonight rocked at the City Walk. It died early, but I did good for the couple hours a night I worked. Good connection, good crowds, good reactions, good money. It will be nice when the season kicks in.

Yesterday I taught a private lesson in Santa Monica. A young man named Paco from Mexico City wanted to learn some magic. I had met him a few times on the Promenade months back.

I enjoy teaching and think that I am getting good at it. Just when I’m convinced I’m a moron, I see how much information I can effectively convey in an hour.

I asked him what he wanted to learn, he said he wanted to learn some coin tricks and bills.

Next, I asked him if he knew any thing about coin magic. He said, all he knew was the french drop, that I taught him months ago as a teaser on the street.

I asked him to do it for me. It was hideous. It never fails to impress me how much a layman can butcher a simple move. I made Paco take notes and I emphasized the importance of knowing what the sleights were called. His limited english made me want to slow down and make sure he knew what I was talking about.

So we spent a good amount of time on the french drop learning the fundamental basics of misdirection. Acting, conviction, framing the action (Henning Nelms kinda stuff). We discussed the importance of finger and coin positioning as well as coin size and thought about that.

Next we covered a few basic palms. The classic palm: finding the sweet spot, exercises to enhance dexterity while palming coins, Tension and Focus (thanks Aaron), Back Palm, Back Clip, Downs Palm; launching into a brief story about T. Nelson Downs and making him write the name down as well as the book title, “The Art of Magic”.

We learned all the moves with both silver dollars and quarters. He got the hang of the downs palm vanish and reproduction nicely.

The second half of the lesson was to teach a trick that used one of the sleights. I taught him Tenkai Pennies (with quarters, just like when Sol Stone taught it to me all those many years ago at Rueben's Deli in New York City, bit I digress) It’s a great trick and forces an understanding of angles. We took a few minutes to talk more about this going back to Downs Palm as an example. Understanding where their eyes line of vision is and so forth.

As an after thought I showed him a nice follow up to Tenkai Pennies using the Gallo Pitch. We went over all the sequences many times.

Then we reviewed everything he learned and went over his notes a bit.

What was supposed to be an hour lesson turned into 90 minutes, but it was a good time. I know I gave him a lot to think about. He said he might want to take another lesson next week.

Watching the wheels • John Lennon

People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin
When I say that Im o.k. well they look at me kind of strange
Surely youre not happy now you no longer play the game

People say I'm lazy, dreaming my life away
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me
When I tell them that Im doing fine, watching shadows on the wall
Don't you miss the big time, boy youre no longer on the ball

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go

Ah, people asking questions lost in confusion
Well I tell them theres no problem, only solutions
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind
I tell them theres no hurry
I'm just sitting here doing time

I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round

Flower Power

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Zoom

Days are flying by, as weeks turn into months.

Day after perfect day, the sun shines in the blue sky and it's usually in the 70's by 10 or 11AM.

Really so much has happened in the last week or so, it's been busy in paradise.

Polly's good friend Dack was here. He was visiting from Northern California. They've been friends for two decades and at one point lived together in Hawaii where they were both hair dressers in a Salon. Polly had to work while Dack was in town, so we got a chance to get to know one and other. Nice guy and strangely familiar. The more we talked, the more things we realized we saw eye to eye. . . . which is strange, cause on some things. . . I'm coming from left field.

So, that was fun.

Polly had a birthday. She was celebrating the 21st Anniversary of her 21st Birthday! Way to go Polly! Happy Birthday Baby!

Other News in Pollywood

Polly Lucke

She's done with Big Love and not a moment too soon. A show season is a grueling period of time for someone stuck on set or on location for 12-16 hours a day. It's inevitable that by the end of the season people are stripped to the bone and on edge. Tension in the last week made things awkward in a bunch of different departments, both interdepartmentally and across the board. I went out to the Studio in Santa Clarita on the last day of shooting and enjoyed a delicious lunch of prime rib, shrimp and crab. Lots of good grub and a feeling among the cast and crew that it was over for the season.

Show business ROCKS!!! So many different pieces of the puzzle. I feel so lucky to be here.

Pic du Jour • Ed Marlo

Ed Marlo

Garcia and Grisman - The Thrill is Gone



Ricky Jay appears briefly in this video. I wonder how it was to work with and hang out with Jerry?

Back

My mind wanders. Not really going anywhere.

Inside my head I knock about

like a guy waiting outside a dressing room at a department store for his girl

Feelings and memories

The past and my issues

All sit around the dinner table and play nice

It's a crazy world we live in, with so much at stake

Shattered dreams and plastered smiles

and miles of piles turning into smiles

all the while

after the paper work has been filed

and the party was wild

this writing is mild


INT. Tom's Mind - Dark echo

Coming up through the spinal cord the image rotates as it enters the brain.


What the fuck is all this mess!?

I take a broom and sweep cobwebs out of the corner of darkness

I look for the light switch but there isn't one. It's not totally dark, but not that bright.

A sound off in the distance, familiar

I walk towards the music. It's Jim Morrison singing LA Woman. Being played on a cassette in the tape deck of my first car, a 1976 Rally Nova. Puke green with bullet holes in the door. I called it the Funmobile.

I loved to drive fast to that song

The part where he goes

Mr. Mojo Risin'

Got to keep on risin'

that's where I would slowly but steadily start mashing the gas pedal

I'm gone risin', risin'

I gotta risin', risin'

Going faster 80 miles an hour, 90 miles an hour

Well, risin', risin'

I gotta, wooo, yeah, risin'

Woah, ohh yeah

Fucking pedal to the medal, balls to the wall

Speedometer buried as we get to this point in the song

Well, I just got into town about an hour ago
Took a look around, see which way the wind blow
Where the little girls in their Hollywood bungalows

Monday, March 12, 2007

Venice Beach