Friday, May 04, 2007

Visit to the Getty Museum

Wednesday's afternoon activity was a visit to the Getty Museum. The J. Paul Getty Museum started from his private collection, and was housed for many years in a a Roman-style villa in Malibu, which is now the Getty Villa. Today's Getty Museum, designed by architect Richard Meier, occupies 750 acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountain foothills. The Getty Center includes an art collection so large it takes four exhibit pavilions just to show part of it, and the complex includes nine buildings in total.

We had a great time taking the architecture tour as well as checking out the impressionist paintings and a photograph exhibit. We enjoyed a nice lunch then walked the beautiful gardens.

It's been a great visit with my pops. Tomorrow he'll get on his motorcycle and head towards Lake Tahoe where he's hooking up with an old school buddy. I'm glad he likes Polly and has enjoyed his time here in LA.

The view from the Getty is spectacular. It was clear enough to see the ocean. There's so much to see and do, you really can't do it all in one afternoon. So, I guess we'll go back sometime and fill in the blanks.

Here is just a a taste of the way cool architecture.

Fun afternoon with people I love, surrounded by beauty, art and life. What's not to like?

Gordon Frank

Gordy

I love my dad

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Magicians sue Japan TV networks

A group of 49 Japanese magicians is suing two local television networks for revealing the secrets behind a series of coin tricks in news footage.

The case, filed in Tokyo District Court on Tuesday, seeks damages of 1.9m yen (£8,239) from Nippon Television Network Corp and TV Asahi Corp.

Magician Shintaro Fujiyama said the broadcasters had "deprived professional magicians of their assets".

Asahi said it saw no problem with the footage. Nippon TV declined to comment.

"It takes us many years to develop a coin trick as a professional tool," said Mr Fujiyama, 52.

"They must understand how all the time we have spent is wasted by exposure of the trick," he said.

The two networks revealed how the coin tricks were completed last November, after a magician and a pub operator were arrested for punching holes in coins.

It is against the law to damage or melt coins in Japan.

My Dad here for a visit!

My pops cruised in on his Goldwing Thursday afternoon. He left Atlanta a week earlier and made stops along the way to visit with friends and family. It's been non stop fun since he got here. Cigars, booze, gambling. . . just what I like! We went to the Castle Friday afternoon for lunch, saw Aye Jaye, Whit Hayden, Brian Gillis Chris Korn, John Lovick, Derek Hugues and a few new faces to me. I like how casual the Friday lunches are. I gave Gordy the tour, then we walked Hollywood Blvd. and took the subway home. The North Hollywood stop is the last one on the Red Line, Polly piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. . . but I digress, Polly picked us up at the station and we went to the mechanic where my car was receiving routine maintenance.

My father is the youngest 70 old man I know. Full of life, love and fully capable of getting his inner groove on. I seriously dig this man. He went to work with me the other night and liked my sets. Sunday he went to San Diego with a pal to an intimate gathering of old school friends from high school, 53 years ago.

We've been having such a good time, I've neglected to even think about taking any pictures, or shooting any video with my new HD Camcorder. I'll have to get with the program and post some pics.

My father adores Polly and largely credits her to my childlike giddiness. What can I say, I'm crazy about Polly.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Doc Eason. . . what a guy!

I don't know how or why it happens, but for most of my life I've had the opportunity to meet and hang out with most every magician that I've ever wanted to. I had never seen or met Doc, before the meeting at Dean Dills last week. Of course I wanted to meet him, his reputation has reached near legend status and his work in the bar possibly unparalleled.

As a favor, he did an informal performance for about 7 of us in the close up room. He did a clever topological impossibility which I think my dad figured out. . . fooled me. I asked if he was taking requests, he said, "what do you want to see?" I replied, the multiple card selection. Doc was amused that I would be impressed with just 7 cards so when he busted out the trick, he added 4 or 5 other cards for imaginary seat fillers. This is probably what has interested me most about the stories I had heard about Doc. As a HUGE fan of the multiple card selection, I appreciated and studied with a critical eye, his technique and delivery of this classic effect.

I get a warm and genuinely friendly feeling from Doc. I returned to the Magic Castle later that night after work around 11PM to see Doc work the W.C. Fields Bar, was was supposed to work 8-12, but he was in for a long night. Hell, in the hour and a half that I watched him, he turned over the room 3 times. He did Copper Silver Brass, Card Under Glass, Two Card Transposition, Bill in Lemon and a host of other tricks, gags, jokes, & stories. He commands the room and seems most comfortable behind the bar. His misdirection during card under glass scores bonus points as he fooled them again and again. Good times. Watching him bang out 3 shows in a row, gave me a good look at different situations. The first crowd was drunk and it was difficult to get a grip and hit a stride, they weren't letting that happen easily. The next show was tight and the crowd attentive and responsive, the third show was even better.

The best part of the night though, was spending some one on one time with him, talking about our lives in this crazy business and lifestyle. I'd like to thank Doc Eason for taking the time to be a new friend.


Peace Out