Josh Jay

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Danny Archer
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Danny Archer » December 20th, 2008, 12:07 pm

Performing on live TV can be a harrowing thing... I will be performing on live TV in six hours... granted it's not for a national audience, but it's still live and anything can happen and probably will...

Josh is one of the best close-up magicians under 30 in the world... I think he handled the situation as well as he could have... keep on truckin' Josh...
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Disparity1
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Disparity1 » December 20th, 2008, 12:22 pm

Dustin Stinett wrote:I dont want to highjack this thread into a Johnny Carson memorial, but since my knowledge of JC has been challenged thus:

Bill Duncan wrote:Dustin,
You couldn't be more wrong. There are plenty of times when Carson said or did something that got a laugh at the expense of a guest, or their dignity.


All I will say is,

Name one. (Not counting practical jokes he played on friends like Buddy Rich, Ed, Doc, and other celebrities who were in on such thingsagain, all part of the show.)

Dustin


Uri Geller.

Carson conspired with Randi to ensure that Geller would have difficulties, even to the point of failing completely.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby JHostler » December 20th, 2008, 12:31 pm

Gross generalization: technical skill, poise, and savvy tend to develop in that order. Most never pass stage one... few achieve magical enlightenment. Those that do tend to be longer in the tooth than Josh. Patience...

It should also be obvious that Josh's youthful appearance translates to a liability in certain performing environs. All else equal, the gray-maned among us tend to command a bit more respect (at least on the surface).
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby David Vamer » December 20th, 2008, 1:50 pm

Back in the day, Josh would never have gotten onto Carson at this stage in his development as a performer. He'd never get onto Leno, now.

TV has changed. The explosion of programming has turned it into an even more insastiable beast than ever before. "New! NEWER! NEWEST!!!!! Throw everything and anything against the wall and see if it sticks!"

These kids today with their hair and their music......

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby David Alexander » December 20th, 2008, 1:55 pm

Cugel wrote:

I just got the sense they were meant to be tough guy put downs. I think that's inappropriate - and certainly wouldn't fit for what Josh was doing and would be poor advice in that context. If I misinterpreted that, then my apologies. Just the way it read, made me get the sense that David Alexander was trying to show how tough he could be - a little menace and steel in there. Maybe that was necessary in his book tour, but I wouldn't want to compromise my performing style to do that in a promotional spot. In a bar with some [censored] spectator, maybe. Again, if that wasn't David's intention, then maybe I'm just reading too much in with all of the "If it was me I woulda" posts that have come into the thread of late.
**************************************


You have misinterpreted and/or misunderstood my examples. You fail to see the difference between what you call a tough guy put-down and drawing a line that the rude host may not cross without consequences. In the examples given I was responding to what was presented to me, not throwing down a challenge. I drew a line and set boundaries not to demonstrate menace and steel but to show that I was capable of producing consequences should they stray from common bounds of civility.

As you have identified yourself as a person in production I would point out that there is a huge difference between working in production and actually being out in front of an audienceand being out in front of paying audiences for decades is something else entirely as it allows the development of a different set of performing skills than the occasional performance. It is a difficult thing for amateurs to grasp, but there is a vast difference between having decades of performing experience and the occasional show, even if youre paid for the show and consider yourself professional.

Most people that you perform for will exhibit courtesy and respect but when they dont you must be prepared to set boundaries and enforce them; otherwise you simply become fodder for their egos and lack of manners. The experienced performer never allows himself to appear to be a victim.

A performer may have a performing style that is his foundation, but the highly experienced performer knows when to move away from his style and adapt to the conditions present. Let me give you an example from my experience since the previous non-magic-performing situations did not seem to resonate.

I was hired to entertain at the holiday party for a steel company in a night club the company had hired out for the evening. As there was a follow spot, good lighting and I was working out on the dance floor it was like going home for me, having performed in a number of night clubs in the early part of my career

I did an hour of walk-around before dinner without incident and then came the stand-up show after dinner. My opening is the Misers Dream with a bit of audience interaction, then the Martin Jumbo Rising Cards, both routines as taught to me by Frakson.

Three cards are selected, the big cards introduced and I turned to the first person who selected a card, an attractive young woman, and asked for the name of her card. She replied in a loud voice, Sixty-nine which elicited a huge laugh from the audience. I let her have her laugh and asked again. She replied exactly the same with loudly voiced encouragement from other members of the audience which gave me some insight about their psychology. I waited for the second laugh to die down and said, No sweetheart, the name of your card, not your hobby. The place collapsed and when quiet returned I learned the name of the card.

If you have sufficient experience in front of an audience you learn to read them quickly and accurately because the success of your show depends on it. You adjust to the conditions and attitude they present. Most times this means adjusting your timing to how quickly or slowly you work. Most experienced pros do it without thinking.

In this case I read the audience as neither slow nor fast but as a bunch of smart ass drunks who thought screwing with the performer was good sport.

Not a problem at all as far as I was concerned. Id been doing this a very long timethey were well-oiled, I was stone sober, and in situations like this my brain goes into high gear. I took no [censored] and I gave as good as I got.

As I was leaving the vice-presidents wife came up to me and told me that in the 17 years she and her husband had been associated with the company I was the only entertainer they had hired who had held his own. It seems that hiring a comic or a magician each year and then behaving as though they were the lions in Romes Coliseum was their yearly sport.

Two weeks later I received an unsolicited but highly complimentary letter from the company owner.

The point is, with some people you have to demand respect or they will eat you alive.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Doc Dixon » December 20th, 2008, 3:48 pm

If there were any more smarts in David's last post I'd carve it in stone. Well done, sir.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Cugel » December 20th, 2008, 4:06 pm

Great anecdotes. Thanks very much for sharing them.

What I said was that I have long experience performing magic professionally (over 20 years and I didn't start until my twenties, which is at least something) but also worked in TV production. While your anecdotes are interesting and I agree sometimes you have to assert control over audience members in the real world, as I have also done, to do so in this environment would be a fatal mistake for your career. On a major TV show of this nature the guest talent (except for major celebs) is prepped in a way that will restrict options available to them and will see them blackballed if they go off script - and shut down if they upset the host. That is a fact and I know from my knowledge of the industry that such prepping would have occurred in this example.

I am not in any way undermining or questioning your experience or talent as a real world performer. But some of the advice in this thread about how to deal with a major national TV guest spot is not realistic or wise. Of course, people could take that advice, they just need to know they'd never be invited back and might affect their chances of working other spots - producers talk about guests who don't hit the mark.

Getting back to Brad Henderson's fixation on Geoffrey Rush's ass... thanks for drawing that to my attention, Silly Walter. Brad's comment is more a grandstanding assertion of his perception of his own talent than a serious comment on this unhelpful chestnut that actors are hard working talented people and magicians are hacks and scum. The key clue is that it's all about Brad teaching Geoffrey. So Brad is not only above we magicians (or at least that presumptuous naysayer, Cugel), he's above Rush. Great product placement there, Brad.

Seriously, though, I can tell you are a conscientious, thoughtful and hard working magician, Brad. Your posts are always interesting and I enjoy reading them even if sometimes the analysis is overcooked.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby David Vamer » December 20th, 2008, 4:30 pm

It all depends, then, Cugel, on what the talent wants to do.

One can take the safe road and sing "Let's spend "some time" together", as the Stones did on Sullivan. Or, one can bellow "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" as Morrison did, and worry about the consequences later.

Another example...Sam Kinison went into the audience and started working the crowd on Letterman, which is verboten, but Sam did as Sam pleased.

Had I been in Josh's shoes, I'd have chosen material that ENCOURAGED the ladies to get frisky, then I'd have pushed them past their comfort zone onto MY playground. Sure, it might have gotten me banned from the show, but so what? TV is far too full of bland wussies who take whatever crap is dealt out to them in order to preserve any chance of another guest shot.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Cugel » December 20th, 2008, 4:33 pm

David Vamer wrote:It all depends, then, Cugel, on what the talent wants to do.


Exactly.

(And Sam Kinison wasn't selling magic books for young folks).

David Vamer wrote:Sure, it might have gotten me banned from the show, but so what? TV is far too full of bland wussies who take whatever crap is dealt out to them in order to preserve any chance of another guest shot.


Dude, you are my hero! I'll bet you're one of the guys who drinks beer at the convention banquet show instead of white wine.

:D

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Brad Henderson » December 20th, 2008, 5:26 pm

Cugel,

Anyone can teach Rush. Doesn't have to be me. This isn't about ME at all.

You are missing the point. Perhaps I have hit some nerve and that is preventing you from reading my words without bias.

The point is that there are many interesting issues raised by Josh's performance. One of these issues - and one that magicians fall prey to constantly - is one of not being in the moment. Jon Armstrong talks about this at great length in his lecture. I am sensitive to it as I have been very guilty of it. But it is endemic to our art/craft/profession/practitioners. Josh's appearance demonstrated the problem well.

So, rather than just be a nay sayer, I thought it might be helpful to consider solutions. Acting classes (GOOD acting classes) focus in great measure on just this problem.

This may explain why actors can make "fake" seem more real than we (as a group) can. There are many talented magicians who have excellent technical chops. Some construct great poker routines. Some are even charming and engaging. But how many - even the best in our field - are really good at making what they do seem real?

I have witnessed a handful of occasions that approach this.
So why is this? Is this because we are dumber than actors? Is it because they are better people than we are? They work harder?

Of course not, and no one (other than you, Cugel) has suggested it.

The reason this is true is because we (as a lot) don't focus on developing that skill set. It's not important to many of us. That's why NO ONE believes their bill was accidentally burned. That's why magicians are considered hokey, fake, and shell like charactatures. (Just look at almost any media representation of magic. Some recent movies being a thrilling exception.)

Great actors make us feel that reality on a regular basis. They have chosen to develop a set of tools that we (as a community) have chosen en masse to over look.

And for the record, Cugel, I have in no way remotely developed these skills to anything approaching what they need to be. You may have spent hours working on your Meisner along with your second deals. This post was never about you. It was never about ME. It is about a tool that most magicians lack, and that most actors posses. It's a tool that would have transformed Josh's appearance.

Kathy Lee busted his trick. It happened. It will happen again. Not a whole lot we can learn from that other than being more careful with one's technique. Ultimately though, it wasn't Josh's choice which led to that moment. And while some may enjoy imagining that verbal skewering they would have given her, it wouldn't have kept it from happening. And, as you pointed out, would not have saved the situation.

However, we can look at Josh's choices when it comes to interacting with the women and being in the moment. And we can see how those choices led to them "taking over." We can see how it closed down avenues of discussion. We can see how it made his time on stage seem rushed.

We can learn from that. And we can apply it to OUR choices - whether they are made in front of a group of cub scouts, in a corporate boardroom, or when on national tv.

I think that's both valuable and important.



Brad

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Tim Ellis
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Tim Ellis » December 20th, 2008, 5:33 pm

Where is this thread going???

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Cugel » December 20th, 2008, 5:33 pm

Okay Brad. Thanks.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Scott M. » December 20th, 2008, 6:35 pm

Tim Ellis wrote:Where is this thread going???


I actually think this has been one of the best threads on the boards in some time. I mean, it seems to me that a well known (to us) primarily close-up magician appearing on a national show and giving a performance with some flaws in it would be a subject worth discussing. A bunch of people here seem to think we should just skewer the hosts while others think that we should examine and learn from Josh's performance. I'm in the latter camp, especially after watching the clip one or two more times. I was really struck on second viewing how awkward the beginning was. The hosts clearly wanted to talk for a few seconds and get to know Josh. Problem was, he had to stand awkwardly holding a balloon, and that meant his engaging with them seemed silly. So, his only choice was to quickly get into his act. As others have mentioned, the bottle production wasn't so smooth... Do any of us think anyone in the audience didn't know where the bottle came from? Then, he, a good-looking young guy, gives the bottle of champagne to the two women, which sets up the theme of flirtation which plays out, sometimes to Josh's expense, during the rest of the routine and to which some members here seemed really put off by.

When Brad references Josh not being in the moment, I understand what he is saying. I felt similarly when I saw the clip, but I chose to view it a different way -- as a product of Josh's persona. Josh's performing persona is of a young, charming, and very earnest and sincere lover of magic. We as magicians like that because Josh is very sincere about something that we ourselves love. And in his column and DVDs he's really into the intricacies of method, which we find both intellectually stimulating and entertaining. Suffice to say that I am a fan and have several of his books and DVDs.

As a performer for lay people, though, Josh is pretty straight ahead. Because he is so warm and friendly, I think his style is great for live performances and intimate venues. For TV, it might just need something more. He demonstrates humor, but there's not really wit, and certainly not irony or menace -- the kind of things that allow a performer to instantly create his own theatrical space. Rather than an interesting character with strange skills or even powers, Josh comes off as a nice guy who is good at tricks. Again, fun for us, but not so exciting for an audience that may not really like magic tricks. Imagine other performers with real, finely crafted personas -- Penn and Teller, Derren Brown, Ricky Jay, even David Blaine -- on the show and you can instantly see, I think, how the interaction with the hosts would have been different.

I realize I'm weighing in way too late on this thread, and I'm not trying to be contentious or overly critical. Frankly, as an amateur who likes to do tricks -- and who has nowhere near Josh's sleight-of-hand skills -- I saw too much of myself in his performance, which is why I'm finding it useful to think about and discuss.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 20th, 2008, 8:14 pm

It's difficult to come over well on TV if you're not trained in acting or have developed a "personality" over time. That's true for anyone. TV "likes" certain people and certain types of personalities.
That difficulty is compounded by the fact that magic is, and always has been, meant to be seen live. Magic does not look nearly as good, or as convincing, or as interesting, on TV as it does when it's performed in front of your eyeballs. The personality of the performer has to overcome that deficit before anything else.
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Dustin Stinett » December 20th, 2008, 8:47 pm

Disparity1 wrote:Uri Geller.

Carson conspired with Randi to ensure that Geller would have difficulties, even to the point of failing completely.


An excellent example of how I am correct.

I recommend finding a clip of that appearance. Johnny is nothing but cordial and even helpful to Mr. Geller, giving him every opportunity to do what Geller claims he can do. And, in fact, Johnny said to the audience after the fact that Geller had mentioned he wasnt feeling strong that night. Johnny was a complete gentleman.

The only thing Randi did was tell the Carson people what to set up and not let Gellers people see the finished product. That is not conspiratorial; its making sure an experiment in psychic abilities has safeguards against fraud.

The only person who made Geller look foolish was Geller. Thats what happens when you are a fraud.

Dustin

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Jeremy Medows » December 20th, 2008, 10:40 pm

I don't get all of the Carson hero worship. He was a bit of an a-hole on his show when it came to comedians. He would only let certain ones sit down on the couch if he deemed them worthy. It's a d***** move. Did he do this for actors promoting their next lousy movie or crappy tv show?

And the job of a tv host is not to make the guests look good. It's to make good television. I'm sick of tv hosts ass-kissing stars and tip-toeing around sensitive areas instead of asking them questions that listeners want to hear.
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby David Alexander » December 21st, 2008, 12:21 am

There are a dozen or two or more comedians who would not agree with you about how Carson treated them. A slew of guys and a few gals got their initial national exposure on The Tonight Show. Because they were unknown, they did not get to sit on the couch, but they got terrific air time, something they couldn't get any place else. Later, when their careers had taken off, many were invited over.

The show pays scale, a few hundred dollars, so no one went on the show for the money. They went for a variety of other reasons, often to plug a film or other project which is how the show could afford them.

Carson was well-liked in the entertainment business and seen by his peers and the older generation of performers as talented and skilled. They knew he wouldn't embarrass them with a stupid question just for a cheap laugh. That's why you saw Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, and a host of the old Hollywood A List showing up with regularity on Johnny's show.

And Johnny did produce good television because when he went sky diving without talking to the network it was learned that The Tonight Show was responsible for something like one-third of the profits of NBC at the time. If it wasn't "good television" it wouldn't have attracted enough viewers to push up the price of time.

Carson's program was produced under the entertainment division of NBC, not the news department. When his guests sat down they knew they weren't going to be grilled for "questions people wanted answered." It was an entertainment program, not a news or investigative journalism show.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Bill Mullins » December 21st, 2008, 1:33 am

Dustin Stinett wrote:I dont want to highjack this thread into a Johnny Carson memorial, but since my knowledge of JC has been challenged thus:

Bill Duncan wrote:Dustin,
You couldn't be more wrong. There are plenty of times when Carson said or did something that got a laugh at the expense of a guest, or their dignity.


All I will say is,

Name one. (Not counting practical jokes he played on friends like Buddy Rich, Ed, Doc, and other celebrities who were in on such thingsagain, all part of the show.)

But before you even try, go back and watch it again and note how he dealt with the aftermath of the joke and how he would turn it back onto himself.

Dustin


Myrtle Young

She was the "potato chip lady" who brought her collection of potato chips that looked like stuff. When she was facing Ed, Johnny loudly ate a potato chip and she thought he'd eaten one of her collection. Johnny played it as if it was an innocent misunderstanding, but there is no way he didn't know it would get exactly the reaction it did. The clip is available on Youtube, and the laugh was at her expense.

But despite this counter-example, I agree with Dustin. No talk show host ever has given guests such a supportive place to do well. Maybe the reason I remember this clip after 20 years is that it was so unusual for Johnny to make fun of a "civilian", even in this mild way.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Bill Duncan » December 21st, 2008, 1:51 am

David Alexander wrote:There are a dozen or two or more comedians who would not agree with you about how Carson treated them


Given the hundreds of comics who appeared that's hardly an impressive argument.

Dustin: Zha Zha Gabor

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Dustin Stinett » December 21st, 2008, 2:51 am

Bill Duncan wrote:Dustin: Zha Zha Gabor


Bill,

That would be a great one if it ever happened. It never did. That story is pure urban legend (no matter how many people tell you they "saw it").

As far as comedians go, David Alexander is only speaking of those who became enormous stars.

I am willing to bet that the hundreds of men and women who made it to that stage would disagree with Jeremy.

Being called to the couch was something that was earned and comedians knew this going in and strived to reach that level of skill. Just getting on the show once was a big deal. Getting on twice or more meant you had a real shot at a good career. It took Steve Martin many appearances to finally get called over, while Steven Wright made it on his first appearance. It all depended on how well you did. Nothing d*******ish about that.

The notion that every other type of guest gets to the couch is wrong. Not every musician, singer, band, juggler, magician, etc. made it over to the couch. (If you have the chance, ask Paul Gertner about what a big deal it was for him to be called to the couchafter his second or third appearancefor just the sign off!)

Comparing variety acts to film/screen stars or authors and folks like that is just pure nonsense. What are these folks going to do? Read sides from their scripts? Read a page from their book? Please. (I can't even believe that I have to point out the absurdity of that.).

As for Myrtle, a very famous clip (that Johnny loved to show on his anniversary shows), again, watch the whole thing. Yes, the initial laugh was at her expense and after she saw the joke, she laughed too. Unfortunately the clip on YouTube stops well before the end of her appearance. There was more than him playing innocent. (I guess youll have to trust me on that.)

I never said Johnny never made jokes at anothers expense, but hed always do what he could to take the sting out. And that's what sets him apart from others who just make someone else look foolish for a laugh.

Were/are there people who thought Johnny was a prick? Absolutely! Wayne Newton comes immediately to mind. Newton hated Johnny with a passion and trash talks him to this day. He accused Johnny of making jokes at his expense early in his career (in regards to the very high voice he used then). He never forgave Carson for that.

But Newton was not on the show then either.

Dustin

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby r paul wilson » December 21st, 2008, 11:25 am

I just watched this and I have to say that I think Josh did a very good job.

I've done a lot of live TV (including the Today show) and I know just how hard it can be.

Josh did very well. I don't think the hosts were particularly mean spirited or difficult; I actually think they gave Josh a lot of energy and got really involved in what he was doing. The mistake was Josh's fault as the performer, not the host's for spotting it, and she was so caught in the moment she reacted like a real spectator. Josh handled it like a pro, in my opinion.

All in all it was an excellent plug for his book (which I bought my son this Xmas) and great publicity for Josh himself.

P

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Bill Duncan » December 21st, 2008, 2:41 pm

Ok, clearly should have used a smiley with the Gabor post, but since someone else had posted the potato chip lady I thought the point was made. I saw that one, and have it on one of my Best of Carson tapes if memory serves. The fact that she was relieved when she found out it was a (mean spirited) joke and laughed to express that relief, doesn't change the fact that it was a mean joke to play on an old lady who was clearly proud of her collection.

I recall a feud with Barbra Streisand, where Johnny was an ass, but since it was over her canceling an appearance I guess that doesn't count. It's ok to treat a potential guest like crap, if they aren't there making you money...

My point wasn't that Johnny was a bad guy, or that he wasn't one of the best talk show hosts ever, but that he treated magician differently that other guests, and I for one don't think that make him the "best ever." If magic can't stand on it's own, without the host "helping" then it doesn't deserve to be on TV.

Watch Michael Ammar in the aforementioned clip, or Roth on Late Night, or Mike Skinner on Tonight. That's good magic, not because the host is stooging for the performer, but because the performers are brilliant at what they do.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby David Vamer » December 21st, 2008, 4:27 pm

A comic's first appearance on the Carson show could add a zero or two to a comic's income. To be chosen for the show was to join the elite. To be called to the couch was an annointing.

There was nothing d****** anout it. It was a gift that Carson bestowed upon those he felt were exceptional, NOT something he withheld from someone who dispeased him.

But that was a different era, when being on TV acutally MEANT something.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Bill Wells » December 21st, 2008, 8:01 pm

Here is Josh on Washington, D.C.'s Channel 5 Fox News in November plugging his book ....


http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/Insi ... geId=5.2.1
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Cugel » December 22nd, 2008, 3:11 am

Great job. Josh must have been "in the moment" as Geoffrey Rush would say.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Joe Pecore » December 22nd, 2008, 5:47 pm

Are any of the effects he performed in either clip explained in his book?
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Gordolini » December 23rd, 2008, 8:14 am

You gotta love the reaction at the end of the Ambitious Card routine on the Fox channel clip:

One of the newscasters shouted "Are you ******** me?!?"

Great job Josh.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Adrian Kuiper » December 23rd, 2008, 11:10 am

Well....that's one of Carlins 7, just 6 to go.

Actually, Mark Harmon used the "S" word on a Chicago Hope episode some years back.

This clip shows just how good Josh is.....

Adrian

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby David Thomas » December 23rd, 2008, 12:43 pm

HECKLERS: A short film about hecklers starring Josh Jay.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Dave Shepherd » December 23rd, 2008, 1:02 pm

That Fox clip was nice. I particularly like the shout-out to Al Cohen.

This was most definitely a more sympathetic audience. Tony Perkins (the weather guy, on the right) mentions having gone into Al's shop back in the day.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby ropeadope » December 23rd, 2008, 1:45 pm

Wow! Great short film by Joshua. Thanks for sharing the Hecklers bit with us David. I think his cool personality comes out again,as it did with the gababout gals on Today show. His professionalism is something that we all should be proud of.

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Doug Thornton
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Doug Thornton » December 23rd, 2008, 2:54 pm

Joe Pecore wrote:Are any of the effects he performed in either clip explained in his book?


No.
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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 23rd, 2008, 3:41 pm

The bottle production with the balloon-bursting he did on the Today show was invented by a French Magician and we published it years ago in Genii.
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Richard Hatch » December 24th, 2008, 1:26 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:The bottle production with the balloon-bursting he did on the Today show was invented by a French Magician.

I believe that would be David Stone.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 24th, 2008, 1:30 am

Not David Stone. A French magic dealer--can't remember his name.
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Ian Kendall » December 24th, 2008, 4:09 am

Are you thinking of the Splash Bottle Production by Damien Vappereau and Jean-Mark Sainclaire?

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 24th, 2008, 10:43 am

Yes, that's it.
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Re: Josh Jay

Postby David Vamer » December 24th, 2008, 11:49 am

Those guys are terrific. I visited their shop in Paris, and they couldn't have been more welcoming.

they were going to publish a book about their marked deck work...what they showed me was really cool. Does anyone know if it ever came out? If it did, did it get translated into English?

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby Ian Kendall » December 24th, 2008, 1:06 pm

They had the decks at Blackpool a couple of years ago, but I don't remember a book.

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Re: Josh Jay

Postby 000 » December 25th, 2008, 3:11 am

RK wrote:
'My hands would problaby shake so much they would think I was having an epileptic attack'

Serious question: How many years of daily tinkering with the pasteboards , writing instructional books and tapes does one require before one can do a friggin card trick on TV without shaking like a leaf or flashing ( part of ) the method?


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