Hahahahahahahah

[Richard Kaufman]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/entertain ... cle/482433

[Brad Henderson]

it would be funny if the abject desperation didn't make it so sad

[Brian Douglas]

I couldn't find The Onion logo on the site...

[Brad Henderson]

and some say there is no such thing as 'fake news'

[PickaCard]

As much as he may suck, he is rich, famous and has regular performance venues. Much better than 99% who are part of this brotherhood. I sort of envy him.

[Brad Henderson]

As much as he may suck, he is rich, famous and has regular performance venues. Much better than 99% who are part of this brotherhood. I sort of envy him.

much better than?

in what way?

in being rich and famous?

well, if that's how you measure quality and worth, then maybe.

but oj Simpson was both rich and is still famous. both trump AND Clinton are as well. Charlie sheen is rich and famous.

so apparently being rich and famous may not be the best inspiration for envy - but hey, we all see things differently. right?

[MagicbyAlfred]

Advertising people, publicists and promoters have long understood the gullibility of the public - especially the American public. The concept of "branding" is built around repetitive conditioning of people who care little about thinking for themselves, if in fact, they are even capable of doing so. The predisposition of the masses to buy into the hype that is drummed into them, wherein the subject of the promotion (be it a person or a product) is characterized as "great," or the "best," or billed as the "World's greatest, the "Magician of the Century," etc., has long been widely exploited through the hugely powerful and influential instrumentality of the media (print, TV, Internet, etc.). This explains why, for example, many big recording "artists" with comparatively little talent go platinum with recordings that are schlock, while many ingenious musicians who play jazz or other forms of music outside the pop culture, and who possess more talent and musicianship than many who "make it," are proverbial "starving artists" and/or or playing for a pittance in dive bars.

As another example (among many), I find it shocking and incredible that even the current plethora of TV ads promoting prescription drugs, which are clearly designed to influence people who have no clue to put pressure on their doctors, are apparently succeeding. This, notwithstanding the horrific list of side effects catalogued at the end of the commercial.

Nietzsche called it the herd mentality.

[MagicbyAlfred]

PS And, of course, as many here are acutely aware, even virtually every new magic trick is billed as the Holy Grail

[performer]

I don't think it is legal to advertise prescription drugs in Canada although we see all the US ads anyway. It certainly isn't legal in Britain. And to be frank the ads scare me off rather than encourage me to take the drugs. After they list the side effects I decide I will never use them.

[brianarudolph]

And let's not forget that other great advertising device of "limited edition." Thankfully, I do find that it is used far more often much more accurately in the magic world than in the rest of the world. So we still got that going for us.

[brianarudolph]

PS And, of course, as many here are acutely aware, even virtually every new magic trick is billed as the Holy Grail

I was stunned/disappointed/pissed off by a recent ad that included an endorsement blurb touting how the purchaser performed the effect in a show on the same evening he received it. Wow. Perhaps it should have instead said "New vacuum-packed magic! Just add air!"

[Leonard Hevia]

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This opinion article was written by an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily intended to reflect those of DigitalJournal.com