No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Addresses new and interesting links to other sites (not listed on the Genii website) that merit attention.
performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby performer » June 16th, 2017, 9:00 am

I might be imagining this but I suspect that Simon Cowell is enjoying magic much more than he used to. I bet it is the close up magicians he has been seeing lately that have changed his attitude. There is nothing stronger than magic done right up close under your eyes, preferably with the most mundane of everyday objects.

Jack Shalom
Posts: 1368
Joined: February 7th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby Jack Shalom » June 16th, 2017, 10:35 am

erdnasephile wrote:
Steve Bryant wrote:What do you do for a follow-up?


Good point. Running out of "A" material before the finale afflicts many of the magicians on these contest shows.




Watch the Derek Hughes interview in the most recent Reel Magic to hear his counter-intuitive solution to the problem...a really great interview concerning planning and performing for a television competition.

Brad Henderson
Posts: 4546
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: austin, tx

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby Brad Henderson » June 16th, 2017, 11:06 am

performer wrote:I might be imagining this but I suspect that Simon Cowell is enjoying magic much more than he used to. I bet it is the close up magicians he has been seeing lately that have changed his attitude. There is nothing stronger than magic done right up close under your eyes, preferably with the most mundane of everyday objects.


i'm more cynical here. i think they have finally realized that illusionists are hard to find and have resigned to supporting the one genre of magic from which they can draw a sufficient number of contestants. i don't believe for a moment that actual opinions and feelings motivate their choices and reactions, but a vision to producing a touring show that makes them money and keeping the televised show engaging by choosing their peaks and valleys. too much money is spent on that show to leave things to change. this is reality tv - not reality

User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby erdnasephile » June 16th, 2017, 2:47 pm

Jack Shalom wrote:
erdnasephile wrote:
Steve Bryant wrote:What do you do for a follow-up?


Good point. Running out of "A" material before the finale afflicts many of the magicians on these contest shows.




Watch the Derek Hughes interview in the most recent Reel Magic to hear his counter-intuitive solution to the problem...a really great interview concerning planning and performing for a television competition.


Thanks, Mr. Shalom!

Here's a preview of that interview: http://www.reelmagicmagazine.com/index. ... issue.html

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby performer » June 16th, 2017, 3:41 pm

Oh my God! I watched 6 minutes of that preview and after that I couldn't stand any more! It was utterly horrendous and I have never seen anything so bad in my life! Magic has gone down the drain! I think at this stage of my life it is probably time to give it up. After watching that exhibition of awfulness I now wish I hadn't taken it up in the first place.

Ugh!

MagicbyAlfred
Posts: 2388
Joined: June 7th, 2015, 12:48 pm
Favorite Magician: Bill Malone
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » June 17th, 2017, 12:39 pm

I would be very saddened to see Performer give it up now (or ever) especially because of what anyone else is doing in (or to) Magic. IMHO, now, more than ever, we need Magicians who are true to, and honor and revere the Art of Magic, and who reflect that in their performances before the public.

Jack Shalom
Posts: 1368
Joined: February 7th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby Jack Shalom » June 20th, 2017, 10:03 pm

Is it just me or has this show become unwatchable? I found tonight's show excruciating in the producer's shameless and cheesy emotional manipulation.

Brad Henderson
Posts: 4546
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: austin, tx

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby Brad Henderson » June 20th, 2017, 11:09 pm

i think this says everything that needs to be said

https://youtu.be/WYe41ET4vGw

I.M. Magician
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 19th, 2013, 10:49 pm
Favorite Magician: All of the very best!
Location: Magicville

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby I.M. Magician » June 20th, 2017, 11:16 pm

I can tell you as fact that all of those reactions were not while watching magic being performed. Some were reactions to singers for example.

Brad Henderson
Posts: 4546
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: austin, tx

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby Brad Henderson » June 20th, 2017, 11:50 pm

you mean they weren't reacting to the chicken which was edited into the clip?!?

hmm. or maybe they were reacting to the production assistant who was standing onstage telling them to react.

User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby erdnasephile » June 20th, 2017, 11:59 pm

Brad Henderson wrote:i think this says everything that needs to be said

https://youtu.be/WYe41ET4vGw


Funny! (I half expected David and John from L & L to make an appearance... ;) )

Jack Shalom
Posts: 1368
Joined: February 7th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby Jack Shalom » June 21st, 2017, 12:48 am

David and John are Moscow Art Theater artistes compared to this stuff. Really, normally I would say the Oliver clip is a clever satire, but it's just the straight up reality of the show. Just awful inserts and phony scripted dialogue and contrived settings for the material. Why can't they just trust the performers? Many of them are quite talented.

User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby erdnasephile » June 21st, 2017, 7:49 am

Jack Shalom wrote:David and John are Moscow Art Theater artistes compared to this stuff. Really, normally I would say the Oliver clip is a clever satire, but it's just the straight up reality of the show. Just awful inserts and phony scripted dialogue and contrived settings for the material. Why can't they just trust the performers? Many of them are quite talented.


Agreed---really talent is only half the equation. For example: the unfortunate girl whose Dad has Stage for Colon CA. After telling that story, there was no way on the planet she wasn't going through, regardless of how well or poorly she sang.

A magic related example: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/war- ... ns-8168668

I'm all for magic with meaning, emotion, etc., but I tend to prefer not getting hit with a sledgehammer.

User avatar
erdnasephile
Posts: 4762
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby erdnasephile » June 21st, 2017, 7:55 am

Here's Tom London a mentalist from last night:




Comments?

I.M. Magician
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 19th, 2013, 10:49 pm
Favorite Magician: All of the very best!
Location: Magicville

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby I.M. Magician » June 21st, 2017, 8:08 am

For me, boring same old stuff but the judges said they liked it.

So far this season, I don't see a stand out magic performance. Instead of a stack of close-up performers, they have a wider variety of performance types. None of them have excited me yet but I will admit that I can be a very difficult spectator.

Tom Moore
Posts: 635
Joined: February 7th, 2012, 6:45 pm
Location: Europe
Contact:

Re: No mention of latest magic act on AGT?

Postby Tom Moore » June 21st, 2017, 2:36 pm

The editing made it a little choppy which made it a little confusing but overall i liked it.

Contemporary aesthetic carried consistently through everything he did with plenty of attention to detail throughout.
A nice twist to the handling which makes it almost impossible for lay audiences to deconstruct & debunk the secret - a mistake several other performers have made on the show with this exact method.
A performance that felt personalized and specific to this event rather than the off-the-shelf patter 95% of magic auditionees use.
An assured performer who seemed comfortable and in control of what was happening.

His background is in much more knuckle-busting close-up work but a recent career diversion (his father is a renound computer programmer / inventor) has seen him divert in to routines with more of a technological angle. It will be interesting to see which direction his later routines take.
"Ingenious" - Ben Brantley: New York Times

thomasmoorecreative


Return to “Link Watch”