CELEBRACADABRA

[JustinRYoung]

I would suspect that the replay numbers for a cable net like VH1 play a MUCH larger role then they do for a show like Lost. For instance, if the initial airing of a Celeb does so-so and then the tracking shows that more and more people watched all the way through the episode in subsequent airings... that is a big success.

Meanwhile, if Lost tanks in it's airing, it really won't matter if they do gangbusters on DVRs and iTunes.

Also, the sheer numbers to make a cable success are far fewer than a network show.

[Magic Newswire]

Also, the sheer numbers to make a cable success are far fewer than a network show.

I too was surprised to see it pitted against Lost, but Chris indicated that the network was very pleased with Celebracadabra and wanted something strong to anchor their Thursday lineup. Time will tell if this was good or bad for the show.

[Tom Frame]

Episode #4.

I was very disappointed that most of the coaches got swapped. Mr. Regal insightfully addresses this issue in this month's excellent Genii. After developing relationships with their celebrity pupils, who are they supposed to root for now? Bad, bad idea.

Kimberley's performance was clearly the worst of the lot and the judges told her so. Yet they didn't vote her off! And they didn't explain why they didn't vote her off! Did I miss something? I feel anxious and adrift. What's happening?

[Richard Kaufman]

I thought the coach swap was a great idea.

Look how well Tommy Howell did with David Kaye as his coach, and Lisa Ann Walter with Rocco as her coach.

Hal Sparks didn't do as well with Regal as his coach because he's turning into an arrogant schmuck who now thinks he knows better than an experienced magician.

[Naphtalia]

I thought it was a great idea, too. In fact, I felt for Kimberly who didn't get a chance to recharge by having the same kind of change in perspective.

[Tom Frame]

I would miss Kimberly as much as the next guy, but what was the rationale for her NOT getting voted off?

[Richard Kaufman]

I think it's pretty obvious that the series needed a certain number of episodes, and when you look at the numbers, there had to be an episode where no one got eliminated in order for the series to reach the necessary number of episodes. That would be my guess. It wouldn't have mattered who did poorly that week.

[Magic Newswire]

In that we have no coaches or stars booted this week from Celebracadabra.. what to do .. what to do!?

I know.. we'll post our interview with Steve Wyrick!

Stay tuned on Friday for interviews with both the Coach and the next celebrity to vanish from the show!

Remember, Celebracadabra moves from Sunday at 9pm to Thursday at 10.

In that LOST is not broadcast this week.. there is no reason not to tune in!

[Magic Newswire]

I think it's pretty obvious that the series needed a certain number of episodes, and when you look at the numbers, there had to be an episode where no one got eliminated in order for the series to reach the necessary number of episodes. That would be my guess. It wouldn't have mattered who did poorly that week.

I think too that it would have been awful for a coach to be switched, their new star loses, and they are eliminated because of a lack of time to get acclimated to a new personality, no matter how well they were working with their other pupil. For example, if Rocco were eliminated because Lisa sucked... how would that be fair when it seems that he and Hal work so well together.

[Magic Newswire]

[quote="Richard KaufmanHal Sparks didn't do as well with Regal as his coach because he's turning into an arrogant schmuck who now thinks he knows better than an experienced magician. [/quote"]

Ha! Too true!

[Michael Dustman]

As for why Kimberly didn't get booted, I would love to hear David Regals commentary if and when he can post about this episode. I would like to believe the judges got together and said that Kimberly kind of got screwed by her coach and shouldn't be tossed because of it.

I know Murray boasted that he has won more awards then any other magician, but I would like to know when a giant flag blendo and chattering teeth started to fall into the realm of strolling magic.

I don't know what goes on off camera and behind the scenes but I would hope that the judges would have gone to Murray and questioned him on the choice of material he gave to Kimberly. In Regal's first column, (or maybe I read it somewhere subsequently) he mentioned that he was at one point in charge of approving what magic was ordered from suppliers and was approved or nixed by judges. The concept for this show was supposed to be a bit of Dancing with the Stars for Magic. Well....I think if it was Latin Week and the judges are expecting everyone to do a Cha-Cha and Jason Taylors partner taught him the Viennese Waltz instead, that partner would have been called out, not the contestant.

Maybe I am off base, and would love to hear from David at some point as the Behind the Scenes contibutor, but I want to believe the judges got together and said, hey, she was at a disadvanatage because her coach doesn't know what strolling magic is.

Just my thoughts.....

[Richard Kaufman]

Lots of people do a Color-Changing Silk close up, why not a Blendo? If there's no visible bulge in the silks, then what's the problem?

[John LeBlanc]

I know Murray boasted that he has won more awards then any other magician, but I would like to know when a giant flag blendo and chattering teeth started to fall into the realm of strolling magic.

I think the larger question might be, "Who decided to utilize the chattering teeth at an old folks' home (and why)?"

What's next? A DeKolta Lift Chair?

[Richard Kaufman]

I was shocked at first by the chattering teeth, but I'm not an old person with choppers so I can't offer first hand advice on what they perceive. What about doing a trick with a Depends undergarment?

[Naphtalia]

I used chattering teeth at a senior center my folks work with. I got two particularly fun responses.

One gentleman put his hand over his mouth for a moment and then looked at me and said, "For a second there, I thought maybe those were mine." he then winked at me to make sure I knew he was kidding (I did).

My favorite was the eldest lady in years, but the youngest at heart...."Sweetheart, you didn't have to buy those. You could have borrowed mine."

I suspect most seniors would find it funny.

[Nicholas Carifo]

I would like to know when a giant flag blendo and chattering teeth started to fall into the realm of strolling magic...

...she was at a disadvanatage because her coach doesn't know what strolling magic is.

Let's see.

Strolling Magic = Performing "Magic" while "Strolling" Around

Strolling thru the audience, instead of on a stage. As far as I'm concerned, she could have rolled a Zig Zag around the room and still have been performing strolling magic.

Doc Dixon once discussed & questioned the phenomena of magical performances being "categorized" by how far the audience sits away from the performer (close-up, stage, parlour, etc) and questioned how many other performing arts, if any, also do that? Grand Stage Singing? Parlour Guitar Playing? Close-up Dancing? (ok... i'm not sure if lap dances count:)

It's a very weird way of categorizing a performing art, especially when magicians themselves seem to believe that the material one chooses should be limited for this reason. I remember being 12 yers old and seeing a close-up magician in a mall pull a set of linking rings out of bag hanging from his belt, and thought to myself.... "wow... I never knew you could do that trick up close" :)

[John LeBlanc]

What about doing a trick with a Depends undergarment?

That would, essentially, take the mystery out of Slush Powder wouldn't it? (Let me guess, the answer is, "It Depends...") :)

[NCMarsh]

Strolling thru the audience, instead of on a stage. As far as I'm concerned, she could have rolled a Zig Zag around the room and still have been performing strolling m

I wasn't here when the place was open, but -- from what I understand -- there was a performer at The Magic Moment here in Sarasota who regularly did Zig Zag tableside.

N.

[Michael Dustman]

I would like to know when a giant flag blendo and chattering teeth started to fall into the realm of strolling magic...


Strolling Magic = Performing "Magic" while "Strolling" Around

Strolling thru the audience, instead of on a stage. As far as I'm concerned, she could have rolled a Zig Zag around the room and still have been performing strolling magic.

Doc Dixon once discussed & questioned the phenomena of magical performances being "categorized" by how far the audience sits away from the performer (close-up, stage, parlour, etc) and questioned how many other performing arts, if any, also do that? Grand Stage Singing? Parlour Guitar Playing? Close-up Dancing? (ok... i'm not sure if lap dances count:)

Fair Point. And I concede that I was looking at the definition differently. Although, to make the argument, you pull the girl out of the zig zag and move to the next table put her back in and away you go. Grand stage guitar, parlor guitar.....you can pull it out at a moment's notice and move on.

My point was...at least the way I look at strolling, what is the reset time on folding a giant flag or resetting the teeth and newspapers? A Zig Zag could be instant reset and you make a fair point on that.

[Brian Morton]

As far as I'm concerned, she could have rolled a Zig Zag around the room and still have been performing strolling magic.

Denny Haney once told me that Harry Blackstone Jr. used to do the Zig-Zag in Playboy Clubs, which were cabaret-style, and the audiences were so close, it might as well have been strolling magic.

brian :cool:

[Nicholas Carifo]

...at least the way I look at strolling, what is the reset time on folding a giant flag or resetting the teeth and newspapers?

Absolutely, Michael, I didn't mean to imply you didn't have a valid point, just that really any material can be used in almost any situation by a creative performer, and not just limited to the preverbial "cards and coins" in the pockets for strolling.

Of course, in the real world, the "resetting" aspect of a blendo would definitely come into play. But since this is TV we are talking about, it's not real. If it were, it would be called "reality tv"... oh.... wait. Nevermind. :)

[Michael Dustman]

The focus on this series is really on the celebrities, with coaches next, and finally the judges. The drama is really the interaction between the celebs and coaches, followed by the celebs' performances.

Judging by the behind the scenes look on VH1.com, Richard is proving to be very prophetic....They show a clip from the upcoming episode on Parlor Magic and the drama does ratchet up a notch between Kimberly and Murray. She may be regretting saying that she would choose to stay with him as coach.

As Nicholas correctly points out...."the reality" of reality tv is coming. Murray storms out over a costume discussion.

And check out the All About Max video...some funny stuff.

[Naphtalia]

Actually, she didn't agree to stay with him...that was his reward for having won the last round...her "special power."

[Jenna Kissel]

I'm embarrased to say I have only seen one episode but I will be trying to watch it again or online. My problem with Kimberly is that she narrated everything she was doing with the teeth. One of things I instructed my students, when I was teaching magic, is don't talk so much. I also didn't think that just having a 4 and and heart were punchy enough. It didn't show well to me.

The biggest thing that ticked me off though was Rocco. I was highly offended because I don't think he was joking. At first I was just hoping that being chauvanistic was part of his schtick but I remembered working at Monday Night Magic and he never spoke to me... ever.

[Richard Kaufman]

Rocco wasn't joking ... he's Rocco. Unique. Despite his neanderthal view that woman shouldn't be magicians, I like Rocco a lot. He's pioneered his own style and created a character like no one else.

You should give him credit, at least, for openly changing his mind on camera after Lisa gave a good performance.

[Jenna Kissel]

True, he did change his mind but it might have just been for the camera. I do recall him saying something about the magic of giving birth or some such nonesense...
I still think his ego is the size of Manhattan and I never really cared for his act... Maybe that is because I used to have to clean up after him. Ever tried to get wet snow storm off a stage?

[Naphtalia]

Sadly, Rocco's views still exist out there.

I work in a magic store from time to time. I will occasionally get men who don't want me to wait on them because "women don't know magic." (Hint:A person who makes that kind of statement needs better magical skills than the woman to whom they are speaking.)

When a whole family came into the shop to find a trick for the big brother, I asked the little sister if she did magic too. The father's response was that boys did magic; girls were supposed to be their assistants. Needless to say, the guys who were working suddenly disappeared and only I was available to help...unless I needed an assistant, in which case, I used one of the guys.

When I was starting to learn magic, Jules Lenier - of blessed memory - told me "women are magic; men do tricks." We had a long discussion about the statement which was a tremendous encouragement to me.

I was also glad to see Rocco revise his views on air.

[Steve Bryant]

Is anyone enjoying the magic? I thought the "beer bottle card stab" on the first (?) show was pretty cool. Just smashing the bottle without hurting anyone was impressive.

[Frank Dudgeon]

I thought Chris Reid doing the "Ashes on the Palm" effect - I believe they were on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? - had a nice touch. He stubbed a cigarette out on the palm print of a star enshrined there on the sidewalk, and the ashes appeared on an onlooker's palm. Reminiscent of Eugene Burger's "no cigarette" version using a small metal sculpture of an upturned hand.

[David Regal]

Hal Sparks didn't do as well with Regal as his coach because he's turning into an arrogant schmuck who now thinks he knows better than an experienced magician.

Ha! Too true!

You'll read in my behind-the-scenes article that I feel Hal did a great job - the final edit of the show highlighted his one flub. He handled it very well, and when he performed Vanni Bossi's Ring in Lightbulb one of the comments was "That's the most amazing thing I've seen in my life." Hal committed, and did a better job than many Pros I seen.

[amp]

I think the shows have been very good.
The twist with coaches was great!
My kids like Lisa.
I Like Max and Jeff as the judges. Maybe they should just have Max.
The magic has been good and some very good presentations.
But they should have that guy from Wife Swap on the show.

[Brad Jeffers]

I was wondering how long it would be before Rocco had someone do a D'lite routine.

[amp]

Lisa just did it on the last episode .

[Magic Newswire]

Just a reminder of the time change. The show moves to 10PM on VH1 starting tonight. We'll have interviews with both the coach and the celebrity cut from the show online in the am for your listening pleasure.

[Doug Thornton]

Today at 11am I watched the episode with the final four Celebracadabrans doing parlor magic at the Castle. I dont know if thats the one thats also on tonight. The magic was great! The performances were really well done. Weve all sat through endless competitions of standard stuff but here was standard stuff with personality and theatricality. I really enjoyed it! I wont give anything away, but Kims leg maneuvers are not in any Kaufman publications. She seemed to make Maxs hair stand on end.

[Magic Newswire]

That is certainly an amazing Chinese Split that she does!

[NCMarsh]

I have gone from snickering in smug condescension when I first heard the show's premise to throwing an object at the television (a rubber hand which happened to be on the sofa) because I was upset about an elimination decision...

the elimination: Every act on that stage had a clear, coherent, engaging through-line...except for Hal's (wtf does a candle have to do with a marshmallow?)...it was a series of disconnected moments and there was nothing memorable about it...had Kimberly's levitation worked -- that image is the kind of thing that audiences carry with them out of the theater...

Kimberly covered a technical issue with poise and grace as she was performing an act that was an organic extension of who she is...she connected...Hal arrogantly plowed through an anonymous, forgettable and passion-less act...visual cotton candy...I don't understand why he is still there

N.

[MaxNY]

Marshmallows, ice-cream.....Rocco's into food now-a-days. I really liked the routine David Kaye put together.

[NCMarsh]

Seconded on the Lisa Ann Walters act...

[Mark Pettey]

David, as my relatives in Alabama like to say, you done good boy ! Really enjoyed the theatrical approach Magic with a plot. What a concept. Yes, there is no denying that Kim is hot, I just really prefered Lisa's routine to 5,000 dance moves thrown around one or two illusions.

Mark Pettey
Naples, FL