Please Go see That!!

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 8th, 2006, 6:18 pm

If you are easily offended, don't go see that
You've been warned! I know you'll go see it anyway.
This happened at the very well known Just for Laughs festival in Montreal

http://www.bertrand-soulier.com/2006/08 ... ienne-nue/

This is a natural topit!

Jeff Eline · Postby **Jeff Eline** » August 8th, 2006, 6:33 pm

What a great opener for my kids show!

Pete Biro · Postby **Pete Biro** » August 8th, 2006, 6:35 pm

I had seen the video but didn't know where it was. My guess was France as it was sent to me by a French magician. What a way to show "everything" empty!

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 8th, 2006, 6:40 pm

I can imagine the ad saying: 'At the end of the trick, you can show your hands empty, no thumb tip is visible'

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 8th, 2006, 6:44 pm

Originally posted by Michel Huot:
If you are easily offended, don't go see that
You've been warned! ...

Looks like someone read the ad "Andy" linked to some time ago on his site.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 8th, 2006, 11:53 pm

I have a great version of that trick but you have to be wearing a jacket.

Ian Kendall · Postby **Ian Kendall** » August 9th, 2006, 12:09 am

Ursula became somewhat of a celebrity on the Edinburgh Fringe over the last few years. At last year's Opening Party I finally saw the act on one of the stages. Ironically her show last year was centred around aging and how her body doesn't, er, stand up to her earlier performances.

Take care, Ian

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 6:03 am

One of the worst magican I've ever seen but I had to see her act until the very last second!

Richard

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 7:35 am

Hilarious! Don't suppose anyone knows where there is a downloadable version of this? The original posting site has a corrupt file or broken link

Bob

Marco Pusterla · Postby **Marco Pusterla** » August 9th, 2006, 9:00 am

I still don't understand how that trick works, and I've watched the video at least a couple dozen times!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 9:20 am

Probably would have been better with a mouth coil at the end instead of just pulling out the silk. :p

Rafael · Postby **Rafael** » August 9th, 2006, 9:36 am

Sticky Vicky has a act where she produces things from her ... (mouth coil, string of d'lites, raisor blades )
Other tricks include color changing plumeau , lightbulb that goes on.
She works in nightclubs in Spain.(Benidorm)

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 9:42 am

Maybe it's time for Dave Bendix to publish the long suppressed article (mentioned in the HIEROPHANT many years ago)? The article was titled, "Where Dell O'DEll Ditched the Dye-Tube."

Onward...

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 10:08 am

She obviously works blue..............and I'm sure as hell glad she does'nt work brown.

Thank you and good night. Please be kind to your waitress.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 10:19 am

well, it wouldn't be call MOUTH coil or a THUMB tip anymore

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 10:37 am

According to her website, she has performed this routine, "Hanky Panky": "all over the world, including Sydney, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Madrid, Vienna and Budapest. Special party events include Tate Modern, John Mortimer's 81st birthday bash and Salmon Rushdie's all female celebrity stag night." She also regularly receives suport from the British Arts Council.

Pete Biro · Postby **Pete Biro** » August 9th, 2006, 10:46 am

You guys have it all wrong... her misdirection such that you "think" a thumb tip was used.

Wrong.

It's the new invisible Fitch Kohler Holdout.

The treat is helping her hook up. :D

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 10:50 am

good one Pete,

and remember that she doesn't own the gimmick, it's a lown, so they can take it back!!!

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 2:45 pm

I'm curious if she does the Vanishing Birdcage...

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 2:57 pm

Steve Shephard already did the strip tease version of the vanishing bird cage years ago. I don't think he got the same kind of reactions! :D

Pete Biro · Postby **Pete Biro** » August 9th, 2006, 3:35 pm

He was the first magician I ever saw as a kid and still remember that image!

Richard Kaufman · Postby **Richard Kaufman** » August 9th, 2006, 5:17 pm

It's juvenile and silly.

The worst possible image of magic to laymen.

It's all about an inept performer, a gimmick that is obvious to anyone by the FIFTH time it's used to do the same thing, and an orafice that has better things to do.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 5:45 pm

"...Inept performer" INDEED.

That was truly brutal.

Sorry about any typos but I just finished plucking my eyes out one by one. :cool:

Jon Allen · Postby **Jon Allen** » August 9th, 2006, 6:10 pm

I can't see any of the video as it is corrupted. Can anyone send another link or maybe email me the video somehow?

Richard Kaufman · Postby **Richard Kaufman** » August 9th, 2006, 6:29 pm

Jon, even when you can see the video, it's still corrupted ... corrupted magic.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 6:30 pm

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
It's juvenile and silly.

The worst possible image of magic to laymen.

It's all about an inept performer, a gimmick that is obvious to anyone by the FIFTH time it's used to do the same thing, and an orafice that has better things to do.

Are we still discussing the Belinda act?

David Scollnik · Postby **David Scollnik** » August 9th, 2006, 6:52 pm

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
It's juvenile and silly.

The worst possible image of magic to laymen.

It's all about an inept performer, a gimmick that is obvious to anyone by the FIFTH time it's used to do the same thing, and an orafice that has better things to do.

Was it five times? I wasn't counting, or at least I lost count. ;) Anyway, does she bill herself as a magician or as a comedian? Given the context, a performance at a comedy festival, a juvenile and silly performance may not be out of place. It appears to have been well received.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 8:16 pm

I.M.H.O.:
What, specifically, enrages me about this particular presentation are her wacky, spasmodic gesticulations when she vanishes the damned silk. (And yes, thank you in advance, we all know the rule of keeping your hand in motion so that any gimmick in use is rendered invisible to the untrained eye) But EVERY FREAKING time she goes off--like Elaine dancing on "Seinfeld"--She is HORRIBLE. It actually HURTS to watch. Those are among the worst "magic facilitating moves" I have ever seen.

"Okay, OKAY! We don't suspect you of using a plastic device! Just stop spazzing-out already; you're givin' me the creeps!"

I LITERALLY had to summon ALL OF MY STRENGTH, WITHIN EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING to watch past the first vanish.

Dear GOD!

For anyone that has actually ever practiced a little, thought, studied or learned a little about our art--crap like that shouldn't make one giggle, it should make one PISSED OFF.

The fact that passes as an "entertaining magic act" shows how apparantly starved a lot of people are to see a little skin.

--"WHOA! Sure, her actual 'magic' completely sucked, but BOY--Didja SEE that ACT?! That hank-lady done got me so wound-up I gotta go slip her a twenty!"
(Tip: search just a little further on the net...there IS better viewing out there guys...)

Long story short: Can someone PLEASE just teach her how to vanish a goddamned silk with fewer cringe-inducing histrionics?! :mad:

What would Robert Houdin or David Devant say about such a display? Verily I ask you, gentlemen!! What would they SAY!? For shame.

P.S. Read it and weep, suckers, this is my 100th post. I love you guys!! :whack: :D :p

David A. Cox, San Francisco, California

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 9:35 pm

If only Belinda Sinclair was this entertaining!

:eek:

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 9:49 pm

I always wanted to see Melinda vanish and produce a silk like that....I agree with Dave though, her actions were disturbing.
Steve V

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 9th, 2006, 10:58 pm

Well, I liked the music!

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 10th, 2006, 12:50 am

Originally posted by Marco Pusterla:
I still don't understand how that trick works, and I've watched the video at least a couple dozen times!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D

Maybe she will be a guest on Mindfreak and reveal how its done. :D

Jon Allen · Postby **Jon Allen** » August 10th, 2006, 2:08 am

I did a search for her name and found the video on another site. Was the original "If you're easily offended...." referring to the magic or the nudity???

Some magicians (even a couple standing for The Magic Circle council) will say that as long as an audience is entertained, it doesn't matter about the magic. These are usually people who can't perform good magic. After watching it (once was enough for me!) I did wonder if that comedy club audience would have been more entertained and would have enjoyed her act if her technique was better.

Prostituting magic like that, would she get a red light at FISM?

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 10th, 2006, 2:29 am

It might have been silly - but I also thought it was funny.

I have shown it to a few muggles now (inc my wife) and they thought it was hilarious. And I tell you this, not ONE of them could tell me how she did it, and they ALL appreciated the fact that she was totally starkers at the end and therefore had no further places to hide the hanky - which, I think, was the point she was trying to make in a HUMOROUS way..

She is not a magician (look at where she made her name and her past work) and does not pretend to be - she DOES do a fair amount of nudity (one piece she wrote had her parents nude on stage for Pete's sake!). And why not?! She's not exactly unpleasant to look at.

This routine just happens to involve a bit of (admittedly poor) magic in the context of an amusing routine, and one which fit both the venue (Just For Laughs!) and the time available perfectly (and no, I DON'T think the point is to simply "show some skin" either... as you say, there are better places on the 'net to see that kind of thing)

Jeez guys, get a sense of humour....

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 10th, 2006, 2:36 am

Tell you something else too - golden rule is "never repeat a trick"

She did the same damn trick five times over and the muggles STILL can't see how it's done.....

Let's see any of you do that without taking your bra off.... ;)

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 10th, 2006, 5:01 am

Let's put aside the magic and nudity for a minute. Really. Because I also think that it is juvenile BUT it is nicely built for comedy. What I mean is that once she took her coat off, everybody in the room must have thought...no!, she won't take her skirt off! And she did. Thhen the bra, the panties. At the end, she went somewhere that no one expected (remember, asked you to put the magic and nudity aside).
Looks like it works, she toured the world...but I don't see her at a magic convention

Steve Bryant · Postby **Steve Bryant** » August 10th, 2006, 6:16 am

I loved it. Her insane mugging was hilarious and made the act for me. I felt no need to get on my high horse because she wasn't, say, Slydini. What a tough room this is.

But "real" magic goes well beyond this. Dig out your back issues of Genii and read about the act Martin Lewis did for the cast party of the sixties soft-porn classic Flesh Gordon.

Matthew Field · Postby **Matthew Field** » August 10th, 2006, 7:15 am

I thought it was funny and veryt clever. She burlesques burlesque, and magicians as well.

She bumps and grinds, and she makes fun of the magician who 'leads the auidience down the garden path' when they providing false solutions and then remove those possibilities. That's what Ursula does. You think I have it in my coat? I'll remove it. Concealed in my skirt? Off it comes.

The punchline, like the ending of the Robert Altman movie about the fashion industry, is both inevitable and a shocking surprise. Look at the audience's faces!

The nudity is tame.

Well done, Ursula Martinez.

Matt Field

Dave Shepherd · Postby **Dave Shepherd** » August 10th, 2006, 7:39 am

If you look around on the Internet (Google "ursula martinez") you'll see comments on blog sites and so on, indicating that many laypeople are actually fooled. (And honestly, after the jacket, or maybe the bra, comes off, I don't think a lot of people really care how the silk vanishes.)

On the other hand, a magician knows a TT is coming the second the 9" red silk is shown. No magician would be fooled.

This piece is not about the brilliance of the vanish. It's a set-piece that takes off on the favorite magician's phrase "You can even do this trick naked."

I'm with Matt. I think this is brilliant. I can't get it out of my mind--and not because I'm all hot and bothered about her naked body. The music, the structure, the rhythm of the thing leads inexorably to the climax (if you'll excuse the word). And that climax is the only way it could end, really.

Great magic? No, not really. But great theatre? I think so, yes.

Richard Kaufman · Postby **Richard Kaufman** » August 10th, 2006, 8:32 am

Hey Matt, when are you going to feature Ursula in The Magic Circular?