CELEBRACADABRA

Discuss the latest news and rumors in the magic world.
SteveP
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Re: CELEBRACADABRA

Postby SteveP » June 1st, 2008, 9:56 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:According to her coach, David Kaye, they had only one shot to film Lisa's escape from the tank. There was no time to refill the tank, necessary because it gets cloudy when you're in it, and then refill it. She put on the manacles and dove in head first. First and only time.


Yeah, that makes sense. It used to take me about 2 hours to fill Kirby's cell and about 45 minutes to empty it. We were doing 2 shows a night - 8pm & 11pm and in between shows the water had a chance to settle, so it was relatively clean for the second show.

NYIllusion
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Re: CELEBRACADABRA

Postby NYIllusion » June 2nd, 2008, 2:11 pm

Funny comment above re CA (about his personality being the same whether you're talking to him or whether he's performing)!

Watched last week's episode and was SHOCKED that these 'amateur' magicians are pulling off these stunts! I mean, the Houdini water torture? The upside down removal of straight jacket! It said in the show they only trained for ONE WEEK before accomplishing these tricks - this is FANTASTIC! Didn't Criss Angel train for YEARS to accomplish these same tricks?? These guys made it look so EZ!!!

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Re: CELEBRACADABRA

Postby Magic Newswire » June 4th, 2008, 2:57 pm

You can hear David discussing his experiences on the show starting today as I have posted the first interview with him for your listening pleasure.

Enjoy!

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Re: CELEBRACADABRA

Postby Brandon Hall » June 4th, 2008, 5:46 pm

Steve Pellegrino wrote:but what do you do with 2 minutes of dead stage time?

Nothing at all...just let the tension build
"Hope I Die Before I Get Old"
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TOMMY & HAL

Postby Magic Newswire » June 6th, 2008, 12:20 pm

Just posted our interviews with C Thomas Howell & Hal Sparks in anticipation of the upcoming finale. Enjoy Listening!

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Magic Newswire
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Re: TOMMY & HAL

Postby Magic Newswire » June 7th, 2008, 11:41 am

The Hip Hop Houdini was on the Dawn and Drew show.. totally not a magic related podcast and can be explicit.. but very funny nonetheless... Enjoy!

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Doug Thornton
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Doug Thornton » June 8th, 2008, 6:43 pm

Haven't seen any posts about the latest episode.
I thought the tension was very entertaining.
Wondering why Hal was permitted to choose his 3 illusions first. --- Why didn't they take turns choosing?
Wondering if everyone is glad it's over and if they'd do things differently looking back on their choices and performances...
Smiles all around
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Steve V » June 8th, 2008, 6:53 pm

I've really enjoyed the show. I would have liked to have seen more of Regal as he is one of the funniest men I've ever met. I have no clue who Hal is but I'm hoping he loses.
Steve V

Glenn Bishop
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Glenn Bishop » June 8th, 2008, 10:00 pm

I do not like TV shows where non magicians do magic and escapes. I did not like the circus of the stars years ago and I do not like it today.

When magicians do magic and escapes it takes "years" of working the ideas out. To me it really runs down an escape like the water torture cell or the milk can - if people outside of magic do it. It doesn't matter if they have a magicians training them or not.

I remember watching the circus of the stars show and someone was doing an escape - He was put into a box and a crane hoisted it up and then the box dropped - and crashed and the actor was gone and appeared as the guy that was operating the crane.

It may sound great in print but after the trick was done the camera came on him and he was dressed as one of the workmen that put him in the box. Blue jumpsuit and yellow hard hat and all.

To me - if people outside of magic do things like the water torture cell and the milk can - it cheapens magic like anyone can do it if they have the budget.

Just my opinion.

Bill Duncan
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Bill Duncan » June 8th, 2008, 10:40 pm

Glenn Bishop wrote:To me - if people outside of magic do things like the water torture cell and the milk can - it cheapens magic like anyone can do it if they have the budget.


Glen,
I'm not sure I understand your point. Are you bothereed that TV accurately represents reality, or by the fact that those tricks can be done by anyone who has the budget?

Magicians have been buying tricks and performing them before they are perfected for as long as I've been in magic. Hell, that's been a major marketing slogan for tricks for a long as I can remember...

Naphtalia
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Naphtalia » June 9th, 2008, 9:38 am

Just got a chance to see the Cabaret show. Hal reminded me of the worst experience I ever had at the Magic Castle. I had been wandering through one evening when I was invited by a member to join his group; he was going to do a little something for them.

From the point I looked at my watch out of boredom until he ended was 22 minutes. During that time I counted 71 effects. So much so quickly gave no opportunity for appreciation, much less applause.

When I heard Hal say he would be doing 25 effects in 5 minutes, I immediately figured that would be painful.

Also, I only saw the portion of his act that made it on air, but I can't help but wince everytime I see an act in which a male magician tries to impress a female assistant by giving her jewelry, car keys or money. I can't speak to all women in the audience, but I turn off when I see the acts where the women are portrayed as gold diggers or prostitutes.
Naphtalia


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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Magic Newswire » June 9th, 2008, 9:52 am

Hal seemed fine with his choices when we spoke to him for the most recent podcast. Tommy did as well for that matter.

Glenn Bishop
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Glenn Bishop » June 9th, 2008, 10:03 am

Bill Duncan wrote:Glen,
I'm not sure I understand your point. Are you bothereed that TV accurately represents reality,


In my opinion TV reality shows including this one has never accurately represented any kind of reality.

If you think that "drawing" a crowd or an audience by doing some kind of an escape is "easy" in my opinion it is not. Drawing a crowd or an audience in my opinion is "the" hardest thing to do in magic and the hardest thing to do in show business.

The simple reason is that having an actor - or some kind of a personality from MTV do escapes or magic. In my opinion it cheapens the effect in the way that it becomes less special in my opinion from my own magician's point of view.

In my opinion if anyone can do it - that can afford it the drawing power of the danger aspect can be lost - there-by making the publicity aspect or the publicity power of the effect weaker, for publicity reasons for a while to draw people to a theater or to a magic show.

In general I like watching magicians do magic and escape artists do escapes. I like the old days when the celebrity was more of a MC and then the magicians were the performers. But that is only my opinion.


Bill Duncan wrote:Magicians have been buying tricks and performing them before they are perfected for as long as I've been in magic.


Very few magicians can add the water torture cell to their act because it is an expensive escape stunt. It was invented by Houdini in my opinion to draw the outside audience - that would come to see his bridge handcuff dives - and his outside upside-down straitjacket escape.

Inside - to the theater to see something even more daring and spectacular.

I did not like it when Henning did it because he did not "look" like an escape artist - however I did like his ending.


Bill Duncan wrote:Magicians have been buying tricks and performing them before they are perfected for as long as I've been in magic. Hell, that's been a major marketing slogan for tricks for a long as I can remember...

I am not sure if you are talking about the you tube kids that buy magic and then make a video of it and put it on you tube. Or some kind exposing magic and using the web at an amateur level. Or the "selling" of magic done by the magic manufacture's and dealers. And that is not what I am talking about at all.

I am talking about show business.

And yes it is part of show business today for a TV show to buy or rent magic and then for the sake of what we call "good" TV or "entertainment" TV - pay some magicians to teach some kind of a celebrity how to do magic - and then let them do it and be judged by some panel of so called experts.

Good or bad as we all know television is a business.

However there are still magicians that use this stuff and try to eak out a living and do their best to try to draw an audience without the notarity and the TV exposuer.

In my opinion drawing an audience is the hardest trick in magic and the hardest trick in show business.

Just my opinion.

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mrgoat
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby mrgoat » June 9th, 2008, 11:08 am

Glenn Bishop wrote:In my opinion TV reality shows including this one has never accurately represented any kind of reality.


No freaking WAY dude???!!!??

NO WAY!

Michael Jay
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Michael Jay » June 9th, 2008, 11:24 am

Glenn Bishop wrote:In my opinion drawing an audience is the hardest trick in magic and the hardest trick in show business.

Just my opinion.


I fully agree with this. No matter if you're a stage magician or a close up, walk around guy or a street performer, finding a place and an audience with which to sell your wares is THE hardest thing in this industry. It takes real commitment to find audiences, day in and day out, if you're going to do magic full time, as your only means of income.

The following is from the mid-40s (and nothing has changed since then, for the most part):

"A man who was once called the greatest agent in the show business remarked to me that the customers for a magic show now were only 'kids, bohunks and magic nuts.' At one time he was the agent for what was then the greatest magic show in existence. I believe this man's judgment is sound.

"But it is obvious that magicians have only themselves to blame. The Thurston show was at one time known as the most valuable property in the show business. No magic show even remotely approaches that status now.

"Obviously, magic itself is not to blame. It attained this distinction once. It attained this distinction when its method of presentation was geared and attuned to the times." -Dariel Fitzkee-

While I agree in general with Mr. Bishop, the fact of the matter is that Fitzkee was 100% correct. He was correct in the '40s and he's still correct into the 21st century. Look at the time and day that Celebracadabra was moved to, though: the Thursday evening spot. That's a hard spot to sell, yet they sold it. With magic acts, no less.

While I absolutely hate these so called "reality" shows, it is the mark of our society. If magic is to remain in any way a mainstream form of entertainment, then we'd better quit snubbing our noses at what the public wants now-a-days and get with the times.

I don't like it, personally, but those are the cold, hard facts.

Mike.

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David Regal
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby David Regal » June 9th, 2008, 12:59 pm

Naphtalia wrote: I can't help but wince everytime I see an act in which a male magician tries to impress a female assistant by giving her jewelry, car keys or money...I turn off when I see the acts where the women are portrayed as gold diggers or prostitutes.


Oh crap, those nice women who have sex with me for money are prostitutes?

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mrgoat
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby mrgoat » June 9th, 2008, 1:55 pm

David Regal wrote:
Naphtalia wrote: I can't help but wince everytime I see an act in which a male magician tries to impress a female assistant by giving her jewelry, car keys or money...I turn off when I see the acts where the women are portrayed as gold diggers or prostitutes.


Oh crap, those nice women who have sex with me for money are prostitutes?


They aren't nice, David. They are just *pretending* to be.

Naphtalia
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Naphtalia » June 9th, 2008, 2:08 pm

David Regal wrote:Oh crap, those nice women who have sex with me for money are prostitutes?


Remember David that there is a difference between the girls in Hollywood who offer to do a trick for you based on whether they're inside or outside the Castle.
Naphtalia





Impropriety is the soul of wit.

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby amp » June 10th, 2008, 8:19 pm

I think David Regal needs my new book, "Approaching Women".
I have an interesting chapter about Beer,Portable darkness and marshmallows. This book could help.

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Mark Paulson
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Mark Paulson » June 12th, 2008, 9:54 am

Here's a heads up. According to my TV Guide, the finale of Celebracadabra is on tonight at 10pm. Immediately following that is the episode in which the judges perform. Set your Tivos.

I can't wait to read David Regal's write-up in the next Genii.
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Magic Newswire » June 12th, 2008, 5:01 pm

Celebracadabra Finale is tonight!

Followed by the Magicians (Judges and Coaches) performing!

Then, stand by for the final interviews with Hal Sparks & C Thomas Howell!

Who is your money on?

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Magic Newswire » June 12th, 2008, 5:01 pm

Mark Paulson wrote:Here's a heads up. According to my TV Guide, the finale of Celebracadabra is on tonight at 10pm. Immediately following that is the episode in which the judges perform. Set your Tivos.

I can't wait to read David Regal's write-up in the next Genii.


Sorry to have duplicated.. Just saw your post after making one of the same...

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Brandon Hall » June 12th, 2008, 6:22 pm

My money is on Howell to pull this off
"Hope I Die Before I Get Old"

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby MaxNY » June 13th, 2008, 12:02 am

Great fun, the whole season. Thanks to the people/guy at Ellusionist for whatever they had to do with getting this on VH-1...and then supporting it with lots of commercials. I hope that they got their money worth.
Trade ya 4 for any other...Magicbymax.com



Still looking to split gas/car from NY/PA to IBM/SAM, and maybe Hotel too.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 13th, 2008, 9:25 am

C. Thomas Howell won the big prize of $100 grand and it was well deserved. Our new issue of Genii (July) is already in the mail with the final installment of David Regal's story on Celebracadabra and how he helped guide Tommy to the big prize.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

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Mark Paulson
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Mark Paulson » June 13th, 2008, 11:23 am

Congratulations to David Regal for getting C. Thomas Howell to the finals and winning it all. I was rooting for you guys the whole series. I hope Tommy at least bought you a beer after the show, David.

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Magic Newswire » June 13th, 2008, 11:58 am

Final segment of our interviews with both Tommy & Hal about the finale are now online. Enjoy listening!

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David Regal
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby David Regal » June 13th, 2008, 12:29 pm

As the winning magician/coach Ellusionist awarded me 1000 decks of cards. I have two lots up on Ebay right now:


ELLUSIONIST CARDS - LOTS OF 96

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Mark W. Nelson » June 13th, 2008, 3:40 pm

David, I thought you were kidding! Then I checked eBay!

Coaches don't get no respect.
Best,

Mark

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Magic Newswire » June 13th, 2008, 4:24 pm

It's true! Derek Hughes shared that with us in our interview with him weeks ago!

BTW... C Thomas Howell will be live on the eLLUSIONIST.com forums tonight o answer questions starting at 6pm PST if anyone has anything to ask him.

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby amp » June 13th, 2008, 4:30 pm

Just finish watching the show Congratulations to everyone. All celebs and magicians did a wonderful job.

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Brandon Hall » June 13th, 2008, 5:31 pm

Hey David, will you autograph them? Each card, I mean?
"Hope I Die Before I Get Old"

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David Regal
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby David Regal » June 16th, 2008, 1:05 am

I'm going to offer ten lots of 96 decks each (8 dozen), and sign one deck from each lot, marking it "Celebracadabra" on the other side - so, there will only be ten decks total signed/indentified in that manner.

Rene Clement
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Rene Clement » June 16th, 2008, 7:05 pm

I am surprised there aren't listings on VH1 for scheduled re-runs of the show.
Instead we see hours and hours of Hogan Knows Best and Flavor Flav.
Didn't the show get ratings good enough to repeat the show a zillion times like all the other VH1 series?
There should be at least one Celebracadbra marathon in the future, no?

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MaxNY
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby MaxNY » June 16th, 2008, 8:25 pm

You would think? Huh? But then again the Hulk ALWAYS wins, and the Flava girls always LOSE....The endings are predictable.

David, get a new avatar, that one is just creeping me out. A guy on my street decided to melt the snow in his driveway this Winter by spreading out some gasoline...3rd degree all over his body.

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David Regal
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby David Regal » June 17th, 2008, 12:01 am

I have changed my avatar.

Pete McCabe
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Pete McCabe » June 17th, 2008, 3:18 am

Thanks -- the walking censored is much better.

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Rene Clement » June 17th, 2008, 6:47 am

Max,
If David's last avatar creeped you out, this new one will make your hare stand on end.

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Re: Celebracabra

Postby Sebastien L. » June 17th, 2008, 9:11 am

I have fond memories of these shorts. Great avatar.

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David Regal
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Re: Celebracabra

Postby David Regal » June 17th, 2008, 9:27 am

It's one of those perception things that has scientists puzzled. To most, it looks like a bunny walking to the right. To Pete McCabe it looks like a censored walking to the left.


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