Posted April 21, 2008

WYRICK - A MAN AND HIS MONEY

Hate to admit it when I am wrong, but here goes; I was so wrong about Steve Wyrick.

You know who he is, the magician from Texas who can't get a gig so he hires himself and gets investors to put up $35 million to build a theatre so he can play magician as star of his very own show?

Well, I figured he was doing things right and offered to help when I was asked. Turned out they didn't want me to help him with his own show, but with a TV appearance he was going to make (a local news segment in Texas for all his family to see) he asked me to teach him something fantastic.

I did.

Suddenly, fast forward a few weeks, to the opening of his new show, and there in the show was the very same trick that I had taught him for use on the TV appearance. Without my permission.

A simple misunderstanding, I thought. Maybe he thought he could use it in the show, even though I never agreed to that. As a matter of fact, before I taught the trick to him I explaied and confirmed that I could not give him permission to use it beyond the one time TV show taping, because it has been a featured part of my act since my Caesars Magical Empire days. Both he and his attorney pal Grant agreed we were only discussing this TV show project.

You can imagine my surprise when I saw the trick in his show. Why didn't he at least ASK me?

Well, friends, that's an easy one. If he asked me, he knows I might have said now, or if I said yes, there would be an additional payment due to me for it's use.

I have discussed this with him, he's given me wonderful stories about all the many who claim to be owed money by him, and I ask him about many others. He has a great story for each of them.

Very entertaining, except that I discover he has the same sort of thing for me and my routine as well. Didn't he just have the God-given right to use the routine any old time he pleases? After paying me a bargain-basement fee to teach him the thing, he wrongly assumed it was now his forever, sort of like Sam the Bellhop...

The sad part is, after jerking me around for all this time, he finally agreed to pay me the additional money and I waited.

I'm still waiting. Heather Mills took less time to extract millions from Paul McCartney. I'm only seking what I am rightfully due, unlike Heather.

I have calls from many in the magic world (and outside of it as well) who claim he's done them wrong, two have said that he bought the rights to some of their tricks and then failed to pay for them.

One member of the media remarked that "the line for returns at Wal-Mart the day after Christmas is shorter than the line of people who Wyrick owes money to." Yeehaw!

His show is bleeding money, barely covering expenses. He must've had to pay a lot of money to have Mister Spock appear in those new ads of his.

He has continued to stall and ignore my polite requests to be paid. Now I am shifting gears, and he's about to have his hands full as I unleaseh my campaign to collect the money. On several fronts. Now it's not about the money, it's about what is right.

The entire magic world knows (or will know) the SW method of doing things. I had many, many warnings. Like I said, I was wrong.

Now here we are, I got screwed by SW, and it's on to the next chapter, it will involve lawyers, unless he comes across. It may mean the end of a friendship, but friendships must go both ways, and all I get is lack of respect for him. Like my father always said, "when someone does not show you respect, you must not show them respect". That was his simple philosophy.

I don't respect Wyrick. I only hope he does not close his show, because then I'll never see my money.

More next week.

Steve

Posted April 15, 2008

That's one for you, 19 for me...TAXMAN...as the Beatles sang. Happy tax day, friends, the day when you account to your unwanted partner (the IRS) for all your hard work all year long.

Several casinos here have a tax relief event happening, free booze and whatever. ANything to get you to gamble MORE. JUst don't forget to report those gambling earnings (and losses) to the big man. He be watchin'.

NOT AN ANGEL

Seems Criss Angel is a bit off his rocker lately. Happens to many who find themselves with huge amounts of money and sudden fame. Can't handle reality.

HIs latest exploits involve his girlfriend of the moment,the current Miss Nevada.

She was in the Miss USA contest, he approached one of the judges and reminded her to vote favorably for his girl, and she hit the roof.

Our local Entertainment maven, Norm Clarke covered the gritty details, so when Angel spotted Norm at the Planet Hollywood event, he and his thugs threatened him and threw a pile of f-bombs his way. Said something along the lines of: "If you write about me again, you'll need a patch for that other eye."

A most creative blast, don't ya think?

Norm wa so bothered by it (NOT) that he chose to recant the entire incident in the Review Journal, and all I can say is..come on, Criss, grow up and begin to be thankful for your good fortunes.

My dear friend (and fellow magic pal) Diana Zimmerman is about to launch her wonderful new book, first in Studio City this weekend, then May 10th here in Vegas. Read all about it in my Magic column on Vegas Inside Tips here. Good luck, Diana...may you have a huge best seller on your hands.

Red Sox Nation is celebrating after 2 great wins in a row by the BOSox; first there was the 2 out of 3 they took from the Damn Yankees out in Fenway, and last night in Cleveland, thanks to Manny and his 9th inning homer.

They head to Yankee Stadium next for another battle, and to pay respects to the loyal construction worker who was working on the all new Yankee Stadium (which opens after this season) who secretly buried a Manny Ramirez Sox Jersey in the concrete as a sort of curse on the Yanks.

His only mistake was bragging about it too soon. The Yanks heard about it, dismissed as hogwash, then thought better about it (these CURSES sometimes do work) and paid several workers overtime on Sunday for 5 hours of drilling and digging to get the Sox Jersey out of the new stadium.

What a riot. Officials in New York are considering criminal charges against the construction worker. For what? Being a loyal Sox fan while working on Yankee Stadium? Give me a break.

Later.

Posted March 31, 2008

THE MERLIN AWARDS

I was recently honored by the International Magicians Society, which we all know, is the world's largest magic organization.

The founder and president, Tony Hassini (pictured below in my office) made the surprise visit to my home to break the news to me. I was given a Merlin, the magic world's Oscar, for 2008 Close-up Magician of the Year.

The thing weighs over 50 pounds, looks like real gold although I know its not, but a shining, Oscar llooking metal thing that will be going into the trophy case (shoebox) in my office.

I'm told it will be officially be presented to me at some event in the future, ao I will save my acceptance speech for that. I do want to thank Mr. Hassini and the board of governors of the IMS for this very much appreciated award, Itis given out by my peers, making it extra special to me. Previous Merlin awards include Criss Angel, David Copperfield and Siegfried & Roy.

Surely this must mean that I will now start to be offered the really good jobs, both here in in other cities. Already, I have since been offered a very lucrative contract for appearances in Cleveland that we are now considering, so I know things are definitely heading to new heights. I'll keep you informed.

MORE MAGIC

Not to beat a dead rabbit, but as I mentioned last week, yet another magic show moves into town for a bit. (A "Bit" is the term used to describe the length of time it takes for a show to run out of money).

Can you say, "Overload?"

Afternoons are filled with magic, with the Trop, Harrah's, Planet Hollywood, Flamingo and now the Sahara all featuring a magic show. No way they will all survive. Too much magic, folks, even for Vegas standards. That said, I wish them all well and may the best wand win.

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Posted March 24, 2008

Spent the weekend celebrating my birthday, low key, relaxing and also quite stimulating. Did some driving, top down, sun and wind and clear sky above, from one end of the valley up to the top of Mt. Charleston, sat outside among the mountains and pine trees and smoked a fine, well-aged Cuban cigar (Cohiba) after a fine lunch in a restaurant overlooking the snow covered mountain peaks.

Grilled a couple of steaks that evening back at the house, then met some friends who were visiting Vegas. We capped the weekend with a visit to the Orleans to see the icon of comedy DON RICKLES do his thing, as only he can.

Even at age 81, the man is a sharp as ever, and hilarious for most of the time he is onstage. He comes out from the side door, not the stage, but the door leading into the front of the showroom as the 15 piece orchestra blasts his introduction song, which is sort of like that of a returning warrior or bullfighter. As soon as he appears, the place goes wild, and everyone jumps to their feet for the first of many real standing ovations, not the kind some magic acts claim they get (you know the fake standing O bit that cheesy performers tend to use), this is real, genuine and unplanned.

While the crowd is going wild, he walks among the seats in the front of the stage, shaking hands and hugging a few of the ladies before he turns and walks up the stairs to the stage. There, he picks up his microphone and it's off to the races.

He ribs the band, the conductor, the room, the crowd, and that's before he gets started.

When things settle down a bit he walks to the edge of the stage, then off the stage into the crowd and begins his verbal assault on everyone he can see. Nobody is spared. That's the fun of it.

First, he looks at me and says, "I say this as a friend, get a haircut."

That was mild. Then he spots the couple sitting next to me, two very fat people. He ridicules them, assaults them, calls them every name he can think of, saying, "I make fun of a lot of people, like you, I make fun of because you're so fat."

These people were freaked. He was getting angry, I could see it, they hardly cracked a smile.

I found it hilarious, as did everyone else, the laughter was coming in massive waves, but these 2 just sat there, and I could see they had never been in a Don Rickles show before, otherwise they would never have sat in the front row.

He left them for another couple, a black couple, and they, like everyone else who got attacked, seemed to love it and laughed just as hard as the rest of the place. Rickles could see these 2 fatties were not pleased, so he was relentless in his verbal attacks on them, to the delight of the crowd.

It's hard to describe all that happens in a Rickles show. He sings, does a bit of soft shoe, crawls the stage hunting for victims and keeps a non-stop banter going that keeps people in stitches the whole time. Just near the end the spontaneous standing ovation builds again, and repeats again as he finally leaves the stage and the curtains close.

Having seen this comedy icon perform dozens of times, once when I opened up for his in the 70's, I can say that he is always at the top of his game, and although much of what he throws out has been said before in some other show, a lot of it is improvised off the top of his head, a remarkable talent that few comedians can pull off. He is consistently funny, which is why he is still one of the biggest draws in show business.

It was great to see him again after all these years and happy to see he has not lost one beat as he enters his 80's. Long live the king.

Posted March 17, 2008

Happy St. Patty's Day all you Irish and those who wish to be.

Just spoke to my Irish pals in Boston where the green beer and pot roast is plentiful over at the Other Side Pub outside of Worcester, where barmeister Robert Shaughnessy is keeping things orderly for the gathering of a huge party hardy gang that includes E. Thomas McCabe and clan. Wish I could be with you guys, but I will drink some green beer here in your honor.

MAGIC IN VEGAS

Can you say "overloaded"?

Yep, it's true, another magic show is about to open, this one at the Sahara with magician Brett Daniels who expects to fill the seats for his illusion show in the showroom where Wyrick once attempted the same thing.

Now, the afternoon shows are pretty much filled with more magic than the average person could possibly endure. There's Mac King, the KING of the afternoon shows, and now, just steps away, Nathan Burton joins in from the Flamingo soon, and down the Strip is the man with tigers and no personality, Dirkman Arthur, and now Brett Daniels in the Sahara. Yikes. These guys all expect to do business, but I am sorry to report that only one will do well, or should i say, continue to do well, and that would be Mac King.

Dirk Arthur has been struggling to fill seats (I wonder why?) and Nathan Burton will never fill the showroom without giving away most of his seats. Brett Daniels, known in the magic world but not outside, will find things a bit light when he tries to get people into the aging Sahara in the afternoon. I predict he will be gone very soon, so Brett...leave the trucks and crates handy, you will need them soon to pack yourself away and get out of town.

Ticket brokers tell me they cannot sell al those seats for afternoon magic shows, so who will?

Former afternoon magician Rick Thomas is filling his calendar these days with corporate shows and cruises, now that he is no longer playing in Vegas. He tried to ge into the Flamingo, but the hotel, in their infinite wisdom (?) chose to go with the Nathan Burton show, thinking he will do business after his high profile appearances on TV in the "America's Got Talent" reality show last year. He didn't win, but he got a lot of face time, which helped him sell seats over at the V theatre. But trust me. Over at the Flamingo, they will be giving away seats by the bucket, just to keep the place from looking empty.

BUBBLES ANYONE?

No, not the monkey that Michael Jackson was fond of fondling, but the show at Wyrick's theatre, called Mega Bubbles or something like that, had another review in the papers, and if they think it's been tough selling seats to that show before, with another horrible review to add to their collection, this show is a loser by all accounts.

Other than watching paint dry (as one reviewer mentioned) this show will put you to sleep faster than a hypnotist and with a lot fewer laughs.

Aimed at kids, or so it seems, someone needs to tell the show producer that there are no kids walking around the Miracle Mile Shops in the afternoon. What few families there might be are already buying tickets to see Mac King, not some guy blowing bubbles.

Steve Wyrick tells me its part educational, this Bubble show, and all I can say is, people don't come to Vegas shows to become educated.

My guess is this show will go the same route as every show that has ever been in that theatre in the afternoon so far...out of town. I figure they will not make it to the 6 month mark, which I hear is the length of the contract.

Maybe if they got Michael Jackson's monkey Bubbles in the show things would pick up. ALthough I hear that Bubbles is in rehab and not presently available.

Another show, this one from Hawaii, was scheduled to come in next month, but I understand that they are having second thoughts. Even Steve Wyrick's own show in the evening is bleeding cash, with barely half the seats filled at each performance. Steve needs to cut back to one show a night and work on filling those seats first.

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Posted March 13, 2008

Saw Kevin Spacey and the rest of the cast of the new movie "21" which had its world premier last night as part of the ShowWest movie convention I spoke about. He looks great and he's fantastic in this new move. I was invited by SONY to see the special screening, along with 2,000 others who filled the Paris Theatre of the Arts, normally a stage show kind of showroom, but for this screening, outfitting with a gigantic screen. It ran the length of the entire stage, which is massive to begin with. It was digital projection, with perfect picture and sound, and the crowd loved it.

First, the cast of the picture appeared. As they walked onto the stage the place went crazy, and soon, the lights went down and the movie started.

This is a true story about the MIT kids who became card counters and came to Vegas and took away millions playing blackjack.

Based on the book, "Bringing Down the House", the movie is pretty much a perfect recreation of the book, and I must say, Vegas never looked so good on screen.

After the movie, the real fun began as we were all invited over to the grand ballroom of Planet Hollywood (right next door to the Paris) for "club 21", a wild setting complete with dancing and twirling girls in the sky, the girls from Crazy Horse Paris performing sexy little dance numbers, blackjack tables everywhere with "free" gambling, and more food than needed. Music, dance floor, VIP areas, the ballroom was literally transformed into a wild night club, complete with Robin Leach and other celebrities. When the cast arrived, they did the meet and greet and talked about the movie. It was then that I got to meet Kevin Spacey and show him - his request - some magic with poker chips and cards.

A great party - SONY sure knows how to throw a party.

As the the movie - it opens at the end of the month. Check it out. A fun ride.

Today there are more movie screenings and seminars for the people who run this industry, a luncheon and the closing banquet, during which many awards are given. I know the cast of "21" will be getting an award, not sure who else, but should be a fun event, bringing this great convention to a close for another year.

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Posted March 11, 2008

Saw Robert Redford today, looks fantastic, what is he, like 75 or so?

He was here for a luncheon today as part of the ShowWest movie convention.

We took some of the SONY Pictures executives along with veteran film buyer George Leavitt, who was in from Boston for this convention, to dinner at Planet Hollywood and then to a magic show, as they requested.

Unfortunately, the Lance Burton show they requested was dark Sunday night, as usual, so we were faced with not many choices. A short walk across the mall to the Steve Wyrick Theatre Complex and we were escorted to our VIP seats for the 7 pm show by Wyrick.

I've seen it before, so I was able to have a nice nap during the show, waking when things got noisy, and also to watch the new piece he described to me earlier at lunch.

It's a boat trick. It runs longer than it should, and I am not sure it works. But, I am not reviewing it, I just went as a spectator to see the show with my guests, and I understand that it was only the 5th time he's tried out this expensive prop.

I'll wait until he has perfected it to comment further.

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STATE OF MAGIC IN VEGAS

Posted Feb 26, 2008

Daniel Day Lewis won his second Oscar for Best Actor last night, the only really sure-thing going in. The 80th Academy Awards was well-produced, John Stewart held it together nicely and the rain could not dampen the emotions or the excitement of Hollywood's biggest night.

I was happy to see the Coen Brothers up there collecting six Oscars for their one film, No Country for Old Men, surely that's a new record of some sort.

POLITICS - CAN YOU SAY SNOW JOB?

Just have to respond to someone who emailed to say he was a Republican who was supporting Obama and wanted to know why I haven't endorsed him or any candidate yet.

I am not going to endorse anyone. I am pretty fed up with the whole process right now. Watching the Republicans spoon feed their plan to the American public.

This country is not ready to elect a black president. Face it. The Republicans are well aware of this. They know they can beat Obama.

So, they are doing all they can to make Hillary look like the wrong choice, mainly because they don't want to be fighting the Bill & Hillary machine and lose.

All of which points to another Republican in the White House, not something I look forward to.

Obama may be a wonderful person, I don't know him, really. I sense he is not the right man for the job, no matter what color he happens to be. I also have no clue who would be right for the job. Is'nt it amazing how limited our choices are?

How can you be expected to believe any of the rhetoric and promises that are thrown into the airways? It s all a clever campaign, a marketing campaign to sell the candidate and buy the office of the president for the one with the highest TV ratings.

Where's Pat Paulson when we need him?

Posted Feb 23, 2008

My friend Big John from London celebrated his 60th birthday this week and he took over the Dive Bar and had live music, courtesy of THE FAB, one of the finest Beatles bands in the world.

For their first set, they were without a drummer, so I was invited to play. A great surprise and a whole lot of fun, as we ripped into All My Lovin' and a bunch of old Beatles tunes. Catch a photo of my adventure here...

So, yes, I got to play the Pete Best part, getting sacked before the night was over, when their regular drummer arrived.

Happy birthday Big John (who played in a band in Hamburg, Germany with the Beatles so many decades ago), great party.

MAGIC NEWS

Amazing Johnathan taking his show into the Krave Theatre in the mall where Nathan Burton was doing his show (he closes there next week). Not the same venue, but a gay night club area that is situated at one end of the mall. Not the easiest place to find, but he should find bodies for the seats in this new joint as opposed to the dwindling numbers at his old haunt, the Sahara. Lawsuits are now being discussed. The hotel wants to sue him, he wants to sue them, sounds familiar, right? He's into these confrontational relationships that always seem to turn nasty. He did it at Golden Nugget, Flamingo, and now Sahara joins the list of places who will not be giving a good recommendation of their tenant AJ. Wish him luck, of course, but I wonder how long before this relationship goes sour...

BETTE MIDLER OPENS

I snuck into the Caesars Palace preview show (audience of friends, workers and ticket sellers) of the Divine Miss M, sat at the sound booth and watched her rip the joint apart with her fantastic voice, grand dance numbers and costumes, and funny banter. She is hilarious, and she is clearly enjoying this gigantic spotlight at this stage in her life. I saw her so many years ago in a small club in Boston, a dive with about 200 people jammed into it. SHe was wild, telling dirty jokes, insulting anyone up close to the stage that she could see, and also whipped the place up with her wonderful voice. Now she has all these hits to draw from, and she does sing all of her hits, you can be sure. A lot of stage waits and missed cues going on, but hey, this is the beginning of the run and there are hundreds of moving parts and bodies to coordinate. This show will be a huge hit, and could easily surpass Celine's numbers.

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Posted Feb 21, 2008

The latest magic scene "news" would be that magician Nathan Burton is leaving the V theatre over at the Miracle Mile Shops to move into the big showroom over at the Flamingo.

We knew he was unhappy over at the V joint, where there are never enough people in the mall to fill a showroom on a steady basis, but now with this move to the Flamingo, Burton will be doing a show where at least there are people to draw from.

The problem is, he is doing a show in the afternoon, at 4 pm, and tickets will be offered in combination with Mac King tickets, sort of unique approach that smells like disaster to me.

What am I missing here? Mac King and Nathan Burton. Same act, different personality. But to the general ticket buying public, its 2 magic shows, both in the afternoon, and hey, how may people want to see 2 similar shows when there are so many other places to spend their ticket dollars?

One show is a consummate professional and one is not. Seems to me to be a poor way of selling tickets. One show is bound to be hurt by this marketing move.

Time will tell just how this all works out. Anything is better than the V theatre in the afternoon, but now the show is in direct competition for afternoon magic show dollars. There just isn't enough matinee business to go around. There are now THREE magic shows in the afternoon. How smart is that?

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Posted Feb. 15 - 2008

Here in Vegas, we are not immune to the constant barrage of Britney news, and boy is it getting old. Same boring stuff recycled until it makes ya want to puke.

She's in rehab, or in a hospital or a mental ward, does it really matter? Her dad is now in charge of things, her nut case mother is hovering nearby and her moron sister is pregnant, her music sucks she looks like hell, can we just end it all and start looking for another target to focus on?

Oh yes, there's the Paris Hilton cloud, she of the no talent variety (like Britney now) in town this week to ply her trade as a celeb for no reasons, pushing a new line of clothing, and celebrating her wondrous birthday with appearances in several of the high end clubs, where she prances about, waves to the masses on occasion, and mostly ignores all but a few celebrity types who hang around with her. WHy do people feel the need to pay huge amounts of money just to be in the same room as this bimbo?

Not far from the tree would be her mommy and daddy, lurking about and sucking up to media whenever a light or a lense shines upon them. Rick Hilton the dad (the family calls him Rick the Dick, and I don't wonder why) and his bonehead wife Kathy Hilton clearly have way too much money and too much time on their hands, so they constantly dream up ways of exploiting their little jail bird daughter. Like they need the money, she still has her little trust fund from the Hilton family valued at $100 million, and Rick the Dick has a nice little warehouse full of gold that his dad gave him instead of brains.

They must really miss the Las Vegas Hilton since daddy Baron Hilton sold it off, which means their days of hanging in the family penthouse suite where Elvis used to hang (I was in it once, he was meeting press and VIP's, and I played on the slot machines that he had brought up to the room for his personal enjoyment). Now, they would have to pay real cash money to stay there again, something they don't like to do.

ANOTHER NUT CASE

Then we have Michael Jackson, the loony with diminishing finances and questionable talent. He's been staying in an expensive suite at the Palms with his kids in tow, supposedly rehearsing for his next big something or other. Shouldn't he be in jail? What happened with all those kids he molested?

AROUND TOWN

Speaking of nut jobs, over at the Planet Hollywood we have a bubble show in the WYrick theatre, playing 2 shows a day, in the afternoon. THe show has been politely described as 'BORING" and from what I hear, the noise level in the audience rises steadily until people are eventually talking amongst themselves and not paying attention to the humorless show that doesn't seem to hold the attention of anyone.

I guess Steve Wyrick neglected o mention to this new show that there is NOBODY in the mall where his theatre is, especially during the day, which means two shows a day is completely impossible.

Anyone want to guess how long this show lasts before the bubbles pop for good?

I wonder if the landlord will lock the doors one day for non-payment of rent, as he can probably find someone else to pick up the long term lease that Wyrick is behind on paying. Not sure who would want this massive headache, and besides, it would take weeks to remove all the gigantic Wyrick photos and designs. It could happen. The night club is already limping and bleeding money heavily. There are far more interesting clubs located just steps away from this club, right in the Planet Hollywood. People just don't seem to like the Wyrick-world theme and awkward setting for a club that doesn't know what it wants to be.

You can probably guess from my tone that I am not at all happy with Steve Wyrick and his state of business affairs. Another ticket broker called me to say tickets were "more than a little slow" and demand was not at all what it needs to be, crowds are less than half a house and loads of free tickets are handed out daily just to fill seats.

And no, he has not paid me for the rights to the routine he put into his act without my permission, so yes, that is steam shooting from my ears...some people really think they can live beyond the rules.

This story is not over.

GOOD GUY BACK

The finest magic act in Vegas, Lance opens tonight, the first show since the weird fire closed the Monte Carlo for almost 3 weeks. They say the los to the Monte Carlo was over $100 million. Wow. I understand to compensate for the loss, Lance Burton tickets are now $500 a piece.

Lance tells me he was anxious to get back, he is used to being in a rhythm and the cast and crew miss the routine of life they have been settled into for the last 12 years.

TGIF

President's weekend, meaning Monday becomes another excuse to party and the casinos will be overly crowded this weekend, mostly with people driving in from Los Angeles. Now they can toga party for 3 solid nights, then limp back home on Monday. At least we don't have the nightmare of NBA All Star weekend here like we did last year. That brought out the crazies, with loads of arrests, shootings and bad behavior by the athletes and the rowdy fans. I am sure they will never return to Vegas. Hope New Orleans enjoys the madness this time around.

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Posted February 4, 2008

Patriots fans are in shock, we can't believe what happened in the Super Bowl. The perfect season is meaningless now, with this game, the one loss of the entire year for the Pats. Nothing more to say, I prefer to forget the game.

Here in Vegas, we are concentrating on the projects we are working on, and one in particular, which this week should come to a contract and begin a new phase in our projects. A new project, a new show, and a TV reality show. We will have details later in the week.

Cold here, rain, wind, it's winter. Nothing like New England winters, but still, we live here so escape the bad weather of the East. So, we all get sort of spoiled, with this cold windy and overall nasty weather we are having now. Like I said, it is winter, we have to get through it. Not so bad. Deal with it.

STEVE WYRICK WORLD

I've reached the end of my rope with Steve Wyrick, feel like I have been taken advantage and lied to long enough. I intend to collect the money he owes me for the rights to my magic effect that he has been doing in his show since he opened. WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. Others tell me they have been ripped off by Steve, and now I believe they have. I am just another one of those who got screwed by the man who can't get a gig unless he builds his own theatre.

Details are in my column, I fully expect to be paid, and you can be sure, I will do whatever it takes to collect, starting with my attorneys. I don't expect that a friend, or at least someone who I THOUGHT was my friend, to rip me off.

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

THE STATE OF MAGIC IN VEGAS

POSTED JANUARY 30, 2008

Super Bowl FRENZY is upon us. As I have said before, going to the Super Bowl is always fun up to a point. It's very exciting to be there, and there are all these private parties held in tents all around the stadium, which is how I attended 2 Super Bowls. I was hired to perform magic at one of these VIP affairs, once for the NFL, which was great, because they sent me tickets to the game for 2 years in a row - thank you NFL.

But once the game gets going, you wish you were in front of a nice big TV screen, with all the commercials and replays and side features. You miss all that in the stadium. By the time the game gets going most of the attendees are too drunk to remember much.

Which leads us to the subject of Vegas and the Super Bowl. Undoubtably, this is the best place to watch the game. Lots of choices, some are free, others have a small charge, but we're talking wild. Each casino tries to outdo the next in the quest for pulling in the crowds. Plus, you can actually bet on the game, and on what color socks Brady will wear (RED) and which team will win the coin toss.

It's complete mayhem, I tell ya. We got people flying and driving in beginning now, ready to party. We should have about 200,000 extra visitors this weekend. Sounds like trouble to me.

Naturally I have a lot of fellow Patriots fans coming in from Boston to be here, a few are driving down to Arizona for the game, but most are planning to be in one of the sports books or casino parties, and its my job to advise them of their best options.

I'm thinking I'll keep them away from some of the small local joints that I prefer, as they tend to lose control and who knows what might happen if they were to run into strong New York Giant fans who are looking for a little toss-up. I have two bail bondsmen standing by just in case.

I would like to go just for he half time show. Tom Petty will rock the house with his Heartbreakers, and you can be sure there won't be any wardrobe malfunctions. Maybe a bad hair day, but that's just Tom Petty for you.

TV CONVENTION

All the TV producers are in town, and Arnie the Manager is here working the floor and looking to sell one of our projects, we had dinner with him then took him over to see Steve Wyrick's magic show. Not many people in the crowd, for either show, which is what we hear in the norm lately for his show.

He's added some new things, but the show has lost focus and needs work to improve it. Not sure Steve wants to hear that, but the audiences will improve if he works on better word of mouth cultivation. Sure the folks from Ohio who have never been here before may think it's a great show, but anyone who has seen other magic shows might be disappointed with the overall experience, and this is something I would tell Steve personally. His personality on stage is, well...it's not really there. It nees to be. He neds to connect with his audiences, even the small ones. He can't rely on the props, like the magician over at the Tropicana with the tigers. It's easy to fix, from my viewpoint. But this is not a review, I just mentioned we went there to see the show, and also I wanted Arnie to see the room, as a possible place to film our reality series.

I don't think that is going to happen there. He's got too much going on rght now, and boy we can't wait for that bubble show to begin. Supposed to be some hot new show, if yu can believe the hype, and it will play at 1 and 3 in the afternoon in his theatre. That's what I call mighty ambitious, especially in a theatre that is really out of the way and hard to market. Just ask Ron Lucas and every other act that has tried to do an afternoon show there. They all left before their contracts were up, and all of them had more empty seats than full ones.

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POSTED JANUARY 27, 2008

(LAS VEGAS) - Raining today, and a lot last night, it's so unusual for us to have rain, it is nice to see. Besides, we really need it, things have been so dry here.

Seems a lot of people got bent out of shape seeing pictures of Hillary and Bill in my column last week. Relax, people, we are not supporting Hillary for president. We are not supporting anyone for president at the moment. Undecided and not even registered, so politics play a very tiny role in our lives at the moment.

He, I did get a cool playing card for my collection, signed by both Clinton's (check it out in my last week's column).

ON eBay I understand I can get $1,000 for it.

I think I'll hold on to it for now, it sits in the deck of cards along with autographs of Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton, Milton Berle, Red Buttons, Mickey Mantle, Tony Orlando, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson and a few others you may have heard of. It's a cool deck. Wonder what it's worth on eBay?

So unreal to drive down the Strip yesterday and see the massive Monte Carlo all dark and black soot all over the front of it.

It reminded me oh-so-clearly of the MGM Grand fire (now the Bally's Hotel) back in 1980. I was performing at the Dunes, which was directly across from the old MGM Grand (where the Bellagio now sits), and I remember looking out my window, a couple of days after the fire, and it looked like a bombed out ruins. All black, a gigantic hole in the middle of the first level, a mess. And at night, completely dark.

Just like the Monte Carlo is now. They expect to be up and running in another day or two. I spoke with Lance Burton, his props are fine, his theatre is unaffected, as most of the damage happened outside the building and all of it above the 30th floor. His show is dark Sunday and Monday normally, but he is still unsure if the hotel will be open on Tuesday when he returns.

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SUPER BOWL APPROACHING

New England fans are beginning to stream westward, some have hit Vegas already. Many are coming for a few days before heading down to Glendale, Arizona for the game. A lot of them are staying right here to watch the game in one of the casino's lavish "Big Game" parties. Having been to 4 Super Bowls myself, I can tell you it's a whole lot better watching the game on TV. Being there is exciting and all, but when it comes down to the game itself, I found myself missing things like the instant replays and sidelines interviews and the commercials.

I have been offered tickets to the game this year, but decided to stick around here because Vegas is really the best place to enjoy the game.

The New York Giants are grossly unmatched, some might say they don't really deserve to be in the big game, but as we all know in the NFL, any team can beat another on any given day.

It's not going to happen, but I hope for a close game, instead of the blowout that Brady and the Pats are capable of. Go Patriots...one more game and the entire season becomes history. Record-breaking, historic, this will be something the fans (and the team) will never forget. Too bad the Giants happen to be in the way, so that once again, Boston gets to outshine New York

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POSTED JANUARY 22, 2008

This was the morning when die-hard movie fans get up at 5:30 am to watch the announcements. Yes, I was there, and I am happy to provide the key nominees here...congraulations to all the nominees, see you on the red carpet next month.

POSTED JANUARY 21, 2008

Busy weekend, actually had a chance to meet the former president, Bill Clinton, and his wife-candidate Hillary, as well as Chelsea, who is looking really good these days.

I enjoyed watching them interact with each other, a genuine family with strong bond between them, and they were all clearly thankful of all the support and the people who came out to see them. We were invited, otherwise we probably wouldn't have gone, we are really not political types, never have been. But it seemed like it might be a fun thing to witness, and it was. Bill looks just as great as ever, very distinguished, yet humble and self-assured. He loves to watch Hillary speak, he admires her, you can just see it in his facial expressions, his body language, they really like each other.

When they first took the stage, and we were sitting in the front row, so we saw everything going on, the crowd went nuts. While they were waiting for the noise to die down, Hillary put her arms around Bill and whispered something to him. Bill then looked at us and said, "See? She's giving me direction. She's telling me what to do. And I'm getting used to it."

And to prove I really did meet them, I had a playing card signed by BOTH of them, and you can see it, and other photos that Jan took, on Vegas Inside Tips in my column HERE.

PATRIOTS GOING TO SUPER BOWL

Need we say any more? Any non-believers out there still? Well, to all my pals who were convinced this was not going to happen...I told ya so.

Sorry. Gloating has begun. It'll go on for a long time. See ya in Glendale...no matter who wins.

Oh, and regarding that one, the Giants will LOSE in Green Bay and the Packers will be facing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. And the Pats will prevail. Total perfection.

POSTED JANUARY 11, 2008

Okay, so how many New Years resolutions did you make and have you already broken? It happens all the time, health club memberships soar in January, and then come February, people stop going and go back into their same routine of poor health and bad eating. And the goals list gets ignored or forgotten, put away and not looked at again until the end of the year.

No matter what your goals and objectives list looks like for 2008, we would all do well to also add the exercise and healthy eating elements to the goals list. Unless you haven't made a goals list, in which case, never mind.

GO PATS

I've sat by quietly, enjoying the perfect season that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots put together, and I can't help but think about the fact that only a few short years ago, the Pats were not winning, the Red Sox were a joke and nobody cared about the Celtics.

Now, with the Red Sox curse lifted, and a World Series championship again for the Fenway boys, the Patriots stepped to the plate and put together a history-making run that saw them finish unbeaten 16 - 0 for the season, something that's never been done before, aside from the Miami Dolphins perfect season a couple of decades ago.

Now, the playoffs are upon us and the Pats get to play host and beat up on Jacksonville in the Gillette Stadium out in Foxboro, Massachusetts (where we saw the Stones 2 years ago, some things you never forget) and all I can say is, Super Bowl here we come once again.

Course, not to be outdone, the Celtics has been ripping apart the competition this year and expect to finish in the top, and most likely will win a championship this year for the faithful fans, making this one of the greatest couple of years in sports for the Boston sports fans, the loyalists who never give up.

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POSTED JANUARY 10, 2008

Okay, so let me see if I get this straight. Obama wins in Iowa, where black people are an apparent rare occurrence, and Hillary wins in New Hampshire. Now what does all this mean? Why all the hoopla and outcry?

I refuse to bow to the political fever that is in the air, I promise that I will never let politics, (which I consider a total waste of time) dominate this blog...how boring would that be?

But I cannot ignore some things that happen and seem to affect everyone, even though I believe we will find that come November, none of it means a thing. We have a series of televised debates, which as a concept, I applaud, because it gives us all a chance to see these characters up close and on live television, and often they appear scared as a deer in the headlights and it's fun to watch them say and do stupid things as their nerves are completely shot and their hair never looks as good as John Edwards.

But then these silly state "pretend" elections, like the ones they do when you go the movies and they have a "straw" pole and you take your "Hillary" straw or "Obama" straw (one works better than the other, I'll let you figure that one out). It means absolutely nothing, just a way to amuse and possibly incite the masses who have nothing better to think about (or so it seems).

Let's just have them all appear together on a big TV show, ask them all a bunch of questions, let them all get into a ring with gloves and start a battle. When there are 2 left standing, we can have a National Election, and the best man (or woman) will win, unless one of the opponents happens to have a big, influential family that has the power to alter the outcome, in which case, as I have said before. None of this matter. Just let us know who will be the next president and we can go on with the rest of our lives.

Who would I vote for? Heck, they all seem like such professional liars I have a hard time picking the true candidate. HIllary seems nice, she's got the experience and big round ones needed to handle the task (Bill, not the presidency) and she would be fun to watch FIrst Lady Bill standing next to her whenever she appears in public or on television. WOuld probably make a really funny sit-com.

Obama, seems like a nice guy, changes his mind a lot, and now he's running on a message of change is good, and necessary. I guess he's referring to his own mind changing so often. This country will not, sadly, elect a black man to the highest office right now. It should not matter, this is true. But it does. There are large regions of this country, again, sadly, that would never cast a vote for a black person for president. Hopefully that will change soon. In the meantime, sound bites with Obama remind me of the guy on the cover of MAD magazine, so he provides amusement. The rest of the pack, hey let's elect that guy from "Law & Order", he reminds me of Reagan and "Law & Order" is one of my favorite shows. And Guliani is just enjoying all the attention, he knows he doesn't have a prayer. And Dennis Kucinik (if ya can't spell the name without help, it's not a good presidential candidate) is barely capable, but his wife is hot.

Living in America during times like these is not easy.

THE STATE OF MAGIC IN VEGAS

JANUARY 6, 2008

(LAS VEGAS) What started out to be my final post of 2007 now has, in reality, become my first 2008 piece, so Happy New Year to all of you and hope you have a great year ahead. We promise to continue to provide you with a worthy place to visit, full of interesting articles, interviews and photos to entertain and inform you with. Thanks for sticking with us so far.

After watching the Grucci Brothers fireworks display, supposedly the most elaborate in the USA, launched from the tops of 7 casinos, we drove the half a mile or so back to our house, tucked safely away from the madness on the Strip, and toasted the end of one era and beginning of the new one.

Teams of workers are now busy scraping tourists off the street and clearing away a mountain of beer cans, bottles, body parts, clothing and other party litter that 300,000 people have left behind in their quest for celebration and craziness at a level not previously known to man.

To all the surviving tourists, time to wake up and go home, okay?

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END OF 2007

I hate all those end of year lists that appear everywhere, you know the ones; tons of useless information rehashed and packaged into neat little collections, like “The Year’s Best Movies”, or “The Most Embarrassing Moments Experienced by a Sports Star” or  “The Best Mug shots of Celebrities Who Were Arrested This Year” (my favorite so far).

So, when we had our final meeting of the year with all of the staff around here, the inevitable question was asked of me. 

Are we going to do a bunch of year end lists?

I suggested we pull nose hairs out, one by one, instead.

There was a lot of screaming (those suckers really hurt when you pull them) but soon it was over, a few were bloody, but it was the end of it.  No year end lists for us.  Or for you, dear readers, who we suspect have encountered all those lists in your local newspapers and magazines.  No need for us to add to the meaningless pile.

I will, however, give an overview of the year in magic, mainly as it pertains to Vegas, and I promise to make it short and sweet.  Actually, I can only promise the “short” part.  I make no claims that it will all be “sweet”.

The Magic Scene in Vegas is pretty much dominated by someone who is not even appearing here yet.  Chris Angel has been in the spotlight since he began filming his television series, “Mind Freak” here in town, and his well-publicized deal to perform at the Luxor in a Cirque-collaborated show has help make him a major celebrity throughout the country.  I just wish he’d let me bring him to my hair stylist, she could do wonders for him.

My feeling is that anytime you get to put magic into the spotlight, it is good for magic in general and especially for performing magi, as it sparks interest, awareness and ultimately demand for good magicians to work more.  For that, we are all thankful to Chris. 

Many magicians got together for the gala “Magician of the Year” event that traditionally kicks off December.  The event honored John Calvert, who is now 112 years old, and still active and capable of fooling audiences with his brilliant magic.  Still looking like the movie star he was back in the 30’s, Calvert closed the show with his famous dancing handkerchief and the very eerie head cutting the an electric saw illusion, the perfect trick to see after eating a big fat juicy steak only moments ago.

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Most notable at this event was Siegfried’s heartfelt speech, during which he revealed that he was influenced as a performer by seeing John Calvert on stage when he was a child in Europe.  It was a fitting tribute to John and his adorable wife Tammy. 

The Steve Wyrick show, the so-called do it yourself magic show that Wyrick self-financed (along with his investor), is bleeding money, ticket sales are slow and we’ve been told he is many months behind in the lease payments.  This can’t be good news to the money man, and I know the landlord is exploring his options, one of which is eviction proceedings as a viable option. 

I think the show is fairly good; it needs work, which I suspect tempers the word of mouth from making it a highly recommended show.  Word of mouth is pleasant, not wild, occasionally very bad and biting.  All of this contributes to low ticket sales.  Then the other factor is the location of the show.  It is in the back of a shopping mall, and the foot traffic is not very impressive, and the people that are walking by the place are not looking to buy a $65 magic show, evidently.

Not far from the Wyrick magic show is the V Theatre where several magicians appear.  There’s Nathan Burton, with an average ticket price of $12, and the V Show, which boasts a fine magic act or 2, for an average ticket price of $20. 

Speaking of Nathan Burton, here’s a guy who was on “America’s Got Talent” and lost, but has milked the most from it, making his afternoon show a strong ticket, you would think.  Oh, yes, it is a strong ticket, but we’re talking free tickets.  Apparently the lack of pedestrian traffic in this mall is affecting all of the shows, but mostly Wyrick.  Nathan Burton’s show is a low priced affair, making his tickets a bit easier to sell.  Trouble is, not many people around to buy them, even at a 2-for-1 scenario.  Burton is looking to move out of this theatre, and I suspect he will be gone soon, once he finds a suitable place to resurface.

And that leads us to Jeff Hobson, the very funny and outrageously talented magic comic.  For years now, Jeff has emceed the V show, but suddenly he announced he was leaving to go into a new show called “Mini-Legends”.  Well, the show should be called “Mini-Talent”, as aside from Hobson, the rest of the show is pretty amateurish, reviews have been dismal, and Hobson is looking for the out clause.

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Then there was the Klok man.  Of course I refer to Hans Klok, the magician from Holland that nobody in town had ever heard of, and who was supposed to be the next big thing in the magic world.  Instead, his show was a tired repetitive unexciting show staged in a 7,000 seat theatre that Copperfield would have trouble filling.  About 5,000 of those seats were blocked off, making the place look like it was under construction, and Klok rarely filled all of the remaining seats with paying guests. 

Adding to the circus was the hiring of bimbo Pamela Anderson to prance around and pop out of boxes.  She was on stage for all of 9 minutes, made a few cutesy jokes, flashed her boobs and added nothing to the overall show.  The show was filled with tricks we’ve all seen before, and one trick was repeated 3 or 4 times (I lost count, sorry) making the whole thing a most uninteresting production.  Klok got more press when he announced he was gay in the local papers than the whole run of the show.  His backers must be proud.

The show ran for 6 months, the length of the lease the investors signed up for.  It closed exactly 6 months after it opened, and vanished into thin air, hair blowers and all, never to be heard from again.

A show called the “World Magic Awards” aired, and although I applaud the effort by Gay Blackstone and the producers, the level of the performances was very uneven and some of the supposed winners were laughable.  I question the process; it seems that anyone willing to bring lots of equipment and perform was given an award.  They plan to do it again this year, and I hope they put more careful thought into the award winners, otherwise there will be no credible reason for the general public to tune in.

Lance Burton continues his quiet dominance of the magic scene, his show a consistent pick as a best of the best, and rightfully so.  It is refreshing, he’s wonderful with the crowd, and the show continues to evolve with new pieces added on a regular basis.

Mac King is still the best afternoon show in Vegas, and one of the best overall.  He’s settled in nicely at Harrah’s in a gorgeous theatre that is full twice a day.

Dirk Arthur is another afternoon show, but at the other end of the spectrum.  According to reviews and word of mouth, his props overshadow his performance, which has a great big dose of lack of personality.  If he didn’t have the big tigers in his show (I wonder where he got that idea?) I’m convinced nobody would go to see it.  Maybe he’s getting better, I don’t know.  I haven’t seen the show.  But one would hope that if you do it long enough, someone around you might point out some flaws and seek help to refine the needed skills.  Then again, some just don’t have it in them to begin with and only get more mechanical in delivering a bad act.

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Worlds Greatest Magic Show is limping along, the hotel it is in (a dump called Greek Isles) has recently been sold and approval was granted for implosion of the eye sore joint during the coming year.  Wonder where this collection of magicians will go? 

And of course, what discussion about magic in 2007 would be complete without touching upon the David Copperfield saga.  Without rehashing it all, which serves no point, I have to say that it must have been pretty disturbing for David to be treated like a criminal, yet no charges have been filed by anyone, just a lot of hearsay and accusations by one girl.

We haven’t heard the last of all this, so it will be interesting to see in 2008 what this whole thing blossoms into, if anything.

2008 will be a big year for magic here in Vegas.  We know of several intriguing shows that will be opening, along with the Chris Angel show. 

Patriots are resting, waiting for their chance to improve on their unbeaten record on their journey to the Super Bowl, and we are all eager to see that happen, right gang?

Onward...and upward, some exciting news to tell you about really soon. Stay tuned...bye, Steve.

Posted Feb 28, 2007

Ecstatic that my pal Marty Scorsese finally got himself an Oscar, winning both Best Picture and Best Director and it's about time. Interesting to see his 3 pals, fellow directors Coppola, Lucas, and Speilberg onstage to present the award. Course, nobody knows ahead of time who the winners are, right? Just a great big coincidence that they got to present their pal Marty with his first Oscar.

When Scorsese got to the stage, Speilberg hugged him and said, "welcome to the club".

Just saddened that Peter O'Toole missed his last chance to cap his career with an Oscar, sometimes the Academy members just make no sense at all.

Saw Steve Wyrick's new show, calld "Real Magic" (what else is there, "artificial magic"?), which is open, finally. SOrt of. You see, it's in "previews" as he says, which means what? ANything can go wrong or near-perfect, and no matter what happens, its all forgiven. Typical for most book shows, the give the actors a chance to grow into their roles and also work out the technical bugs and glitches, and maybe even tweak the script. SW assures me they are working things around, making adjustments here and there, and that can't be bad.

How is his show? Funny you should ask. Unfair of you to ask, really, because, after all, it's in "previews" which usually means the press will hold off on reviewing the thing until they are OUT of previews...

So, in keeping with show biz tradition, I refuse to say, other than it is good, it is a work in progress and it has potential. Preview shows end next week, they the reviews will start to appear and we shall see what happens when all the smoke clears.

The showroom space is beautiful, the downstairs bar area is first class, and the entire space, on every level, transforms on weekends into a night club, or untra lounge called Triq. It's an amazing space, and the bar alone will most certainly pay the lease on this huge complex. We wish SW well.

On the other hand, went to Imperial Palace to see Legends, and I must say, it is ashadow of its former self. Oh yeah, the talent is there, to a degree, as some of the performers are just not on the mark, but still acceptable. WIthout singling out anyone in particular, the Janet Jackson segment works, Steve Sorrentino is funny in places, and adds energy to the show, Elvis is the closer, and very good, just not the best. Rod is okay, although I am not one to judge there, I am beyond the average Rod fan, having seen the guy up close in concerts nearly 5o times, so I know what he looks like and how he moves, sings, talks, dances...

But for anyone else in the crowd, I'm sure it works just fine.

Time for the producers of this show to go back to the original formula, which featured many performers, each doing a short set. Now, in an obvious cost-cutting measure, they get away with less performers, and each one does about 15 minutes. The show pacing suffers as a result.

They say its the first time they've altered the formula and had an emcee, but that isn't really the case. A few months ago, I caught the show, and it had Jay Leno as the emcee of the night, and it worked really well.

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Posted Feb 18, 2007

It's total madness here in Vegas. Everyone connected to the National Basketball Association is in town for the NBA All-Star game today. Special newspaper column devoted just to the sightings and the comings and goings of all the Hoop stars and the celebrities who are here for the game, and for the parties. Mostly for the parties. Just think, for $350, you can get admitted into any number of the top clubs here and stand elbow to elbow to other chumps who also spent $350 to get in the door, and the only celebrities you see are mostly unrecognizeable and certainly not friendly or wanting to chat with you.

I know, I have been performing magic for some of these wild gatherings, one in the Mirage and two in the Venetian, and I have one more tongight at the Palms, where Michael Jordan will be in attendance along with Tiger Woods and who knows...

With close to a half million folks crowding into the five mile Strip, its insane, especially if you happen to be looking for a parking space, valet lot that is not full, a restaurant without a line, or a black jack table with an open seat. All are virtually impossible, and it will remain that way through tomorrow as most will be hung over and moving slowly through the city, until they eventually get a second wind, gamble until they can barely see, then climb into their cars and drive away in a long, slow-moving line of equally-broke and exhausted visitors.

Funny thing, 95% of these folks will not even get in to the game itself, as all the seats had been held by the NBA themselves. It's the leagues big party event, and they don't really care if anyone else gets in.

The game is on television, of course, and it doesn't cost a thing to watch it, so many people will head to the viewing parties and sports books around the strip and fight over the seats, unless they forked over $3,000 or more for a seat in the Thomas and Mack arena where the finest basketball players in the land will play in a basically meaningless game, beyond the party weekend itself. It's really just for the players, owners and coaches to come together and get nuts once a year. The game? Oh, right, the game. Most of the people coming to town are more interested in hanging in the clubs.

We locals, however, will stay out of your way, as we will be avioding any routes that get too close to the Strip or the arena. I'll be glad to see the weekend go away, and with it the congestion and people walking around dressed like their favorite NBA player.

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Posted Feb 17, 2007

Been back home only a couple of days and already the buzz around is about Steve Wyrick. He opened his show, quietly, finally, and without any notice or advertising that announced the opening, and a newspaper article mentioned that all the delays could be attributed to the construction crews...seems those construction crew folk didn't exactly like the implications of that rendition of the facts, so yesterday the paper ran an article saying that the contractors were not being paid in full, can you imagine that?

One contractor remarked that "we are basically financing his operation". I know he's spent a lot of money, some of it his, and I know the amount to be over $30 million for the entire project. Could it be they are running out of money? I doubt it. Call it a cash flow problem. That should go away real soon, now the the doors are open and Steve is doing shows every night. I see wheelbarrels full of dollar bills.

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Posted Feb 16, 2007

Back from Los Angeles, Jan and drove across the desert yesterday, after a wild and action-packed visit to Hollywood. A week at the Magic Castle, 21 fun shows in the Palace of Mystery, and the lecture/performance on Sunday, saw many old friends, made a few new ones, and even got a chance to relax somewhere along the week.

Jan and I spent Valentine's Day out at the beach in Malibu, soaking up the sun and listening to the sound of the waves, which were pretty big and loaded with wetsuit-attired surfers.

A fine lunch, a cuban cigar, jogging on the beach, and finally, a grand sunset in the clear sky above. When you live in the desert, you have to get out to see the ocean at least once a month, right?

Love the feedback we are getting on the new look here. If you haven't given us your thoughts, what's up???

Vegas is still here, looks exactly as it did a week ago, except its now NBA weekend, the All-Star game, and parties galore for NBA players and others in town for the big weekend. I'll be performing at 3 VIP parties for current and former basketball stars, and we all expect a great game...

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Posted: February 1, 2007 -

This is my first installment, or post, I'm not sure what I will say, so that means I have no agenda. But I realize I need a goal. If I said I'll shoot for comedy, I'm setting myself up to fail, and possibly letting you down if you expected funny, and we find that you're not laughing at any of this. So, lets go with pleasant amusement and leave it at that.

Have a look around, we've been working on this revision for months. Must say, it is very exciting to watch the transformation of this website into a vibrant, easy to visit place, chock full of information, entertaining content, and for many, resources and places where you can buy stuff, both magic-related things, and some items which are not related to magic at all, like maybe a classic television show, like those hilarious old "Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts".

How do you like the new design? We worked long and hard on coming up with a new look. We did research with real live visitors over the past year and asked what you liked, and what you hated. Hats off to the design staff, they really did a fine job of putting up with me.

Most of those polled seemed to agree that we needed to become better organized, and we hope you agree that we DID! And, after pondering many, many, (too many?) design concepts for a totally new look, we found that almost 80% of those polled really did not want to see our original (and let's face it, historic) look to go away, so the result is what you are looking at right now. We kept the cool hand and logo design (you can click on the non-flash version if you wish at any time) that first started it all for us here, and spruced it all up and and did our best to make your visit fun, efficient and without confusion.

Let us know how you like it, report any errors, and if you are listed in the ELM, check to see that your information is correct and updated. wE DID HAVE ONE SLIGHT MIS-HAP. The "Organizations" page was lost in cyberspace. We had a very old version (from 2003) of the page, so we used that page to rebuild the new one. I suspect there are now errors in contact information. If your organization is listed, be sure the details are correct and notify us of any changes. And if you are not listed, why not? And, as always, we welcome your suggestions and ideas for new stuff, and even what parts of the site you might not like...

We eliminated the so-called "Landing Page", which makes it quicker for you to get where you might want to go, as this page, our "Home" page, has links to every place you might like to go within this site. Less clicks. I like that.

I will write whenever I get a chance, and keep my postings here for the month, after which time, if I haven't been fired, we will erase them and start a new collections of wit and wisdom the following month. (For those of you who might be writing a term paper or wanting to steal content for their own use, we will archive them for a year).

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Feb 3, 2007 -

Steve Wyrick is still not open yet, another announced opening date came and went, and we are now told that it will be sometime this month, which I really believe this time. Let's see, around town, other magicians continue to aqstound and amaze, the best of the lot is still Rick Thomas, with his classy show now comfortably moved into the Orleans showroom, one of my favorites. Read my review on AbraCADACRI. Lance is toiling away in his theatre, the first showroom to be named for (and designed and built for) an entertainer, the Lance Burton Theatre. His show has the charm and down-home quality that appeals to everyone, his delivery is near perfection, and the sets and props are dazzling. I see it whenever I get a chance, as I do with Rick's. Always enjoy watching these 2 pros work the crowd and make it always seem spontaneous and real.

Doctor Billy Maykel was visiting from Worcester, we took him to our favorite Korean restaurant, then to see Rick Thomas, which he said later, was the highlight of his trip. I would have thought it would be sitting in a booth at Sazio underneath my giant photo.

Heading to Los Angeles today, first to Encino Hills to do the OUTLAW RADIO show (SATURDAY FEB 3) (listen on your computer live for a wild ride, from 3 pm to 6 pm (West Coast time). Did I mention it's LIVE?

Then I start a week of performances at the world famous Magic Castle (FEB 5 - 11). I'll write from the road...

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Posted March 11 -
Another unforgettable night. Vegas is full of them, it's the superlative factor, and the place where so much in the world of entertainment passes through here, singers, comedians, Broadway shows, and entertainers of every size, age, description and impact level. Some stay for a night (Bob Seeger this week), others for a weekend (Tom Jones), and some remain here for weeks (David Copperfield), even months at a time (Joe Piscopo), playing in the capital of the entertainment vistas, the greatest audiences and showrooms on the planet. Living here is so much fun, because we get to experience so many diverse nights of enterainment on a regular basis. Some I would prefer to forget, and others stay with me for a long time.

Last night was one one those I'll not likely forget. Show was called "Last of the Breed". Featuring Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price, with psecial guest Asleep at the Wheel. All 5,000 seats were filled, and when 83 year old Ray Price walked out and his band began to play, the place erupted in a loud roar. To hear him sing so many familiar songs, his hits, was a gas. His voice, strong as ever, and he was in a great mood. So was Merle Haggard, and when he began his "Okie from Misgogie" Willie Nelson walked out and joined Haggard for that sone, and for the rest of the concert. Three legend, each with a distinctive style, but similar in their devotion to their music and to their appreciative audiences. Nobody like Willie, and for a while, it seemed like he towered over the others, but he is so gracious, he constantly shifted the focus to the band, Merle, and even Ray who suantered back on and joined his two buddies for a few numbers.

Eventually, it became Willie's show, as the other two slipped offstage into the dark, and Willie stood center stage and belted out his greatest hits, until the time came to say so long...but not before a rousing encore that had the place on its feet, singing and clapping along to "Whisky River" and "On the Road Again".

After the concert, run into Nick Lewin and Review-Journal Entertainment Journalist Mike Weatherford, so we all decided to head over to the Steve Wyrick Entertainment Complex for a nightcap. It became a long night of drinking and laughing, that ended sometime around 3 a.m. Then, of course, clocks had to be pushed forward an hour, so sleep was deprived and hangovers were evident all around.

At the MGM Grand, Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band two mights ago, aother religious experience of a different era, with Bob sounding "Still the Same" singing "Old Time Rock and Roll" and nearly every single hit song he ever wrote, or so it seemed. He gave the crowd a show all right, with lots of banter between songs and talking with the audience, he clearly was enjoying himself just as much as his fand. I think we sat down once, it was high energy and amazing music for almost 3 hours.

All in another typical week here in the middle of the desert.

POSTED MARCH 22, 2007

Celebrated my birthday in a very special way with Joe Morton, the guy who first brought the mangosteen fruit to the USA, and it was a great night. Joe is one of the founders of XanGo and he paid a surprise visit to Vegas, so we decided that it would be best to spend some time with this amazing man. If you don't know what mangosteen fruit is, click here to find out why you should be drinking it every single day. But enough of that...

It's been another one of those memorable weeks, with the St. Patrick's Day celebration with the one and only Rod Stewart. How perfect. Rod did a show in the round, at the MGM Grand Garden, and both Jan and I are huge fans, so we made the decision to magically get our hands on second row seats for the occasion. WIth our green socks and shamrocks on our noses, we set off for the concert, stopping at New York New York for a pint of Guinness at Nine Fine Irishmen, which was packed to the green gills with party-goers, all; of whom became Irish for the evening. A shot of Jamesson's and we were ready for some rock and roll with Rod the Mod.

I have seen Rod many times over the years, and Imust say, this was one of his absolute best concerts ever. Got a chance to hang with him afterwards, yada yada yada...

POSTED April 2, 2007

April is here. Springtime in Vegas. New shows have everybody talking, THE PRODUCERS opened with a lot of hooplah, but not as much as with the gala opening of SPAMALOT, with Monty Python founders John CLeese and Eric Idle and legendary director Mike Nichols all over the place. The Saturday gala was a vertual Who's Who in Vegas, and from the looks of the advance ticket sales, this one could stick. Everything we've heard about it points to the elusive word "HIT" and rightfully so. After Braodway, and all the awards, this seems to be the perfect show for Vegas. We shall see. They said that about "We Will Rock You" and where is that show now? Not here, that's for sure.

Son Brent down in Gainesville, Florida is celebrating his team, Gators, as they are now poised to do what nobody has done since Duke years ago...a repeat Championship. The rematch is tonight with Ohio State standing in the path of glory. Brent is on campus at UF where viewing parties galore are just now getting uder way. I think its a pretty safe bet that we will see victory once again, we will be cheering them on from a sports book in one of the casinos here...Go Gators.

POSTED May 26, 2007

The Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and here in Vegas, its pandemonium of the highest order. Tons of people are visiting from all over the land, they say about 400,000 are here, or arriving today. Every hotel room is filled, top dollar, and lines at most clubs and restaurants are unending. The Strip itself is almost impossible to cross or drive along. Sounds like fun, eh?

Normally, we "locals" would be out of here, as most of us don't want to have to deal with the congestion and headaches that come with this invasion of the tourists...or else plan a more traditional backyard celebration among friends and family, and avoiding the Strip at all costs. Unless working, I prefer to stay away from the major casinos.

We are, however, in the middle of a major move into our new home, and this seemed like the perfect time to do it. We started almost a week ago, and we are not yet finished, but today we got Internet services back up at the new address, which is a miracle considering the quality of workers and people on the phone for Cox Cable..

We just unpacked the Weber Grill, so we will be firing it up this weekend at least once or twice, in between the boxes and piles of stuff...moving is never fun, but this has been stress-free and easy, especially given the fact that we end up with larger rooms, more space that includes plenty of storage for the junk, and two great offices for our businesses, one just for Magic Web Channel, where I now sit, overlooking the mountains and desert and the sea of useless junk that has followed us for decades...now I must go decide what to throw away. That's the fun part.

POSTED May 25, 2007

My dear friend Bruce Cervon passed away yesterday, and I am still shocked, although not completely surprised i, as we knew he was sick and engaged in a battle against cancer that he knew he would eventually lose.

He used to hang around at the Castle all the time, one of the regulars I first met when I arrived in Hollywood. We all sat with Dai Vernon for most of the time, and many of us got to be quite close, sharing in the magic and the relationships that came about. And especially the experience we all shared with Vernon. He influenced all of us profoundly, and Bruce kept copious notes of all these sessions, and we spent many hours reading through these notes over the years, especially after Vernon left this planet.

I'll talk more about Bruce in my next ABRA column...give me a few days to ease some of the grief and and sadness I am dealing with right now.

POSTED May 19, 2007

Yeas, I know, I have been neglecting my duties here. I expected to write almost daily, and I STILL plan to get into that routine, but having to travel and perform lately has put all other activites on the back burner. I promise to make a strong effort to mantain a more daily (almost) entry.

I was supposed to interview the magician Hans Klok last month, and each time the interview approached, he cancelled.

First it was his hair spray was missing, then his make-up case was gone. He suspects that Carmine Electra was responsible. She claims he was using HER make-up case, and she was not pleased. So, she quit, or was fired, or whatever. Now they've added another bimbo to the mix, (They could call this show Hans and the Bimbo) and now its Pamela Anderson, another show biz icon (TWO icons) who will be the box jumper in the Hans and Pam show.

So, we finally arranged the interview to happen Monday, and one hour before, he cancels again.

Someday it will happen, and maybe someone might be interested in reading it once I publish it.

POSTED May 18, 2007

Speaking of NEW beginnings, here in Las Vegas a brand new Internet web site is about to explode onto the scene, called Vegas Inside Tips (www.vegasInsideTips.com) which will be a destination site, with loads of information for visitors and locals of Las Vegas. ALl the shows, the best place for meals, special interviews with celebrities and tons of real "Inside Tips" from the people who know these things.

I am happy to report that I have been asked to oversee the design and write for the web site, and the one and only Bobbie Katz, a veteran entertainment journalist and reporter for all things entertainment, will be coordinating all of the entertainment-related columns and content. She will write many articles, assemble a team of additional