Where the hell's my camera?

Yep, it's gone. Last seen a few days after I returned home from Vegas. I loaded the pics onto my desktop computer and that was the last I've seen it. That's the reason there have been no pics the last few weeks. I won't buy a new one, because I know it's SOMEWHERE in my house. If anyone has any theories, let me know.

Last weekend was a blur. Double booked Saturday, big band concert on Sunday. (We should have pics from that soon, when I have them, I'll post.) As I said in my last post I was fortunate enough to perform at an 80th birthday party. This was for my 6th grade science teacher, Mr. Roy Dice. There were a few other people there who knew me when I was a kid. It was fun to show them what I've made of myself.

This weekend, I'll be taking off my from my Saturday night gig at What if, to attend a performance and lecture in Baltimore. The performer in questions name is Michael Vincent. He's from the UK and I've spoken with him quite a bit online and from what I've read and seen online, he is an excellent sleight of hand artist. I'm sure I'll report a bit on it next week.

I do have one pic to post. I took it with my iPhone this week. If I lose THIS thing, I'm really sunk.

This is my friend Lucia. She's 2 1/2 months old and drools a lot. Her mom carries her around like a football. I guess when you have 2 others at home, you aren't as careful.

Moviemania...

It's been pretty ho-hum this past week. Nothing but the usual. However, this past weekend I was able to take in 2 great movies that I wanted to share my thoughts on.

The Happening by M. Night Shamalamadingdong. (Yeah, I'm not gonna look up the spelling.) I really enjoy most of his movies. Lady in the Water from a few years ago was a joke, but most have been pretty enjoyable. I'm sad to see this getting mediocre to bad reviews. I really loved it. About halfway through the movie, I leaned over to my friend Eddie and jokingly made a point as to what was causing all the chaos in the film. It turned out, I was right. This movie is also filled with a lot more blood and guts than his other films. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I'll just make a point here. This movie contains a lot of death. At one point, you realize there is going to be a VERY gruesome death. I kept waiting for the camera to cut away. It didn't. There were quite a few times Eddie and I exclaimed "Holy SHIT" just out the shock of what was happening. Go see this movie, and be nice to Mother Earth.

Sunday, I was off to see The Incredible Hulk. As I said in a previous post, the last Hulk movie was not really a Marvel property. After that trainwreck, Marvel got the rights back and instead of starting from scratch, sort of just went off on a tangent. They ignore the horrible origin story Ang Lee concocted. When I was a kid, I was a HUGE fan of the TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. (Ferrigno's monster and Gene Simmons were the source of many nightmares when I was 5.) I loved this movie because it is very close to that and even has cameos by the 2 stars. (Even though Bixby's been dead for years.) A few people have told me they aren't too crazy about the CGI Hulk. I'm not either, but I don't get why the Hulk gets such a bad wrap when these same people will go to see X-Men, Spider-man and Transformers and not bitch about the CGI in those films. Make-up and prosthetics have come a long way since the late 70's and I think it would be very neat to see what the special effects guys could do with a big body builder today.

Speaking of special effects as a big movie fan I should mention that just as I'm typing this, I learned of the death of Stan Winston. You may not know the name, but you've seen his work. Jurassic Park, Aliens, Terminator and Edward Scissorhands all featured impossible visions brought to life by this wonderful artist. Back in the days before CGI, Stan ruled the special effects world, and collected several Oscars for his work. We've lost one of the best.

This weekend will be exciting. After performing at Scott's Grille Friday night, I'll be hanging out and carousing with some friends to celebrate my 34th birthday. I believe plans include some rock and bowling. Anyone who would like to join us, the more the merrier. Saturday, I'm double booked. (One of my FAVORITE things.) I'm honored to be performing at an 80th birthday party for a dear friend, Mr. Roy Dice. Mr. Dice was my 6th grade science teacher and we reconnected a few years ago when I discovered I've been friends with his daughter for about 10 years. Later on that night, I'll be appearing at a private business function in Camp Hill. Sunday night, a concert with the Encores band at Adams Ricci Park in Enola. I'm sure I'll have a lot of stories and maybe a few pics.

Sessioning...

Sunday, I had a chance to attend a great little one day magic convention near Philadelphia. Hosted by a dear old man, Bob Little. He holds these small events every 6 months at a Holiday Inn. There is a lecture where tricks are taught, a show, an auction to buy someone's used props etc. The real reason I go is to experience a phenomenon that magicians call sessioning. Sessioning is basically a BS session. Guys sit around a table, each with a deck or some coins in their hands and show and teach each other tricks, moves, and new things we're working on. In this day and age, computers and the internet have affected everything, even this wonderful area of magic. There are countless bulletin boards, and websites where magicians trade ideas and such back and forth. But, there is no substitute for a good session. I had the opportunity to make several new friends, Nick, Matt, Ethan, (this little punk fooled me REPEATEDLY) and Marcus. It's also good to see several other friends, who I only get to see once or twice a year, and we normally only communicate via email and phone. A bunch of us got together for dinner at Friday's and the card tricks never stopped for a second.

My buddy Al Angelo (master juggler) was psyched to perform his "Boomerang Rubber Band" for me and a few other lucky attendees. This is merely a wonderful little deomonstration of inertia, gravity, and friction that really looks like magic. A rubberband is stretched on your fingers like a gun. When Al fired it at the floor, it bounced, and rolled right back to him, into his hand, and up his arm! This is about the coolest thing I've ever seen.

We also had a few surprise "celebrities" among us. So many people who see me perform ask me if Copperfield, Angel, or Blaine are my favorite magicians. They're usually surpsrised when I tell them no. MY favorite people, are guys you've never heard of, and probably never will. We were lucky enough to have the Dean of American Magicians, George Schindler drop by our little gathering. It was my first time meeting him and it was quite a pleasure and he said some very nice things about my work.

(Now, for my favorite moment of the day.) David Blaine, like most celebrities and businessmen has a large group of people on staff as his support crew and consultants. Two of them were in the area and decided to drop by. Daniel Garcia is one of these guys. Dan is 26 and is a brilliant performer, and has been consulting and creating for David Blaine for a year or so. Now some guys in our community look down on many young super talented artists. They say they don't respect the older guys that came before them and their style of performing. Enter Billy MacDonald. Billy is a bit of a legend to magicians in the PA/NJ/NY region. He's in his mid 70's and has been a lifelong amateur magician. He has studied with some of the greatest card mechanics of the 20th century, and it shows. When Dan met Billy, several gasps and expletives where heard coming from the table as Danny fell victim to Billy's ingenious sleight of hand. I LOVED IT! Afterwards, I asked Dan what he thought of Billy's work, "Unbelievable" was all he could say.

If any of my readers are in my area, I want to invite you to a great summer concert I'll be playing in. Sunday June 22, I'll be playing with the Encores Big Band at Adam's Ricki Park in Enola PA. The concert starts at 6 and is free, so bring chairs, blankets and enjoy some great big band music on a summer evening.

Hey, I remember you...

Any of my friends will tell you that I can not go anywhere without running into someone I know. This past Saturday, my first night back at What if... in Hershey, I ran into two of my favorite people when I was in school. Having grown up in Hershey, it's really not that unlikely, but it was surprising when I saw Bonnie and Larry Casebeer sitting at the bar. Bonnie was my 7th grade science teacher and her husband Larry taught me driver's ed. (Yep, you have him to blame.) They really were some of my favorite people when I was in school, (and they still are.) You know, those few teachers that make learning fun. Larry was always a riot to hang around. And the Mrs.? Well, she's always been a knockout. I haven't seen them in a few years. While they have seen me perform a few times before, they are still very enthusiastic about watching me. After their dinner, I went behind the bar and performed a few of my favorite pieces for them. Larry laughed wildly, constantly asking "How the hell.....?" They live in the area, but it was their first time dining at What if.... Any of you in the area who haven't been there are really missing out. Stop in on a Saturday night, just make reservations first.

In keeping with the theme of this blog, entertainment, I thought I'd give my thoughts on a HIGHLY anticipated movie; Indiana Jones 4. It sucked. I won't waste any more of your time on the topic. On the other hand, I don't think I mentioned Iron Man when I saw it a few weeks ago. I loved it, one of the best super hero movies I've seen. Over the last few years Marvel has really got their stuff together and produced some WONDERFUL films. The 2003 Hulk movie was NOT a Marvel property. They obtained the rights back, and next month, the "reboot" will hopefully set things straight. Also of note this summer will be Get Smart, The Dark Knight, and The Happening. I'm sure I'll at least mention my thoughts on each one as it's released.

Now, something not really entertainment related. I have just learned of the story of Roz Savage. If anyone here does not know who this is, I urge you to check out her site, www.rozsavage.com, (there's a link on this page.) Roz is an ocean rower. Yep, that's right, she rows a boat across oceans; solo. She has already done the Atlantic, and as a write this, she is just beginning her trip across the Pacific. A very fascinating story, and a great inspiration. Her site contains her biography, philosophy on life, list of explorer's essentials, and GPS tracking of where she is right now. This is one of the coolest things I've read in a long time. Check it out.

And one more item. I'm in the early stages of planning my first trip to California. I'll be heading to L.A. in October. It looks like I'll be there for 3-4 days and staying in Malibu. I'd love to hear any suggestions people might have for stuff to do. There will be lots of magic and music during my trip, but since I've never been there, I'd love to try and maybe see a show taped or something fun like that. All suggestions welcome.

New venue!

It was fun while it lasted, but somehow I knew I wouldn't be there long. I am no longer performing at Texas Roadhouse. Their business has been dropping off, and let's face it, we knew I wouldn't last performing at a kid's night. But, there's good news too. I'm returning to a wonderful restaurant in my hometown of Hershey, PA. The food is marvelous and the atmosphere is great to match. Also, there's no country line-dancing, which is a good thing. Starting Memorial Day weekend, I'll be performing Saturday evenings at What If Cafe' on Chocolate Ave. in Hershey. All my friends in the area should stop by; but you might want to call for reservations.

Also, this Saturday, the 17th I want to invite all my friends in the area to Dragonfly nightclub. Local swingers Big Tubba Mista will be there. If you haven't seen these guys, do yourself a favor, and come on down.

Report from Vegas...

Well, it's been a week since I've been home, I should probably post a few pics and what not.

This skinny little punk is my pal Dan Sperry. Don't let his Marilyn Manson look fool you, he's a big pussycat. One of my favorite things about going to Vegas is hanging out with friends like Dan who I only see once or twice a year. If you're in town, catch him at The World's Greatest Magic Show.


This is Jason England. A VERY dangerous man with a deck of cards. The first night of the convention he gave a demonstration at midnight on crooked gambling techniques. Second deals, bottom deals, center deals; this guy does it all.


Jeff McBride, doing what he does best. I still wanna be like him when I grow up.



This was a real treat! Scott land is fantastic puppeteer. He brought a few of his creations including a VERY lifelike marionette of magician Carl Ballantine, (that did Carl's act!) and this guy, Helio the clown. Yes, Helio actually blew up and tied a balloon, and then floated away. Yes, of course you can see the strings, but you'd swear this thing had a pulse. For those of you who have seen the movie Team America World Police, you have seen Scott's work. Please check out the video on his website www.thepuppetman.com


The two sexiest people at the convention have dinner with Scott Sullivan. This is Kari Hendler. Writer, photographer, sushi aficionado, and one of my favorite people to hang out with. (She was totally into me, but Sullivan killed the mood.)

Just a few pics there. I really had a great time. For any people who read this and are interested in, the arts, or history, please check out the latest episode of our podcast The Magic Lantern. We talk to Kari about a very fascinating project she's been working on. You can find it on iTunes under The Magic Lantern podcast, or at www.reelsinmotion.tv

Roooooaaaaaaarrrrrrr!!!!!

Wow, 2 posts in one week. That's a record. This will be a quickie.

Since this blog is supposed to be about entertainment, not just MY entertainment, I wanted to reccommend a movie, Cloverfield. I saw it a few months ago in the theater and picked up the DVD today and watched it with my buddy Eddie. What a great way to tell a story. I won't give away too much if you haven't seen it, but will just say that it's about a group of friends throwing a going away party, and then SOMETHING attacks New York City. Something BIG. There are all kinds of spoilers online, but if you haven't seen it, and enjoy a good scare just take a look at the movie and see for yourself.

Vegas in 3 days!