161: Part 1 - My Week at The Castle 2014

So many magicians. So little time. One of the biggest mysteries is how a week can disappear so quickly. Like putting lightning in a bottle, I captured some audio from several people, magicians, fans, a TV producer, and well...so many more. Last year when I posted my week at the Castle, I kept it all in one podcast that ran over three hours. This year, I have even more content and decided to break it up in shorter segments.

This first part includes my conversation with the manager of the Nirvana Apartments (where many of the Castle performers stay), Don Lawton's widow, Joan Lawton, and Rafael Benetar, from Spain.

00:01:51 - Sue Dion, Resident Manager of the Nirvana Apartments talks about the historic building that is located across the street from The Magic Castle. They have four rooms leased for the purpose of lodging some of the performers each week. Sue gives us not only a bit of the building's history, but also talks about some of the "occupants" who refused to leave even after their death.

00:11:26 - Joan Lawton, publisher of the Don Lawton Autograph Book, talks about the early days of the Magic Castle when she was the receptionist at the door and spent many hours with former Academy President (and actor) Cary Grant. Joan is the widow of Don Lawton who was the congenial host and emcee at the Castle for many years. If you are interested in receiving an autographed copy of the Don Lawton Autograph Book, then you can order one directly from Joan by contacting her directly at: JLawton@MagicCastle.com

00:24:03 - Rafael Benatar joined me for brunch at Greenblatt's in Hollywood where we talked about the Escuela de la Magiai (School of Magic). Rafael performed in the Close-Up Gallery last week and this week is appearing in the Parlour. We chat about his lecture, performance, and future plans.

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If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt!

160: Leon Etienne Has Talent

Leon Etienne and Romy Low finished in lucky number 13th place in Season Eight of "America's Got Talent". Their road to fame didn't come overnight. It took two years from the first contact until they appeared on AGT. Leon talks on this podcast about a lot of stuff people might like to know whether or not you have aspirations to ever appear as a "reality" show contestant.

You won't believe your eyes when illusionist Leon Etienne and Romy Low perform one of their illusions on the America's Got Talent stage.

While I was at the 2014 F.F.F.F. convention, I sat down with Leon to chat about getting on AGT, why he wanted to do it, why others should try it, behind the scenes, reality show contracts, doors opened by his appearance on this show, and more. He also talked about creating illusions, his future plans, and four-walling in Las Vegas among other topics. We covered a lot of ground during this podcast that runs just a little over a half hour.

Not all contestants have the same experience or stories to tell as we hear from Leon. If you are interested in what you might expect, then you will be interested in reviewing the contract that people who audition must sign. You can view that contract here: http://www.performers.net/junk/agreement.pdf

As reported in the New York Post, "Once a person is chosen for the show, they are required to allow producers to shape their personal background however they want, even if the stories they present to the public are not true, according to the contract. Producers are also allowed to “trick, exploit and embarrass” contestants during the course of the show, without fear of the contestants being able to sue them. In addition, the contestants are put on a “Talent Hold” for one year after the show, which forbids them from trying to get new publicity or endorsement deals from anyone but NBC."

Among the more onerous provisions of the contract, you will find:

Producers or NBC can force a contestant to participate in an additional reality show for up to one year after they appear on ‘AGT.’ Contestants may not go on any other reality show for a year after taping ends.
If an act is disqualified, “Producer and the Network may make any explanation or announcement, on-air or otherwise…as to the reason why.” (So basically, they can say tell the public whatever they want about why the act was disqualified…even if it’s not true.)
Camera crews from the show can follow contestants anywhere they want– even into the bathroom! Contestants must agree to allow cameras into “any other area in which a person under other circumstances might have a reasonable expectation of privacy.”
If the voting system “fails,” producers get to decide which contestants advance and which ones get sent home. Contestants may not challenge the producers’ decision.
Producers may disqualify a contestant for “no reason at all.” Producers can also disqualify them if they decline to sign any other documents that the producers may come up with at a later date.
Contestants are not allowed to take any personal photos during the show without getting permission from the producers.

So just be aware of what you are doing, what your signing and why you are agreeing to audition. As Leon (and others say), you should have a plan and an end game in mind as to why you want to get the notoriety. Just keep in mind that the notoriety that you receive might not always be good!

Magic & Martinis' Thursday

159: Gladwell & Fields - Flim & Flam

Bill Gladwell really fooled 'em. Without having an act or any performing experience as a mentalist, he boldly and successfully landed one of the most lucrative opportunities in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Bill negotiated a short term contract that led to a longer, seven year agreement headlining at the Isis Theater in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in his own one-man show entitled, "Head Case". He recently added Keith Fields, a transplanted British street performer and comedian, in the theater as a separate show, "A Brit of Magic".

For information, location, show times and tickets, please visit: http://www.iristheater.com/

As you can imagine, there is much more to this story, and here you can hear it all on this podcast. But much more than that, we have a rather interesting discussion about developing the act, disclaimers in mentalism shows, meeting audience expectations, cultural and religious differences in audiences, working comedy clubs, street performing, adjusting your act to fit your audience, "situational" based vs "target" based on handling volunteers, and more.

161: Part 1 - My Week at The Castle 2014

160: Leon Etienne Has Talent

Magic & Martinis' Thursday

159: Gladwell & Fields - Flim & Flam

Magic & Martinis' Thursday

The Magic Word