Carddeck P's Review of DB's Dive of Death (Part I)
So this is the first chance that I get to review a new David Blaine special on this tumblelog. And boy was Dive of Death a HELL of a special (the magic part anyway). This is a real treat for me, because Blaine is without a doubt an idol of mine. Sure, he’s become an easy media target for his eccentric, odd and some would say pointless, non-magical stunts. I disagree, of course as I’ve spent countless hours studying his specials, in particular Street Magic. And his mentor, Paul Harris, is a god in the world of magic, whose genius mind has created some of the greatest close up routines ever, many of which I include in my own repertoire. As for David, Dive of Death is the first time in over a decade that he has recaptured the, uh, “magic” that attracted me to his style in the first place.
Flashback a bit: I remember catching the last 20 minutes of his first special completely by chance while channel surfing, way back in the 9-6. It wasn’t very well promoted by ABC and to my knowledge wasn’t replayed either (and this is WAY before YouTube, obviously). But wow, what a 20 minutes it was. The next time I would catch Street Magic would be in syndication with Magic Man almost 4 years later, just as he was doing Frozen In Time (still my favourite stunt of his, for the image alone…plus it practically killed him). Vertigo, Above The Below and Drowned alive all had their moments, but all felt sub par in terms of the magic. In Dive of Death, not only does David do good when he stated that there would be more magic in this special than the last few, he also brings back some dope hip hop tracks as background music. Most notably Eric B. & Rakim’s My Melody and Move The Crowd. I always felt that Blaine only touched upon the character of a true hip hop influenced magician, but never ran with it (only showing glimpses here and there). I guess that’s inspiration for me to be the world’s first (why not??), considering hip hop and magic are 2 of my biggest passions in life. One day…
Now onto the review of the routines (Note: ‘*’ denotes routine names which I wasn’t sure of, so I made up an appropriate one to suit the effect).
Exile - 3 X’s via a permanent marker are visually removed on a spec’s hand, only to appear under a coin that’s been in plain view the whole time in the centre of the palm. Very visual and even a bit surreal. I liked watching it but writing on specs isn’t really my style. Exile is the real name of this marketed effect, if you want to invest in this illusion.
Bull’s Eye* - Not a marketed effect, but a well put together card routine with a dynamite ending. Great for bars. I was able to reconstruct this all the way up to the dart throw (which is the crucial part). I have some ideas though.
Houdini segment - While David is sitting in front of Houdini’s former NYC apartment, he’s just mucking around with the deck (to cardicians, t’is one of life’s simple pleasures to fool around with a seemingly living, breathing deck of cards). What he’s actually performing is a card move called Instant Replay, which is a key component of my favourite card flourish, the Simple Switch (both creations of the legendary Paul Harris). No effect, just demonstrating card juggling dexterity (and very hard to learn…took me 6 months to nail it consistently). At this point, I realized that David was taking things back to the essence, so to speak and doing the things that originally inspired me to get into magic on a serious tip almost a decade ago. More on the throwback routines later on…
Lottery* - When I saw Copperfield live in 2006, he did a very memorable routine involving a lottery ticket and a car (it was magnificent). This effect is basically a recreation of that on the street (and without the car, of course). I have NO IDEA how these types of effects work, all I know is that the gimmick is VERY expensive. Damn these lucky rich magicians, their deep pockets and seemingly endless closets of props that I would kill to try out.
Counterfeit Spectator w/ cell phone: Another Paul Harris effect, updated with the use of a cell phone cam (spec’s face appears over George Washington’s mug). So cool, it makes me laugh (I love those types of tricks). Somewhat challenging to get the proper materials together for this though. David performed the original Counterfeit Spectator in Frozen In Time.
Cap In Bottle (with a kicker ending): A classic plot indeed. Although I’ve never seen the ending before where the bottom of the bottle visually pops off to free the cap. Always thought of investing in this effect, but wasn’t sure how often the necessary conditions would show up. Still wicked though.
Dollar Spit*: Bizarre. Again, not really my style personally, but a great souvenir for the spec.
Cell Coin*: Coin starts to dance while resting between multiple cell phones calling eachother. Great effect since everyone has a damn cell. Doesn’t look practical though for some reason. And yeah lady, you can do it in your very own home (that is, only if you live with a capable magician).
Strange Travellers: This is an effect that David used to land his first TV special (along with a phone card trick I do, as well as levitating, which I also do well). Thought-of card goes to pocket. Dead simple, anyone can do it really. But you need the proper tools ;) Oh, and your presentation shouldn’t suck either (easier said than done). So on second thought, not just anyone can do it.
Finger Flicker: I plan on further exploring this principle one day (have yet to buy the book). But I was very intrigued. Oh, basically a spec-is-the-magi effect where they call ANY card, completely cut the deck, then use one finger to flip half of the deck over, only to reveal their thought-of-card themselves. Super clean and mind blowing (just ask Orlando Bloom).
Sponge balls and Butterfly: I can’t do the “butterfly effect” (I guess I’m not as in tuned with nature as David apparently is), but I love doing the sponge ball effect with kids (I do them with rolled up napkin balls and they love it).
Bent Copper-Silver Transposition: David also performed this effect in Magic Man. Borrowed coin bends in the spec’s hand. Another one from the great Paul Harris. I always wanted to try this but was never keen on destroying money (haha). I have the book that contains this effect. It was my very first serious magic book, and it is a masterpiece.
Miami Dolphins set (correction: New York Giants set…I don’t know why I said the Dolphins…maybe because it was sunny like Florida): This could quite possibly be my favourite part of the show (tied with an upcoming 2 trick set). Why? Because it is at this point in the special where David takes things back to the Street Magic days of 12 years ago. Literally. In that short span, he performs these oldies but goodies: 2 Card Monte (there’s a brief flash of the ending, when the player turns 2 cards over), Here Then There (w/ signature), 2 phases of an Ambitious Card Routine (ACR) and he even demonstrates a very secret skill that all cardicians practice, which I won’t call by name since the name pretty much reveals the modus operandi. Anyways, David does it quite openly (and flawlessly) and still slays the Dolphin (edit: Giants) players (a sign of a true master). So these 3 routines (and 1 skill) are mainstays in my arsenal because they are so direct and kill every time (primarily because I’ve spent most of this decade fine tuning them to that point…no one is born with these skills). The fact is that I always keep coming back to these routines since they are so second nature to me and to David as well, clearly. Which I imagine is why he still performs these gems.
Thanks for reading! Part II coming soon…
Air Jordan Force 3 (white-fire-red-cement-gray colourway)
The design was based on the landmark Air Jordan III (and more specifically the fire-red retro edition from ‘94), which MJ sported 20 years ago in his historic 87-88 season, combined with the famed Air Force One sole (with a visible Nike Air bubble embedded WITHIN the translucent sole). Located on the back of the shoe is the Nike Air logo combined with the Jumpman logo (peep the link up top for the gallery of showcase pix). While my favourite touch is on the inside of the tongue, where there is a Jumpman hologram and a sewn-in patch with the following apropos phrase: The Best Of Both Worlds. These kicks are super fresh to death and as a sweet bonus, they come with an awesome Jordan/AF-1 silver hangtag (identical to the gold lace tag located on the first section of the laces) which I now wear around my neck.
As legendary as the Jordan brand shoe is, I’ve never really taken a liking to any of the actual Jordan numbered editions (1-23), but I always loved the more palpable Jumpmans and the stylish special editions. This fusion of the Jordan III and the Air Force One continues in that vein of wicked Jordan SEs and I’m proud to include it in my tight family of kicks.*smelling the wonderfully fresh scent of the new kicks*
Bonus: A close-up Photo I snapped of the AJF box insert, detailing the historic collabo between these b-ball giants. I love reading those.
TOP 5 FAVOURITE ROLLER COASTERS - cont.
Note: So it seems like I’m updating this list about every 6 months. I don’t mean to do that. Frankly, I’m happy that I’ve made it that much closer to actually completing one of my lists (which, now that Tumblr has a wicked search function, you can re-ride the first 3 in this list if you wish). Alrighty then…
2. Millennium Force (Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio)
The first time I went to Cedar Point in 1999, this ride was still being built (to celebrate the upcoming millennium). I vowed then and there to make a return someday to take on this sleek monster. I got my chance 5 years later when it would amazingly be the SECOND tallest ride in the park. I intended to save this M.F. (haha) for the second last ride of the night because of that (and also, mental preparation was necessary). It was to be the first time I would embark on a giga-coaster (a coaster with a 300 ft drop). I was so excited about this journey that I chose the cart at the VERY back to ride in (as I always do with wooden coasters and steel coasters with massive drops, so as to maximize the drop). I have a passion for riding coasters, but I also have a passion for living…so I said a little prayer for safety.
From what I understand, Millennium Force was the first ride in the world to utilize a new super fast lift system (the mechanism that gets you up there). Usually when you would ride coasters (especially the really tall ones), you would have time to enjoy the scenery or accept your fate during the initial lifting phase (which, on the older rides, would be accompanied by a noisy chain-clanking sound as your cart would be jerked upwards, ever so slightly). I didn’t realize the significance of this fast lift system until I got on the ride and found our cart hitting the lift height of 310ft in about 10 seconds. Despite all that, you get a completely unobstructed view of Lake Erie (especially if you’re sitting on the left side, which I was). And to make things even more frightening, the track is actually skinnier than the cart, so you feel like you’re floating on nothing. Considering everything I’ve mentioned, there’s little room left to think about the upcoming massive (did I mention it was 300 feet?) drop. Point of no return, indeed!
For a full-length steel coaster, having that first drop at an unprecedented incline of 80 degrees (that’s almost straight down, peep the vid) is crazy but necessary (in conjunction with the record-breaking lift height) to actually give the cart enough power and momentum to traverse the almost 6,600 feet of track. This is one LONG ride, and even though you’re hitting top cruising speeds of 93 mph, it’s still long. Super smooth, but super fast (the video makes it look like a drive through the city). Again, looking down at the first drop from the very back seat is a doozy (I will never forget that view). You’ll also notice a flash of light in the final tunnel; that’s the ride cam taking the instant classic ride photos (available for purchase if you survive).
This is the greatest conventional full-length roller coaster I’ve ever ridden to date (based on its sheer size and speed alone). Add in the view of Lake Erie and you’ve got a memorable 2 minute adrenaline rush. Great ride that I can’t wait to conquer again in the future.
I still remember in early 2005 when, by pure chance, I came across one of Mitch’s routines while randomly scanning the comedy radio stations via the underrated Winamp radio streamer. The specific bit was from Strategic Grill Locations, where he was talking about vending machines:
I like vending machines, because snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at the store, oftentimes I will drop it so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential.
And thus began my journey into the uniquely comedic world of Hedberg non-sequitur brilliance. Many late nights in ‘05 were spent literally rolling around in my bed, laughing my ass off as Mitch’s now legendary trademark laid-back delivery piped through my earphones (edit: then the ubiquitous Apple earbuds), describing everyday life situations and things in hilarious ways that the average person could never conceive or fathom. And almost as soon as I got to know the man (through his comedy), he was gone and taken away from his legion of fans much too early (like many geniuses, it seems).
That was about 3.5 years ago. And as of yesterday (Tuesday, the 9th of September), for the first time in what seems like forever, a new Mitch Hedberg album has been released. Entitled Do You Believe In Gosh?, the CD is a compilation (executive produced by his wife Lynn) of live performances of Mitch fine-tuning his then latest material for a future CD/special, weeks before his untimely passing. I guess this release is an opportunity for all of us to say goodbye to him in our own special way. I certainly will relish listening to these previously unheard-of bits in the same way that I first experienced his other 2 CDs: lying in my bed, late at night, with the lights off and the earphones (edit: now Skull Candy in-ear Full Metal Jackets) comfortably on, while soaking in every word of one of comedy’s most unique geniuses. And just like his first 2 albums, I have a feeling that DYBIG? will not be leaving my iPod anytime soon.
Thank you for all of the laughs, Mitch. Your fans miss you greatly. Because much like a human pyramid, your death was VERY unnecessary.
- The Improv Fairy Tale
- Door Deal
- Hot Air Balloon
- Headless Horseman
- Hotels And Beds
- Phil
- Restaurants
- Texas And Sea Food
- Tea Ski
- Canal Smarts
- The Vacuumist
- Belt
- Soda Pop
This past Tuesday I received via the mail my ticket to the upcoming Common/N*E*R*D show in Montreal (I didn’t expect to receive it so quickly, so that was nice). The thing I love about dealing with TicketPro is that their tickets are so fcuking huge! Just look at it (my iPod Touch, housed in its Belkin leather folio case, is being used in the pic for size comparison). I’ve still got the huge stubs from the last 2 times I’ve seen The Roots at the Metropolis (‘06 and ‘07), thanks to TicketPro. I guess the large tik size further hypes up the event as something special. OK, maybe I’m reaching a bit, but getting a chance to see Skateboard P and Com Saddam run through their legendary libraries, not to mention perform together (if they do Announcement, I’m gonna pee with glee…lookout front row) is a guarantee of a great time. Although shaking their hands and snatching the setlist(s) would be very creamy icing on the cake.
“America is not ready, yet we need him” - Nasir Jones
The Barack Star. Straight ice-grillin the McCain campaign. Rockin’ the dope presidential fade (gyyyeah!). In front of a crowd of 85-90 G’s of supporters (and millions, if not billions watching at home). On the 45th anniversary of MLK’s “I Have A Dream” speech. Yes, we’ve heard all the facts before. But it is still staggering to register it all (has it hit you yet that we’re all alive to witness this?). History, we have all been a part of tonight. Also, we caught a glimpse into the future of the free world. And it looks ever so promising. The Dream has taken a huge step towards becoming a reality.
“So you saw when he talked about HOPE? Yes, that part about CHANGE. Change: ‘We Can BELIEVE It’”. And at the end of his speech, Barack brought the sun back! That killed. - from The Daily Show’s hilarious speech predictions.
So where were you the night that the American unifier extraordinaire accepted the democratic nomination for US presidency? I for one was/am actually within the 48 contiguous United States of Obama (best believe). Saddle River, New Jersey, to be exact (doing some shopping, wining and dining, Labour Day weekend style). And the photo you see was snapped in my hotel room, while peeping the historic speech on an actual 27-inch Zenith. You know, like Raekwon said: Word up cousin, n*gga, I seen it / Like a 27-inch Zenith - believe it! - from the masterful Incarcerated Scarfaces.
Oh, I saw it, and did I ever believe it. And on that note. Have a safe, fun and enjoyable Labour Day Weekend. And to all you kids going back to school on Tuesday. Enjoy yourselves (bitches). Cuz life gets MUCH harder (and a whole lot sexier…?). Good night.
Kristen Bell will be the lead female voice in Astro Boy
Like I needed another reason to see this movie. So will Kristen play Uran, Astro’s Mum, or some lead scientist working alongside Dr. Elefun? (or maybe an object of robotic affection for the boy wonder) Only time will tell. Astro time, that is. Now pucker up!
Courtesy of BAM! KAPOW!
“Oh, my GOD!” - Homer Simpson, when he found out that he had just won a ride on the Duff Blimp (which, of course, he would later sell to Barney for $250 so he could have the money to enter Lisa into the Little Miss Springfield Pageant).
But really, how deliciously awesome would it be to attend this festival? Frankly, I’m surprised that it has taken Quebec this long to honour its greatest contribution to the world. And if they serve beer at this festival, then it will officially be the greatest festival in the history of festivals (great beer and great poutine, there is nothing more that one needs in life to be happy).
Poutine could very well be my all-time favourite dish (Top 3 for sure). I’ve had all kinds: classic, chicken, pizza, smoked meat and italian style from fast-food places and chipwagons to dine-in joints, served in regular portions, family-sized packages or simply in a paper bag (I’m probably missing something). It’s a major thing that I miss when I’m in the States or even on the west coast of Canada (they have the basic fast food versions there, but it doesn’t hold a candle to anything in Quebec or Ontario).
The one golden rule with Poutine is that, so long as the dish has fries, gravy and cheese curds, it’s Poutine (meaning the skies the limit as to what you wish to add to the mix). Quality of the ingredients is important, of course (i.e. the fries can’t be too heavy/stale to swallow, the gravy should be dark, and the cheese must be either stringy or squeeky, depending on your preference). Plus piping hot is the best way to eat it (to the point where the steam is making your eyes tear, if the heart-attack flavour overload hasn’t already).
Oh, and personal favourite Poutine? Chez Diane near Montebello in Quebec (of course). Although pretty much anywhere they serve Poutine in Quebec is quality stuff (La Belle Province in Montreal, for instance). It is the ultimate drunken munchies snack (soaks up the hardest of alcohols). And eating a steaming hot styrofoam bowl of the stuff in the dead of a deep freeze Canadian Winter (-20 to -40 celsius) warms you up quicker than a parka and a mug of hot chocolate ever could. Damn, I’m hungry.
G.I.S. for Poutine (not that you couldn’t have typed it out yourself, I’m helpful like that).
^^^^^^^^^^I made a mosaic^^^^^^^^^^
marq:
Blog trend time! It’s been a while since I did something like this. Heard about this one via another Tumblr. The concept is:
Type your answer to the questions into flickr search
-Using only the first page, pick an image
-Copy and paste each of the urls in the Mosaic Maker1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3.What high school did you go to?
4.What is your favorite color?
5.Who is your celebrity crush?
6.What is your favorite drink?
7.What is your dream vacation?
8.What is your favorite dessert?
9.What do you want to do when you grow up?
10.Who/ what do you love most in life?
11.Choose one word that describes you?
12.What is your Flickr name?
Cool. I’ll give it a go.
Quick progress update: Damn, this is tons of fun!
Final update: I’m finished! (check out the post above this one)
Roll end credits (respect due)…
0. Jay-Pii 1. Magia en San Juan ;-)), 2. Hot Potato II, 3. London St Pauls Low Vantage Point, 4. Just another…., 5. LV_fw2004_002_christina_ricci, 6. Vodka Scene, 7. 2008-05-28-001, 8. Ice Cream Sandwich pendant, 9. Chandelier at the Magic Castle, 10. Shibuya at Night, 11. individualist, 12. Dymo 1610
NBA Pool Vol. 1! Amazing. Hilarious. Awesome.
The extremely rare Vulcan Death Grip…in the streaming flesh. From the Star Trek Episode: The Enterprise Incident (Season 3, Ep. 2).
Olympic Cleanse: Day Th3ee
Wow, everything is so much bigger with Tumblr V4! Still don’t see any of the new features yet though.
So my legs and lower back feel a bit weak. But still not too many muscle cramps or feelings of coldness. Oh yeah, after talking about it with my parents, I’ve also decided on this third day to STOP my current attempt at completing the master cleanse detox experiment (deja vu?). Surprised? Haha. While I’m happy that I made it further this time (about 3 days), I’m a little disappointed as my reasons for stopping were not mental (I actually was not hungering for food all that much). On the contrary, in a previous detox post, I was quite confident that I could make it at least halfway.
So what happened? Well, everything was going swimmingly as I was taking my multiple lemonade concoctions, drinking extra water and just looking forward to each day, wondering what my spiritual and physical outlook was to be. And then on this third day, I stepped on the scale for the first time. Now, I always knew that my metabolism was rather swift (gaining weight actually isn’t an easy thing for me…don’t hate the playa). Anyways, I looked down at the numbers and discovered that I had dropped 10 lbs! In 3 days. And I’m not a big guy to begin with (5’ 5’, 120-125…well, not right now). Most people who undergo this master cleanse lose 15 or so pounds during the ENTIRE 10 days. I guess I’m not most people then. To say the least, that was pretty drastic (I haven’t been this light in a long time).
As a result, my parents made me realize that my weight loss (although expected) was just too damn quick, and pretty much ordered me to stop. And I concurred (you know, before I turn into Christian Bale in The Machinist). I guess this particular fast was not designed for people like me who are “built for speed” (as a nurse once told me as a kid) and apparently have a blazing metabolic rate. For now, I’m just going to focus on gaining this weight back (that should actually be really fun). Started slow today with some minestrone soup, vanilla rice krispies with blueberries and soy milk, steamed broccoli and baked potato with cayenne pepper and curry powder (that was my lineup for the entire day, mind you, not one meal). And at this point, late in the evening, I’m feeling really tired (I guess my body is still getting used to eating again). But for the future, I’m still not counting out detoxing. In fact, there are detox diets that let you eat, but only certain foods (i.e. while cutting out sugar, flour, dairy, meats) for a specific period of time. That’s probably more up my alley.
Although all is not lost: in the short time I’ve been detoxing, I’ve gained a greater appreciation for food, not only for the taste, but the colours and smell as well. I’ve also realized how many damn food commercials we are bombarded with on our TVs. But despite this abrupt ending, I’m gonna continue to try and eat healthy, drink lots of water (I’ve never drank more water in a short time than in these past 3 days), and perhaps by next week, hit the heavy weights with low reps to gain back some muscle mass I might have lost with the fat.
So thanks for coming along with me on this albeit short ride through detox country. And who knows what crazy health related escapades I’ll get into next? (Really, I don’t know) OK, time to finish my white tea with lemon juice (does anyone want any free lemons?). Have a nice night/day. And here’s to our health.
Olympic Detoxing: Day 2wo
Heehee, that’s a funny way to spell the number 2. Anyways, I’m doing alright, surprisingly. I’m not cold yet, which based on my previous and half-assed detox attempt, I fully expected to experience by the second day as my muscles contract and the body begins to feed on its own fat (sounds scary, but by Day 4, things turn around as the body realizes you are not starving yourself, but healing).
I spent more time at a grocery store today. And not just any grocery, but a massive Wal-Mart SuperCentre on the other side of Ottawa. I was on that side of town to pick up some caffeine free, herbal laxative, organic senna-infused tea from a health store. You know, for the flushing out of toxins not-included in my pee (since I’m not eating anything, I need something to push things through…and push it along, push it along). I chickened out about taking the sea salt flush, considering its intensity, possible horrible taste and immediate effectiveness (whereas the tea works overnight, more my speed, and I’m a heavy tea drinker).
Anyways, the famz needed some more food (like I said, this house is inundated with nourishments), so I decided to come along and just confront everything that I was trying to avoid, hopefully helping me to deal better with eating withdrawal. So once there, I really noticed the fruits and vegetables, like REALLY noticed them. I found my sense of sight and especially smell was heightened and I could literally smell these organic apples from 4 feet away, right through the bag! Plus I was taken back by all the wonderful colours of these foodies. I know it sounds like I’m high or something, and in a sense I was, but in a natural way. I guess since I’m not eating, my other senses used for appreciating food have gone into overdrive (I’ve temporarily transformed into a food superhero). And I’m already gaining a new found appreciation for food (at least via my eyes and nose). It was cool. And this spiritual process should only get better.
So unlike the last time I was in the midst of finishing off my second detox day, I’m feeling much more confident of at least making it halfway through this 10 day experiment. And my entire family, who were quite worried at first, are now solidly behind me (although I’m sure they still prefer that I eat, but at least they respect my decision and intentions). And finally, I want to dedicate this epic fast of mine to Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes; 2 greats of their crafts who will be sorely missed (still can’t believe they’re both gone).
"Astonishment is our natural state of mind." - Paul Harris.
"Style is what an artist uses to fascinate the beholder in order to convey to him his feelings and emotions and thoughts." - Stanley Kubrick.
"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it." - Bruce Lee.
"If ya ears hurt, you shouldn't listen. That means you artificial and my style'll poison ya brain tissue." - Black Thought
E-me:
