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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Criss Angel "Cement Shoes" - My Thoughts

Okay Here is my thoughts on Criss Angel's "Cement Shoes." What I'm doing different about this time is, I'm actually writing this AS I watch it so that You can get my thoughts as it goes on ;)

The first Transpo was pretty sweet but Kinda obvious. But even though it was kinda obvious it was still great!

The Card Prediction was a VERY simple effect. When he was describing the effect he said you will select one and as he said that he would point to the Ace of Spades. So in our mind that tells us to pick The Ace of Spades. And not only that but if you ask anyone to name a card more than likely they will say that one ;)

The Water Floating Trick was INSANELY easy... the Masked Magician Revealed that one a Long time ago and I'm not going to. Just don't like how it was another "set up" illusion... Come on I want to see him doing magic for REAL PEOPLE not these set up effects with people who are in on it...

Great Stage Effect! Since I am a Stage magician I LOVE stage Magic! He Did a great job with it and I really enjoyed watching it!

The Final Effect! Cement Shoes!!!! Was under for 3 Min and 59 Sec! That's a long time to hold your breath! I know myself I can only hold it for about 1 min 20 sec without breathing... but then again I am not as in shape as he is lol There really is no "Trick" to what he did... it was a escape and thats it. So based on that it was pretty sweet.

Okay now the Cell phone Calling I did text in but I didn't get a call from him. I was thinking about the Number 5 since I am a male, Sports Car, and then Remote Control Car. Still no call... I will Edit this if I ever Do get a call! So if you see a Edit at the bottom then you know he called me ;)

Overall:
It wasn't bad BUT there was only a few tricks! I think there was like 5-6 actual magic tricks in the show! Thats not many in 1 hour! They need to stop doing so many interviews and replays and get more Tricks in the show! It's a Magic Show! Show us the Magic!

I am Malachi the Illusionist, See you on the other side!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

"Methods" Vs. "Effect"

On one of my Forums, http://www.magicalproteachings.com I got into a discussion about "Methods" and "Effects" The thought was brought up that using a Stooge in magic is wrong and that its "Fake" Well I decided to make a post about my thoughts on the issue at hand.

You have to admit "Stooges" A.K.A. hidden Assistants have been in Magic for AGES! I mean some of the greatest Magic effects of all time Use a "stooge" And the whole idea of thinking that using a "stooge" is "not real" well Nothing in magic IS real... We use Things to make it LOOK like we can do the impossible. There are many different things that allow us to do that.

Like:
Misdirection
Slight of hand
Mathematics
Memorization
Gimmicks
Stooges
Video Editing
ect...

All those are just TOOLS we use to DO the impossible.

Remember its not about HOW the effect is done (remember to the spectator its the same no matter what method you use because they don't think in methods) All's that matters is WHAT is done.

Say I want to make a Card Vanish from the deck and appear in someones pocket on the other side of the room and that person has a Dup card in their pocket waiting for their time to shine. I ask a spectator to pick a card (force on the card) Then make it "vanish" from the deck and tell everyone to look in their pockets and low and behold someone on the other side of the room happens to have the card. Let me tell you... it FLOORS them! YES I HAVE done that very effect before. They NEVER thought that, that person was in on the trick, Why? because they DO NOT care how the effect is done... they know what happened and thats all they think about! What did they Think happened? They thought they picked a freely chosen card and I made it vanish and appear in someones pocket across the room. Thats what they Saw, and thats ALL THAT MATTERS! I still have people to this day tell me about that trick and how it just baffles them! And You bet I used a Stooge!

People have this idea that using a stooge is "bad" But why? I mean lets face it, The most POPULAR Magician in the world, Criss Angel (or most widely known) Even uses Stooges! Yes, people always call him "Fake" But I tell you, What Magician isn't fake? By using Slight of hand, Misdirection, and other Methods we Make people believe we can do the impossible. Saying you wont use a Stooge because its "Fake" is like saying "I wont use a Gimmick or any other thing that helps me do a magic because its fake"

All Magic is Presentation, skill, and misdirection. The Method should NEVER be the main focus of the trick... if so... well then your whole outlook on magic needs some adjustment...

It's getting more and more that people are focusing on the METHOD rather than the EFFECT. It's Time for Us Magicians to shift our Focus on what Truly matters. THE EFFECT! Once you change your outlook on what your performing... you will never believe how far you can go!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Criss Angel "Luxor Walk" - My Thoughts

Okay Well Here is my thoughts from Criss Angel's "Luxor Walk" I know this is a little behind schedule But here it is!

Overall I liked This Episode a WHOLE lot more than last weeks episode. He did effects that we can relate to and ones that the "average everyday magician" can do themselves. For Example He performed "Thread" By Wayne Houchin. Which this is the Second time he has performed it on TV.

About "Thread":
Well He performed it almost the exact same way he did when he was the Guest Host on WWE Raw. There was a girl with a piece of thread hanging on her clothes. (which doing it the same way both times SCREAMS STOOGE but more on that in a second.) So he performed it. I liked how it wasn't just THAT effect he did with that piece of thread. It was more of a routine which was a really good Idea. He then after pulled it out of his eye then made it to where it would come out of his friends stomach. That was very neat and I thought a great follow up effect for "Thread"

BUT! It was way to obvious that it was all staged. I mean the guy who he pulled it out of was acting funny and moving around and jumped the gun like he knew what was going on (and we all know that he did know lol) If you have a DVR And recorded it (or if its online) Watch the guys actions (the guy who pulls the thread out of his stomach) I mean it just screams out everything!

Now for the Girl who had the thread on her shirt. It's obvious that she was a Stooge because first off she had the thread on her shirt and secondly she pointed to the EXACT area that the thread would be pulled out of on the guy when criss said "point anywhere" she went straight for his side without even thinking about it.

The Person Levitation was pretty amazing. The one where he made the girl float from the chair that was in the water to over to him. That was really sweet and I really can't think of how that one is done. It did look a little funny on film but I don't know. It was still cool none the less.

The Person Vanish from the Forklift was also easy to figure out how it was done as well. Of course Since I am a magician I wont say how its done but lets just say it was easy. It was still a great illusion and one that im thinking about using (with a different context) in the future! (Thanks criss ;))

Now for what Your reading this for lol the Main Effect the Walk up the Side of the Luxor.

First off I thought it was funny that the first time he did something with the luxor they said that the light could burn your flesh and stuff like that and then when he did this they said that the sides of it were really hot (which they proved this time by using a thermometer) But I thought it was funny that at the end he was STANDING IN THE LIGHT and yet it had no effect on him lolol pretty funny but anyways back to the walk itself.

It was very similar to his walk up the wall he did before the only difference here is that it was on a 40 degree incline instead of 90 degrees.

The only difference about this one is that its a Night (which im sure is done for both the method and because the walls are so hot... i mean i wouldnt wanna do a walk like that during the day if its so hot lol) There was some shots that was kinda hard to see because of the lighting and so forth. One thing that was cool was how he gave cameras to people staying there at the luxor to film from the inside. I thought that was a nice (different) touch to add in.

Overall I have no idea how he performed it and I thought it was performed well. I really don't have any complaints about this episode! So Bravo Criss for uping the game and for making something better than last week! (lol which really wasn't that hard to do)

Anyways If you read all this then you are a true Fan so thanks a lot!

I also Tweet During Every New Episode as I watch it so If you would like to get my train of thoughts as I watch the Episode please follow me on Twitter @

I am Malachi The Illusionist,
"See You on The Other Side????"

My Life - Things are Looking Up!

Well Here Is a Quick update to whats going on.

First off the Monte Carlo's Transmission didn't go out after all! The hose leading from the transmission had a hole in it! So we fixed that and it works like a charm now!

Secondly the Vacation is not Ruined! It's back up and running and We will be leaving on Sept 3rd to go on our Vacation me and my dad! So YES! I need this Vacation!

Just wanna thank everyone who has been praying for me and I ask that you will continue to pray for me! Things are looking great!

Malachi The Illusionist

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

My Life - August 11th, 2010

Well A lot of things have been happening lately so I just feel like Blogging about it. This is what has been happening in the past month or so.

First thing that Happened was, we traded one of our cars for a 2010 HHR. We had it 2 weeks and they asked for us to bring it back because they couldn't find a bank to finance it. So they took it back and gave us our trade in back.

We was going to take that Car with us on our Vacation this Year Which was Suppose to be on July 30th. Well since they took the car back we pushed it back to Sept 3rd.

So We decided to Sell our Car that we traded in for the HHR. So we sold it.

That Left us with 2 cars, My Monte Carlo and our Van.

Then the Heater Core Started to mess up on the Van. Water would be leaking from it and flooding the inside of it. we would keep water in it and it would only leak after sitting for a long period of time off like over night. so it wasn't a big deal.

Then about 4 days ago The Transmission Goes out on my Monte Carlo when my dad was coming home from work. So now we are going to have to fix that. Which almost pushed our Vacation plans to where we wasnt going on one. But we decided to Go by bus and only me and my dad go.

So me and my dad were planning to leave Sept 3rd by Bus to Michigan.

Well TODAY my dad took the Van to a mechanic to give us a estimate on how much it would be to bypass the Heater core. So he gives them the van and when he comes back they say that they bypassed it already and that its fixed and it would cost $140. Thats everything we have left... so he HAD to pay it in order to get the van back. So he paid it and on his way home the Van Breaks Down! It runs Completely out of water and overheats!

So Now we have NO CAR! My Monte carlo still doesn't have a transmission and the Van can't be driven because it isn't holding water. AND my dad gave them the money that we was going to use for the Bus tickets to Michigan.

So it is official! We aren't going on Vacation now! Why is all this happening to us? What have we done to deserve this? I swear this is the 2nd worse Vacation time we have ever had!

I will keep you posted. But it looks like we have no car and No vacation...

Just wanted to get this off my chest.

Mal

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Criss Angel "Grand Canyon Death Jump" - My Thoughts

Well Tonight was Criss Angel's "Grand Canyon Death Jump" episode. The first episode in Season 6. I have mixed Feelings about it And So I'll just talk about what comes to my mind.

I'll get to his Main Effect last ;)

The Trick I liked the most was either the Scorpion kiss or the Walking through the Gate. The Scorpion one because it was something we wouldn't expect and he just randomly kissed this chick, and the Walking through the Gate because he's Walked through a Window, A Solid Metal Door, and now that. I think it wraps it up nicely.

The "Teach a Trick" to be honest... Was Crap... I mean who actually Didn't know already that a Can of Soda Can balance like that if you drink about half of it. I mean really... thats something I think EVERYONE knows... AND it's not really a "Magic trick" its just balancing the can... nothing really magical about that.

I don't like how he's not really using REAL spectators anymore... he's either using people he "randomly" pulled from the crowd or "selected" some people... you never actually see him do that...

Another thing I noticed is that to me is seems like its a little to "scripted" for a reality TV show. I mean all the little "pranks" and things like that I mean come on you know they scripted that all out and was "acting" for that... which really doesn't set right with me. I liked it when he would walk up to random people and do magic for them, not "select" someone and show them something they have rehearsed and done over and over... But then again thats what you have to do if your making a Television show. If the shot is bad you have to do it over. (which can really ruin the effect)

Now for the Biggy! The Grand Canyon Death Jump... Where should I start?

First off the camera placement really made the "method" to the effect, (to me) seem very obvious. I mean it wouldn't be that hard to do 2 shots one of the helicopter flying there with no one in the cage and with the car driving up the ramp and then another shot with Criss in the cage and someone else driving the car and with the Fireball use that to cover the camera cut between the two shots...

Now this is MY Method to how I think he does it. I DO NOT KNOW for sure how he does it. I just know what I think and that is what I think.

Another thing that to me makes it obvious that its a little Camera Trickery is because he kept showing it OVER, and OVER, and OVER trying to drill it into our head that its NOT a camera trick and what you see is what you get... It really threw up the Red Flag once I saw that...

Another thing about it that really makes me lean to the camera cut is that there is NO audience there watching him do it. They even said so in the Episode that there wasn't anyone there watching... that allows them to get away with WAY more than what they could if they had a live group there watching. I mean if there was they couldn't of got away with it because word would get out that what we see on the camera WASN'T what was viewed live there... Which is something Criss Says over and over that "What you see is what you get" but is it really?

All's I know is it kinda let me down with all the Performing just for the camera, and the maybe camera cuts... all in all i give it about a 5/10... Let's hope that Next Weeks Episode is Better than this one... And Yep you can bet I will be making My Blog on the Thoughts I have of it ;)

Until Next Time, I am Malachi The Illusionist and I approve of this message.
"See You on the Other side????"

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

My Website and YOU Can have one too!

Hey Everyone I just thought I would share this little bit of knowledge! I know many people are wanting to start a business and Want to have a Web presence and don't want to shove out money left and right to pay for it... well Look no further than Webstarts! It is a FREE hosting site! You Can even get your own Domain name!

Now I know some sites are confusing and makes you have to know all very confusing Coding and HTML and things of that nature but with WebStarts you don't need to know ANY coding or ANY HTML! It's all Drag and drop functionality! You just upload what you want in your site and drag it to where you want it! It's really that easy! If you can use Facebook then you can use Webstarts!

Still A little uneasy about using it? Well Check out the Website I created with them ;)

http://www.webstarts.com/malachitheillusionist

So If you Want a great site FOR FREE go to this link:

http://WebStarts.com/?aff=MagicMalachi

You Can Sign up for a MEMBERSHIP on my Website! That's Right! You can Become a Member of Malachi The Illusionist Official Website!

For Information on Joining Please go to:
http://www.webstarts.com/malachitheillusionist

If you want to be the Ultimate Fan Then Make your Membership TODAY!
And Why not?
IT'S FREE!

ALSO Sign up for a MEMBERS ONLY newsletter that will include Tips, Tricks, and all around Thoughts from me! I will be able to Teach you Magic in a Safe and Secure Way!
So If you want to Learn Magic Then Come on by My website and Sign up!

Also The More active you are on my site the better your chance to get Special Random Prizes!

So Come one, Come ALL!

See you on the other Side!

Malachi

President Obama IS Observing the National Day of Prayer!

Okay people Y'all need to get your Fact Straight... the thing going around on here about President Obama Canceling the National Day of Prayer is just BS! I am Sick and Tired of People Slashing Him for things HE DIDN'T DO! I don't Give a Rats *** if you don't Like him. But Sitting there Saying FALSE Things about him to make him look bad IS WRONG! STOP Putting things on your Status Just because it says "copy and paste" Effing Look up the info BEFORE you post it for crying out loud! 99.9% of the things that are told is just SPAM or Hate against Obama or other people. This just shows how uneducated people are... They believe everything they read on Someone's Status... WTF...

The person who made this says they are a "Christian American" but a TRUE Christian WOULD NOT make FALSE allegations about someone! This person's only reason for doing this was to make Obama Look Bad for either the fact that he is Black or a Democrat. Both Reasons for why they hate him are horrible and BOTH are UNCHRISTIAN. I think anyone who Publicly slashes someone just because they don't like the person needs to do some serious Soul Searching...

And if you don't like him... GET OVER IT. He is our President! WE elected HIM. He is the leader of our Country. Yes he will do things we don't like, Yes he will mess up. BUT HE'S ONLY HUMAN! We put him in Charge because we thought that he would do best. And if you Didn't vote for him... Well sorry Get over it and if you really want him out of office Then Don't vote for him next time around. But making up LIES about him makes you look Uneducated and like a Selfish little child...

What he IS doing is planning to recognize the National Day of Prayer on Thursday with a paper proclamation, rather than a public event at the White House. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT! Don't believe me check out Fox News.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/06/obamas-decision-observe-national-day-prayer-privately-draws-public-criticism/

or HERE:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/prayerday.asp

And for those who want to know what Obama has done since he has been in office see this link:
http://www.laprogressive.com/progressive-issues/one-year-later-ten-things-president-obama-has-done-since-hes-been-in-office/