Thursday, April 27, 2006

The Amazing Alexander

I've been a member of The Magic Castle for something like a quarter of a century...maybe longer. For the benefit of those of you who've never been there, it's a private club in Hollywood for magicians...or people who love magicians...or people who can cough up the initiation fee. You have dinner there — and the food, which once was pretty mediocre, is now pretty good. Then you can wander around and look at curios and wonderful decor and perhaps drop by one of several showrooms where magicians perform all evening. You can find out more about the place over at its website.

If you check out the "Now Appearing" page this week, you'll see that a performer named Jason Alexander is appearing in the Parlour of Prestidigitation. This is the mid-sized showroom there — it seats 68 people — and yes, this is "the" Jason Alexander, the guy from Seinfeld. We all know he can sing and dance and do comedy but it turns out, he also does magic. I don't know how good he is because everyone I know who's gone to see him has been unable to get in. Like I said, the room only seats 68.

But I think it's neat that he's doing it. The Castle is notoriously conservative in how much it pays its performers (some would say "stingy") and I would guess it's the worst money he's worked for in a long time. Of course, it's not like he needs it.

• Posted at 10:44 PM · LINK

Saving You Time...

I've just read about a dozen reviews of United 93, the new movie about the fourth plane that was hijacked on 9/11. I will save you the trouble of reading any of them. They all say...

This film was made with great respect and integrity and skill and boy, do I wish I hadn't had to go see it.

It'll be interesting to see what the box office is like this weekend. There may be some kind of "thrill-seeking" audience, like the folks who rushed to see The Exorcist after they heard it caused audience members to faint. But I have the feeling that a lot of people will feel the way I did: Wait and see it at home, if at all. This was an option that wasn't available to those who saw The Exorcist when it came out.

• Posted at 8:30 PM · LINK

Today's Video Link

I love acts that represent years of hard work and ingenuity — jugglers, magicians, etc. Today, we spotlight a great act...David and Dania, who tour the world doing a stunning "quick change" routine, often at halftime at sporting events. You can see many videos of them at work over on their website but if you click below, you'll see a minute and twenty seconds of what they do...

• Posted at 1:20 AM · LINK

Vocal Advice

I get a lot of e-mail from folks who want to get into doing voices for cartoons. I'm always a little baffled by these inquiries. Somehow, the person found my website but though they claim to be passionate about breaking into the business and doing whatever it takes to make that happen, they never seem to have bothered to read the material I put up about how to do this. They just hit the e-mail link and write to ask me to tell them how to make their dreams come true. I usually direct them to this page which they could probably have found in ten seconds by going to Google and searching for almost any phrase similar to "break into cartoon voice work."

It's frustrating because some of the messages are so eager and sincere, and I wish I could give these folks a firmer route into a highly competitive profession. Fortunately, I can now offer a real good piece of advice...easily the best I could give to anyone who's interested in working in voiceover.

On May 9 at the Learning Annex in Los Angeles, my buddy Paul Doherty is conducting a class in how to break into the business. Paul is the head of the Los Angeles Division of Cunningham, Escott, Slevin & Doherty, which is one of the top agencies for folks who announce, narrate and act with their voices. I can't think of anyone who knows more about the field. If I was anywhere near Southern California and trying to launch a career in that area, I'd go to Paul's class and do absolutely everything he said. I'm serious about this.

• Posted at 1:09 AM · LINK