The Magic Life

Wasilla, Alaska City Hall

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:32:00 +0000

Wasilla, Alaska City Hall, originally uploaded by dsmyre.

I thought this was interesting. Gives you and idea of the size of a job Sarah Palin had in Wasilla.

Ah Oh the Camera Was Still Rolling

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:51:00 +0000

This is typical of Republican BS. They get on TV and make the big lie just to make their guy look good. I'm so sick of this crap. Get a load of what Peggy Noonan says after she thinks the camera is off - completely contrary to what she says on the air.

Here's Johnny!

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:24:00 +0000

Here's Johnny!, originally uploaded by W, Worst President EVER.

Just ran into this picture on Flickr.com and I had to post it. I don't know how they got this shot, but it cracked me up given the rumors about John's temper.

Spectacular Ariel Escape By Mark Cannon

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:27:00 +0000

Spectacular Escape By Mark Cannon, originally uploaded by Ace Starry.

Professional escape artist, Mark Cannon performs for the crowd at the Escape Artist's Convention. Cannon was locked into a precarious position in a small glass box. The box was attached by four steel cables to a hoisting crane. Each of the cables was connected to a grinding cutter. Once Mark was locked into the glass box, he was raised high into the air over a parking lot. The crowd of escape artist attendees watched as the cables were sheared in two. One cable was cut through and the box lurched to its side. Mark was able to escape, but was unable to rappel down to the ground as his tether was tangled. The suspense was excruciating and exciting.

Ace and the Naked Cowgirl

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:32:00 +0000

There is an old saying, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." We in the cut throat world of magic say something more like, "the SOB stole my damn trick, routine and all."

But, I'm always glad to see when someone takes something and makes it work for them, with their own unique style. Thus we have "THE NAKED COWGIRL." For years we have had some guy playing guitar wearing a cowboy hat and a pair of underwear in Times Square calling himself "THE NAKED COWBOY." Even though he was never "naked" and I doubt very much he is really a "cowboy" (in the sense that he has probably never been within a hundred yards of a cow) still he makes a few bucks with his trademark "naked" gimmick.

Now some enterprising young girl has taken up the call of being, neither naked nor a cowgirl. Yet she has people take pictures of her with her rhinestone pasties covering her nipples and her guitar with her web page proudly displayed. I'm sure if the Naked Cowboy were to decide to sue her for a case of derivative works, he'd have a good case, even though, I doubt very much they are playing to the same audience.

Here's to you, Naked Cowgirl. Keep living a naked magic life.

Live Earth a Magic Day for Al Gore

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:15:00 +0000

Seven, seven, seven will go down as a magical day for me. It was the day that I met and shook the hand of Al Gore - twice.

Over the years I've strongly supported Al Gore and his green and progressive politics. I've also been somewhat of a Bon Jovi and Sting (Police) fan. So when Al Gore sends me an email telling me about his upcoming Live Earth Concert, of course I was interested to say the least.

We started off by tail gating in Giant Stadium around 12:30. The sun was really beating down, but we came well stocked with a lot of sunscreen and cold beer. Since we were going in two cars, (yes, gas guzzling SUV's) we had just a little hassle finding two parking spaces next to each other. The parking lot was packed with old school concert goers and green freaks. Mostly it looked like any other concert event with the presence of both old time and new rock and roll.

I had been misinformed that cameras were not allowed, so when I went inside I decided to leave my camera in the car. Unfortunately I didn't learn until I had already had my ticket scanned that I could have brought my Canon 30D with the 300 mil lens, if I hadn't just had my ticket scanned (you can't go out once you've entered.) I was really upset, because I really thought I'd get some good shots. Like the one I got of my friend Tia when she got to shake Al's hand above. I wish that she had a camera when I took my turn.

Oh let me tell you how we got the camera. My magic life intervened on my behalf.My buddy Mike is an English teacher in New Jersey and when he was walking to our seats in the second level, he meets a former student(now a big dog at Giant Stadium)who just so happens to have two floor tickets. Can you believe that FLOOR TICKETS TO LIVE EARTH. Mike being the great guy that he is, decided that we would all take turns watching our favorite performers. Being the nice guy that I am, I gave up watching Jon Bon Jovi to my wife. But I did stick the camera in her hand. She took some amazing pics.

For those of you who are fans, here is one of the pictures of Bon Jovi. If you are interested in more, contact me at ace@starry.com. I've got a few for sale.

The Prestige - "A Prestige Digitation"

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:43:00 +0000

This is another fine addition to any magician's movie collection. Just as "The Illusionist" this movie portrays magicians in that elegant time when stage magic was ruled as king of entertainment. The cast is beyond magical. Hugh Jackman as the fatally flawed protagonist, leads the cast which includes Christian Bale (Batman Begins) as the antagonist magician, the incomparable Michael Caine as the mentor, and the beautiful Scarlett Johansson as the love interest. A special appearance is that of David Bowie who hauntingly portrays genius inventor, Nikola Tesla.

This mysterious story is that of two rival magicians in turn-of-the-century London in a battle to produce the greatest trick. This overt rivalry eventually leads to disfigurement of one of the magicians and eventually murder. This is a movie that is full of twists, turns, obsession, deceits and lies. The ending came as a complete shock to me and was totally justified through clues given to the audience throughout the film. Watch it closely and you may discover the secrets before the ending. I enjoyed this film immensely and will add it to my library.

The Three Card Monte

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:04:00 +0000

A gang know as the Cracker Parker three-card monte mob worked this con in the early 1950's until the late seventies. The three card monte has been in use on the streets of major cities for decades. It is also common to magicians demonstrating the effect of switching the cards unbeknownst to the audience members. If you should come across anyone playing this game and asking you to bet, just keep walking. This video shows some well qualified magicians recreating how the scam is actually run. It a re-creation of the Cracker Parker script, with the parts of the various shills highlighted. Whit Haydn as "the Mark," Gazzo as "the Dealer," and Billy McComb as "the Smoother." Notice his pick-pocketing routine in the end. The magicans playing the shills are: R. Paul Wilson, Jeff Thomas, Zach Dubnoff, Chef Anton, and Adam Schiff. This is an out-take from the "School for Scoundrels DVD on Three-Card Monte."

Steve Martin Magic Video

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 14:11:00 +0000

This is an old video of a Steve Martin routine. Looks like it could have been on the Tonight Show, but I don't really know when he performed this. He was and is a master of comedy. Few know that he had such a flair for they art of mystery. I don't seem to be writing much in my blog lately, so I might as well do something and put up a great video for you to enjoy.

The Illusionist is a Master of On Screen Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 15:07:00 +0000

Edward Norton is a masterful magician. Or at least he plays one on the big screen. The actor who has been nominated for two Oscars, appeared in such great movies as "American History X" and "Fight Club," creates an illusionist, a character that I'll never forget in the movie so titled, The Illusionist. Set in the turn of the 20th century, this movie is the most cinematically beautiful and wonderfully creative magic based movie that I've ever seen. Norton creates an almost ominous magician character who still retains a human touch. There is a flashback to the poor young boy, the son of a cabinet maker, who loves magic. He meets and falls in love with Sophie, a beautiful upper-class girl. When they are caught running away together, he is told never to see her again or he will be arrested. He leaves to travel the world in search of the secrets of magic.

Years later he returns to Vienna as renowned illusionist Eisenheim. Astonishing audiences and playing to sell-out crowds, Eisenheim’s in the midst of his show when Sophie is volunteered to assist by Crown Prince Leopold, her soon to be fiancee and also the story's antagonist. Both pretend not to know one another, however Eisenheim and Sophie immediately recognize one another as childhood loves.

Even though he seems at times beyond human, he becomes a sympathetic character. Just to see the awesome power of the master magician as he captivated his theatre audience with his mysterious countenance was enough to make me go back again.

As a magician, I can say that I was completely envious of the small theaters which he played. The audiences were entranced by the unexplainable and he did little to explain the happenings. There was a magical moment when he was discussing the element of time and he moved an orange back and forth then dropped it from one hand to the other. He slowed time down and the orange fell in slow motion from the top hand to the bottom to the gasps of the audience. Then he takes one of the seeds from the orange and plants it only to speed time up and watch it grow into a full blown orange tree. From the tree he picks several oranges and throws them into the audience.

The movie is like reading a Melbourne Christopher history book. Turning the pages I used to wonder what it would be like to work on such a stage and astound such an audience. I could feel the excitement which must have been created when Pepper's Ghost was first put on stage.

Magic Poll

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 17:08:00 +0000

I saw this program that creates mini polls, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The Magic of Cabo San Lucas

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 18:08:00 +0000

Kristin and I enjoyed our vacation in Cabo. We took a golf lesson on one of the world famous courses. I don't find it quite as relaxing as the Caribbean, but the clubs on the beach were a lot of fun.

Rules of Professional Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Wed, 31 May 2006 20:59:00 +0000

This video was entered into a contest at the World Magic Seminar. I'm glad to see that it's found a new home on the Internet because this cracked me up.

Video and Code Provided by BoFunk.com

Cards and Coins Tricks in Dallas

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Wed, 31 May 2006 17:23:00 +0000

Dallas is full of beautiful women. Fortunately for me beautiful women love magic. I had the pleasure of performing a closeup show at a grand opening event last week. Wow! I had a terrific time. I decided to try something new for me. Instead of walking around or using whatever table they had for me, I actually made my own closeup table. Then I set up bar chairs around it with enough room for a dozen seated and probably 20 or in standing room only show. The cards, coins and other items created some unbelievable moments and a friend of mine, Victoria, captured a few of them on digital. So I'd like to share them with you.

A few of my beautiful fans.

The physical stage I set up.

Notice the look of astonishment on both of their faces. Also notice that I had to avert my eyes the entire act.

My Gut Reaction to the Immigration Issue

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Tue, 02 May 2006 13:06:00 +0000

This has nothing to do with magic, but does have to do with life. I have a good friend who is a perfect example of who should be given some sort of amnesty. My favorite bartender, has learned English fluently in four years, works two jobs and attends community college courses to better herself all while sending money home to care for her mother. (Besides all this she is cute too)

On a personal note, I tried to get my car washed and none were open. The restaurant that my wife and I frequent was also closed. We do take advantage of these hard working people, and we all prefer to let their green cards slide because we all take the towel guys, waiters, landscapers, maids, construction workers, day laborers, meat packers, produce workers, chicken-pluckers, McDonald's employees, and bus boys for granted.

I'm for an earned citizenship program and an immediate $3000 fine for breaking the law in the first place. Any unpaid back taxes should be paid. Law breakers (other than Immigration) should be sent packing. The revenue from the fines would go into increasing the funding for border security. The 2000 census suggests that their are around 8 million illegal immigrants, so that would be about $24 Billion dollars.

But most of all I believe that we need to RAISE THE %$..@! MINIMUM WAGE! That would solve most of the problem because Americans would suddenly find those seemingly unworthy jobs worth doing.

Loose Change 2nd Edition Will Leave Your Jaw Dropping

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 02:31:00 +0000

I happened upon this conspiracy theory video on Google. I couldn't stop watching. It is very convincing in presenting its arguments. This makes me almost weak just thinking that it could be a possibility. Watch it and you be the judge. I tell you that if you find yourself believing any of this, you'd better be outraged.

Chris Bliss - The Epitome of Jugglers

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 17:52:00 +0000

Chris Bliss performed this routine live in Las Vegas at the World Magic Seminar. When he did it for us, he unfortunately did drop once. But you will see when you watch this that it is no wonder he gets instant standing ovations every time with this routine.

He did receive a standing ovation from the crowd when we were watching in spite of the sudden gust of gravity.

The Simpson's Become Reality in This Video

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 21:06:00 +0000

I discovered this great video on the Internet. I don't know who made it or why, but I decided to share it on my blog because it is simply the bomb. Being a Simpson's fan I had to ask "is there a real Simpson family?" Of course we all are a Simpson at heart. I hope you enjoy it.

Aye Jaye's Magical Art of the Schmooze

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:03:00 +0000

Besides meeting Penn Jillette, I did meet a few magician's with a lot of class at the Vegas convention. Being a magician should, in my humble opinion, go hand in hand with having a lot of class. But class is an interesting subject. Many people think that if your rich or famous, then you automatically have it. Nothing could be further from the truth. When I was working as a security guard for Muhammad Ali, I met a lot of rich and famous people. Some, I would say, had real class; others treated me like dirt and made me feel like a second class citizen.

But, one person I met told me the definition of true "class" and I've never forgotten it. She said that "making someone feel like they belong, when they are truly uncomfortable is true class." For example when at a high falootin' party in Hollywood, someone in her beautiful cocktail outfit, accidentally falls into the pool, the first guy to jump in so that the poor girl won't feel all alone, is the one with true class."

Well, I met a guy who would be the first to jump into that pool. His name is Aye Jaye, maybe you've heard of him. He is a performer, stand-up comedian, and member of the Clown Hall of Fame from Milwaukee. He has entertained millions at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Rose Bowl, and Radio City Music hall. To put it lightly, he is a true professional.

One morning I was standing at the cafe inside the casino. He saw me standing there and rather than ignore this guy that he didn't know, he invited me to join him for breakfast. He decided to take it upon himself to make me feel comfortable throughout our breakfast. We even played keno in honor of his good friend Jay Marshall saying that the winner would buy. It just so happened that I won fifty dollars and was happy to pay. I was also happy to visit his booth in the convention and to purchase his wonderful book, THE GOLDEN RULE OF SCHMOOZING. The thing about schmoozing is that you should really enjoy it. I would say that Aye Jaye enjoys it thoroughly. If you read more than the title of his book you would see that the subtitle is called "The Authentic Practice of Treating Others Well." By that definition you may in fact call what he did that morning "schmoozing." I, on the other hand, would say that Aye Jaye showed a lot of class.

My Penn Jillette Joke

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 20:33:00 +0000

I recently returned from a magician's convention in Las Vegas. For those of you not in the know, yes magicians have conventions. They come from all over the world to see the latest innovations in magic and sometimes to meet some famous magicians. This particular convention was called the World Magic Seminar. It was originally named the Desert Magic Seminar and was founded back in the late 70's I believe by Sigfreid and Roy.

I had a great time at the convention, I even learned a few things and met a few new friends. However there is one displeasure that I wish to share. I've met many famous magicians over the years and almost without fail enjoyed their company. I'd never met Penn Jillette berfore, but Mr. Jillette is one of the most rude people I've ever met.

Here is the story as I perceived it. I'm sure from his pespective he must have seen it quite differently.

I was in between lectures and decided to get a quick hamburger from a little joint actually inside the casino. It is a very small place and the place was quite full for it's size. After I placed my order and waited for my food I went to sit down. The only table left was a table next to Penn Jillette and his friends. He was seated with the Amazing Jonathan and a couple of people that I don't know. Now I'm not a "star chaser," so I don't rush up to someone eating and say "Can I have your autograph?" And I was sitting there eating my sandwich just minding my own business. Another magician, Dana Daniels walked into the restaraunt and ordered his food. I didn't know Dana, but he and I had a mutual friend, Tim Simpson, a guy I worked with many years ago who later became Dana's partner.

Since we both knew Tim and I'd been unable to reach him over the last few years, I decided to introduce myself to Dana. I stood up and made a couple of steps toward him. As I did, Penn called him over to the table. Meantime, I'm standing there next to them with my mouth open. He askes Dana if he knows any new jokes stating that Jonathan is looking for some new jokes. Dana responds, "No. I don't know any new jokes."

Well, I'm not shy. I'm standing right there and I have a couple of new jokes so I say, "I've got a new joke for you." Was this rude of me? I wouldn't have said a word, but I was standing there and I thought I might help. Well here is the conversation that followed.

Penn say's "Jonathan, this guy says he's got a new joke. Okay what's your joke."

Ace, "Okay, my wife and I worked on these ... " (Penn Interupts)

Penn, "Boy that tells us something about the quality of these jokes."

Ace, "Yes we worked on these when Cheney shot his hunting ..." (Penn Interupts again.)

Penn, "Oh something topical,(sarcastically)Jonathan, he's got a topical joke."

Ace, (beginning to feel the frustration) "Well there are two jokes, first my wife's which I may not be the best of ..." (Penn Interupts again)

Penn, "You'd better just stick to the best one."

Ace, "Okay, what do you call a guy who shoots his..." Penn stands up and motions for all to leave.

Penn, "We gotta go."

Ace, "his hunting partner?" They are walking away. Ace, "Same thing we've always called them, a Dick."

They never even heard the joke. But that's okay because I have a new one. What do you call a guy who shoots his hunting partner? Penn Jillette.

New Cheney Jokes for the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:11:00 +0000

My wife and I were out for Valentine's dinner last night and we were having a good laugh at the Vice President's expense. Since I was raised in a rural area (southern Idaho)I grew up around hunters and have gone bird hunting myself. I'm not an avid hunter, because I don't really get much opportunity to do so. However I have nothing against a youngster (not child) owning a gun and learning propper gun safety so that they can hunt. The so-called anti-gun liberal, I am not. I don't really think guns belong in the city and certainly don't see the necessity for hand guns, but that is for a different discussion.
Back to the "laugh." Of course when you go hunting, there are certain rules that you follow so that you don't end up shooting each other. Nothing made me madder at my fellow hunters than them bringing their guns across my path while they followed a bird. In fact it would infuriate me. The reason, I didn't want one of them pulling a Cheney.

Well, I of course hope that this was nothing more than a hunting accident, but when any hunter shoots his friend, accidently or not, he deserves a little ribbing. Hell, he deserves a good butt kicking. But since it is the VP, I'll have to resort to making up a joke.

So my wife and I came up with two jokes.

First her joke: Why did Cheney shoot his hunting partner? Because his dog was out of range.

Now my joke: What do you call a guy who shoots his hunting partner? Same thing you've always called 'em, ...a dick.

I hope that this turns out to be something that we can just have a good laugh over. That means that I'm hoping that Whittington, the guy he shot, comes out of this okay.

My Magic Video of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 14:46:00 +0000

This young Japanese-American magician, Cyril Takayama is really kicking it into high gear on the Internet. I've seen many of his illusions presented in short out takes. These small individual illusion segments are perfect for today's Internet audience. I'm including one here that I found recently.

Cyril is doing exacly what magician's have done for years. Using the same trick material with a different backdrop. It is what Blaine did, it is what Chris Angel does too. Don't get me wrong, I applaud this. There is nothing wrong with putting a new shine on an old trick, as a new audience is born with each new generation.

However, a true creative magical genius is the next person to come up with another "sawing a lady in two" or "rabit out of the hat." When you can create something that is new to magic and suddenly found as a classic that audiences and magician's alike can relate to, then you are creating real magic. A perfect example of this is when Channing Pollock decided to pull a white dove from a silk scarve. It is what Chuck Jones did when he invented the "mismade girl." Reach for this and you'll be the next FISM winner.

Live the magic!

Ace

My Magical Ambigram

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:51:00 +0000

Not too long ago I read Dan Brown's (author of the The Da Vinci Code) book entitled Angels and Demons. It was a fantastic page-turning read. I can tell you that I liked it just as much as I enjoyed his big hit that is soon to be a movie.

One thing that was new to me in this book was the author's use of "ambigrams" not to be confused with "anagrams." An "ambigram" is a word or words that are written graphically such that they can be read to say the same thing when turned a different direction. In the novel, the terms "EARTH" "AIR" "WIND" and "FIRE." Are all written such that you can read them when turned upside-down. They are really "cool." You'll have to get his book to see them. In fact the name on the cover "Angels and Demons" is an ambigram (something that I didn't even notice until I had finished half the book.)

I decided that being the dabbler in the graphical arts such that I am that I'd give a try at the word "Magic." It seemed a natural to me. It was a magical thing to do with a word. So it should be done to the word, "magic."

Well here is the result of my Magic Ambigram. It is an almost goth looking creation that causes people to turn their heads over to see if it really is readible from both directions. I was intrigued by this strange and interesting art form, so I decided to do a little research on it on the ol' Internet. I am reserving the copyright to these so please write me if you'd like any permission to use them.

I discovered that the most interesting use of this little graphic arts trick was to make the word or words say something entirely different when turned the other way.

I thought it might be interesting if I used my name and made it say "Ace Starry" when facing one way and "Illlusion" facing the opposite. This was not an easy task and took a month of different itterations to come up with something with which I was pleased. Here is the result of "Ace Starry - Illusion" after months of work.

So from there I progressed into a minor miracle. I decided that my new business cards would be made up like regular playing cards and would have an ambigram that says "Illusion and Magic of Ace Starry." One of the great things about a playing card is that most of them are sort of an ambigram to begin with because they can be read either way.

I've always wanted a magician's business card that had an "ace." Doesn't that make sense, since my name is "Ace." Well here it is the Coup de' grace.

They are really a beauty to behold. People hold them in their hands and turn them over and over. Then they say, "That's really cool." That my friends, is what comes out of the magic of a good book.

Here is My Video of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 13:19:00 +0000

I love this Google video stuff. This is one that should crack you up.

By the way, be sure to check out my new web page:

Right now it has a lot of dead links but I'm working on it every day filling out more and more.

Freaky, Strange, Weird - The Super Bowl XL Commercials

noreply@blogger.com (Ace Starry) — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 14:22:00 +0000

This Burger King guy gives me the creeps. I don't know about you but when I first saw this character show up staring at some dude, it gave me nightmares. I guess it's catching on, but how much money does a company need to spend on a poor choice just to get people to accept it? I guess the answer is millions. Here is the commercial for Burger King that was just aired during the Super Bowl.

Now for the just weird. And absolutely nuts.

Here is my vote for the worst.

Here is my favorite: