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http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=-3640159178293326324&q=URSULA+MARTINEZ&ei=KMh8SMLXFZH-jQKzz8HoCw&hl=esmartes, 15 de julio de 2008
CRISS ANGEL - LEVITACION - VIDEO MAGIC
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HANS KLOK Y PAMELA ANDERSON - VIDEO MAGIC
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http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=7239857049585726105&q=hans+klok+pamela+anderson&ei=kEaASK-xKI-WigLx7YilDQ&hl=es
http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=7239857049585726105&q=hans+klok+pamela+anderson&ei=kEaASK-xKI-WigLx7YilDQ&hl=es
IMPOSIBLE - VIDEO MAGIC
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lunes, 14 de julio de 2008
RICKY JAY - MAGICIAN
Ricky Jay (born Richard Jay Potash; 1948) is an American stage magician, actor, and writer. He is considered one of the most knowledgeable and skilled sleight-of-hand experts in the United States. He is notable for his signature card tricks, card throwing, memory feats, and stage patter.[1]
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
2 Consultant
3 Filmography
3.1 Televised performances
3.2 Feature films
4 Books
5 References
6 External links
//
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
2 Consultant
3 Filmography
3.1 Televised performances
3.2 Feature films
4 Books
5 References
6 External links
//
[edit] Biography
Jay was born in Brooklyn, New York to a middle class Jewish family.[2] His grandfather, Max Katz, was a well-to-do certified public accountant and amateur magician who introduced Jay to the profession.[3][4][5]
At least two of his shows, Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants and On the Stem, were directed by David Mamet, who has also cast Jay in a number of his films. Jay has appeared in productions by other directors, notably Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights and Magnolia, as well as The Prestige and season one of HBO's Deadwood as card sharp Eddie Sawyer.
Until recently, Jay was listed in the Guinness Book of Records for throwing a playing card 190 ft at 90 miles per hour (the current record is 216 ft, by Rick Smith, Jr.). Ricky Jay can throw a playing card into a watermelon rind (which he refers to as the "thick, pachydermatous outer melon layer" of "the most prodigious of household fruits") from ten paces.
[edit] Consultant
Jay created a consulting firm, Deceptive Practices, which provides "arcane knowledge on a need-to-know basis." His firm's clients are often within the stage, television, and film industries. He has worked with libraries and museums on their collections, including the Mulholland Library of Conjuring and the Allied Arts and the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City, CA.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Televised performances
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (October 26, 1970)
Saturday Night Live (1977)
Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women - 1 hour special for American TV (1989)
Simon Drake's Secret Cabaret (UK)
Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants - 1 hour version of his Off-Broadway show, taped for HBO (1996)
X Files - The Amazing Maleeni (2000)
Hustlers, Hoaxsters, Pranksters, Jokesters and Ricky Jay (1996)
MythBusters - Episode 20, "Exploding Jawbreaker, Static Cannon, Deadly Playing Cards." Ricky demonstrated card throwing, and the speed of his throws was clocked. (2003)
Deadwood (2004)
Tales From The Crypt (Unknown)
The Unit (2007)
Kidnapped (TV series) (2007)
[edit] Feature films
House of Games (1987)
Things Change (1988)
Homicide (1991)
The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky (1995) (TV)
The Spanish Prisoner (1997)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Magnolia (1999)
Mystery Men (1999)
State and Main (2000)
Heist (2001)
Heartbreakers (2001)
Incident at Loch Ness (2004)
Last Days (2005)
The Prestige (2006)
Redbelt (2008)
[edit] Books
When not performing, Ricky Jay collects rare books and artifacts. He is the author of several books:
Extraordinary Exhibitions: The Wonderful Remains of an Enormous Head, The Whimsiphusicon & Death to the Savage Unitarians - a collection of 17th, 18th, and 19th-century broadsides[6]
Jay's Journal of Anomalies
Dice: Deception, Fate, and Rotten Luck
Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women
Cards As Weapons
Ricky Jay Plays Poker
[edit] References
^ Singer, Mark (April 5, 1993), “Secrets of the magus”, New Yorker 69 (7): 54
^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-648647.html
^ http://rickyjay.com/newyorker.htm
^ http://rickyjay.com/hammer_exhibit.pdf
^ http://www.forbes.com/forbes/1999/0222/6304165a_print.html
^ http://quantucklanepress.com/catalog/book.php?bkID=66
[edit] External links
Official website
Ricky Jay Archive at the Magic Newswire website
Ricky Jay Plays Poker
Ricky Jay at the Internet Movie Database
Quantuck Lane Press
San Francisco Chronicle review of "Extraordinary Exhibitions: Broadsides From the Collection of Ricky Jay" during 2005 exhibition
KEVIN JAMES - MAGICIAN
Kevin James (born April 28, 1962) is an award-winning American magician, known for creating several unique magical effects, such as the "Floating Rose" which is performed by David Copperfield. He has also had longrunning performance runs at venues such as Crazy Horse (Paris) and Caesars Palace. He has won the prestigious "Parlour Magician of the Year" award from the Magic Castle and also appeared on the CBS television special "World's Greatest Magicians at the Magic Castle." In 2007, he was a contestant on the second season of the televised competition America's Got Talent, where he proceeded as far as the semi-finals.
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
2 Awards
3 References
4 External links
//
[edit] Biography
He was born Kevin James Lowery in France, to Darrell and Mary Lou Lowery. His father was a USAF helicopter pilot stationed in Europe, though later the family relocated to the small town of Jonesville, Michigan, where James grew up. He attended Western Michigan University, studying drama but dropped out in his third year and moved to Los Angeles, where he supported himself with small "strolling" performances at various restaurants, working for tips and a meal.
It was in California that James joined local magician groups such as the "Long Beach Mystics" and the Magic Castle Juniors, where he was allowed to watch the professional performers. He steadily improved his technique, and in the mid-1980s won the Grand Prix award at the P.C.A.M. competition. He also created a routine which aired on Japanese and European television. In 1991 he appeared on the French variety show Sebastien C'est Fou, which led to a job at the famed Crazy Horse in Paris, where he worked steadily for years, performing 2-3 shows per night, seven days a week.
After Paris, James moved to Las Vegas, becoming a featured performer at the award-winning Splash show at the Riviera Hotel, for another multi-year run. He has opened for comedian Louie Anderson at Bally's, the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo, and headlined at the Sheraton Walkerhill in Seoul, Korea. In 2005, he was headliner and star of "The World's Greatest Magic Show" in Las Vegas ([1]).
In June 2007, James auditioned for the show America's Got Talent, and received unanimous approval from the judges to move on to the Las Vegas callbacks.[1] At the callbacks,[2] James astonished the judges again and was passed on to the short list. James was then sent through to the semi-final round[3] where he disappointed the judges,[4] resulting in his elimination.[5]
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
2 Awards
3 References
4 External links
//
[edit] Biography
He was born Kevin James Lowery in France, to Darrell and Mary Lou Lowery. His father was a USAF helicopter pilot stationed in Europe, though later the family relocated to the small town of Jonesville, Michigan, where James grew up. He attended Western Michigan University, studying drama but dropped out in his third year and moved to Los Angeles, where he supported himself with small "strolling" performances at various restaurants, working for tips and a meal.
It was in California that James joined local magician groups such as the "Long Beach Mystics" and the Magic Castle Juniors, where he was allowed to watch the professional performers. He steadily improved his technique, and in the mid-1980s won the Grand Prix award at the P.C.A.M. competition. He also created a routine which aired on Japanese and European television. In 1991 he appeared on the French variety show Sebastien C'est Fou, which led to a job at the famed Crazy Horse in Paris, where he worked steadily for years, performing 2-3 shows per night, seven days a week.
After Paris, James moved to Las Vegas, becoming a featured performer at the award-winning Splash show at the Riviera Hotel, for another multi-year run. He has opened for comedian Louie Anderson at Bally's, the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo, and headlined at the Sheraton Walkerhill in Seoul, Korea. In 2005, he was headliner and star of "The World's Greatest Magic Show" in Las Vegas ([1]).
In June 2007, James auditioned for the show America's Got Talent, and received unanimous approval from the judges to move on to the Las Vegas callbacks.[1] At the callbacks,[2] James astonished the judges again and was passed on to the short list. James was then sent through to the semi-final round[3] where he disappointed the judges,[4] resulting in his elimination.[5]
domingo, 13 de julio de 2008
JEAN EUGENE ROBERT HOUDIN
Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin (1805-1871) Aspiring teenaged magician Ehrich Weiss did not conjure the name "Harry Houdini" out of thin air. Following the hallowed tradition of his craft, the name pays homage to Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, the French performer widely considered the father of modern magic. Adding the "i" followed tradition as well, as this was a common way that magicians invoked the name of the famous 18th century Italian conjurer Pinetti. "Harry," on the other hand, was merely a pleasantly American twist on "Ehrie," his boyhood nickname. But Houdini’s relationship with his famous predecessor was not as simple as their shared name suggests.Jean Eugene Robert was bitten by the magic bug just as he was entering his family’s clockmaking business in the French town of Blois. The young man enjoyed entertaining his friends with sleight-of-hand tricks, but at first gave no thought to performing professionally. At twenty-four, he married the daughter of a prominent Parisian clockmaker, soon adding their family name to his own and opening his own clockmaking studio in Paris with the backing of his father-in-law. Living in the French capital allowed Robert-Houdin to more fully indulge his interest in magic, and he eagerly caught every performance he could while developing friendships with a number of amateur and professional magicians. Particularly influential were Comte, a favorite of the French Kings and owner of his own theater, and Philippe, whose utilization of electricity would have the greatest impact on Robert-Houdin. During these years the clockmaker made mental notes about what he would do -- and not do -- if he ever took the stage himself.Perhaps inspired by the complex mechanical devices, or automata, demonstrated by Philippe and other conjurers, Robert-Houdin started building more than clocks. In 1844, a small android he had built for the Universal Exposition was purchased by American circus impresario P.T. Barnum for the handsome price of seven thousand francs. The timing was excellent, as it allowed Robert-Houdin time to finish the pieces he was building for a magical theater he would soon open in Paris. The public was enchanted by his elegantly appointed theater at the old Palais Royal, which featured numbers clearly inspired by Phillipe but with novel twists of their own. Even in this first endeavor, Robert-Houdin displayed a gift for presentation which would set him apart. In particular, his practice of appearing in normal evening attire, rather than elaborate robes, caught on and has led many to see him as the first "modern" magician.The routine that turned Robert-Houdin into a major attraction was not mechanical at all, but a number called "Second Sight," in which his son, blindfolded on stage, correctly identified objects held by his father in the audience. Again, Robert-Houdin cannot take credit for originating the act, which worked through an elaborate verbal code, but for improving it with consummate skill and showmanship. In this way, he resembled his future namesake: both Robert-Houdin and Houdini grew famous by adding their own genius to the work of those who came before.It may have been this very similarity which led Houdini to turn on his legendary predecessor. In 1908 he angered many in the profession with the publication of "The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin," a scathing attack in which he called the legend "a mere pretender, a man who waxed great on the brainwork of others." Besides detailing the origins of most of his routines in an effort to set the record straight, Houdini challenged Robert-Houdin’s assertion in his celebrated memoirs that his presentational reforms represented "a complete regeneration in the art of conjuring." Houdini also assailed Robert-Houdin’s "supreme egotism" and habit of exaggerating his exploits, charges often made against Houdini himself. Houdini’s overzealous attempt to unseat his celebrated predecessor probably had several sources. From one perspective, it can be seen as part of the lifelong war waged against his own imitators, for whom he felt nothing but contempt. It can also be seen as a manifestation of his substantial ego, and the need to elevate himself at the expense of any competitors, even those from the past. But given that the two men shared so much more than a name, perhaps it was Houdini’s way of responding -- in a way his ego and psyche would allow -- to the very criticisms so often leveled at him.J
JEAN EUGENE ROBERT HOUDIN - EL PADRE DE LA MAGIA MODERNA
Jean-Eugène Robert nació el 7 de diciembre en Blois, Francia. Utilizaba la última tecnología de la época para sus trucos y su influencia en la magia moderna no siempre es suficientemente reconocida. Cuando tenía 25 años de edad, se casó con Cécile-Eglantine Houdin y tomó su apellido por lo que se transformó en Robert Houdin. El nombre era muy popular, una generación mas tarde un joven americano llamado Eric Weiss tomó el nombre de su héroe y lo transformó en “Houdini”.A los veinte años, Robert era aprendiz de relojero y le enseñaban la importancia de la lectura para su labor. Houdin fue a una librería y adquirió el “Traité d’Horlogerie” (tratado de relojería) de Berthoud. En su afán de vender, la vendedora de la librería le vendió por equivocación otro libro. Houdin se sorprendió al darse cuenta que el título era “Enciclopedia de divertimentos científicos”. Esta obra tenía en su interior técnicas básicas de magia e ilusionismo como trucos de cartas, cómo arrancarle la cabeza a una paloma y devolverla a la vida, etc… En sus memorias, Houdin dice que el error de la bibliotecaria le causó “el encuentro con el motivo de regocijo de toda su vida”.
Fascinado por los misterios que encontró totalmente explicados en esa obra, Houdin se encontró con que carecía de las habilidades mínimas para realizar algunos de los trucos contenidos en el libro. Se dio cuenta de que necesitaba la maestría de movimientos manuales de un pianista para realizar esos movimientos intrincados de manera inconciente, pero también se dio cuenta de que era sólo el talento físico lo que necesitaba y no el talento musical de un pianista, por lo que contrató a un cortador de maíz (famosos por sus habilidades manuales) para que le enseñara a usar sus manos. Luego de un mes de práctica aprendió a hacer malabares con 4 pelotas. No contento con ésto, comenzó a leer mientras realizaba malabares. Pudo así escindir esas dos tareas lo que le dio una gran independencia con las manos. Gracias al constante entrenamiento en malabares, escisión de tareas y prácticas para agilizar la memoria, Houdin se convirtió en el gran mago que después fue. También promovió las actividades para agilizar la memoria a sus hijos, quienes luego se convertirían en sus asistentes para los geniales trucos que realizaba. Cuando Houdin creyó tener un show listo, rentó un lugar en la Galerie de Valois del Palais Royal para realizar su “Soirées Fantastiques”. Once años después tendría su propio teatro.
Quizás debido a su comienzo como relojero, Houdin tenía un gran amor hacia los mecanismos. En sus memorias describe dos creaciones interesantes que realizó en su propio hogar. Uno de sus inventos fue un aparato para escuchar a los sirvientes y sus conversaciones con las personas que golpeaban la puerta de su casa. También tenía un aparato eléctrico con el cual dejaba una marca blanca para ser vista por la servidumbre para avisar que no quería recibir visitas.
Houdin le dio un nuevo estilo y filosofía a la magia, que lo encumbraron como el “padre de la magia moderna”. Usaba artefactos de todos los días para su magia en vez de las intrincadas máquinas típicas de la época y cambió los harapos de hechicero por trajes de etiqueta. Le dio a sus shows la atmósfera de una elegante reunión. Fue él quién creó, entre otras cosas, los trucos de levitación, ilusionismo con monedas, la cornucopia y otros trucos sin los que hoy la magia no podría ser pensada.
Antes de Houdin, a los magos se les consideraba charlatanes o brujos, pero Houdin fue quien reclamó no tener poderes supernaturales y quien denunció a quienes lo decían. En cambio, fue un genio de la ingeniería y eso le permitió elaborar mecanismos para poder realizar cosas que maravillaban al público. Mientras en esa época se usaban velas como método de iluminación, Houdin con sus conocimientos de electricidad, galvanismo, etc, llevó la iluminacion artificial al escenario.
Robert Houdin ahorró suficiente dinero para comprarse una mansión en Blois y retirarse allí para escribir e inventar. No estaba interesado sólo en la magia, también escribió e hizo grandes avances sobre el ojo humano, e inventó el predecesor del taxímetro.El 13 de junio de 1871, Houdin murió, sólo unos meses luego de que su hijo falleciera en la guerra franco-prusiana.
Fascinado por los misterios que encontró totalmente explicados en esa obra, Houdin se encontró con que carecía de las habilidades mínimas para realizar algunos de los trucos contenidos en el libro. Se dio cuenta de que necesitaba la maestría de movimientos manuales de un pianista para realizar esos movimientos intrincados de manera inconciente, pero también se dio cuenta de que era sólo el talento físico lo que necesitaba y no el talento musical de un pianista, por lo que contrató a un cortador de maíz (famosos por sus habilidades manuales) para que le enseñara a usar sus manos. Luego de un mes de práctica aprendió a hacer malabares con 4 pelotas. No contento con ésto, comenzó a leer mientras realizaba malabares. Pudo así escindir esas dos tareas lo que le dio una gran independencia con las manos. Gracias al constante entrenamiento en malabares, escisión de tareas y prácticas para agilizar la memoria, Houdin se convirtió en el gran mago que después fue. También promovió las actividades para agilizar la memoria a sus hijos, quienes luego se convertirían en sus asistentes para los geniales trucos que realizaba. Cuando Houdin creyó tener un show listo, rentó un lugar en la Galerie de Valois del Palais Royal para realizar su “Soirées Fantastiques”. Once años después tendría su propio teatro.
Quizás debido a su comienzo como relojero, Houdin tenía un gran amor hacia los mecanismos. En sus memorias describe dos creaciones interesantes que realizó en su propio hogar. Uno de sus inventos fue un aparato para escuchar a los sirvientes y sus conversaciones con las personas que golpeaban la puerta de su casa. También tenía un aparato eléctrico con el cual dejaba una marca blanca para ser vista por la servidumbre para avisar que no quería recibir visitas.
Houdin le dio un nuevo estilo y filosofía a la magia, que lo encumbraron como el “padre de la magia moderna”. Usaba artefactos de todos los días para su magia en vez de las intrincadas máquinas típicas de la época y cambió los harapos de hechicero por trajes de etiqueta. Le dio a sus shows la atmósfera de una elegante reunión. Fue él quién creó, entre otras cosas, los trucos de levitación, ilusionismo con monedas, la cornucopia y otros trucos sin los que hoy la magia no podría ser pensada.
Antes de Houdin, a los magos se les consideraba charlatanes o brujos, pero Houdin fue quien reclamó no tener poderes supernaturales y quien denunció a quienes lo decían. En cambio, fue un genio de la ingeniería y eso le permitió elaborar mecanismos para poder realizar cosas que maravillaban al público. Mientras en esa época se usaban velas como método de iluminación, Houdin con sus conocimientos de electricidad, galvanismo, etc, llevó la iluminacion artificial al escenario.
Robert Houdin ahorró suficiente dinero para comprarse una mansión en Blois y retirarse allí para escribir e inventar. No estaba interesado sólo en la magia, también escribió e hizo grandes avances sobre el ojo humano, e inventó el predecesor del taxímetro.El 13 de junio de 1871, Houdin murió, sólo unos meses luego de que su hijo falleciera en la guerra franco-prusiana.
viernes, 4 de julio de 2008
THE FOX SISTERS
THE FOX SISTERS The Rise & Fall of Spiritualism's Founders
Exhibits in the Haunted Museum are based on the work of Troy Taylor from his book, Ghosts by Gaslight!Click on the Cover for More About the Book!
Shortly after the "coming of the spirits" to the Fox household, the story of the family took a more dramatic turn. The two daughters, Maggie and Kate, were both purported to have mediumistic powers and the news of the unearthly communications with the spirit quickly spread. By November 1849, they were both giving public performances of their skills and the Spiritualist movement was born. The mania to communicate with the dead swept the country and the Fox sisters became famous.
After their initial rise to stardom in public and Spiritualist circles, the sisters continued to appear in a variety of venues. They were now joined by their older sister Leah, who had been abandoned by her husband and was living in poverty before her sisters discovered their talent for communicating with the spirits. The publicity around them was intense. Some newspapers and public venues hailed them as frauds and others as sensations. Regardless, people flocked to see them in massive numbers, all of them gladly paying for the privilege.
With Leah as their manager, Margaret and Kate toured other cities, becoming hugely popular. Their séances became more elaborate, with objects moving about, spirits appearing and tables levitating.
The farm house in Hydesville where it all began in 1848. The house was later moved to Lily Dale, the Spiritualist community in New York, where the bones of the "murdered peddler" were displayed for years.
Suddenly, others began to discover their own mystical powers and mediums and séances became all the rage. The sisters were embraced by such celebrities as P.T. Barnum, William Cullen Bryant, James Fenimore Cooper and newspaper editor Horace Greeley, who provided quarters for the girls at his mansion. Greeley was grieving over the death of his son at the time of his investigations of the sisters and so the possibility that the dead might be still accessible to the living was of great interest to him. Greeley even offered to pay for the girl's education and while Leah accepted his offer for Kate, she refused to allow Maggie (the more talented of the two mediums) to leave what had become the family business.
Margaret Fox
The Fox sisters were routinely exposed by skeptics as fakes and it was claimed they produced their phenomena in a variety of ways ranging from toe, knee and ankle cracking to ventriloquism to assorted mechanical devices. Despite this, no trickery was ever discovered. A number of committees and forums were created to test the powers of the sisters. Most involved posing questions to the spirits and while the replies were often inconsistent, they were accurate enough to make an impression. One test involved the girls being bound tightly about the ankles so that they could not move their feet. Even trussed up, they still managed to produce eerie rapping sounds. A committee of women also checked the girl's undergarments to insure that nothing was hidden there to produce the sounds. They found nothing and despite the hostility shown to the sisters by the committees, most were forced to admit that they were able to detect no fraud.
In spite of this, many of the accounts of their activities have been questionable at best. Leah was often accused of trying to glean personal information from the sitters at the Fox sisters' séances that would help the "spirits" to give out correct answers. They also excelled at calling in the spirits of the famous dead. The results of this were not always impressive. When one sitter noted that Benjamin Franklin's spirit seemed to be surprisingly lacking in good grammar, Maggie Fox stomped away from the séance table with only the reply of "You know I never understood grammar!" As dubious as the séances may have been though, they convinced many that the girls were genuine and business boomed.
Maggie eventually abandoned mediumship for love. In Philadelphia, she met and fell in love with famed Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane, the dashing son of an aristocratic family, who did not deem Maggie worthy of marrying into their line. They did exchange vows and rings in the company of friends but were never legally wed. Unfortunately, the affair ended in tragedy when Kane died in 1857. Maggie was left broken-hearted and almost penniless. She had abandoned being a medium but now had to take it up again. She began drinking and her health and her mental state began to decline.
Kate Fox
Leah Fox
Kate had fared slightly better than her sister, but soon she too was paying the price for her fame. She also began drinking, which often wreaked havoc on her performances. Although she was still having trouble controlling her alcoholism, she traveled to England in 1871 and remained sober long enough to perform for a number of British Spiritualists. She remained in England and the following year, married Henry Jencken, a barrister, with whom she had two sons. The first, Ferdinand, was born in 1873 and was reportedly a medium by the time he was three years old. It was said that spirits took over his body and caused an “unearthly glow” to emanate from his eyes.
By 1885, Spiritualism was on the decline and investigations of fraud began to increase. This year brought tragedy to both of the Fox sisters. Maggie was called before a commission in New York to prove her skills, a test that she failed miserably, and Kate saw the death of her husband from a stroke. She returned to New York and here, in early 1888, she was arrested for drunkenness and idleness and welfare workers took custody of her sons. Maggie, who had remained close with Kate, was unable to get the boys herself but she did manage to get them into the custody of an uncle in England.
An illustration of an examination of the Fox Sisters by Dr. Austin Flint in 1851.
In 1888, Maggie made the infamous appearance when she denounced Spiritualism as a total sham. The years of alcohol abuse, loneliness and grief had taken their toll on her and she weighed the idea of committing suicide before finally choosing confession instead. She booked the stage at the New York Academy of Music and walked out on stage to announce she and Kate had created the strange rappings heard in their Hydesville home by simply cracking their toes. She also stated that Leah had forced them into performing as mediums for the public. "I have seen so much miserable deception," she reportedly said. "That is why I am willing to state that Spiritualism is a fraud of the worst description." Sitting in a box overlooking the stage, Kate silently affirmed her sister's confession.
While the critics laughed and cried “I told you so”, devoted Spiritualists denounced Margaret’s confession as the ravings of a sad and tired drunk. Kate, who did not speak at the public appearance, later stated that she did not agree with her sister and she continued to perform as a medium. In 1891, Margaret would recant her confession. Many have said that the confession was a sham itself. They maintain that Maggie and Kate only renounced the movement to spite their sister Leah, who they had grown to hate. Leah had since married a wealthy and respectable businessman and using the fortune that had been gained for her by her sisters, she had long ago turned her back on Maggie and Kate, who she considered an embarrassment.
Kate later drank herself to death in July 1892 at the age of only 56. Her body was discovered by one of her sons. Margaret died in March 1893, at age 59, in a friend’s home in Brooklyn. At the time of her death, she was penniless.
Exhibits in the Haunted Museum are based on the work of Troy Taylor from his book, Ghosts by Gaslight!Click on the Cover for More About the Book!
Shortly after the "coming of the spirits" to the Fox household, the story of the family took a more dramatic turn. The two daughters, Maggie and Kate, were both purported to have mediumistic powers and the news of the unearthly communications with the spirit quickly spread. By November 1849, they were both giving public performances of their skills and the Spiritualist movement was born. The mania to communicate with the dead swept the country and the Fox sisters became famous.
After their initial rise to stardom in public and Spiritualist circles, the sisters continued to appear in a variety of venues. They were now joined by their older sister Leah, who had been abandoned by her husband and was living in poverty before her sisters discovered their talent for communicating with the spirits. The publicity around them was intense. Some newspapers and public venues hailed them as frauds and others as sensations. Regardless, people flocked to see them in massive numbers, all of them gladly paying for the privilege.
With Leah as their manager, Margaret and Kate toured other cities, becoming hugely popular. Their séances became more elaborate, with objects moving about, spirits appearing and tables levitating.
The farm house in Hydesville where it all began in 1848. The house was later moved to Lily Dale, the Spiritualist community in New York, where the bones of the "murdered peddler" were displayed for years.
Suddenly, others began to discover their own mystical powers and mediums and séances became all the rage. The sisters were embraced by such celebrities as P.T. Barnum, William Cullen Bryant, James Fenimore Cooper and newspaper editor Horace Greeley, who provided quarters for the girls at his mansion. Greeley was grieving over the death of his son at the time of his investigations of the sisters and so the possibility that the dead might be still accessible to the living was of great interest to him. Greeley even offered to pay for the girl's education and while Leah accepted his offer for Kate, she refused to allow Maggie (the more talented of the two mediums) to leave what had become the family business.
Margaret Fox
The Fox sisters were routinely exposed by skeptics as fakes and it was claimed they produced their phenomena in a variety of ways ranging from toe, knee and ankle cracking to ventriloquism to assorted mechanical devices. Despite this, no trickery was ever discovered. A number of committees and forums were created to test the powers of the sisters. Most involved posing questions to the spirits and while the replies were often inconsistent, they were accurate enough to make an impression. One test involved the girls being bound tightly about the ankles so that they could not move their feet. Even trussed up, they still managed to produce eerie rapping sounds. A committee of women also checked the girl's undergarments to insure that nothing was hidden there to produce the sounds. They found nothing and despite the hostility shown to the sisters by the committees, most were forced to admit that they were able to detect no fraud.
In spite of this, many of the accounts of their activities have been questionable at best. Leah was often accused of trying to glean personal information from the sitters at the Fox sisters' séances that would help the "spirits" to give out correct answers. They also excelled at calling in the spirits of the famous dead. The results of this were not always impressive. When one sitter noted that Benjamin Franklin's spirit seemed to be surprisingly lacking in good grammar, Maggie Fox stomped away from the séance table with only the reply of "You know I never understood grammar!" As dubious as the séances may have been though, they convinced many that the girls were genuine and business boomed.
Maggie eventually abandoned mediumship for love. In Philadelphia, she met and fell in love with famed Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane, the dashing son of an aristocratic family, who did not deem Maggie worthy of marrying into their line. They did exchange vows and rings in the company of friends but were never legally wed. Unfortunately, the affair ended in tragedy when Kane died in 1857. Maggie was left broken-hearted and almost penniless. She had abandoned being a medium but now had to take it up again. She began drinking and her health and her mental state began to decline.
Kate Fox
Leah Fox
Kate had fared slightly better than her sister, but soon she too was paying the price for her fame. She also began drinking, which often wreaked havoc on her performances. Although she was still having trouble controlling her alcoholism, she traveled to England in 1871 and remained sober long enough to perform for a number of British Spiritualists. She remained in England and the following year, married Henry Jencken, a barrister, with whom she had two sons. The first, Ferdinand, was born in 1873 and was reportedly a medium by the time he was three years old. It was said that spirits took over his body and caused an “unearthly glow” to emanate from his eyes.
By 1885, Spiritualism was on the decline and investigations of fraud began to increase. This year brought tragedy to both of the Fox sisters. Maggie was called before a commission in New York to prove her skills, a test that she failed miserably, and Kate saw the death of her husband from a stroke. She returned to New York and here, in early 1888, she was arrested for drunkenness and idleness and welfare workers took custody of her sons. Maggie, who had remained close with Kate, was unable to get the boys herself but she did manage to get them into the custody of an uncle in England.
An illustration of an examination of the Fox Sisters by Dr. Austin Flint in 1851.
In 1888, Maggie made the infamous appearance when she denounced Spiritualism as a total sham. The years of alcohol abuse, loneliness and grief had taken their toll on her and she weighed the idea of committing suicide before finally choosing confession instead. She booked the stage at the New York Academy of Music and walked out on stage to announce she and Kate had created the strange rappings heard in their Hydesville home by simply cracking their toes. She also stated that Leah had forced them into performing as mediums for the public. "I have seen so much miserable deception," she reportedly said. "That is why I am willing to state that Spiritualism is a fraud of the worst description." Sitting in a box overlooking the stage, Kate silently affirmed her sister's confession.
While the critics laughed and cried “I told you so”, devoted Spiritualists denounced Margaret’s confession as the ravings of a sad and tired drunk. Kate, who did not speak at the public appearance, later stated that she did not agree with her sister and she continued to perform as a medium. In 1891, Margaret would recant her confession. Many have said that the confession was a sham itself. They maintain that Maggie and Kate only renounced the movement to spite their sister Leah, who they had grown to hate. Leah had since married a wealthy and respectable businessman and using the fortune that had been gained for her by her sisters, she had long ago turned her back on Maggie and Kate, who she considered an embarrassment.
Kate later drank herself to death in July 1892 at the age of only 56. Her body was discovered by one of her sons. Margaret died in March 1893, at age 59, in a friend’s home in Brooklyn. At the time of her death, she was penniless.
miércoles, 2 de julio de 2008
TED WHITE & CLAUDINE
TED WHITE & CLAUDINE
Ted White nació un 2 de diciembre, en la hermosa ciudad de Buenos Aires, al ritmo del tango y la milonga, con la melancolía y el misterio de las perfumadas y nostálgicas noches de San Cristóbal y San Telmo. Desde muy pequeño tuvo inclinaciones por las artes. Estudió dibujo y pintura con grandes maestros, música y danza, escenografía, fotografía y cine. Además, tomó clases de teatro con Don Guillermo Bataglia.
La magia entró en su vida como les ocurre a todos los chicos. Sus padres contrataron un mago para la fiesta de la Primera Comunión. Quedó fascinado y comenzó a jugar desde entonces.
Claudine nació un día 4 de diciembre, bajo el perfume de los jazmines en la ciudad de Buenos Aires y desde pequeña tuvo inclinación por las artes y estudio dibujo, pintura y escultura con grandes plásticos.
Claudine y Ted se casaron el 15 de noviembre de 1984.
La predilección de Ted por el escenario lo llevó a incursionar en la magia de escena con grandes ilusiones. La creatividad, y una imaginación muy inquieta, le permitió crear ilusiones y rutinas únicas en su tipo.
Su magia ha recorrido los mejores escenarios del mundo con un éxito notable de público y críticas. Las presentaciones en televisión se recuerdan por años por el impacto en los telespectadores y la experiencia de hacer magia por radio fue comentada por todos los medios como inigualable.
Claudine y Ted le dan al ilusionismo una nueva visión, desplegando sensualidad y romanticismo, mezclándolo con humor y un hilo conductor en la presentación de los juegos, que transportan al espectador a un mundo de fantasía, donde lo imposible se vuelve real, el misterio no tiene explicación y la magia se produce con la complicidad del público que, entretenido, pide que la función no termine.
Las apariciones, desapariciones o transformaciones más sorprendentes fueron encaradas con éxito y presentadas en las más diversas condiciones; siempre nuevos retos van apareciendo y, luego de mucho trabajo, se pueden cumplir.
Ted White nació un 2 de diciembre, en la hermosa ciudad de Buenos Aires, al ritmo del tango y la milonga, con la melancolía y el misterio de las perfumadas y nostálgicas noches de San Cristóbal y San Telmo. Desde muy pequeño tuvo inclinaciones por las artes. Estudió dibujo y pintura con grandes maestros, música y danza, escenografía, fotografía y cine. Además, tomó clases de teatro con Don Guillermo Bataglia.
La magia entró en su vida como les ocurre a todos los chicos. Sus padres contrataron un mago para la fiesta de la Primera Comunión. Quedó fascinado y comenzó a jugar desde entonces.
Claudine nació un día 4 de diciembre, bajo el perfume de los jazmines en la ciudad de Buenos Aires y desde pequeña tuvo inclinación por las artes y estudio dibujo, pintura y escultura con grandes plásticos.
Claudine y Ted se casaron el 15 de noviembre de 1984.
La predilección de Ted por el escenario lo llevó a incursionar en la magia de escena con grandes ilusiones. La creatividad, y una imaginación muy inquieta, le permitió crear ilusiones y rutinas únicas en su tipo.
Su magia ha recorrido los mejores escenarios del mundo con un éxito notable de público y críticas. Las presentaciones en televisión se recuerdan por años por el impacto en los telespectadores y la experiencia de hacer magia por radio fue comentada por todos los medios como inigualable.
Claudine y Ted le dan al ilusionismo una nueva visión, desplegando sensualidad y romanticismo, mezclándolo con humor y un hilo conductor en la presentación de los juegos, que transportan al espectador a un mundo de fantasía, donde lo imposible se vuelve real, el misterio no tiene explicación y la magia se produce con la complicidad del público que, entretenido, pide que la función no termine.
Las apariciones, desapariciones o transformaciones más sorprendentes fueron encaradas con éxito y presentadas en las más diversas condiciones; siempre nuevos retos van apareciendo y, luego de mucho trabajo, se pueden cumplir.
DEDICADO A PAMELA ANDERSON
EL NÚMERO MÁS SEXY
Alguna vez conocemos a una persona, y nos gustaría saber si somos compatibles en el sexo. Con este juego no te quedarán dudas.
Para hacer este juego necesitas 11 cartas. ¡Corre a buscar una baraja!. Si no tienes cartas puedes hacerlo con 11 papelitos de igual tamaño, a los que dibujarás 10 de ellos del 1 al 10 y al que te sobra, le escribirás la palabra “figura”.
Las cartas que necesitas son As, 2, 3, 4, 5. 6. 7, 8, 9, 10 y una figura, no importa que sean de palos diferentes.
Ordena las cartas del As al 10, de manera que estando de caras, el As esté abajo y el 10 arriba.
La figura la dejas cara arriba sobre la mesa.
Gira el paquetito de 10 cartas sobre tu mano izquierda, quedando de dorsos ( caras boca abajo ). La carta número 10 estará ahora la primera de abajo.
Con la mano derecha retira las cinco cartas de arriba y pon las cinco de la mano izquierda ( que están cara abajo) sobre la figura que está cara arriba. .
Mezcla las 5 cartas que tienes en las manos.
Pon 2, 3 ó 4 cartas boca abajo sobre el paquete que está en la mesa.
Recoge las cartas que están en la mesa, y ponlas debajo de las que tienes en la mano.
Corta y completa el corte, todas las veces que quieras.
Abre en abanico las cartas, y pasa abajo las cartas que queden sobre la figura, eso si, todas juntas, sin desordenar.
Deja la figura sobre la mesa.
Ahora vamos a complicarlo todo. Deja la primera carta que tienes en las manos (cara abajo) a la izquierda de la figura, la segunda a la derecha, la tercera a la izquierda ,encima de la primera, la cuarta a la derecha, encima de la segunda, y así sucesivamente, hasta que no te queden cartas.
Tendrás ahora, la figura cara arriba en el centro, y cinco cartas cara abajo a la izquierda, y también cinco cartas cara abajo a la derecha de la figura.
Toma la carta de arriba del paquete de la izquierda y la dejas cara abajo sobre la figura que está cara arriba.
Toma las cuatro cartas que te quedan en el paquete de la izquierda y las dejas sobre el paquete de cinco cartas que hay a la derecha de la figura.
Coge el paquete de nueve cartas de la derecha entre tus manos.
Pasa las dos primeras cartas de abajo, por el centro del paquete (entre la de arriba y la de abajo).
Pasa dos o tres cartas primeras de arriba, también al centro del paquete.
Toma la carta que ha quedado abajo y deposítala sobre las dos que están en la mesa ( la figura que está cara arriba y otra carta cara abajo).
Abre en abanico las cartas que tienes en las manos y verás un gran desorden (como tiene que ser, después de tantas mezclas y cortes).
Deja esas cartas a un lado, ya no sirven para nada.
Toma la carta de arriba del paquete de tres que hay en la mesa(figura cara arriba y dos cartas sobre ella caras abajo) y gírala cara arriba y dejala a la derecha.
Toma la otra carta que queda cara abajo y girala también quedando a la derecha de la anterior cara arriba.
Fíjate en el número que se ha formado con las dos cartas.
¡ENHORABUENA!. Seguro que te gusta. Disfrútalo.
martes, 1 de julio de 2008
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