tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post1296940841259489233..comments2023-10-21T01:39:23.816-07:00Comments on The Weekly Magic Failure: Winner Michael AmmarRolandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17576878560719571873noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-44636434108939668172012-05-06T09:34:35.442-07:002012-05-06T09:34:35.442-07:00T'is not a joke.T'is not a joke.Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16661401885569330464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-13862020080477294932012-05-06T08:15:53.702-07:002012-05-06T08:15:53.702-07:00Ladies and gentlemen, Admin's gotten the joke....Ladies and gentlemen, Admin's gotten the joke. Let's give him a round of applause.Justinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03776236761860369272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-66109147913360755582012-05-06T02:57:51.658-07:002012-05-06T02:57:51.658-07:00Haha, look at your name first : BS = Bull Shit. :...Haha, look at your name first : BS = Bull Shit. :)Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16661401885569330464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-68909996184012486392012-05-05T18:23:27.745-07:002012-05-05T18:23:27.745-07:00I think it's clear that the only gay in this p...I think it's clear that the only gay in this particular village is ADMIN.<br /><br />BSBarry Solaymehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04294179290161705322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-20069190019480980012012-05-05T13:30:14.917-07:002012-05-05T13:30:14.917-07:00Interesting how opinions about magic quickly turn ...Interesting how opinions about magic quickly turn into hockey games.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798305139176153874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-75937750238219722212012-04-29T09:27:39.085-07:002012-04-29T09:27:39.085-07:00As much as I have found myself in frequent opposit...As much as I have found myself in frequent opposition to Admin's views, I'm with him on this one.<br /><br />Not that I agree nor disagree with him regarding the annoying/silly nature of Michael Ammar's laugh; that's a matter of personal taste and hardly relevant to the debate.<br /><br />But I very strongly support Admin's right to call it whatever he wants to call it without being called out on the un-PC-ness of his choice of words. I'm tired of the thought and speech policing that we Westerners have got into the habit of enforcing ruthlessly upon one another.<br /><br />In the PRC, generally viewed as an awful dictatorship by most westerners, the citizen's alleged absence of freedom of speech comes down to two things: no public display of pornography (who consumes that kind of goods in public anyway?), and no questioning the government's legitimacy (which would be useless anyway since they can't change it... A bit like when Americans question the legitimacy of their congress: maybe fun to do but utterly useless).<br />Over here, on the other hand, one week never goes by without me reading at least one article about how some advertisement campaign was pulled out, or how some sportsman's "offensive" comment got him kicked out of his team, etc. after causing a "public outcry" (read: being attacked by lobby "X") for having upset one of the hundreds of touchy chords we must now navigate through when making any remotely-public (or even private, in many cases) statement.<br />When you feel more free to say whatever you want to say in a dictatorship than you do in you own country, you know something's gone awfully wrong.<br /><br />Besides, in this particular case, Admin criticized M.Ammar's laugh by calling it "gay" (understood here as "silly"), which Admin claims was by no means an attack against actual gays. Trickster then criticized Admin by calling him "childish", which I assume is no attack against actual children either. To use magician talk, I'd say that's "the same principle used in a different effect". ;)<br />Making the whole argument even more worthless...<br /><br />End of my rant. Sorry, I've had a rough week and freedom is one of those things that press my buttons...石榮狼https://www.blogger.com/profile/04773115177273203494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-70458661828459774962012-04-27T06:49:54.857-07:002012-04-27T06:49:54.857-07:00I've avoided watching it. I'm not a masoch...I've avoided watching it. I'm not a masochist.Justinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03776236761860369272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-61142481549496926612012-04-27T04:22:57.311-07:002012-04-27T04:22:57.311-07:00Dear god I just saw the Jason Randal spot. Goes so...Dear god I just saw the Jason Randal spot. Goes some way to explaining the enthusiasm for Ammar's performance I suppose.The Smiling Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328174298969132121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-61011802815736815312012-04-26T11:54:51.890-07:002012-04-26T11:54:51.890-07:00I have a gay grin on my face as I type.I have a gay grin on my face as I type.The Smiling Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328174298969132121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-41180223151197733292012-04-26T11:16:44.344-07:002012-04-26T11:16:44.344-07:00Just smile sometimes Mr. Mule ...Just smile sometimes Mr. Mule ...Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16661401885569330464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-20492572246049948542012-04-26T10:41:07.650-07:002012-04-26T10:41:07.650-07:00You even went so far as to call it "genius&qu...You even went so far as to call it "genius" simply because Ammar managed to avoid being mocked by Letterman... if this is what magic is reduced to then I rest my case.The Smiling Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328174298969132121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-8369365289340740532012-04-26T10:37:08.267-07:002012-04-26T10:37:08.267-07:00Not MY opinion.
You said "of course Letterma...Not MY opinion.<br /><br />You said "of course Letterman thinks it's stupid" and the whole thrust of your point was that Ammar was purposely making HIMSELF look stupid so as to avoid Letterman making him look stupid.<br /><br />I was just reiterating your own point back to you but in simpler terms.<br /><br />I certainly do not need anybody to inform me that I am entitled to my opinion thank you very much.The Smiling Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328174298969132121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-26360174436582676612012-04-26T09:53:45.630-07:002012-04-26T09:53:45.630-07:00I don't think he looked like an idiot, but you...I don't think he looked like an idiot, but you are certainly entitled to your opinion.Michael Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12401495757058202334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-75257766958267093952012-04-26T06:19:28.661-07:002012-04-26T06:19:28.661-07:00So, in short, by purposely making himself look lik...So, in short, by purposely making himself look like a fucking idiot, he really sidestepped that potential pitfall of having Letterman make him look like a fucking idiot?<br /><br />Genius.The Smiling Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328174298969132121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-67347737867368109482012-04-26T06:04:18.063-07:002012-04-26T06:04:18.063-07:00I believe that choosing to do the little hand on D...I believe that choosing to do the little hand on David Letterman was a stroke of genius because Letterman chews magicians up and spits them out. I tend to side with Letterman because he openly states that which people are thinking to themselves.<br /><br />The perfect example is the Jason Randal clip. Letterman calls him out on everything and states that his handling of the cards is "tactile." Randal immediately states, "Yes, it's tactics..." Letterman looks up at the audience with a bemused look in his face and about half of the audience catches this - spectators are not stupid. When he places the card in that wonky sleeve thing, Letterman states, "This is going to be some kind of optical thing."<br /><br />Later on the show, an actor comes out and does an impromptu card trick (and not an altogether bad one, at that). Letterman, upon watching and enjoying the trick, says, "And you didn't even need one of those special sleeves."<br /><br />When Ammar throws in that little hand, of course Letterman thinks it's stupid. It completely takes away any possibility of him making fun of Ammar - you cannot make fun of something that is making fun of itself. To wit: have you ever heard of Elvira? She used to host late night horror films on the television. Her whole schtick was to make fun of the genre and specifically make fun of the show that was featured. In an interview, she stated how much she hated showing, "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes." Her reasoning was simple...You cannot parody a parody.<br /><br />Ammar can be classed as cheesy, but he's the real thing - just one hell of a nice guy.Michael Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12401495757058202334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-83446233296669028572012-04-26T00:59:29.589-07:002012-04-26T00:59:29.589-07:00I would say that a definition of maturity should a...I would say that a definition of maturity should also include the ability to communicate your point clearly to others.<br /><br />I'm a big fan of using all the words at our disposal regardless of who may be offended, but when you say Ammar's laughter is gay I honestly have no idea what you are getting at.The Smiling Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328174298969132121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-50306329212263342052012-04-25T12:19:40.233-07:002012-04-25T12:19:40.233-07:00Oh ! The battle is not over yet ? Alright then. ...Oh ! The battle is not over yet ? Alright then. Reply to Trickster :<br /><br />You know what immaturity is ? It is what you just said. That mature people only use certain words and NOT others (like the word GAY). This is what immaturity is about. About believing that maturity comes from what word you employ to describe something. Huh, so gay.Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16661401885569330464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-61210696531425169592012-04-24T22:57:35.013-07:002012-04-24T22:57:35.013-07:00"Good enough for my audience" has always..."Good enough for my audience" has always seemed to me to be a lazy form of the classic argument from authority. Although it comes across more as an argument from ignorance. Maskelyne said it better than I ever could.<br /><br />Face it, we all know how easy it is to get said reaction when you merely know a secret that some one else doesn't. The fact that this celebrity or another thought it was "amazing" says absolutely nothing.<br /><br />I would define "cheesy" slightly differently. In hearing the word magic, an audience is conditioned to expect a clown, and invariably they get one.<br /><br />'Guile", "Penetration"? Maybe 40 years ago!<br /><br />I could be wrong, but to me magicians are stuck in some sort of protective bubble, it always comes across as if the host is humouring a child whilst he does his "little bit."The Smiling Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328174298969132121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-91420250598901352962012-04-24T18:35:49.134-07:002012-04-24T18:35:49.134-07:00"childishly passe"
A great start to exp..."childishly passe" <br />A great start to explaining why Admin sounded like a fool using it.<br /><br />Tensai, check the history of the insult usage of Gay and you might wonder why any self respecting or mature person would use it. I think you'll find that the 2 meanings of the word I referred to are pretty much it, the insulting slang usage is based on one of them.<br /><br /><br />1xTSTricksterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267229140734432283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-49497502667962009222012-04-24T16:20:36.029-07:002012-04-24T16:20:36.029-07:00Yes ! Totally agreed. His laughter is what makes ...Yes ! Totally agreed. His laughter is what makes him himself ! And if he is comfortable with it, why all the fuss ? I was just 'pointing out' an obvious peculiarity (I think).Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16661401885569330464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-33070176245836655452012-04-24T14:42:37.670-07:002012-04-24T14:42:37.670-07:00Roland, thanks for your comments about Michael'...Roland, thanks for your comments about Michael's teaching. He is great at it, I hear that nearly everyday.<br /><br />Regarding other comments:<br /><br />David Letterman liked the performance. He made it clear he respected Michael on a variety of levels. Ashton Kutcher, also a guest on the show, loved it too. He commented on the air, "Did you see that guy? He was amazing!" The producers comments were the best.<br /><br />Cheesy means inauthentic. If there is anything Michael is NOT - it's inauthentic. He is who he is, his laughter is what it is.<br /><br />- HannahAmmarMagic.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17521313964252525878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-3199875160993207762012-04-24T10:55:43.061-07:002012-04-24T10:55:43.061-07:00Yes, correct, I'm not from UK ou US but from F...Yes, correct, I'm not from UK ou US but from France.<br /><br />Of course, gay did not mean homosexual as Tensai explained, it meant 'inappropriate' or 'lame'.<br /><br />Now keep fighting over this (but this won't change the fact that his laughter is so ... GAY.) Haha ! ;)Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16661401885569330464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-61383247337099743392012-04-23T20:04:52.058-07:002012-04-23T20:04:52.058-07:00I guess I was more concerned with the "childi...I guess I was more concerned with the "childishly passe" portion of my post. Ya know, just trying to get the li'l dude to realize how, uh, not smart using a term like that makes people look nowadays. <br /><br />Oh well.Derek's Dinglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14659524118244213270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-27252720883553729232012-04-23T19:41:55.338-07:002012-04-23T19:41:55.338-07:00An insult? Considered offensive? PARISH THE THOUGH...An insult? Considered offensive? PARISH THE THOUGHT!<br /><br />But in all seriousness: Do you understand how you sound? Were you the kid who ran home to his mom every time someone called him a name on the playground? <br /><br />As the say: It's a big world. Some people are gonna say things you don't like and you are gonna say things they don't like. That's how the world is, not everyone is gonna be nice and tell you how special ya are. So grow up and grow a pair.<br /><br />I swear, ya all wonder why I call ya kids, then ya go and do stuff like this. "Mommy, mommy! Admin said a bad word! He said the 'G' word!"Tensaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05057413904477052265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614376202473604721.post-86743370628348335382012-04-23T19:17:04.268-07:002012-04-23T19:17:04.268-07:00I know that he didn't literally mean homosexua...I know that he didn't literally mean homosexual. In fact, that's why I made it a point to use the word "something" in conjunction with calling him out on his juvenile lack of articulation. <br /><br />Who knows, maybe Admin isn't from either America or the UK, where the insult is considered both offensive AND childishly passe (a very unfortunate combination). It's a big world out there.Derek's Dinglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14659524118244213270noreply@blogger.com