On Monday evenings some of the best magicians in the world perform intimate sets at the Santa Monica Playhouse.
The Santa Monica Playhouse is a long running, classic, beautiful small theatre just off the 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica, CA. I was thrilled, last year, when I had the chance to catch a few performances at Albie Selznick's Magic Monday. Albie is an accomplished actor and magician who brings together phenomenal acts for a very playful and in-your-lap kind of night. Frequently, you'll see the most sought after magicians and variety performers from the Magic Castle here, in a far less formal but no less charming setting.
This week, Monday May 8th, two of my favourites are in the cast: puppeteer Scott Land, and (if memorry hasn't failed me) Troop 2 Santa Monica Eagle Scout, and world renowned magician Matt Marcy.
The most fun you'll have on a Wednesday west of Sepulveda!
Magic Monday at the Santa Monica Playhouse
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May the Fourth be with you.
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Motorcyclists are 27x more likely to die and 5x more likely to be injured than folks in passenger cars. RideApart discusses the dangers of motorcycling in a mature and upfront fashion. Read the rest
This weekend legendary centre of western civilization Eugene, Oregon once again plays host to the greatest spectacle in all of roller derby: THE BIG O!
Teams usually come from all over the world to compete in Eugene's thunderdome of derby, however Orange Julius bullshit travel bans may have tempered that a bit. A quick glance shows there are still international teams on the roster.
If you just happen to be in the greater Eugene metropolitan area this weekend, check out the Big O! Read the rest
Pensacola, and the Internet's, Mark Gormley released this new recording in February! Since his first video took the internet by storm in 2006 folks anxiously await Mark's next gem.
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Chicken Tonight wasn't just a bad nightmare, you can still buy it today on Amazon.
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Kent Tyler Smith made this lovely documentary covering artists Gus Harper and Gronk's collaborative painting.
Gus and I are old friends, and it is no surprise to hear him describe his process, hobbies and life as fairly solitary. Over the years, however, I've seen Gus collaborate with a number of artists to create works that were more than what he could achieve alone. In the past this has involved other mediums like body painting or photography. Here Gus works with another amazing painter, they share the canvas.
Gus and Gronk working together on the same images is wonderful to watch. Read the rest
I loved this too short-lived late 70s/early 80s New Adventures of Flash Gordon.
The full first episode is here.
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LA Weekly's fabulous photographer Star Foreman captured these amazing images at RuPaul's DragCon.
View the entire gallery here.
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These Banshee playing cards are made for throwing!
Made of plastic, heavier and stiffer than my normal US Playing Cards Bicycle 808 style decks, the Banshee cards sail through the air. The cards also have some cuts in their face to make them scream!
Made of tougher stuff, these cards last a lot longer than a paper deck and are a bit easier to learn with. You will need to practice,
however, these cards do not instantly imbue you with skill.
Talk about useful skills to have at a party!
Banshees: Cards for Throwing via Amazon Read the rest
Spinning things with contrasting stripes are evidently mesmerising. Read the rest
Salma Hayek offers this handy guide to understanding our neighbors.
Please remember: the 5th of May celebrates a Mexican victory over the French, not Mexican Independence Day which is September 16th.
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Shocking the bejeezus out of my lower back led me to the fastest recovery I've experienced yet from periodic bouts of debilitating back pain. For me, this inexpensive TENS unit is a winner, and was as effective as a higher-priced comparison unit I tried.
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I could watch this all day.
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Not even remotely adequate. Read the rest
26 years ago. Read the rest
I had no idea!
Evidently HAL 9000 sang Daisy Bell as a tribute, it is the first song ever sung by a computer. In 1961 an IBM 7094 was the first to raise its voice in song.
The vocals were programmed by John Kelly and Carol Lockbaum and accompaniment was programmed by Max Mathews, but the song was written by Harry Dacre, almost a century earlier, in 1892. Read the rest
