FEBRUARY 20, 2007
SOMEWHERE IN LOS ANGELES...
Knowing how to perform magic is one of those things that I seldom think about, or even wish I had a gift for ... until I'm in the presence of a magician. It's like karate, or the ability to speak several languages. The second I meet someone who does any of the above, I think "man, that would be cool."
I suppose the reason that I'm not a magician or a karate-man (I do speak a few languages ... LIAR!) is because the desire wears away too quickly. I've bought magic books, only to see them sit on the shelf. I've joined karate classes, only to get decked and never go back.
I don't know if you've ever met a magician before, but they're kinda weird. Like very secretive. They always seem to be up to something. Our character Curtis Lovell was no different.
I've spent some time around magicians in the past (don't ask ... Fine! His name was Larry), anyhow, the one trait they all seem to have in common (besides mischievousness) is confidence. Curtis, however, did not appear to be very confident. Now, I can't say for sure if it's because our crew was there and he realized that he would be seen by millions of people across America, or what, but he seemed nervous.
I soon began to realize that perhaps he was nervous about "The Cube of Death." The Cube of Death is a trick made famous by the great Houdini in which the magician is shackled inside a cube barely large enough to contain him, then filled with water, and then the lid is locked, and then he has to free himself.
To perform such a feat, one would need to be able to hold his breath for quite a while (or learn how to breathe the air from the air pockets in the top of the cube—wink,wink, nudge, nudge).
For Curtis, the trick is especially scary because he has a fear of drowning. For Jaron and I, it was our first real acting gig as we had to pretend he really performed the feat, when in fact he didn't.
But that does not take away from the fact that Curtis Lovell is a character. And all characters are welcome, even if they fake it.
Past Entries:
- (2/6) Tyson, The Lover
- (1/25) Daniel's Shish-kabobs
- (1/16) Globetrotting with Corbin
- (1/9) Having a Ball
- (1/4) A Picture is Worth 1,000 Calories
- (12/21) Boys and Dolls Don't Mix
- (12/12) Chris Young
- (12/7) Air Apparent
- (11/30) I Break for Gio
- (11/9) Geek Cubed
- (10/31) Danish is Not Dutch
- (10/25) Pali Adventure Camp
- (10/18) From Birds to Ligers
- (10/11) The Man Behind the Mascot
- (10/3) Top Banana