Be still my throbbing migraine...

The more "TV magic" I watch, the less and less respect I have for those involved creating it.

Call me kooky but I find it interesting to see the differences in those who focus on things other than being able to perform. I see so many younger performers working hard on getting that next viral video. Why not? It has been proven to work! You have a hit video, someone sees you and then BAM yer on TV or working creatively for someone behind the scenes. Who can argue with that!?

Me. That's who.

You take most of these guys out from a controlled environment and they will curl up and die like an ant under a magnifying lens. You take away their "can only be done on camera" BS and they have no real world skill... but hey that's ok! That's the message the modern world is sending the current generation already. Are you smarter than a 5th grader? No? Then maybe you can have the next hit TV show!!

We are creating reality TV now, not magic. Oh we THINK it's magic because we want to keep something that resembles "integrity" but the moment you let someone else tell you how to do YOUR art for a paycheck you don't have that integrity anymore. Just stop pretending and tell people what they are about to see is just BS and that yer not a magician and everyone is an actor playing along to make good TV. Half the audience is gonna think that anyway.

Abracadabra has been replaced by "We'll fix it in post".

On a midnite train...

How did mob mentality get organized before Facebook I ask you?

Actually let me ask you this: Where do we draw the line on considering something a copy? Is it the same method with a different prop? Is it the same prop with a different method?

What if you take a concept and make your own routine complete with new props and methods... is that a copy of someone who uses the same concept? Why do we damn relative unknowns for doing these things but those we admire get a free pass? (likely the same reason celebrities don't stay in jail long)

The damn shame of it all is the fact that it's part of life in the entertainment business. Creative people get ripped off. However truly creative individuals will always bounce back with a brand new creation. Thieves can only take so much before they are caught (or beaten and thrown in a car trunk).

Choose your battles wisely and make sure you have an army behind you and not just an angry mob.