This past weekend (April 7th) was the "Academy Awards" of the magic industry. Held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, it is a black tie gala with a lot of celebrities both from the magic community and television and motion pictures. The event awards excellence in magic chosen from the many acts that appear yearly at the Magic Castle with the winners being voted on by the membership -- much like the Oscars. I had intended to go and had purchased tickets to the occasion months ago. It was only a few weeks ago that my editor at MAGIC Magazine found out that I was going and talked me into covering the event and writing one thousand or so words that could serve as a two page spread in our upcoming issue.
I realized that I would have to take my tux out of the closet. A tux that I hadn't used in a couple of years. Knowing full well that I had gained a few pounds over these last few years, I saved my self the indignity of trying it on, and just went straight to a men's clothing store to rent a tuxedo. I was going to rent a tuxedo! I don't think I've done that since my high school prom!
Two days before the big night, I pick up the tux and try it on. It's at that moment that I notice the coat has tails. Tails?! Did I order tails? And if I had, was I sober at the time? In thinking back to the picture in the book from which I had originally ordered the garment, I recalled admiring the way the coat "cut away" in the front on the model that was wearing my tux of choice. But that was the problem. I had only seen the jacket from the front. And nowhere in the book had I seen anything saying that the coat had tails.
Bottom line: Yes I had ordered the coat with tails, and yes, I had been sober.
I try on the whole shebang, and as the sales associate pulls the coat off the hanger to help me slip it on, he remarks,"Tails? I haven't seen anyone wear tails in a long time."
You know what, man? You're not helping.
"But," he continues before I actually have a chance to verbally reply, "it looks good on you."
I gaze at myself in the three-way mirror, and realize he's right. I look damned good.
The evening itself was a lot of fun. The awards show has had its ups and downs, accurately reflective of whatever current state The Magic Castle had found itself in in any given year. Currently, the Castle is enjoying a resurgence of popularity, as has the entire art of magic, and many A-list celebrity types are either becoming members or are happy to attend the awards ceremony as a presenter, of both. Steve Martin was present at this year's ceremony presenting two awards, as was Seinfeld's Jason Alexander. Both have been members of the Castle for many years, and Jason actually performed a magic act to sold-out crowds at the Castle this past year and killed the week he was there.
Jason did such a great job the week he was booked there that he ended up being nominated as one of the five finalists for Parlour Magician of the Year. And he took it! Jason Alexander won the award this past weekend, and can now add "Parlour Magician of the Year for 2006" on his already impressive resume.
One other great moment of the evening was when a very funny and talented magician whom I've admired for years, Mike Caveney, finally won Stage Magician of the Year. The reason I say "finally" is that every time he's appeared at the Castle -- in any capacity whatsoever be it lecturing or performing onstage or in the Parlour -- he has always been nominated. And he has always lost. He has been nominated 23 times, and has lost all 23 times. The running joke was that Mike was the "Susan Lucci of magic." But even Susan Lucci won an Emmy after 19 nominations! Mike finally won the award this weekend and accepted it to a standing ovation, which he richly deserved.
It was a great night. I finished the story about the ceremony for the magazine today and sent that off, and now I think I need to sign off here. Gotta return my tux tomorrow!
--Shawn
Shawn McMaster
Conjured-Up Creations
P.O. Box 973
Newbury Park, CA 91319
(805)480-0703
www.conjuredupcreations.com
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