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Eric Starkey Regular user Pittsburgh, PA 180 Posts |
While headline predictions have been used with quite remarkable success, I am rather leery of them these days. Not because of their methods, but because of the turbulent times in which we are currently living.
The thing that frightens me, is awaking to see a horrific headline that is not suitable for performance. Nothing gets a corporate meeting going like "Bus load of infants die in fiery crash" - And I predicted it! Ta-da! In a quite likely event, what if the headline has to do with terrorism (you supposedly predicted that it would happen a month in advance) and the question is asked, "If you knew these events were going to happen, why didn’t you tell the authorities to try to stop it?" That’s just an uncomfortable situation that I don’t want to put myself, or my audience in. I realize that this can be covered with vague statements, but; (1) that takes away from the effect and (2) it’s still just not comfortable. As you may have guessed, I’m not doing a headline prediction in my shows. I’d love to here anyone else’s thoughts. Yours truly, Eric |
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NickOShea New user Edinburgh, Scotland 23 Posts |
I have very little experience with this sort of thing, so shoot me down if need be. However an easy way around it is sport results or lottery tickets. Although you now have to cover up with why you didn't bet on it!
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Eric Starkey Regular user Pittsburgh, PA 180 Posts |
Nick,
A very good point. Don't worry, no one is going to shoot you. However, I feel that having to fish through the paper to the sports section or searching for the small printed lottery numbers may take away the directness of the effect. Also, it wasn't too long ago that David Copperfield predicted multi-million dollar winning lottery numbers (was it in Germany?), electing not to actually buy a lottery ticket, amid much skepticism. Can we say "too-perfect theory"? |
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NickOShea New user Edinburgh, Scotland 23 Posts |
Thanks for the comments and criticisms Eric.
Working with the sports idea for a moment, a major sporting event can offer good headlines, vague or precise. At the moment tennis would be an idea, I imagine the World Cup this year would offer some good reactions. Overall, I have to agree with you though. At the moment all of the news seems to be very downbeat and troublesome. As well as terrorism, the recent volcano eruption would be a nightmare to have predicted. I would be interested in what people with more experience have to say. |
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Scott F. Guinn Inner circle "Great Scott!" aka "Palms of Putty" & "Poof Daddy G" 6586 Posts |
I prefer, like Shane Causer, (owner of the Visions website) to use tabloid papers like Star, National Enquirer or Weekly World News (my favorite!). Then you get to predict things like: "Shocking proof that George W. Bush is illegitimate son of George Bush and space alien!" or, "World’s fattest baby eats entire herd of cows in Tunisia!"
"Love God, laugh more, spend more time with the ones you love, play with children, do good to those in need, and eat more ice cream. There is more to life than magic tricks." - Scott F. Guinn
My Lybrary Page |
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magiker Loyal user Sweden 283 Posts |
Most newspapers have more than the main headline on the front page. Why not use one of these instead
Magiker
Believe in the possibility of the impossible |
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NickOShea New user Edinburgh, Scotland 23 Posts |
Worst case scenario? Forecast the weather prediction. Two predictions in one,
1 absolutely correct, the other patchy (with light rain over the midlands). |
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Andy Leviss Inner circle NYC 1179 Posts |
Check out either Lee Earle's "Money Making Mentalism" audio tapes, or the "A-1 Allstars" video that Lee is on. In both he details his way around disasters and other things that we "should have been able to avoid" in a headline prediction, which is a quite effective method in my opinion.
Note: I have PMs turned off; if you want to reach me, please e-mail [email]Andy.MagicCafe@DucksEcho.com[/email]!
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Lee Marelli Special user Aurora, Colorado 876 Posts |
Hi Eric. You will find throughout mentalism literature, that if you are not comfortable with a concept, such as headline predictions, then do not do it. Why? Because you will be perceived by the audience as being uncomfortable with what you are doing, and they will be uncomfortable along with you. There are many, many strong mentalism routines, do them instead.
A direct answer to your question is one that you do not like, i.e., speak in generalities and choose front page articles that are not disasters. Not everyone "sees" the big story. If there is a huge disaster dominating the front page on the day you are performing, then you have a couple of choices. First, as previously mentioned in other posts, go to the front of the sports page for your prediction. Second, do not do a headline prediction that day. If you do what Lee Earle suggests, you have not committed to having to do a HP. Why be vague in your predictions? Talk with a few psychics or think about the paranormal literature you have read. Supposedly, premonitions tend to come to a person, even a psychic, in a fragmented manner not in a perfect English sentence. Something to think about. Hope this helps.
"Mentalism is a state of mind." Marelli
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fordkross Loyal user 209 Posts |
Headline predictions at one time were the ne plus ultra of the mentalism show. They have diminished in use because of various reasons. Investigative reporter who love to expose fake psychics. Magicians who love to expose fake psychics. And the problem with headlines. Tragedies, if you know the world leader was going to be shot why didn't you tell him. If you knew the winning lottery number , why didn't you play it.
Predictions are still very strong, but predicting other aspects of media, e.g. weather, human interest, Editorials might be a better choice from Ford Kross |
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Julien Regular user 108 Posts |
Bruce Bernstein has a nice way around this problem -in Psi Kicks or Perception is everything, don't have them with me here-which allows the prediction to be made several weeks before (i.e. no switch) and circumvent this tragedy issue.
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Drewmcadam Inner circle Scotland 1239 Posts |
If you can get hold of a friendly editor at the papers - they often know days in advance what the cartoon, and the caption, is going to be! Not only do you get a round of applause, but the audience gets a good laugh, too. Just a thought!
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DonMarco Regular user 187 Posts |
I'm going to step in here. I'm a young man of only 26 years. I am quite sure that many if not most of the people in this forum have seniority over me. So I have no intention of talking "out of school". However, Mr. Riggs, who lives in my hometown, and Mr. Cassidy, whom I admire very much, have both expressed an interesting view concerning the aforementioned topic. I love a good headline prediction...it can garner yards of free publicity...it can make for a great closing effect...it can do so many things. But Mr. Riggs and Mr. Cassidy have told me in mentalism "less is more" which is hard to swallow at first but...young mentalists especially have a need to predict world disasters or whatever...people are going to know it's a trick, kid!...Try out Cassidy's diary trick...prediction taken care of...newspaper perturbances avoided!...(BTW...I'm planning a headline prediction for a show this weekend...anyone have any info on press releases?)
"Imagination is the Only Reality"-- Marquis de Sade
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christopher carter Special user 660 Posts |
Quote:
On 2002-09-25 20:19, DonMarco wrote: There is a marvelous book entitled, "The Publicity Handbook," that will be able to spell out everything you need for press releases. --Christopher Carter |
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Samuel Catoe Inner circle South Carolina 1268 Posts |
Why not simply predict something like the Dear Abby column or local weddings from a small town paper? You could even predict what the bride wore.
Author of Illusions of Influence, a treatise on Equivoque.
PM me for details and availability. |
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Andy Leviss Inner circle NYC 1179 Posts |
I don't think that's the solution, because somebody's (more than one somebody, probably) eventually going to ask, "If you can see that part of the newspaper, why can't you see the big important stories and keep all those bad things from happening?" and you're back to square one.
Maybe you could claim to have a psychic link with Abby, and are reading her mind, and not just foreseeing the paper itself, but otherwise, it's still subject to the same objections. Same with predicting headlines of tabloids--if you can see those, why can't you see other papers? Maybe you could claim that your powers work like a television or radio that only gets one or two channels in, but I question how that would hold up. If you must do headlines, I think the solution Earle suggests that I mentioned earlier is the way to go. -A
Note: I have PMs turned off; if you want to reach me, please e-mail [email]Andy.MagicCafe@DucksEcho.com[/email]!
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Priest New user NYC 100 Posts |
Ok, so where is a good place to get started, or find more info on "Headline Predictions?"
P.
"Funk is not something U can buy at the corner store.
It is something that U find deep within Ur Soul!" .:The One Year Project:. .:Forums:. |
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AllThumbs Veteran user UK 375 Posts |
One solution for lottery predictions is to fake a lottery ticket, not too difficult on an inkjet printer. Of course it wouldn't ever be accepted if you tried to claim it (don't, you're likely to be put down for a long time, and don't give it to a spectator!). I did to great effect when I was fortunate to obtain quarter of a roll of genuine blank ticket paper here in the UK from a very accomodating newsagent which made it even more believable.
You can combine it with the "choose the envelope with the money" effect. Have a few envelopes with non-winning tickets and your "Jackpot winning ticket" instead of the money - would be a knockout trick, wish I had thought about that at the time.
The above is all rubbish, except that which you chose to believe
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christopher carter Special user 660 Posts |
I think a "Hurling the Headlines" approach is likely to garner as much publicity as the old style headline prediction. There's a good Jack Dean manuscript on the topic that Paul Alberstadt is selling.
Ford is right that the standard headline prediction has been exposed heavily. I don't know that that means you can't get away with it, but it is harder now. --Christopher Carter |
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Darmoe Special user Ohio 741 Posts |
I've posted some "perspective" I guess you could call it, on this issue elsewhere. I have made predictions that dealth with horrific situations. During a Radio interview in Reno, NV. last August I gave a description of what I alluded to as being a "Volcano at least as strong as St. Helen's that would come about within the next 3-4 weeks..."
Now, bear in mind that the Shock Jock DJ (Bob Garrison - The Buzz A.M. Radio) wanted a blood & gore prediction so that's what I gave him (also keep in mind that the public buys tickets to car races, fights, etc. because of our human "need" for blood, gore & violence.) Anywho... my wordage in this verbal prediction met, within 90+% all the details associated with the World Trade Center situation... the collisions took place within the hour, four weeks to the date of said interview. This kind of PR is a double-edged sword however. There are good as well as bad end results for such a situation. What we need to ask ourselves is "Are we ready to deal with the public's reaction?" Most are not. I just happened to be barraged by clients and friends wanting Readings shortly there after. People kept coming to me and asking me for details... asking if their relatives working at or near the WTC were o.k.... Quite honestly, I was barely ready and highly uncertain as to how to deal with the situation... especially the handful of Readings I did involving individuals who "followed a hunch" and didn't get on certain flights that morning... those who felt they had to get out of NYC the night before (even though they had scheduled meetings in the WTC the next day...) I know of seasoned pros who, because of similar circumstances, no longer do a Headline routine... others, such as Shane's wonderful ideas in using the Gossip Rags, have simply altered course... which is fine, but (in my opinion) leans closer to working the Bizarre or "Mental Magic" side of things vs. Psychic Entertainment... that's just a personal pet peeve... something I'd normally avoid. With the plethora of variants available to us however, there is no reason to be overly concerned with said issue. I know of a Christian Magicians that predicted the Sermon Titles and which hymns would be sung... Gamers (RPG) have used the publications within their field like Dungeon... so simply allow your imagination to run a bit. I think that's the rule of thumb in this case... work with material that fits your character and the image you wish to project forward and deliver the kind of end result you want -- Awe, Wonder, and Muse. Best of luck!
"I firmly believe that of all the Arts and Crafts of Mentalism, there is nothing more satisfying than one who is a first-class Reader. It is the ultimate in Mentalism..." - Tony Corinda * 13 Steps To Mentalism
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