I was amazed to see the Amazing Kreskin on Jimmy Fallon 2 nights ago (Wed.) as I thought he had retired years ago.
I was able to find the "Set Up" for Wednesdays night performance on Hulu Plus in two segments that made a little
more sence in explaining mostly of what happened during his guest spot on Wednesday.

While I truely repect the man as I used to go to any show in the Tri-State area (MN, WI, IL) over several years in
the 70's and 80's and got to know him pretty well. I always waited (sometimes hours) after the show to meet and
connect with 'my Idol/teacher'' to talk with him about Mentalism, Hypnosis and combining Mental/Magic in one program.
He was really a truely nice guy and eventually shared gems and wisdom with me which helped me out while developing
my up and coming 'Mentalism and Bizzare Programs' and eased my transition from "Box Jumper" during in the mid 80's.

I know that on network TV that you have a very limited amount of time to get an effect across but what I saw on
Wednesday night reminded me of the kind of chaos and confusion that resembled some of my own 'beginning' mis-steps
while learning this new and subtle 'Art Form'. His performance made absolutely no sence whatsoever and is the type of
complicated busy work that still seems to plauge so many performances of Mentalism and Mental Magic.
If we are truly Psychic Entertainers our demonstrations need to be more direct and to the point. What he did was
anything but that.

We all have our occasional off night but I'm sure the layman in the studio and television audience were also confounded, unless
they had seen and/or remembered his partial program 'set up' in early July. They must have been completely lost on what he was
attempting to do. Is it 'Amazing' because of his reputation and people simply accept whatever it is He is doing with out question?

I guess I am still amazed and need to remind myself how even some of our simplist methods still puzzle and entertain a lay
audience. (Using the Drawing Duplication with Magic Marker's recently seen on ELLEN and AGT as just one example).
I was watching the 'Marker Duplication' with a friend who was so completely baffled by this effect that it gave me
cause again to recall the initial "Wonder" I feel when I experience something these days that completely baffles me.
That is a very hard thing to do with 40 years of methods stuck away in my brain.
( Just recently it was Calen Morelli's- "Dresscode" that just blew me away.)

It's interesting to note that the 'mistake' in K's routine seemed like a bigger hit in the moment but in retrospect still made no
sence as he was trying to predict the Republican Candidate that would run against Obama in 2012 and the name he came up
with was not even within the realm of possibilities on the Republican ticket at the time, so it made no sence even being in the
mix at all. There also was no direct explanation of 'why and how' the 2 other locked cases came into the mix in the first place.
They confused the whole routine even further when the contents of each case contained 'decoder sheets' for the 'cryptic prediction'
that was locked in the Safe in July.

I suspect and I really mean no disrespect that I'm amazed that Kreskin even gets by with this sort of stunt. (Many of the younger
viewing audience probably have absolutely no idea who the guy is in the first place- as he has been out of national sight for so long.)
He was so very, very good in the past, but this last stunt (sorry to say) was a complete chaotic mess. He really is too big of a 'Pro' to make
these kind of mistakes.

I just wanted to open up a discussion around these sorts of Mentalism Stunts in this world of "Audience's ADD Attention Spans"
and why our routines need to be so straight forward these days, taking our complicated set ups and making our performances more
direct. I found during my "Halloween Seance and Bizzare Program" this season that even asking a group of people the sit in
the dark for even 10 or 12 minutes proved challenging, when you think that people even 10 years back used to be able to sit through
a Seance that would last 5-6 times longer before the coughing, fidgeting and squirming in their chairs even started.

I know we strive to eliminate "Non-Moments" in our routining, but it seems audiences these days have such small attention spans.
What are others expeience on this as well as your opinion on Kreskin's routine. I honestly felt very bad for him.

K
St. Paul, MN

Link:

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/......-future/

the set up (I think-- haven't watched it yet):

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/......1342936/