Bound And Gagged!

.:A Quick Plug:.

Hey, guys! I’ll be doing hosting and magic this coming Easter Sunday at Market!Market! around the fountain area from 4-6PM. Drop in, watch the show, and say “hi” if you can! I’d definitely appreciate it.

.:4 Years Of Bringing Smiles And Magic To Everyone:.

Last Saturday night, I was the host for the 4th Anniversary of The Story Circle. It was a fun celebration of magic and camaraderie, replete with side comments and a geek magic showdown that resulted in a bloody nose for one competitor, something involving lots of spit, and a magician who ended up worshiping the porcelain god… except the porcelain god wasn’t there to worship.

Aside from the geek magic showdown, many performers were on hand for the night, from some rappers in Carl, Sam, and Dark Madien, to Nomer and David’s comedy mentalism act, to yours truly, to Andres’s coin penetration set, and of course, to Darwin the magician. It was a great night for everyone, and people were really happy for the most part. The after-party spent with BK was mostly entertaining all the same, and I can’t thank them enough for being kind enough to welcome straight-edge ol’ me into a drinking session, of all things.

Kudos to Nomer as well for receiving quite a pummeling from me as he became the butt of a lot of my jokes, but good sport that he is, he always takes it in stride, and casually shot back some equally good barbs at me afterwards. It was definitely awesome going from “The Roderick Paulate of the Philippines”. =P

In any case, allow me to share with you The Story Circle music video celebrating the 4th Anniversary Celebration. Hope you enjoy it!

Congratulations to The Story Circle, and more power to ya!

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.:Bon Voyage, Tiffy!:.

Image courtesy of Yoga Jane

Tiffy is leaving for Japan as an exchange student this coming March 30, so I helped her organize her despedida, inviting her blogger friends to come on down to my humble abode and remind her that there will be a lot of people who will miss her. =)

Early birds were Yoga Jane and Christa, and then Josh and Arthur from The Chicken Mafia arrived shortly after. From there, while we were waiting for the celebrant who was late for her own party, I was swapping stories with all of them, having lots of reason to be amused about the stuff going on in our respective lives. That, and while waiting for other guests, me, Tita Jane, and Christa managed to finish “Sad Movie”. Yup. That was how long we waited.

Anyways, afterwards, finally, Tiffy, Iza, Alex, Iza’s date, Ozzy, and Barbie showed up, and the party was underway. With good food, awesome company, and even games, people reminded Tiffy how much all of us will miss her when she goes. Hopefully, she won’t forget her friends here in the Philippines who are proud of her and all.

Unfortunately for me, as fun as the party must’ve been, I had to leave very early (Yup. I left my house at the mercy of Tiffy’s guests.) because I promised sir Ony that I will watch his show, AMAGIKOMEDINAYT in the PETA Theater…

On a personal note, I’ve known Tiffy for a couple of years already, and she’s always been a bright ray of sunshine to me. With her very honest outlook in life, and her infectious, mischievous smile, she never fails to brighten up my day when I see her and hear from her. She’s been one friend in a million, and I can’t help but beam proudly when I think about how awesome she’s doing…

Tiffy, we are soooo proud of you! We love you, and go knock ‘em dead there in Japan! Gambatte!

.:AMAGIKOMEDINAYT: Unparalleled Fun!:.

PETA Theater was ground zero for one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my life. While waiting for things to start, we were treated to awesome acoustic music from No Drama, but we knew that tonight was going to be a big show. As a magician, I knew what the boxes onstage could do, so I was certain that the things lined up for that night were going to really astound people like anything.

This show featured three of the best performers in the country today: magician extraordinaire Jeffrey Tam, the country’s premiere ventriloquist Ony Carcamo, and the ineffable Brod Pete. It was going to be a night of magic, comedy, and yes, music. Dice and K9 pumped up the crowd for the night, and after a couple of songs, in came sir Ony with a really amazing ventriloquism set that just made everyone sit and gape. Sir Ony is known as the best ventriloquist in this country with good reason, to say the least.

Afterwards, we were treated to some excellent magic from Jeffrey Tam, who was in character as a stereotypical Chinese magician living in the Philippines. His coin routine was hysterical and undeniably well-lauded. In case you didn’t know, he won best Closeup Magician in IMC (Or was it Magfi?) for the past two years. I don’t exaggerate when I say he’s a phenomenon. He even did a bit of mind-reading, for that matter…

From there, while we were laughing at Jeff’s unique brand of comedy and magic, we turned our attention to Brod Pete, who had everyone rolling in the aisles, gasping for air, as he went into a funny rendition of “Banal Na Aso, Santong Kabayo”. The only lyrics he apparently knew were, “Hi hi hi hi”, but he was so versatile that he can sing it for females (”She she she she”), and for everyone (”We we we we”). He then medleyed it with “Hello”, and he even sung a cool medley of “You Are So Beautiful” with “Awitin Natin” and one more song that escapes me at the moment. (Sad…). The medleys were hilariously done, and he was obviously not playing the guitar, with the guys from No Drama playing while he pretended he was playing the guitar.

From that set, we then saw some amazing stage illusions courtesy of Oliver, then Jeff Tam, sans his costume, came in and introduced us to this guy who really talks so slow… I think his name was Gloc 9 or something. Needless to say, this show was an impromptu tribute to Francis M, as Jeff Tam showed that he was much better than yours truly because he sang “Kaleidoscope World” in a special segment where they gave tribute to the master rapper. I mean, I got into magic because I can’t sing and dance. What’s Jeff’s excuse? Lol.

Anyways, afterwards, it was time for the Q and A segment, where Brod Pete answered our questions graciously. I had my fifteen seconds of fame when I actually asked a question, unfortunately, it was a question Jeff accidentally asked Brod Pete earlier on in their bit…

Ony Carcamo: O, sino pa may tanong?

Pasensya po, Brod Pete, nasusulat po kasi yung tanong ko, eh.

This was just a practically improv comedy segment, where they were ad libbing like crazy, answering questions here and there. Another excerpt…

Brod Pete, sino po ang mas matibay? Lalaki o babae?

Wala na. Malambot na. Di na kaya. Kaya alam natin na mas matibay ang babae sa mga lalaki. Alien?

And then they broke into song, singing “Mr. Suave”.

Of course, the infamous “hoy hoy hoy hoy hoy hoy” was used for a whole bunch of other gags like singing it for Erap (”Loi Loi Loi Loi Loi Loi”), or singing it for Nina (”Nyoy Nyoy Nyoy Nyoy Nyoy Nyoy”), or singing it for Vicki Belo (”Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy”), and so forth. Then, they said special guests were there to sing their versions of “Mr. Suave”. At this point, Jeff Tam did awesome impressions of Rey Langit, Gus Abelgas, Leo Martinez, Mike Enriquez, and even Robin Padilla. He even regaled us with impressions of Rey and Mike during their honeymoon.

At this point, they ended the show, and people were more than satisfied with the sheer awesomeness of the show. It was well worth the 600 bucks I paid for the entrance, and I even got to rub elbows with the peeps there after the show, and I had some great ideas in anticipation of the Kel and Jay show this coming October… yeba!

To sir Ony, Brod Pete, and Jeff Tam, congratulations! I hope this isn’t the last time we’d see a show like this! You guys are made of pure, unadulterated win.

That would be yours truly with the three main stars of the night.

News and Updates, Personal Commentary bloggers, comedy, despedida, francis m, francis magalona, friends, magic, music

.:AMAGIKOMEDINAYT!:.

Image courtesy of Sir Ony Carcamo

You want to laugh? You want to be amazed? You want to bob your head to the beat? You want nothing but unparalleled entertainment? Well, then the new Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA. Yup. NOT the one for animals.) Theater this March 27 (A Friday night!), 8PM, is the place to be for “AMAGIKOMEDINAYT”!

Be witness to a night with magic, comedy, ventriloquism, and music, as brought to us by three of the top live performers in the country today. From the magic of the rising star, Jeffrey Tam, a multiple winner of various magic competitions, to the unbeatable ventriloquism talent of Ony Carcamo, one of the most esteemed artists of our age, to the ineffable sense of humor and sheer hilarity brought by Brod Pete, aka Ishko Salvador, you will be treated to a night that will astound, tickle your funny bone, and everything else in between.

Special guests also abound, including the European illusionist Oliver, and musical guests Gloc 9 and Dice and K9. This is a night you shouldn’t miss if you want a Friday night worth remembering.

Tickets are priced at 400 and 600 bucks apiece only. For reservations, feel free to call/text Badette of PETA at 4108822 and 09175158433. I’m going to be there to support the event, and if you love these guys like I know you do, I’m sure you’d want to support them as well. =)

Catch you there!

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.:Meron Akong Kwento…:.

Nawa’y maibigan ninyo ang aking munting pagtatanghal. Isang taimtim na pag-alala sa isa sa mga idolo kong nararapat nating pasalamatan sa kanyang himig at puso. Marahil, hindi nga ako isang mangangawit, ngunit sana nama’y nabigyan ko ng hustisya ang awiting ito.

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.:Catch You There, Everyone!:.

Well, one-half of Kel ‘n Jay, yours truly, will be performing this Saturday at Holy Spirit in Mendiola for their fair in a show entitled “Mind Bogglers”, around 3PM or so. It will, as always, be a fun blend of laughs and gasps as you’ve come to expect from me and my partner Jay.

Tickets are a very affordable 20 pesos each, so here’s hoping that I catch some of you guys, as I perform what ought to be one of my most high-profile shows so far this year. Here’s to seeing you guys out there!

P.S. Wait… or is it “Mind Bloggers”? Well, you can ask Corinne Evangelista for more details, if ever.

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Need we say more! From Kel and Jay, thanks for all the support, and here’s to bigger and better things in 2009!

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.:The Stritz Event, At Long Last…:.

Taking the action to the Stritz…

It’s been a long time coming, but the first true-blue Kel and Jay performance happened just last September 27 for the UP Circle of Entrepreneurs. While Jay and I have been performing with each other for the longest time, this was the first time we had a full-fledged show based on our interactions, rather than just one of us performing onstage at a time. Seeing as how this event happened so close to the conclusion of the UAAP Basketball Finals, it was natural that much of our ribbing would involve how ADMU beat DLSU in the finals. After all, I’m from ADMU, and Jay’s from La Salle… heh.

The night was a perfect stage for Jay and I, as we performed for them amid amazingly great gourmet food that are actually outgrowths of various kinds of street food. Hence, the term st+ritz. The pictures do more justice to what I mean than anything else…

Yummeh.

In any case, we had this event scheduled for a long while already, and we really wanted to floor the audiences with a lineup of magic, mentalism, and of course, comedy. Naturally, the stark contrast between my presentation style and Jay’s yielded a lot of good moments as well, seeing how serious Jay was amid my insistence on poking fun at him throughout his act. Nonetheless, the audiences were definitely impressed with Jay’s daredevil routines, including the infamous game of Russian Roulette which had members of the audience screaming.

Do not try this at home!

I naturally did my favorite routine of shackles and rope, and for the most part, the audience really got into it, and I managed to pick the perfect volunteers for my routines. It was also cool that we didn’t particularly need a microphone as the sound carried over well enough for us to perform without too many hitches…

The rope of doom!

The audience received us very warmly, and it was really fun, as I personally love having an excuse to perform in my white suit and all that… at the same time, it got me to thinking that while Jay and I are admittedly not the most skilled magicians in the country, we make up for it by our ability to connect to our audience in a very unique and interesting way. I’m sure some purists disagree with this approach, but Jay and I build a rapport with our audience to the point that they’re less likely to remember the things we did that night, and more likely to simply remember the two of us as performers who amused and entertained them.

Furthermore, the Kel and Jay dynamic is really something that hasn’t been quite explored by most other performers. Normally, it’s easy to do magic or even mentalism when in a group, assuming you don’t have to really interact with the other performers with you. The minute you have to do something as a tandem, the whole dynamic changes, and you have to find a way to reshape your approach at performing, and you have to ensure you don’t overshadow each other. It’s a delicate balance you have to strike out, but Jay and I have been working on it, and we’d like to think that it’s quite a unique selling point, especially since our performance styles, while obviously an outgrowth of our influences (Bing Lim-It, Derren Brown, Richard Osterlind, Penn and Teller, etc…), has taken on a life of its own.

The boys are back!

After our onstage performance punctuated by a mind-boggling display of mind reading, we moved onto doing some good old table-hopping, as Jay treated them with mentalism and card shark techniques, and I took things in the traditional magic direction. It was really cool having the audiences interact with us, because they were very appreciative of our show. It does the heart good when your audience is all smiles and is clearly grateful for seeing your show… =)

In any case, thanks to Brenda, Annelle, and the rest of UPCE for having Kel and Jay over last September! Here’s hoping we can entertain you again soon!

For the coming year, you can expect bigger and better things from Kel and Jay. We have a lot of things cooking, and after Laughs And Gasps, Stritz, and countless other endeavors, things can only get more exciting. In fact, the next things we have lined up might void our insurances altogether… heh.

P.S. Yep. That shirt was pink. Or was it purple? =P

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.:A Double Celebration:.

Yehey Christmas Party!

Image courtesy of Azrael.

Victory couldn’t be any sweeter… heh. People were joking that it was one heck of a “talent fee” for me, since not only did I sing, I also performed magic that night. Lol.

MTV And DOT: A Perfect Combination?

Image courtesy of Laszlo

Well, a mere two days later, on 17 December, Yehey again graciously invited us bloggers over to be a part of a teaser for the upcoming stuff the Department Of Tourism has lined up… and this includes a tie-up with MTV, and even some amazing collaboration with none other than Happy Slip herself, whom I got to meet personally for the very first time. At hand during the night as well as Secretary Ace Durano, who looked so hip you wouldn’t think he works for the government. =P

Anyways, at some point, I did perform for them. The fork is sort of a giveaway when it comes to that… =P

Image courtesy of Noemi Dado

Image courtesy of Azrael

In any case, there were lots of exciting plans underway, including a huge concert we can only dub as “Rockapelago”. More details will turn up as they are made available, but this celebration is touted as the “biggest concert the Philippines has ever had”. Given how the Oktoberfest launch was indeed the biggest this year, it leads one to wonder how they’re going to top that one, and which artists we’d expect to be in tow for the event, but thankfully, we’re not going to expect Batista as one of the performers.

Aside from the DOT people and Happy Slip, here are two of the marketing people from MTV Asia, all the way from Singapore…

Image courtesy of Monique

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m rather stoked about this event. If there’s any hope that Kel and Jay could collaborate on a national level all the same, we’d be more than willing to pull our share as well… heh. This is big, and as a guy who does want to see the rest of the Philippines before setting foot abroad again, methinks this should be a really great project I hope I can take part in, even just by blogging about things as they come. =)

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<b>.:Umm… Whut?:.</b>

Lemme talk about my show last Friday, which was simply one of the craziest shows I ever had. I took a show for a friend, and needless to say, I was genuinely surprised with how things turned out… heh.

So anyways… my initial evaluation of the event was that it was my worst show ever. Then again, when I thought about it a bit, it was one of my most awesome shows ever, if only for the sheer bizarreness of the whole night.

It opened a bit annoyingly, truth be told. The company’s owner was a veritable heckler, and he didn’t like that he couldn’t figure out how the magic was done. Needless to say, his antagonism of all things magical but undecodable would set the mood for the rest of the night, as I was wowing the audience with my hybrid stage/table hopping show, and he was loudly complaining that he doesn’t like that I’m using “small props”.

Let’s back up a moment here, because I have to point out something… <b>I was booked to do table magic, not stage magic</b>. Despite that, when I was asked to improvise, I still managed to do so, because really, that’s what professionals do. All the while, he was complaining loudly, and it was obvious everyone else did not share his opinion.

So anyways, despite the infuriating turn of events, I still did my show well, and the appreciative audiences made it clear that night. Soon enough, the owner was asked to make a speech, and it was a doozy! Every forty-five seconds, he practically demanded applause! Here are some snippets from his amazing 30-minute long (drunken) monologue…

<font color=orange><i>It’s going to be Christmas, and you’d get a bonus soon. Pero yun lang ba yon? Bonus lang? Palakpakan niyo naman ako!

You eat my food, drink my drinks, as I welcome you to this… merrymaking. Yun lang ba yon? Merrymaking lang? Palakpakan niyo naman ako!

It’s so hard to speak here in front of you. Sana naman, lend me your hears. At palakpakan niyo naman ang inyong leader.

I am the great (NAME OMITTED)! I have the blood of martyrs. Martyrs like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio. Isang letter lang baguhin mo sa pangalan ko, martir na ako! What about you? Do you have the blood of a martyr? Please do.

What word can you form from “Merry”? Diba, you can form my name? What about “Christmas”? Hiram ka lang ng “N” sa “New Year”, pwede mo na rin gawin ang family name ko! Therefore, I AM MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Can anyone here replace me? Of course not! Bakit pa? Para saan pa? Eh I am the best president this company ever had! Palakpakan naman yang best na iyan!!!

</i></font>Did I mention that he was the guy who started the company? It’s easy to be the best president of the company when you’ve been its <b>only</b> president…

This was bizarre and hilarious, but I certainly would hope to never have to go through it again… heh.

<b>.:In Contrast…:.</b>

… I had an awesome show last Tuesday for a very intimate gathering of family and friends somewhere in Quezon City.

While I guaranteed a performance of about an hour, the very receptive crowd ended up getting treated to a full extra hour of non-stop magic, comedy, and even mentalism. It was, without a doubt, one of my best close-up shows to date, and it definitely got great reactions all around. Needless to say, the people got more than their money’s worth because I was just hitting my stride and all.

Ah, well. Here’s hoping for more of these awesome close-up shows in the near future.

Personal Commentary magikel, wtfery

Although it’s been said, many times, many ways…

… Merry Christmas, one and all!

I’m spending it alone, but a call from My Beloved lifted my spirits. Let’s not forget the reason for the season. This is Christmas, not Santamas.

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