THE BALLOON MAN

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Life's a never-ending circus for Cirque ring leader Guy Laliberte

By REED JOHNSON
Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES - A few days ago in Los Angeles, a smooth-scalped man in a black leather jacket, jeans and sneakers got a red-carpet treatment that royalty might envy.

Not one, but two, L.A. City Council members took turns gushing over him. His fellow countryman, the director James Cameron, praised the honoree as a theatrical magus who conjures "living dreams," populated with aerialists, acrobats and clowns that are actually amusing. Then, as a beaming Hollywood Chamber of Commerce representative looked on, Guy Laliberte, the press-shy billionaire founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil, stepped forward to unveil his and Cirque's shiny new star, the 2,424th on the Walk of Fame.

The VIP theatrics were telling. On July 21, the Montreal-based Cirque will pull the drapes off its latest high-flying extravaganza, the Hollywood-themed "Iris." The new show has a 10-year contract to perform at the Kodak Theatre, which annually hosts the Academy Awards ceremony but has had trouble filling its cavernous 3,400-seat enclosure year-round.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/06/3236641/lifes-a-never-ending-circus-for.html#ixzz17QMekS1K

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Illucinator, DaVinci to star in upcoming circus production

Illuscinator, David DaVinci performing the squisher.
(Photo provided )
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Lecia Forester , Daily Dunklin Democrat

Master illusionist David DaVinci has made a name for himself as a top-notch entertainer and world class magician.
He has only been with Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus for a year and a half, but when he came to the "Greatest Show on Earth" he'd already completed two world tours with sold out performances in over 20 countries. DaVinci has also appeared in numerous television programs and holds several Guinness World Records.

DaVinci's manager, who used to be a clown, knew the owners of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, When he found out that they wanted to build a whole show around magic, he got in touch with the Felds of Feld Entertainment and arranged a private showcase. DaVinci performed before a total of four people and was offered a job on the spot, The next day, the contracts were sent to him.

DaVinci began his magic career at an early age. When asked how he became involved in the craft, he said, "My brother got a magic kit for Christmas and he stuck it in the closet, and I was about six years old when I started learning tricks and by the fifth grade I did my first show. Everytime I would do one show, I'd get two more out of it and then I'd get four more." He added how doing magic kept evolving and when he got into high school, he was making good money at it, performing at elementary schools and private parties receiving anywhere from $500 to $2500.
READ MORE AT:
http://www.dddnews.com/story/1685555.html

Comedy pet theater in Modesto

Dec 03, 2010 (The Modesto Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --

If it weren't for Gregory Popovich, dozens of pets could have had an early death.

He rescues cats and dogs from animal shelters and puts them in his traveling "Comedy Pet Theater" show, which is coming to the State Theatre in Modesto on Thursday.

The show came to the Turlock Community Theatre in March. Popovich and the talented animals also have appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and Animal Planet.

"We show how smart they are, how talented they are," Popovich said. "We nickname our show 'Second Chance.' " About 30 pets will dance, fly through the air, balance on a ladder and learn math and geography lessons in "school." Popovich said he watches the pets at his house and builds tricks around their natural abilities and habits.

"I don't push them to go against their nature," he said.

The 90-minute show also includes variety acts from the Moscow Circus and lots of European-style physical comedy. There will be acrobats, juggling and balancing acts.
Popovich grew up in a family of Russian circus performers and performed with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus before starting his own act. Because his mother was a pet trainer, he found it natural to work with animals.

"For me, it was easy to communicate with pets -- easier than communicating with humans," he said.

He uses his shows in California to promote the state's Pet Lovers license plate. Proceeds from sales of the license plate are distributed to cities and counties for free and low-cost spay/neuter programs.

In Modesto, he also is partnering with the Humane Society of Stanislaus County, which will bring shelter animals to the lobby of the State Theatre.

He thinks the performance will offer something for everybody.

Las Vegas Comedy Show Brian Hoffman's~Remembering Red! a Tribute to Red Skelton Show

http://www.redskeltoncomedyshow.com/videos.html

Marionville goes nuts over white squirrels

A white squirrel in Marionville. People leave birdhouse-like boxes and cobs of corn out in hopes of catching a fleeting glimpse of these unique creatures. The white squirrel population has varied over the years. (Bob Linder / News-Leader)Everett Kennell • News-Leader • December 5, 2010
Springfield, MO
Branson may have music shows and Springfield may have the Bass Pro mother store, but around here, only Marionville has white squirrels.

Nobody's sure how Marionville's colony of white squirrels got started. They are believed to have been around since the town was incorporated in 1854.
A popular tale links the white rodents to a circus that was passing through town. Jim Smart doesn't buy it.
"Some people say they got away from a traveling circus. There were no traveling circuses here then," he said.
Smart, a lifelong local resident, keeps tabs on white squirrels in the community and looks after those on his property.
He and his wife, Carrell, have lived in their home since 1958. It was a few years after that when they looked out the window and saw a lone white squirrel.
"We saw one white squirrel on the gas tank and said it would be neat to have a lot of them," he said.
Things took off from there.
The local Lions Club began building den boxes -- more then 500 were eventually built. Gray squirrels were moved to other locations. Nut-bearing trees were planted.
The Lions Club sold white squirrel T-shirts and souvenirs as fundraisers for its benefit projects.
A local ordinance prohibits harming or trapping white squirrels, Smart said, although he can't recall anyone ever being charged.
read more at:
http://www.news-leader.com/article/20101205/COLUMNISTS29/12050363/Marionville-goes-nuts-over-white-squirrels