Fielding West on the cover of Magic Magazine
I met Fielding forty-five years ago. If you watched him back then, you could tell he was chasing “funny” the way a beagle chases rabbits. Mr. West is regularly a headliner in Las Vegas, tours, performs on cruise ships, and is booked frequently as a comedic keynote speaker. In spite of a busy schedule, he still takes time to teach the arts and crafts of magic to young comedians and actors. Fielding is often seen in the company of his friend, Bob the Bird, who is by now a celebrity in his own right. Personally, I often wonder why Bob puts up with Fielding, but together, they have one of the funniest shows on the strip. To read more about Fielding, see the March 2012 issue of:
*************************
Van Brown as Mark Twain (video from a recent performance):
http://www.youtube.com/marktwainreturns
http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/news/2011/nov/15/mark-twain-to-entertain-at-newborn-schoolhouse/
Van Brown performing as Mark Twain
*****
A Speaker Worthy of Distinction
The first week of August, 2011, My friend, Dan Thurmon was inducted into the National Speakers Association Council of Peers Award for Excellence – Speaker Hall of Fame at their convention being held in Anaheim, California. This is an elite distinction including less than 200 individuals since its inception. Previous recipients include Norman Vincent Peale, Ronald Reagan, Zig Ziglar, Og Mandio, and some of the most respected names in the public speaking profession. No more than a maximum of five speakers receive the honor each year. It is always a joy to see someone you care about achieve their goals, and I’ve been watching Dan accomplish his targets regularly since he was in high school. Congratulations Dan!
*************************
An Audience Worthy of Distinction
The third week of July, 2011, I arrived in Valdosta the day before a scheduled performance there. I was greeted by a newspaper article published on the front of the lifestyle section of their previous Sunday’s edition. It was a pleasant surprise to see the article so detailed, and that the writer took so much effort to research his story. I found out later that the man who wrote it, Dean Poling, is the author of the novel: Waiting for Willie and other works.
The patrons of the arts center were very generous and responsive. There were former faculty and staff members who knew me as a student, as well as several of my old classmates in that group. You have to understand how humbling that can be. It is fair to say this was one of the best audiences I’ve ever had, and certainly the best in a long time. I’m so glad I agreed to do that show. It did a lot to renew my feelings for the good people of the city of Valdosta, Georgia.
http://valdostadailytimes.com/features/x1424065046/Arts-Center-hosts-VSU-grad-in-Mark-Twain-show
*************************
I just looked out the window, and nothing else seems to be going on that you’d care to hear about. Maybe I’m using the wrong window. Here is another one to try if you wish to take a peek:
“Just put your mouse on a city anywhere in the world and the newspaper headlines (front page) pop up…Double click and the page gets larger….you can read the entire paper on some if you click on the right place. You can spend forever here.
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/
Also, if you look at the European papers, the far left side of Germany will pop up as The Stars & Stripes (European edition, of course). AND, this site changes every day with the publication of new editions of the papers.” –(somebody emailed this link to me).
