Critics Corner...

I was stumbling around the inter tube this morning
Checking the normal blogs
Seeing what is new (not much)
Reading the opinions of faithful readers and sects
And even though I know better then to look
I end up in San Fransisco reading what is "wrong" with Show Biz
I gotta hand it to this guy he is entertaining
In an Angela Lansbury kinda way
He is a pro's pro
In the know
Dat's Fo Show

His newest attempt at luring in readers
And trying to convince anyone he is an "expert"
Involves questioning the ethics of several shows


I am impressed...
Current Affair here we come
Those nasty Feld Entertainment guys are advertising
A high wire act that is no longer there
They should be ashamed
And it will end up being the demise of their
Beautiful grade A tented circus
Says the San Fran Treat

We will see I guess
I doubt it will play much of a role in any demise

My favorite was subtly slipping his name in a list of
Guest "STARS" who could play grandma at BAC
That was where he really lured me in for some audience participation
My comment of

"Here is a trickle...

"why not hire guest celebrities to do Grandma? Madonna? Dr. Phil? Ophra? Simon Cowell? ShowBiz David?"


Guest celeb ShowBiz David
You are kidding rite???


Apparently your arrogance knows no boundries...

Simon and ShowBiz is like
Lou Jacobs and Payaso of the week
One sells tickets...
The other just likes to blow his own whistle..."

Is not likely to get through quality control
With critics, all sales are final


His left field, weak shot, at K&M was that the performers
Were not "international" enough
He wants Chinese, African, or something more exotic then
Americans, Brazilians, Peruvians, or Mexicans
Sorry we couldn't meet your high standards of recruitment
I am sure JRNII will get rite on globe trotting to find
Something that meets your approval

Now for the policing of these ethics bylaws
I suggest you and your friend Boyi head back to Coney Island
Introduce yourselves as the ones who thought Vincenta
Was to hefty to do rings
And ask them how the structure of the tent is holding up
Would do you well to have the Tiger Whisperer pound some ethics
into you

I am giving three to one odds she would not only take both of you
But you guys could leave with some of those false advertising programs
Wedged into a certain part of your anatomies...


All in a good days fun

Some Practice...

The first video is of Kali doing the hind leg jump
I thought she wasn't going to work out for this trick
But she has come along very nice
She is still coming a little to hot
But very manageable


Next is Shonti
I have not been picking her up recently
Because of the health problem
So after almost three weeks of not doing it
She not only felt very heavy
I must admit I was a little nervous of her reaction
Gotta stay on this one


Last is Jai jumping the two hurdles
The second hurdle is 8 inches higher then the first one
You can see she gets some good height on it
I am very proud of this cat she is doing great

Dolgeville...

Early shows yesterday
Went out to eat after the show
And learned a little about the town
The restaurant was across the street from this cool old factory

Built by Alfred Dolge, in 1882, the Dolgeville mill
Made green felt for pianos and pool tables
It was one of the first factories to have a hydroplant generator
Because of Mr. Dolge and Mr. Edison being friends
Later in its life the factory made Daniel Green shoes
Until the 1990's when the company was moved to China
We really don't make anything for ourselves nowdays I guess...

Katies Diner was a good choice for food
And they had these neat fiberglass "Blues Brothers" things



Inside were lots of neat antiques and what not
And some chicanery from the clowns


Burned up a wheel bearing on the house this morning
Hoping Castro can get it all back together before tomorrow
Faith...
Thats what I need
Wasn't that Obama guy selling that stuff...
Wait no...
That was hope...
I hope he stops campaigning soon and
Starts doing some of the stuff he promised


Business has been good
Today the first show is filled up
Word is the crowds at KM unit 2 were good as well
Glad to know people do still like the circus
Sometimes it is hard to tell

And Now...Back To Your Regular Scheduled Programing...

Lyme disease wasn't so bad
Getting better
Feeling fine now
Antibiotics are a pain
And give me some stomach problems
But I suppose it could have all been worse

We have had a couple days off since my last post
Last Sunday we were off close to Albany NY
I took the wife and kids (Clown Kids Too) to the mall
We had a good time once we finally found it
And then went 20 miles the wrong way on the way home
With a GPS in the car???

We also had this Wed. off and we were close to Glen's Falls
So we spent the day at The Great Escape Park
Becky Ostroff was kind enough to get us in for free
She is working in the dive show there





The park was ok
Years ago I remember seeing circus acts every summer at this park
We played around here alot on Franzen
Chad and I would make several trips to the park over the summer
And even more trips to Lake George chasing girls
Ah misspent youth...


The next day we had goofy show times for the local camps
2:00 and 7:30
There's how you waste a whole day folks...
In between shows Steve and I hiked up the ski slope in North Creek
And I snapped a few pics of the tent from




I have been fee;ling better for a few days now
But the internet has been awful this week in upstate NY
I will try to get back to posting regularly
If service will allow

I have some video for tomorrow of some practice
Maybe some more pics as well

Thanks to all for the get well wishes
It meant alot and I am sure it helped

Be safe out there
It is a jungle...

Lemons Disease...

So...
If you are ever in New England
And you git bitten by a tick
And a few days later you have a mark like this...

I suggest going straight down to the local hospital
And getting on some antibiotics
Cause you probably have Lyme Disease
Or as Georgia has renamed it
Lemons Disease
I will know for sure if I have it in about six days
They draw blood and run tests
They felt sure enough I had it yesterday to start treatment
Gave me a shot and some pills
Told me to stay out of the sun
I worked the act the first show
Then walked out the door and puked for 20 mins
Couldn't get up to do the second show
It kinda feels like your bones are on fire under your skin
Not very pleasant
They seemed pretty sure we caught it before anything really bad
I didn't like it when the doctor told me
"If you wake up blind or paralyzed, don't panic, it will probably go away"

Thanks Doc!

Last Week...

Was very busy last week
Took the kids to the Southwick Zoo
Visited the Cole Show
And had lots of visitors
My good buddy Mat Coes came by yesterday with his beautiful
daughter Isabel (Georgia's new best friend)
We had a few laughs reminiscing about the good ol days
On Franzen Mat taught me how to play a few songs on a guitar
And look at me now!!!!,,,,,HAHA
We had the South Shore Band playing at the show in Berkeley MA.
Other assorted visitors, and friends
Including Ryan Combs family
Last night Cap. Johnny and I went to see the Cole show
Had a good visit with Mike, Carolyn, and Louie.
Saw some great acts, saw some poor acts
No show is perfect
Here are a few pics of me and Georgia at the zoo





Biz has been great in Mass this year again
And the jumps have been short and sweet
Will almost be a shame to leave

Kali...

Have been working with Kali on the hind leg hurdle as well
She is a much more agile cat then Jai
As you can see she clears this hurdle by just pulling her feet up
She is finally getting the idea to come and do it
She is not the fastest learner
But she is ready to be the back up
Cause you never know what can happen

Posting Frenzy...

While I am at it with the posts
I will share another comment I sent in for
The San Francisco Treat
Mr Biz Dave

I think I like this one better then the Grisham quote
And Teddy is never "out dated"

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Theodore Roosevelt

So Showbiz, the question is, I guess
Have you ever lost or won anything??

Finger Update...

For the fans of yucky stuff
And the folks who have asked about how it is healing
Here is the smashed finger as of today



I had to do minor surgery on it yesterday
It was feeling really good and had quit hurting
But that was somehow related to the nail swelling up with
Infection under it
I cut away all the loose nail with cuticle nippers
Then blasted a good coat of Lysol on it
Today the infection is gone just some pain
From the raw skin underneath

Happy Fathers Day...

To all the dads out there
I had a great one so far
Georgia gave me a card from her and Genevieve
And I got one from Natalie as well
And a bunch of Happy Fathers Day texts





The card that Georgia got me is neat
Because I have called her Little Bear since she was an infant
Mostly because she can snap and get ferocious in a half a second
I don't know where she got that temper from...

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service...

So Ryan's grandparents came yesterday and took he and Steve to lunch
At a swanky German Joint
Not knowing Ryan was not dressed for the occasion
What makes this odd, is that Ryan is always Mr. Fashion around here
Overdressed is an understatement
Anyways, the waiter offered Ryan one of those neato chef jackets
And said he could stay if he wore it...
And he did...
With most of the joint giving him the "look at this clown" look

Never one to miss a chance to rub salt in
I made a special sign for A.O.'s tonight



Before anyone gets their panties bound up
No one at the Bar B Q has any racial prejudice
We just have a ton of un PC humor
And keep in mind we pick on everyone equally

So...
Because Ryan is 1/4 Chinese and 3/4 Italian
He was lucky enough to dine wearing this...




I feel it is the most stylish thing he has worn of late
Luckily Luigi Chan was a temp manager and we are back to the original

Camping...

Caught this picture of A.O.'s Bar and Grill the other night
With the row of trees between the trailers and the swamp
It looked like we were camping at one of those high-line joints

Two Hurdles...

I was having a heck of a time getting this
Then today a bear trainer gave me an idea
And some motivation with
"It isn't a real trick unless she jumps two or more hurdles"
That is the kinda thing that gets me moving on stuff




And before anyone says anything about my clothes
I am shooting for comfort not style...Obviously...

Leap Frog...

Been working on this little combo
Has all kinds of leap frogging
As well as a comedy bit with Shonti
Is going good all together so far

Blog Week In Review...

Well it has been tough beat after tough beat this week
On the blogs mentioning the Mighty KM show
I have chimed in here and there
I was also censored by one blog
Odd because I felt my comment, which was a quote, really hit home
I guess the San Francisco Treat doesn't like his critiquing critiqued

Here is the quote:
"Life is simpler ignoring reviews, and the nasty people that write them. Critics should find meaningful work"
John Grisham

Now...
I am well aware that critiquing is essential to gain greatness
We all know you can't putz along in life believing everything
You do is great, or you will accomplish nothing great
I always listen when people say what they don't like about something
And try to figure out what they "DO" like about it


So...
Lets review the reviews
On Clown alley
My friend Pat Cashin...that is rite MY FRIEND
Starts by pointing out that his "FRIENDS" Steve, Ryan, Natalie, and I
Are doing a great job
This can't carry too much weight, because like I said, WE ARE FRIENDS
I feel confident that our acts are GREAT, but just the same, he is a friend
Pat then mentions what he didn't like
That would be the rest of the show to the untrained eye
But if you read between them
It is something else
Management...
They control the pacing, the zip, the pizazz, the pitches
He doesn't like that
Maybe there is an underlying beef from last year
I don't know, he never told me there was
But I know human nature to know that is where this gun was aimed
I just don't know why
I agree with Pat on some of the issues he points out
And think they are fixable
But to the untrained eye this review comes off as
Sour Grapes of yesterday's wine


Next we have the San Fran Review Board
Professional Circus and Theater Critic!!
The man who knows
The man so in the know he can critique shows he has never even seen
I feel you will all be quite impressed!
Showbiz speculates that three years out,,,JRNII's boat is sunk
He is basing that on two youtube clips, and the reviews of some disgruntled
Circus folks.
This guy is good
My personal favorite is that he then posts a rescue 12 step program for shows
Which I assume he has at least run one if not owned a few
He is obviously clueless as he makes the remark


"This sort of a show might work fine for the
niche public it serves down the road"

Hey bonehead, those are the only people that matter really
I have yet to ever enter the tent to find the seats filled
With circus fans and fly by night circus critics
Has never happened
The nice things about this guy not liking the show he hasn't seen is
1: We aren't losing a customer, he has never bought a ticket
2: His blog is not read by many others, certainly none of our
niche public, so his word of mouth advertising won't hurt either

Hey Showbiz who knows about advertising now?!?!


We also had alot of pictures run on Buckles this week
Some had commentary
Mostly good feedback and some honest critiquing
All in all it was a good week here on the show
Lots of people
We all got paid on Sunday without any song or dance
And the grill had meat all 7 nights
I am sure there are tons of improvements to be made here
As there are on any show
But just the same I am proud to say I work here
And to not have to knock it from a distance like others.


Please please...talk amongst yourselves...