Saturday, September 19, 2009
ELMO GIBB: Teeny Weeny Circus
The new promotional video for Dean "Elmo Gibb" Chambers' one man (multi-dog & one pony) fair show, The Teeny Weeny Circus. I hope that he's coming to the fair conventions for MD/DE, NY, and PA.
JACKO FOSSETT AND BILLY MERCHANT
Photos courtesy of Sue Lenz
Jacko Fossett
Jacko and his longtime comedy partner, Little Billy Merchant
Jacko and Little Billy playing cowboys and other cowboys
Jacko with his wife Connie and their Comedy Car routine
Little Billy at the wheel
Jacko, Antonio, Little Billy and Nikki gang up to charm a snake
Jacko Fossett
Jacko and his longtime comedy partner, Little Billy Merchant
Jacko and Little Billy playing cowboys and other cowboys
Jacko with his wife Connie and their Comedy Car routine
Little Billy at the wheel
Jacko, Antonio, Little Billy and Nikki gang up to charm a snakeI have just discovered that Jacko Fossett is the "uncle" of Laci "Mooky" Endresz Jnr. of the Blackpool Tower Circus. I just got a lovely message from Laci's mom, Maureen, and will post more on the subject as soon as time permits.
Friday, September 18, 2009
BABY NEWS: We're Coming Down To the Wire
Today we are preparing to move into the Ronald McDonald House in Camden (just over the bridge from Philadelphia) where we will spend the last month of the pregnancy so that the baby will be delivered at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Everything is going perfectly with the pregnancy and James is already 6 pounds.
We are told that he has a hole in his heart, and that is a good thing for the procedure that he'll need to have done. The hole means that he won't be born blue, that the blood pumping through his heart will be oxygenated just enough that he won't need to be rushed immediately into surgery; he'll (hopefully) be able to wait a week.
Then he'll need open heart surgery to transpose the arteries and veins into his heart and his chest will need to stay open for three days for the swelling to go down. He'll stay at the hospital for up to three weeks before we can take him home. Then we'll need to take him back and forth to Philadelphia for weekly and then monthly check ups for the next few years.
We're extremely lucky to be so close. I don't know what we'd do if we weren't just an hour away. There are only three hospitals in the country for this type of procedure.
I know it's not the happiest news in the world, but it could be much worse. We see children and their families on each visit there who have a much longer road ahead of them than we do.
So, for right now, we have to trust that we are in good hands, that we have done all that we could and hope for the best.
Clownalley.net hasn't been a priority for me the last few months, and given the idea that James may arrive as soon as tomorrow or as late as the end of next month, means that it will become even less of a priority in the foreseeable future.
So, if you find that things here get erratic and the blog is updated hourly (while I'm sitting around with little to do) or not at all (because I've got too much to do) please bear with me and we all get through this and get James home safely.
Thanks,
~P
We are told that he has a hole in his heart, and that is a good thing for the procedure that he'll need to have done. The hole means that he won't be born blue, that the blood pumping through his heart will be oxygenated just enough that he won't need to be rushed immediately into surgery; he'll (hopefully) be able to wait a week.
Then he'll need open heart surgery to transpose the arteries and veins into his heart and his chest will need to stay open for three days for the swelling to go down. He'll stay at the hospital for up to three weeks before we can take him home. Then we'll need to take him back and forth to Philadelphia for weekly and then monthly check ups for the next few years.
We're extremely lucky to be so close. I don't know what we'd do if we weren't just an hour away. There are only three hospitals in the country for this type of procedure.
I know it's not the happiest news in the world, but it could be much worse. We see children and their families on each visit there who have a much longer road ahead of them than we do.
So, for right now, we have to trust that we are in good hands, that we have done all that we could and hope for the best.
Clownalley.net hasn't been a priority for me the last few months, and given the idea that James may arrive as soon as tomorrow or as late as the end of next month, means that it will become even less of a priority in the foreseeable future.
So, if you find that things here get erratic and the blog is updated hourly (while I'm sitting around with little to do) or not at all (because I've got too much to do) please bear with me and we all get through this and get James home safely.
Thanks,
~P
Thursday, September 17, 2009
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: Banana Shpeel on AGT
A preview of Cirque du Soleil's new production, BANANA SHPEEL, from last night's America's Got Talent can be viewed here.
I had some really good oatmeal this morning. I was going to make some for Shane but he wanted Lucky Charms instead.
I had some really good oatmeal this morning. I was going to make some for Shane but he wanted Lucky Charms instead.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
COUNT POPO DE BATHE: From the Estate of Adonna Houston
Photos and video courtesy of Lynne Bell, from the estate of Adonna Houston,
...and at Fairyland in Oakland, CA in 1977.
Count PoPo DeBathe and likeness at The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, CT.
Riding a basket horse in the early 1940s.
Performing in El Paso, TX in 1947.
PoPo with Mr. Morris' Monks in 1924...
...and at Fairyland in Oakland, CA in 1977.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
MINIFEST: Registration is now open!!!
Jango EdwardsRegistration is now open for this year's Minifest variety arts conference. Two of this year's instructors, Mark Jaster and Jango Edwards, have already been revealved with another major announcement coming very, very soon.
Mark JasterMiniFest is November 3-6, 2009
Come experience 4 days of incredible career enhancement for variety performers!
Come experience 4 days of incredible career enhancement for variety performers!
Monday, September 14, 2009
GEORGE CARL: The Entire 18 Minutes!
Link courtesy of Mark Evanier's NEWS FROM ME
From Mr Evanier's blog...
This is going to make some of you very happy. In the past, I've linked to short clips of the great clown George Carl performing truncated versions of his wonderful act. This video, which runs around eighteen minutes, appears to be his complete routine as he was performing it at the time this was shot, which I'm guessing is around 1992 or so. It's from a stage show done at an Australian casino.
George passed away in 2000. He did versions of this act for over fifty years, honing every second of it to perfection. I feel very fortunate that I got to see him do it live, which made it at least three times funnier. He was in a show in Vegas serving where he served as a respite between dance routines by beautiful shirtless ladies. Do you know how hard it is to steal a show from beautiful shirtless ladies? George Carl did it, performing a set that went pretty much like this, minus the silly intro..
From the person who posted the video to YouTube...
This is George Carl performing a show called "Starz". It was performed at Conrad Jupiter's Casino, on the Gold Coast , Australia. It was the first production to be staged at Conrad Jupiter's Casino. The second show was called Galaxies. Both shows set a very high benchmark for high quality production shows in Australia.They both enjoyed long runs and full houses. American choreographer Jerry Jackson was the mastermind behind both shows. Jim Macdonald was the producer with his company called "Delicado Productions".