Penn And Teller: Fool Us

[poliphilo]

I've always liked magic shows. Penn and Teller: Fool Us (awkward title)  is a magic show with a touch of the X Factor. Aspiring performers strut their stuff and if Penn and Teller can't tell how they worked a particular trick they get booked for Penn and Teller's Las Vegas show. The only thing I don't like about it is the compering of Jonathan Ross- who combines tastelessness (two jokes about wanking last night) with a grovelling need to be loved. Great comics never ingratiate.  Penn and Teller (who would still be a great double act without the magic) don't ingratiate. Penn is a blaggardy loud-mouth and Teller is a cunning imp. Paul Daniels (great British magician who used to be big on TV) was saying in an interview I read yesterday that he advises young magicians to learn from non-magic acts. Magic isn't enough. You've got to entertain around the tricks. Daniels himself took Bruce Forsyth as his model. With Penn and Teller you've got the classic big man/little man dynamic. They've learned from Laurel and Hardy, from the Marx Brothers, from the Three Stooges. They're dangerous.  They're unstable.  At any time Penn could explode with wrath or bombast or Teller do something really sneaky and mean.  

Comments

[mummm.livejournal.com]

Years ago when I was teaching art one of the items on the curriculum was to teach the students the elements and principles of design. I found some wonderful videos staring Penn and Teller that demonstrates all of them in funny and very entertaining ways. Those guys are awesome!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We haven't seen much of P & T over the years- and it's great that they've finally been given this show on British TV.

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

If you still have links to those videos, I would love to see them!

[mummm.livejournal.com]

That was some time ago and they were VHS tapes. I'll have to do a search though I am guessing that if they are still available they are listed on sites that carry art teacher materials. Unfortunately I don't recall the name of them and I have no access to the school items anymore.