Tongue wagging good time

Stuart Bray has put some wonderful instructional videos on youtube detailing how to make some wonderfully realistic tongues.

So..if you just don't know what to do for the Holidays ..I say tongues are in this season.  =P


Stuart Bray tongue-tastic video Number #1 Video Number #2 shows you how to make those tongue gruesome! But of course you could paint it all pretty with sparkles and glitter...just sayin'. For more of Stuarts makeup fx check out his youtube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/stuartbray73 Enjoy! CJ

Double Talk 2013 featuring Ronn Lucas September 15th!!

Less than a month for a great show!!

Ronn Lucas will feature his one man show at Double Talk 2013 sponsored by the Vent Haven Museum.  Ronn is a wonderfully talented Ventriloquist and all around good guy.

Be sure to get your tickets soon as there will only be one show this year.

 

 

 

Don't wait, hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 

Handmade Leather Bracers completed

The previous post shows the process and here is the finished piece(s).

It was fun to see the patterns emerging from the leather as I tooled them in.  I am happy with the way they turned out and might work on another pair of bracers or another leather project when time allows.

Let me know what you think.  :)

Have a great weekend!

Bracer project for Michigan Renaissance festival

I am working on making some leather bracers for my wife and I for the Michigan Renaissance Festival this year. Each year we have tried to add a little bit to our outfit and this year I decided to make leather bracers for us. It has been fun really, to see the progress and to learn more each time I work with them. I bought the materials from Tandy Leather factory's local store in Westland, MI. They have been a real big help.

 

This is the pattern and leather for Tamara's bracers before being cut out. I made the pattern by putting a plastic bag over her wrist and covering that with duct tape, onto which I traced where the bracer should sit when she wears it. I cut that tape pattern out and transferred it to card stock to make the template.

 

Here I have transferred the pattern to the leather prior to beginning to cut in and tool the leather.

 

and like on television when they put a dish in the oven and banm! it's already done..here is the tooled leather before dying.(well actually I did a test run on the first bracer that I tooled to see how it would look dyed black.

 

 

The bracers were dyed and left to dry overnight and here they are with the conchos set on top to see how they will work out. Now to set the conchos and grommet the lace holes after making them of course. Final pics to follow.

Thanks for lookin'

Chris

Reminder: Vent Haven Ventriloquist Convention Coming up THIS week!

It is the final count down to the biggest and "bestest" Ventriloquist convention on the plant! Grab your keys, suitcases and get to Hebron Kentucky for this great event! last year they relocated to the Airport Marriott in Hebron Kentucky and it is a great venue with wonderful amenities! The line up shows and vendors is top notch. If your a performer, collector or fan of ventriloquism this IS the place to be! Check out the schedule for this year:

LOOK at the line up! Jeff Dunham! Terry Fator! Taylor Mason, Paul Zerdin, and So many more! WOW! The dealer room has everything you can imagine and even some things you might not have thought about. Be sure to check them out! This year the convention is the theme is “Celebrating Clinton and Adelia Detweiler” Vent Haven ConVENTion 2013. Clinton and Adelia Detweiler owned and operated the Maher School of Ventriloquism for many years after purchasing it from Madeline Maher in the early 1970's. My first books and training came from them when I was around 13. Always there with help and answers and a great selection of puppets, books, and accessories. Sadly Clinton passed away earlier this year, but he will be there in spirit.

After years of talking to them over the phone I finally had the honor of meeting them in person at teh 2008 Vent Haven ConVention. While at the convention they do a tour of the Vent Haven Museum! This is a must see for everyone whether your a Ventriloquist or not. This collection was started by W.S. Burger and is maintained today by the greatest group passionate to keep W.S.'s dream alive.

If you cannot go to the ConVention you can still contact the Vent Haven museum and arrange a tour.

Hope you can make it! Have a safe and happy Summer! Chris and the Gang.

Farewell George Jones

It is sad to hear that country legand George Jones passed away on April 26th.

In honor of George and his legacy, Don't rock the jukebox, I wanna hear some Jones.

Rest peacfully George.

Set Your Calendars- Free Comic Book Day

Yes, You heard it right, Free Comic Book day is upon us.

 

May 4th, 2013

 

Head over to your local Comic book shop for some free Comic Book Goodness!

While your there check out some of the great titles available... like X-Men, Avengers, Batman, Superman, and SO many more great books.

 

Be sure to check it out!

 

 

 

Olympus has Fallen

We went to see the latest entry from Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler, Olympus has fallen. 

"When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning's inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger crisis. Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) directs an all-star cast featuring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Ashley Judd and Rick Yune."

The movie is action packed but sadly all of the events take place at night, thus leaving us with a dark picture most of the time.  A lot of the action takes place with some small degree of back lighting, sometimes very small.  We both liked the movie but wish perhaps it could have been lit a little more.

Worth the price of a matinee.

Tell me what you thought of the film.

CJ

March 2013 already!?!/

And so here it is...March 2013.  This year is flying by with reckless abandon and I have not posted once..Not Once!  What the heck was I thinking??

Witht hat in mind here is whats on my mind right now.

In April We will be attending the Local horror con, Motor City Nightmares.  I went last year and it was fun so made it a point that even though we have SO much to do at home we will go and enjoy the Horror of the local film scene.  Might even dress up..we will see ;)

Be sure to check out the site and attend this home grown local event!

 

 

We went to see Oz: The Great and Powerful last weekend.  Over all I enjoyed the movie and it was nice to see something made in Michigan again.  I really think KNB Efx did a great job with the makeup, they are a Very talented group of make up artists.  I enjoyed that Oz was a vaudeville Magician and the back story he had.

 

My 6 yr old Daughter enjoyed it as well as my 17 yr old son, so it's a movie good for all ages. 

 

Check it out.



Merry Christmas

From our Family to yours,  we wish you a Very Merry Christmas!

Halloween 2012

As some of you may know by now, Tamara and I had a Halloween Party on October 13th.  Well it was a Halloween Party/Wedding.  The fun part was the wedding was not mentioned in the invitations and only a handful of people knew what was going to happen.  You see, we love Halloween, and wanted to get married in costumes, is there a better way?   We did however decide to do the Cliched thing of dressing up as Frankenstein's Monster and the Bride of Frankenstein.  We did this with a variation however.  She went with straight hair and I was not green.  Later my 5 yr old daughter would say, "maybe next time you should be green".  I will try this on a future application of the makeup, for her. =D

Here is my quick outline of the steps it took to create my makeup.  I used a silicone gel filled appliance, which was very cool and flesh like.  It was also the first attempt so I learned A LOT.

It was a great time all the way around.

Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions for next time.  (The makeup not the getting married part, we're done with those.  I am the luckiest man on the planet)

Little Jeff Dunham Dummy!!!!

It is finally available.  After quite some time in design and production, Jeff Dunham has released "Little Jeff'.  This is going to be THE Holiday gift for aspiring ventriloquists, Ventriloquist figure collectors, and Jeff Dunham fans alike.  With Moving mount AND eyes this is a professional featured figure at an Very affordable price.

You can get yours from Tom Ladshaws Gottle O'Geer website along with all the great collectible for the ventriloquist on your Christmas list. 

Check it out today!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our Family to yours. Wishing you a Very Happy Thanksgiving. Take some time from the busy hectic days and spend it with others and enjoy yourselves. This is a time to be thankful for what we have and not worry about that which we do not. Enjoy the conversation with family and friends, cherish these moments.

Please, while enjoying precious time with your family and friends, take a moment to remember those who cannot be home this Thanksgiving because they are deployed over seas and away from their loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving!

p.s. According to legend, Benjamin Franklin wanted the Turkey to be our national bird. What do you think we would be eating on Thanksgiving if that had happened?

Steve Johnson & Stan Winston School of Character Arts

Now if you have questioned whether or not to join the Stan Winston School of Character Arts stop waiting and sign up now. For the month of October they are having a special for 50% off streaming, DVD's, & Merch. Just use the discount code HALLOWEEN at check out. Now, the newly added video features Steve Johnson Legendary makeup artist and Creature Effects Fabricator Bill Bryan doing some awsome stuff! Now, get your but over the the website and check it out! Here is the preview

MIB 3 interview with Makeup Master RIck Baker

I found this interview with Rick Baker and wanted to share it. It's always fun to learn more about what goes into creating a makeup or creature. Enjoy!

Great Howard Berger Interview

Here is a fantastic interview with Howard Berger of KNB FX talking about the makeup FX industry and the Stan Winston School for character arts. Enjoy!

Count Down to ParaNorman T-12

T-12 days Happy SUnday Blog-o-sphere! have you ever wanted to be an animator? Have you ever wondered what it was like to make a movie one frame at a time? Well here is your chance. The ParaNorman website has a VERY COOL section where you can do just that. Check it out and show us what you make: http://www.paranorman.com/#open/stop-motion-zombie-lab have fun..see y'all tomorrow!

Count Down to ParaNorman T-13

T-13 days to ParaNorman Release on August 17th, 2012! With the Onlympics going on this was a great clip put out by Laika for ParaNorman. Be sure to get your best zombie outift on and get ready to head to the theaters. (ok...even if you don't wear a zombie costume you should go see it August 17th) Let's Support our Stopmotion animators.

Count down to ParaNorman T-14

T-15 days to ParaNorman Release August 17th, 2012 Here is a great clip with the Director Sam Fell. I think most of us would LOVE to "Play" for a living as well. If we're not doing what we love each and every day of our lives I thnk we need to be doing something every day to get closer to that dream. I guess it's time for me to make room to set up my animation table and get my puppets moving again. :) Have a Great day!

Count down to ParaNorman T-15

T-15 days and counting. Here is the official Trailer. How can you not be excited about this Stop motion movie release? I know my whole family is wanting to go on opening day..and we will :) Enjoy

Count down to ParaNorman T-16

Agust 1st, 2012 and only 16 days until ParaNorman releases in Theaters. This looks to be another Winning film by Laika Studios done in Wonderful stop motion animation! I am excited to see the newest creations of this creative tams and in watching some of the trailers I see some of the folks from Stopmotionanimation.com in them. Exciting! Join me in the countdown won't you. and be sure to check out their website for lots of cool downlaods and behind the scenes clips.

Paranorman Coming soon! WOOT!

Here is a great video of making Norman.

Check it out and then be sure to go see the movie August 17th!

While you're waiting to see the movie, go check out the official website. http://www.paranorman.com/ CJ

2012 Vent Haven Ventriloquist ConVention

Well another great Ventriloquist conVention has come and gone.  This year proved to be a wonderful time!  The ConVention was held in a new location, The Greater Cincinnati airport Marriot, which is actually in Heron Kentucky.  The new venue was great!  The airconditioning worked, the rooms were clean and comfortable, and everyone was in such a better mood as result of it.  This year my mother joined us and had a good time watching the shows and meeting new dummies and their vent figures too.

The Lectures were good, the dealers rooms were packed full of goodies, and the restaurant was in the hotel as well making it a one stop trip for most.  It was nice to get to see Tom ladshaw and his wonderful better half Leslye Hunter.  Tom is the premier ventriloquist historian, I am amazed at his wealth of knowledge on the subject.  Jeff Dunham gave his annual lecture on ways to improve our acts and art.  He then garciously signed for all those in line, yes were got in line too. :)

The Museum tours are always a wonderful highlight of the trip.  Be sure to check it out if your in the northern kentucky area, or even if your not, it's WORTH THE TRIP!

Be sure to check out the cool new logo items the Museum has as well, like this rockin' hat modeled here. ;)

Check out the Museum website for more information.  www.venthavenmuseum.com

We are looking forward to next year already!  Be sure to mark the days on your calendar  July 17-20, 2013.

Rush- Clockwork Angels

The latest Album(CD) CLOCKWORK ANGELS, has been out for a week now and it is Great. 
Back to a style of the past the whole album is a story.
Great music with some new and old sounds.

Pick it up, you won't be dissapointed.

Here is an interview with Geddy Lee about the new album.

Here is a wonderful interview with Candice Bergen on the Rock Center Show with Brian Williams. Candice is best known for her role on the hilarious comedy Murphy Brown also known by many as Charlie McCarthy's little sister. The daughter to Great Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, Candice grew up in a household filled with the wonder and sarcasm of Edgar and Charlie. In my youth I always envied her and how she was around the duo. As she states she wasn't always as enamoured. Enjoy this great interview and tell us wat you think.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MIB 3

Men in Black 3 hit theaters on Friday May 25th.



I have always been a fan of the series creativity and the fact that it is a great display of alien makeups. All 3 installments have been outfitted with wonderful Aliens by the makeup artistery of Rick Baker and his talented crews. Be sure to check out the current issue of Makeup Artist Magazine for some behind the scenes looks at the aliens.

I must admit I was a bit concerned that it seemed someone else was playing "K" in this installment but the story made sense and I have to admit that Josh Brolin did a great job as a younger "K". Tommy Lee Jones never fails to amuse me with his nick names for "J", played by Will Smith who also brings in the laughs and character to the film. Some great back ground is revealed as well.

Rick Baker has appeared in makeup as an alien in each of the three installments.

Be sure to check it out. let me know what ya think.

Lighthouse senior luncheon May 16th, 2012

I had the great opportunity to perform for a great group on Wednesday the 16th at the Lighthouse of Pontiac. The Lighthouse provides assistance for those in need. Food, financial, or utility assiatance. They put on a luncheon for the Seniors once a month and We volunteered to be the entertainment for May. May is also the last show for the summer months until they resume in the fall so we were in for a treat. There were about 25-30 guests and I performed closeup magic for them while they were arriving and then did a stage show for the group. After lunch Jack and i walked around to thank them for coming. They were responsive and laughed and had a good time. It was fun for tamara and I to provide entertainment to those in attendance.

We are looking forward to going back in the fall.

Fun trick of the mind and eyes

Check this out. If you play the slide show and stare at the cross in the middle it makes these otherwise good looking people look.well..different. Enjoy.

Geico Lizard has become a Ventriloquist

This is a great new Geico Commercial. Yeah I know I am biased because it's Ventriloquist related, but its also fun. Enjoy!
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Avengers!!!

Well it is finally here and well worth the wait!

The Avengers Movie hit the theaters Friday May 4th to a great opening weekend.

We had the chance to go see it tonight and were not disapointed.
The action is awsome the story was fantastic and the visualas were stunning.
I would/will see this in theaters again and I know we will get it on blu-ray as soon as it's out.

If you have seen it, what did you think?

Drop me a note.