Vent Haven ConVention 2008

WOW what a GREAT convention it was! It was great to meet up with folks I had met last year and to meet some new ones as well. The shows and lectures were fantastic! Everyone did a great job organizing the event.

I have been busy with work but I am working on resizing all of the pictures I took and getting them posted on the website. Here is a picture of Tim and Kristen with his new figure. Kristen does GREAT work and her characters are all one of a kind. Kristens puppets are called Oddballs and Orphans and you can contact her for information on getting one of her great puppets of your own. =)



The great hospitality staff did an outstanding job of making everyone feel welcome and have a great time. There were 88 fist timers this year which is very cool. Everyone I had the chance to talk to were having such a good time it proves how wonderful this Ventriloquist community really is. Can't wait until next year! counting the days already. 352 days until Vent Haven ConVention 2009!! =)

Courier journal Ventriloquism article

Great article is from the Courier Journal in Louisville Kentucky.

Read it here.

ConVention begins tomorrow, July 16th. Hope to see you there! =)

3 days until Vent Haven ConVention 2008!!!!

Cj, Buster and Tim are watching the clock tick away the minutes until we will be heading to the Vent Haven Ventriloquist conVention! It's never too late to sign up, They allow walk ins and it is truely a great conVention! If you like to hang out with some interesting Dummies then this is the place for you. ;)

Hope to see ya there. Be sure to say Hello.

Chris

BUSTER IN '08!!!

It is time for some change in the White House!
We have elected dummies before so now is the time for a Real Dummy to have a chance!

See the latest in the campaign for change and reform here.

Also check out the new wristbands for cjandbuster.com.

George Carlin "Passes away"

He will be Missed! What a GREAT comedian. Some of his routines may contain adult language..but George told it like it was and with a great comedic flare.

Conrad Hartz Ventriloquist Television Interview

Here is a link to a great interview with Conrad Hartz- puppeteer, Ventriloquist, Figure maker extraordinaire, and all around good fella.

http://www.thecoastalsource.com/news/local/18906114.html

also check out his site if your looking for a high quality hand carved Ventriloquist figure.

http://www.geocities.com/conradhartz/mypage.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have been super busy with work and family and have not had time to update things but I will try to be more diligent with sharing the cool things I see or do. hehe.

Have a GREAT weekend all!

CJ

Chips and Dip

I have been meaning to post this for a few weeks but have not. Sooo today I decided to pop in and post. I have had a tall stump in my front yard for a couple years that I always thought would be fun to try to carve..not just with a knife and or chisel but with the chainsaw ala lumberjack style (ROFL) well I started..and boy those guys make it look easy but its a real challenge to wield a chainsaw in such a way. This will take time to do but it was fun and so far the basic shap was done with only the chainsaw. Oh..the Dip in the title refers to me if you dind't get it LOL. Who would jump in the deep in with both feet into something he has never tried..uhh..ME. LOL

Oh yeah..the thoguht is an Eagle..might turn out more like a humming bird but what the heck..Gotta try! =)

CJ Meets Biff!

Had the oppertunity to go to the The Comedy Castle on Thursday night to see Tom Wilson. You might better know Tom Wilson as Biff from the back to the future movie trilogy. His act was Hilarious! Had I of known it would not be a large crowded venue I may have tried to have Buster Tag along for a picture with him and Tom but alas I did not...sooo..we will suffer through seeing just Cj with Mr. Wilson. =P

If you get the chance to attend one of his shows I would say GO! Worth the price of admission!!! Get his CD its Awsome.

A Couple of Jokers

CJ and Buster are a couple fo cards...52 to be exact. LOL Found a great deal on a set of custom cards, the down side is if I actually wanted more it would be very costly...Soooo I took them up on the deal for one deck for $5.



Here is the info for anyone interested:

www.photoplayingcard.com

Coupon Code: FREEDECK

expires on 12/31/2010 , shipping cost $5.99

If you get a deck please be sure to show me..would love to see them =)

Funny thing happened at the hair Salon

Ok so maybe it wasn't a hair salon but it was the place geared specially for kids to go for hair cuts. The kids sit on horses or in cars etc to get their hair cut. I said all that to show you this. Now I have to assume this was a happy coincidence that the toy was where it was when we found it..but I felt it was humorous enough to share. Maybe I am just warped (no comments from the cheap seats please ;) )

Oh and HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY TO YA!

Fantastic Book for Ventriloquist figure makers!

Recieved my order for the new book "McElroy Magic!" on wednesday and have to say ti is a VERY thorough discription of the techniques used by Glen and George McElroy to build some of the most sought after ventriloquist figures in the world. You can see some great examples of their work at the Vent Haven Museum website and the book can be found on the puppets and props website for sale. The book is not for the faint of heart but the amount of research that has gone in to this writing is worth the cost just to see how intricate these figures really are.

Take a look.

CJ

Magic Weekend

Had the oppertunity to attend the magic weekend at ABCMagic in Clinton Township, MI on Sunday. The turn out was good even with bad freezing weather in the morning. I have posted some pictures here of some of the vents in attendance. The Troy Hooser lecture was fantastic. He has some great material and I highly recommend reading his book DesTroyers or getting your hands on some of his DVDs. It was nice to see Ron Bauer there as well. Have not had the chance to talk to Ron in some time so it was nice to have a few minutes to catch up.

Been very busy with work and family so have fallen behind on my animation project and my hopes of writing some material for Buster and Jack. If you have any good jokes you want to share feel free to send them along. chris@cjandbuster.com

Weekend of Magic

ABC Entertainment/Magic is hosting what looks to be a great weekend of magic the weekend of February 16th and 17th. Looks like it will be entertaining and educational for those who attend. There will be lectures, a flea market and a close-up contest. Some of the lecturers will be Troy Hooser, Marien Hopman, Dave Schneider and Dave Mitchell doing a Ventriloquism Lecture on Sunday. This is the day I hope to attend. for more information go you can go to the ABC Entertainment website.

Hope to see ya there!

Jeff Dunham

CONGRATS Jeff Dunham on being #1 on the Comedy Central competition.
See more here.

And if you haven't watched his comedy Central specials yet you really should..what a funny guy!!

The first DVD was Jeff Dunham Arguing with Myself

And the most recent is Jeff Dunham Spark of Insanity

SAD NEWS!!

Read this on a forum tonight..its Such terrible news!


Very Sad News!

Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes

Comedy Central Showdown

Get those votes in for Jeff Dunham on the COmedy Central showdown.

A great visit!

Had the GREAT opportunity to spend a few hours on Monday with Tom Ladshaw. He is such a nice person and so knowledgeable on Ventriloquism and magic. We had a fun lunch with Lisa Sweasy at a great little pub in Fort Mitchel..or at least I think it was Fort Mitchell. (lol)

I guess next time I better bring my note pad I learned so many new things and neat stories about vents past and present. This was a great way to spend some time in Fort Mitchell to help with the withdrawals of wanting to go back to the Vent Haven ConVention.

Looking forward to July!! If you have never been to the Vent Haven ConVention I have to say it is such a wonderful experience that anyone interested in Ventriloquism it is well worth making the effort to get there. Last year was my first and it was so inspiring and educational..and lets not forget entertaining..or should I say Ventertaining?



Here is a group photo from the 2007 Vent ConVention. Looks fun doesn’t it? IT WAS! Now you need to join in next year =)

Recently added a new page to the website with a step by step on creating the Buster Living Room set for Stopmotion animation.(i.e. creating a set)that can be seen here.

Busters new living room

Well over christmas break from work I decided to put what time I could steal away in to getting the set for the first shot in Busters adventures animation built. Since he needed a living room for it I went to work. I will be posting a complete walk through on my website shortly but for now here is a sneak peak :) Still putting finishing touches on it and hoping to begin this scene soon.

New Year in with a Bang!

Or should I say a Swoosh!? It snowed between 12-14" of snow new years eve with the majority of it after midnight. Woke this morning to find it a winter wonderland.