Who doesn't like being entertained?
I love good singing, good dancing, good comedians, good acting and good musicians. But what of those talented people who are not billed as any of the aforementioned? There are plenty of acts that fall into different categories (which is not to say that the entertainers do not include some comedy or song in their performances ). With the exception of sports, I have listed two dozen of my favourite forms of entertainment.
Of course I shall first list a few acts that I would not care to see (or hear):
Sword swallowing
Puppeteers
Hog callers
High wire artists
Contortionists
Clowns (I really enjoyed them decades and decades ago--especially Milky--but not anymore)
Guessers...of weights, ages,etc.
I am not saying for one moment that the above listed are not talented, just that I have no desire to see them. In the Top 24 List which follows, I shall not necessarily be touting one talent over another. I would not say that The Nicholas Brothers were better than Louis Armstrong (that may even sound like a silly comparison to some folks). Ah, but I could say that I would prefer to see one over the other--
a tough call in this example.
Here are a few talents which almost made the list...quick change artists, pool table trick shooters, destroyers/wreckers. When I was ten, I'm pretty sure that the destroyers would have been at the top of the list. Have you seen the two guys on television who destroy offices and rooms in minutes!? Free runners would be at the top of my list today if their venue were a bit more contained and I could see them on stage as opposed to over an expanse of territory and property...talk about an exciting skill.
24 Acts I Enjoy
24. Caricaturists I enjoy watching a good ten-minute rendering
23. Animal Tricks (some...and not in a circus)
22. Whistling an underrated skill which we seldom witness anymore
21. Cheering not until I met a competitive cheerleader did I realize the intricacies of cheering (and did you know that Samuel L. Jackson
and George Bush were cheerleaders? well, Halle Berry and Madonna, too)
20. Jumping Rope have you seen Mark Breland jumping rope? treat yourself
19. Jugglers
18. Yo Yo masters Steve Brown and comedian Tom Smothers are excellent...I was fairly good with a Duncan Imperial in 1969
17. "Invulnerability" various stages of imperviousness to pain incredible
16. Balancing and Stacking Objects
15. Cowboy Tricks including lariat tricks (Will Rogers started this way), fast draws and trick shots(Sammy Davis was an expert)
14. Human Statues the skill this takes, wow my wife and I saw a guy so good that he looked like an actual statue we witnessed
something terrible as a couple tried unsucessfully to make him move before putting out a cigaret on his hand
of course, he moved then--and in anger
13. Tumbling/Acrobats
12. Fast Eatiers one name: Kobayashi I won three fast eating contests in my youth; the funniest incident was when my brothers
and I came in first, second and third in a backyard picnic watermelon eating contest. Our mother was not proud, but
embarrassed--go figure
11. Fast Talkers Clio Award winner and world record holder, John Moschitta comes to mind. His 586 wpm clip became well
known in commercials in the eighties
10. Mimes quite the contrary to the last entry I especially liked Shields and Yarnell, who had their own television show
9. Target Hitting be it arrow or knife, bullet or playing card , this activity hits the bullseye for me
8. Yodeling my wife and I may be the only ones I know who appreciate yodeling it can be considered a form of falsetto
singing, but it is also utilized as a communication technique in parts of Central Africa and in the Alps Bette Midler
is one of the few (recent) stars I've heard yodeling
7. Magic I've seen so many magicians that I usually bypass them these days, but some of them are still pretty incredible
the sleight-of-hand pickpockets are out of sight (pun intended)
6. Feats of Strength not strongman contests, which are great, but considered sports contests...rather individual feats are
the type of act I mean to include here
5. Martial Arts demonstrations especially swordplay no board breaking here
4. Memory Tricks David Farrow memorized 59 decks of cards in random order (world record) one performer on stage had
audience members stand up and say their names--he then told them their telephone numbers; he had
memorized the local telephone book...and I would love to meet Jill Price, who is not a performer but has a
most advanced form of hyperthymestic syndrome wherin she remembers virtually everything
3. Ventriloquists remember Willie Tyler and Lester, Paul Winchell, Shari Lewis what remarkable talents Jeff Dunham is
one of the few modernists with whom I'm acquainted
2. Sound Effects Herb Dixon is great, but I've never seen anyone to match Michael Winslow (from Police Academy fame).
I saw Winslow in Detroit in the nineties:one of the best shows I've ever attended.
1. Impersonations There have been many fantastic impersonators: Frank Gorshin, Rich Little, Sammy Davis, Jr. (yes, he
was great in so many areas), Marilyn Michaels. Eddie Murphy is very good also as is Frank Pisani.
But there is one special entertainer who was an excellent impersonator as well as a comedian, singer
and dancer. His name was George Kirby. He could sing like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan-wow.
(he was a voice impersonator, not a female impersonator/incidental and coincidental ) Kirby's tale is
a bittersweet one. But, treat yourself--he's on YouTube for the modern audience.
Although I'd rather see an excellent tumbler, for example, than a poor ventriloquist (Edgar Bergen), what I am trying to
convey is that 'all things being equal' (which they are not), I'd prefer an excellent voice impersonator to an excellent
"anything else". Now, if only I could see a ventriloquist who did impersonations and sound effects...ther goes my
paycheck, 'cause THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT.
So long for now.
I love good singing, good dancing, good comedians, good acting and good musicians. But what of those talented people who are not billed as any of the aforementioned? There are plenty of acts that fall into different categories (which is not to say that the entertainers do not include some comedy or song in their performances ). With the exception of sports, I have listed two dozen of my favourite forms of entertainment.
Of course I shall first list a few acts that I would not care to see (or hear):
Sword swallowing
Puppeteers
Hog callers
High wire artists
Contortionists
Clowns (I really enjoyed them decades and decades ago--especially Milky--but not anymore)
Guessers...of weights, ages,etc.
I am not saying for one moment that the above listed are not talented, just that I have no desire to see them. In the Top 24 List which follows, I shall not necessarily be touting one talent over another. I would not say that The Nicholas Brothers were better than Louis Armstrong (that may even sound like a silly comparison to some folks). Ah, but I could say that I would prefer to see one over the other--
a tough call in this example.
Here are a few talents which almost made the list...quick change artists, pool table trick shooters, destroyers/wreckers. When I was ten, I'm pretty sure that the destroyers would have been at the top of the list. Have you seen the two guys on television who destroy offices and rooms in minutes!? Free runners would be at the top of my list today if their venue were a bit more contained and I could see them on stage as opposed to over an expanse of territory and property...talk about an exciting skill.
24 Acts I Enjoy
24. Caricaturists I enjoy watching a good ten-minute rendering
23. Animal Tricks (some...and not in a circus)
22. Whistling an underrated skill which we seldom witness anymore
21. Cheering not until I met a competitive cheerleader did I realize the intricacies of cheering (and did you know that Samuel L. Jackson
and George Bush were cheerleaders? well, Halle Berry and Madonna, too)
20. Jumping Rope have you seen Mark Breland jumping rope? treat yourself
19. Jugglers
18. Yo Yo masters Steve Brown and comedian Tom Smothers are excellent...I was fairly good with a Duncan Imperial in 1969
17. "Invulnerability" various stages of imperviousness to pain incredible
16. Balancing and Stacking Objects
15. Cowboy Tricks including lariat tricks (Will Rogers started this way), fast draws and trick shots(Sammy Davis was an expert)
14. Human Statues the skill this takes, wow my wife and I saw a guy so good that he looked like an actual statue we witnessed
something terrible as a couple tried unsucessfully to make him move before putting out a cigaret on his hand
of course, he moved then--and in anger
13. Tumbling/Acrobats
12. Fast Eatiers one name: Kobayashi I won three fast eating contests in my youth; the funniest incident was when my brothers
and I came in first, second and third in a backyard picnic watermelon eating contest. Our mother was not proud, but
embarrassed--go figure
11. Fast Talkers Clio Award winner and world record holder, John Moschitta comes to mind. His 586 wpm clip became well
known in commercials in the eighties
10. Mimes quite the contrary to the last entry I especially liked Shields and Yarnell, who had their own television show
9. Target Hitting be it arrow or knife, bullet or playing card , this activity hits the bullseye for me
8. Yodeling my wife and I may be the only ones I know who appreciate yodeling it can be considered a form of falsetto
singing, but it is also utilized as a communication technique in parts of Central Africa and in the Alps Bette Midler
is one of the few (recent) stars I've heard yodeling
7. Magic I've seen so many magicians that I usually bypass them these days, but some of them are still pretty incredible
the sleight-of-hand pickpockets are out of sight (pun intended)
6. Feats of Strength not strongman contests, which are great, but considered sports contests...rather individual feats are
the type of act I mean to include here
5. Martial Arts demonstrations especially swordplay no board breaking here
4. Memory Tricks David Farrow memorized 59 decks of cards in random order (world record) one performer on stage had
audience members stand up and say their names--he then told them their telephone numbers; he had
memorized the local telephone book...and I would love to meet Jill Price, who is not a performer but has a
most advanced form of hyperthymestic syndrome wherin she remembers virtually everything
3. Ventriloquists remember Willie Tyler and Lester, Paul Winchell, Shari Lewis what remarkable talents Jeff Dunham is
one of the few modernists with whom I'm acquainted
2. Sound Effects Herb Dixon is great, but I've never seen anyone to match Michael Winslow (from Police Academy fame).
I saw Winslow in Detroit in the nineties:one of the best shows I've ever attended.
1. Impersonations There have been many fantastic impersonators: Frank Gorshin, Rich Little, Sammy Davis, Jr. (yes, he
was great in so many areas), Marilyn Michaels. Eddie Murphy is very good also as is Frank Pisani.
But there is one special entertainer who was an excellent impersonator as well as a comedian, singer
and dancer. His name was George Kirby. He could sing like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan-wow.
(he was a voice impersonator, not a female impersonator/incidental and coincidental ) Kirby's tale is
a bittersweet one. But, treat yourself--he's on YouTube for the modern audience.
Although I'd rather see an excellent tumbler, for example, than a poor ventriloquist (Edgar Bergen), what I am trying to
convey is that 'all things being equal' (which they are not), I'd prefer an excellent voice impersonator to an excellent
"anything else". Now, if only I could see a ventriloquist who did impersonations and sound effects...ther goes my
paycheck, 'cause THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT.
So long for now.
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