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Thread: Celebs, Uri Geller and magic tricks

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    Celebs, Uri Geller and magic tricks

    Moved from the "Who would you like to meet" thread - DavidJames


    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    But I would be quite happy to make mean and nasty remarks about Uri Geller; he too is making a fortune but he's doing it by lying, cheating and deceiving people.
    You forgot to add IMO

    It's entirely plausible that he can bend spoons with the power of his mind, IMO
    Last edited by David Bailey; 15th-October-2007 at 11:08 AM.

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    But I would be quite happy to make mean and nasty remarks about Uri Geller; he too is making a fortune but he's doing it by lying, cheating and deceiving people.
    Theres a nice restaurant near us, where we had our wedding reception in fact, and in one part of it they have a few celebrity scrawlings. One of which is a "Uri Geller was here" and a little picture (of a bent spoon i think) I was SO tempted to try and "colour match" at B&Q and come back with a small test pot and a brush

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    I can't bear Dale Winton, he makes me feel uncomfortable whenever I see him on TV or hear him on the radio.
    Maybe you need to talk to a "special" doctor about that

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    But I would be quite happy to make mean and nasty remarks about Uri Geller; he too is making a fortune but he's doing it by lying, cheating and deceiving people.
    Does that apply to Magicians, Entertainers that do card tricks etc? Make that doctor's appointment a double one!

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    Does that apply to Magicians, Entertainers that do card tricks etc? Make that doctor's appointment a double one!
    I think the main difference there is that Mr Geller claims to have genuine psychic powers, (despite having been caught out on more than one occasion), whereas most magicians / entertainers do not.

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by straycat264 View Post
    I think the main difference there is that Mr Geller claims to have genuine psychic powers, (despite having been caught out on more than one occasion), whereas most magicians / entertainers do not.
    They still lie, cheat and deceive don't they?

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    They still lie, cheat and deceive don't they?
    No.. through manipulation of mystic forces and my knowledge of the secret arts I REALLY DO pull 50p coins out of my nieces' and nephew's ears

    the HARD part is getting them IN THERE in the first place.

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Beowulf1970 View Post
    No.. through manipulation of mystic forces and my knowledge of the secret arts I REALLY DO pull 50p coins out of my nieces' and nephew's ears
    Careful Beo, you'll end up on Barry's hit list

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    They still lie, cheat and deceive don't they?
    True, but at least they lie, cheat and deceive honestly**

    **Except maybe David Blaine

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    They still lie, cheat and deceive don't they?
    No they don't - they are very upfront about the fact that they perform spectator friendly "tricks". Uri on the other hand claims paranormal abilities and has even attempted to sue magicians who have attempted to show how his "abilities" can be accomplished by slight of hand and other tricks.


    edit: except as said by Stray - David "New Messiah" Blaine...

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by straycat264 View Post
    True, but at least they lie, cheat and deceive honestly**

    **Except maybe David Blaine
    Now that I can accept, but if that's what he meant, maybe BS needed to word his statement a little more specifically?

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    No they don't - they are very upfront about the fact that they perform spectator friendly "tricks".
    Really? So Magicians don't claim to make the "lady" disappear with magic then? I would've classed that as a lie & a deception. and Entertainers doing the old "cup and ball" trick don't cheat?

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    Really? So Magicians don't claim to make the "lady" disappear with magic then? I would've classed that as a lie & a deception. and Entertainers doing the old "cup and ball" trick don't cheat?
    oh c'mon did anyone ever believe Paul Daniels had magic powers ? I wouldn't see "magicians" as practicing anything dishonest at all. How many people after watching a coin come out of someones ear, wish they could "learn that power" in order to have a source of income?

    The "cup and ball" thing is a different issue altogether when done on the street to get money off people - its a con for suckers... but TV magicians and the like are surely expected to try and fool the spectator, thats their job. They don't go about claiming super powers, which is the big difference between them and Mr.Geller

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    oh c'mon did anyone ever believe Paul Daniels had magic powers ?
    What has what people believe got to do with it? If I say "I am really Elvis in disguise" you're unlikely to believe me, but it's still a lie.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    I wouldn't see "magicians" as practicing anything dishonest at all.
    Neither would I and it's very nice of you to take on BS's cause, but I was questioning his statement, not the assumed reasoning behind it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    Uri Geller; he too is making a fortune but he's doing it by lying, cheating and deceiving people.

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    What has what people believe got to do with it? If I say "I am really Elvis in disguise" you're unlikely to believe me, but it's still a lie.
    I don't think Paul Daniels or any other TV magicians say anything like that. They are very upfront about what they do and that fact that they are "magic tricks". Where is the lie?

    Neither would I and it's very nice of you to take on BS's cause, but I was questioning his statement, not the assumed reasoning behind it.
    His statement makes sense to me - Uri Geller claims to be something he is not. Other "magicians" do not claim any sort of extra sensory powers and are quite vocal in the fact that they are ENTERTAINERS not "gods amongst men", so I fail to see how they are "lying, cheating and deceiving people.*" anymore than your normal actor or tv celebrity is. See that Sean Connery pretending he was a spy in those 007 films - he's not really a spy you know...not in real life.



    *Except David Blaine, who is clearly a loony.

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    See that Sean Connery pretending he was a spy in those 007 films - he's not really a spy you know...not in real life.

    another childhood illusion shattered

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    Really? So Magicians don't claim to make the "lady" disappear with magic then? I would've classed that as a lie & a deception. and Entertainers doing the old "cup and ball" trick don't cheat?
    I disagree - there's a fairly clear difference between stage magicians and paranormal magicians.

    From here:
    In modern conjuring, it is not considered ethical to give a performance which claims to be anything other than a clever and skillful deception.
    And as that article says, there's a long and honourable history of stage magicians - from Harry Houdini to Penn and Teller - debunking fraudulent paranormal magicians.

    So to class them as a single grouping is not reasonable, IMO.

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    See that Sean Connery pretending he was a spy in those 007 films - he's not really a spy you know...not in real life.
    But Santa's real, isn't he?

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    See that Sean Connery pretending he was a spy in those 007 films - he's not really a spy you know...not in real life.
    You sure? Bloody amazing cover story if you ask me. Go anywhere, meet anyone, then say "it was all part of the work for the next Bond movie..."

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Ever seen Galaxy Quest?

    "Mathesar, there's no such person as Captain Taggart. My name is Jason Nesmith. I'm an actor. We're all actors.
    He doesn't understand. Explain as you would a child.
    We, uh, we pretended.
    We lied."

    "But why...?
    It's difficult to explain. On our planet, we, uh... we pretend to... to entertain"


    There is a difference between Acting and Lying. Sean Connery pretends to be a Spy (heck he still pretends to have hair in his movies!) , Paul Daniels pretends to do impossible feats by "magic"

    We know, and THEY know we know it's not real. However your David Blane and your Uri Gellars of this world.. they try to use their trickery and "showmanship" to attempt to persuade you that what they are doing is tapping into some "Mystical realm" (cue Twilight zone music)

    I'm no more likely to believe a man can fly on Stage ( David Copperfield ) than a Flying man on screen (Superman!) I may have an idea of the special effects involved in both tricks but it doesn't diminish from the enjoyment of a well executed effect.

    The David Blane "levitation in the street" thing.. did nothing for me.. he was being all too mystical and otherworldly for his own good. He should have stuck to card tricks and not started to believe he was some form of god!

    As stated above.. respectable magicians will often debunk frauds and charlatans.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dreadful Scathe View Post
    How many people after watching a coin come out of someones ear, wish they could "learn that power" in order to have a source of income?
    4! .. My three nieces and my Nephew to name a few. Every time I do it they're always poking around in their ears to see I didn't forget some loose change !

    *actually the eldest two just roll their eyes now and accept their pocket money.. I think they may have their Uncle Pete sussed!
    Last edited by Beowulf; 15th-October-2007 at 12:40 PM.

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    Re: Celebs, Uri Geller and magic tricks

    Quote Originally Posted by Double Trouble View Post
    [You forgot to add IMO

    It's entirely plausible that he can bend spoons with the power of his mind, IMO
    Er, no, I didn't.

    He's been caught on camera - when he thought he was unobserved - bending cutlery against the edge of the table and then claiming that he did it with his mind.

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    Re: Who Would You Like to Meet???

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    Maybe you need to talk to a "special" doctor about that



    Does that apply to Magicians, Entertainers that do card tricks etc? Make that doctor's appointment a double one!
    No.

    It only applies to people who claim that they are doing legerdemain by 'supernatural processes'.

    As James Randi said of Geller 'If he really is using his mind to bend spoons then he's doing it the hard way'.

    I love Penn & Teller, and all these people in the magic circle who can do amazing things - you know it's a deception but you just cannot work it out.

    Geller pretends it isn't a deception, and that's bad.

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