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January 5, 2009

DSA Week 7. The Magic of 23.

(click pics to enlarge)








The Magic of 23.
"Where the magic happens."

Holy "Magic Tricks" Batman!!!
Boy, was I happy this week's DSA hints about "MAGIC".
Okay, you're reading this and saying to yourself, "Come on Karen! You're friggin' nuts! It was not about "magic", it was about us getting an inside look into LOST!"  And yes my friends, you are correct. But this is LOST (and I'm admittedly certifiable) and it is always filled with subliminal insight. If there are no clues to magic or illusion here we will just chalk it up to a lesson about magic.

Blink and you might miss it.
We are on the inside! We await Damon and Carlton’s “stage-ee” entrance from the other side of the glass. The glass window shows us the LOST writers offices are inside building 23.
They welcome us to building 23, “This is where the magic happens.”
Indeed it does!!

The clip “Fast Forwards” and skips just a bit.
We get a tiny tour of the hallways. They make special mention of a beautiful cast/LOST family painting created by an artist in Brazil; they are sure to point out Rousseau and Eko with his stick.

Fast Forward again; moving them along quicker.

They happen to have some DHARMA products. The table is filled with can goods of chicken soup and chilli; and  of course the famous ranch dressing, bottle water and peanut butter.   We’re told to keep Carlton away from the chilli.
Damon- “Talk about a rip in the space time continuum.”   He’ll just leave it at that. Lol!
By the way let's note...THERE IS NO DHARMA SHORTCAKE!! lol.

They introduce Mike, the backwards hat wearing production assistant. {Hi Mike!} He keeps them fueled and fed.
We peek into Greg Nations office; meeting Greg and Noreen.

Fast Forward.


Damon proudly shows us the Twilight Zone Pinball machine {game} that is a gift to the writers this year, for a job “Well done.” {Note the famous spiral image on the left}

Damon has the high score with 2477154940.

Damon plays and says- “Everyone else knows, to, to unseat me, would be the…”
Carlton- “...the demise of your role on the show.”
They both agree.

Fast Forward

We enter the magical WRITERS ROOM!!!!!!
Everyone is looking very natural.
Darlton introduces us to the writers assistants Rupa and Jim, who have to laugh at their jokes.
We are introduced to the beautiful Elizabeth Sarnoff, Eddy Kitsis, Melinda Sue Taylor, Paul Zbyszewski {SPA-CHEF-SKI.}
The poor guy only has two vowels in his name….well, sometimes three!
Eddy’s partner Adam Horowitz is missing from the group but is represented by a little green alien. And here’s Kyle Pennington.
Missing in action is Brian K. Vaughan.


We are then led to the wall of many characters on the show… The walls are filled with the actors headshots. Look closely at all those pictures!


First we are shown the characters that are still living. We aren’t to assume they are surviving long into season 5.
There is an UN-DEAD column behind the black lamp;  shown are Christian, Yemi and Kate’s horse.
Then the R.I.P. Column. {REALLY IMPORTANT PEOPLE in my book!}
Everyone who left the {Un-merry band already. I think that‘s what Damon says}.

Damon and Carlton bid the writers room thanks and say they will be back after they {the writers} finish the season.

The boys stand in front of a huge picture of beautiful ocean backdrop. They thank us for letting them show us where the magic happens or doesn‘t happen.
Damon-“…just reach into the hat and nothing comes out.”








Things to note…Questions to ask...
* Magic= Tricks, Cons, Illusions, Razzle Freakin Dazzle!
* Missing people.   Maybe BKV and Adam are hanging out with the the missing members of Geronimo Jackson.
* Dead...Not dead...Un-dead
* Game under glass.
* Written, staged, backdrops, painting.
* Family
* Ranch
* Languages/linguistics
* I'm going to ask this yet again...Are characters who are getting to close to answers, unseating someone, {or find what they're looking for} removed from the playing field?

Vocabulary and Research…
* Pinball is a type of arcade game, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible. Secondary objectives are to maximize the time spent playing (by earning extra balls and keeping the ball in play as long as possible) and to earn free games (known as replays).
* Holma- {Language/Lingustics}
   Language affiliation- Afro-Asiatic.
   Language affiliation (details)- Afro-Asiatic, Chadic, Central Chadic, Bata-Gude group,  Bata-Subgroup.
Geographic locations- Nigeria (Adamawa State, North of Sorau on the Nigerian/Cameroonian border) and Cameroon.
Language situation- Moribund language: only a few elderly speakers are left
General presentation of the language- Nzanyi, a language of Cameroon, is mentioned as its dialect.
Number of speakers-4 people with a good proficiency amongst 5,000 people of the Holma ethnic group.
Socio-linguistic context – description- Holma was spoken by a small ethnic community of the same name. The Holma adopted the culture and language of the Fulani and the Holma language has been replaced by Fulfulde. Only a few old men are able to speak the language of their forefathers.

* Magic is a performing art that entertains people by creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats, using purely natural means. These feats are called magic tricks, effects or illusions. EVEN CONS!

Hieronymus Bosch: The Conjurer, 1475-1480. Netherlandish painter of the 15th and 16th centuries. The artist's work is well-known for the use of fantastic imagery to illustrate moral and religious concepts and narratives.

From 1756 to 1781, Jacob Philadelphia performed feats of magic, sometimes under the guise of scientific exhibitions, throughout Europe and Russia.

Categories of Magic effects
* Production- The magician produces something from nothing—a rabbit from an empty hat, a fan of cards from thin air, a shower of coins from an empty bucket, or the magician themselves, appearing in a puff of smoke on an empty stage -- all of these effects are productions.
•Vanishing -The magician makes something disappear. A vanish, being the reverse of a production, may use a similar technique, in reverse.
•Transformation- The magician transforms something from one state into another—a silk handkerchief changes color, a lady turns into a tiger. A transformation can be seen as a combination of a vanish and a production effect.
•Restoration- The magician destroys an object, then restores it back to its original state —a rope is cut, a newspaper is torn, a woman is sawn in half, a borrowed watch is smashed to pieces—then they are all restored to their original state.
•Teleportation- The magician causes something to move from one place to another. When two objects exchange places, it is called a transposition: a simultaneous, double teleportation.
•Escapology- The magician (an assistant may participate, but the magician himself is by far the most common) is placed in a restraining device (i.e. handcuffs or straight jacket) and/or a death trap, and escapes to safety.
•Levitation- The magician defies gravity, either by making something float in the air, or with the aid of another object (suspension)—a silver ball floats around a cloth, an assistant floats in mid-air, another is suspended from a broom, a scarf dances in a sealed bottle, the magician hovers a few inches off the floor.
•Penetration.-The magician makes a solid object pass through another—a set of steel rings link and unlink, a candle penetrates an arm,, a man walks through a mirror. Sometimes referred to as 'solid-through-solid'.
•Prediction- The magician predicts the choice of a spectator, or the outcome of an event under seemingly impossible circumstances.

Magic performances genres:
•A mentalist. {mind-reading}- Mentalism creates the impression in the minds of the audience that the performer possesses special powers to read thoughts, predict events, control other minds, and similar feats.
•Stage Illusionist. Typically within an auditorium. This type of magic is distinguished by large-scale props, the use of assistants and often, exotic animals.
•Platform Magic. (aka Cabaret magic or Stand-up magic) The use of small table top illusions is common. The term Parlor Magic is sometimes used but is considered pejorative. This genre includes the skilled manipulation of props.
•Micromagic. (also known as Close-up magic or Table Magic) is performed with the audience close to the magician, sometimes even one-on-one. It usually makes use of everyday items as props.
•Escapology is magic that deals with escapes from confinement or restraints.

PLUS…
•Theatrical Seances the aspect of magic that simulates spiritualistic or mediumistic effects. This is meant purely as theatre and not meant to "conjure up spirits."
•Children’s magic- performed for children. This type of magic is usually comedic in nature and involves audience interaction as well as volunteer assistants.
Online magic tricks were designed to function on a computer screen. The computer essentially replaces the magician. Some online magic tricks recreate traditional card tricks and require user participation, while others, like Plato's Cursed Triangle are based on mathematical, geometrical and/or optical illusions.
•Mathemagic is an aspect of stage magic that combines magic and mathematics.
Corporate Magic or Trade Show Magic uses magic as a communication and sales tool, as opposed to just straightforward entertainment.
•Street Magic is a form of street performing or busking that employs a hybrid of stage magic, platform and close-up magic, usually performed “in the round” or surrounded.
•Bizarre Magic uses mystical, horror, fantasy, and other similar themes in performance. Bizarre magic is typically performed in a close-up venue, although some performers have effectively presented it in a stage setting.
Shock magic is a genre of magic that shocks the audience.



THE OATH-
"As a magician I promise never to reveal the secret of any illusion to a non-magician, unless that one swears to uphold the Magician's Oath in turn. I promise never to perform any illusion for any non-magician without first practicing the effect until I can perform it well enough to maintain the illusion of magic."


All kidding and magic lessons aside, Damon and Carlton make us all feel like we are one of the gang, and we love that!!!! I cannot say enough about the boys and all the writers!! They are the reason we are passionate about this story. They give us a reason to care about our beloved characters. They give the story meaning and heart (and confusion. lol).

The writers give us our escape from reality, and to me THAT is truly MAGICAL!

Passwords: LaFleur. Qilak. Adella Courey. Kapalaran. yksnizdar. emal. holma.


Love to all who are "LOST" ™

Disclaimer: I never claim to know everything about the show and my thoughts by no means make me right! Things I share here are my views and/or opinions. I don't claim to catch every single detail either. I hate spoilers! I stand clear of reading certain sites, as to not take me off my own research. The one thing I don't need to do here is rehash all of the obvious clues from an episode, we all know what they are. Good! I'll only note things that I know come up as clues in bold.

2 comments:

  1. Karen! Is that at Diamond Head Studios or somewhere in LA? If its in HI i must visit!

    ReplyDelete

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