The Magic Land of Allakazam!!

HEY!

WOW, I've been busy, literally, Class, work, eat, work sleep non stop for the past few weeks. I love being this busy!

I've been rehearsing for my first show at the magic castle! I will be assisting Greg Wilson, in the show honoring his parent's Mark and Nani Wilson, for the 50th anniversary of their show, the Magic land of Allakazam!

Over the past few weeks, I've been helping any where I am needed. I've been helping move and assemble props, editing video for the show, scanning pictures for the amazing show program that just came out, delivering the programs...

Yes that is 2500 magazine show programs stacked in my car.

Yes that is as close to a lowrider my car can get.

Luckily I have a toyota matrix xr 2006, one of the most spacious, and the sexiest hatch backs ever made.

Oh yes, and I have been rehearsing for the show, yep magician's assisting is the ultimate tech-former job.

SO I am definitely really excited for this show, For those of you who have heard of the magic castle, what ever you have heard is right and more, the magic castle is an amazing place!

NE Who part two! My birthday! I spent my birthday working of course, but I did have a few surprises on the way.

FIRST, september 23rd at midnight...

Greg Wilson brings me a birthday cake and sings me happy birthday... Red Velvet, mMMmMMMM

I returned to my place to this! COOKIES... at first, I didn't know who this was from, at first I thought they were from some secret admirer, but then it ended up just being from my room mate Jordan's girl friend haha that was very nice of her, and they were delicious.

Then next day I went to class, and then returned home to even more surprises...

Starting with, these a long the halls, so every one knows it is my birthday...

Then this on my door...

Extra large condoms?? From the girls across the hall.... Don't worry, it's been a joke for a while... and I'm sorry ladies, those are too big... even for me.

Here is a super awesome lap top mount my room mate Landon got me, he's super cool.

Any who, after that short break, I went back off to work on magic! Worked until about eleven, then Greg Wilson took me out to this Thai restaurant in Hollywood... very very authentic! Also very tasty.

We got back around mid night, worked a bit more, and then I returned to my apartment around 1:30 am...

TO MY SUPRISE, 89 face book comments wishing me a happy birthday... wow I am very lucky to have so much support! Thank you to all who commented!

Shout out to Kevin Feliciano and Katelyn Adams for IMing me a happy birthday, a special thank you Becca Van De Vanter and Jenna Jarvinen for texting me a happy birthday. Another thank you to My aunt Ann, Uncle Phil, My cousins Johnie, Ned and Stevo for sending me a letter with some birthday cash and then my grandmother Luisa for sending me a letter with a gift card! A thank you to my sisters Amy and Cynthia for singing my happy birthday on Twitter. Also a great big shout out to my parents and gand parents for the wonderful phone conversations we had on my birthday!

OH! and I've released one of my songs on to the Internet for sale. You can preview it through this link here, and if you want to download just click, "view in I tunes" On the page.

Goin with the flow

UPDATE on my life.

First off let me start off by saying LA is definitely very different than the Bay Area in a lot of ways. I say that not just to emphasize how I've had to adjust, but also for any one in the LA area who catches this please spread the word, people from Southern California, please at least travel North of the grape fine. I've come across a lot of people in these past few weeks who have never been to Northern California... that is very strange to me.

ANY WHO, Back to whats going on with what's going on with me.

I am knee deep in the pre production push for the 50th anniversary show for the Magic Land of Allakazam. A television show which aired on CBS and ABC from 1960-1962, and through out the run of the show, they aired 99 episodes, so officially, this will be the 100th episode!

The episode will be happening at none other than the legendary magic castle in Hollywood from September 27th-October 3rd!

AND this is the first place I am announcing this, BUT I am assisting in the magic of the show!

I am really excited, and have a challenging week of rehearsals ahead, but am ready to tackle it.

Another thing that has been going on is my Uncle Cary Wiest is running for town council in his home town, the famous town of Atherton. I shot a video for his candidacy last weekend when I was home in the Bay, and I spent a few nights perfecting the vid in Final Cut Pro.

I am also helping the build their website, and maybe a face book page ^^

Aside from my business I did have a day off to rest for the night. Thursday I didn't have any thing going on, and if you know me, you know my restlessness! I felt the need to get out there!

Right after my TV production class I actually came across an audition for a student film...So I walked in and auditioned. :P

Then right after wards, I contacted an Agency that had contacted me previously through my Model Mayhem account. They are called Wild Models and they are a modeling agency that get talent auditions to various things. So me being "talent" and me having a modeling portfolio, thanks to Desi Arnaz, ep of Zedneram productions, and a head shot, thanks to my Father, Michael Wiest I felt I had the "Stuff" to make it with an Agency. Well after calling them, they gave me an audition for that night from 7:30-8:00pm at their offices in Century city!

Century city is BIG, and Businessy so it was definately intimidaiting, walking around in dress up shoes, nice pants, a button up shirt, and geled hair and still being underdressed. BUT intimidation aside, I walk in and the guy at the front desk has me wait for about 20 minutes before I am met to "audition" But really all I had to do was hand them my folder of modeling shots, and it was litterally "We like your look... Let's get you set up with LA casting, and you should be good to go" So WOOO! I got my self an agency.

Then that night I returned to my apartment, and then tackled the website and officially completed the video for my Uncle, and then created the jist of their website. And got to be around 5AM.

Today was spent mostly doing more PA and Magic Assistant work with the Wilson Family, and with Mark the web designer, and Bob the ware house manager.

More Fun blogs to come!

AND I have a video in the works ^^

A pause for history from me!

So one of the classes I am taking is Political Science 355, which is included in the "I am transferring in, but Im not good enough to study my major completely yet, since I'm new to the school" list. So far there has been a lot of knowledge poured in to my brain for this class, which is good, because better to be a little over whelmed and learning than bored and brainless. But for this class I had a peculiar first assignment, I was to do a paper on the history of California State University Northridge because of it's 50th anniversary this year!

Luckily my prof. had a link for us to a site about the school's history.

Before I start I must share, I love History for the same reason I love Science and Philosophy, I love knowledge, and I feel that if you understand something, not only do you understand it, but also your perception of the world around you grows. I now have an expanded appreciation for my new school, and am interested in learning more about my School's history. BUT just to share with you... here's my paper, about the history of CSUN.

____________________________________________________________________

Tyler Wiest

CSUN 50 year history.

Like many state colleges, CSUN used to be farmland, CSUN used to specifically be groves of orange, avocado, and lemon trees. In the early 1950s state officials had identified the Baldwin Hills as the site of a new satellite campus for a four year school called LA state college. As a response San Fernando Valley community leaders and residences organized to overturn the legislation and ensure that a four year college would be built in the valley. On December 21^st 1954, advocates for this “state school” In the valley idea hosted a dinner for 23 legislators at the Brown Derby on Wilshire Blvd. There they pitched the plan, and it worked. In 1955 the state assemblyman Julian Beck sent the legislation for approval.

Originally, the plan for CSUN was to be a community college, primarily a training school for teachers. The official ground breaking ceremony for the San Fernando Valley campus was on Jan 4^th, 1956. The president of the LA state college Howard Mcdonald, California Govenor Goodwin Knight, and California superintendent of public Instruction Roy Simpson presided. The 165-acre campus was purchased for only 6,000.

In 1958 today’s CSUN turned from LA state college in to San Fernando Valley State College. The first major construction project was the South Library, which was completed in 1956. Soon after in 1963, the Sierra Tower, and complex was completed. For the next 34 years Northridge would continue to expand rapidly. Noted structures rose every where like the the current landmark of the CSUN campus, the Oviatt Library, which was completed in 1974. The campus expended until it’s brink in 1989, so much so, the near by horse racing track Devonshire Downs was incorporated in to the school as their track. The campus was greatly affected in 1994, due to the magnitude 6.7 earthquake that epic entered in Reseda, an area quite close to Northridge. Many buildings on campus were affected; the Oviatt Library remained closed for 6 years for repairs.

CSU Northridge has had a long history of student life. “The Daily Sundial” the school’s news paper had it’s first issue in 1957. In 1967 the first dormitory on campus Northridge hall opened. Aside from those noted campus life mile stones other major mile stones were forced by advocates in CSUN’s history. Through out the 60s and early 70s there were a lot of student movements for racial equality, and education of the realities of Vietnam. Most noted in 1969, 275 students were arrested for having an illegal open forum on campus, and then in 1971 a group of African American students from the student Union seized the 6^th floor and forced the school in to making a reform to end perceived racism in the school system.

School athletics began in 1957, with swimming and water polo, and by the 1980s CSUN had hosted over 20 sports. In 1988, CSUN decided announced it’s movement in to division one sports, with the acceptation of foot ball, which remained in division two. Included I CSUN’s sport history is a Basketball team with a strong reputation, a successful base ball and softball team with a few championship victories, a dynasty of a decade for CSUN’s gymnastics, and a recent few years of a tough to beat and winning foot ball team.

CSU Northridge continues make the world double take at the impact it has been making on the world around it. In 1972, CSUN established the NCOD, a program for deaf students. Making CSUN the first post secondary program in the nation to provide interpreters for deaf students. CSUN has also been globally involved, since the 1970s Northridge has had a relationship with China, and since then many other countries, so many so CSUN has become a noted convocation point for many political leaders internationally. In CSU Northridge’s history the school has developed a reputation for science, business, the arts, journalism, cinema and televsion. Just next semester, Northridge will complete their new performing art’s center adding to the ascetic appeal of their campus and the already well developed theater art programs. And with in the next few years, a new student fitness center will be completed, including a rock wall and an indoor track, adding to the school’s already noted reputation for good student life on campus. A happy 50 year anniversary to CSUN from me!

Home is where your heart is

So this last weekend I returned home to Milpitas, Ca the true heart of silicon valley and the true home in my heart.

Thursday evening I left Northridge and drove about 5 and 1/2 hours to arrive at my house 300 miles away. I was met by my parents and dogs with open arms.

I didn't take any pictures this weekend because I carry a different mind set at home than I do here in LA.

But to paint a picture with words for you! Thursday I arrive at home late, unload my baggage in to my bedroom, and then watch "clash of the titans" with my mother and father. (was better than I thought... low expectations are good for enjoying movies.)

I awoke the next morning around noon time, and then went on to get a hair cut with my dad.... After that, I would celebrate my birthday (over a week early) With my friends. (Shout out to Chuck, Morgan, Angel, Gemma and Peonie) We went racing at Leman's, which is always a blast. We then returned to my house and played board games until about 230 in the AM.

Saturday I went on to shoot a promo video for my Uncle Carey in Atherton California. What a nice area! I felt like once I crossed the Atherton border I had teleported in to a world of worldwide prosperity and nice cars. The shoot lasted from 12:30pm until 7:30pm.... and then after that, I had a really nice dinner with my family at Margiano's to celebrate both my sister's and my birthday. I was really happy to see as much family as I did here... my parents really threw it together last minute, and I really appreciate it.

Sunday I got up and did some home work and then spent another evening driving 300 miles down the state. I returned to my apartment in Northridge around 11:20pm... and now it's about time for me to hit the hay, but first!

Lemme show you an update of my apartment

Side view

Bruce Lee posters...a gift to me, from Cynthia Jones.

Above my bed... Sharks 2009/2010, books (Martial arts+Film), The way of the warrior (The martial art encyclopedia) and Mark Wilson's Magic, given to me by Mark Wilson.

My desk... trash and all

My nice clothes, and my food....

This was just my room... the rest of my place hasn't changed much.

In conclusion of this post...What I miss most about being home is my family, my dogs, my friends and home cooked meals from my mom. I love my family and my friends and greatly appreciate all of their support. Looking forward to the next time I return home, but for now, my nose is going back to the books and to the grind.

back to busy

So! as of late I have been working with Greg Wilson as a PA for the pre production of the show that will be at the magic castle commemorating the 50th anniversary of the classic TV show, the magic land off Allakazam!

For those of you who don't know about "The Magic Land of Allakazam" It was a television show on CBS and then ABC in the 60s, which aired on Saturday morning. It was also a noted milestone in magic history. Because it was the first, and only Television series in the US using just stage magic.

The host, and magician in the show Mark Wilson had designed and performed more tricks to audiences than ever before in history, the clown Rebo is one of the most famous and origional clowns in history, and Nani Darnell the assistant is actually married to the magician.

If you guys are interested in more information on this, check out their site here.

http://magiclandofallakazam.com/

Magic aside, I haven't had much free time outside of this project and school, but labor day I definitely had off, and I spent that going out and doing video work again ^^.

I was invited to the premier of Street fighter high the musical, by Tera one of Greg Wilson's magical assistants. Of course I am going to jump on the opportunity!

So I put my name on the guest list and made plans to go. I did'nt realize though just how far away it was! It was all the way in Santa Anna, which is deep in Orange County , over 50 miles from me! that's okay, there wasnt traffic and getting there wasnt as bad as I thought.

Of course I brought my flip camera and recorded the event...Found Ryu and made sure to interview him, also the excecutive producer! and I actually came across a celebrity there, and made sure to interview him.

It's the Mr. Shake hands man! of course I didn't find out until the middle of the interview that he was actually in the film.

I got home around 12:30 am... edited this promo package together.

You can watch it here!

Adventures across California

So I have completed this weekends adventure with Greg Wilson and his cast!

Just like every other art form, magic brings all sorts of people together from different sorts of interests and skill sets, much of the joy of this adventure was learning about people in road trip like circumstances.

BUT we'll start from the beginning ^^

Friday I met Greg Wilson at 845 Am to pick up the truck from the rental place. It was nice! it was a Ford 650 double cab, and the trailer was near container sized. So we had plenty of room, comfort, horse power, and trailer wise we didn't have to take down props to transport them, that's a big time saver.

After picking up the truck we went to the Wilson's warehouse and me and bob one of his long time helping people loaded up the truck, it took a few hours, and then I was done for the day.

After returning home I felt a little under the weather, so I took a nap. I awoke around 5pm feeling worse... So I left my room to go eat... Ended up eating at the CSUN living area Cafeteria Geronimo's ... got there just before 7pm and grabbed some chow and talked to my mom on the phone about CSUN and the upcoming weekend for a bit.

Food helped but I was still feeling it... Went back to my room, watched an episode of Master chef on hulu and hit the hay around 10pm... then around 11pm... the parties start. It's the first friday on campus, of course there is going to be parties. The noise was pretty ridiculous, it wasn't music it was just people talking right out my window, and I swear there was a 3 hour long tumbling routine going on upstairs. I did get one laugh in, I swear some one fell down the stairs at like 3am.

Any who the next morning I had to be up by 5am, and at the ware house by like 6am... luckily I can pull that off though.

AND I did, I made it and I met up with the cast and Crew!

Included in our cast:

Greg Wilson, host of the two shows and our magician.

Bob Marino, professional musician and teacher by profession, but for this gig he would be our sound, and lights, and liaison to the theaters we would visit.

Oscar, I can't spell his last name, but be an assistant on stage and would be our leading guy back stage, and driver for the journey.

Emilie Livingston, gold medal winner in Pan Am Olympic Gymnastics and professional dancer, she would be our primary assistant and box jumper through out the show.

Tera Strand, Graphic artist and professional cos play model, she would be also assisting in our show.

(Also along for the ride was Iako, Greg's wife)

Also booked for out show:

Darik: I didn't get a chance to talk to him, but he has traveled tho world doing what he does. Comedy, Juggling, step, and unicycling. I didnt get a chance to watch his show from the front, but I definately heard a lot of laughs.

Chipper Lowell: I met Chip last year at Great America, he's a wonderful guy and a comedy magician who has put him self a great act together.

Back to the action here, this was my house during the day for Saturday and Sunday... Sexy right?

This was the venue in Bakersfield. Amazing! apparently it's the biggest public theater in the entire state of California. The tech team there to greet us were actually 8 girls and one boy all from the theater department of the local high school.

They were a big help, and to me it's always inspiring to see young people so driven, and have such an understanding of tech.

Through out this show I had some costume changes.

Here was part of one of them, Bell hop, before I discovered the hat.

Here was another, the light flashy trench coat of excalabur.

The show went on with no glitches, and no one got hurt. I also got to help out Chipper Lowell with his show, which added to the comedy of his show.

After the show, packing back up and saying our good byes we said good bye to the team at the theater, we drove from Bakersfield to Kettleman city to meet up at Harris Ranch for dinner.

Yes that is a 302 Mustang, sexy new mustang... oh ya, and Harris Ranch.

Here is our team at dinner... Im sorry the picture was blury, I was going for candid and ninja not high quality photographer dude.

After Eating at Harris we got back on the road. I was the Navigator on this one... and fyi I do have an odd way of getting around. I took every one from 5 to 101 to 152 to 680.... and pause here!

I took us from 680 to 880 through Milpitas. And yes I was literally less than an eighth of a mile from my home. Talk about an odd experience. There was this feeling of nervous anticipation that rose and rose the closer I got to my home... then when we got off the freeway going towards 880 instead of my house, there was this feeling of sadness. Very odd and surreal, that I would have the feeling of excitement of going home appear and disappear in moments, and then the feeling of excitement for the rest of my trip would return soon after.

Any way we stayed the night in Union City.

Next morning we were on the road by 830, and got to Castle Rock school's newly refirbished performing art's center by 9am.

Here's the theater, a very different venue than the one in Bakersfield.

We also had a team of helpers in Oakland from the theater, they were very different than the one in Bakersfield... none the less we appreciated them being there.

Show once again goes well, we close up shop, take some photos and say our good byes, and we are back on the road by 3:30pm.

Here is me with Bob Marino, quick side note, he has worked with Harry Blackstone, and Jerry Lewis as a musician and a composer... not only famous, but a great guy.

Here is Oscar! he really a big back bone in our production, he keeps me motivated and I consider him my friend.

Emilie! She's great a true talent and professional...has also met Wayne Gretzky... Im Jealous

Tera! She has a great ethic and work attitude... also super cool and can really strike a conversation.

Any who we return to the LA area (still weird for me to say) around 10 15, most of us say our good byes and then Oscar and I get right to unloading the truck. I get Oscar to his car by 2, and we go our separate ways.

I drove back to where I thought my place was... and then my GPS started acting super weird, sending me in a random direction, and then I'd travel for a long time and then realize the reception to my GPS's satellite is gone, then Id get back on what ever free way I could find and start heading in the right direction, then my GPS would get me to turn around, then stop working again.

Long story short I ended up about 10 miles from my place... I stopped using my GPS and started using my instincts... I returned to my place around 315 am WOO!!!

Long trip, but wonderful life experience that I loved getting!

First week of... Vacation??

Haha naw, but the first week of school is always really laid back, and filled with new faces and adventure.

First off FUNNY!

And yes, notice the vitamin water bottle on top of the blue emergency pole... I put that there.

Alright back on track here, first week of school.

It's rare that I am excited for every single class Im taking...But I am. It seems TV production will be my most challenging class, followed by Political Science, then Communications, and then Art history... TV production being the most challenging, not because the others are so easy, but because TV production is such an intensive course at Northridge. Four Chapters of book reading in the first week. BUT It's reading I like and care about so THERE!

This is the TV production studio... AH mazing... the set wasn't there on Monday, it just happened to show up on Wensday....

BUT THE STUDIO Oh man I could go on about it...

but heres just the specs for allz you interested.

TV studio...

It has it's own Sound control room, full digital every thing, window on the left.

It has a seperate Video mixing room on the right.

It also has seperate from that room specific for CG and patching, in the door next door.

On the other side of the studio (180 from the camera's perspective) There is a scene shop... A SCENE SHOP in a TV STUDIO

Any who these are all rooms just attached to this studio, also with in the manzanita hall there is a film studio, a news room, a green screen/blue screen studio, 7 video editing bays, a surround sound edit bay and a fully loaded film studio.

Did I mention with in the past few years CSUN has had a higher acceptance rate in to filmand TV than USC?

Well I did now.

On to other stuff...

FIRST

Tuesday....

There was a pool party serving root beer floats at the on campus living pool...Well I had to go... there were root beer floats.

They showed hot tub time machine on their portable inflatable screen....

But I decided to swim instead... Female to male ratio was looking great.

It was 110 earlier that day so the pool felt great. After swimming, I returned to the room and chilled for a bit, then around 10:30 I get a call from professional DJ and TV commercial producer Bryan Fagundes, wondering if I wanted to hang out.

I also met his friend Stevo, but I didn't get a picture with him

So I met them at Burbank right next to NBC studios, and they wanted to drive up to Griffith park observatory, unfortunately the road was closed.... apparently they now close at ten, boo... But that's cool. Bryan wanted any ideas, so I sugjested crashing the Roosevelt hotel and looking for Marilyn Manroe's ghost (Like I did less than a week before with Ryan) So we went.

We took some cool photos, Bryan took most of them with his 15 mega pixel cannon.

Here's the lobby (on my camera!)

And CHECK IT OUT, I got an ORB!

So we then got antsy and wanted to find more, so we go to the front dest asking if we could explore room 918... THey were very helpful, They even asked "Would you like to see Marilyn's suite as well?"

YES of course.

Heres a shot from the mirror in the elevator... that is me in the reflection, NO idea why this looks so freaky

So we got to explore the hallways near room 918...(not a ghost...that's Bryan)

AND THEN the inside of Marilyn Manroe's suite...

No official ghost sightings, but we got to explore some hard to get to areas in a really fancy hotel,

View from the 9th floor

This pool.

On to Wensday,

Some secret that Ive kept until now is last Sunday I got a call from Greg Wilson if I could do a show with him... SO SURE!

Bakersfield on Saturday, Oakland on Sunday...Returning home Sunday night... and yes loading up the truck tomorrow morning.

So what's really cool is....

I got to meet Greg's Father and Mother, Mark and Lina Wilson... Mark Wilson one of the most famous influential Magicians of all time. If you had a TV in the 60s and 70s, you were probrably watching one of Mark Wilson's many Television shows.

Also on Wenesday I rehearsed for the show, I am involved in five tricks... but Ive studied so Im good now. ^^

AND ON to thursday...

Thursday was when I got a partial tour in the Manzanita hall on campus to describe the studios with in earlier ^^.

I actually met two TV hopefuls two of the PAs for my class Alex and Andrew.

Andrew just got done PAing the auditions for the G4 show American Ninja Warrior... So instantly relatable for me because I love that show.

Then after class and all, got ready to go to the Ice house to see Ed Alonzo perform along with 7 other comedians. The Ice house is in Pasadena, a good ways from where I am, but it was worth the trip, I had fun!

I went with a girl named Katelyn, who also lives in CSUN student housing I think she had fun too.

BACK TO NOW though... I have a long weekend ahead of me...and I must rest up for my big weekend, which you will hear all about when I return.