I thought the performance of interlude was poor and "flashy", but what really made me cringe was Leon's assistant calling Ariann out. That was just bad form.

I'm sure you will find a lot of people who disagree, but I am one who does not. The best magic I have ever seen was done live... the worst, on TV.

None of them appeared well rehearsed nor did they move like professional dancers, they were somewhat ridged and ungainly. They didn't look like performers. None of them were "on" as they walked on the stage. I agree with Kent. What purpose did those other assistants serve then to make sure the illusion didn't tip over or roll around?

On top of that I didn't respond well to her using a sympathy ploy, declaring how female magicians are picked on and abused. That's an insight to, her acting upon a self-fulfilling prophecy
If you think of yourself as being needy, that will effect how you appear. I'll explain:

I believe, a performers state of mind affects their entire performance. Over the years, many AGT performers told a personal story of woe AFTER their performance. At that time, they could connect with the audience on a personal level because they proved they were worthy. Most credited their performance as an inspirational message while others dedicated their performance to someone who inspired them. She, on the other hand, told her tale of woe in advance. It appeared she had the wrong motivation. Her statement, prior to her performance was "Nothing would deter HER from doing magic" deter her ..... while every other successful performer extolls "I hope I could inspire OTHERS to do something special, themselves". Motivation alone can make or break someone no matter what business they are in. I'm not picking on her because she is female but because of her attitude and I think it contributed to the performance.

Just my observation, Please don't beat me up for how I feel.

Well this one goes out of the show. Jim must be mad to see his creations exposed on national T.V.

This is Arian performing interlude on another TV show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RllE8qBJDbU

It's not deceptive as it is way too large for her size.

Ok, so Arian may have made a mistake on TV no one is perfect, let’s not dissect her. What I thought that was very unprofessional was Leon’s Assistant making the comment she made about Arian has to go on national TV that is just bad taste. I do have to agree with you Matthew on that comment, I wonder if Leon’s Assistant would have liked someone saying that about her.

I think she did the best she possibly could, in light of the circumstances. It's not easy putting yourself out there like that on national TV.

If anyone is considering doing this illusion in the future let me throw this out there. I think the mishap boils down to a poor costume choice. AB was wearing a tight wasted blue corset. Heidi was able to see the empty, negative space at her waistline clearly. If you remember the original Interlude as performed by the Pendragons. JP was always wearing a huge puffy shirt so that his torso looked really big. I understand why a lady would want to wear a slimming sexy corset, but it doesn't work with the optical deception needed for this particular illusion. This is where a consultant/director would have come in handy. They can see things you can't while you are performing.

Scott,

Well said!

"None of them appeared well rehearsed nor did they move like professional dancers, they were somewhat ridged and ungainly. They didn't look like performers. None of them were "on" as they walked on the stage. I agree with Kent. What purpose did those other assistants serve then to make sure the illusion didn't tip over or roll around?

On top of that I didn't respond well to her using a sympathy ploy, declaring how female magicians are picked on and abused. That's an insight to, her acting upon a self-fulfilling prophecy
If you think of yourself as being needy, that will effect how you appear. I'll explain:

I believe, a performers state of mind affects their entire performance. Over the years, many AGT performers told a personal story of woe AFTER their performance. At that time, they could connect with the audience on a personal level because they proved they were worthy. Most credited their performance as an inspirational message while others dedicated their performance to someone who inspired them. She, on the other hand, told her tale of woe in advance. It appeared she had the wrong motivation. Her statement, prior to her performance was "Nothing would deter HER from doing magic" deter her ..... while every other successful performer extolls "I hope I could inspire OTHERS to do something special, themselves". Motivation alone can make or break someone no matter what business they are in. I'm not picking on her because she is female but because of her attitude and I think it contributed to the performance."

Jay,

Although she is clearly responsible for the failure of the performance, we should be aware that the way she was presented is a construction of the editors and producers of AGT. They chose to put her story about women magicians where they did. For example, watch it again and you'll see that as she tells that story, they show her backstage taking to some guy shot from a low angle to suggest that he is looming over her. Then he says laughingly, "have a good show." I suspect that those backstage entrances are not filmed at the same moment as the actual entrance, but maybe they are. They just never seem exactly right whenever I've seen them. Imagine that they had to shoot that entrance after the illusion had failed. Would you blame them for not being completely pumped?
I wonder if we had been there, would the moment where the assistant got stuck and she flashed the method have seemed as terrible without cutting to the judge and bystander reactions, some of which were definitely staged after the fact? That's the 'magic' of 'reality' television, right?
Certainly not meant to beat you up.

Jon Barr

Yes, Jonathan used to wear a loose shirt, but NOT always (I remember some performances with bare torso, shirtless) and his interlude was incredibly deceptive too.

However much some insist, not everything in life can be unisex. The fact is that a man's body is different than a woman's and this is very important for certain illusions (for example interlude). In the same way that the body of a woman has certain advantages to fit into certain b***s, a man's body is more suitable to perform interlude.

Don't recall a completely shirtless performance by JP but definitely shirt open down to the waistline.

My point jonbarr is,
Why is she complaining on camera, which has nothing to do with editing. To complain back stage is bad form & shows a defeatist attitude.

I understand, Jay and I'm not saying you're wrong. I guess my point is that one man's complaining is another's answer to the question, 'what obstacles have you had to overcome to get here?'

Jon Barr

Why do established performers go on this hack, rigged show?????
Just because you appear on it does not always do performers any good.It's a talent show and if you don't win or even come close you are a loser on a talent show. How does this help out their careers?

Don't get it!!
Richard

Absolutely. It was distracting from the get-go. But I don't have as much of a problem with the performance as with what took place before and after. As Jay Leslie mentioned, it was a bad idea to use the "sympathy ploy, declaring how female magicians are picked on and abused." I'm still not sure whether she was talking about clients or fellow male magicians. But the worst was when she tried to explain away her problems by saying that some people just don't understand magic. If you have to explain it, you need to rethink your material. Blaming the audience for "not getting it" is never a good solution.

Maybe it's just a curiosity, but here are Pendragons performing Interlude, Jonathan shirtless (he was fit )
Not just a question of clothing (even costume can help), Interlude was designed for a man to be crossed by a woman.

Yeah, look at the guns on that guy.. Bad joke.
I also agree that a lot of what we saw on AGT was due to creative editing.. The aftermath and lead up mainly.
But her presentation did not do the illusion justice in the least.
My fiancé said,"big deal.. (and then pronounced the method)".. Followed up by "i bet every other magician who does this trick is really P.O.ed right now!"
Oh well, without the drama - there would be no show, right?

If you look on YouTube, you'll see Clownvis Prestley on AGT get knocked off immediately. He is an incredibly talented performer. I saw him live. It was so unfair.

That prop is super slim as well. It appears to barely fit him.

Yes, the illusion has to be built to fit the performer body !
I guess you can easily find the differences between these two models... Enjoy !

[img=http://s5.postimg.cc/xeq3gefpf/inte......269.jpg]
[img=http://s5.postimg.cc/h2g1qo1dv/inte......320.jpg]