Hypnotist Marc Savard's Blog

Wives. More credit is almost always due.

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:12:00 +0000

Why is it that sometimes you need to receive a text from someone to motivate you to take action and say something? Well, last night was no exception. I received a text from a friend that struck some emotion in me that made me reflect on my current situation. This in turn has motivated me to say something.

Here is my "something". I have been married to Joanna for over 10 years. For the majority of those 10 years, we have worked closely together in the entertainment business furthering my career. Joanna was responsible for booking the majority of my tour dates years ago when I was on the road. Performing over 200 dates a year on the road was challenging physically, mentally, and emotionally for me. But it was always a sacrifice for "tomorrow". We wanted to raise a family together and now have 3 beautiful daughters. I seem to be busier than ever. Financially we are substantially better off, but the sacrifice still continues as the show needs a lot of my attention now in regards to re-design, promotion, etc.

Joanna's role in the business has become less important as her time in being a mother is escalating. Our children are ages 4 and a half, 2 and a half, and 6 months old. This house is busy!! I am seriously outnumbered. I know that sometimes Joanna feels bad that she cannot help me in the business as it is more demanding now on me than it EVER has been when I was on the road. I miss her help because she 'gets' the business. She has a keen understanding when it comes to my show and my vision. These are all important elements, but they can be hired out. I can hire anyone to do her job.

But as a mom, she cannot be replaced. Our children are brilliant, beautiful, kind, and funny. They have such a natural quest for knowledge and a confidence in themselves that has been instilled since birth. Joanna loves our children so much, and she is such an amazing mother, that I could not imagine anyone else raising them so well. Children who have full time attention from their mothers seemed to have an edge in confidence and a jumpstart on life.

The first half a dozen years are so crucial in the development of children that being nurtured in this process is so important. There will always be work to do in the business. I know that I have been so swamped and sometimes cannot contribute as much as I would like to being a great father. I know I am a great father, but when looking at Joanna as a mother in comparison, I need to pick it up a few notches.

Being great at entertainment is not easy. Being a great father is not easy. Being great at life is not easy. Being a great husband is not easy. Having a wife that quaterbacks the entire family unit is priceless. Joanna deserves more credit than she ever gets. Joanna, you're a great mom and you deserve tons of good karma. I know that your children make you smile, laugh, cry, and love. I know that you are proud of them, and you should definately be proud of yourself. Our baby has a shirt that says, "My Mommy Rocks!" It couldn't be more true.

Marc

Vern Morain - Super Fan

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:35:00 +0000

I just wanted to take the time to mention someone who has been an amazing support to us here at Mesmerized. Vern Morain starting attending Mesmerized in February 2007 and has attended over 70 shows since then. Vern is what we call a Super Fan.

He comes to the show alone, and sometimes with a guest. He has NEVER volunteered to be hypnotized and I tease him that one day we will get him up there. Vern had seen the show several times before he finally introduced himself to us. Now, he says hi everytime he attends. He is such a kind and wonderful man.

Thanks Vern for all your support.

Marc

How do I go from Danny Gans' performance to American Storm Male Revue?

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:24:00 +0000

So last night I was invited to go see Danny Gans at Encore/Wynn Resorts. Danny is a long time Vegas performer, he started at Stratosphere, moved to the Rio, then to the Mirage for a long time, and then now has re-opened at Encore.

The Encore showroom is where Spamalot played for a while, prior to that, Avenue Q was in that same showroom. So, anyways we get invited to attend to grand opening. So my wife Joanna and I go along with David Saxe and his wife Alana. Our intent was to go do dinner first, then go to Gans' show. David had to coach his son's basketball game and could not make it to dinner. So my wife and I went out for dinner without them. Joanna and I have not been out for dinner since our last baby has been born and many months prior to that. Maybe 8-9 months? That is what happens when the baby is nursing and she has just been too young to leave with anyone.

So anyways, we went for dinner at Maggiano's in Fashion Show Mall accross from Wynn Resort. Maggiano's Little Italy has wonderful food, and has a great authentic Italian feel and ambience, up until our waiter with a Russian accent showed up to serve us. LOL. Chuck, the accordian player, added a great vibe for all the dinner guests as well. I ordered Chicken Marsala, and Joanna order Lobster Linguini. Very tasty indeed.

After dinner we went over to Encore to meet up with David and Alana for the show. We grabbed the tickets, and sat down in the theater. The showroom was unbelievable. Incredible lighting, LED wall at the back, and awesome sound. The show was vintage Danny Gans. Super polished and very tight. Danny for the most part is dead on with his impersonations, but I find he struggles with some of the newer ones. His cntemporary music impressions were mediocre. I felt the strongest part of the show was his Al Pacino impression from Scent of a Woman. Awesome.

After the show, we were invited to the VIP after party. Many celebrities were in attendance. Rita Rudner, Louie Anderson, Tim Poster, Tom Breitling, Norm Clarke from the Review Journal, Alicia Jacobs from Channel 3, Monti Rock III, George Maloof and many more. The after party was hosted at Blush, and sadly, it was lame, so we left.

So David tells me that he has to meet someone at the V Theater at Planet Hollywood. This is the theater that I perform Mesmerized in. On Friday nights at 10pm (my night off) and Saturday at 11:30pm after my show, the male revue American Storm performs in the V Theater. So, we go to the V Theater for his meeting and then plan to go get a bite to eat and a few drinks. Well, we step into the theater and there are 250 women screaming their heads off for the muscle guys. I have never seen anything so nuts. Wow. Is that all I need is abs and they'll go crazy at my show? Wow. I have to add crunches to my daily tasks, haha.

It was hysterical to watch this display of kookiness! Unbelievable. Our wives had some much fun, we ended up not leaving at all. I am embarassed to admit that I stayed to watch an entire performance of American Storm. Ok, not that embarassed. It was actually pretty fun. Watching 250 horny women lose all sense of composure in a theater for 5 naked men was hilarious.

The male revue ended, and the assistant producer/manager Alex Schecter dragged Joanna and Alana up to the stage to get their photos taken with the Storm boys. So, now my wife is a proud owner of a Polaroid with her, Alana and 5 naked ripped men. Nice. Maybe we can frame it up over the fireplace? Haha.

So, we decided to end the night there, and grabbed a quick snack, came home to relieve the babysitter. I did 3000 sit-ups, and went straight to bed.

Marc

Hanging with Mr. Top. Carrot Top that is.

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:01:00 +0000

So last week on my night off, my wife and I were invited to go see Carrot Top's performance at the Luxor here in Las Vegas.

I have seen Carrot Top a few times, but never at the Luxor. We attend the show, John Padon was the opening act. A great comic with sharp wit, has been performing in Las Vegas for many years. At one point being the regular sepecialty act in X Girls. Topless girls and comedy? Who wouldn't love that.

So, Joanna and I go to the show, John had a great set, everyone loved him. Then Carrot Top came out. He is hysterical. I know some of you are thinking, "Carrot Top? Seriously?" He is one of my favorites. His live show is different than his TV stuff, and he has some pretty creative routines. I laughed pretty hard. I needed the laughs, as work has been grueling with lots of projects going on lately.

So, after the show, we were invited backstage to hang out. Carrot Top, who always introduces himself as Scott Thompson, was a gracious host backstage. He has always been very kind and soft spoken and I have enjoyed the times that we have talked. On the night that we were backstage, some members of the band Pantera were there as well. Nice guys too. We enjoyed a drink or two hanging out, then went home.

On the drive home, I was starving!! I rarely eat at McDonald's, but that night, I decided to bend the rules. I shouldn't have. Ugh. Micky D's makes me feel shitty. I should have kept with the theme of the night and went home and ate carrots.

Marc

Birthday and Farewell Party at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:15:00 +0000

I have been away from blogging for quite some time. My workload has been crazy and unfortnately blogging has been set to the back burner. I am back now, and going to try and keep up as best I can.

So, last night, I attended a birthday party of a dear friend and past employee. Jessica Johnson worked for my company for the first run of my show Mesmerized. She is a loyal, caring, and sweet, sweet person. Anyone would be lucky to have her in their life. Jessica turned #$&%#@$#% years old. Wow!

This birthday party was also a sort of farewell party for her too. Jess has decided to move back to Michigan to be closer to her immediately family as her sister has young children and being closer to them is of much importance. I understand completely, however, I have a feeling she will be back in Vegas. :-)

The party was a lot of fun. It was nice to see some old friends that I have not seen in a while as well as some business acquaintences. Roman Peek, Matt Phillips, Stephanie Simmons, Jason Abbott, Jeannine Raspitha, Scott Robertson, Vivian Krouse, Captain Morgan, and many more of my friends. :-)

Marc

Snow in Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:27:00 +0000

Snow has flown in the air on few occasions but from what I can see in the newspapers, it seems that snow to stick on the ground in Las Vegas is VERY rare. Yesterday on December 15, 2008, it snowed in Las Vegas and stuck on the ground for the entire day. It snowed enough in my neighborhood that my daughters 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 were able to make a 4 foot snowman. He had a small hockey stick as one arm, a pirate sword as the other. Oreo cookie eyes, licorice mouth, and a carrot nose. He was wearing a scarf and a of course a wool hat too. Sharp looking fellow actually. :-)

The last snowfall to stick on the ground was December 30, 2003. Prior to that it seems to be January 1979. The National Weather Service seems to say that statistically, Las Vegas gets snow that sticks on the ground approximately every 20 years. What a treat for my daughters, and it was kinda nice to see the snow again. I was born and raised in Canada, so snow is something I had grown accustomed to. I don't really miss it, but I have to admit, when the snow was coming down, and my kids were SO excited, it did put a smile on my face.

Marc

Pig Infestation in Arizona

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:56:00 +0000

I performed at Planet Hollywood Hotel in Las Vegas on Thursday night. Friday morning, Ty and I loaded up the truck with audio and lighting gear and headed to Tucson, AZ for a corporate show. Friday nights are my "dark" night in Las Vegas. For the non-Vegas savvy people, "dark" night is what is called your regular night of the week that you do not perform. For example:

Marc Savard's MESMERIZED performs nightly at 10pm, Dark on Fridays.

This is common practice that all shows use in their entertainment listings. So, off we go to Arizona. Now to reference back to my title of this blog. I know this is politically incorrect, but I have quite a few friends that are police officers, and of course I say it tongue in cheek. Some are city cops, some are state troopers, and some are even Canadian Mounties. One of my friend's precincts just received their first helicopter, so now I refer to them "Pigs in Space" from the Classic Muppets TV show. :-) They LOVE that. Haha.

Anyways, in my travels on the road, there are times when we see a lot of police officers, but this particular trip to Arizona was crazy! Ty and I feel that we have very accurately guessed that in an 16 hour round trip from Las Vegas to Arizona and back we had encountered between 70-80 police cars, and speed traps. It was so many that we started counting to be sure. We might be off by 4-5 cops. I have never seen so many. Maybe the economy is bad for the state of Arizona, so they are trying some unique fndraising tactics, I dont know. For the record, we did not speed, nor get stopped.

So the corporate show was a huge success. Approximately 300 people i the audience and I had 9 people hypnotized in the show. Funny moments in the show as unusual, and all those in attendance enjoyed the performance very much.

Saturday morning came around and we hit the road to return to Vegas. On the way back, I began to develop flu like symtoms and went in to perform my show last night. We had a great turnout (a few tickets away from a sellout) and despite feeling under the weather, the performance was a lot of fun. As my sickness moved through its stages, I found that my ears began building up pressure. I walked out on stage last night and could not hear myself through the stage monitors. I could not hear the music, and the audience seemed very quiet. It was like I had lost 70% of my hearing. Ugh. I must have really taken for granted how much I listen and need to hear myself in a stage show. Wow. I felt like it was affecting my pacing, my joke timing, and my normal banter and patter.

I modified the show slightly by adding a few more routines than normal, and less "Marc" time, meaning less time telling jokes to the audience and filling in with my witty comebacks. Okay, at least I think they are witty. So, it was nice to lean on the volunteers a bit more than normal and the result was fantastic.

I have since worsened in my condition, and am enjoying some hot green tea with honey as I type this. We have cancelled the show for tonight, and I expect to be back performing tomorrow evening. It is VERY rare for me to cancel shows, but since this "flu" is in my ears and it made performing very difficult for me, I decided it was best to just rest and sleep this one off.

Marc

Birthday Party of Female Impersonator Frank Marino

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:40:00 +0000

I have been meaning to write this blog for quite sometime now and am just now finally getting time to do so. A few weeks ago, I attended a celebrity filled extravaganza. I attend Las Vegas Headliner Frank Marino's birthday party. Frank is the star of La Cage. La Cage has been in Las Vegas for 23 years and Frank has been the star of it since opening day. When I opened my own show in Las Vegas in February of 2007, Frank attended the grand opening of MESMERIZED and we have been great friends ever since.

So, back to the party... It was hosted in the Penthouse Suite at Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. Wow. What a great suite and an incredible view of the strip. The party had amazing food, decorations, a shirtless body builder bartender haha, and of course there were quite a few Vegas headliners there to wish Frank happy birthday. Mary Wilson from the "Supremes" was there as well. What a kind and wonderful woman.

Frank has always been an over-the-top diva, and this night was no exception. The cake was a made into a replica of a Louis Vuitton handbag. Are you kidding me? Haha. It was pretty amazing actually. Unfortunately I could not stick around to have a piece of it as I had to head to Planet Hollywood Hotel to do my show that night.

The party continued on to Piranha. Piranha is a gay bar, and being a straight man married for 10+ years, this was not a place I frequent, nor had ever been before. So, after my show was over, I ventured over to area known to the locals and gay community as the "Fruit Loop" Wow. Interesting. Umm? Where to start? Haha. Believe it or not, I actually had such a fun time. The party atmosphere was actually more enjoyable than regular nightclubs. I had a great time. It was a little unusual for me, but once you got ever the fact that there were no women in there, (maybe 1 or 2) it could be fun for anyone to attend. For the record, I was only hit on by one guy. I politely declined the dance request.

Only in Vegas. :-)

Marc

Marc Savard and La Cage's Frank Marino

Frank Marino's Louis Vuitton Birthday Cake

Captain Morgan Pong?

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:44:00 +0000

Ok. Either I am so out of touch with reality, or this is a relatively new game. Up until about a year ago, I had never heard of Beer Pong. It is a bar drinking game where you bounce a ping pong ball into your opponents cup and if you succeed in getting the ball into the cup, your opponent has to drink.

Blondies Bar & Grill is located in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, right accross from my theater. I see the beer pong tables quite full most of the time, so it seems the game is pretty popular. Maybe I was not aware of the game because I am not a beer drinker. I cannot stand the taste of beer. Never have. Seriously, I think I have had maybe a half of glass of beer in my entire life. Had the game been called Captain Morgan Pong, I might very well be the National Champion. :-)

Marc

In the Photo:
Me, Kris, Teela, David, and Ty.

Both. We will not so all three each!?

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:57:00 +0000

Both. We will not so all three each!?

I received a text message on my phone with the above phrase. Entertaining, but it made no sense whatsoever. After an explanation from the friend who sent it, and realizing that she was "under the influence" at the time, the reasons what and why became clear.

I spent some time absorbing that text and more importantly, the state of mind she was in at the time. I find it fascinating, that since the beginning of time, all organisms have tried to achieve altered states of consciousness. Man with alcohol, drugs, meditaton, and hypnosis, just to name a few.

Bees drink sap from a lime tree and get drunk, certain birds get high from ants, hedgehogs search for creasote, cats with catnip, lemurs eat giant millipedes to get high, birds on holly berries, even reindeers on mushrooms, and of course, there are thousands more.

The point is, we have explored anything and everything to reach some sort of "understanding" and have tried to tap into the subconscious or unconscious parts of our mind forever. Many religions, meditations, feats of strength, supernatural abilities, etc., all stem from the subconscious mind. None of these "special abilities" can be accessed from the conscious state.

As we continue to evolve as humans, we continually look for that next step in making our mind and bodies to achieve the extra ordinary. Hypnosis is the most effective way to tap directly into that mind power without the "side-effects" of other methods. Religion, meditation, etc, I see as just various types of "inductions" to reach that "trance state". They seem to collectively follow a common path, to let the individual access the subconscious mind. That is where all the power is. At least we think so. ...

Carl Jung discussed the unconscious mind being more powerful than the subconscious. He described the subconscious mind as being "a cork floating in the sea of the unconscious" Does that mean, there is WAY more inside of us, than we can actualize? I love to think that is true.

I cannot wait for the next advancements and discoveries into the inner workings of the mind! I believe, that once you are a student of the mind, you are a student forever. :-)

I would like to leave you with this very important thought that a friend told me not more than a few days ago. It was life changing to her at the time, and heck maybe someday, it might be for you to. She said, "Both. We will not so all three each."

I couldn't agree more.

Marc

Crazy Canadians

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:06:00 +0000

Ok. As most of you know, the show Mesmerized here in Las Vegas has some adult content. I have never been a fan of adult content and I have never had really done any adult routines since the beginning of my career 15 years ago.

Mesmerized came along and proved to be an excellent opportunity for me in Las Vegas and hence the show was designed to include adult content for the time slot of 10pm as well as the type of crowd that would attend that particular show. We did surveys of our audiences, and though I believe that hypnosis shows can be entertaining without, it seems that Las Vegas wants to see adult routines. All that being said, the routines that I have in show, I have to admit, are pretty damn funny.

At the end of the show, I have the guys audition their porn moves for a porn movie. As you can imagine, it is way over-the-top and hilarious. We actually give the guys a blow up doll to just demonstrate their moves. Ok, let's fast forward to the end of the show where volunteers can meet and greet with Jacky and I, and purchase DVD's of the show to watch themselves being hypnotized...

We are all standing out in the merchandising area, where a group of 4 people are visiting from Canada. The mom, the dad, the daughter, and the daughter's boyfriend who was on stage in the show are talking. The group were laughing hysterically at the boyfriend, and the mom while laughing yet being sarcastic, says to the boyfriend, "I sure didn't like what you did to that blow up doll from behind, Jessie! Especially since you are dating my daughter!" Everyone started laughing so hard, it was hysterical! Crazy Canadians! They had a great sense of humor. Sorry... the Canadians spell it "humour". ;-)

Marc

Oh My!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:43:00 +0000

So... Last night's show brought out some interesting personalities. I made a guy audition to be a stripper, so... he starts dancing and shows off his moves. That's all fine and dandy. THEN... he goes out to the audience and gives a guy in the front row a lap dance! WOW ! It was over the top crazy! The audience was losing it !! Fun show.

Tonight should be interesting. Jacky Pagone, my onstage assistant will not be in the show tonight. She has another committment that she had in place since before I signed her on. She will be missing tonight's performance, and since it was only one night, I will not be using a replacement. Hardly worth going through rehearsal's etc for one night. Jacky will be gone for 5 shows at the end of this month, as she is going home for thanksgiving. We may find a fill in dancer/assistant for those shows. We'll see.

Marc

The Doctor is in the house

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:38:00 +0000

Last night's show was interesting.... lol

Once I got my volunteers hypnotized, the show went on as normal. I went through a routine or two and then began to introduce our hypnotized guests to the audience. I like to have the volunteer say their name to the audience, and then have the audience members who came with the volunteer make some noise, clap, cheer, etc. I do this for a couple of reasons.

1.) I like to know where their friends are sitting. If they cannot see their buddy on stage (bad sight lines) I will move their buddy to a different seat.

2.) I like the audience to know who the hypnotized person belongs to in the audience. It gives them a sense of connection.

3.) I like the audience to see how real these volunteers are. I don't use plants, or have volunteers fake hypnosis, I use real people from the audience every night. So, it is important to me, that they see and talk to that volunteers friends/group after the show.

Anyways, the show rolls on, and one volunteer named Evan, is a man in his 50's I am guessing. He was a physician. Oh my god!, he was hilarious! He was just like Peter Petrelli from Heroes on NBC TV. He absorbed everyone else's suggestions. It didn't matter who I was communicating to, he seemed to pick everything up. It was awesome. Very entertaining for me, I might add. His wife was sitting front row, and she was dying laughing. They had a great time!

Halfway through the show, an audience member was falling asleep in the crowd. So, I awakened her from hypnosis, and continued on with the show. Well, that was not the end of Leslie! LOL. I was conducting the Lollipop Licking Championship on stage, and this lady shows up to the front of the stage and was so angry that she wasn't included. She was so hypnotized that she came from the back of the audience and demanded her own lollipop to compete in the competition. So, we gave her one. She was competing with the rest of them. What a great moment. Funny stuff!

Marc

Criss Angel's Believe Cirque du Soleil - World Premiere

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:07:00 +0000

Ummm. Interesting?!

I don't know where to begin.

Last night, my stage assistant, Jacky Pagone and I were invited to the World Premiere of Criss Angel's BELIEVE by Cirque du Soleil. Being it was Halloween night, attending the event in costume was welcomed. So, Jacky and I dressed up. I went as a Jedi Knight, and she as Princess Leia in the slave bikini. People LOVED our costumes, we had several people ask to take pictures with us, apparently there are more Star Wars geeks than I imagined. :-)

So, the show started. I had heard horrific, and I mean horrific reviews about the show, so I was expecting the worst. I don't even know what to say. I feel that the show is a mess. Now understand this, I am not a show critic, but just an audience member. I am not trying to disrespect Criss Angel or Cirque du Soleil as artists, but these are my thoughts.

I feel that the show needs to dramatically change if they want to survive. Typical Mindfreak Criss Angel fans will be hugely disappointed going into this venue expecting to see Criss Angel do his magic like he does on TV. It doesn't happen. The magic in the show is terrible. It is basic magic that is not impressive by ANY means. Quite juvenile to be honest.

I also believe that Cirque du Soleil fans will be disappointed in the Criss Angel segments of the show. His personality works so well on Mindfreak as the show is reality based and rough around the edges. I find that his personaality does not fit in the Cirque environment and at points I felt like someone should just go take the microphone away from him.

I know that Criss and Cirque are trying to do an artistic version of Criss' magical nightmare/dream vision, but it doesn't belong. Mindfreak fans want the TV show live on stage. Cirque du Soleil fans generally do not want a rock and roll dude yelling on a microphone and trying his take on comedy and acting on a beautiful stage with beautiful dancers and special effects. I think this is a marriage doomed from the beginning.

I felt that there was some cool elements. Like the tornado wind storm on stage. Amazing effect, Cirque has outdone themselves on that one. I felt that the Cirque performer that did the aerial act from the flower was really cool, but other than that, I felt that I was looking at my watch, waiting for it to be over. The audience was restless, some left early, they easily had no issues with going to the bar to get drinks and also to take washroom breaks. I was a bit shocked that so many people were leaving their seats. The audience barely applauded and they definately did not laugh at the jokes. There were some instances that you could hear crickets when there should have been laughter. That was painful to bear. As a performer, there is nothing worse that having the audience not be on board with you during your show. I have been there. It is a horrible feeling.

I think there are only 2 options here to improve the show. Get rid of Cirque du Soleil and turn it into Mindfreak Live. Or, get rid of Criss Angel and modify the show to be about a magician's journey through life and afterlife will cool magical effects and more Cirque acts that have amazing talents. I don't see them continuing on the path they are on right now. $100 million into this venture? I think that both options I am suggesting will probably not happen. So I am definately interested in seeing where they go from here.

Like Criss said at the end of his show, "Sometimes you just have to believe." Sorry, this time, I don't.

Marc

Constant Changes in the Monologue

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:33:00 +0000

Every night when I step on stage, I have an opening monologue that I go through. This monologue touches base on a few key points. Mainly, I focus on guiding the audience through a suggestibility test, the volunteer restrictions, and what to expect and not expect in the show. Over the last few weeks, I have been adding some slight modifications to the patter, changing the order of a few things, and varying my pace. It is interesting that over the last 15 years, and several thousand shows, that my monolgue continues to change. I find that the type of audience, age of audience, and the energy of the audience really dictates my approach. For the aspiring hypnotist learning the craft, here is what I want you to take from this blog...

Do not be afraid to change your opening speech/monologue. Learning something to a script is not always the best thing. Have your monologue somewhat rehearsed so that you are not rambling, but yet do not be afraid to modify it slightly to fit the feel, energy, and dyanmics of your group. Your show should be constantly evolving. I do not mean only in routines, I mean in your monologue, your induction, your routines, your transitions, your product pitch, your finale, and your awakening sequence. Do not be afraid to make improvements.

Lastly, drop the ego. If someone gives you a suggestion about the show, listen to it. Sometimes and extra set of eyes and ears is exactly what you need. I constantly ask Jacky and Ty, as well as many other theater staff members about their opinions. Remember that they see the show from different perspectives. Listen to their ideas, you do not always have to take them, but it is worth hearing if your show would improve. That's the goal, right?

Marc

The Groom was Hypnotized!

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:33:00 +0000

Today is my night off. Whew. Been a crazy week. Flew to Alaska, did some events, came back to Vegas, performed every night since, and now Friday night is here. My dark night. For those of you not familiar with Las Vegas show lingo, when your show is "dark" it means that you are off that night and not performing. So, every Friday is Mesmerized's dark night.

We had some great shows this week. Myself, Jacky and Ty went out for a celebratory drink after the show last night. It was really the first time that we took a breath since the show opened.

Upon reflecting on the week, we had a few interesting shows. One in particular really stood out. We had a party of 9 show up. They were a bride and groom and their close friends. I later found out that my favorite brokers, Tix4Tonight are the ones that sold them tickets. Tix4Tonight is amazing, they know how to pick the right people for the right show. This group was looking to celebrate and get crazy and do something memorable for their trip to Vegas. So, they told me that David from Tix4Tonight recommended that the best show for a large group to have fun at would be Mesmerized. Well, he was right. The Groom volunteered for the show, and was the star of the night. Oh my gosh, he was friggin' hilarious!

This one part in the show where I do a classic Hot/Cold routine. Upon awakening from being cold, this girl was cuddling up with the groom and so, he pushes her away disgustedly, and points to his brand new wedding ring. His face totally said, "get off me bitch, I'm married!" So funny! But it doesn't end there.

Later in the show, I brought a guy up from the audience to put on a wig and the guys on stage would fall in love with this "so-called girl". I told them that she would be the most beautiful girl they had ever seen. Upon awakening, the groom, Clayton, lays eyes on this "girl" and his jaw drops to the floor. She is SOOOO hott! Then the brand new groom of a few hours, slips off his wedding ring and stuffs it in his pocket! He was SOOOO married 20 minutes earlier, but was willing to throw it all away for this burley dude in a wig! The audience was rolling on the floor in laughter. Priceless. Too funny!

Clayton, I hope we made your night a memorable one, and thanks for volunteering. David, from Tix4Tonight, thanks for sending me a great group. You were dead on to think that they would have a blast at Mesmerized!

Final thought. It is weird to wrap my head around the fact that I pretty much hypnotize someone on each and every day of my life. But today, Marc Savard, shall not hypnotize. I will sit my ass down on the couch, and watch a movie. I am tired, I will easily fall asleep, and once I close my eyes, my night will be dark. Of course, that is so perfectly fitting, for my dark night. :-)

Marc

Visiting Brokers

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:33:00 +0000

So I am back from Alaska and getting back into the groove of Vegas.

Most Vegas shows are sold by ticket brokers and various ticket locations throughout town. Occasionally I will go and meet the ticket brokers and say hi, drop by their locations, talk to them, their customers, take pictures, sign autographs, and just hang out. It is great public relations, and of course I enjoy meeting new people, especially perople who sell tickets to my show.

Today, Jacky Pagone and I went around to 6 different broker locations and met some great people. We recognized a few things. First off, the strip is huge. We knew this, but walking up and down when you are working it, is different from when you are on vacation. Secondly, there should be a Cold Stone Ice Cream shop on the strip. Self explanatory. Thirdly, City Center, the new property by MGM Mirage, will be amazing once completed.

Tix4Tonight has been a great supported of mine and they do some excellent business for me. I saw Kris Kidd, a Tix4Tonight employee who has seen Mesmerized more than once, or twice, or three times, and he kindly introduced me to some customers, and the other employees. We had a few laughs, and took some pictures with some customers, and a great time was had by all.

Here is a picture of Kris and I in front of the Tix4Tonight store! He is my number one seller and beats every single indvidual broker in town by a long shot. You rock Kidd!

Marc

One down, one to go.

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:29:00 +0000

Last night's show went pretty good. We had quite a few volunteers, and the one's who got hypnotized were great. We are expecting a bigger crowd tonight and the show should be even better. :-)

Upon reflecting on last night's performance, there really are quite a few differences to my Vegas style performance from my regular corporate style. Other than the obvious differences, there are others.

I find that my pacing is a lot slower. I also find that my personality comes out a lot more too. I think that the unwritten rule of a Vegas show having to be 1hr and 20min makes me jam routines together and spend less time developing the volunteers personalities on stage. I also feel that my choice of routines are very different. I tend to rely on routines that also allow more talking from the volunteers where my Vegas show demands actions. Because of the international audiences in Vegas, I try to keep the show more visual, and less talking. For example, last night I threw in an old routine that I do into the show. The routine requires the volunteers to think an animal that they will call during the animal calling championships. Obviously, it is very funny but works extremely well when the audience all know each other. When you know the person onstage, seeing them talk and individually act out situations proves to be extra funny.

Tonight, I will be pulling out some more material that I have not done in a while. Should be fun. One show down, one to go. Then... back to Vegas on Sunday.

Marc

Brrrr. Alaska is different than Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:56:00 +0000

So, yesterday I shut my show down on the strip for 4 days to fly up with my assistant Kamela Brewer to Alaska. A month ago, Kamela put this deal together for me to perform up in the tundra! :-)

I performed Wednesday night in Vegas, and then was in bed by 1:30am. Only to be at the airport at 5:30am the next morning, or THAT morning to be exact. I was exhausted. Ugh. So we flew from Las Vegas to Seattle, then connected to Anchorage. From Anchorage we had to take this plane that was patched together with duct tape, to Kenai, AK. Kamela grew up in this area. Interesting little town, and I kinda feel at home here. It is very similar to Northern Alberta Canada, which is where I am from.

I met Kamela's parents, and they are really nice. VERY nice people! Kamela's mom owns a restaurant, and the food is fantastic. We went to 3 radio stations this morning to do interviews about the shows I will be doing. The radio jockeys were very pleasant and were accomodating.

I am just checking emails and doing some business right now and communicating with personnel in Las Vegas because I am back doing my show on Monday night. No rest for the wicked.

So, I am heading back to the venue to prepare for the show. I hope all of you are well back home in Vegas. I know it is warmer there, but I am kinda enjoying the cool air and the fresh air coming in off the ocean.

I also wanted to shout out to Barry Brewer, who apparently reads my blog regularily. You better volunteer to be hypnotized this weekend.

Marc

Finding our groove

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:02:00 +0000

4 shows under our belt. Things are beginning to come together. Opening night was a huge success. We made the transition back to the V Theater without a hitch. The show was hilarious, the audience was energetic and were excited to have us back as much as we were excited to be back.

Sunday night's show was good too. We don't have any major kinks to work out, other than just getting the groove going on with making the routines become seamless together as well as Jacky, my assistant, is also finding her comfort in the new theater. I have performed last year at the V Theater for almost 200 shows, and so it has been real easy for me to adjust, and not surprisingly, Jacky being the professional that she is, has shortened the learning curve considerably and his already treating it like home.

Ty, my main guy, who does pretty much everything for me as well as video, was with me all of last year too. So, he needed no more than 5 minutes to feel at home there. It has been feeling really nice to be back at the V Theater. The show plays well there, so please, if you have seen my show in the past in another venue, you'll love the show here.

See you soon,

Marc

Mesmerized to Re-Open at V Theater

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:36:00 +0000

First off, I apologize. I know many of you have emailed in wondering why I stopped blogging. Things have been crazy in my life lately. I took some time off of work to enjoy some personal time. My wife and I had a baby in early September, and things have been great with that. :-)

About Mesmerized, here's how it came about. For the majority of last year I performed in my own show that ran in producer David Saxe's V Theater at Miracle Mile in Planet Hollywoood Resort and Casino. We had a very successful run and in October last year, I decided to leave the show to pursue other projects. I opened my own hypnosis school with my original instructor John Zulli. John and I also designed a program called Pathway to Power and once those projects were launched, my time commitment to them lessened. I was ready to come back to the Las Vegas strip.

I performed in my own show at the LA Comedy Club in Planet Hollywood. I performed there for 2 months to showcase my abilities and invite other producers and hotels to see what I had to offer. I had some interest from some other properties and had the opportunity to put together a few deals. I was close to signing at another major property, and at the last minute something unique happened.

David Saxe called me last monday night. Due to unforseen circumstances, the show that was in the 10pm time slot immediately closed. Saxe calls me, and says, "Hey. How soon can you open your show?" In reality, I could open in one night. The technical aspect of the show is ready. All the lighting cues were still saved as Saxe's V Theater is where Mesmerized was last year. The sound techs still know the show. The spotlight operators are the same as last year. The stagehands are the same people. So, it really is a turn key operation at this point.

The only issue was ticket brokers and advertising. There is a 3 week turn around for any print work here in Las Vegas. LVM magazine, What's On magazine, Vegas2Go magazine, etc. So, the question was, I can open immediately, but if no one can sell tickets cause we need a few days for the brokers to input the inventory of show dates, and if the advertising does not come out for weeks, then what do we do?

David did not have any concerns about the advertising not coming out because the brokers all remember the show and can easily sell it describe it to consumers. So... after a 3 hour meeting with Saxe, we decided to go for it. I open tomorrow night. Saturday October 11, 2008. Yikes !

This might be the record for the shortest time to open a show. I did it in 9 days for the LA Comedy Club, but we are doing this one in 5! Wow!

Mesmerized is back! We hope to see you there soon!

Marc

Capital Ex, Edmonton Alberta

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:18:00 +0000

I did my fist few shows at Capital Ex. Had a bit of rain at the end of the day and threatening clouds were lingering overhead all day long. That kept some of the crowds away, but there was still about 750-1000 people watching the shows. I did not travel with a sound tech on this trip. I am using a device called Virtual Soundman. It allows me to operate all my sounds cues from a remote transmitter to an interface unit that connects to my iPod. It was a little challenging as I have not done shows with it in about a year. I used to perform all the time like that. By the second show, I was getting it all dialed in. As a matter of fact, my old sound guy Tyler Patrick is originally from Edmonton, and came by last night to see the show. He did not know that I was running the cues. So I guess I am doing something right. :-)

Capital Ex is a great event that will probably see around 1 million people through the gates in 10 days. There are plenty of exhibits, lots of corndogs, cotton candy and anything else that would make you throw up while on the midway rides. Come and join us if you can!

Marc

Heading North to Edmonton from Calgary

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:37:00 +0000

Well Ladies and Gentlemen. I am making the trek up north. I am leaving Calgary momentarily and heading up to Edmonton via highway. I have travelled the 200 miles maybe a thousand times, but have not in the last 3 years. I am looking forward to the scenery again. I like to spend time just thinking. I will be riding alone the entire trip, but I sure look forward to my adventure.

For those of you who have not been to Canada before, I have included a picture of the downtown Calgary.

Once I arrive in Edmonton, I will be staying at my friend Garth's. He is about to be married to Maria in August. Apparently he was sick and tired of making his own decisions, so marriage was the answer! Haha. Maria is amazing. I love her to death and they make a perfect couple. Really, for someone to love Garth so much, she needs to be special.

I have all kinds of great things planned for Edmonton, I will try and keep you posted on my events. Below is a picture of Edmonton so you can see the beautiful cities I get to enjoy on this trip.

Marc

My Mountain Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:45:00 +0000

Allright. First off I apologize as I have been a few days without a blog entry. Lots of things have been going on. I left Las Vegas on friday morning as I have headed to Canada to perform at a festival. The festival does not start until Tuesday, but I have come to Calgary first before going on to Edmonton.

The reason I have come to Calgary has been to hang out with my music designer, Brent Hodgins. So, we have been playing around with some cameras, some music files, some web stuff, so basically, boy things. :-) It's been great to connect with him again. Brent owns and operates www.orchestrated.tv Check it out, he writes some pretty amazing music.

On friday night when I got to town, I went to Banff National Park. Banff is in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and wow, the scenery is amazing!

We went to Warner's Ranch where we went on horseback. Unreal! Let me put it to you this way. I learned how to pack a mule, I learned how to lasso a hay bail, and I also learned how to ride a horse. The last time I was on a horse, I was maybe 6 years old. It was soooooo much fun! Although the trip to the montains was pretty amazing, 2 days later, I am paying for it. My butt is killing me! I know, I know, I would have never thought that I would go up a mountain, and come down with a sore butt. I have not even seen brokeback mountain, let alone participate in it. LOL. All kidding aside, I was out there for 3 hours or so. Who in their right mind would spend $2000 to go on a 5 day ride on horseback? I know it is beautiful and all, but my butt and legs are killing me! Listen, you could have your buddies whack your butt with a paddle for a few hours and save yourself the money! Seriously, it is pretty awesome out there, definately paradise!

Marc

Hanging with Jamie Foxx

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Savard) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:25:00 +0000

So, last night I stopped by for the Pool Party at Palms Place. It was pretty happening and there was lots of people there. If you think you might be good looking, just stop by there and then feel real shitty about yourself for awhile. There really was some beautiful people there. I felt like I should leave, go workout at the gym for 5 hours, then go back. Geez. Haha.

So I met and was hanging with Janelle from Sunset Tan. Apparently it is a reality TV show, but I don't watch much TV, so I don't really know anything about it or her. She is incredibly nice and was a great host to me. Janelle keeps pretty good company, so there was some movers and shakers there. I got introduced to Jamie Foxx. We hung out for a bit listening to the musicians that were playing poolside. I didn't stay for more than an hour as I have lots to do today. :-(

Las Vegas is a great place for networking and of course, getting the opportunity to meet cool people is kinda fun. I never lose sleep over meeting celebrities as they are just normal people too, but I am a fan of Jamie Foxx, so that was neat. I mean, come on, he is sitting in his hotel room right now thinking, "Wow, last night was crazy! I can't believe I met Hypnotist Marc Savard!"

Marc