The Casual Reporter

Jim McMullan Publishes Ninth Book

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:16:00 +0000

Jim McMullan has published his ninth book! Jim is a good friend and a 40 year veteran of TV and Film, starring in films including Downhill Racer, Shenandoah, and The Incredible Shrinking Woman known for his role as Senator Dowling in Dallas. He also starred as Buffalo Bill in our fine show, "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show" (La Legende de Buffalo Bill) in Disney Village, Disneyland Paris, France, where I play that same role. Aside from being a great guy, Jim always has ingenious and creative ideas, and this looks like an excellent one judging by the Amazon page where it is available for purchase:

Jim McMullan has more creative, paradigm-shattering book ideas that collects in his left eye after one night s sleep than any other writer has in a lifetime... This one is amazing. Brad Schreiber, Author, Becoming Jimi Hendrix

I was most impressed with this book. The photos are very well chosen; the writing is delightful and informative. I learned a great deal....An Ostentation of Peacocks how wonderful Judith Gaddis, Art Historian and Collector

A fun, charming and altogether wonderful book that will leave children delighted and their parents wondering how they made it this far without knowing all of this fascinating information! Christopher Reich, New York Times Bestselling Author of Rules of Deception and Numbered Account

Willie Ketchum Has a Blowout

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 01:17:00 +0000

A cowboy I call Willie Ketchum made his second mount fine during the pony express race in tonight's second show but his pants fared badly. The full length of the butt seam blew clean out, leaving our Disney audience no doubt as to the color of his undies. Black. Thankfully he was wearing some.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Disney Village, Disneyland Paris, France

Cowboy Pinches Pecker on Saddle

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 May 2010 06:32:00 +0000

One of the cowboys in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill), Disney Village, Disneyland Paris France, competed in the famous Pony Express Race and celebrated by doing The Worm - an 80's breakdance move where the dancer undulates the full front of his body against the ground, propelling himself forward. There is nothing choreographed here - each cowboy celebrates as he wishes. Some raise their hat. This cowboy, on occasion, does The Worm, a move at which he is particularly gifted. He simply falls forward into the move from a standing position, the momentum allowing impressive height and distance from each undulation.
On this occasion, however, as he walked towards the judges stand after performing The Worm I could see he was in pain, favoring his stomach or groin area. I think he was trying to smile through his grimace, but I couldn't be sure. Half doubled over, he made his way off stage, letting us know he needed a few minutes to recover.
My first thought was that he had accidentally mashed his man parts against the uneven ground of the arena as he fell into The Worm so I jokingly advised the audience not to try this move at home - it's only reserved for experienced professionals.
I later learned that the injury had occurred when he vaulted onto the horse. After launching himself upwards, the horse at a full run, he came down a bit farther back on the saddle than intended, pinching the tip of his manhood between the falling weight of his descending body and the sharp lip of the cantle. I cringe just thinking about it. And yet, and yet.. consummate professional that he his, he still did The Worm - the pinched worm, on this occasion.

Wild West Cowboy Wins Oscar!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:41:00 +0000

It's that Ryan Bingham guy again, this time, holy cow, winning an Oscar for the Best Original Song in a film, for his song "The Weary Kind" in the film "Crazyheart". He worked with us in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill) Disney Village, Disneyland Paris France, several years ago. He's a great guy, a good hand, and clearly a fantastic song writer. Some other members of the "Wild West Show Family" (all folks past and present associated with the cast) joined Ryan at the Fox Searchlight Oscar party. They took photos with Bingham and the legendary Jeff Bridges, who also won an Oscar for Best Actor in the same film, "Crazyheart". Apparently ex-cast member Mike had everyone at the bar laughing. WITH him, I'm sure. Here's Bingham singing his award-winning song:

"The Casual Reporter" Domain Name Discontinued

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:27:00 +0000

Currently, I write and publish The Casual Reporter on blogger. Readers access the blog either by going directly to the blog URL (http://casualreporter.blogspot.com) or by going to The Casual Reporter Domain Name (www.thecasualreporter.com) which simply transfers you directly to the blog. I've been paying for the domain name with the intent eventually to set up a whole website but I rarely even find time to blog, let alone set up an independent website. Not to mention the added cost. So I've decided to abandon the "www.thecasualreporter.com" domain name. From now on you'll only be able to access "The Casual Reporter" by going directly to the blog URL: http://casualreporter.blogspot.com or by searching for "The Casual Reporter" and clicking on any of my fascinating stories.

Panoramic Photo of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show with Mickey & Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:54:00 +0000

Our beloved friend and photographer Marc Veillard took this photo of the entire cast (minus those absent on the day) of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show with Mickey and Friends, Disney Village, Disneyland Paris, as a Happy New Year's wish from all of us. (I found this photo on bbwws.blogspot.com, another blog in French, maintained by one of the stage managers.)

Our show is the longest-running, most successful dinner show ever produced by Disney (and maybe any other organisation). It's one-of-a-kind. Come see us!

Ryan Bingham Nominated for Oscar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:39:00 +0000

Ryan Bingham, ex-cowboy in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill), Disney Village, Disneyland Paris France, has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song, for his song The Weary Kind (The Theme From Crazy Heart) on the soundtrack for the movie Crazyheart. Bingham already won a Golden Globe award for the song but was at the bar waiting for a beer when the award was announced. In a recent article in Vanity Fair, Bingham explains that he promises it won't happen again.

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show is Disney's longest-running and most successful Dinner Theatre, or any kind of theatre show, worldwide, ever. It features authentic Cowboys and Native American Indians - and the occasional Golden-Globe-winning-and-Oscar-nominee singer and songwriter. If you haven't seen us yet, you're missing out.

Ex-WWS Cowboy Wins Golden Globe Award

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:07:00 +0000

Ryan Bingham won the 2009 'Best Original Song' Golden Globe award for The Weary Kind (The Theme From Crazy Heart) which he wrote with T Bone Burnett. Ryan played the role of Cowboy for a few months several years back in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill) and remains good friends with several members of the cast, especially Lucas, who helped him get the job. Unfortunately, Ryan wasn't present to receive his Golden Globe award.
One might be forgiven for thinking he was on tour, or in the middle of a recording session, or had some other obligation that prevented him from being present, but in fact he was at the ceremony.

At the bar. Having a beer. With a friend. How's that for unassuming?

Crazyheart also won the Best Actor Golden Globe award for Jeff Bridges' performance.

Jean-Philippe Directs an Opera

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:08:00 +0000

Jean-Philippe Delavault, the advising Artistic Director for Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Disney Village, Disneyland Paris, France and Artistic Coordinator for Theatre Chatelet in Paris, recently directed Rossini's opera Tancrede at the Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing in Tourcoing, France. Opera Magazine gave Jean-Philippe's directorial vision a complimentary review.
.

Chris K's Son Taekwondo Champion of France

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:46:00 +0000

Chris Knecht's 12 year old son Thibault is the new taekwondo champion of France in the category "cadets" under 45kg. Chris, the "Lead" Cowboy in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill), Disney Village, Disneyland Paris, France is a dual citizen of France and the USA and has been with the show for about 14 years. Thibault won second in the department, 1st in the region, and then 1st in France at the national tournament in Orleans. Further training and competitions will be required to find the youth who will participate in the European championship. Thibault's ultimate goal is to go to the Olympics.

Wyoming Weather: A Poem

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:01:00 +0000

This year France has seen more snowfall than I've known in the 14+ years I've been here, but it's nothing compared to the severe winters of Wyoming. Sometimes I pine for those sub-zero mornings when crystals as long as fingers grow on every surface and the icy thick air amplifies the crunch of snow underfoot. My dad sent this poem, which has helped alleviate my nostalgia.

Wyoming Poem

It’s winter in Wyoming,
And the gentle breezes blow,
Seventy miles an hour,
At twenty-five below.
Oh, how I love Wyoming,
When the snow’s up to your butt,
You take a breath of winter,
And your nose gets frozen shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful,
So I guess I’ll stick around,
I could never leave Wyoming,
“cause I’m frozen to the ground!

Trent Features in Wyoming's "Casper Star Tribune"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:18:00 +0000

I was recently interviewed by Margaret Matray for a feature article in The Casper Star Tribune, Wyoming's premier state-wide newspaper. I think she did a great job. Here's the link to the web version of the article: La Legende de Buffalo Bill.

Trent, Kave, Wiley, Shawn, and Carlos Perform in Fontainebleau

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:10:00 +0000

Kave, Wiley, Shawn, Carlos, and I performed at the Theatre Municipale de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, France on December 17, 2009 in a show I put together for the kids who attend my son Zachary's school. We recently moved to the area for the school so, eager to be an "involved parent," I attended a meeting for the association of parents (who organize social events etc for the kids) and volunteered my friends' talents if for some reason they might be useful. At a different school, Kave and Shawn gave a presentation of their impressive native singing and dancing skills, which is what I had in mind when I volunteering them here.

A couple months later the President of the parents' association called to say they had met and decided they wanted to take me up on my offer. I was delighted. When they said our "show" was going to be THE end-of-the-year show for all 400 kids plus several teachers and parent chaperons, I got a bit nervous because, well, THERE WAS NO SHOW! My friends danced and sang, but it wasn't a SHOW, just incredible talent. The parents' association said they only needed to secure a venue. I was thinking a gymnasium or cafeteria or something, but the Mayor of Fontainebleau donated the use of the Theatre Municipale for an afternoon.

Realizing I needed to throw together an actual show of some kind, I arranged to meet the theatre manager to better understand what my options were. I was completely bowled over by the delightful charm of the space. It's literally across the street from the Fontainebleau Castle, Napoleon's old digs. The theatre started construction in 1905, the same year Buffalo Bill toured 120 villages in France, and was inaugurated in 1912, the year he borrowed $20,000 from Harry Tammen in Denver - a loan that would eventually force Cody to sell his show and work for Tammen in the Sells Floto Circus.

The theatre is built in the Louis XIII style and is "one of a rare specimen of Italian theatres and one of the most beautiful in the Paris area" according the the theatre's website. It's like the ones you see in period films, with seats at floor-level and then 3 levels that seem to climbing up the walls of the auditorium. Yet it's very intimate. The audience feels within arms' reach. I absolutely fell in love with it, and realized immediately that I needed to create a great show for such a great venue.

With the help of my wife and friends, I did. Fortunately I had a rare theme for this area: real cowboys and Indians, and some of the most talented people I know helping me: Kave, Shawn, Wiley, and Carlos. And of course my wife Susan. I cut a few video montages to project on the video screen behind us at certain moments and wrote a song for me to sing. Two moms dressed up like Saloon Girls to give out hats from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, which were used interactively in the show.

But not all went smoothly. On the night before the show, one of the biggest snowstorms we've had in years hit, which meant my talented friends had to travel at a snail's pace for 1 1/2 hours and when I had a technical problem and had to go back home it took me an hour and a half instead of a half hour. I was still booting my computer when the kids arrived. I had to tell my friend Chris, who had also volunteered to help, to just figure out the Video-rich Powerpoint Presentation himself because I didn't have time to explain it. So it was a close call getting the show going at all, but it turned out brilliantly. The kids were delighted, as were the teachers and parents who attended. And it was fun for me to do something new for a change. I'll post the video montages shortly.

Whatever you do, DO IT NOW!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:17:00 +0000

My good friend, ex-actor, ex-Buffalo Bill, writer, sculptor, and ever-creative Jim McMullan recently wrote that he's made this new video to inform folks about his inspirational book, "Do It Now! Book & Clock Set." Jim writes on his website,

THE CLOCK IS TICKING...

Find inspiration to make all of your dreams come true in this handy book of motivational quotes about living each day to the fullest. Do It Now! Book & Clock Set will help you forge a new path leading to calm and serenity. This collection of quotations from such luminaries as Ernest Hemingway, Eckhart Tolle, and Goethe teaches us to live in the NOW—not in the past or future, but the present. Their wit and wisdom will help center the mind and give the NOW all of your attention. Just as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that’s why they call it the present.”

So DO NOT DELAY! BUY THIS BOOK! DO IT NOW!!

Eleana Turns 90, Buffalo Bill Sings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:20:00 +0000

A few weeks ago a guest of ours honored us by choosing to celebrate her 90th birthday at our show. Eleana, I learned, and 25 of her family members, took her to watch us in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill), Disney Village, Disneyland Paris, France. To show my appreciation, I leapt up over the rail during the start of the Medicine Ball pass into the Red River Ranch where she was seated, and took her hand. She was clearly delighted. 'J'ai quatre-vingt dix ans!' she said with a big smile, her soft, arthritic hands grasping mine, 'I'm 90 years old!' I told her I'd heard as much and that we were honored she was at the show with us, and I wished her a very happy birthday. She glowed. Later, during the final review, I announced to the public, 'I have a very special announcement. One of our guests, Eleana, is celebrating her 90th birthday today, that's nine oh.' The public applauded loudly and I continued, thanking her for choosing to celebrate with us. Her family started singing 'Bonne Anniversaire' and I joined in, in English. After the singing had stopped I promised that I would personally sing 'Happy Birthday' to anyone who chose to celebrate their 90th birthday with us. Guaranteed. I'm no Opera star so I'm not sure if that was a promise that will lead to more or fewer such occurrences, but I stand by it nonetheless.

Red River Sings Brice 'Happy Birthday'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:54:00 +0000

I made some notes on September 19, 2009 for stories to include on The Casual Reporter, but I got sidetracked and didn't publish them. Better late than never, here they are:

September 19, 2009 - First Show

Brice’s birthday today. After he won the roping contest I suggested Christian, the Red River Clown, celebrate by having Red River sing him Happy Birthday. They did and he raised his hat to them in salute. Nice moment.

Second Show

Annie started shooting out the candles and a dog started barking. My brain didn't know how to handle this information. Was it a person barking like a dog, or a sound effect of some kind, or was there actually a dog barking in the audience? Another round of shooting and it barked a few more times. No mistake or confusion this time. It was a dog. The lights went up and I could see him between the first and second rows of Gold Star, next to the stairwell, plain as day, a full grown chocolate labrador with a thick red collar, panting, barking, and watching the show with great enthusiasm. "Well, I see we have one fan at least" was all the improvisation I could muster to try to regain some of the focus. It worked. Further investigation revealed that it was a seeing eye dog. Usually seeing eye dogs are trained for everything, but apparently they overlooked 'watching a Wild West Show'.

General:

A month or so ago the rodeo games started and I noticed there was no bunting anywhere in the arena. "Looks naked" murmurred Annie Oakley. It had been removed, my manager told me later, as part of mandatory maintenance for all the cables, lights and other things that occupy the rafters of the show.

It took more than a month to re-dress the arena, which leads me to wonder if 'bunting cleaning' had been deregulated like the phone industry. Between France Telecom and Free Telecom I waited over 6 weeks for phone and internet. Eventually the bunting and all the other decorations made their way back into the arena.

Latex Cowboy Stuns Halloween Audience

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:44:00 +0000

1 November 2009

There are some things in life it's better a feller never sees. Last night during the second show, a cowboy named Tell was one of those things. Up until Tell took the stage, the Halloween shows were indistinguishable from others save for some of the Indians' face paint: a skull, a jack-o-lantern, a ghoul, and so on.

But when it came turn for Red River's cowboy to compete in the Pony Express race, Tell trotted on stage and made Halloween 2009 one to remember. Tell is an uncomplicated, stereotypical ranch kid with a playful sense of humor. On a normal night he'd be dressed like all the other cowboys, in a western shirt and jeans, but last night he appeared in a skin-tight faux-latex black "cowboy outfit" two sizes too small.

The top, a sleeved vest held together in the middle by four straining snaps, was so short it barely covered his nipples. Where the bottom of the vest ended, his pasty white midsection bulged forth ever-so-slightly.

The pants were low-rise and skin-tight from hip to ankle, leaving disturbingly little to the imagination. More midsection skin bulged ever-so-slightly out above the waistband. My guess is the costume was designed as a sexy little number for a thin female, which Tell, tellingly, is not. When Tell raised his hat to Red River, I'd say a good 18 vertical inches of pasty Canadian flesh circumscribed his torso like a white inner tube gone flat.

Mickey and Minnie stared in disbelief at the spectacle that was Tell as did, I imagine, a fair number of guests.

Tell ran the race, the seams of the costume somehow not splitting, then executed one of his trademark celebrations: "The Worm," an 80's breakdance move where the dancer lays belly down and propels himself forward by undulating his body in a giant wavelike motion. He jumped to his feet, hands held high in victory, a layer of excrement-laden sand stuck to his white belly and faux-latex costume, and looked up at the judges stand with a big crooked grin.

As I was saying, there's some things a feller just never needs to see, and that was one of them. It's an image that will haunt me for a long time. But dang it was funny.

A Horror Story from France's Universal Health Care System

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:45:00 +0000

I'd had a bad stomach for 10 days so I thought I'd get it checked out just in case it's something sinister. I'm new to the area so I went to the phone book and browsed the doctors around me, general practictioners to surgeons, and decided on a specialist, called, made an appointment for 3 days later.

His office was in a private clinic hospital with state-of-the-art technology. I checked in with the secretary and waited about a half hour.

The doctor was well-presented, friendly, attentive, and highly qualified. He had the latest technology on hand in a very clean, bright, well-decorated and well-furnished office. After the examination, 44 euros later, he sent me away with a prescription for 2 drugs and a blood test.

I went home and walked to the pharmacy to get my drugs, which cost me 13 Euros. Since I hadn't bothered to find the lab close to the doctor's office, I asked where the nearest lab was that could take my blood for the blood test. The pharmacist told me which ones were closest, then handed me a slip of paper with the names of 6 nurses I could call and have my blood taken at home. After 14 years in France I wasn't aware I could have a nurse come take my blood.

I went home and called one of the nurses, who agreed to come over the following morning. She arrived a bit earlier than scheduled, took my blood and charged me 7.03 Euros.

Tomorrow I'll walk to the pharmacy and pick up my blood test results, or have them sent directly to the specialist. About 70 - 80% of the dcctor's, nurse's, and lab costs will be reimbursed by the National Health Insurance and another 10 - 20% paid by my employer-provided supplementary private insurance, so I'll be out about 5% of the cost. Prescription drugs are usually reimbursed as well, but not always. It depends on the drug. In this case, the 13 euros won't be reimbursed.

Now I'm sitting at home near the fire watching British Comedy on TV and my stomach is feeling much better. Had I been in the states I don't know what my experience would have been, but considering the experience was inexpensive, efficient, and effective, and I had full choice of doctor, including a specialist, I can't see much room for improvement. The only downside is I just looked at some photos of Wyoming and I miss it very much. Shame this system wasn't over there.

How One Horse Bought a Ranch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:20:00 +0000

Sonna Warvell of the Warvell family soon to be inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, and also Annie Oakley in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill) Disney Village, Disneyland Paris, France, recently emailed me a link to an article written about Jim and Jan Warvell, her parents. The article, "Great Horse: White Feather," is a touching account of an extraordinary horse whose talents were so remarkable the Warvells based their show around him for 12 years. According to Jan, the shows success, on the back of White Feather (literally) paid for their ranch. It's worth a read. Click on the title above to do so.

Why I Love Wyoming

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:27:00 +0000

My grandmother forwarded me this article written by a sports reporter for The Cleveland Plain Dealer. It made me proud to be from Wyoming and made me wonder why I'm not there now.

Trip to Wyoming feels far from home but closer to God: Faith and You
By Terry Pluto
September 26, 2009, 4:55AMI don't think much about heaven, other than that I want to go
there.

There are some images of heaven with angels floating on clouds and playing harps, or perhaps of heaven as a never-ending church service where people sing and pray until they drop. I don't know what heaven will be like, but I doubt either of those portraits is correct.

Last Saturday, I flew to Denver to cover the Browns game I'm not sure what that 27-6 loss to Denver was; it sure wasn't heaven.

But the day before that game, I went to southern Wyoming and thought a lot about heaven.

I drove down roads where I saw more pronghorn antelope than I did cars and people. I drove down roads where I saw signs reading, "Next services, 34 hours." I drove down roads where, when it snows, they drop gates and close the interstates until the storm passes.

I drove down roads under high skies and huge clouds that seemed to rise up to the heavens. I drove down roads through miles of open pastures, roads where my cellphone was long out of range.

I drove down roads that made me think of a line from novelist Dan O'Brien: "You have a sense that everyone can see you, but no one is looking."

That may bother some people, who are uneasy about all the rugged, lonely hills and valleys.

For those who love a crowd and the 50-percent-off sale at the mall, a state with 522,830 people and an estimated 550,000 antelope may not have much appeal.

I have been to Wyoming at least a dozen times. On each visit, I think how the land is not tamed by man. Some mountains are too high, some rivers too wild, some storms too fierce.

I know that there are days when Wyoming can seem like hell on earth during a blizzard, a dust storm, or with a blown radiator in the middle of nowhere and no one around to call for help.

But I didn't think of that as I drove south of Laramie. I saw several herds of pronghorns - 10 over here, 25 there, at least 50 ahead on top of the hill. For 10 miles, not a single car was on the road.

In Isaiah 65:17, God says, "Behold, I will create a new heaven and a new earth."

I had a taste of it as I drove west on Wyoming 130 into the Snowy Mountains. They rose 10,000 feet with the sun peeking behind snow-capped peaks. Rather than spend any time wondering how such a place was created, I was in awe of God's hand and power behind it all.

Then I saw a truck on the other side of the road, a man standing near it, staring into the woods. I slowed down and spotted a huge horse with antlers .. only, it was a moose in a clearing. I stopped and walked over to the man.

"There's four of 'em," he said. Then a female moose and two young ones ambled out from behind some bushes, joining the big bull. We watched them silently for about five minutes, me wondering what exactly got into God when he created a strange creature like a moose. Sheer entertainment, I suppose.

Finally, the four moose disappeared back in the woods. The other man and I left, too, nodding to each other but not saying a word.

First Corinthians 2:9 reads: "As it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. "

But that Saturday in Wyoming, I was given just a glimpse.

Sonna "Annie Oakley" Warvell Inductee to Hall of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:34:00 +0000

As reported recently in the Star Telegram, the latest class of inductees into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame includes the Warvell Family: Jim, Jan, Toni and Sonna Warvell of Weatherford. The Warvell family performed trick riding, trick roping and comedy routines worldwide. Jim and Jan now own and train racehorses, Toni is active in judging horse events, cutting and training, and Sonna has starred as Annie Oakley at Disneyland Paris in its production of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill) since the park opened in 1992.

Also to be inducted are legendary baseball player Nolan Ryan, Olympic gold medal winner and Hollywood stuntman Dean Smith, and James Jennings, the voice of Mesquite rodeos. The Hall of Fame, in the Fort Worth Texas Stockyards, will introduce the class at a January 14, 2010 ceremony. The honorees were chosen because of their excellence in competition, business, and support of rodeo and the Western lifestyle in Texas.

Sonna shared this news with the Wild West Show cast last week, with much pride and to much applause. One of my favorite pictures of her is at age 4, laying down a horse in a Wild West Show. She and her family are now officially living legends. Congratulations to Sonna and the Warvell family for this much-deserved recognition.

Trent's Buffalo Bill Shows are "Electrifying"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:20:00 +0000

The Artistic Coordinator, Artistic Director, and a returning principle actor each recently took time to pull me aside and tell me my performances have reached a level of excellence they describe as "electrifying," "amazing," and "unbelievable." They say I've attained a quality of performance that is now "untouchable," "in a league of it's own," and "beyond compare."

The level of their compliments caught me completely by surprise.

Despite my disgruntlement over the ridiculous idea of management asking us to deliver each show in 90 minutes, striving to keep a 90-minute pace has required that I intensify my energy and focus, which has apparently, unexpectedly, resulted in noticeable improvement to my already strong performances. I was tickled to watch the Artistic Team search for superlatives with which to laden their compliments. What an honor and surprise to have accidentally, even reluctantly, achieved something worthy of gushing approval. According to the Artistic Director, the new pace and intensity inspires other performers and the whole show is improved.

As a side benefit, I get home earlier to watch American Football!

So now you REALLY must come see us!

WWS Finishes Under 90 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Lest there be any doubt that the WWS is more factory than theatre, the latest directive from management is that the show must finish in 90 minutes. So I kept a ruthlessly rapid pace throughout both shows last night, bulldozing through moments where I normally allowed slight pause for theatrical drama, clipping the end of my fellow actor's lines, ignoring interruptions where improvisation is called for, not waiting for audience applause to die down before delivering text, and cutting words from my own text where possible. With the aid of the other actors, we delivered the show in 90 minutes the first seance and 87 minutes the second.

Management was perfectly tickled.

Pace is important, to be sure. Too often actors overindulge in their own stretched out moments of drama, or confusion, and the show slows to a crawl. Or. Stop.

But to ignore the audience and the occasional special moments of improvisation makes the show impersonal and can undermine the credibility of the characters, in my view. Allowing for special moments yet keeping a good pace is not easy. It's an art that not everyone can master. Hence, I imagine, a blanket solution for all to a problem that belongs to a select few individuals. (Me, of course, not one of them. I can't be to blame - this is my blog!) Perhaps one day we'll be able to relax again and respond to the audience in a natural way that allows each show to be individual and special, and builds the credibility of the characters and the moment, without being slave to an arbitrary time limit.

Sitting Bull Pole Dances on Chuck Wagon

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:51:00 +0000

A couple weeks ago, for the first time ever, the Principals in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill), Disney Village, Disneyland Paris, were unable to judge the rodeo games from the traditional judges stand.

I was in the production office between shows when one of the technicians arrived slightly flustered and announced in French to the Stage Manager that there would be no judges stand for the second show. The 3 or 4 members of the production staff present looked at each other, raising their eyebrows, grimacing slightly, and puffing their cheeks in concern as they learned the details: one of the wheels fell off and was not repairable. Apparently the wheel had been a concern for several weeks but for reasons unclear to me was not repaired so it finally broke clean off. I asked what they proposed be done for the second show. The Stage Manager's first response was that the Principals would just have to call the rodeo games from the floor of the arena - do some animations and what-not.

I explained, patiently I thought, that standing on the arena floor was an unacceptable solution, that perhaps the Chuckwagon at least could be used. A quick call to the Horse Trainer confirmed what I assumed the response would be: not possible. We the performers would just have to adjust and make do.

The others checked their watches to make sure they weren't running late for their lunch break. That's when I felt my face start to heat and my jaw muscles clench.

Over the course of the next half hour I made my feelings very clearly known. I explained that even though I'd been working at the Wild West Show for 14 years and perhaps should be accustomed to the way things are (or aren't) done, I still felt it infuriating that nearly every technical dilemma, it seemed, was answered not by a flurry of activity, creative thinking, and a can-do approach to solving the problem, but a simple announcement of the problem with the matter-of-fact assumption that the performers could and would simply adapt, adjust, and improvise in front of 100's or 1000's of paying guests who, one would hope, expect a polished and complete show. And when this "solution" doesn't work, as you may well imagine is sometimes the case, we the performers are the ones who risk embarrassment on stage when all goes not as.. not planned... We are the first to be recognized as participants in what may likely appear an amateurish performance. Perhaps most importantly, we are the ones put most at risk improvising in a show where 62% of the cast are very large animals with minds and personalities very much their own - animals not accustomed to unrehearsed changes and not necessarily mentally or physically well-equipped to coping with improvisation. And I'm not talking about the Cowboys and Indians: 48 of the 78 physical beings who make up our cast are of the bovine and equine variety.

Yet time and time again when systems fail, when things break down, when stuff doesn't work or supplies run out, the default response from the production team seems to be "make a note to fix it in the future and tell the cast to make do for now."

In fairness, I seldom witness first hand what tasks the technical staff perform, so some of my barking criticism may be unwarranted. One explanation given for the seemingly nonchalant approach to resolving technical problems is that a quick fix is more likely to fail and could be more disastrous than doing nothing at all. This seems reasonable in some cases to a certain extent, but there are usually compromises preferable to doing nothing and leaving the cast to sort it out on stage.

After shouting, accusing, comparing France to the USA, and apologizing for basing my anger on unfounded assumptions, the Horse Trainer thought of an excellent temporary solution: use the chuck wagons.

Possible after all, I guess.

The Horse Trainer himself drove one of the chuck wagons out with the canvas down and steel support ribs bared, and we used the old Triangle for a bell. The straight legs of the ribs resembled poles so, instinctively, in telepathic unison, Annie and Sitting Bull discreetly mimed a pole dance as I started the rodeo games. I think it's the first time Sitting Bull has done a pole dance, even one undetectable to the public. Annie I don't know about.

Later, on the theatrical front-facing stairs leading up to the open door on the bed of the chuckwagon, where the Principals were standing, Lucas did some step-aerobics. Directly in front of the judges. We watched in silence for a few seconds as he soberly carried out his routine then jogged away, shaking it off. Very amusing. So we had fun.

We used the Chuckwagon for several days, maybe a week - the time it took to fix one hub of one wheel. In one show, frustrated by the lowness of the chuckwagon's bed compared to the judges stand, I stepped up on the rim of the box but, aware it looked less than regal, quickly stepped back down. My action apparently inspired Auguste who subsequently stepped up on the back edge of the box and balanced for several seconds before descending, and Annie, who balanced on the rim during the entire Pony Express Race, clenching the pole with her left arm for balance and somehow, not always entirely successfully, juggling the clipboard, pen, triangle with bar, and four post bags. I shouldn't have started the idea.

The excuse I heard for the delay was that the axle/hub assembly was from a Renault vehicle but nobody knew what year or model. I guess they had to wait for an expert from Renault to come figure that out for them. Or something. Who knows. Now the judges' stand is back, repaired, and the episode has been forgotten. Hopefully the next technical glitch will tend towards the benign, as in this case, and not the alarmingly deadly, like in Adam's case.

The Adam Bomb Video

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:32:00 +0000

Here it is, at long last: the full, uncut version of Adam falling from the sky. Watch carefully the left half of the screen...