Shocked & Amazed
Homepage

Contact
James Taylor


Net Freak Alert

The latest freaky
news and links from
Shocked & Amazed

RSS Feed


Shocked & Amazed

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
"Best Of"

Read Excerpts


On the
Sawdust Trail

Newsletter
of the novelty
and variety
entertainment
business


Carny Lingo

Sideshow
Terminology


Shameless Plugs

Press Kit
Reviews
Retailer Info


Shocked Links
Links to other weirdo hideouts on the Internet

Shocked & Amazed Net Freak Alert
Enter your email address to subscribe:

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Scared of clowns? You are not alone.

By the way, this is a really great headline:
Some may hide under their beds as the circus rolls into Roanoke - Roanoke.com

posted by Kathleen Kotcher at 10:09 PM | Permanent Link


Astroland has been sold!

BrooklynPapers.com: Best quote of the article, "Such talk gave one Coney Island legend a stomachache. Top competitive eater Tim Janus, currently ranked seventh in the world, vowed to organize a hunger strike by competitive eaters to protest the closure of Astroland"

posted by Kathleen Kotcher at 2:59 PM | Permanent Link


Thursday, November 30, 2006

You've got to ask yourself...

Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus holds the copyright on the phrase "The Greatest Show on Earth." They also have a legal team that does nothing but skulk around looking for alleged infringement on that copyright.

Upon discovering some permutation of "The Greedie....uh, Greatest, Show On Earth" they send a cranky letter (or two) and they hope you will back down all peaceable like. Unless you don't. Then they get out the big trucks full of money to sue your butt into oblivion.

Now, it is true that Ringling Brothers has spent several lifetimes developing their brand image. So, yep, they have every single right to be protective of it.

Even when Sephora, the cosmetics company, has a wintertime sale they are referring to as "The Greatest Gift Show on Earth"

So Sephora is (lamely) treading on their copyright. So Sephora is using a monkey and a trapeze artist to get you to spend into a stupor for the holidaze.

All that aside...I think the bigger issue is who is the bigbrain that came up with the idea of using circus (Ringling Brothers in particular. Not this nouveaux artistique cirque they got goin' on now) to sell cosmetics?!?!?!

Think about it. You want yourself (or your special painted friend) to look like a Ringling clown? You're going to see this promotion and think, "Hubbahubba...now that's what I'm talking about! A big ole' white face clown for Christmas! Load me up, greasepaint jockey! You got that in a gallon size?"

I mean, sheesh, how do people get these jobs?

Oh, here is an evil clown generator. It's pretty funny.

posted by Kathleen Kotcher at 2:08 PM | Permanent Link


Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Ahem, ahem.

Pardon me. I don't seem able to clear my throat as I am a little horse.

I have waited my whole entire life to be able to use that joke.

I am going to go die a happyhappy woman now.

posted by Kathleen Kotcher at 3:00 PM | Permanent Link


Ever wish you could be in two places at once?

If I only had that time-turner thingee that Hermione Granger used in that Harry Potter book...then I could be in two places at one time.

I wouldn't use it for anything stupid like altering the course of history or stuff like that. Nope, I would make sure I could see our very own James Taylor at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore on December 9th. The same day as the Coney Island show at the Palace of Wonders in DC.

Yes. I am fully aware how dorky using a Harry Potter reference is. You needn't feel bothered to point that out to me.

posted by Kathleen Kotcher at 2:56 PM | Permanent Link


Coney Island Forever!

Good on you, Coney Island Sideshows by the Seashore!

Courier-Life Publications - Coney Museum to Survive Sea Change

(Pssst., if you live reasonably near the Washington, DC area you can see some of Coney Island on December 9 at the Palace of Wonders.)

posted by Kathleen Kotcher at 2:44 PM | Permanent Link


4 year old driver in the globe of death.

Special note to the dad in the story: The Ultimate Globe is not nearly as good a name as The Globe of DEATH!

KRT Wire | 11/28/2006 | Parents of 4-year-old circus daredevil don't want to stunt his growth

posted by Kathleen Kotcher at 2:26 PM | Permanent Link


Finally! Immigration Law I Can Stand Behind!

Some badbad man snuck up to two dozen Romanians into the US by having them falsely claim they were circus performers! Is nothing sacred?!

If you use the I-Love-Lucy-wacky-scheme part of your brain you can almost see the really lame circus they would have to put on in order to keep from being deported! I almost wish they had made them do that instead of just chucking them out.

Man reaches plea agreement in circus-performer scheme - Orlando Sentinel : Orange County News Man reaches plea agreement in circus-performer scheme - Orlando Sentinel : Orange County News

posted by Kathleen Kotcher at 2:23 PM | Permanent Link


Net Freak Alert Archives



This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?