Pow! Right Between The Eyes! Andy Nulman's Blog About Surprise

Going Away Present (For You. For Free!)

Vacation-time Update:

As you read this, I am pedaling my way through Italy on a bike trip from Florence to Pisa.  Wish my quads and my calves luck, and please pray that the tower is the only thing leaning by the time I get to the finish point of my destination.

Once again, I make the vacation promise and say that for the next two weeks, postings will be rare...but once again, I bring my BlackBerry, so who knows ;)

But to reward you all for being loyal FOPs (Friends of Pow!) for the past 10 months, I've decided to give YOU a Going-Away Present.

Here's the story:  For the past few years, I've been giving this motivational speech called "How To Do The Impossible" to Fortune 500 companies like GM and 3M and to massive audiences alongside people like Tony Robbins at conferences like The Power Within. 

At these events (as well as on Amazon.com and Lulu.com), I've been selling a book based on the speech (that's it there up above to your right), and I'm about to go into my third printing with it.  I have a few second-printing copies kicking around, so who better to give 'em to than you folks who continue to stop by Surprise Central? 

So here's my "I Can't Believe It's True" offer:

I'll send the first 25 people who ask
a FREE "How To Do The Impossible" book,
free of charge, wherever you are in the world.
First come, first sent.

Here's how to get yours: Just send an email to my assistant Diane Shatz at [email protected].

That's it. Don't forget to include your name and full snail mail address.  Diane will prepare the packages in my absence and I'll sign 'em and send them along when I get back.

Oh.  Almost forgot. There's one catch. 

You have to read it.

I don't care if you blog about it, talk about it, rave about it to friends, lend it out, use it for kindling...it's yours; do with it what you want.  Just promise me you'll read it first.

Like me, it's short, to-the-point, loud and certainly not boring.

And it's my going-away present to you.

See ya in two weeks!

(Yeah, yeah...we both know it'll probably be sooner, but allow me my delusions...)

 

Come Inside And See His Etchings

Marshall McLuhan defined art by saying “Art is anything you can get away with.”

In that fine tradition, meet 28-year-old George Vlosich III (whose name really should be George Vlosich !!!). George creates finely-detailed pop culture and sports star portraits using an Etch-A-Sketch as his brush, his palate and his canvas.

Anybody who has ever twiddled with Etch-A-Sketch’s two single-directional dials knows how hard it is to draw a decent curve or diagonal, which makes George’s precision output all that more impressive…and brings a whole new level of respect to a classic, iconic toy. Putting together a standard work (as if anything he does can be labeled “standard”) takes George about 60 hours, and who knows how many finger twitches. Check out the process in this YouTube clip.

The results are awe-inspiring, and since they are etched on aluminum-powdered glass, Surprisingly permanent in nature (he removes the excess powder to avoid very costly slips).  And don’t think for a second that this ain’t taken seriously; George’s limited edition prints go for upwards of $2,000, while his originals start at $7,500. (Moms, don’t throw out those Lite-Brites or Mr. Potato Heads just yet…)

Not only is he talented, but George is also extremely generous and warm-hearted, donating his pieces for charity auctions all over the country. Now if I can only figure out how to establish Pow! as a charity…

It’s offbeat and counter-intuitive, but so was Jackson Pollack. Enjoy George’s work at his Etched In Time site today…and in museums sometime soon.

What The Fork Is He Talking About?

Said it before (as recently as Tuesday). 

Will say it again.  And again...

But like when others say it best.

Here's Ryan Karpeles' take on little things that mean a lot.

Out of context.  And right on target.

(Thanks Mark Goren for the stab!)

Reverse Shoplifting (A Consultant is Born!)

At the risk of being All Dan Ward, All The Time!, I pass along this news because of the effect of my devious hand within it.

About a month ago, my blogging buddy Dan wrote me the following:

I'm looking for some cool (i.e. inexpensive but effective) ways to spread the word about my latest book, The Simplicity Cycle. I know, that's what everyone is looking for... but I was wondering if you have any ideas or suggestions, particularly of the Surprising variety.

I'm already blogging about it, giving away the PDF version for free, pursuing some trade pubs…but I suspect that's all the obvious stuff... and I was hoping you might have a thought or idea for me...

Being in the midst of Airborne and Just For Laughs madness, I didn't give it much thought.  But sure enough, in the midst of a drive to a cousin's wedding, the following mad idea of "Reverse Shoplifting" invaded my mind, and I wrote Dan back:

How many hard copies do you have?  Take a bunch, put a sticker on them saying something like "Here's a Simple offer.  Take this book home.  IT'S FREE!!  All I ask in return is that you blog about it!" and leave it in the business sections of big bookstores. 

This will create buzz, perhaps even scandal, but lemme tell you, it will spread the word.

Well, gotta give Dan credit.  He has cannonball cojones, and decided to take the plunge.  As we speak, a team of equally daring friends, including Gabe Mounce, Eric Hoelmer, Chris Quaid, Trevor Gay and Dave Hurd are sneaking into bookstores in England, New York, L.A., Las Vegas and Washington D.C. to plant Dan's giveaways.

Stories of reverse shoplifting and other mayhem to come (I hope!), but with this post, I have accomplished two things:

1. Earned my own copy of The Simplicity Cycle
2. Established the Pow! Marketing Schemes & Dreams Consultancy

Alright...who's next?  ;)

The Little Things That Count

(We now return this blog to its regularly-scheduled subject matter...)

Got an email from Dan Ward while I was working the theater last week; one which proves the ol' Pow! adage:

Small Surprises can deliver BIG impact 

In Dan's own words...

I recently got surprised by a box of Bounce fabric softener, and thought you'd be interested. My wife opened a new box, and inside was a small white envelope. Inside the envelope was a card that said the following:

Dear Friend

At Bounce, we believe even the little things should brighten your day. So on our 35th US and 31st Canadian anniversaries, we'd simply like to thank you for choosing Bounce.

Thank you!

Everyone at Bounce

(On the backside the card said the same thing in French)

She thought it was cool enough to mention it to me. I thought it was interesting enough to pass it along to you... I figure that's got to count for something.

Wrongo, Dan.  It doesn't count for something; it counts for EVERYTHING.  When was the last time anyone made a fuss over fabric softener?  Or blogged about it?  This cost Procter & Gamble a fraction more than nothing...and the fact that it's mentioned here already makes the company's investment a wise one.

Who needs tacky sweepstakes and dull promos when you can raise awareness, and the bar, with stuff like this?

Line Of The Festival

Well, I'm back at work at Airborne (hence the return of all things BOLD and COLOR). 

Just For Laughs is over, the final All-Star Gala went off without a hitch (including a touching tribute to my late friend Richard Jeni), but I can't stop thinking of what has to be the line of the event, delivered by hulking security enforcer Al "Fluffy" Schwartz.

Following the aforementioned, shriek-inducing performances by kazoo-player Amy G (who is perhaps the most beautiful woman working a comedy stage) and SpyMonkey, who cavorted about in the buff, Schwartz shook his head and slowly uttered:

"In a perfect world, Amy G would be in SpyMonkey."

Boldly Going

So yesterday's Gala with William Shatner was an exercise in Murphy's Law. Everything went wrong.

EVERYTHING.

Transportation made him wait for a half-hour. The TelePrompTer was a mess. The special effects didn't work. The tech team bumbled cues. Video ran without sound. Sound without video. It was a comedy of errors...without the comedy.

I was begging for a kick in the crotch so that I could feel better.

The only upside was Shatner himself. He could've--should've!--torn us apart. But he was patient, kind and elegant. We all waited for the explosion...but none came (at least from him).

Even when an all-important pyro effect didn't go off to climax a Harry Potter sketch, he came off stage smiling, and good-naturedly looked for ways to make fun of the miscue with the writing team.

A real pro who has left a lasting impression on all who dealt with him yesterday.

Tonight had better go better...

Calm Before The Storm

Just reheared these two acts for Just For Laughs:

SpyMonkey, a four-member British troupe who perform an absurd ballet number in the nude.

Amy G, who plays a kazoo concerto from her nether orifices.

Gonna be a few Pow!s tonight!

Reaction (and maybe even some photos if I dare) to come...

Howie Flies

Talk around the theatre at rehearsal is--pardon the pun--"buzzing" about how Howie Mandel improvised a bit after a fly landed on his head during a monologue last night.

"It's part of my new trained fly act," he explained.  "Like Sigfried and Roy with their tigers."

Backstage though, the crew was amazed at how calmly Howie, a noted germophobe, reacted to the insect's between-the-eyes landing. "You know that thing's seen its fair share of urinals," one writer cracked.

The Mark of a Pro

(As promised, here's the first of what may be a series of B-Berried reports from the St. Denis Theatre, where I'm spending a vacation week directing Just For Laughs Gala shows.)

Incredible. That's the only way to describe the work ethics of John Pinette and William Shatner.

Yesterday, John ran through the two songs he's doing as part of his Friday shows at least a dozen times. Every time we told him to take a break, he'd reply "I'm here to work!"

And I just got off a call with Mr. Shatner, who's asking for ADDITIONAL rehearsal time to ensure his stuff goes flawlessly for Saturday. Here's a guy who's legendary enough to merely phone it  in, but he wants to work like a newbie to guarantee success for him and a killer show for his audience.

Inspiring for all of us putting these shows together.

Blows, But Definitely Doesn't Suck

This one sent from friend and co-conspirator Mitch Joel, who bemoans "I think I find it easier to find content for your Blog than for mine." (No prob, Mitch; we can always use more help here at the woefully underfunded Surprise Central.)

It's a brilliant video/ad that works its Surprise on so many levels--comedic, persuasive, educative--that it requires multiple views.  Set your sails and head over here to watch it.

I don't know what the question is, but the answer my friend...

A Little Taste of Something Sweet

So here's what usually happens: 

Big meal, I'm full, but the seductive temptress called dessert comes around. Although I say "I just wanna little taste of sumpin' sweet," I end up regretting the results 500 or so calories later.

To the rescue of my waistline and my workout regime comes Sinfully Delicious Gourmet Dessert Sprays, a shpritz that's free of sugar, fat and calories, but apparently bursting with flavor (or make that flavors, as the sprays vary from milk chocolate turtle to cinnamon apple and key lime pie to strawberry cheescake).

The Surprising innovation, from Atlanta's Innovative Candy Concepts, retails for $3.50; about the price of a slice of the sin it replaces.   And while very Jetsons-like in theory, I'm wondering if in practice this tongue tease will satisfy a sweet-tooth's craving...or (perish the thought!) actually amplify it?

For me to try...and for you to find out once I do.

(And if this DOES work, imagine the possibilities--full spray meals, samplers for food you're afraid of trying, special Holiday-themed sprays, like Eggnog for Christmas, turkey for Thanksgiving or even Maror for Passover.)

The Age Of Conversation...Starts Today

Screw Harry Potter and his Deadly Hollows!

The REAL big buzz in the publishing world belongs to The Age of Conversation , a collaborative effort dreamed up and meticulously guided by Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton.  It comes out today, but last night there were midnight bashes in online bookstores throughout the world, with kids and adults alike dressing up as their favorite The Age of Conversation contributor, munching on Alpha-Bits cereal (the official foodstuff of the AOC) and downing unprecedented amounts of smart drinks.

I could ramble about what it's all about and how it all came together, but Drew and Gavin have done such a phenomenal job of that with a blog, I would be adding nothing but babble.

Here's what I will say about the project, though:

1) Even more important than the book's subject matter is its soul.  This is a book with a heart; ALL proceeds from ALL book sales will be donated to Variety, the Children's Charity.  And there are three ways to buy 'em, ensuring that all along the reading spectrum --from the digital downloader to the hardcover hoarder-- can buy the book in their fave format via Lulu.com.  Here are the more-than-reasonable prices:

• The e-book--$9.99  ($7.99 going to charity)
• The Paperback--$16.95 ($8.10 to charity)
• The Hardcover--$29.99 ($8.55 to charity)

2) This is no cliché or butt-kissing--I am TRULY honored to be part of the project.  I worked like a looney to be eloquent and relevant in my piece, entitled "How to be LOUD!"

3) And why did I work so hard?  'Cuz I had at least be as good as this group of prestigious peers, who all deserve a round of applause for gathering thoughts and banging the drums to raise the level of support and donations for The Age Of Conversation.  Check 'em all out:

Gavin Heaton
Drew McLellan
CK
Valeria Maltoni
Emily Reed
Katie Chatfield
Greg Verdino
Mack Collier
Lewis Green
Sacrum
Ann Handley
Mike Sansone
Paul McEnany
Roger von Oech
Anna Farmery
David Armano
Bob Glaza
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Scott Monty
Richard Huntington
Cam Beck
David Reich
Luc Debaisieux
Sean Howard
Tim Jackson
Patrick Schaber
Roberta Rosenberg
Uwe Hook
Tony D. Clark
Todd Andrlik
Toby Bloomberg
Steve Woodruff
Steve Bannister
Steve Roesler
Stanley Johnson
Spike Jones
Nathan Snell
Simon Payn
Ryan Rasmussen
Ron Shevlin
Roger Anderson
Robert Hruzek
Rishi Desai
Phil Gerbyshak
Peter Corbett
Pete Deutschman
Nick Rice
Nick Wright
Michael Morton
Mark Earls
Mark Blair
Mario Vellandi
Lori Magno
Kristin Gorski
Kris Hoet
G.Kofi Annan
Kimberly Dawn Wells
Karl Long
Julie Fleischer
Jordan Behan
John La Grou
Joe Raasch
Jim Kukral
Jessica Hagy
Janet Green
Jamey Shiels
Dr. Graham Hill
Gia Facchini
Geert Desager
Gaurav Mishra
Gary Schoeniger
Gareth Kay
Faris Yakob
Emily Clasper
Ed Cotton
Dustin Jacobsen
Tom Clifford
David Polinchock
David Koopmans
David Brazeal
David Berkowitz
Carolyn Manning
Craig Wilson
Cord Silverstein
Connie Reece
Colin McKay
Chris Newlan
Chris Corrigan
Cedric Giorgi
Brian Reich
Becky Carroll
Arun Rajagopal
Andy Nulman
Amy Jussel
AJ James
Kim Klaver
Sandy Renshaw
Susan Bird
Ryan Barrett
Troy Worman
S. Neil Vineberg

So what are you waiting for?  Buy the book!

20:20 Vision

It's called 20ltd.

I thought I'd be over this one by now, but I keep going back.  Again and again.

It's the Internet's first true luxury boutique.  Frankly, I think it's the best shopping destination on the entire WWW (particularly if you're into Surprise).

Because there's always a reason to go return. Only twenty different items on sale at any one time (that's the 20 part).

And each one is an EXTREMELY limited edition, made exclusively for the site.  You can't get them anywhere else on earth.  Once they're gone, they're replaced by something else (that's the Ltd. part). 

These guys really get it.  Minimalist design.  Sharp, snappy text.  Luscious photos.  Great music, too.  And they never wane from the 20 concept (not just in products, but in overall look-and-feel).

The antithesis of Amazon.com.  A supreme shopping experience.

20Ltd. does for web retailing what the Apple Store did to brick-and-mortar retailing.

Now if I could only afford some of the stuff...

Is It Me?

Got a nice email from Matt Eliason, who runs a website/business called CaricatureKing (British spelling, my friends!).

Matt was kind enough to send along this drawing of me, done by an artist named Ethan, and explain the benefits of having such a drawing as a photo alternative for things like this blog.

So, is it me?  A little harsh and sharp in the lines, but it does shave some years off the ol' birth certificate, and makes me look like a candidate for a reunion tour of The Knack.  What do you think? 

Same day, someone turned me onto Meez.com, from which you can create a 3D, animated avatar for things like...well, this blog.  Didn't have the time or patience this week, but was impressed with the way it captures one's personality, even if the facial features will always be a bit off (perhaps Meez can merge with Matt...).

Point here is that as we move about the digital world, and as our every living moment can be documented on YouTube or Flickr or Facebook (or, most likely, all of the above), a new way of identity self-expression becomes paramount.

Even if we let others do the expressing of us for us.

Look Again

Well, longtime FOPs have come to appreciate--or at least accept--my obsession with unique contemporary art. 

Well folks, contemporary art doesn't get much more unique than the work of sculptor Eric Lapointe.  I happened upon his work at Espace B51 during a weekend jaunt in Old Montreal, and as a guy who has visited countless galleries and museums, I thought I had seen everything.

And then I saw Eric's stuff.

As first glance, he sculpts obtuse, wildly out-of-proportion, seemingly-abstract figures (like a golfer or computer user) and objects (like a F1 race car) in brass.  Gorgeous yes, but seen it all before.

But within each of his sculptures is a glass lens, the wide-angle distorting type most familiarly-found in front door peepholes.  Take a look through Lapointe's lenses, and suddenly, his brass explosions--stretched, elongated, bloated, almost unrecognizable in many cases--become photo-realistic, picture-perfect.

The effect is startling, and practically unbelievable. You find yourself looking at the piece over and over, from all angles, and then through the lens again, bewildered and impressed that someone can turn such incredibly disproportionate abstracts into something so incredibly lifelike.

For example, take a look at the piece called "Capsule" above. The picture here doesn't do it justice, but at least gives you an idea of the two very different perspectives of one piece.  At first glance, a flight of wind-blown metal.  But take a look at the lens in the figure's tweezer-like fingers and you get a portrait of a young woman.

Eric calls this "tri-dimensional anamorphosis." 

I call it double-barreled Pow! 

Right Between The Eyes.  Twice.

I Tink, Derefore I Is

Catching up, catching up...

About a month (!) ago, Mark Goren of Transmission Marketing bestowed some kind words upon yours truly by naming Pow! as one of his five "Thinking Blogs" (for more info on what that means, click here).

In my comment thanking him, I mentioned that the last time anyone accused me of thinking was a hot shampoo girl and that was more than two decades ago...and promised to get around to telling the story when things calmed down around here.

Well, things have gotten crazier around here, so if I don't tell this story now, it may get lost in a pile of to dos and more important matters.  So without any further ado...

Before Airborne, before Just For Laughs even, I made my living as the sole proprietor of a marketing/promotion consulting business.  I had just graduated from McGill, and pounding the pavement looking for clients was an arduous and often fruitless task. 

Knowing that I needed to generate some cash flow to pay bills and eat, I somehow managed to connive Lasalle College in Montreal to hire me as a teacher.  And teach I did, Marketing, Sales and Advertising classes to kids in Retail and Hotel Management programs (most of whom were only a year or two younger than me) for over 22 hours a week at 25 bucks and hour. 

My busiest days were the Mondays.  In class from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. straight, a two-hour break until 3:30 p.m., after which I returned to teach an afternoon and a night class.  By the end of the day, I had no voice.

One Monday, I rushed out for a haircut during the mid-day break.  I ran to Le Pascha salon about 20 minutes away, and plopped down exhausted into the tilted hairwasher's chair to get my mane cleaned.

"Ohhhhh," I sighed/complained.  

"What's wrong?" asked the more-than-beautiful hair-washer, a stunning, tall girl from Italy, who still spoke with a pronounced accent.

"What a morning," I continued to bemoan.  "I'm exhausted!"

"What did you do all morning to make you so tired?" she asked.

"I taught," was my reply.

Get ready for the clincher.

On one hand, it may come across as kinda dopey, but on the other hand, I was rather appreciative that someone thought I could be so tired by just using my brain.

"Oh really," she said in her accent.  "What did you 'tink about?"

Say it aloud if you still don't get it.  And have a nice, productive, thought-provoking Monday.

Flying Circus

Whew!  You know things are busier than a cellular-signal-fried beehive around Surprise central when it has taken me more than two whoppin'  weeks to comment on something I saw at the new Cirque du Soleil show, Kooza.

Talk about a daunting task--these guys seem to set a new standard in just about every show they put on, so how can they keep on Surprising when the audience expects Pow! of every shape, size and dimension on stage?

Simple...well, for them. 

Take the Surprise off-stage.

Despite the fact that Kooza has more gasps than any Cirque show in recent memory, not to mention the best clown bits since Denis Lacombe's mad orchestra conductor in 1988, what people seemed to be buzzing about most on the way out of the big top was...one of the spectator seats.

Don't wanna give away too much (particularly to those in Toronto, Saint Paul, San Jose or San Francisco, the next stops on the Kooza tour), but one very unsuspecting audience member goes for a seven-foot hydraulic flight in the show's second half. 

As I've said numerous times standing on this digital soapbox, it ain't the size of the Surprise, it's the wow of the Pow!  Little things can mean a lot, and by taking one of its fans to new heights every night, Cirque manages to lift everyone's spirits, and surpass expectations.

Once again.

Killing A Joke

And speaking about Just For Laughs (as I did Monday), an ingenious and most Surprising press release was sent out last week by filmmaker Albert Nerenberg (that's him at right) to promote his documentary called Let's All Hate Toronto, playing at the event's Comedia Film Festival later this month.

Now most film press releases follow a template and are as dull as Fred MacMurray (kids, ask your parents).  Headline usually says that some film is making its debut somewhere, and then blows smoke up the butt of the director and the stars.  Yawn if you ain't in a coma. 

Most press releases are about as effective as wet Kleenex, and are as read as often as the Gideon Bibles in hotel nightable drawers.

Nerenberg, renowned for his Pow!er of going against the grain, made big big news out of a small, niche subject, with a release that's as entertaining as anything you'll read in The Onion.  Here's his (slightly edited) release:

WORLD’S LARGEST COMEDY FESTIVAL
TO RETIRE JOKE ABOUT
“UGLY TORONTO WOMEN"

TORONTO WOMEN NOW CONSIDERED BEAUTIFUL: FILMMAKERS

The world’s largest comedy festival, Just For Laughs plans to officially retire a recurring joke about Toronto women being ugly.

The joke is often told by major comics at the world’s largest comedy festival, Just For Laughs, in Montreal, and plays on the perception that Toronto women are not attractive.

The joke became an issue after comedian Russell Peters criticized the joke in a scene from the upcoming comic documentary Let’s All Hate Toronto. The filmmakers lobbied the festival to have the joke retired.

“The women in Montreal are so beautiful,” says Peters imitating the joke. “Where do you send the ugly women…to Toronto?”

 The joke is often used by high-profile visiting comedians at Just for Laughs to warm up huge Montreal crowds

Just For Laughs will be holding a ceremony to retire the joke at the screening of the documentary, this year, in the Visa Screening Room at Montreal’s Imperial theatre, as part of Comedia, the festival’s film event.

The festival doesn’t control people’s material but will discourage people from using the joke.

Toronto has produced a number of attractive movie stars and last year’s Miss Universe Natalie Glebovna is from Toronto. Some say its increased diversity has made Toronto a hotbed of intriguing looking people.

Hysterical, tongue-in-cheek, and totally unexpected, even from a comedy festival (believe me, this is a big step for the Just For Laughs folks).  No wonder it's generating so much buzz.  Can't wait to see it. 

 

Here's How

The renowned Thomas L. Friedman, he of The World Is Flat fame, wrote another excellent editorial in last week's New York Times (here for you for free from the Pasadena Star News). 

In it, he talked about the ramifications of our reputations now that the democratization of broadcasting has rendered us cellophane-transparent.  More importantly, he introduced How, a new book by Dov Seidman, the CEO of business ethics specialists LRN.  To quote Friedman:

"In this transparent world, 'how' you live your life and 'how' you conduct your business matters more than ever, because so many people can now see into what you do, and tell so many other people about it on their own without any editor.

"To win now, he (Seidman) argues, you have to turn these new conditions to your advantage."

Pardon the pun, but "how" do you do that?

Well, to paraphrase the expression "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king," in a world where everyone knows everything about you...change what they know about you.  Or, in other words...

Surprise them.

The same information that's available to them is also available to you.  Do your homework, and come to the same conclusions about yourself that others will come to of you.

Then mix 'em up. 

It's like throwing a fastball when they're expecting a curve. 

Confounding expectations can be the greatest advantage of them all.

Heating Up

July at last!  Summertime, and the living is easy!

Yeah.  I wish.

As the temperature rises and normal folk start thinking vacations, I'm in the throes of my busiest month of the year. 

In addition to my day-to-day duties at Airborne, I also take on the additional task of directing the grandiose Gala shows of the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.  This year, I have the pleasure of working with such luminaries as William Shatner, Howie Mandel (with whom I got my live showbiz start back in 1983), John Pinette and George Lopez, amongst others.

So what does that mean to loyal FOPs? 

Well, for one, it means that I'm on a July sked that will see my relentlessly-prolific posting schedule reduced somewhat (then again, that's what I said when I went to Vail last December and remember what happened there?).

On the other hand, given the fact that the theater in which I am ensconced from July 17-23 has Wi-Fi, and that I can post from my trusty Blackberry, it does allow me to bring you live, behind-the-scenes coverage from a major showbiz event, with the type of access that goes way deeper than just "inside."

Purists may argue that this takes the subject matter of this blog slightly askew, but if this indeed about the art of Surprise, a rapid change of direction fits the bill just perfectly, n'est-ce pas?

But one thing that hasn't changed, much to the chagrin of my family, is that here we are, in the midst of national holidays in both Canada and the USA...and I'm working.

Enjoy yours!