Michael Kent: Comic, Magician Smart@$$

Michael Kent Featured in 614 Magazine

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:10:17 +0000

Sleight of Hand, Sharp of Wit

By Mark J. Lucas

“Magic is a tricky business. To most, there are two kinds of magicians: the best one they’ve ever seen . . . or absolutely terrible.

If a magician can get a laugh out of his audience, however, they’re given a pass for not making the Statue of Liberty cry tigers. For years, Hilliard’s own Michael Kent has grabbed the attention of college students all over the country with his hipper version of the traditionally kiddie/campy artform, and this year his talent has earned him a national nod with a nomination for Entertainer of the Year in Campus Activities Magazine.”
Read the rest of the article here.

2012 Winter/Spring Tour Schedule

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:34:17 +0000

The 2012 Winter/Spring Tour is off to a wintery start! We had to reschedule the first college campus of the year (see below) and almost had to reschedule a second one! Nonetheless, things are really clicking with the show. I sincerely hope you have the opportunity to get to one of the shows on the tour soon! See the below list of shows on the schedule to see if I’ll be in a city near you and keep checking back for updates!

2012 Winter/Spring Tour

January 12 – Chicago, IL – RESCHEDULED FOR FEB. 2
January 14 – Dubois, PA
January 19 – Adrian, MI
January 21 – Glassboro, NJ
January 26 – Cleveland, OH
January 31 – Baltimore, MD
February 2 – Chicago, IL
February 3 – Flagstaff, AZ
February 7 – Alpine, TX
February 9 – Lyndonville, VT
February 11 – Guest DJing – Powell, OH
February 15 – Melbourne, FL
February 16 – Normal, IL
February 18 – Columbus, OH
February 22 – Mattoon, IL
February 25-29 – NACA – Charlotte, NC
March 10 – Dayton, OH
March 16 – Bexley, OH
March 29-31 – NACA – St. Paul, MN
April 6 – Bennington, VT
April 13 – Ewing, NJ
April 21 – Hamilton, OH
April 28 – Manito, IL

For more info on any of the above dates, refer to my published tour schedule.

Also – remember that voting is still going on for 2012 Entertainer of the Year! The story was recently picked up by Columbus NBC4!

Michael Kent Nominated for Entertainer of the Year

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:46:23 +0000

I’m very excited to announce that, thanks to your votes, I have been nominated for Campus Activities Magazine’s Entertainer of the Year Reader’s Choice Award!
This is my first time being nominated for this national award after having been nominated for “Newest Rising Star” and “Best Small Venue Artist” categories in 2009.

Now that I’ve been nominated, it’s time to vote for the Award! I need your votes! Voting is simple – just go to http://CampusActivitiesMagazine.com Don’t forget to vote and tell all of your friends to vote by using the social media links below (help spread the word)! As you can imagine, this award is kind of a big deal, so your help and support is GREATLY appreciated!

A Snapshot of 2011 and 2012 Predictions

admin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:58:04 +0000

These “year-in-review” posts sometimes feel somewhat obligatory, but in this case, 2011 was an incredible year and as I look back, I’m overwhelmed with topics to write about.

Here are some standout memories:

2011 was a record year for me as far as the college tour goes. So many great memories. I performed in more colleges than ever this year. While it was hard on my body and mind at times, I got through it with the help of friends, loved ones and amazing audiences.

Did some great TV with ABC6/FOX28 Columbus’s Johnny DiLoretto – some of my first experience with LIVE television. I learned that live TV can be a very difficult thing – Johnny handles it like a pro. When it goes well, it’s exhilarating!

I began my commercial acting career in 2011, and worked on commercials and industrials for Intel, Ohio Lottery, Kemba Financial and a few others!

In 2011, I offered an original creation as my first release to the magic community. repAIR is a Popped and Restored Balloon effect that has never been seen before in the history of magic. It was met with favorable reviews and has sold really well so far.

The Free Beer Tour* was an event that I put together with Corey Montie where I toured local bars and taught attendees bar bets that they could use to scam their friends out of free drinks.

In probably one of the most important things I’ve done in my career, I helped Hopeline, IMAlive.org and Post Secret raise money for Suicide Awareness through this PSA.

Predictions for 2012:

The Kardashians will become irrelevant. Until one of them does something stupid that acts like catnip for humans and makes television gossip shows go apeshit crazy. The American Public will be thrown into an uproar and they will get government involved, who will use new National Defense Legislation to hold the Kardashians in an undisclosed location. This will launch the Kardashians into a new Reality (ever wonder why reality shows hire writers?) show called “The Kardashians Appeal to Congress.”

Apple will come out with a product that you never knew you needed. By next December, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

McDonalds will work with Paula Dean to introduce a new product called “McFatass.”

A Republican presidential candidate will say something stupid.

A group of people with Mayan ancestry will finally reveal the secret “Part 2″ of the calendar they’ve been hiding.

Playboy will offer $50M to Betty White to pose nude. She will accept.

An asteroid will come so close to the Earth that TV News networks will actually be forced to report actual news. The Huffington Post will bump their previous lead-story about what Whoopie said yesterday on The View.

Someone will ask me If I can make them disappear.

You will receive a bad haircut.

Betty White’s Playboy spread will launch her into a career in pornography, shocking everyone who thought the first Golden Girl to do porn would be Rue McClanahan.

The Presidential race will end in chaos when Major News networks announce that the candidate with the most electoral votes was Exxon Mobil.

You will fall in love.

For me, I can already tell that 2012 has some exciting things coming. Two of them I can’t talk about quite yet, but soon! If you get on my mailing list by entering your email address above or clicking here, I guarantee you’ll hear about them! As always, I usually tweet about things as they happen! I hope everyone has had an amazing Holiday Season. Have a wonderful and fun-filled New Years Eve. Make sure you kiss your loved one and hold them tight. If you don’t have a loved one, grab the person next to you and smooch. The memory of the kiss will long outlast the bruise you’ll receive from his or her significant other.

Stay tuned,
MK

The Grateful Magician

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:05:02 +0000

The grateful magician acknowledges and recognizes the magicians that have come before him or her that have allowed the new presentations, methods, ideas and effects to flourish.

The grateful magician thanks his or her audiences for allowing themselves to be entertained by a complete stranger.

The grateful magician understands that people have many things to do. Watching a magic show doesn’t have to be one of them. They have made a choice to watch. And for that, a magician should be grateful.

The grateful magician thanks those in charge of hiring him or her and treats them with nothing but humble respect. A grateful magician is not a diva.

The grateful magician appreciates all types of audience members. Even silent ones.

The grateful magician supports those who create magic and pays for books, videos and effects rather than pirating and sharing them.

The grateful magician does not refuse to perform when asked.

The grateful magician realizes the sacrifice and dedication to those who work in theater, sound & lighting, booking, tech, crew, advertising and other behind-the-scenes roles and thanks them accordingly.

This Thanksgiving, I hope we (magicians) all try to be grateful magicians. And after Thanksgiving, let’s try to be grateful every day.

I’m going to start by thanking all of you who regularly read my blog. Thank you all. This applause is for you.

I Bruised My Butt-Bone at Heidelberg University

admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:39:58 +0000

I had a great show last night at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, OH – the next to the last show of the fall tour! I performed in Rickly Chapel, an upstairs auditorium on campus. Normally at Heidelberg, I can’t perform without a train going by every five minutes (and by “by” I mean literally BY – the tain train tracks are 50 feet away), but for some reason there were NO trains during my show. A Thanksgiving Miracle!

One mishap during the show. After visiting someone in the front row near the top of the show, I decided to return to the state by hopping up rather than using the stairs at the side. The result was my back pocket getting caught up on the edge of the stage and me being pulled down violently. It was funny at the time, but I’m sore this morning. I think I injured my butt-bone. Do I have a butt-bone? I can’t wait to see the weirdo traffic that “butt bone” brings to my site.

Here are some photos from the evening. The part where I’m laying on the stage are immediately after my “mishap.” Thanks to Lacey Squire for the photos.

Michael Kent Helps Raise Money for Suicide Prevention Hotline

admin — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:53:13 +0000

I consider making people laugh one of the most important things I can do. Occasionally, I get the opportunity to do something more important than that.

I recently worked with Hopeline.com‘s Reese Butler and PostSecret‘s Frank Warren on a project to help them raise money for suicide prevention during DC Gives on November 9. They have produced a deck of cards that feature warning signs for friends and family members to look out for to identify a loved one at risk. Their idea was to have a magician display these cards and they selected me to shoot this project with them. The video will be used after the DC Gives event to continue to raise money for Suicide Prevention via Hopeline, which is the 1-800-SUICIDE support hotline and IMAlive.org, a 24/7 suicide prevention chat line. The specially printed playing cards, along with special wristbands (also seen in the video) will be available after the November 9 DC Gives event by donating to Hopeline.

Subscribers to my “Michael Mail” E-newsletter got an exclusive look at this video earlier this week (to get on this list, type your email in the box on the upper right corner of my website or click here). Please help benefit this great cause and spread this video out to your social networks via Facebook, Twitter and email by using the share icons below.

Thank you,
MK

P.S. Within minutes of this video going live on my YouTube Account yesterday, a young man contacted me, seeking help.

Michael Kent Performing a Show for the Whole Family in Fairfield, OH

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:15:48 +0000

Here is the article from the Hamilton Journal News:

FAIRFIELD — A night of irreverent comedy and magic taking place in Fairfield this weekend will bring a smile not only to an adult’s face, but children’s as well.

The Fairfield Community Arts Center hosts magician and comedian Michael Kent on Saturday as part of its EnterAct Family Series.
Kent — who has performed in such locales as Hollywood, Las Vegas and in South Korea for United States Army soldiers, in addition to performances for corporations such as Honda of America, Time Warner and AT&T — is known for his family friendly performances, said Heidi Schiller, manager of the Fairfield Community Arts Center.

Schiller first came into contact with Kent during a showcase he performed at the 2010 Ohio Arts Presenters Network annual convention, she said.

“I saw Michael’s showcase last year and was really taken with how well he connected with the children,” Schiller said. “He was just wonderful with the kids.”

Kent’s ability to connect with children was the basis for the FCAC booking him for the EnterAct Family series, Schiller said.
“He is family-friendly and very sought after all over the country,” Schiller said. “That’s why we chose him.”
This will be the first Fairfield performance for Kent, who is originally from Urbana and lives in Columbus. He said he combines magic and comedy in his routines — often poking fun at himself — and encourages audience participation.

“I’ve always loved to perform for the families,” Kent said. “I’ll have five to seven kids on stage who’ll be part of the show and star in the show. A lot of people will participate from their seats as well.”

Kent got started in magic at the age of six with a magic kit, he said, and his love of magic continued into adulthood.
“For some reason I kept doing it,” Kent said.

Comedy began to interest Kent while in college, which led to him performing during open-mic nights at clubs. It was when Kent combined the two art forms — magic and comedy — that Kent realized he be his own self on stage while performing and be proficient at it.
“That’s when it started working and I began to realize that it could support me and be my career,” Kent said.

Contact this writer at spragoo1977@yahoo.com.

What: EnterAct Family Series featuring comedian/magician Michael Kent (for grades 5 and higher)
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5
Where: Fairfield Community Arts Center, 411 Wessel Drive, Fairfield
Cost: $5 for children 12 and younger, $7 for adults
More info, tickets: (513) 867-5348

Michael Kent Returns to Monmouth, IL!

admin — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:28:25 +0000

See the photos here!

A Crazy Night in Tiffin, OH!

admin — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:35:23 +0000

Here’s a slideshow from my recent show at Tiffin University!

Click here for a link to the photos!