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
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.
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:
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.
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
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.
Ryan Bingham
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.
at the Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing in Tourcoing, France. Opera Magazine gave Jean-Philippe's directorial vision a complimentary review.
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!
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.
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.
