Trent "Buffalo Bill" Vance Creates New Blog!

I've created a new blog focused exclusively on The Wild West Show.

All articles posted so far on The Casual Reporter have been copied to a new blog entitled, "Buffalo Bill's Blog." Future articles I write relating to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill), Disney Village, Disneyland Paris France, will be published on the more appropriately titled "Buffalo Bill's Blog."

The Casual Reporter will focus on news and entertainment not directly related to the Wild West Show, such as Joke of the Day, Iraqi Throws Shoes at Bush, and the Armistice Day video. So you'll want to be sure you keep reading The Casual Reporter, but to receive future Wild West Show news and entertainment you'll probably also want to subscribe to Buffalo Bill's Blog. You can do so from the blog itself. I'll keep a permanent link between blogs on each blog so you can always click between them.

WNFR 2008 Final Revised: Jesus Still Wins

In an earlier post announcing the final results of the 2008 WNFR Wild West Show Pool I didn't notice that my Excel file at the time hadn't added the average score for each athlete into each person's total. I've re-posted the results to include the average in the total, although it didn't change much where it counts. The top three winners remain the same: Jesus, Byron, and Lucas. Check it out here.

WNFR 2008 Final: Jesus Wins!

Image borrowed from Desert Tickets

The results are in for the 2008 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Wild West Show Pool. With the averages figured in, Jesus is the winner followed by Byron and Lucas. See all the results here.

WNFR Round 9: Let's Just Get This Thing Over With

Howard's winning. Jesus, Byron, Kave and Hogue are likely to win one or more of the averages so in the end it could be one of them who win. I was in 5th place only in my imagination (I forgot one score and incorrectly assigned another) and even that's out of the winning. Let's please just get this thing over with. See the results HERE.

WNFR Round 8: Trent Jumps 5 Places

logo courtesy of boyd gaming

View WWS Pool Grid Here

After round 8 of the 2008 Wrangler's National Finals Rodeo, Howard keeps the lead with 305 points, followed by Byron (302.5 pts), Jesus (280.5 pts) and Kave (254.5 pts.). But the big surprise is Trent, who jumped from 9th place to 5th place with 225.5 points. For all results, click here.

Half-Points Awarded in 6th Round

After talking it over with Howard, I changed the grid to allow for the 3-way split in Round 6 Team Roping in the Wild West Show WNFR Pool. According to the normal rules half-points are not given - all thousands are rounded down. In this case however the winnings were less than $1,000 so the rule would have meant 0 points. It didn't seem fair to reward 0 points so half-points were awarded as a compromise. Howard is still in the lead. See the changes here.

WNFR Round 5: Jesus Leads Pool by 4 Points

Following Round 5 of the WNFR (Wranglers National Finals Rodeo) Jesus took the lead from Kave in the Wild West Show grid pool. Byron and Howard pushed Kave into fourth place. Jesus has 200 points, Howard 194, Byron 185, and Kave 176. The Casual Reporter only has 131. Click on the cowboy to the right for more information on WNFR and WWS Grid results.

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WNFR Pool: Kave Leads by 7 Points

Round 4 results are posted for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the grid is updated on the Wild West Show WNFR Pool. Assuming I have correctly allocated the athletes, which is by no means 100% certain, Kave leads with 160 points followed by Byron and Jesus tied with 153 points. Click on the cowboy in the right-hand column to see all WWS Pool scores.

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Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Pool Begins

The 50th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) has begun in Las Vegas Nevada. The WNFR is the ultimate competition for cowboys and cowgirls. Fifteen of the cast of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill) Disney Village, Disneyland Paris France, have started a friendly pool to follow the 10-day rodeo. Each participant in the pool draws at random a number from 1 - 15 which refers to the PRCA athletes' world standings on the day after the 1st round (we were late in making the draw). Over the course of the rodeo, one point is awarded for each $1,000 earned by each athlete, all winnings rounded down to the nearest $1,000. The player with the most points at the end of the WNFR wins the pool.

The Casual Reporter has created a web page to track the winnings as the rodeo advances. Allocations of the athletes are based on my assumptions according to my understanding and are not official. I will adjust them if needed after consulting with Byron and Brice. Just click on the cowboy anywhere in The Casual Reporter to access the site.

The Pinkie Chronicles: Face Plant into the Arena

Ah Pinkie, why does it always happen to you?

It started so innocently during the Medicine Ball Pass when Pinkie climbed over the rail to enter the arena. He turned around so he was facing the arena, his heels balanced on the wooden lip 3 feet off the surface of the arena and at the base of the rail, ready to step down into the arena. Only after he started tipping his weight forward to hop into the arena did he sense his spur was caught in the only hole in the entire side of the arena (in which a sprinkler head is hidden).

Pinkie's head went south but Pinkie's foot stayed north. Like a tree, or maybe a tall shrub, Pinkie teetered over, gravity accelerating his descent. His face hit sand first, the foot still lodged for a split second well above his head, before he quickly kicked himself free and jumped to his feet. Pinkie looked around nonchalantly in the hope nobody had seen his face plant. I said over my microphone, with an amused but incredulous tone, "Pinkie, did you fall out of the Ranch?"

"Oh, man!" he said, crimson-faced with a big Pinkie grin. "Why did you have to say anything?! Nobody noticed until you said something!"

Horse Wreck Stops Wild West Show

Last night a horse wreck stopped the Stagecoach scene in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill) Disney Village, Disneyland Paris Resort France. While making the final sharp left turn into the center of the arena, the left wheeler (horse closest to the Stagecoach) stumbled and fell. The right wheeler, who was also pulling left into the turn, tripped over his fallen partner, his momentum carrying him over the tongue of the hitch and on top of his partner. The Indians, many of them authentic Native Americans, and the Horse Team immediately worked to untangle the mess.

About 10 - 15 tense minutes passed, the night-time lighting scheme low and music vamping, before enough straps were cut to free the horses, who, amazingly, were completely unharmed and were lead off stage to a wide round of applause. The guests seat-belted inside the stagecoach when the wreck happened were safely escorted back to their seats during the ordeal and the stagecoach, once freed, was pushed off stage by the cast members.

I entered and improvised for a moment, inviting another round of applause for the expertise with which the ordeal was handled. I reassured the audience that the finest veterinarians in France would look over the horses but, as far as I could see, they were unharmed. I then positioned myself for the start of the Champagne scene and said, "Now then, let's finish this show up." The technical team, on that cue, set the lights and started the music.

The show continued as usual up to the Final Revue when the Horse Team paraded the wagon horses involved in the wreck around the arena, further reassuring the audience that all was well, at least as far as horses and humans were concerned.

The stagecoach, on the other hand, was out of commission for the second show. An emergency team formed in the corridor backstage and we worked out a way to improvise using one of the Chuckwagons, renamed the "Deadwood Express" by Didier and described by me as an authentic western freight wagon used to transport gold during the gold rush. The exemplary professionalism and expertise with which the second show's "Deadwood Express" scene was performed did not surprise me given the team we had on hand but I think it surprised and impressed those who initially sought less creative solutions to the problem.

Without rehearsal or even a cohesive meeting, we worked out the details among ourselves - technicians, managers, and performers working as a team. Performers and technicians adjusted individually and improvisationally during the scene and we nailed it. Even the "guests", necessarily planted in this instance for insurance reasons, performed perfectly. Their "professional" status put them at the mercy of their "Indian warrior" colleagues and they were waffled with bedrolls and nearly dragged from the wagon.

The experience proved once again that the talent and competence of the Wild West Show Performers and Technicians should not be underestimated. Kudos to management for having faith in the team and letting us find a creative solution that utilized our talent and optimized the guest experience.

WWS Hats Summoned Using Shaman Magic

Each guest at Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show receives a free cowboy hat, roughly 10 million so far, each one created by a member of the Wild West Show staff using a shamanic technique practiced by aboriginal tribes for centuries but virtually unknown in modern society until now. The video below contains never-before-seen footage of this extremely rare and delicate art form, called "summoning," which involves channeling the natural forces of the universe. With hundreds of hats to summon nightly, the process is virtually never-ending. This video was shot following a recent informal dinner engagement with friends.

Kave Wins Golf Tournament

(image borrowed from the Bestpar Blog)

Last Sunday it snowed for the first time this season in Marne la Vallee, France the home of Disneyland Paris Resort, but this didn't stop the golfers participating in the annual Beaujolais tournament. According to Kave, a Native American from the Crow tribe in southern Montana who plays Sitting Bull in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill) Disney Village, Disneyland Paris Resort, the golfers started playing in cold rain. Although the tournament organizers shortened the tournament to just 9 holes in light of the poor weather, the golfers didn't escape the snow as small snowflakes started spiraling to the ground during the final hole. By the time golfers were in the clubhouse enjoying the fine feast that also marks the tournament, the snowflakes had grown considerably in size and number.

But the real news is that Kave won the tournament! Kave, a Crow Indian, is proud to have learned golfing purely by playing it and watching others play. He's never taken a lesson and doesn't use the driving range. Yet during the Beaujolais tournament he competed against two golf-pros and a number of other golf veterans and won! Kave jokes that he's not a professional, he's a Crow-fessional. He won a piece of baggage that, he says, will be perfect for his upcoming short trip to Oregon in the United States to visit the grandfather he's never met.

Wild West Show Offers Meal/Seat Upgrades!

In efforts to control costs over the years, general managers of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill), a dinner spectacle that plays nightly in Disney Village, Disneyland Paris France, have fiddled considerably with the menu. The result at times has been that the meal is often noted by guests as the least favorable element of the Wild West Show experience.

Until now.

The newest management team has divided the seating into a two-tiered system of VIP and regular seating. The Disneyland Paris website now contains this information:

NEW !

Relive the action and adventures of the "Old West" in 1st category seating:

- Privileged seating with the best view
- A non-alcoholic welcome cocktail
- A special Barbecue Texan Skillet*

In addition to the menu:
Nachos & sauces and sweet treats with your tea or coffee*

*for adults only.

RATES:

1st category seating:
Adult rate - public rate: £50**
Children's rate - public rate: £40**

2nd category seating:
Adult rate - public rate: £42**
Children's rate - public rate: £32**

BOOK NOW!

At least one cast member has stated that the added 12 Euros is a good value, so if the quality of menu has been a concern of yours, you now have the option of enjoying the food almost as much as the amazing, thrilling, sometimes hilarious, often soul-stirring performances of the incredibly talented Wild West Show cast. See you soon!

Happy Thanksgiving from Wild West Show Cast Members

This video is of some of the Americans and their French colleagues who work at Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill) Disney Village, Disneyland Resort Paris France, sharing their thoughts about Thanksgiving. The first part of the video was taped in and around Plymouth and Plimoth Planatation in Massachusetts during a family holiday there last summmer.

The Pinkie Chronicles: Pinkie Gets Whipped

As I made my way towards the corrider backstage for my second entrance tonight I heard the unmistakable sounds of sophomoric male rough-housing: someone groaning in pain and someone else laughing and ooooh-ing in sympathy. The pain was from Pinkie. What was he up to now?

A few more steps forward into the corridor and there he was, moaning yet laughing as he grasped his right forearm in agony intense enough he couldn't speak. Brock looked on from a couple feet away, chuckling at some spectacle he'd clearly just witnessed.

I looked further up the corridor and saw Brannon, our newest cowboy, a quiet, respectful, young man, a talented roper, and an excellent horseman, standing there with a big grin and holding the handle end of a 6 foot bullwhip. Brannon cracked the whip. I filled in the "what" from there and decided the "why" didn't really matter - it's just Pinkie.

Annie Oakley Sick, Principles Improvise

Last night the actress playing Annie Oakley fell ill before the show and was not able to do the entire show. Remarkably, and this is testimony to her toughness, she somehow managed to get through her two main scenes without incident, but the male principles - Buffalo Bill, Sitting Bull, and Auguste Durand-Rouel, were challenged with improvising on the judges stand in her absence. While we were all concerned for her well-being, the improvisational challenge made for a welcome break from routine. The Annie Oakley actress will likely be back in full-form very soon.

Super-Dave Thrills Guests with 1-man Rodeo

French cowboy "Super-Dave (David) Trucker" earned his pay last week when his horse Shadow bucked her way around the arena at Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Disney Village, Disneyland Paris Resort, France. The unplanned spectacle started when the Cowboys were "escorting Annie Oakley out of the arena" and the Gold Star banner somehow landed square in the middle of the Stage Left exit. Sphincters tightened, leather was grabbed, and banners were dropped as horses skidding and lurched. In the end it was just me on my horse Paco, who was getting pretty nervous at this point, and Super-Dave on Shadow, the French Flag Banner somehow wrapped around her legs and flanks.

Shadow bucked, hopped, and lurched clockwise around the arena trying to shake off the banner. The harder she bucked, the more and tighter the banner wrapped around her, and the harder she bucked. Super-Dave, terror etched in his face, did well staying on for several seconds but in the corner of the Green Mountain ranch he came off and hit the ground, wrenching his neck slightly as his head bumped against the wood at the base of the arena. Despite the fall, David held on to Shadow's reins for another second but she quickly broke away and bucked upstage.

Paco didn't like this spectacle at all. His neck strained against his tie-down, his ears pricked forward, and his nostrils flaired as he snorting like a tuba-player and danced like a bladder-engorged child.

As Shadow bolted for the exit, French intermittent Benjamin stood tall in the opening, arms stretched, intending to stop Shadow and catch her. A few arm-waves later it must have dawned on Benjamin that he was about to become a human bowling pin and he leaped out of sight just in time to miss her bewildered stampede off stage.

Super-Dave Trucker walked off mostly unscathed to a big round of applause.

And the show, as it always does, went on..

World Champion BOYZ and WWS Indians Make Magic

The article below is a rough English translation of an article published "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show," a blog written in French about our show:

The "BOYZ", a group of Native Americans singers/musicians from Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA, were recently in Paris to participate in "The American Festival" in Vincennes, a suburb of Paris. They took advantage of their visit to come see Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (La Legende de Buffalo Bill), in Disney Village, Disneyland Paris Resort France on September 29, 2008, and meet some of the Wild West Show "Indians". The BOYZ are two-time world champions among Native American groups who sing with drums. They performed 26-28 September and 30 September for the United Nations.

The BOYZ are: Lakota "Hokie" Claimont, Everet Moore, Quanh Larose, Mervel Larose, Michael Sinette, James"Bud" Day, Jerome "Rocky" Morin, and Floyd Old Bull. They are joined in the photo above by Wild West Show Native Americans Wiley, Byron, Kave, Tuffy, and Darcy, and adopted Native American P'tit Loup. During their visit, the BOYZ and WWS "Indians" gathered backstage around a traditional drum and sang two songs. It was a magical moment.

Supporting Actor is Offended by Article

I have offended one of the Supporting Actors in our show (although I'm not sure who) in observations I made in the article Christian Starr Featured on ESPN. Unfortunately, before I learned I had offended someone, I revised the original article because I didn't like the wording. Now we can't refer to what might have been the offensive material. Frustratingly, the offended person hasn't yet identified himself or left a comment on the blog so I must rely on hearsay to understand what was offensive, which probably is what got me into trouble in the first place.

Nonetheless I'll try to simply clarify a few things:

-- I started as a member of the Stunt Team (now officially called "The Supporting Actors" but I'll call them "The Comedy Team" to differentiate) so I fully understand and respect the team's contribution to each show.

-- I agree the members of the Comedy Team are Supporting Actors, but I argue that so are the Cowboys, Indians, and Musicians; just not everyone has text (including one member of the Comedy Team).

-- That the Cowboys and Indians don't have text does not reduce them to "Extras", which would be the next level down on the so-called theatrical hierarchy of roles. They are Stunt Men and Supporting Actors like the Comedy Team but with non-speaking roles.

-- At various moments each of the above groups of Supporting Actors transcend "Supporting Actors" to become starring actors, with spotlights and all eyes focused on them. Thus on a practical level "Supporting Actors" doesn't really differentiate the Comedy Team from the rest of the non-Principal actors much better than does "Stunt Team".

-- I strongly disagree that "Comedic Actors" and "Comedy Team" are derogatory terms. (The Artistic Coordinator hinted this evening that the offended person(s) felt I was diminishing their status by suggesting they be called "The Comedy Team" or "The Wired Ones" - a comedic name for the Comedy Team.) Up until I became Buffalo Bill I only played comedic parts and even now I lean towards comedic moments. I take issue with anyone who feels comedic acting is somehow not distinguished, as I'm sure would many actors.

-- I agree that being comedic does not necessarily mean acting like a blathering fool, though in rare cases that's the perfect choice. Good comedy is much more difficult than just acting silly. It involves understanding human nature, empathic listening, being emotionally accessible and responsive, having an excellent sense of timing, being willing to play the straight man, empathic listening (it's worth mentioning twice), having a strong sense of character and scene structure, etc.

-- Comedy is tough. Distinguished comedic actor Desi Arnaz writes "An actor who is good at comedy can also be very good at drama, but not necessarily vice versa." Ben Stiller said, "I don't devalue comedy as compared to drama. Not one bit."

-- The Comedy Team has an important responsibility and as such is a highly distinguished team in my view. Being part of The Comedy Team should be considered an honor in my opinion.

As an example of how difficult comedy is, the sideline comments I made in Christian Starr Featured on ESPN were meant to be light-hearted, fun, and even comedic. Obviously that didn't translate universally. Any offense given was unintentional.

Keep in mind that you can leave comments, anonymously if you like, by clicking on "Comments" below an article. It's a very efficient means of expressing discontent or disagreement, or agreement, with things I write.