HOLLYWOOD MAGIC CASTLE, PRIVATE VIP CLUB FOR MAGICIANS, MAGIC SHOWS & LIVE PERFORMANCES IN LOS ANGELES.
Adventure Team, assemble! Our mission: to infiltrate the Magic Castle, a private Hollywood clubhouse open only to accredited magicians, wizards and their honored guests.
The Academy of Magical Arts gathers in what was once a private mansion, built in 1909. The manor is teeming with Victorian paintings, howling gargoyles, red-velvet-and-gold theaters and other accouterments fit for Harry Potter.
To enter the castle, the Adventure Team had to whisper a secret password to an owl sculpture: “Open Sesame.” Our journey though the labyrinthine halls was full of inexplicable phenomena. A piano played by Irma, the Castle’s resident ghost. Tables that spun; portraits of ancestors with moving eyes.
In the Close-Up Gallery, we sat before Jheff, a young magician who bewitched us with his sleight-of-hand. He was usually a whiz at remembering names, but ours (understandably) gave him some trouble. “Your name is what? Carmina? Ok, and Yu… how do you say it? Yoo-kee-roh. And your names are… Lemon. Ementhy. Oh Jesus.”
Jheff: “What brings you to the Magic Castle?”
Me: “We are the Undead Heavy Metal Adventure Team, and this is a stop on our epic journey!”
Next, we saw 23-year-old Nathan (winner of 22 awards) perform close-up magic in the Parlor of Prestidigitation. He wowed us by shuffling a deck with one hand, predicting our pick and pulling the card out of thin air. “And that’s just ridiculous,” he’d exclaim to the cheering audience.
Onward to M Cafe on Melrose — my stomach rumbles as I recall our macrobiotic, organic feast! (It’s one of our favorite places in LA to eat — remember these photos from last fall?) Brown rice sushi, soy lattes, eggplant and shiitake inari… heaven.
No meal at M Cafe is complete without dessert. The strawberry cupcake is amazing, and the chocolate raspberry fudgy cake… you may have to fight over it!
Are you enchanted by magic? Have you or anyone you know been inside the elusive Magic Castle in Hollywood?
Song of the Day #330: Mylene Farmer – Desenchantee (One of Mana-sama’s favorite artists. We blasted as we were driving in our Goth-mobile!)
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TOKYO DECADANCE WHITE DAY: CYBER GOTH CLUB PARTY PHOTOS. ADRIEN LE DANOIS, KAYA LIVE CONCERT, DJ SISEN & SELIA OF SEILEEN.
With a snap of his fingers, Yukiro Dravarious teleported from Hollywood Noirland to Tokyo Rococo… in time for an all-white cyber-Gothic nightcrawl! Here’s his report on last Saturday’s Tokyo Decadance:
White Decadance differs from the normal monthly party, since you get a discount if you dress up completely in white clothing. The event celebrates White Day, a Japanese tradition occurring every March 14th, where boys give white chocolate to the girls they favor (a reversal of Valentine’s Day, where the girls give boys chocolate).
This year’s party was much better than last year’s (pics above). In 2009, White Decadence was held in Shibuya’s Trump Room, which was too small. I stood out because I wore the very opposite — black.
This year, the fashions were in fine form. (Left: Yukiro with G-suS.) DJ SiSEN’s wig was one of the night’s highlights! So shiny, and he had a whip in the same color.
My new friend and performer Yusura (center) had one of the best outfits. She had blinking blue lights in her headdress that created an elegant effect, and we matched in colour. Selia’s new corset was just perfect for his well-established white ice-queen look.
Some familiar faces from this blog: Takuya Angel, Kana, Hungry Ghost and Uzuki. It was craziness everywhere, and the first few people got free ice cream; sadly I wasn’t one of them. It’s always nice to attend parties at Christion Cafe Shinjuku, since the cathedral-themed restaurant is spacious. And there are plenty of tables where you can sit down or sleep if you’re a bit tired.
Kaya was of course the best performance of the night (remember Yukiro’s report on Kaya at the Jasmine You memorial?) It’s always a treat to watch Seileen (SiSEN and Selia’s duo) on stage. I wasn’t impressed with the Circus de Soliel guys… Hanakengo (top left) was a bit too scary!
Sounds like a night to remember — and how cute was Yukiro’s white cyber rabbit outfit? If you’re thirsty for more Tokyo cyber/Goth party reports and photos, come browse through my club guide. You’ll also find photos of Christon Cafe, Vampire, Alice in Wonderland and other theme restaurants in my new book.
PS: may we be friends on Twitter? I add back all legit accounts…
Song of the Day #328: Seileen – Carnival of Blood (Selia and SiSEN are delicious performers live.)
LA CARMINA
