Displaying items by tag: Fred Astaire

Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.”

As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4-years-old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was “sub-normal,” and one of his teachers described him as “mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in foolish dreams.”

He was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School.

He did eventually learn to speak and read. Even to do a little math.

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade.

He was subsequently defeated in every election for public office until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62.

He later wrote, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never -in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up.’’

Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.

Henry Ford could not read nor write, failed and went broke five times in business before he succeeded.

Do You Believe in Magic?
Interview with an Illusionist… By Megan Brazil

Clearwater FL December 31, 2008 - When I heard that David Copperfield was coming to town I got incredibly excited. My excitement was twofold, David is not only a magnificent illusionist (who I never miss a chance to see his show) but I have known him for years through my late brother Chappy Brazil who was also a magician and a friend of David Copperfield’s. So, when TBI asked me to do the interview with him, I jumped at the opportunity to give TBI readers insight into the mystical world of a magician.

The Interview

Megan: How has magic changed since you began as a magician, for you, and for the audience?

David Copperfield: “After so many years, it all comes down to loving what I do and keeping up with the times. Performing my show is something I constantly think about. When I am on the road and heading to my next venue, I think about my audience: ‘Is it a college town or a family town? Should I make the music LOUDER for College kids?’ New tricks are added, old ones are dropped... so it stays fresh. But it’s the randomly selected participants from the audience that make it fresh each and every show; which has also provided some of the best comic relief of the day!

Ruth Eckerd Hall Restores “Capitol”

Clearwater FL, December 31, 2008 - Downtown Clearwater is undeniably expanding. With the recent sprouting of  towering condos and tasty restaurants, the city’s growth can no longer be hidden. The downtown area is now expanding in a new direction. A performing arts center.

From the penthouse of the Waters Edge building, Mayor Frank Hibbard and Robert Freedman on behalf of Ruth Eckerd Hall delightedly announced Ruth Eckerd Hall’s purchase of The Royalty Theatre, with the intention of  injecting Downtown Clearwater with a shot of culture. The creation of a performing arts center is expected to stimulate the economy of Downtown Clearwater by increasing and strengthening the arts presence which in turn  will draw people and businesses to the downtown area, hopefully creating the right environment in which private businesses can prosper.

The Royalty Theatre will be returning to its roots, as well as its original name, The Capitol Theatre. “I’m starting that trend right now,” joked Mayor Hibbard. The name of the theatre changed to The Royalty Theatre in the 1990’s when it was purchased by The Royalty Theatre, a local community theatre company.