Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Honestly by Stryper

The King Of Custard... sounds delicious.

This is a pretty solid DVD. The majority of it is Dave Allen (aka Magic Dave) interviewing Colonel Custard. The two of them are standing at a table with a bunny rabbit who has an unnatural attachment to Magic Dave. While the bunny is cute and cuddly (and not to mention delicious in a stew... mmmmmm... hassenpfeffer), it was a bit of a distraction, kind of like my little tangent about eating rabbits.

In many cases, however, the distraction was needed because the interview got a little dry at a few points. It was broken up with occasional clips from Colonel Custard's show. If you haven't guessed by now, with a name like Colonel Custard, we're talking about a children's show performer.

All kidding and distractions aside, The Colonel gives some solid and serious advice. This is a great resource for those who would strive to earn a living in one of the most difficult careers out there... children's entertainer.

As for the production quality... top notch... only one thing that reaaaaaaaaalllllllllly bugged me. On page 2 of the menu, there is no 'previous page' button. You have to go to page three, which also has no 'previous page' button; then from there you can click the 'main page' button. That's a little annoying to say the least.

If however, you can suffer through that, you're in for a treat. You won't learn any tricks here, but you will get to see some live performances for sure. One thing I found very inspiring about the performances was that they weren't that amazing. You may be asking yourself, 'why, Jeff, is a not-so-good performance inspiring?' Go ahead, if you haven't asked yourself, I'll wait.

Are you back? Great. Here's the answer: Paul Megram (aka Colonel Custard) has made a living -from the looks of it quite a good living- as a children's entertainer. He's got some seriously valuable ideas, thoughts, advice, etc. Yet his show is very average. There's nothing in it as far as presentation goes that shouts 'THIS GUY IS GOOD!' He is good, and I'm sure I sound like I'm bashing the guy. I'm not. Although, I do wait out side of clown bars and participate in the occasional clown-bashing... it's a rush; you should try it some time (disclaimer: don't bash clowns).

Anyhoooooo if you're still reading, I'm trying to, in the nicest possible way, say 'if Paul can do it, you can do it.' Oftentimes when I see a hugely successful performer (like Paul), I think to myself 'There's no way I could be that good.' Whereas with Paul, you really see just a normal hard working joe who put in the time and has been very successful.

As for content, here's a small handful of the Gems you'll receive by watching this DVD:

• Creating Brand Recognition
• Picking a Name
• Props
• How to Handle the Phone Calls
• Database
• Taking Control of the Party
• Dealing with the Parents and the Distractions
• How to set up the room
• Staging and Backdrops
• Games/Prizes
• Getting the Kids on Stage and how to properly 'handle' them
• So Much More.

You'll also get to see live performances of a handful of his routines:

• Sponge Balls
• Ariel Fishing
• Vanishing Handkerchief
• Miser's Dream

I haven't done kid's shows in years, but as I watched the DVD, I actually began reconsidering getting back into that line of work. I feel that for a pro, a $40.00 investment is nothing. However, for the current DVD market that is a little pricey. Overall, if you want to advance in your career as a children's entertainer, get this DVD.

Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem