I just read an article from the Wall Street Journal forwarded to me by a friend. The article is about the resurgence of ventriloquism as an art form, with special emphasis on Terry Fator. Apparently ventriloquism is cool again, thanks in large part to Terry Fator and Jeff Dunham.
And here’s the really cool part. Terry recently signed a contract with the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas that will pay him $100 million over 5 years. No, that is not a typo. That’s a 1 followed by 8 zeros. Wow! Good for you, Terry!
The article is very nice and if you have access to the Wall Street Journal, I recommend making the effort to read it. If you don’t subscribe, look for it at your local library. It was in the June 20, 2008 edition. There is a great section about his interaction with Robin Leach, of “Lives of the Rich and Famous” fame. I’ve included a link to the article above, but I don’t know how long it will remain in service.
Word has it that Terry will be at the Venthaven convention this summer. I’m looking forward to meeting him in person.
The trickle down from Terry’s and Jeff’s success reaches all ventriloquists. I am extremely grateful for their efforts.
And speaking of Jeff, he’s coming to Columbus, OH on Thursday, September 25, 2008. I got my ticket last week. I’m interested to see how the show has changed since I last saw his full show in Washington, DC when he taped his latest Comedy Central special and DVD. That was a fun trip. I cashed in some frequent flier miles to get there and used hotel points to stay overnight. Since travel was cheap, I splurged and went to both shows that night. it was a blast. The Columbus show is in the hockey arena. It’ll be interesting to see how it works in that vast space. Check out the tour schedule Jeff’s web site to see if he’s coming to a theater or arena near you.
