WTF?!?!?!?!?!

[PPI Karl]

In order for any sophisticated feat of visual prestidigitation like this to work, the magician's got to have an accomplice that 1) the audience believes is not an accomplice, 2) possesses the right amount of credibility, and 3) engenders our trust.  Let's assume in this instance the accomplice is the shop owner.  The accomplice asks C.A. "Can I go inside?" and C.A. replies, "Sure."  Everyone accepts that the shop owner should be inside his own shop while this is going on, because you can't be too cautious around customers dressed like Chris Angel, don't you know.  So, the accomplice--the one person needed to pull this off--is now on on the other side of the glass away from the spectators, and the spectators are unwittingly relying on the accomplice to be as naive as they are and truthful about what he is seeing happen.

The other thing magicians routinely do is set up a red herring--a distraction that has nothing to do with the trick, but which focuses the audience's attention while the real work is going on "behind the scenes."  This particular ruse is no exception:  C.A. demands that the camera people film the trick as one continuous shot, but while we're looking for uninterrupted action, C.A. focuses our attention (and the attention of the spectators) on the superfluous activity of taking off his shoes.  (The editors even speed this up for us, to trick us into thinking that the shot is not only continuous but happening without time to do anything to the window.)  While we're all looking stupidly at C.A.'s super-rad Goth boots ("Dude, how the f*ck does he untie his laces so fast?!  I'm freakin'!"), the very flimsy non-commercial issue, spotless window glass has been changed up in some way (I'll leave this open to speculation) behind the paper; however, the "Open" sign remains in the upper left corner to create an illusion of continuity, and to focus the eye away from the lower half, center of the window pane.

Two people are enlisted to keep the paper in place, but the dimensions of the paper are too big for them to look over or around.  How do we get the spectators' eyes off of the peripheral edges of the glass, and how do we prevent one of them from sneaking up to the shop door and looking inside?  We scope out the one guy among them most likely be the troublemaker and we give him something to do as part of the act:  he's asked to come up and put his hand on the center of the paper and feel C.A.'s wiggly forefinger poking back at him.  Mission accomplished, and the second major distraction that was needed for the most precarious bit of the act has occurred.

Once the effect is successful and C.A. crawls through the open space, tearing his way through the paper (but careful not to tear too much to reveal the setup), the shock and awe of the crowd is distraction enough for the accomplice to remain undetected whilst replacing the window pane again with a grade of glass no shopkeeper in his right mind would ever use, nor any security company in its right mind ever approve.  The white butcher's paper comes down.  Accomplice pretends to be amazed, and even goes on camera later in a loosely rehearsed testimonial (though, any psychologist trained to identify the nuances of his body language and eye movement will tell you he's lying).  And, voiles!  C.A. promotes his show, heads home, and opens his front door to the lovely Cameron Diaz using his house key.  Cameron tactfully reminds him to reset the security alarm, and they sit down to a pinot noir and a nice salad of arugaula, pine nuts and vinaigrette.

[Donna]

ROF LMF'nAO, Karl! You're wit never ceases to slay me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

. . .he, he.. . . ha, ha, ha. . .goth boots. . .ha, he. . untied. . .bah, hah, hah, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!