Still playing those mind games

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 12/30/05
BY ED CONDRAN
CORRESPONDENT

The Amazing Kreskin can't remember his own social security number and occasionally loses his keys, but he also can read minds and make things happen, courtesy of the power of suggestion.

Kreskin will be putting his skills to the test on New Year's Eve, both in his hometown of Montclair and in New York's Times Square.

"What I'll be doing in Montclair is some audience participation," Kreskin said. "I'll be able to tell people what they're thinking. But the big event will occur that night in Times Square."

At 11:15 p.m., Fox News will broadcast Kreskin at work on a head-scratcher of a feat. "You're going to have to see what I have up my sleeve," Kreskin said. "I'm going to show you how a person can imbibe and drive. I'm not advocating drinking and driving. It's a demonstration, which has never been done."

Every year at this time, Kreskin makes like a modern-day Nostradomus and offers his predictions. The witty Kreskin can't help but stick his neck out when it comes to what's up in 2006:

There will be a campaign launched in New Jersey to lure tourists but discourage people from moving here.

"Animal lovers will love this," Kreskin said. "We love the fact that deer come into our back yard. But politicians, developers and criminals aren't going to be so happy with this."

Kreskin isn't very political, but he has a feeling that there may be some changes in Cuba.

"If and when Fidel Castro passes on, his son Raoul will not succeed him. The entire dynasty Castro has set up will collapse. Raoul doesn't have the capacity to take over."

And forget about the Olympics coming to New York in your lifetime.

"I think the Olympics will continue to be removed from the New York City scene," Kreskin said. "Can you imagine the traffic? One of the features of New York on a regular day is paralyzing traffic. Can you imagine it during an Olympic competition?"

Move over, crack cocaine, the next great addiction in America will be poker.

"Look at the young people, university students and beyond, who are fascinated with poker," Kreskin said. "I think it's going to be a very serious problem. Online poker really scares me. You have to drive or fly to a casino. Online poker comes to you via the Internet. It's going to be trouble."

Kreskin foresees a new American vacation destination.

"I think that Baton Rouge is going to take on a heyday that it never really had," Kreskin said. "After the devastating hurricane hit New Orleans and damaged so much of the Southeast, I have a feeling that there will be a renaissance, particularly in Baton Rouge."

Expect movie theaters to try a retro concept in order to boost sluggish box office.

"I have a feeling that double features will return to help save the movie industry," Kreskin said. "Blockbusters like (Peter Jackson's) "King Kong' will do well, but attendance is dropping. Some movie producer will get the brilliant idea that double features will help. Why not have two movies that are an hour and 20 or 30 minutes as opposed to a two-hour movie, which is stretched and padded and not very good?"