Magic News Network

Criss Angel Interviewed on Pain and Art

Reuters reviews Criss Angel and his new, appropriately title book, Mindfreak: Secret Revelations.
The reporter identifies a fundamental question one must resolve when considering an illusionist.  "Illusionist Criss Angel readily admits he has no magical powers, no psychic powers and no supernatural powers. So is he a fraud?"
Mr. Angel has the perfect response.
"A lot of what I do is 110 percent real. But I try to blur the lines between reality and illusion. Then I leave it up to my audience to decide."
Mr. Angel preaches to magicians and their audiences in his book and today's interview that magic should be more than "set tricks and girls in leotards in boxes."  It should be presented as an art form.
Mr. Angel's new book does reveal (or teach) 40 tricks with great instructions and fantastic photographs.  But teaching a young magician how to make a styrofoam cup float or to vanish a toothpick is not the same as revealing the true secrets of our profession.
The book does reveal the method behind his most gruesome effect: hanging by fishhooks whist being dragged through the Nevada desert skies.
The secret is all in the preparation.  "Yes, it did hurt," said Angel. "But I focus my mind on the pain so I get numb to it."
Mr. Angel writes that he did not use a numbing agent to ease tremendous pain he felt as his back was pierced with hooks and bolts and was then lifted 1,000 feet in the air.
The first three chapters are not for the faint of heart.  (The passages about his brother "burping" his skin after the stunt turned our stomach each time we read it).
Mr. Angel's recently announced deal with the Luxor Hotel will have him performing almost 500 shows a year for ten years.
He ends the interview with a typical Criss Angel quote, filled with paradox and intrigue: "In magic, I've never seen anything that can't be explained or reproduced and I believe anything is possible if you want it enough."

You can read the full article on the Reuter's wire service here.

Technorati Tags: magic news, criss angel, mindfreak

Magic Contest: Win A Chance to Attend Premiere of Magicians

The premiere of the new British comedy, Magicians, is garnering attention thanks to an apparently very cost effective public relations campaign.
Yesterday UK papers covered the use of local magicians to promote the movie in venues across the country. (Visit the video previews here).
Today, The Telegraph announced their special contest supporting the show. 
"To mark the film's cinematic release, the Telegraph is offering the chance to win tickets to a preview of Magicians in London on May 15, which will be introduced by Mitchell and Webb in person."
The paper posted the rules and requirements for the contest on its web site here.
From what we have read, Magicians involves best buddies, Harry and Karl (David Mitchell and Robert Webb), who together form the best magic act in England.
Unfortunately, "a guillotine illusion goes horribly and spectacularly wrong, [and] their friendship and their careers are finished."
Harry is without two farthings to rub together (presumably to make it appear there are really three farthings thanks to the miracle of the retention of vision phenomenon) but hopes to make a comeback by winning the lucrative International Magic Shield tournament.
According to The Telegraph, Harry faces "the world's oddest (and saddest) magicians - including his deadly rival Karl, performing under the guise of ridiculous psychic 'The Mindmonger.'
Harry apparently replaces his headless (we hope that did not spoil the movie for you) assistant with a new young lady with both beauty and a head. 
The contest seems fair and perhaps easy -- if you lived in the UK and had some familiarity with British television or movies. 
We will keep you informed of any news following the opening; and we will certainly alert you to the film's opening in the US or other countries.

Check out the full article as well as the contest rules here.

You can see a sneak peek of the film here.style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;"

Technorati Tags: magic news, magicians, british film, comedies, contests

Magicians in the Park Three

The Hurricane Valley Journal from the beautiful Hurricane, Utah, goes front and center today with their profile of the May 17th "Magic Concert in the Park."
Stan Poole a/k/a Max the Magician, Randy McDonald a/k/a Mick McDonald, and Mel Wardean a/k/a Mr. Mel will perform their show in the Hurricane City Park.  The park, as locals know, is at the corner of Main and 200 North and will be a great venue.
The author of the article is quick to point out that there may be some discomfort in watching the show.  "(They) will keep the audience on their seat’s edge while performing their magic from 8 to 9 p.m."
Recall that proper posture is essential for good health and bad seating habits can take the "line" out of "alignment."  We urge audience members to please sit back in their seats and have both feet firmly planted on the ground. 
Mr. McDonald "is an escape artist who does linking rings, and eats fire as well as a strait jacket escape."
But Mr. McDonald has abilities beyond that of a mere magician.  According to today's paper, he can physically melt individuals with his music.
The visual image sounds interesting but slightly nauseating.
"He also has a carousal band organ he does magic in front of or in combination while it plays all of the old time music. He said the band organ is called the happiest music on earth, and he’s seen some pretty rough guys just melt into little boys when he plays it."
When we went off the booze, we lost about 240 pounds but there was very little melting.  We are now at our fighting weight but because we have been on the wagon, we no longer have anyone to fight.  Ironic and sad sort of.
"Max the Magician does approximately100 shows a year, with about 25 percent library shows and schools or an occasional birthday party. He has played libraries around the county, and is well-known throughout the area. Doing world class comedy magic, he does a 45 minute show typically for after dinner shows for company parties, customer appreciation dinners, or conventions."
Max the Magician appears in Vegas and will give Hurricane residents a chance to see a top-shelf act.
Unfortunately, the audience will not be able to see his wonderful dove production.  We agree dove acts are tough in an outdoor venue.  Even the best trained dove may be tempted to fly off.
Max wanted to bring a baby skunk to the show -- perhaps in place of the wayward birds. 
Kid's love skunks. 
Unfortunately, The Man wants to keep the kids from seeing and enjoying a real skunk -- red-tape prevented the skunk's appearance.
"Since baby skunks are illegal in Utah, it took him two years to go through the process of applications, and non-refundable fees with Utah Wildlife Division. He finally got permission to use a skunk for commercial use for his magic shows. Upon getting a cute, descented baby skunk from a licensed breeder, Poole raised it and worked with it all summer. However, late in the summer it got sick and died."
Check out the article for a full discussion on the pros and cons of using a skunk in your magic act.  Max has clearly thought this through.
Mr. Mel (Wardean) does not claim to be a professional but he has the right stuff to be a professional magician.  He performs with the skills of a pro and the heart of a devotee. 
"Wanting to do something to help the Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005, Wardean started nosing around in an effort to find other magicians to do a benefit show with him. He met Max the Magician at the Hurricane Library doing a show for children, and he knew some other magicians, so they teamed up to do two shows. They did one show in the afternoon and one in the evening on the stage of the Hilton Hotel in St. George. The funds went to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund."
Mr. Mel gives kudos to the Hilton Hotel for their willingness to donate a showroom for their benefit.
The show will be family-friendly and a great chance to see three very talented magicians in a very relaxed setting.

Read the full article here

Technorati Tags: magic news, magicians, magic show

David Blaine Rotates and Escapes

TMZ.com has the latest take on the David Blaine stunt / magic trick.  They term the event as "lame" and in keeping with prior "lame stunts and passing them off as a magical feat." 

Blaine's back and doing what he does best -- performing somewhat lame stunts and passing them off as a magical feat -- this time it's being locked into a gyroscope suspended 50 feet over a concrete parking lot and spinning for four days.

To his credit, he will attempt to pull a Houdini and escape a padlock before 6:00 AM on Friday. If he is successful,100 children and their families (chosen by the Salvation Army) will receive a shopping spree at Target.

Something tells us he won't let 100 needy families suffer on the day after Thanksgiving, but Blaine did fail in his last high profile stunt by not breaking the world record for holding his breath underwater. Blaine attempted to break the record after submerging himself in a water-filled sphere for seven days. The stunt proved to be more challenging than he originally envisioned, and it nearly cost him his life.

The "magician's" other stunts have included standing on a 100-foot pole for 35 hours, and being buried alive in a clear plastic coffin for a week. Poof. 

We like TMZ.  They're often rough on celebs but today, not too rough. 

tags: magic news, david blaine, escape magic, public relations

Was Houdini A Spy?

It was a few weeks or maybe months back we told you Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks were consulted by The Times of London about an upcoming "expose" of Harry Houdini.

The Times wanted Ms. Dietrich and Mr. Brooks' thoughts on the book's premise: was Harry Houdini actually a spy? Was he murdered for his spying? 

You can read our earlier article featuring the proprietors of the

Dorothy Dietrich's Houdini Museum Featured on Discovery

From our very short and limited involvement with television network production (Court TV covered most of our first trial) we know there is an economic and strategic bias against covering stories unless they are in one of the top three television markets. 

It is tough to blame the network producer.  They need to bring the project in under budget. A story from Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles is easier and less expensive to produce than one from, say, Scranton, Pennsylvania. 

So, given the choice between two comparable stories, the twenty-something producer will cover his or her bacon by shooting the story in the major media market. 

This economic bias is exactly why we are impressed with Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks.  Despite the fact that their Houdini Museum is not within a top-three market, their work and the museum are frequently featured in world-wide television coverage.

In support of our theory we offer the news that the Canadian Travel Channel's Magic Road Trip begins this Friday and will feature the duo and their contribution to magic history. 

Accused Pesterer: Copperfield Baited Me

We were checking out the hemline forcast for next spring in today's online version of Vogue UK  when we came across this strange story.

Matt Hooker has been accused of stalking or "pestering" Nicole Kidman and Claudia Schiffer. 

He claims to have at least one celebrity stalker of his own. According to one of his numerous websites, Hooker fancies that both Schiffer and her ex, David Copperfield , have tailed him in the past, while Ben Affleck is more recently on his case.

Mr. Hooker describes the most recent "tailing" from Ben Affleck on one of his many web sites.

In the two months after I met Nicole, I caught him following or stalking me five times.

Three times on the streets in Santa Monica, once on the hiking trail near Nicole's home, and once, on May 8, he, or someone who looks a lot like him followed me into the men's room at my office, and, dressed like a Frenchman, with a 'pencil' or 'toothbrush' moustache, and a French shirt on, simply looked at me, smiled and waved goodbye and said 'sorry.'

We're Sorry David Blaine - You're a Good Guy and We're Terrible

Some one once said, "keep your words soft and without foreign elements -- you may be forced to eat them later." 

Here we made fun of David Blaine just hours ago and then we read of his noble and brave efforts to help children in the northern cities of Israel. 

We should know better.  Note to Mr. Blaine: you're a good guy and good person -- we just wish you did more magic.  We want to see your tricks as much as your audiences in Israel or anywhere.

Copperfield's Waters Restore Bugs - Fountain of Youth for Magician?

David Copperfield claims he can restore bugs and leaves that have been left for dead.

He sure is one hard-working guy.

He tours constantly and when he's not on the road, he's planning or rehearsing for the next leg of his never-ending world-tour.

We often wondered how he kept up the pace. How he stayed perpetually young. We also had questions about how he does that trick where he lasers off half his body and walks down a platform.

We have answered one of the two questions.

According to the very reliable Australian Broadcast Company's news feed, Mr. Copperfield has found "The Fountain of Youth."

19 Year Old Cameron Fisk Wins PCAM Gold Medal

Success is defined in so many different ways and always in accordance with the reasonable expectations for the task and individual.   By any standards, Cameron Fisk has been very successful.

We heard from Mr. Fisk fresh off a very successful five days at the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians ("PCAM"). 

Mr. Fisk is nineteen-years-old and the alter-ego of the kid-show character Mac Backwards. 

If he were to attend an international convention of PCAM's caliber, meet new friends, learn new magic, perhaps even share a trick or two, we would all agree the trip was a success.