Latest News for February 19, 2004Inside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

The Magic News of the Day is Chocked Full-O-Good Stuff

It’s All Good

Usually we have one or two stories and try to fluff it out with news releases about the latest discovery in Velcro or that five-part series we did on how to waste a reader’s time. But today, we’ve got news, by golly. We go to Oman to see the Classic Magic of Japan; we hit Britain to learn about the costs associated with Mr. Blaine’s Box of No Food and Sir Paul McCartney’s legal troubles from just being beneath the box.

Perhaps the neatest story in the collection is Tom Cruise fixing to get ready to film “The War Magician” ? the story of Jasper Maskelyne and his use of Illusions to help win the war.

Don’t get angry with us if you see me putting in puff pieces later but at least today, your anger can be abated.

The Japan Foundation is Presenting a Traditional Magic Show in Oman Today

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The Magic News of the Day is Chocked Full-O-Good Stuff

It’s All Good

Perhaps the neatest story in the collection is Tom Cruise fixing to get ready to film “The War Magician” ? the story of Jasper Maskelyne and his use of Illusions to help win the war.

Don’t get angry with us if you see me putting in puff pieces later but at least today, your anger can be abated.

The Japan Foundation is Presenting a Traditional Magic Show in Oman Today

Classic Magic

The six members of the troupe will perform Japanese traditional entertainment using several traditional arts and crafts. The magicians will introduce different styles and funny tricks of various kinds. These types of tricks and dancing movements have very old history. They will also perform the Wazuma. This effect is performed by ladies only. It is about 100 years old and is characterized by lively actions and gestures. This show is performed by Nasiki Naomi and Wada Natuki.

Read about the show in the Times of Oman here.

To read more about the classic Wasuma, click here.

Haven’t You Been Here Before? Young Magician Finds Himself Thumb-Tied

Houdini

The New Zealand Herald reports that an un-named teenaged magician needed to be freed from thumb-cuffs when he was unable to escape during a show. He went from his performance to the fire department to have the cuffs hack-sawed off. The youth told the kind rescuers that he had a key to open the cuffs but he had lost it. To add insult to injury, one of the firefighters told reporters, “He had thought he was a bit of a magician but he could not do a Houdini.”

Read the embarrassing tale here.

Hoby Tyler Gets the Record as “The World’s Fastest Magician”

Chock Full

Hoby Tyler, a.k.a. Paul Ricksecker, could find himself in the Guinness Book of World Records — again. Ricksecker, of Findlay, likely qualified as the “world’s fastest magician” over the weekend by performing 308 magic effects in 1 minute and 32 seconds. Ricksecker’s amazing effort — which breaks down to about three tricks per second — easily surpassed the previous record of 225 tricks in two minutes, done by another Ohio magician in 1991.

Read the Hoby Tyler Story here.

Read an Fellowship of Christian Magician’s account of Hoby Tyler’s Speed Show here.

Banachek and Bond Featured at Houston Banquet

Banachek

Banachek, America’s Number One Thought Reader, will be featured at the annual magic banquet of the Houston Association of Magicians, S.A.M. Assembly #19 and I.B.M. Ring #39 on Sunday February 22nd.

Other entertainers will include Bill Palmer and Charles and the Lady with Scott Wells as the emcee.

The incredible Trixie Bond, Richard Hatch and Cody Fisher will perform close-up.

Last year’s attendance topped 180 and more are expected this year.

This is open to all magicians and to the public.

For more information, check out the link on the HoustonMagic.

Blaine’s Box Stunt Cost Police More than ?70,000.00

The Blaine Box

The U.K. Sun reported that the special police forces used to protect President Bush, look for terrorists and keep the peace beneath David Blaine’s box ran into the millions of pounds. It cost ?4 million to protect President Bush and ?1,096,057 in overtime pay for more than 41,000 officers involved in the campaign to protect against a terrorist attack on a famous landmark.

Read the full story in The Sun here.

Read the story in the BBC that puts the cost of such protection at ?1 million here.

Sir Paul McCartney In Hot Water For Scuffle Under Blaine Box

Sir Paul McCartney

ITV news is reporting that British detectives want to speak with Sir Paul McCartney following a fight when the ex-Beatle went to gawk at illusionist David Blaine’s starvation in the sky stunt. The detectives want to talk with Sir Paul before they make any charges in the case. “Kevin Wheal, who was working for London’s Evening Standard newspaper, claimed Sir Paul pushed him in the chest. The former Beatle was upset after the photographer tried to take a picture of him.” Sir Paul then publicly fired his publicist for tipping off the photographers ? he later said that was a joke. The fight was stopped by local police.

Read the ITV article here.

Tom Cruise Set to Film Jasper Maskelyne’s Story as the ‘War Magician’

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise had originally intended to star in the story of Magician Jasper Maskelyne based on David Fisher’s book, “The War Magician.” He has recently told the press that his interest is currently only in producing the story although that may change as the cameras get ready to roll. The movies will share with audiences the incredible story of the British stage magician who volunteered his incredible magical knowledge to help in the war against Hitler. Maskelyne was dispatched to North Africa where he helped halt Rommel’s campaign of through his skills of illusion. “He camouflaged a key British-occupied harbor by creating a bogus one that bore the brunt of nightly bombing raids; shielded troops in the Suez Canal through a system of anti-aircraft searchlights and mirrors that blinded Nazi pilots; and camouflaged British weaponry and used props to give the appearance of a stronger fighting force.”

Read the Daily Variety story here.

For an incredible, but short, bio of Jasper Maskelyne and his career, check out the U.K.’s Channel Four article here.

There is a more in-depth, but still short, bio of Mr. Maskelyne check out here.

A World-Famous Magician with a Low-Profile: aladin

aladin

The Oxford Student has an incredibly positive piece about a young magician, aladin. (His stage name is spelled with a lower-case “a”). The article points out that most have not heard of this gentleman despite the fact that he won International Magician of the Year 1991 and one of only two recipients of a Golden Turban Award from the Magic Academy of Bangalore. He performs from Bombay to Las Vegas and has apparently appeared on National Geographic and the BBC but he prefers to keep a low public profile.

Mr. aladin was born in Washington, D.C., traveled the world and studied at the London School of Economics. He moved from academia to work as a counselor and community worker with “gun-wielding street gangs.” (This is an interesting difference between U.S. and U.K. papers, I cannot imagine a street gang that wouldn’t be gun-wielding but I suppose in the U.K. this is a necessary addition).

“aladin left the Magic Circle in the 1980s due to its non-admittance of women,” the article reports. (This was also interesting as I know members of the Magic Circle (including the fabulous Trixie Bond and Mandy Davis but this may be a more recent ? like in the last 20 years ? development).

His philosophy on magic is contrary to that of Robert-Houdin: “aladin does not see his magic as a spectacle but more of a conversation. ‘I don’t perform tricks as such, and I never rehearse, my magic is different for everyone, I respond to how they are feeling.’

Read this interesting profile of a magician I have never heard about.

Perhaps we will hear more from him soon. To read the story, click here.