Today’s Inside Magic News – Entropy IncreasesInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

The Magic of Recycling. Greg Allen is featured in today’s papers for his work to promote recycling as part of the Magic of Recycling program. The program features four magicians who travel around the country presenting a message and magic. “I liked all the magic, and he showed us why we should recycle,” said fourth-grader Imonee Qualls. “The landfills are going to fill up.”

Mr. Allen told the children that many people think a soda bottle disappears when they throw it in the trash. Not so, he says, telling the story about how the garbage man picks it up and it ends up in a landfill. Through recycling — and magic — he turns the old bottle into a sparkling new one.

The program is sponsored by local agencies as well as the John Deere Community Credit Union; Black Hawk County Solid Waste Management Commission; the cities of Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Evansdale; Cedar Heights and Hudson schools.

It sounds like a fantastic program. If you would like to read the full article, click here.

Fourteen Year-Old Kyle Key Kicks It in Contest. The 14-year-old from Lacombe is a two-time winner at the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians (PCAM) convention with his latest win at Seattle in August. He received the award of First Place in the Junior Category of Children’s Entertainment ? he bested 30 other magicians for the title. Last year, the incredible Master Key picked up First Place in the Juvenile Category for…

It sounds like a fantastic program. If you would like to read the full article, click here.

This year, he had to move into the older bracket of 14 to 18 year olds. That made things even more rewarding.

What’s the secret of modifying your hour long kid’s show into a contest with limited time? “I took all the good tricks and smashed them into 15 minutes.” He admits that the life of a teenage magician is not too shabby: “The way I look at it there?s teenagers babysitting for $3 to $4 per hour and they hate their job. I make $50 per hour and I love it. It?s not like I?d rather be babysitting.”

Read the full article here.

Blaine and Penn Help Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich Keep his Job. Dennis Kucinich received some negative fallout for his lengthy out-of-state treks in a failed attempt to win the Democratic Nomination. He is facing a tough race in his attempt to keep his seat in Congress and so naturally he would enlist the aid of Sean Penn and David Blaine.

We tried to find out what Mr. Blaine or Mr. Penn would do to help ? we do know that Mr. Penn gave a speech on his behalf ? but there is virtually no information. We also tried to find out why Mr. Kucinich would seek the assistance of a magician and a bad-boy actor but there are no clues.

Actor Sean Penn and magician David Blaine attended a re-election fundraiser for the former presidential candidate in Cleveland.

Apparently Mr. Kucinich‘s first choice was Teller and Puff Daddy. Misters Blaine and Penn were chosen when Teller said he does not do speaking engagements.

Read the full article here.

This is Just an Interesting Tidbit. I found this in the Canadian National Post this morning. “GIMMICK The origin of gimmick (1921) is, according to most dictionaries, “unknown.” It means “a gadget for performing a trick or deception.” Some sources speculate that gimmick derives as an anagram of magic.

More probably, gimmick comes from gimcrack (1618), meaning “a showy and useless trifle, originally a dodge.” The origin of gimcrack may be in Old French giber, meaning “to rattle, shake,” plus Middle English crak, “a noise.” The first use of gimmick is in a reference to theatrical slang words.

Shortly after that gimmick appears meaning “any mechanical contrivance.” Gimmickry (1947) and gimmicky (1953) seem to parallel the forms trickery (1800) and tricky (1786).”

The link is here.