Month: August 2011

Magician Feature

Is Neil Patrick Harris Really One of Us?

Inside Magic Image of Neil Patrick Harris“Neil Patrick Harris, magician? And, president of the Academy of Magical Arts?” So begins the great profile piece on the actor in today’s Philippine Daily Inquirer .

That is the kind of question that piques our interest.

We follow magic closely and had noticed the former child star and now prominent force on stage, screen and television was appearing more frequently in magic related stories. The pattern we discerned over the last few years: when there was a magic related event in or around Los Angeles or Hollywood, Neil Patrick Harris was there.

It was starting to get eerie.

Our uncle was photographed at many suspicious building fires in and around the greater Mystic Hollow, Michigan area but that was because of his affection for “the glorious lover that is flame.” We were sure Neil Patrick Harris was not afflicted by the same sense of misguided and painful love as Roland “Flame” Hardy.

Perhaps he was working on a project that called for a magician’s touch. We dismissed this theory. Edward Norton (“The Illusionist”), Michael Cain (“The Prestige”), Anthony Hopkins (“Magic”) all starred in magic-oriented films but we never saw any of them attending functions usually reserved for the insiders.

His was one of the three individuals photographed for a 2009 article on The Magic Castle’s It’s Magic performance. (The other two were Lance Burton and Hannah Montana co-star Romi Dames). We don’t think the lovely Romi Dames is a magician so perhaps Neil Patrick Harris was appearing in his capacity as a star.

Neil Patrick Harris was also named in an article on the rededication of Houdini’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But again, he was not the focus of the story.

The mention comes about half-way through the Entertainment Today piece. “The bad boys of magic Penn and Teller were on hand for the ceremony, along with Neil Patrick Harris, Tippi Hedren, JoAnne Worley and Irene Larsen.”

Take a look at the article in the December 6, 2008 edition of Entertainment Today article here.
Continue reading “Is Neil Patrick Harris Really One of Us?” →

Magic News

Creepy No More, Clowns Urge

Inside Magic of Attractive Woman in Clown Outfit - Sort ofWith a tip of the Hatlo Hat of Magic to Carl Jones and his always interesting listserve, we read with great interest of the clowns looking to change their perception from “creepy” to “charming.”

We write about clowns and their status in our society with knowledge of John Steinbeck’s caveat, “Writers are a little below clowns and a little above trained seals.”  We take solace in our position above a marine mammal.

The author asserts and we have verified it to be true that until John Wayne Gacy  and Stephen King depicted clowns as evil predators, clowning was accepted in polite society.  Gacy did it in reality and King via his novel IT.

The article notes that clowns perform as clowns to entertain.  Clowns get into show business more for the show than the business.  Like all of us, clowns have feelings and can be hurt when children or adults exhibit fear and not enjoyment.

Paul Kleinberger — who performs as Fuddi Duddy the Clown around Albany, N.Y. — says King’s 1986 novel, “It,” with its evil clown character Pennywise, is blamed by most contemporary clowns for hurting their image.

“Some people say that if it wasn’t for Stephen King, clowns would have an easier time,” Kleinberger told HuffPost Weird News. “I don’t know if that’s the case. I mean, when someone tells me they’re afraid of clowns, I say, ‘Well, I’m afraid of bankers.’

We read Mr. Kleinberger’s retort not as a joke but a profound statement on the inequality our painted brethren and sistern suffer daily.  No doubt most clowns fear bankers and their incessant debt collection calls.
Continue reading “Creepy No More, Clowns Urge” →

Latest Magic News, Magician Feature

Piff The Magic Dragon Overcomes Snark

Inside Magic Image of Piff the Magic Dragon doing a One-Handed Card SpringPiff the Magic Dragon received a glowing review on the usually snarky Chortle, a British Comedy Hub.  How snarky?  Check out the last lines from a recent review of a Fringe Festival comic and his jokes about London:

“If, as a comic, you are relying on anecdotes with no real peril or no punchline you’re clearly in for a rough ride.  … Rarely have I been so turned off by such a blatant bout of town or city bashing. He can add awareness of this to the various notes-to-self he ought to make.”

Ouch.  That’s Snark to the E, as the kids say these days.

Given Chortle’s willingness to pull no punches (along with an occasional head-butt and knee to the groinal regions), we were impressed by their take on Piff the Magic Dragon.

The reviewer notes that Piff the Magic Dragon’s flat affect is rare in magic.

Deadpan isn’t much used in magic. David Blaine might be a miserable sod, but generally conjurers want to sprinkle some showbiz razzmatazz over everything they do. Not so much Piff, who’s depressed and lonely, bitter that his wife and assistant has left him, and grumpy about the amount he’s had to spend on every prop.It’s an appealing persona, even if he hasn’t quite nailed it yet.

The show sounds like our kind of magic and comedy.  Piff recently appeared on the Penn & Teller show “Fool Us!” You can check out the video of that very funny encounter on Piff’s web site.
Continue reading “Piff The Magic Dragon Overcomes Snark” →

Latest Magic News, Magic News, Magician Feature

Magician v. Clown Follow-Up

Inside Magic Image of Female Magician Kathleen Lakeland Beating Clown in ContestWe have said it many times and written it here just as often: all magicians need to subscribe to Alan Watson’s weekly newsletter Magic New Zealand® here. It is truly essential reading for anyone interested in magic.  Mr. Watson gives us an update on Inside Magic’s most read article of last week.

Magician v. Clown

Regarding (Cornflake the Clown) Justin Lane and his magic clone Magic Matt for making false and misleading claims on awards for publicity purposes.

The New Zealand Commerce Commission has concluded its investigation into this matter and has issued Cornflakes Magic World (Justin Lane) with a Compliance Advice Letter.

A Compliance Advice Letter informs the trader that the New Zealand Commerce Commission has received complaints, outlines the details of the complaint and informs the trader that the Commission is of
the opinion that they are at risk of breaching the Fair Trading Act 1986.

Justin has now complied with the Commerce Commissions requests and removed from all his websites, social media and promotional material items that were of concern and he also has apologised.

If you have similar problems with dishonest and misleading advertising by performers in your area or country then it is worthwhile looking at what legal channels you can pursue to have these false or misleading advertising claims removed.

Alan Watson

Magic of Canada, Magician Feature

Prof. Vincent Sacco Links Magicians, Politicians

Inside Magic Image of Dr. Vincent Sacco - Sociologist and MagicianDr. Vincent Sacco of Queen’s University’s Department of Sociology is the go-to guy when it comes to criminology, the deviant mind, the suspicious motives and what sociologists would call “other.”

So of course, the first words out of his mouth upon meeting a reporter for Kingston EMC would be “Want to see a magic trick?”

The esteemed professor believes there is a similarity of method — if not motive — between magicians and their evil counterparts in the non-magic world, politicians and advertising executives.

“The basic principles of how a magician fools you are the same ones that the advertiser and the politician use to fool you,” said Dr. Sacco.

In a recent presentation to the Toronto Alumni Association titled “Nothing Up My Sleeve: What I Learned from the Great Magicians,” Dr. Sacco performed magic in support of his thesis.

“I’d never performed magic in public before,” he said. “I even included the bending-a-spoon trick.”

Like many of us addicted to this profession of deception for entertainment’s sake, he was hooked as a preteen.
Continue reading “Prof. Vincent Sacco Links Magicians, Politicians” →

Magic of Canada, Magician Feature

Canadian Magician Anthony Lindan Attacks Autism

Canadian Magician Anthony Lindan and his friends, Shaun Fergus, Alex Kazam and Bill Abbott perform next Monday to benefit Autism Ontario’s efforts on behalf of Autism’s victims.

Niagra This Week features Mr. Lindan’s story and personal involvement in the cause.

Mr. Lindan and fellow magicians intend to entertain guests of  Ridgeway’s restaurant  from 6 to 9 p.m.  with close-up effects.

He told reporters the style will be like The Magic Castle.

The magicians will accept no tips and they are not being paid for the work.  They will encourage their table-side audience to contribute to Autism Ontario.

“They gave us donation boxes,” Lindan said. “We’re what is called a third-party fundraiser. We do all they work and the autism people get all the money.”

There’s two things that are close to magician Anthony Lindan’s heart – magic and the fight to find a cure for Autism Spectrum Disorder ASD.Lindan, along with three of his magician friends will be at Ridgeway’s Restaurant in Ridgeway next Monday to help raise money research to help unlock the mysterious condition, a complex neurobiological disorder that impacts normal brain development.

The magician’s 12-year-old son, Harvey, was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome as well as Tourette syndrome, both part of the autism spectrum.“So yes, we went through the flapping, kicking stages,” Lindan said. “He’s at the very high functioning end of the spectrum.”

Mr. Lindan makes a profound point to close out the article:
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Latest Magic News, Magic News

David Copperfield New Dad

Inside Magic Image of Lovely French Model Chloe Gosselin - Mother of Child with David CopperfieldMagician David Copperfield and French supermodel Chloe Gosselin are the proud parents of a 16-month-old baby girl, Sky.

We are not sure whether she will go by the last name Copperfield or Gosselin or some combination of the two surnames. We have a team working on that issue and should be able to post the answer shortly. Mother and father live in Mr. Copperfield’s private island.

This news comes to us from the almost never reliable New York Post newspaper. Worse still, it comes from the least reliable portion of that tabloid, Page 6.

Our editors believe there is sufficient indicia of credibility to permit publication of this great news here on the hallowed pages of the oldest magic news site with a domain name consisting of a preposition and the word “magic.”

Inside Magic congratulates Mr. Copperfield and Ms. Gosselin on their blessed event.

On the other hand, The Post drives us nutty.

Because they lack creativity or they are lazy, the New York Post’s coverage led with the blasé.

Abraca-baby . . . Illusionist David Copperfield has become a dad after his French girlfriend, Chloe Gosselin, gave birth to a beautiful girl, Sky, Page Six can exclusively reveal.

Seriously? That’s your lead, “Abraca-baby”?

Abraca-baby is not even internally consistent much less witty.
Continue reading “David Copperfield New Dad” →

Magic News, Magician Feature

Teller’s Favorite Films

Inside Magic Image of Movie Poster for Nightmare Alley Starring Tyrone Power and Joan BlondellTeller of Penn & Teller fame, is more than an incredible magician, writer, historian and inventor. He has a life outside the Penn & Teller Theater (that’s “Theatre” in metric).

He graduated from prestigious Amherst College in 1969 under the nom d’études (metric for “student name”) of Raymond Joseph Teller.

To ensure that our posting on the topic will be the most derivative of all on the topic, we cite Tom Shay from MassLive.com who in turn credits New York Magazine for the bird’s eye lowdown on Teller’s favorite movies about Magicians.

“The Great Buck Howard: The most accurate depiction of what it’s like to be in magic anywhere, because it’s so sad!
“A-Haunting We Will Go: One of the movies that made me fall in love with stage magic. Laurel and Harding encounter the actual magician Dante, and there’s a whole bunch of slapstick mix-ups.
“The Man from Beyond: It’s melodramatic crap, but it’s got Houdini, for crying out loud! You’re actually seeing Houdini on the screen!
“Nightmare Alley: Tyrone Power starts off as a sideshow magician, then does a mind-reading act, and he’s gradually tempted into being an evil crook. A hideously black downward spiral; and
“The Lady Vanishes: One of the most perfect movies ever made. And the fact that the evilest bad guy takes cover as a magician – that makes me laugh.”

You can read Tom Shay’s version of this list at MassLive.com here. We checked and checked but could not find a New York Magazine article on Teller or his favorite movies. We don’t doubt Tom Shay’s word, we just wanted to give credit where it was due.

Latest Magic News

Criss Angel: Magic Broadcasting Network Ready for Launch

Inside Magic Image of Countdown Screen Currently in Place at Criss Angel's TheMagicPlace.comMagician Criss Angel’s Magic Broadcasting Network (“MBN”) is on the pad, into its final countdown and making final safety checks before its launch into the interweb net.

In keeping with the astronaut theme, we note Angel’s launch party will come with major star-power.

The site takes flight at Monday evening at 9:00 p.m. (midnight EDT) when Robin Leach introduces Angel; who in turn welcomes Siegfried Fischbacher, Lance Burton, Jeff McBride, David Hasselhoff and Flavor Flav.

We understand the television studio is located right on the strip and is fully “tricked out” with the latest 3D animation, video technology, and soundstages for the 14 shows on the initial schedule.

(See what we did there?  “Tricked out” and Criss Angel is a magician who is launching a magic-oriented television and web portal? Our wit is so sharp we can shave just by bumping up against it in the morning).

Robin Leach will be tweeting and reporting from the fete Tuesday.  Check out his preview and schedule here: Criss Angel readies launch of his online Magic Broadcasting Network – Las Vegas Sun.

Magic News

Magician Jan Rouven Takes Place in ‘Justice League’

Inside Magic Image of Magician Jan Rouven and His Lovely Assistant Johanna GrajalesLas Vegas Review-Journal columnist Mike Weatherford suggests only the the discriminating magic show consumer can decide whether the town really needs a half-dozen big-box illusion shows.  He asks, “So many magicians, but who has the real magic?”

Magician Jan Rouven is the sixth “big-box” illusionist on the town this summer.  Steve Wyrick boosted the big-boxers total to an even seven with his new Ultra Magician show at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Mr. Weatherford points out that there may be six or seven shows but there is some overlap.  “Each show pretends to ignore the others, which is one reason you see a lot of the material duplicated. Another is that none of the contenders has been humble enough to propose some type of Justice League of magic team-up; they all hope the others will go away.”

The review is good for the new name on the scene.

“He’s a young, likable German with charisma and only minimally goofy stage attire (sparkly yes, but no epaulets or animal prints),” says Mr. Weatherford.

Rouven presents one of the oldest of the “big-box” effects, Metamorphosis with a dangerous update.  The magician and beautiful, but stealthy assistant Johanna Grajales perform the classic in “lighting fast” fashion.  The speedy exchange is even more incredible considering Rouven begins the transposition securely locked in tank of water.

“It’s refreshing,” Mr. Weatherford observes, “to have an illusionist young and physically spry enough to play the danger card convincingly, not just jamming younger assistants into boxes.”
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