Tag: Norm Clarke

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Steve Dacri Passes

Inside Magic Image of Steve Dacri - From Las Vegas Review-Journal

Norm Clarke has a very nice piece about the great Steve Dacri in today’s Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Steve Dacri was a friend of Inside Magic and always quick to respond to our often bothersome emails about what was happening in Vegas.

From Norm Clarke’s column:

His quick wit helped him reach the big stage during his career. There were late-night show appearances with Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett and Mike Douglas. After almost four decades at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, Las Vegas became his home in 2003 with his wife, Jan.

Steve Dacri was always encouraging and positive.  He had every right to be condescending or haughty but those traits did not seem to be in his nature.  He was kind.  He was nice.  It is a shame those two words sound so trite — perhaps because they are used so carelessly.

We will miss Steve.  Magic is less without him and his smile.

Read Norm Clarke’s column in today’s Las Vegas Review Journal:

“Dacri exited life his way, optimistically” – News – ReviewJournal.com.

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Heat Packing Angel Scares Beauty Contestants

Norm Clarke, Inside Magic Favorite Vegas Columnist from The Las Vegas Review-Journal , asks a valid question:

Should a pageant judge known for his public outbursts be allowed to pack heat to the Miss Universe finals?

The Miss Universe judge in question is magician Criss Angel.  The heat he is packing is a firearm, not Jim Pace's iconic (and often knocked-off) Electric Hot Leads. 

He has a license to carry.  By the way, the cool way to talk about concealed weapons is to not provide the noun.  So, one would say, "I have a permit to carry; you have a permit to carry; he,she,it have permits to carry." 

We don't know what type of weapon Criss Angel carries. We also don't know why he carries.  There were rumors a couple of years ago that because he was living at the Luxor whilst he worked on Believe! and his Mind Freak series, fans would have an opportunity to flock him. 

We have always been against shooting flocking fans.  In fact, Harper Lee confessed on an old Dick Cavett Show the original title of her Pulitzer Award winning novel was titled To Kill a Flocking Fan.  Apparently because lead character Atticus Finch had a heavy southern drawl, there was concern this line could pose censorship issues. 

Norm Clarke credits Richard Abowitz for bringing the issue to the fore.  You can read the blog post that got it all started at www.goldplateddoor.com.

Continue reading “Heat Packing Angel Scares Beauty Contestants” →