Celebracadabra Star Appears At Rio Grand Opening
January 31, 2008
More Celebracadabra gossip!
Entourage star Kevin Dillon hosted the star-studded grand opening of McFadden’s Irish pub restaurant saloon at the Rio resort casino. Celebrity magicians also appearing at the red carpet gala opening were Penn & Teller, Nathan Burton who appears in Comedy Magic at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile, and Murray Sawchuck, one of the magic coaches on VH1’s new reality series Celebracadabra sponsored by Ellusionist.
Murray is one of the veteran magicians coaching the celebrities for performances in front of tough crowds who will ultimately judged by a panel of master magicians who determine which celebrities get to advance to the next challenge.
The celebrities appearing on the show are C. Thomas Howell, comedian ANT, Hal Sparks, Chris Reid (Kid from Kid n’ Play), Lisa Ann Walter, Carnie Wilson, Kim Wyatt from The Pussycat Dolls.
Currently, Celebracadabra is slated to debut on Sunday April 20 and run 9 weeks.
Teller Speaks!
January 29, 2008
You’ve all heard Penn speak. It’s rare you get a chance to hear Teller. The usually silent Teller gave a talk for the Mind Science Foundation and he speaks, there is a lot to listen to.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5×14AwElOk[/youtube]
Avast, ye maties - It’s MindFreak Monday
January 28, 2008
Ahoy, mindfreak magician Criss Angel kept mum about the two band-aids he had on the side o’ his now-bearded face when he hit the new Cathouse restaurant and loungerie at the Luxor. E’en the Coquette dancers couldn’t pry the secret from him as t’ if it was a stunt gone wrong, an accident, or gi’in’ up on the first attempt t’ sha’e off the beard, shiver me timbers!
Criss’ stylist has watched Pirates of the Caribbean one to many times. Criss, Cap’n Jack Sparrow called, he wants his pirate style back.
Lance Burton Hoping To Start Soon
January 28, 2008
Since the fire at The Monte Carlo last week in Vegas, Lance Burton’s show has been down. While the fire was contained to upper floors of the hotel and his show was not affected, he hasn’t been able to resume his regular performance schedule.
Lance is hoping to resume shows this Thursday, but has not had confirmation. He told Robin Leach of Vegas Luxe Life “He tells me he checked every square inch of his theater and “all is fine and ready to go.”
When evacuated guests were permitted to retrieve their belongings, Lance did magic tricks in the lobby to entertain them.
You never know when your street magic skills will come in handy!
Can Criss Angel Go Old School?
January 24, 2008
Has Criss Angel set magic on television back 48 years?
In a recent newspaper interview in the Fresno Bee, pioneering illusionist Mark Wilson stated some strong comments about the current state of magic on television. In 1960, Mark Wilson had a challenge - to get a sponsored magic show on television. All the naysayers told him early on that magic would not work on television because the viewers would think it was TV trickery behind the illusions.
Wilson commented about Criss Angel, “He violates all the rules. Speaking as a professional magician, I will tell you that you cannot levitate from the top of one building to another without using television tricks. My fear is that using these kind of tricks will make it like before I began and people will start thinking that true magic can’t work on television,”
Angel has always denied the accusations of camera tricks and has said that every illusion can be duplicated in a live show.
Back in 1960, when Mark Wilson first started doing magic on TV, the show went out live. In the 70’s Doug Henning’s 1 hour magic specials went out live. How ’bout it Criss? Why not 1 half hour MindFreak done under these conditions:
1) The show goes on the air live
2) Shoot live in front of a studio audience
3) No trick photography or editing and preferably done in a single shot
4) No magic tricks that cannot be performed in a live situation
5) No stooges
It hasn’t been done in 30 years. It would be ground-breaking. It probably can’t be done by Criss Angel.
Who’s Your Daddy? David Copperfield Is.
January 23, 2008
The National Enquirer is reporting that David Copperfield has secretly fathered two children with Czech model Marie Petlickova.
They report that the 25 year-old model has confirmed that David Copperfield is the father of her two children. The Enquirer contacted Copperfield’s representatives about the story and they received a letter from Petlickova’s Las Vegas attorney stating: “David is a wonderful, loving and caring father, please respect our privacy.”
Marie Petlickova & the two children are living in Las Vegas in a 1.5 million dollar house bought by Copperfield. Public property records reveal the home is owned by David Kotkin LLC - a company controlled by Copperfield.
The Enquirer continues that while Copperfield has provided a home for his secret family he still lives a jet set lifestyle.
A source close to Marie told the Enquirer: “While David Copperfield does his magic shows and acts like a single guy, he actually has two young children with Marie and he’s quietly taken responsibility for them.”
“Marie has been living with her mother and two children in a home purchased by Copperfield in 2006.”
Now, according to the source, Marie Petlickova dreams of tying the knot with Copperfield.
The source added: “Marie has two children with Copperfield and wants to get married.”
Daniel Garcia’s Fallen - Now Available!
January 22, 2008
Unbelievable! This is just a great effect.
In this previous post we introduced you to Fallen. It’s been a hot topic on several magic forums. The wait is over. Fallen is available today as a download for only $14.95. Go here to Daniel Garcia’s Fallen page.
Reel Magic Quarterly
January 22, 2008
Have you guys seen Reel Magic Quarterly yet? If not, you’re missing out on one of THE best bargain in magic today. RMQ is a video magazine that features interviews, performances, reviews and teaches new magic.
The first issue featured an interview with Paul Harris. The new issue, issue #3, features an interview with Jay Sankey, but there’s so much more and Ellusionist is part of it.
First - we’ve supplied RMQ with the Stained Skin effect Hold Out so you will see the video performance & explanation. We also supplied sample tattoos for the effect, so you can try it out. If you’ve been on the fence about this effect, here’s a great way to try it out and see the quality of the production & the tattoos.
David Regal reviewed several Ellusionist products - Guerrilla Guide To Loops, Stained Skin & Shadow Masters Deck. Wayne Kawamoto also interviewed Daniel Garcia. Garcia also teaches his ‘Quarters’ routine from the ‘Garcia Project’ DVDs.
It’s only $9.95 for 2 hours of interviews, magic effects, reviews and sample tattoos! You can order Reel Magic Quarterly on our site here.
Preview Video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMElcrQ0L5M[/youtube]
Criss Angel In Denial?
January 22, 2008
TheGauntlet.com is reporting that on Criss Angel’s official message board any mention of Matt Zane’s record-breaking suspension, the suspension that broke Criss Angel’s record, is deleted within minutes of posting.
“It doesn’t surprise me.” Says Zane “Not only did I outlast him in terms of length, I did it with only 4 hooks instead of 8. A lot of his fans wrote me and said it was impossible and there was no way I could last 6 hours. Well I did and now his fans have to admit that Criss isn’t number one concerning one of his stunts. That generated a lot of speculation on his site to whether or not Criss would try to beat me. I don’t think he is up for it and I believe he just wants this whole thing to go away.”
T-shirts can now be purchased which feature Zane suspending that read “Angel Killer” at http://www.zazzle.com/society1/products
Amazing UltraGaff Deck Preview
January 19, 2008
UltraGaff is coming within the next couple of months and you should see more clips demonstrating what this deck is capable of. Ellusionist put Wayne Houchin and Danny Garcia together with ONE concept: create the most powerful, inventive, outrageous Gaff Deck on the market today. They have both been going to conventions and various magic gatherings and performing with the deck, blowing magicians away. You won’t believe some of the cards you see in this deck.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot267ABU3Y0[/youtube]