First Eric Ross, now Rich Ferguson: The Icebreaker was the latest Ellusionist artist to slay Ellen and her audience with magic. In his national television debut, Rich got three sets (one was a callback after James Marsden) and did a great job. He did a great variation of an ambitious card routine and a killer performance of Window from This is Mentalism.

After his performance, Rich said he thought he messed up one trick, but we don’t see it at all. Looked to us like an absolutely stellar job. The video speaks for itself:

Stay tuned for a podcast interview with Rich for what it was like behind the scenes, and more about Ellen’s reaction.

Good news, bad news: Which do you want first? Bad news? K. (Why do you always say “bad news” first?)

Remember that show Greg Riley was producing, “Urban Legends of Illusion,” set for April 7? Bad news: It’s been postponed. Good news: It might get much bigger.

Check back next week for a podcast where we grill Riley about all the details, how he got his start in magic and how he scored the dream gig of a lifetime. Spoiler alert: It involves the Suicide Girls. Until then, this should tide you over. (Performance note: Watch how many great reactions he gets from a simple effect you can learn in Crash Course 1. You’ve heard us say “simple hits hard,” right? Proof is below.)

If you’ve ever been to Rich Ferguson’s website or Facebook page, you’ve probably seen the loads of pics featuring him and famous people, from has-beens to A-listers and everyone in between. We’re predicting that Ferg will be adding a few pics featuring another A-lister over the next few days. Namely, Ellen DeGeneres.

The creator of This is Mentalism and Tagged is booked to perform on Ellen this Thursday, in between segments featuring Helen Hunt and James Marsden. We’ve heard some buzz over what he’ll be performing, and if they stick with that plan, this will be some can’t-miss TV.

If “America’s Got Talent” is Chet from “Weird Science” to magic, then “Ellen” is definitely Lisa. Landing a spot performing magic on her show is a major score.

As of late, there has been much debate about the Ellusionist Playing cards now touting the “Air-Cushion” finish label as forced by the legal team of US Playing Card. Some say that the Air-Cushion finish feels different in performance, or is inferior to it’s predecessor, the UV500 Air-Flow finish. In reality, the differences are so minor to detect, yet the debate rages on….

What do I say? Being the guy who actually works side by side with the US Playing Card’s Research and Development department daily, I say, let’s put this one to bed by trying out our latest round of Ellusionist decks printed at USPC.

Before we go any further, it’s important to know what’s going on with USPC, so if you need to catch up, I suggest reading this post in it’s entirety:

Everything you wanted to know about USPC & Ellusionist, but were afraid to ask.

All schooled up? Groovy. Now onward… as you’ve read, no matter what finish we design for our playing cards, USPC has forced Ellusionist and many other card makers out there to use the “Air-Cushion Finish” label if the decks are displaying what type of finish it has.

Given that, we have worked with USPC extensively over the past 6 months to design what we , behind the scenes, call the “Performance Coating”. This finish was designed for a very special project that I can’t talk about….yet. PC is one of the best finishes we have ever felt on ANY deck of cards, hands down. Yet, we are still bound by USPC to print “Air-Cushion Finish” on the box. Do’h!

So, how do we put this to the test? By your feedback. Some decks are ALREADY out there with the new veneer on them….

If you have purchased the Bicycle Shadow Masters deck or the Arcane Black deck within the past month, you’ll be able to feel the new “Performance Coating” . If you think you loved the UV500, and have bought one of these decks in the past 30 days, I call you to tell us what you think….

The decks currently in stock with the performance Coating:

Bicycle Shadow Masters

Arcane Black deck

Arcane White deck

Vintage 1800 Series Deck (RED)

Jason is the Vice President of Ellusionist and usually has a Beatles / Grateful Dead / Zeppelin mix playing 24 hours a day.

Calling all collectors. After a heavy week of answering requests from people seeking the last of the UV500 Air-Flow decks, I felt it was time to open the doors on which decks are still on the shelf with the UV500 stock and Air-Flow finish.

Now ,before I get into that, if you’re not familiar with the UV500 Air-Flow features and why they are no longer being printed, please refer to this post to clear up any questions. Go ahead, click and read, we’ll wait…

Everything you wanted to know about USPC & Ellusionist, but were afraid to ask.

All up to speed? Supah. Let’s continue…

For the reasons that you read above, the UV500 Air-Flow stock and finish is no longer being printed on the Ellusionist decks (Thanks USPC legal team!). That has lead to many of you asking which decks do we still have in stock that has the UV500 Air-Flow printed on the side flap?

Here are the decks that still adorn the UV500 Air-Flow:

Bicycle Black Tiger: White Pips (not Red) (will not be reprinted, when they’re gone, they’re gone)

Bicycle Masters Deck: Red (next print run will have “Air-Cushion)

Bicycle Masters Deck: Blue (next print run will have “Air-Cushion)

Tally-Ho! Viper Deck: Fan back (next print run will have “Air-Cushion)

Tally-Ho! Viper Deck: Circle back (next print run will have “Air-Cushion)

Bicycle Black Ghost (1st Edition) (NOT for sale, given through promotions and rewards only. Will not be reprinted, when they’re gone, they’re gone)

Jason is the Vice President of Ellusionist and usually has a Beatles / Grateful Dead / Zeppelin mix playing 24 hours a day.