Kreskin releases predictions for 2009
December 28, 2008
The Amazing Kreskin has released his predictions for the upcoming year, which begins this Thursday. Among them, as reported in the Ithaca Times:
- If Obama doesn’t win a second term, it is not going to be because of who is running against him. There will be a growing effort to have Hillary Clinton run for president again in 2012.
- The economy is going to stink like the Detroit Lions. Specifically: If the (government) increases bailouts to more and more areas of the economy, then the recession will last longer, up to 4 1/2 years.
- Hollywood will slowly disappear. The entertainment capital is more of a legend than a reality. Hollywood will move to India and the state of Connecticut. Connecticut will have one of the greatest financial boosts in decades; give it 2 to 2 1/2 years (to happen).
- UFO sightings and talking to the dead will increase. This bothers Kreskin, who doesn’t believe in spirit communications, but does believe in UFOs. There will be more and more sightings of UFOs and more and more cases of people who believe they talked to the dead, he said.
- Clowns will gain new status. The clown will have new degrees of prestige and importance. They are important in therapy. They communicate in a nonverbal way. They will have an important role in ways to come.
Kreskin nailed this year’s Super Bowl and presidential election winners, according to his Web site.
Fox News: Blaine’s ‘Dive of Death’ one of TV’s top-10 worst moments
December 22, 2008
In what surely won’t be the last such top-10 list, David Blaine’s “Dive of Death” made Fox News Entertainment’s list of the 10 worst TV moments, joining company such as Rosie Live, reality TV stars opening the Emmys and stars showing their secret talents. Ignoring Blaine’s explanation of how the stunt went wrong, the obvious physical difficulty and almost two hours of insane street magic (and two gut punches from Kimbo Slice), Fox packed a paragraph of VH-1-wannabe snark with a photo:
The dive itself, occurring live at the end of a two-hour telecast, was an anticlimactic flop at the end of what looked like the world’s least-bouncy bungee cord, after which Blaine was yanked off into the darkness, presumably so he could avoid network executives demanding their money back.
Hmm… A TV network publishing a list of the worst TV moments; yet only two out of 10 aired on Fox (Paula Abdul’s future prediction and “The Moment of Truth”). We’ll take their diss of Blaine with the typical grains of salt required of anything coming from Fox News.
K, I’m off my soapbox now.
Lack of vision doesn’t keep magician from performing
December 22, 2008
Photo courtesy Santa Cruz Sentinel
Brent Gifford was stricken blind by Stickler’s syndrome when he was about 12. At 15, he became a professional magician and hasn’t slowed since. He was featured in this report from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
“The Great Blindini” has lived and performed across the country. In addition to his magic career, he has found ways to help others, from managing food services run by blind people to teaching Red Cross training sessions. He has also kept a sense of humor and a positive attitude, despite the condition that also causes skeletal and muscular problems:
“I chose the name ‘The Great Blindini’ because ‘The Great Gimpini’ just didn’t work.”
Copperfield assistant released from hospital; slight changes to be made to illusion
December 21, 2008
Brandon (last name withheld), the David Copperfield stage assistant who was bloodily injured during a Wednesday night performance, was set to be released Friday afternoon, according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The assistant was injured in view of the audience when his arm was caught in a 12-foot industrial fan.
Though Copperfield and crew will adjust the blocking of the illusion, it will remain part of the show. Producer Chris Kenner said a review of video recordings of the incident revealed no ongoing safety concerns, and that it was “an odd, freak accident.” The illusion may be put on hiatus, however, if audience reaction becomes too noticeable.
The illusion is “The Fan,” shown below:
Copperfield assistant injured during performance
December 19, 2008
A stage assistant for David Copperfield was injured Wednesday night during a finale performance at the MGM Grand Theater in Las Vegas. A representative for the magician confirmed the injury with Us Magazine, saying that the assistant’s arm and face were injured by a 12-foot fan used for one of Copperfield’s illusions. From the report, on Yahoo’s OMG!:
“During an illusion where David attempts to walk through the rotating blades of a 12-foot high industrial fan, the fan and its platform were being rotated by one of David’s illusion technicians,” the rep says. “Just prior to David himself walking through the fan, [the assistant] was accidentally pulled into the vortex of the moving fan blades, causing injury to his arm and face.”
The assistant, Brandon (last name withheld), suffered a broken arm and a laceration on his face. He underwent several hours of surgery to repair the damage. According to Copperfield’s rep, Copperfield was there when Brandon woke up in his hospital room after the surgery and presented him with a kids’ magic set.
The report has more grisly details from eyewitnesses. Spoiler: One of them said, “Blood was everywhere.” Special thanks to Ellusionist forums moderator Goudinov for the heads-up. iTricks.com found the below video of the illusion and a gobsmacked Oprah.
Teen magician recruited by city to expose conmen
December 18, 2008
Photo courtesy BBC
This is a case of exposure that most honest magicians could wholeheartedly support.
The city of Walthamstow, in northeast London, Great Britain, has hired a magician to fight a scourge of card-based conmen hustling shoppers with the three-card monte. Emmanuele Faja, 17, was appointed by the Waltham Forest Council to demonstrate the sleight of hand used in “Chase the Lady” and the ol’ cups and balls bit to members of the public.
Faja was discovered by a policeman who watched Faja perform in a pub. The officer spoke to the council and encouraged it to recruit Faja, whose older brother worked in a pub where members of the Magic Circle hung out. Faja spelled out why three-card monte is a hustle to the BBC:
Mr Faja said “Chase the Lady” was a “well-documented game” which had been played for about 250 years. “It’s not a fair game. It’s a con,” he told BBC London 94.9. “They are criminals and there’s no way you can make money on it.” Often there would be a group of between three and seven men at a stall, he added. “They’re betting and other people get drawn in,” he said.
Quick hits: Angel to Disneyland, Jay can’t catch a break, Card art featured, Blaine in trailer
December 17, 2008
Welcome to a video-heavy edition of the quick hits.
- This isn’t very newsworthy, except for how this is a story from a Vegas paper that DOESN’T diss Criss. The Las Vegas Sun reported that Criss Angel has never been to Disneyland — until today. “Madifreak” — Angel and new galpal Holly Madison — hit the popular tourist destination Wednesday and took in all the rides, got ears, all that. Angel and Disneyland… we’d love to see a collaboration between the Mindfreak and “It’s a Small World.” ANYWAY… The trip kicks off a birthday weekend celebration for the new couple.
- Joshua Jay can’t catch a break. The New York magician is making the publicity rounds in support of his new book, “Magic, The Complete Course.” He opens with a slick wine bottle production, and is asked how it’s done. When Jay declines to answer, Kathie Lee Gifford grills him, “But you wrote a book on magic!” The same thing happened to Jay in this interview, only CNN’s Naamua Delaney didn’t hit on Jay like Gifford does. Enjoy:
- Card sculptures and card-inspired art, including the incredible work of Brian Berg (featured in video below), are featured in this post from WebUrbanist. Our favorite is the card collage by Lisa Curtis. But we’re not sure if the queens in Richard Colman’s art are puking rainbows or eating them.
- If you haven’t seen it yet, David Blaine makes an appearance in the trailer for the new movie, “The Great Buck Howard,” about a mentalist’s return to the spotlight and the gopher who becomes fascinated with his magic. It stars John Malkovich, Colin Hanks and Emily Blunt.
‘Tis the season: Give your magic as a gift
December 16, 2008
Photo courtesy Chicago Sun-Times
One of the messages you hear from Ellusionist constantly, especially from forum members: Get out and perform, because it will make you a better magician. But even though you benefit, your audience also benefits from the entertainment. Now, in this season of giving, think about this: It’s one thing to present your art to strangers on the street, who may or may not be looking for entertainment.
But a group of Chicago magicians has found an audience always ready for a performance, and to learn something. The magicians are making the rounds once a week in the children’s wings of five Chicago hospitals. They entertain, but many also take the extra step of teaching patients a trick or two.
The group is Open Heart Magic, a group founded by hospital magician Michael Walton. The group screens new magicians about once a year for a 12-week training class. The group’s mission is to use close-up magic as a therapeutic and positive interaction for children in hospitals. Walton said teaching kids tricks helps give them something they can control:
“When a child goes to the hospital, there is this loss of control, this lost sense of time, loss of friends. We try to give them something to continue the interaction beyond entertainment, to trick nurses and doctors.”
That got us thinking: How can you use your art to make others’ lives better? What can you do in 2009?
p.s. Note that OHM offers a 12-week training class for performing in front of kids who are patients. Performing for sick or terminal children requires training — your local hospital, Children’s Miracle Network or other charity organizations can help. More information can be found by browsing and searching the forums.
Angel to critics: ‘Believe’ is real
December 14, 2008
Photo courtesy Toronto Star
Criss Angel, in one of the first responses to critics of “Believe,” said snarky comments about he and new girlfriend Holly Madison don’t bug him nearly as much as comments about the realism of his show. He sat down with Richard Ouzounian, theater columnist for the Toronto Star, and said this:
“I’ve taken a lot of chances in my career and I’ve got the scars to prove it,” he asserts and – considering he’s wearing a leather vest and no shirt – it’s easy to see the validity of his point. “I’ve hung from four fishhooks stuck in my back from a helicopter in the past. And this show is insanely dangerous. I’m dealing with a wall of fire 30 feet wide and 15 feet high only 6 feet away from me. I could kill myself at every performance.”
Ouzounian writes his column poetically about Angel, but doesn’t reveal any new news about the confrontation between Cirque officials or the nature of the show’s upcoming break. But, Angel does say that, despite critics wondering whether Cirque and Mindfreak was a good combination, Angel knew it would be like Reese’s:
“I’ve been in awe of Cirque for years. When I saw ‘O,’ I was completely mesmerized. I felt more of a sense of magic there than I did at most conventional magic shows.”
Magician honored for learning business
December 5, 2008
Photo courtesy Press of Atlantic City
Atlantic City magician Jeffrey Kuter, 27, has learned that there is more to having a successful magic business than performing a good pass or practicing every day.
Kuter was honored today by the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers at a luncheon for successfully opening and managing The Trick Zone, a magic and novelty shop in Atlantic City. The first one opened in Nov. 2007; he accepted an offer in May of this year to open a second store,
according to the Press of Atlantic City.
The reason for Kuter’s success, said SBDC director Joe Molineaux, was his willingness to learn and his diligence following through with his business plan:
“He approached the educational portion of small business like he would approach learning a new illusion or magic trick. He examined the potential marketplace and realized that he could serve an unmet need and a growing niche market.”
Kuter used the center’s resources to get his business started. The center directed him toward business courses at Atlantic Cape Community College and loaned him $35,000 to open his own store, which carries all sorts of magic supplies and offers a 40-seat theater in the back.
We can’t think of a major metropolitan area that doesn’t have a chamber of commerce, small-business development center or other resources. If you are ready to make money with your magic, these centers can be valuable resources for the development of your career. Congratulations to Kuter and his employees for the store’s success.
Want to see more of the shop, and the theater? We found this vid from Yellowpages.com:
Comments
Bicycle Ghost Deck
The Ghost marks a new era in playing card elegance.
Tags
- Adam Grace Add new tag Believe C. Thomas Howell Celebra Cadabra Celebracadabra Criss Angel Custom playing cards Daniel Garcia David Blaine David Blaine: Dive of Death David Copperfield Dive of Death Ellusionist Ellusionist Forums Frozen Lance Burton Las Vegas Luxor Magic on TV MindFreak Paul Harris Penn & Teller Rich Ferguson extreme burn kim wyatt magic magic performance magic tricks magicians mentalism performance playing cards street magic stunts