Getting to perform on the Ellen show was an item on Rich Ferguson’s magic bucket list. Landing that gig has been something he’s worked on for almost five years, he said. Once he got his chance, he made the most of it — and capitalized on the extra time that he got.

Rich took a few minutes to talk with us bright and early on April Fool’s Day. There were no jokes or gags during this talk, though (well, except for the Max Maven thing). Just insight into why a gig on Ellen means so much, how many times he had to switch up his set, the one thing they didn’t show and the one thing that he had no idea they would show. Rich also breaks down a little bit of what’s coming next. Enjoy:

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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.

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.

Big news may be in store for Rich Ferguson, our resident Icebreaker.

Rich, the creator of This is Mentalism, gave us a heads-up about some opportunities that might be opening up very soon. He couldn’t tell us details yet, but said they are big, and “big” for Rich usually means “hugely colossal.” So be on the watch for some cool stuff from him.

He has already been featured like crazy on TV. KCOY-TV featured him for an entire week, and capped off with this great segment:

When we follow the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour and other Texas Hold’em games, we root for Antonio Esfandiari for the obvious reason: Dude is a professional magician who worked restaurants before breaking into the game. He’s a great reminder of something we think is a given: Magicians are better poker players.

But not for the reason you think. It has nothing to do with cheating or sleight of hand. We do not need it.

Sure, you might think we can work some sleight of hand past you and unfairly gain an edge. But the truth of the matter is that it is nearly impossible to cheat at a casino or professional poker room. Casinos hire magicians to instruct them about sleights of hand, so they know exactly what to look for.

So why are we taking your money like you’re giving it to a busking magician at the state fair? We can think of five reasons. (more…)