The man with his head plastered all over the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas joins us for this episode of the Magic Newswire’s “Spirit of Magic” podcast. Nathan was on site for the premier of the new Cirque show “Criss Angel : Believe” and tells us what he thinks of the show that has been taking it on the chin from reviewers. We also talk about his journey from doing the nickels to dimes trick at the age of four to becoming a Vegas headliner, and what it’s like to be locked in a box with no food or water and seven Vegas showgirls as your only company.
David Blaine will join leaders of CITYarts program to celebrate the restoration of one of New York’s great cultural landmarks, the “Rolling Bench” at Grant’s Tomb, Wednesday, November 10th at 3:30 PM. The “Rolling Bench” is a combination of 17 mosaic benches built by 8 professional artists and 2,500 volunteers between 1972 and 1974 to commemorate the opening of the first national park, 100 years earlier. Last Summer, hundreds of community members, volunteers and professional artists, including Pedro Silva who worked on the original with his son Tony, now a professional artist himself, have worked to restore the single largest public art project in the country to its former glory. Blaine, a life-long New Yorker, was recently featured in a story naming the “Rolling Bench” as one of his favorite spots in the city. Blaine will perform card tricks for children at the event.
According to MonstorsAndCritics.com, Ellen Degeneres continues to include magic in her shows whenever she can and she has a Really Big Show planned for TBS in late November. “In “Ellen’s Even Bigger Really Big Show”, the comedian will intro a slate of fresh talent that includes magician Hans Klok, celebrity impressionists and more. The show will be taped on Thursday, Nov. 20, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and will air on TBS on Saturday November 29th.”
According to the article, all of the acts are ”hand-picked by DeGeneres.”
The live show will begin at 7 p.m. (PT) on November 20th and the television edition will premier on TBS at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on TBS.
“We decided to bring the show back to Vegas because the first act we booked is a ‘brother-sister pole act,’” said DeGeneres. “Apparently Vegas is the only place where you can get away with something like that.”
Guy Hollingsworth discusses magic and copyright in an article from the BBC Magazine today which also included a video of “Reformation.”
However, the bigger problem is this, says Hollingworth: “Can you stop the world as a whole from revealing secrets?”
The answer would seem to be a resounding “no”.
“There are many magic conventions around the world where magicians talk shop. Anyone can go to one of these, just as anyone can walk into a magic shop and buy one of the many books that explain magic tricks.”
“A lot of magic tricks are available outside magic clubs,” says Hollingworth. “Fortunately most people aren’t sufficiently motivated to go and find out how they are done. But it is difficult to for a magician to argue that they have maintained a trade secret.”
From a funny “On this Day” piece we learn that today is notable for a magic related event: On this Day in 2005 magician Paul Daniels learned that his Madame Tussauds waxwork was to be melted down because it scared children. It was saved from that fate with its’ purchase for GBP 1,900 by London magic shop owner Berty Davenport. On his website, Daniel’s remembers the press conference in which the sculpture was unveiled for a different reason. “Mme Tussaud’s Waxworks decided to put me in the exhibition and I was sculpted for it. Eventually they had a press call and the reporters and the photographers gathered round. One reporter asked if I would be donating one of my wigs and I replied that I didn’t wear a wig. The place went mad with photographers jumping onto chairs and tables to get photos of my head! The next day the press showed themselves in their true light. My ‘loss of hair’ was on Page One of several newspapers. This was the day that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant blew up with the terrible fall out and that was on Page Five!!!! I am amazed at how much interest a wig generates. If someone wants to wear a wig, why not? It is nothing to do with anyone else, is it? Do I miss it? No, except in the winter ‘cos it kept my head warm.”
Broadway World promotes the return of Eric Decamps “Pure Magic” to the Metropolitan Room for an eight week holiday run ending on December 28th. In the Article, Eric discusses two pieces from his act. One is a tribute to Rene Levand and the other is the Davenport Spirit Box. “I met René many years ago, and he taught me his prized trick with a tea cup and some bread crumbs. After I mastered it, I performed it for him and moved him to tears. That night he granted me permission to perform his most cherished mystery. “ Many who have seen “The Spirit Box” have sworn that they have witnessed the impossible. “It gives you pause,” DeCamps claims. “It’s especially gratifying when hardened skeptics admit that this may be their first brush with the supernatural.” Pure Magic is directed by Bob Fitch.
UPDATE (11/10/08) :: Eric was recently a guest on the Magic Week in Review podcast hosted by our friend Justin Robert Young. Listen HERE.
It isn’t the first time that Keith Barry says that he has been snubbed by Criss Angel, but Norm reports on Criss Angel’s recent visit to Keith Barry’s show and his early exit. According to Norm, “Criss and three members of their entourage stood up in the seventh row and began leaving. Barry stopped the show and said, “I’d like to give a shout out to Criss Angel, who is in the house, in fact he’s just leaving.” Angel turned around and a bit sheepishly said something like, “Good show, man.” After word spread accusing Criss of snubbing the Irish Newcomer, Norm asked each camp for comment. According to Steve Flynn, commenting for Angel, “Holly Madison started feeling bad almost as soon as they sat down. Criss didn’t want to get up right then and be rude. Twenty minutes later, she was worse for wear. She was resting her head on Criss’ shoulder. Criss was concerned it would look like she appeared bored. The decision was made to leave, Flynn said “No disrespect was intended by any stretch of the imagination. She was not feeling well.” Keith Barry later commented saying, ”It is what it is. On a personal note, I’ve never walked out of somebody’s show, good, bad or indifferent. I was surprised. I did hear Holly wasn’t feeling good. But I thought it would have been nice had he had come over to me. But Vegas is a small town. I’m sure our paths will cross again.”
The man with his head plastered all over the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas joins us for this episode of the Magic Newswire’s “Spirit of Magic” podcast. Nathan was on site for the premier of the new Cirque show “Criss Angel : Believe” and tells us what he thinks of the show that has been taking it on the chin from reviewers. We also talk about his journey from doing the nickels to dimes trick at the age of four to becoming a Vegas headliner, and what it’s like to be locked in a box with no food or water and seven Vegas showgirls as your only company.
David Blaine will join leaders of CITYarts program to celebrate the restoration of one of New York’s great cultural landmarks, the “Rolling Bench” at Grant’s Tomb, Wednesday, November 10th at 3:30 PM. The “Rolling Bench” is a combination of 17 mosaic benches built by 8 professional artists and 2,500 volunteers between 1972 and 1974 to commemorate the opening of the first national park, 100 years earlier. Last Summer, hundreds of community members, volunteers and professional artists, including Pedro Silva who worked on the original with his son Tony, now a professional artist himself, have worked to restore the single largest public art project in the country to its former glory. Blaine, a life-long New Yorker, was recently featured in a story naming the “Rolling Bench” as one of his favorite spots in the city. Blaine will perform card tricks for children at the event.
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Broadway World
