MT: February 11-17, 2002

VOLUME: 50 / ISSUE: 1,505 / Monday – February 11, 2002

P.C. Sorcar and K. Lal, two of the most popular magicians in India, are among the army of magicians who have given their support to O.P. Sharma who is the magician running for the Assembly in India. A Deccan Herald article pointed out that “Around 20 [magicians] have already reached the city. Their modus operandi is simple – regale the voters with their roadshows and ask for votes. Says Sharma’s son, ‘Sorcar sir has promised to take sometime out of his tight schedule for my father. But K Lal will be here on February 10. Many others are already in town.'” Sharma is described as, “a sorcerer, [who] can make buildings tilt at acute angles, can pull rabbits out of his hat but is marshalling all his skills and displaying them on Kanpur roads to win the Assembly elections.” To read the Feb. 10 article by Subodh Ghildiyal titled “Tricks of the trade” click: HERE.(2/11)

Criss Angel’s hit show Mindfreak at the World Underground Theatre at WWF New York in New York City has been extended till January 2003. Later this month Angel will be presenting a unique stunt that is sure to garner publicity. More on that will be revealed here next week.(2/11)

The Amazing Randi Foundation is the recipient of a $100,000 donation from the Johnny Carson’s Foundation. According to The Smoking Gun “According to an IRS return filed last year, Carson gave the 100k to a group run by James Randi, who adopted the tongue-in-cheek “Amazing Randi” moniker years ago.” To read the Feb. 4 article click: HERE. To view the document click: HERE.(2/11)

R. Paul Wilson, Amos Levkovitch, Henry Evans, Gillian Gotlib, Gerry Katzman, David Avadon, Losander, and Allan Hayden appear at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles on Feb. 11-17.(2/11)

PRESS RELEASE: SOL STONE’S QUICK & CASUAL CLOSE-UP RELEASED.

VOLUME: 50 / ISSUE: 1,506 / Tuesday – February 12, 2002

Lance Burton will be performing five shows in the East Coast this weekend. The touring shows will run longer than his regular Las Vegas show and will include many routines created just for this appearance. In addition to highlights from his regular show he will bring Michael Goudeau as a special guest. You can catch him at the Foxwoods Casino’s new Fox Theatre in Connecticut on Friday at 9pm and Saturday at 7pm and 10:30pm. Tickets range from $49.50-$55 and are available by phoning: 800-200-2882. On Sunday Feb. 17 Burton will appear at the Xanadu Theatre at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City at 7pm and 10pm with tickets going for $40-$60 per person and are available by phoning: 609-449-5150.(2/12)

Criss Angel’s upcoming stunt is described in a PlayBill article which states that “On Wednesday, Feb. 20, from 8 AM to 2 PM, the performer will be suspended eight feet in the air for six straight hours from eight 8-gauge fish-hooks piercing his skin. Times Square onlookers will be able to watch the masochistic display from the window of WWF New York at Broadway and 43rd Street.” To read the Feb. 10 article by David Lefkowitz and Steve Luber titled “So Sioux Me: Magician Criss Angel to Get Hooked in Times Square, Feb. 20” click: HERE.(2/12)

VOLUME: 50 / ISSUE: 1,507 / Wednesday – February 13, 2002

Glen David Gold’s novel “Carter Beats the Devil” has been purchased by Paramount Pictures. Tom Cruise will most likely star in the movie as Carter The Great. C/W Prods will produce the movie, which is Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner’s company. Also scheduled to be involved is Robert Towne. Cruise has been trying to play a magician in a movie for many years. Hopefully this venture will come to fruition. Another magician movie tied to Cruise is “The War Magician” which is still in various stages of pre-production. To read the Feb. 12 Variety article titled “Latest Hollywood script deals” click: HERE.(2/13)
–To read the Feb. 12 Guardian article titled “Cruise to play great magician” click: HERE.(2/13)
–To read the Feb. 12 Ain’t It Cool News article titled “Tom Cruise options Carter Beats The Devil!!!” click: HERE.(2/13)
–To read the Feb. 12 Hollywood Reporter article titled “Par gets ‘Carter’ from writer Gold” click: HERE.(2/13)

Geoffrey Durham presents his “The Magical One Man Show” on Saturday Feb. 16 at 7:30pm at the Theatre Royal (Westgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk) England. Tickets are £7.00-£12.50 per person and are available by phoning: 01284-755127.(2/13)

Danny Hill who took first place in the teen competition at the recent World Magic Seminar is featured in a Las Vegas Review-Journal article. Hill is quoted, “I feel comfortable up onstage, I like being up there just as much as normal conversation… I feed on it.” To read the Feb. 12 article by Deana Di Dio titled “Henderson teen-ager shoots for professional magic career” click: HERE.(2/13)

VOLUME: 50 / ISSUE: 1,508 / Thursday – February 14, 2002

Harry Anderson is the subject of a question submitted to TV Guide where the reader wanted to know if Anderson was a Magician or Con Man prior to becoming a TV star. In answering the question they take the opportunity to give a brief biography of Anderson which rebuts some myths and mentions his magic shop in New Orleans. The article also points out that “Anderson was notorious for making up entertaining tales about his past life in order to generate good copy and mess with people’s heads.” The article also goes into the lives of the Night Court co-stars. To read the Feb. 12 “Ask The Televisionary” article click: HERE.(2/14)

David Tanner who recently won the “Magician of the Year” award at the South Carolina Association of Magicians (SCAM) annual convention is featured in the Georgetown Times. To read the Feb. 13 article titled “Tanner is Magician of Year” click: HERE.(2/14)

“The Spencers: Theatre of Illusion” appears at the Plymouth Arts Commission on Feb. 19 and are featured in a South Bend Tribune article. Kevin Spencer is quoted, “Our goal is to make sure you won’t believe your eyes.” To read the Feb. 3 article titled “‘Theatre of Illusion’ promises great escapes” supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(2/14)

VOLUME: 50 / ISSUE: 1,509 / Friday – February 15, 2002

Brian Gimelson is featured in a Courier Times article which describes him as a financial adviser and the radio host of WWDB’s (860 AM in Pennsylvania) “Just Business” on weekdays from noon to 1 pm. What makes the story interesting is that he is identified as Joseph Dunninger’s grandson. Dunninger also had a radio show in the 1940s and is described by Gimelson as “He kind of mystified people… He was an incredible magician… He was much more of a showman than I am.” To read the Feb. 12 article by Jeff Trently titled “Making A Living” click: HERE.(2/15)

Chaz Simpson whose aspirations are to “spend his working life entertaining and baffling audiences around the world” is featured in the Ayrshire Post. Simpson’s father is a magicians but according to the article, “Being a typical teenager the son doesn’t always agree with his father on the merits of different types of magic tricks. Chaz says he prefers very visual illusions whereas dad is a fan of close-up magic using cards and small objects to baffle his audience.” To read the Feb. 14 article titled “Just MagIC!” click: HERE.(2/15)

Steve Cohen’s show, “Chamber Magic,” continues to sell-out every Friday at the Waldorf Towers and has just been extended through March 2002. Admission is $52 per person. For tickets and information phone: 917-361-8751.(2/15)

TEXAS: The annual Lone Star Magic Auction takes place on Saturday Feb. 16 at the Magic Etc… magic shop in Fort Worth. The auction is sponsored by IBM Ring #15 and is described as “an entertaining, educational and profitable auction of magical paraphernalia. Doors open at 8am with events running through 10pm. Admission is $10 per person. For more information click: HERE.(2/15)

VOLUME: 50 / ISSUE: 1,510 / Saturday – February 16, 2002

Lance Burton who appears at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City is featured in a Bergen Record article which quotes him, “Maybe 30 percent of the show is audience participation… The best parts of the show are the audience participation moments. If I had to do the same show, word for word every night, I’d get bored. It’s fun when you don’t know what’s going to happen.” The article also talks about the size of the show that Burton will bring, “As in Vegas, Burton will be joined by his 20-member-plus crew and cast of seven, including female dancer-assistants and comedian-juggler Michael Grudeau.” To read the Feb. 15 article by Chuck Darrow titled “Interactive performance creates the magic” click: HERE.(2/16)

An excerpt from the upcoming book “Living Dolls: A Magical History Of The Quest For Mechanical Life” in The Guardian describes Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin’s encounter with the Vaucanson Duck automaton. To read the Feb. 16 article by Gaby Wood titled “Why a duck?” click: HERE.(2/16)

CALIFORNIA: Frank Zak lectures on Monday Feb. 18 at 7pm at for Mind Over Magic (2214 Burbank Blvd) in Burbank. Admission is $25 per person. For more information phone: 818-562-1921.(2/16)

VOLUME: 50 / ISSUE: 1,511 / Sunday – February 17, 2002

The history of Wolfgang von Kempelen’s “Turk,” the chess-playing automaton, is recounted in an article by Tom Standage titled “Monster in a Box” which appears in the March issue of WIRED magazine. The article explained that Kempelen built the illusion after seeing the performance of a magician, “For he was so unimpressed by the performance that, once it was over, Kempelen made an uncharacteristic and audacious claim. In front of the whole court, he declared that he could do better.” That is when Maria Theresa, empress of Austria-Hungary, accepted his challenge and gave him six-months to do so. In the spring of 1770 Kempelen came back and debut his magical invention. John Gaughan’s replica of the Turk is also mentioned in the article. The March issue is in newsstands now and will be available on the WIRED website on Mar. 12.(2/17)

Steven Wronker who built a show around “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” featured in The Herald where he said “It’s just such a great way to, not only entertain, but to encourage reading. And who isn’t into Harry Potter… I’d like to see children read all the Harry Potter books in addition to magic books.” To read the Feb. 16 article by Lisette Velasquez titled “Jefferson pupils enjoy a little magic” click: HERE.(2/17)

Ron Anderson who recently performed at the Little Folks Preschool is featured in a Pierce County Herald article which points out that “Considerable preparation time is invested in the shows, selecting the tricks, rehearsing and building his performance around a theme…” To read the Feb. 14 article by Bill Kirk titled “Public servant’s transformation into magician is no small trick” click: HERE.(2/17)

Belinda Sinclair, Chris Capehart, and Rocco appear at Monday Night Magic on Feb. 18 at 8pm in NYC. For tickets phone Ticketmaster at: 212-307-4100. For more information click: HERE.(2/17)

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