| VOLUME: 39 / ISSUE: 1,183 / Monday – March 26, 2001 |
| David Copperfield begins rehearsals for the live portion of his “Tornado Of Fire” TV special on Wednesday Mar. 28 through Mar. 31 at Pier 94 (54th St. and 12th Ave.) in New York City. The daily experiments are expected to run from 11:30am to 2pm (lunch time) with a seven-hour dress rehearsal on Sunday beginning at 10am. The CBS website describes the show as, “David Copperfield will attempt the most death-defying challenge of his career – surviving inside the core of a 2,000 degree blazing tornado!” To read the CBS-TV story about the special click: HERE.(3/26) Teller’s book “When I’m Dead All This Will Be Yours is reviewed in The Times. The review also gives a brief bio on Teller and describes the contents of the book and how it came about. To read the Mar. 18 review by Randy Alexander titled ” In so many words” click: HERE.(3/26) NEW YORK: IBM Ring 12 presents the third annual Stars of Illusion Magic Variety Show on Friday Mar. 31 at 7pm at the St. Josaphat Parish Center in Buffalo. Tickets are $5-$6 per person and are available by phoning: 893-6448.(3/26) |
| VOLUME: 39 / ISSUE: 1,184 / Tuesday – March 27, 2001 |
| Topas, Roxanne, Michelle, and Ingo Von Wilke (Dr. Schonstedt) from Germany are on a 13-city tour of India where their show was reviewed in The Hindu. The reviewer described what he saw, “Making glow worms appear in thin air, making jewels out of nothing, spinning glasses, disappearing people, card tricks- name any sleight of the hand trick you know about and it was there on stage. …An evening of magic that put the non-believers out of business, and let everybody enjoy.” To read the Mar. 26 story by Ramya Kannan titled “Leaving Chennai spellbound” click: HERE.(3/27) David Copperfield’s recent three-day run at Detroit’s Fox Theater broke all previous box office records with a paid attendance of 27,102 and a gross of more than one million dollars. “We’re thrilled with David’s continued success, and we expect Detroit to be the first of many record-breaking engagements both here and abroad. With a new stage show and the television special, David’s on fire – literally!” said Jonathan Hochwald who is the president of Family Entertainment for SFX/Olympia Entertainment who produce and promote the Copperfield shows.(3/27) Willis Kenny died on Sunday Mar. 25 of a stroke at the age of 87. Kenny was an excellent card magician who specialized in false deals and cuts. He was frequently mentioned in Dai Vernon’s Genii column for his outstanding second deal.(3/27) |
| VOLUME: 39 / ISSUE: 1,185 Wednesday – March 28, 2001 |
| Ron Lovely who put out the “Hollywood Goes Wild!” featuring celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Billy Bob Thornton, and Russell Crowe explained how he got to meet the celebrities in a Boston Herald story. Lovely said, “I was a professional magician when I was a kid… People at the Don Law Co., local promoters, would see my act and they’d say, ‘Oh, Roger (Waters) from Pink Floyd is having a birthday party for his son. Why don’t you come backstage and do your magic?’ I did shows for all sorts of musicians coming through Boston. Ringo, Neil Young, you name it.” To read the Mar. 27 story by Larry Katz titled “Boston musician’s Hollywood pals go wild on benefit CD” click: HERE.(3/28) David Copperfield received permission from New York City to perform his Tornado of Fire. According to a New York Post article “Copperfield finally got the green light from the city last week with less than two-weeks to go. Workers have been busy rigging the stunt since.” On Wednesday Mar. 28 Copperfield will be holding a press conference to introduce the Tornado. Expect many TV news programs to run footage of the test run and interview Copperfield with the print media to follow with stories on Thursday. To read the Mar. 27 story by Don Kaplan titled “City OK’s Fiery Copperfield Stunt” click: HERE.(3/28) Jim Callahan who promised a death on his website last week was actually perpetrating a hoax according to an article in The Register. To read the Mar. 27 story by Linda Harrison titled “Surfers confused by ‘Dying Cam’ prank” click: HERE.(3/28) |
 Siegfried and Roy toast to their new “Lifetime” contract with Kirk Kerkorian who recently purchased the Mirage Resorts for $6.4 billion.(3/28) |
| VOLUME: 39 / ISSUE: 1,186 / Thursday – March 29, 2001 |
 Danny Archer’s career as a magician is profiled in a Rocky Mountain News article where he discusses his plans for expanding the part of his business, which manufactures magic products as opposed to the performing end. He explains, “I am a small business. I have the same needs as other small businesses: marketing, cash flow, long term planning. My business happens to be more fun.” To read the Mar. 28 story by Nora Caley titled “The trick lies in imagination” click: HERE.(3/29)A David Copperfield Reuters story talks about more than just his up coming TV special. The story discusses his giant billboard in Times Square which has webcams attached to his eyes. The computerized system runs over a DSL connection and will eventually allow visitors to his website type messages which would appear on the gigantic LCD screen. Also, in conjunction with his special their will be an interactive magic trick activated through an icon on the TV network’s website.To read the Mar. 28 story by Susan Karlin titled “Livewire: Abracadabra.com — it’s magic!” click: HERE. –To see the Copperfield webcam click: HERE.(3/29) David Copperfield’s press conference on Wednesday for the upcoming ”Tornado of Fire” TV special is discussed in an Associated Press story. Where they quote Copperfield “When you tell the city government that you want to put a tornado inside a building, they tend to ask, `What’s going on here?”’ Also reported is an updated schedule for the open rehearsals (Thurs. and Fri. at 11am – 2pm and Sat. and Sun. at noon to 5pm). To read the Mar. 28 story titled “Copperfield opens rehearsals to public” click: HERE.(3/29) David Copperfield’s demands while touring was exposed in The Smoking Gun and Page Six ran a story about what Copperfield expects from his hosts. To read the Mar. 28 story by Richard Johnson, Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson titled “DAVID: no foreign lingo” click: HERE. —To see samples of the contracts in The Smoking Gun click: HERE.(3/29) David Copperfield’s profile in the Apr. 7 issue of People is quoted in an Associated Press story which centers around his personal life and his wish to be married with children. To read the Mar. 28 story titled “David Copperfield Wants ‘Balance'” click: HERE.(3/29) |
| VOLUME: 39 / ISSUE: 1,187 / Friday – March 30, 2001 |
 David Copperfield’s press conference on Wednesday was covered in the New York Post where the upcoming stunt was described as “The legendary illusionist will stand in the center of a 25-foot-high, 2,000-degree tornado of fire created by propane gas and whirling helicopter blades.” Copperfield explained, “As long as I stay in that core, I will be safe… The problem is that a tornado is unpredictable. . . . If it moves, I have to become one with it.” Asked about what he though of David Blaine, Copperfield said, “I like him.” To read the Mar. 29 story by Adam Miller titled “David Copperfield’s Blaze Of Glory” click: HERE.(3/30)David Blaine has left his longtime manager Johnny Podell who has been with him since the beginning. According to a Page Six article, Blaine will be moving to the high-powered Endeavor Agency with new manager Ari Emmanuel who is the co-head and partner of the company. To read the Mar. 29 New York Post story by Richard Johnson, Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson click: HERE.(3/30) Lance Burton’s new TV special “On The Road” airs on Saturday on the Fox Family channel and to promote it they issued a press release which centers around the appearance of former Ms. USA Ali Landry that will be levitated on a beach. Dylan Ace will be featured in the young magician segment. To read the Mar. 29 press released titled “‘Lance Burton: Master Magician: On the Road’ Fourth Annual Magic Special To Air on FOX Family This Saturday” click: HERE.(3/30) Jim Callahan’s hoax about dying on the web is covered in a USA Today article. To read the Mar. 29 story by Janet Kornblum titled “Dying-man Webcam? That’s life on the Net” click: HERE.(3/30) |
| VOLUME: 39 / ISSUE: 1,188 / Saturday – March 31, 2001 |
 David Copperfield collapsed on Friday during rehearsal and was rushed to the hospital where he was treated for a laceration on his head. His press office issued a statement saying that he collapsed of exhaustion and it will not setback his live Tornado stunt on Tuesday or psyche him out. It seems that Copperfield who appeared on the Tonight Show yesterday in California has been up for 48 hours and to compound the problem he also has a head cold. Copperfield left the hospital through a back entrance to avoid the press and is now resting at home. To read a Mar. 30 Reuters story about the event titled “Illusionist Copperfield in Hospital for Exhaustion” click: HERE.(3/31)David Copperfield’s promoters have issued a press release for his appearance in Philadelphia on May 18-20. Tickets will be going on sale on Apr. 7 where on the same day the “Franklin Institute Science Museum, is hosting auditions for 500 young magicians, ages 8-17, to compete for a chance to perform for David Copperfield himself!” This also coincides with the Museum’s “MAGIC: The Science of Illusion” exhibit. To read the Mar. 30 press release titled “Just Imagine … If You Could Disappear … And Reappear Anywhere in the World …” click: HERE.(3/31) The Madcap Mutts which appear on R.G. Smith’s show this weekend are featured in a Lancaster Intelligencer Journal story. Also on the bill are: Winston Helling Jr., Mike Miller, Arden James Ken Groves. To read the Mar. 29 story titled “Dogs gone funny! Couple trains a pack that can act” supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(3/31) Carson Daly will be hosting the live segment of the Copperfield special. To read the Mar. 30 zap2it story titled “Carson Daly Hosts ‘Copperfield! Tornado Of Fire’ (4/3/01)” click: HERE.(3/31) David Copperfield is interviewed in the Journal Sentinel where he is asked why picked Copperfield as his stage name, “Actually, a reporter friend of mine thought of it, and I liked the sound of it. When I was young, I even looked a little bit like one of those Dickens kids. Only I had a better childhood. By the way, did you know that there are no Copperfields in the London phone book? Dickens just made it up. It’s a total original.” To read the Mar. 29 interview with Copperfield titled “Magician playing with fire for next trick” click: HERE.(3/31) Peter “Wingo” Mantos is profiled in a Sarasota Herald Tribune article where he is quoted, “Performing magic tricks requires the same principles as making a speech. There’s eye contact and keeping the audience engaged.” To read the Mar. 29 story by Linda Fudala titled “Making a Difference” supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(3/31) Arthur Trace produces the “Living in the Magic” show featuring Paul Mazzoni and Myster Rick, Andy Dallas, Mojo, Lindy Magic and Don and Dorothy Schultz on Saturday at the University of Illinois. Trace is quoted in the News Gazette, “Every one of us knows a little bit of magic. No matter who we know or what we do in life, I think we lose that sense of magic at an early age. We tend to dream a lot when we’re young, and when we get older, society tells us we can’t do those things.” To read the Mar. 28 story titled “Area prestidigitators plan magical evening” supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(3/31) Brad Bonar, Ken Garr and Bill Devon will perform at the Beermann’s Beerwerks & Meat Market where they will be celebrating Houdini’s birthday. A Sacramento Bee article speculated, “Perhaps the ghost of Houdini, who died in 1926, will drop by.” To read the Mar. 30 story by Dixie Reid titled “Check, Please: Have a helping of Houdini at Beermann’s” click: HERE.(3/31) |
| VOLUME: 40 / ISSUE: 1,189 / Sunday – April 1, 2001 |
 Penn & Teller teach how to “Cut Off Your Thumb” in the April issue of Maxim. The two page color spread teaching the standard thumb cutting under a handkerchief using a carrot is described as “…one of the world’s most disturbing party tricks,” and “…you’ll have your buddies wetting themselves with laughter and/or terror.” The humorous instructions by Michael Austin, who took the trick from their book “Don’t Play With Your Food,” closed off the explanation with advice from Penn, “People get very excited with these tricks… and forget to, like, put the carrot in place.”(4/1)David Copperfield’s manager, Maurice Keizer, was interviewed in the New York Post where he explained that “His [Copperfield’s] doctor said he has severe fatigue and severe dehydration.” Keizer added, “It’s nothing serious… He doesn’t want to draw attention to this.” To read the Mar. 31 article by William J. Grota, Adam Miller, Phillip Messing and Bill Sanderson titled “Magic man’s Burned Out” click: HERE.(4/1) David Copperfield’s incident with dehydration on Friday was covered in the New York Daily News where they quote Candace Berkman of Dan Klores Communications, “A private medical service took Copperfield to St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, where he was rehydrated, told to get some shuteye and sent home.” To read the Mar. 31 story by Leo Standora titled “Magician Felled by Exhaustion” click: HERE.(4/1) The “Theatre of Illusion Tour” starring Kevin and Cindy Spencer appears on Tuesday Apr. 3 at 7:30pm at the Sandusky State Theatre (107 Columbus Ave.) in Sandusky, OH. Tickets range from $9-$23.(4/1) Earl “Presto” Johnson, Peter Samelson, Todd Robbins, Carl Mercurio, Frank Brents, and Simon Lovell appear at Monday Night Magic on Apr. 2 at 8pm in NYC. For tickets call Ticketmaster at: 212-307-4100.(4/1) David Copperfield gives his thoughts on why he does dangerous illusions in an Associated Press article, “Every single physical challenge is based on either a nightmare or a fear I’m trying to get over.” To read the Mar. 31 story titled “Copperfield Reflects on His Shows” click: HERE.(4/1) ENGLAND: Michael Bailey lectures for the Northamptonshire Magicians’ Club on Tuesday Apr. 3 at the Red Lion in Branfield-on-the-green. For more information click: HERE.(4/1) NEW YORK: S.A.M. Assembly #77 will hold a magic flea market and auction on Monday Apr. 2 beginning at 7:30pm at the Copiague library in Long Island. For more information phone Jeff Miller at: 516 938-8803.(4/1) |
 David Copperfield introduces one of his soon to be singed friends to the press during the Wednesday Mar. 28 press conference. (Photo: Ryan M. Oaks).(4/1) |
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