HAS BLAINE FINALLY WON OVER THE BRITS?

Blaine was widely mocked by the British press during his "Above the Below" stunt in 2003 in which was isolated without food in a clear box suspended above the River Thames. David was in London this week and met with a room filled with some of these critics, yet seems to have tuned the tide of their opinion in his favor. Writing for the Telegraph, Andrew Pierce says of the encounter, "I fully expected him to be an unbearable show-off; a brash, doncha-know-how-clever-I-am Yank. I was wrong. As usual. He was not only warm, engaging and charming, he was electrifyingly brilliant." Pierce continues, "We were, to a man and woman, left shaking our heads in disbelief at the power of Blaine’s sorcery. I had previously been convinced that he had cheated his way through his stunts — when he immersed himself for three days in six tons of ice in New York; when he stayed under water without breathing for 17 minutes; when he buried himself alive in a coffin. I don’t think that now. Harry Potter eat your heart out. Blaine really does magic. " READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE

DIRECTOR OF COVERT ACTIVITIES

Get an peek inside the secret workshop of the man that pulls it all together for Penn & Teller, "Director of Covert Activities" Nathan Santucci, in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun. Santucci began as a stagehand and was hired originally to set up the warehouse for P&T. The job has since evolved into the creation of magic props in spite of his general dislike of magic. He tells the amusing tale of a bit of the gallons of stage blood that he handles on a regular basis. While preparing a prop resembling a piece of a snake in Egypt, "

Santucci just needed to find condoms, paint, blood and offal. Stuff the condom ... ... the condoms turned out not to be of the finest quality. So there’s Santucci, in the bathroom of a hotel that is of the finest quality, stuffing condoms with blood and offal, only to have them burst — over him, over the sink, the floor and the walls.

And Santucci had forgotten to hang the “Do Not Disturb” sign on his door.

Enter the maid. Exit the maid, screaming.

Enter security.

It ended well, after 15 minutes of arguing in pidgin English. And the prop worked OK on camera.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE

DARREN BROWN STUNS REVIEWER

Elissa Corrigan seems to have fallen under the spell of "Super Illusionist" Darren Brown as demonstrated by her review of his sold out touring show "Enigma." According to her article, "Brown left the audience in sheer open-mouthed amazement after they witnessed his unfailing feats of memory and suggestion live on stage." She seemed particularly taken with the finale of which she says, "The finale of the show left me and friends dumbfounded to say the least and we were all left discussing how he had 'done it' for the entire journey home.efore the end of the show, Brown appealled to the audience and journalists alike not reveal the contents of the show, but I would readily urge anybody to go see 'Enigma' to witness first hand his amazing illusions for themselves." Visit Darren Brown Online for more info.

MNW 107 :: JON ARMSTRONG

Jon Armstrong has performed for some of the most prestigious audiences in over 30 countries worldwide. Growing up in Orlando, Florida, Jon became fascinated by the magic he saw in the theme parks around him and dreamed of having his own show. This dream came true when Disney asked him to bring his act to Epcot and he became the resident magician at Walt Disney World. He was only 20. Jon was also recurring headliner at Caesar's Magical Empire. It was between these runs in Vegas that Jon started touring the world as a performer and lecturer, teaching others how to add humor and entertainment to their magic. He now lives in Los Angeles and is a frequent performer at the world famous Magic Castle. His TV appearances as a talk show guest, featured performer or actor, include shows like "Magic Castle After Dark" on A&E and USA's "Ready For The Weekend." He has been featured in trade publications like Magic, The Linking Ring, MUM and other magic journals worldwide. In December 2004 Jon appeared on the cover of Genii Magazine in a issue dedicated to his magic. In April 2007, after being nominated for the last two years, Jon Armstrong was named Close up Magician of the Year by The Academy of Magical Arts. He also serves as a consultant on the television series, "The Mentalist." Please join Jon and I on this episode of the Magic Newswire's "Spirit of Magic Podcast."

SPONSORED BY:

The Sorcery Shop • Maxello Magic • NY Magic Project Street of Cards • Magic Show Builder • Listener Donations

LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH JON ARMSTRONG

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HUNGRY FOR MAGIC

According to the New York Daily News, Magician David Blaine recently offered 64 year old actress Mia Farrow tips on conducting a hunger strike. Farrow began her fast on Monday to bring attention to the genocide and deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. According to Farrow, "He said after six days I won't feel hunger." He also "advised her to drink up to four liters of water a day." Farrow is determined to live on a water-only diet for three weeks.

AUGMENTED REALITY IN MAGIC

From our friend Brian Brushwood's Twitter stream we leaned of a new video from Marco Tempest promoting the release of "Augmented Reality Magic 1.0." Enjoy:

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS ENTERTAINS JIMMY FALLON

Previous Magic Newswire Podcast guest Neil Patrick Harris recently appeared on Jimmy Fallon's late night show where he continues to use magic to entertain. I'm thankful to BroadwayWorld.com for reminding us on this appearance. Here's a clip from NBC for those that missed it: CLICK HERE FOR OUR INTERVIEW WITH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS:

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WHO KNOWS THE MAGICIAN'S SECRETS?

John Gaughan has made a lifetime study of the lost secrets of magic and is profiled for his efforts in Los Angeles Weekly. The article focuses primarily on his recreation of Wolfgang von Kempelen's Turk which made its' debut in the court of Catherine the Great in 1770. “It took me years to recreate this thing,” says John Gaughan, the master magic builder who spent $120,000 of his own money researching and painstakingly rebuilding one of the greatest illusions of all time. “It was a fitting obsession,” says Gaughan, who is widely considered the greatest living designer of illusions. Over the past 35 years, Gaughan has built magic tricks for Ricky Jay, David Blaine, Harry Blackstone Jr. and, of course, our friends in spandex, Siegfried & Roy. Gaughan is the best designer of magic, but also best at keeping that magic secret, so all the greats can turn to him in confidence.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO MAGIC

Wired Magazine uses the Enigmatrix to examine the complex connections between Math, Games, Puzzles, Board Games, Code, Card Games, Plot, Mysteries and Game theory. You can use the interactive tool to see if you agree with the connections that they propose.

BLAINE IN VENICE FOR WEDDING

The Magic Newswire recently reported on the engagement of Magician David Blaine to French model Alizee Guinochet. Since then, the couple has been spotted "taking in the sights" of Venice with Woody Harrelson and his girlfriend before attending the wedding of actress Salma Hayek to French businessman Francois-Henri Pinault.