CONJURING 30 MINUTES WITH SLYDINI

"Conjuring Slydini" is the title of a fantastic New York Times article by Dick Cavett in which he talks about his own passion for magic, a meeting with "the last of the legendary mystifiers" Blackston Sr., Dai Vernon, Okito, Al Flosso, Jack Gwynne, Virgil, Cardini & Slydini. He relates his first meeting with Slydini backstage after a performance by Doug Henning saying, "I barely I noticed a smallish man standing to one side. Suddenly he said what sounded like, “You D. Cava?” I horripilated. Before me stood the god I haven’t mentioned yet. There, in the flesh, stood Slydini. Instant gooseflesh. He’d been one of the giants in the Pantheon of magic for decades; I would sooner have dreamed of meeting Beethoven. Slydini. Just typing those three syllables even now gives me a frisson. " There is a lovely video of Slydini appearing on the Cavett show which is worth the trip to the site in and of itself.

TELLER'S SHORT FILMS IN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The quiet side of Penn & Teller has two films in the Cleveland International Film Festival. Teller found "a chatty moment" to speak with the Cleveland Plain Dealer by phone and you can listen to that interview HERE. "& Teller" is a four minute short with the plot premise, "When Las Vegas is hit by the epidemic, how will you tell the living from the dead?" "With the whole world dead, will love still find a way?" is the plot line for the second four minute short entitled "& Teller 2." Both tell the tale of Teller surviving amongst zombies in a post apocalyptic Las Vegas.

MIRACLES AT MIDNIGHT

Steve Cohen, "The Millionaire's Magician" still continues his exclusive weekend performances at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, but he has decided to add a new show to his repetoire. Opening tomorrow night, also at the Waldorf Astoria, Miracles at Midnight will be held only once per month, at midnight and is billed as the world's most exclusive magic show. Only 20 seats will be sold for each performance at a cost of $250. In Miracles at Midnight, Cohen combines favorites from his long-running show, Chamber Magic, along with a dozen miracles that have previously been reserved for his private performances. Cohen has performed magic for Warren Buffett, Barry Diller, David Rockefeller, Michael Bloomberg, Jack Welch, Martha Stewart, Stephen Sondheim and the Queen of Morocco.

LISTEN TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH STEVE COHEN IN SEPTEMBER: DOWNLOAD THE MP3 :::::: RSS FEED :::::: GET IT VIA ITUNES Watch a profile of Steve Cohen on CBS Sunday Morning:

DETAILS ON HOUDINI MOVIE PROJECT APPEAR

As we had previously reported, Summit Entertainment has unlocked "The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero" by picking up feature-film rights to the biography written by William Kalush and Larry Sloman. Today, the Hollywod Reporter has released additional details indicating that  director/screenwriter Jeff Nathanson (who penned screenplays for the Rush Hour franchise and also worked on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) is adapting the biography for the big screen.  Kalush, a previous guest on our podcast, wrote the book with Sloman, and it was published in 2006 by Atria books. Several controversial theories were put forth in the book including a possible connection to British Intelligence Services and that his death may have been a murder orchestrated by the spiritualism movement which Houdini regularly debunked. Kalush spoke of these in detail in our interview with him in January of this year. " In a related story which we  reported first in November of last year, Hugh Jackman is also in the process of preparing for his role in a Broadway musical based on the life of the magician.

AND IF ALL GOES WELL...

All can now be revealed. Our friend Brian Brushwood from Scam School was featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno replicating the viral video performance of Stigmata. Here's the original video that he staged which got the ball rolling:

THE EXPERT AT THE CARD TABLE RETURNS TO THE WEST END

From "Show & Stay UK" we learn that Guy Hollingworth is set to return to London's West End with his one man show "The Expert at the Card Table." The show will run from April 2-4 at the Menier Chocolate Factory Theater. The Expert at the Card Table is directed by previous Magic Newswire guest Neil Patrick Harris and boasts a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Festival and a series of successful international dates which culminated in a recent performance at the Magic Castle. "According to reporting from Broadway World, "The Expert at the Card Table tells the story of two boys whose innocent love of card tricks develops in adulthood into a dangerous game of hustles, street cons and murder. Published anonymously in Chicago in 1902, the book describes in great detail, original and brilliant methods for conjuring effects, whilst at the same time revealing the author's true intent, a full exposé of the underground techniques used by hustlers, card cheats and con artists."

YOU TOO CAN EAT FIRE!

Learn from the professional.. Mr. Brian Brushwood! Listen to our interview with Brian in which he discusses his appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno this evening. CLICK HERE for the interview after watching this video!

HUGH JACKMAN PRACTICING MAGIC

FoxNews.com is reporting on Hugh Jackman's preparations for his role in the Broadway Musical Houdini set to open in 2010. According to Fox, "Hugh is hard at work learning Houdini’s magic tricks, I am told, many that will be reproduced faithfully eight times a week on stage. Whatever he’s doing involving chains, water tanks, or straitjackets, Jackman looks no worse for the wear." Obviously, this is not Jackman's first time appearing in the role of a magician as he starred in the 2006 film "The Prestige." Jackman also has an impending release of the film Wolverine on May 1st and was the most recent host of the Academy Awards.

JOHN ROTELLINI IS GOING BLIND

On April 1st, 2009, Magician John Rotellini Jr. will spend the day sightless- having silver dollars duct taped over his eyes topped with custom-made stainless steel blindfold placed over his face. Throughout the course of the day, John will visit area businesses and schools performing mentalism. Why is he doing this? To raise money for Kidd's Kids, a charitable organization that fills a Boeing 737 jetliner with terminally ill and handicapped youth and their families and takes them to Disney World for five magical days. John will end the day with a Blind drive in everyday traffic. John is also opening a new show on April 4th at the Wyo Theater, with a portion of the proceeds also benefiting Kidd's Kids. To support John in his fundraising, call 307.752.2754

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MNW #102 :: BRIAN BRUSHWOOD

Brian Brushwwod joined us on the Magic Newswire Podcast just under one year ago as our first interviewee on the new show. Since then, his Revision 3 show "Scam School" hase become a huge success with more than 100k viewers for every episode and it was named as one of the top podcasts of 2008 by iTunes. Brian has recently been seen as the opening act for Diggnation at SxSW, was featured in the most recent episode of the Totally Rad Show and will make a surprise appearance on Thursday's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno." What can you expect to see on Thursday? Well. if all goes well......

LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN BRUSHWOOD:

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