HOUDINI FOR KIDS

The book "Houdini for Kids" prompts the Pahrump Valley Times to pen an article on magic for kids. The Bookworm Sez: " What I found most valuable about this book wasn't just the biography, which is obvious. I also appreciated the science in here, as well as the history and social studies of the times. Kids will also love the 21 "magic" tricks included. Nine-to-15-year-olds will enjoy this book, as will an adult fan of illusion or circus lore. Give them "Harry Houdini for Kids" and watch the time disappear."

MNW #94 :: MAC KING

If you were to describe the worst audience for a comedy magic show, would it beat the one that Mac King found himself facing? If you have a line that you put into your act only to get a laugh, what would you do if it came true? Mac King shares his adventures on the comedy magic stage with us on this episode of the Magic Newswire Spirit of Magic podcast and we discuss all of these scenarios and more. We even learn that Teller is a far better heckler than I will ever be.. no surprise there though.

LISTEN TO MY CONVERSATION WITH MAC KING:
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PHILLIPE PETITE THANKS THE ACADEMY FOR BELIEVING IN MAGIC

The documentary film "Man on Wire" received the Oscar for best documentary during the 81st Academy Awards. During his acceptance speech, Petit thanked the Academy for believing in magic while performing a french drop and then proceded to balance the Oscar on his chin. If you haven't seen "Man on Wire," do so today. In my opinion, it is absolutely FANTASTIC!

BLAINE PERFORMS FOR CHELSEA TEAM

During his recent visit to the UK, David Blaine was brought in for a team bonding session by Chelsea's new coach Guus Hiddink. The Times Online first reported on the session and the Daily Mail brings us the pictures.

MNW #93 :: NEIL PATRICK HARRIS

In addition to starring on the CBS sitcom "How I met Your Mother," actor Neil Patrick Harris was elected to the board of the Magic Castle in 2008. As the first celebrity board member since Cary Grant, Neil has been spreading the magic word through appearances on various talk shows including The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Ellen Degeneres. In this interview, Neil shares his love of magic both old and new, his passion for the Magic Castle and talks about what changes to expect at the 2009 AMA Awards banquet in March.

LISTEN TO MY CONVERSATION WITH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS:
OTHER WAYS TO LISTEN: GET IT AT ITUNES :: MP3 DOWNLOAD HTML 5 PLAYER ::

IF YOU MISSED IT ON TV, WATCH IT ONLINE

MONK & THE MAGICIAN:

ED ALONZO RUNS AWAY WITH BRITNEY SPEARS AND JOIN THE MAGIC CIRCUS

During recent phone conversations with Ed Alonzo, he shared with us the fact that he was working for Britney Spears and developing illusions for her "Circus" tour and that he'd be performing nightly as a part of the show. Now that the story has hit the mainstream media in the form of an article at AngryApe.com, I thought it would be ok to share the info with our readers. According to Ed, "She (Britney) will be singing dancing and doing illusions at the same time." Spears "Circus Tour" begins on March 3rd in New Orleans. Additional coverage can be found at DailyMotion.com,  EntertainmentWise.com & BritneyExclusive.com, Undercover News, 411Mania & Digital Spy

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH ED ALONZO: Other Ways To Listen... ----------------------------------- iTunes Subscription - Free Download the MP3 File Get it for your Zune Other podcast clients (pcast:// compatible) RSS

Britney Spears - Circus (HQ Clip Video) by Britney_Jean_Spears

STREET OF CARDS LIVE FROM MARDI GRAS

Street of Cards TV has left Vegas behind and is broadcasting live from Mardis Gras in New Orleans. On last night's episode, Shedini performed her straight jacket escape (seen here) to close the show. Other magicians joining them live from the party on the streets are AJ, Joey Burton, David Masters, Bram Charles, and Jeremy Espinosa. The team is shooting video while busking in NOLA, talking to local talent and has extended an open invitation to members of the local IBM Ring to join them in celebrating Mardis Gras with magic! Tune in every night beginning at 10 PM EST for more now through Fat Tuesday. Watch a video of Shedini doing her escape in a more traditional setting:

EVEN MORE OF A DRAG

The mainstream media has begun to report on a story which was blogged at the MNW more than a week ago. The Las Vegas Sun reports on Cashetta's new Drag/Magic show at the Krave Nightclub. Here's a video clip  from a performance at the Broward Center:

MNW #93 :: "BRO" JUSTIN GILBERT

Recently hitting the magic market is Paul Harris's "True Astonishments." TA is the current, definitive, and final legacy of Paul Harris and is considered by many to be one of the most important magic related projects to be released in the last 30 years. "Bro" Justin Gilbert was the Director of the production, the primary demonstrator of the material and collaborated closely with Paul throughout the development of the project. Bro is both a magic performer and consultant having worked with Criss Angel & Johnny Thompson on the first three seasons of Mindfreak. On this episode of the Magic Newswire's "Spirit of Magic" podcast, we talk with Bro about the evolution of True Astonishments from conception to delivery and discuss what it might mean for magic in genera LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH BRO GILBERT:

OTHER WAYS TO LISTEN:

RSS :: GET IT AT ITUNES :: ZUNE :: MP3 DOWNLOAD

Here's the trailer to give you just a taste "TRUE ASTONISHMENTS:"