MYSTO MEETS TWO AND A HALF MEN

A familiar face pops up on the February 2nd episode of the popular CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men." John Carney has a walk on role as a "Cheesy Magician" in the episode titled "David Copperfield Slipped Me a Roofie." According to Mr. Carney, "Don't expect brilliant acting or magic....its just a walk on part, but it was fun to do. They wanted me to be a cheesy magician (quite a stretch for me)....and that's what they got! .... I'm basically doing Mysto, without the makeup!" Here's a show synopsis :: Feeling Alan's underappreciated by his family, Melissa offers him the chance to live with her and her mother.

• Listen to our interview with John Carney

NEWS TO ME :: KRISTEN JOHNSON

Kristen Johnson of Ridgeway & Johnson's "Living Illusions" will be profiled this weekend on CNN's News to Me : During an NBA half time show an escape artist's hands and feet are shackled and chained. She's lowered into a full tank of water and locked inside. After 3 minutes it's clear... something is wrong... she can no longer hold her breath... her body goes limp in the tank. It's all caught on camera. You'll see the scary video and find out what went wrong

CASINOS BAN KEITH BARRY

According to the Irish Herald, Magician Keith Barry has been banned from gambling in some of Las Vegas' top casinos. Barry states that is casino play was totally above board, but describes the incident in detail : "When I was there last October I was in the Palms hotel playing Blackjack at the table," he revealed. "I was making very irregular bets so the dealer started calling me Rainman, after the movie. Eventually she called the pit boss over, who studied my game pattern and asked me to leave the table and said to me, 'We'd rather not have your company tonight Mr Barry'. The next thing I know a few of the other casinos had sent out representatives to watch my show, where part of my act was to memorise a deck of cards in 20 seconds and that was that, I was banned from all the casinos."

LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH KEITH BARRY

WIRED :: THE FUTURE OF MAGIC SHOWS

For the past six years, Wired magazine's Found page has presented our best guess at what lies over the horizon, from touchscreen windshields to organ farming. Now we've decided to share the process of creating Found pages with our readers — what do you think our world will look like in 10, 20, or 100 years? This week's assignment: Imagine the future of magic. Join the Photoshop contest yourself and create an image of your vision for the future of magic, or just follow the posts as they appear to see what idea wins.

FIVE IN FOCUS :: THE MAGICIANS

Several previous guests on the Magic Newswire podcast are among those being polled by FilmInFocus.com for their series Five in Focus. The site periodically asks creative professionals which films motivate and inspire them. Aaron Fisher begins the "Magicians in Focus" series and will be followed by , Jim Steinmeyer, Homer Liwang, Eric Mead, Max Maven, David Regal and Richard Giobbi. The site describes this episode :

It’s not so surprising that a form of theatrical magic that predates cinema is experiencing a resurgence these days. Sleight-of-hand, stage magic, and mentalism are all finding new audiences in live performance venues, on television, on the internet, and in recent magic-themed movies like The Illusionist and The Prestige. Of course, the relationship between magic and cinema is long and well established. Georges Melies, widely considered the inventor of special effects cinema, was a stage magician at Paris’s Theater Robert-Houdin, and America’s Harry Houdini was not only a special effects consultant to film but also a film producer and actor. To explore the nexus between magic and cinema, we asked a truly astonishing group containing some of the field’s top artists to tell us the five films that have inspired their own creativity in some way.

THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN

Local news coverage begins as the new magic themed Ringling Brothers Circus begins to tour the country. One such piece is "Zing, Zang and Zoom your way to Ringling Bros. at the BI-LO Center" from the Independent Mail and says, "The show is as much a story as anything. The “Zing Master” is a magician and there is a whole back-story as to why and how so many amazing things are going on around him. All the usual suspects are there — the elephants, the trapeze artists, the dancers, the clowns — but they are put together differently from any circus you have ever seen."

MNW #86 :: STAN ALLEN

 Magic Magazine's Editor & Publisher joins me for our monthly discussion of the current issue. Alex Ramon is featured on the cover as the new "Zingmaster" for Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey's new magic themed production of the circus. Jim Steinmeyer consulted on the show with Kenneth Feld. In addition Stan comments on Masters of Illusion vs The Masked Magician and the several near accidents that have occured in the magic world during the last few months. SPONSORS:

• Paul Romhany : Entertaining on a Cruise Ship
• Maxello Magic
• Blue Microphones
• Magic Magazine

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MNW #85 :: MIKE CAVENEY

Mike Caveney calls in from the world headquarters of Magic Words to join us for a chat on this episode of the Magic Newswire "Spirit of Magic" podcast. Mike began his career working at Owen's Magic Supreme, as a member of the Long Islan Mystics, turning coins for Johnson Products and performing at the Magic Castle. Not too shabby for a guy just turning 21 at the time. Mike talks with us about what made the Mystics different from most magic clubs, the importance of innovation and creativity in an act and shares the evolution of his signature effects. In addition, we learn a bit more about his role in the Left Handed League, the Bubonic Players and Wenii Magazine.

LISTEN TO PART 1 OF MY CHAT WITH MIKE CAVENEY:

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LISTEN TO PART 2 OF MY CHAT WITH MIKE CAVENEY:

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NEIL PATRICK HARRIS TO HOST AMA AWARDS

From Playbill we learn that Neil Patrick Harris has been tapped to host the 41st annual Academy of Magic Arts Awards Show on March 8th at the Avalon Hollywood. Neil got start in the AMA's junior program at the Magic Castle and has made several magic related television appearances lately including his role as the host of the 2008 World Magic Awards. According to Paybill, "The annual event, according to press notes, "celebrates the lavish world of mystery and illusion by gathering the top magicians from all over the world for one star-studded spectacular night. Steve Dick is executive-producing the evening, which will be penned by David Regal. Producers are Neil Patrick Harris and Matt Patton." Mr. Harris is pictured above during a recent evening at the Magic Castle.

• BROADWAY WORLD
• PLAYBILL

MNW #84 :: KEVIN JAMES

Kevin James is anything but your typical magician. His combination of creativity, comedy and magic has gained him a reputation as a world class visual artist. Kevin has headlined in some of the world's top showrooms and theaters and has performer on television in 25 countries. Kevin has headlined at the Crazy Horse in Paris, a Royal Command Performance for the Prince of Monaco, in Splash at the Riveria, Caesar's Palace, the Tropicana and Bally's. Most recently, he's been a featured performer on the television series Masters of Illusion. As a creator of magic, Kevin's work has been featured in the performances of Doug Henning, Mark Wilson and David Copperfield.

SPONSORS: Paul Romhany : Entertaining on a Cruise Ship Maxello Magic Blue Microphones CLICK PLAY TO LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN JAMES:

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