INSTEAD OF ABRACADABRA

Today, iTunes announced the release of 20 FREE short films from the Sundance Film Festival. Among them is "Instead of Abracadabra," the hilarious and endearing story of a 20-something slacker who lives at home with his disapproving parents and has only one goal: to be a great magician. The concept for the film was born when Eklund cut a show reel for a local magician, which included four hours of material and, naturally, some bloopers. "You could really feel the panic when something went wrong and how he acted to cover things up again," Eklund says. "I felt I just had to do something that had the same sort of nerve. I'm a huge fan of magic and have nothing but respect for those who dare perform it, especially the Swedish Super Wizard Joe Labero." DOWNLOAD "INSTEAD OF ABRACADABRA" FOR FREE FROM THE ITUNES STORE (iTunes Link)

MAGIC WEEK RETURNS TO LATE NIGHT TV

Jason Randal, Lance Burton, Ed Alonzo and Neil Patrick Harris will be among the magic performers featured during the CBS Late Night with Craig Ferguson's Magic Week beginning on February 2nd. Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

TV REMINDER :: MASTERS OF ILLUSION 3

REMINDER :: Masters of Illusion, airs again tonight at 9PM EST. This episode features performances by Ed Alonzo, Scarlett, Arian Black, Jeff McBride, Kalin & Jinger, Zach Creahan-Mueller, Farrell Dillion & Ai & Yuki. We'll have an interview with Ed Alonzo posted shortly.

TONY CURTIS HONORED AT MAGIC CASTLE

The Magic Castle hosted a tribute to Tony Curtis this weekend which include Tony and his family meeting and seeing magicians perform at the Castle, then having a meet-and-greet with fans, followed by a Houdini séance performance. Today, the movie "Houdini" will be screened and followed followed by a Q&A with Curtis. (OC Register)  Of the event, Tony said, "Saturday night, I magically appeared on stage during a magic show and then gave a Q and A about my life in movies. It was a wonderful, and sold out audience and we all had a great time. I signed books and sold and signed artwork, posters, and photos. I have always loved Magic and the Magic Castle is really a cool place to be. I am hoping to come here on a more regular basis..."  According to Houdini's Ghost who provided a synopsis of his experience at the event in the Genii Forums, " Tony talked at length about playing Houdini. He talked about working with George Boston, loving magic as a kid, and the little magic tricks his father used to do. He did a cigarette vanish and re-appearance for us. He spoke amusingly about Dunninger's work (?) on the picture. He called Dunninger (affectionately): "The biggest bag of wind I ever met," and described a cold reading Dunninger had thrown at him based on the fact that Dunninger had learned that Tony's brother Julius had died four years earlier. His imitation of Dunninger was wonderful, and Tony expressed his admiration for old Joe. He talked about his Hungarian parents, growing up in the Bronx, joining the Navy at seventeen. Going to Hollywood. At times it was emotional, particularly when he talked about Marilyn Monroe." TONY CURTIS AS HOUDINI:

A CLOSE CALL FOR KRISTEN JOHNSON

Escape artist and magician Kristen Johnson's name pops up in an Associated Press article reporting on the NBA. "Assistants had to open a sealed water chamber to rescue award-winning magician Kristen Johnson as she performed an escape act at midcourt during halftime of the Pistons-Thunder game in Oklahoma City. She waved to the crowd during the third-quarter break to show she was OK."

MNW #80 :: DAN SPERRY

Dan Sperry, "Magic's Young Punk'" has been featured on the recent broadcasts of the World Magic Awards and on Gay Blackstone's latest production, Masters of Illusion. Frequently described as and blend of Lance Burton and Alice Cooper, Dan brings a unique style and look to the art of magic. In our conversationw, Dan explores the evolution of his act, comments on the state of young magic performers and totally lets go and offers his opinion of Criss Angel's "Believe." THE MAGIC NEWSWIRE IS SPONSORED BY::

Exo Magic • Trick Shop Magic • Mak Magic • Outlaw-Effects.com • EMC 2010
Ronjo Magic • IMX 2011 • Magic • Genii • Magic Cruise 2010
Maxello Magic • Blue Microphone • Websites4Magicians.com • Magic Warehouse

LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH DAN SPERRY:

OTHER WAYS TO LISTEN:

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

HTML 5 PLAYER :: WATCH DAN ON EPISODE 2 OF MASTERS OF ILLUSION ::

ONE WAY OUT

The science of escape and the art of ingenuity gets put to the test as escapologist Jonathan Goodwin attempts to break out of bizarre and dangerous homemade contraptions in Discovery Channel’s new series ONE WAY OUT, premiering Monday, January 26 at 9 PM (ET/PT). Tied to his kitchen table with a live scorpion trapped inside his mouth or locked inside a box on top of a shaking washing machine with his body covered in 200,000 agitated bees, Jonathan is always on the lookout for new and extreme ways to test the art and physics of escape and find that ONE WAY OUT. “Jonathan is captivating to watch. ONE WAY OUT mixes science, fun and risk and will keep viewers riveted to the television as Jonathan puts his body to the test and uses his smarts and physics to find a way out,” said John Ford, president and general manager of the Discovery Channel. WATCH A TRAILER FOR THE SOW :: One Way Out Trailer from Jonathan Goodwin on Vimeo.

WATCH THE LIVE CHAT THAT YOU MISSED

Michael Ammar was the guest of Brian Brushwood last night at BBLiveShow.com. If you missed the craziness involving Michael Ammar, Brian Brushwood, iTrick's Justin Robert Young and myself.. enjoy it by reliving the experience now  via this video :: Stream videos at Ustream

SHWOOD & AMMAR ARE IPHONE MAGICIANS

I've just learned that Michael Ammar & Brian Brushwood both love the idea of doing magic with the iPhone as much as I do.  In fact,  they've decided to team up on Brian's latest live video project at BBliveShow.com via USTREAM to talk iPhone magic. According to Brian, the stream will go live at 9:15 PM EST tomorrow night (January 15th 2009). In case you missed our previous blog entries on iPhone magic, take a minute to read "More Magic for the iPhone" from December 31st of 2008 and "More Than 20 Miracles With the iPhone". In addition, we've just received word on a new Card Trick for the iPhone from Sharper Minds that you may want consider. I've not yet had a chance to play with it, but obviously, iPhone magic is getting hotter and hotter. Follow Brian on Twitter to for the most accurate info on tomorrows broadcast.

CHUNG LING SOO FAN FOR SALE

Speaking of the bullet catch, on January 18th, Potter & Potter auctions will be conducting an auction of magic memorabilia in the Chicago area. Among the items being listed for sale is a fan used by Chung Ling Soo during his fatal performance at the Wood Green Empire in 1918. According to the catalog, "In 1918, A.J. Freeman was employed as a call boy at London's Wood Green Empire. Freeman and his father were on stage during Soo's deadly performance of the Catching A Bullet, when the fan was obtained. The fan was decorated by the boy shortly after the tragic event with Soo's name, date, and 'Wood Green Empire.' An important relic of one of magic's most compelling performers. 1918. Fair condition, framed under glass. With two letters of provenance from Freeman (which read, in part, 'I was there when the said incident occurred and still have in my possession the actual fan Soo was using when shot.'), and one from Paul Daniels." In addition to the fan, an autograph of  Robinson, a playbill, a photograph of Robinson in english attire and other clipping are available. A complete listing of the Magic Marketplace and Jay Marshall auction items can be found HERE.