MNW INTERVIEW :: JONATHAN LEVIT :: SEAM 2008

Magician, actor and former host of VH1's Celebracadabra joins us again on the Magic Newswire just prior to making an appearance as a guest lecturer at the SEAM 2008 convention in Atlanta. Jonathan discusses his current projects, his opinions as to how magic is presented on television and what he hopes to see in the future.  LISTEN TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN LEVIT: WATCH JONATHAN'S MAGAZINE MIND BENDER AS MENTIONED IN OUR INTERVIEW:

BROKEN WAND :: GEOFF LATTA

Sadly, we report on the passing of an outstanding close-up performer, Geoff Latta. From Richard Kaufman of Genii Magazine: "With a damn heavy heart I report that my friend Geoff Latta, known around the world as one of the finest close-up card and coin workers, died Tuesday morning at the age of 51 from the effects of alcoholism. He leaves behind a lot of friends who wished they could have done more to help, but realize that sometimes it's impossible and things just have to play out in their own way. He also leaves behind a 6 year old daughter, whom he described as the light of his life. A memorial service will be held this coming Monday, August 25th, at the Greenwich Village (aka Crestwood) Funeral Home located at 199 Bleecker Street in New York City. The service will last from 7 pm to 9 pm. ALL are welcome. His mother would appreciate it if any and all magicians who knew Geoff, or simply admired his work, would come. The website of the funeral home is here.

DAVID BLAINE PREPARES FOR "BAT STUNT"

According to various sources including Showbiz Spy, Contact Music, and IMDB , "Daredevil DAVID BLAINE is preparing for a dizzying new stunt - he will hang upside down above New York's Central Park for three days and two nights. The illusionist will be deprived of food as he is suspended six storeys up on a highwire for his Dive of Death, which will be filmed to air on U.S. TV on 24 September (08). He will even be forced to sleep upside down. And members of the public will be invited to interract with the 35 year old. He says, "There are always some crazy things. I get flashed quite often. Luckily, mostly from girls." Blaine's previous stunts include spending 44 days in a glass box above London and more than two days encased in an ice block. He recently made history by holding his breath for more than 17 minutes - and is this year preparing to attempt to break the world record for sleep deprivation."

MNW INTERVIEW :: MAX MAVEN :: SEAM 2008

Max Maven joins us again on the Magic Newswire to discuss his personal history in the art of magic, further experiences with Dai Vernon and other legendary figures from the worl of magic, his recovery from the Celebraca-Hangover and his upcoming appearance at SEAM 2008 in Atlanta beginning on August 21st.

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INSIDE THE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN MAGICIANS

"Jesus is Magic" is the title of an article from the September/October 2008 issue of Mother Jones which explores the Fellowship of Christian Magicians as they gather for their annual convention at Wesleyan University. "The FCM, which boasts about 2,000 members around the world, is a nondenominational organization dedicated to "the winning of souls to Christ" using "sleight of hand, optical illusion, ventriloquism, puppets, balloons, clowning, juggling, storytelling, and other visual arts." The transformation of beguilement into belief can take many forms. A mind-reading trick may illustrate God's omniscience; an escape-artist routine reminds audiences that they can break free of sin; an illusion in which three black rings explode into color is a metaphor for what it's like to suddenly see the light. Pulling biblical lessons out of a hat may seem forced, but as the website of the ministry Seeing Is Not Believing puts it, "Many people will come to see a woman get cut in half that would never set foot in a church building otherwise."

WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE!

The new crop of gritty, dark and yet funny magicians is discussed in an article from Metro.co.uk which profiles Barry And Stuart (above); Pete Firman (above right); Jerry Sadowitz (below right). "Magic, once the home of cheese and shazam, is cool again. It's also dark, dirty and disturbing. Jesus might have been a kick-ass magician, but this latest crop of thaumaturgists are the devil's work," says Mickey Noonan.  'I guess it's the closest comparison to what we do,' affirms MacLeod. 'It's a throwback to vaudeville but with a dark edge, and that notion of subverting a trick by making it bloody really appeals to us.'

MNW INTERVIEW :: SILLY BILLY :: SEAM 2008

Performing magic since the age of six, David Kaye is widely recognized as one of the finest performers in the area of children's magic. David performs more than 300 shows each year and has been recognized as New York's top children's performer by various publications. His client list reads like a celebrity Who’s Who with such clients as Bruce Springsteen, Susan Sarandon, Madonna, Eddie Murphy, and the Sultan of Brunei. David will next appear at the SEAM 2008 conference in Atlanta beginning on August 21st with a special appearance on Friday night for an exclusive Celebracadabra" reunion which will include Max Mave, Jonathan Levit and Executive Producer Chris Martin. LISTEN TO DAVID KAYE AS WE PREVIEW SEAM 2008:

CREAKING SHELVES CONTAIN CLASSICS

The collection of magic literature owned by Stephen Forrester of Calgary serves as the inspiration for an article in the Calgary Herald entitled, "Casting a literary spell. Among the volumes sitting on the shelves of Forrester's home are an original copy of Scott's A Discovery of Witchcraft and a 1902 first edition of Expert at the Card Table. He says it's the best book on card tricks and sleight of hand. He bid on it at auction earlier in the year, eventually winning it for $6,000. "I probably paid too much for it," he laughs, "but it was the only copy I'd ever seen go on sale."

SEAM 2008 :: INTERVIEW WITH KEN SCOTT

Ken Scott is the organizer of the SEAM 2008 convention in Atlanta which begins on August 21st. Ken has performed at the White House, on CNN and performs more than 350 shows each year. Ken joins us to talk a bit about his background and the special guests that will be appearing in Atlanta on August 21st. For more info visit SEAM2008.org. LISTEN TO KEN SCOTT AS WE PREVIEW SEAM 2008:

MNW 40 :: HARRY ANDERSON

Harry "The Hat" Anderson joins us on this edition of the Magic Newswire prior to an upcoming appearance at the SEAM convention in Atlanta. He is best known by many  for playing the role of Judge Harry Stone on the television series Night Court. In addition to eight appearances on Saturday Night Live between 1981 and 1985, Anderson had a recurring guest role as con man "Harry the Hat" on Cheers. Harry has toured extensively as a magician and continues to present his evening show "Wise Guy" which was originally developed for his theater in New Orleans.

LISTEN TO PART 1 OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH HARRY ANDERSON:

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LISTEN TO PART 2 OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH HARRY ANDERSON:< BR>

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