MIDNIGHT MYSTERIES :: HAUNTED HOUDINI

Thanks to a review posted by Joseph Szadkowski at WashingtonTimes.com, we leard of the appearance of Houdini on the iPad via the hidden object challenge game "Midnight Mysteries : Haunted Houdini."

Developers honor the master magician with reasonably complex action mixing gorgeous animation and backdrops that tap into an early-20th-century period and adding a variety of concealed-item quests, minigames, riddles and puzzles to flex the player’s ocular muscles and noggin.

The ghost of Houdini’s wife, Bess, first appears and asks the player help her find her dead husband (in spirit or body) while eventually touching on key moments of his life and career.

Read the complete review here or find it in the iTunes Store.

MAGICIAN RIPPED OFF... NOT BY MAGIC DEALER

This time it was a house keeper and the victim was Derren Brown.  According to an article published by the Daily Mail in the UK:

The cleaner of illusionist Derren Brown has appeared in court, accused of stealing thousands of pounds from the television star through bogus cheques.

Rocio Pavon-Navarrete, 46, is alleged to have taken two signed blank cheques from Mr Brown’s central London home while he was away.

 Mr Brown, who is currently touring his Svengali show, is expected to give evidence at the two-day trial.

Read the complete article at DailyMail.co.uk

MAKING FAME VANISH

Johnny Ace Palmer is a name well know within the magic community, but outside of it, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who has any idea who he is or what he does. The Orange Couty Register profiles the man that says:

"I was put on earth to do magic," says Palmer, 51, who twice won the Magic Castle's prestigious "Close Up Magician of the Year."

What he seeks is more valuable than celebrity, he says. It is balance – with family, church and work.

"He's one of the top magicians in the world," says magician, author and magic instructor Mark Wilson, 83, of Valencia. "He's also an extremely nice guy."

Read the complete artice from OCRegister.com

View their complete photo gallery. 

SAWCHUCK OPENS NEW SHOW AT TROPICANA

From Weatherford's column in the LVRJ we learn that Murray Sawchuck is opeing a new show at the Tropicana's Laugh Factory.

It has been an odd 10 years for Murray (SawChuck), the peroxide-headed magician who on Monday launches an early evening residency at the new satellite location of The Laugh Factory inside the Tropicana.

"You can't screw it up. You only get a couple of shots in Vegas," he says. "That's why I went away for 10 years."

Find out what Murray has been doing for 10 years by reading the complete article.

BLAINE AS SCIENTIST

From the New Yorker Culture Desk: 

If you’re a middle-school student on a field trip to the Liberty Science Center—a New Jersey rite of passage—you might get interrupted in the middle of exploring the high-speed wind tunnel or taunting the poisonous dart frogs and be quietly pulled aside by one of the museum’s employees. You’ll be escorted, with your class, to the basement, past the Global Microscope, and through a door marked “Authorized Employees Only.” Down a warehouse-like corridor lined with crates of cafeteria-bound imperishables, you’ll reach a secluded back room that is flooded with fluorescent light and dominated by a large glass tank of water. Inside the tank will be David Blaine. He’ll explain that you’re about to see a dress rehearsal for a show he’s developing in which he submerges himself under water for several minutes—holding his breath, of course—and performs a series of debonair tricks that, to the naïf, would seem to require air.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

It sounds a bit like the Dressed for Dinner video that we posted some months ago. In case you missed it, watch it here:

EMC 2012 SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED

A  few of this year's Essential Magic Conference line-up of speakers has been announced, and as expeted, they are fantastic!  REGISTER HERE if you haven't already!

Bill Malone : Bill Malone is a highly skilled card magician but when he performs you are too busy laughing to notice. Skill and entertainment in one magnificent bundle. Classic magic with commercial twist. We are delighted to welcome this astounding man to EMC. 

Chris Kenner : Chris Kenner is a phenomenon. He created the famous Threefly routine, he wrote Totally Out of Control, he advises Theory11 and he is the executive producer for David Copperfield. No one knows magic like Chris Kenner. It is an honour to have him at EMC. 

Paul Harris : A legend in magic will be appearing at EMC 2012. Paul Harris’ influence on contemporary magic runs deep. Known for his ingenious methods, super cool presentations and, above all, his dedication to the art of astonishment, Paul Harris is a real star of magic. Welcome Paul, EMC awaits. 

EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN

From Courthouse News we learn that Teller has filed suit against another magician to protect a copyrighted effects that has been a staple of his act with Penn Jillette since 1976. According to CourthouseNews.com:

Shadows, Penn's name for the act, "is the oldest, most venerated piece of material in continuous use in Penn & Teller's Show, and while other material has come and gone, it has remained as a universal favorite," the lawsuit states. The act involves a spotlight trained on a bud vase containing a rose. The light falls, and a shadow of the real rose is projected onto a white screen behind it. Teller then enters with a large knife and severs the leaves and petals off the rose's shadow while the corresponding leaves on the real rose fall to the ground, "breaking from the stem at exactly the point where Teller cut the shadow projected on the screen behind it," the lawsuit states. 

Dutch performer Gerard Dogge, who performs under the name Gerard Bakardy, has been performing the trick that Teller copyrighted in 1983, according to the complaint. Calling his version "Rose & Her Shadow" in a YouTube video, Bakardy allegedly offers to sell the secrets behind the trick for $3,050.

EMC 2012 :: WITNESS HISTORY

EMC 2012 registration is LIVE! Register today before you miss out on the third in this historic series of Online Magic Conferences!

EMC2012 | 27-29 July from Essential Magic Conference on Vimeo.

HANK LEE OWNER CHARGED WITH CREDIT CARD FRAUD

From an article in the Medford Patch:

Harry P. Levy, the owner of Hank Lee's Magic Factory, admitted he made 134 false transactions between 2009 to 2011 on a customer's American Express card totaling $561,927, according to a stipulation of facts signed by Levy and prosecutors. The document was filed in Federal Court in Boston Friday.

The article refers to the victim only as RG, a wealthy customer that resides in Texas.  I'll leave you to figure that one out for yourselves. 

Read the article in the Medford Patch.

Read more at Boston Channel

NEW MAGIC REALITY COMPETITION IN THE WORKS

No, Celebracadabra 2 is not coming any time soon, but from Craigslist LA to BackStage.com, we are getting links to information on a casting for a new "Magic Reality Show. No network is named, but you can send in your demo reel to magicroundtable@yahoo.com  Here is the complete text:

NOW CASTING MAGIC COMPETITION FOR MAJOR NETWORK REALITY SHOW

ATTENTION MAGICIANS OF THE WORLD!!!

Do you have the talent to make it as a magician but just need your big break? Have you always wanted a career in magic but life kept getting in the way? Are you an aspiring magician who wants a shot at their own Las Vegas show?!? 

We are on a nationwide search for the next breakout Magician to star and compete against other talented magicians that will have America listening. . .and voting! 

GRAND PRIZE: LAS VEGAS SHOW 

If you are interested please email a link of footage of yourself performing your illusion(s) to magicroundtable@yahoo.com - Looking for amateur and pro talent worthy of being on the BIG STAGE!!!

Please include your name, contact info, and resume if possible as well. Good Luck!