CONJURING ARTS ANNOUNCED ERDNASE DECK NUMBER TWO

Earlier in October, I helped to announce the release of the first Erdnase deck from my friends at the Conjuring Arts Research Center. Today, the second deck in the series has been made available for purchase to members.

From the announcement:
We are very pleased to announce the release of the second deck in our Erdnase 1902 series of playing cards. These are a new design by Guy Hollingworth which build on the previous all-over back design by adding a white border and an elegant S.W.E. and acorn centerpiece. We have maintained the high standard of quality featured in the previous release, retaining the finest Bee Casino 825 paper and special coating.
While we released the first deck in an all-over back design, in keeping with the cards we believe Erdnase to have favored, this new deck is geared more towards magical purposes because of the white border.  Also, we have kept the tradition of offering the cards in Cambric (lightly embossed) and Ivory (smooth) finishes, perfect for a variety of surreptitious interests, or just to suit your preference.

A Conjuring Arts representative supervised all aspects of the production of these cards, including personally overseeing production of printing the backs, embossing, crushing and the final cutting and casing at the U.S. Playing Card Co. factory.

Bill Kalush says, "We truly believe that we’ve made the finest cards that US Playing Card can produce at the present time. These cards were printed in a very limited quantity and there is no guarantee that they will be re-printed. If you need some of these to perform with, practice with, or add to your collection, this is the time to get them."

These are currently only available to members at a discounted rate but will be available, if they do not sell out, to non-members soon. Further, we have done our best to get you the best prices possible on these excellent decks (as low as $2.99, shipped!).

THIS WEEK IN MAGIC :: MAGIC CRUISE 2010

By now, everyone has heard about the unusual circumstances surrounding this year's Magic Cruise produced by our friend David Sandy. Fortunately, David and Lance Rich had already agreed to record interviews for the Magic Newswire during the convention so that you will now get a unique peek at what really went on behind the scenes. We lead off with a short chat with David & Magic Magazine publisher Stan Allen. Following that we chat with Kalin & Jinger, Chad Long, Bob Sheets, Martin Lewis, Shoot Ogawa, Christopher Hart, Michael Trixx, Matt Paxton and many others! This is a look at a convention that will never happen again!

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KALIN, JINGER & PARKER TALK ABOUT THE MAGIC CRUISE

Kalin & Jinger were among the magicians stranded on board the Carnival Splendor which has been so much in the news lately. Here's a video of their appearance:

Thanks to the Magic Newswire's Irish corespondent Brendan for forwarding this to me!

MAGIC CRUISE FIRE UPDATE

UPDATE:: Watch for Kalin & Jinger on the CBS Morning show tomorrow morning and enjoy some candid pictures of the various magicians attending the convention out and entertaining their fellow passengers by clicking on the "Read More" link below! (Thanks to David Sandy for sending these along while trying to plan a magic event for everyone tonight!)

As the ship heads to San Diego under the escort of the Coast Guard and being towed into port, I received a voicemail from David Sandy who said that he'd touch base as soon as possible , but he had no way to charge his phone under the current conditions. In addition, there is a great deal of mainstream media reporting on this.
From USA Today:
The Times says the ship was hosting the annual David Sandy's Magic Cruise event, led by master magician Dave Sandy and organized by Cruise Holidays of Kansas City's Mark Comfort. "They're all just excellent magicians wanting to hone their trade," Comfort tells the Times. "They just do it on a cruise." According to the Boston Globe: It's expected to take another two hours to dock and several more before the nearly 4,500 passengers and crew disembark.

From Yahoo:
Seth Grabel, 28, a Las Vegas magician, waited for his parents, who were on the cruise with hundreds of magicians participating in a convention put on by David Sandy Productions of St. Joseph, Mo. "My dad is an amateur magician, but my mom hates magic. She was fighting this tooth and nail. She did not want to go on this thing. She had an intuition. I don't think my dad's going to live down this one," Grabel said. From the LA Times: The main complaints of passengers have been the long lines for food and those hours on Monday when the flush toilets were not working. Bands and magicians continued to entertain passengers; free drinks were available; and passengers had bottled water and canned goods, including fruit, pudding, and that all-purpose meal, Spam.

From the Daily Times:
"I saw the smoke outside of our window and I said, 'This is serious,' " said Rich Bloch, owner of the Dickens Parlour Theatre and a magician for more than 60 years. "We didn't realize we'd be stranded in the middle of the ocean." The ship, which was supposed to travel from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera and back, is Carnival's annual Magic Cruise, where professional magicians gather to enjoy a week of enchantment.

Here are a few candid shots of some of the magicians attending the Magic Cruise entertaining their fellow passengers on the stranded ship. Thanks to David Sandy for these!

Click to read more ...

TELLER PLAYS DEAD WITH TODD ROBBINS :: NPR

With a number of rave reviews under its belt, the new play featuring Teller and Todd Robbins received some additional press with an interview today on the NPR show "All Things Considered."

If you could talk to the dead, would you want to? That's the question explored in the new off-Broadway production "Play Dead." It was directed by the magician Teller -- of the duo Penn and Teller -- as an homage to the old magic seance shows. On the stage, performer Todd Robbins raises the dead, plays tricks on the audience, and generally scares the wits out of anyone who shows up.

LISTEN TO TELLER & TODD PLAY DEAD ON NPR:

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MAGIC CRUISE ON FIRE?

From AOL Travel News we learn that the Carnival Splendor cruise ship, which is currently hosting David Sandy's Magic Cruise 2010,  is in limbo about 150 miles south of San Diego after a fire in the engine room. Other than two passengers suffering from panic attacs, no injuries are reported.

According to the report:

The US Coast Guard is sending two ships to the scene, Petty Officer Henry Dunphy tells AOL Travel News. The location is about 55 miles west of Punta San Jacinto, Mexico.

"The fire has been extinguished however there continues to be smoke in the area and the ship's fire crews remain on the scene," Carnival Cruise Lines says in a statement.

Currently the ship is operating on emergency generators, while the crew tries to re-start one of the main generators in the forward engine room, Carnival says.

In an updated statement, Carnical says that the decision has been made to terminate the voyage.

RICKY JAY TALKS ABOUT THE LOSS OF CHARLIE REYNOLDS

As a part of our ongoing coverage of the loss of one of the giants in the world of magic, we bring you this interview with Ricky Jay on the NPR show "All Things Considered" in which he shares his memory of Charlie with their listeners.

Click here for today's obituary for Charlie in the NY Times.

CLICK HERE for our first post about Charlie's passing from our friend Levent.

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ILLUSIONIST TRAILER NOW ONLINE

I completely agree with Movie Line who says : Speaking of old-school animation, the new trailer for The Illusionist serves as a perfect reminder of just how captivating the art form can be. Based on an unproduced screenplay by the great Jacques Tati and directed by Sylvain Chomet (The Triplettes of Belleville), even the film’s trailer transports viewers to a new world. And it looks much more fantastic and inspiring than this one.

In addition, it appears that a judge has cleared the way for the release of the film by denying a restraining order filed by the rights holder to the 2006 film of the same name. According to Hollywood Reporter:

It looks like Sony Pictures Classics won't have any problem releasing The Illusionist next month, despite a film by the same name having been released four years ago.

A federal judge in Los Angeles has denied a restraining order request by Illusionist Distribution, LLC, the rights-holder of the previous film, The Illusionist, which came out in 2006 and starred Ed Norton. The plaintiff in the case had sued Sony last month, arguing that the new film -- an Oscar contender, according to pundits -- infringed its trademark and would cause substantial consumer confusion.

CHARLIE REYNOLDS :: MAGICIAN'S MAGICIAN

Photo by Levent (All Rights Reserved)Last week I shared the sad news of the passing of magic legend and historian Charles Reynolds with a post written for us by Levent. Today, the New York Times posted a very thoughtful and well developed obituary on Charlie.

Mr. Reynolds belonged to the circumspect, virtually invisible world of “backroom boys” who help magicians refine their acts. In “Merlin,” a 1983 Broadway musical starring Doug Henning, he figured out how to make a live white horse and rider vanish into thin air. In “Blackstone!,” a 1980 Broadway show, he helped Harry Blackstone Jr. bifurcate his wife with a buzz saw.

He was producer, director, magic creator and magic consultant for television, stage and film productions from Hollywood and Broadway to London, Paris and Hong Kong. He was chief magic consultant to Mr. Henning for all eight of his annual one-hour network magic specials. The first, in 1975, attracted 50 million viewers.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE

THIS WEEK IN MAGIC :: MICHAEL GRASSO

The November issue of Magic Magazine should be in your hands by now and the cover features the first magician to make it to the top ten on the blockbuster television show America's Got Talent. In this interview, I am joined by Magic Magazine publisher Stan Allen and Michael himself. "How did a relatively unknown performer manage to accomplish what some of the better known names in the business could not? Where the heck did this guy come from?" Join us in this episode of This Week in Magic for the answers to these questions and a peek behind the curtain of AGT!

LISTEN TO OUR CHAT WITH MICHAEL GRASSO:

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