The report in the gossip portion of MSNBC is always interesting to read if only to learn how and why celebrity couples we don?t know broke up.But we were startled, down-right startled, to read that Tobey Maguire (?Spiderman?) will not sit near Joaquin Phoenix (?Ladder 49?) in the VIP room at the hot New York caf?, Lotus.Similarly, the owner of this chi-chi joint says David Blaine will not eat in the same VIP room as David Copperfield.
This was troubling news.While we have never met Mr. Maguire and don?t even know if Joaquin Phoenix is a man or a woman, we do know Mr. Copperfield and Mr. Blaine.It is significant that Mr. Copperfield apparently has no trouble eating with the likes of Mr. Blaine.Rather the man who was willing to not eat with the whole world watching for 44 days, refuses to be in the same room as our era?s television magic star.
We attempted to contact both Mr. Copperfield and Mr. Blaine for comment but were unable to get through.
Rodney King once said, ?Can?t we all just get along??A truer question has not been poised.Can?t we?Can?t we drop our own egos long enough to be seen with our competition?
We?re not famous so we don?t have the problem of remembering with whom we should be seen or not seen.But, on our own little, insignificant scale, we have ego-related problems. When we hang with the guys at magic conventions, we want to hang with the cool crowd.We don?t mind having to… Continue reading Blaine Avoids Copperfield? We’re Insecure?
In an article titled, “Yet Another Black Wand Has Lost Its Powers,” The Paper of Record has a very thoughtful piece on the death and memory of Mike Bornstein.
“Four days a week, Magic Mike, who was a flinty 83, presided over the Magic Table at the Edison Caf? . . . the one with the disappearing card - a seven of clubs - permanently stuck to the ceiling overhead.If nobody else showed up, Mr. Bornstein sat alone, playing cards.
“He was among the last of the original habitu?s of the table, established in 1942 as a place for magicians to gossip, first at the Dixie Hotel, then at Rosoff’s, then at Scandia, then at the Gaiety Delicatessen.”
The article notes the magic community?s attendance at Mr. Bornstein?s funeral.In a sad juxtaposition, the paper notes his last meal was taken alone at the Magic Table:
“Magic Mike was hit by a truck on Jan. 20, killed in the line of duty. He had just eaten supper alone at the tea room, and was crossing Eighth Avenue, headed for his apartment on 48th Street.”
The description of the broken wand ceremony is touching and if you haven’t experienced the traditional farewell to one of our own, it is impressive to read.
Inside Magic is proud to announce it has secured the rights to publish Mandrake the Magician.A true classic and a standard among comic strips, Mandrake the Magician has been mystifying readers since 1934!
King Features Syndicate has licensed Inside Magic to publish this classic comic strip right here, every day.
Mandrake the Magician was created by Lee Falk during the Great Depression, a time in our nation’s history when adventurous comic strips became popular for their morale-building appeal.
The dapper, mustached magician remains one of the most famous characters in the comic strip medium, his adventures appearing in newspapers worldwide. Mandrake uses his legendary powers of hypnotism and illusion to combat crime.
Mandrake the Magician is also the first comic strip with a racially integrated cast of crime-fighters. Mandrake’s partner in adventure is the gigantic Lothar, and the two of them have been fighting evildoers for decades! Mandrake is also aided by his girlfriend, the lovely and exotic Princess Narda.
Meet the Characters
Mandrake
Mandrake The Magician
A suave and sophisticated man of mystery, Mandrake often battles the most remarkable and inventive villains while attired in formal white tie and tails. Equally at home at a swank society affair or among the colorful denizens of the underworld, Mandrake is world-famous for his many remarkable feats.
Mark Wilson has done just about all that can be done in the magic business.Plus, he has a great memory and is a wonderful man.His new series in Genii, The Inside Story, is fascinating reading.Who knew his polished, professional television appearances were often assembled with little time, no money, and incomplete rehearsals.
Tonight (Saturday), you will have a chance to talk with this legend of our craft on MagicBroadcast.
His struggles with the networks to provide an incredible weekly show despite the absence of a budget, rehearsal studios, or staff seem impossible given the product that we all saw on live television.
In the several times we?ve met Mr. Wilson, he has been so gracious and kind.His patience with our questions about his shows (including his consulting with Bill Bixby on NBC?s The Magician) was phenomenal.
It is difficult to imagine a person more deserving of a great ego, and yet Mr. Wilson presents himself as a man truly interested in encouraging others to do well.
Mr. Wilson has recently released his incredible Magic Bingo.He has used the startling effect since the late 1960s in conjunction with his corporate entertaining.Everyone in the audience receives a bingo card and is told that as the numbers are read, the first to shout ?bingo,? will win the prize.We would love to hear the sound of all 3,000 members of a sales team scream out ?bingo? at the same time as they all win on the same last number.
Sometimes, late at night, when I am all alone, I become reflective.I do not mean I become shiny; although I do sweat sometimes but not so much as to make me shine.It is more of a cold sweat that soaks my poncho and knee-high socks that I like to wear when I reflect.I digress.Tonight, as I reflect on all that magic is and has been one word comes to mind: The Professor’s Nightmare.This rope trick is, to quote an anonymous source, ”cunning, baffling and powerful.”It is inscrutable.I have tried to scruit it but I cannot.
Remember the first time?If you are like me, you were probably standing on the customer-side of a glass case filled with tricks, covered with a light patina of dust.(Light Patina was, ironically, Lulu Hurst’s real name.She changed it to become the Georgia Magnet ? the woman who could not be lifted.Her sister, Thin Patina could be picked up by anyone with a good story and a beer.)You watched as the three unequal ropes became the same length and then returned to their original unequal lengths.I know there was a story to it but the imagery alone was sufficient to sell the trick.How upset were you when you learned the ropes were un-gimmicked and nothing was added or removed from the props?I was never one to read instructions, I would look at the trick, view the gimmick and figure it out.I regretted for years that I tossed aside the instructions to The Professor’s Nightmare.In fact, I still don’t know how it is done and I am too proud to ask.I assume it has something to do with the sweat of one’s hands causing the rope to elongate and then immediately shrink but despite my sweating and tugging, I have been unable to do anything but soil the ropes and offend my fellow bus passengers with my grunts of discouragement.
The Gene Anderson Newspaper Tear was another one of those effects that just looked too magical to be true.I tried to make my own for years but failed miserably.I assumed that as in the case of The Professor’s Nightmare, there were no gimmicks added or removed.I tore newspapers just as Doug Henning performed it but no matter how hard I flicked them, they never returned to a restored state.
Recent Comments