Terry Evanswood Finds Permanent Home in Tennessee
So, you know how it is, how it goes, and all that stuff. And then you miss the chance to see something really amazing and you are reminded of your failure everywhere and all the time.
We missed out on the chance to see Terry Evanswood and his highly touted Wonders of Magic show at Wonderworks in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We wanted to see it. We planned to see it and even Google Mapped it. But our rig had problems as we left Kentucky and it didn’t get any better as we moved into the mountains heading south.
We were driving the big semi through Tennesee on our way to Florida for what turned out to be a month-long engagement in Orlando and the better part of the week in West Palm Beach.
We could have made Pigeon Forge only by driving it hard. We’d have to be averaging 60 mph for the next few hours and hope for no traffic. The mountains made it impossible to keep anywhere near 60 or even 50. The traffic did not help much either.
Our Kenworth’s nose crossed the Pigeon Forge city line exactly when Terry Evanswood was likely taking his final bows in the final show of the day.
For the rest of our time in Florida and along our trip back to Mystic Hollow, Michigan, we saw constant reminders of our poor timing and horrible luck.
Tonight, we read news of Terry Evanswood’s success at Wonder Works.
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Categories: Latest Magic News, Magician Feature Tags: Mystic Hollow, Spiritualism, Terry Evanswood
Criss Angel in his “Most Death-Defying Stunt”
Robin Leach reports that Mindfreak star Criss Angel will attempt “the most dangerous stunt of his career this weekend.”
The magician intends the underwater escape as a tribute to Houdini and in true Houdini fashion his publicist describes just two potential outcomes. ”In If he fails to escape from the chilly waters of the Colorado River at the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, he will drown!”
Criss Angel will be adorned in chains, shackles, and handcuffs before being wrapped in rope and dropped into the freezing river beneath the London Bridge at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. ”Once submerged, he has only two choices: Escape or drown.”
Robin Leach tells readers “Criss has told me several times of Houdini being his inspiration, and this stunt re-creates one that Houdini mastered in England.”
Robin Leach also reports that Criss Angel “has been named Magician of the Year five times and most recently Magician of the Century.” Criss Angel’s web site mentions he was named Magician of the Year five times in a row but does not tell readers the group bestowing this honor. According to some on SAM Talk (Society of American Magicians ListServe) the honor came from the International Magicians Society and in 2005 the Academy of Magical Arts proclaimed him Magician of the Year as well. We could not find a citation for the Magician of the Century, however.
If he was named Magician of the Century for the current century, 2000 through 2010, the honor seems a bit premature.
On the other hand, if Criss Angel was the Magician of the Century for 1900 through 2000, it means he beat out such lesser magic names such as Thurston, Harry Blackstone and Harry Blackstone, Jr. , Harry Kellar, P.T. Selbit, David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Lance Burton, Penn & Teller, Kreskin, Chung Ling Soo, Ching Ling Foo, Siegfried & Roy, Mark Wilson, Walter Blaney, Bev Bergeron, Dai Vernon, Ace Gorham, Jay Marshall, Paul Daniels, Jade, Wayne Dobson, Mark Kalin and Jinger, Li’l Tom Hardy, Melinda Saxe, Orson Welles, P.C. Sorkar and P.C. Sorkar, Jr., Derren Brown, Becky Blaney, Theo Anneman, and of course the object of Criss Angel’s homage, Harry Houdini.
The Houdini escape episode will air as a one-hour special when the new season premieres in July.
The public is invited to attend the filming. If you would like to spend the night before or after the event, Criss Angel has worked his magic to secure special discount rates at the local Travel Lodge for just $69.99 per night. Be sure to mention “Criss Angel MindFreak” when making your reservation.
Of course, if you don’t mention Criss Angel Mind Freak, you can get a room with two queen beds or one king for five dollars less than the MindFreak discount; at least that’s what we found on the Travel Lodge site today (Saturday May 8th).
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Categories: Latest Magic News, Magic History Tags: Criss Angel, Houdini, MindFreak
Vegas Celebrates Mac King Day
Photograph by Steve Spatafore from Las Vegas Sun
After Memorial Day, one may wear white pants and white shoes. After Mac King Day, plaid jackets may be adorned with impunity.
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman declared yesterday, May 4th to be “Mac King Day.”
In our book, everyday is Mac King Day except for October 31st, held for our solemn observation of Houdini’s death.
“Growing up in a family of magicians, magic has been my life,” Mac said. “I am truly honored to be celebrating 10 years with my show at Harrah’s Las Vegas. This is an exciting time for me, and I can’t wait to celebrate with the audience this afternoon.”
Mac King performed 5,200 shows for more than 1 million people at the main showroom at Harrah’s. He told Robin Leach of the Las Vegas Sun “that translates into 2,600 days of wearing his trademark plaid suits; 15,600 feet of rope used for his rope trick; 270,400 playing cards; 15,600 magically appearing Fig Newtons; and 26,000 audience volunteers pulled up onstage.”
The nice man and great magician comes from a family of magicians — both grandfathers were performers. He fell in love with the craft after checking out a library book — presumably about magic.
Check out Robin Leach’s complete article on Mac and his life in the spotlight at The Las Vegas Sun.
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Categories: Latest Magic News, Magician Feature Tags: Las Vegas, Mac King