Browsed by
Tag: mat franco

THE KATS REPORT: THE LINQ PREPARES TO ROLL OUT THE STRIP’S NEWEST MAGIC ACT..

THE KATS REPORT: THE LINQ PREPARES TO ROLL OUT THE STRIP’S NEWEST MAGIC ACT..

Mat Franco is seated at a card table, aptly enough, set up in front of the stage inside Crown Theater at the Rio. The young magician casually shuffles a freshly opened deck of playing cards while meeting with members of his production team. The group is prepping for a magic show on the Strip starring Franco, the reigning champion ofAmerica’s Got Talent.

Littering the floor are hundreds of cards—seven hundred, about—that have been fired from three cannons at the center of the stage. It’s all part of a show-stopping trick that does not actually stop the show, which is set to open for previews soon at the newly renovated Linq Theater.

The Rio’s Crown Theater, where not long ago guns of a different variety were used as props in a show starring a family of duck hunters, is today but a rehearsal space. It is also, at this moment, a giant conference room.

Franco shuffles his cards, over and over, then slaps the deck on the table. He scrawls a note onto a pad, then turns to one of his confidants, Johnny Thompson, the revered magician known as The Great Tomsoni and a consultant on the show.

“What do you think, some sleight-of-hand here?” Franco asks Thompson. The Great One thinks for a moment and offers: “I think some sleight-of-hand would work, just a little something to add to what you’re talking about.”  Read more..

http://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/2015/jul/29/kats-report-linq-strip-new-magic-show-mat-franco/

View full list of Las Vegas Magic Shows at: http://lasvegasmagicshows.info 

Jeff McBride: The art of magic is exploding in Las Vegas..

Jeff McBride: The art of magic is exploding in Las Vegas..

image

By Jeff McBride –  Thursday, July 9, 2015 | 7:01 p.m.

Editor’s Note: As Robin Leach arrives in Rome en route to his traditional summer vacation under the Tuscan sun in Italy — plus, Costa Esmeralda on Sardinia this year — many of our Strip personalities have stepped forward in his absence to pen their words of wisdom. We continue today with Studio at the Palms exec Zoe Thrall and masked magician Jeff McBride, who travels the world from his Las Vegas Magic School amazing fans with his incredible illusions. Here’s Jeff:

Magic is an international language that transcends cultural, political and language barriers. Not since the magic boom of the mid-1990s has there been such a demand for magic in Las Vegas. The Magic Capital of the World now hosts more than a dozen magic shows on and off Strip, and more are starting soon. Read Jeff’s article at:  http://lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2015/jul/09/jeff-mcbride-art-magic-exploding-las-vegas/

Also.. check out Las Vegas Magic Shows:  http://lasvegasmagicshows.info

Magician Mat Franco Returns to NBC With 2 ‘Mat Franco’s Got Magic’ Specials

Magician Mat Franco Returns to NBC With 2 ‘Mat Franco’s Got Magic’ Specials

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — April 2, 2015 — Magician Mat Franco, who last year rose above tens of thousands of acts to become the season 9 winner of NBC’s hit reality-competition series “America’s Got Talent,” is returning to the network for two primetime specials.

Titled “Mat Franco’s Got Magic” the specials will capture Mat traveling from his home in Rhode Island to Las Vegas, stopping off at incredible locations, wowing celebrities, performing street magic and visiting the family, friends and everyday Americans who helped make his dream come true. When he reaches his final destination, Mat will learn what it takes to put on a high-profile show and fulfill his dreams of becoming a headlining act in Las Vegas at the LINQ Hotel & Casino.

“Mat displayed remarkable skill in winning the most recent season of ‘America’s Got Talent,’ and we’re thrilled that these specials will document his new journey opening a show in Las Vegas,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment. Read more at:

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/04/02/magician-mat-franco-returns-to-nbc-with-2-mat-francos-got-magic-specials/383688/

‘AGT’ Season 9 winner Mat Franco: ‘I felt like David Copperfield for a moment’

‘AGT’ Season 9 winner Mat Franco: ‘I felt like David Copperfield for a moment’

By Robin Leach for the Las Vegas Sun

At 4 years old, Mat Franco dreamed of making it big in magic by starting to teach himself card tricks. At 12, he became the youngest student ever in Henderson magician Jeff McBride’s Magic Academy classes. One week ago, he made TV history as the first magician to win the $1 million “America’s Got Talent” prize on NBC.

This weekend, he headlines at Axis at Planet Hollywood, Britney Spears’ residency theater at Planet Hollywood. He’ll walk away from the two-night show with his fellow “AGT” Season 9 finalists with an offer to return for his own solo spotlight shows when Britney is on hiatus.

Read the Interview