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Month: November 2014

At the Penn & Teller Show: 7 Questions With Teller..

At the Penn & Teller Show: 7 Questions With Teller..

By Leslie Nagy for Huffpost

Teller, of the magic duo Penn & Teller, is most famous for not uttering a single word. He has perfected the “silent” character in Vegas’ renowned Penn & Teller show with unprecedented success.

Teller was born in Philadelphia and goes by one name, both legally and professionally. For nearly 40 years, he has teamed up with his famous audible half, Penn Jillette. Entertainment Weekly called Penn & Teller the funniest comedians alive. In 2013, they earned a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Penn & Teller have appeared on numerous television shows throughout their careers, including this year’s Wizard Wars on Syfy Network and Penn & Teller: Fool Us on The CW. In recent years, Teller has directed off-Broadway plays and the documentaryTim’s Vermeer that both he and Penn executive produced.

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Magic Circle elects Megan Knowles-Bacon as first female officer

Magic Circle elects Megan Knowles-Bacon as first female officer

Megan Knowles-Bacon has pulled a rabbit out of the hat. The 22-year-old has become the first female officer in the Magic Circle.

Miss Knowles-Bacon, whose unusual act combines ballet and magic, is the youngest person to be elected as an officer of the body which has represented magicians for more than a century.

Following a seven-month contest against an older, male candidate she was voted in as secretary, one of four voluntary roles at the top of the organisation.

She said she was “over the moon” at her election victory. She pledged to help draw more women to the Circle which, despite having accepted female members for 23 years, still has fewer than 100 women among its total membership of 1,400.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/11217461/Magic-Circle-elects-Megan-Knowles-Bacon-as-first-female-officer.html

Behind the Scenes With One of Broadway’s Biggest Magicians

Behind the Scenes With One of Broadway’s Biggest Magicians

By Aimee Heckel for Huff Post Weird News..

The cold blade brushed against my shoulder. The sword snagged my left sleeve. He pushed, but noticed resistance. He quickly pulled me out of the box.

Aha, I thought. That’s why magician’s assistants wear tight clothes.

This is where Adam Trent, one of the world’s biggest, up-and-coming magicians, began. Nearly a decade ago in a small theater in Boulder, Colorado, with a starving writer hoping to make an extra buck as his magician’s assistant.

The magic world is calling him “the futurist,” the next big thing for magic. Others call him “Justin Timberlake meets David Copperfield;” he’s been known to dance on stage, and he’s an admitted boy band wannabe.

Today, Trent, now 29, is taking his magic to Broadway in New York, as part of a group of the first magicians to hit Broadway in nearly two decades. The last magician on Broadway: David Copperfield, at the launch of his career.

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CONFESSIONS OF A SHOWGIRL: THE TALE OF THE ZIG-ZAG GIRL

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOWGIRL: THE TALE OF THE ZIG-ZAG GIRL

By Maren Wade for Las Vegas Weekly..

We all know the tale of the Zig-Zag Girl. Wait, you don’t? I thought I was the only one.

Well, I did some research. It’s similar to the magic trick where the woman is sawed in half, except in this trick, she is known as the Zig-Zag Girl. This special showgirl is placed in an upright cabinet. Only her face, hands and left foot are seen through designated slots. The magician inserts two large metal blades into the midsection, dividing the girl into three parts. He then slides out the midsection of the cabinet, disconnecting the middle of the girl from the rest of her!

I wonder why they call her the Zig-Zag Girl.

At the end of the magic trick, the girl’s midsection is slid back in place, the blades are removed and the Zig-Zag Girl steps out magically in one piece…

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