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Philip Willmarth, magician who wrote many books on the craft, passed away Sept 16..

Philip Willmarth, magician who wrote many books on the craft, passed away Sept 16..

By Joan Giangrasse Kates for the,Chicago Tribune

Philip Willmarth knew just about every trick in the book — literally — and was more than happy to share that knowledge.

A magician, magic historian, lecturer, author and editor, Mr. Willmarth was a past president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and, for many years, the editor of The Linking Ring, a magazine for magicians.

Mr. Willmarth, 83, a member of the Order of Merlin Shield who in 2006 was awarded a Literary Fellowship by the Academy of Magical Arts for his prolific contributions to magic, died of cancer Sept. 16 in Durham, N.C., where he had lived since 1998. He formerly lived in Arlington Heights.

Mr. Willmarth also was a “thoughtful guide and counselor to me and many magicians around the world,” said renowned Chicago-based magician Eugene Burger…

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The Wizard Behind the Wizards A Q&A with Wizard Wars co-creator—and onetime Vegas stunt journalist—Rick Lax

The Wizard Behind the Wizards A Q&A with Wizard Wars co-creator—and onetime Vegas stunt journalist—Rick Lax

By Scott Dickensheets for Los Angeles Magazine…

I met Rick Lax shortly after the publication of his first book, a law-school memoir; he’d come to Las Vegas to research his second, a treatise on deception, through the lens of Sin City. While he said he eventually planned to return to the Midwest to practice law, he was clearly taking to this city. I edited a local alt-weekly in those days, and I began assigning him stories. Odd, offbeat stories. Gregarious, curious, game for anything, Lax turned out to be a gifted stunt journalist—the kind of writer who observes the human condition by ginning up cray-cray scenarios and seeing what happens: walking around in an old-man mask, attempting to reside in the men’s room of a local mall that was marketed as a “community.” As you can imagine, Vegas offers no shortage of opportunities for that kind of work, as Rick chronicled in his third book.

As it happened, the theme of deception was related to another passion of Rick’s: magic. He’s been performing magic, sometimes professionally, since childhood, and has gone on to craft tricks for companies that retail them to aspiring magicians.

All of that has led him to his current role: co-creator of the TV show Wizard Wars, a Syfy Channel show in which two teams of magicians compete to create magic routines out of randomly selected, and often ludicrous, items. The winners then compete against a team of the show’s more advanced performers, or “wizards.” Each round is judged by magic experts, including Vegas headlienrs Penn & Teller. After its initial six-show run, Syfy has ordered another round of shows. Though it’s shot in LA, Wizard Wars has a heavy Vegas vibe.

– Read the Interview at: http://www.lamag.com/las-vegas/wizard-behind-wizards/#sthash.vSwe8TJK.dpuf

The Mentalist Exposes Himself and His Darkest Secrets

The Mentalist Exposes Himself and His Darkest Secrets

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Gerry McCambridge, aka “The Mentalist,” concluded his eleven year journey and completed his personal autobiography titled “Making The Mentalist.”

Gerry McCambridge shares his personal story of success and failure with others so they may learn from his experiences and prevent such things from happening in their lives. Anyone who has faced adversity will gain inspiration from Gerry’s compelling story. They will be melted by his candor, amazed at his resourcefulness and goal setting ability, and warmed by his magic. Through his story, they will learn to find their own inner magic.  

What makes Gerry endearing is his life story and why he had to learn to read people’s minds. Gerry used his newly developed magic skills to not only control his own destiny but to control the world around him. Like the Phoenix, he rose from his own ashes. Anyone who has faced adversity will gain inspiration from Gerry’s compelling story. Through his story, they will learn to find their own inner magic. The 404 page book is available in paperback or as a digital download from iTunes.

About Gerry McCambridge

New York born and raised, Gerry McCambridge started his career as a magician at the early age of eight, when he received a magic kit as a holiday gift. From that point on, he pursued his love for magic, comedy and performing live, and eventually defined himself as  “the mentalist” — an entertainer who, among other things, showcases his ability to screw with people’s minds.

Since June of 2005, Gerry has been a Las Vegas headliner. He is currently performing nightly at the V Theater in the Planet Hollywood Casino. His is the longest running mentalist show in the history of Las Vegas, with more than 2,300 performances in Sin City. In addition to recently competing on NBC’s reality show, “Phenomenon,” McCambridge is the star and executive-producer of the hit TV show, “The Mentalist.” In March of 2014, Gerry appeared as one of the millionaire bachelors looking for love on the reality show “Millionaire Matchmaker.” He also has appeared on countless talk shows, including “Late Night With David Letterman,” “The Today Show” and “The Best Damn Sports Show Period.” In 2005, he was awarded “Mentalist of the Year” by the Psychic Entertainers Association. In 2014, Gerry was voted “Best Magic Show” in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s readers’ poll. In 2008, he won the prestigious “Merlin” award for “Mentalist of the Decade” from the International Magicians Society.

For Interviews, contact:

Gerry McCambridge
702.469.9291
Email
http://www.mentalist.com

Whether in magic or business, relevancy, communication count, David Copperfield says

Whether in magic or business, relevancy, communication count, David Copperfield says

By Ed Komenda for VegasInc..

What do a young entrepreneur and an illusionist have in common?

Ask David Copperfield, the world-renowned master of illusion, and he’ll tell you the jobs are very much the same: from a demand to push limits to selling a brand to being brave in the face of adversity.

That seemed to be the takeaway of his question-and-answer session at Tech Cocktail’s 2014 Celebrate Conference, where Copperfield sat down with Ben Par, co-founder of the venture capital firm DominateFund, and chatted about his career as an illusionist and entrepreneur in front of a crowd of up-and-coming startup leaders.

Here’s a look at the highlights of Copperfield’s appearance, edited for length and clarity:

On what separates him from other illusionists

I really fought to do what you’re doing with all your businesses: to be relevant and communicate something more. I’ve searched for ways to touch people….

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