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CONFESSIONS OF A SHOWGIRL: A SHOWGIRL SAVES A MAGIC DRAGON.

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOWGIRL: A SHOWGIRL SAVES A MAGIC DRAGON.

Maren Wade for Las Vegas Weekly..

Every showgirl has that “bucket list” show or theater she would like to perform in. ForJade Simone, it was Radio City Music Hall.

From the time Jade was a little girl in Dallas, she would watch the Rockettes in their televised Christmas specials. She would practice her kicks every day, preparing for the inevitable moment where she, too, would become a Rockette.

Unfortunately, the Rockette thing never worked out. Jade was an inch too short. And one inch can make all the difference … in more ways than one.

But a showgirl can still dream—right?

Who needs Rockettes anyway? I mean, they’re only gorgeous with stunning long legs, the epitome of grace, class and dance perfection. … Sorry, I’m not sure how I just digressed like that. What was I talking about? Oh right, back to Jade Simone.

Jade found enormous success as a Vegas showgirl, MC and burlesque entertainer in shows like Sizzle of Las Vegas and many others across the country. Suddenly, being a Rockette and performing at Radio City Music Hall didn’t seem that important anymore. But when Jade was spotted at one of her shows and given the opportunity to perform at Radio City Music Hall, she then realized there was nothing she would rather do in life, and everything else paled in comparison.

She couldn’t contain her excitement. Her dream had come true! She was going to perform at Radio City Music Hall, but instead of being a Rockette, she would make her debut as a magician’s assistant … to a Magic Chihuahua … and his owner, a grumpy Magic Dragon. Read More….

http://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/2015/oct/22/confessions-showgirl-piff-magic-dragon-nbc-agt/

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 

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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MAGIC MAKES FOR FIERCE COMPETITION ON ‘WIZARD WARS’

MAGIC MAKES FOR FIERCE COMPETITION ON ‘WIZARD WARS’

By Erin Ryan for Las Vegas Weekly

“You’re gonna see a puppy teleport,” Rick Lax says, too calmly. Maybe because he’s also talking about earthworm pickpockets and Spam cooking in someone’s bare hand. That’s a taste of the ferociously inventive magic on Syfy’s new competition show, Wizard Wars, the first of six episodes airing August 19. Similar to the chefs battling on Chopped, challengers on WW are surprised with items like mannequins, pirate costumes and mini-fridges, and they must devise a trick fast and perform it live for a chance to take on the “wizards” and win $10,000.

<em>Wizard Wars</em> creator and former <em>Weekly</em> writer Rick Lax, right, and Justin Flom, one of the show's resident wizards.
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