Folks.. As I’ve stated in the Magic Roadshow Journal of Magic in years past.. NEVER use a spectators hand to perform this ‘trick’. Use your own hand, or don’t do it at all… Watch…
By Steve Downes….
I grew up with Paul Daniels. He didn’t live in my house, though he may have been there all along, hidden by one of his clever illusions. Or just crouched behind the sofa.
He was a regular on our TV on weekend evenings, on shows including The Paul Daniels Magic Show, Odd One Out and Every Second Counts.
It’s easy to forget how amazed we were by his magic tricks and illusions. And they really were amazing, groundbreaking and hugely entertaining (though I did hate the Bunko Booth).
Daniels’s death got me thinking about prime time TV when I were a lad. But I’m not about to gush about the “good old days”.
For TV wasn’t better in the past – it was different.
I loved Doctor Who with Tom Baker in the lead role, and I loved the modern revamp, particularly with Doctor David Tennant.
Old Doctor Who now looks comical, with wobbly sets and cardboard monsters. But it was amazing at the time, and it should not be compared with today’s extraordinary episodes.
Going back can ruin, not enhance, our nostalgia. I used to love the cartoon Hong Kong Phooey – until I watched an episode a few years ago and was aghast at the production quality.
I had the same experience with two series that gripped me as a young teenager – By the Sword Divided and Tripods. They were superb in the 1980s, but naff today.
I think we do ourselves a disservice when we are dogmatic about things being better in a particular era. Read more….
It’s no illusion that magic is making its presence felt on TV.
The Illusionists, a band of magic experts from a hit Broadway show, comes to NBC Wednesday (10 p.m. ET/PT) for a one-hour special featuring everything from a futurist toying with technology to an “escapologist” holding his breath for several minutes while trying to break out of an underwater cell.
Viewers of America’s Got Talent may be familiar with some of The Illusionists, who have appeared on the NBC talent competition, and magician Mat Franco won Talentin 2014 and had an NBC special in September.
In other TV legerdemain, aspiring magicians try to dupe Penn & Teller on CW’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us, which has been renewed for a third season, and Syfy has an upcoming drama series, The Magicians (Jan. 25, 9 p.m. ET/PT). The drama, based on Lev Grossman’s best-selling trilogy, stars Jason Ralph (Aquarius) and Stella Maeve (Chicago PD) as young adults who attend a secret magic university.
Futurist Adam Trent of The Illusionists, who sees people of all ages attending the stage shows, senses a resurgence of magic.
“I think there absolutely is a growing interest in it,” he says. “There’s a lot of good magic out there lately and a lot of amazing magicians performing now, across YouTube, touring live, in comedy clubs, on Broadway.” Read more..
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/12/05/wave-illusionists-tv/76472070/
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: