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America’s Got Talent Winner Mat Franco: I’m No Longer Embarrassed to Say I’m a Magician

September 19, 2014 Rick Carruth

By Jeff Nelson for PEOPLE

Just call it magic.

Mat Franco made America’s Got Talent history Wednesday night as the first magician to win the NBC variety competition.

“I couldn’t help but just be shocked and honored,” the Johnston, Rhode Island, native tells PEOPLE. “It’s great to be an inspiration to people. … The underlying message is following your passion. Whatever it is you like to do, do it: Dreams can come true."

Making it big in the biz has been a dream of Franco’s since he was 4, when he started to teach himself card tricks. The season 9 winner used to record the pros on TV and watch them back in slow-motion, often with his grandma, Eleanor, who was one of his biggest cheerleaders during his AGT journey.

September 18, 2014 Rick Carruth

By Brian Allen for Technology Tell

SyFy’s new hit competition Wizard Wars is like Chopped for magicians. Participants are given items to create an illusion with, then have their work judged by a panel including magic icons Penn and Teller.

Like many great ideas, the concept for SyFy competition Wizard Wars had humble beginnings. Vegas-based magician Rick Lax was having some fun with friends at a restaurant.

“After shows, a group of five or six magicians would go get some cheeseburgers and bring an item we wanted to do a trick with,” Lax said. “We’d just pass it around the table. Sometimes a really good trick would come out of it, sometimes we’d get nothing. But it was always really fun to do and really fun to watch.”

September 17, 2014 Rick Carruth

By Jody Callahan for the Commercial Appeal – Memphis

On Sept. 1, 1923, the legendary Harry Houdini thrilled Memphis with his acts of derring-do in a show at the Orpheum Theatre.

Ever the master showman, Houdini invited Memphians to bring their own hammers and nails to lock him inside a box. They did, and of course, the box didn’t hold him for long.

Earlier that day, to drum up ticket sales, Houdini dangled in a straitjacket from the roof of the former Commercial Appeal building, as 2,000 Memphians gathered in Court Square held their collective breath. Not to worry, as Houdini pulled one arm, then the other, out of the straitjacket and was soon lowered to the ground, unharmed and basking in the applause.

On Friday night, noted magicians Penn and Teller will play the hallowed ground where their idol once performed as they return to Memphis for the first time in 17 years. Even though the original Orpheum burned down a month after Houdini’s show, the new building, erected in 1928, sits on the same site…

Magic News doesn’t generally publish stories about upcoming performances.. but.. this article contained a lot of interesting and historical information, so, I’m making an exception… Editor

David Copperfield uses magic to heal..

September 15, 2014 Rick Carruth

By Mike Walter for CCTV America

This week, Full Frame’s host, Mike Walters, visited the home of world-famous illusionist, David Copperfield, to talk about his career as a performer and the success of Project Magic.Copperfield has made his name performing some of the most daring illusions—making the Statue of Liberty disappear, walking through the Great Wall of China, and even flying in a packed theatre. He has been named the most commercially successful magician in history. His elaborate stage shows and dazzling television specials have grossed over four $4 billion—more than any solo entertainer in history.

While challenging our understanding of the impossible, Copperfield has also challenged the status quo through the work of his foundation, Project Magic. Over 30 years ago, Copperfield recognized a similarity between his magic tricks and the exercises used in physical therapy. His magic tricks had helped him develop his coordination, communication, concentration, and dexterity—all similar goals of physical therapy..

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