Patrick Stewart and James Corden agreed to revise their world famous magic act for viewers of Corden’s Late Late Show. Few realize that they were once the second most popular magic duo on the planet.. just ahead of Penn & Teller and right behind Siegfried & Roy. MAGIC NEWS.org is excited to bring you this exclusive video reuniting Magic’s almost best duo.. Enjoy..
For two weeks after he attended the Frito-Lay company Christmas party in Louisville, Kentucky, 5-year-old Lance Burton incessantly checked his hair and ears for silver dollars. Maybe we need a backstory here.
Burton’s mother made potato chips at the plant in the family’s hometown. During this particular Christmas party, a guy named Harry Collins got up to entertain the employees and their guests. Collins was sales manager at the plant, but on this night he was a headlining magician. “He was an excellent magician,” says Burton, who for decades in Las Vegas has been aptly known as “Master Magician.”
Collins asked for a volunteer, and little Lance hustled to the stage. Collins then reached behind the child’s ear and produced a silver dollar. Then another, from the opposite ear. Then from his arms and elbows. The kid who would one day star on the Las Vegas Strip had become a little slot machine. Read more..
At the beginning of this year I received an e-mail invitation to perform on Penn & Teller’s hit TV show on the CW network, “Penn & Teller: Fool Us.”
A dozen thoughts went through my head. How do I respond? What do I perform? What will Penn possibly say on national television when he and Teller figure me out? How will he expose me in front of millions of viewers? Then I read the last sentence of the email and all those frantic questions flew out of my mind. “You were recommended to us by Johnny Thompson.” Without a second thought, I responded to say I would do the show.
You see, Johnny Thompson is a living legend in the world of magic. He’s been hired to consult for practically every big time TV and stage magician and is known amongst performers as one of the few masters of the craft. Johnny is able to execute sleight of hand technique before your eyes, produce doves from thin air on TV, and mastermind wonderful illusions for the stage. Magic Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential magicians of the 20th century.
So when Johnny’s name was mentioned, I knew I was in. Not only did I trust him completely but I figured no matter what happens on the show, this would be an opportunity to spend time with one of the greatest magicians alive. Read the rest at: