“My first outfit was a tuxedo. Because that’s what all the guys were wearing,” says Jade, headliner at the upcoming Champions of Magic show in San Francisco. It didn’t take long before she realized she could carve her own trail in an industry largely dominated by men. “Wait a minute, I thought, … I can wear a dress, or whatever I want. I’m a woman!” In 1990 she won the “International Brotherhood of Magicians’ Magic Competition.” Over the next two decades Jade would rise to the top, becoming a globally recognized personality. Employing an act featuring stunning costumes — many traditional Chinese gowns such as qipaos (cheongsams) and dragon robes — whimsical and inspiring music, and tricks that emphasized the use of the entire stage, and even the audience, Jade soon found herself with a loyal following. Many of those were young girls. “They weren’t many female mentors in magic at the time,” she notes. Then came the invitation… … to perform for the royal family of Monaco. Read more.. http://www.starkinsider.com/2015/07/champions-of-magic-jade-video-interview-san-francisco.html?utm_content=bufferf0ec8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
What Happens When You Interview a Comedic Magic Dragon?..
When you interview a comedic magic dragon, you get sarcastic answers. Because comedic magic dragons are quite smart aleck-y. But this particular comedic magic dragon is having a great week because he just got himself a golden buzzer on America’s Got Talent. PiffTheMagicDragon had a great set on his first appearance on AGT in round one, really impressing Howard Stern,Howie Mandel, and Heidi Klum in his first appearance earlier this season. He also got almost 3 million views on the clip that got posted on YouTube. http://theinterrobang.com/interview-piff-the-magic-dragon-golden-buzzer-americas-got-talent/
This week, Piff came back for round two, and had an even better week, grabbing himself a kiss from Heidi Klum, and a Golden Buzzer from guest judge Neil Patrick Harris. For those who aren’t AGT regulars, this means he doesn’t have to screw around with anymore elimination rounds, he advances straight on to the live finals at Radio City Music Hall. It also means he got sprayed with a whole lot of gold confetti.
Piff is no Flash in the Pan magic dragon. He has over 12 million YouTube views, five record breaking runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a stand out performance on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and six months in Vegas. His magic inspirations are Penn & Teller and calls Seinfeld his comedy inspiration, and his favorite television show is Adventure Time.
The IBang: Who is the judge that you most wanted to impress when you prepared for America’s Got Talent?
Piff The Magic Dragon: Howard Stern.
The IBang: How many costume ideas did you go through before you settled on this one?
Piff The Magic Dragon: What are you talking about? I’m a magic dragon. I work naked.
The IBang: Why do you think Neil Patrick Harris picked you for his golden buzzer act?
Piff The Magic Dragon: I think he wanted my sandwich.
The IBang: What was going through your head when you found out you’re going through?
Piff The Magic Dragon: I was totally transfixed by all the gold flying around the room. Dragons really love Gold. Mmm. Gold. Sorry, what was the question?
The IBang: Where did you learn magic?
Piff The Magic Dragon: When you’re a magic dragon it goes with the territory. I basically hatched out of the egg clutching a four of diamonds.
The IBang: Where does a magic dragon vacation when he’s not working?
Piff The Magic Dragon: By the sea.
The IBang: You perform all over the world, where’s your favorite place to perform?
Piff The Magic Dragon: Las Vegas. Because the whole world comes to Vegas. So it saves me the airfare.
The IBang: What’s the difference between performing for American vs. UK audiences?
Piff The Magic Dragon: American audiences are definitely more vocal in their support. English audiences are a bit more reserved.
The IBang: Are you a fan of any of the other acts this year?
Piff The Magic Dragon: Yes. Lots of them. Drew Lynch. Triple Threat. Heavenly Joy Jenkins. Many more.
The IBang: What advice would you have for someone who wants to get on AGT next season?
Piff The Magic Dragon: Apply and audition. Until you’ve done that it will be difficult to get on.
Why magician David Blaine decided to show up for the Pluto mission..
David Blaine: He’s the guy who survived being electrocuted for 72 hours, frozen for 63 hours and submerged in water for 17 minutes. So what makes him a good fit for an appearance at the New Horizons Pluto flyby mission?
Well, who cares? He did it anyway, taking the stage in his signature all-black outfit in the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Tuesday night — just hours before NASA got confirmation that the spacecraft survived its encounter with the Pluto system earlier in the morning.
Space and magic. David Blaine performing at tonight’s New Horizons party. Phone home signal is coming! pic.twitter.com/apyFJ9sTkx
The NASA scientists and space enthusiasts gathered let out oohs and aahs as he sent invisible playing cards beneath the wristwatch of an unsuspecting volunteer. His big act of the night was having a woman pick out a puzzle piece at random that fit perfectly into an image of space — right where Pluto is supposed to be. Read more…
By Kate Benz.. Who would have thought that the little kid perusing the aisles of The Cuckoo’s Nest on the South Side would one day be performing magic tricks for a national TV audience?
Having scored corporate gigs by the ripe old age of 12, West Mifflin native Michael Grandinetti was road tripping out west to appear in television specials on NBC by the time he was a senior at Duquesne University. When he graduated in 1999, it was Los Angeles or bust, where the tantalizing combination of magic and TV proved too much to resist.
“It was a great opportunity to watch the best of the best in entertainment work,” he says.
These days, that includes Grandinetti. With two shows already on the air — “Don’t Blink,” (11 p.m. Thursdays on PopTV) and Season 2 of “Masters of Illusion” (8 p.m. Fridays on the CW) — he’s working on death-defying illusions he promises will become the stuff of legend.
