Browsed by
Tag: magicians

Magicians could disappear from Raleigh Housing Authority street signs..

Magicians could disappear from Raleigh Housing Authority street signs..

In an ongoing dispute with the Raleigh Housing Authority, Raleigh’s Newsobserver continues it’s polemic against one of the best run housing authorities in the South..

RALEIGH — The Raleigh Housing Authority is considering again renaming the streets in its Walnut Terrace development, replacing the names of obscure magicians with black educators and other notable figures in the neighborhood’s history.

The agency recently drew fire for changing street names in the community – which is being rebuilt as a mixed-income neighborhood – to honor historical names in magic like French conjurer Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin and Austrian card magician Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser.

Dark Art: Spectacular Illusions from the Golden Age of Magic..

Dark Art: Spectacular Illusions from the Golden Age of Magic..

Wonderful article by Hunter Oatman-Stanford for COLLECTORS WEEKLY, complete with over twenty classic magic poster photos. They alone are worth the visit..

At the height of the live-magic era, seeing was believing. On a nightly basis, heads were severed and reattached, horses levitated from the stage, and bullets were caught in mid-air. To advertise these impossible feats, magicians at the turn of the 20th century commissioned vividly illustratedposters, emblazoned with exotic-sounding names and ominously scowling faces, daring you to doubt them. More than 100 years later, these posters still provoke an insatiable desire to see these illusions firsthand.

“How do you look at a poster of somebody being decapitated and not buy a ticket to see it performed live?”

Magicians of the period typically got their start in vaudeville, sandwiched between song-and-dance routines and stand-up comedians. But if an illusionist had enough charisma, he or she might strike out on their own, headlining a show of death-defying acts and sleights of hand that left crowds dumbfounded. Fans especially loved the darker side of magic, so the most successful magicians frequently toyed with life and death, evoking the power of some otherworldly being.

Read More

A Reality Show About Magicians…

A Reality Show About Magicians…

Thanks to Angela Watercutter and WIRED.for the article…

.Rick Lax is a close-up magician; yes, for real. About a year and a half ago, he put together a homemade reality TV pilot called Wizard Wars, in which a bunch of Las Vegas illusionists faced off a la Chopped to see who could invent the best new trick. I interviewed Lax about it at the time, and during the conversation we joked that the ball was now in Syfy’s court. Obviously, that would probably never happen.

Obviously, we were wrong.

On March 4, Syfy will debut Wizard Wars in slightly different form: an hour-long special that pits magic-makers against each other in an attempt to win cash and bragging rights. (Turns out the idea of pairs of magicians battling each other and then going toe-to-toe with top magicians makes for pretty good TV.)

Read More

Masters of Puppets – Renowned Entertainers to Gather and Perform in Oxnard

Masters of Puppets – Renowned Entertainers to Gather and Perform in Oxnard

I’m glad to report on anything pertaining to KIDabra. They are a first rate group of performers who promote family entertainment at the highest level.. Thanks to the Ventura County Reporter and   Daphne Khalida Kilea for the informative article..

A gathering of renowned magicians, puppeteers, ventriloquists and other entertainers is usually something you’d expect to find in a city like Las Vegas. On the evening of Saturday, Feb.1, however, the excitement and wonder of such an occasion will be available locally during a public gala at the Mandalay Beach Embassy Suites Hotel in Oxnard.

The event will be hosted by KIDabra International Association (a professional performer’s association) and Axtell Expressions (an entertainment company in Ventura). The partnership between the two organizations formed KAX, which is behind the gathering of performers at the Embassy Suites.

KIDabra has operated for more than 20 years as the foremost network for performers of all levels of experience in family entertainment and is led by Mark Daniel and his wife, Tami Daniel. Axtell Expressions is owned by Steve Axtell (pictured) an expert puppet builder and puppeteer, who started his company in the 1980s and is currently the leading supplier of props for many of KIDabra’s performers.

Read More