Magicians have been with us for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Historians date the first usage of the word as early as the 14th century, and trace its etymological origins to themagus, a type of ancient Persian priest, and cognate maghdim, a Chaldean term for “wisdom and philosophy.” Fast-forward a handful of centuries later, and the word’s basic connotations still apply, at least to modern-day magician John Rizen, a Canadian-born magic master and mogul currently based in Vancouver, BC. For the past six years, Rizen had managed to carve out a career path doing what he loves, through hard work, self-defined hustle, and of course — and please forgive the mandatory pun — a little magic. Read the interview…
Series Hails From “House” Creator and Executive Producer David Shore and Co-Creators and Executive Producers David Hoselton and David Titcher
From “House” creator and executive producer David Shore, the new mystery adventure drama series HOUDINI & DOYLE, starring Michael Weston (“House,” “Six Feet Under”), Stephen Mangan (“Episodes”) and Rebecca Liddiard (“Man Seeking Woman”), will premiere on Monday, May 2 (9/8c), following an all-new episode of GOTHAM (8/7c) on FOX. HOUDINI & DOYLE will debut simultaneously on the Canadian television network Global.
Inspired by true events, the series follows two great men of the 20th Century and real-life friends – HARRY HOUDINI (Weston), master magician, escape artist and paranormal debunker; and SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (Mangan), prolific writer, creator of “Sherlock Holmes” and paranormal aficionado. They grudgingly join forces with New Scotland Yard to investigate unsolved, inexplicable and possibly supernatural crimes, alongside the first female Constable of the London Metropolitan Police Force, ADELAIDE STRATTON (Rebecca Liddiard, “Man Seeking Woman”).
In the series, Houdini, Doyle and Stratton are tasked with the cases that nobody else can solve. It challenges their sense of what is real and what is not. Houdini is a skeptic, while Doyle believes in the unseen. Their diverse viewpoints make solving crime a challenge and often Stratton is put in the middle. The trio will take on cases that involve vampires, ghosts, monsters and poltergeists…or are they a ruse to conceal murder?
LAS VEGAS, NV (Mar. 20, 2016) – Vegas stars Jarrett & Raja, known as The Magic and Piano Guys, will be appearing on ABC’s hit TV show “Shark Tank” where they will stand before Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, and Robert Herjavec. Air date: Friday, April 22, 2016 at 9pm
Jarrett & Raja were one of only 140 entrepreneurs selected from over 43,000 applicants to the ABC show, produced by Sony Entertainment.
The charismatic magic duo has also been seen on NBC’s #1 hit show, “America’s Got Talent” as semi-finalists and Howie Mandel’s favorite Wild Card pick (season 7) where they produced a full orchestra on stage. They also appeared in SyFy’s “Wizard Wars” with Penn & Teller (2014), BBC’s “The Slammer” (2013), and The CW’s “Masters of Illusion” hosted by Dean Cain (2014 – 2016). They can also be seen this summer on their third season of The CW’s “Masters of Illusion”.
The two talents came together in an impromptu performance at The Friar’s Club in NYC, and thus the act was born. They performed as a cabaret act in Greenwich Village, Lincoln Center, and at Hollywood’s prestigious Magic Castle. After moving to Las Vegas, they immediately landed a residency at The Regent Hotel in Summerlin. They could also be seen at the “Golden Rainbow” shows here in Las Vegas.
Since then, Jarrett & Raja have performed their live show to over 2 million people worldwide. The guys co-starred in “America’s Got Talent LIVE” at The Palazzo Hotel in 2013, where 5 of the TV show’s most popular acts comprised the lineup produced by Fremantle Media. They headlined in a $35M Mark Fisher production at Resorts World (Singapore) called “Voyage de la Vie” (2010-2012) that was directed by Phil McKinley (“ShowStoppers”, “Spiderman Turn Off The Dark”). The guys then worked with Cirque du Soleil director, Guy Caron (KA, Dralion) during their second year in Singapore. In 2009, they wowed audiences at the legendary Vegas show, “JUBILEE!” at Bally’s Hotel, and performed with the band One Republic at the Holiday Celebration at Americana in Los Angeles. They were invited, in 2008, to Budapest to magic consult on a feature film.
In 2005, Director Kenny Ortega (“High School Musical” and Michael Jackson’s “This is It!”) brought their show to London for special appearances with David LaChapelle, Pamela Anderson and The Pussycat Dolls. Jarrett & Raja starred in China’s “Elements” (2007), the prestigious Edinburgh Festival (2004), a sold out British tour (2005), and China’s Shenzhen Magic Festival (2003).
Magician Jarrett Parker studied under the legendary Harry Blackstone, Jr. and was mentored by the creative mind behind Doug Henning and numerous Broadway hits, Charles Reynolds. Currently he and Raja work with the brilliant mind of Johnny Thompson as a consultant for shows and television. Pianist Raja Rahman is a graduate of The Juilliard School, having studied with Seymour Lipkin, Jerome Lowenthal, Byron Janis, and Lev Vlassenko. Raja has toured Europe with legendary conductors Mstislav Rostropovich, Sir Georg Solti, and Iona Brown. In addition, he has taught at The Juilliard School and currently teaches privately in Las Vegas. When not performing with Jarrett & Raja, Raja is a concert pianist with frequent appearances at the Met in NYC. He performed on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in October of 2015. http://www.jarrettandraja.com Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/jarrettandraja
MAGIC NEWS has learned that the How I Met Your Mother and Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress Alyson Hannigan has signed on to host season 3 of the CW series.. Penn & Teller’s FOOL US…
Formerly hosted by Jonathan Ross, the new season is set to premiere in the summer on the CW.
To quote the Hollywood Reporter: This is one of Hannigan’s first TV gigs since How I Met Your Mother wrapped in 2014, and her biggest commitment following the nine-year comedy. Her other appearances include a guest role on CBS’ The McCarthys and appearances on NBC’s Hollywood Game Night. She is repped by APA and McKuin Frankel.
“My oldest daughter and I are huge fans of the show, so I am so excited to be hosting a program our whole family can watch together,” said Hannigan. “Not to mention, Penn & Teller are genius entertainers, so any opportunity to work with them is amazing. And, of course, I’ve always wanted to play Vegas!”
Added Jillette: “Teller and I are big fans of Alyson. She is talented, smart and funny. We are so happy that she’s joining us as host this season. She has promised us that she loves magic and can’t get enough. She’d better not be bluffing, because we’re going to give her more than enough.”
