The Magic Newswire - Magic Week in Review - Magic Newscast - This Week in Magic

Magic Champion Shawn Farquhar, the competition winner at this weekend’s MacMillan’s International Magic Convention joins the ranks of Canadian performers appearing on the Magic Newswire. He talks about his lifelong journey in the world of magic. He shares stories of competing against Juliana Chen after helping her to create her act and shares one of the best anecdotes on meeting Dai Vernon that we’ve ever heard on the show. Lance Burton, Larry Jennings, Bruce Cervon and Ed Marlo also make an appearance. Congratulations to Shawn on his most recent win!  
 

DOWNLOAD THE MP3 :: OR :: GET IT VIA ITUNES

LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH SHAWN FARQUHAR:

WATCH SHAW PERFORM HIS SIGNATURE EFFECT “SHAPE OF MY HEART” ::

I just became aware of the fact that Google has been archiving many of the amazing photos which appeared in Life Magazine during its’ publication which ended in April of 2007. Among these are some real gems from the history of magic including Orson Welles performing, Tony Curtis as Houdini, Herbert Easley, Pierre Cartier, David Copperfield and many, many more. Enjoy this great resource.

I’ve referred to Paper Crane Production’s “Infant” as the best magic trick you’ll never see performed in public. Now we bring you a chat with the lead performer in the film, Shaun Dunn. Shaun talks with us about his beginnings in magic only six years ago,  the creation of Paper Crane Productions, and of course, the back story on “Infant.”

DOWNLOAD THE MP3 :: OR :: GET IT VIA ITUNES

LISTEN TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH SHAUN DUNN:

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT “INFANT”:

Infant by Shaun Dunn from Paper Crane Productions on Vimeo.
 

Just as a reminder, the 2008 World Magic Awards will be broadcast tonight at 8PM EST on My Network TV. Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, the show will feature appearances by Hans Klok, Lance Burton, Steve Valentine and other top illusionists perform to benefit Feed the Children as honors are handed out for categories such as Best Escape Artist, Best Cabaret Magic, Best Comedy Magic and Magician of the Year.

Watch this short promo for the show:

Hugh Jackman, star of the new film Australia is headed to broadway where he’ll return to the world of magic and star as “Houdini.” “The main thing is that Hugh is already working on magic routines. The show, when it materializes, would include Jackman replicating big Houdini tricks on stage. Hugh has already played a magician in the movie, “The Prestige,” so he’s up for it. Magician extraordinaire Ricky Jay is said to be giving him advice. At some point the producers may reach out to David Blaine and to Cirque du Soleil for help.” According to Variety, “They don’t yet have a firm sense of the scale of the musical. It seems likely, though, that the show will fall on the higher end of the Rialto budget continuum, somewhere north of $10 million.” If Cirque, gets in on the project, will we Believe in Houdini? 

The December 2008 issue of Scientific American Magazine features an article on the research that neuroscientists are doing to study misdirection and how it impacts brain function. The article highlights the work of  Johnny Thompson, Penn & Teller and Richard Wiseman. Listed as the Key Concepts are :
Magic tricks often work by covert misdirection, drawing the spectator’s attention away from the secret “method” that makes a trick work. Neuroscientists are scrutinizing magic tricks to learn how they can be put to work in experimental studies that probe aspects of consciousness not necessarily grounded in current sensory reality. Brain imaging shows that some regions are particularly active during certain kinds of magic tricks.

FISM winner, film producer and writer Christian Fechner has passed away at the age of 64. According to Richard Kaufman of Genii Magazine, Fechner had a bout with cancer some years ago which had been in remission, but had been ill all summer. Fechner was also the author of a biography on Robert Houdin entitled “An Artist’s Life.” Fechner also maintained an extensive collection of magic which has been sold over the years by the Swann Galleries.