David Blaine has announced that his next network television special will be titled "David Blaine: Drowned Alive" and will air on May 8 at 8pm ET on ABC-TV. Unlike previous shows this one will last two hours. The stunt that will coincide with the special will begin on May 1 at Lincoln Center in New York City where he will spend a week in a specially built aquarium. The stunt will conclude on live television where he will attempt to break a world record for holding one's breath under water. The current record is just under nine minutes. To read the Apr. 13 Associated Press story titled "Magician set to Live in Aquarium" click: HERE.(4/17)

The Flicking Fingers are ten magicians from Germany who have taken the magic world by storm. Since their debut at FISM they have made very few appearances as a group. During April and May of this year they will be in the United States. The tour begins at the exclusive FFFF convention in New York followed by a week at the Magic Castle. The tour concludes with a very special once in a lifetime opportunity on May 13-14 in New York City where they will present their Finger-Festival for the first time in the United States. The two day event will feature the full FISM show and lecture, followed by additional lectures about all facets of magic and performance. There will also be a stage show open to the public and a Formal Close-Up show to conclude the event. Seating for the Festival is limited to 100 people -- additional seats for the stage show are available for only $25 per person. For more information and reservations click: HERE.(4/17)
--For Information about the public show click: HERE.(4/17)

"Keith Barry: Extraordinary" has been set to air on CBS-TV on May 12 at 8pm ET. The one-hour special will showcase Barry performing magic and mentalism for celebrities. Audiences will include: Jessica Simpson, Matthew McConaughey, Wilmer Valderrama, Elijah Wood, Nicollette Sheridan, Vivica A. Fox, Regina King, Tichina Arnold, Rachel Hunter, Eve, David Krumholtz, Jann Carl, Mark Steines, and Nicole Scherzinger.(4/17)

Gerry Griffin's California Magic Dinner Theater in Martinez, California celebrates its second anniversary on Apr. 1. An Inside Bay Area article quoted Griffin, "This is the culmination of what I've always wanted to do… When a lot of people think about magic, they think of rabbits coming out of hats or children's shows. That's fine, but magic in its truest sense is meant to be seen live in an intimate setting -- not a stadium or showroom. What we do here is bring in the cream of the crop and let people watch them work up close." To read the Apr. 7 article by Chad Jones titled "MmmmmMagic!" click: HERE.(4/17)

Salvano (Tomasz Chelminski, September 17, 1929-April 11, 2006) dies at the age of 76. Salvano performed one of the best stage acts in magic. It was funny, entertaining and it fooled you. As a lecturer he was world-renowned for his skills with thumbtips and ropes. His legacy includes two recently re-released DVDs from the Greater Magic Library where he discusses and explains his magic as well as performing his act. The funeral will be held at the Warsaw Catholic Cemetery on the 18th in Poland.(4/17)

Harry Anderson's "Wise Guy" show is scheduled to reopen on Thursday Apr. 20 at his nightclub; Oswald's Speakeasy (1331 Decatur St.) in New Orleans. Shortly after the show's opening last year, New Orleans was hit with the devastating hurricane that brought the entire area to a stand still. Currently shows are scheduled for Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm. Tickets are only $25 per person. For reservations phone: 504-218-5953.(4/17)

The Illusionist starring Edward Norton as a magician is scheduled get it's national theatrical release on Aug. 18. To read the Apr. 12 Sci-Fi Wire titled "Illusionist Gets August Date" click: HERE.(4/17)

"Burt Dickenson, Most Powerful Magician on the Planet Earth" written by Chad Kultgen has been acquired by New Line Cinema to be made into a movie. The Story revolves around "Burt Dickenson, who has lost his inner magic after accidentally killing his partner and who now has to find a way to rekindle it to fight his rival, a magician named Xander Storm." To read the Apr. 11 Reuters story titled "Latest Hollywood Script Deals" click: HERE.(4/17)

Dean Gunnarson is featured in a Winnipeg Sun article about his fight with cancer. The article reported, "Although he has travelled the world performing death-defying predicaments, his most painful ... and certainly most death-defying escape ... began 30 years ago, April 6, 1976, after being diagnosed with life-threatening leukemia and being given a 20% chance of survival." Gunnarson explained, "I'm here because 40 years ago, people cared enough to invest in research, resulting in treatment that in my case, fortunately, led to complete remission. The more we invest in the battle against this deadly disease, the more success we'll have. Thanks to continuing research, a diagnosis of cancer is a little less frightening than it was in my day." To read the Apr. 5 story by Laurie Mustard titled "Escape artist's top act: beating cancer" click: HERE.(4/17)

Ross Wasielke is profiled in the Pocono Record where they report, "In his show, 'The Power of Persuasion,' Wasielke entertains his audience with his ability to predict what playing card, what letter of the alphabet, what symbol or movie a person is thinking of. …Ross Wasielke is a mentalist. Mentalism, he explains, is the art and skill of using extrasensory perception, thought projection, precognition, clairvoyance and mind reading to entertain through audience participation." To read the Mar. 27 article by Carol O'Neill titled "Ross Wasielke" click: HERE.(4/17)

Morgan Strebler is profiled in a Las Vegas Sun article which reports, "He told me that last year he performed in more than 450 90-minute shows in Seoul and London that attracted 1 million people. He has gigs lined up in Australia and New Zealand." The article continues, "But he's not quite ready for the Strip yet, and he knows it. He said he's taken to heart the advice he received from Rick Thomas, a wonderfully graceful magician. 'He told me it's better to be bad somewhere else and hone my act before I try to sell it here,' Morgan said." To read the Mar. 26 article by Tom Gorman titled "Being top magician is no easy trick" click: HERE.(4/17)