Siegfried is scheduled to be back in the Siegfried & Roy show after a three-week hiatus due to a severe case of the flu. The previously cancelled anniversary show and press conference is back on for Monday Jan. 29. After the VIP show Siegfried & Roy are expected to announce their new "historic" contract with the Mirage Hotel & Casino. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that "There was speculation a decision was made that the show must go on to counter rampant rumors, and anticipated tabloid headlines, that Siegfried was seriously ill." To read the Jan. 28 story by Norm titled "Snipes on wrong end of law at Mandalay Bay" click: HERE.(1/29)

Peter Chua got hooked on magic after visiting Alan Alan's "Magic Spot" in London has now opened his own magic shop in Johor Baru, Malaysia. In a New Straits Times Chua said "...with magic, innovation and interpretation extends a simple trick into an artform." To read the Jan. 27 article titled "Peter Chua's addiction to magic" supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(1/29)
--A second article about Chua's Magic Spot also appeared on Jan. 27 in The New Straits Times. To read the article titled "Magic Spot gaining popularity among JB" click: HERE.(1/29)

Christian Engblom, Ed Alonzo, Terry Lunceford, Jack Murray, Steve Dacri, Frank Thurston appearing at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, on Jan. 29-Feb. 4. Christian Engblom lectures on Sunday Feb. 4.(1/29)

NEW JERSEY: Carl Cloutier will present his new lecture on Wednesday Jan. 31 at 8pm for JMMRT at the V.F.W. (Pennsylvania Railroad Ave., two blocks from the NJ Transit - Linden train station) in Linden, New Jersey. Cost to non-members is $12. For more information phone Al Hillman at: 732-257-3456 or click: HERE.(1/29)

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David Fisher's outstanding and suspenseful book "The War Magician" based on the adventures of Jasper Maskelyne might finally become a movie. After years of speculation which linked Tom Cruise as the star of the movie it looks like it might actually happen. Paramount Pictures has just acquired the rights to the book with Cruise as the lead -- it is expected to begin shooting late this year -- after Cruise completes his role in "Minority Report." The book centered around Maskelyne's involvement in World War II where he used illusions to hide armies and appear to move entire harbors. Many stories have run about this project in the past few days -- the following three contain the best information.
--To read the Jan. 30, The Times, article by Adam Sherwin titled "Heroic magician gets Hollywood treatment" click: HERE.
--To read the Jan. 29 Hollywood Reporter story by Beth Laski and Zorianna Kit titled "Par declaring 'War' for Cruise" click: HERE.
--To read the Jan. 30 blurb in the London Telegraph click: HERE.(1/30)

A nice story about William B. Coffman who is an amateur magician in Maryland appeared in the Washington Post. Mentioned in the article were Barry's Magic Shop and Al's Magic Shop with several quotes from Stan Cohen. To read the Jan. 29 story by Phil McCombs titled "Movin' With His Magic" click: HERE.(1/30)

Scott C. Willoughby, president of I.B.M. Ring 172, is featured in a Arizona Daily Star article. To read the Jan. 14 story titled "60-Second Profile Local faces in the arts Scott C. Willoughby Magician" supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(1/30)

A correction about yesterday's Siegfried & Roy story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal states that Siegfried was back to do one VIP anniversary show on Monday but the media event was rescheduled for Feb. 26. To read the Jan. 29 article by Norm titled "Stern wins his big bet at the Hard Rock" click: HERE.(1/30)

Penn & Teller close off January with an appearance at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ on Jan. 31 at 8pm. Tickets range from $20-40 and are available by phoning: 732-246-7469.(1/30)

CANADA: Peter Marucci lectures for the Hat and Rabbit Club (IBM Ring 17) in Toronto on Feb. 1.(1/30)

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Turns out that the Gary Ouellet show "Lumiere" may have been an idea by Apollonia Kotero whose agent is speaking to Ouellet about. Ouellet commented in a Las Vegas Review-Journal article that they are "hoping to come to an arrangement." In the same article Siegfried & Roy's publicist Frank Lieberman said about Siegfried, "He's far from full strength... He's tried to come back and just hasn't been able to." To read the Jan. 30 article by Mike Weatherford titled "Prince's ex-girlfriend lays claim to Aladdin's 'Lumiere' show" click: HERE.(1/31)

Jack Devlin, on behalf of the Magic Circle told Reuters, about the upcoming movie about Jasper Maskelyne's adventures during World War II, that "It's wonderful -- anything about magicians is a good thing and this man came from a wonderful magic dynasty." To read the Jan. 30 article titled "British Conjuring Hero Casts Spell Over Hollywood" click: HERE.(1/31)

Matt Davids is featured in his college newspaper the Independent Florida Alligator from the University of Florida. He is described as trying to be what David Blaine's TV shows show him doing -- that of performing "...street magic not for money or even for the attention, but because he enjoys touching others' lives." Describing what he loves about magic he said, "I think the absolute best thing about performing is changing someone's life or inspiring them... I enjoy having people laugh and go crazy." To read the Jan. 29 story by Jennifer Plantada titled "Healing Hands" click: HERE.(1/31)

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OHIO: Father Cyprian has just been added to the already outstanding lineup for the 70th annual Magi-Fest which takes place on Feb. 1-3 in Columbus. Also on the bill are: Norm Nielsen, Michael Ammar, Johnny Ace Palmer, Whit Haydn, Dana Daniels, The Majestix, Junge Junge, Hank Moorehouse, Lupe, Ed Ellis, Sean Bogunia, Joel Broock, Gregor, Phillip Kaiser, Duane & Mary Laflin, Joel Ward, Rachel Wild, Tom Jones, and much more. This is one of the largest magic conventions in the U.S. which attracts close to a thousand magicians each year. Registration is $70 per person. For more information click: HERE.(2/1)

The Shankars' World of Magic Udupi will be organizing the second GILI GILI 2001 convention in Udupi, South India on Nov. 23-25. Their last convention in 1997 attracted 3,000 spectators to watch a reenactment of the legendary "Indian Rope Trick." The event got a lot of worldwide press and made it to the cover of the Linking Ring magazine. This year's convention wants to attract a larger contingent of foreign performers, and registrants and will be able to subsidize their trip. If you are interested in attending of for more information click: HERE.(2/1)

Penn & Teller spend February touring through the East Coast with shows at the Clemens Center in Elmira, NY (Feb. 1), John Harms Center in Englewood, NJ (2), Scranton Cultural Arts Center in Scranton, PA (4), the Fine Arts Center in Amherst, MA (6), and the Schubert Theatre in Boston, MA (13-15).(2/1)

Larry Maples and Raven will be performing their Theater of Illusion Show on board the m/s Norwegian Wind starting on Feb. 3 and continuing till September.(2/1)

Le Grand David and his Spectacular Magic Company perform every Sunday in February at 3pm at the Cabot St. Cinema Theatre (286 Cabot St.) in Beverly, MA. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12. For more information and tickets phone: 978-927-3677.(2/1)

Bill Watson who performed at the Timaru District Library said in a Timaru Herald article that, "A magician relies on 90 per cent showmanship and 10 per cent magic." To read the Jan. 25 article titled "Casting a spell; Young audience enchanted" supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(2/1)

MARYLAND: Carl Cloutier lectures at Denny & Lee Magic Studio (325 South Marlyn Avenue) in Baltimore on Saturday Feb. 3 at 7:30pm. For more information phone: 410-686-3914.(2/1)

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David and Dania Maas who are quick change artists and magicians are featured in a Tennessean article where the act is described as, "While ballroom dancing, the couple goes through 10 split-second costume changes in less than 10 minutes." Describing one of the things that make their act special, David said "We're one of the only magic acts that is completely surrounded by an audience." To read the Jan. 28 article titled "There's Nothing Like A Circus Ronald McDonald Performers Bring All Kinds Of Magic To Arena" supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(2/2)

Cindy Marvell, Carter Brown and Jeffrey Daymont star in Lazer Vaudeville which "combines high-tech laser magic with the traditional arts of vaudeville to create an original theatrical production." The show runs on Sunday Feb. 4 at 3pm at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts (3506 Gwynnbrook Ave.) in Owings Mills, MD. Admission is $9-11. For more information and reservations click: HERE.(2/2)

Siegfried & Roy and Danny Gans' shows at the Mirage in Las Vegas increased the hotel's entertainment revenue by $9.2 million, according to a Las Vegas Sun article. To read the Feb. article by David Strow titled "MGM MIRAGE earnings rise as Strip casinos perform well" click: HERE.(2/2)

ENGLAND: Mark Leveridge lectures for the Northamptonshire Magicians' Club on Tuesday Feb. 6 at 8pm. For more information click: HERE.(2/2)

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Penn & Teller whose show has been touring through New Jersey are feature in The Record. The article quotes Teller about the state of magic, their creative process, the point of the show, about his new book, and much more. Asked about their 25 years of performing Teller said, "I hope to tour until I croak... Which, if I'm lucky, will happen in full view onstage." To read the Feb. 2 preview by Harry Terjanian titled "Magic with a rabbit punch" click: HERE.(2/3)

Steve Wyrick and Melinda's shows in Las Vegas are discussed and reviewed in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Now that they have been running for a few months and have gotten many of the kinks out, the newspaper takes a second look. "Melinda -- First Lady of Magic" is described as, "The show flies by in a brisk 75 minutes, and will soon be the only one to include two variety acts -- juggler Anthony Gatto and Los Huincas Gauchos -- while both Bally's "Jubilee!" and the Tropicana's "Folies Bergere" are cutting back to one." The reviewer was not as kind to Wyrick who's show he describes as "Wyrick is now to the point where he needs to figure out how to run the show, instead of the show running him." To read the Feb. 2 article by Mike Weatherford titled "Competing magic shows worth a second look" click: HERE.(2/3)

Oscar Munoz is featured in The Arizona Daily Star where he is described as, "Munoz performs more than 450 Las Vegas-style shows a year in the United States, South Korea, Japan and Mexico. To read the Jan. 19 story titled "'It's Magic' to feature Munoz" supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(2/3)

John Shryock who performed at the pre-inaugural parties is featured in an article in The Arizona Daily Star. To read the Jan. 20 story titled "Tucsonan lends magic to inaugural fun" supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(2/3)

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Marc Salem has just been announced as the winner of a "2001 Back Stage Bistro Award for Outstanding Excellence in Cabaret." He won in the category of "Unique Entertainment" for last year's show, "Mind Games and All That Jazz" at Feinstein’s at the Regency. The award will be presented during the 16th annual awards ceremony on Mar. 5 at the Supper Club in New York City. Coincidentally he is also mentioned in the current issue of the New Yorker (although not by name) when they discuss the flamboyant fundraisers Mrs. Rich throws -- it seems Salem performed at her Fifth Avenue penthouse right before President Clinton pardoned her ex-husband.(2/4)

Ronnie Gann died on Feb. 1 in West Haven, CT at the age of 67. Gann was the owner of Max Holden's Magic Studio in Boston. As a performer he was billed as "Mr. Mystery." He also wrote "The Wizard of Odds" in 1964. To read the Feb. 3 obituary from the Hartford Courant click: HERE.(2/4)

Siegfried & Roy are now back on a semi-regular schedule after Siegfried's long battle with the flu. According to the Las Vegas Sun "Siegfried (and partner, Roy) returned to work on Monday, although they were only scheduled to do five shows a week instead of usual eight." To read the Feb. 2 article by Kate Maddox titled "Club bigwig hits the big screen" click: HERE.(2/4)

David Oliver, Mike Bent, Jamy Ian Swiss, Todd Robbins, Simon Lovell and Dennis Kyriakos appear at Monday Night Magic on Feb. 5 at 8pm in NYC. For tickets call Ticketmaster at: 212-307-4100.(2/4)

EAST COAST: Paul Gordon comes to the U.S. with his "Impromptu Card Magic" lecture. Scheduled appearances include: Diamond Magic in MA (Feb. 7), Kenzo's Magic Mart in Baltimore, MD (10), JMMRT in Linden, NJ (14), Marc DeSouza's in Gulph Mills, PA (15), and SAM Parent Assembly in New York City (16). For more information e-mail: lecturenet@aol.com.(2/4)

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