Derek Hughes stars as Jamie in the new UPN sitcom "As If" which premieres on Tuesday Mar. 5 at 9pm ET. The new show is based on a British show of the same name and revolves around the lives of six people in their twenties living in Los Angeles. Currently seven episodes are scheduled and will run through Apr. 16. Hughes has presented a number of one-man magic shows and has appeared as an actor in several TV shows and commercials. To visit the show's official website click: HERE.(3/4)

David Copperfield performs his vanishing duck routine with Tom Daschle at the Sunday Mar. 3 taping of the annual Ford's Theatre benafit, which will air on ABC-TV in the near future. To read the Mar. 3 Associated Press article titled "Stevie Wonder Unites Bush, Foes" click: HERE.(3/4)

The Georges Méliès DVD "Méliès the Magician" is reviewed in the New York Times where they point out that "He was among the first to use split- screen photography, double exposure, stop-action animation and trick editing. He was also among the first filmmakers to write specific music to be played along with his silent films." To read the Mar. 3 review by Phil Hall titled "An Early Magician of Movies" click: HERE.(3/4)

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Col. Frank Merrill Seymour died on Feb. 28 at the age of 90. Seymour who at one time billed himself as the "Southern Colonel of Corn" (a titled bestowed on him by Gov. Orval Faubus in 1958) was very active in the Little Rock, Arkansas magic scene and ran the "Seymour School of Magic" which taught and inspired a countless number of magicians to pursue the hobby and career. A remembrance will be held on Tuesday Mar. 5 at 11:30am at the Griffin Leggett Healey and Roth Chapel in Little Rock. To read an obituary in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette click: HERE.(3/5)

Michael McKay who performs at the Winona State University on Sunday is quoted in a Winona Daily News article, "My goal in life… is to put a smile on the face of everyone we meet." To read the Mar. 4 article by Kirsten Singleton titled "No hocus pocus; magician putting on free show at WSU" click: HERE.(3/5)

Eric Gagne performs a "poker-through-the-tongue trick" for a Kennebec Journal article which has Gagne describe what he does, "I do six big illusions. I have levitations. Disappearances. I mix this with parlor-sized illusions. It's a nice flow." To read the Mar. 4 article by Lynn Ascrizzi titled "Abracadabra, voilà!" click: HERE.(3/5)

CALIFORNIA: Jonathan Pendragon lectures for the Misdirections Magic Shop on Thursday Mar. 7 at 7:30pm at the Unity Center (2222 Bush St.) in San Francisco. For more information phone: 415-566-2180.(3/5)

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Two new magic shows open in Las Vegas on Friday Mar. 8 at the new Greek Isles Hotel/Casino (formally the Debbie Reynold's Casino). The afternoon magic show will be Dixie Dooley's reprisal of "Houdini Lives Again" where he recreates some Houdini escapes while talking about the legend. The evening show at the hotel is "That's Magic" starring Christian Augustine whose show is described as "Breathtaking illusions, exotic birds combined with fun for the whole family." Shows run on Wednesdays through Sundays with a price tag of $27.27 per person which includes a drink. For tickets and reservations phone: 702-457-8448.(3/6)

Arnold Furst died on Feb. 22 at the age of 83. Furst was best known to magicians as the inventor of the classic "Fresh Fish" paper tear where a strip of paper with the words "Fresh Fish Sold Here Today" is torn into pieces using a comical presentation and then restored. As a magician he toured during WWII with the USO presenting his classic routine with Oscar the white rabbit. After the war he performed in nightclubs and did many shows for children. His success however, came in the field of Hypnotism where he wrote a number of very successful books about using hypnosis for therapy. The magic books he wrote include: Famous Magicians of the World (1957), Magic for Monsters (aka Kid Stuff 6 – 1960), Mightier Than The Bullet (1961), Great Magic Shows (1968), and How to Get Publicity in Newspaper ... and Other Media (1975). To read a Mar. 5 Los Angeles Times obituary titled "Arnold Furst, 83; Magician, Hypnotist Touted Hypnotherapy" click: HERE.(3/6)

The Sorcerer's Summer Safari Magic Camp, which runs on Aug. 12-18 in Canada, is featured in a Feb. 25 Globe and Mail article titled "A truly magical time." Director Mike Segal points out that "The camp is really a fairly serious thing… It’s not just to do some card tricks for friends and family." For more information about the camp click: HERE.(3/6)

Andre Stosch-Sarrasani who is the director of the Sarrasani Circus is profiled in a Frankfurter Allgemeine article where he discusses his parents wanting him to become a magician. The article quotes Stosch-Sarrasani "'Magic shows are really expensive,' he says, although he does not want to specify just how expensive. But the effort is worth it -- today, magic is one of Stosch-Sarrasani's trademarks." To read the Mar. 5 article by Sybille Wilhelm titled "Marketing Magic" click: HERE.(3/6)

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PRESS RELEASE: RESIDENT MAGICIAN WANTED.

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Murray Hatfield & Teresa, Sean Bogunia, Jay Mattioli, R.G. Smith, and Marty Putz star in "R.G. Smith's 15th Annual Comedy & Magic Spectacular" which will tour through Pennsylvania and Maryland during March and April. The March dates include: East High Auditorium in West Chester, PA on Mar. 9 at 2:30 and 7pm and Lampeter-Strasburg High Auditorium in Lancaster, PA on Mar. 23 at 7pm. Shows are a benefit to fund local centers for the prevention of child abuse. More than $1.25 million have been raised over the past 15 years. For more information e-mail: rg_magic@hotmail.com.(3/8)

Penn & Teller are back on tour during March with shows at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts in Springfield, MO on Mar. 8, Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls, IA on Mar. 9-10, Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, Clinton Township, MI on Mar. 13, Flint Cultural Center, Flint, MI on Mar. 14, Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo, MI on Mar. 15, Lake Michigan College Auditorium, Benton Harbor, MI on Mar. 16, Emens Auditorium, Muncie, IN on Mar. 18, Raue Center For The Arts, Crystal Lake, IL on Mar. 21, McAninch Arts Center, Glen Ellyn, IL on Mar. 22, Center for the Performing Arts, University Park, IL on Mar. 23, and Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts, IL on Mar. 24. For tickets to some of the shows click: HERE.(3/8)

EAST COAST: Troy Hooser lectures at Denny & Lee Magic Studio (410-686-3914) in Baltimore on Sunday Mar. 10, for IBM Ring #6 (610-917-1132) in Springfield, PA on Monday Mar. 11, and for JMMRT (732-969-2566) at the V.F.W. Hall in Linden on Wednesday Mar. 13.(3/8)
--Hooser will also appear at Ronjo's Magic Shop in Long Island, NY on the 14th and the SAM Parent Assembly in New York City on the 15th.(3/10)

PRESS RELEASE: PABULAR -- BOOK 1 OF A NEW SERIES.

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Harry Anderson is profiled in the March issue of the New Orleans Magazine where he mentions, for the first time, that he got married again. Anderson explains in the article why he moved to New Orleans and that his new Spade & Archer shop will be opening in April and run by appointment only. Explaining what the shop will sell he explained, "It’s an antique magic collection. Props. And also just ephemera from inside my head: models of carnival freaks, electric chairs, a first edition of Ulysses." To read the March article by Russell McCulley titled "Persona: Harry Anderson" click: HERE.(3/9)

Paul and Mhairi Nardini who won the comedy award at the British Magical Championships are featured in an Inside Scotland story that quotes Mr. Nardini, "I'm really glad I made the move into full time magic and couldn't have hoped for a better start to my new career." To read the Mar. 8 article by Clair Robertson titled "Nardinis conjure up comedy crown" click: HERE.(3/9)

Steve Cohen appears on CNN with a short piece about his show Chamber Magic where you see him perform several of the routines from his show. To view the video on the web click: HERE.(3/9)

Frankie Houdini claims to be a distant relative of Harry Houdini in an Ananova article. He will be performing an escape on Mar. 9 in England. To read the Mar. 8 article titled "Oz Houdini to recreate Harry's Dewsbury hanging trick" click: HERE.(3/9)

PRESS RELEASE: HERMANN AND  MARCIA CARR TO PERFORM  AT MAGICIANS CONVENTION.

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The long lost bust of Harry Houdini, the one suspected of being stolen from his gravesite on Aug. 14, 1983 was found in a Long Island home on Friday night Mar. 8. Along with the statue were found newspaper clippings about the theft. It was found through some strange circumstances where the "grave robber" filed a complaint with the local police about his son-in-law stealing some tools from him and the son-in-law in turn tipped the police about the statue. On Saturday the perpetrator was charged with "third-degree possession of stolen property" which can carry a sentence of 1-7 years in prison. A Newsweek article quotes several magicians about the discovery, John Bohannon who speculates that this could be the original bust that disappeared in 1975 and John Bravo from The Houdini Museum is quoted, "This is probably priceless now… I'm elated…I hope they really punish this guy. It's a horror to desecrate somebody's grave." Bruce J. Lish said that the Society of American Magicians "will make a claim" for the return of the bust, which will be kept by the police until after the matter is resolved. It is still unclear whether this is the person who stole the statue or if he acquired it through other means. To read the Mar. 9 Associated Press article titled "Police recover stolen bust of famed magician" click: HERE.
--To read the Mar. 10 article by Sumathi Reddy in Newsweek titled "Latest Reappearing Act Missing Houdini bust found" click: HERE.(3/10)

Murray's new show at the New Frontier in Las Vegas is reviewed in the Las Vegas Sun where many of the routines he is performing in the one-hour show are described. The review was positive with the conclusion that "Murray may sustain for a while, but he will need a strong marketing plan and equally strong word-of- mouth for a long run." To read the Mar. 8 review by Joe Delaney titled "Magician Murray needs stronger jokes, better marketing" click: HERE.(3/10)

Sandy Singer who hosts the internet radio show "A Date With Sinatra" interviews Dean Martin's son Ricci and the conversation turn's to Dean's favorite hobby -- magic. The show will begin airing on Mar. 10 and will be available online for two weeks. To listen to the show click: HERE.(3/10)

The magic shows of Las Vegas are discussed in a lengthy article in The Observer which at times strays into the sarcastic and even caustic. To read the Mar. 10 James Flint article titled "That old Vegas magic makes reality vanish" click: HERE.(3/10)

Frankie Houdini promoting his straight jacket escape in a This Is Leeds article which quotes him, "Basically, when I go out of the front door, I'm on stage. I'll walk around and maybe go up to some people at a bus stop and do some magic and they'll be like, whoa! who's that guy!" To read the Mar. 8 article by Neil Hudson titled "Nice day for a hanging says Mr Houdini" click: HERE.(3/10)

Merlin, produced by the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For Young People, is reviewed in the Toronto Sun where the report that "He's pulled magician David Ben out of a hat to train actors Billy Merasty (as the aged Merlin) and Diana Tso (as Merlin the younger) in enough rudimentary sleight of hand that they can impress." To read the Mar. 9 article by John Coulbourn titled "Merlin lacks magic" click: HERE.(3/10)

Jeff Sheridan, Michael Chaut, Jamy Ian Swiss, Simon Lovell, Frank Brents, and Todd Robbins appear at Monday Night Magic on Mar. 11 at 8pm in NYC. For tickets phone Ticketmaster at: 212-307-4100. For more information click: HERE.(3/10)

Sol Stone in action as he lectures for a standing-room only crowd at the SAM Parent Assembly on Friday March 1 in New York City. (Photo: MagicTimes). (3/10)

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