Dr. Morris Young who died on Nov. 13 at the age of 93 is featured in a New York Times obituary. The article recounts how he became interested in magic, "..he came in touch with magic when he shook the hand of Houdini, who had escaped from being hung upside down from Lawrence's tallest building. By the time Morris was 17, he had perfected a "cataleptic" act, in the highfalutin terminology preferred by stage magicians. He held his body rigid, with his head and toes balanced on the backs of two chairs. Houdini saw the act and helped him get into the Society of American Magicians." To read the Nov. 24 obituary by Douglas Martin titled "Morris Young, doctor and collector, dies at 93" click: HERE.(11/25 –Member site).
----Non-members can also read the obituary in the Seattle Times -- click: HERE.(11/25)
--To read the Nov. 24 Associated Press obituary titled "Morris N. Young, collector of magic books, dies at 93" click: HERE.(11/25)

Penn & Teller's new series on Showtime tentatively titled "Penn & Teller: Bullshit!" is mentioned in a Hollywood Reporter article. The show has been scheduled to begin airing on January 24 at 11pm ET. To read the Nov. 25 article by Andrew Wallenstein titled "Showtime skeds 2 for summer" click: HERE.(11/25)

Amos Levkovitch, Harry Monti, Loren C. Michaels, Jason Tong, Jeff Ezell, Howard Jay, Mark Haslam, and Joshua Seth appear at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles on Nov. 25-Dec. 1.(11/25)

"Houdini's Box: On the Arts of Escape" by Adam Phillips is reviewed in The Observer where it is called "Part psychoanalytic essay and part mystery, this is an enjoyable and clever book, written by somebody not without a sense of irony." To read the Nov. 24 review by Dan Crowe titled "Boxing clever" click: HERE.(11/25)
--To buy the book click: HERE.

MagicTimes | TV Magic Guide | Live Magic Guide | Submit News | Search | Info | Links

David Kaye presents four special magic programs at Lincoln Center on Nov. 26 and Dec. 1 in New York City. The shows are part of their "Meet The Artist" series where Kay will perform magic, speak about its rich history and even teach some principles and effects. The series is for elementary school children from the New York City area and is not open to the public.(11/26)

The Hat and Wand Club near Waterloo, Canada is featured in The Record where they point out, "It's a widely held belief that magicians never share their secrets -- but it's not entirely true. They just don't share them with you." The IBM meeting was opened to the writer of the article who spoke to members Dan Morrissey, Peter Marucci, Gerard Dietrich, Darryl Hutton, and Stephen Gomboc. Ryan Johns explained the strengths of the magic club, "It's a big family of people that work together for encouragement or help... It's all about bouncing ideas off each other, working off each other." To read the Nov. 25 article by Colin Hunter titled "A society for the sleight-of-hand" click: HERE.(11/26)

NEVADA: Jay Scott Berry presents two special lectures at the New Denny & Lee Magic Studios (5115 Industrial Rd.) in Las Vegas. On Saturday Nov. 30 at 3pm he will present his Illusioneering 2002 lecture and on Sunday Dec. 1 at 3pm he presents an intensive Topit lecuture. For more information and reservations phone: 702-740-3500.(11/26)

MagicTimes | TV Magic Guide | Live Magic Guide | Submit News | Search | Info | Links

James Randi's million dollar challenge is tested in a BBC television program that wanted to prove if Homeopathy works. A BBC article talks to the producer of the Horizon show who "…decided to do its own basophil experiments and enlisted the help of the Royal Society, the Royal London Hospital, University College London and Guy's Hospital." The TV show "Horizon: Homeopathy - The Test" airs on Nov. 26-28 in the UK and will see if "ultra-high dilutions could still have a biological effect, then James Randi would have to pay up the million dollars." To read the Nov. 26 article by Nathan Williams titled "Does homeopathy work?" click: HERE.(11/27)

Stephen Mulhern's "The Quick Trick Show" is mentioned in a Guardian article that describes him as, "Mulhern is much livelier, but also more crude. On one show he demonstrated how, using a crushed banana, you can convince your friends you have just covered their hands with snot." To read the Nov. 27 article by Andrew Martin titled "Oh my God, is this what they watch?" click: HERE.(11/27)

TEXAS: Steve Burton received the "Ring 39 Achievement Award" on Nov. 7 "in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the art of magic in the Texas Gulf Coast area." This is only the sixth time the 56 year history of IBM Ring 39 that the award was given.(11/27)

Lance Burton on the air during a live KOOL-FM 93.1 radiothon on Friday November 15 where he gave away tickets to his show in order to raise money for the Variety School and Day Home in Las Vegas. Over his shoulder is his manager and famed Impossiblist Peter Reveen. (Photo: Wayne Bernath). (11/27)

MagicTimes | TV Magic Guide | Live Magic Guide | Submit News | Search | Info | Links

The Horizon television show which took on James Randi's million dollar challenge about the validity of homeopathic medicines looses, or as a London Evening Standard put it, "Despite shameless attempts to invest the experiment with dramatic tension, the answer was an utterly predictable 'no, of course it can't', and yet again it seemed that all scientific 'proof' of homeopathic effects had disappeared as soon as Randi entered the room." A funny analogy made in the article pointed out "…that believing in the efficacy of homeopathic medicines is akin to thinking that somebody urinating in the Irish Sea can cure you of bedwetting if you paddle on Blackpool beach." To read the Nov. 27 article titled "Cure us of these quacks" supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(11/28)

Marc Salem appears at the Haymarket Theatre in Cambridge, England on Nov. 29-30. We understand that the shows have already sold out.(11/28)

Mac King in a Back Stage article about his Vegas show. The article gives a brief bio on King and mentions some of his latest projects. Speaking about moving to Las Vegas Kind said, "I always say it's a bad idea to move here until you have work here… In fact, it seems to be easier to get higher-level work, at least short term, if you don't live here." To read the Nov. 27 article by Jenelle Riley titled "Laughs Vegas" click: HERE.(11/28)

The Searcy Magic Society which presents the Holiday of Lights Magic Show on Saturday Nov. 30 is reported in the Daily Citizen where some of the performers mentioned include: David Roper, John Patterson, Jimmy Rhodes, Sherry Poole, Mike Jones, and Heath Mote. To read the Nov. 27 article titled "Holiday of Lights magic coming to town" click: HERE.(11/28)

MagicTimes | TV Magic Guide | Live Magic Guide | Submit News | Search | Info | Links

The Houdini Museum in Scranton will present its final shows of 2002 on Nov. 30-Dec.1 from 1-4pm with regular tours of the Houdini exhibits and magic shows featuring Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks. For more information phone: 570-342-5555.(11/29)

MagicTimes | TV Magic Guide | Live Magic Guide | Submit News | Search | Info | Links

David Blaine in London preparing for his next stunt is featured in The Mirror where they report, "…his latest Houdini-esque stunt - a jump into the River Thames bound with ropes, handcuffed and wearing boots made of lead." Originally scheduled for February the stunt is now being pitched for May. Blaine also performs magic for the reporter over the phone, "What followed was incredible. I cut the deck into three equal piles, then turned over the top card on one of the them - it was the six of spades…I then carried out random shuffling, re-shuffling and cutting…Unless Blaine had somehow managed to fit cameras in my kitchen in anticipation of our conversation, there was no way he could see what I was doing… Then he instructed me to deal the cards out, reading them out as I go… 'Think of your card,' he said… 'I'm thinking of it.'… 'I know it's a black card, I know it's a spade, it's the six of spades.'" To read the Nov. 29 article by Barbara Davies titled " David Blaine On His Most Death-Defying Stunt" click: HERE.(11/30)

Callin's House of Magic in downtown Portland is featured in a Portland Tribune article that recounts the history, "For nearly a half-century, Callin’s has been the city's 'go-to' shop for local magicians, kids who want to be magicians, theatrical types looking for special effects and props, clowns and jugglers -- and practical jokesters who can’t resist grossing out friends with fake vomit or 'dog dirt.'" Mentioned in the article are Bob Eaton, Eddie and Edna Callin, Richard and Mindy Green, Conrad and Claire Weber, Corey Burke, Mark Allen, and Duane Duvall. To read the Nov. 29 article by Mary Bellotti titled "Institution of illusion" click: HERE.(11/30)

Benny Serna who owns Benzini's Little Shop of Magic in Bosque Farms says that he wants to be a minister. An Albuquerque Journal article reported that "Serna, aka Benzini, has appeared before local church groups using 'magic' pieces of silk fabric to demonstrate how God created Earth and 'how he hung the heavens and the stars.'" To read the Nov. 28 article titled "His magic has a message" click: HERE.(11/30)

Ross MacKay who won the Scottish Young Magician of the Year competition is featured in a Perthshire Advertiser article. To read the Nov. 29 article titled "Ross is the Young Magician of Year" click: HERE.(11/30)

The "Ultimate Magic Set" is being introduced in the UK by MagicTricks. Carl Fraser, the owner of the company, explained, "Because of its more sophisticated, yet simple-to-perform, tricks, The Ultimate Magic Set is particularly well-suited to adults." To read the Nov. 27 press release titled "UK’s Leading Magic E-tailer Introduces Ultimate Magic Set" click: HERE.(11/30)

MagicTimes | TV Magic Guide | Live Magic Guide | Submit News | Search | Info | Links

David Copperfield speaks of his massive collection of magic in a Los Angeles Times article that reported, "These rooms contain possibly the world's largest magic museum, filled with priceless and irreplaceable artifacts on the history and art of magic from around the world. More than 80,000 items are housed in the private museum, which Copperfield has christened the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts." During Copperfield's appearance at the Kodak Theater he will bring some of the larger pieces of his collection to be displayed in the lobby of the theater. Copperfield commented, "I'm really trying hard not to do anything that has been done before... So knowing everything I can about the legacy of magic challenges my team and I to invent new illusions. For me to grow, I have to know about the foundation that came before." To read the Nov. 29 article by Greg Braxton titled "Curator Copperfield" click: HERE.(12/1)

Walt Anthony and James Hamilton's new show at Sweetie's Cafe & Pub is reviewed in the San Francisco Chronicle where it is described as "Conjuring up a facade of bygone elegance along with their parlor tricks, Anthony and Hamilton wear fancy Victorian cutaways; work with silk scarves, silver linking rings, miniature inlaid cabinets and other classic props; and speak in a consciously dated stage patois." To read the Nov. 30 review by Steven Winn titled "Pair of prestidigitators ply their trade in a pub" click: HERE.(12/1)

Lance Burton, Mac King, Charles Bach, Bob Massey and Bram Blazer appear at the Shriners' Christmas party for the children being helped by the Zelzah Shrine Temple in Las Vegas on Sunday Dec, 1 at 1:30pm. This is the sixth consecutive year that Burton has organized and performed at the show.(12/1)

CALIFORNIA: Jay Scott Berry lectures on Thursday Dec. 5 for IBM Ring #21 at the Monlux Elementary School Auditorium (6051 Bellaire Ave.) in North Hollywood. For more information phone: 323-848-8922 or 818-368-1326.(12/1)

Mark Wilson speaking to Gay Blackstone at the Yankee Gathering on Nov. 16 in Worcester, Massachusetts. (Photo: Magic Times). (12/01)

MagicTimes | TV Magic Guide | Live Magic Guide | Submit News | Search | Info | Links