More Magic on TV including Neil Patrick Harris!

Ye olde 2015 is showing signs of being an amazing year for magic on television. Here are some a few items airing the first week, with more to come next week and throughout the month. Thanks for subscribing... Stan

Today Thursday, January 1st, 7 a.m., NBC In a pre-taped segment for the Today show, Joshua Jay makes his third appearance on the program, this time promoting his new book, Big Magic for Little Hands. The Carbonaro Effect Thursday, January 1st, 10 p.m. E/P, truTV Michael Carbonaro’s hidden-camera magic show that fools onlookers without making them feel they’re watching a magician continues. This week’s episode, titled “Ignasaurus,” offers Michael a chance for a little quick-change work with a T-shirt. Watch a trailer for this episode. Worst Cooks in America Season Premiere, Sunday, January 4th, 9 p.m. E/P, Food Network NYC magician Michael “Six” Muldoon will be one of the “kitchen-challenged” recruits competing for a $25,000 grand prize for the contestant who makes the biggest “culinary transformation.” Michael will attempt to cook food that fits his magicial personality, such as making a cake from spaghetti and meatballs. The show, in its sixth season, runs for seven episodes. Of course, no one is talking as to how many of those episodes Michael will appear on.

American Horror Story: Freak Show Wednesday, January 7th, 10 p.m. E/P, FX Neil Patrick Harris makes his appearance in the 11th episode of this, the show’s fourth season. He plays Chester, the new owner of the freak show. The trailer reveals Harris charming conjoined twins, as well as sawing someone in half. The season wraps up the following week. Watch a trailer for this episode.

Magic on TV Next Week

Magic is appearing all week starting Monday

Houdini Monday/Tuesday, September 1-2, 9 p.m. E/P, History The four-hour miniseries, starring Adrien Brody in the title role, premieres this coming Mondayand Tuesday. Brody, a former student at Tannen’s Magic Camp, is joined by Kristen Connolly as Bess Houdini, and Evan Jones playing Harry’s chief assistant, Jim Collins. Houdini is directed by Uli Edel, with a script by Nicholas Meyer, whose father, Bernard C. Meyer, authored the 1976 biography Houdini: A Mind in Chains. PHOTO: Colin Hutton / History Ongoing Series On Tuesday nights, there’s also Wizard Wars at 10 p.m. E/P on SyFy. The CW continues offering two nights of magic each week with Penn & Teller: Fool Us on Wednesdays at 8 p.m.E/P, and Masters of Illusion on Fridays at 8 p.m. E/P. Meanwhile, Thursdays falls to TruTV with its ongoing magic series, The Carbonaro Effect.

Magic on TV

Here’s a new magic show on Syfy, joining the two series currently airing on CW.

Wizard Wars Tuesdays (premiering August 19), 10 p.m. E/P, Syfy Penn & Teller headline this series that pits teams of magicians against each other, the winner facing the “home team” made up of Gregory Wilson, Shimshi, Justin Flom, and Angela Funovitz (see “Update” August 2014). Photo: Eric Buss, Mattias Ramos Penn & Teller: Fool Us Wednesdays, 8 p.m. E/P, CW Masters of Illusion Fridays, 8 p.m. E/P, CW

Magic Magazine Preview September 2014

From The Editor September 2014 The September 2014 issue ofMAGIC Magazine drops into the mail on Monday, August 18th. The digital edition, however, is already waiting for you on MyBookshelf. Click here to log in and start reading. This month, I’m again excited to be featuring stories about magicians you might not be familiar with: Blake Vogt, Mel Mellers, and H.P. Lovecraft. Their journeys are both diverse and fascinating. We’re also covering Houdini, the new miniseries starring Adrien Brody, and Jason Latimer’s new show,Perception: See Beyond the Illusion. If you feel like celebrating, we’ve got stories on Magic Inc’s fifty years in one location, the fortieth Tannen’s Magic Camp, and a new card-throwing record set by a Lithuanian magician. And if you’re looking to learn a new trick or two, you’re in luck. Blake Vogt, Steve Reynolds, Ian Rowland, and Mike Bent are on board this month. It’s all in the September issue — and a lot more! Thanks for choosing MAGIC as your magazine… Stan P.S. Scroll down for a list of some of the bonus material available to subscribers at M360. Now Playing on… The MAGIC Digital Network Powerful Medicine: Simply Magic Kevin Spencer’s short documentary on his Healing of Magic program is our special screening for the month of August. It’s 26 minutes that just might change your life. In One: Blake Vogt Our cover subject this month has created effects for nearly all of the big names in magic. And he has brought something to “share with the entire class.” Watch Blake’s performance videos of both Dream Card to Wallet and T-$hirt, then turn to “In One” for the complete tutorial. At The Table We’re featuring two new excerpts from Murphy’s At The Table Lecture Series. Patrick Kun demonstrates and teaches his DIY (Do It Yourself) Aces, a straightforward and easy-to-do version of the Spectator Cuts the Aces plot. John Guastaferro takes a break from the playing cards and teaches a Zen-like bending straw effect. Mr. Electric Unplugged Marvyn Roy’s autobiography [Mike Caveney’s Magic Words, 2005] is now an audio book read by the author, and we have an exclusive ten-minute excerpt at M360. Listen as Marvyn tells how he and his best friend, Alan Wakeling, began creating the world-famous light bulb act in 1949. Turn It Around From 2000 to 2008, David Kaye wrote over 100 “Turn It Around” columns for MAGIC Magazine. As a countdown to his upcoming book by the same name, David is revisiting six monthly columns, augmenting them with video. First up, “It’s Not the Destination, It’s the Journey.” Marketplace Get an advance look at what reviews are coming up in print, as well as search reviews that have already run. They're all available in a reader-friendly format.

I will miss you Joanie

Joanie was a very beautiful person and such a great mind in magical direction. It is sad she has passed I will miss her.

Joanie Spina August 4, 1953 - August 17, 2014

Magic Magazine for September 2014

From The Editor September 2014 The September 2014 issue ofMAGIC Magazine drops into the mail on Monday, August 18th. The digital edition, however, is already waiting for you on MyBookshelf. Click here to log in and start reading. This month, I’m again excited to be featuring stories about magicians you might not be familiar with: Blake Vogt, Mel Mellers, and H.P. Lovecraft. Their journeys are both diverse and fascinating. We’re also covering Houdini, the new miniseries starring Adrien Brody, and Jason Latimer’s new show,Perception: See Beyond the Illusion. If you feel like celebrating, we’ve got stories on Magic Inc’s fifty years in one location, the fortieth Tannen’s Magic Camp, and a new card-throwing record set by a Lithuanian magician. And if you’re looking to learn a new trick or two, you’re in luck. Blake Vogt, Steve Reynolds, Ian Rowland, and Mike Bent are on board this month. It’s all in the September issue — and a lot more! Thanks for choosing MAGIC as your magazine… Stan P.S. Scroll down for a list of some of the bonus material available to subscribers at M360. Now Playing on… The MAGIC Digital Network Powerful Medicine: Simply Magic Kevin Spencer’s short documentary on his Healing of Magic program is our special screening for the month of August. It’s 26 minutes that just might change your life. In One: Blake Vogt Our cover subject this month has created effects for nearly all of the big names in magic. And he has brought something to “share with the entire class.” Watch Blake’s performance videos of both Dream Card to Wallet and T-$hirt, then turn to “In One” for the complete tutorial. At The Table We’re featuring two new excerpts from Murphy’s At The Table Lecture Series. Patrick Kun demonstrates and teaches his DIY (Do It Yourself) Aces, a straightforward and easy-to-do version of the Spectator Cuts the Aces plot. John Guastaferro takes a break from the playing cards and teaches a Zen-like bending straw effect. Mr. Electric Unplugged Marvyn Roy’s autobiography [Mike Caveney’s Magic Words, 2005] is now an audio book read by the author, and we have an exclusive ten-minute excerpt at M360. Listen as Marvyn tells how he and his best friend, Alan Wakeling, began creating the world-famous light bulb act in 1949. Turn It Around From 2000 to 2008, David Kaye wrote over 100 “Turn It Around” columns for MAGIC Magazine. As a countdown to his upcoming book by the same name, David is revisiting six monthly columns, augmenting them with video. First up, “It’s Not the Destination, It’s the Journey.” Marketplace Get an advance look at what reviews are coming up in print, as well as search reviews that have already run. They're all available in a reader-friendly format. …Love tommEE pickles If you would prefer to no longer receive the monthly MAGIC Preview, please send an email to preview@magicmagazine.com with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Magic on TV this week

Here’s a few things to look for this coming week: 

Penn & Teller: Fool Us
Wednesday, July 30, 8 p.m. E/P, CW
The popular British television series premieres its summer run in the US. [Photo of Penn & Teller with Daniel Madison: September Films & 1/17 Productions, all rights reserved.] 

Home & Family
Thursday, July 31, 10 a.m. E/P, Hallmark
Paul Draper performs mentalism with hosts Mark Steines and Cristina Ferrare. 

Masters of Illusion
Friday, August 1, 8 p.m. E/P, CW
The half-hour weekly series premieres with Jan Rouven, Jarrett & Raja, Michael Finney, Nathon Burton, Michael Grandinetti, Jonathan Pendragon, Rob Lake, and Spencer Horsman, hosted by Dean Cain. [Photo of Michael Grandinetti: Kari Hendler, Associated Television International] 

The Carbonaro Effect
Thursdays, 10 p.m., TruTV
Michael Carbonaro continues performing magical effects on unsuspecting people in everyday situations. 

Magic in the Moonlight
Sony Pictures Classics
Woody Allen’s latest movie is set in the 1920s on the French Riviera, and tells the story of a skeptical magician (Colin Firth) who falls head over heals for a young clairvoyant (Emma Stone). It opened to limited release on July 25th.