Ever have a trick go completely and devastatingly wrong?

This happened to David Williamson some 20 years ago with a carefully prepared prop and lots of effort for a television show that was innocently destroyed by a precocious young kid. In hindsight, the incident is hilarious and Williamson gets to reunite with the now 20-plus year old "Murray" and look back at the magic disaster.

You can watch the video here. Thanks to AJ for forwarding this to me.

More Reading
Anatomy of a Magic Disaster
Opinion: Magic Exposure Vs. Education
Online Magic Exposure - YouTube Magic Exposure is No Problem

Just after a documentary on Johnny Carson revealed his love for the art of magic (you can read about it here), comedienne Wanda Sykes appears on "The Tonight Show" and talks with Jay Leno about how she hates magicians.

So do all comediennes hate magicians? And are Sykes and Leno simply bringing up stereotypes of magicians for laughs, or is this really what the general public thinks?

You can watch the conversation in a video from the Tonight Show here.

More Reading
Johnny Carson: King of Late Night
Review: Heartbreaker by Paul Gertner

Magician Shares Personal Holdout

Magician Matt Vizio, an entertainer from Southern California, kindly teaches his "Pushpin Gimmick" holdout system that supports his cups and balls routine. This holdout, which is Vizio's modern adaptation of one published by Jean Hugard, will be of interest to anyone who performs cups and ball and needs to ring-in balls or other objects. Vizio even describes and teaches a cups and balls segment that employs the holdout to bring in large, end loads.

You can learn how to make and use Matt Vizio's "Pushpin Gimmick" holdout here.

More Reading
Tell Us About Your Toughest Magic Show
Handling Magic Secrets With the Public
Has Exposure Caused You to Give-Up a Trick?

Former "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson is in the news with the broadcast of a new PBS documentary. Many don't know that Carson was a magician who continually studied magic throughout his life. (You can view a photo of "The Great Carsoni," a recurring magician character here.)

I recall when I interviewed Paul Gertner last year for a "Reel Magic Magazine" segment, he talked about performing on the Carson-era "The Tonight Show" as well as his time working on magic with Carson at his Malibu home. I don't recall if the quote made the final published interview, but Gertner sensed that had things turned out differently in Carson's show business career, he well likely could have been happy to be a professional magician.

You can read a great story in the LA Times about the documentary here.

More Reading
Review: Heartbreaker by Paul Gertner
Review: Bite Me by Paul Gertner
The Pushpin Gimmick by Matthew Vizio