From Wayne Kawamoto,
Your Guide to Magic & Illusion.
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For a society that can’t hear enough about Britney, Lindsey and Paris, “Red Carpet” exploits our interest in celebrities. It’s a mind-reading effect that involves male and female spectators and ten cards that depict well known people. While the theme is compelling, the effect is rather lackluster and anti-climactic. And there’s seemingly no reason for the handling that’s necessary for the final outcome.

Choose a Celebrity

You show a series of ten cards. Five feature male celebrities: Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Richard Gere and more; and five depict female celebrities: Meg Ryan, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts and more. The cards are cut and the female cards are given to an on-stage male spectator and the male cards are given to an on-stage female spectator.

The female spectator mentally selects one of five male celebrities and the male volunteer mentally chooses an actress. They each spell the name of the chosen celebrity using the cards-one for each letter. After concentrating and without asking questions, you name the two chosen celebrities. After a bit of byplay, you show that the chosen male celebrity card is now found among the female cards and the selected female celebrity is found among the male cards.

Handle This

If the effect played exactly as it reads, this could be a great effect. The method requires no fishing or gimmicked cards and is workable. A weakness, each person is only working with five cards so your probability for success is 20% and not astronomical odds against you.

While the main effect is adequate, the ending, on the other hand, felt awkward to me. You get the selected cards to travel to the other piles, but the handling requires you to bring the piles together for seemingly no reason. I suppose it’s magic that you knew which card was selected and then transferred it. But the handling, as described in the instructions, sounded downright blatant.

In the Cards

“Red Carpet” comes with ten attractive and professional-looking jumbo (9" by 6") cards. There is potential here, but based on what I’m seeing, I have no desire to perform this trick.

A far better mind reading effect that uses postcards is “Postal!” by Larry Becker and Lee Earle (please click here to read our review). Perhaps Becker and Earle can work up a version of “Postal!” that covers celebrities for a killer effect.

-Wayne N. Kawamoto

MSRP: (US) $50

Dealers can purchase from Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.