Murray Sawchuck was nice enough to answer a few questions for us yesterday and here is the result. You can get more of Murray at his magic-themed website MurrayMagic.com or his more generalized web presence MurraySawchuck.com. We’d like the thank Cheryl Kagan for setting this up.
How to build a personality, The Murray Sawchuck Way:
• Drive to L.A.
• Perform at every comedy open mic night you can find, no magic allowed.
• Be prepared to bomb. It happens.
• Dissect your successes and apply them to the next trip.
• Drive back to Vegas.
• Repeat.
Need proof that Sawchuck practices what he preaches? See how fast he knows the exact milage from Sin City to La La Land (268 mi) or count the amount of times he mentions evolving as a performer in an interview. For a guy who will be seen by a nationwide audience on VH1’s Celebracadabra for an eight week run beginning this April, Sawchuck is laser focused on becoming “Murray.” (more…)
Paul Vigil talked on the most recent Magic Week In Review about a clip with Jimmy Grippo on the Merv Griffin show, and here it is. It joins John Carney performing some great coin magic as our favorite clips uploaded in the past 24 hours.
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A Freedom of Information Act (more commonly, FOIA) request is a indispensable tool of the journalist trade, prying sometimes interesting and embarrassing tidbits of government knowledge into the light of day. This particular request is a bit more on the silly side.
If you have ever watched the show, you know Penn’s trademark acerbic wit is on full display. Now you can get a look at some folks who don’t take so kindly to his commentary.
Recently the Sahara were caught stealing tickets from my box-office and selling them for their own profits. Another “no no” and so they now owe me hundreds of thousands of dollars which a judge will have to force them to pay up and explain to them why they can’t do whatever they want. Like little kids.
So, after deciding these were not the kind of people you want to be working for, I quit and I’m taking the show somewhere more condusive to reality. I will be starting in two weeks at The Harmon Theater at Planet hollywood. The theater is awesome, it’s right at the heart of the Strip, and there aren’t perverted thieves running the place. not that I know of anyway.
Johnathan with start at The Harmon Theater at the Miracle Mile at The Planet Hollywood on February 12. Just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Once a San Francisco landmark, the former home of Dr. Anton LaVey known at The Black House was demolished in 2001 and in a odd sign of gentrification has been replaced with unremarkable condominiums. Photos and the description of the home’s history from an effort to preserve it are provided by Boing Boing.
Originally built in the 1880’s, it survived the devastating 1906 fire and earthquake. It’s been a speakeasy, a “spook parlour” and, when Dr. LaVey bought it in 1956, it was owned by one of Mammie Pleasant’s girls, one of the most notorious madams in San Francisco. Dr. LaVey made it world-famous when he performed history’s first Satanic wedding and baptism here; his 500-pound lion, Togare, was raised here. Dr. LaVey was forced to sell the house several years ago because of a relentless civil suit. That fight almost killed him, but this house meant a great deal to him. He said it was part of his own personality – that its roots went all the way to Hell.
LaVey got his start at circuses and carnivals and eventually called his closest advisors “The Magic Circle.” Thanks to iTricks reader Andrew for the tip.
And now it looks like Nintendo will be publishing the game in the UK, too. A new title was announced today for the game’s European release, so that Master of Illusion will magically reappear as Magic Made Fun, and a release date of March 14th has been confirmed.
Finally, the droll tedium that is magic can finally be spiced up. In all seriousness the game allows the user to utilize your portable gaming device as a magic prop among other fun games.
It looks as if Johnny Depp may step into the role that Heath Ledger was filming before his untimely death. Jo Blo is reporting that director Terry Gilliam is frantically trying to secure the A-lister so he can finish his film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and dedicate it to Ledger.
Gilliam has previously worked with Depp on the Hunter S. Thompson adaptation Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas as well as the famously star-crossed production of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote which was chronicled in the documentary Lost In La Mancha.
How to build a personality, The Murray Sawchuck Way:
