Derren Brown is “trying out” some of the “components” of Ghost Train, the new ride he designed for Thorpe Park. Apparently, this is the English way of saying he is going to scare the crap out of a few of the park’s employees and film it.
Ghost Train officially launches on May 6 and, if you are interested you can already get tickets at the Thorpe Park website.
You may remember the scary Victorian doll people promoting the Derren Brown designed ride Ghost Train at Thorpe Park a few weeks ago. This official video, starring Brown, has been released to introduce the ride, which the International Business Times describes as “seven-tonne Victorian-style train carriage that is suspended in mid-air three metres off the ground by iron chains.” Ghost Train is scheduled to open this spring.
Derren Brown’s new Channel 4 special Pushed To The Edge premiered last night. The Daily Echo labeled it an “enchanting social experiment.” However, Metro reports that many viewers on social media referred to the show as “cruel,” “disgusting” and “unethical.”
Yesterday also brought some potential trouble from an older special. A repeat of Something Wicked This Way Comes is under investigation by Ofcom, the group that polices British broadcast standards, according to The Guardian. When the network Watch re-aired the show in December, which includes foul language and Brown placing a plastic bag over his head, it may have violated rules by playing it early enough in the evening to attract young viewers.
First up, iTricks would like to offer on congratulations to The Amazing Johnathan and Anastasia. According to Robin Leach’s Las Vegas Sun Strip Scribbles column, they will be getting married this Saturday.
Speaking of marriage, comedian Judy Gold was on the Alan Colmes Show Wednesday talking about her upcoming Celebrity Wife Swap episode. She is part of the first same sex couple ever featured on the show and has been partnered with Penn Jillette and his wife.
Derren Brown is on tour and every stop has an article about him. The Warrington Guardian, though, carried a particularly nice piece about him recently that covers his start in magic, including tipping his first magic book.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Television Award nominations were recently announced and find Derren Brown contending with Dynamo in the entertainment program category. Brown’s Great Art Heist and Dynamo: Magician Impossible are up against stiff competition in the form of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Takeaway and Strictly Come Dancing. The Magician Impossible production team are also up for a Television Craft Award. The Craft Awards will be held on April 27 with the Television Awards on May 18.
Speaking of Dynamo, the Glasgow Evening Times carried the story of Reece Newlands, who is flying to London to have a private meeting with Dynamo thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Reece has an aggressive form of Crohn’s Disease, a condition which also affects Dynamo.
Magic is been front and center in many Indian newspapers lately, thanks to PC Sorcar Jr’s new career in politics. The latest magic article in The Hindu, though, is a telephone interview with Billy Kidd. One of the topics touched upon is the challenges faced by women in magic. Kidd told The Hindu “…clothing is one of our biggest problems. Women’s clothes have the worst pockets ever!”
Finally, the video above is raw footage of Del Ray performing at the 1983 Tannen’s Jubilee, courtesy of Frank Paris. You may remember we brought you video he had taken of the Jubilee a little back; Mr. Paris has posted more from the Jubilee, including five videos of Del Ray, on his YouTube page. The video above is raw, unedited footage and the performance does not begin until about the 3:30 mark. It is worth the wait.
What is “Wondershow?” It is a variety show at the Galapagos Art Space on April 11 bringing together magicians like Daniel Greenwolf, John Graham and friend of iTricks Ben Nemzer along with burlesque artist Aurora Black and more. If you are in the NYC area, Ben was good enough to tip us off to a sweet Groupon deal for $12 tickets.
The Times Of India is reporting that PC Sorcar Jr’s campaign has hit some rough waters after allegations he has made “filthy comments” about public officials.
It’s National Reading Month here in the US, but magician driven book Carter Beats The Devil got a shout out this weekend from across the pond in The Guardian’s Book Blog. Alison Flood reports on various famous authors’ favorite but under-rated books and puts in her two cents (or shillings or is it pence?) with a blurb on Glen David Gold’s historical fiction novel.
Finally, there is magic on US television this week (for those who prefer TV to books). First up Ricky Jay will be joining Jimmy Fallon tonight on The Tonight Show. Tuesday at 10:30 PM Eastern TruTV will be running a special sneak peek episode of The Carbonaro Effect, the new prank show starring Michael Carbonaro. It will start airing in May. Although it probably will not feature any magic, How I Met Your Mother with Neil Patrick Harris (he’s my president) will air its hour long series finale tonight on CBS at 8 Eastern. By the way, if you are a Hulu subscriber, Derren Brown: Inside Your Mind is currently available to stream from the All3Media network.
It was probably easier to set yourself up as the go between the dead and their Earthbound loved ones before Houdini started messing it all up. Ever since then, magicians have made a hobby of busting up a perfectly good racket legitimate service. Now Derren Brown is upholding the tradition… This newly released clip shows Brown tearing holes in the “gifts” of medium Joe Powers.