Lots of media sources weighing in on the new Broadway show Derren Brown: Secrets. You can read more over on DC Metro Arts, the Daily Beast, AM New York and Deadline. Our favorite review, though, is on The Wrap because is calls Derren Brown the William Castle of magic…. which is why we topped this piece with a Classic Movie Madness look at some of the stunts and promotions pulled off by legendary B-movie make William Castle.
The Daily Mail caught Derren Brown goofing around a bit as he attended the 2018 Olivier Awards Sunday night.
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.