HE DID IT! David Blaine’sAscension was short on magic (there was only one brief card trick in the entire presentation as I recall) but high on good, old fashioned adventure yesterday. I do not know if you all are old enough to remember the golden age of televised stunts like Evil Knievel jumping over stuff but I am and that is exactly what I thought about as I watched yesterday’s presentation. The only drawback was that it was a Tuesday morning… I wonder why they didn’t aim for this weekend? Chicago’s WGN TV,Austin’s KVUE, USA Today and, of course, The Independent were just a few of the media outlets to cover the event.
In possibly related, but also not magic, news yesterday there were reports of a federal investigation into pilot sightings of a man flying a jetpack near LAX!
Xavier Mortimer joined Las Vegas CBS 8 to talk about Vegas performers and the pandemic shutdown.
Fine Books and Collections takes a peek at some of the circus and sideshow items going on the auction block over at Potter and Potter at the end of the month. Do not not forget about their online only magic auction on the 12th, too!
Finally the big news is David Blaine’s balloon stunt is, as of time of writing, on for this morning… 8:55 AM Eastern Time. You can check in and watch on the Ascension YouTube page.
Rather than sit at home and wait for the pandemic to pass, America’s Got Talent alum Leon Etienne is bringing his show to driveways and backyards around his Utica, New York home town. Read more on the WYSR website.
Covid has caused many television productions to be delayed (or even cancelled) and it can be seen in the fall TV schedules. The CW has postponed the return of its core line up, so Masters of Illusion and Penn & Teller: Fool Us episodes will continue to air through at least October. We have seen some conflicting reports about whether these will be new episodes or repeats, but Penn and Teller have already proven they can put together programming despite the pandemic with their Try This At Home specials. In most markets Masters Of Illusion will be airing on Sundays while Penn & Teller: Fool Us will be on both Mondays and Fridays. TV Guide lists the Friday Fool Us episodes (and only the Friday Fool Us shows) as encores, so other shows might be new. Even if Masters Of Illusion manages to contribute new episodes, though, we would be surprised if both Sunday night episodes were new. Also, at this point it appears Fool Us will stay in the line up even after the postponed shows premiere.
As David Blaine explains, his balloon flight over New York has morphed instead into a balloon flight over Arizona and been postponed. Speculation is the Gonzo-style stunt will now take place Tuesday or Wednesday, but Arizona weather conditions will be the deciding factor.
FInally, Broadway World South Africa has the details on Cape Town’s College of Magic virtual 2020 Western Cape Junior Magician Championships. They will be held on September 5 and can be streamed for free by anyone who registers in advance. Stuart Taylor and Ran’D Shine are co-hosting the competition.
