In this magic set staple, a rope somehow adheres to the inside of a small vase.

The opening of the vase is large enough that the rope passes freely. But when you want to, the rope stays in place when it's inserted into the vase.

Please click here to view the demo.

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The Drawer - Demo of Easy Magic Tricks
Magic Demo: Nickel to Dimes

No Playing Cards

This DVD presents 20 of Jay Sankey's favorite close-up routines with ordinary household objects such as corks, silly putty, spoons, drinking straws, keys and more, and even one that involves Alka-Seltzer.

The effects are solid ones from his creative and fertile mind. If Sankey were a singer, this would be like a "Greatest Hits" album. Best of all, refreshingly, there are no tricks with playing cards.

Please click here to read my review.

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Review: Blockbuster by Jay Sankey
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Magic by Jay Sankey

Magician/Writer Featured in Article

I recently reviewed Allan Zola Kronzek’s excellent book, "52 Ways to Cheat at Poker" (please click here to read my review). Kronzek is profiled in a recent article in the Las Vegas Sun.

"The card cheats have always been several steps ahead of the magicians in developing technical skills with cards," Kronzek says in the article. "They could control the deck and you could be sitting there and see absolutely nothing. Well, this was of great interest to magicians."

According to the article, "52 Ways to Cheat at Poker" has been well received by the magic community yet ignored by poker publications. Kronzek suspects that those in the poker world don't want to emphasize or glorify this aspect of the game.

Please click here to read the article.

More Reading:
Review: 52 Ways to Cheat at Poker
Review: Weapons of the Card Sharks

Week 2

The second show featured lots of variety and excellent talent - a solid mix - but I prefer last week's show. The music could be better (probably has something to do with getting rights).

The Opener
Billed as an escape artist, the show opened with Jason Byrne. He was bound inside of a huge contraption and at the end, quickly switched places with his assistant. It was the assistant who was found tied up in the device.

I prefer Byrne's signature manipulation routine, which is one of my all-time favorites and was shown on "World's Greatest Magic" some years back. If you can catch his act somewhere near you, don't miss it.

Dan Sperry, a Las Vegas headliner, skillfully performed a silent close-up routine where he apparently jammed a coin into one eye and pulled it out the other. Probably a hit with the younger demographic.

I was pleased to see Joe Skilton, a well known worker in Southern California, on television. He flawlessly performed a well known close-up trick with a dollar bill that was folded and turned "inside out." This is always a crowd pleaser but unfortunately, Skilton wasn't able to borrow the bill from the audience as he would in a real performance.

The Great James
Kevin James, who you'll probably recall was a favorite on television's "America's Got Talent" a couple of seasons back, dominated the show with three segments: a drawing board and production; a crumpled napkin that floated and transformed; and a torn napkin that revealed a flurry of apparent snow. I always enjoy watching James. The three signature effects that he presented are staples of numerous magicians.

The show's humorous highlight was James' continual production of eggs from Antonio (dressed as a chicken) which were handed to a little boy to hold. The little boy didn't seem to struggle to hold the eggs, which makes the routine more memorable (maybe it was the director's choice not to show this), but it was a fun presentation of a classic.

Comedy, Interaction and the Street
Jonathan Levit performed a comedy card routine with a volunteer from the audience. His DNA/CSI themed trick left the marked card in an unusual place, wrapped in a package of a wipes. Levit, a Magic Castle favorite, was the host of last year's Celebracadabra, the magic-themed reality show on television.

Aaron Radatz performed an interactive routine with audiences at home. Magic fans will recognize this effect as one performed on television many years back by a big name. Tom Burgoon opened his comedy routine with the juggling of cups and followed with a classic torn and restored napkin bit.

Krystyn Lambert returned from show one with another street segment, a prediction with imaginary coins that were selected by a spectator. Lambert is good in these segments, but I hope we get to see her command the stage in a later show.

James Clark, who I know mainly from his DVDs and writing, presented the second street segment, a card revelation on his arm.

Spinning Blades
The closer was Kristen Johnson and I was pleased to see her receive a spot on television. I've seen Johnson perform live and her escape from a tank of water is truly stunning.

On the show, she passed through the blades of a huge, impressive spinning propeller and vanished to appear elsewhere, in the crowd. A fitting closer.

Week two had something for everyone and I think that the show is a positive thing for magic. Perhaps the first show was stronger, but there's more to come.

More Reading:
Interview: Gay Blackstone - "Masters of Illusion"
Review: Masters of Illusion - Debut Show