Episode 4 of The Magicians featured several card tricks, a piano and even a few animals. But who avoided the forfeit, the threat of which was emphasised even more then before (If that was possible), and who ended up having concrete smashed over their head?
Barry and Stuart + Tina Hobley (Television Actress)
LIVE GRAND: Tina got into one of two boxes, which was watched over by five blindfolded spectators. everyone except them saw Tina got out of the box and went into another. However, when the "Trick" had finished and the spectators took their blindfold off, it was revealed that Tina had vanished from that box and reappeared in the first one! It was a little bit similar to the Ninja trick Latimer did with David Hasselhoff a few weeks ago, but it was better because Barry and Stuart were funny, and Hobley is far less irritating then Hasselhoff
STREET CLOSE: Barry, Stuart and Tina made a frog vanish from their hands and appear in their mouths. It was a good trick at first, but they did it too often (We saw it done about 10 times, and they claim to have done it about 40 times during the day at the end of the video).
LIVE CLOSE: Barry performed the Bowl-o-Rama Illusion, making a bowling Ball appear from a sketch-pad.The dating patter was good, but it was just too much buildup to what is a good opening effect, but not an act in itself.
STREET GRAND: Barry and Stuart did a ghost hunting trick for a terrifying monster- Santa Claus ( It helps that the European portrayal of Santa is often pretty scary). There was vanishing milk and levitation, which made the performance effective.
Jason Latimer + Myleene Klass (Singer and Pianist)
LIVE GRAND: Latimer made Myleene vanish and reappear in a picture frame. In between, he brought a dress to life. It was a nice trick, but not great.
STREET CLOSE: In an ice rink, Latimer made a signed card vanish and reappear under the ice. A very clever and impressive trick
LIVE CLOSE: A card, with its features randomly chosen by three volunteers, was revealed by Latimer inside a sealed prediction box. Oldie but goodie.
STREET GRAND: Latimer and Myleene were cuffed together inside a cage which was lowered into the river. When it was brought back up, they had vanished and reappeared on a nearby bridge. Dangerous and spectacular.
Pete Firman and Adam Woodyat (Eastenders star)
LIVE GRAND: Pete and Adam did a medley of several tricks with a Vegas theme. They made a girl appear in a cage, pushed spikes through Pete's body, and did the Geometrix illusion, where they put three tubes through an assistant, and removed her from the box unharmed before making three more appear. A pretty amazing performance.
STREET CLOSE: Pete and Adam had a volunteer choose an animal, which appeared in a prediction box. A good trick, but it didn't wow me.
LIVE CLOSE: Pete and Adam performed the "Hospitality illusion, where they poured several random drinks from a single orange juice carton. Simple but really impressive
STREET GRAND: Pete and Adam performed a card trick with a deck of cards an 52 cars with a giant card printed on the roof. They had one spectator choose a card an a car, and revealed that the card in her hand and the one on top of the car matched. It was an inventive trick, but it could have gone further (For example, matching more people to the cards)
Were there any guests?
Quick-Change act David and Dania performed their act. Their routine was slightly different to the one I have seen online hundreds of times before, but not enough to really stand out for me, although the viewers who haven't seen their performance on Youtube probably enjoyed it a lot
Who Did the forfeit?
Pete and Adam won (The first victory for the Middlesbrough Magician) and Barry And Stuart and Tina Came second, Leaving Latimer and Myleene to walk over glass and have a concrete block broken over their heads. A tough forfeit, but not the scariest.
NEXT WEEK: A group of genuinely recognisable celebs join in the action, including Cricketer Phil Tufnell, Former Strictly come dancing judge Arlene Phillips, and Masterchef judges John Torrode and Greg Wallace.
Monday 30 January 2012
Sunday 22 January 2012
The Magicians- episode 3
In This week's episode of The Magicians, One act walked on water, one turned water into wine, and one...Just dressed as a giant banana. But who avoided a forfeit?
Jason Latimer + Kimberly Wyatt (Pussycat Doll member and Got To Dance judge)
LIVE GRAND: Latimer levitated Kimberly on a table, as per standard, but then turned her and the table around 360 to prove that he wasn't using metal wires. It was a clever spin on the old favourite
STREET GRAND: The two walked on water in a fountain, with Latimer using the jets of water as steps. As good, maybe even better, then the version of this trick Dynamo did for Magician Impossible in June.
STREET CLOSE: Latimer and Kimberly Passed a straw and glass through a glass table. Interesting and hard to figure out.
LIVE CLOSE: the two Turned several blank cards into a card chosen by the spectator. A very clever Sleight-of-hand effect
Pete Firman + Mel Giedroc (Great British Bakeoff host)
LIVE GRAND: Pete and Mel Had a volunteer write the name of a fruit. Thinking it was a banana, the two overzealously revealed a whole Vegas Show with a banana theme, including themselves dressed as Bananas. When the volunteer told them the fruit he had actually chosen, Pete revealed a scroll which correctly predicted the chosen fruit. I must admit, I found it really funny.
STREET GRAND: Pete walked through a wall of baked beans in a supermarket. His clothes got extremely messy, but the wall stayed intact. Inventive and hard to figure out.
STREET CLOSE: In a trick done on Brighton Pier, Pete had a volunteer put her phone in one of four envelopes. He threw three of them into the sea, but the fourth didn't have her phone in. Instead, it was inside a claw game in the arcade. I liked the twist at the end
LIVE CLOSE: Pete had four random volunteers pick a card each, then predicted all of them correctly. It was a neat trick, but not particularly spectacular.
Barry and Stuart + David Haye (Champion Boxer)
LIVE GRAND: Barry and Stuart did an oversexualized (And wonderfully shambolic) Version of the Slicer illusion, where they divided an assistant into ninths, A very funny version of a strong trick, which amusingly parodied the sexuality inherent in the art of magic, especially when Barry and Stuart stripped naked.
STREET GRAND: Barry and Stuart manipulated the lights in a tower block to spell out the name of a volunteer's friend, then made the friend appear from thin air. It was a spectacular trick that viewers will be talking about all week
STREET CLOSE: Barry and Stuart made a Tattoo appear on a volunteers arm. Original, but rather painful.
LIVE CLOSE: Barry and Stuart turned water into wine whilst pouring it, before Barry made a glass of milk appear in a coat sleeve.. The first trick was excellent, but the second is too familiar to me from several amateur magic books.
Were there any guests?
World Magic champion Juliana Chen did card and mask tricks, similar to Hiroki Hara's two weeks ago, but with added spectacle and professionalism stemming from her increased experience. the aim of the performance was to encourage girls to take up magic, and will succeed in doing this
What was the Forfeit?
After Latimer and Kimberly were announced as the vote winners (Following two straight victories for Barry and Stuart) Pete and Mel were revealed to be the losers. They had to lie in on top of a bed of nails, with another placed spike-side down on them. Several audience members (and David Haye) walked over the beds on their midriffs. The extra bed made this spin on the stunt more interesting then most.
NEXT WEEK: Adam Woodyat, Tina Hobley, and Myleene Klass join the magicians for more great tricks.
Jason Latimer + Kimberly Wyatt (Pussycat Doll member and Got To Dance judge)
LIVE GRAND: Latimer levitated Kimberly on a table, as per standard, but then turned her and the table around 360 to prove that he wasn't using metal wires. It was a clever spin on the old favourite
STREET GRAND: The two walked on water in a fountain, with Latimer using the jets of water as steps. As good, maybe even better, then the version of this trick Dynamo did for Magician Impossible in June.
STREET CLOSE: Latimer and Kimberly Passed a straw and glass through a glass table. Interesting and hard to figure out.
LIVE CLOSE: the two Turned several blank cards into a card chosen by the spectator. A very clever Sleight-of-hand effect
Pete Firman + Mel Giedroc (Great British Bakeoff host)
LIVE GRAND: Pete and Mel Had a volunteer write the name of a fruit. Thinking it was a banana, the two overzealously revealed a whole Vegas Show with a banana theme, including themselves dressed as Bananas. When the volunteer told them the fruit he had actually chosen, Pete revealed a scroll which correctly predicted the chosen fruit. I must admit, I found it really funny.
STREET GRAND: Pete walked through a wall of baked beans in a supermarket. His clothes got extremely messy, but the wall stayed intact. Inventive and hard to figure out.
STREET CLOSE: In a trick done on Brighton Pier, Pete had a volunteer put her phone in one of four envelopes. He threw three of them into the sea, but the fourth didn't have her phone in. Instead, it was inside a claw game in the arcade. I liked the twist at the end
LIVE CLOSE: Pete had four random volunteers pick a card each, then predicted all of them correctly. It was a neat trick, but not particularly spectacular.
Barry and Stuart + David Haye (Champion Boxer)
LIVE GRAND: Barry and Stuart did an oversexualized (And wonderfully shambolic) Version of the Slicer illusion, where they divided an assistant into ninths, A very funny version of a strong trick, which amusingly parodied the sexuality inherent in the art of magic, especially when Barry and Stuart stripped naked.
STREET GRAND: Barry and Stuart manipulated the lights in a tower block to spell out the name of a volunteer's friend, then made the friend appear from thin air. It was a spectacular trick that viewers will be talking about all week
STREET CLOSE: Barry and Stuart made a Tattoo appear on a volunteers arm. Original, but rather painful.
LIVE CLOSE: Barry and Stuart turned water into wine whilst pouring it, before Barry made a glass of milk appear in a coat sleeve.. The first trick was excellent, but the second is too familiar to me from several amateur magic books.
Were there any guests?
World Magic champion Juliana Chen did card and mask tricks, similar to Hiroki Hara's two weeks ago, but with added spectacle and professionalism stemming from her increased experience. the aim of the performance was to encourage girls to take up magic, and will succeed in doing this
What was the Forfeit?
After Latimer and Kimberly were announced as the vote winners (Following two straight victories for Barry and Stuart) Pete and Mel were revealed to be the losers. They had to lie in on top of a bed of nails, with another placed spike-side down on them. Several audience members (and David Haye) walked over the beds on their midriffs. The extra bed made this spin on the stunt more interesting then most.
NEXT WEEK: Adam Woodyat, Tina Hobley, and Myleene Klass join the magicians for more great tricks.
Sunday 15 January 2012
The Magicians- Episode 2
For the Second episode of the magicians, we had a magic ninja, a brass band, and a giant balloon among our magic props, and levitations, explosions and dancing galore. But how did our magicians fare and who avoided the forfeit?
How Did the Host Fare?
Darren Mcmullen was on top form this week, making several jokes about the performers and especially the guests. (I liked the joke about Craig Revel Horwood's (Lack of) Fans)
How Did The Magicians Fare?
Jason Latimer and David Hasselhoff ("TV Personality")
LIVE GRAND: Hasselhoff got into a box, and Latimer did a set of ring tricks. Hasselhoff appeared to get out dressed as a ninja, and accomplished a set of ring effects which Latimer did on a volunteer (All but the volunteer saw Hasselhoff). "The Ninja" then levitated to the ceiling, but we soon saw that Hasselhoff was in the box all along, with two assistants as well! Despite my dislike of Hasselhoff, I liked this trick.
STREET LIVE: Hasselhoff and Latimer gave shirts out to four audience members at random. The shirts spelled the name of K.I.T.T, Hasselhoff's car from Knight Rider , then produced it from thin air! The trick was solid, if another monument to Hasselhoff's colossal vanity
LIVE CLOSE: In the world's Largest card trick, the two did a set of shuffles with four cards. The ones each spectator thought of were reversed in the deck. A bit hard to follow, and not particularly amazing
STREET CLOSE: Hasselhoff and Latimer predicted chosen cards with fire; Latimer with a fire blisters in the shape of the cards, Hasselhoff with ashes on the arm. A bit meh.
Barry + Stuart and Craig Revel Horwood (Strictly come Dancing judge)
LIVE GRAND: Barry and Stuart placed Craig In a Guillotine. The device appeared to chop his head off, but he was soon seen on the other side of the stage, head in tact (But with a neck brace on). Don't try this at home!
STREET GRAND: Barry and Stuart duct-taped Craig into a car boot and rolled it off a cliff. As You might have expected, he later turned out to be unharmed. They really hate him, don't they?
LIVE CLOSE: A chosen-card-on-tip-of-sword trick with a pirate theme and lots of bad dancing
STREET CLOSE: Craig got into a giant balloon, which Barry and Stuart passed a driving licence into. Very hard to figure out.
Pete Firman and Julia Bradbury (Countryfile host)
LIVE GRAND: Julia passed through a solid steel fan. The healing products theme was interesting, and the trick is great as it is, but the we-didn't-do-this-in-rehearsals patter is a bit old (Barry and Stuart did it Twice today)
STREET GRAND: Pete predicted a chosen song on the side of a drum, and made a whole brass band appear playing a chosen song. Interesting and hard to figure out
LIVE CLOSE: After some unconvincing animal-cracker mentalism, Pete extended the neck of a sheep drawing to get a giraffe. Very funny and clever, but a bit similar to Latimer's card trick last week.
STREET CLOSE: A levitation. I've seen it all before, but the ordinary baroom spin is interesting (Some methods of the trick are easier to get into a pub then others).
Were there any guests?
During the counting of votes, we were treated to a performance from Helt Magiskt contestant Mikael Halvarsson. He may have been my least favourite of that show's three magicians (I preferred Charlie Caper and Joe Labeno) but the trick he did was good. After some sponge magic, he made a volunteer's watch vanish and appear in a bag dangling below an RC helicopter
What was the forfeit?
Latimer and Hasselhoff had to do the forfeit, due in part to Latimer showing too much respect to his unpopular guest (Barry and Stuart's abuse of Craig gave the voters perfect wish-fulfilment), and the two had to walk across swords, lie on a bed of them, and have a melon sliced over their chests. Not for the faint hearted!
NEXT WEEK: A boxer, a TV host, and a Pussycat Doll join The Magicians
How Did the Host Fare?
Darren Mcmullen was on top form this week, making several jokes about the performers and especially the guests. (I liked the joke about Craig Revel Horwood's (Lack of) Fans)
How Did The Magicians Fare?
Jason Latimer and David Hasselhoff ("TV Personality")
LIVE GRAND: Hasselhoff got into a box, and Latimer did a set of ring tricks. Hasselhoff appeared to get out dressed as a ninja, and accomplished a set of ring effects which Latimer did on a volunteer (All but the volunteer saw Hasselhoff). "The Ninja" then levitated to the ceiling, but we soon saw that Hasselhoff was in the box all along, with two assistants as well! Despite my dislike of Hasselhoff, I liked this trick.
STREET LIVE: Hasselhoff and Latimer gave shirts out to four audience members at random. The shirts spelled the name of K.I.T.T, Hasselhoff's car from Knight Rider , then produced it from thin air! The trick was solid, if another monument to Hasselhoff's colossal vanity
LIVE CLOSE: In the world's Largest card trick, the two did a set of shuffles with four cards. The ones each spectator thought of were reversed in the deck. A bit hard to follow, and not particularly amazing
STREET CLOSE: Hasselhoff and Latimer predicted chosen cards with fire; Latimer with a fire blisters in the shape of the cards, Hasselhoff with ashes on the arm. A bit meh.
Barry + Stuart and Craig Revel Horwood (Strictly come Dancing judge)
LIVE GRAND: Barry and Stuart placed Craig In a Guillotine. The device appeared to chop his head off, but he was soon seen on the other side of the stage, head in tact (But with a neck brace on). Don't try this at home!
STREET GRAND: Barry and Stuart duct-taped Craig into a car boot and rolled it off a cliff. As You might have expected, he later turned out to be unharmed. They really hate him, don't they?
LIVE CLOSE: A chosen-card-on-tip-of-sword trick with a pirate theme and lots of bad dancing
STREET CLOSE: Craig got into a giant balloon, which Barry and Stuart passed a driving licence into. Very hard to figure out.
Pete Firman and Julia Bradbury (Countryfile host)
LIVE GRAND: Julia passed through a solid steel fan. The healing products theme was interesting, and the trick is great as it is, but the we-didn't-do-this-in-rehearsals patter is a bit old (Barry and Stuart did it Twice today)
STREET GRAND: Pete predicted a chosen song on the side of a drum, and made a whole brass band appear playing a chosen song. Interesting and hard to figure out
LIVE CLOSE: After some unconvincing animal-cracker mentalism, Pete extended the neck of a sheep drawing to get a giraffe. Very funny and clever, but a bit similar to Latimer's card trick last week.
STREET CLOSE: A levitation. I've seen it all before, but the ordinary baroom spin is interesting (Some methods of the trick are easier to get into a pub then others).
Were there any guests?
During the counting of votes, we were treated to a performance from Helt Magiskt contestant Mikael Halvarsson. He may have been my least favourite of that show's three magicians (I preferred Charlie Caper and Joe Labeno) but the trick he did was good. After some sponge magic, he made a volunteer's watch vanish and appear in a bag dangling below an RC helicopter
What was the forfeit?
Latimer and Hasselhoff had to do the forfeit, due in part to Latimer showing too much respect to his unpopular guest (Barry and Stuart's abuse of Craig gave the voters perfect wish-fulfilment), and the two had to walk across swords, lie on a bed of them, and have a melon sliced over their chests. Not for the faint hearted!
NEXT WEEK: A boxer, a TV host, and a Pussycat Doll join The Magicians
Saturday 7 January 2012
The Magicians-Episode 1
One of last year's big television programmes, with an audience of over 5 million views, The Magicians returned to our screens today with two new magicians, a new host, and a new live format. But how did it go?
The Host: Darren Mcmullen, in his terrestrial British debut, stayed mostly in the background, allowing the magicians to dominate. Hopefully, his bright, engaging, personality will soon begin to properly show.
The Live Format: The format is as interesting as it was last year, and the tricks are still excellent. I don't mind the use of celebrities, but I would like there to be a reward for the winners (Maybe £10,000 for the winning celebrity's charity), as well as the forfeit for the losers. Furthermore, There should have been maybe a few minutes more to vote after ALL the performances (Voting closed just after the last one, which hindered Pete Firman, the Final performer)
What tricks did the magicians do?
Jason Latimer and Flavia Cacace (Strictly Come Dancing performer)
LIVE GRAND: Latimer performed one of his signature tricks- a routine where he made beams of light from a laser turn solid. it was interesting and original, but not particularly amazing. Maybe because I've seen it before.
STREET CLOSE: Flavia drew a deck of cards on Latimer's arm. latimer made a card chosen by a spectator visibly rise out of this "deck". A very clever effect, and the touch of doing it on the body worked well.
STREET GRAND: Flavia and Latimer did a relay escapology trick, with both handcuffed in boxes on a racing track and a bus hurtling at high speed towards the two. Flavia escaped, but Latimer appeared to be less lucky, as the bus smashed the box he was in before he could escape. However, Latimer was soon revealed to have been the bus driver all along. Charlie Caper did a similar (and equally spectacular) version in the Swedish equivalent of the Magicians, Helt Magiskt , but Latimer's version was fairly unique with the relay element and addition of the bus.
LIVE CLOSE: Latimer did a trick where he made coins pass through a handkerchief. The first part of the trick, where the coins passed through in plain sight,was excellent, but the final part, where it passed through the handkerchief whilst it was twisted and sealed with a ring, was pure amateur magic (it is included in many how-to-do-magic books) and weakened the routine considerably
Barry + Stuart and Tyger Drew-Honey + Daniel Roache (Ben and Jake Brockman from Outnumbered)
LIVE GRAND: Tyger and Daniel Did a version of the Spirit conjuring trick, presented as a "how to be like Barry and Stuart" demonstration. Tyger produced Barry and Stuart under two sheets, the vanished from a box to appear under a third. A very clever and modern version of a clever but old trick.
STREET CLOSE:The four turned various cups of coffee into insects according to which ones the volunteers hated most.Yuck!
STREET GRAND: Barry and Stuart claimed to predict the CD a volunteer would buy, but she didn't- she brought a copy of X-Factor and Popstar-to-Operastar winner Joe Mcelderry 's album "Classic Christmas". But they then revealed, using a portable mirror, that the abstract drawing was a picture of Mcelderry, thus showing they'd predicted her choice, then produced Mcelderry himself from it! A very clever trick indeed.
LIVE CLOSE: Barry and Stuart predicted a card chosen by a randomly chosen Facebook user, which Tyler and Drew had signed. Interesting and interactive.
Pete Firman and Keith Duffy (Former Boyzone singer and Current Corination Street Star)
LIVE GRAND: A version of the "Spiker" trick, Where the assistant gets into a box which the magician pushes a row of spikes through. After showing now empty, he then produces the assistant, and maybe a few others too. Keith Posed as the Magician and Pete the assistant. It was a good performance, but I've seen the trick too many times and there have been better versions
STREET CLOSE: Pete and Keith made a glass bottle and glass jug shatter using the power of the mind. Not one to think about doing in a restaurant!
STREET GRAND: A trick involving Keith Zorbing down Edinburgh's royal mile to predict (and put on) an item of clothing thought of by the spectator.Made good use of the area's steep slopes!
LIVE CLOSE: Pete tore a chosen card into bits and made it appear restored inside a randomly chosen raw pork sausage. Great presentation, but didn't Luis de Matos do a similar trick (except with the card turning up in an orange) last year?
Any Guests?
With the time the votes were being tallied up, Viewers were treated to guest performances by Eric Gilliam and Hiroki Hara, competitors for Teen Magician of the year in 2010. They were part of a documentary called "Make Believe" along with the other finalists. The film fared well with critics in its US run, and will hopefully be released in the UK soon. Eric performed several silk tricks and clothes changes, at one point making his whole top half vanish! Hiroki performed traditional but clever tricks with fans, parasols and cards. I'd love to see "Make Belive" based on this!
The Forfeit
Pete and Keith came last in the vote and had to do the forfeit, which, like last year's was another sideshow staple, as they both ate fire and gargled molten metal.This was a genuinely terrifying forfeit and original too (I'm a little tired of seeing the losers lying on a bed of nails almost every time!)
NEXT WEEK: Stricly's panto villain, Craig Revel Horwood , will be subjecting himself to rough treatment from the performers, as will David Hasselhoff(probably my least favourite celebrity of all time) and Julia Bradbury.
The Host: Darren Mcmullen, in his terrestrial British debut, stayed mostly in the background, allowing the magicians to dominate. Hopefully, his bright, engaging, personality will soon begin to properly show.
The Live Format: The format is as interesting as it was last year, and the tricks are still excellent. I don't mind the use of celebrities, but I would like there to be a reward for the winners (Maybe £10,000 for the winning celebrity's charity), as well as the forfeit for the losers. Furthermore, There should have been maybe a few minutes more to vote after ALL the performances (Voting closed just after the last one, which hindered Pete Firman, the Final performer)
What tricks did the magicians do?
Jason Latimer and Flavia Cacace (Strictly Come Dancing performer)
LIVE GRAND: Latimer performed one of his signature tricks- a routine where he made beams of light from a laser turn solid. it was interesting and original, but not particularly amazing. Maybe because I've seen it before.
STREET CLOSE: Flavia drew a deck of cards on Latimer's arm. latimer made a card chosen by a spectator visibly rise out of this "deck". A very clever effect, and the touch of doing it on the body worked well.
STREET GRAND: Flavia and Latimer did a relay escapology trick, with both handcuffed in boxes on a racing track and a bus hurtling at high speed towards the two. Flavia escaped, but Latimer appeared to be less lucky, as the bus smashed the box he was in before he could escape. However, Latimer was soon revealed to have been the bus driver all along. Charlie Caper did a similar (and equally spectacular) version in the Swedish equivalent of the Magicians, Helt Magiskt , but Latimer's version was fairly unique with the relay element and addition of the bus.
LIVE CLOSE: Latimer did a trick where he made coins pass through a handkerchief. The first part of the trick, where the coins passed through in plain sight,was excellent, but the final part, where it passed through the handkerchief whilst it was twisted and sealed with a ring, was pure amateur magic (it is included in many how-to-do-magic books) and weakened the routine considerably
Barry + Stuart and Tyger Drew-Honey + Daniel Roache (Ben and Jake Brockman from Outnumbered)
LIVE GRAND: Tyger and Daniel Did a version of the Spirit conjuring trick, presented as a "how to be like Barry and Stuart" demonstration. Tyger produced Barry and Stuart under two sheets, the vanished from a box to appear under a third. A very clever and modern version of a clever but old trick.
STREET CLOSE:The four turned various cups of coffee into insects according to which ones the volunteers hated most.Yuck!
STREET GRAND: Barry and Stuart claimed to predict the CD a volunteer would buy, but she didn't- she brought a copy of X-Factor and Popstar-to-Operastar winner Joe Mcelderry 's album "Classic Christmas". But they then revealed, using a portable mirror, that the abstract drawing was a picture of Mcelderry, thus showing they'd predicted her choice, then produced Mcelderry himself from it! A very clever trick indeed.
LIVE CLOSE: Barry and Stuart predicted a card chosen by a randomly chosen Facebook user, which Tyler and Drew had signed. Interesting and interactive.
Pete Firman and Keith Duffy (Former Boyzone singer and Current Corination Street Star)
LIVE GRAND: A version of the "Spiker" trick, Where the assistant gets into a box which the magician pushes a row of spikes through. After showing now empty, he then produces the assistant, and maybe a few others too. Keith Posed as the Magician and Pete the assistant. It was a good performance, but I've seen the trick too many times and there have been better versions
STREET CLOSE: Pete and Keith made a glass bottle and glass jug shatter using the power of the mind. Not one to think about doing in a restaurant!
STREET GRAND: A trick involving Keith Zorbing down Edinburgh's royal mile to predict (and put on) an item of clothing thought of by the spectator.Made good use of the area's steep slopes!
LIVE CLOSE: Pete tore a chosen card into bits and made it appear restored inside a randomly chosen raw pork sausage. Great presentation, but didn't Luis de Matos do a similar trick (except with the card turning up in an orange) last year?
Any Guests?
With the time the votes were being tallied up, Viewers were treated to guest performances by Eric Gilliam and Hiroki Hara, competitors for Teen Magician of the year in 2010. They were part of a documentary called "Make Believe" along with the other finalists. The film fared well with critics in its US run, and will hopefully be released in the UK soon. Eric performed several silk tricks and clothes changes, at one point making his whole top half vanish! Hiroki performed traditional but clever tricks with fans, parasols and cards. I'd love to see "Make Belive" based on this!
The Forfeit
Pete and Keith came last in the vote and had to do the forfeit, which, like last year's was another sideshow staple, as they both ate fire and gargled molten metal.This was a genuinely terrifying forfeit and original too (I'm a little tired of seeing the losers lying on a bed of nails almost every time!)
NEXT WEEK: Stricly's panto villain, Craig Revel Horwood , will be subjecting himself to rough treatment from the performers, as will David Hasselhoff(probably my least favourite celebrity of all time) and Julia Bradbury.
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