Americas Got Talent Live Show 2-Landon Swank

For British Readers, this article may contain Spoilers

WHAT TRICK DID HE PERFORM?

Landon had host Nick Cannon sign a double-sided mirror front and back, put a sheet of paper over the front, stood behind the mirror, walked through both paper and mirror, then showed the mirror intact and the signatures still there. It wasn't amazing or that hard to figure out, but the signatures added a unique spin. Landon is beginning to carve a niche for himself as a performer who does original and impressive spins on what are normally Ho-Hum tricks

WHAT DID THE JUDGES SAY?

Piers asked to see the back of the mirror, and after Landon confirmed that the signature was on the back, Piers, after making everyone worry by saying how much he liked the first two tricks Swank did, usually a sign that a judge doesn't like the newest one, said it was "very impressive". Sharon, however, was "Confused" but also found it "Very Interesting". Which one? Howie, however, said that the presentation was "Lacking" (The issue that got Murray Sawchuck eliminated last year, although, unlike him, Swank does not have as many excellent opponents in his heat or a direct rival) and preferred his Vegas performance

WHAT IS HIS COMPETITION LIKE?

In a word, lacking. There are two acts likely to get an automatic pass: The Silhouettes, who posed as American Landmarks (Although they ruined this effect by overlapping real silhouettes of these landmarks over themselves) and the Smage Brothers, A duo of stunt motorbikers and their assistant, who are direct successors to last years finallist, Jeremy Vonschoonhoven. There are also four decent but unspectacular singing acts; Dani Shay, who has a voice with plenty of potential but lacks confidence or a firm handle on her act, Daniel Joseph Baker, who only sings Lady GaGa songs, Dylan Andre, who is shaky and forgettable, and Mona Lisa, who the judges felt didn't stand out.Only one of these will go through, and it will be either Daniel or Mona Lisa. Meanwhile, Pole Dancer Steven Retchless recieved praise from Howie and Sharon, but Piers dislike the act, and I don't think people will vote for a pole dancer. Attack Dance crew, like the singing acts, were talented but meh, and Western act The Rhinestone Ropers, comedian Geechy Guy and juggler Thomas Johns all fell flat and can be ruled out.

WHAT ARE LANDON'S CHANCES OF ADVANCING?

Landon has a moderate to high chance of advancing, and I think he will get through as a judges choice

Penn and Teller Fool Us: Episode 5

Yesterday's episode of Penn and Teller: Fool us included a returnee from the pilot, A pair of  Victorian magicians who I saw at the Edinburgh Festival last year, A French illusionist duo,  and a restaurant magician. Which of these acts were the two in this episode that fooled Penn and Teller and won a trip to Vegas?

CUBIC ACT- French Illusionist duo

Cubic act did a trick involving a floating canvas box with a girl inside. It was a cute trick, but I've seen that type of trick too often for me to be fooled by it, and Penn and Teller weren't (Although, just as with Alan Rorrison last week, Penn claimed that he himself had been fooled). However, Penn said it was "The best stage illusion I have ever seen". Will an illusionist ever fool the pair?

NICK EINHORN -Mentalist

Einhorn wowed everyone with an elaborate trick. He asked a volunteer to put a dish on each of three tables. The volunteer then assigned three male volunteers an envelope and a seat each at random. The volunteers then opened the envelopes, which correctly predicted the volunteer, where they sat, and what they served. The trick fooled Penn and Teller

MICHAEL VINCENT-Cardsharp

Like Richard Bellars last week, Vincent had previously been seen on the pilot. This time, he had Johnathan Ross, Penn and Teller each select and sign a card. He then made their cards appear in another deck. He didn't fool Penn and Teller, but Penn called him "My favourite performer"

MORGAN AND WEST- Victorian illusionists

I saw Morgan and West at Edinburgh last year and liked them, so I was keenly anticipating their  performance on this show. They did a trick which I haven't seen before. In it, West gave Johnathan Silhouette cards to memorize, and Morgan Predicted the names of the silhouetted people from the other side of the stage. The pair fooled Penn and Teller, and won a trip to Vegas

The show finished with Penn and Teller's most shocking trick yet. It involved Penn playing Russian Roulette with a nail gun. He loaded it with a partially empty clip of nails, and fired it into a board if he though there was a nail in the chamber, and fired it at his hand (Or, on a couple of occasions, Teller) if he thought it was empty. Thankfully, his intuition was correct each time, and no one was hurt.

N.B For the next couple of weeks, I will be on holiday, and I will catch up on, and analyze, the episodes I have missed when I return

AMERICAS GOT MAGIC

For British readers, thiis article may contain spoilers

In America, Americas got Talent has reached the liveshows and when (According to rumours I have heard) Landon Swank performs in and for America on Tuesday evening (In America), it will get the magic in the liveshows underway, and for the next two months, we hope against all hope that a magic act (We have four magic acts in the liveshows this year (Counting Frank Miles) and more may be on the way in the youtube and wildcard heats) may win this year. But the previous five seasons have seen some impressive standard setters for the art. Who are the best illusionists Americas got Talent has seen so far?

Honourable mentions before we start (i.e excellent magic acts who didn't make the cut): Shimshi (Series 3), Antonio Restivio (Series 5), Dan Sperry (Series 5)

10. The Pendragons (Series 3)

These magic legends rank low on the list, because, whilst their audition was amazing, they vanished without trace and were not seen again in that series. However, their spin on the metamorphosis trick was amazing enough to make the list

9. Eliot Zimet (Series 1)

A dove magician from the Bronx, Eliot impressed viewers far and wide with his exciting audition and stage presence. He made the liveshows, but didn't made much of an impact there. However, he had already secured a place as one of Americas Got Talent's star magicians

8. Jay Mattioli (Series 4)

Mattioli, Like Zimet wowed with a fresh, exciting audition. But like Zimet, he underwhelmed with a conventional performance in the liveshows, (unlike Zimet, he had been brought back as a wildcard after being initially eliminated). But, also like Zimet, his audition was one of the best pieces of magic that year.
I couldn't find a video of his performance, but I can tell you that his  floating microphone trick was legendary

7.Anthony Reed (Series 2)

Unlike Mattioli and Zimet, Anthony Reed didn't make the liveshows. However, unlike those two, his second performance was not as disappointing. Whilst not the best of the many versions of the Aquarian Illusion I have seen on Got Talents around the world, his was impressive enough to give his competitor and former mentor Kevin James a run for his money

6. Drew Thomas (Series 4)

Drew Thomas became the first magician since Series 1 to get beyond the first round of liveshows with an elaborate illusion involving changing female assistants in a box into male ones. Although he flopped in the semi finals with a set of simplistic tricks with an overly sentimental theme, he had cleared the way for magicians to get far in the liveshows

5. David and Dania-Quick Change (Series 1)

David and Dania became infamous on Americas got Talent for repeating almost the same trick every time, and somehow making the final almost entirely because of their feud with judge Piers Morgan. So why are they so high up on this list? Because, first time we saw their routine, it was solid gold. The many videos of their audition on youtube have altogether over 20 million hits, and the duo have performed on Americas got Talent twice more as guests. They may not have been the best magic act on the show, but they are the most famous

4. Murray Sawchuck (Series 5)

Series 5 was an excellent year for magic acts, with all four magicians in the live shows making it past the first round. Probably the most spectacular of these however, was Murray Sawchuck. With an explosion of blond hair and Armani Sunglasses, Murray stood out the most out of any of that years magic acts. So did his magic. In his time on the show, Murray made a car appear, a train vanish, and a lady turn into a tiger. In his semifinal, he duelled with Michael Grasso and came out the loser, but there is no doubt that he left a huge impression on the show

3. Kevin James (Series 2)

Kevin James was magic's sole representative in the liveshows of series 2. However, his first live performance was a disappointment. So why is he so high up on the list? Well, like David and Dania, Kevin James owes his high placing to a pair of wonderful audition performances, with his Vegas performance in particular going viral. Anthony Reed never stood a chance.

2. Nathan Burton (Series 1)

David and Dania got the furthest of all of series 1's magic acts, but the best was undoubtedly Nathan Burton. From his audition to the wildcard show, Burton wowed the judges and viewers with his slick, original illusions, giving viewers a new trick every time, including at the results show. All in all, Burton performed six times that year, including as a guest at the series finale. He appeared in Series 4 but didn't make the live shows. However, by then, he had already earned his own Vegas show and cemented himself as an Americas Got Talent Legend

1. Michael Grasso (Series 5)

There is no doubt about it, Michael Grasso was an inspiration for every magician who watches Americas Got Talent.

Initially eliminated at the Vegas round, Grasso was brought back as a wildcard, and capitalized on this second chance like there was no tomorrow, making the top 10 and only narrowly missing out on the final four. All of the tricks Grasso performed were clever and exciting, from his version of the suspended animation trick in the auditions right down to his transposition trick with swords in the top 10. For the first time ever, Americas got Talent had a magician who could genuinely compete with the best

Congratulations, Michael, you have earned your place on the top of this list.

ARROW CATCH

EFFECT

The performer shows the audience a toy bow and arrow, and tells an assistant or volunteer to fire the arrow. Even though the performer has their hands up their sleeves until the last moment to make it more difficult, they catch the arrow anyway!

YOU WILL NEED

• A Toy Bow and Arrows (These are advailable at 99p or toy shops)
• Long Sleeves
• A Volunteer or Assistant

PREPARATION

1. Place one of the toy arrows up one of your sleeves. Have it close to your wrist but in a way that does not prevent you from being able to move your arm.
2. If using an assistant, tell them to fire away from you

PERFORMANCE

1. Show the toy bow, with an arrow in, and your otherwise empty hands
2. Give the bow and arrow to your volunteer or assistant. If using a volunteer,  tell them that the arrows can be fired in a curved path, and stand a marginal distance to the side.
3. Tell the volunteer/Audience that you will catch the arrow with your bare hands, but, to make it more diificult, you will have those hands in the sleeves until the last moment. Use this to take hold of the arrow up your sleeve
4. Tell the volunteer/assistant to fire. As they do, pull both hands out from the sleeve quickly, with one of them containing the arrow. As the real arrow flies away, show the duplicate arrow and tell the audience that you have caught it. This misdirection means that no-one will notice the fact that the real arrow is somewhere else.

If performing in a small room for a small audience, have the real arrow fired so it lands behind them. If performing on a large stage, do the trick side on, next to the curtain. The real arrow will land behind the curtain. In both cases, no-one will see the real arrow, and everyone will assume that you caught it. 

Penn And Teller: Fool Us- Episode 4

Today's episode featured the series' youngest magician,its first solo female magician, and a performer previously seen in January's pilot. But did any of these manage to fool Penn and Teller?

DANIEL KRAMER- Comedy Magician


Daniel is only 15, but had excellent stage presence and a strong patter. He did the Six-card repeat, which doesn't fool many magicians (Some magic books teach you how to do it), and a twisted arm trick, both of which were funny and well presented. He didn't fool Penn and Teller, but the two noted that he did the magic better than they did at his age

ROMANY- "Burlesque" Illusionist


Romany did a trick that I have seen before, but did it well. She had Johnathan Ross (Still the perfect patsy!) Tie up her hands, and the two climbed into a sack. It was lifted over them both, and Johnathan's suit passed through Romany's restraints onto her body. She didn't fool Penn and Teller, who noted the similarity of the restraints to those seen in a spirit cabinet trick, but they praised the presentation

ALAN ROMSON- Close up Magician


Alan had Johnathan and a female volunteer stand face to face with their hands wide open. He put a coin on each hand, then a card on top of the coins, then made them teleport to a single hand. The trick didn't fool Penn AND Teller, but Penn told Alan that he himself had been fooled by it

RICHARD BELLARS- Mentalist Magician


Having failed to fool Penn and Teller in the pilot, Bellars returned with a considerably more elaborate trick. He invited Penn and Teller to play three games: Darts, Countdown and Paper-Scissors-Rock. He then revealed that he had predictions of every result in these games, correct to the details, in his foot, where they had been since the beginning. With this trick, Richard became only the third magician in the regular series to fool Penn and Teller and win a trip to Vegas

Penn and Teller then finished the show with another trick of their own. Teller's head was encased in concrete above a board on his shoulders. Penn made a volunteer's glasses vanish, then cracked the cement block to reveal the glasses on the board on Teller's board. It was another impressive trick to conclude another impressive episode

Vanishing Flagpole

EFFECT

The performer shows a flag, waving it by it's pole. They tell the audience that they have discovered a new way to pack the flag in their bag. They wrap the flag around the flagpole, then squash it into a ball to show that the flagpole vanishes!

YOU WILL NEED

• A quarter of a sheet of A4 paper or thereabouts, cut vertically
• Some sellotape
• A flag, preferably a cheap souvenir one (you can get them at sports games)

PREPARATION

1. First of all, remove the real flagpole from the flag. It is only attached by a small blob of glue, so you only need a little effort to prise the flag from the pole. This will leave a hole in the flag where the pole normally is
2. You will only need the flag. To replace the flagpole, roll the paper vertically so that the paper is of similar height to the pole, and of similar thickness
3. Secure the paper with a little tape, then ease the paper pole up the hole in the flag, taking care to ensure it keeps it's shape. You now have a flag with a paper pole that, from a distance, looks like a proper plastic one

PERFORMANCE

1. Wave the flag by the "flagpole", holding the "flagpole" by both hands. Explain that you take your flag wherever you go
2. Tell the audience you have discovered a new way of packing it up. Roll the flag around the pole until it is covered completely
3. Hold the covered "flagpole" at either end
4. Bring your hands together, squashing the flag, and "flagpole" inside into a ball. Tell them that the flag can  now be packed into smaller spaces.

Crystal Sub Tank of the cards

EFFECT

The Crystal Sub Tank (AKA Suspended Animation)  trick is one of the most popular among modern magicians. In it, the magician gets into an elevated box. It is covered with a curtain, but his hand is visible at all times. The assistants stands beside the box, and throws a cloth over himself, with one end held by the magician. The cloth comes down, and in a split second, the two have switched places. In this trick, the effect is replicated with a pair of cards

YOU WILL NEED

(FOR THE TANK)

• Some sellotape
• A rectangle of card. You should be able to fold it into an open cuboid, big enough to fit the whole deck with some extra space
• A Toilet Roll
• Clingfilm or a freezer bag
• A square of cardboard bigger than the roll, or cuboid
• Some kitchen foil
• A sheet of paper

(FOR THE MAGIC)

• A Deck of Cards
• A Helpful volunteer
• Knowledge of some card sleights- Namely the control and double lift

PREPARATION

(For The Cards)

There are two main sleights that are needed:

1. First of all, the CONTROL. While the card is being selected and looked at, take the top half or so of the rest of the deck and hold it in one hand. Hold the bottom half of the deck in the other hand. Have the volunteer put the card on the bottom half. Hold the ring finger over the chosen card-not by much, a few milimetres will do.This is called a "Finger break" and is key to both of the sleights in this trick. Put the top half over it. "Cut" the top half of the deck to the bottom. Due to the break, the chosen card will be left on top of the deck
2. Secondly, the DOUBLE LIFT. Hold another break under the card second from top. Using the ring finger holding the break as a lever, lift up the top two cards at once. They will look like one card, so it look like you are only handling the top card, which appears to be different to the chosen one (The top card is actually the chosen one

(FOR THE TANK)

1. Fold the cardboard into a cuboid, securing it with tape. Cut out two rectangles of the bag/clingfilm. Tape them each to either end of the cuboid. Cut a hole in one of the windows big enough to put a card through.
2. Stand the cuboid on top of the loo roll, and tape the two together. Attach the other end of the loo roll to the cardboard base. 
3. Cut a hole big enough to put a card through into the foil. arrange the foil so it covers the box, with the hole in the foil in line with the hole in the bag/film. The Tank is now ready

PERFORMANCE

1. Have the volunteer pick a card from the deck. Using the control sleight, move the chosen card to the top of the deck. Tell the volunteer that this will be the magician. Do some fake shuffles to keep the chosen card on top of the deck
2. Perform a double lift to show an indifferent card. Tell the volunteer that this will be the assistant. Remove some of the sellotape from the door with the hole in to open it
3. Place the top card (assumed to be the assistant) beside the tank. Put the rest of the deck in the tank, and replace the tape and door. Put the card on top of the incomplete deck (Assumed to be the magician) through the hole. Place the foil over it, passing the magician card through that hole as well
4. Cover both cards with the paper for a second, then turn over the card beside the tank to reveal it as the "Magician" card
5. Remove the foil, open the box by removing the tape, and reveal that the card that has been protruding from the holes the entire time to be the assistant!