Alexandra in the UK Edition of The Sun

Updated May 4th at 9am to add:

• a Facebook link to the performance (embedded at bottom of post). 
  
  
  

We previously posted about Alexandra's Britian's Got Talent audition.  Given that Lee Asher nominated Alexandra as an "Inspirational Canadian Magician" last December, it should come as no surprise that
Alexandra knocked it out of the park in her May 3rd appearance on the BGT semi-finals!

From the May 2rd article "Off the scale -- BGT fans go wild over ‘sexiest act ever’ as magician turns up the heat on ITV show and judge brands her ‘smoking hot’" by Jake Penkethman at The Sun - UK Edition:

"Simon Cowell even suggested that she could become Las Vegas' next big act." 

Read more and watch clip of performance.

[With thanks to Alex McAleer for tipping us to the article.]

 

 

From the May 3rd Instagram post by BGT:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Britain's Got Talent (@bgt)

 

 

From the May 3rd Facebook post at Britain's Got Talent: 

 

 

Carson & Taylor in The Observer

From the April 20th article "Astronaut and sketch duo from Sarnia team up at Canada's Got Talent" by Paul Morden in The Observer:

“We sent him over the script and Taylor and I were like, ‘Oh, there’s no way he’s going to sign on to this,’” Pinch said.

But Hadfield agreed “and we were off to the races,” he said.

“We thought this is going to be our love letter to Sarnia,” he said. “And it just so happened to work out the new judge this year is Katherine Ryan, who I actually went to high school with.”

Ryan was a student in the year ahead of Pinch at Northern Collegiate and they had some banter that didn’t make the final edit, including a line where he said, “I remember you from high school . . . where just like now, you were there judging me and I’m on stage doing my silly comedy.”

Ryan is “so, so funny, like impossibly funny,” Pinch said. “Where people would normally have one joke, she has 10 at the ready.”

And Hadfield was a “real professional” and “nailed it,” he said.

“If he has any aspirations to be a magician, I think he may have something,” Pinch said. “He’s definitely got a future.”

Read more.

 

From the April 4th post "ICYMI:  Carson & Taylor's Canada's Got Talent audition" at Canada's Magic:

Disappearing the moon before David Copperfield could!  

Watch Carson and Taylor make Sarnia proud by invoking a Canadian treasure!

 

From the April 4th upload "Magicians Carson & Taylor Return To CGT With SURPRISE Guest" at the Canada's Got Talent YouTube channel:

Sarnia magicians Carson & Taylor are BACK on CGT - and this time, with more surprises up their sleeves!  

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

ICYMI: Tape Face's Canada's Got Talent audition

Some Friday fun!  

  

From the April 14th upload "Tape Face Leaves Us On The Edge Of Our Seats" at the Canada's Got Talent YouTube channel:

 

 

ICYMI: Ian Stewart featured at the Guinness World Records website

From the April 5th article "The magical Ian Stewart: from chainsaw juggling to fantastical upside down tricks" by Sarah Payne at Guinness World Records: 

“I can still remember the streamers coming out of his mouth, and the rabbit coming out of his hat,” Ian said reflecting on watching a magic show at his pre-school when he was three years old. “I made the decision then that I would be a magician!”

Like so many record breakers before him, Ian found his love for his respective talent early in his youth and luckily for him, he had a solid support system around him that fostered his enjoyment of magic and interest in learning. For instance, his father learned some tricks to amuse Ian and his sibling and was able to convince his brother to give him some funds for his first magic kit, a Fisher Price one. Notably, Ian’s early skillset came in handy when it came to his fulfilling future with Guinness World Records, as his earliest tricks were mostly in the colourful-tied-ribbon trick subset and these very tricks were used in some of his record-breaking stunts.  

Read more.

 

 

From the April 8th Facebook post by Guinness World Records: 

 

 

 

Previously shared on Facebook April 8.

 

 

 

 

 

ICYMI: Ben Kahan's Canada's Got Talent audition

Read our interview, Canada's Got Talent:  Getting to know Ben Kahan.

 

From the April 6th upload "Magician Ben Kahan Blows Our Mind With Crazy Technology" at the Canada's Got Talent YouTube channel:

 

 

Aaron Matthews on Family Feud Canada [Apr 7]

From the February 12th Instagram post by Aaron Matthews:

A new season of @familyfeudcanada is back this winter on @cbc and the free CBC Gem streaming service, and airs 4 nights a week - Monday through Thursday at
7:30pm. Our episode will air on April 7th 🥳

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aaron Matthews Magic (@aaronmatthewsmagic)

 

 

 

 

Billy Hsueh on Penn and Teller's "Fool Us" S11 E11

Congratulations on a job well done Billy!  

Learn more about Billy at his website SleightlyDeceptive.com and follow him in Instagram.

 

A quick reminder that Robin Sheikh's episode will air April 11.

 

From the April 4th upload "Penn & Teller: Fool Us // Billy Hsueh - ImpossiBilly-ty" on Billy Hsueh's YouTube channel: 

 

 

 

 

 

ICYMI: Carson & Taylor's Canada's Got Talent audition

Disappearing the moon before David Copperfield could!  

Watch Carson and Taylor make Sarnia proud by invoking a Canadian treasure!

 

From the April 4th upload "Magicians Carson & Taylor Return To CGT With SURPRISE Guest" at the Canada's Got Talent YouTube channel:

Sarnia magicians Carson & Taylor are BACK on CGT - and this time, with more surprises up their sleeves!  

 
 

 

 

 

 

David Blaine interviewed by CBC

From the April 1st article "David Blaine gets his mind blown by magic too" by Vivian Rashotte at the CBC:  

He's been buried alive, trapped in ice and suspended in the air while sealed inside a box for 44 days. But in his new series, Do Not Attempt, Blaine is the one who's left speechless as he travels the globe taking in extraordinary feats by some of the world's greatest masters.

"It's an amazing chance to highlight these performers or these experts," Blaine tells Q's Tom Power in an interview. "Being able to meet the most incredible people that have worked for thousands of hours on these skills that are, to me, as close to magic as it gets because they've put the invisible work in — the countless thousands of hours to be able to do this thing that shouldn't be possible."

Read more. 

 

Listen to the interview by Tom Power at CBC on Demand.

 

From the April 1st Facebook post by CBC's Q:

 

 

Previously shared on Facebook April 1.

 

 

[With thank to Peter Mennie and Jeff Evason for letting us know!]

 

 

 

 

Vitaly Beckman on Penn and Teller's "Fool Us" S11 E10

Congratulations on a job well done Vitaly!  

Learn more about Vitaly at his website EveningOfWonders.com

 

A quick reminder that Billy Hsueh's episode will air April 4 and Robin Sheikh's episode will air April 11.

 

From the March 29th upload "Can VITALY fool Penn & Teller for the THIRD time?!" on Vitaly Beckman's YouTube channel: 

 

 

 

 

 

Clark Payne on Penn and Teller's "Fool Us" S11 E08

Congratulations on a job well done Clark!  

Learn more about Ottawa based Clark at his website ClarkPayne.com.

 

A quick reminder that Vitaly Beckman will be on Fool Us March 28, and Billy Hsueh's episode will air April 4.

 

From the March 15th upload "Clark Payne This and That - Penn and Teller Fool Us: Season 11" on Clarkc Payne's YouTube channel: 

 

 

 

 

 

Magicians on Canada's Got Talent [Mar 18 premiere]

Good luck to all facing this year's CGT judges:  Howie Mandel, Shania Twain, Katherine Ryan, and Kardinal Offishall!  

 

Who'd we miss?

(Our sources tell us that not all of the acts listed below will make it to air.)

 

 

From the March 4th media release:

BRITISH COLUMBIA

• BLAKE ALEONG – Burnaby

 

ONTARIO

• BEN KAHAN – Toronto
• CARSON AND TAYLOR – Toronto
• THE SECRET – Toronto

 

QUEBEC

• ALEX BOYER – Montréal
• LUC LANGEVIN – Montréal
• MONTREAL TRIO – Montréal
• NICOLAS TARDIF – Trois-Riviéres

 

ALBERTA

• LUCY DARLING – Calgary

 

ABROAD

• STEFANO BRONZATO – Magic, Italy

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Ramsay FISM artist, and One Ahead interview

Have a read of the excellent interview in One Ahead, where Chris talks about the new online demonstration category in FISM 2025 and the future of magic in general.

 

From the February 27th article "This Is Totally New For FISM"  by Tobias Hudson in One Ahead:

The process involved much brainstorming to understand what the online shift would look like, and Ramsay credits FISM organiser Walter Rolfo for being receptive to the idea.

But the question naturally follows: Does an online FISM category translate to higher levels of attendance, and more importantly, a longer-term desire to upkeep and cultivate the event for future generations?

Ramsay believes this can only happen if changes are made to the fundamental structure of the event:

Read more.

 

 From the February 24th Instagram post by Chris Ramsay:

Counting down the days! ⏳ In just 20 weeks, I’ll be in Turin, Italy, as part of the FISM Italy 2025 cast!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Ramsay 🇨🇦 (@chrisramsay52)

 

 

 

John Ornoy interviewed at Bond on Cinema

From the February 19th upload "Lost In The Shuffle: The Origin of Playing Cards & a Murder Mystery" at the Bond On Cinema YouTube Channel:

 

 

From the February 20th Instagram post by Bond on Cinema:

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bond on Cinema (@bondoncinema)

 

 

 

 

 

Connie Boyd interviewed at Bold Journey Magazine

From the February 19th article "Meet Connie Boyd" at Bold Journey Magazine:

Resilience should be my middle name! I’ve built a successful entertainment career, only to be knocked flat to start again from scratch – FIVE times. I must really love my work, because I cannot give up, I don’t know how, but after every setback, I’ve always pulled up my socks and bulldozed forward.

My first love was dance, and at age seventeen I won a full scholarship to train with the National Ballet of Canada.  

Read more.

 

From the February 20th Facebook post by Magical Women with Connie Boyd:

 

 

 

Previously shared on Facebook on February 20.

 

 

 

 

Henry Box Brown in depth at the CBC (including Toronto laneway named in remembrance)

Updated February 12th to add:

• If you didn't already know, you can listen to the podcast referenced below using the CBC Listen app available at the App Store and Google Play.

 

Learn more about the CBC Ideas Podcast about Henry Box Brown at the bottom of the post.  
[with thanks to Jeff Evason for letting us know!]

 

From the February 4th article "How Henry Box Brown escaped slavery in a box and became a subversive magician" by Lisa Godfrey in the CBC:

Henry Box Brown eventually returned to the United States, more than a decade after abolition in 1865. He brought his second wife and children, who joined him onstage, and sang with him.

He made his home base in Canada: briefly in London, Ontario, and then settling in Toronto. It was here, Cutter discovered, that he died and was buried in 1897.

Three Toronto residents — history advocates Coralina Lemos, Adam Wynne, and Pancheta Barnett — recently worked together to have a laneway named for him, behind a house he lived in on Bright Street in the Corktown neighbourhood east of downtown. 

Read more.

 

 

From the February 3rd CBC Listen Ideas episode "The Amazing Henry Box Brown: From Fugitive Slave to Ingenious Entertainer" with Nahlah Ayed:

Enslaved in 1840s Virginia, Henry Brown has himself nailed into a postal crate and mailed to a free state. But that’s less than half his story. In freedom, he becomes Henry Box Brown, and uses his escape box as the basis for a subversive magic act that sees him tour the stages of the UK and Canada — his final home. 

Read more and listen to the podcast.

 

Matt Gore featured at CJME

From the February 5th article "From magic school to master illusions: Matt Gore’s mind-bending tale" by Brittany Caffet at CJME:

Gore, a skilled magician who has captivated audiences around the world with his mind-bending illusions and performances, knows that his profession is often met with curiosity, wonder, and a healthy dose of skepticism.

He sees magic as more than just a performance, but a chance to offer people a brief escape from the stress of their everyday lives.

“Everyone’s got stuff going on in their life. Everyone’s got problems. But for a moment, we’re going to forget about all that and just enjoy a moment together,” Gore explained. “After the show, you can go back and you can pick up that weight that you once had, but it feels so freeing just to just be like, ‘How is that possible?!’ That’s the power of magic.”

Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Schwarcz, Order of Canada recipient, interviewed on The Current

You may recall we previously posted that the McGill University Office for Science and Society (OSS) was the 2024 recipient of the James Randi Educational Foundation award.

Congratulations Joe for your appointment as a Member of the Order of Canada!

 

From the January 28th post "How magic sparked Joe Schwarcz’s passion for science" on The Current with Matt Galloway:

Joe Schwarcz has made it his life's work to debunk misinformation and snake oil salespeople in the scientific world. Now, the director of the McGill Office for Science and Society has been named to the Order of Canada.

Listen to the 13 minute segment.

 

 

From the December 18th article "Quebec doctors Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Joe Schwarcz appointed to Order of Canada" by Rachel Lau at CTV News:

He hosts the longest-running radio show on CJAD 800 on chemistry, writes a weekly column and has authored best-selling books, educating people about true, evidence-based science and promoting critical thinking.

Read more.

 

 

[via Peter Mennie]

 

Brent Smith in The Albertan

From the January 27th article "Brilliant Brent dazzles at Innisfail's 2025 Family Literacy Festival" by Johnnie Bachusky in The Albertan:

But it was this year’s featured guest, Calgary’s ‘Brilliant Brent’ Smith, who was the showstopper, and fully interactive with his audience, especially children.

He was in town to offer those gathered for the event a magical touch with his very own ‘Books are Brilliant’ Literacy Magic Show.

“I knew he was going to be a different sort of magic,” said Ramsay. “This was shown by his first trick when he opened up a page and wrote the word bowling ball and then drew a bowling ball, and when the book opened up a bowling ball appeared and fell onto the floor to everybody's shock.

Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Magicians Only -- a podcast by Steve Valentine

Magicians Only is available everywhere including Apple, Spotify, and YouTube! 

 

Steve started with a two part piece on Oswald Williams. 

• Episode One - The Why And The Williams  (link to YouTube)
  
• Episode Two - The Tricky Thing About Ossie  (link to YouTube)

 

From the January 15th Instagram post by Steve Valentine:

In case you missed it! Here is the Podcast! 😍🤪
Two episodes up already, new ones every Monday... yikes!

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Steve Valentine (@stevevalentine)