With only hours to go before David Blaine's "Dive of Death" is set to air on ABC, David took time to speak with us by phone. David talked about the medical breaks that many have referred to by some as cheating, his medical condition, his readiness for the final stunt and what moment is his favorite in the broadcast. Because of the live speech by the President at 9PM, the special will air in its' entirety on ABC from 9:15 - 11:15.

As I begin the next season of the Magic Newswire's "Spirit of Magic" podcast, it is a pleasure to introduce you to the Master in Residence of the Conjuring Arts Research Center, the amazing David Roth.  In this first in an ongoing series of conversations, David will discuss a wide array of topics including the relevance of magic with coins at a time where the quarter is the largest coin that most Americans will be familiar with. Dai Vernon's circumcission, the Spaghetti Sessions, the El Cerrito Seven and so much more. 

Paul Vigil has often been referred to as "the best close-up magician in Las Vegas". He's a free thinker and an explorer of the mind of both the performer and the spectator.  Above all else he's a man who loves the art of magic. With an intensity that engages the most cynical of audiences, Paul has become a "Must see!" in a city known for it's ruthlessness towards performers. "I'm here to be the best--not only at what I do, but at what can be done--period. I want my audience to experience something they've never experienced ever before. I want them to feel something they've never felt before. I want my audiences to believe something they've never believed before; until they walk away from my show."  I our interview we explore why magic is so important to him and what secret project he's working on in Las Vegas.

Fresh from his appearance on the cover of the November 2008 Issue of Magic Magazine, Joshua Jay is our guest on this edition of the Magic Newswire "Spirit of Magic" podcast.  Joshua talks about the differences between publishing his first book at the age of seventeen and the release of his new book "Magic : The Complete Course." In addition, Jay discusses his ideas with regard to the creation of original magic and the ways in which a magician can impact the way the spectator views the performance.  

Here's the first report from our new editor at large Shawn Farquhar. Shawn just completed the most recent Bob Fitchworkshop in Maryland and took some time to talk not only to Bob, but to the other attendees including "Joey C - Mindreader to the Mob," Eric Leclair, Mark Phillips, Tom Paxton & John Tudor. For those somehow not familiar with Bob Fitch, he has appeared in an unbelievable twenty-seven shows on Broadway,. Most recently as Senex in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," (starring Whoopi Goldberg). In the Broadway production of "Annie," Bob won the Burns-Mantle Award for best featured actor in a musical for his villainous performance as Rooster. He's also performed in films, dancing with Steve Martin in "Pennies from Heaven," and more recently as a rather scary character in Stephen King's "Thinner." Bob is the "missing link" between magic and real world theatre skills for many performers and I'm honored to be able to present this chat to you on the Magic Newswire.

One of America's great stage magicians, John Calvert segued into acting when hired to play himself in The 1943 movie "Bombardier" with Eddie Albert. As a result, John was signed to a contract with Columbia Pictures. John was the technical director on "The Silver Chalice" which was the platform for Paul Newman's acting debut. John was also the first magician to perform a big magic show in Las Vegas and on Broadway. John is a movie star, an amazing magician, an aviator, an adventurer, a yachtsman and an honored guest on this episode of the Magic Newswire's "Spirit of Magic" podcast!

If you don't know the name of Jon Racherbaumer, you should either walk away from magic or take some time to explore his influence on our art form. Jon is one of those guys that managed to connect to some of the greatests names in the modern history of magic including Ed Marlo, Eddie Fields, Orson Welles, and Senator Crandall. Given the controversies surrounding Blackpool & FISM 2010, it is also interesting to note that he was at one time blackballed by both the IBM & the SAM. Please join us for Part One of our interview with Jon Racherbaumer and learn more about lesbian bowlers, the "Magic Mafia" and how a good magician becomes controversial.

Bob Cassidy is a founding member of the Psychic Entertainers' Association and one of the most colorful and influential creators of modern mentalism. His book, "The Art of Mentalism" was immediately recognized as a classic in the field when it was released and remains at the top of the "must read" book lists of the leading practioners in this area of magic. In this interview, Bob shares his thoughts on the state of modern mentalism and discusses the influence of Ted Annemann and "The Jinx" on the art. Bob is also one of the contributors to the October special supplement to Genii Magazine which celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Jinx.

In addition to his duties as an executive on the Board of Directors of several multi-national corporations, Marvin Miller has managed to find time to write more than twenty best selling books for children and to make a significant contribution to the art of magic and mentalism. Most recently, Marvin contributed the article "When Ted Went Postal" to Genii Magazine's 75th Anniversary salute to Ted Annemann's the Jinx. Join us on this episode of the Spirit of Magic podcast for a conversation that also touches on Walter Gibson, Dunninger, Himber and modern mentalism.

Johnny Thompson and Pamela Hayes are best know within the world of magic as The Great Tomsoni & Co.  Johnny is widely recognized as one of the great thinkers in magic today. In spite of that, he and Pam still decided to have some fun chatting with us on This Week in Magic. Pam tells us what it is like working with the Adonis of the Las Vegas Showroon and Johnny shares the experience of tearing off Pam's dress with our resident cougar hunter.  In addition, I was totally surprised to learn that one of Johnny's teachers in High School was an magician that you should all know.  Johnny also channels Dai Vernon for a few great stories!