In the past few days, I've read many people completely tear apart the World's Greatest Magic specials. Those of you out there know who you are.

I am one who greatly supports specials like WGM or Champions of Magic. I don't support Masked Magician (who does?!) These specials are often the only way for a guy like me see a professional magician. Plus, I believe it is GREAT for the art of magic. Lay people really couldn't care less if a magician used a really advanced card move or just a double lift. If it's entertaining, then who cares!!! I think all those specials were entertaining for the most part (except for the dry and pathetic M.C.'s).

This, of course, is my own humble opinion. Please tell me why you think these specials are good or bad for us as magicians and the art of magic as a whole.

Justin

I enjoy some of the performances I have seen on these shows. I think it would be a very narrow stance to say that something is "bad" just because it does not appeal to me, so I won't follow that path, but there are some acts I don't particularly care for. For example, after seeing them once, I fast forward through most of the stage illusions so I can watch the close-up and manipulation acts, which are my preferences.

I think the specials are good for the general populace. The variety of acts exposes them to facets of magic they otherwise might not encounter and the frequent re-airing of the shows keeps magic in front of the public.

As magicians, we tend to watch for technique more than for entertainment. Like it or not, this makes us the worst of those who sit in the audience trying to figure everything out! We can dissect each performance and find fault in all of them. "See, his hand is in an unnatural position!" Or, "Look, he flashed there!" And the same can be done with most of our performances. The difference is that our performances have not been recorded and broadcast to be picked apart by others who are in-the-know. We are magic's armchair quarterbacks.

I am not saying that we should not analyze the performances. Such analysis can be a very helpful exercise and may lead us to improve our own magic, but putting the performers down and trash-talking is unproductive.

Reminds me of the joke: How many magicians does it take to change a lightbulb?

I don't know, how many??

(Pick any large number)...1 to change the light bulb, the rest to explain how they could have done it better.

I like it. Very true as well!

There's nothing inherently wrong w/ specials like WGM (except perhaps the MC's!)...

The root of the problem is magicians' insistence on propagating a few cliches, stereotypes, and some truly garish dance choreography(!)... on national television.

I love WGM. It generated one heck of a lot of appreciation for stage magic from the laypeople. Families got together to watch them. A few acts that didn't sit well with some of us does not mean others did not like those same acts. So I say...thumbs up!

I liked almost all of the acts in the World's Greatest Magic Specials. For me, WGM was a great way to see what illusionists are doing and gave me some ideas for stuff I should do when I perform. The only thing I don't like is when things get removed from the special, like when Fox Family Channel removed Tom Mullica's amazing Cigarette Eating Routine.

Do you know if anything else was removed?

Justin

There's a reason why they're called a FAMILY channel! The routine used drugs, which most kids are generally steered away from. And worse yet it looked like Mullica was EATING them. They didn't want to send any type of pro-drug messages to kids. I'm not surprised they removed it.

I don't know if they removed anything else, but they probably cut "no essential" material to make room for more commercials.

When my family saw Mullica eat the cigarettes, they all thought it was gross and a good reason not to smoke. I don't think it was really a pro-drug message.

I think the WGM specials were excellent as it was the first time I got to see some greats of close-up magic like Rene Lavand and Lennart Green.

Plus, many magicians have no other way to see pro magicians.