Vlad Kraven

Magician, Artist, Writer

Magic Brain Leaks Out

Let’s put aside the tactless title momentarily. Whether you’re in the New York Area looking for magic and entertainment for a party, a producer looking for magical hands for your next video project, or just stumbling around the web and randomly coming here, you might be asking yourself, “what the heck is this site?”

Let me sum it up: I love magic, and I strive to bring you magic in every way possible. If I can’t perform for you in person, I’ll bring you the very best (and sometimes worst) that magic from the internet, television and even history. So this little place is where all my magical thoughts seep out into what resembles a blog.

A magician and his assistant

Vlad Kraven - Brooklyn Magician

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Real Levitation Video

Modern science can be more magical than any illusion out there. If you could take a lighter and travel back in time a few hundred years, religions would be built around your ‘magic’ fire powers. And that’s barely even science.

But stuff like this — quantum levitation with magnets and liquid nitrogen is impressive even by today’s sordid standards! The levitation in the video looks like a post-production visual effect. Plus, the science behind it is so confusing, that we might-as-well just call it magic and watch in amazement.

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Mythbusters Open For Penn & Teller

Who’s the real headliner here? Watch this new promo video for Penn & Tellers new Discovery Channel show featuring the Mythbusters. The show will air Wednesdays  starting October 5 at 10pm EST.

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Brooklyn Magician that doesn’t stink!

A very bad magician

Bad Magician

And now a word from our sponsor!

Does a lack of good magic have you down? Are you tired of having cheesballs and nerds scarring your guests
at weddings, corporate events and birthday parties? Do you feel just a little nauseous every time you hear the word ‘magician’?

Brooklyn Magician

Good Magician

Well Brooklyn Magician Vlad Kraven has just the entertainment you need! Having performed from Prague to Park Avenue, he’ll bring your NYC event to the next level of intrigue and amazement. Magic that is elegant, not embarrassing; mystical and not mundane; professional and not pathetic.

That’s right, for recession-proof rates you can have the coolest party on the block with an incredible New York Magician!

Act now to learn more about how jaw-dropping card magic, miraculous mind reading and breathtaking fire magic can amaze the guests at your next New York event.

Vlad Kraven, a New York Magician you’ll actually enjoy.

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Copperfield on Colbert

TV Magic programming note: DO NOT miss David Copperfield on The Colbert Report this Thursday, September 15, at 11:30 pm EST on Comedy Central. Mr. Copperfield does not do many talk shows, so this should be a real treat for all of us!

Visit Colbert’s website to read more about Copperfield visiting The Colbert Report.

Tell your friends!

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Word Mind Trick (Magic Updates)

-This word/mind trick has gone viral over the last week or so. For the few people that missed it, here’s one of the versions I’ve seen floating around:

7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! N07 3V3RYB0DY C4N R34D TH15.

-Quick programming note: The weekly magic updates/loose ends have been phased out due to miniscule traffic numbers. People don’t really care about obscure magic trivia. That said, brilliant magic finds and info WILL continue to be posted here regularly.

Follow me on Twitter for the cool day-to-day magic: @vladkraven

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The Magic of “Magic”

There was a cool write-up in The Photo District News of the silent short film “Magic” that I was in earlier this year. Even I got a mention: “Vlad Kraven — even the name conjures up darkness and mytsery…”

Read the whole article titled “Silent Movie Magic”.

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The Magician Music Video

Here’s a sweet music video just released across the pond by singer-songwriter Mike Marlin called “The Magician”. What happens when four magicians sit down for a game of cards? Well, not much card playing, but a lot of chicanery and some great visuals to boot. And the song is pretty awesome!

The magicians: Steve Dela, Dafedas B, Scott Perry, and Magic Singh.

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Forrest Gump Backstage Magic

Forrest Gump Magic

It seems that there’s a magical connection in everything nowadays. Many that have seen Forrest Gump witnessed the mystical transformation of Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise) from two-legged actor to double-amputee. The illusion was amazingly convincing, and those guessing that it was digital editing are only partly right.

Enter Ricky Jay, magician extraordinaire. The famous scenes of Lieutenant Dan in a wheelchair were actually a specially designed illusion chair by Ricky Jay. The magic seat allowed Sinise to convincingly make his legs disappear with no amputation required.

There you have it — the little bit of Magic behind the classic Forrest Gump.

 

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Y: The Last Magician

Meet Yorick Brown, a socially-challenged NYC Magician and escape artist. On July 17, 2002 he went from petty New York Magician to the last magician on earth. In fact, he became the last man on earth.*

With the exception of Yorick and his pet monkey Ampersand, every mammal with a ‘Y’ chromosome was killed by a mysterious virus. In this comic series, written by the brilliant and always-controversial Brian K. Vaughan, we follow Yorick on his transformation from socially awkward trick monkey to humanities last hope. Turns out that being the last man on earth ain’t all it’s cracked up to be — a lot of very crazy woman seem to think that there should be no men on earth and see their opportunity to finalize that goal.

Suddenly, his magic and escape artistry becomes more than a mediocre form of entertainment, but a vital survival skill. Escaping restraints, picking locks and sleight of hand turn out to be invaluable survival skills in an apocalypse. Who knew?

To join Yorick on his epic journey through the post-gendercide world and to find out how magic can save you in a disaster, make sure to pick up Y: The Last Man.

Rating: I give this book 4/5 psychopaths in a straight jacket.

Joker Straight Jacket

Perfect for magic enthusiasts and those that want an alternative narrative to the zombie apocalypse.

*Yes, before you send the hate mail, there technically could be female magicians, but it makes the article a lot less fun if I start using senseless things like ‘facts’.

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