Hey guys, I just wanted to take a minute and write a review about Dan White's show, White Magic, that premiered a couple hours ago on The Travel Channel. Before I start, I encourage the reader to read the whole review. I want to first start off and congratulate Dan on his success and wish him all the best luck in the future.
Let me get it right out in the open and first say, I didn't like it one bit. I didn't even want to stick around for the second episode, I turned the channel immediately after the first one ended. I assume the second would be the same, and whether it was, or wasn't, the first one left a bad taste in my mouth. Why didn't I like it? Because it seems to be a popular trend now a days, performing magic on TV, that is only good for TV! A good hand full of the tricks he did, simply can not be performed on the spot in real life situations. And how do I know this? Because I'm a bloody magician too! Let me break down the tricks I remember.
The first thing he did was an effect that combined French Kiss by Wayne Houchin and Pure Smoke. Very cool and practical, I though the rest of the show would be like that, but it wasn't at all.
The next one was a borrowed ring linking onto a wine glass. Seems pretty legit, although he asked a bunch of ladies to hold out their hands to borrow the ring, but he ends up taking the guys ring who was sitting all the way to the right him! Seemed a bit odd.
The next one he asked a lady to walk into a store and buy post cards. He handed 4 or 5 of them out to the group of family he was performing for. They all thought of a person in their head, and named them out loud one at a time. When they turned over the post card, it had the name they were thinking of written on it. Their is no way shape or form he could do this on the spot in a real life situation, so why bother only doing it on TV? This is when I started disliking the show.
Next he did something where a signed card vanished in the spectators hand, well, it changed into another card. The card in their hand was a blank card that said "look up". They do and then see their signed card stuck to a Hollywood Blvd. sign. Again it can't be done without somebody in on it, thus making it extremely difficult to do it in a real life situations. Again, why bother doing something like that if you can only do it on TV? It's a bunch of crap. It would only be practical if you palm the card into your pocket, but then it wouldn't be that good.
He then did a magical appearance of his whole body. Super staged! I know there is no CGI like he said, I understand, but you can't appear like that in my living room so why bother putting it on TV? Waste of time.
The next one I recall is where he "gets a random stranger in a book store which conveniently was empty " to think of any book in the store. Before he asked her to do that he handed her an envelope. Long story short, hes doing "muscle reading" and comes to a blurred out Harry Potter book which was awkwardly placed on an end display and was the only Harry Potter copy on that display. She then thinks of a page number after confirming it was that book and flips to the page. The page was torn and the matching piece was in the envelope. Bull crap, again no way in the world can that be practical. Another stupid TV trick. If I met Dan in a book store I guarantee it will not play out like that. I believe in the muscle reading, but this was so staged!
Finally he drove around Hollywood with newspaper covering the windows. Another piece of crap. The two people in the car with him were supposedly random people that were taking a tour around town? Bull crap, If that was me and I didn't know Dan, no way would I drive with him blind and do it so calmly like they acted. I'm pretty sure the car was in place the whole time with sound effects with camera cuts to a different car with newspaper, but one that you can see through. Again stupid, stupid, stupid.
Final thoughts. I really thought this would be different, but it was like all the rest. Some of this may be good for stage magic, but save it for the bloody stage! Don't pretend to be able to do it anytime, anywhere, and not be able to. Almost all of it can not be performed with out super set up and special situations. I love Dan and if I knew him personally would love to be his friend. But good Lord can somebody please do what Blaine did in Street Magic (minus the levitation) and do real practical magic with real people. Please, otherwise, its not worth my time. Thanks for reading.
Let me get it right out in the open and first say, I didn't like it one bit. I didn't even want to stick around for the second episode, I turned the channel immediately after the first one ended. I assume the second would be the same, and whether it was, or wasn't, the first one left a bad taste in my mouth. Why didn't I like it? Because it seems to be a popular trend now a days, performing magic on TV, that is only good for TV! A good hand full of the tricks he did, simply can not be performed on the spot in real life situations. And how do I know this? Because I'm a bloody magician too! Let me break down the tricks I remember.
The first thing he did was an effect that combined French Kiss by Wayne Houchin and Pure Smoke. Very cool and practical, I though the rest of the show would be like that, but it wasn't at all.
The next one was a borrowed ring linking onto a wine glass. Seems pretty legit, although he asked a bunch of ladies to hold out their hands to borrow the ring, but he ends up taking the guys ring who was sitting all the way to the right him! Seemed a bit odd.
The next one he asked a lady to walk into a store and buy post cards. He handed 4 or 5 of them out to the group of family he was performing for. They all thought of a person in their head, and named them out loud one at a time. When they turned over the post card, it had the name they were thinking of written on it. Their is no way shape or form he could do this on the spot in a real life situation, so why bother only doing it on TV? This is when I started disliking the show.
Next he did something where a signed card vanished in the spectators hand, well, it changed into another card. The card in their hand was a blank card that said "look up". They do and then see their signed card stuck to a Hollywood Blvd. sign. Again it can't be done without somebody in on it, thus making it extremely difficult to do it in a real life situations. Again, why bother doing something like that if you can only do it on TV? It's a bunch of crap. It would only be practical if you palm the card into your pocket, but then it wouldn't be that good.
He then did a magical appearance of his whole body. Super staged! I know there is no CGI like he said, I understand, but you can't appear like that in my living room so why bother putting it on TV? Waste of time.
The next one I recall is where he "gets a random stranger in a book store which conveniently was empty " to think of any book in the store. Before he asked her to do that he handed her an envelope. Long story short, hes doing "muscle reading" and comes to a blurred out Harry Potter book which was awkwardly placed on an end display and was the only Harry Potter copy on that display. She then thinks of a page number after confirming it was that book and flips to the page. The page was torn and the matching piece was in the envelope. Bull crap, again no way in the world can that be practical. Another stupid TV trick. If I met Dan in a book store I guarantee it will not play out like that. I believe in the muscle reading, but this was so staged!
Finally he drove around Hollywood with newspaper covering the windows. Another piece of crap. The two people in the car with him were supposedly random people that were taking a tour around town? Bull crap, If that was me and I didn't know Dan, no way would I drive with him blind and do it so calmly like they acted. I'm pretty sure the car was in place the whole time with sound effects with camera cuts to a different car with newspaper, but one that you can see through. Again stupid, stupid, stupid.
Final thoughts. I really thought this would be different, but it was like all the rest. Some of this may be good for stage magic, but save it for the bloody stage! Don't pretend to be able to do it anytime, anywhere, and not be able to. Almost all of it can not be performed with out super set up and special situations. I love Dan and if I knew him personally would love to be his friend. But good Lord can somebody please do what Blaine did in Street Magic (minus the levitation) and do real practical magic with real people. Please, otherwise, its not worth my time. Thanks for reading.