The Amazing Kreskin

When I met the then Governor James E. McGreevy, we were there to introduce Ray Charles at a concert here in Trenton, New Jersey.

As soon as Gov. McGreevy walked over to me and said, “Kreskin…you better not read my mind”, and while it was no surprise to me or others about his personal inclinations, a year later the curtain came down on his career with his dramatic press conference. Dramatic I would say because it was obviously a smoke screen.

I would like to predict that Mr. McGreevy will donate the profits of his new book to the people he seduced, namely the New Jersey voters. But, I am afraid that prediction would not be accurate. I am not sure that anyone cares that much about McGreevy’s private life to buy his book, except of course, the media. What I am looking forward to his second book revealing all the graft, and where all the New Jersey money that disappeared now resides.

The death of “Croc Hunter”, Steve Irwin, in the tragic sting ray incident has saddened all who loved animals and had been concerned with conservations throughout the world. Steve Irwin unquestionable had a gift. It’s a gift that I compare with Roy; the one half partner team of Sigfried and Roy, the illusionists. Roy, who had such an incredible ability to communicate with his lions, tigers and other wild animals with whom he worked, that Günter Gable of Barnum & Bailey Circus remarked that it was almost uncanny. Both however, had accidents which are always a potential when working with wild animals. Read the rest of this entry »

In recent days I am frequently being asked if I have seen the movie, “The Illusionist” and, if so, what I thought of it. The question is all the more appropriate for while my full evening concerts do not deal with stage illusions and magic as such, I am able to demonstrate how it is possible to alter in the mind of a volunteer’s reality through the power of mental and verbal suggestion.

Fortunately I’ve had the true pleasure of seeing “The Illusionist” and, if I were to sum it up in just a few words, “It is a masterpiece”. Starring four fascinating characters, brilliantly acted, it still becomes a movie that I am thankful to see within a theatre. It would be a shame to watch this on a television screen. The era and the setting in another century are mystical and highly romantic. The real illusion in the movie, which is based on a short story, is in the writing, scripting and the direction. Read the rest of this entry »

A little over a week ago, the national press announced the unfortunate demise of a colorful figure, the lawyer, Mel Sachs. Along with being a legal advisor for CORE he was a criminal defense attorney involved in some of the most notable cases in recent decades. Indeed he defended what many would consider some of the most scurrilous figures that could be unearthed. But he had a professional philosophy that they as well as anyone else deserved legal defense.

His ability to influence a jury was legendary. Read the rest of this entry »