Monday, November 03, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SHOOTING STARS: BBC crew to interview Lance Burton, Penn and Teller

Beyond its other claims to fame, Las Vegas arguably reigns as the magic capital of the world.

That status gains credibility from the BBC, which visits Vegas this week for an upcoming six-part documentary, "The History of Magic."

The show "will trace the development of entertainment magic throughout the world, from its earliest roots in religious ritual and tribal shamanism to today's international stars of Las Vegas and television," according to the show's outline.

Each hourlong chapter will explore an aspect of magic, from the form's ritualized violence (such as sawing someone in half) to the sleight-of-hand and misdirection involved in close-up magic. Other chapters focus on "Danger," "Beyond Belief" (levitation and transformation), "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Mentalism."

The BBC's location trek, which also includes stops in Chicago and at Los Angeles' Magic Castle, is the first of two planned trips Stateside.

London's Magic Circle also will be featured in the show, which is expected to air late next year, according to production coordinator Jo Charleston.

During the BBC's Vegas visit, master magician Lance Burton will sit for a two-hour interview Thursday following his Monte Carlo show.

And on Friday, those resident Rio cut-ups, Penn and Teller, are scheduled to be in the BBC spotlight.

Speaking of Penn and Teller, their Showtime series "Penn & Teller: Bullshit!" (which received two Emmy nominations -- and, alas, zero wins) will return to the cable network for its second season next April. Production resumes on the show, in which Penn and Teller use their knowledge of con games and trickery to expose hokum, debunk junk science and unmask those who prey on the gullible.

Before then, however, Penn and Teller also turn up as guests on NBC's "Las Vegas" series. Ironically, they had to travel to Culver City, Calif., to shoot their scenes on the show's casino-replica set, reports publicist Glenn Alai.

Returning to "The History of Magic," BBC cameras also will focus on one of Burton's credited influences during the show's Vegas visit: Channing Pollock, a '50s performer whose "artistry with doves greatly inspired Lance Burton in developing his own magic act and showmanship skills," according to Burton's Internet site.

Before coming to Las Vegas, Pollock performed at venues from the London Palladium to TV's "Ed Sullivan Show" stage; he later filmed several movies in Europe and guest-starring on such '60s TV hits as "Bonanza" and "The Beverly Hillbillies." Pollock received a lifetime achievement award at this year's Society of American Magicians convention, held -- where else? -- in Las Vegas.

Also on the small-screen front, the Learning Channel's "Wedding Story" returns to the wedding capital of the world Thursday, Friday and Saturday to document a Los Angeles' couple's upcoming nuptials.

At deadline, the events leading up to the big day were still in the planning stages, but the ceremony itself was set for the El Caribe chapel on Pecos-McLeod, giving "Wedding Story" audiences a glimpse of yet another venue in Las Vegas' vast nuptial array.

"We've done such different Vegas shows," notes Alicia Nathanson, associate producer for Philadelphia-based Banyan Productions, which produces "A Wedding Story."

The program, a frequent Vegas visitor, has captured weddings on and off the Strip; a recent show took viewers to a ceremony held at the new Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas.

"This is our third one (in Southern Nevada) this year," Nathanson says. "It's nice to show different weddings."

Moving along the cable dial, the Do-It-Yourself Network also hits Las Vegas this week for "Talk2DIY- Automotive," which visits the Las Vegas Convention Center for the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association trade show, according to producer Rich Belz.

In addition to shooting convention segments for upcoming programs, the show also is expected to visit the Fremont Street Experience for Glitter Gulch backdrops.

And while we're on the subject of cars, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway plans a still photography session Monday at the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign, where speedway mascot Pit Boss -- a die-headed guy in a racing suit -- will pose for promotional photos to be used on "hero cards" to be given to young racing fans, according to Jeff Motley, the speedway's communications director. (We're tempted to call Pit Boss a squarehead, but that wouldn't be geometrically accurate; technically, he's a cubehead.)

The session originally was scheduled last week, Motley reports, but the massive smoke cloud that blew into Las Vegas from Southern California's firestorms prompted a postponement.

Also on the still photography front, the Italian clothing line Original Marines visits Las Vegas this week for its spring/summer catalogue of family fashions.

A Special Memory Wedding Chapel, a 5 & Diner restaurant and a residential area off East Charleston Boulevard will be among the Southern Nevada locations, according to Matt Wilkinson of Abe Froman Productions, the shoot's local producer.

Other Original Marines destinations include the Arizona-Utah border destinations of Lake Powell and Monument Valley, the latter the topographically spectacular Navajo tribal park that's been immortalized in countless John Ford-directed Westerns.

"They really are playing with the theme of the American West and Americana," Wilkinson explains, citing a planned shot featuring a Native American in Monument Valley. "You can't get more Americana than that."