COVER: Homer Liwag
Homer Liwag really does exist. He's a magician, an artist, a designer in multiple media, and an underground sleight-of-hand legend. David Copperfield told John Lovick that Homer Liwag is “the one person I know who is closest to being a true Renaissance man. Of course, he's a great artist. I've worked with many collaborators and magic consultants, but none of them have had the range of skills and sensibilities that Homer has; they certainly couldn't put pen to paper in such an amazing way.” Homer is one of Copperfield's (not-so) secret weapons.
By John Lovick

In His Words: Steve Brooks
In 1978, a crowd of people standing around a cabinet attracted the attention of eighteen-year-old Steve Brooks. It turned out to be an early video game called Space Invaders. He was fascinated. Soon, Steve was reading everything he could about computers, teaching himself BASIC language, and designing video games. Twenty-three years later, Steve Brooks launched the Magic Café, and since then, thousands of magician have logged on to the site to share information about magic.
By Stan Allen

Lalla Selbini: A Wowo On Wheels
Child cyclist, teen acrobat, vaudeville exhibitionist, one (shapely) leg of a showbiz love triangle, inferno survivor, singer, magician, and sex symbol. Jerry Bruckheimer should make a film about Lalla Selbini. Best known in our circles for her connection to the eccentric magician Lafayette, Selbini had a long and eventful theatrical career. While she may not be remembered as the most gifted female magician in the art, she had the beauty, daring, versatility, and endurance of a star.
By Michael Claxton

Best Cellars: Magical Wines for the Holiday Season
It""®s Saturday night and you are about to go to a party. Most of the people at the party know you are a magician and will expect you to do some magic. Or at least that's what you tell yourself as you load up your pockets, just in case. Cards… check. Coins… check. Thumb tip…� check. Pockets bulging, you are ready for a good two to three hours of your best stuff. But wait; what do you plan to bring to the hosts? Why not bring some magical wine? No, Gary Mandelblatt is not talking about a set of multiplying wine bottles or a floating wine glass. He means a nice bottle of wine, with a magical touch.
By Gary Mandelblatt

David Sousa: Pushing the Envelope
He stands motionless, an iconic figure smartly dressed in long black coat and white gloves, a top hat obscuring his features. As a melancholic melody suggesting love and loss floats in the background, the figure slowly lowers the hat, revealing wholesome and handsome features. He begins a slow, stylish routine, transforming his gloves with a flick to a bouncing ball, followed by the instant production of a white silk scarf and black cane. The iconic attire of a magician thus produced, he calmly attaches the white ball to the head of his cane as a ferrule, then slowly extracts a red envelope from his pocket, from which he withdraws a single playing card: the Ace of Hearts. This is the opening of Portuguese manipulator David Sousa's award-winning magic act, which created a considerable impact at the 23rd FISM World Championship Competition in Stockholm last year.
By Mark Nelson

Herrmannic Convergence
Exiting the stage after her performance of a Billiard Ball routine that was reminiscent of Adelaide Herrmann, Margaret Steele was stopped by an emotional stranger, who gently took hold of her hands.� Eyes moistening, he said, "I felt like Adelaide had come back to perform just for me.”� That stranger was James Hamilton, the world's foremost authority on the Herrmann dynasty. That first meeting sparked a bi-coastal collaboration of research and performance, and� Magic of the Golden Age, a merging of performance and history, is its fruition.
By Dexter Lane

Update
For the first time in its almost sixty-year history, FISM is considering changing its rules of competition after a complaint was lodged at the 2006 gathering. Who lodged it, and what was the nature of the complaint? Find out in this month's “Update.” While there, read about Eric Buss' appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Steve Valentine's appearance on House, and a report on the most recent edition of It's Magic at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Plus you'l be able to get a look at recent magic-themed books that will be hitting the market, witness an Asian Teleportation, and spend “A Moment With” Sandy Marshall, Jasper's son, as he talks about the current status of Magic, Inc.

And Much More!