Magic in the Media

Wow. There's gonna be a ton of magic in the public eye pretty soon. Forget David Blaine and Criss Angel, magic's gonna hit America in a new way. Take a look at what I'm talking about:

The Prestige is a movie wherein "[Christian] Bale and [Hugh] Jackman will play rival magicians in turn-of-the-century London who battle each other for trade secrets. The rivalry is so intense that it turns them into murderers. Expected release date: Oct. 20th

The Illusionist tells the story of "a magician in turn-of-the-century Vienna who falls in love with a woman well above his social standing. When she becomes engaged to a prince, the magician uses his powers to win her back and undermine the stability of the royal house of Vienna." Release date TBA.

Smokin' Aces - "A dying mob boss takes out a $1 million contract on the life of his former protégé, a Vegas magician turned gangster who has agreed to testify against the mob. The FBI attempts to protect their key witness as an array of hit men and women descend on Lake Tahoe in a race to take the magician out." Release TBA.

Scoop is Woody Allen's latest, and in it he plays a low-rent vaudevillian stand-up and magician

"Even American Idol crankster Simon Cowell is getting into the act. He just announced plans to hold a TV talent search for Vegas entertainers, especially magicians, this summer on NBC. "Personally, I hope to find the next Siegfried and Roy," he says."

Crazy. Crazy Awesome.