Penn & Teller and the Magic Bullet
November 12nd, 2006 at 05:34:35 PM
While in fabulous Las Vegas, NV, I took in some shows, one of which is my favorite: Penn & Teller. If you're not familiar with Penn & Teller, they're a 2-man magic and comedy act which is installed at the Rio in Las Vegas. Penn is the big, loud mouthed front-man who talks enough for the both of them, which is good, because Teller doesn't say a word. Ever. They use this as a tool for comic relief as they do some really cool magic and trickery, some on the level of other stage magicians like Lance Burton and some is targeted at psychic frauds like John Edward. Blending in the juggling of broken bottles and fire eating with a pinch of audience sacrifi... 'participation', and you have an amazing show that you should go out of your way to see if you find yourself in Las Vegas. They also have a show on Showtime called 'Bullshit' in which they take on topics which they find to be absurd like the existence of Bigfoot, God's face appearing on sandwiches, and bottled water.
Now that you understand who they are and what they do, I'm going to explain why I put a picture of a bullet above this post. At the end of the act, they have a bit that never changes. It's the same every night and is the best magic trick I have ever seen. I've seen the show 4 or 5 times now and I'm still completely baffled. Some people might think that seeing 2 men shoot each other from 40 feet in the mouth and catch the bullets with their teeth is pure trickery and you can't see the handoff or slight-of-hand due to distance, but I'm telling you as a person who has been on stage and watched very closely, it seems very real. I was a selected audience member to help with the trick and it was quite a thrill. Being a big fan, I was excited that I was picked, but mor excited to finally find out how they do they trick. I signed the bullet and the casing (seen above), loaded the gun, and then watched with 200 other people as they shot each other in the face. Brilliant. I then unloaded the gun and got my bullet straight from Teller's mouth which had my markings. The trick is a masterpiece.
If you like comedy and magic and want to see some real professionals, go see Penn & Teller in Las Vegas. If you know who they are and have never seen their TV show, I urge you click the links below and buy them (or go to the video store and rent 'em).
Penn & Teller - Bullsh*t! - The First Season
Penn & Teller - Bullsh*t! The Complete Second Season
Penn & Teller - Bullsh*t - The Complete Third Season
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