New Years is always time to look back as well as forward. After reviewing the events of the year, we identify the five most significant events in magic in 2006. Here they are, in order.

1. David Blaine’s “Drowning Alive” and “Gyro”
Despite the fact that he’s doing little magic these days, David Blaine continues to be the best known magician in the public’s mind. His two stunts in 2006: living in a fishbowl and trying to break the world-record for holding one’s breath, and, to a lesser extent, his promotional stunt on a gyro, received lots of coverage and kept the public thinking about magic and magicians.

2. Criss Angel’s Second Season of MINDFREAK
Week-in and week-out, Criss Angel is on TV performing baffling magic that’s successfully drawing a younger demographic. Sure, perhaps Angel works too hard turning each trick into a puzzle, but he almost has to. Every trick that he performs gets recorded, uploaded to the internet and reviewed and discussed in chat rooms. On MINDFREAK, his brand of magic is television magic that often makes the most of the camera’s limited view as well as editing. But Angel has an upcoming live show where he says that he can perform most of what he has done on MINDFREAK. I have confidence that Angel and his team will pull it off.

3. YouTube and the Internet
The internet has changed magic and the recent growth of YouTube has allowed magic performances to be reviewed, scrutinized and exposed. While Criss Angel and Cyril Takayama get lots of play, it was Marco Tempest who exploited YouTube with his cell phone magic videos to build his fan base and ultimately snare an appearance on television’s Tonight show. 

4. The Movies: "The Prestige" and "The Illusionist"
Hollywood is typically not kind in its portrayal of magicians, usually as inept clowns or rabbit-obsessed idiots in tuxes and top hats. But 2006 saw the release of two popular movies that were based on the world of magic. And there are more on the way. The films had their negative aspects, mainly exposure of secrets. On the plus side, with star power such as Hugh Jackman, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson and more, the entertaining films generated lots of interest in magic. For awhile, I changed my strolling patter to accommodate “the pledge” and “prestige,” after spectators asked me about the film. Overall, the magic films were good for magic. 

5. Milt and Bill Larson Awarded with a Hollywood Star/FISM
A recognition from Hollywood’s entertainment community, Milt and Bill Larson were awarded a star on Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame.” The pair deserve every honor that the magic and entertainment community can bestow on them for their work for the Magic Academy of Arts and the Magic Castle. Sure, the “Walk of Fame” is filled with politics and most nominations come via the PR machines of big entertainment companies, but Milt and Bill Larson are a deserving pair who have done a lot for magic. 

Far below the lay public’s radar, the magic community convenes to compete and award the finest in our art. Only a select few, Lance Burton, Jason Latimer and Johnny Ace Palmer come to mind, have managed to leverage a title into something that sets them apart from other magicians. But if magic has anything that resembles our own version of the Olympics and celebrates our art, it’s FISM.