ok guys, i would like to add some things.
First- every person on that list, hardley creates their own material. Ok? Sankey does create most, but he takes old stuff, makes it better, or adds a different twist thats it....ok? DC, 10% of his work, he helped with. He has an entire team of people including ammar and fearson, helping him!
Secondly-anyone here who thinks comparing DC to DB is like comparing apples to oranges is soooooooo stupid. In all honesty, DC licks all their asses. period. not only because of the trick, but because DC PERFORMS well. thats it. He is a stronger PERFORMER!!!! he can sell the trick, while Oz sells secrets.

DC out performs, out tricks, out sells all of those people on your weak list

Do we forget DC was a dancer that was taught magic by magicians, this comming from the person asked to take Doug Hennings place, turned it down and then there was Copperfeild !

Where did you hear that he was a dancer???? He was doing magic since he was a little kid. He would hang out at Tannens all the time with a bunch of now no-name magicians and comedians.

DC started out on Broadway as a dancer in the musical, Music Man. Dc did a magic trick in the show and was hired. I know all of this as I was supposed to take the place of DH and turned it down and then Kraft hired on DC. I made a big mistake, and at the time I did not know all that I do now untill after I turned it down. It was in the seventies, early. DC might have done some magic tricks when he was young as most of us did, but this was not to be his lifetime job ! The media will make you out to be anything you want as long as you pay them for it or set them up, they will make up things about you that never took place, besides would you think so much of him if you knew that he was a dancer first and did not start in magic ( professionaly ) untill he was about twenty years old ?

I love teachers

That was so funny.

Zambini, you have a fascinating story. Let me add or request clarification:

1. David Copperfield was in Magic Man, not The Music Man. It premiered in Chicago, not Broadway. He was the star. And he was 18 at the time.

2. If he had started as a dancer, why would anybody consider this a negative point? The state of magic would be far improved if more performers had the discipline and training derived from a serious study of dance, music, and acting technique.

3. You mention the age at which you believe he started performing. If he had not so much as touched a magic book or prop until twice that age, why would that lower his value in any way? Bert Allerton -- legendary close-up magician, former National President of the Society of American Magicians -- didn't begin to perform professionally until retirement age.

Best,
Neil
www.SupernaturalChicago.com

I stand corrected, it was the Magic Man. Glad to see someone doing reserch for once. I said that he started in magic professionally at about twenty, which was a couple of years after the magic man. I did not say that he was a bad performer, I just stated that he was a dancer taught magic by magicians, I know this because I know of some of the teachers. He is a good performer and the dance has gave him a good stage performance, but he is not the god that someone in hear was praising him for. Even though he is aragent I like to watch him.

How about McBride? Or Slydini? Or Harris? I did vote for copperfield, but I think that he's getting way too much hype for his own good. A good magician is not always someone who will get paid several million dollars a show, a good magician is someone who will entertain spectators and give them something to remember. Now everyone who is bashing Sankey, I think that you are in the mindset of "Oh now he isn't as renound as Copperfield, he doesn't do huge stage performances like Blaine." Well, maybe that's what people like about him! He's a down-to-earth type of guy. Why bash someone because their schedule isn't "Monday-Make Elephant Disappear; Tuesday-Perform for 100,000 people." The greater magician CAN be the guy who does close-up, and does his performances on a smaller scale. Not necessarily Sankey or Oz (well, in my opinion, DEFINITELY not Oz) but someone who will get a good laugh out of their spectator. Or a "How did you do that?" or "Good show!" My point is: We have to stop looking at how much a magician is paid and how famous he is to tell how good he is. For all we know there might be a magician sitting at their desk in a small town right now, who could very well be considered better than Copperfield or Blaine or Sankey. This magician works his butt off and is committed to his art. He might not have a show in Vegas every friday night, or really famous, but he leaves his spectators with a thrill that no other magician could give them.

The title of this forum should be who is the best magician on penguinmagic and then drop off copperfield and blaine. These two are the only household names in magic from the list.
Or change the poll to include Criss Angel, Ammar, Penn and Teller, etc.
Then the poll might be a little more close. Copperfield is on such a different level than most magicians anyways.
Criss Angel received the 2001 & 2004 Magician of the Year - Merlin Award. The first time this has ever happened
Ammar has won many awards for his great close up routines. Including magician of the year.
Penn and Teller are one of the more controversial magician duos
Lance Burton is becoming more famous each day with his Las Vegas shows. He has twice been awarded "Magician of the Year" by the academy of Magical Arts and received the "Mantle of Magic"

On this poll i vote Copperfield. My favorite magician is Michael Ammar.

My favorite is The Amazing Johnathan ( the guy that does the windex thing ) And after that, still Doug Henning.

Copperfield is the best by far. how did he make the illusion that the statue of liberty dissapeared and no one fiured out how he did it? how did he make the top part of his body come off? i think he has the best tricks ever. period.

You should be thanking Andrea Kohl for the statue of liberty illusion as he is the one that made it and sold it to Copperfield, he is no better than any of us, if we had the exposure and some of the big names selling us tricks and showing us how to use them.

Copperfield is the BEST!!!!!

I'm going to watch his show for the first time...! I'm looking forward to it!
Maybe I can go backstage because I know M.G.Taylor! He was Copperfield student and M.G.Taylor is a friend of Copperfield! BTW M.G.Taylor is the greatest magician here in Croatia!

What do you think witch trick would suprise Copperfield??? Biddle trick? Burned(when the ashes reveald the card)? Killer B? Two Dollar Window?

David copperfield is not even compairiable to david blaine because he needs stages and thousand dollar props to do tricks.

totally agree