Dickensian Twist

I first heard about this from Mr. Hanberg. Seems David Copperfield and two of his assistants got robbed by some teenagers with guns (aren't they cute?). Erik seemed to think that the part where Copperfield pulled a little slight-of-hand was a nice bit of propaganda, but ultimately bullshit.

I have to agree with you, Erik. You're a little cynical. Especially that line about how Copperfield should have made their guns disappear instead of just hiding his wallet.

First of all, I don't know what David Copperfield looks like. If I'm a punk kid with a gun looking to rob someone in West Palm Beach, all I see is a rich looking dude with two hot chicks. Second, while I can't comment on Copperfield's ability as a magician, I have to imagine that he's pretty damn good when it comes to the easy stuff, like making it look like you've got nothing while you stick a dove in a guy's ear to pull out later. Third, good magicians can make people who are watching closely miss what's going on. Again, if I'm a kid mugging some guy in what sounds like a pretty populated area, I'm nervous, twitchy, and eager to take the $500 and 200 Candyland dollars (ie Euros) and get the hell out of there. I'm not exactly conducting a thorough search. Fourth, "Copperfield read the license plate number of the car to an assistant while she called 911". I'm guessing this was accomplished with his cell phone, which he was able to hide from the muggers. The kids are in jail now, by the way.

So I'm guessing that David was finally able to put his skills to good use. I mean, all he was able to do until now was stupid tricks that netted him millions of dollars and supermodels. Now he's actually done something worthwhile.