Home >  A & E >  TV/Radio

Wednesday, January 01, 2003

By Adrian McCoy

Illusionist Michael Grandinetti has been thinking ahead to 2003 -- literally. On Monday, he'll attempt to predict the day's headlines in this newspaper live on the radio. The former Pittsburgher will be a guest on the WBZZ-FM (93.7) morning show, with JohnDaveBubbaShelley.

His predictions for the headlines were sealed in an envelope and sent by express mail to the station three weeks ago, Grandinetti says. The seals were notarized, and receipt of the envelope has been confirmed.

The unique aspect of the stunt, he says, is that the headline will be predicted in its exact words. "You can do generalities -- 'President hopes for peace in Middle East.' That's kind of a cop-out."

This will be the first time he's attempted to do such a thing. "It really took a lot of effort and concentration. One thing I never do in my magic is say I have special powers. But it is a very focused effort we're doing here. You never know what's going to happen the first time you do anything. And you can't really rehearse it."

And, he adds, it will be a member of the JohnDaveBubbaShelley morning team opening the envelope at 8 a.m. and reading the headlines, not him. "The people of Pittsburgh are familiar with those personalities. They're a morning presence."

Born and raised in West Mifflin, Grandinetti, 25, is now based in Los Angeles and performs around the country.

The Duquesne University graduate has performed locally at Kennywood, Sandcastle, Gateway Clipper Fleet, and with Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall. Some may remember the time he made a Harley-Davidson appear from out of nowhere at the Byham Theater.

His interest in illusion began at the age of 5, when he got a magic set for Christmas. He took to it show-and-tell in kindergarten, where he staged his first show -- and decided what he wanted to be when he grew up. "I've never lost that. I have the same excitement. I feel like a 5-year-old when I do it."

He started out with sleight-of-hand tricks involving cards and coins, and has since worked his way up to larger illusions.

In 1999, he performed the ambitious "Tower of Flaming Spikes" stunt on NBC's "The World's Most Dangerous Magic II." "The danger is not an illusion. I'm really chained between two walls with flaming steel spikes. I have to be alert and thinking about what I'm doing."

He has performed on other TV shows, including "Entertainment Tonight" and "Crook and Chase."

Grandinetti has done other stunts on radio in Los Angeles, such as reading listeners' minds. Just how does one do illusion on the radio? "You have to be very specific. You don't have a visual picture to go with it. You have to pick your words very carefully and do things people can easily visualize in their minds."

He enjoys the creative process behind coming up with new and unique illusions. "I didn't really want to be influenced by anybody. People would always say to me, 'Do you want to be the next David Copperfield?' I'd say, 'No, I want to be the first Michael Grandinetti.' "

He currently has several irons in the fire, touring with live shows and developing magic shows for TV and for casino venues.

As for next week's headline, that's a closely held secret. "They're going to have to tune in and see how close I got."

Adrian McCoy is a freelance writer.

More from Radioland