My friends in guerilla gossip have confirmed this morning what I broke exclusively yesterday; Carmen Electra will headline a new magic show on the Strip. But here are the full details I had to hold until now.

UPDATE Feb. 21: Click here for a photo of the couple.

Carmen will be teamed with the self-proclaimed fastest magician in the world; a Dutch illusionist named Hans Klok. "He's on the on the scale of Copperfield with a full, night-long production show," a Vegas magic expert told me. "His performance style used to be very Pendragon-esque. He's appeared a couple of times on American TV magic specials, but has never played here except for a few magic conventions. He specializes in extraordinary big-box illusions and is known as the fastest magician in the world for the speed of his transformations. He'll become the next Siegfried & Roy rolled into one! He'll feature Carmen because nobody's ever heard of him here outside of magic circles."

The decision for Carmen and Hans to star at the Aladdin/ Planet Hollywood was made by an almost uncanny, and eerie, coincidence as former Aladdin magician Steve Wyrick opened his own theater downstairs in the hotel's Desert Passage shopping center. His new theater is a lifelong dream and a $35-million investment. Klok and Carmen, ironically, will perform in the theater upstairs that he used to work in.

The show's director will be Anthony Van Laast. He was the director of the original Siegfried & Roy show at the Mirage. Laast, who is British, was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth for his contributions to world theater.

Klok (left) is one of the entertainment world's leading stage magicians. He regularly performs with some of European showbusiness' biggest names and is renowned for the speed and agility of his illusions. In addition to several TV appearances, his 'Magic Impossible' shows toured 60 cities throughout Europe and he became an official ambassador for UNICEF. His 'History of Magic' show was the first ever tour of China where he performed at 64 venues in 8 weeks to an audience that totaled more than 200,000. Now he's bringing his new magic show "Phenomenon" to the Strip with Carmen. I'm reliably told that Carmen will have her own feature act as part of the incredible illusions show, but she will also participate as Han's assistant and take part in several of the amazing tricks.

Steve Wyrick has just started previews of his new magic show with a grand opening set for next month. Next week Hans and Carmen will be here in Vegas for a preview of their excitement and then the battle between the two magicians really gets moving! Steve has $35-million at stake and Hans has to win name recognition almost immediately.

Expect Vegas magic to be kicked up a notch instantly. All this comes as Cirque du Soleil is days away from officially and finally confirming their new $110-million spectacular at the Luxor with 'Mindfreak' magician Criss Angel. And there's no rest for the rest of the Vegas Magic community. David Copperfield continues his six-month annual set of engagements at MGM, Penn & Teller remain the resident show at the Rio, Lance Burton still wows them at Monte Carlo and The Amazing Johnathan is master of the macabre at Sahara.

Abracadabra; who makes who disappear?

Related Pop-ular Stories:
- Luxe Life: Carmen Electra to Star in New Las Vegas Strip Show



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