Celebracadabra
200px Contestants
Format	Reality
Created by	VH1
Directed by	Michael Dimich[1] Jason Sklaver[1]
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	9
Production
Executive producer(s)	Shelly Tatro[1] Karla Hidalgo[1] Christopher Martin[1] Michael Hirschorn
Producer(s)	Brandon Waite
Editor(s)	Mike Bulkey[1]
Cinematography	John Armstrong[1]
Running time	60 mins.
Production company(s)	VH1[1]
Distributor	RDF Rights[2]
Broadcast
Original channel	VH1
Original run	April 27, 2008 – June 12, 2008
External links
Website

Celebracadabra is an American reality television series on VH1 that premiered on April 27, 2008.^[3] The series involves celebrities attempting to learn and perform magic.^[1] Magician/actor Jonathan Levit serves as the host. On Thursday June 12, 2008 C. Thomas Howell was named Greatest Celebrity Magician.

Contestants[link]

• There were no eliminations in Episode 4 and 7.

Episodes[link]

Episode 1[link]

For the premiere episode of Celebracadabra, the seven celebrities try their hand at magic, paired with professional magicians. This week's first challenge is Street Magic, hitting the streets armed with only their skills to impress the crowds. At the end, only six of the seven celebrities will continue onto next week.

Episode 2[link]

For their next challenge, the celebs must play dress-up for a kiddie magic show. Hal forces one of his competitors to wear an undesirable costume, and Ant causes a riot!

Episode 3[link]

Our celebrity magicians perform comedy magic for a rowdy and drunken college crowd. One of the contestants faces a severe handicap that may ultimately result in their elimination.

Episode 4[link]

They have won the hearts of children and collegiate scholars, but can they win the heart of grandma? In this challenge, the celebrities will entertain residents at a retirement community using only magic that they can fit in their pockets. Plus, a surprise switcharoo of the coaches sends shockwaves through the competition.

Episode 5[link]

The celebs are given the challenge of performing Cabaret Magic for a roomful of professional magicians at the Magic Castle. After getting hit with the Zonk prize, one of the celebs has to perform in drag. Meanwhile, Kim and Murray take their bickering to new heights.

Episode 6[link]

In their most death-defying challenge yet, the remaining celebs are forced to deal with their greatest fears in Phobia magic. As the winner of the previous week's challenge, Tommy is given the special power of assigning the escapes, and his choice infuriates Hal and shatters their friendship.

Episode 7[link]

After six weeks of learning magic and surviving difficult challenges and eliminations, the final two contestants hit the road. They travel from Los Angeles to Sin City for their final performances on a real Vegas stage. Tensions between Hal & Tommy continue to run high as they choose their illusions, practice their tricks and attempt to create a show that will impress their Las Vegas audience.

Episode 8[link]

It's time for their final performances! Who will walk away with the $100,000 grand prize and the title of "World's Greatest Celebrity Magician"?

Episode 9[link]

This season on Celebracadabra, seven celebrities tried to become magicians. Some succeeded, and some failed... miserably. And while the celebrities took center stage, their coaches were forced to stand in the background... until now. It's the Celebracadabra Magician Special – ten all-star magicians perform their favorite tricks.

Celebracadabra Elimination History[link]

     The contestant won the competition.

     The contestant was eliminated.

     None of the contestants were eliminated.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Celebracadabra at VH1.com
• Celebracadabra News, Pics & Unreleased Videos
• Celebracadabra at the Internet Movie Database
• Celebracadabra at TV.com

Rocco Silano is an American magician, author, and lecturer.

Biography[link]

Silano was born June 12, 1962, in Paterson, New Jersey. Early on in his career, Rocco studied with and was managed by sleight-of-hand expert and Tony Slydini protege Bill Wisch. Later, Rocco was introduced to Slydini by Bill and Rocco took lessons with Slydini as well. In 1988, he invented a gable-top milk carton that could be more easily collapsed for disposal by removing a tear strip at the bottom of the carton.^[1]

Most known for his sleeving techniques and skill, Silano is the recipient of the Merlin and Golden Lion Awards, a two-time winner of the coveted Manhattan Association of Cabarets Award, and has been nominated nine times as Magician of the Year by the Academy of Magical Arts in four different categories.

Silano is the only American to win awards at two FISM World Tournaments: in 1994 in Yokohama, Japan, and "Most Original Act" in 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden. Recently, he has been receiving attention for his D'Lite product, a small red light used for aiding magic tricks. Silano performed at the 2007 Austrian Magic Convention in Vienna, Austria,^[2] and appeared in the VH1 celebrity magic reality series, Celebracadabra, in 2008, as an adviser and guide for celebrity partner and 1st runner-up, Hal Sparks.^[3]

Bibliography[link]

• The Winning Edge: The Lecture of a Champion, with Bill Wisch, 1987
• If it fits...Sleeve it!, with Steve Schneiderman, 1990 ASIN B000NO7YZ2
• A Lesson in Sleeving

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Rocco Silano website
• Official D'Lite website
• Rocco Interview with MagicNewswire.com
• Celebracadabra at VH1.com

Further reading[link]

• Demaline, Jackie. (October 14, 1988) Times Union^{[disambiguation needed ]} Abracadabra - It's Magic. Page C1.
• Burgess, Linda H. (February 22, 1989) The Record From soup to sleight of hand. Magician helps meals take off. Page C3.
• The Times-Picayune (April 27, 1990) Here tomorrow, gone today. Page L4.
• Yu, Winifred. (October 30, 1990) Times Union^{[disambiguation needed ]} Colored doves are a magical illusion. Page C8.
• Kelly, Martin P. (November 2, 1990) Times Union^{[disambiguation needed ]} Magicians create enchanted evening. Page C5.
• Mervis, Scott. (October 8, 1993) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Festival of Italian arts. Page 3.
• Carney, Beth; Dezell, Maureen. (September 19, 1998) The Boston Globe Game of choice for Kearns Goodwin. Page C2.
• Times Union^{[disambiguation needed ]} (October 28, 2007) My other life. Page D1.
• McMaster, Shawn. (March 2008) The Magazine for Magicians Celebracadabra: VH1's Magic Reality Series.

Kimberly Wyatt
Wyatt on the PCD World Tour
Background information
Birth name	Kimberly Kaye Wyatt
Born	(1982-02-04) February 4, 1982 (age 30) Warrensburg, Missouri, U.S.
Genres	Pop, R&B, electronica, dance
Occupations	Showgirl/vedette, singer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress, choreographer
Years active	1992–present
Labels	A&M (2004–2010) Chime Entertainment (2010-present)
Associated acts	Pussycat Dolls, Her Majesty & The Wolves, Taio Cruz, Aggro Santos
Website	beautifulmovements.dipdive.com

Kimberly Kaye Wyatt (born February 4, 1982) is an American showgirl, singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress and choreographer. She is best known as a former member of the American pop/R&B girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls. She joined the Pussycat Dolls in 2003. In 2010, she announced her departure from the group, continuing with her new band Her Majesty & The Wolves.

Early life and career[link]

1982–2003: Early life[link]

Kimberly Wyatt was born in Warrensburg, Missouri, a town near Kansas City.^[1]

Wyatt began dancing at the age of seven.^[1] At the age of 14 she earned a scholarship to study in New York's Joffrey Ballet and the Broadway Dance Center.^[2] At the age of seventeen, she graduated from high school and flew to Las Vegas to audition for cruise ship and casino shows.

British tabloid Daily Mirror reported that Wyatt was the victim of molestation:

'I've been molested and also been the victim of attempted rape (when she was a dancer on a cruise ship). The problem was the way my parents dealt with it. They chose partying over maybe my safety at times. When I tried to talk to them about it they were like, "We don't even want to hear it, cos we don't want to deal with it." So it was up to me to cope, and I didn't know how. That had a lot to do with me going off to be a dancer at such an early age. Dancing saved me.'^[3]

She worked in a revue on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas for two years.^[1] In 2001 she moved to Los Angeles despite getting an offer from Hubbard St. Dance Co.^[1] In 2002, Wyatt became one of the dancers on the comedy sketch show, Cedric the Entertainer Presents as a Cedsation.^[4]

2003–09: The Pussycat Dolls[link]

Kimberly Wyatt with Pussycat Dolls

In 2003, she was a dancer for Nick Lachey's music video. Robin Antin was the choreographer, and it was here where she asked Wyatt to join the Pussycat Dolls.^[1] She is best known with her dance sign, standing oversplit, which is shown in most of Pussycat Dolls music video. She stated herself in Loose Women that it is her trademark move, as she said that "her leg has become a celebrity in its own rights."^[5] Wyatt's first vocal role in the Pussycat Dolls came when she recorded a solo song called "Don't Wanna Fall in Love" for the Deluxe Edition of their second album, Doll Domination.

After Jessica Sutta, on February 26, 2010 Wyatt was the next member to announce her departure from the group. She made the decision before but she stated it officially in the Loaded Magazine. She said the Dolls gave her more than she could ever have before, but there were difficulties, and it wasn't always easy. She left the group because she wasn't happy of her position in the group. She continued stating

Money and fame can't buy happiness. Ultimately I think that happiness is the most important thing in life and I think that once I started to get to know myself more and more I was like 'You know, I don't think that my happiness is within this group right now'. I wish that it was different because I love what we do on stage. I love being a Doll, but as far as variables off-stage are concerned – I just couldn't do it anymore.^[6]

Three months after her departure from the group, Wyatt spoke to Digital Spy about her time in the band. Wyatt said: "I was in a situation where I was unable to grow creatively or as a human being by being in the group. The situation had to change or I had to change. Once I found out the situation wasn't going to change, I had to take the decision upon myself. Almost all of us have left and been pursuing our own thing, and that's how it's been left. As far as I know the group has fully disbanded."^[7]

2010–present: Solo and television career[link]

Wyatt is one of three judges of Sky 1's dance show, Got to Dance, alongside Ashley Banjo and Adam Garcia.^[8] Got to Dance premiered on Sky 1 in January 2010.^[9] In September 2010, it was announced that Got to Dance would return for a second season.^[10]

On March 5, 2010, she posted a solo song named "Not Just a Doll" on her official website, thus discussing why she left the Pussycat Dolls and what she has planned with her solo project. She said "It's gonna be quite a journey now that we're all venturing out on our own. We're a sisterhood, and we support each other in everything that we do. I left because I want to be the creative being that I am. I've been so blessed to be in the studio working on new music, writing music, writing things that make me feel something, that relate to me, that tell a story."^[11]

She made her musical solo debut being featured on Aggro Santos track "Candy". "Candy" was the lead track for the film StreetDance 3D, the first 3D dance film starring Flawless, Diversity and George Sampson, which was released on May 21, 2010. The song charted at #5 on the UK Singles Chart.^[10] In October 2010, it was announced that Wyatt along with Paula Abdul and Travis Payne will be judges on Live to Dance, the US version of Got to Dance.^[12]

Wyatt revealed to Digital Spy that she is recording her first solo album and confirmed that she has already worked with rappers Paul Wall and Baby Bash and producers from "The Cold Chamber" like Mickaël on the record.

I've recently been in the studio a lot. It started because I wanted to write but the more I did it, the more comfortable I got in the booth and started creating my own album. A lot of it so far has a dance feel, because it came about from what I could do on stage. I love electronica music, so there's a lot of inspiration from that. I've been very fortunate to work with people like Paul Wall and Baby Bash who have made appearances on my album. Singing is something that has always been second nature to me, but it's also a challenge and I love a challenge. Singing is kind of my future and music is my engine.^[13]

She also confirmed that she is in talks to collaborate with Missy Elliott: "Missy Elliott's one of my biggest inspirations and I think her music videos are so cool. When me and the Dolls filmed the 'Whatcha Think About That' video with her, we became good friends and we've kept in touch ever since. She was also in a girlband before going solo, so she's given me many words of wisdom! As far as working with her goes, it's all about having the right song and the right opportunity to make it. The right song hasn't come around yet, but I'm hoping it will, because I'd love to work with her again!"^[14] In another interview she stated that her album would electro, pop and dance music, but also ballads and softer, sweeter and breathier tracks too.^[15]

Wyatt appeared on the BBC music/comedy show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, with Vic Reeves and Noel Fielding. She was a guest on the BBC2 lifestyle programme Something for the Weekend. Taio Cruz performed "Higher" on ITV's Daybreak on and BBC's Let's Dance for Comic Relief with Wyatt filling in for Kylie Minogue.

Her Majesty & the Wolves[link]

In 2010, Wyatt teamed up with former Jupiter Rising member Spencer Nezey, forming a group called Her Majesty & The Wolves. She revealed, "Right now, I'm just happy to be doing this track with Aggro called Candy, and I'll be working on a project called Her Majesty And The Wolves." "It's me and a friend coming up with some new music, kind of electro-pop and house influences, and we're ready to put on a really good show. I'm excited for the future."^[16]

Wyatt has signed with Above and Beyond Branding (AAB) ahead of the release of her single "Stars In Your Eyes". As part of the agreement, AAB are handling all of Wyatt's branding including campaigns, endorsements, special projects and branded appearances. She joins the company's impressive roster including Kelly Rowland, David Guetta, Kelis and Esmee Denters. Her single is released on January 3 under the name Her Majesty and The Wolves.^[17]

Their album called 111 was released in UK in July 11, 2011. Of the sound of the album, Kimberly revealed, "There are 80's dance influences but ultimately our sound is fresh. There are so many tracks I am so excited about".^[18]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Promotional singles[link]

Album appearances[link]

Music videos[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kimberly Wyatt

• Official website
• Kimberly Wyatt at the Internet Movie Database
• Kimberly Wyatt on Twitter

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2010)

Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966), known by his stage name C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in The Da Vinci Treasure, Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stopped and Gods and Generals. He is scheduled to appear in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man.

Early life[link]

Christopher Thomas Howell was born on December 7, 1966, in Van Nuys, California, the son of Candice and Christopher N. Howell. He has two sisters, Stacy and Candi, and a brother, John.^[1] He is nicknamed either "Tommy" or "CT". His father worked as a stunt coordinator and rodeo performer. As a young boy, Howell wanted to be a stuntman and was even a child stunt player. He began acting at the age of four, when cast in The Brian Keith Show in an episode called "The Little People".

When Howell was young, his parents divorced,^[2] leaving his mother with both of her sons and daughter Stacy, and his father took Candi with him.^[3] Howell shared his time with each parent and started his career through his father's job. When he was 12, he became a rodeo champion at the California Junior Rodeo Association and was named "All-Around Cowboy" in August 1979. While growing up, he also spent time golfing with his grandfather (where his nickname "CT" came because that is how he was recorded on screen boards).^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Early career[link]

Howell's showbiz debut was acting in the The Brian Keith Show episode "The Little People" as a little boy whose ears are being checked out by a doctor. When he got older, he tried stunt acting like his father and worked on commercials for a while.^[4] His first film appearance was in the 1977 made-for-television movie It Happened One Christmas. Following the movie, he tried rodeo riding for a few years. In 1982 he was originally a child stuntman in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; he also played a minor supporting role. Afterward, he was cast as the lead role in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, which earned him a Young Artist Award. Following The Outsiders, he became a teen idol, appearing in teen magazines like Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine, which referred to him as "Tommy" and "Tom".

1980s[link]

In 1984 he and Outsiders co-star, Patrick Swayze, reunited for Grandview, U.S.A., also with Jamie Lee Curtis, and Red Dawn, with Charlie Sheen and Lea Thompson. Howell also had a pivotal role in Tank, with James Garner and Jenilee Harrison. In 1985 he again starred in the lead role in Secret Admirer, opposite Lori Loughlin and Kelly Preston. Howell was one of two final actors in the running to play Marty McFly in Back to the Future the other being Eric Stoltz, who was eventually selected. Michael J. Fox would later go on to replace Stoltz after filming had begun.

In 1986 he played a hitchhiker's target in the film The Hitcher, another of his successful movies. The sequel was released in 2003. Following that he starred as a white student who pretends to be black in the poorly received Soul Man. In 1988 Howell played Arturo Toscanini in the story of the world renown conductor in Franco Zeffirelli's Il Giovane Toscanini with Irma Capece Minutolo and Elizabeth Taylor, which was one of his very first straight-to-video releases. Howell and Kelly Preston reunited as lovers in A Tiger's Tale.

1990s[link]

At the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s, Howell appeared in The Return of the Musketeers and Side Out. In 1993, he starred with Linda Fiorentino and Nancy Allen in the campy thriller Acting on Impulse. After several straight-to-DVD features and a starring role in That Night, he achieved success again in the movie Gettysburg, which was popular with history buffs and history classrooms. He starred as Mike, a motorcycle courier in Mad Dogs & Englishmen (US title: Shameless) with Elizabeth Hurley. He started an interest in crime-thrillers after starring in Payback and playing gangster Baby Face Nelson in a film of the same name. His made-for-television movie credits include Suspect Device, Sealed with a Kiss, Dads, and Dead Fire. He also appeared in the short-lived TV series "Kindred: The Embraced".

2000s[link]

Howell returned to the theater in the 2000s in movies such as Asylum Days, the Gods and Generals prequel to Gettysburg, and The Hillside Strangler, in which he played serial killer Kenneth Bianchi. In 2004, Howell starred in Hoboken Hollow. He also became a supporter of the production company The Asylum, which produced his straight-to-DVD movies.

In 2005, he starred in H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, one of three 2005 adaptations of the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Because of its success, Howell directed and starred in a straight-to-DVD sequel War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave in 2008, which was heavily criticized. In 2005, he also reunited with his Secret Admirer co-star Lori Loughlin, when he had a recurring role on her television show Summerland as Zac Efron's father. After War of the Worlds, he later time directing unsuccessful straight to-DVD movies. Also, in 2008, he directed and starred in The Day the Earth Stopped, a mockbuster intended to capitalize on The Day the Earth Stood Still. For these reasons, 20th Century Fox have threatened legal action against The Asylum, but no action has yet been taken. He also appeared as a doctor in The Poseidon Adventure, an adaptation of the 1972 film of the same name. Coincidentally, his father's first stunt co-ordination was for the original movie,^[5] though uncredited. He briefly hosted a show on KLSX later that year. He appeared in the Western The Pledge.

2010s[link]

Howell has been cast in The Amazing Spider-Man.^[6]

Television work[link]

After filming The Outsiders, Howell starred in his own television series, Two Marriages, which ended after four episodes, but letters of support got it back on air. Howell later expressed disappointment in the series,^[7] but eventually found it more satisfying.

After Two Marriages, Howell made guest appearances in shows like Moonlighting and The Hitchhiker. In 2000, Howell played a doctor stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash in Amazon. He initially turned down a guest role in ER after missing out on a role he wanted, but his wife signed him up after yet another offer. Following ER, he guest appeared in 24. He appeared in five episodes of Criminal Minds on CBS as serial killer George Foyet, a character based on the Zodiac Killer.

Howell plays Dewey Dudek, a recovering alcoholic police officer, in the L.A. police drama Southland – 2009–2010.

In 2011, he guest starred on The Glades and he will star in Torchwood: Miracle Day.^[8]

Off-screen[link]

Howell has worked with Francis Ford Coppola many times and in other areas of making motion pictures including writing, producing, and directing. In 1995, he wrote and directed Hourglass, which starred him and Sofia Shinas. The following year, he helped produce The Big Fall and Pure Danger. Howell did not write or direct another movie until 2004. He and his father co-wrote the made for television movie Hope Ranch and Howell produced the film as well. The film was a success and Howell went on to write and produce Blind Injustice the next year. Two years later he produced The Stolen Moments of September.

Personal life[link]

In his single days, Howell shared a place with his friend, Darren Dalton, with whom he co-starred in The Outsiders and Red Dawn. From July 11, 1989, to sometime in 1990, Howell was married to actress Rae Dawn Chong, his Soul Man co-star. He then married Sylvie Anderson in 1992. They have three children, Isabelle (born February 17, 1993), Dashiell (born January 2, 1997), and Liam (born April 24, 2001). Isabelle appeared as Molly in Hope Ranch, credited as "Isabelle Howell", and Dashiell played Howell's son Alex, in H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, as "Dash Howell". The family currently resides in Stevenson Ranch, California.

In 2008, Howell was a contestant in the reality game show, Celebracadabra, on which celebrities performed magic tricks practiced by experienced coaches. The series began on April 27 and ended on June 12; Howell won and was named Greatest Celebrity Magician.

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• C. Thomas Howell at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Web site
• @cthomashowell on Twitter
• Review of Baby Face Nelson at Manor on Movies