Penn (left) & Teller

Penn and Teller are a two-man magic and comedy team, comprised of Penn Jillette and Teller. Penn is a raconteur; Teller (generally) does not speak while performing. The duo specializes in gory tricks (in which the mechanisms of the illusions are fully revealed) and clever pranks, and have become associated with Las Vegas, atheism, skepticism and libertarianism. They call themselves “a couple of eccentric guys who have learned how to do a few cool things.” [1] This work is copyrighted. ... This work is copyrighted. ... Harry Houdini, one of the greatest names in magic history. ... Comedy is the use of humor in the form of theater, where it simply referred to a play with a happy ending, in contrast to a tragedy. ... Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, best known for his work with the comedy magic duo Penn and Teller. ... Teller (born Raymond Joseph Teller) is American magician, best known as the smaller, silent half of the comedy magic duo known as Penn and Teller. ... A raconteur is a person known for telling amusing stories and anecdotes. ... Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign just to the south of the Las Vegas Strip welcoming visitors to the city Nickname: Sin City or The Entertainment Capital of the World Motto: {{{motto}}} Official website: http://www. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Nontheism. ... Occams Razor non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem or plurality should not be posited without necessity is a central tenet of skeptical thought. ... Libertarianism is a political philosophy that supports individual rights, private property rights, and free market capitalism. ...

Career

By 1985, Penn & Teller were receiving rave reviews for their Off Broadway show and Emmy award-winning PBS special, Penn & Teller Go Public. In 1987, they began the first of two successful Broadway runs. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, the pair made numerous television appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live, as well as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Today Show, and many others. This article is about the year. ... Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City in smaller theatres than Broadway, but larger than Off-Off-Broadway, productions. ... An Emmy Award. ... PBS re-directs here; for alternate uses see PBS (disambiguation) PBS logo The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 349 member TV stations in the United States. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Note on spelling: While most Americans use er (as per American spelling conventions), the majority of venues, performers and trade groups for live theatre use re. ... The 1980s, in its most obvious sense, was the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... Late Night with David Letterman was a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC hosted by David Letterman. ... Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute comedy-variety show from NBC which has been broadcast nearly every Saturday night since its debut on October 11, 1975. ... The First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush and current host Jay Leno. ... Late Night with Conan OBrien is an American late night television talk show on NBC featuring varied comedic material and celebrity interviews. ... Today (commonly referred to as The Today Show) is a morning news and talk show airing on the NBC television network in the United States. ...

Penn and Teller had national tours throughout the 1990s, gaining critical praise. They have also made television guest appearances on Babylon 5 [2] (as a comedy team Rebo and Zooty), The Drew Carey Show, Hollywood Squares, The Bernie Mac Show, Fear Factor, Home Improvement, and The Simpsons. They also appeared as scam artists in the music video for "It's Tricky" by Run-DMC in 1987. Babylon 5 is an epic science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... The Drew Carey Show was an American sitcom starring Drew Carey, set in Cleveland, Ohio. ... The Hollywood Squares is a American television comedy and game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. ... The Bernie Mac Show is a half-hour sitcom featuring the comedic antics of comedian Bernie Mac. ... Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show which was originally created by Endemol Netherlands and first aired on June 11, 2001. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Homer, a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, is a generally well-meaning buffoon whose short attention span often draws him into outrageous schemes and adventures. ... A music video (also video clip, promo) is a short film or video meant to present a visual representation of a popular music song. ... Run-DMC is a famous hip hop crew founded by Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay) and includes Joseph Run Simmons and Darryl DMC McDaniels, all from Hollis, Queens. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Their cable television show Bullshit! takes a skeptical look at psychics, religion, the pseudoscientific, and paranormal frauds. It has also featured segments on astrology, Feng Shui, environmental issues, weight loss and the war on drugs. Some have praised the show for its libertarian atheist perspective. Others have criticized it for the same reason, and alleged that it sometimes employs the same brand of fallacious reasoning which the show ostensibly opposes. Penn and Teller host Bullshit! Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn Jillette and Teller. ... Parapsychology is the study of the evidence involving phenomena where a person seems to affect or gain information about something through a means not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. ... Phrenology is seen today as a classic example of pseudoscience. ... An anomalous phenomenon is an observed phenomenon for which there is no suitable explanation in the context of a specific body of scientific knowledge (for example, astronomy or biology). ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Fēng Shuǐ (風水 – literally, wind and water pronounced fung shuway), which may be more than 3000 years old, is the ancient practice of placement to achieve harmony with the environment. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... In the context of physical health, weight loss is the process of losing body weight, typically by losing fat. ... The War on Drugs is an initiative undertaken in the United States to carry out an all-out offensive (as President Nixon described it) against the non-medical use of certain prohibited drugs. ... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ... For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ...

The pair has written several books about magic, including Penn & Teller's Cruel Tricks For Dear Friends, Penn and Teller's How to Play with Your Food, and Penn and Teller's How to Play in Traffic.

Since 2001, Penn & Teller perform 6 nights a week in Las Vegas at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. (Before that, they toured from time to time.) 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino is located in Clark County, Nevada. ...

Tricks

Their tricks include Teller hanging upside-down over a bed of spikes in a straitjacket, Teller drowning in a huge container of water, Teller being run over by an 18-wheel tractor-trailer, Teller swinging over bear-traps on a trapeze, and knives going through Penn's hands. Many of their effects rely heavily on shock appeal and violence, although presented in a humorous manner. Often, the pair will reveal a secret of how a magic trick is done and then use that very effect to fool the audience. Penn and Teller perform their own adaptation of the famous bullet catch illusion. Both simultaneously fire a gun at the other and then catch the respective bullets in their mouths. A Posey seen from the rear (with some added restraints) A leather straitjacket A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with overlong sleeves. ... semi-trailer truck with sleeper behind the cab. ... An acrobat below a balloon Trapeze artists, in lithograph by Calvert Litho. ... Violence refers to acts —typically connotative with aggressive and criminal behaviour —which intend to cause or is causing of injury to persons, animals, or (in limited cases) property. ... Humour (Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the ability or quality of people, objects or situations to evoke feelings of amusement in other people. ... The bullet catch is a conjuring illusion in which a magician supposedly catches a bullet fired directly at him, often in the mouth but also occasionally in the hand. ... Simultaneity is the property of two events happening at the same time in at least ONE Reference frame. ...

In one of their more thoughtful and politically charged tricks, they make a U.S. flag seem to disappear by wrapping it in a copy of the United States Bill of Rights, and apparently setting the flag on fire, so that "the flag is gone but the Bill of Rights remains." They normally end the routine by restoring the unscathed flag to its starting place on the flagpole; however, on a TV guest appearance on The West Wing [3] , this final part was omitted for dramatic reasons. Flag ratio: 10:19 Stars and stripes redirects here. ... The Bill of Rights is the name given to the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. ... The West Wing is a popular and widely acclaimed American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin and produced and co-written by John Wells. ...

Quotations

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Penn and Teller

• "Is this your card?" (traditionally the three of clubs)
• "Doing stuff like Van Praagh and Kreskin is like taking a shotgun and going into a mall, and discharging it in people's faces and stealing twenty bucks from each one of them." - Penn
• "When (Norman Borlaug) won the Nobel Prize in 1970, they said he had saved a billion people. That's BILLION. 'BUH!' That's Carl Sagan's billion with a 'B'. And most of them were of different race from him. Norman is the greatest human being. And you've probably never heard of him." --from Bullshit! #1-11 "Eat This!"
• Penn: "We wouldn't do anything to this animal that we wouldn't do to ourselves." (he applies a branding iron to Teller's right buttock) Teller: "MotherFUCKER!" #2-1 "P.E.T.A."
• "Naked people are their own reward." --from Bullshit! #1-6 "Sex, Sex, Sex"
• "It's fair to say that the Bible contains equal parts of fact, history, and pizza." --from Bullshit! #2-6 "The Bible: Fact or Fiction?"
• "This is drugs....and these are your civil liberties—AND THIS IS THE GOVERNMENT." (Penn in a steam roller crushes the pan representing drugs and all the eggs with civil liberties written on them) Penn: "Any questions?" --from Bullshit! #2-4 "War on Drugs"
• "You don't heal a broken heart by pretending it's not broken." --from Bullshit! #1-1 "Talking to the Dead"
• (in The Simpsons episode Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder)
  Teller: "Will you get off the stage!"
  Homer Simpson: "Hey, I thought you didn't talk."
  Teller: (nervous) "Well, I didn't mean to...it slipped out. Oh, now Penn's gonna beat me....I'm not the first Teller you know"
• "And then there's this asshole..." --from various episodes of Bullshit!

Image File history File links i would like to see some quotations by or about goebbels. ... Wikiquote logo Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... Clubs (♣) is one of the four suits found in playing cards, marked with a black trefoil; the term is translated from the Spanish basto. ... James Van Praagh (born August 23, 1958) is an alleged psychic medium. ... George Kresge, better known as The Amazing Kreskin, (b. ... A pump-action and two semi-automatic action shotguns, 20 boxes of shotgun shells, a target thrower, and 3 boxes of clay targets. ... Norman Ernest Borlaug (born March 25, 1914) is an American agricultural scientist, humanitarian, Nobel laureate, and the father of the Green Revolution. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The word billion and its equivalents in other languages refer to one of two different numbers, depending on whether the writer is using the long or short scale. ... A respected astronomer and dogged critic of pseudoscience, Carl Sagan is best known for his enthusiastic efforts at popularizing science. ... Penn and Teller host Bullshit! Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn Jillette and Teller. ... Penn and Teller host Bullshit! Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn Jillette and Teller. ... Penn and Teller host Bullshit! Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn Jillette and Teller. ... Penn and Teller host Bullshit! Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn Jillette and Teller. ... Penn and Teller host Bullshit! Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn Jillette and Teller. ... Homer, a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, is a generally well-meaning buffoon whose short attention span often draws him into outrageous schemes and adventures. ... Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder is the sixth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. ... Penn and Teller host Bullshit! Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn Jillette and Teller. ...

Television projects

• Penn & Teller Go Public for PBS (1985)
• Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular for FX (1998)
• Penn & Teller’s Home Invasion
• Behind The scenes for PBS (1992)
• Don’t Try This at Home for NBC (1990)
• The Unpleasant World of Penn & Teller series for Channel 4 (1994)
• Phobophilia for Channel 4 (1995)
• Magic and Mystery Tour
• Bullshit! (2003 - )
• Penn & Teller Off The Deep End for NBC (2005)

PBS re-directs here; for alternate uses see PBS (disambiguation) PBS logo The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 349 member TV stations in the United States. ... FX or Fx is a two-letter combination that has multiple meanings, including: FX Networks, a cable/satellite television network Abbreviation of effects – see special effects, sound effects F/X – a movie set in the behind-the-scenes world of special effects. ... PBS re-directs here; for alternate uses see PBS (disambiguation) PBS logo The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 349 member TV stations in the United States. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Channel 4 is a public service television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). ... Channel 4 is a public service television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Penn and Teller host Bullshit! Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-) is a Showtime Channel TV program shown in the United States, hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn Jillette and Teller. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Movies

• My Chauffeur
• Penn & Teller’s Invisible Thread for Showtime (1987)
• Penn & Teller's Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends (1987)
• Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989)
• Car 54, Where Are You?
• The Aristocrats (2005), a documentary film written and co-directed by Penn
• Penn & Teller: Off the Deep End (2005)

Showtime is a subscription television brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Penn & Teller Get Killed is a movie about the magicians Penn and Teller. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Aristocrats (also known as The Debonaires and The Sophisticates) is a joke which is alleged to have been told by numerous stand-up comedians since Vaudeville, and often only among an audience of other comedians. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2005. ... Documentary film is a broad category of cinematic expression united by the intent to remain factual or non-fictional. ...

Books

• Penn & Teller's Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends (1989, ISBN 0394753518)
• Penn & Teller's How to Play with Your Food (1992, ISBN 0679743111)
• Penn & Teller's How to Play in Traffic (1997, ISBN 1572972939)

See also: 1988 in literature, other events of 1989, 1990 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1991 in literature, other events of 1992, 1993 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1996 in literature, other events of 1997, 1998 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

Awards and recognitions

• Visiting Scholars of MIT
• Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award, 2001
• Richard Dawkins Award, 2005

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a research and educational institution located in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is a world leader in science and technology, as well as in many other fields, including management, economics, linguistics, political science, and philosophy. ... Hugh Hefner, mid 1970s. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Richard Dawkins Award is a prize awarded annually to a person (or persons) for their outstanding work in the promotion of atheism. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Penn and Teller's official website
• Magic and Mystery Tour at the Internet Movie Database