"David Copperfield Pulls A Magic Law Out of Thin Air"

The chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee introduced legislation this week that would categorize magic as a “rare and valuable art form and national treasure” and to recognize it as one of the arts. Do not snicker. This is serious. Just ask David Copperfield.

“The Society of American Magicians has been trying to get this legislation passed for decades, and it’s long overdue,” Copperfield said in an exclusive interview with Deadline via telephone from his Las Vegas HQ. “This is a bipartisan project to establish as a law that the magic of Houdini and so many others is an important art form.” For the moment, however, all six sponsors of the bill are Republicans.

Among other things, the bill would make it easier for magicians to apply for grants that typically are reserved for artists involved in writing, painting, making music and more traditional arts.