Last Call: The Magicians And A Magician

A pre-holiday virus has struck my family, requiring me to dive deeper into my usual streaming options. Last week, I inflicted the Netflix royal romance movie A Christmas Prince on my daughter; this week, my son and I discovered the first two seasons of The Magicians, also on Netflix. It's a creepy, slightly gory Syfy series that's like a YA version of Harry Potter, with some twentysomethings at a makeshift Hogwarts. We are completely sucked in as of episode four, which offers one of those captivating Inception/Buffy stuck-in-a-dream type scenarios. Maybe it was just the virus talking, but we were all riveted, and look forward to catching up before The Magicians returns to Syfy with season three in January. [Gwen Ihnat]

Ask anyone involved with magic about René Lavand, and they'll tell you he's one of the most inspiring figures of the artform. His backstory is amazing: Born in Argentina in 1928, Levand lost his right hand in a car accident at age nine. Undeterred, he decided to pursue his passion full time at age 32: sleight-of-hand magic. Watch this astounding clip above and remember—he's fooling you with one hand. [Kevin Pang]