This week James Randi spoke at two spectacular events—first, at the Porchlight storytelling series last Thursday in San Francisco, where he drew an unprecedented turnout to the Contemporary Jewish Museum for “Abracadabra,” a Porchlight tribute to Harry Houdini. Although tickets for the event were sold out, many more people came just for the chance to meet Randi as he walked the halls before showtime.

“The Houdini exhibit on display at the museum was the best that I’ve ever seen, and I've seen the exhibit in New York and Los Angeles.” said Randi, “At the very end they had a full-scale poster of me under a spotlight, saying how I’d followed in Houdini’s path. I was truly honored.”

Then on Monday, Randi appeared at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood.  He first appeared “In Conversation with Max Maven” during a one-night event in September 2010. The Castle-members-only event was so well-received that it was extended with this second interview. Already, a third evening with Randi at the Magic Castle is being planned—and more.

(Photos after the jump)

“The JREF is coming together in partnership with the Academy of Magical Arts to produce a series of programs featuring leading magicians on the intersection of magic with skepticism and the paranormal, and we couldn’t be more pleased,” said D.J Grothe, president of the foundation.

Randi added, “we hope that this will be a good introduction to our foundation, our important work, and how magicians' knowledge of illusion might be put to work in the public interest. I invite more magicians to get more active with the JREF because of their unique qualifications in detecting psychic and other paranormal frauds.”

Randi speaks at Porchlight Storytelling Series (photo by Jay Alexander)

Randi speaks at the Magic Castle in Hollywood (photo by Thomas Donnelly)

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