Penn has pen plans.
Las Vegas comedy/magic legend Penn Jillette has a new book on the horizon, to be followed by another.
Jillette is finishing “Bingo the Elf: Assassin.” The new novel is fictional. It is also an example of where the semicolon is crucial. “Bingo the Elf Assassin” is an entirely different story.
Up next for the verbose member of Penn & Teller is “52 Years of Failure” (working title), which resurrects Jillette’s bits and acts that have failed over the past 52 years. One for every card in the deck.
This should be a great read, once Jillette gets into it full-time. “You know, I gotta write it first,” the 71-year-old Jillette says. He’ll do that while juggling shows, podcasts and plays.
We first learned of Jillette’s book plans from his longtime colleague, fellow magician and “Penn’s Sunday School” podcast partner, Matt Donnelly, on “The Magicians’ Podcast.” The show is hosted by Richard Young and posted over the weekend.
Donnelly also said filming for the upcoming season of “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” has been pushed back because of the duo’s extensive schedule for their 50th anniversary last year and extending into this spring.
Donnelly is a writer on the show. He said the duo would not be performing tricks on the new season. The headliners have performed about 120 shows without repeating a trick. The duo still has acts they are developing for the stage show, but not 20 for a season of “Fool Us.”
Jillette is also preparing to play Pop the Magic Dragon in the new show “Piff & Pop’s Magic Shop.” Jillette is teaming with Flamingo headliner Piff the Magic Dragon on a U.K. tour in September.
The series is Jillette’s first tour with Piff, though the two have appeared together at the Flamingo.The 6-foot-7-inch Jillette, wearing a green satin magic-dragon suit, is the kind of spectacle Las Vegas should be exporting.
Tease this …
A popular Las Vegas tribute show, energetic, expertly choreographed and costumed, returns for one-off the first week of June.
Cool Hang Alert
An inspired twin bill is set at Sand Dollar Lounge at Polaris Avenue and Spring Mountain Road on Friday. Guitar great Jimmy McIntosh opens with his rock-blues showcase from 6-9 p.m. Sax master Jimmy Carpenter is up from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. These gents know their way around a blues club. No cover, 21 and over, and as always, try the pizza.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykatson X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.