TLC is celebrating "Magic Week" this week. The programs that are the highlight this week are the David Blaine specials, and a new 4-part series by performer Alain Nu.

Alain Nu's series, which focuses on mentalism, premiered last Sunday, and will be repeated Wednesday night, April 27th, at 10 PM on TLC (check your local listings).

Especially of interest to readers of this blog on his first special is the double memory-feat closer. Alain takes several drives down Lombard St (known as "the crookedest street in the world") in San Francisco, to memorize the turns and the timing. He also memorizes a shuffled deck of cards. Finally, he is blindfolded, and simultaneously drives down Lombard St while recalling the exact order of the deck!

Was this a real memory feat? A psuedo-memory feat? Both? That's not my place to say.

Was it well done? My only criticism of the special on this aspect is that the conditions of the original deck memorization wasn't shown. As he's getting ready to start the blindfolded drive, the card feat is introduced almost as an afterthought. I might have preferred showing the memorization (at least part of it) in the middle of the special, possibly as part of the build-up to the finale.

For what was seen, however, I imagine he amazed the great majority of people who watched the special. I know I'll be keeping an eye on his future specials.