Blaine has a "stage personna"?
I didn't think he could do anything but pan handle and mumble...
I'll give Blaine his brownie points where they are due... His first special was a hit and woke up many in the magic world, proving that you don't need high end over-priced equipment such as we see in Vegas or the annual Copperfield special in order to mesmerize the public. But, from that point forward Blaine only proved that he was a cheap street hustler and general all around wierdo. He's more afraid of being around other magicians than Copperfield is (and that's saying a lot) but mainly due to the fact that without some of the creative editing he uses, he can't do magic... certainly something I'd want to aspire to be...
Criss Angel WAS a dynamo of sorts but has fizzled out as the result of the demands placed on him by the network and too, the fact that he tripped over his ego vs. the more humbled nature he was known for prior to his "success"... long story short, he's a falling star at this stage of the game unless he puts on the brakes and remembers what it was like to be poor and having to "work" for a living.... gets more human again.
Derren Brown probably has more staying power than most of these other guys but I don't foresee him reaching the status of Mega Celebrity such as we see with Copperfield, Burton or Siegfred & Roy... these are legends and like it or not, they are icons that will be revered for generations to come.
New on the horizon?
We are going to see a brief reprise of classical magic I believe; the manipulators like Jason Latimere (
http://www.jasonlatimer.com) and Steve Dela (
http://www.stevedela.co.uk). The general public being more interested in TALENT vs. B.S. and imbicils that like to insult people's intellect (which we have far too many of in today's movement). But, the real answer to this question isn't that we need to sit back, waiting to see what the next new big thing will be so we can pounce on it and ride a new wave (proving to the world that we are as fickle as "they" say, and have no sense of genuine focus); Rather, the answer is "When are YOU going to stand up and get counted as a trend setter and leader?" When are YOU going to become the next big example in magic?
The moral of the story is, It doesn't matter what's going on out there IF YOU just do the stuff that's you and hold to that discipline vs. chasing after the next big wave. When you can show consistency, focus, and the discipline that's required for doing a set act year after year... constantly striving towards perfection of that act... then it will be YOU that sets the standards everyone else will be following, admiring and getting excited about down the road.