Wyrick’s last big trick? Coming close to setting Linkin Park on fire. After that? Setting $54 mil on fire. (Photo by Ethan Miller)

Steve Wyrick, whose $35 million Steve Wyrick Theater at the Miracle Mile Shops shuttered suddenly late last year, apparently wasn’t kidding about not being able to make rent. Wyrick filed bankruptcy, listing under $100,000 in assets compared to $54 million in liabilities. Including $5 million to a mobile home company.

Is there some use in magic for mobile homes that we don’t know about? Or did Steve Wyrick have a crippling mobile home addiction? All strung out at 3 a.m. on a Saturday night. “This one has really flimsy walls. Get me another one.” “But Steve, this is your third mobile home tonight. You gotta slow down a little, man.” “I SAID GET ME — look, just, how about a pop-out camper? Just something to get me through tonight and I swear I’ll kick tomorrow.” Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

We smell magic-related angsty crossover hit. (Photo by Ethan Miller. Additional photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)

So, Steve Wyrick is still alive. So that whole Death Drop thing on Saturday was a total fraud. We haven’t been this disappointed since we found out The Hills was fake. Wyrick did his trick in front of the Miracle Mile Shops that involved a crane, a helicopter and flaming spikes. So it was more or less like an episode of Airwolf. But without Jan-Michael Vincent. Although we bet he was available if Wyrick had wanted to include him in the show. Actually, we’re surprised Vincent’s agent is calling around the country for any and all helicopter-related entertainment opportunities.

The stunt was to promote the grand opening of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington’s Club Tattoo. Hopefully this will lead to Fred Durst opening his own tattoo parlor at the Stratosphere and the guy from Crazy Town starting one in the alley behind the Plaza.

By Jason Scavone

Feel the patriotic fury of Linkin Park. (Photo by Scott Harrison | Retna)

Chester Bennignton’s Club Tattoo at the Miracle Mile Shops is marking its grand opening on Independence Day (we assume conflating Linkin Park and the Fourth of July is Bennington’s way of reminding us that America isn’t free of sin in its 233-year history) with a full slate of activities.

Bennington will sign autographs at the shop from 2 to 4 p.m. Then, at 8:30, magician Steve Wyrick will take members of Bennington’s other band, Dead by Sunrise, and perform a trick on the Strip (which will be shut down in front of Planet Hollywood during the stunt) called a death drop. It’s kind of a portentious way to stack the deck. If we were going to do any kind of magic trick involving the word “death” we’d make sure the band we were using in the stunt was Pile O’ Kittens, the famous Scandanavian black metal outfit.

Wyrick is going to be shackled into one of the band’s equipment boxes, which will be hooked to a crane. The box will be dangled over a bed of 500 flaming spikes 80 feet below, and the ropes holding the box will be set on fire. Wyrick will have to jump 20 feet off the burning box and rappel down to the ground, dodging flaming spikes. Although to be fair, falling to your death on flaming spikes sounds a lot like the experience of watching Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

Then Dead by Sunrise will take the stage at 10:30 p.m. at the Steve Wyrick Theater, followed by Bennington hosting the afterparty at Prive. His VIP booth may or may not also be lined with flaming spikes.

By Jason Scavone

There just isn’t enough motorcycle-based magic in this town.

Magician Steve Wyrick performs on the Late Show with David Letterman tomorrow night, in the middle of Letterman’s Vegas magic week. Lance Burton was there on Monday, Mac King performed Tuesday and Dick Arthur is in the spotlight tonight. The week concludes with Penn & Teller on Friday, where we hear Penn is going to rehash his Dancing with the Stars turn by doing a sexy rumba with Letterman, but they haven’t yet hashed out who has to be the girl.

By Jason Scavone