‘Clever’ magician appears to nail headline prediction

Oh, that is good, Godfrey.

How did you guess, five days prior no less, that Wednesday’s top headlines in The Register-Guard would have something to do with a University of Oregon star quarterback riding shotgun in a car driven by his speeding teammate, and the early opening of the new Willamette River bridge over Interstate 5?

“It’s my magic, psychological powers,” said the magician, moments after revealing the words, “Ducks QB along 118 mph ride” and “Timely span” — that he claims he wrote Friday at his home in Chula Vista, Calif., before sending it by UPS to local TV station KMTR. He revealed his scribbles on a piece of paper during a live newscast during the opening of the Lane County Fair on Wednesday.

Godfrey, whose act can be seen three times a day at this year’s fair, nailed the “Timely Span” headline, but he did miss a couple of words in the other one, which was actually, “Ducks QB was along for 118-mph ride.”

Oh, well, no one’s perfect.

But is Godfrey sure he didn’t predict those headlines in his hotel room right here in Lane County on Wednesday morning, after picking up a copy of the paper?

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said.

Then how did he do it?

“I didn’t figure it out until afterward,” said KMTR reporter Megan Higgens, who interviewed Godfrey for the live bit during the station’s 5:30 p.m. broadcast.

Higgens brought along the certified envelope that arrived at KMTR’s Springfield offices on Tuesday. But then Godfrey distracted her by having her hold a copy of Wednesday’s Register-Guard “like a tray” as she handed him the envelope, which he opened with a pocketknife. Out of the envelope, out of somewhere, came a smaller envelope that contained the piece of paper with the headlines allegedly written on Friday.

Is Godfrey really a mind reader?

“I think he’s a very clever individual,” Higgens concluded.

Asked Wednesday what the top headline would be in today’s Register-Guard, Godfrey said, “You know what? I’m drained now. I can only use my powers once a week.”

Uh-huh.