--- title: Weird Al Does Mysterious Floating Orb Trick: Video description: Weird Al Yankovic performs a mysterious floating orb magic trick canonical: https://time.com/3639724/weird-al-magic-trick/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-18T16:09:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:48:14.367Z og:title: Weird Al's New Magic Trick Is Simple and Amazing og:description: The floating orb is a mystery. Or is it? og:url: https://time.com/3639724/weird-al-magic-trick/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Weird Al's New Magic Trick Is Simple and Amazing twitter:description: The floating orb is a mystery. Or is it? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Apparently Weird Al Does Magic Now > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Dec 18, 2014 4:09 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Dec 18, 2014 4:09 PM UTC In a [16-second video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib2Vl7JEjfc) “the mysterious floating orb,” singer-songwriter “Weird Al” Yankovic looks like he is making a metal orb float. He makes “ooooh ahhhh” sounds while he shows off the trick, then reveals that he has been playing with an oversized soup ladle stuffed up his shirt sleeve the whole time. The description of the video on YouTube says he learned the trick from magician and comedian Justin Willman. Still, if you can get a hold of one of these things, it will probably a fun trick to show off to relatives during the holidays. ### Weird Al Yankovic: A Life in Photos  Weird Al Yankovic attends the Second Annual American Video Awards on April 5, 1984 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Beverly Hills, California. Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  Run-DMC with Weird Al in 1987. Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  Weird Al Yankovic attends the Fifth Annual American Video Awards on February 26, 1987 at Scottish Rites Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  Weird Al Yankovich attends the 30th Annual Grammy Awards on February 2, 1988 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York. Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  Weird Al Yankovic, as a parody of Rambo in his 1989 film UHF. Orion Pictures  Weird Al won a Grammy for Best Concept Music Video in 1989 for Fat, a parody of Michael Jackson's Bad. Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  Weird Al Yankovic attends the 23rd Annual American Music Awards on January 29, 1996 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images  "Weird Al" Yankovic at Beacon Theater in New York City on February 6, 2000. Hiroyuki Ito—Getty Images  Weird Al Yankovic on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on November 2, 2006 NBC/Getty Images  Weird Al Yankovic guest starred as himself on the sixth season of 30 Rock. NBC/Getty Images  Weird Al Yankovic performs at Sands Event Center on June 4, 2013 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 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