Number 250 - 9th April 2005
The
Deans of Magic, Jay Scott Berry, Ian Adair, Paul Gordon, Terry
Seabrooke, Michael Pearse, Stuart Brown and Simon Hannah will all appear
at the 9th
Top Secret Magic Day in Milton Keynes on Sunday June 5th. The day
features two workshops (one specially for young magicians), four lectures,
an evening gala show and the following magic dealers: The Magic Zone,
Practical Magic, Jay Scott Berry, Natzler Enterprises, Magical Wonders,
The Card Collection, Playtime Balloons, Alakazam Stephen Tucker Magic,
Dtrik, Kaymar Magic, Bradford Magic Studio, Merlins, Albion Magic,
Pennywise Magic, Hocus Pocus, Kitchen Table Magic and Zane Magic. Last
year's day sold out; we predict the same for this year - for
registration details visit:
www.topsecretmagicday.co.uk. 9.4.05
Derren
Brown: Trick of the Mind, The Complete First Series on DVD, Plus:
•
Unseen Footage,
•
An interview with Derren,
•
Exclusive behind the scenes video diary,
•
Commentary on all six episodes from Derren Brown, his brother Dominic, and
key production crew members. "Trick of the Mind reveals the truly
staggering craft of one of the world's leading entertainers. Derren Brown
demonstrates his unique powers of showmanship, psychological illusion and
misdirection to astound and amaze everyone he meets, from people wandering
the UK's streets, to celebrity fans. The eagerly awaited follow-up to
'Inside Your Mind', 'Trick of the Mind' sees Derren return on a grander
and more adventurous scale! The UK's No.1 showman fuses a concoction of
power of suggestion, subliminal messaging and interpretation of body
language to predict and control human behavior." To benefit from a 25%
discount pre-order from Amazon.co.uk
Click Here. See Derren live on stage tonight in Belfast
Click Here. 9.4.05
Quick
Change: rapid costume changes for men by Sven Schoppenhauer, is to
shortly to be published in English. First published in Germany in 2003 the
book received great praise from the German magic press, and has sold all
over the world, despite the language barriers. The eagerly awaited English
language version should be available from
www.quickchange.de
around the end of May/beginning of June. For more information visit:
www.quickchange.de. 9.4.05
International
News: Magicians Come in from the Cold. Two Lithuanians emerged from a block of ice
last Sunday, having
just spent 63 hours and 31 minutes in an attempt to outdo the original
stunt by David Blaine in 2000. Shivering with cold, Arvydas Gaiciunas, 36,
and his 29-year-old sister, Diana Gaiciunaite, were greeted by cheers and
applause from thousands of onlookers at a downtown square in Palanga, 186
miles west of the capital, Vilnius. "We know it was very hard to stand in
the cold, and we are very proud they could make it," said Palanga Mayor
Pranas Zeimys. It was not immediately clear whether they had set an
internationally recognised world record. Since the two entered the giant
ice cube on the Friday, doctors had monitored their body temperature and heart
rate through wires attached to their fingers. Holes had been drilled into
the ice block to give them oxygen, while they were fed water through a
plastic tube.
www.diarchy.lt. 9.4.05
Daniel
Dean had a busy 2004 which included performances aboard P&O’s Oreana
and Oceana and appearances with Sir Norman Wisdom. Daniel can
currently be seen in The Royal Hippodrome Variety Show, Eastbourne through
to the end of October (Click
Here for show dates and times) and with Syd Little in "A Little Bit of
Music Hall" at the same venue, on different days (dates
Click Here). 9.4.05
Mark
Shortland has just returned from a second week of performances at The
Magic Castle, Hollywood. After performing there for a week last year Mark
was invited back to do another week in the Parlor of Prestidigitation.
Also performing were Shoot Ogawa, Tim Noonan, Jon Armstrong, Bruce Gold,
Dan Birch and Tim Shoesmith. Mark heads back out to America in July to
perform at the SAMS convention in Boston. 9.4.05
From
the BBC: Magicians,
are you in debt, aged 21-35 and no longer living with your parents? Do
your earnings from performances literally vanish in a puff of smoke? Then
the BBC would like to work some magic for you! They are currently looking
for magicians who have incurred increasing amounts of debt (because of
their love of magic) for a second series of "Bank of Mum & Dad" on BBC2.
With the advice of a professional financial advisor, and your parents, the
show aims to help you turn your finances around. "No tricks, no illusions,
'Bank Of Mum & Dad' really could wave a wand over your money problems and
teach you some cost cutting techniques that will help you for the rest of
your life." For more information freephone 0800 032 7032 or email
BOMAD@BBC.co.uk (mention that you
saw this news item on MagicWeek). 9.4.05
The
Ipswich Magical Society have added a useful list of UK Magic Shops,
by region, to their website. At the moment 25 shops have been listed and
Simon Shaw would welcome any additions. So, if you know of a shop (bricks and
mortar as opposed to online), that hasn't yet been included email Simon:
secretary@ipswichmagicalsociety.co.uk. To visit the actual page itself
Click Here. 9.4.05
Congratulations
to Bill Nolan of the Doncaster Magic Club for winning the club's
competition on March 21st. Nine competitors took part at the Wheatley
Hotel, Doncaster. The evening was hosted by Magix Paul and emceed by the
previous winner, John Martin. Billy won after performing the classic Cups
& Balls, Travelling Knot, Choose your Card and Silks Between.
www.doncastermagicclub.co.uk. 9.4.05
Paul
Daniels and Loki, seen here at the recent South Tyneside International
Magic Week Convention. Loki is off to Stockholm on April 23rd when he'll
compete in the Cosmopol Magic Tournament. For details of the event,
Click
Here. 9.4.05
Congratulations
to Dylan James (left) and Jasper Blakeley, recipients of the Taffy
Trophy for Cabaret and the Ken Perks Award for Close-up respectively, at
the 50th Golden Jubilee Dinner of the Cardiff Magical Society held at the
City Hall, Cardiff on April 2nd. 9.4.05
In
1905 in Sheffield, a certain Mr. Pullman opened what is believed to be the
world's only "bricks and mortar" magic wand shop. Mr. Pullman actually
produced wooden magic wands in his cellar workshop, and these were sold
through his shop which resided on Chapel Walk, Sheffield. The shop finally
closed its doors in 1915, probably as a result of the Great War, and few
examples remain of Mr. Pullman's great endeavour. In an attempt to
preserve the history of Mr. Pullman's Magic Wand Shop,
www.themagicwandshop.co.uk has produced a 50 page paperback book in
which the history of the shop is recounted. The book also contains facsimiles
of magical publications of the day, all of which lend a great
Victorian/Edwardian "cobble-stones, pea soup fog and magic" feel to the
book. The book is available exclusively from
www.themagicwandshop.co.uk. The company has also just introduced a new
line of magic wands. Handcrafted 13" hardwood wands which are available in
black with chrome tips or deep brown with brass tips. 9.4.05
The
Order of the Magi held their AGM recently and installed Peter Moran as
their new President. Normally meeting twice a month at The Irish World
Heritage Centre in Manchester, members enjoy a selection of lectures,
auctions, competitions and social events. There are a number of open
nights throughout the year when visiting magicians are welcome. Upcoming
events, and membership details, can be found on the website:
www.orderofthemagi.org.uk. 9.4.05
Tickets
are selling well for the upcoming Close-up Magic Convention in Sussex
www.cumcis.co.uk
Registration costs £25 and includes a full day of lectures, workshops,
shows and magic shopping! Starring Mark Mason (photo), Nick Einhorn, Mel
Harvey, Paul Gordon, Mark Worgan, Mark Shortland and Al Smith. 9.4.05
Abracadabra,
You're Dead by John Bohannon is the story of Sebastian, a professional
magician who is falsely accused of murder. He must find the real killer
before the police arrest him for a crime he did not commit. Sebastian is
also a voice-over announcer for TV commercials. Available from Amazon.co.uk
Click Here. 9.4.05
"Akira Yoshizawa, who has died aged 94, was regarded as the father of modern origami and acknowledged as its greatest living exponent. Origami - 'to fold paper' in Japanese - is thought to have originated in China at about the same time as the discovery of paper at the end of the 1st century AD. The secret of the material's manufacture was brought to Japan in the early 7th century, where origami was elevated to the status of an art form on a par with painting, in part because its practice could be invested with ceremonial and spiritual significance." To read the full obituary in the Telegraph Click Here. 9.4.05
Sav
is profiled under Magic Profile this week,
Click Here • Andy
Nyman lectures at the Down Town Magic club in Ashford this Monday,
Click Here for details • "A moving experience deep in the city's
vaults"
Click Here • Ian Keable has just been added to the list of magicians
set to lecture at The Basingstoke Festival of Magic on Sunday April 24th.
For more information visit
www.magiciansofbasingstoke.co.uk • "Young magician vies for UK title"
Click Here •
It's our 250th MagicWeek this week. Thanks to all contributors, advertisers
and readers, see you next week, Duncan. 9.4.05