Number 700 - 23rd November 2013
The 42nd International Magic Convention
and London Festival of Magic was once again a huge success, spanning seven
days and covering just about every aspect of magic. One of the highlights was
the Sunday afternoon presentation of the David Berglas International Magic Award for
2013 to magic superstar Lu Chen whose TV specials are now seen by an
audience of a staggering 1 billion (1,000,000,000).
Lu Chen flew into London
especially to receive his award, talked with David Berglas, took questions from
the packed audience and captivated all with his tales of magic and illusion. The
MacMillan family who stage the event each year, Event Director Noel Britten and
the entire 'crew' are now taking a well deserved rest I hope. Roberto Forzoni
kindly took on the task of reporting the Festival and Convention
Click Here and Arto Airaksinen
supplied the main photos. Dates for next year have already been
announced: 10th - 16th November 2014.
www.internationalmagic.com.
23.11.13
David
Blaine 'Real or Magic' special to air on Channel 4. David Blaine's special
Real or Magic has been picked up by Channel 4. The celebrity-filled show
- which aired in the US on ABC earlier this week - sees Blaine freaking out a
number of famous faces with his various tricks and illusions, writes Catriona
Wightman for
Digital Spy. "Among the stars taking part in the show are Katy Perry, Will
Smith and his family, Breaking Bad actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul,
Woody Allen, Olivia Wilde, Robert de Niro, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx and President
George Bush. Meanwhile, Harrison Ford is seen in the special telling Blaine to
'get the f*** out of my house', and Ricky Gervais is terrified when Blaine
pushes a needle through his arm." "David Blaine renders celebrity pals
speechless with horrifying ice pick trick"
Click Here. "Watch David Blaine Freak Out Kanye West"
Click Here. "You'll Never Believe What David Blaine Found in Katy Perry's
Purse"
Click Here. "Science or magic: David Blaine sticks a foot-long needle
through his arm"
Click Here.
23.11.13
James More
can be seen on tour with Diversity from next week.
Spurred on by the group’s motto "Dream, Believe, Achieve", Diversity are a
remarkable example of what can be accomplished with hard work, dedication and
belief. Fresh from performing at the Royal Variety Performance, Diversity have
announced a brand new arena show ‘Limitless’ which will be touring the UK with
Special Guest James More.
30.11.2013 - Dublin O2 Arena
03.12.2013 - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
04.12.2013 - Liverpool Echo Arena
06.12.2013 - Nottingham Capital FM Arena
07.12.2013 - Bournemouth Int'l Centre
07.12.2013 - Bournemouth Int'l Centre (Matinée)
08.12.2013 - Birmingham NIA
10.12.2013 - Glasgow Hydro Arena
11.12.2013 - Manchester Arena
12.12.2013 - Sheffield Motorpoint Arena
14.12.2013 - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
15.12.2013 - Brighton Centre
15.12.2013 - Brighton Centre (Matinée)
16.12.2013 - London, The 02.
23.11.13
PropDog
shop now open! Dave Bonsall's
PropDog now has a bricks
and mortar shop, located in a business park on the outskirts of Twickenham on
the Middlesex/Surrey border. With a good selection of stock in the upstairs
shop and a large workshop area downstairs, magicians are welcome to visit and
browse through their extensive range of stock and DVDs and to receive one-on-one
handling and performance advice on their products or their own routines: "We
also have a dedicated chill-out area with a 50" Television, Video, DVD and
PlayStation where customers are invited to come and hang out, have a coffee and
chat magic like the magic shops of old." You can also browse though Dave Bonsall's own personal selection of videos, DVDs, books and magic magazines.
PropDog are also happy to have a go at repairing any old broken magic props that
you may have in their workshop downstairs; just bring anything that needs fixing
along with you when you visit. The shop's official opening hours are Monday to
Friday 9am to 5.30pm, but they're often there later and at weekends. Phone
to see if they'll be open after hours first. The shop's address is: PropDog Ltd,
Unit 8, Mill Farm Business Park, Millfield Road, Hanworth, TW4 5PY (Map).
They look forward to seeing you! For online sales visit
www.propdog.co.uk.
23.11.13
In
'Ghost The Musical,' a master illusionist delights in fooling the eye.
"There has long been something magical about the mere act of theater. Ever since
the ancient Greeks marveled at the deus ex machina — the "god in the machine"
who would descend at play's end to set right the illogic of humanly contrived
plots — the relationship between actors and audiences offered the potential for
wondrous happenings. So it has also been with Paul Kieve. This 46-year-old
Englishman is one of the world's leading theatrical illusionists, a sorcerer who
cajoles the eye into believing what should not, under normal circumstances, be
believed..." To read the full article by Andrew Adler for The Times-Picayune
Click Here.
23.11.13
iMagician
- live at the Gwyn Hall,
Neath, Wales tonight! "The most technologically engaging live magic
show in the UK today! After 10 years performing around the world, Jamie
Allan is set to astound you in his first UK tour of a brand new show,
iMagician. Working alongside BAFTA award-winning director Anthony Owen
(Derren Brown) and never seen in the UK before, iMagician blends
technology with incredible magic and illusion; all enhanced through
cutting-edge projection technology and world-class sleight of hand. We
welcome fellow magicians to our show and we look forward to meeting you.
www.imagicianlive.com.
The Gwyn Hall: Neath, Wales. Box Office: 0300 3656 677.
23.11.13
World
Stars of MagicTM - Liverpool Mahatma Magic Circle. Presented by Liverpool Mahatma Magic
Circle, ‘World Stars of Magic’TM is an exciting, entertaining and
magical night out for the whole family, and a rare opportunity to see ‘live’
internationally renowned magicians, illusionists and speciality performers from
across the globe. It is the perfect early Christmas treat!" Saturday 30th
November. Doors: 6.30pm. Show: 7.30pm. Tickets: £15.00 (Concessions: £12.50 OAPs
and Children). Bookings: 0844 888 4411. Book Online:
www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk. The show is being produced and directed by Paul
Stone for the
Liverpool
Mahatma Magic Circle, as a 'one night only' event leading up to their
Centenary in 2015.
23.11.13
The
Vegas Scarf by Lex Schoppi Magic is an automatic quick-changing silk scarf
that goes from black to red in the blink of an eye. This scarf is handcrafted
from high quality silk to the very highest standards. For more info and to order
visit
www.lexschoppimagic.com.
23.11.13
Isabella's Star 2 by Peter Turner. Published by MagicBox
this first print run will be limited to just 300 copies. "Pete Turner is undoubtedly one of the most highly respected mentalists and his
works are always highly sought after amongst his peers. When he speaks, we
listen, so fresh from the sell-out success of his last DVD 'The Devil in
Disguise' Magicbox are proud to have partnered up with him once again to bring
you his latest work 'Isabella's Star 2'.
Pete Turner's mind is never far from his work and in Isabella's Star 2 Pete picks
up where the original (which was co-authored by David Sena) left off. He has
listened to the feedback from owners of the original and as a result of this has
reworked the effect from the ground up. There is no longer a need for
complicated maths and the memory work has also been eliminated too.
The result is a true work of art and is one that you will be proud to perform
time and time again.
“Peter Turner’s 'Isabella’s Star 2' is simply unlike anything else. Without any
pre-show, the mentalist knows the star signs of participants, even naming the
exact date of their birth. If you know my student Peter Turner’s thinking, then
you know this is not at all a usual pumping system, anagram or other typical
approach. It looks like real Mind Reading and intuitive perception.” Kenton Knepper..
Find out more! Visit
www.magicbox.uk.com.
23.11.13
MagicDirect.com
are excited to announce that Wayne Fox's The Fox Holdout sold out of the first 100
units in less than 24 hours: "The long awaited new release from Wayne Fox has
been in the making for several years now - but upon its release it took the
magic community by storm. The utility device is a magic item that enables you to
switch, vanish and transpose items in full view of the audience. We are
expecting the next batch in mid December - so get your orders in now ready to
use it for those Christmas close-up gigs." Visit
www.magicdirect.com/fox-holdout
today!
23.11.13
Magicians
at the Half Moon. Andy Clockwise writes: "On
Friday 29th November it's that time again for more 'Magicians at the Half Moon'.
This month compere Martin Cox introduces Michael Vincent (who's won The Magic
Circle Close-Up Magician of the Year more times than he's had hot dinners) and
all the way from Ireland, the Mental Magic of James Hanrahan. Doors open at 7.30pm and the show kicks off at 8.00pm.
Tickets are £10 each and can be reserved (you wouldn't want to be turned away on
the door now would you) by calling Martin on 01279 659562. More details can be
found at www.halfmoonmagic.co.uk.
23.11.13
Magic: Close-up Magic,
part three in this six-part series first shown on BBC2 in 2004 is being
repeated on Tuesday 26th November and Wednesday 27th on Watch.
Sleight of hand, misdirection and the Kings of Cards: The Cups and Balls routine is regarded by many as being the oldest trick in the book and
is still being performed today. Taking years of gruelling practice to
perfect, it has become the ultimate test of a magician's skill and can be
performed in an infinite number of ways to reflect different personalities
and stage personas. This edition tells the story of sleight-of-hand magic,
including brief slow motion card manipulation interludes from Duncan
Trillo and looks at performers such as Cardini, a card manipulator who learnt his
skills in the WWI trenches, and Paul Daniels who re-enacts great magic
tricks of the legendary Max Malini. Some of the world's greatest magicians, kings of
close-up card manipulation like Guy Hollingworth and master of dove
production American Channing Pollock, explain why the subtlety and
sophistication of close-up magic still has the power to enthrall and make
us doubt our own senses.
The programme also tells the story of the "bible" for card sharps, "The
Expert at the Card Table" - a slim book which describes every way of
cheating at cards known to man. First published in 1902, no one has ever
been able to discover who wrote it. Finally, from high up inside the
London Eye, Paul Zenon performs the biggest close up card trick ever,
which he created specially for this programme. See
TV Magic.
23.11.13
A
Magical Christmas Carol, Lancaster. Lancaster's Dukes Theatre opens their Christmas production of A Christmas
Carol this week on Friday 29th until 4th January. Charles Dickens' memorable
story is given a proper Northern twist in an all new adaptation by Coronation
Street writer Debbie Oates that is packed with magic, illusion, songs, humour
and plenty of Bah Humbug. Liam Gerrard is the illusion consultant and the show
features many new and original illusions. Liam was previously the resident
magician at the Jumeirah Beach hotels and Burj al Arab hotels in Dubai. See
www.dukes-lancaster.org/Christmas
for tickets and more details.
23.11.13
Congratulations
to Luca Volpe on being awarded Tony Hassini's IMS 'Merlin Award' for
'Mentalist of the Year Europe 2013' on November 16th. The presentation was made
at the Unicorn Magic House of Ascanio Magic, in Rome. Before the celebration
Luca Volpe presented part of his live show 'In My Mind'.
23.11.13
Camp
White Pine, Canada's Magic Camp: "Camp White Pine is the Sorcerers Safari’s
host camp. It is ideally located in the Haliburton Highlands about 2½ hours
north of Toronto. Its 1,600 acres are nestled on a private lake. The campers
living quarters are spacious pine cabins with bunk beds. Camp White Pine offers
a large Mess Hall for delicious meals, beautiful swim docks for those hot summer
days and the amazing Pinetages Theater for all our Magical Performances. The
facilities at White Pine allow staff to creatively design magic programs which
encourage new ways of thinking. Campers can learn new skills in a
non-competitive atmosphere, pursue individual interests and have fun!" To find
out all about their 2014 programme visit:
www.sorcererssafari.ca. "2013 Sorcerers Safari Magic & Performance Camp
Documentary"
Click Here.
23.11.13
Shane
West AKA Zoobee will be lecturing for the Derby Magic Circle on Wednesday,
27th November, at Breadsall Village Hall, Derby. Shane, winner of Kidology
Children's Entertainer of the Year 2012, has been entertaining children for over
14 years throughout the UK and abroad. He uses a clever mixture of magic,
puppetry, ventriloquism and comedy to engage audiences with. Shane’s lecture,
called 'Behind the Themes', concentrates on theming children's shows to the time
of year or occasion. Targeting Easter, Halloween, Christmas and so on. In the
second half Shane will be doing puppet routines, showing how to combine magic
with puppets. There will also be a little talk on ventriloquism. Visiting
magicians are very welcome at Derby, there is a small fee of £10 payable on the
night. Please contact our secretary Allan Humphries on 01889 590 975 prior to
attending. For more information about our programme for the remainder of the
year visit
www.derbymagiccircle.com. Paul Sharp.
23.11.13
Magic
1400s-1950s by Mike Caveney, Jim Steinmeyer, Ricky Jay and Noel
Daniel. 544 pages, hardbound, 7.6cm x 30.5 x 40.6 cm - smaller than the
first edition but still a real magic heavyweight this book deals with
the world's greatest magicians from the Middle Ages through the 1950s.
Magic has enchanted humankind for millennia, evoking terror, laughter,
shock, and amazement. Once persecuted as heretics and sorcerers,
magicians have always been conduits to a parallel universe of limitless
possibility - whether invoking spirits, reading minds, or inverting the
laws of nature by sleight of hand. Long before science fiction, virtual
realities, video games and the internet, the craft of magic was the most
powerful fantasy world man had ever known. As the pioneers of special
effects throughout history, magicians have never ceased to mystify us by
making the impossible possible. This book celebrates more than 500 years
of the dazzling visual culture of the world's greatest magicians.
Featuring more than 1,000 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs,
handbills, and engravings as well as paintings by Hieronymus Bosch and
Caravaggio among others, "Magic" traces the history of magic as a
performing art from the 1400s to the 1950s. Combining sensational images
with incisive text, the book explores the evolution of the magician's
craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians
who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century's
Golden Age of Magic to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the
early 20th century's vaudevillians. Available from Amazon.co.uk
for just £27.89 post free,
Click Here.
23.11.13
Magicians Wanted. Simon Hopkins
writes: "Magicians Wanted. Want to earn generous cash payments for minimal
hours work? Join our team and become one of our Magic Party Hosts. You will
receive free training and full support plus all the equipment needed for running
successful children's parties! We'll even take care of all the paperwork,
advertising and phone calls etc. All you do is turn up - Entertain - Get paid
cash! I'm looking for entertainers in South Wales, particularly around the
Newport, Cardiff, Swansea and even Bristol areas. We are not looking for
existing children's entertainers (sorry) as we want you to follow our own fresh
approach to kids parties, although a little experience is welcome. You don't
need to be a full time or semi-pro magician, hobbyists are welcome to apply. You
do need to be over 18 years old, reliable and interested in having fun! If
you're interested please drop me a line:
info@magician4u.co.uk."
www.magician4u.co.uk.
23.11.13
Grey Arrow and Zuni. Quentin Reynolds would appreciate any information on this act that was working in the late 1960s. While the act was a speciality bow and arrow act, the main performer was also a magician. Any help would be much appreciated. Email quentinr@btopenworld.com. 23.11.13
Lecture tours booking for 2014. Lecture Tour organiser Steve Gore writes: "These are details of the magic tours I am arranging for 2014. Email me for full info, prices and availability: tours@stevegore.co.uk. Matthew Wright February 2014; Dan Hauss April 2014; Paul Romhany May 2014; Bruno Copin June 2014; Alex Pandrea Sept 2014; Karl Hein Nov 2014; Jon Allen not a set date tour, flexible to fit in with you. Steve Gore (me!) not a set date tour, flexible to fit in with you. Danny Cole and Danny Orleans are also touring with me, but have no availability left.". 23.11.13
MagicWeek Lecturers page. Also see the MagicWeek lecturers page for UK based lecturers Click Here. 23.11.13
NOW
TV teamed up with magic man John van der Put and Mr Piffles, to
predict what NOW TV Box users will be watching this winter,
Click Here •
"Paul Daniels is keeping the magic alive"
Click Here •
"Street Magician Dynamo Pulls Off The Most Impressive Freestyle Football
Trick We’ve Ever Seen (Video)"
Click Here •
"David Copperfield’s Magical—and Utterly Bizarre—Caribbean Island"
Click Here •
"The magician who puts the show into business with his tricks of the
trade"
Click Here •
"Magician's sleight of hand draws rounds of applause"
Click Here •
"Well known street entertainer, magician heads west"
Click Here •
"Street magician works Soho Apple Store"
Click Here •
"Hollywood magic for SA illusionist"
Click Here •
Really enjoyed seeing lots of friends at Ron's Day this
year, what a great convention. MagicWeek is 700 today, please tweet your
buddies! I'd like to thank everyone who contributes news items
throughout the year and special thanks to Chris North who for the past
year or so has been keeping an eye on all my terrible typos, which I then
correct later on Saturday. Thank you Chris! New readers, who would like
to find out how MagicWeek came in to being, may like to read 'MagicWeek
10 years on' (written a few years ago now)
Click Here. That's it! Have a magic week, Duncan.
23.11.13