Number
127 - 30th November 2002
David
Blaine's Vertigo has it's first showing on British television this
Sunday at 9pm on Channel 4. Risk-taker Blaine stands on top of an 80 foot
pillar for 35 hours without food, water, sleep or a good read... before
jumping to safety in this spectacular endurance stunt. David talks to Barbara Davies about
next year's death-defying London escape challenge from the depths of the
River Thames in The Mirror
Click Here. To order 'Mysterious Stranger'
Click Here
30.11.02
The
International Magic
Convention takes place this weekend... at
The Holiday Inn, 1 Kings Road, Bloomsbury WC1X 9HX
Map. Starring: Chris Korn, The Buck Twins, Nathan Kranzo,
Shoot Ogawa, Jeff Sheridan, Chris Power, and the Corinda interview with Andy Nyman.
Tickets £35 per day or £55 for both days. Highly recommended.
InternationalMagic.com
30.11.02
50
Greatest Magic Tricks
is being repeated this Sunday on Channel 4. Despite the glaring omission
of the classic "pulling off the thumb" trick (how did they
manage to miss that one?), and one or two very dodgy entries, the show is
great fun and zips along at a roaring pace (look out for Adam & Joe's
"escape from an exploding trunk!"). 10pm, Sunday 1st December,
Channel 4.
30.11.02
Paul Daniels will both
compere and
perform at BBC Radio Nottingham's Family Concert in January. As part of
the concert, with the Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul is going to
recreate a moment from one of his television shows by singing a number
called "Magic Meets Opera" first performed back in 1990. In the concert
Paul will sing arias from shows like Figaro and Carmen while performing a
range of tricks to suit the song lyrics. Originally performed on
television with world-renowned conductor/composer Carl Davies at the piano, a new
orchestral score is now being arranged by the NPO's regular conductor
Jacques Harry Cohen. It will be one of the highlights of "Music of Myths
and Magic" which includes the theme to the Harry Potter movies and
classical pieces such as Mussorgsky's "Night on a Bare Mountain." Tickets
for the concert, at 7.30pm on Saturday January 25th, are available from
Nottingham's Royal Centre box office on 0115 989 5555. Prices range from
£7 to £16 (Concessions £6-£12).
30.11.02
Chris
Priest, Phil Jay and Chris Dugdale have just returned from a
triumphant week at the world famous Magic Castle, with 'congratulations'
and an invitation to return from Billy McComb. The three came to be known
as the 'Brit Pack.' Chris Priest's act stunned all that saw it including rock star Marilyn
Manson who saw his unique nail illusion. Phil Jay's new double signed
card in shoe and Chris Dugdale's latest version of Doggy Style had the
audiences on their feet. Chris, together with girlfriend Jan, went on to
Las Vegas meeting up with Lance Burton for a meal and Siegfried & Roy,
"Siegfried was charming and looked after us like royalty, giving us his
theatre box for the night and meeting up afterwards to discuss the Magic
Castle and other business." Sounds like a great trip.
30.11.02
David Britland, who just
completed work on the mammoth Mind & Magic of David Berglas,
contributes a trick a week to Martin Breese's website
www.abracadabra.co.uk. Already they are up to
number 16, with 52 routines planned in total. This
week on the site, under 'Latest News', Martin turns the tables and writes about David
Britland.
30.11.02
Talkback
Productions are looking for single Men and Women to take part in a
fun, new, primetime TV dating show on Channel 5. If you're aged 21-30,
ready for a challenge, and are seriously looking for love then they want
to hear from you. The producers contacted MagicWeek because "magicians are
definitely what women want - magic is the new black!" Can't argue with
that... contact Talkback for more information: email
whatwomenwant@talkback.co.uk
or telephone 020 7861 8146. Auditions and the recording of the show will
take place in and around London.
30.11.02
Black
Artefact's effect 'Pendulum' is now being produced with a specially
engineered brass pendulum with a extra something that makes it even more
versatile. The new extra secret gimmick is engineered into the pendulum
itself. It allows the performer to add an intriguing finale to the
presentation in the form of a prediction or 'mind control.' This exciting
new addition to the Black Artefact's Pendulum will be appreciated by
everyone who really wants to impress their audience with their 'psychic
powers.' Pendulum Plus costs £27.50 and can be seen on the Black Artefacts
website: www.blackhart.co.uk
30.11.02
Johnathon
Schaech stars as Houdini, in this 1988 made for TV movie being shown
on Thursday December 12th on RTE. "The life of legendary magician and
escapologist Harry Houdini. The story runs from his birth and emigration
to the US, through poverty to the development of his extraordinary career
- first and foremost as an escapologist but also as a debunker of fake
mystics and spiritualists." TV Magic
30.11.02
Storm comes to The Barbican for
Christmas. Created at, and
by, The Circus Space, the UK's premier training ground for contemporary
circus skills, Storm is an electrifying new experience featuring 25 of the
world's most innovative young aerial performers and musicians. It follows
a single day in the life of a group of disparate characters as an
all-engulfing storm approaches their city. With a heady mix of technical
wizardry and heart-stopping athleticism, the performers dive through the
air in an electrifying display. Guaranteed to shake off those winter
blues, Storm is a stunning assault on all the senses. It takes place above
you, beneath you and all around you, a dazzling alternative to the
traditional Christmas spectacle. "It achieves something very rare in
circus arts: a fusion of the body and the heart." The Guardian.
"Spectacular, sensational and arresting." The Observer. Dates: 18, 19, 20,
21, 23, 27, 28, 30 December and 2, 3, 4 January 7.45pm (also 23 Dec 2.30pm
22 and 29 Dec 5pm), 70 minutes, no interval. Tickets: £5.00 - £26.00 Box
Office telephone: 020 7638 8891. Family and student discounts available.
Website:
Click Here One day someone will do with magic what Cirque de Soleil did
with circus...
30.11.02
Andrew Martin in The Guardian decided
to check his sons' viewing habits in Oh my God, is this what they watch?
- magic featured
in the outcome,
Click Here • Magician Philip Haigh and his wife celebrate
their golden wedding anniversary
Click Here • Your magic news is always welcomed, see you next week, Duncan.
30.11.02