Number 134 - 18th January 2003
This year's Blackpool Convention
features a new event, a show for adults only, on the Friday evening called Stag Stuff,
with Wayne Dobson headlining, together with Terry Seabrooke, Michelle, Pat
Page, and Mandy Muden (photo). Some of the world's top close-up performers
are included in Sunday's line up: Darwin Ortiz, Daryl, John Mendoza, Aldo
Colombini, Michael Vincent, David Acer, and Craig Dicksonn. Over 70
dealers will be exhibiting, offering all the latest magic products.
Another new event is a junior magicians meeting, on the Saturday
afternoon, hosted by Mandy Davis and Richard Stupple with a star magic
guest who'll present a special magic workshop. In fact there are lots of
new events planned for this year. For more details, and a registration
form, visit: www.blackpoolmagic.com. 18.1.03
The
Surrey Society of Magician's Annual Dinner at the Reigate Manor Hotel,
Reigate Hill, Surrey, is welcoming both members and non-members this year as
the society continues to expand. The Dinner will include close-up table
magic followed by a top-notch cabaret featuring funny man Mark
Shortland (photo) with a brand new act (this guy's a real natural!) and
the ever-smooth classic magic act of Scott Penrose, who on this occasion
will also be presenting some new illusions. Tickets are £33 each, and the
evening starts at 6.30pm for 7.00pm on Saturday 8th February. Dress is
'Black Tie' (or a decent suit if you can't manage it!). For more
information send an email to James Fortune
james@magicfun.co.uk or
telephone 0208 763 1995. Hotel's website:
Click Here. 18.1.03
Could
You Rule This School? CBBC's top entertainment show Rule The School
is searching for a young magician to appear in the new series. In the show
the pupils run the school, and will be teaching a class of ten real
teachers on a range of subjects of their choice. They are now looking for
a young magician who can teach the teachers some magic tricks. They are
looking for a confident young magician - who is also able to keep adults
in their place... You must be aged between 11 and 14 and be happy to be
away from home for two weeks whilst filming takes place (Saturday 6th
April to Friday 18th April). If you think you would like to audition to
take part in the new series email:
ruletheschool@bbc.co.uk for
more information. 18.1.03
The
8th British Close Up Magic Symposium takes place at Bath University on
Sunday 6th April 2003 and already over half of the available numbered
seats have been sold! This year's line up includes: Jay Sankey (photo),
Joachim Solberg, Richard Pinner, Lee Davis, Roger Curzon and Sean
Carpenter, and all the lectures and shows take place in a steeply tiered
lecture theatre, which guarantees great visibility. Full details and
online booking from
www.markleveridge.co.uk. 18.1.03
Paul
Daniels plays "celebrity stalker"
on Friday in Channel 4's Make My Day. "Hidden-camera game show
presented by Edith Bowman in which contestants become the stars of their
own TV show and stand to win prizes with their reactions to bizarre
situations and crazy conundrums. A pizza waitress from Winchester plays
poker with Mark Owen, fends off celebrity stalker Paul Daniels and gets
chatted up by a generous Arab Prince." See TV Magic. 18.1.03
JB
Magic have just added full descriptions of their entire range of magic (1,500+ items!) to
their website, which already included an impressive 156 video
demonstration clips. So now you'll be able to read descriptions of every
product, and
watch demonstrations of many as well. No magic on TV tonight?...
Click Here! 18.1.03
Monday 20th January sees the release
of a range of new products from Mark Leveridge Magic, with items for both close-up and children's work. Full details will be available on the Mark
Leveridge Magic website www.markleveridge.co.uk
from the 20th, but a couple of them are now featured in the
Cool Magic
section of MagicWeek. 18.1.03
Lance Burton Master Magician
- Top Secret 2 is being shown on ITV2 at 8pm on Sunday 26th January.
I'm not sure if this is the first time that the show has been aired in the
UK, but it is the first time that it's been seen on ITV2. 18.1.03
Don't
miss Britain's master-of-the-mind, Graham P Jolley, this Wednesday,
January 22nd, in a rare public appearance for one night only in his own
one-man theatre show, Out of Your Mind, at the
Thameside Theatre, Thurrock.
Tickets are £8.50 and the Box Office number is 01375 383961. 18.1.03
Geoffrey
Durham's Little Miracles previews on Monday 20th at the Wimbledon
Theatre Studio for six nights, before going on tour (See
What's On). But a
couple of nights ago a pre-preview preview (there's a new one) took place
at the Queen Mother Theatre,
Hertfordshire, and, thanks to Martin Daubney, MagicWeek has a review.
Click Here. 18.1.03
If
you are a Close-up Magician then you may be interested to hear
that I am auctioning the domain name
www.close-upmagician.co.uk on eBay.co.uk. This really is a superb
domain name for any UK based close-up magician. For more details,
or to bid,
Click Here.
(You will need to
register with eBay before bidding, it only takes a few seconds
Click Here.) The auction ends on Tuesday evening, 21st January. If you
are a professional close-up magician then you'll recognise the value of
this name for your business, especially if you're still using the dodgy
old web address that came with your ISP package! 18.1.03
Some International News:
Way to the
Heart of Indian Magicians Magic Academy, established in 1996 is a
charitable trust working for the benefit of magicians and magic in India.
It is publishing a monthly newsletter titled Vismayam Magical News which
is circulated free of charge to 2,000 magicians across India. The journal
caters for both domestic and international news and includes
easy to do magic tricks. Magic organisations all over the world are
invited to send
news to Vismayam Magical News using the following address: Vismayam
Magical News, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India 695012. Telephone: 0091 -
471 - 2358910. Fax: 0091 - 471 - 2355920. Email:
muthukad@vsnl.com
Website: www.magicmuthukad.com. 18.1.03
Here's
a link to a great website that we mentioned well over a year
ago now, but is constantly updated, and well worth another mention: Uri Geller a Bibliography
offers a wealth of information on everything Geller. Recommended • Magicians John Milner and Tracie Hughes,
who run The House of Magic in Brook Street, Stourbridge, opened
their School of Wizardry for its first apprentices last week,
Click Here to read a report in the Stourbridge Express & Starr
• The free For Sale and
Wanted ads in MagicWeek continue to be really popular (46 in the last
7 days), but still
around 10% never get published because the sender hasn't checked the
Terms & Conditions • The first two weeks of 2003 have been our
busiest ever with record numbers of visitors to MagicWeek, so thank you! Your news is always
welcomed, see you next week, Duncan.
18.1.03