Number 173 - 18th
October 2003
What
goes up... David Blaine's just about ready to come down. Last Sunday
afternoon a friend and I visited the site again, some 37 days into his
ordeal. Around 1,500 people were gently milling around; the scene was far
removed from the nonsense reported in the papers and was almost tranquil.
Nothing was being thrown, no one was shouting out (apart from a few
squeaky teenage girls shouting "DAVID!") and everyone seemed more than
happy just to have seen him or to have had a wave returned. Security was
minimal and discreet, the box now being some 15 feet higher than at the
start. David's girlfriend was directly below him taking photos and even
having a little conversation. He has a couple of "cut-outs" in the base of
the box that he can talk through. A number of people had made "good luck"
banners and one or two were even camped out nearby in a show of
solidarity. I took some new photos for MagicWeek which show a couple of
different views
Click Here.
David Blaine: Above the Below as he leaves his box will be shown live on Sky One on Sunday at 9pm (by which time he will have completed 44 full days on "day 45" - the day he got in being "day 1"). The show will be repeated for terrestrial viewers on Monday on Channel 4 at 9pm. To pre-order David Blaine - Above the Below on DVD with a 25% discount from Amazon.co.uk Click Here. (Release date: 24th November 2003). Here's the latest from the papers: The Independent, The Telegraph, The Times, Evening Standard. 18.10.03
Mark
Wilson will be presented with the coveted Devant Award at The Magic
Circle Banquet on Saturday 15th November. On Sunday 16th November he will
present his first ever lecture outside the USA at The Centre for the Magic
Arts. The lecture starts at 2.30pm (doors open at 2pm) and will finish at
around 5pm. Tickets are £10 to all magicians but members of The Magic
Circle or The Young Magicians Club will get a £10 voucher with their
ticket to spend on Mark Wilson products. To reserve tickets email Richard
Pinner:
markwilsonlecture@themagiccircle.co.uk. Mark Wilson's lecture will not
be about new tricks. Instead Mark will perform and explain the four most
effective tricks you can do to help make that great first impression.
Effects that you can carry with you at all times, as Mark does. You will
hear tales of some incredible experiences, see video clips and learn
secrets never before revealed. You will be taught how to add an illusion
or two to any show for just a few pounds and how to increase the fee you
take home, from every single performance! This is a rare opportunity to
meet a true pioneer of magic, Mark Wilson, together with Nani Darnell.
www.markwilsonmagic.com. What do you mean you don't own Mark
Wilson's Complete Course in Magic...
Click Here.
18.10.03
Michael
Vincent is one of five performers who will present their workshops at
next year's IMAGE (Interactive Magic Experience) day on Sunday 25th
January at Colston's Collegiate School, Stapleton, Bristol. This is the
second time Mark Leveridge has staged this event. Also lined up: Marc
Paul, Paul Hallas, Bob Wooding and Mark Leveridge himself. Workshops cost
£10 each on top of the initial £10 day registration fee. Tickets can be
ordered online and already places are going... visit
www.markleveridge.co.uk.
18.10.03
Solomon:
the Escape Artist
airs this Sunday night as part of Channel Four's magic month. "I can't
really remember a time when I wasn't fascinated by locks, even when I was
very young. But it all really began when I got a job at a locksmiths aged
13 or 14. I was hired to sit in the store and answer the phone when the
owner had to go out on service calls. While I was there, I had access to a
workshop and all kinds of locks sitting around the store, and I
essentially spent my summer picking locks, taking them apart, learning how
they worked, and figuring out different things I could do with them. I
found all the manufacturers flaws in all kinds of brands, and learned
about everything from low to high security locks." See
TV Magic.
18.10.03
Roy
Horn remains in a critical state. Siegfried's recent television
interview is now online at
CBSNews.com.
For the latest news visit:
Las Vegas Sun and
Las Vegas Review Journal.
18.10.03
A
Blackpool Charity Magic Auction will be held on Sunday 26th October
from 11am at the Savoy Hotel, Queens Promenade, Blackpool. The auction is
being organised by Derek Lever. The auctioneers are Steve Eastham, Mike
Shepherd and Derek Lever. Hundreds of items will be on offer. Admission is
£2 and lots can be accepted by post. Further details from Derek Lever on
01253 810113, email deriko@skynow.net.
18.10.03
Mr
E Enterprises are advertising again with MagicWeek. Specialising in
magic for the mentalist Eddie Burke offers a unique range of products.
Visit:
www.mreenterprises.co.uk.
18.10.03
Play
Derren Brown Inside Your Mind
Click
Here. To order Derren's new DVD (from MagicWeek in association with
Amazon.co.uk), which has entered the national charts
Click Here.
For a Derren Brown Times Q&A
Click Here.
18.10.03
John
Carney's new twin DVD set The Video of Secrets is reviewed by
Ian Keable this week. "Its
just a seamless whole of impeccable misdirection, natural handling and the
elimination of all outward displays of skill."
John Carney's work is always excellent:
Click Here.
18.10.03
The
Freakshow Live plays at the Dancehouse Theatre, Manchester on October
23rd as part of the Manchester Festival of Comedy 2003. Not for the
squeamish the show is 80 minutes of the bizarre presented by David
Straitjacket and Martin Cole. Venue: The Dancehouse Theatre, 10 Oxford
Road, Manchester M1 5QA. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. Tickets
are £9 (£8 concessions). Over 18s only. Booking:
www.ticketline.co.uk
or telephone 0161 832 1111 "Part comedy, part tragedy and all completely
nasty, this is a show that will screw with your mind and probably turn
your stomach."
www.thefreakshow.co.uk.
18.10.03
Top
Secret Magic are pleased to announce the release of an exclusive Pat
Page item, the Pat Lock. Two wedding rings are borrowed from a couple in
the audience and are locked onto a combination padlock. The audience
members are then allowed to try to open the lock but to no avail. The
magician asks the couple the year in which they were married and asks them
to dial the four digits into the combination. When they pull on the
shackle the lock opens and the rings are freed! This is just one of the
possible routines with this fabulous padlock! For more information visit:
www.topsecretmagic.co.uk and
click on 'New in'.
18.10.03
Mark
Leveridge's new lecture, Celebration, which he will be touring
with from March 2004, is steadily taking bookings. Magic club secretaries
are invited to check dates on Mark's website diary page
Click Here. The first half of the evening consists of a lecture
featuring totally new material covering close-up, stand up and children's
work. None of the items have been released or published anywhere before
and all will be performed and thoroughly explained. The second half of the
evening consists of a short dealer dem of Mark's latest releases. Full
presentations but no explanations. Following the dem the products are
available for perusal and purchase. More information:
www.markleveridge.co.uk. 18.10.03
Mark
Parker's illusion book 4e
Illusion Design has been selling very
well with only 100 copies, from an initial print run of 1000, remaining.
When they are gone they are gone! Mark emails with an exclusive offer for
MagicWeek readers: "Anyone who places an order will receive an extra copy,
free, personally signed to their local club/society for the club
library... first come first served." Email Mark before ordering to confirm
details and if you'd like to receive Mark's newsletter also email
markparker1@mac.com to be put on
the mailing list. Work has started on a second volume, but completion is
still some time away.
18.10.03
Leicester
Magic Circle are organising an all-inclusive trip to next year's
Blackpool Convention in February. It will include a gold card
registration, return travel on board a luxury coach and accommodation in a
good hotel (including breakfast) for an inclusive price of £164.00. Places
are strictly limited, contact Dave Collins on 0116 2258854 or email
info@dave-vegas.com for more
information.
18.10.03
Following
on from the hugely successful National IQ Test 2003, the BBC1
programme Test the Nation is coming back. They are now preparing
for the next in the series which will be shown live on BBC1 in December.
The test itself will cover news events from 2003. The studio audience
plays an integral part in the programme and is split into six groups by
occupation, hobbies or physical characteristics. On this occasion,
Magicians is one of the categories that they would like to include.
The group will be made up of 50 - 60 magicians. As part of the studio
audience, hand held computer keypads are used to answer the multiple
choice questions which means that nobody else finds out each person's
individual score. Although everyone answers the questions as individuals,
they play as a group and it is the show's policy to not spotlight
individuals. Contact: Amanda Morris, Researcher - Test The Nation, Talent
TV on 020 7421 7830 for more information.
www.talenttv.com.
18.10.03
A
bronze plaque was unveiled in memory of Charles W Cameron, the curator
of the wax museum in Edinburgh and the godfather of bizarre magic in
Britain, last weekend in Edinburgh. Sixty bizarre magicians witnessed the
event. In the photo: Alex Wallace and Carl Herron.
18.10.03
On
Tuesday 14th October the Northamptonshire Magician's Club held it's
annual Magic Competition. This years winners were Ed Stivala (photo) and
Brian Caswell performing a double act 'School Days'. Runner up was Kevin
Burke who also won the Best Trick Award
Steven Dick is running a
monthly magic night at a newly opened comedy club in Shawlands, Glasgow,
called The Comedy Vaults and he's on the lookout for new acts for
2004 who can offer 30 minutes of stand up/stage magic. If that sounds like
you contact Steven for more information: email
info@stevendick.co.uk for more
information
Martin Cox recently
lectured for The Magic Club of Great Britain and presented the Close-up
Competition shield to recent winner Rowland Valentine
Mel Harvey can be seen on
'Our House' on Sunday November 2nd on ITV
I'm going to be a guest on the
www.magicbunny.co.uk
forum this week, so look forward to seeing you there. Your UK magic news is always welcomed, see you next
week, Duncan.
18.10.03