Number 330 - 21st October 2006

 

Royal Variety Performance stars to headline The Magic Circle's Christmas Show 2006. International quick change performers David & Dania (who will appear in this year's Royal Variety Performance) star in The Magic Circle's Christmas Show this year, alongside Fluke "Mistress of Deception", Arthur Trace from the USA with his prize-winning "Twilight Zone" act, Chris Capeheart an outstanding NY street performer, teenage comedy magician Darren McDonald and compere Peter Scarlett. 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th December 2006. Tickets £20.00 adults, £15.00 children, from The Magic Circle Box Office on 020 7387 2222 www.themagiccircle.co.uk. 21.10.06

 

Tommy Cooper: Always Leave Them Laughing. The Definitive Biography of a Comedy Legend by John Fisher was published on October 16th by HarperCollins. Frank and revealing, this fully authorised biography by Tommy's friend and colleague, acclaimed TV producer, John Fisher, is the first ever intimate portrait of Britain's best-loved, but little known, entertainer. More than just a comedian, Tommy Cooper was a born entertainer. Working in a golden age of British comedy, Cooper stood - literally - head and shoulders above the crowd, and had a magical talent for humour that defied description. He was one of the first funny men to have the entire nation in stitches. But there was a man behind the laughter that few people saw. John Fisher was Cooper's friend and colleague and witnessed first-hand the child that lingered within the adult and moments of self-doubt and inadequacy that contrasted with the genial exterior. Supplementing his own intimate knowledge with material accessed for the first time from the archives of Tommy's agent and manager, Miff Ferrie, and with the full co-operation of the Cooper family, John Fisher brings alive the man behind the comedic mask in this definitive biography of a comedy legend. To order from Amazon.co.uk Click Here. 21.10.06

 

Oz Pearlman lecture confirmed: London + Scotland. Oz Pearlman lectures at the London Society of Magicians, Davenports Magic Studio, 5,6 & 7 Charing Cross Underground Arcade, The Strand, London WC2N 4HZ (Map) at 7.30 pm on Friday 27th October 2006. Tickets, £10.00 each, from Bob Pamplin 020 8504 0979 bob@lsmmagic.co.uk. Oz then lectures for the Forth Valley Magic Circle, Scotland on Saturday 28th October at the Station Hotel, 2 Foundry Loan, Larbert, (near Falkirk), Stirlingshire FK5 4AW (Map) at 7.30pm. Entrance £10.00 payable on the door. www.forthvalleymagic.co.uk. John Morton from the North East Lincolnshire Magic Circle emails: "We had Oz Pearlman last night at our club. What can I say? Oz is an amazing magician his card and mentalism tricks are show stoppers and Oz's explanations were very clear and easy to follow. A great lecture and on behalf of all at our club I'd like to say a big thanks to Oz." 21.10.06

 

Close Up Success, a brand new course from Chris Dugdale and Phil Jay: "Course commences November 1st 2006. Pay now to reserve your place. Places are limited and on a strictly first come first serve basis. You won't be disappointed. A 12 month experience... using a multi-channel platform of learning experiences designed to be affordable... For The First Time Ever... two of the World’s most commercially successful close up magicians, Chris Dugdale and Phil Jay, offer you a fast track to success... For many years, working just a few hours a week, with little more than a deck of cards, they have consistently been the two highest paid close up magicians in the UK.... A 12 Part monthly course written by 2 people who have been doing the business in the real world. It is about close up magic and becoming very successful. The course climaxes in a live day seminar in New York and London. These really are the innermost secrets of this business... Close Up Success will change the way you look at magic forever..." For more information Click Here. "Chris Dugdale and Phil Jay are simply sensational, to say they are leaders in their field would be the understatement of the century" Mark Mason.  21.10.06

 

Stephen Mulhern presents a Tricky TV Spooky Special at 4pm on Tuesday 31st October on ITV1. "In this Halloween Tricky special, a trip to the London Dungeon to tell some Wicked Wind Up victims a spooky story - that literally comes to life! The ghosts come out to play in a scary Big Trick set in a haunted house, and in the Secret Circle, a chance to learn spooky magic to impress your friends!" See TV Magic. 21.10.06

 

International News: Magic for a global cause. Tempest's Viral Video Magic Promotes UN Campaign. "Young & Rubicam, one of the worlds leading marketing communications companies, with a global network of 163 agencies in 81 countries around the world, recently commissioned Marco Tempest to create a special viral video to promote widespread awareness on behalf of Y&R's client - the United Nations. Marco created the video entitled 'Just Stand Up' for this campaign. 'Stand Up' is the message Marco incorporates into an innovative magic video to communicate awareness for the United Nation's Millennium Campaign for the Environment. Launched in 2000, The Millennium Campaign for the Environment is a worldwide effort towards creating a sustainable global environment and eradicating global poverty. Marco created a brand new illusion for the campaign, shot using just his camera phone. The videos are a part of Tempest's popular series 'Phonecam Magic,' which has scored record viewings on viral video sites YouTube, Google Video, iTunes and others. In the series, Tempest challenges himself to create completely new and unique magic on video using nothing more than raw footage shot on his cellphone camera. No editing or post-production." 21.10.06

 

Pressure Second Edition in stock. News from The Merchant of Magic: "The first edition of Pressure sold out in under 24 hours. The Merchant of Magic is now taking orders for Pressure Second Edition. Visual fusion between two everyday objects taken to the next level! You show two coins. A 50p coin and a 1p coin. Just by pressing them at your fingertips, they become totally fused together. Throw the 1p at the 50p and they join! The 1p coin really is shown to be embedded in the 50p coin! The two coins never leave the spectators sight as slowly and in almost 'test conditions' they are pressed together. Check out the video demo www.magicshop.co.uk. The special gimmick does most of the work for you (no palming). Resets instantly, no angle problems, very visual, no set up, can be performed surrounded, and uses real currency." 21.10.06

 

This year's Southend Sorcerers Society senior Close-up Competition saw nine members battle it out (the highest number of entrants for may years) - with only 4 points separating the top three places Lewis Clifton won, with Daniel Brookes coming second and Adrian Fox third. In the junior competition, Chris Gill (photo, aged 12) won, in his first ever magic competition with a routine that combined magic and rhyming patter www.southern-sorcerers.co.uk. 21.10.06

 

Terry Herbert presents his "Magic of Comedy" lecture at the South Lincs Magical Society on Monday 27th November at the Haywain Motel, Ulceby Cross, Nr Alford, Lincolnshire LN13 0EY (Map). "Visiting magicians are welcome to our very friendly Society. Members £1 and Non Members £5 on the door. The lecture starts at 8pm, please be seated by 7.45pm. Meals and refreshments available." For more details contact President Burger Bill on 01400261323 or SLMS Secretary Robert Rae on 01507463551 website. One of the funniest magicians in the UK - not to be missed! 21.10.06

 

Hauntiques, Christian Chelman's second English book on Bizarre Magic and Storytelling, has now been released and it has already been declared "a graphical masterpiece" by a number of readers. The book will be officially presented at the Ipswich Magical Society's Convention www.ipswichmagicalsociety.co.uk on Sunday 22nd October and will be exclusively available from the Aquarius Magic stand - with a special discount if you mention MagicWeek! Also see: www.hauntiques.com. 21.10.06

 

Congratulations to Steve Gore first prize winner in the Bradford Magic Circle annual Close-up Competition last Friday. Steve performed a double bottle production, a couple of card effects, and his own routine with 8 balls and a mini briefcase. This is the third time Steve has been placed first. Later this month Steve and his "partner in crime Debbie Magoo" are entering in the George Powell comedy competition, which will be held at Leeds Magical Association. Steve Gore & Co are representing the Bradford Magic Circle in this competition which has entrants from comedy performers from different clubs around the region. Good luck to them all! www.stevegore.co.uk. 21.10.06

 

Tommy Cooper - "The Missing Pieces" & "The Very Best of" double disc DVD set - 160 minutes of pure Cooper, newly available from www.amazon.co.uk. 21.10.06

 

Val Andrews 1926-2006. Val Andrews is remembered with great affection by Martin Breese (Click Here) and Allen Tipton (Click Here). 21.10.06

 

The "Magic" Apprentice. Jay Fortune recently found himself in the thick of it in a challenge to train a salesman, with no prior knowledge of magic, to perform a 5 minute stand-up magic spot for a talent contest, all in just 6 hours, and to win! Jay took his apprentice through the history of magic (the abridged version), and taught him stage skills, voice projection, audience management and of course some magic. The apprentice was to be part of a corporate clients overseas training seminar, competing against other employees within the company. 8 acts competed in Barcelona with Jay's apprentice coming a very respectable second (the winner was a semi-professional stand-up comic - cheat). Jay brought in other experts for a few words of wisdom, including Paul Daniels and a man who knows just what learning magic in a short space of time is really like, the star of TV’s Faking It, Kevin McMahon. Keep up with Jay's happenings at www.jfortunemagic.co.uk. 21.10.06

 

News from Ian Kendall: "Just a quick note to let you know that the Virtual Sessions is on track with weekly uploads of new lessons. Recent videos include detailed lessons on the classic pass and top palm, a complete lesson on dice stacking and how to spin a toothbrush on your finger. As well as the four How to Do Stuff CDs there's nearly three hours of instruction already posted, and lots more to come. Upcoming lessons will be on diverse subjects as the One Hand Top Palm, The Vernon/Silent Mora wand spin vanish and the real work on the Muscle Pass." For more information visit www.virtualmagicshow.com/vsession. 21.10.06

 

Magicians Wanted! Kemal Turan emails: "I am a 3rd Year student studying at the University of Westminster, and I am emailing you to ask if you would like to be apart of our Final multi-camera project, in which our production team will be filming a mock live studio broadcast within a professional studio, and in front of professional cameras. We are interested in magicians that can perform traditional magic tricks such as, pulling a rabbit out of a hat, and to saw a person into two. And we are also interested in having an escapologist. If you are interested in being a part of our live studio show, the dates in which we might need you to be present at the University, should be around the 30th of November and the 1st of December. The group and I would be grateful if you were to get in touch with us." Email kemz50@hotmail.com. 21.10.06

 

"It's magician vs. magician in 'Prestige'" Click Here • "The Prestige" Click Here • "'The Prestige' casts a good spell" Click Here • "Calling teaspoon benders! Geller seeks 'heir' on TV" Click Here • "Brooklyn 'magic' act? It's only on YouTube" Click Here • "Derren Brown voted sixth scariest person on TV" Click Here • Thanks to everyone who contributes to MagicWeek, see you next week, Duncan. 21.10.06

 

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