Number 338 - 16th December 2006
Smokin'
Aces - opens in the UK January 12th. A dying mob boss takes out a $1 million
contract on the life of his former protégé, a Vegas magician turned
gangster who has agreed to testify against the mob. The FBI attempts to
protect their key witness as an array of hit men and women descend on Lake
Tahoe in a race to take the magician out. Starring Jeremy Piven, Ray
Liotta, Andy Garcia, Ben Affleck and Alicia Keys. Smokin' Aces opens in
the UK on January 12th and in the States on January 26th. Teaser
Click
Here. Official website (and another trailer)
Click Here. A
Working Title Films production.
16.12.06
The
Twelve Scams of Christmas. The Real Hustle team present a
special Christmas edition of this popular show. Alex, Paul and Jess
demonstrate how easy it can be to con shoppers out of their Christmas
spending money... expose some charity scams and airport scams, and then
explain why it's so important to buy goods from reputable sources! See
TV Magic for listings
(repeated on Christmas Day).
16.12.06
An
Evening of Magic and Illusion - Nottingham. On Sunday 28th January the
Nottingham Guild of Magicians are once again presenting An Evening of
Magic and Illusion at the Bonington Theatre, Arnold Leisure Centre,
Arnold, Nottingham NG5 7EE (Map).
Star of Monkey Magic and Dirty Tricks Pete Firman tops the
bill, together with Marc Oberon, Scott Penrose, Vizage, Marcus
Blake and Neil Haywood. Show time 7.30pm - 10pm, (Doors open at 7pm).
Tickets £12 each, and they are selling fast! Marc Oberon, Scott
Penrose and one more yet to be announced performer will be lecturing
during the afternoon (2.00pm - 5.30pm) Tickets for the lectures are £6.00
each. Tickets for both events are available from Freddie Wilkinson on 0115
9614551
www.nottinghamguildofmagicians.co.uk.
16.12.06
Andrew
Wimhurst lectures at The Union Tavern, 52 Lloyd Baker Street,
Clerkenwell, London WC1X 9AA
(Map) on Wednesday 20th December. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm
start. Entrance fee £15.00 payable on the door. Nearest tube stations are
Angel and King's Cross. For more information and to reserve a place
contact Martin MacMillan, International Magic, 89 Clerkenwell Road,
London EC1R 5BX. Telephone 020 7405 7324
martin@internationalmagic.com.
16.12.06
Alice
still works wonders. "English National Ballet has dipped into its back
catalogue for a popular attraction with half-term family appeal — Derek
Deane’s Alice in Wonderland. This colourful production, first staged in
1995, is revived for the autumn tour for the first time in six years.
Apart from the perennial pleasure of Lewis Carroll’s fantasy, the other
enticement here is music by Tchaikovsky. Not that he wrote such a ballet,
of course, though an enthusiastic programme note suggests he should have
done..." To read the full review in The Times
Click Here. With illusions by master maker of magic Paul Kieve. Alice
in Wonderland, London Coliseum, December 28th to January 10th.
16.12.06
Illusionist
Craig Christian is currently appearing in Aladdin at the Gaiety
Theatre, Ayr, Scotland presenting his slick magic act and also playing the
part of Abbanazar, through to January 13th. Box Office: 01292 611222.
16.12.06
Magic
Stars Poster. "This poster includes almost 70 magicians and their
respective facsimile signatures. It is printed with the highest quality UV
- pigmented inks to avoid fading; for the poster to last a lifetime. 17” x
23” on high quality canvas. Each print is individually signed and numbered
by Norm Nielsen." In stock and available in time for Christmas!
www.waynedobson.co.uk.
16.12.06
Paul
Zenon will present a dozen Christmas-themed tricks, including the
production of
a bottle of champagne for Des Lynam's last ever appearance on Countdown,
during his week on the show (December 18th - 22nd). To coincide with the
media frenzy(!), he's keeping the Special Offer on books ordered through
his website
www.paulzenon.com open until the New Year - free postage on everything,
everything signed, and all three books (100 Ways to Win a Tenner,
Paul Zenon's Dirty Tricks and Street Magic) for just £27.50
post free - a saving of over ten pounds. Any orders received by or on
Monday 18th will be shipped out in time for Christmas.
16.12.06
Decisions.
"An incredibly organic looking test of precognition. A simple yet
unbelievable demonstration of predicting your spectators actions! Using
two cards one with the word NO and the other with the word YES hand
written on the face, you set your spectator some simple challenges. No
matter which way your spectator decides to go you are always able to
correctly predict the outcome. Decisions is a self working mental miracle
taking you back to what mentalism should be, simple, direct and pure! Each
precision gimmick is beautifully hand made by the undisputed king of
gaffed cards Rob Bromley. No sleight of hand required as the special
gimmick does all the hard work for you, leaving you to concentrate on the
presentation! Totally examinable at the beginning and end of the effect."
Includes routines by Mozique, Peter Nardi, Looch and Simon Grant. Find out
more! Visit
www.alakazam.co.uk (Half way down the "Hot List 2").
16.12.06
Scrooge.
Bill Kenwright presents The London Palladium production, starring Michael
Barrymore in the Smash Hit Musical Scrooge. Following a sell-out season in
the West End at London's most famous theatre, Scrooge returns bigger and
better than ever. The heart-warming family musical based on Charles
Dickens' A Christmas Carol features spectacular sets and costumes and
specially created illusions by magician Paul Kieve, who is responsible for
the magical effects in the Harry Potter films. Described by critics as a
'smash hit, timeless, feel-good show' and packed with memorable songs and
classic characters, Scrooge promises to be the most spectacular musical
extravaganza of the season. "Sheer Magic - Harry Potter's illusionist Paul
Kieve is the genius behind the show's special effects." BBC.
Click Here for venues and dates.
16.12.06
ENvision.
ENvision gives you the power to duplicate or describe any drawing or other
design made on the back of your business card by a spectator. A card that
you are free to leave with him or her as a souvenir at the end of an
incredible demonstration of your telepathic abilities. (trickshop.com
kindly sent through a copy of this PDF and as ever with their products it
is, in a word, excellent.) Available as a PDF download for just $4.95
(that's about £2.50) from
www.trickshop.com.
16.12.06
Final
Night - Paul Daniels plays Scrooge!
A Christmas Story at the Marina Theatre, Lowestoft. 2.30pm and 7.30pm Saturday show. Tickets: £7.50 - £16.50. Concessions available.
www.marinatheatre.co.uk
www.pauldaniels.co.uk. Review
Click Here. "Paul slams lack of brown signs"
Click Here.
16.12.06
Husband
and wife duo, Mike and Julie Evans were the outright winners of a
talent show final, held at Huntswood Golf Club in Burnham, on 13th
December. With all the winners of the eight heats battling it out in the
final to win the £1000 prize money, it was an marvellous evening of
first-rate entertainment. The four judges awarded first place to Mike and
Julie after watching them perform their telepathy act and "cardboard box
spike" routine. Jetting off to Jamaica in the New Year for four weeks, Mike
and Julie will be performing again at the exclusive Sandals and Couples
Resorts.
www.magicv.co.uk.
16.12.06
The
Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero was
reviewed by Andrew Lycett in The Times last Sunday. "The American
escapologist Harry Houdini may not have spawned a premiership eponym such
as Boycott or Hoover. But, as confirmed in Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang
by Jonathon Green, “pulling” or “doing a Houdini” is acceptable
lower-division parlance for getting out of a tight fix. (According to this
invaluable reference work, the name also doubles for marijuana, as in an
aid to escaping reality.) The reason for Houdini’s linguistic longevity is
that he was a worldwide phenomenon — a brilliant magician and publicist
who focused on daring feats of escape at a time (around 1900) when the
public had dollars and half crowns to spend and were looking for thrills
during an entertainment lull between the music hall and the movies. Born
Ehrich Weisz, the son of a rabbi, in Budapest in March 1874, and brought
up, from the age of four, in Appleton, Wisconsin, Houdini fulfilled their
fantasies, as he perfected an ever more exciting range of releases from
chains, boxes, straitjackets, then a combination of the above, dangling
from a bridge or submerged in a lake, and finally the Chinese water
torture cell, where he was suspended upside down in a steel and glass
cabinet full of water... "To read the full review
Click Here. To order from Amazon.co.uk
Click Here.
16.12.06
Double
trouble! "The Twins, the world's only identical twin
illusionists, win freedom from BBC TV's The Slammer. The Governor
(comedian Ted Robbins) is in charge of the prison where talented
entertainers are incarcerated. Four exceptional acts perform in a 'Freedom
Show' for the chance to be released. The Twins performed an astonishing
levitation in front of an amazed and dumbfounded Parole Board of 50
children - who then decide which act gets released. Once the votes came in
it was clear that The Twins had won the prize of freedom by a huge lead.
One of the Parole Board members screamed 'they are twintastic!'" The
Slammer, Friday 22nd December, 4.55pm on BBC1.
www.theillusionists.com.
16.12.06
Stephen
Barry can be seen on "Prank Patrol" part of BBC2's Saturday morning programme
'TMI' presented by
Barney Harwood, on Saturday 23rd December from 10am. Stephen helps Jazmin fool a friend into thinking she has real
magical powers... with amazing results!
www.stephenbarry.co.uk.
16.12.06
Christmas
came early for magician Paul Craven when he found himself entertaining
his boyhood hero, musician Paul Weller and his band at two London venues
recently, the Electric Roundhouse and the Forum. "Paul Weller has always
been an iconic figure for me from the days when he was in The Jam - so it
was huge fun to give him something back more than two decades later. He is
still an incredible performer on stage. Just to put even one-tenth of the
passion into my magic as he does into his music would be a challenge.
Offstage he was great company - both interesting, and interested, in the
magic. Indeed, one evening we even adjourned to the kebab house where the
card magic continued!" That's Entertainment...
16.12.06
Peter
Eggink, creator of AE, AE2, Touched by an Angel, Ripped-up and brand
new effect Exit, will be lecturing in the UK, in Spring 2007. The lecture covers such topics as presentation, how to become a
successful close-up magician and creativity. He also performs and explains
some of his previously marketed material, together with brand new items. Following
the lecture DVDs and effects are available for sale. If your club is
interested, please either contact Christopher Williams in the UK,
chris@magicman13.co.uk or
Peter directly: info@peter-eggink.nl. 16.12.06
The
Insect Circus. By popular demand, after sell-out shows in March, the
Insect Circus returns to Hoxton Hall, London N1, for a two week Christmas
season. All the old favourite Insect Circus acts will be presented,
together with some new attractions. To avoid disappointment, book early!
Hoxton Hall: 0207 684 0060.
Click
Here for more information.
16.12.06
Terry
Seabrooke honoured. Derek Lever writes: At Manchester Circle of
Magicians sell out Christmas Dinner last week Terry Seabrooke was honoured
by being presented with the annual Life Achievement Award for services to
magic over many years. Terry also "killed" with his hilarious cabaret act
along with brilliant compere Arthur Casson and top of the bill, TV star
comedian Johnny Casson who had the place in uproar for over an hour. Guest
of Honour was Mark Raffles who received the Life Achievement Award last
year. Mark is facing a very serious operation at the end of this month and
your cards expressing support would be much appreciated. The next
Manchester Circle of Magicians Jumbo Auction is on Monday 29th January,
2007 at 6.30 pm and already 11 Lots have been entered. The 2007 season
will feature lectures by Jon Armstrong USA, Geoffrey Durham, Scott
Penrose, John and Anne Davenport and Derek Lever. Details on how to join
for just £10.00 are on
www.taurusmagic.net.
16.12.06
Jason
Steele and Joanne will be appearing onboard MV Pont Aven and MV
Bretagne for Christmas and New Year mini cruises for Brittany Ferries
www.brittanyferries.com.
16.12.06
Arthur
Tivoli can be seen aboard the "Arion" in the Caribbean from the 24th
of December to the 11th of March, presenting his one man show "Tivoli in
Tivoliland" together with some close-up magic..
16.12.06
Nice and Easy. Derek Lever writes: Blackpool Magicians Convention Registration Officer Arthur Casson is heading for "Pop Star" status as sales of his first musical CD gather pace. Called "Nice and Easy" Volume 1, Arthur sings 18 classic songs such as "I'm Stone in Love With You", "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and proves that he has a great voice as well as being a fine musician. Priced at only £5.00 this great CD will provide some nice easy listening whilst you practice those new sleights! Contact Arthur on 01253 393688 or email: arthurcasson@aol.com. 16.12.06
David
Blaine Street Magic - £6.99 from Amazon.co.uk
Click Here • "Houdini was America's 'first superhero'"
Click Here • "Vegas Q&A: Is There Another Magic Burton?"
Click Here • "Swap that thing for a wood? Magician must be nuts"
Click Here • "Sleight of mind"
Click Here • "Tricks of the trade"
Click Here • Blockbookers Ltd email to say they are now using YouTube
to promote their artist El Loco,
Click
Here • "Bio suggests Houdini killed by Holmes creator, psychics"
Click Here • "Joker Joe's help for charities"
Click Here • "Hit List: David Copperfield"
Click Here • "Magic night with conjurer Paul"
Click Here • Snap, Crackle and Pop! A Brief Interlude with Fred
Robinson, is reviewed by MagicWeek this week,
Click
Here • See you next week, Duncan. 16.12.06