Number 437 - 8th November 2008
The
25th International Magic Close Up Competition for the 'Kevin Reay
Trophy' takes place on the morning of Saturday 29th November during the
37th Annual International Magic Convention. This is one of the world's
most prestigious magic competitions, having attracted some of the most
respected names in the magic world to compete during the past 25 years.
This year looks to be no exception - with a total of 16 performers from
10 different countries entering. Here are this year's competitors, in
the order that they'll be appearing in: 1 Troy von Schreibner (UK), 2
Vittorio Belloni (Italy), 3 Woody Aragón (Spain), 4 Kolos Parkanyi
(Hungary), 5 Igor De Ruitz (Italy), 6 Tatsuya Mishimagi (Japan), 7 Shawn
Farquhar (Canada), 8 Matthew Wright (UK), - interval - 9 Gary Charm
(Hong Kong), 10 Dynamo (UK), 11 Toto (Japan), 12 Johan Stahl (Sweden),
13 Giacomo De Carlo (Italy), 14 Richard Turner (USA), 15 Kiko Pastur
(Spain), 16 René Frotscher (Germany). Don't miss this year's event,
register online via
www.internationalmagic.com. All events are held at the Shaw
Theatre/Novotel Euston, 100 - 110 Euston Road, London NW1. The
competition will start at 10am on the Saturday. 8.11.08
A
Day of Magic at The Arcola Theatre, London - Sunday 16th November.
In three parts: 1. Open Magic Class 3pm - 4.30pm Led by John van
der Put and
Standnotamazed. Cards and tricks all provided courtesy of Alakazam,
the online magic shop where the professionals shop. Free event. 2.
Hocus Pocus 5.30pm - 6.30pm Paul Kieve (Daniel Radcliffe's personal
magic teacher) and consultant to many hit West End shows will perform
his spellbinding presentation based on his new book 'Hocus Pocus'.
Includes recreations of several mind-boggling feats of magic! With live
music by Daniel Kieve. "Brilliantly Intriguing" Derren Brown. Tickets
£4.00 / £3.00. 3. Magic to Cry For 7pm - 8.30pm Standnotamazed
and Piff "the cutest magic performing dragon of all time" (Bizarre
Magazine) present their sell out cabaret show, with special guest star
John Archer, The Magic Circle Stage Magician of the Year. £10.00. Box
Office and more information: 020 7503 1646. A Day of Magic at The Arcola
Theatre, 27 Arcola Street, London E8 2DJ (Map). 8.11.08
Electric
Empire presents ‘Magic Night’ at Soho Revue Bar, on Friday 21st
November: Starring Chris Cross (physically impossible stunts and
escapes), Micheal Vadini (audiences gasp out loud - amazing magic),
Bob Percy (catching bullets in his teeth - be afraid... be very afraid),
Lady Carol (husky voiced songstress - covers songs by Nirvana, Radiohead
and other pop bands!), plus Chris Fitchew of 'Lick and Chew' and
Christian Lee (C4s 'Psychic Night') with close-up magic from Neil Henry. Doors open 7pm, Show starts
at 8pm, Tickets £10.00, Concessions £7.00
www.ticketweb.co.uk
or call Ticket Web on 08700 600 100.
Soho Revue Bar, 11 Walkers Court, Soho, London W1
www.sohorevuebar.com. 8.11.08
All Star Family
Fortunes,
8.50pm on Saturday 8th November on ITV1.
"Vernon Kay presents another round of the nation's favourite game show,
as two celebrities compete to win thousands of pounds for their selected
charities. Magician and TV presenter Paul Daniels takes on actor and
ex-EastEnder Joe Swash." 8.11.08
Magician
leaves stars stumped.
"He's had Danielle Lloyd bouncing off in
confusion and left R&B stars Akon and Nelly baffled by his illusionary
excellence. So just what is it that makes celeb party magician Damien
O'Brien's tricks so special? We invited Damien to Sun HQ to find out –
and it wasn’t long before the magic he performs at showbiz events left
us dumbfounded and questioning the very workings of the universe." To
read the story and watch a video clip in The Sun
Click Here.
Damien will be presenting an award at this year's Urban Music Awards at
the O2 Arena on Saturday 15th November. The show will be aired on ITV 2
at a later date.
www.damienobrien.com. 8.11.08
International
News: British magic producer Paul Stone is staging two all-new shows
in Las Vegas, this month and next. On November 14th, 15th and 16th at
7.30pm at
Suncoast Hotel & Casino Variety Live stars. Jeff Hobson,
Charlie Frye & Co, Joseph Gabriel, Larissa, Ben Stone, Rob Torres and
Antje Pode and on December 12th, 13th, & 14th at 7.30pm also at Suncoast
Hotel & Casino World Stars of Magic stars Kevin James, Tony
Chapek, John Archer and The Great Tomsoni & Co. 8.11.08
Christmas
Seaside Special. A Mix of Music, Comedy, Song and Dance with a
Seasonal Twist. Starring Mark Worgan - Comedy Magician (photo), Johnny
Laff - Comic, Joanna Kyprianou - Lead Vocalist, Eddie Bushell - Lead
Vocalist, and the Christmas Seaside Special Dancers. With a special
guest spot by Keith Loads. 5th December - 27th December 2008.
Pavilion Theatre,
Cromer Pier, Norfolk. Box Office: 01263 512495. Prices: Adults £15.50
(Conc £12.75), Groups 10+ £12.25, Under 14's £7.50, Family Ticket
£43.00. 8.11.08
Magic
Hands! Is the title of the international newsletter for deaf
magicians, published by the Society of World Deaf Magicians. Society
President John Gapp kindly emailed us a copy, which is produced in
Word.doc format. Published every two months, the newsletter, which feels
more like a magazine, features 16 pages full of deaf related magic news
from around the world. For more information, or to request a copy, email
John Gapp:
johngapp@fantastica.freeserve.co.uk. 8.11.08
Five
of Hearts Magic range - in Bournemouth! Mike Danata's Magic Studio
in Bournemouth have been so impressed with the Five of Hearts Magic
range produced by Colin and Sharron Rose that they have decided to hold
stock, in their studio in Bournemouth. If an item is on their site then
it will be in stock, but often quantities will be very limited as this
is a sought-after range, so hurry! Visit
www.mikedanatasmagicstudio.co.uk (see the 'Just In' page). 8.11.08
Many
congratulations to Jayne Corrigan - winner of the Bristol Society of
Magic's Close Up Magician of the Year Competition on Thursday
October 30th. This is the first time a female magician has won the
competition. For more on Jayne visit:
www.magicbyjayne.co.uk.
www.bristolmagic.co.uk. 8.11.08
Matthew
Garrett lectures for the Magical Mayhem Club in Hitchin on Thursday
13th November. The close-up lecture: Magic at the Dinning Table
will include a whole section on his recently released routine
Ninja+. It
begins at 7.30pm and finishes at 10pm. Admission is free to magicians.
Venue: Magical Mayhem, The Sun Hotel, Hitchin SG5 1AF (Map). 8.11.08
Congratulations
to Stephen Williams on becoming Liverpool Magic Circle's Close-up
Magician of the Year. "Stephen's polished performance took the first
prize in what was a closely fought competition. Stephen is also the
current Liverpool Magic Circle Stage Magician of the Year and
holds the prestigious title of Junior World General Magic Champion
as well.
www.swmagic.co.uk. Photo: Stephen is presented with the award by
Liverpool Magic Circle President Alan Singleton. Reported by Dan Burgess. 8.11.08
Corporate
Close Up 2 - The Secret is Out! RSVPMagic.com are about to release
their largest project to date, featuring eight top close-up magicians:
Corporate Close Up 2 – The Secret is Out! "Our first DVD release
Corporate Close Up 1 with Martin Sanderson was a huge success and
made quite an impact on the magic world. This new DVD set takes over
from where the original left off. A lot of people loved Martin’s DVD,
but always asked when would there be something that covered all
of the practical aspects of performing in a corporate environment, such
as: arriving at a gig, best opening effects, pocket management, dealing
with the client, how to get staff on your side, the survival kit, table
approach, dealing with people that hate magic, closing effects, and so
on. This DVD set does just that and much more. It also includes nine
great routines!” said Russ Stevens. Magicians featured are Harry Robson,
Shaun McCree, Quinten Reynolds, Iain Moran, Barrington Powell, Derek
Lever, Chris Stevenson and Andy Dean. Hosted by Mike McClean. You can
learn more about this exciting new project by visiting
www.rsvpmagic.com. 8.11.08
Many
congratulations to 12 year old James Holdsworth, first-prize winner
of the Junior Close-up Competition at the
Southend
Sorcerers Society. James has also been voted 'best newcomer' to the
club. Photo: James receiving his award from club president Adrian Fox. 8.11.08
Creative
Magic Lecture/Teach-in Day - on the road. Following Tony Griffith's
Creative Magic Lecture/Teach-in Day on Sunday 2nd November at his home
in Bristol, he has now decided to take the 'Day' on the road. Tony
presented this 'At Home' as he calls it as a pre convention event at the
South Carolina Association of Magicians Convention in Columbia, USA a
couple of years ago with great success. He is now planning his 2009
schedule and would be interested to hear from any magic club or group of
magicians who might be interested in an 'in depth' day. The event, which
is limited to 10 persons to ensure good group rapport, has received
great reviews in both the magical press and in the review section of
MagicWeek. For more details visit
www.tonygriffith.co.uk. 8.11.08
Lotsofmagic.co.uk
is a new online magic auction site, devoted solely to the buying and selling of
magic props, equipment and general paraphernalia associated with the
entertainment industry. Now in beta testing mode, until its official
launch in January 2009. For registration details and information
visit
www.lotsofmagic.co.uk today!. 8.11.08
International
News. Congratulations to Lex and Alina - "At the German 'Golden
Artist Gala' Lex and Alina were awarded the 'Golden Artist Magazine
Award' Previous recipients include Peter Marvey, David Copperfield,
Siegfried & Roy, and Hans Moretti."
www.lexschoppi.com. 8.11.08
Carl
Charlesworth wins WAM Stage Magician of the Year Competition 2008/09.
"Carl entered the stage to music and began by producing 2 goldfish in a
large glass bottle, and then a dove. Following this, he swallowed an
inflated modelling balloon. He invited a spectator to join him on stage
and cunningly took the volunteers watch, then gave it back of course.
This was followed by an umbrella card stab routine, and to finish, a
comical prediction with a twist. The act was packed with comedy and fun,
and was well received by all." Julie Carpenter was placed 2nd and Colin
Watkins 3rd. The evening took place at the Watford Association of
Magicians on November 4th and was compèred by Andy Clockwise. Jon Allen
was the magic judge.
www.carlcharlesworth.com. 8.11.08
Magician
and Entertainer Sam X has been officially appointed as The Town
Jester for Buckingham in Buckinghamshire. His duties include performing
at various official functions, civic and charity events. The Mayor,
Howard Mordue, announced the appointment on 1st November 2008 outside
The Old Gaol in the main market of the town. The Town Cryer was also
present at the appointment as well as numerous townsfolk. The last link
to a Jester was 400 years ago, although records are unclear as to if
Buckingham had their own Jester. The Royal Jester, Arcibald Armstrong,
no doubt visited the town when King Charles I visited George Villiers,
the Duke of Buckingham. Photo: Sam Cross in full regalia with Howard
Mordue, current Mayor of Buckingham. 8.11.08
Eric
and Muriel Sharp celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary today,
Saturday November 8th. Eric always felt he would marry the girl next
door but didn't meet her until he moved to Devon. And there she was,
Miss Muriel Shaxton. After the war they moved to South Wales and became
extremely busy with concert parties as well as many years performing
Punch & Judy on the beach at Porthcawl, running two cinemas in Porthcawl
as well as developing the lucrative field of children's parties with
magic and Punch. Reported by Quentin Reynolds. 8.11.08
Children's Entertainers wanted for Cruising contracts! "We are looking for Children's Entertainers for short contracts (4 days to 2-3 weeks) sailing out of Southampton. You will need to perform up to four different magic shows with two additional sessions (not necessarily magic). You will also be expected to help out with some of the onboard children's themed parties. Payment is per contract. You will have your own cabin and all meals are included. You will be treated as a 'Guest Entertainer'. This is an ideal opportunity for a busy successful professional entertainer wanting to have break from their normal routine. In order to be considered for an interview in Southampton we will need to see a DVD of your show. For more information please email: loufairall@aol.com" 8.11.08
"Performer Keith Barry mixes magic, hypnosis, mentalism" Click Here • "Derren Brown" Click Here • "Illusion is elusive in Angel’s ‘Believe’" Click Here • "Criss Angel, in a word: unbelievable" Click Here • "Doug Elfman: New Criss Angel show is unbelievably bad, sad" Click Here • "Drew plays spellbinding mind games" Click Here • That's it for another week, many thanks for your news items, see you next week, Duncan. 8.11.08