Number 456 - 21st March 2009
Kidology
UK 2009. Albion Magic and Practical Magic are pleased to announce
the line-up for this year's Kidology Convention in September. Ali
Cardabra (photo) will give a talk on Walk Around Magic for Children,
Derek Lever on Children's Magic Props through the Ages, Michael Diamond
on Halloween Magic and Michael Fitch on Kids' Cabaret (Michael won the
International Children's Entertainer award at this year's Blackpool
Convention). 15 magic dealers will exhibit their latest products and the
day's £35.00 registration includes a buffet lunch. Kidology UK will once
again be held at the Civic and Wulfrun Halls in Wolverhampton. Tuesday,
8th September 2009. For more info visit:
www.practical-magic.com Book now! 21.3.09
Electric
Empire presents ‘Magic Night’ at Madame JoJo’s on Friday 3rd April.
Magic Night gets ‘up close and technical’ on April 3rd with ‘Video
Magic’ and some very clever celluloid trickery. Watch Lee Hathaway’s
incredible poker card trick and Barry and Stuart’s eye popping (eye
popping being the operative word) magic - beamed live on the
big screen. Adam Bloom will be dropping in via video and MC Christian
Lee will show that TV time travel isn’t really that far away. Miss
Vicious Delicious dances with balloons and Wez Zaharuk replaces his head
with a giant balloon! Christian Lee hosts and Neil Henry presents his
unique and innovative tabletop magic before the main show. See why this
night continues to be one of the best contemporary cabaret nights on the
circuit - with incredible cutting edge magic and some of the best
cabaret in town. Doors open 7pm, show starts at 7.50pm. Tickets £10.00 Concessions £7.00
via www.ticketweb.co.uk or 08700 600 100. Madame
JoJo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, London
W1F O5P (Map).
www.madamejojos.com
www.magicnight.co.uk. 21.3.09
The
Mentalist - Thursday 26th March on Five. The Mentalist stars
Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent
consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a
remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor
sharp skills of observation. Within the Bureau, Jane is notorious for
his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic
medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Jane's role
in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by
his fellow agents. However, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon
openly resists having Jane in her unit and alternates between
reluctantly acknowledging Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his
theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. The
pilot show is being shown on Thursday, 26th
March, at 9pm on Five. See
TV Magic.
21.3.09
The
Order of the Magi (Manchester) celebrated their 100th Birthday last
week with 110 people attending a party show at the Irish World Heritage
Centre Manchester. Compère John Pye introduced Brian Sefton, Stuart
Brown, Peter Moran, Clive Moore and Jean Ellison, vocalist Gerry Ball and Snaggers Amazing Balloons. During the
interval the Centenary Plaque was unveiled and an original Sooty
auctioned for society funds. The event was covered by Channel M and
several magicians were featured on television news the following
day. On Friday in the Manchester Evening News there was a ¾ page
feature on the society. The Magi’s other centenary events are The Magic
of Variety Show at the Waterside Arts Centre, Sale, compered by John
Thomson - all seats £10 - on Friday 27th March and The Wizard of Castle
Magic, a children’s play featuring Jon Marshall at The Met, Bury - all
seats £6 - the following afternoon. Details of these appear on
www.orderofthemagi.org.uk. Geoffrey Newton, Centenary President. 21.3.09
Cue
Control by Axel Hecklau. Axel Hecklau (the inventor of
Newsflash,
the improved torn and restored newspaper) reveals his latest ingenious
aid for the magical performer. Cue Control is a reliable system
designed to manage music during a show, controlled by the performer. The operation is completely invisible from the audience's point
of view - yet everything is under the performer's control. Cue
Control allows you to concentrate on your show - not worry
about important music cues. Cue Control is not a fancy technical device. It is a
concept using clever ideas and standard devices that you may
already have at home. For more information visit
www.axelhecklau.com. 21.3.09
Chris Woodward is presenting a talk for
International Magic at 7.30pm on Tuesday 31st March, at 'Casa
Italiana' (2nd Floor), 136 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1R 5DL (Map).
The talk covers two subjects. The first, the famous 20th Century
Mentalist, Maurice Fogel, and the second 'Magicians who have appeared at
The London Palladium'. Tickets are £10.00 each, payable on the evening.
Call 020 7405 7324 or email
martin@internationalmagic.com to book a place. 21.3.09
Derren Brown Evening of Wonders
is being repeated at 10.30pm on Monday 23rd March on E4. This is
the specially recorded version of Derren Brown's live stage show Evening of
Wonders, shot at the Garrick Theatre in London at the end of his
sold-out nationwide tour and West End run. The internationally acclaimed
psychological illusionist takes the theatre audience and viewers on a
jaw-dropping, laugh-out-loud,
mind-reading journey. TV
Magic. 21.3.09
Standnotamazed
presents... An Evening of Fine Wine, Dining and Conjuring. Brown’s,
St Martin’s Lane, 7pm, Friday 27th March. The current UK International
Brotherhood of Magician’s Close Up Champion and "Heston Blumenthal’s
Magician" Metro, this is a rare opportunity to see contemporary
magician John van der Put close-up and live in the heart of the West
End. "A fabulous three-course dinner, lashings of lovely wines and magic
to melt your heart." Followed by coffee and cabaret starring... Piff the
Magic Dragon, Maya Politaki and Richard Pinner. Tickets are £35.00 each.
To book visit
www.wegottickets.com/event/46467 or call 020 7395 6092. For a
discount on group bookings of 8 or more email
ihavemanyfriends@standnotamazed.com. 21.3.09
The
Merchant of Magic 'Tweet Treat' - On the last Friday in March
www.magicshop.co.uk
will give away a magic goodie bag worth at least £30.00 to two randomly
chosen lucky entrants. To enter, visit their page on Twitter
http://twitter.com/merchantofmagic and send a Twitter message
containing #MerchantofmagicGiveaway - that's it. You can include other
text in your tweet, but you must have the full hashtag as written. You
only need to tweet once to be entered in all the March giveaways. Don't
forget to follow @merchantofmagic. They will announce weekly winners on
Friday March 27th at 12pm GMT on their
Facebook fan page, so make sure you're a fan. The submission period
for the Merchant of Magic 'Tweet Treat' ends at 10am GMT on Friday March
27th, 2009. Winners will be contacted via direct message on Twitter. 21.3.09
Gregory
Wilson Lecture - Coventry. News from The Coventry Magic Circle: "The
Coventry Magic Circle have engaged none other than the legendary Greg
Wilson from the USA to blow you away with his awesome talent. This
promises to be a fantastic lecture and is certainly not to be missed.
You will regret it if you do! The lecture starts at 8pm on Tuesday 14th
April. Visiting magicians are welcome for a fee of just £10.00. Highly
recommended." Venue: Bentley Road Sports & Social Club, Bentley Road,
Nuneaton CV11 5LR (Map).
For more information contact Alan Cooper
alan@themagiccircle.co.uk
07970 262579 or visit
www.coventrymagiccircle.co.uk. 21.3.09
Blackpool
Magicians’ Club have appointed Peter Eldin as their Press Officer.
Peter is a successful freelance writer and the author of numerous books,
including many on magic. He was the founder editor of Watford
Association of Magicians’ magazine, edited The Magic Circular for
eight years, and has also acted as editor of Abracadabra. Peter
said: "I am excited to be associated with Blackpool Magicians’ Club and
their annual convention, the biggest magic convention in the world,
which takes place in February every year at the magnificent Opera House
and Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England." Bookings for the 58th
Blackpool Convention (19th to 21st February 2010) are already flooding
in, with numerous magicians registering even before this year’s
convention had finished. A downloadable registration form will shortly
be available from
www.blackpoolmagic.com - it is advisable to book as soon as
possible. Photo: Young magician 'Sonny', on stage with Jeff McBride
during the Gala Show at this year's convention.
(Photo by Mandy Davis) 21.3.09
Merlins
of Wakefield's website will be off line until the end on March,
when their new site launches at
www.merlinswakefield.co.uk. Merlins
latest preview catalogue for March/April is now available. Just send
your postal address, or your email address if you'd prefer a PDF, to
merlins@btconnect.com for a
free copy, or call 01924 339933. 21.3.09
Ian
Souch - Home Counties Champ! The Home Counties Magical Society held
their annual Close Up/Stage Competition on Thursday 20th March and Ian
Souch was announced the winner. He was awarded the Paul Pearman Cup for
the 'most entertaining magical act'. His act consisted of a combination
of close-up magic and mentalism. He is not only a member of the Home
Counties Magical Society but also a member of The Magic Circle. Ian is
seen here receiving the cup from the Home Counties President Simon
Williams.
www.mentalmagicman.co.uk. 21.3.09
Jumbo
Magic Auction - Manchester Circle of Magicians. On Tuesday 31st
March at 6.30pm at Salford Masonic Hall, Hemsley House, 41 The Crescent,
Salford, Manchester M5 4PE (Map).
Star auctioneers Mike Shepherd and Derek Lever. Phone: 01253 810113 or
email: d.lever1@sky.com for
details. 21.3.09
Award
winning magician John Archer presents his lecture at The Mystic Ring
on Thursday April 2nd at the Dunstable Conservative Club, 29 High Street
North. The lecture starts at 7.45pm and visiting magicians are welcome.
Admission £7.00. Don't miss it! For more details email
themysticring@hotmail.com. 21.3.09
This
coming April Mel Harvey celebrates forty years as a full time
entertainer. Mel's first summer season ran for 36 weeks for Butlins
at Heads of Ayr, Scotland, back in 1969. To celebrate his 40th year Mel
will be presenting his comedy and magic act along with Bob Brolly at
7.30pm at Huntingdon Hall, Crowngate, Worcester on Friday April 3rd. The
show will be compered by Malcolm Boydon from Radio Oxford and includes
the Irish country music of Bob Brolly. It is being staged to raise funds
for Worcester Wheels, a charity supplying community transport to
hospitals in the area. Tickets, priced at £15.00 (£12.00 for
concessions) are available from the Worcester Live Box Office on 01905
611427 or via www.worcesterlive.co.uk. Mel looks forward to seeing friends, old
and new. 21.3.09
Black
Artefacts CD: "Black
Artefacts have just released a fantastic new weapon in the armoury of
any psychic performer or psychic reader - a CD - Neanderthal - that is
claimed to actually trigger people's latent psychic abilities or 'sixth
sense'. This unique soundscape features an interpretation of the pre
human voices of our distant cousins the Neanderthals, who contrary to
popular belief were bigger than modern humans and actually had a larger
brain capacity! Harking back to a time when our ancestors had not
developed language fully and relied on their natural instincts to
survive the CD combines the joint effects of psychology and music in its
developmental infancy. During our development into this modern age
humans have mainly forgotten how to use these instincts, such as we now
call ESP and clairvoyance. The soundscape contained within Neanderthal
the CD is full of unique and sometimes guttural voices and sounds that
at times are frightening, soothing and sometimes challenging.
You can use the CD as a feature of your act or readings by telling the
audience that you are about to help unleash their latent mental powers
and then go on to prove it! Neanderthal comes with the CD, an
explanatory booklet by The Black Hart with performance ideas and a
laminated disclaimer to pass around your guests that is guaranteed to
get them in the mood for some of your psychic showmanship.
This is very different from the usual 'New Age' music CDs that you
normally hear. Available from Black Artefacts:
www.blackhart.co.uk/music.html." 21.3.09
Billionaire
Sol Kerzner spared no expense in staging his wife Heather's 40th
birthday party at the Dorchester last week. Guests included, the Duchess
of York, Steve Wynn, Kevin Spacey, Simon Le Bon and Geri Halliwell. With
performances from Dame Shirley Bassey, Nathalie Cole and Sam Young.
Sav was delighted
to have the opportunity to sit down chat to Steve Wynn about his
friendship Mike Skinner in the 70’s.
Brendan
Patricks meanwhile was charming Liz Hurley at her table with his SWE
Shift and Hugh Grant looks! "Brummie conjurer performs for Pirates of
The Caribbean star Keira Knightley and Chelsea star Frank Lampard"
Click Here. 21.3.09
Doncaster
Magic Club will hold an evening get together on Wednesday 8th April
from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at The Regent Hotel, South Parade, Doncaster for
all those interested in keeping this club in Doncaster. Old and new
friends/members welcome. Beginners welcome too. Email
itsmagic@blueyonder.co.uk
for more details. 21.3.09
The Science of Ghosts. On
Saturday, 4th April,
psychologist and magician Professor Richard Wiseman, illusionist Paul
Kieve and a host of other experts gather in Edinburgh for a special
one-day event examining the science and history of hauntings. Richard
will discusses his research into the science of ghostly experiences,
whilst Paul reveals the smoke and mirrors used to create spectres on
stage. The day will also include a reconstruction of a Victorian
phantasmagoria presented by Mervyn Heard. More details at
www.scienceofghosts.com. As part of the project, Richard has also
asked people to submit their best 'ghost' photos for analysis - see
http://scienceofghosts.wordpress.com. 21.3.09
Magic in the 21st Century - an open conference on Copyright, Content Distribution and Digital Rights Management for the Magic Industry. Lee Hathaway emails: "Calling all video production companies, creative magicians and publishers. You are invited to attend this free one-day conference in London this April, featuring guest speakers from experts in the magic and media industries. Of particular interest will be Chris Nesbitt-Smith, formerly of 321 Studios who produced the highly controversial DVD X-Copy product line. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/321_Studios. With the increasing number of torrent sites providing illegal downloads and an epidemic of pirated magic DVDs this conference will discuss and give a deeper insight into many of the problems that the industry now faces, along with attempting to present ideas and strategies to confront these issues. Interested parties should contact tom@academyofmagic.com for more details." 21.3.09
Magician/Children's Entertainer Wanted: 7 month contract. Darren Wray emails: "I am looking for a Magician/Children's Entertainer who is available immediately for a seven month contract in Egypt. You must be able to perform at least two, thirty minute magic acts suitable for a family audience. You will also be participating in two production shows, Magic and Illusion and Circus Spectacular, there will be other duties such as daytime walkaround and 'Kids Hour' every evening. You will receive full training and continued support throughout the contract, and will be working with a team of professional performers. Competitive salary, flights, accommodation, food and drinks, working at a four star Holiday Village. This is a really exciting opportunity, don't miss your chance! Please email: darren@wonkyrabbitmagic.com with a current CV and covering letter, or just email for further details." 21.3.09
International News: Magic Convention in Latvia. Enrico Pezzoli, President of the Latvian Magic Club A.M.B.E.R. (Association of Magicians of Baltic - Established in Riga) emails: "This year we are going to join the I.B.M. as a Ring. To celebrate this event (it will be the 1st I.B.M. Ring in the Baltic and Scandinavian area of the EU) we are organising the 1st Latvian Magic Day on 30th May 2009 at the Congress Palace of Riga (Latvia, EU). We will have Dirk Losander, Aaron Crow, Roy Davenport and a comedy magic MC in the gala show. During the day we will have two lectures (Losander and Roy Davenport) and a Dealers room. The cost of the Magic Day (2 lectures, coffee break, dealers) is 40 Euros, the prices of the gala' show vary from 10 to 30 Euros." Email brinum-x@ml.lv for more information. www.pecolli.lv. 21.3.09
And
finally... I've just finished building a new website that has absolutely nothing to do with magic whatsoever, but may be of
interest to some readers, so I thought I'd include it this week.
www.sci-fimovieposters.co.uk features original science fiction movie
posters, from Alien to Zardoz. These are actual cinema posters, not to
be confused with souvenir type reproductions. It's the world's first
"sci-fi only" movie poster website, so if science fiction is your thing
I hope you enjoy it:
www.sci-fimovieposters.co.uk. 21.3.09
"In praise of ... magicians" Click Here • "Magic and music in one memorable Memorial show" Click Here • John Archer reviews Jon Allen's The Pain Game this week, Click Here, and Paul Moore reviews Disney Live - Mickey’s Magic Show, Click Here • "Teen magician to perform in national competition" Click Here • "Amazing Johnathan: Presto change-o, it’s a drive-in replica" Click Here • "Penn Jillette Answers Your Questions" Click Here • That's it for this week - your UK magic news is always welcomed, see you next week, Duncan. 21.3.09