Number 556 - 19th February 2011

 

51st Bristol Day of Magic - Sunday 8th May, at the Winter Gardens and Playhouse Theatre, Weston Super Mare. Starring David Williamson, Jay Scott Berry, Mel Mellers, Ed Hilsum, Jason Steele and Joanne, Rafael Benetar, El Loco, Tom Saeys and Noel Britten. Special one man show with Mel Mellers; Close-up shows from David Williamson, Jay Scott Berry and Rafael Benetar; Lectures by David Williamson and Tom Saeys; Dealers Exhibition with over 25 leading magical suppliers; Spellbound Gala show at the Playhouse Theatre; Winter Gardens café and bar open all day for refreshments and evening meals. Registration opens at 9.30am on the day or better still book in advance: Click Here. www.bristolmagic.co.uk. 19.2.11

 

Groovy baby... it's the 40th International Magic Convention! This year's International Magic Convention promises to be extra special in celebration of their 40th convention which will take place a week earlier than usual on Friday 18th, Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th November. Tickets go on sale this weekend and will be available on the International Magic dealer stand at the Blackpool Convention, or via International Magic online. The convention will once again take place at The Mermaid Conference and Events Centre and this year it will be preceded by a four-day magic festival which will take place at the nearby at the Bridewell Theatre to commemorate the 40th anniversary of "Ron's". The festival will feature four days of workshops and magic evenings including a bizarre night, a mentalism night, a burlesque night and a comedy night. 14th - 17th November (ticket release date to be announced). Many great International Stars are being lined up for the 40th Anniversary Convention, including Eugene Burger, Max Maven, Jerome Helfenstein, An Ha Lim, Larry Hass, Simmons & Simmons and David Williamson... plus many, many more… The registration form is now online: Click Here. www.internationalmagic.com. 19.2.11

 

"Exclusive: ITV orders Ross 'Penn & Teller' series. By Ryan Love, Entertainment Reporter, Digital Spy. ITV has commissioned a series of Jonathan Ross's magic show Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Digital Spy can confirm..." To read the full story from Digital Spy Click Here. 19.2.11

 

Latest news from IMX 2011, Las Vegas: "An evening with a true legend of magic... David Berglas is a performer who needs no introduction. He is a legendary man of mystery whose exploits are unmatched in the history of modern magic. David joins us as our special guest via live video conference at IMX 2011 for an unforgettable evening that will pull back the curtain on this truly remarkable man. Derren Brown says it all: 'One of our greatest living magical performers...' David defined magic on British television as one of the very first magicians with his own television series ... Winston Churchill, Aristotle Onassis, Paul Getty, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Michael Jackson, the Sultan of Brunei and most of the British Royal Family have all experienced first hand his incredible miracles of the mind. Known for his numerous publicity stunts including going down the notorius Cresta Run blindfolded, manipulating and even smoking cigarettes underwater(!), performing Russian roulette, and touring the world, lecturing on and demonstrating memory feats – David’s performance remains unmatched. While his signature pieces include the levitation of a heavy table and a dangerous pulse stopping routine – the most beautiful of all comes in the form of a card effect … the “Holy Grail” of Card Magic known simply as “The Berglas Effect” … to see it performed – is to believe in true magic. Experience the joy all over again at IMX as we celebrate the man, the magic & the mystery that is David Berglas...." IMX 2011 (International Magic Experience 2011), 23rd-25th May, Las Vegas. Limited registrations remain from just $149. Visit www.imx2011.com for more information and to book. 19.2.11

 

LBC 97.3FM's Steve Allen appears at the Mermaid Theatre in the City on London on Saturday 26th February for two performances of his popular 'Live on Stage' event. This year he's joined by Graham P Jolley: 'The Man You Can't Keep Out of Your Mind'. "I've been a great fan for Graham's amazing abilities for many years and can't wait to present him on stage at the Mermaid and see the audiences jaws drop!" says Steve. Afternoon tickets have now sold out, and just a handful remain for the 7pm evening performance; available from www.seetickets.com. (Photo © photochris.co.uk) 19.2.11

 

Magic Soc Gala Show 2011, Nottingham. The University of Nottingham Magic Society are staging a show on March 18th: "An evening with world class magicians performing especially for you, featuring Romany - Diva of Magic (former Magic Circle Stage Magician of the Year), Jonathan Shotton (IBM British Ring Most Entertaining Magic Act 2008) and Roy Davenport (International Brotherhood of Magicians British Ring Shield Winner). The event takes place at the Studio 7, King's Meadow Campus, about 10 minutes walk south of the main campus. The show will start at 8pm (doors open at 7pm) and will finish at 10pm. Ticket Price: £10 (advance) or £12 (at the door) by calling the Magic Society on 07927 662074. Tickets may also be requested by emailing sumagicsoc@nottingham.ac.uk. 19.2.11

 

Real-life Hogwarts graduates reunite in 2011 West End Show. The Davenports Demon Magic Club present 'West End Magic' at the New Players Theatre, in London, on Saturday 26th February 2011 at 7.30pm. A unique showcase featuring some of the country's finest magical artistes presenting illusions, mind reading, death-defying extreme juggling, dancing and comedy. The show stars award winning magicians Oliver Tabor and Lee Hathaway, Britain’s Got Talent semi finalist Phil Blackmore and top entertainers and illusionists Paul Henri, Wayne Trice, Steve Majes, James Pritchard and Kane Sinclair-Sojka and vocalist Georgia Lee and her dance troupe. Many of them members of the prestigious Magic Circle, were former students of the Demon Club, an academy for junior magicians, much like the school for wizardry and witchcraft found in the Harry Potter novels. Amateur magicians aged 8-18 would attend lectures and read books to learn the mystical art. Past members include TV star Steven Mulhern and Royal Variety performer Paul Zerdin together with many award-winning magicians. Tickets: £15 for adults and £12.50 for children. Ticketweb 08444 771 000. www.westendmagic.com. New Players Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, London WC2N 6NG (Map). 19.2.11

 

Ollie Mealing's Skip Switch Project DVD. New, from BigBlindMedia: "We have this new DVD out at Blackpool. Anyone who orders through www.bigblindmedia.com and emails mentioning 'MagicWeek' will get a free DVD thrown into the package! 'The Skip Switch is one of the nicest moves I have seen in a long time. Unnatural actions are conspicuous by their absence. If you perform sandwich effects (and I don't know any card magician who doesn't?), this is a must-have addition to your arsenal of sleights.' Peter Duffie. Once you have learnt the diabolical secret you can perform the Skip Switch anytime, anywhere and with any deck. No gaffs, no insane finger flicking difficulty. But this DVD is not just the in-depth teaching of a new move. Nope - it's cram packed with Ollie's crowd pleasing routines..." Visit www.bigblindmedia.com to find out! 19.2.11

 

The Last Greatest Magician in the World. "Expanding on his chapters on Howard Thurston in his history of magic, Hiding the Elephant, Steinmeyer produces an engaging full-length biography of the man Orson Welles called the master. While Houdini's daring stunts were legendary, Steinmeyer says Thurston was the public's favorite, captivating audiences with his self-assured grandeur. Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Thurston gained fame in the early part of the 20th century with his Rising Card Trick, in which he levitated cards named by audience members. He successfully changed with the times, going from street performances to wagon tours through the West. He then became a top vaudeville star, but wisely left the vaudeville circuit to produce more ambitious spectacles involving 40 tons of magic apparatus and colorful costumes, a variety of animals, and more than two dozen assistants..." Available from Amazon.co.uk Click Here. "The Most Famous Magician You've Never Heard Of" Click Here. 19.2.11

 

Pete Firman and Ali Cook's Secret World of Magic is being repeated in a couple of weeks time. Especially look out for their visit to France which features a real masterclass on misdirection from Gaetan Bloom (learn, but don't copy!). See TV Magic. 19.2.11

 

The Dreaded Mentalist - One Night Only! "Come join Jez Starr - The Dreaded Mentalist - for a night of wonder in the heart of Wells at The Kings Head! Enjoy an evening of mind-blowing magic, mental illusions and mind power as Jez entertains with demonstration and experiments of intuition, reading thoughts and actions, personality tests like no other, plus a look into the power of the mind, and a couple of escape attempts! Tickets only £8.50. Live music during the break and straight after until gone midnight!" Thursday 24th March at 9pm. Over 16's. Tickets available from The Kings Head and www.dreadedmentalist.com. Venue: Kings Head, 36 High Street, Wells, Somerset BA5 2SG (Map). For more info call 07749 538016 or visit www.dreadedmentalist.com. 19.2.11

 

Live updates from Blackpool with The Magic Bloggers: Remember if you’re not at the Blackpool Magic Convention this weekend you can keep up to date with the latest happenings via www.magicbloggers.co.uk. They will keep you in the magical know with the latest news, reviews, videos, photos and much more... You can also catch their updates live on www.facebook.com. 19.2.11

 

The Prestige - 10pm on Sunday 20th February on BBC 2. "Period thriller set in Edwardian London where two rival magicians, partners until the tragic death of an assistant during a show, feud bitterly after one of them performs the ultimate magic trick - teleportation. His rival tries desperately to uncover the secret of his routine, experimenting with dangerous new science as his quest takes him to the brink of insanity and jeopardises the lives of everyone around the pair." See TV Magic. 19.2.11

 

John Bishop’s Britain is back! The production office contacted MagicWeek last week, as they'd love to hear from a magician for the new series: "We are looking for you to take part. Saturday nights, BBC1 – Comedian John Bishop is back. We are looking for people all over Britain to interview about their funny, true stories from their lives. So wherever you are from in Britain, whatever you do for work, whatever your thoughts/opinions are... we want to hear from you. If you’d like to take part get in touch now! Email your contact details to: takepart@objectiveproductions.com or call 020 7202 2343 (send us your name, email address, contact numbers, occupation, location and a photo of yourself please). We want to hear your stories/opinions on everything from music and fashion to DIY and friends." 19.2.11

 

The Ilford Magical Society. Paul Clancy emails: The Ilford Magical Society is opening its books and providing a rare opportunity for prospective new members to visit us with a view to joining our long established and thriving society. We meet on alternate Wednesdays at The Parkside Community Centre, 176 Goodmayes Lane, Ilford, IG3 9PP (Map). We invite applications from any person over 16 years of age with a practical knowledge of magic. For more information, please visit our website: www.ilfordmagic.co.uk or to visit us in person please contact the Secretary, Brian Philips, on 020 8595 0216 or by email at b.phillips@sky.com. 19.2.11

 

Douglas Maddy can be seen escaping from a straight jacket, under water, to promote his rebranded website: www.douglasmaddy.com. 19.2.11

 

Michael Finney lecture at the Nottingham Guild. Reported by John Dornan. There was a big audience at the Michael Finney lecture at the Nottingham Guild where Michael was on form having everyone laughing for the whole night. Michael went through in great detail some of his classic tricks, from card on forehead to lady and rope routine, including his thoughts and experience, gained from his 30 + years in magic. Everyone who attended went away smiling and all agreed it was a great night. John Dornan. (Photo: with Chairman Graham Harper after the lecture). Michael Finney can be seen at the Blackpool Convention this weekend. 19.2.11

 

Steve Dacri. Steve Dacri is remembered by Richard Duckett in Telegram.com Click Here and by Norm Clarke in Las Vegas Review-Journal Click Here. 19.2.11

 

Nicky Ward Funeral Service. Robert Freeman writes: The funeral for Nicky Ward is as follows: Tuesday 22nd Feb. 13.30 at The Park Crematorium, Guildford Road, Aldershot GU12 4BP. After: The Liberal Club, South Street, Farnham GU9 7RD. 19.2.11

 

Roy Marsh reports on the Bexley Magic Society Competition, Click Here • "The Magician Escapes the Show" Click Here • Chris Cox can be seen on Dick & Dom's Funny Business on BBC Two at 9am on Saturday February 26th www.magiccox.com • "The Magic Circle - ancient Egyptian witchcraft to the world of Harry Potter" Click Here • "Chinese synchronised fish trick sparks complaints" Click Here and "Friends of the Fish" Click Here • "Derren Brown shows off his funny side with YouTube spider trick" Click Here • "Middlewich magician wins accolade" Click Here • "Bringing magic to the town" Click Here • Original Magic Posters - price reductions! Click Here • That's it! See you in Blackpool, Duncan. 19.2.11

 

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