* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * New Zealand's MagicNZ e-zine * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #117 Date: Sunday 14th April 2002 Editor: Alan Watson www.magician.co.nz www.alan-watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. 33rd Academy Of Magical Arts Awards 3. Terry Hill And Milt Larsen's Annual Stage Revue 4. Books And Magazines For Sale 5. Salute to Magic to Honor 100th Anniversary of the S.A.M. 6. 2nd Annual Las Vegas Magic Invitational 7. Terry Seabrooke Magical Travels 8. Internet Audio Broadcast About The Art Of Magic 9. The Importance Of Referrals 10. Two Person 'Code' Act 11. 'Wonderland Sydney' 12. "Show us some magic" 13. The Orchante Saga #100 14. MagicNZ e-zine archives 15. Subscription Management ------------------------------------ 1. Editor's Message ------------------------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One Thank you to all those members that forward a copy of the MagicNZ e-zine onto a friend last week. We picked up 57 new subscribers pushing us over 4000+ membership mark. ---------------------------------------------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ---------------------------------- 2. 33rd Academy Of Magical Arts Awards ---------------------------------- Message from Milt Larsen (US) This year's Master's Fellowship will be bestowed on our favorite leprechaun Billy McComb, the Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year award Rick Thomas, and, of course, you will be voting for your Magic Castle Stage Magician of the Year, Close-up Magician of the Year, Lecturer of the Year and Parlour Magician of the Year. This special event will be under the personal direction of Milt and Arlene Larsen. . Master's Fellowship - Billy McComb . Performing Fellowship - The Pendragons . Performing Fellowship - Earl Nelson . Library Fellowship - Jim Steinmeyer . Special Fellowship - John Kasnetsis . Creative Fellowship - Pavel . Lifetime Achievement Award - Tihany . Rick Thomas Has Been Named Magician Of The Year Plus the awards voted on by the magician members of the Academy for best Close-up, Parlour, Lecturer and Stage Magicians of the Year. This is the first time the awards will be held at the Magic Castle. Over the past 33 years the event has been held at hotels and theaters. With the opening of the new Kodak Theater within a block of the Castle, the new home of the Academy Awards, we felt now is the time to "blow our own horn" and have the 34th annual awards for magicians presented by the top magicians in our own beautiful clubhouse. VIP dinners for the event are $200.00 per person with party only tickets going for $50.00 For reservations contact Jan Miller - Magicjan2002@aol.com ---------------------------------- 3. Terry Hill And Milt Larsen's Annual Stage Revue ---------------------------------- Message from Milt Larsen (US) Terry Hill and Milt Larsen's annual stage revue (42nd year) is moving this year from the Alex Theater in Glendale to the Cerritos Performing Arts Center in Cerritos which is part of the greater Los Angeles area. A larger stage was needed to accommodate this year's show which features the spectacular magic of Dirk Arthur. Dirk just finished a long run at Bally's in Las Vegas. Also on the bill are Julianna Chen, Ventriloquist Brad Cummings, Dana Daniels and more to be announced. The shows dates are Sept. 13-14 & 15. Milt and Terry are also producing Magic Under the Stars at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater in Hollywood August 24th and other versions of It's Magic! in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Thousand Oaks California. ---------------------------------- 4. Books And Magazines For Sale ---------------------------------- Message from Peter Rawstrone (NZ) I am writing on behalf of one of our club members has a collection of magic to be disposed of, it would be appreciated if you would put this notice in the weekly magazine. Collection of linking rings dating from 1958 to 1972. Attractively displayed in 18 files. These are fitted in a wooden cabinet. $500.00NZ Volume 1, 2 and 3 of Rices Encyclopedia of silk magic. $105.00NZ Tarbell course in magic Volumes 1 to 6. $150.00NZ If any reader is looking for one particular item of magic this could be available among the items that are being sold Phone 06 844 3170. ---------------------------------- 5. Salute to Magic to Honor 100th Anniversary of the S.A.M. ---------------------------------- Message from Richard J. Stuart (US) Chairman for this years show April 27th 2002. 8pm. This years Salute to Magic honors the 100th Anniversary of the SAM with a special show honoring the long tradition of magic. Gay Blackstone, part of the oldest and most famous families of magic, will be hosting the show as well as demonstrating some of the tricks that established that long tradition in a special salute to the Parent Assembly's 100th Anniversary. Master Magician, Chuck Jones, will be performing his Illusions in a rare east coast appearance. Chuck is one of the legends of magic. His original creation, the MIS-MADE GIRL ILLUSION (a girl is divided into four parts and accidentally assembled wrong) won him an award from the Society of American Magicians and has been widely copied by virtually every illusionist in the world. Chuck and Jan Jones and Gay Blackstone are also winners of the very prestigious DRAGON Award. The Mortician Magician, Ted Lee - the current president of the Parent assembly, will demonstrate his unique brand of magic, along with noted magical scholar George Schindler and Nina. Magician of the Year, Bill Andrews, will also be performing some of the classic magic he is so well known for. Good seats are still available. Ticket prices are $35.00 each for adults and $25.00 each for seniors and Children. Tickets may be purchased by calling Isaac Rodriguez at 718-651-7335 or by mail payable to the Society of American Magicians - 47-30 61st Street (10B) Woodside NY 11377. ---------------------------------- 6. 2nd Annual Las Vegas Magic Invitational ---------------------------------- Message from Danny Archer (US) Danny Archer and Robert Allen request your company at this years 2nd annual This is your invitation to attend the hottest close-Up and cabaret convention of the year! September 15-17 in exciting Las Vegas, Nevada Great Stars * Great Lectures * Great Fun Check us out on the web at: http://www.LVMI.net Reservations Are Limited So Don't Delay! ---------------------------------- 7. Terry Seabrooke Magical Travels ---------------------------------- Message from Terry Seabrooke (UK) May 5th to Magic Castle for week in the Parlour and then lecture on Sunday 12th. Early June will be working luxurious golf club in Bahrain in Middle East. In July looking forward very much to this years big one -- the SAM 100th bash in New York. August working Ocean Majesty ship for Page and Moy, which is always a delight. September 5th To Denver, Colorado for Magic in the Rockies convention which looks like a good one. October or November should be back at the Magic Castle once again. In between all these trips have some one nighters back in UK with dear Norman Wisdom which I always enjoy. ---------------------------------- 8. Internet Audio Broadcast About The Art Of Magic ---------------------------------- Message from Andrew I'm the author of illusion book, Shock Magic and other oddball magic books. My latest project is The Magic Radio Show. It's an Internet audio broadcast about the art of magic. It's hosted by myself and close-up magician Jeff Rutenberg. We broadcast at 9 PM Eastern time. The shows are archived for later listening. www.themagicradioshow.com ---------------------------------- 9. The Importance Of Referrals ---------------------------------- Message from Steve Pradell © 2002 (Alaska) One of the most often overlooked avenues for obtaining new clients is referrals from other performers. Abracadabra often refers potential clients to other local performers. While I have greatly increased my practice as an attorney using these tools, it does not appear that other entertainers are as free to send referrals as are lawyers. There may be many reasons for this. Perhaps a performer does not understand the benefits of mutual referrals, or is worried that another performer will step in and "take over the territory." So I'll touch upon my experiences with attorneys in this article to see if local performers may see the benefits of referrals from others who do what they do. When I worked as an associate attorney in one of the largest law firms in the state, rainmaking was generally performed by the partners. I received few referrals from other lawyers, who probably assumed that I had enough to do by virtue of my employment. Once I opened my own doors as a solo practitioner, I was initially surprised when potential clients would tell me that other attorneys had referred them to my door. At first I thought that these practitioners may have been sending clients my way simply because I was new to solo practice, and perhaps they felt that I needed the work. As the referrals continued to call, I began to feel some camaraderie with these other lawyers, and that I was not simply "out there" on my own, alone, hanging out a shingle. As my law practice has grown, my referral sources continue to increase. I have learned that word of mouth referrals can be a primary source of business for attorneys. The same can be true for entertainers. There are many reasons why entertainers may refer cases to others in our profession. A performer may simply be too busy to handle new matters. One successful Anchorage family law attorney sends me numerous cases when she feels that she has enough clients. She also sends me existing clients when she is out of state so that I can monitor her caseload. Her answering machine advises people to call me when she is out of town! I have sent so many "thank you" cards to her that she has told me to stop this practice! It is ironic that many of the best referrals may come from our competitors. We need to understand that there is enough business to go around, so long as we are putting out quality entertainment and educating our audiences that magic shows are positive experiences. Our "competitors" can be our best allies when it comes to referrals. For this reason, it is important to attempt to maintain a good working relationship with the performers we come across through our contacts. Referrals are made often because an entertainer does not perform in the area in which a potential or existing client desires a show. This is why it may be important to let others know of the areas in which you entertain, so that they can send someone your way when the appropriate events arise. A fellow entertainer who knows you and your areas of expertise may be more comfortable sending an existing client to you, for there may be less fear that you will take away all of the other entertainer's business because you do not provide the services that the other magician handles for his client. This symbiotic relationship works both ways. You can refer certain matters which you normally do not handle to others, who in turn may refer clients back to you. Being a source of referrals can be a great way to expand your business, and it may be better to turn a potential client away for a show requiring skills with which you are not familiar, rather than keep the client and put on a less than professional show. Clients often look for entertainers who have certain personalities, reputations, styles, or other qualities that best suit their needs. Referrals can come from other entertainers who may feel that you can offer an audience the best type of show because of your unique approach. A successful lawyer who had a full caseload referred many clients who wanted an "aggressive" attorney to my desk, to my surprise. He enjoyed the clients who were less demanding, and my workload increased. Referrals also are made for many reasons. Clients may call a magician they have used in the past in order to find the name of someone who they can trust to play the piano, be a disc jockey, or serve some other entertainment function. Most clients would rather see someone on the basis of a recommendation than from reading the yellow pages, which are cluttered with the names of strangers. Selecting an appropriate entertainer can be an intimidating process. Just how does an entertainer get referrals from other performers? The answer is simple: ask for them. Tell those you come across in your profession that you would be happy to discuss your skills and availability to clients who are referred to you. Volunteer to assist another performer should a vacation arise. Ask each new client how he or she was referred to you, and thank any performer who provides you with a potential client, regardless of whether you actually get the show. So here's the pitch: I love referrals! ---------------------------------- 10. Two Person 'Code' Act ---------------------------------- Message from Paul Romhany (NZ) I am currently looking for any information on a two person 'code' act ... and in particular the 'Tucker' Version. I have the code act in 13 Steps to Mentalism but was wondering what else is available. Anybody with information if you could please email me would be greatly appreciated. promhany@hotmail.com Paul ---------------------------------- 11. 'Wonderland Sydney' ---------------------------------- Message from Tony and Juleen (Aust) Just a quick e-mail to let you know our show times have changed at 'Wonderland Sydney' for the Australian N.S.W School holidays. From Sat 13th the first day of the holidays and for the following 16 days until the 28th Tony and Juleen's show times will be: 1pm.and 3pm. for the Illusion show 'Spellbinding Sorcery.' There is a special holiday promotion focusing on Tony and Juleen and the illusion show 'Spellbinding Sorcery'. Upon entering the theatre you will receive an entry form with a question relevant to the show. Once you fill it out you can place it in the barrel outside beside the T&J Magic Shop. After the holidays one lucky winner will receive as first prize, a trip to Las Vegas to see The Magician's of the Century, Siegfried and Roy, while staying at the exclusive Mirage Hotel. Second prize is one of three private backstage sessions with Tony and Juleen plus a T&J prize pack. Third prize is one of 50 T&J Magic Show Bags. During this promotion Tony will also be attempting the 'Houdini Water Torture Cell Escape' at 4:30pm each day. The last time Tony performed this escape was 10 years ago, he is the only Australian Escape Artist currently performing the Houdini Water Torture Cell Escape anywhere in the world. For more information visit www.Wonderland.com.au and www.TonyandJuleen.com ---------------------------------- 12. "Show us some magic" ---------------------------------- Message from Peter Marucci (Canada) You're with a bunch of friends, when somebody says: "Show us some magic." (Well, it COULD happen!) Even if you're prepared (as you always should be), somebody might add: "And use our deck of cards." The following fits that scenario perfectly; it's an old idea but it can be done anywhere, with any deck of cards, combines magic and comedy, needs no setting or resetting, and only involves one minor sleight. Sounds too good to be true? Read on. NAME THAT MAGICIAN Effect: You have a card selected and returned to the deck. After a series of (apparent) blunders, you discover the card. Sounds fairly routine -- but I've been using this for years and, believe me, it is an absolute winner. Preparation: None. Working and Presentation: Using a full deck of 52 cards, have one card selected by a spectator, remembered, and returned to the deck. Control this card to the top of the deck. The in-jog shuffle is a natural here. And that's the only sleight; from here on, it's all acting and presentation. In your most bombastic and pretentious manner, announce that you will find the card through a combination of mysticism, sleight of hand, and awesome magic. "Using great dexterity and skill," you say, "I will now divide the deck into exactly two groups of 26 cards each." Cut to slightly less that half the deck -- around 22 to 24 cards -- although it doesn't matter if you hit 26 by accident. Put aside the bottom half of the deck and count the top half, reversing the order. Say, for example, you have cut to 24 cards. As you count 22, 23, 24 and finish, you say: "There you have it; the deck divided exactly into two halves and -- as well -- by brilliant sleight of hand, I have moved two cards from this half (the one you counted) to that half (point to the tabled cards)." Put the top half on the bottom half and pick up the full deck. By reverse counting, you have positioned the chosen (formerly top) card at 24 in the deck. "And now for some mysticism, using the ancient art of numerology. We came to the number 24, made up of two digits -- 2 and 4. Adding them together, we have six and we count down six cards, the number arrived at by the ancient art of numerology." Count down six cards and turn over the last (or sixth) card. It is, of course, the wrong card. "Is that your card?" you ask. When told "no," ask for the name of the card. Assume you are told the 10 of Hearts. "Aha," you say, acting non-plussed, "not only did I find your card, but I turned it into the 2 of Clubs (or whatever is the name of the card you turned up.)" At this point, look as if nothing has gone wrong, that you have successfully completed a minor miracle. Discard the cards you have dealt off the deck and continue: "And someday in the future when you are sitting around the fire with your grandchildren, telling them about this incredible feat of magic that you have just witnessed, they will say, 'Grandpa, who did that wonderful trick?' And you can tell them it was . . ." Because you reverse counted the cards originally, then counted off the number of cards that was the sum of the original two digits, the chosen card is now at 18 from the top. (Cut to 24, reverse count, deal off the sum of 2 and 4 -- 6 -- and the card is at 18. It will be 18 wherever you cut the deck between 20 and 29, so you have a 10-card range -- almost a fifth of the deck -- to shoot for.) As you say, "and you can tell them," start dealing off the cards face down, one card per letter as you spell an i8-letter phrase that includes your name (in my case, ". . . it was (start counting) MARUCCI THE MAGICIAN"). When you come to the last card, flip it face up and toss it lightly in front of the spectator who chose it. At this point, SAY NOTHING. Wait for the reaction and, when it comes, smile, thank your audience, pick up the cards and leave. Second Thoughts: This is dead easy to do but so strong that I would never (and have never) used it as anything other than a closer for a table act or short close-up routine or as a single trick, standing on its own. Some might object to what they perceive as a "sucker" sting in this but, remember, you did not set up the sting; if it exists, it was in the minds of the spectators. If they thought the whole trick was a con, then you will have conned them at the end. As W. C. Fields said, "You can't cheat an honest man." You can use any phrase you want to finish the trick, as long as it spells out to 18 letters. For example, "Willmarth The Magico," or "Craven The Fantastic." Of course, if you don't happen to be Phil Willmarth, Tom Craven, or me, then maybe you'd better use your own name and phrase. Please don't dismiss this because it doesn't take three years to learn or require 16 semi-impossible sleights. The card control is automatic but the audience will credit you with great skill. More importantly, if you play it properly, they will be entertained. Peter Marucci 270 St. Andrew St. East Fergus, Ontario, Canada N1M 1R1 e-mail: showtimecol@aol.com ---------------------------------- 13. The Orchante Saga #100 ---------------------------------- Message from Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) 'Linking Rings', courtesy of a Ghost! 100 pages! (101)! It's a milestone! The first episode (The foreword) appeared in issue No.44 -Sunday 22nd Oct. 2000, courtesy of Alan Watson's 'Magic N.Z. Ezine'. The 'Saga', covering the first 20 years - 1954 to 1974, of the Orchanté Story, amounts to 69,316 words, so far. Brace yourselves, here comes the next 20yrs - or so! Can you remember when you bought your first set of Linking Rings? I can, and will never forget it! We had stopped off late one afternoon and booked into a motel for the night, in the City of Palmerston North, which is 143km (90 miles) North of the 'Capitol City of New Zealand', Wellington (It should've been Auckland -whoa, I'll bet that has started a furore!). The motel complex was quite large, built in a quadrangle shape with units both on the ground floor and identical units upstairs, with parking for two cars outside each ground floor unit. I'm going to describe the interior of the ground floor unit we had been booked into, as it is VERY IMPORTANT to what I'm about to relate. Parking up outside, the front door was virtually right in front of the car. PLEASE NOTE, the front door was the ONLY entrance/exit to the motel unit. On opening the door, it swung back against the left-hand wall, which separated us from the unit next door. Entering the room there was a large double bed on the immediate right - if you were standing outside, and had. X-ray vision, you would be looking at the headboard. Also in the room was the usual furnishings, wardrobe, television, table and chairs etc. At the other end of the room was the only other door, which led, to the immediate left, into the bathroom/shower, toilet etc. or, on the immediate right, the kitchenette, which contained the usual; refrigerator, stove/oven etc. and that was about it! Later that night, at around 1am in the morning, Veronica had put down the book she was reading and turned over to go to sleep, I was sitting up with her little hand held make-up mirror and a pair of tweezers, digging out some pesky ingrown hairs from out of my face; they can be a right little pain (was that a pun?), that can become unsightly blemishes - thus spoiling my 'extraordinary good looks' - well, I can dream, can't I! So there I was, concentrating like mad and going cross-eyed as hell, trying to focus on the bloody hairs with the magnifying side of the mirror when, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw movement. I looked up and nearly crapped myself! Standing in the doorway that led into the bathroom/ kitchen, WAS SOME BLOKE WITH A BLACK BEARD, looking at me like - I don't know, 'like a man watching another man pulling hairs out of his face'! I quickly looked down at Veronica, grabbed her arm and shook it like mad to wake her up then, looked back up at the doorway as she sat up ready to give me a 'mouthful' for disturbing her just as she was getting to sleep. HE WAS GONE! In the few moments that I had taken my eyes of him, HE HAD VANISHED! Wildly spluttering and babbling, trying to explain to Veronica what I had just seen, my brain was going crazy, telling me that the bastard had ducked into the toilet or kitchenette and, at the same time, logic was telling me that there was absolutely no way anybody could have gotten into the room without us knowing about it! Putting on a brave face and quaking in my toes (well, I don't wear boots to bed), I threw all the lights on and, not surprisingly found - nothing! We didn't sleep much that night and, I had a sneaking suspicion that Veronica thought I was - 'bullshitting'! Later the next morning, when we in the office (which was attached to the motel owners large home), checking out and paying the bill, I told the elderly lady who was serving us of what I had seen, and could only explain as - A Ghost! Fully expecting her to laugh in my face and to take pity on Veronica for having a fool on her hands, she calmly said, "Oh, that would've been my late husband!" She then went on to say that, the week before, an undercover drug detective who had been staying there for a few days, had come down one morning, very disturbed and as white as a sheet, after seeing him in his room! THEN SHE DROPPED THE BOMBSHELL! "MY HUSBAND WAS A MAGICIAN YOU KNOW, AS WELL AS AN INVENTOR AND, A POET." When I informed her that I also, was a professional magician, she invited Veronica and I into her home for a 'cuppa' and a chat. Page - 101 I can't be absolutely positive about this, but we are sure she said that their surname was 'ROSS', and that he had invented some sort of aid for the vehicles of handicapped car drivers. As I mentioned, he was also a prolific poet and she showed us several examples that he had written; apparently he would scribble poetry on any bit of paper he could find - she was still discovering stuff that he had written inside book covers, serviettes, scrap paper, practically anything where there was space to write a few poetic lines. We can't recall whether she told us when he had died, but if she did, we have forgotten. Some of his magical equipment was still lying around, I couldn't tell you now what it was - but I vaguely seem to remember that she was reluctant, for some reason, to part with any of it. What did catch my eye was a set of, 'Linking Rings' - I think they were 8 inch and were obviously home made, as the welding on the joins was very rough and had never been smoothed off. Nonetheless, they were better than the ones I had, which were all warped and twisted out of shape. Somehow, I managed to convince her to part with them, probably because she knew that I would put them to good use and perhaps, it was why her late husband had put in an 'appearance' to me. Who knows! It was with this set that I learnt the late DAI VERNON'S routine, with a few added moves of my own! They did the job until I bought a really nice set - 10 inch 'TRUE TONE', from Alf Hayes shop, in Sydney Australia. -POSTSCRIPT- I would personally be very grateful, and I'm sure, the readers of the Magic E-Zine also, especially the New Zealanders, if any of the 'MAGIC BOYS' IN PALMERSTON NORTH, who may have any knowledge and or history of this man, who appears to have been quite a colourful character, could pass on to us all what ever knowledge they may possess - of Mr Ross? - It would make for the most interesting reading, not only magically, but also from a historical point of view as well! ------------------------------------- 14. MagicNZ e-zine archives ------------------------------------- Back issues of the MagicNZ e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: ezine Password: newzealand When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001nov0699.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (nov06) and the last next two numbers the year (99) If you want to print copies of MagicNZ e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine-archive ------------------------------------- 15. Subscription Management ------------------------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the MagicNZ e-zine: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html MagicNZ e-zine is published weekly, on Sunday. The opinions expressed in this e-zine are those of the individual contributors and not those of MagicNZ. Neither MagicNZ or Alan Watson can vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via MagicNZ e-zine. Subscribers to this publication and authors who contribute to it by doing so agree that they will not hold MagicNZ and/or Alan Watson liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed herein. We reserve the right to edit, correct or, in our discretion, choose not to publish any submissions provided to MagicNZ for potential publication. MagicNZ welcomes readers to submit timely articles or news items which appear to be of interest to our readers. Those submitting to this e-zine agree that we have permission to publish their submissions and that they have the full copyright to the material submitted. All works published by MagicNZ are fully protected by international copyright as provided by law, and articles cannot be published for profit by anyone other than the individual author without the written permission of MagicNZ. >> This publication may be freely redistributed (but not sold) to other magicians if copied in its ENTIRETY including the copyright notice below and the above disclaimer.<< © Copyright 2002 Alan Watson