* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #363 Date: Sunday 30th October 2005 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com www.Alan-Watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. Wanting Overseas Magicians For South African Convention 3. Las Vegas Magic - November, 2005 4. Amazing Optical Illusion 5. Young Magicians Club J-Day 2005 - Competition Winners 6. The Science Of Illusion Returns To Los Angeles 7. Registration Form For The IBM Convention In Miami 8. The Magic Castle Schedule. 9. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA Convention! 10. Happy Halloween 11. 9th Annual Motor City Close-Up Convention 12. A Dice Stacking Retrospective, Part 12 13. When Magic Tricks Go Wrong 14. The Amazing Orchante Saga 15. e-zine Archives 16. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice ------------------ 1. Editors Message ------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One Ken Bates passed on the sad news that Don and Donna MacQuoid's Waterfront Bar Grill in Vanuatu burnt down last night. For a number of years the Waterfront has employed magicians from all over the world and often been regarded as the Magic Castle of the South Pacific. ------------------------------- Message from Michael Woolf - David Taylor told me that Harry Sankey (NZ) has just died. Update to follow. --------------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ----------------- 2. Wanting Overseas Magicians For South African Convention ----------------- Message from David J O'Connor (South Africa) South African Magicians Convention 2007 The South African Magical Society is to host a National Magicians Convention in Durban in 2007, possibly in April or August of that year over 4 or 5 days. The final dates are to be settled in the next few weeks. The Society is anxious to invite an overseas magician to headline the convention. An invitation is extended to interested performers to submit applications specifying their area of performance and experience, along with details of costs, travel arrangements, accommodation requirements etc. to enable us to plan accordingly. Ideally we are looking for a performer / lecturer that would appeal to the broader area of magic rather than a specific discipline of our art. Interested parties can contact David J O'Connor for further details. Durban is regarded as the ' Playground of Africa '. Best regards. David J. David J O'Connor (AMA) eire@absamail.co.za ----------------- 3. Las Vegas Magic - November, 2005 ----------------- Message from David Neubauer (www.dnmagic.com) Production Shows: Adrenaline: Magic that Rocks Curtis Adams - Plaza Hotel and Casino 7 pm (Dark Mon.) until March 24, 2006 www.plazahotelcasino.com Amazing Johnathan 10 pm, (Dark Thurs.), Sahara. Beacher's Madhouse Tyas Frantz, Morgan, Joan Dukore - 10 pm - Hard Rock. Check the website for dates: www.beachersmadhouse.com Buck Wild Nathan Burton (as a redneck magician) 7 pm covered shows Mon.-Wed. & Sat. 9 pm Topless shows (Over 18) - Sahara (Dark Fri.) www.saharavegas.com/shows/buckwild.html Collin Foster - Quicker than the Eye 4 & 6 pm (Dark Mon.), Comedy Zone, Plaza. $6.95 admission includes a drink coupon: http://www.vegas4locals.com/couponcollinfoster.html David Copperfield 7:30 & 10 pm, 4:30 Sat. & some Sun. MGM Grand. November 17-30, December 22-January 4. Haunted Vegas Tour & Show Robert Allen & Jac Hayden - Greek Isle. 9:00 pm tour and show (Dark Wed. -Thurs.) $10 off coupon: http://www.vegas4locals.com/couponhauntedvegas.html Illusionary Magic of Rick Thomas 2 & 4 pm, Stardust. (Dark Wed.) Jason Bird The Shops in Desert Passage - Aladdin. Main stage, near the "V" Theater, Thursday - Monday Various times from 1:15 pm. - 8:15 pm. - Free. La Femme Stephan Vanel 8 & 10:30 pm, (Dark Tues.), MGM Grand. Lance Burton, Master Magician 7 pm Tues-Sat & 10 pm Tues. & Sat. Monte Carlo. Mac King Comedy Magic Show 1 & 3 pm, (Dark Sun. & Mon.) Harrah's Clint Holmes Theater. www.mackingshow.com Ovations Fielding West, Jason Byrne 7 & 9 pm, Lady Luck. (Dark Tues.) Penn & Teller 9 pm, (Dark Tues.), Rio. V, The Ultimate Variety Show Jeff Hobson, Nathan & Sarah -www.vtheshow.com 7 & 9 pm, Aladdin. 2 for 1 coupon: http://www.vegas4locals.com/couponvshow.html Viva Las Vegas Roy Shank - 2 pm & 4 pm (Dark Sun.) Stratosphere's Theatre of the Stars. World's Greatest Magic Show Kevin James, Joseph Gabriel, The Majestix, Kozak. Derek Roberts, Billy Fergueson & Chris Randall (pre-show). 6 pm Sat. - Thurs., 8:15 Fri., Greek Isle. Oct. Guest Stars: Losander (until the 30th), John Cassidy (31). Nov. Guest Stars: John Cassidy (1-6), Jeff McBride (7-20), Arden James (21-30). Dec. Guest Stars: Arden James. Xtreme Magic Starring Dirk Arthur Tiffany Theatre, Tropicana 2 and 4 pm. (Dark Fri.) $10 off coupon: http://www.vegas4locals.com/Coupontropicana_dirk.html Jamie Porter's Radio Side Show Sat @ 5 am, KLAV FM 1230. Restaurants: Eric Allan Outback Steakhouse (Green Valley), Fri. & Sat. Jayden LaCross TGI Fridays, Wed. & Sun. News: Collin Foster, who is at the Plaza, filmed an episode of "Party at the Palms with Jenny McCarthy" for "E" Entertainment TV. It aired Wednesday, October 19th and will re-air a few times this week. Their website will give the times. He also filmed an episode of "Race Car Driver" for Superstation WGN. It airs Wednesday, November 9th at 8 pm EST. Check here for airdates: http://www.racecartv.com/airdates.html October, 2005 October 17-30: Losander, World's Greatest Magic Show, Greek Isle. October 21: Beacher's Madhouse 10 pm - Hard Rock. October 31-November 6: John Cassidy, World's Greatest Magic Show, Greek Isle. November, 2005 Through November 6: John Cassidy, World's Greatest Magic Show, Greek Isle. November 4-6: Magic for Medical Professionals. Details to follow. November 4-6: Princess Tenko - Greatest Illusions - Special Guest Norm Nielsen - Cashman Theater. November 5: Beacher's Madhouse 10 pm - Hard Rock. November 7-20: Jeff McBride, World's Greatest Magic Show, Greek Isle. November 11-13: Master Class. Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger. www.MagicalWisdom.com November 12: Beacher's Madhouse 10 pm - Hard Rock. November 13-15: Mindvention, The 2nd annual all Mentalism convention Robert Allen, Danny Archer, Banachek, Richard Osterlind, Bruce Bernstein, Barrie Richardson, Lee Earle, Larry Becker, Luke Jermay, Harvey Berg, Rick Maue - Palace Station. www.mindvention.com November 17-30: David Copperfield, MGM Grand. November 19: Beacher's Madhouse 10 pm - Hard Rock. November 21-December 31: Arden James, World's Greatest Magic Show, Greek Isle. December, 2005 Through December 31: Arden James, World's Greatest Magic Show, Greek Isle. December 22-January 4: David Copperfield, MGM Grand. January, 2006 Through January 4: David Copperfield, MGM Grand. February, 2006 February 19-22: World Magic Seminar, Orleans. www.worldmagicseminar.com. --------------------------------------------- 4. Amazing Optical Illusion -------------------------------------------- Message from Walter Zaney Blaney A magician friend, Paul Kozak, sent me this website to check out. It is a wonderful optical illusion, new to me, and one doesn't see something like this very often. Try it and enjoy the amazing fun it conjures up. http://www.patmedia.net/marklevinson/cool/cool_illusion.html --------------------------------------------- 5. Young Magicians Club J-Day 2005 - Competition Winners -------------------------------------------- Message from Mandy Davis - Editor - Secrets Magazine YMC The fifth annual J-Day took place on Sunday and the day was a great success. Both Nick Einhorn and Mark Shortland lectured during the day, performing some of their greatest routines in the gala show to round off the day. The finals of both close up and stage magic competitions took place and the winners were as follows: The YMC Mark Leveridge J-Day Close Up Trophy went to Ben Farrar from Winchester. There was no third place but two joint 2nd places - Michael Jordan (last year's stage magic winner) and Matt Mottee. The YMC Home Counties Stage Trophy was awarded to James More from Bournemouth. 2nd place was Michael Williams and 3rd place went to Joshua Miller. The Peter Blanchard Literary Trophy for contributions to the magazine were awarded to Oliver Gratter. There was also a new trophy presented to the YMC by magician Mike Clarke. This goes to the member of the year and its first recipient is James Tetlow from Hertfordshire. Next year will be YMC's 10th Anniversary so look out for some extra special events. Also appearing in the gala show were Ian and Friends and Loki with MC Ali Bongo and all the performances were extremely well received. --------------------------------------------- 6. The Science Of Illusion Returns To Los Angeles -------------------------------------------- Message from Matt Marcy (US) Magic: The Science of Illusion returns to the California Science Center in Los Angeles this month. The multimedia exhibit, returning from a nationwide tour, will be highlighted on the KTLA Morning News in Los Angeles in an October 24th media kick-off event featuring performances by comedy-magician Matt Marcy. The exhibit explores the relationship between science and magic, and includes a number of hands-on, interactive displays presented by video performances from some of today's top magicians. Magic: The Science of Illusion is currently scheduled to run through December 31st at the California Science Center. --------------------------------------------- 7. Registration Form For The IBM Convention In Miami -------------------------------------------- Message from Tony Wilson Past International IBM President For a printable Registration Form for the IBM Convention in Miami go to: http://www.magician.org/convention2006.htm --------------------------------------------- 8. The Magic Castle Schedule -------------------------------------------- Published with the permission of Milt Larsen There's much to be thankful for this fall season as The Magic Castle is filled with brilliant performers from around the country, around the world and around the corner - and not a turkey in the flock! October 31 - November 6 Halloween night kicks off a magical week with Chile's JUAN VARELA dominating the early Close-Up shows with dynamic digital dexterity, and Minnesota sorceress SUZANNE, well-known for her original and personal routining of classical close-up plots, spinning stories for the late spectators. Missouri is the "show me!" state, and DAVID SANDY, past International President of the IBM, will show 'em, stun 'em and leave 'em laughing with his comedy magic in the early Parlor. WHIT HAYDN, Dean of the School for Scoundrels and con artist supreme, teaches the late show audiences how to gamble, lose, and love every minute of it with a sales pitch that's smoother than fanning powder. Comedy magician TOM BURGOON and his alter ego Timmy the TP (please don't squeeze the Timmy!) emcees a colorful Palace of Mystery program which features the sensuous and stylish miracles of master magicienne MYSTINA and, in case you missed their turn in "IT'S MAGIC!" the envelope-pushing entertainment of the marvelous MUMS! November 7 - November 13 A student of the renowned Silvan Magic Academy in Rome, LUCA D'AGOSTINI presents his continental conjuring in the early Close-Up Gallery while the superb IVAN AMODEI, whose close-up artistry won him accolades at both IBM and SAM this past summer (where he took first place in both close-up competitions) is showcased in the late Gallery shows. Speaking of awards, San Francisco's TIMOTHY JAMES once won the Lance Burton Award at the Desert Magic Seminar (when it was still at the Trop); he'll roll the early Parlor audiences in the aisles. DAVE COX's mirthful mysteries are on display for your amusement in the late Parlor. There are fewer funnier in more languages than ALDO COLOMBINI, who has been honored by the Academy with Magician of the Year nominations in every showroom of the Magic Castle (and won four times!). Aldo hosts the Palace show this week which features the cutting edge magic of award-winning Italian illusionist ERIX LOGAN, whose show has appeared in more than 22 countries, most recently at the Ricardo Montalban Theater in "IT'S MAGIC!". November 14 - November 20 The advance word on HAYASHI has magicians throughout the Magic Castle buzzing, so make certain you check out his awardwinning act (5 European Close-Up Championships in one year!) in the early Close-Up this week. PETER TAPPAN's creative close-up follows in the late shows. Say "Open Sesame" to ALFONSO and he'll do 20 minutes; this Castle favorite appears in the early Parlor shows while the broadly comic conjuring of TERRY LUNCEFORD is featured in the second set of stand-up sorcery. Emcee MARK HASLAM added some new material which both delighted and confounded his fellow prestidigitators last time he worked the Palace. You can check it out for yourself as the dapper deceiver hosts the quick-change artistry of JUMP & JIVE and the magician who taught Barbie how to party, the enthusiastic and entertaining JOSEPH TRAN. November 21 - November 27 Multi-talented multitasking magician MIKE BARGER, last seen in the Inner Circle performing his remarkable Pool Table act, picks up his cues in the early Close-Up and BRIAN GILLIS takes time off from entertaining Hollywood royalty to show the late Close-Up audiences the difference between mere magic tricks and small miracles. Likewise, JAMES WARREN is no stranger to the Hollywood party circuit or the Parlor of Prestidigitation; he's back to astound the early audiences while GREGORY WILSON, one of today's most creative magical innovators who is constantly in demand at conventions around the world, takes the late Parlor shift. "Indescribable!" is the only word that describes former Magician of the Year JEFF McBRIDE. A powerful force in modern magic, combining elements of mime, kabuki theatre, mysticism, drama and sheer wonder, masked marvel McBride has become an international star in the world of entertainment and an icon in the world of magic. Don't miss Jeff's week in the Palace of Mystery - every member will be thankful he's here! November 28 - December 4 His moniker was "Magician" to the competitors at the Finalists' Table of the World Series of Poker, and SCOTT LAZAR demonstrates his considerable expertise at the late Close- Up table. The early Close-Up this week is in the mannered hands of St. Louis' own HARRY MONTI, gentle master of manipulation. Snowmass is the capital of Colorado magic, and SHAWN McMASTER is a proud alumni of its school of snowbound sorcery; Shawn is also a regular contributor to MAGIC! Magazine and his nifty magic is featured in the early Parlor this week. STEPHEN BARGATZE is from Nashville, but his comedy magic has been seen around the world - he's featured in the late Parlor shows. It's a treat to have AARON FISHER in the Palace of Mystery; well-known as a close-up cardmeister, Aaron's also known for his daring standup - last time he chugged a whole bottle of tobasco sauce while the audience stared in shocked amazement. He'll be sharing stage time with CHRIS MITCHELL, who started performing magic because it made him a "babe magnet," and the diabolical DAN BIRCH, whose intense creativity has made his name synonymous with modern dove manipulation. --------------------------------------------- 9. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA Convention! -------------------------------------------- Message from David Hira (US) I can't say enough about Oklahoma City's CAVALCADE OF MAGIC. I've worked it before, and will be performing again this year. When? Saturday and Sunday, November 5th & 6th (SOON!) Go to: www.cavalcadeofmagic.com A full schedule is posted. Register NOW. Performers/Lecturers include: Mark Wilson, Martin Gardner, IBM President Roger Miller, Six Flags show producer David Thomas (www.theworldofmagic.net), cruise ship great Doug Anderson, Diamond Jim Tyler and others. Registration is just $80 U.S. and includes a ticket to the banquet! WOW!!! Please be sure to mention that you heard about it from me! (They'll bend over backwards for you!) I hope you'll consider going to this. You will be pleasantly surprised at what a great convention this great bunch of people put on! --------------------------------------------- 10. Happy Halloween -------------------------------------------- Message from Don Drake (US) I did this poem many years ago when I was but a lad of 12 years, for a Halloween party. I've put it on the Shadow network before but it's not been seen here, so sit back, relax and enjoy THE GRIZZLY BALL Copyright 1952, renewed 1975, renewed 2001 all rights reserved. Near a deserted graveyard, There stands a haunted hall. 'Twas here the Ghouls decided, To hold their Grizzly Ball. Walls decorated in bloodstains, Added color to the scene. And a Wicked Witch with a ghastly grin, Was proclaimed the gory queen. The Vampires were the first to arrive, And Dracula (with his date), The Werewolves came in drooling packs, But Frankenstien was late. The Skeletons came from their closets, The Corpses, fresh from the tomb. While Spirits and Bats, floated about, And fluttered around in the gloom. The music was provided by, A tolling funeral bell. And of course the Beast With Five Fingers, Played the piano well. At sunrise the ball was over, but the Corpses left, not at all. For the Ghouls had planned on refreshments, When they planned their Grizzly Ball. Happy Halloween to all, DONDRAKE I'll see you at the World Magic Seminar February 19-22 http://worldmagicseminar.com At the 'Orleans Hotel and Casino, In Las Vegas, NV. If you are visiting Las Vegas, or if you live here, don't miss the AMAZING JOHNATHAN SHOW, at the Sahara Hotel and Casino. (Dark Thursday). It's the funniest show in the world! ----------------- 11. 9th Annual Motor City Close-Up Convention ----------------- Message from John Luka (US) November 11 - 13, 2005 The 9th Annual Motor City Close-Up Convention takes place a little over ONE week from now. Those of you who regularly attend the convention know what a great time it is. This year's line-up is awesome! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For the past eight years, the Motor City Close-Up Convention has featured an outstanding line-up of magicians recognized and respected for their performing style, creativity, and skill. This year the tradition will continue with four exceptional performers, Gazzo, Paul Green, Lonnie Chevrie, and Nathan Kranzo. Be sure to join in on the fun and attend what is turning out to be the premiere close-up convention in the Midwest. All events take place at the Ramada Inn of Taylor, Michigan, located four miles east of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport at I-75 and Eureka Road. Phone (734) 283-2200 for room reservations and other hotel information. There is a special room rate for the convention. To qualify make your reservations by October 10, 2005 and mention "John Luka Magic." The convention will be here before you know it. Mark the dates on your calendar now. Register early. You can find more convention information by going to the convention website. http://www.hometown.aol.com/johnlukamagic/convention.html There will be four lectures, two optional workshops and three close-up shows. Both, Gazzo and Paul will be conducting workshops. The workshops will fill up quickly. Sign up for the workshop of your choice as soon as possible. GAZZO is one of the world's most entertaining and experienced street workers. He has performed on stages all over the world including festivals, nightclubs, and world famous cruise ships -- including the QE2. From cruise ships to Las Vegas showrooms, Gazzo has wowed them all. His brand of comedy is perfect for almost any situation, and his skills as a performer of the impossible are beyond even the wildest of imaginations. Gazzo is a favorite at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. His rare appearances at magic conventions are always a hit. This will be a chance for you to experience a performance from a magician and entertainer who is rightly regarded as one of the best there is. "When you see Gazzo perform, you're getting 200%. He's 100%magician and 100% comedian. The two aspects of his character simultaneously feed and devour each other to produce a riotously entertaining street act that would burst Merlin of Camelot's eyeballs and the spleen of insult comedian Don Rickles." -- Ed Parrish, Magic Magazine PAUL GREEN is a working close-up magician. From private parties for the Hollywood elite; Beverly Hills restaurants; to Trade Shows for Fortune 500 companies, he has done it all! For over 30 years, Paul has been a regular performer at the Magic Castle. He has appeared at conventions from Las Vegas to Australia. He specializes in making magic memorable for audiences in the real world. Does Paul have the experience? You bet he does! Paul Green was awarded the Lecturer of the Year Award from the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in 2002. His DVD on the Classic Force is "the" essential learning tool for gaining the skill for this devastating sleight-of-hand tool. His DVD, In the Trenches, has been touted around the world as being filled with some of the strongest magic available. Paul is one of magic's great teachers, and you will be adding his material to your own personal repertoire. Above all, Paul Green is a friendly and approachable guy. He loves talking about magic with everyone. This is your chance to meet him and learn from him. LONNIE CHEVRIE can draw a standing ovation from a crowded room with the snap of his fingers. With a seemingly simple flick of the wrist, he can astonish an adult or delight a child. Sound like magic? It is. A two-time winner of the Texas Association of Magicians Best Close-up Magic award, Lonnie Chevrie is West Texas foremost magician and sleight-of-hand artist. Today, Lonnie's talents seem to extend beyond the conventional boundaries of magic. His digital dexterity allows him to defy the laws of physics, whether he's working with coins, a deck of cards, or creating a sleight-of-hand illusion with ordinary everyday objects. Because of his magical skill and charismatic personality, neither of which is an illusion, the award-winning magician enjoys a strong following. His popularity keeps him busy performing regularly. Watching Lonnie perform his special brand of close-up magic can be mind-boggling. Now it's your turn to witness the sleight-of-hand magic of this soft-spoken gentleman with the engaging smile. Experience the skill and magical talents of LONNIE CHEVRIE. You will be amazed! NATHAN KRANZO is a full time magician from Flushing, Michigan. His main focus is close up magic. Nathan studied Industrial Design, Special Effects, and Movie Making at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Besides performing for real people, Nathan is also highly sought after by magicians as a lecturer. He has performed and lectured all over the United States and Europe. His original performance material has been published in national and worldwide publications, such as Genii Magazine, Magic Magazine, The Penumbra, Channel One, Half Baked, and The Linking Ring. Nate is part of The Next Generation of Magic. He thinks "outside the box." This is exemplified by his amazing work with everything from cards and coins to breath mints and tan lines. Let Nathan teach you how to think "outside the box" and have fun doing it. Some of the dealers signed up already include: Hank Moorehouse, Mint Magic, Gordon Miller, The Magic Shop, Uncanny Kevin, John Born, and more to be announced later. ----------------- 12. A Dice Stacking Retrospective, Part 12 ----------------- Message from Tony Lewis (US) KC Card & Dice Company (Conclusion) #12 in the dice stacking series Hi fellow magic enthusiasts, At the end of the prior article in this series, a salesman at KC Card & Dice Company was about to show me two differently marked "Bee Club Special" decks of cards. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the design on the back of "Bee Decks," here is a brief description. The pattern consists of 31 rows of diamonds. Each diamond is separated from the adjacent one by an extremely narrow white band that is divided into three tiny rectangles by four thin lines. If you go to http://tinyurl.com/74f3y you will see an excellent drawing of the back of a Bee playing card. This web site also describes in detail a card marking system other than the two used by KC Card & Dice Co. The first marked deck that the salesman showed to me had a pretty low price tag. However, the marking system was quite elementary. This permitted me to easily spot it when I was faced with a similar deck in a poker game that I encountered a couple of years later. The value of each of the cards was identified by slightly enlarging one of the diamonds that ran along its upper left corner. The suit was not shown. The other deck was rather pricy due to the fact that its marking system was incredibly complex and subtle. It involved minutely enlarging one of the twelve corners of the three minute rectangles formed by the four thin lines in the border of the first diamond in the second row. If no corner was enlarged, the card was an ace. These markings were so tiny that they could barely be read by the dealer alone. Therefore, only a person who knew the system could possibly identify this latter type of deck as marked. After the salesman had demonstrated the doctored decks for me, he showed me several types of loaded dice and other casino equipment that was designed to markedly increase the win rate for its owner. I thought it was a shame that an outfit that could turn out such beautiful precision gaming equipment had to resort to supplementing its income with crooked devices. I never had any reason to revisit KC Card & Dice Company . When I tried to locate them several years later, I was told that they had been shut down by the feds after being convicted of shipping illegal gaming equipment interstate. Now that I had my precision custom dice, I went home and diligently practiced all the moves I knew in preparation for my next meeting with Clarke "The Senator" Crandall. When I showed my latest achievements to a couple of magicians at Magic Inc, one of them asked me if I could do a "Take Off." I had no idea what he was talking about, so he explained to me that this involved using the cup to remove the dice one by one from a stack and then restacking them again. To the best of my knowledge, the "Take Off" had never been written up at that time, and videos did not exist in those days. So I went back home, armed only with a general description of the move, to try and see if I could master it. Next time I'll tell you about my laboriously acquiring the "Take Off" technique and the surprising reaction I got from the Senator when I showed it to him. ----------------- 13. When Magic Tricks Go Wrong ----------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Have just finished doing an interview for a TV show entitled, 'When Magic Tricks go Wrong'; should be shown here in the U.K. around the end of November/ December. I'm in very good company - I think the producers have interviewed just about every major magician in the world - Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee, The Pendragons', Penn and Teller and many, many more. Marvelous isn't it - here I am retired and I'm still getting all this TV exposure. Oh well, as long as they are STILL talking about me...!!!! ----------------- Veronica and I wish to congratulate a fellow Kiwi - Ross Skiffington, who was presented with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by Alan & Michele Watson on behalf of the 'Magic New Zealand Entertainment Committee'. at the IBM Kiwi Day of Magic. 23rd Oct. 2005. ----------------- 14. The Amazing Orchante Saga ----------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Page 73 You wouldn't believe it, but whatever, however I said it, from out the blue all was forgiven; this Red-Headed 'Iceberg's' Heart, assuming that she had one, had melted somewhat, and decided that perhaps I wasn't quite the 'Rude, Crude and Totally Unattractive **** blankety blank'., she had first thought! Miracles will never cease! She was going to the staff room for a coffee, so I invited myself to join her, made my excuses to the 'Lads', and left the party. We had a good old chat, where I discovered that was she the Chief Cashier for the hotel, and the Head Receptionist as well! I headed off to bed and collapsed. Whew! What a night! The shows at the 'Marina' had been so successful I was re-booked for the following week and as the heading of Page 71 states, "Things" Happened! To everybody's astonishment, and particularly to the chagrin of most of the Milford Marina's male staff, this magician/fire-eater had turned on the heat, somehow managing to melt the 'untouchable' redhead's heart - and to add insult to injury, "The Bastard Was a Married Man"! Whispers and theories abounded; 'He hypnotised her.' 'he's a REAL Magician', 'must've got her drunk' etc. etc. One night the proverbial hit the fan! There are three accounts of what happened - Sharon's, (my ex-wife) Sally's and mine. According to Sharon, and she has more reason than anybody else to remember, I was sitting in the private bar having a quick drink with '.THAT redhead.' before the show when Sharon walked in, tapped me on the shoulder, and asked me for some drinking money. She says that I 'almost died' on the spot! The 'redhead', quite sensibly, made herself scarce. What happened next is how Sally, a 'Walking Encyclopaedia', who's also endowed with a great memory, recalls it. Sally was unaware of the incident in the bar before the show consequently; I'll let Sally tell it in her own words. "I'm assisting you on stage and you were just about to do the sword swallowing when I saw Sharon walk in. Not good! So you swallowed the first, 'Short Sword' then, as you swallowed the Long One, you quickly pulled the thing out and collapsed on the stage floor, much to the consternation of both the audience and your assistant - ME! I bent over and said, "Tommy, are you okay", to which you replied, "Yeah, just get an ambulance"!  "A couple of burly security chaps came and carried you off the stage too many ooh's and aah's from the astonished audience who thought they had just witnessed you practically killing yourself. Anyway, we got you into the manager's office and an ambulance was duly called and away you went, to the hospital. The rest of the story of course you know yourself." Sally faxed me the above some time ago and added; "when I got off the phone after talking to you last night, I was killing myself laughing at the recollection of that night. It really was funny. I think you are right; it would make a good mention in the 'Saga". It sure as hell wasn't funny at the time! ---------------- 15. Magic New Zealand e-zine Archives ------------------ Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/fezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: magic Password: kiwi When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999) ------------------- 16. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice ------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to any other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand® E-zine at www.watson.co.nz/fezine.html. Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday. The opinions expressed therein are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Magic New Zealand®. Neither Magic New Zealand® nor Alan Watson vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via Magic New Zealand® E-zine. Subscribers to this publication and authors who contribute to it by doing so agree they will not hold Magic New Zealand® or Alan Watson, jointly or individually liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed therein. Magic New Zealand® reserves the right to alter, correct or disregard any articles submitted. Readers are encouraged to submit timely articles or news items which may be of interest to subscribers. By submitting articles to this e-zine, the authors grant Magic New Zealand® the right to publish such articles and such authors confirm their copyright of the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand® are protected by international copyright legislation and articles must not be published for profit by anyone other than the individual authors without the written permission of Magic New Zealand®. Notwithstanding the foregoing, 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 2005 Alan Watson