* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment * www.Alan-Watson.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #716 Date: Sunday 13th December 2009 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. New Entertainment Director For The Magic Castle 3. The King Of Street Magic 4. Four Great Gala Theme Shows 5. More Remarkable Magic #20 - Nick Lewin 6. Too Perfect - #146 - Kyle Peron 7. McBride's Magic Wonderground Returns 8. December Issue Of Genii 9. Dutch National Magic Convention 10. The Japan Cup 2010 11. Varietee MAGICA In Finland 12. Raymond Crowe UNUSUALIST 13. Weekend Of Wonder (W.O.W. 2010) Set For July 14. New Zealand Balloon Twisters Convention 15. World Travels With Paul Romhany 16. e-zine Archives 17. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- As of today Magic New Zealand membership worldwide is 15,056. Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. New Entertainment Director For The Magic Castle -------------------------------------------- Message by Dale Salwak (US) May I be among the first to congratulate Jack Goldfinger, as well as Dove, on his selection by the Board of Directors as the new Entertainment Director for the Magic Castle. I cannot imagine a better choice. He will bring to the position all of the enthusiasm, know-how, and dedication that the job requires. May I also add how grateful all of us are to Max Maven who accomplished so much on behalf of the performers during his two-year tenure. -------------------------------------------- 3. The King Of Street Magic -------------------------------------------- Message by Nick Nickolas (Aust) The world of magic has suffered a great loss with the death of the king of street magic, Jim Cellini. Born Richard Sullivan, for nearly 40 years, Cellini made his living as a full-time street performer. His talent made him an internationally respected entertainer and he was widely acknowledged as the greatest street magician of modern times. Cellini's approach changed the rules of performing street magic and his influence can be seen in the work of virtually every street magician working today. A respected teacher, his influence will continue through video recordings and his book, 'Cellini: The Royal Touch' which reveal some of the best kept secrets of street magic from a master of his craft. Jim was also a very kind man, with an enormously generous spirit and a desire to entertain people and make them happy. Anyone who met him is richer for that privilege. Jim Cellini died in Switzerland on 23 November 2009. -------------------------------------------- 4. Four Great Gala Theme Shows -------------------------------------------- Message by George Schindler (US) Four Great Gala Shows Announced for Atlanta Convention The Society of American Magicians will feature four great Gala theme shows at its convention beginning June 30 to July 3 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. The convention will be held at the Marriott Hotel. The Wednesday opening night show "Amazing Atlanta" will be emceed by Debbie Leifer with an array of well known Georgian magicians - Arthur Atsma - James Brandon - Bill Clary - Ken Scott - Paul Sponagle and Joe M. Turner. Thursday's contest show is "Brad Jacobs- People's Choice" show. The Friday feature entitled "Rising Stars, Magic's Great Young Professionals-Part 1" introduces five up and coming magic stars such as Dylan Ace - Trigg Burrage - Kyle Eschen - Omnar Ferret and the colorful Reed Sisters. Saturday's: "Great American Magic Convention Spectacular" stars Aldo Colombini and Rachel Wild - Ice McDonald - Stoil and Ekaterina - Michael Tallon - Arthur Trace and Tim Wright as "Skilldini". Lectures, Close-up and special events are to be announced. Look for further details at the S.A.M. website: www.magicsam.com -------------------------------------------- 5. More Remarkable Magic #20 - Nick Lewin -------------------------------------------- Message by Nick Lewin (US) A farewell to a friend. I wrote a column a couple of years ago about a good friend of mine with whom I had lost contact. His name was John Garner and he migrated to Hollywood from Chicago to be close to the Magic Castle. Many of us did that in the seventies. I never had any response from readers as to his whereabouts after my article was published and he reluctantly remained on my 'missing list'.   Earlier this week I added a friend on Facebook and he mentioned that he had been a good friend of John. I asked him if he had any news of our mutual friend and he gave me the sad news that John had passed away last year. John wasn't well known in the magic world, he never made any covers, released any books or had a 'move' named after him. However, he was a generous and good-hearted person who always took the time to help any other magician in any way he could. The kind of selfless magician we could use a lot more of. Garner had an excellent comedy magic show that was based around Don Allen's 'Garbage Can'.   He had been a friend of Don's growing up in Chicago and Don sold him the act.  It was a simple and funny premise that involved removing a fancy foulard from a largish item in the center of the stage. Instead of a stately prop being underneath the cloth there was a small, old-fashioned metal trashcan on legs/wheels. It looked ludicrous and was central to the rest of the act in various ways. John worked the Castle many times, played at many comedy clubs and did a stint at the New York Playboy Club.  He was also a skilled close-up worker and very well versed in the history of magic.  He was also a bit of 'An Odd Duck' and kept himself to himself. He would never blow his own horn about his skills or talents, however he would always be the first person to offer practical help if you needed it. I think of John every show I perform. During a lecture tour I bought a three-page manuscript from Alex Elmsley detailing his Torn and Restored Newspaper. Well maybe detailing is the wrong word to use! It couldn't have been more cryptic to me if it had been written in ancient Arabic! However, having spent five dollars for those three pages-which was a lot of money in the 70's; I worked hard to learn what I thought (and still think) to be the greatest version of this classic effect. I failed miserably and put the manuscript away for another day. John arrived at our apartment one day with a huge stack of LA Times' and a bunch of glue sticks. "You'd better make some  coffee".   He said "This could be a long day!" It was.  By the end of the day, John had taught me the trick inside, outside and every other way.  We drank a lot of coffee and I learned the trick that I consider the most important one in my entire repertoire. That was the kind of generosity that John showed everyone. I have spoken with many people over the years and heard similar stories. Then he moved back to Chicago and disappeared from sight. I understand he died in a hospital in New Mexico last year and I never did manage to catch up with him again. I don't think there was any mention of it in any magic magazines, no fancy broken wand ceremonies or any other kind of recognition. I just wanted to write a column about him, and remind his friends of this rather shy and awkward magician, who was truly a credit to the magic community. Farewell, John-it was a pleasure knowing you. Email me at nicklewin1@me.com -------------------------------------------- 6. Too Perfect - #146 - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message by Kyle Peron (US) magic4u02@aol.com http://www.kyleandkellymagic.com How many times have you seen an act, routine or show and just said, "That is so perfect"?  It might be quite a lot for some of us.  If we are lovers of the magical arts, then we have this passion and appreciation when things are done well.  But what does it mean when something is "perfect"? According the dictionary, perfect can be defined as "being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish". Pretty interesting when one begins to look at it. However, can an act be perfect?  Even more so, can an act be TOO perfect? I can safely say that I have seen many acts that I felt were perfect. However, my definition as to how I define it may be different than your own.  I consider a perfect act, one in which it is performed flawlessly and succeeds to entertain at a higher level. There is an element in the act that is not just a show of mere skill, but the entertainer gives the audience something much greater than that. When this happens, it could possibly be considered a perfect act. But what happens when a magician over thinks an act or routine? I think that in the pursuit of perfection, a magician can travel down a path which may be quite a dangerous road to travel. As magicians we often fall in love with the "wow" factor of what we do. When an audience is held spellbound, we get excited. It is like a drug to us and we often crave more. These passions for creating the "perfect" act or routine forces us to constantly seek a greater and more powerful concept. We feel that if we develop something no one can ever figure out, the audience will love it even more. In the process of perfection, we strive to remove any doubts in the minds of the audience. We strip away every notion of how it could possibly be done. But can heading down this path be a bad thing? My answer is yes and no. Certainly one must push the envelope and strive to be as creative as he or she can be. We want to take our art to a new level. However, I feel we can fall victim to having something become TOO perfect. Have you ever witnessed an audience who did not respond at all to something you felt was simply amazing or impossible? I think we all have if we are honest with ourselves. Many of us shrug it off as the audience being "blown away" that they are speechless. However, I think a lot of us are not seeing the full picture. Perhaps the routine is TOO perfect. When is an effect so perfect that the audience just does not buy into it? An audience can shut their minds down and give no response or applause because the ONLY outcome in their mind is one in which they already know how it was done. They may not know the details, but they are given no other choice. What I mean is that often times we work so hard at trying to remove any doubt in the minds of the audience. If we feel they may think the trick is done a certain way, we work hard to eliminate any doubt that it can NOT be done using that method. If we feel they may think a trap is used, we raise the illusion up off the floor. If we feel they may think a switch is being made, we make certain the box is kept in full view the entire time and touched by no one. But can this thinking be taken to an extreme? If you give the audience no other options, then the only option left is the solution you have been working so hard at hiding. You need to give your audience some false avenues in which they can travel down. Some of the beauty in the best routines are ones in which the audience is taken down many different paths and the magicians allows the audience to head down false ones along the way. When a routine is too perfect we can often end up with a routine that does not do what we planned it to do. Instead of getting a reaction, we get silence. Do not mistake this silence for success. Plan your routines careful and allow your audiences' mind to wander. Give them the chance to think a little and I feel you will have much greater success. As always, I encourage you the readers to let me know your thoughts. So if you have any thoughts on my articles or suggestions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me directly at magic4u02@aol.com. I would love to hear from you. - I would like to let everyone know that I just released a NEW book and E-Book to the magic Community. "Blue and Gold! The Complete Guide to Working The Scout Market!" is now available as a soft cover printed book as well as an ebook download. - "Encore! Creativity in the Art of Magic" Ebook. Order online now at: http://www.magicenhancer.com/Encore.html - "Tips and Techniques on the Chair Suspension" Ebook. Order online now at: http://www.magicenhancer.com/ChairSuspension.html -------------------------------------------- 7. McBride's Magic Wonderground Returns ------------------------------------------- Message by Jeff McBride (US) Master magician Jeff McBride and his company of conjurors, artists and performance artists will bring the special magical nightclub experience, Jeff McBride's Magic Wonderground, to the new club at The Olive (3850 E. Sunset) beginning on the night of December 17th at 8pm. Promising an evening of non-stop magic featuring strolling entertainers, close-up magic, live painting, a psychic sideshow and special 10pm 'All Star Stage Show,' the event is hosted by Jeff McBride and features guest stars of magic from around the world. McBride will be joined at each Wonderground by DJ Master Diaz, the Mojo A Go-Go Girls, the Mystery School Magi, painters Areeya and Minnie, and psychic performers Danita and Morganne. The Wonderground will be repeated once each month, on every 'Third Thursday,' for the coming year. Jeff McBride is best known for his dynamic fusion of mime, masks, magic and grand illusion. He has been seen extensively in Las Vegas at Caesars, LV Hilton, Golden Nugget, and most recently in his own show Magic at the Edge at Palace Station in a limited 3 month run a year ago. It was at Palace Station where McBride first promoted The Wonderground, which ran after his show every Friday & Saturday evenings. He is a popular television guest, as well, with featured performances on shows ranging from The World Magic Awards, Masters of Illusion, Mindfreak and The World's Greatest Magic to Star Trek, Deep Space Nine. He runs the McBride Magic & Mystery School, which is widely known as the world's top magic school. The Olive is known to its patrons as Las Vegas' best and hippest Mediterranean restaurant and hookah lounge. It has only recently completed its new addition, an amazing nightclub space adjoining the hookah lounge. During its previous incarnation, McBride's Wonderground received glowing notices from both the press (Las Vegas Sun, L.A. Times and many others), but through a unique "as it happens" online video channel at http://streetofcards.tv. The evening was streamed live, with online viewers able to conduct a running conversation with performers and club goers. The online link is slated to be an integral part of The Wonderground experience at The Olive, as well. Magic fans who can't make it to Las Vegas, can tune in from anywhere in the world between 8pm and midnight (PST), and attend virtually. The Las Vegas Sun wrote of The Wonderground, "Walking into Wonderground is like stepping into a parallel universe where mysticism is the currency and magicians reign supreme. Green lasers dart across the dark room and a pair of curvaceous belly dancers perform onstage while a fortuneteller reads Hindu tarot cards and magicians from around the world work the room." For further information on Jeff McBride's Wonderground, now at The Olive, go to http://www.vegaswonderground.com/, or call the McBride hotline at (702) 450-0021. All events will be broadcast live on www.streetofcards.tv. -------------------------------------------- 8. December Issue Of Genii -------------------------------------------- Message by Richard Kaufman (US) The December issue of Genii is a tribute to The Great Jasper, Jay Marshall himself, written by his son Sandy Marshall. We're pleased to have a long article consisting of a series of excerpts from the new biography of Jay, along with many rare photographs of the brazen rascal and great performer whom we all miss so much. Max Maven writes a new bit as well. In addition, Genii has "The Four-Three Screen," a wonderful illusion by Jim Steinmeyer that almost made it into his new book "Technique & Understanding," was didn't make the final cut at the last minute. Worth the subscription price to any illusionist, it's a real treat. There's also a new illusion by Paul Osborne, "Santa's Little Helper," perfect for your holiday performances. Peter Lamont contributes a hilarious historical column on The Dubious Flight of Mrs. Guppy, a rather large female medium. Jon Racherbaumer writes about the latest books tangentially related to magic and ruminates as usual. David Acer contributes a new Magicana full of tricks including a previously-unpublished trick from the late Jack Parker and a new handling of the Classic Force by Al Schneider. In Light from the Lamp Eric Mead reviews Sandy Marshall's biography of his father, Jay, and also Steinmeyer's enormous new book on stage magic, "Technique & Understanding." David Oliver reviews the latest tricks, and Joe M. Turner looks at the latest videos. Please visit our website www.geniimagazine to subscribe--only $54 for one year in the USA and all new subscribers receive, absolutely free, the 32-page Jinx insert by Harry Anderson. Also visit www.geniimagazine.com/forum for The Genii Forum, the smart place for folks on the internet to chat. And of course Genii also has MagicPedia (www.magicpedia.net), the online encyclopedia of magic to which YOU are invited--write, edit, and get involved. -------------------------------------------- 9. Dutch National Magic Convention -------------------------------------------- Message by Cornelis Ros (Netherlands) Dutch National Magic Convention and Dutch "Open" National Championships of Magic 14-16 May 2010. Theatre and Convention Centre "De Reehorst" Convention Hotel: "De Reehorst", Bennekomseweg 24, 6717 LM Ede, Netherlands (close to Arnhem), ++31-318-750300, hotel@reehorst.nl Friday, 14 May 2010 Registration desk open at 16.00 h. Evening: VIP show with Luc Apers (Belgium), Close-up show with Kate Medvedeva (Russia) and late night lecture by Luc Apers. Saturday, 15 May 2010 Stage and close-up competitions and lectures. Gala show in the evening with Dion (Netherlands), Roy Gartner & James (Germany), La Voix Magique (Netherlands), Love & Magic (Russia/Ukraine), Mantas (Latvia), Timo Marc (Germany), FL!P (Netherlands), Magic Christian (Austria). Master of Ceremony: Johan Hendriks. Sunday, 16 may 2010 Competitions, including magic for kids competition, lectures and final show with awards ceremony. Amongst the magic dealers are Magicshop (Netherlands), Dynamite shop (Netherlands), Magic Victoria (Belgium), El Duco (Sweden), Five of Hearts (UK), Brinum-X (Latvia). Lectures by Luc Apers, Rob Ziekman, Peter Woerde, Gay Lyungberg, Kate Medvedeva, Robert Blake, Magic Christian (cards, parlour, Hofzinser). Registration fee: If you register before 1 March 2010 Euro 175,- for NMU, MZvD, British Ring and other FISM-members (1 partner for the same discount). Non-members: Euro 220, -. Registration confirmed upon receipt of the fee. After 1 March 2010: Euro 220, - (members), 240, - (non-members) Dealers: please contact the convention bureau. The fee includes all shows during the three days and luncheons on Saturday and Sunday. Hotel reservations: please contact the convention hotel directly. If they are fully booked they will help you find another hotel in the vicinity of the convention centre. The Convention centre is conveniently situated at only 300 meters from the Ede-Wageningen intercity railway station. There is a large parking area at the convention centre. Competition The competition is open to FISM-members from outside the Netherlands. You need the support of your own president to participate. Please contact: Convention bureau Mr. Cornelis Ros Frankendaal 8, 6715JK Ede, Netherlands c.ros@chello.nl or Mr Aris Smit, aris.anita@casema.nl Visit the NMU website: www.goochelaars.com/nmu Register and pay (Ideal): http://www.goochelaars.com/inschrijvingen/encongres.php -------------------------------------------- 10. The Japan Cup 2010 -------------------------------------------- Message by Tashiro Shigeru (Japan) We JCMA, Japan Close-up Magicians' Association, will have the 9th Japan Cup 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. The Japan Cup is close-up magic convention with a lot of international magicians. We need a lot of good contestants, too, who can join us for free. http://www.smilelife.or.jp/ This website is completely written in English. You can get all of the convention information as well as the tour information. JCMA The President Tashiro Shigeru magic@kk.iij4u.or.jp -------------------------------------------- 11. Varietee MAGICA In Finland -------------------------------------------- Message by Timo (Germany) Both my companion and I considered this year's Varietee MAGICA 2009 to be even stronger than the earlier ones. The first clear reason for this is the contribution of the High Heels dance group. They brought a central element to the show; dance, beauty, and a time to relax. The dances give an opportunity to be laid back, and step down your attention level. - Magic requires a high level of attention... Having a most charming personality An Ha Lim came out as our definitive favorite amongst the magicians. His tricks were miraculous, and it did not matter that he essentially showed variations of card manifestations over and over again. - We loved it. The Korean culture manifests elegant simplicity. The performance was a form of visual poetry; a summation of precise mimics and gestures. The Ukrainian Victor Voitko stopped with his dreamlike illusion the movement of time, as it seemed. A beautiful and miraculous performance, that appeared to defy the laws of nature. The journey of a sleeping beauty beyond the world of the possible formed one of the most unforgettable scenes of the show. Charlie Frye & Co with their comic act was simply magnificent. He is also an incredibly skilled juggler, with the confidence of a performer who is on the stage 330 times a year. The host, producer and director of the show, Timo Kulmakko, were very effective in building a seamless communiqué between these international stars and the Finnish audience. Also the introduction of Harry Houdini formed a strong approach that formed a brilliant visual as well as intellectual outline of the show. All in all the Varietee MAGICA 2009 at Hotel President in Helsinki is an inspiring ride on a magic carpet over the land of illusion, magic, and showmanship. A flight that leaves you longing for more. - Close to perfection. -------------------------------------------- 12. Raymond Crowe UNUSUALIST -------------------------------------------- Message by Raymond Crowe (Aust) Many of you have told me how much you have enjoyed my What a Wonderful World hand shadow routine, that I thought I would share this Christmas Whimsy with you. Please feel free to send it to your family and friends this Christmas so that may enjoy an Unusual Christmas! Best Wishes, Raymond Crowe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzxTk3Soz4c -------------------------------------------- 13. Weekend Of Wonder (W.O.W. 2010) Set For July ------------------------------------------- Message by George Schindler (US) The highly successful SYM "Weekend of Wonder" Convention for young magicians will continue on the West Coast July 23-25, 2010 in Ontario, California. Young magicians between the ages of 7 and 17 may participate in a concentrated fun and learning experience with professional mentors, shows, gifts, workshops, demonstrations lectures and exciting social events. The first 2008 convention was so well received that SYM director Jann Goodsell and her committee have decided to repeat the W.O.W. experience at the Doubletree Hotel only 5 miles from the airport. Excitement is already being generated among southern California magicians, although young people are welcome from anywhere in the country or abroad. Reasonable pricing has been established for parents and siblings in attendance. Ms. Goodsell, along with SYM leaders and supporting S.A.M. National Council Members and professional performers will participate, as before, to create a valuable experience for the attendees. Registration information and details will be posted at the SYM web site http://www.magicsym.com/ as they become available. -------------------------------------------- 14. New Zealand Balloon Twisters Convention ------------------------------------------- Message by Charles Dolbel (NZ) The New Zealand Balloon Twisters Convention is on Sat 13th Feb 2010. Where: The Fickling Centre, Three Kings, Auckland When: 13th Feb, 2010 11am to 5pm For more info, on attending and being an instructor, email CharlesDolbel@BalloonHQ.com or phone (09)638 9222 or (021) 440 452. Charles Dolbel Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer * 021 440 452 * 09 638 9222 * www.CharlesDolbel.BalloonHQ.com -------------------------------------------- 15. World Travels With Paul Romhany ------------------------------------------- Message by Paul Romhany (NZ) We are so snowed under, well not literally, just run off our feet this past week. Natalie and I headed over to Indonesia. What a huge contrast than Singapore. Many parts reminded us of Africa and India with the poverty. There is such a vast range from the poor to the rich. In the cities you have these newly built shopping malls and right next door are people living in shacks. As somebody told me, at least they have a shack to live! Quite a contrast as I said than the extremely well organised and built up place Singapore is. We have lost count of the countries we have now been to, if I said seventy five that would be a rough guest and probably well under the score - but it does open your eyes to what is going on in the world. This Christmas Natalie and I will be performing in China for a corporate show, another place I've always wanted to work. No matter where we travel in the world two things remain the same, people seem to love magic and they still love Charlie Chaplin! This Saturday I am involved in a very special project, one that I'm honored to be asked to perform at here in Singapore. I am doing a charity event for Project SMILE which is an organisation started by illusionists Lawrence and Priscilla. They are Asia's leading illusionists and the only father and daughter team. Together they produce one of the largest illusion shows of its kind in the world. They understand and strongly believe that the key to building a dynamic and strong nation is through the nurturing and development of its youth. To nurture sound and influential leaders in the future, it would call for the young today to be equipped with character building and life skills. These skills will apprise them with society's concerns and thus motivate them to serve the community. These goals motivated Lawrence and Priscilla to develop and launch initiatives like Project SMILE (Sharing Magic In Love Everywhere), and the School of Magic. With a mission statement, Mentoring A Generation In Creativity, Compassion and Character, programmes under the Project SMILE umbrella have successfully mobilized youths and student groups into community spaces like hospitals, day care centres and homes for the disadvantaged. The only organisation around to use the learning of illusions and street magic as a tool, Project SMILE is able to empower teaching method that has proven itself to be effective in allowing the participants to render meaningful services to their schools and communities. I am very happy that they asked me to be part of their large show which will feature performances from their students and from Lawrence and Priscilla. I will make sure that I take photos of the event and put them up next week on my BLOG. -------------------------------------------- 16. 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) -------------------------------------------- 17. 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.Alan-Watson.com 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 2009 Alan Watson