`* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment * www.Alan-Watson.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #756 Date: Sunday 16th May 2010 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. The Late Show With David Letterman 3. Latest News: IBM Talent Chair 4. WOW SYM Convention News - Ontario California 5. Jay Marshall Auction Bidding Closes tomorrow! 6. Scripts and Patter- #166 - Kyle Peron 7. Tony Brook In Conversation With Murray SawChuck (Part 2) 8. The Innovention 2010 9. Johnny Ace Palmer Added To The S.A.M. Convention Lineup 10. 16th Annual Magic Auction 11. KIDabra Conference August 11-14 News 12. Cometa Magico Congress 10th Anniversary 13. Gili Gili Manthar - Choo Manthar' 2010 14. When Thurston Came To Town 15. Matt Marcy's Hit Theatrical Magic Opens 16. Sands Of Dessert Problem? 17. 13 Convention Abrakadabra 18. e-zine Archives 19. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- Thanks to Jay Scott Berry and his very creative skills as a web designer, Magic New Zealand has a very flash opening page. Go to: www.alan-watson.com If you do have a links page on your website please include a link to Magic New Zealand. --------------------- 30th New Zealand International Magicians Convention: **Important Message**! If you've been paying your convention registration off in installments then your final payment is **DUE TODAY**. Just to make it clear - no payments will be accepted during the event, this is so that they can concentrate on running a top-notch event for you. Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. The Late Show With David Letterman -------------------------------------------- Message by Mick Peck (NZ) It's a week of illusions on CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" as the show presents "close-up magic week," May 17 through May 21. It's a week filled with illusions as The Late Show with David Letterman presents "Close-Up Magic Week," featuring some of the world's best sleight-of-hand magicians, Monday, May 17-Friday, May 21 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Kicking things off on Monday, May 17 will be magician Jason Randal, a frequent LATE SHOW guest and one of the world's best close-up magicians. On Tuesday, May 18, John Carney performs the seven-time winner of the Hollywood Magic Castle "Magician of the Year" award and the most honored prestidigitator in the renowned magic club's history. Johnny "Ace" Palmer, the first close-up magic artist to claim the title of "World Champion Magician" by the International Federation of Magic Societies, takes the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater Wednesday, May 19. On Thursday, May 20, Steve Cohen, also known as the "Millionaires' Magician" for his regularly sold-out performances at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, wows the audience with his illusionary skills. Capping off the week on Friday, May 21 will be a performance from Michael Ammar DRAGON Award winner, gold medalist at the World Sleight-of-Hand Competition and author of book, The Magic of Michael Ammar, which is currently in its 18th printing. The LATE SHOW with David Letterman is a production of Worldwide Pants Incorporated. Barbara Gaines, Matt Roberts, Jude Brennan, Maria Pope, Eric Stangel, Justin Stangel and Rob Burnett are the executive producers. -------------------------------------------- 3. Latest News: IBM Talent Chair -------------------------------------------- Message by Dale Salwak (US) Latest News: IBM Talent Chair/Executive Producer of Shows Dale Salwak has confirmed that Las Vegas mega-star Rick Thomas will perform at the 2010 International Brotherhood of Magicians Annual Convention to be held in San Diego, California, July 6-10. Mark and Nani Wilson will be honored in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of "Allakazam." Michael Ammar will present two special lectures - the business side of magic and his Midnight Lightning Round. This promises to be a week of sensational international talent with two gala shows, banquet and show, Gold Medal finalists competition, lectures, workshops, close-up performers, cabaret, international dealer displays, and much more. Full information including registration forms is available on magician.org. Talent confirmed includes: Stage Rick Thomas Jerome Murat (France) Jeff Hobson Max Maven Joseph Gabriel Mickey Mak (China) Kenji Minemura (Japan) Katalin (Hungary) Ice McDonald Gold Medal Gymnastics Star (China) Greg Wilson The Gizmo Guys Ryan Salwak Ice McDonald Eric Buss Close-Up David Roth Rafael Benatar Joshua Jay Farrell Dillon Big-3 Lecture and Show Shawn Farquhar Lectures Michael Ammar Rafael Benatar David Roth Fukai Jeff Hobson Max Maven Mark Wilson and Nani Joshua Jay Ice McDonald Register Today! magician.org -------------------------------------------- 4. WOW SYM Convention News - Ontario California -------------------------------------------- Message by George Schindler SAM Public Relations The Society of Young Magicians invites to attend a three day weekend of concentrated magic, with special sessions for young people between the ages of 7 and 17 years old on all aspects of the art taught by professionals, all famous magicians. Whether you are a beginner or already performing magic shows you will have great fun and benefit by learning from experts, all well known in their fields, who are youth approved mentors. The three day event covers illusions, escapes, card and coin magic, close-up, stage and parlor magic. All sessions are for kids only. You will especially enjoy the "Kids Do Magic for Kids" show and an "All Star Magic Revue." Guest performers announced - Mark Cannon - Escape Artist Tony Clark - Birds and illusions Sterling - A young Las Vegas World Seminar winner Shawn Farquhar - World Champion Magician Bruce Kalver- Past National President of Society of American Magicians "Ice" McDonald- International performer with his famous Macaw George Schindler, Magicomedian and author" Dean of Magicians Joel Ward- Young magic rising star Alan Zagorski- Illusions *subject to change -------------------------------------------- 5. Jay Marshall Auction Bidding Closes tomorrow! -------------------------------------------- Message by Gabe Fajuri (US) Potter & Potter Auctions' next sale of rare magic memorabilia from the collection of Jay Marshall takes place on Sunday, May 16th, 2010. Many of the items in the auction are being offered without reserve - from Houdini autographs and photographs to signed books, vintage posters, antique apparatus, and rare unpublished manuscripts and archives. This is one auction that should not be missed. Visit the Potter & Potter's website - www.potterauctions.com - to place your bids today, or the auction gallery in Chicago to view and bid on items. Bids can be placed online as soon as one hour prior to the start of the auction. Good luck to all who participate, and stay tuned to Potter & Potter's website for announcements of upcoming auctions. -------------------------------------------- 6. When To Walk Away - #166 - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message by Kyle Peron (US) magic4u02@aol.com poofersgrl@aol.com http://www.kyleandkellymagic.com As a magical entertainer, we seek the opportunity to bask in the limelight. We are eager to hear the applause that gets the adrenalin pumping and drives us forward. We get a natural high from the excitement and reactions caused by what we create on stage. What starts out as performing for a few friends starts to transcend into performing for larger crowds and finally into paid performances. Each time we get that "wow" reaction, we want and crave more. Each time a client pays a complement, it is adding fuel to our fire. The fire is the passion of performing. Passion is not a bad thing. It can be the spark that allows us to grow in our magic. However, passion can also turn to addiction. We can become so addicted to performance, that we simply lose any sense of logic or reason. Simple logic tells us that we are neither suitable nor appropriate to be able to do ALL magic for ALL people for ALL venues. So why is it that so many of us have a business card or promotional material on it that says, "Magic For All Occasions?" Sound familiar to you? If it wasn't on your card at one time, I bet you have seen it on countless others. One reason is the pure fact that we feel we have to accept every single show that comes our way no matter if it is right for us or not. If a prospect comes knocking on my door, I must say yes every time no matter what. It is a silly notion, but this happens time and time again in our art. There are many reasons why this happens. Sometimes it is a simple desire that we get fueled with greed. Greed dictates to us that the money becomes more important than the magic. The money becomes more important than entertainment value. It becomes the money we can achieve that tells us to accept any show at any time. Another obvious reason is simple ego. As magicians we tend to have the most inflated egos of any group of folks I know. We fall in love with ourselves instead of realizing that what we do is for the audience. It is for THEM not so much US only. Ego can make us feel that we are good at all things. Ego can make us feel that any venue can be performed and any age group can be catered to. Yet another reason why we seem to take any job is because we feel it will be a "learning experience". We feel that we have to say "yes" to the prospect simply because it will be an opportunity to learn something valuable. We also at times get this false notion that opportunities only come around once and that if we say no to anyone, that is a door closing that will simply never open again. This fear drives us onward. This fear makes us accept gigs that we simply are not ready for. So as a magician, we must realize that there is a time to say "No". There is a time to understand that walking away from a gig is OK and a smart thing to do. We do NOT have to accept everything that comes our way and nor should we. A few good friends always tell me a quote that means quite a lot. It goes something like, "A magician for ALL occasions is a magician for No occasion." It simply means that you cannot be a jack of all trades nor should you. How can any prospect take someone serious if they state they can perform in any gig for any audience for any venue? If you do not focus on any one market, then how can you possibly excel at every single one of them? The answer is simple. you can't. Establishing a niche market you specialize in is a smart thing to do. It is the right thing to do. You need to ask yourself who you are. More importantly, you need to ask yourself who you are NOT. One cannot be all things to all people. We must learn to focus our energies by defining what we are BEST at doing. What is it that we excel at that we feel we can do better than anyone else? This becomes the area of focus. This becomes your special and Unique Selling Proposition (USP). I am a family entertainer. That is what I specialize in. I know I am not a mentalist nor am I a close-up performer for corporate functions. That just is not who I am as a magician. So knowing this, I must be ok with walking away from a gig that is not best suited for me. You must realize that this is OK. You do more damage to yourself and the art of magic by trying to do something you simply are not ready or comfortable doing. If you try and do everything, you never become good at any one thing. If you focus and define yourself and what you do, you can really better focus your energies on being the best performer in that chosen market. It also allows you to focus better on marketing to prospects knowing that you offer something that no one else does. It means you know that 100% of the time you can deliver a perfect solution that solves and meets a client's need. So learn that walking away from a gig in many ways can be more beneficial to you than simply saying "yes". 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. - "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. Order online now at: http://www.magicenhancer.com/Blue/Gold.html - "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. Tony Brook In Conversation With Murray SawChuck (Part 2) ------------------------------------------ Message by Anthony Darkstone Brook - Europe/USA TB: But that wasn't the best part was it? And just when it couldn't get any better it did ..... MS: Yes Tony and how!!! I even got to spend quality time with them and we exchanged contact information. Marv then told me something that I will always live by; Marvyn said, "Kid, you are young now, and you're cute, and what you do is amazing because you are young. But one day soon, and sooner than you think, you will be old and your talent will have to shine through, not just your looks! What you are doing now is great! But you're young, so you have a choice. You can work on an act for 1 year and do it for 5 years successfully because you are young and cute; people will like that novelty. Or you can work on an original act for 5 years and perform it for a lifetime, because it will be different from anyone else, so you will be the only one they will want." Marv continued, "If you are at a show with 19 of the best bird acts, and one meatball act that is just as good, who is going to be remembered? Yes, the meatball act!" You need a hook and you need to be remembered!" TB: That set your mind racing .. right? MS. Yes, it did; in several directions at once. A hook? I was thinking, I need a hook; I could produce a candle pretty well, and pull a mouth coil from my mouth differently. But I knew this was not nearly enough and so I began to work day and night to struggle up the ladder of originality to achieve, through trial and error, an act that I could call my own. TB: Well, as we all know, you most certainly did that but it didn't happen overnight did it? Another life changing event occurred at the PCAM Convention in Victoria, BC - Canada that helped move you towards that objective .. . MS: Yes Tony. At that time, I was producing budgies. Three minutes before an earlier competition the final production of my act flew out of my dressing room, out the open door into the parking lot. Fully dressed in my tuxedo, along with several stagehands I ran out trying to catch the runaway yellow parakeet. In the theatre, were about 500 audience members, with no idea that just behind them, outside, the next act was running between cars in the parking lot, trying to catch his act. The little bird was finally captured, but at the expense of all the loads in my tux, which were jolted out of place. I stumbled through the act, and learned a few more valuable lessons. I kept performing with the birds for about another year. The last time was at the PCAM convention in Monterey, California. It was the same act, with a final production of two parakeets appearing on top of a jumbo fan of cards. I was told that in the audience were the Larsons. My dream at the time, was to perform at The Magic Castle. I was excited at the possibility of the Larsons seeing me and booking me on the spot. I gave a great performance ..however, ...And yes .wait for it . at the end of the performance, one of my birds took flight and perched on the uppermost rafter of the room. The 16 acts that followed were forced to compete with birds chirping throughout their acts. After the competition was over I prepared to capture the bird when it eventually flew down to the seating rafters. Behind me was a lady, whistling to the bird. It seemed to listen to her, and eventually went in its cage. I thanked her. Then she introduced herself. Irene Larson. TB: Yeah! ..and I hate you as I was one of those 16 acts that had to follow you with a bird chorus in the background ..no! no! I'm just kidding , but I bet those 16 acts following you really loved you .. What happened at the Competition? TB: You are right Tony; I bet if I was one of the 16 acts, I too would have loved the birds in the background .but in my defense. what can I say, that's showbiz. And seeing that you asked , I won First Place in the Youth Stage Category, but I also made an on -the -spot decision . It was the last time I performed with birds. Now they are just pets. TB: He! He! Good decision. Can't say I blame you but these happy mishaps propelled you further into originality .but before we explore that, I recall, a few years ago, you and my son had a conversation about competing and how you lost at a major competition. I bring that up because you had the extraordinary maturity to use that as a learning curve. What was that competition and how did losing help you to improve? MS. Well.not losing exactly, there were only four competitors and I came fourth .well. OK you're right, I lost ... well..here's the full story, the PCAM competition was coming up in Reno, Nevada at the Flamingo Hotel and I wanted to be in the Pro-Challenge, the highest competition in the PCAM. I was accepted and booked a flight to Reno. My parents, along with a few friends flew in to watch the competition. It would be my first time performing, and competing in an American casino in front of a public audience. I was confident of winning a prize. I flew into Reno, Nevada, picked up my table from the baggage area - but no suit! They had lost the piece of luggage that contained my custom suit and props. It was 9:00am and there were about 4 other flights arriving from Vancouver. Reno Air didn't have the usual Bar Code suitcase checks. Rather, they had numbers stapled to each suitcase so that luggage was not registered to their destination. Not exactly high tech! I gave them the details. After all, it was early morning, and the show wasn't until 8:00pm. At 4:00pm the last plane from Vancouver landed..and yes . without my luggage. By 7:00pm I was absolutely exhausted, both physically and mentally. I realized I could not compete. As I said before, there were only 4 competitors, so this would have given me a huge chance of winning something. I would have been competing against Ice McDonald 'birds', Knowlen Kraver 'birds', and Jason Bryne 'birds'. I knew I would have been the Meatball act. By 7:20 they had crossed my name off the list. I was sitting backstage and to put it mildly, depressed. And then , would you believe it , at 7:30 the stage doors burst open and Reno Air delivered my bags. I was totally stressed and not a bit concerned about winning but back in business. I just wanted to say that I had performed on the Flamingo stage. I opened the competition. The audience response was nice, and the winner was by People's Choice. After the show I waited in the wings with the rest of the competitors: 1st place Jason Byrne, 2nd place Ice Mc Donald, 3rd place, Knowlen Craver. I was placed 4th out of 4! My luggage had been lost, been stressed out all day, my parents and their friends had flown from Vancouver and I was placed 4th out of 4. TB: Well, there's that old saying, " You're not really a Pro unless your suitcase goes in the entirely opposite direction to your performing venue" Yes indeed, I can empathize with you on that one .it's happened to me, and others too.but you learn to adapt and pack differently ..you did . MS: Yes I did. Once I got over the initial set-back I use it as a learning curve. It is all part of being a Pro. TB: Ah! the Life of a Super Star , but what people don't often know is the behind the scenes hassles and agonies. Another memorable incident was organizing Props and equipment for your first Cruise ship gig ..share that with us . MS. It's funny now , but at the time it was, as you said, agony . I had just landed my first gig on a cruise ship. It all began when I saw a cover article in MAGIC with a cruise ship on the front. That was it, I thought. I also wanted to work on cruise ships. It paid well, I could see the world. I tried to obtain a job on a cruise ship for 2 years, with 4 different promotional tapes, edited professionally. Nothing. Then one day, I was mowing my parents lawn when the phone rang. On the other end was John Whitefoot, from Whitefoot Entertainments. Whitefoot Entertainments is one of the top cruise ship-booking agents in Canada. He had seen my tapes and offered me two-month engagement on the Regent Sun Cruise Ship traveling from Montreal to New York. I had to do two 45-minute shows. I had about 10 days to get ready. The fee was $1100 USD a week. I was stunned. I didn't expect to be on a cruise ship until I was 30! I said yes, and did 3 cartwheels. I realized I had only about 30 minutes of material for the cruise ship. I needed 1 ˝ hours of magic in just a few days. I ordered a plethora of magic Tannen's in New York and Perfect Magic in Montreal to make up the 2 shows and wrote down routines to piece the tricks together. Some of the material didn't arrive in time so I had them shipped to New York so that I could work on new routines for the 1 week cruise back to Montreal. Sleepless nights became a fact of life. I had no professional cargo cases, nothing to transport my equipment. So I borrowed my Uncle Bill's old 'steamer' trunk with the real leather handles and brass pop riveted corners, and mounted it on an orange dolly from Home Depot because those trunks didn't have wheels. At Montreal's Dorval Airport, I had to pull the luggage from one end of the airport to the other, trying to find a taxi. The steamer trunk was extremely heavy, and the dolly wasn't made for that load. As I was straining, half way to the other side, both wheels on the dolly caved in. I almost missed my first Cruise ship! End of Part 2 - (Hidden in this article are deliberate grammatical & spelling mistakes. After much hard work, my proofreader & I have included these to please those who enjoy finding them.) Send comments & corrections to:- tbrook47@gmail.com -------------------------------------------- 8. The Innovention 2010 -------------------------------------------- Message by Paul Stone Paul Stone writes with an update on The Innovention which is taking place at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas from October 4-7, 2010. I am delighted to announce that one of magic's best known Stars, Teller, has agreed to present his 'Red Ball' Lecture at The Innovention. This is a very rare opportunity to see this masterpiece of magic. The Red Ball is featured in the Penn & Teller Show at the Rio Hotel & Casino and it is an incredible effect. Teller believes that the Lecture is even better as it provides an insight into the painstaking research and development over several years which went into making this miracle a reality. We are excited to welcome Teller to The Innovention. The Innovention will be unlike any other Magic Convention. We have limited the numbers of attendees to just 375. Whilst there are still places available, space is filling fast. Don't miss this very unique event with an outstanding line-up of talent, which includes the Great Tomsoni & Co, Joseph Gabriel, Kevin James, Jeff Hobson, Joanie Spina, Lennart Green, Shep Hyken, Seth Kramer, Bob Kohler, Richard McDougall, Mel Mellers, Graham P. Jolley, Magic Al plus more names still to be announced! For full details and Registration go to www.innovention2010.com now. -------------------------------------------- 9. Johnny Ace Palmer Added To The S.A.M. Convention Lineup ------------------------------------------- Message by George Schindler - S.A.M Public Relations Johnny Ace Palmer (recently added to the S.A. M. convention lineup of stars, will appear with David Letterman as part of his "Close-up Magic Week" Here's a chance to get a sneak preview of Johnny before he arrives in Atlanta for the convention. The "Week" of magic begins on May 17- with John Carney, Steve Cohen, Michael Ammar and Jason Randall. Check your papers for time at CBS - See Johnny "Ace" Palmer 's full act in Atlanta June 3 - July 3 2010. www.magicsam.com -------------------------------------------- 10. 16th Annual Magic Auction -------------------------------------------- Message by Larry McMechan (US) 2 day auction - Sat & Sun May 29th and May 30th Located in the Preble County Auction Gallery, 210 Nation Ave., Eaton, Ohio 45320. Consignments are now being accepted for our annual magic auction. This auctions will feature Magic items: illusions, props, books, posters, tricks, close up items, memorabilia! Day 1 of two day auction - items listed may be sold on day 1 or day 2 Chalet Temple of Benaras; Burn Alive; Head Slicer; Tilfords Houdini Rope Escape; Abbotts Lady Step Out; Stockade Escape; Blamo; Marshall Fastest Flower; Marshall 21 Bloom Flower Bouquet; Marks Bowl of Water Production; Abbotts Snake Basket; Abbotts Atta Boy; Fakini Feather Plumes; Ginn Giant Susprise Wand; Abbotts Super Botania; Yoak Escape; Sand to Silks; Abbotts Dove Vanish; Basketball from Note Pad; Multiplying Bottles; Dream Catcher; Disecto's; Passe Bottles; Spirit Bell; Rabbit Vanish; Other Vanishes; Floating Table; Card Fountain; Don Wayne Floating Ball; Hippty Hop Rabbits: Hippity Hop Martian: Rice Silks; P&L Items; Set of Rice Encyclopedias; Walt Sheppard Balloon to Dove; Dean's Box; Sound Equipment; DVD's; Video's; Books; Many Other Items. We will be adding to the list and to the photo's as we receive items. Larry and Lysle McMechan, Auctioneers Amy Bridge, App. Auctioneer 937-456-7136 Terms Cash Or Check W/ID Food & Beverage Available -------------------------------------------- 11. KIDabra Conference August 11-14 News -------------------------------------------- Message by Mark Daniel Terry Evanswood's Wonder's of Magic One of the treasures each year during KIDabra Conference is the fact that our friend Illusionist Terry Evanswood's show is just down the street in Pigeon Forge. Terry is simply one of the top family performers on the planet and one of the nicest guys around. This year his show The Wonders of Magic is in its new home at the Wonderworks Theater. (Wonderworkstn.com) Wonderworks has made special arrangements for KIDabra attendees to visit Terry's show during KIDabra week at a significant discount. Plus, while there don't miss one of the great features of the visit: Terry's personal collection of antiquities in the Museum of Magic including rare props from Blackstone, Thurston, Houdini and more. This is the first time the collection has been available to view in over 3 years. KIDabra attendees ticket prices for "The Wonders of Magic" during conference week are Adults $15.00 inclusive and kids are just $10.00. And of course you'll see Terry around during the conference, and throughout the week. In conjunction with fundraising efforts for our selected charity: Dolly's Imagination Library (imaginationlibrary.com) we will again auction off Golden Tickets for a tour of Terry's most unusual home (like a theme park in a house). People who have taken the tour the last couple of years have been blown away and better still and have helped raise money for a wonderful cause; literacy! Come enjoy spending some time during KIDabra conference with one of the coolest guys around, KIDabra Charter Member: Terry Evanswood! More info on all things KIDabra can be found at kidabra.org -------------------------------------------- 12. Cometa Magico Congress 10th Anniversary -------------------------------------------- Message by Ted White CEO of Cometa Magico www.cometamagico.com.ar www.premiosmagia.com Just a friendly reminder that registration for the "10th Anniversary Cometa Magico Congress" has already begun. Book before 31th May to save $US20 on the registration fee. The registration includes: . Ceremony and Show of Premios Magia - 16th August - Astral Theatre(Buenos Aires - Argentina. . Cometa Magico Congress 10th Anniversary - 17th August - El Conquistador Hotel Buenos Aires - Argentina. The 5th Edition of the most important Latin American magic awards is now confirmed and once again will be held at the fabulous Astral Theatre located in Corrientes Avenue. Additionally the Cometa Magico congress will be held in the nice and comfortable Salon Hidalgo of The Conquistador Hotel located in the heart of the most amazing city that vibrates with the rhythm of tango. Cometa Magico is known as the most popular site on the web and to celebrate their 10th anniversary present two great events, where there will be international artists giving their new lectures and performing on the show. From USA we have Michael Ammar, one of the most influential magicians of the 20th century. From Brazil: Rafael Baltresca (Mister sleeves) From Argentine: Henry Evans - FISM world champion and one of the most creative artists of the 21st century. From Dubai Gaston Quieto - famous and amazing magician from Asia; and many more surprises! There will be Ceremony Awards and Show with the most fantastic artists on stage Monday 16th August, dealers, lectures, magic and friendship on Tuesday 17th in the Congress. Take advantage of our special "star promo" and save $US20 by registering before 31th May 2010 and register on the El Conquistador Hotel at the corporate rate hotel with a great discount for those registered. See website http//:www.cometamagico.com.ar for full details and hope to see you at the "Ceremony and Show of Premios Magia" and "Cometa Magico Congress 10th Anniversary" for two days of great magic fun. -------------------------------------------- 13. Gili Gili Manthar - Choo Manthar' 2010 -------------------------------------------- Message by Sreenivas Garigipati (India) Gili Gili Manthar - Choo Manthar' 2010, a national level convention was held at Jagithial, Andhra Pradesh, India on 24th & 25th April. Over 225 delegates attended this convention. The organizers made all arrangements which made the convention a hit. The first day began with registration at 8 am. All the delegates collected their convention kit. The convention was inaugurated by Magician Dr B.V. Pattabhiram and ex-minister Mr. Jeevan Reddy. The inauguration ceremony started at 10.30 am with a magic show by Martha Ravi. Then ten dealers demonstrated some of their best products. Stick Manohar, "Kakinada" Sreenivas and Samala Venu performed Lecture and demonstrations in post lunch session. They were well received by the fellow magicians. Stage magic competition for juniors was conducted after the teach-in session. Ms. Sheyli Rengraz (Andhra Pradesh), Ms.Sanjusha (Kerala) and Ms. Ramyasree won 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively. The grand gala show opened for public at 6.30 pm after having high tea. The shows presented by Stick Manohar, Sanjusha, Hasheem & Sheyli Rengraz stole the hearts of the 1200 spectators. The second day's session started with a Stage magic competition for seniors. Basha (Hyderabad), Nirmal Kumar (Mumbai) & Sameer Patel (Baroda) grabbed 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively. Lecture and demonstrations were performed in the post lunch session by Altaf Ali and U.P. Raidu which were well received. The organizers felicitated senior magicians and the gala performers on both days. The award function started at 6.30 pm. The chief guest Mr. Madhu Yashki Goud, the Member of Parliament distributed cash prizes and trophies to the winners. They honored Magician B.N.S. Kumar with lifetime achievement award and they presented 'Indrajal Vibhushan" award to Stick Manohar. The grand gala show started at 7.30 pm. The artists were Basha, Smeer, Nirmal Kumar, Ch.Shyam, Ramyasree and Ratnakar Goud. The show enthralled the 1800 spectators. The organizers lead by Karim and Rafi were received standing ovation from the magicians for the arrangements they did for this great success. All TV channels and newspapers covered the two-day extravaganza of magic. -------------------------------------------- 14. When Thurston Came To Town -------------------------------------------- Message by Tom Ewing The new DVD "When Thurston Came to Town" has now been released by noted Thurston collector Rory Feldman. This DVD is a broadened and visually enhanced version of William V. Rauscher's magic lecture of the same name, which he presented during a Magic Collectors' Association weekend back in the 1990s. Feldman has certainly put his heart and soul into this project. What you get is Bill's wonderful lecture supported by never-before-seen photos of Thurston and his memorabilia, every known archival film footage of Thurston including some never-before-seen, interviews with leading collectors and magicians who either saw Thurston or were influenced by him, recordings of Thurston's voice, his daughter Jane singing, "My Daddy is a Hocus Pocus Man," and much, much more. With Jim Steinmeyer's forthcoming book on Thurston, the timing on this DVD couldn't be better. It is not available through magic dealers but through Rory Feldman. Rory's website is: www.thurstonmastermagician.com. Bill and Rory are to be congratulated for this effort to elevate Thurston back on to the pedestal as America's favorite magician, a position he so justly deserves. -------------------------------------------- 15. Matt Marcy's Hit Theatrical Magic Opens -------------------------------------------- Message by Matt Marcy (US) Matt Marcy's Hit Theatrical Magic Opens Next Week in Los Angeles for 10 Performances Only! Tickets on sale now! Disillusioned: Confessions of a Serial Magician runs at The Imagined Life Theater in Los Angeles from May 21 - June 19, Fridays and Saturdays. Based on a true story, Disillusioned is the groundbreaking theatrical magic show that follows comic-magician Matt Marcy as he struggles to find respect in an art form that doesn't get any. In a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance, Marcy's on-again, off-again love affair with being a magician mirrors his own struggle to define, understand, and ultimately accept himself for who he is. Blending magic, comedy, storytelling, multimedia and audience interaction, this one-of-a-kind theatrical piece weaves its varied elements seamlessly into a hilarious yet poignant narrative...or so the author claims. Here's what they're saying: "A formidable new talent: inventive, charming, and polished." -Teller "Original and creative. A slightly disturbing, gratifying and hilarious look into the journey of a magician." -Jonathan Levit "Disillusioned is a new and charming confection, combining the best of magic and theatre -John Lovick "Combines original magic with fresh ideas in staging and theater to create something entirely new. This is at once a hilarious and important show to see." -Danny Cole "Boldly original and endlessly entertaining." -Ivan Amodei "Disillusioned is easily one of the most honest and personal magic shows you will ever see." -Derek Delgaudio "Matt Marcy's creativity and charisma are in plentiful supply in Disillusioned -- a very entertaining piece of theater." -David Regal More information and tickets are available online at www.disillusionedshow.com Use the discount code "MAGIC" to save $2 per ticket. -------------------------------------------- 16. Sands Of Desert Problem? -------------------------------------------- Message by Adrian Smith - South Africa Dear Fellow Entertainers Most of you will be familiar with the Sands of Desert effect and the use of the chemicals. I do not want to tip the chemicals, but I am having the standard problem I am assuming everyone else has the same problem of the water being yellowish in colour. Can anyone kindly advice a solution to resolve the discolouring issues. Kindly e-mail me on magic@themagician.co.za -------------------------------------------- 17. 13th Convention Abrakadabra -------------------------------------------- Message by Mago Mandrake (Mexico) To all magicians, we are only 12 days away to begin the 13th Convention Abrakadabra, in Mexico City, invitation to assist all magicians, please see the page .. hola@abrakadabra.mx www.abrakadabra.mx -------------------------------------------- 18. 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) -------------------------------------------- 19. 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 2010 Alan Watson