* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment * www.magicnewzealand.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #796 Date: Sunday 14th November 2010 Editor: Alan Watson www.watson.co.nz e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. David Sandy's Magic Cruise Catches Fire 3. Charles Reynolds Obit in the New York Times 4. November Issue Of the Linking Ring Magazine 5. Pittsburgh Concentrates on the Winners 6. The Reports Of My Demise - Are Greatly Exaggerated! 7. Halloween Workshops At Magicana 8. Working "Other" Shows - #188 - Kyle Peron 9. Tony Brook In Conversation With Lupe Nielsen - (Part 3) 10. 2011 Asian Magic Association Magic Convention 11. Great Posters without Breaking the Bank 12. Presenting the New Album - "Keepsake" 13. More Illusions Released - The Final Sale!! 14. Daytona Beach Festival of Magic 15. Have You Booked For Blackpool? 16. e-zine Archives 17. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- I was overwhelmed when I received over 1,000+ email birthday greetings celebrating my 60th last week - thank you. I now wonder where all those years have vanished! Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. David Sandy's Magic Cruise Catches Fire -------------------------------------------- Message by Gary Frank (US) The magic cruise's ship is in the news: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/world/carnival-cruise-ship-splendor-adrift-off-mexico-after-engine-fire http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/two-dozen-aussies-trapped-on-stricken-carnival-splendor-cruise-ship/story-e6frf7l6-1225950802922 http://www.newskornor.com/cruise-ship-fire-carnival-cruise-fire-carnival-splendor.html http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/Fire-Burns-Carnival-Cruise-Ship-Engine-Room-106915748.html http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/world/carnival-cruise-ship-splendor-adrift-off-mexico-after-engine-fire A number of friends left for a week of fun and now they will be driven back to Los Angeles. -------------------------------------------- 3. Charles Reynolds Obit In The New York Times -------------------------------------------- Message from Gay Blackstone (US) This is the link to today's Charles Reynolds obit in the New York Times. He was a wonderful, multifaceted man, who will be missed by his friends, and family in the world of Magic, Photography, Circus, and Theatre. Charles Reynolds, Magicians’ Magician, Dies at 78 By Douglas Martin Published: November 7, 2010 Charles Reynolds, who described his business as providing “chaste, charming, weird, wonderful and supernatural illusions” - and who proved it by coming up with two entirely different ways to make an elephant disappear - died on Thursday at his home in Manhattan. He was 78. For the rest of the article go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/arts/08reynolds.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries -------------------------------------------- 4. November Issue Of The Linking Ring Magazine -------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Paul A. Lelekis November 2010 issue of The Linking Ring magazine, Vol. 90, No. 11 - November issue: Editor: Samuel Patrick Smith The Linking Ring boasts the world's largest circulation of any printed magic magazine and has now launched a beautiful digital edition. I.B.M. membership is required to receive this monthly magazine. Members can access The Linking Ring at www.magician.org. This site allows one, portal entry into the world of magic! Each month in The Linking Ring, the Ring Events provide readers with the "scoop" on what is happening in different Rings around the world. This month’s cover of The Linking Ring features a great story of a living legend - the great Harry Lorayne! This is a one of a kind edition! You will learn of Harry’s wonderful life in magic and his super-memory course, written by Chip MacGregor! But wait - that’s not all!! This month’s One-Man Parade features, Harry Lorayne and some of his world-class card magic!! Now it’s not every day that I.B.M. members are given such a gift of some of the best card magic in the world by a master magician!! If you are not a member of the I.B.M. and want to receive this edition – and every other edition – NOW is the time to join up! Read below for details on how to become a member! Also featured this month: Bev Bergeron’s Cutting Up Jackpots gives readers (and in particular, card magicians) a wonderful story of a Chicago legend, Frank Everhart, of Chicago Opener (Red Hot Mama!) fame! You must read this section! Also featured this month is much more great magic taught to I.B.M. members: Vanni Pule’s, Classics Re-Visited Mike Power's Card Corner Tom Craven's Havenly Close-Up Peter Marucci's Showtime Storytelling Magic by Ed Solomon Guest Spot is a new column just introduced this month to teach even more great magic to our constituency! This month a wonderful effect is provided by assoc. editor, Jason Goldberg. The Linking Ring has a team of experts who review many new items of magic so that the magicians of the world may purchase wisely! There are too many articles and too much magic in this issue of The Linking Ring for me to list, but everyone is world class! Advertisers -- your products will enjoy unsurpassed worldwide promotion in The Linking Ring through the beautiful printed magazine, the dazzling digital edition, and links from the I.B.M. Web Portal. The Linking Ring is now available for download to your computer on the first day of each month for I.B.M. members as well as the online edition! Go to www.magician.org, the I.B.M. Portal. For details about advertising in The Linking Ring, contact BJ Hickman at advertising@magician.org. -------------------------------------------- 5. Pittsburgh Concentrates On The Winners -------------------------------------------- Message from George Schindler (US) The Saturday Night Gala at the upcoming S. A .M. Convention will feature a battery of winners. Remember the great IBM./SAM Convention in Louisville? Who was it that walked away with the $10,000 Stage Award? The same guy who won the top award at the World Seminar earlier that year. Yes. It was that Korean guy whose great original card manipulations won him third place at FISM last summer. - His name is An Ha Lim. We proudly announce that he will join a battery of many other "Award Winners"- When ? July 13-16 2011 in Pittsburgh. See a sneak preview of some other acts already booked Visit http://www.magicsam.com/SAM2011 Register now. Rates go up in March. -------------------------------------------- 6. The Reports Of My Demise - Are Greatly Exaggerated! -------------------------------------------- Message by Joe Stevens forwarded on by Richard Webster (NZ) The Reports of my Demise - are Greatly Exaggerated! For those of you that don't like me -- I'm sorry I'm still around -- for those that do like me - thanks for your concerns! Re: A local Wichita resident named, Joe Steven passed away here in Wichita, and it understandably caused confusion. Thus the purpose of this quick announcement! Warm Regards - Joe Stevens -------------------------------------------- 7. Halloween Workshops At Magicana -------------------------------------------- Message by James Alan (Canada) Magicana was back at camp over the Halloween weekend, in partnership with Camp Oochigeas and the Urban Ooch program. Ooch, as the organization is affectionately known, has become an important resource for kids and their families and has grown beyond the summer days of camp. Now offering Urban Camps and Ooch in the City, Ooch called upon the magicians at Magicana for another version of “Boot Camp Magic Day”. With such amazing participants and volunteers, how could we refuse? On the perfect day for magic (Halloween) we learned, practiced and, believe it or not, we even performed! 23 campers ages eight to thirteen and 15 magic coaches, rolled up their sleeves, polished their magic wands and sprinkled quite a bit of whoofle-dust on Sunday in preparation for a Showcase of Magic. These kids face challenges – sometimes incredible challenges. It was very touching to see how hard campers worked despite these issues. It was even more moving to see camp volunteers (duly dubbed “Magic Coaches”) stand side-by-side with campers, cheering them on. Camp Oochigeas is a privately funded, volunteer-based organization that provides kids with cancer and kids affected by childhood cancer a unique opportunity for growth through challenging, fun, enriching and magical experiences. Magicana is a performing arts organization and registered charity dedicated the exploration and advancement of magic as a performing art. Magicana www.magicana.com www.sharingwonder.wordpress.com -------------------------------------------- 8. Working "Other" Shows - #188 - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message by Kyle Peron (US) magic4u02@aol.com http://www.kyleandkellymagic.com We all have worked the classic birthday party or the festival show or the strolling magic event for a company party. However, how many of you can say that you have performed a show for a group of Autistic children? How many of you can say that you have done shows for mentally challenged adults or folks who are deaf? Now, how many of you can say that you loved it and eagerly seek out shows like this? It is OK if you have answered no to any of the above questions. It is not something we all eagerly pursue. It also is certainly not something that can be considered easy. It takes dedication, skill and the right mind set to do shows of this type. However, I will tell you that these shows can and are the most memorable and rewarding experiences I have ever had. But why is it that folks simply do not do shows like this? Why do we not seek out these opportunities? Well after talking to many of my clients, I constantly hear the same things being said from them. They state to me that after calling dozens of performers they always seem to get 2 types of responses. 1) those folks who will say yes to anything simply because they are getting paid. However, the show is not geared at all to the level it needs to be and 2) people backing out or saying no simply out of fear. Fear of not knowing what to do or how to handle it. It is really sad to think people perform these "other" shows simply to gain money. I am a strong believer that you perform shows that fit your niche market and fit who YOU are as a performer. To accept money for a show that is anything less than your 100% best, is simply not right and not fair to your audience or the client. Now I can understand the fear aspect of shows of this type. It is not something we do every day. We fear doing the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing. We fear even the ability to know what to perform and how to get a reaction. But fear only comes from the inability to learn or the absence of information. The more information you have, the less fear you have. You will never learn unless you start by doing. I have performed many shows for mentally challenged children and adults. I have done shows for autistic children and even shows for deaf schools. Each have their differences but they all have a lot in common that you can learn from. Whenever you begin talks with a client, make sure to not only listen to them, but to ask your own questions as well. Do not make the assumption that your standard show is going to work without any changes or adjustments. They are the experts and you want to get as much information from them as you can. Let them help you, not only will they respect you for it; they will thank you for taking the time to ask. You will want to know: - what are the ages of the children or adults at the event (physical age) - more importantly, you want to ask them what their mental age is. This means what age are they functioning at. Now this is not a bad thing to ask. They are used to it and it is key to understanding just how to set up your show and what may play well. Too many folks set up a show based on physical age and the show simply will not play. You must look past physical age and learn to tune into the mental ages. - Ask the client if there are any folks who may be higher functioning that could assist you in the show as a helper. Do not assume. Always ask. I always ask if the client can sit them up front and to assist me in knowing who may work the best for me. They are more than happy to help in this capacity and are used to doing so. - Ask the client if there anything you may need to change in the show to make it more effective for the audience. For example some autistic folks do not like loud noises and so you have to be aware of this in your approach of your routines. Not only ask them this information, but see if they can send you any materials that may be of benefit to you. The client will respect you for going the extra mile to learn and customize the show experience. But most importantly, realize that these folks WANT to be entertained. They want to smile and to clap even if their physical or mental condition may not allow them to express it. Do not get thrown off by a lack of response. Some folks simply are not able to express themselves the way you are accustomed to. However, the smiles on their faces and the look in their eyes will be the reward that tells you just how successful you really were. 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. 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 Kyle Peron Magician and Illusionist www.kyleandkellymagic.com -------------------------------------------- 9. Tony Brook In Conversation With Lupe Nielsen - (Part 3) ------------------------------------------ Message by Anthony Darkstone Brook - Europe/USA TB: Well, be that as it may but I have to tell you that you are indeed a poor judge of your skills. And you know what? That is a good thing because in my personal and professional view, it is precisely because of that you are able to perform some truly amazing magic. Let’s quote someone who is most qualified to comment on your work. Phil Wilmarth. As many of us know Phil was the Editor of The Linking Ring and then President of the IBM. It would be fair to say, he has seen, read and commented on more Magic than most of us will ever get to know or experience in several lifetimes. Back in 2007 at the SAM Convention in Dallas, Texas, I Hosted and Produced a Talk Show entitled: “Tony Brook in Conversation with Maria Ibanez”. Phil was my other guest on the show. As you can imagine, his words on Magic and Magicians were most enthralling. His comments on the Art are indeed most valid. Here is what he said about you, “ Lupe is able to tease her audience and execute sleights beyond most of us”. LN: I don’t know how to respond to that except to say I am honored that such kind words are used to describe my work. If I recall correctly, that was soon after I had performed at the IBM Convention in 1997 in Minneapolis. TB: Your style as I mentioned earlier is enhanced by your own natural grace and charm. Two formidable “props” when performing Close-Up Magic. Although I perform few Close-Up effects myself I am not a Close-up magician, but I greatly love Close-up magic and appreciate the skill involved. It is, if you pardon the obvious, up-close and personal. I have had many conversations on this with dear Jon Racherbaumer. Close-up Magic is a vast topic but share with us some of your thoughts on this? LN: Close Up Magic is exactly what it is implied by that term – magic performed close to the audience. You see, when you perform stage magic, there is a distance between you and the audience. If you perform on television, there is camera in between. Close up breaks down one more logical barrier between the performer and the audience. Once you bring the magic up to their noses and in front of their eyes, the possible explanation of distance or camera trickery is gone. The first requirement of good magic is the material you choose. Your first and foremost goal as a magician is to fool people, completely and with no mercy – to absolutely shatter any shred of logic in the mind of your audience. Once you have that, then the rest is gravy on the meat. The gravy is that you have to present such material in an entertaining manner, as you don’t want people to walk away from you. It is key that a close up worker has great communication skills, and speaks well. The nature of Close-Up Magic demands that the performer develops a relationship with the audience, a relationship that creates a rapport. You must really care about your audience and you must give them a reason to care about you. Eventually, the goal of any great performer (a lofty goal which I am still in search of), is to transcend the mundane and create a sensation of true Wonder. It is a very rare treat when you see a performer who can achieve that goal. In magic, René Lavand reveals his soul to his audience with every performance, and the late Jay Marshall always moved the audience like no other when performing Lefty. TB: Couldn’t agree with you more. All that you said is absolutely true. Yes indeed. René Lavand conveys all of that and more but personally, his best Magic for me is the fact that he makes me forget he is doing all of this with just one hand! LN: Yes Tony. When you can transcend your limitations and make things look effortless, that is truly a great skill. End of Part 3 (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 -------------------------------------------- 10. 2011 Asian Magic Association Magic Convention -------------------------------------------- Message by Albert Tam Secretary of Asian Magic Association. The 7th Asian Magic Association Magic Convention held in Japan - Toba City ended yesterday after the International Magic Gala. There was an excellent lineup including: Kevin James (USA), Francis Tabary (France), Richard Forget (Canada), Illusionists of Japan Arajin & Company, Fuaki & Kimika's Japanese act, young magicians Noh Kyung Yong (Korea and Ms. Liu Bei (China) and Albert Tam as MC. The convention was hosted by the Society of Japan Magicians and there were over 500 in attendance. This year’s AMA contest was of a very high standard, which made the judging not easy. The Stage Contest had 19 contestants: Champion is Do Ki Moon (Korea), 1st runner up is Jo Yong Ho (Korea), 2nd runner up is Sunny Chen (Taiwan). Close-up Contests had 12 entries: Champion is Frank Ong (Hong Kong), 1st runner up is K-Suke, 2nd runner up is Yu Byeong Hun (Korea). The 2011 Asian Magic Association Magic Convention is a confirmed host by the Magicians' Association of Hong Kong in Hong Kong. -------------------------------------------- 11. Great Posters Without Breaking The Bank -------------------------------------------- Message by Jeff Ezell (US) I have been able to secure a company that will be able to print these great posters in a larger size (14 x 20) without breaking the bank. They are printed in full color and on vinyl. They look great on the site but look absolutely incredible in person. Very colorful. There is a less expensive set also on the site that still looks amazing if the larger set is out of budget for some. Anyone can visit my site today and purchase a set. http://jeffezell.webs.com/products.htm I am working on a new set of posters that are also very rare. Details to come soon. -------------------------------------------- 12. Presenting The New Album - "Keepsake" ------------------------------------------ Message by Jay Scott Berry G’day Everyone, I’ve just returned home from a 2 month world tour, performing music and, of course, magic. On the music front, I’m very happy to announce that my new album, “Keepsake” has just been released. This collection was recorded in September at the private studio of Charlie Chalmers, on the shores of Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri. A legendary musician and producer, Charlie has 7 songs in the Grammy Hall of Fame. For this album, I had a very specific sound in mind: Something old, something new, something that's been lost along the way, before synthesizers, click tracks, loops, samples or vocal processors. In fact, my unwavering directive was quite simple: To capture an exquisite vocal and acoustic sound…just pure music. So, with a team of top musicians and background vocalists, Charlie and I set out in search of that elusive treasure. I carefully chose some of my very favourite songs, those tunes that speak to the heart and consistently receive a strong reaction from the audience. This was a deliberate and painstaking process. The result is a “fresh, vibrant sound that is timely and timeless, very original while also being pleasantly nostalgic”. Early reviews from DJs are very positive: “Brilliant!” – DJ Lyn, “A Fantastic CD” – DJ Dan, “God has blessed you with an awesome voice.” – Pat Ruth, “It sounds great!” - Willem Van der Haul, “Congratulations. I think you must have used some of your magic on this album. Sounds great. Production is fantastic!” - Ken Lindsay 2WAY FM Signed copies of the CD are now available, directly from my website, at a special holiday price. Plus, you can get a free download of the first single, “Please Come to Boston”, just by signing up for the mailing list…..such a deal! Just visit my music website for more info, videos, sound clips, etc. Also, please feel free to forward this info along to friends, relatives and colleagues around the world. With all best wishes, Jay www.JSBmusic.com "The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself” -------------------------------------------- 13. More Illusions Released - The Final Sale!! -------------------------------------------- Message by Tony Laffan (Aust) The Really Good Ones! Hi Everyone, Thanks for your interest in the sale of my illusions a few months back. Thanks for those of you who made comments and support in my new direction. I feel comfortable now with the choice I’ve made 100% and therefore are releasing the rest of my babies, the ones I hold dearly and found it hard to let go of as they have been my existence over many years during an exciting illusion career. They are not being used and it is such a shame for these great miracles not to be performed for audiences by magicians. I genuinely would like to see them appear in your shows rather than stay in road cases locked in a warehouse. Have a look through, I’ve reduced the price on the previous illusions and if you really want something make me an offer and we can hopefully work out something together. So if you would like me to e-mail you an updated list email your address and feel free to forward the list on to others you think might be interested or at least curious. All the best in the future, Cheers Tony Laffan. P.S Kasey's pregnacy is going well and both her and 'jnr to be' are looking great. We are at the half way mark!! -------------------------------------------- 14. Daytona Beach Festival Of Magic -------------------------------------------- Message by Scott Alcalay (US) The Daytona Beach Festival Of Magic took place at the Daytona Beach Resort And Conference Center, Daytona Beach, Florida. And what a Magic Convention it was! The Daytona Festival of Magic/The Florida state magic convention is sponsored by Daytona Magic. This year they presented Mark Wilson and Nani Darnell as their special guests of honor. Other performers included: Harry Allen, Michael Ammar, Jonathan Pendragon, Gyula Czili, Marc Desouza, Scott Humston, Magic Ian, Latko, The Rhythm Of Magic, Ken Scott, Stoil & Ekaterina, Drew Thomas and Amos Levkovitch. There was a dealers room, many workshops, stage and close up contests, cabaret, and stage shows. For me the highlight of the convention was the closing Gala on Saturday night. The show was MC'd flawlessly by Bev Bergeron, opening with Harry Allan - who was very funny, as usual. Following Harry Allan was Stoil and Ekaterina - who do a very colorful quick-change act. Up next was Latko from Argentina. He is a very creative young gentleman who magically created a motor-cycle from scratch and received a very strong reaction from the audience. Following Latko was Rico and Bruce. A duo diabolo-jugglers that performed pretty complicated stunts and didn't drop even once! The highlight of the show was legendary magicians Mark and Nani Wilson who touched the hearts of the audience with the best Silk-to-Egg routine I've ever seen! The show closed with the wonderful and unique dove-act of Amos Levkovitch, culminating with the reappearance of his previously vanished doves, flying to his hands from the back of the audience. That brought the audience to their feet for a well-deserved standing ovation. What a fantastic evening of magic it was! -------------------------------------------- 15. Have You Booked For Blackpool? -------------------------------------------- Message by Derek Lever (UK) Bookings for the Blackpool Convention (18th to 20th February, 2011) are already up on previous years so if you have not already booked you need to get in quick. Register before 31st December 2010 and you will receive a free book ‘The World’s Most Ingenious Magical Apparatus’ by Convention Organiser, Derek Lever. To book your place for the world’s biggest and best magic convention contact Arthur Casson, 44 Bryan Road, Blackpool, Lancashire, England FY3 9BE or telephone him on 44 (0) 1253 393688. A registration form is also available on the Blackpool Magicians’ Club website www.blackpoolmagic.com. At only £85 per person the Blackpool Convention has to be the best value for money in magic. -------------------------------------------- 16. e-zine Archives -------------------------------------------- Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/fezine.html When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. E.g. 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 2010 Alan Watson