Magic New Zealand® E-zine

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* Magic New Zealand®
* Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment Ltd (New Zealand)
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Issue Number: #1494
Date: Sunday 10th February 2019
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: editor@magicnewzealand.com
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Hi here is the latest news
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1. Editor's Message
2. Shim Lim in Finals in America's Got Talent: The Champions
3. The Allan Slaight Awards - Nominations Open
4. House Of Cards On The Magic Word Podcast
5. Cirque Du Soleil Acquires 'The Illusionists' Magic Show
6. Magic Camp Scholarships
7. FREE Magic Mini-Print
8. No Further Than That! - John Carey #30
9. The Art Of Magic Podcast - Bruce Kalver
10. The Masters of Magic Convention - Turin, Italy
11. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
12. E-zine Archives

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1. Editor's Message
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The highlight of the week for Michele and I was attending Francis Menotti's lecture (from Philadelphia, USA) accompanied by his fiancé and magician Lindsey Noel. It's always great to have international professional entertainers here to share their ideas and magic effects with us.

If you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in a HTML format
go to: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2019-Jan-to-Dec-2019/1494-Feb10-2019.html

If you would like to write a regular column for Magic New Zealand or
have some magic news drop me a line:
Editor@MagicNewZealand.com

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2. Shim Lim in Finals in 'America's Got Talent: The Champions'
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Entertainment

Magician Shin Lim Is Even More Mind-Blowing On 'America's Got Talent: The Champions'
The reigning "AGT" champ's card tricks come up aces as he advances to the finals.

For more information go to:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shin-lin-americas-got-talent-champions_us_5c59642ce4b0871047573a71

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3. The Allan Slaight Awards - Nominations Open
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Message by James Allan

Nominations for work completed in 2018 for the Allan Slaight Awards are now open. $50,000 in prize money from the Slaight Family Foundation will be awarded this year to recognize outstanding achievements in the pursuit of the impossible, across five distinct categories:

Lifetime Achievement ($15,000) recognizes a person, company or organization that has demonstrated a commitment to advancing magic as a performing art, and made major contributions to that goal throughout their or its lifetime. Past recipients include Edwin Dawes (2018), Max Maven (2017), Ton Onosaka (2016) and Johnny Thompson (2015).

Sharing Wonder ($15,000) recognizes exceptional magic performed for the public, whether in live performance, on television or online. Past recipients include Michael Carbonaro (2018), Derek Delgaudio (2017), Darcy Oake (2016) and Penn & Teller (2015).

Sharing Secrets ($10,000) recognizes work that advances the study of magic as a performing art, whether in print, on video or any other medium. Work related to the history of magic and its practitioners will also be considered. Past recipients include The College of Magic (2018), John Lovick (2017), Richard Kaufman (2016) and Mike Caveney (2015).

Rising Star, Canadian & International ($5,000 each) recognizes emerging talent in Canada and abroad. Past recipients include Nicholas Wallace and Noah Levine (2018); Eric Leclerc and Edward Hilsum (2017); Luc Langevin and Jorge Blass (2016); and Mahdi Gilbert and Henry Vargas (2015).

Nominate now at www.magicana.com/slaight

The deadline for submissions is midnight (EST) on March 29, 2019. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of independent judges and the winners will be contacted in the spring.
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4. House Of Cards On The Magic Word Podcast
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Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

While on a road trip to the recent MagiFest in Ohio, I stopped in Nashville and visited one of the newest magic-themed dinner/nightclubs, The House of Cards (HOC). This elegant venue has an old world charm and definite feel of a "speak easy" from Prohibition days in the early 20th century in the U.S. The food is wonderful and the magic is excellent and the ambiance is…well, magical. They also sell cigars so you can enjoy a smoke on their upstairs, outdoor patio. And some of the accoutrements have the distinctive feel of the Magic Castle such as the invisible piano player.

Perhaps some of this can be attributed to one of their newest staff members, Joey Martinez, the Director of Operations. Perhaps some of you who frequented the Magic Castle over the past five or six years will remember him as the smiling host who would greet you at the front door of the Castle upon your every visit. Joey was the Floor Manager at the Magic Castle for many years but recently moved to Nashville where he appears to be implementing some of the more successful attributes of the Castle into the HOC.

On this week's podcast, we chat with our server who tells us what to expect after dinner while a guest at the HOC then we have two separate conversations with Joey Martinez since he had to abruptly step away during the first encounter. You can watch a video news report about the HOC, read the blog, see some photos, hear some product reviews, listen online to the podcast and download the MP3 at:
https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/474-house-of-cards

You can listen to the podcast now on any podcast provider that you normally use to hear podcasts. If you find and listen to your podcasts on some platform that doesn't carry The Magic Word, then let me know and I will fix that. Thank you for listening, and please "Share the Word!"

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5. Cirque Du Soleil Acquires 'The Illusionists' Magic Show
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Article forward on by Mel Kientz (US)

Variety

Cirque Du Soleil Acquires Company Behind 'The Illusionists' Magic Show

By Rachel Yang

Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group has announced its acquisition of the Works Entertainment, the creative and production company behind shows like the live magic franchise "The Illusionists".

This deal is the third acquisition for the group in about three years, says president and CEO Daniel Lamarre. It acquired Blue Man Group in 2017 and VStar Entertainment Group in 2018.

Lamarre confirms the deal was for about $40 million, and tells Variety that the Works was appealing as the nature of its shows was scalable and allows Cirque du Soleil to expand. Lamarre says Cirque du Soleil is the only entertainment company that tours in 450 cities globally, and he hopes to grow that number in the future.

"We were never in the magic world the way that the Works has been," Lamarre says. "With this concept where there are several magicians participating in the same show, it allows us to make it scalable, meaning we can have two-five magic shows traveling around the world."

The Works is known for live magic shows like "The Illusionists" and content developed from the big screen like "Now You See Me Live," based on the 2013 heist film about criminal magicians. The Works' portfolio also includes circus arts shows like "Circus 1903 - The Golden Age of Circus," cabaret-style shows, and musical theater productions.

Cirque du Soleil will have a hands-off approach in regards to the content of the Works' shows, Lamarre says. To keep each brand relevant, the idea is not to "mix genres," but to leverage the creative capabilities of the companies Cirque du Soleil has acquired.

Since the acquisition of Blue Man Group two years ago, Lamarre claims the company's profitability has "quadrupled." He hopes to keep adding new cities to the roster every year - recently added Cirque du Soleil tours have been in China and India - and first up is planning stops in more cities in India.

Lamarre says the company is eyeing more expansions and development in the future, but that identifying complementary artistic content is the first priority. "In an ideal world, we would like to acquire one new organization per year. We're not doing it for those conditions," he says.

"We're very excited that this strategy we have developed three years ago is working," Lamarre adds. "We always said that we wanted to become a global leader of entertainment and live entertainment, and we're gold."

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6. Magic Camp Scholarships
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Message by Trudy Monti, A.I.M.C.

Reminder, The deadline to submit applications for Magic Camp Scholarships is fast approaching. Scholarships are available from the Magic Endowment Fund for Tannen's Magic Camp in Pennsylvania (July 6-13, 2019).

Candidates must be able to demonstrate talent and dedication to the magical performing arts discipline. Scholarships are also available for Jeff McBride's Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas (June 21-27, 2019). Scholarship applications are available on the www.magicsam.com website at the following link:
http://www.magicsam.com/?page=Scholarships or https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.magicsam.com/resource/resmgr
/files/magic_camp_application_2019.pdf

Please Note:
The deadline for submitting applications for a scholarship to Tannen's Magic Camp is February 20, 2019.

The deadline for submitting applications for a scholarship to Sorcerer's Safar or McBride's Magic & Mystery School is May 1, 2019. Note that no applications will be accepted electronically.

Please visit the S.A.M. website for complete information.

Trudy Monti, A.I.M.C.
Trustee, The Society of American Magicians Magic Endowment Fund, Inc.
TrudyMonti@aol.com
636-394-4191

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7. FREE Magic Mini-Print
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Message by Jay Fortune (UK)

'I'm delighted to announce the release of my new portraits of magicians and a FREE mini-print of the late, great Eugene Burger. Latest work includes portraits of Ricky Jay, Houdini, Dante, Eugene, Jeff McBride and Dai Vernon. To get your FREE print of Eugene Burger please visit my online store. All you pay is postage and your prints are completely free. Full info and to view my art, please visit www.jayfortune.co.uk . Read reviews from worldwide collectors and why not consider commissioning your own unique piece for your magic den, theatre or club? Thanks for looking!'

With every good wish from the UK,

Jay Fortune.
Art Store: www.jayfortune.co.uk/shop/
www.jayfortune.co.uk
www.facebook.com/jayfortuneartist/
www.instagram.com/mrjayfortune/

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8. No Further Than That! - John Carey #30
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Message by John Carey (UK)
https://carey-scene.com/jc-main

I've always loved the undercount of Martin Gardner's that Paul Harris used so brilliantly in his Las Vegas Leaper cards across routine in Las Vegas Close up. Indeed, in Crafted with Carey I applied it to a hands-off ambitious card effect.

For the following application set the four Queens on top of the deck, Queen of Diamonds uppermost. False shuffle retaining your set up and casually cut the deck, securing a left little-finger break above the Queens. Engage in some meaningful conversation and then ask someone to help you. Transfer the deck and the break to the right hand, securing a thumb break. Dribble force to your break and ask the person to take a peek at their card.

This will be the Queen of Diamonds. Assemble the deck getting a little-finger break above your force card. A few moments later cut half the cards above your break to the table. Then cut to your break and drop them on top of the first packet. Finish by dropping the remaining cards on top of all and square up. Execute an in the hands riffle shuffle, keeping the Queens on top. I believe the cut control belongs to Ron Bauer. With any control like this, the pause is essential.

Now we will throw some smoke around the room with some presentation about how the inflections in the voice can often give clues about people's thoughts. State you will remove a small group of cards from the deck for a little test. Start spreading the cards and slightly injog the fourth card from the top.

Continue spreading and upjog about eight or nine cards from random locations. Secure a little-finger break beneath the jogged card and with the right hand swivel out the upjogged cards. Flip them face-up on top of the deck and with no hesitation take all the cards above your break from above with the right hand and table the balance of the deck. This of course secretly steals the Queens beneath the faceup packet.

Ask your helper to take the packet as if they were going to deal a round of poker.

State that you will ask them to call out the cards and at the same time think about their selection. Suggest the inflections in their voice may give you some clues.

So have them call out the face card of their packet, push it off, turn it face-down and place it under the packet. Have them do this multiple times, calling out the cards until a face-down card appears. This is the brilliant hands off ruse of Gardner, which covertly hides the Queens and sets up the finale. Casually ask your spectator to drop the packet on top of the deck and to cover it with either hand.

"Tom, you didn't really give anything away their with your voice. I genuinely don't know whether you saw your card or not. I think I will have to try and read your mind. Keep thinking about your card and call it out mentally over and over again. Yes that's it. The Queen of Diamonds, the Queen of Diamonds, the Queen of Diamonds yes?

Excellent. Most magicians would end right there, but I want to go further than that. I could try and make your card appear in the box. Or maybe my pocket. But how about somewhere impossible, like under your hand? Turn over the top card. Amazing! But you see cards are like people and love the company of their friends. And so the next card is a Queen and the next and also the one after and I can't go any further than that!"

So in the above exchange you will firstly do the divination of Senator Crandall. Get a reaction and then have them lift their hand and reveal that their card has appeared beneath it. The other three Queens are then revealed to add the icing to the cake. Credit to Stewart James for the further than that presentational premise.

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9. The Art Of Magic Podcast - Bruce Kalver
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Have you heard this podcast with Bruce Kalver?

Ken talks to master magician Bruce Kalver. Learn about the world of magic and how to get out of handcuffs. It's a fascinating and fun look at the artists who amaze and delight us. No rabbits or doves were harmed during this interview.

https://hollywoodandlevine.libsyn.com/ep109-the-art-of-magic-w-bruce-kalver

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10. The Masters of Magic Convention - Turin, Italy
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The Masters of Magic convention will be held in Turin!

Turin - May 16, 17, 18, 19, 2019

We will organize the world's most important Magic Convention in the most Magical City in the World!

Surprises Do Not End Here ... Marco Tempest Will Be With Us!

Q&A

What is changing?
Only the location it's changing. The Masters of Magic Convention is moving from Saint-Vincent to Turin. The dates, the programme, the organization and the cast will be exactly the same.

Why the location is changing?
After the great success achieved in the city of Turin with the Christmas, New Year's Eve and Guinness World Records' show, the city strongly wanted to host the Magic Convention.
As you might know, the casino of Saint-Vincent is in a very difficult moment. The Convention could even be cancelled at any moment.

In which location will the convention be held?
We will send out the Official Communication where you will find the address of the location and the hotels affiliated with the event.

Are convention prices changing?

No, they're not! Even if the number of the Artists is increasing and the programme is enriched, the prices will not change.

I've already bought the ticket for "Saint-Vincent"; is it still valid?
Yes! The reservation remains valid.

Will you change my seat for the Gala Show?
We will keep the same arrangement of seats. The seat you have chosen will not change. For any special cases we will communicate what to do.

Will the programme change?
The Magic Convention's programme won't change. We are also expanding our activities outside the convention center to invade the city with magic. We are also preparing a dedicated program for your accompanying person.

What there will be in addition?

The World Championship of Street Magic will as well be organized in Turin on May 17-18-19. If you are interested to compete, you could request the registration form to mario.baldantoni@mastersofmagic.tv .
And this is not the only surprise!

How do you move in Turin?
The City of Turin has an excellent transport network and public transportation that will allow you to reach any place comfortably.
The location will also be reachable with free shuttles connecting the city center.

Do I have to change my travel plan to reach the City of Turin?
Turin is easier to reach because it has an airport, 2 big train stations and it is well connected to all major Italian and European cities.
The international airport of Milan Malpensa, from which it is possible to reach every destination, is connected to Turin by bus - 1h30 ca travelling time.
Bus Timetable

For any further information, do not hesitate to contact us at
team@mastersofmagic.tv or call us +39 3480011257 or +39 01119719241

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E-zine Archives
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Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e- zine go to:
www.magicnewzealand.com click on the red button centre right "Archives"

When you enter the archive the e- zines are in issue order in folders for each year 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)

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Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
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