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: #1585
Date: Sunday 30th August 2020
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. The Academy Of Magical Arts Awards Winners For 2019
3. 52nd Annual AMA Awards Ceremony Go To
4. The Magic Word Podcast
5. The Eternity Wand By Chris Cross
6. Optical Production - John Carey #93
7. Ongoing Adventures Of Romany! #23
8. Masters Of Illusion
9. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
10. E-zine Archives
11. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice

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1. Editor's Message
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If you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in HTML format
go to: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2020-Jan-to-Dec-2020/1585-Aug30-2020.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. The Academy Of Magical Arts Awards Winners For 2019
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AMA Hall of Fame

Junior Achievement Award: Austin Janek
Lecturer of the Year: Dani DaOrtiz
Parlor Magician of the Year: Chris Capehart
Close-Up Magician of the Year: Asi Wind
Stage Magician of the Year: Lucy Darling
Performing Fellowship: Raymond Crowe
Special Fellowship: Lisa Menna
Special Fellowship: Alan Zagorsky
Creative Fellowship: Angelo Carbone
Literary/Media Fellowship: Laura Avilés Ruda
Magician of the Year: Derren Brown
Devant Award Presented by The Magic Circle to The Larsen Family

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3. 52nd Annual AMA Awards Ceremony Go To
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Congratulations to all of the award recipients, winners, and nominees. Also, appreciation to the presenters, including members of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors, plus special guests, and the many people whose efforts combined to make this production come together.

To view the 52nd Annual AMA Awards Ceremony go to:
https://vimeo.com/450985627

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4. The Magic Word Podcast
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Message by Scott Wells, M.I.M.C. with Gold Star

Edward Hilsum - The Magic Circle Three Time Winner on The Magic Word Podcast

Last week we featured three guests who helped take the mystery out of the competition and judging for the World Championships of Magic (F.I.S.M.). This week we chat with a British illusionist who has taken top honors and three awards from The Magic Circle, Edward Hilsum. He tells us about how he prepared and practiced for these competitions that won him Stage Magician of the Year, Close-Up Entertainer of the Year and Children's Entertainer of the Year. He also gives us pointers on handling, keeping and training doves.

You can listen to this podcast wherever you get your podcasts. But for more information, please visit: https://www.themagicwordpodcast.com/scottwellsmagic/573-edward-hilsum where you can view videos, read the blog and see some photos.

Congratulations this week to Ted Maschal and Wayne Taylor, winners of an autographed hard back copy of "Master of Deception" by John-Ivan Palmer. If you missed entering this contest, then be sure to sign up for our weekly "podletter" that announces new contests plus tells you who is on the podcast this week, who is coming next week, and suggestions from the archives to listen to some you may have missed. You can sign up for the podletter on the website for The Magic Word Podcast.

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5. The Eternity Wand By Chris Cross
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Message by Chris Cross

An announcement to magicians worldwide
& Especially to Fans of The Late Great Paul Daniels...

The Eternity Wand By Chris Cross
You'll like this...

Chris Cross has released a strictly limited amount (125) of handmade wooden luxury magic wands, that have been skilfully constructed from the Steel Lined Casket Escape box, that Paul Daniels escaped from on his TV Show...

A few years ago, Cross discovered a farmer's barn full of Paul's old TV Show illusions and rescued them from the elements. It was a brilliant find. Since, there has been an ongoing project of restoration to bring the props back to life once again - since all of this historic magical treasure had been sitting in the barn for years and years. Among all of the tricks discovered were Paul's iconic Girl through glass which he performed with Penelope Keith, The Tea Crate Eye of the Needle illusion, The Human Cannon used on his Barnum Royal Variety Show Performance and his Backstage illusion, as performed with Debbie McGee, Ali Bongo and Gil Leaney.

Sadly, one of the rescued tricks, the steel lined casket escape, was in a sorry state; the steel box was missing, as were the 2 ends of the outer wooden casket, the stand for the casket and all of the hinges, brackets and suchlike were all gone. Such a shame. Only the two sides, top and bottom pieces of wood remained, that made up the outer wooden casket. You can see Paul performing this Escapology stunt here: https://youtu.be/OYQrx1LbyEk

Since this particular prop was in a very incomplete state, Cross commissioned some magic wands to be made by a highly skilled British craftsman, from what remained of the wooden casket that Paul escaped from on his TV Program "The Magic Show!"

As a Lifelong Fan of Paul, Cross has brought out these wands to Chronicle and immortalise the life of his Magical Hero - Paul was a Master Magician and a Legend in the World of Magic. This is a strictly one off collection of handcrafted collectible keepsakes.

Cross Said: ''Given the right amount of care, these beautiful wands will exist long after everything else around us has gone and disappeared, even ourselves! The wands were constructed from Paul's actual custom made box he escaped from on his TV Show - right after he'd been sitting in Harry Houdini's personally owned chair! I had the idea to make wands from the casket wood earlier this year, but didn't want to spoil the prop even more by cutting it up, however once I finally realised that it was too far beyond the point of saving the trick, I made the decision to cut it up and to make the wands and I'm SO pleased I did! I'm really happy with how they've turned out and I'm even happier that I've created such a unique item to be shared with fans of Paul around the globe! As a collector of magic, this will go in prime position in my favourite cabinet! With orders already placed from the US, Japan and Italy, it's exciting to think that my cherished product and Paul's eternal influence to the world of magic is being both spread and appreciated all around the World!''

All of these luxury timeless collectors pieces are protected in a presentation box and each individually numbered wand comes with a certificate of authenticity signed and guaranteed by Chris Cross.

Add a true slice of magical history to your cabinet of curiosities - this is a must have item for any Paul Daniels Admirer, Magic Fan or Collector, alike! They're £125 per wand and only 125 are available. ''Not a Lot'' I hear you say - And Once they've gone, they've gone. No more will ever be made again...

Buy yours NOW before it's too late!
Pre-orders: info@chris-cross.co.uk
Worldwide Shipping Available...

Twitter Mentions: @TheChrisCross / #TheChrisCross
Insta Tags: @ChrisCrossOfficial
FB Tags: @TheChrisCross

Chris Cross
The Great Magician of the North
www.chris-cross.co.uk / @TheChrisCross

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6. Optical Production - John Carey #93
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Message by John Carey (UK)
http://www.johncareymagic.co.uk/

Yes another Ace production! It's almost like a hobby creating and collecting them. This one uses Larry Jennings beautiful Optical Add On move from his book Classic Magic. Begin with the Aces on top of the deck and you are ready to work.

Execute an in the hands riffle shuffle retaining the Aces on top and then hand the deck to a spectator and walk and talk them through the spectator Ose false cut. Take back the deck and state that you will make a few random packets.

Hand to hand spread the face down deck and up-jog about ten cards in the middle of the deck. Close up the deck and then bring your palm-down right hand over it from above. Two things will happen simultaneously: The right fingers will engage the up-jogged packet at its left long edge as the right thumb contacts the top card of the deck- an Ace. Swivel out the upjogged packet as the right thumb secretly pushes the Ace forwards on top of this packet, secretly adding it to the top of the packet. Table this packet. These actions must be fluid and executed without hesitation. The back of the right hand gives you ample cover for the sleight.

Rinse and repeat the above actions three more times, forming four face down packets. Rhythm and timing are essential. Discard the remaining cards and then turn over the top card of each packet revealing the Aces.

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7. Ongoing Adventures Of Romany! #23
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Message by Romany (UK)

Hello from the Magic Cottage!

One thing that fascinates me is how once you express a wish, the Universe doesn't forget it even when you do. That's my experience. It's easy to think up something wonderful that you'd like to do or be or have. But then the reality of the hard work necessary to get or be it becomes clear and if you're like me, sometimes you're not sure you want to do it!

The strange thing is that it seems that even if you want to forget that wish because you're not prepared to do the work, the Universe or Co-incidence, whatever you want to call it, likes to give you little nudges and small whispers of second chances for you to decide again whether your wish is important to you.

That's happened for me this week. As you might know, in 2018 I was inspired to write my memoir. As I wrote it, I fervently wished that it would help and inspire people needing to hear its theme of hope, magic and persistence. I pictured it as a wonderful flower in a bright garden that would attract the insects who would enjoy its particular flavour of nectar and colour. I wrote it to give comfort and courage to young people struggling with the same issues I had. That was my big wish.

But you know, pre-Covid, life as a magician is busy and I didn't put as much time into promoting it as it needed.

This week, I got a reminder. A YouTube teacher I was watching, suggested that you write down on one side of the page what you would like in your life, then write what that really is on the other. If you still want your life to be what is written in the first column, you decide what steps you are going to take to make it happen.

I wrote that I'd like over one million readers to enjoy my book/audiobook. Of course in the next column I had to write that only nearly 2,000 people have read it. Not bad but not what I would really love. I also wrote in the first column that "I am a popular international speaker". Then in the next column, "I've done 2 talks".

Hmmmm. Reality check. I decided that since I have no gigs in the diary, I can put the same effort into marketing my book for the next six months as I did into writing it. I can set myself the challenge of a magic trick. This time, the trick will be to magically manifest one million readers in one year! Why one million? Because, if I do, it will truly be a magical miracle!

Challenge on!

I'm going to make a blog about the challenge and will give you the link next week to follow along with me if you'd like! Of course, if you have any helpful ideas about how on earth I'm going to do this, please chime in to romany@romanymagic.com.

Of course, magician marketing collaborators are VERY welcome. It's a great book for teens, young adults and book clubs as well as anyone that has lost their mojo and needs a reminder about what magic there is all about us.

I'm going for a walk now to chat to the sheep about my future TEDx talk.

Thank you as ever for your company!

With all magical best wishes

Romany

You can read more about Romany's magical adventures in her inspiring memoir Spun Into Gold - The Secret Life of a Female Magician, available worldwide and as an audiobook.
Book Depository Free Shipping bit.ly/2ONMFvB
Amazon UK bit.ly/2kqB4G6
Amazon USA amzn.to/2m3XT2J
Audible adbl.co/2qROlu5
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/romanydivaofmagic Please subscribe!

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8. Masters Of Illusion
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Message by Steve Moyer (US)

This week's episodes will include:

"Copycats, Magical Matrimony, and Moments in Time" - (8:00-8:30 p.m. ET)
(Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

Air cannon card trick - Hosted by Dean Cain, Masters of Illusion features amazing magic performed by cutting-edge illusionists, escape artists and performers displaying skills ranging from perplexing interactive mind magic to hilarious comedy routines - all in front of a studio audience. Magicians featured in this episode include: Kyle Marlett (Copycat Magic), Ed Alonzo (Sword Swallowing Colonoscopy), Matthew Laslo (Tee Shirt Canon), Angela Funovits (A Moment In Time) and Douglas "Lefty" Leferovich (Magical Courtship). (#712) Original Airdate 8/28/20.

To view performance highlights of the August 28th episode airing from 8:00 - 8:30 p.m., please visit: (Highlight Clip of Kyle Marlett) https://vimeo.com/430083250/af6e1250f4

Masters of Illusion

"All The King's Clubs, Motorcycles, and Let's Get Small" - (8:30-9:00 p.m. ET)
(Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

Magic fun for everyone - Hosted by Dean Cain, Masters of Illusion features amazing magic performed by cutting-edge illusionists, escape artists and performers displaying skills ranging from perplexing interactive mind magic to hilarious comedy routines - all in front of a studio audience. Magicians featured in this episode include: Michael Turco (Motorcycle Appearance), Kyle Marlett (Magic Gardening), Tommy Wind (Phone Smash), Hans Klok (Origami), Nick Lewin (Coin in Bottle), Alexandra Duvivier (Oil and Water Cards) and Ed Alonzo (Hot Dog Cart). (710) (Encore Presentation) (Original Airdate 7/17/20).

To view performance highlights of the August 28th Encore episode airing from 8:30 - 9:00 p.m., please visit: (Highlight Clip of Tommy Wind) https://vimeo.com/425956420/45b8b58b27

Masters of Illusion is produced by Associated Television International (ATI) with returning Executive Producers David McKenzie, Gay Blackstone, David Martin, and Al Schwartz, along with Co-Executive Producer Jim Romanovich. For more information about ATI, please visit www.associatedtelevision.com

For more information on Masters of Illusion, please visit:
Website: http://www.cwtv.com/shows/masters-of-illusion/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cwmastersofillusion and https://www.facebook.com/MastersofIllusion
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cw_illusion and https://twitter.com/Mastersofillus
.@cw_illusion
#MastersOfIllusion

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9. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
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Written by the late Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)

'Strange goings on'- in Wellington City!

I'm sure that I mentioned earlier that my diaries for the year's 1973/74 have vanished, probably somewhere in the unfathomable depths of my aluminium trunk. Most of my memories of various incidents during those two years are still with me, except finite details and actual dates.

At one point during 1973, we lived in Wanganui then for some reason decided to move to the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington. For the life me, I can't remember or understand why - 90 percent of the city/housing is built on hills and the place is renowned for the ultra-strong winds that blow there. The city is very exposed to the elements and the inhabitants are the butt of many a comedian's jokes - e.g. how everybody walks backwards, with a stoop - of 45 degrees etc. We found a nice little house to rent in a suburb called it Eastbourne, which is right across the harbour, directly opposite the City.

The front lounge room had a massive window, giving us a fabulous panoramic view out over the harbour. At night it was particularly beautiful - with the city lights across the harbour twinkling like stars in the distance. The little street/roadway outside the front door was only about ten-foot wide, with the sea just on the other side. A two ft. high stone wall, which ran the entire length of the street, was supposed to be a sea-break - protection from the huge waves that could develop from the massive storms that would whip up in the harbour.

Many a time during violent cyclonic storms (for which Wellington is infamous), with fierce winds howling like demented banshees, we watched in awe and with not a little apprehension, as the sea thundered and smashed into and over the 'minuscule' wall. Water and sea spray was flung 20 ft into the air, easily bridging the narrow street and crashing into the front of our house. It was a miracle that the windowpane didn't cave in! Sure was exciting - it was the only thing about Wellington that was exciting, as far as we were concerned.

It was only five years earlier, April 10th, 1968 (now 34 years ago) when Cyclone 'Giselle', the most ferocious storm in New Zealand's history, left a path of destruction throughout the North Island before it hit Wellington and sank the 9000 tonne inter - island car / passenger ferry, the 'Wahine' (At the time, the 'Wahine' was the largest and most modern car ferry in the world!), with the loss of 51 lives. Many of the survivors - and bodies, were washed up in the
boiling sea and surf all along Eastbourne beach, not far from where we lived. 'Wahine' is Maori for - 'Beautiful Woman'.

We gradually became aware of a strange smell that was emanating from somewhere in the lounge room but we couldn't pinpoint from where. Then one night whilst watching TV, we heard a scuffling noise and my first thought was, quite naturally, mice! By the time I got up and hit the mute button on the TV set (no remote controls are those days) the noise had stopped. This went on night after night, it was driving me crazy - I felt and probably looked like the demented 'Tom' - (for the 'uneducated', from the 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons) - looking for 'Jerry'! Meanwhile, the smell was becoming stronger and stronger and it had a decidedly fishy whiff to it, which was starting, to put it mildly, to stink to high heaven! Without doubt this was not, Jerry the mouse.

The scuffling, now accompanied by - Bizarre Strangling Noises, as well as the smell, intensified. Me being me, was beginning to think - poltergeists, ghosts and other -'not nice' entities. What the bloody hell was this? It is very difficult to pinpoint a smell or strange noises that seem to emanate from everywhere; to anybody looking on, I must've looked like a demented loony, as I continuously went around sniffing every inch of the room. One evening around a week later, both Veronica and I nearly jumped out of our skins as an unholy scream emanated from somewhere beneath our feet! We rolled up the carpet to reveal floorboards, which I promptly began to rip up, from the centre of the room.

Fish! The unbelievable stench of rotting fish that bellowed up caused our stomach's to turn somersaults. Retching like mad I grabbed a torch and shone it down into the hole. I couldn't to see a thing, except several pairs of yellow/red eyes that, reflected by the light, glared back at me. 'Ye God's', my overwrought imagination screamed, 'you've struck a nest of vampires'!

Bravely, I thrust my hand holding the torch further into the hole and then, involuntary muscles kicked in - violently throwing me backwards across the room as something big, black and snarling viciously, lunged towards me. Another 'unholy' smell filled the room as I damn near
filled my pants in fright! That was it. I threw floorboards haphazardly over the hole and slung the carpet over it as well -then took off out of that room like a rocket, slamming the door shut as I
went, and waited for daylight!

Next day we cautiously uncovered the hole and once again shone the torch down. With the help of daylight there it was, the cause of all our consternation - A Nest Of Baby Penguins! Not really surprising I suppose, the house was only a 'hop skip and a jump', from the sea. Scattered all over the place where the remains of fish; no wonder the place stank. With the floorboards and carpet covering them, the stench just seeped out from everywhere, making it impossible to pinpoint. The parents were obviously away, catching fresh fish for the young ones - thankfully, as when they are under threat they are, quite naturally, extremely vicious when protecting their babies, to which I can testify. I'm lucky that I didn't have my fingers bitten off!

Being animal-lovers, we were not about to disturb them so I nailed the floorboards back down, replaced the carpet and stocked up on several tins of air-freshener. A few days later the lady from whom we rented the house, informed us that she had sold the property and that we would need to move out. When we told her about the penguins nesting underneath the house she assured us that she would inform the new owners and that the penguins would be taken care of, so that was that.

All in all, we stayed in Wellington for just six weeks. To be perfectly honest, Wellington was just - not our kind of town! We headed back to Auckland City - promoter David McKee wanted us to work some hotels with the band he managed - Noazark, and he had a proposition - for a tour up north, with the hypnotism show.

Don't You Just Love It When A Non-Existent Plan Comes Together!

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10. 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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11. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
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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.magicnewzealand.com

Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday.

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