Magic New Zealand® E-zine

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* Magic New Zealand®
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Issue Number: #1706
Date: Sunday 12th March 2023
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. Siegfried & Roy's Former Home On The Market
3. Take A 3D Tour Of Siegfried & Roy's Former Home
4. Broken Wand - Dr. Edwin A. Dawes, 1925-2023
5. Estates Of Magic Catalog
6. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 21
7. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #98
8. Tales From The Fantastic Magic Center - #31
9. Redford Unplugged - John Carey #189
10. Masters Of Illusion
11. E-zine Archives
12. 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/2023-Jan-to-Dec-2023/1706-Mar05-2023.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. Siegfried & Roy's Former Home On The Market
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KWQC

Look: Former home belonging to magicians Siegfried & Roy on the market

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KVVU/Gray News) - If you're in the market for a home with plenty of history, look no further than one listed in Las Vegas.

The $3 million home at 1639 Valley Drive in Las Vegas once belonged to world-famous magicians Siegfried & Roy.

A Zillow listing for the property said the main house of the "Jungle Palace" was constructed in 1954 and features two bedrooms and four bathrooms.

However, the property includes four parcels total, including the main home and three guest houses.

The Siegfried & Roy home also includes three pools, a casita and a cabana, as well as numerous other amenities.

Appropriately, the property is home to a bird sanctuary and animal enclosures, according to the Zillow listing.

https://www.kwqc.com/2023/03/08/look-former-home-belonging-magicians-siegfried-roy-market/

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3. Take A 3D Tour Of Siegfried & Roy's Former Home
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Zillow

Take a 3D tour of Siegfried and & Roy's former home

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1639-Valley-Dr-Las-Vegas-NV-89108/2058910891_zpid/

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4. Broken Wand - Dr. Edwin A. Dawes, 1925-2023
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Message by Julie Eng - Magicana

A prince among men
We have lost one of the finest. On March 3, 2023, Dr. Edwin A. Dawes, with his two sons, Adrian and Michael, at his side, quietly slipped away at the age of 97, and was reunited with his beloved wife, Amy.

Dr. Dawes, born July 6, 1925, in Goole, Yorkshire- was a scholar, historian, writer, professor and educator; he was also a magician, magic collector, researcher, lecturer, and, indeed, a mentor to many. His commitment and passion to collating and sharing his discoveries was extraordinary.

Dr. Dawes was a biochemist by profession, magician and magic historian by avocation or, as the title of one of his lectures aptly describes, "A Professor in two Worlds." As a biochemist, he authored textbooks and was editor-in-chief of various European scientific journals. In 1963, he established the Biochemistry Department at the University of Hull where he led its research into bioplastics. He served as Hull University's Dean of Science and also as Pro-Vice-Chancellor. He was granted emeritus status in 1990, and awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science by the university in 1992.

As a magician, he was an internationally recognized authority on the history of magic. He was president of the Hull Magicians' Circle, Gold Medalist and Gold Star Member of the Inner Magic Circle and was the official historian of The Magic Circle. He was Honorary Life President of the Scottish Association of Magicians (SAMS) and The Scottish Conjurers' Association (SCA) and served, at various times, as editor of their respective magic magazines.

Dr. Dawes - Eddie - was also a great friend, generous with his knowledge and deeply supportive to all who sought his insight and assistance. A true inspiration to us all. After a lifetime devoted to learning and to sharing, may he now be at rest and at peace.

https://www.magicana.com/news/blog/dr-edwin-dawes-1925-2023

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5. Estates Of Magic Catalog
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Message by Steve Varro (US)

This month's Estates Of Magic catalog is filled with over 100 pages, of mostly new magic at wholesale prices.

Many of these items are out of production and unavailable from your local magic dealer.

Everything is from an estate of a collector of magic. It is truly the most incredible estate I have been asked to sell. Much of this estate was purchased from Penguin Magic, and you can see videos of these items online.

Go to estatesofmagic.com and click on the March Catalog button.

After looking at the March Catalog, you may also want to view the Collectibles catalog filled with coins, pins, programs, and posters.

Go back to estatesofmagic.com and click on the Magic Collectibles Catalog

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6. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 21
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Message by Wittus Witt (Germany)
What a week: First, I was invited by a major radio station to chat about "me" and my museum for about 45 minutes. I love radio because it has a very special kind of intimacy. Of course, I also did magic at the end. For many years, I was the only magician in Germany who regularly presented magic on the radio. This time I asked the listeners to put together three pieces of cutlery: knife, fork and spoon. After a few changes of place of the pieces, I was able to tell which piece was in which position for the finale. Karl Fulves sends his regards.
The day before, a TV programme that I had already recorded in November last year was supposed to be broadcast. For some reason, the programme was not broadcast. But curiously enough, it can be found in the media library and can be accessed there.
It is a programme somewhat similar in concept to the British series "Antiques Roadshow". Five dealers bid on objects that have been previously appraised by an expert. The objects come from "normal" people who have found these things somewhere or bought them at a flea market. In German, the show is called "Bares für Rares", which means "Cash for Trash".
I had applied last year and offered a very nice old game collection from around 1910 to go with it. But my ulterior motive was to mention my magic museum Bellachini. Twice lucky: the game box brought in 400 euros and I was able to draw attention to the museum in a wonderful way. Advertising is and remains important.
Even though the programme has not yet been broadcast publicly (the programme generally has up to 3 million viewers), it must have been viewed a few times in the media library, because on that day I had more than 200 hits on the museum's website.
If you want, you can watch the TV programme here. My part comes pretty much at the end, from about minute 35 and then the second part from minute 45.
https://bit.ly/3ymWvdD
Thank you for your interest.
Wittus Witt
www.hamburger-zaubermuseum.com
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7. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #98
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Message by Paul Stone (US)

The most recent addition to the mega production shows on the Strip here in Las Vegas is 'AWAKENING' at the Wynn Hotel & Casino. This show has replaced the long running and popular 'Le Reve' Show.

Although the new show occupies the same space as 'Le Reve', the showroom has been completely revamped, and it is a very impressive looking theatre in the round.

The show which has been in the making for over three years and delivered at a reported cost of $175 Million, features lighting effects and staging that are both 'state of the art' and visually stunning. Although it was massively hyped up, and expectancy was at a very high level, the show itself unfortunately does not live up to the billing.

In Ian Keable's latest newsletter, he mentions that although I rarely criticise anybody in my Magic New Zealand articles, I did so a couple of weeks ago about the Blackpool Magic Convention, and it was the second time I had done so recently. I always try to be honest, and I stress that these are purely my opinions, but they are based on experience gained from nearly 50 years as a Show Producer. I'm referencing this because once again I have to be less than positive when reporting on 'AWAKENING'.

I was happy to accept an invitation to one of the preview shows in the weeks leading up to its official opening night. And whilst one would not expect the show to be 100% ready, and still require a certain amount of tweaking, it did surprise me that the production appeared to lack focus and a clear direction, and had a story line that was frankly difficult to follow.

Undoubtedly a huge amount of money has been spent on this production, not least I suspect on a long rambling commentary throughout the show from Sir Anthony Hopkins, who one can only assume wasn't too bothered about the script, but was very well compensated for his efforts!
Now sometimes I think that having been in the business for so long that I am a little jaded to say the least, and as a result I over critique, so I was very interested when a couple of friends, lay people, visited Las Vegas last week and had booked to see 'AWAKENING'. I didn't say anything to them before the show as I was very keen to hear their thoughts.

One of my friends actually read the program notes before the show began to fully appreciate the story line, and still left the show without being any the wiser! They were both extremely disappointed with the show, the story line, the illusions, and the main characters, who they felt were devoid of any presence. Their other comment was that the show lacked emotion, and had no connection with the audience.

Where have you heard that before? Well, if you are a regular reader of my articles, you'll remember my mentioning this very thing when I reviewed Hyunjoon Kim's act in Blackpool. That connection with an audience is so vitally important, and can make or break a show.
The illusions were all designed by Paul Kieve, for whom I have tremendous respect, and who had been working on this production for many months. For whatever reason, the illusions were not especially impressive, possibly due to the way the various production scenes have been staged, which would have been out of Paul's control of course, and down to the show's producers, Michael Curry and Bernie Yuman.

Unsurprisingly the show has received mixed reviews and has been playing to half full houses, which makes it a little difficult to understand why they are performing two shows a night.
The latest initiative that the Wynn Hotel & Casino has launched is to offer a payment plan system for show tickets, so that you can spread payment out over several months. I'm not sure if this is borne out of desperation, but a few other shows on the Strip are apparently also going to try this out. Time alone will tell if it's successful or not.

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8. Tales From The Fantastic Magic Center - #31
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Message by Kent Cummins, Director (US)

Hocus pocus Hyundai

Making a brand-new, full-sized automobile appear on an empty stage: THAT is what I call an ILLUSION! And my friend Peter Hinrichs, better known as "Peter the Adequate" had just acquired the necessary secret stuff to make it happen. (Peter had produced a car full of Magic Camp counselors at the Texas Association of Magicians convention when he was the TAOM President.)

I was looking for a marketing "hook" for a fundraising show, and got the idea to produce a show called, "Hocus Pocus Hyundai". I talked to the Manager of the Austin Hyundai dealership, and he loved the idea and agreed to provide the car. We shook hands, and I put my marketing machine in motion.

A logo was designed, flyers were printed, and ads were placed in local media. Peter agreed to provide the technical side of producing the car, and the project was underway. We were excited!
We were also busy, and I hadn't talked to the manager in a while. I went to the Hyundai dealership, and to my chagrin, discovered that it was under new management…and that the new manager had no interest whatsoever in our magical promotion. He refused to provide a car.
What were we to do? The auditorium had been rented. Advertising had gone out. Tickets had been sold.

The day of the show came, and the magic show began. When it was time for the Grand Finale, a wooden crate was brought onto the stage and shown empty. The spotlight focused on the box. Fanfare began and the magician opened the box…producing a beautiful woman, holding a Hyundai computer in her arms.

The advertising didn't say it would be an automobile…just that we would magically produce a Hyundai!

The Fantastic Magic Center is dedicated to preserving and sharing the art of magic. Check out my free weekly podcast at:

www.FantasticMagicCenter.com
kent@magichotline.com

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9. Redford Unplugged - John Carey #189
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Message by John Carey (UK)
http://www.johncareymagic.co.uk/

In Patrick Redford's ebook Cardboard Notes is a very devious effect called Ternion unplugged. I loved the premise but wanted to be able to use a regular deck and also not rely on my hearing too!

Position three force cards on top of the deck. Let's say for the purposes of this description they are from the top down the 2C, 5H and the 8 of Spades. Execute a jog shuffle centralizing the force cards. Get a break beneath the in-jogged card and then execute a dribble force to your break. The left hand thumbs off three cards, one to each of three spectators from left to right. The deck is assembled and tabled. "I'm going to turn away now so we can try an experiment under test conditions."

With your back turned ask your three helpers to each turn their cards face-up on the table. Ask that the person with the highest card remembers this card and pockets it. Mention that the other two people don't have to remember cards but they will have an important role to play. Ask the
person with the next highest card to gather up all the cards and shuffle the deck. Then ask them to hand the deck to the remaining person and request that this person places the deck away in the card box. You have your hands over your ears during the above.

Turn back around and face your audience as you recap what has happened. "So one of you shuffled the cards, another placed them back in the box and one of you is thinking of a card." Now it's a simple matter to do a three step divination, correctly divining who shuffled, who put the cards away and climaxing with a mental divination of the selection.

Notes:

Another nice force I also like to use is to have the free force cards on the bottom of the deck. Riffle shuffle retaining them there and then form three tabled packets as you execute a slip/milk shuffle, asking each person to say stop. You turn around and ask them to turn their packets face-up. Continue as above and bring the trick home as before.

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

Masters of Illusion returns for week five of ninth anniversary season on the CW Network hosted by Dean Cain, Masters of Illusion continues Saturday, March 11th with two 30-minute episodes
airing back to back, starting at 8/7C

8:00 - 8:30 p.m. (Original Episode) "Mind Tricks, Time Travel, and Sharp Things"
Starring Dan Sperry, Deadly Games, Ben Barnes,
Smoothini, Rob Lake, Joshua Jay and Wayne Hoffman
8:30 - 9:00 p.m. (Encore Episode): "Deception, Heights, and One Crossbow"
Starring Ed Alonzo, Xavier Mortimer, Eric Buss, Farrell Dillon,
Alexandra Duvivier and Deadly Games

(Hollywood, CA - March 4, 2023) - Masters of Illusion, produced by Associated Television International and hosted by Dean Cain, returns for Week Five of its Ninth Anniversary Season on The CW Network with back-to-back episodes airing on Saturday, March 11, 2023 8/7 Central. To view a Sizzle Reel of Season Nine of Masters of Illusion on The CW, please visit: https://vimeo.com/792034027/cf820000a4

Hosted by Dean Cain, Masters of Illusion features amazing magic performed by 40 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. Season Nine consists of 18 new episodes.

Original Episode
Masters Of Illusion - (8:00-8:30 p.m. ET)
"Mind Tricks, Time Travel, and Sharp Things" (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)
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: Dan Sperry with Dean Cain, Deadly Games (The Point of a Blade), Ben Barnes (Mystical Virtuosos), Smoothini (Roping You In), Rob Lake (Remote Magic), Joshua Jay (In The Nick of Time) and Wayne Hoffman (Training the Mind). (905) Original airdate 3/11/2023.

To view performance highlights of the March 11th original episode airing from 8:00 - 8:30 p.m., please visit: (Highlight Clip of Magician Dan Sperry with Dean Cain) https://vimeo.com/792297691/4773d8f0b3 (Compilation Clip of all the magicians in this episode) https://vimeo.com/792297596/4a9a7b2ca1

Encore Episode:
Masters Of Illusion - (8:30-9:00 p.m. ET)
"Deception, Heights, and One Crossbow" (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)
Smoke And Mirrors - 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: Ed Alonzo with Dean Cain, Xavier Mortimer (Magic to the Heights), Eric Buss (Reimagining Smoke and Mirrors), Farrell Dillon (The Color of Magic), Alexandra Duvivier (Deception) and Deadly Games (Alfredo Silva and Aleksandra Alex) (The Point of Crossbow). Encore Presentation (901) Original airdate 2/11/2023.

To view performance highlights of the March 11th encore episode airing from 8:30 - 9:00 p.m., please visit: (Highlight Clip of Magician Ed Alonzo and Dean Cain) https://vimeo.com/792055413/fab5aa0303 and (Compilation Clip of all the magicians in this episode) https://vimeo.com/792055352/14612ced34

Masters of Illusion is produced by Associated Television International (ATI) with returning Executive Producers David McKenzie, Gay Blackstone and David Martin. ATI is an Emmy Award-winning company that has been the world's largest producer of magic for both stage and screen for over three decades. ATI's television series, specials and feature films have aired on all U.S. broadcast networks, major cable channels and with television partners all over the world. Current projects include: "World Funniest Animals," "The Hollywood Christmas Parade," "Masters of Illusion" and the Emmy Award-nominated "Laura McKenzie's Traveler." ATI has also been Emmy Award-nominated for its various television specials and series. For more information, 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

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11. 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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12. 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.

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

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