* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #234 Date: Thursday 29th January 2004 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com www.alan-watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================   1. Editor’s Message   2. Hostile Takeover Of The Magic Castle Now In Progress   3. "Close-Up Gala "Set For St. Louis Convention   4. Nick Lewin's New One-Man Show At Harrah's Laughlin   5. Creative Magic Lecture/Teach-In   6. Japan Cup 2004   7. Garrett Thomas Lecture   8. I'm Giving It Away For Free   9. Blind Magician Shares His Most Powerful Secrets   10. 29th Australian Convention Of Magicians Update   11. The Wonderful World Of Travel   12. e-zine Archives   13. Subscription Management ------------------ 1. Editor's Message ------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One Due to the Paul Daniels MasterClass this coming Sunday the Magic New Zealand e-zine is being published early this week. The Paul Daniels MasterClass and Show is a total SELL OUT in Auckland New Zealand. Will report more detail about these two events in next weeks e-zine. ---------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ----------------- 2. Hostile Takeover Of The Magic Castle Now In Progress ----------------- Published with the permission of Milt Larsen Update From Dale Hindman - January 27, 2003 This is a brief update for the membership of the Academy, although I do not have any concrete information to pass along, yet. A second meeting was held with Castle Partners, LLC on Thursday, January 22, 2004. Present from Castle Partners, LLC were Diana Zimmerman, Peter Reveen, Bob Rossi, Will Rose, Tom Glover and Andy Ullola. Lew Horwitz and I attended along with Milt and Arlene Larsen. Although we have asked several times for a complete list of all of the members of Castle Partners, LLC, we were told on Thursday that all of the persons in the room were members of the LLC but there were others who “might” be part of Castle Partners, but who didn’t want their names disclosed until the outcome of our negotiations was known. We assume from this either that there are either unnamed “silent” members in the wings or there are others sitting on the fence who have not decided yet whether to be part of this group. This is all the information we have at present on who the members of Castle Partners, LLC are. After the meeting on Thursday, Milt, Lew and I still do not have sufficient specific information as to precisely what Castle Partners, LLC intends to propose, to begin a meaningful evaluation. Further exchanges of information are expected in the next ten days, followed by another meeting that is not yet scheduled but will probably be during the second week of February. It is our hope that we will have a better understanding of the situation at that time and more specific information as to Castle Partners’ intentions so that we can make a realistic assessment of the situation. In the meantime, Milt, Lew and I are continuing to follow the comments and suggestions of the members on the Forums, and are actively exploring all possible options, including those discussed by the Academy’s members on the Forums. A NOTE FROM MILT At the time I wrote my column for the December newsletter everything I said about our lease negotiations was true based on the facts at the time. As you have read in Dale's message to the membership, a number of new ingredients have been thrown into the pot. As I have stated many times I have had a wonderful working relationship with the Glover family (our landlords), They respect me and I respect them. For forty-one years I have paid the rent on time and turned an old house and parking garage into a major destination for magicians throughout the world. Now they have expressed concerns about the future operations of the club. I felt we were getting along very well in our negotiations until we were notified, on January 8, 2004, that the landlord had made a new partnership agreement with a group of business orientated magicians. Under the arrangement the entire food, beverage and entertainment operations would be turned over to this new group. They, in effect, would own the building, run the operation and the AMA would have space for club activities. Their announced goal is to increase the quality of the food, beverage and entertainment functions. Sadly, in my opinion, we would lose the funky old club, nutty but very loyal employees, always complaining magicians and the old world charm that we have today. It is much more than a physical building, the Castle is a magical place of which I am very proud, As much as I love this wonderful old house we may have to face the fact that the commercial value of the property may have made it impractical for a club like ours to exist in our present location. I have been looking at other potential locations, all in Hollywood and all fascinating properties. I hope our meetings will result in keeping the Castle as we know it today but, while I remain the world's greatest optimist, I must now put many Castle projects on hold and investigate the alternatives. We won't know anything concrete for at least several weeks, and when we do know what is going to happen, appropriate announcements will be made. Thanks for a great forty-one years and here's to a great future. (As we go to press we are waiting to hear from the new Castle Partners LLC just exactly what they have in mind with regard to the future operations of the club. After hearing their proposals we will weigh the options and make decisions. Ultimately I would assume the final decision for the AMA would be up to a vote of all members. Please continue the support the club in every way while these decisions are being made. We had a great December and January hit a new high. Thanks for the tremendous outpouring of personal support and your faith in my judgement. Milt ----------------- 3. "Close-Up Gala "Set For St. Louis Convention ----------------- Message from George Schindler - Society of American Magicians - Public Relations Society of American Magicians Convention Show Producer RG Smith announced the Close-up Gala line up for the S.A.M. Convention at the Adams Mark Hotel in St, Louis July 7-8-9-10. Six great performers have been booked so far. Steve Bargatze, Tom Burgoon, Dan Fleshman, Charles Gauci, John Mendoza and Jim Pace. Many of these performers will also be doing their lectures. Tom Burgoon and Steve Bargatze will emcee two the evening Gala shows as well. Check the S.A.M. website for updates at www.magicsam.com. ----------------- 4. Nick Lewin's New One-Man Show At Harrah's Laughlin ----------------- Message from Susan Lewin (US) Nick Lewin's new one-man show at HARRAH'S LAUGHLIN, a one and a half hour drive from Las Vegas. Nick is performing one show Tuesday through Saturday at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $6.95 plus tax and are available at the box office. The show runs 65 minutes and is full on non stop comedy and magic. ----------------- 5. Creative Magic Lecture/Teach-In ----------------- Message from Tony Griffith (UK) Tony Griffith will be holding a third Creative Magic Leacture/Teach-In at his home in Bristol (UK) on Sunday 23rd May 2004. For a review of a previous such day, log on to www.magicweek.co.uk and then on to Reviews. Tony Griffith has considerable experience in the world of magic, having presented his commercial magic at a variety of engagements both in the UK and overseas. He has given 108 performances at The Magic Castle, Hollywood, and is a Member of The Inner Magic Circle. The material presented in this lecture/teach-in places emphasis upon subtlety, routining and entertainment. Areas covered include Close Up Magic, After Dinner Speaking, Trade Shows, Promotion, Publicity and Organisation. Seating is strictly limited to 10 persons to ensure good rapport. For those travelling a distance there is an excellent Travel Inn nearby Cost is £40 (£30 if booked before 31st March). Included is morning coffee, buffet lunch and light tea. The day is already half booked, so early registration is suggested Tony Griffith www.tonygriffith.co.uk tony@tonygriffith.co.uk ----------------- 6. Japan Cup 2004 ----------------- Message from Tashiro Shigeru (Japan) March 27 (Sat) & 28 (Sun) Ikebukuro, Tokyo, JAPAN We are very glad to inform you of our 3rd international convention, Japan Cup 2004. The first winner was Maeda Tomohiro, and the second winner was Shimad Haruo. Who is the next winner? Schedule March 27 (Sat) 13:00-15:00 Stars of Tomorrow (Young magicians stage show) 15:00-16:00 Dealers' Show 17:00-20:30 Stage Gala Show 20:30- Let's go for a drink!!! March 28 (Sun) 9:30-11:00 Lecture (stage) 11:30-13:00 Lecture (Salon) 14:00-16:00 Close up Gala 16:30-18:00 Tea party with guest performers 18:30-20:00 Lecture (Close-up) The main guests are Shimada Haruo, Fukai Hiromasa, and Troy Hooser (from USA) as well as many Asian magicians. Fee 15,000JAY (Stage Gala Show ONLY tickets are available for 2,000JPY.) Special Lecture We can offer a special lecture by Shimada Haruo. You can learn the top secrets for dove production by SHIMADA. (Private lesson, additional charge) Dealers We welcome dealers. Sightseeing and hotels We can offer sightseeing and hotels. Please feel free to make contact with me. The president for JCMA(Japan Close up Magicians Association) Tashiro Shigeru http://www.japancup.net/ ----------------- 7. Garrett Thomas Lecture ----------------- Message from Maria Ibanez - S.A.M. Regional Vice President, SA States Greetings everyone: Mike Shelley, President S.A.M. 76 has asked me to send this meeting notice out to everyone. There are two great lectures scheduled for that evening and it should prove to be a fantastic evening. ---------------- Wednesday February 4th 7:00 PM Miami Shores Country Club 10000 Biscayne Blvd. Miami Shores Free to members $10 to non-members Garrett Thomas Garrett Thomas is the one of the new faces of close-up magic. Garrett is a real world magician performing in restaurants and clubs all over Western New York, including the Forks Hotel world famed magic bar and restaurant. He is a regular at the elite 4F magic convention in Buffalo. Garrett has performed and lectured at clubs and conventions (LVMI, Tannens, COINvention) all over the Northeast and is now for the first time coming to your area. He brings back magic in its purest form, his effects are simple clean well thought out pieces of magical art and Garrett teaches the how and the why of each effect. His recent video Any Questions? was a huge seller due to the great selection of effects. Coins appear and melt away and jump from one hand to the other in the purest three fly effect that words can't explain. A shuffled is deck dealt out randomly you find selected card then instantly show the whole deck is now in sequential order. The tools you learn can be applied to many of your favorite routines. Garrett restores a whole new life to some of the moves and gimmicks you already use or may have in you magic drawer at home. The Ring Thing - A unique visual effect wherein a removed finger ring VISIBLY jumps back onto the finger! Soft Salt - At the table side, salt magically transforms into a white silk, followed by one of the most magical endings you've ever seen (we won't tell you what's coming!) One of the BEST table hopping effects ever! Threasy - An ultra-clean, empty-handed production and vanish of three coins. The perfect lead-in to: Gt 3-Fly - One of the most deceptive handlings of the classic "Three-Fly" effect. This one ends completely clean! Knucklebuster - A chosen finger is VISIBLY removed and restored! "Switchless" Ptc - A "test conditions" versions of the classic cigarette thru coin, featuring an incredibly deceptive technique that has applications in many coin effects. This one WILL fool you! Match-Back - A highly practical "anywhere, anytime" effect. Matches magically return to their original state! Blind 'Em & Find 'Em - A show stopper! While blindfolded, the performer finds Literally Every Card In The Deck! An efficient demonstration of ultimate skill. Big Coin Little Purse - Garrett's Signature piece. This one has killed 'em all in competitions across the country. Some of the most VISUAL magic you will ever see! Prepare yourself to be thoroughly amazed. Bonus Material - Inside info on the Flipper Coin and the GT Web-Grip, as well as perhaps the most important information: Garrett's Theory and Philosophy on presenting "real" magic ----------------------------------- Tom Jones And Rachael Wild Two of the nicest and most knowledgeable people on the lecture circuit today will share their trade show, children's, stage and platform magic secrets with you. Learn the presentation from professionals! Most of the tricks presented are original items that they have invented. Many of their effects are totally self working and you will be able to perform them with ease. In addition to their lecture they will offer a wide range of tricks for sale. ----------------- 8. I'm Giving It Away For Free ----------------- Message from Jamie-G (Canada) I have a offer but for fellow magicians I have came up with a new close up effect called "THE CARD MELT" it is my new instalments of magic here it is: you get a spectator to take a card from the deck and lets say its the five of diamonds they put the card back in the deck. The magician tells the spectator he has the match to that card but it’s in ruff shape because it been folded up in your pocket all day. You reach into your pocket to show the card and sure enough it’s the five of diamonds now you could stop here but this is a JAMIE-G effect you show that the card has been ripped in three pieces. Not to worry the magician puts all three pieces together and in a blink of an eye the five of diamonds is back together. This is pretty well a self working trick put will need some practice and great close up effect that can fit into any act and the best part is you can use the gimmick over and over and over and over well you see what I'm getting at. How much you ask how about $30.00 U.S. or how about $25.00 U.S. how about the price of a packet trick $15.00 U.S. NO..NO..NO..NO..HOW ABOUT FREE THATS RIGHT FREE this is my effect and I'm given it away for free all you have to do is send me your mailing address 3-4 dollars depending were you live for postage fees and Ill send you out this great magic effect send your info to: JAMIE-G 1607 Marentette Ave. Windsor,Ontario,Canada N8X 4E5 ----------------- 9. Blind Magician Shares His Most Powerful Secrets ----------------- Message from Bob Klamm - klamm@klamm-magic.com KLAMM MAGIC LLC announces release of a new book written by its founder, R. W. (Bob) Klamm. FLY LIKE A BUMBLEBEE, A Blind Magician Shares His Most Powerful Secrets, is not written expressly for magicians; but will have considerable interest to many in the magic community. Klamm uses magic to keep flying through his confusing shadow-world of near blindness. He says, "No one knew I could hardly see until I was eight years old, not even me! Then my second grade teacher caught me cheating on flash cards. Even eyeglasses, with lenses thick as Coke bottle bottoms, still left me legally blind. "Friends ran off and I could not see to follow. My father was chronically angry, Mother turned out not to be the saint I imagined. Only magic and an enduring optimism saved me from a desperately twisted sense of identity and suicide." Continuing with humor and optimism, R. W. (Bob) Klamm reveals the secrets of the magic arts that helped him separate fact from fiction. He includes many delightful stories of his experience as a blind man performing magic, attending college, teaching high school, working in radio/TV. Mr. Klamm graduated BS Speech, Northwestern University; MA Secondary Ed, University of Missouri at KC; nationally recognized radio/TV writer; 20 years master teacher in KC, Missouri schools, supervising over 40 student-produced Broadway plays. He taught himself magic at 13, and is now world-famous for his magic books and inventions. Available at MOST book stores for $11.95, or order an autographed copy direct from us at klamm-magic.com ----------------- 10. 29th Australian Convention Of Magicians Update ----------------- Message from Tim Ellis (Aust) Apologies for the Convention website being down over the long weekend, I'm updating the entire MagicUnlimited website and it's taking a little longer than I'd expected. The Convention pages are back up, with a little added luster, as is the Melbourne Magic Nights page. Hopefully the Magic Unlimited site will return by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest! (If you get a chance to look at it, have a pad and paper in hand and report back to me on any broken links, missing pictures or faulty pages.. I'm sure there'll be quite a few! It's my first try with Microsoft's 'FrontPage') Anyway, the latest Convention news: 1 - Charles Gauci has just been announced on the line up for the SAM Convention's Cala Close-up show. This will be held in St Louis, USA July 7-10 BUT you can see him in action as he lectures at the Melbourne Convention in June! 2 - For those thinking of booking accommodation for the convention we recommend you do it ASAP! We have the ENTIRE Jika International Hotel (50 rooms, that's enough space for about 150 people) but 25 rooms have already been booked! The Alphingtown Townhouses across the street are also filling up quickly! 3 - Check the convention page http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/katzkin/ConventionMain.htm for the latest news on bonus events being added in the lead up to THE BIG ONE! The countdown has begun and we have added a special film event from Felicity Rogers (creator of the convention's Handbird logo), the hit of the Edinburgh Festival and star of 'Sucker' and 'Sceptic' Lawrence Leung will be performing, Glenn Keeley has just signed on as a dealer, and we have a special book signing AND a MagicSports special event in the works too! How will we fit all of this (and more!!!) into one weekend??? You'll just have to be there to find out! TIM ELLIS Convention Co-ordinator PS: We're still getting calls from people who DON'T have registration forms yet. If you know of ANYONE who might need one, please call or email us and we'll send some straight out to them. ----------------- 11. The Wonderful World Of Travel ----------------- Message from Paul Romhany (NZ) This past month I've been traveling back and forth from Vancouver, Canada to New Zealand and Australia working on the STAR Princess .. what a trip!! It's about 25 hours traveling time each way. I fly down and am on the ship for 4 days then fly back. Last week by the time I got to Hobart in Tasmania (after 5 changes of plane) I discovered my luggage was lost?! To cap it off, I performed that night. Fortunately I left most of my show on the ship. I arrived home yesterday only to find out that the luggage I lost going down was now lost coming back?!!! It just arrived tonight. Part of the joys of traveling today. I worked with some great acts, some will be known to magicians around the world. In particular I worked with the Irish Comic Legend Pat Mooney .. what a funny act. Pat is about to work on the new Queen Mary II. Natalie and I are heading down to Singapore and will take the ship from there to Rhodes in March. ------------------ 11. Magic New Zealand e-zine Archives ------------------ Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: magic Password: kiwi When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999) ------------------- 12. Subscription Management ------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand e-zine: www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html Magic New Zealand e-zine is published weekly, on Sunday. The opinions expressed in this e-zine are those of the individual contributors and not those of Magic New Zealand. Neither Magic New Zealand or Alan Watson can 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 that they will not hold Magic New Zealand and or Alan Watson liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed herein. We reserve the right to edit, correct or, in our discretion, choose not to publish any submissions provided to Magic New Zealand for potential publication. Magic New Zealand welcomes readers to submit timely articles or news items which appear to be of interest to our readers. Those submitting to this e-zine agree that we have permission to publish their submissions and that they have the full copyright to the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand are fully protected by international copyright as provided by law, and articles cannot be published for profit by anyone other than the individual author without the written permission of Magic New Zealand. >>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 2004 Alan Watson