* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #488 Date: Sunday 1st April 2007 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. Buyer Beware - I Have Been RIPPED OFF 3. Jay Marshall Collection Auction 4. Broken Wand - June Merlin 5. Meetings With Remarkable Magicians #54 - Nick Lewin 6. Children's Magic: Taming the "Creepers" - Kyle Peron 7. More Magic Exposure Apparently Coming Our Way 8. Canada, Mind Freak & More 9. Magic On The Beach Is Back 10. An Evening Of Intimate  Magic With Eric DeCamps 11. Magic Blooper Contest Gives The Lecture Network 12. Bedford Convention - UK 13. IBM Ring 254 - Martin Lewis Lecture - April 10th 14. Texas Association Of Magicians Convention 15. 13th annual Magic Auction - Eaton, Ohio 16. Richard Webster's Prolific Career 17. Torkova's Coin Ladder For Sale 18. To All Those Cups & Balls Workers 19. The Amazing Orchante Saga 20. e-zine Archives 21. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- I had a very concerned message from Keith Garrett regarding non-delivery of goods purchased from Mr. Darin Carolus of Reno, Nevada, U.S.A. I subsequently wrote to Mr. Carolus asking him to let me know his side of the story and even made the suggestion that if circumstances had changed, that he offer Keith Garrett a refund to bring about a resolution for both parties. The only message I have received to date from Mr. Carolus:  "This is not news worthy." Well Mr. Carolus I disagree. Mr. Carolus is a recent subscriber to Magic New Zealand and we welcome his right of reply which will be published in next week's ezine. Mr. Carolus: Keith Garrett has asked how were the items sent? Freight tracking numbers and fax a copy documentation as proof showing full details of the illusions being sent. Have any of our readers had dealings and unfulfillment of delivery after payment with Mr. Darin Carolus? We would like to hear from you. Refer item 2 for one of Keiths Garrett's messages. ----------------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. Buyer Beware - I Have Been RIPPED OFF -------------------------------------------- Message from Keith Garrett (NZ) I have been RIPPED OFF. I paid U.S. $1225.00 for magic illusions from Darin Carolus (magician) of Reno, Nevada, U.S.A in October 2006. At the time he was very sincere and gave me phone number and bank details and said he would send me shipping details. I paid the money and waited, and waited and nothing happened!! No shipping details were sent only that they were arriving on the 28th December 2006. I have sent e-mails and phoned dozens of times since then. I was able to make contact at end of January and he said he would look into it and send an email in the next few days. (Again nothing happened) It is now 1st April and have made contact with him only once after Alan Watson wrote to him, then he made promises but still hasn't emailed with any details yet, still nothing ... It's very unprofessional, It should be his top priority after paying him over 5 months ago. If anyone knows him or dealt with him, please HELP me. Keith Garrett K. G. Magic -------------------------------------------- 3. Jay Marshall Collection Auction -------------------------------------------- Message from Gabe Fajuri Squash Publishing A downloadable version of the Jay Marshall Collection auction catalog is now available at www.squaspublications.com/PD210.html. The auction will be conducted in conjunction with the 38th annual Magic Collectors' weekend in Schaumburg, Illinois, on May 5th, 2007. More information about the event - at which space is very limited, and going quickly - is available at www.squashpublications.com/MCA2007.html. -------------------------------------------- 4. Broken Wand - June Merlin -------------------------------------------- Message from - Nick Lewin (US) The recent death of June Merlin was sad news. I posted a short clip of June performing her cabaret act in London in the 50s. The footage came from a Pathe Pictorial news film that aired in British cinemas. I also posted several other clips of interest to magicians including Billy telling a great story about the vanishing birdcage. Access the footage at my YouTube site http://www.youtube.com/nicklewin1 ----------------------------- Message from Terry Seabrooke Just heard that Billy McComb's wife, June died in Spain on Saturday. She worked as June Merlin the bewitching witch for many years. ------------------------------- Whaley's Who's Who in Magic Merlin, June (Belfast, Northern Ireland: 26 Jun 1919-    ) Stage name of June Elizabeth Cochrane, a former Miss Northern Ireland who married Billy McComb in 1949, winning the British Ring Shield with him that year. Learned assisting him plus coaching from Al Koran & Bob Harbin. Pro stage magic since 1949. In British film The Intimate Stranger (1956; in USA as Fingers of Guilt) did her act plus extra bits. Separated from husband in 1967 & now retired in southern Spain. (Mar) -------------------------------------------- 5. Meetings With Remarkable Magicians # 54 - Nick Lewin -------------------------------------------- Message from - Nick Lewin (US) Remarkable Magicians and Remarkable Magic. Copperfield's perspective. Every civilian eventually asks a magician what he thinks about David Copperfield. Somewhere down the line they throw in the question, "How did he manage to vanish the Statue of Liberty?" Then they wait for an answer. Yeh, right! When they don't get a response they begin to quiz you on which of his tricks you like the best. They always go through the list of "big" tricks; the Lear Jet, walking through the great wall of China etc. etc. Eventually they ask you how he stayed inside that block of ice for so long! I always ask them which one they liked the best and when they respond I smile excitedly and say, "Me too!" Well they are civilians after all and it wouldn't mean much to them if I said, "I really liked the time he did ring flight and pretended to borrow the gaffed key case! Truly that was a remarkable moment for me and when I first realized, "Whoa! This guy is big time." I thought it was a piece of television magic that was nothing short of brilliant in its simplicity and effectiveness. I can't really make it sound much more complicated than it was. He went into the audience and asked to borrow a key case that he put in his back pocket. He then went to another spectator and borrowed a ring. Next before you could say 'Wam-bam-thank-you-mam!" the ring vanished and was hanging on the key chain when he removed it from his back pocket. He returned the key case and the ring to the people he borrowed them from. That was it: end of story! It showed an understanding of the medium that really impressed me. Not just the bold and sneaky approach he used in achieving his goal but the understanding of television's strengths and weakness that lay behind it. To me much of the television magic that has been seen recently with Blaine and Angel have their roots in David's breakthrough thinking. I have always been a little dubious of the frequently quoted statement by Ted Anneman that it is quite acceptable to use an entire room full of confederates to fool one person. I mean, I agree in theory, but it just seems a little lacking in the time and energy department. To use one stooge to fool millions of viewers now that really gets my attention. I enjoyed the way these kind of moments added to the texture and dynamics of Copperfield's specials. David seemed to understand how to use the camera as a magnifying glass to achieve a specific goal. If a camera zooms in on a ring then its image fills the entire screen and appears to be enormous. In fact a ring can appear as big as the Statue of Liberty on TV and still not seem unnatural. When the home audience view that Lear Jet on their TV set they understand that it is being reduced to home viewing size. However they don't fully grasp the possibilities that the digitalization of the jet allow the performer to employ. In fact they usually fail to understand how fully the work of a magician can be assisted by the simple fact that if the "medium is the message" then television is magic. It isn't the same thing sitting in a movie theatre because once again your perspective has changed. Theatre is Life, Movies are Art and Television is furniture! You feel very comfortable and unsuspecting when you are watching a trick on a box that lives in your living room with you! So I just clam up when a civilian asks me which of David's big tricks I like best. However since this is written for magicians I will be honest. It was when he borrowed the gaffed key case and did Ring Flight. That was when something really clicked in my mind. As always send any bricks or bouquets to nicklewin@earthlink.net and check out my website at http://www.NickLewin.com -------------------------------------------- 6. Children's Magic: Taming the "Creepers" - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message from By Kyle Peron (US) E-Mail: Magic4u02@aol.com So what does taming the creepers mean and just what am I talking about? I wanted to take time in this article to talk about an aspect of children's magic that probably affects every children's performer but is not about the magic itself or about the effects that we do. This is a situation where as you perform your show, at some point you look out and realize your audience is gone. Well they are not really gone, just gone from your eyesight. The reason being is that through out your show the kids have been "creeping" up on you and now they are pretty much around your ankles. Many of you know exactly what I mean. Now the above situation may be an extreme one but I think it is safe to say that every children's performer faces this issue of maintaining your stage and working area for performance during the show itself. So this article is going to talk about this issue of how can you control the creepers and how can you go about it in a way that works for you but does not send the wrong messages to the children or the parents. I think the first thing I would like to state is that kids creeping up on you through out the performance should not always be seen as the children misbehaving. It does not always need to be perceived immediately by you that the kids are being bad on purpose. I often find the kids creep because of their interest in the show and what they are seeing. Let me explain. Kids live in a world of magic every single day. When they turn a switch, light appears. When they touch a button sound comes out of this box. In many ways young children do not see this as technology; they see it as magic in a way. To them a lot of what they visually experience is magic in of itself.  So when they see things happen like this, they are curious about it. The same can be said about kids at a magic show. The curiosity and interest of the magic they are seeing interests them and because of this, they may get excited and want to get a closer look. Now I am not going to say that every kid out there is creeping up on you just out of curiosity alone. We all know some kids will creep just because they may want to put you to a test of how much they can get away with. This does happen. However, my point is to not always foresee it in your mind immediately as a bad thing. Do not let the creeping first get in your mind so much that it causes you to give or send out a very negative vibe to the audience. Maintain your cool and realize that perhaps the real reason is that the kids just like what you are doing and want to get into it more. To me that is rule number one. I never make assumptions during a show and perceive the creeping situation as a negative thing. I realize that children will be children and so the way I handle it must also be done in a fun and professional way. To me as a performer my goal is to entertain the children and the audience watching as well as be a solutions provider to the parents who are hiring me. My main role while I am there is not to lecture the children on proper behavior. Nor is it my main goal to discipline children every chance I get.  The reason for me being there is to create the best entertainment experience I can give to the children while meeting the needs of the client. So how do we handle the creepers and what can we do in our show to establish a performance area and maintain this throughout a children's performance. - First rule of thumb is what I mentioned above. Never assume that the kids creeping up on you is always a negative thing. Do not immediately draw a conclusion that the children are being bad. By thinking in this way you start to send out the wrong signals through your body language. One thing every children's performer should know is that children can read you like a book. They really can tell easily if you are mad or frustrated. So do not send off the wrong message when it may not even be warranted. - Verbally define your stage area for your performance. I like to first establish my performance area right as the children are coming in to sit down. I do two things here that may be of interest. 1) I am actually standing in front of my table in my performance area. This idea of actually being in the performance area as the children come in actually establishes that the area is for the performer right from the start. And 2) I will verbally talk to the children as they are seated and tell them where the first line is to be. I will also mention that the birthday child is to sit front and center. This makes the child feel special but also allows me as a performer to establish the very first row of children and do so in a logical way. - Visually define your stage area. There are many ways in which a performer can visually define a performance area by use of an actual object that defines the edge of your "stage". Some of the various ideas are as follows: A) rope laid down on the floor B) drafting tape or painters tape on the floor C) small orange cones spaced out in front of your area. (can work well for outdoor events) There are many others but you get the idea. The important thing here to note is that you are physically defining your performance area and the children know to stay behind it during the show. Just keep in mind that no matter what you are placing down to define your space, that 1) you make sure it is not going to cause any damage and 2) you clean it up and leave the area the same way as when you got there. - Setting up of the ground rules during your introduction. Another great way to keep children from creeping is to set up your ground rules early in the show through your verbal introduction. Now the idea here is to define your rules but to not come across as lecturing to the kids or talking down to them. It needs to be defined for them but should be done in a fun process where the children get the idea clearly. How I like to handle this is through telling the children how I select my helpers for the show. I basically cover off on 3 rules that I look for from the kids who I want to be my helpers. I need: A) A child who is sitting down crisscross applesauce style. Now many of you may know what I mean. It is basically sitting Indian style. My wife is a teacher in elementary school and she tells me that a lot of teachers are using this in the early grades and so the kids are familiar with this position through the phrase. B) I look for a helper who has their hand raised when they want to help out. C) The most important rule of all is I am looking for a helper who is having fun, paying attention and has a BIG smile on their face. I then ask the children to see their smiles and applaud them for doing so. By setting up these 3 simple ground rules I am establishing my performance area and rules for conduct but doing so in a fun manner that is not threatening or scary to them. If at any point in the show someone starts to creep I can simply refer to my rules to remind them how I select my helpers. I can ask the kids if they know how I pick my helpers. In most cases the children will answer back correctly and I will look to make sure they are all adhering to it. They want to help out in the show because it is interactive and fun for them. So they usually will adhere to the rules simply because they want to help out as well. - Do not be afraid to pause the show a bit in order to make sure you have the room you need. Now this does not mean you halt the show and stare the kids down. It really just means pausing briefly and perhaps mentioning to the children if you can have them all move back just a little bit so that everyone can see all the fun we are going to have. Something along those lines gets the message and point across but in a non-confrontational way. 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. Kyle Peron Magician and Illusionist Graphic Designer and Illustrator (Specializing in Logo creation) www.kyleandkellymagic.com -------------------------------------------- 7. More Magic Exposure Apparently Coming Our Way -------------------------------------------- Message from Walter Blaney (US) Read it and weep! Walter -------------------------- Nash unmasks 'Magician' Virgin Comics to produce graphic novel By Michael Schneider Nash Entertainment is resurrecting the Masked Magician -- but this time as the lead character in a graphic novel to be produced by Virgin Comics. The Masked Magician was the star of Nash's five "Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed" specs, which scored big ratings for Fox in the late 1990s. The specials raised the ire of magicians, who were upset that some of the field's mysteries were being dissected on primetime TV. In the fourth spec, the magician removed his mask; turns out it was Val Valentino, a figure well-known on the illusion circuit. Now, Nash Entertainment CEO Bruce Nash hopes to turn the Masked Magician into a fictionalized franchise, starting with the novel. Nash hopes ultimately to use the novel as the basis for a feature film. "I didn't think just having the specials was enough to show the studios that this could be turned into a real dramatic narrative," Nash said. "So we went to Virgin with the idea of turning it into a graphic novel, and they loved it. Once it's produced and distributed, we'll take it to the studios and networks with the idea of turning it into a movie or TV show. The graphic novel will be sort of like the first script." The novel will revolve around the fictional magician, on the run from the law. The character dons a mask to protect himself and begins using magic to solve crimes -- and attempt to redeem himself from whatever past he's trying to escape. Taking a cue from the real-life specials, the book and movie will show how the masked magician actually conjures up his illusions. "It's a cross between 'Darkman' and the movie 'FX,' " Nash said. Robert Kosberg, head of Nash's feature film division, is also working on the project, along with Virgin Comics chief creative officer Gotham Chopra and Virgin Comics chief marketing officer Larry Lieberman. Valentino will also be involved, serving as a consultant on the book and script. Nash said a writer has not yet been hired for the graphic novel. "Breaking the Magician's Code" first bowed in 1997 to a stunning aud of 24.2 million viewers. Nash said he has no plans to produce a new edition of the special, opting to focus on the fictionalized version instead. Meanwhile, Fox Reality Channel has picked up the five "Magician" specials, which will air this spring. Alfred Haber Distribution brokered the deal. "These episodes are truly compelling television and were extremely strong performers on Fox," Fox Reality programming VP Bob Boden said. Nash has been expanding his company into film as of late, developing projects including "Time of Their Lives" (with producer Scott Stuber) for Universal and "The Fritz Pollard Story" (along with Don Cheadle) for Walden Media. Another feature based on a Nash reality special, "When Good Pets Go Bad," is in development at MGM. Nash is also developing "Win My Soul" with Tobey Maguire for MGM. On the TV side, Nash is behind the Sci Fi skein "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" as well as Court TV's "Most Shocking" and "The Greatest Sports Stories Never Told" for FSN. -------------------------------------------- 8. Canada, Mind Freak & More -------------------------------------------- Message from Abbi McBride Abbi here, sending magical greetings and good wishes from warm and sunny Las Vegas! Playing with Fire Jeff McBride will be appearing on the third season of Criss Angel's MINDFREAK show soon!  Several years ago, many of you saw Jeff on ABC's Champions of Magic, where he performed the world's largest fire stunt at that time, called "Burned Alive!"  When Criss decided to do his own version of the burning man, he called Jeff and asked him to consult and appear in this exciting episode of MINDFREAK.  Check your local TV listings to see Jeff playing with fire! Jeff and I both love fire and magic.  We're excited to be hosting a special event called MAYFIRE during the first weekend of May. Read more information about our passion at http://www.vegasvortex.com McBride Live on the Las Vegas Strip Jeff returns to the World's Greatest Magic Show  for one week only, from March 25th to April 2nd!  If you're going to be in town, come to the Greek Isles Casino and see Jeff live!  Be sure the stick around after the show to meet Jeff and the other performers, including Joseph Gabriel, Kozak and many others! Home at Last! Our full evening show, The Secret Art of Magic returned to the United States after a successful performance in Canada! Jeff, Eugene and I had a great time in Edmonton, Alberta, presenting our full evening show and teaching a four day Master Class. Sheldon Casavant helped produce this inspiring weekend, and we three enjoyed Canadian hospitality and the s-s-snow!! Student Spotlight on Sheldon Casavant We met Sheldon Casavant at a World Magic Summit teen weekend several years ago.  Sheldon attended the teen weekend for five years, then came to a Master Class, and has just returned to Canada after six hundred performances of his illusion show.  He is an extraordinarily talented performer, and also has a knack for production.  You will be seeing a lot more of Sheldon in the future, or right now, at his website http://www.sheldoncasavant.com/ See you soon? I don't know about where you are, but here in the Vegas Valley, it's 85 and sunny, and the roses are starting to bloom!  We have two spots left open for the Special Extended Seven Day Master Class coming up in April.  You are invited to join Jeff, Eugene and me, along with Tobias Beckwith, Lance Burton and Mac King for a truly magical week! Yours in the art of better magic... Abbi McBride -------------------------------------------- 9. Magic On The Beach Is Back -------------------------------------------- Message from Rick Del Vecchio After a one year hiatus Magic on the Beach is back. What:  Magic on the Beach XII  is produced by IBM, Syd Bergson Ring 45 in Miami. When:  June 1,2 & 3, 2007 Where: Ramada Marco Polo Beach Resort        19201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach , Florida USA        www.marcopolobeachresort.com        877 327.6363 Convention rate: $99.00 per night Registration: $125.00 per person, which includes a Friday evening Banquet, three evening shows, two one man daytime shows, closeup and stage contest with over $1750.00 in prize money, lectures, dealers room, spouse and junior events and more! Contact:  Rick Del Vecchio at rickydee@aol.com or visit us at www.Ring45.com Featured Performers and Lecturers Ted Greenberg: Emmy Award winning comedy writer with the David Letterman Show, Ted is a successful Stand-up Comedian who will open for Simon Lovell. Simon Lovell: Simon is England's gift to the USA. Now residing in New York, Friday evening, after the banquet, this hilarious Brit will perform his off Broadway Show, "Strange and Unusual Hobbies". Warning: The show is "R" rated. However several magi have seen it, including yours truly, and everyone raved about it. Simon will also perform and be our MC for the Saturday evening show. Fantasio: Saturday evening this living Legend will perform, "Magic by Candle Light". Fantasio hasn't performed this act since 1987. For many it will bring back memories, for the younger magi, a chance to see the Master at his finest. Fantasio will also lecture and perform his new, "Medicine Cabinet" act. (You'll see why Fantasio received the IBM Originality Award). Daba & Cielo: This delightful couple from Buenos Aires, Argentina will entertain and amaze. They are not only magnificent performers, but teachers as well. Some of the finest magicians from South America were mentored by Daba and Cielo. Norbert Ferre: Traveling from Marseille, France Norbert will perform his 2006 F.I.S.M. Winning act. This will be your chance to see this World Champion perform. Docc Hilford: For the past two years this inventor, author and performer has traveled the globe performing and lecturing. At MOB Docc will perform his famous "Night Club Act" and then explain in detail, not just how the effects work, but why they work. He'll demonstrate how the patter and staging is crucial in making a good act, great! Eric DeCamps: S.A.M. Gold Medal winner and Backstage Magazine's, "Variety Artist of the Year", Eric DeCamps will perform his "Pure Magic" one man show and lecture. Come be entertained, amazed and learn from a World Champion Close-up artist. Kevin & Caruso: Sunday evening you'll be treated to "New Wave Magic Show", a Las Vegas Style Magical Revue, featuring exotic costumes, dancers and the Grand Illusion of Kevin and Caruso. Stan Allen, of Magic Magazine, calls them "the hardest - working magicians in the business. (See January 2007 issue). During the week they work the cruise ships and on Sunday they have perform their show at the Ramada. Check out our website: www.Ring45.com for updates and tentative schedule. -------------------------------------------- 10. An Evening Of Intimate  Magic With Eric DeCamps -------------------------------------------- Message from Eric DeCamps (US) After a decade of private performances, I am pleased to announce I will be opening a new show for the public. An Evening of Intimate Magic with Eric DeCamps is a presentation of parlour magic in the tradition of past masters of magic such as Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser, Bartolomeo Bosco and Max Malini. The performances will take place in The Lincoln Room located at the 3 West Club, 3 West 51st Street in New York City. The show, directed by Steve Cuiffo, will open on May 2 and will be repeated every Wednesday evening at 7:30pm until June 20. Because of the intimacy of the performance, seating will be limited to (40) guests per show. Thank you and I hope you can attend one of my performances. For tickets and more information, please go to: EricDeCamps.com -------------------------------------------- 11. Magic Blooper Contest Gives The Lecture Network -------------------------------------------- Message from Jeff Hobson (US) The Last Laugh Las Vegas, 2007 - Have you ever produced a dove only to have it land on a spectator's head?  Or have a kid scream when he thinks you are really going to chop off his head?  Ever had a prop go haywire during a performance?  Do you have a video of it?  If so, The Lecture Network wants to see it and give you the chance to win prizes. Jeff Hobson and Loren Christopher Michaels have created A World of Magic...LIVE, with magic's first, interactive, internet broadcast service called The Lecture Network. The web-based service will be available in June of 2007. The grand-opening, "Open House" event will invite magicians from around the world to enjoy the festivities and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Lecture Network's studio in Las Vegas. Special guests will be Lance Burton and Mac King.  Loren Christopher Michaels resides as the Network's creative director and Jeff Hobson is the host for all activities. Visitors can go to www.TheLectureNetwork.com to participate in "Magic's BEST Blooper Contest".  If a magician thinks he or she has a funny, unexpected - and maybe embarrassing video of one of their performances, they are invited to submit it to be voted upon.   Prizes will include a year's subscription to The Lecture Network and a trip to Las Vegas to part of the Open House festivities. The site, besides broadcasting weekly live lectures, will also broadcast "Celebrities of Magic". These LIVE, video interviews will give a forum for magic's most talented and respected individuals. The Lecture Network will also feature an up-to-date magic news service and calendar with reports of magic happenings around the world.  Subscribers will also be able to view vintage magic video clips, magic bloopers and magic podcasts.  There will also be a forum for members to meet and chat.  All lectures and interviews will utilize an interactive "chat" window to allow viewers to ask questions in real-time with the guest. www.TheLectureNetwork.com Keep it bookmarked! ----------------- 12. Bedford Convention - UK ----------------- Message from Terry Seabrooke The fast growing Bedford Convention organised by Gary Young in UK has reached an all time high this year. The line-up is Paul Daniels, Aldo  Colombini, Rachel Wild, Nick Einhorn, Mandy Muden, Terry Seabrooke, Martin James and Zane. Date is Sunday 3rd June at great venue in historic town of Bedford. ----------------- 13. IBM Ring 254 - Martin Lewis Lecture - April 10th ----------------- Message from Chuck Don't miss this month's meeting. We are featuring the world famous, Martin Lewis. The lecture is free to members and $10 to non members. See you on April 10th ----------------- 14. Texas Association Of Magicians Convention ----------------- Message from Joe Douglas Texas Association of Magicians Convention (Aug. 31 - Sept. 3,2007) Be sure to check out www.taom2007.org and www.taom.org for information on the 2007 TAOM convention in Corpus Christi, Texas, and then register for a fun-filled, entertaining, and educational magical experience. As the TAOM Entertainment Chairman, I am proud to present J. C. Wagner to you as our headliner in Close-Up magic.  He will be presenting his time-tested and audience-tested effects during our professional close-up show and will also present a lecture that you will not want to miss.  I first met J.C. when I was stationed at NAS Miramar in San Diego and joined IBM Ring 76.  He is a great friend in magic and is willing to share from his talent and experience in magic.  Whether you are new to the art of magic or an experienced performer, you will learn a lot from J.C.  Check out his bio: J.C. Wagner Where has J.C. been and what has he been doing? Contrary to many rumors, he did not die; but this period of his life is best referred to as his "lost years!" His last public appearance was in 1990 at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. He has been in semi-retirement doing occasional lectures, magic conventions and personal appearances, mostly at San Diego's "The Gathering" since then. In conjunction with Brad Burt, he performed two instructional videos covering two of his favorite routines "The Queen's Debate" and "One Tear at a Time". He has also been mentoring several young aspiring magicians in the southern California area and is still in search of the "Holy Grail" of effects! He has been performing magic every Saturday at "The Little Club" in Coronado, California for the past year. He started his comeback trail 14-16 August 2003 in the W.C. Fields bar at the Magic Castle with his first public appearance in more than 12 years. And most recently was his FIRST EVER European appearance at the MacMillan International Magic Convention in London 5-6 December 2003. JC's Early Career JC got hooked on magic after seeing a magician perform during a school Halloween carnival. He started practicing magic in 1952, doing tricks for his family and friends, but crowds were scarce in his early days. He made his professional debut in 1960 with an appearance at the Point Loma library in San Diego. By the summer of 1962 he was working at Disneyland in Merlin's Magic Shop with another aspiring magician, Steve Martin (yes, that wild and crazy guy). He served in the Air Force from 1965-69, working ground support for the SR-71 Blackbird, but kept his skills sharp by entertaining his crewmates and visitors. He first started practicing the art of bar magic in 1973 at Marco's Roman Room in Coronado, CA along with Bob Sheets. He published his first packet trick "Factory Misprints" during this time. He then went out on his own in 1977, opening The Magic Lounge in San Diego, CA.  During this period he published his first book "The Seven Secrets of JC Wagner" and second packet trick "Gypsy Curse Variation". He also ventured to Colorado to help Bob Sheets establish a new place in Aspen, "The Jolly Jester" and was known to drop in to the magic bar at John Denver's "The Tower Restaurant" in Snowmass to visit Doc Eason and amaze the crowds. His stint with the Magic Lounge lasted until 1981 when he was invited to work at the Magic Island in Newport Beach, CA, eventually becoming the entertainment director there. In 1985 he started appearing weekly in the Close Up Gallery at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles where he worked until 1990. During this time, he released his highly successful second book "The Commercial Magic of JC Wagner" which was also accompanied by the two part companion video. Later in 1990, he went on a six month coast to coast magic lecture tour which wrapped up his regular public appearances until now. (From J.C. Wagner's Web site www.jcwagnersmagic.com) Don't miss TAOM 2007 in Corpus Christi, Texas, August 31 to September 3, 2007.  Treat yourself to a magic vacation by the sea.  This is a great family convention with lots to see and do. See www.cctexas.com for tourist information.  Besides the best in magic dealers and lectures, we will have 3 different, full evening, public shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at the American Bank Convention Center/Selena Auditorium.  See you at the newly remodeled Omni Bayfront hotel (www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/CorpusChristiBayfront.aspx). Hurry on down. Joe Douglas M.M.C. TAOM 2007 Entertainment Chairman douglasjp3@yahoo.com ----------------- 15. 13th annual Magic Auction - Eaton, Ohio ----------------- Message from Larry McMechan We will be running our 13th annual Magic Auction May 26 & 27, 07 starting at 10:00AM each day. Auction located at 210 Nation Ave. in Eaton, Ohio 45320. We will be selling items from private collections plus estates. Selling Illusions, parlor, close-up, books, tapes, and misc. equipment. For more information contact Larry McMechan, Auctioneer  Phone 937-456-7136 or e-mail mcmechan@infinet.com ----------------- 16. Richard Webster's Prolific Career ----------------- Message from Doug Dyment Following Tommy Orchard's article on Richard Webster's prolific career, I'll mention that all of Richard's books for the magic trade can be found on The Deceptionary: http://www.deceptionary.com/ Orders for same go directly to Richard; I just offer the use of the Web site as a favour to him. You will also find links to most of his "for the public" books. ----------------- 17. Torkova's Coin Ladder For Sale ----------------- Message from Torkova It's with a somewhat heavy heart that I have decided  to sell my original Coin Ladder and all accessories.  This is because I am almost exclusively doing mentalism now.  This unique, custom made coin ladder has served me well helping me win many awards and enabled me to travel around the world entertaining audiences not only in the USA but in Europe, China and Japan.  A lengthy prospectus with many photos along with a brief history on how I created the act is available on my web site at: http://www.torkova.com/ladder.htm Price for everything is USD $7,500.00, payable by certified bank check or cash.  Pick up in New York City or shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at: torkova@torkova.com Best regards, Torkova P.S. To all my fans, I still plan on continuing doing coin manipulations, just in another format. ----------------- 18. To All Those Cups & Balls Workers ----------------- Message from Michael Sullivan I would like to let you know that I have been making Mini Baseballs here in Melbourne, Australia for both the Cups and Balls as well as Chop Cup for well over a year now. I am thrilled to say that they have been made a part of Bill Palmers Cups & Balls Museum Collection. http://www.cupsandballsmuseum.com/ For those who are looking for Mini Baseballs for either the Cups and Balls or Chop Cup they are hand sewn to order out of Vinyl for cleaning reasons and come in various colored Skins and stitching which you can mix and match. Please feel free to take a look on my Website and I am happy to answer any questions you may have. http://www.simplymagic.com.au/Shop.php ----------------- 19. The Amazing Orchante Saga ----------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Page 149 1990, Richard Webster was named 'Mentalist Of The Year' by the Psychic Entertainers Association (U S A) and in 1997, the Variety Artists Club Of New Zealand presented him with the prestigious - 'Benny Award' for the Top Speciality Act! In the same year, La Sociétié Robert-Houdin awarded him - 'Le Grand Prix Robert-Houdin', for his contributions to magic. Another achievement for Richard, in 1998, was appearing on 'Hard Copy', an American television programme that is similar to '60 minutes'. He says, "I had the dream job on that show - I had to 'Feng Shui' the apartment of a 'Playboy Playmate of the Month'! It was hard to pay attention to the job with several other playmates watching. At least twenty million people around the world saw the show, by far my biggest audience ever". In October 2000, he was named - 'Small Business of the Year', by New Zealand 'Sales People with a Purpose' (SWAP). Richard is a charter member of the National Speakers Association of New Zealand, and was one of their featured speakers at their annual convention in November 2000. He is listed in 'Who's Who in the World' and 'Who's Who in Magic'! Richard used to conduct seminars on 'rapport' and 'body language' for business people, but nowadays, speaks mainly to promote his books. In the last 12 months he has spoken in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Germany, England and the United States. He is also dedicated to helping people progress in their writing careers, and has written three books for writers: 'Writing as a Business', 'Secrets of Ghost Writing' and  'How to Write for the New Age Market. ' For several years he has conducted 'Wake Up And Write'! Seminars for would -be authors. The achievement that Richard is most proud of is his: 'Richard Webster Popular Fiction Award' which ran from 2000 to 2005. He provided a NZ $5,000 Annual Prize to the winner of a competition for the best unpublished work of popular fiction by a New Zealand writer. Richard says, "Ten of the entries have since been published, which is enormously satisfying to me, and three more are in the process of being published." Richard explained to me, "This award was originally designed to send two New Zealand magicians a year to 'Brian Flora's Magic Marketing Convention', in Albuquerque. I had received enormous benefits from attending these conventions and thought it would be good to help up and coming magicians with this award. However, the petty politics in the local club scene at the time, three professional magicians, including me, left the magic clubs in 1996, and the idea died before it got off the ground! It didn't so much die; I simply created the 'Popular Fiction Award' and gave 'IT' my annual NZ $5,000 instead." To finish on a high note. Some great names have come out of New Zealand, in all fields of endeavour, including - MAGIC! The late, Great, Edgar Benyon, Alan and Michele Watson and Richard Webster to name just a few, are testimony to that fact.   It has given me enormous pleasure to write Richard's story, most of which, I hasten to add, was provided to me by Richard himself; I have simply added my own 'twist' to things, as it were. I have to admit that I was more than a little nervous in this endeavour, after all, I am not a writer, I just scribble my thoughts and memories as they come to mind but, Richard has been very encouraging to me, as is his nature. I am ashamed to admit that until I started on his story, I had no real idea of his amazing, personal achievements. Veronica and I are privileged and proud to be able to say that Richard Webster is a very close friend, now and forever. Thank-you Richard, for your wonderful friendship! -------------------------------------------- 20. Magic New Zealand e-zine Archives -------------------------------------------- Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to: www.watson.co.nz/fezine.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) -------------------------------------------- 21. 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.watson.co.nz/fezine.html. 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 2007 Alan Watson