* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment * www.Alan-Watson.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #695 Date: Sunday 20th September 2009 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. Siegfried & Roy: Unique In All The World 3. Win A Free Trip To The 2010 CAM! 4. Open Letter To The Chinese Magic Fraternity 5. iTricks Magic Stars Podcast: Eric DeCamps 6. Warning - Proceed with Caution - #136 - Kyle Peron 7. On The Road With Paul Romhany 8. 2009 MINDvention Schedule Of Events 9. British Ring Convention News 10. Free Performances By Elio Simonetti And Eva Salleh 11. A New Book From Bev Bergeron 12. 6th Worldwide Escape Artist Convention 13. Golden Magic Wand Contest - Budapest,   Hungary 14. "Magicana" Magazine Number 339 15. e-zine Archives 16. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- Nick Lewin is down with the flu and his weekly article will resume in next week's e-zine. Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. Siegfried & Roy: Unique In All The World -------------------------------------------- Message by Diana S. Zimmerman (US) Dear Friends, With our work on "Siegfried & Roy: Unique In All The World," we are engaged in an extraordinary journey-one like no one has ever created in the world of Magic and we wanted to update all of you who support this extraordinary endeavor. The pre-orders for "Siegfried & Roy: Unique In All The World" www.noesispublishing.com have gone off the charts. Your response has been nothing short of overwhelming. People are pre-ordering two, three, and, in some cases, even four copies of this unique book. And here's more good news. Many wonderful new things are being added to it, not the least of which is a piece of the actual Marquee from the massive iconic sign that heralded their show at the Mirage. Can you imagine? You will own your very own piece of this unbelievable icon, seen by the millions of visitors who passed the Mirage every year. We'll keep you posted as to the "Cutting of the Marquee" event. Of course, everyone who has pre-ordered the book is invited to join us. If you haven't pre-ordered, do so now. It's not too late. www.noesispublishing.com will take you to the 18-page color downloadable booklet-a collector's item, unto itself-and your chance to own a piece of history. But the original Marquee piece isn't all. We've also added, not replicas, but the actual stickers that each individual received when they attended S&R's show. And, we've just gotten permission to include a DVD of the "It's time for You" Las Vegas commercial that Siegfried and Roy starred in. This amazing thirty-second spot captures the very human side of Siegfried and Roy like nothing else. Plus there's so much more that we'll tell you about in future updates. When we committed to producing a book on the creative vision of Siegfried & Roy at a depth and format never before seen, we knew it would be an adventure and a challenge. What we are experiencing is far beyond our wildest expectations, on so many levels. Siegfried & Roy have been exceptionally generous with their time in numerous in-depth discussions-much less formal than an "interview." They have been remarkably forthcoming about all aspects of the lives. They have opened their enormous personal archives to us, revealing volumes of material than spans the entire history of, not only their careers, but their lives-much of it rarely or never before seen-rare letters and drawings, and so much more. We have also interviewed so many individuals who were, and are, their creative and business collaborators, including world-renowned costume designer, William Ivey Long and producer, Kenneth Feld, as well as many of their friends and peers in magic such as David Copperfield, Criss Angel, Eugene Berger, John Thompson, Mark Wilson, Marvyn Roy, John Fisher, and so many more. Within the deeply personal and often emotional stories shared by these exceptional and accomplished individuals is a common, passionate core: their relationship with Siegfried & Roy profoundly changed their lives forever. It is a book that will be, like Siegfried and Roy, "Unique in all the World". As we charge forward in the final stages of writing and art direction, you will receive regular updates, including special limited edition publications only available to those who have pre-ordered. If you have not yet signed up for your copy of "Siegfried & Roy: Unique in All The World" we encourage you not to miss this rare opportunity to be a part of history. Book one sold at auction in London for $3,000.00. We have no idea what the secondary market will be, but with collectors buying up to four copies at a time, it well may exceed expectations. www.noesispublishing.com Sincerely, Diana S. Zimmerman Robert Gould www.noesispublishing.com -------------------------------------------- 3. Win A Free Trip To The 2010 CAM! -------------------------------------------- Message by Julie Eng (Canada) Win a Free Trip to the 2010 CAM! ... courtesy of Magicana's Tony Eng Youth Fund, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Magicians and Kent Wong. Magicana is giving away an AWESOME all-inclusive prize package to a young magician: Win a free trip to the 2010 CAM Convention in Kitchener-Waterloo! The contest is open to young magicians, age 13 to 18, living in Western Canada (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.) If you know of anyone who is eligible, send them to www.magicana.com (Tony Eng Youth Fund) for contest details and for info on how to enter. The contest is now open and the deadline to apply is January 15, 2010. For complete rules and regulations about the contest visit www.magicana.com and click on Tony Eng Youth Fund; or just cut and paste this link: http://www.magicana.com/youth-CAM.php?vSec=you&vSub=opportun For more details about the CAM Convention, visit http://www.canadianassociationofmagicians.com Magicana would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsors, The Canadian Association of Magicians and Kent Wong, for making this contest possible. -------------------------------------------- 4. Open Letter To The Chinese Magic Fraternity -------------------------------------------- Message by Walter Zaney Blaney (US) I wish I could have attended the spectacular FISM convention in Beijing. From everything I have read and heard about it, it appears it was a tremendous success. Congratulations to you and your country. It has come to my attention that a magic builder in your country is ripping off various intellectual property tricks and illusions belonging to various American inventors. Magic inventors make their living creating new effects, building them, perfecting them and marketing them, with a lot of time, money and hard work put into a new product. To keep them creating, the magic societies of the world have in their constitutions an Ethics in Magic tenet that tries to help protect the inventors in magic. Some years ago I wrote an open letter to Francesco Martorana of Dominik Magic Studio in Palermo, Italy. It was signed by 200 of the biggest names in magic asking that he stop building illusions with intellectual property rights belonging to the inventors. Now there is a company in China known as China Magic, with their website 52magic.com   Among other priority tricks, they are now selling my Zaney Blaney Miracle Levitation Hoop for an advertised price of $1550 U.S dollars. My hoop sells for $3495. They conveniently leave out Zaney Blaney in the title of my trick hoop, calling it simply The Miracle Levitation Hoop. They show a photo of it, and use my exact same word for word advertising copy from my website. They also use the exact animated video of David Copperfield doing the hoop pass using my hoop. They took these things right off my website without permission, and it is all my copyrighted material, and Copperfield's copyrighted material. I don't care if the government of China chooses not to honor copyrights and patents. We have a magic fraternity worldwide that attempts to have rules to protect magic inventors so they will keep on inventing. There are relatively few in magic that have this ability to constantly create new magic, and infringers of their work help diminish any creative incentive, to the detriment of all magicians. This fact should be readily apparent to everyone who loves magic. The Zaney Blaney Miracle Levitation Hoop has quite a history. I invented it in 1965 and got the first one made with great difficulty. After that I could not get another made to work. I tried fifteen long years, spent all that time, $11,000 cash, and finally got only one more that worked properly, and it became my spare hoop ($11,000 in 1965 is $75,000 in today's U.S. dollars). When I sold my first Ladder Levitation to Copperfield for his 1986 TV Special (in China), I had to sell my spare hoop to him. A few years later I at last found a metal craftsman who could make the metal parts of the hoop perfectly, and there was at last a hoop even better than my original. It has become known as the Rolls Royce piece of magic apparatus, and most of the top pros around the world own and use one. I have just ordered parts for another 22 hoops, at $2500 per unit. I thus have to write a check each time for $55,000 for the parts alone for 22 hoops. And I have to spend one week on each unit to make the parts into a working hoop. That's 22 weeks of work in my shop. Now you can imagine what kind of hoop you will get if you buy one from China Magic. There is no name connected with this rip-off magic company. You send your money and hope you get some kind of hoop actually shipped. If nothing ever arrives, or if you get a piece of junk that doesn't work, you have been ripped off yourself. And there is no one to complain to..... just a nameless website address. I hope there will be some among our new Chinese magic friends after FISM 2009 who will understand the points made in this OPEN LETTER, and try to put a stop to the flagrant rip-offs of China Magic. Also, I think calling themselves China Magic does a disservice to your great country of China. -------------------------------------------- 5. iTricks Magic Stars Podcast: Eric DeCamps -------------------------------------------- Message by Eric DeCamps Just thought you should know the iTricks Magic Stars podcast is up and running. In their interview I talk about PA # 1. Here's the link: http://itricks.com/news/category/podcast-listings/ and here's the blurb: Teller is going to produce a new play. Get a multimedia look at the NYC Magician's Table. A magic legend celebrates a birthday. News on the MagicCon. MUCH MORE Newsmaker Interview: . Eric DeCamps he's the new Dean of the SAM Parent Assembly #1 and is schedule to perform a very rare one-night only date at The Magic Castle. He's also one of our favorite guests. For more info on the Castle shows: The Magic Castle / Academy of Magical Arts 7001 Franklin Avenue Hollywood, CA 90028-8600 For reservations and information: 323-851-3313 Fax: 323-851-4899 -------------------------------------------- 6. Warning - Proceed with Caution - #136 - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message by Kyle Peron (US) magic4u02@aol.com http://www.kyleandkellymagic.com "Warning" - An intimation, threat, or sign of impending danger or evil.  Advice to be aware. Each of us has seen, heard and even felt warnings before. They are the things that keep us safe or prevent us from injury to ourselves or others. Some are straight forward and some are just simply things we feel inside. A warning is always something to be taken seriously and not for granted. Sometimes we simply choose to avoid a warning and often times will pay because of it. However, there are other types of warnings. There are warnings that happen to each of us as an entertainer? Are we tuned in to seeing them and dealing with them? I think as an entertainer, we sometimes feel we are impervious to danger since we sometimes deal with it as "illusion" in our shows. Maybe because of the nature of the magical arts, we simply do not always see warnings. Maybe even worse, we choose to avoid them altogether. Some may say that the worst warnings to avoid are those that could cause physical injury to yourself or to others in your show. I would hope to say that in these cases, they are both obvious warnings and ones in which every one of us needs to take seriously. There simply is no way you can EVER allow a personal love for an effect to overpower your commonsense that this effect could possibly harm you or someone in your audience. Never let ego or this sense of being "powerful" overcome your commonsense. Never allow your thirst for stardom and success to cloud your better judgment. But there are also other warnings that happen to us all that are more subtle. Because they are subtle in nature, many of us know of them, but we never take them too seriously. Have you ever received a phone call from a prospect and the more they talk the more the bells and whistles and warning lights start going off in your head. You may not know exactly why, but something about what they are saying or asking you is making you cringe inside. You sense the person is either clueless or really is completely confused or a combination of both. However, for whatever reason, our desire to want the gig sometimes causes us to tune out those warning signs. I think the first rule of dealing with warnings, is simply to understand that they are there in the first place. Those feelings we get inside on the phone or reading an email are happening for a reason. Each of us knows when something just does not seem right. So being tuned to these warnings is the first part in learning to deal with them effectively. When they happen, do not avoid them. Once you start to realize that these warnings are trying to tell you something, you can proceed to figuring out the best way to handle and deal with them. First, you must realize that every warning you may have is vastly different from each other. We are all humans and no two are exactly alike. Because of this, each of the situations that come to us, are also different and must be handled in a special way. One of the biggest warnings that we all experience is that call from a prospect whereby what they are asking us to do or to provide is just not something we do in our shows or not something that we specialize in. You know for a fact that the warnings are going off in your head, but sometimes we try to avoid them. You sense something is not right and that is a time to deal with it upfront. You must also not always feel that the client or prospect is right. In many cases they are not. Now you cannot also assume the client is trying to cause a problem for you. In many cases, the real answer lies in education. Most prospects who talk with us have never really hired or dealt with an entertainer before. Booking a magician is not a common daily occurrence. Because of this, many folks rely on what they "think" magicians are about in order to talk to you. They may also rely on TV or shows they have seen before as a basis for their background. Whenever the warnings are going off, try and LISTEN first. To many magicians try so hard to oversell that they do not take enough time to listen to the client. By simply listening, you can often lock in on what really may be the problem or causing the warning to you. It may then be a simple matter of asking them some professional follow up questions and then educating them through the process. In many cases, the client will love you for this. Remember that no one knows you and your show better then you do. You must be willing to listen to the needs of the client and educate them through a process of question and answer so that you both walk away with a total solution that fits you both. It should never really be about who is getting the better side of the deal. It should be about a mutual agreement whereby everything is settled upfront. However, there will be times that even after going through this process; you realize the warnings are still there. This is when you must really be strong enough and professional enough to turn the gig down and walk away from it. This does NOT mean being angry or belittling the prospect or client. It simply means knowing that what they are asking of you is not something you can handle or not what you believe in. If you cannot give 100% at all times, then turning away a gig is better than accepting one. So the next time you get this crazy feeling inside when talking with a prospect, do not shrug it off as "just one of those things." It is your mind trying to tell you something. Take them seriously and then try and figure out why they are going off. Take time to listen and to really get to know the person you are talking with and in the end I assure you that your client relationships will be better for it. 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. - I would like to let everyone know that I just released a NEW book and E-Book to the magic Community. "Blue and Gold! The Complete Guide to Working The Scout Market!" is now available as a soft cover printed book as well as an ebook download. - "Encore! Creativity in the Art of Magic" Ebook. Order online now at: http://www.magicenhancer.com/Encore.html - "Tips and Techniques on the Chair Suspension" Ebook. Order online now at: http://www.magicenhancer.com/ChairSuspension.html -------------------------------------------- 7. On The Road With Paul Romhany -------------------------------------------- Message by Paul Romhany (NZ) The past few weeks I've been inundated with emails from magicians around the world asking if I was OK and where I was and what happened to my weekly articles in the Magic New Zealand ezine. It's always nice to know a few people find the time to read my weekly ramblings. Natalie and I were recently on the road lecturing to magicians around Canada, which were a huge success and a great time making new friends and hanging out with old friends. We are now looking at doing a lecture in Singapore sometime in December, and will let everybody know when it's finalized. There are plans underway to bring me back to North America next year for a lecture tour and I hope to tie that in with performances at the Magic Castle once I get my full schedule together. Due to my Australian tour I had to cancel the Castle this year, so will make the effort to get there next year. These past few weeks have been incredibly busy as we prepare to sell our house and move back to New Zealand. There are a few factors which made us want to make this move from Canada to New Zealand. The main reason is because the winters here are extremely harsh as it gets down to -40 and six feet of snow. This meant last year I missed out on work as I couldn't fly out due to the airport being closed. We live in a lovely small town in Atlantic Canada, but when you are talking about 4 months of snow it really does get to you after a while. My wife Natalie has always wanted to live in New Zealand so we both decided we would head down under. For me it doesn't matter where I live in the world. Clients are prepared to pay for my flights if they want me so it's never been a problem. Also, with the cruise ship industry now, they have made announcements they are only prepared to put acts on ships from their home ports. This means they will be cutting out a lot of entertainers traveling. Auckland is the perfect place for us for ships because the summer season is long and there are a lot of different cruise lines coming in and out for at least five months. These announcements were recently made and a good friend of mine spoke to one of the head bookers for a major line and was told the same thing. On Monday the movers come in to take our personals and ship them all to New Zealand, we leave here next Wednesday starting the new chapter in our lives. We are both very excited and looking forward to the big move. We will only be in New Zealand for a week before I take up a contract in Asia for a few months, then back home to do a few ships. I am very proud of a new project that was just completed this week and will help many magicians. It is a royalty free music CD for magicians. I have been working closely with a musician who writes music for Penn and Teller and Cirque and other high flying artists and groups. His name is Christian Tamburr and I met him when he appeared as a headline act on a Jazz Cruise. We talked about magic and music and I asked him if he would be interested in a project of writing music for magicians. One of the things we talked about was magicians and the music they use. For me personally, music is just as important as the magic I perform, especially in my Chaplin show. While Christian is known mostly to a select group of professional magicians, I thought it was time to introduce him to the magic world at large. We just finished the first CD of royalty free music but Christian is also open to writing personally for other acts. Here is an opportunity for magicians to get original music scored especially for their own act by one of the best in the business. If you are looking at doing television work, performing in theaters and would like to actually own your own music without having the copyright issue, this is your chance. Our new project of royalty free music is complete and will be on the market shortly, but for those that really want something that makes them different from everybody else contact me personally and I will put you in touch with Christian and he will happily discuss what you need for your own act. Here is a bio on Christian Tamburr and his amazing, original music. Christian Tamburr is a multi-instrumentalist, accomplished on the piano and trapset as well as world and orchestral percussion. However, his true talent is exhibited on his instrument of choice, the vibraphone. Confirmed in May of 2001 when in their annual poll of collegiate musicians, Downbeat Magazine awarded him "Outstanding Solo Jazz Performer". Christian is currently the leader of the critically acclaimed Christian Tamburr Quartet, a four-piece acoustic jazz group. After a year and a half of touring around the world Christian just returned home from working as Musical Director and Pianist for Latin Vocal Legend Julio Iglesias. For the past year Christian has been under contract with Cirque du Soleil as musical director for a brand new production. Christian has performed as a guest artist with Dave Brubeck, as a solo percussionist with Michael Feinstein, and opened for Harry Connick, Jr. In December of 2005 Christian and bassist Elisa Pruett were hired to play for NBA legend Michael Jordan in Charlotte, NC. While in residency at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas as a member of the Noel Friedline Quintet, Christian was hired to perform for Julia Roberts at her highly publicized, surprise birthday party in New York City in 2002. In winter of 2006, Christian's first album " Move" was released as a part of a Starbucks Gift Set available around the country. In February of 2007, Christian joined Latin vocal star Julio Iglesias performing as his featured pianist and shares as musical director. Although rooted in jazz, Christian's ability to be diverse in the music industry has allowed him to be successful in multiple genres of performance and recording. The world tour has included stops throughout the US, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, The Dominican Republic, Portugal, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Spain, and Monaco, South Africa. just to name a few. Christian works as a producer, arranger, and writer for many groups of all styles around the country. Famed magicians Penn and Teller hired Christian to write and teach them music for their stage show in Las Vegas. Off the stage, Christian also works as a clinician, teaching high school and college students all around the country. Clinics vary from working with jazz big bands, small groups, and improvisation, to percussion technique for mallets in the concert or marching idiom. Christian is endorsed by Receptor Muse, Pro-mark sticks and mallets, and plays exclusively Musser vibraphones. "I love this CD. I can't hear enough of it. It gets to the end and I just push play again..." - Penn from Penn and Teller "One of the most inventive and creative composers I have heard in years." - Eric Cohen, WAER Jazz88 " (Christian)... is a versatile musician who creates intriguing compositions as well as engaging music." - Don Williamson -------------------------------------------- 8. 2009 MINDvention Schedule Of Events -------------------------------------------- Message by Danny Archer (US) It is less than sixty days to the next MINDvention where we will be honoring the one and only Larry Becker for his lifetime achievement to the art of mentalism... we have attendees from all over the US as well as; Canada, England, India, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium and Australia! Come and experience three jam packed days of shows, discussion, lectures and more about this fascination topic of Mentalism... Below is the schedule of events and for more updates and info you can check us out on the web at www.MINDvention.com Sunday 8th Noon - Registration Opens 1:30 - Attendee Show 3:00 - Panel Discussion - Topic TBD 4:30 - Devin Knight/Berk Eraty Lectures 6:30 - Dinner Break 8:44 - Christopher Carter Show (75 min) Monday 9th 11:00 am - Panel Discussion - Lessons I've Learned as a Mind-Reader 12:30 - Lunch/Dealers 2:00 - Alain Nu Lecture 4:30 - Larry Becker Interview 6:00 - Dinner Break/Dealers 8:00 - Andy Nyman Lecture Tuesday 10th 11:00 am - Attendee Show 12:30 - Lunch/Dealers 2:00 - Bob Cassidy Lecture 4:30 - Max Maven Lecture 6:30 - Dinner Break 8:30 - All Star Show Schedule/performers subject to change Peace Danny Archer The 6th gathering dedicated to the Art of Mentalism... MINDvention November 8-10th, 2009 in Las Vegas. Featuring; Larry Becker, Max Maven, Christopher Carter, Bob Cassidy, Berk Eratay, Alain Nu, Andy Nyman plus, many more very special guests en, Christopher Carter, Bob Cassidy, BAlain Nu, Andy Nyman, plus, many more very special guests & performers. 1139 S. Brentwood Street Lakewood, CO 80232 303-321-6267 www.dannyarcher.com -------------------------------------------- 9. British Ring Convention News -------------------------------------------- Message by Bob Hayden PRO to the British Ring Writing in the last two issues of the Budget, Andy Stone listed 20 reasons (with apologies to The Linking Ring!) for you to register for Southport. He has given his consent for them to be reproduced here. So, in no particular order they are. The International Magic Show: A top class convention gala show featuring magical talent from around the world with the magical transformation act of David & Dania and as an added bonus the Hula Hoop act of Dania. There is Ivan Netchperenko's original F.I.S.M grand prix winning act, the offbeat magic of Hayashi, the high tech winning magic of Timo Marc, the mental magic of Sean Taylor and the startling new illusion act of Martyn James. Hosting the show and new to the British Ring is one of Ireland's best known entertainers Aonhgus McAnally. The Ali Bongo Micro Magic Marathon: A real world close-up magic competition and tremendous fun, when the performers stroll and the winner is decided by the audience vote. Balloon Modelling Workshop: Mike Stokes returns with his workshop on this popular allied art. Stage Competition: The British Ring Shield Competition with a chance to see new and original acts with additional awards for comedy, originality and manipulation. Steve Evans introduces the acts and tells a selection of jokes sent in by the conventioneers, the best joke winning a prize. Stagecraft Lectures: It's not all about tricks! Brando & Silvana from Argentina give a lecture on 'Theatrical Magic', Sean Taylor from Australia on 'Showmanship and Mentalism', both lectures designed to help you improve the presentation of your magic. The Venue: The Southport Convention and Theatre Centre having undergone a considerable extension and renovation since our last visit means that all the convention events, shows, dealers and lectures take place under one roof. The Thursday night Show: A modern show with the emphasis on comedy. Tony Stevens as compere introduces the ventriloquial skills of John Kimmons, the manipulation skills of Tony Parx, the spectacular illusions of Guy Barrett & Company and the comedy magic of John Lenahan. Dealers Magical Trade Fair: Your chance to browse the latest in magic, ask for advice and watch live demonstrations with many dealers offering special deals for the Convention. No visit to a British Ring convention is complete without a trip or two around the dealers! Lectures for Children's Entertainers: John Kimmons lecture 'Talking to my Hand' focuses on using ventriloquism in your children's presentations. Terry Herbert presents a lecture on magic for children drawing on his many years of experience as a top class children's entertainer. Stars of the Future: This is where some of the up and coming magical talent show their skills. This year it is in the hands of Jack Clarke, Sanjivan Parker, Henry Cooke and Mandy Fletcher. Jack, the son of member Allan J. Clarke and Henry, who will compere the show, are both Northern magic Circle Juniors. Sanjivan, a pupil at Reed's School is a protégé of our Chaplain and Chief Welfare Officer the Rev. Alan Clarke and Mandy is the third generation of the Fletcher magical dynasty. It is a welcome back to Mandy, who since her last appearance in the show has developed a new act. Great to see you are continuing the family tradition Mandy! International Close-up Gala: This show offers a strong line-up putting an emphasis on entertainment as much as skill. Hayashi makes a return visit combining skilful magic and situation comedy. Henry Mayol with his simple and strong effective and very original magic is from France. Ed Ellis is a top card magician from America. Tyler Wilson an innovative magician comes from Canada. Thom Peterson, "The Amazing Guy" whose dry sense of humour combined with his self-deluded belief that he is a magical super hero will leave you laughing. Finally our own John van der Put who won the close-up competition last year is back to show you why. The Eddie Dawes Show: Once again Professor Dawes returns with his popular show reliving magicians and magic of yesteryear performed by Alan Shaxon, Tim Cockerill, Jonathon Shotton, Bertie Pearce and James Long & Louise. Lectures and Workshops: In addition to those lectures already mentioned for the close-up worker one comes from Tyler Wilson a close-up magician and comedian known for his creative plot lines, methodology and presentations, Hayashi an award winning creative and entertaining magician from Germany, Henry Mayol with slick magic from France, Ed Ellis whose lecture at the IBM Convention in America was described by one reviewer as 'the most informative, practical lecture of the convention' and Thom Peterson will present a 'close-up workshop' showcasing some of his innovative ideas. For the parlour and stage magician Pavel will present a lecture entitled 'Best of' in which he will be performing a dozen of his proven and skilful effects. Our own John Styles MBE will give the 'Jeffery Atkins Memorial Lecture' talking about his varied experiences during his long career as a professional magician providing an insight into the life of this country's most gifted entertainers and a consultant on a wide range of film, TV, and theatrical productions. A lecture not to be missed! More History of Mystery (The Collectors' and Others' Seminar): The British Ring convention caters for a wide range of magical interests. Here Eddie Dawes chairs a seminar of a series of short talks about various aspects of the history and heritage of magic. This year the speakers are David Paton-Williams, Trevor Dawson, David Budd and Marco Pusterla. It makes a nice change from learning a new trick! Close-up Competition: The close-up competition for the Zina Bennett Trophy always attracts a high standard of competitors and for many is the highlight of the convention. The last three winners of the Trophy were Marc Oberon (2006) Steve Dela (2007) and John van der Put (2008). The Banquet: A traditional black tie banquet with speakers and side toasts, a chance to dress up and enjoy fine food and wine. The Late Late Show: The after banquet show featuring some of the top acts from around the world. Tony Rix will introduce F.I.S.M. Prix Winner Soma with his award winning mobile phone act, Peki with his colourful flower act, Brando & Silvana with their award winning act 'The Gambler and Flower Seller' and the amazing inventions of Pavel. The Opening Show: Getting the Convention off to a magical start Paul Ray will compere combining impressions with magic. He will be introducing Jonathon Shotton, holder of the British Ring shield, the award winning comedy of Mark Shortland and fast moving modern magic from award winning magician and comedian Sean Heydon. The Fringe: The fringe is essentially a series of additional free shows organised and financed by Fay Presto and is entirely independent of the British Ring. It features a series of magicians performing real world magic. Fay goes to a lot of trouble to create a good atmosphere with the audience sat around cabaret style tables. She usually rounds up some 'normal' people (non magicians) to give the performers a real audience. If the formal convention banquet isn't your thing, you might like the Fringe banquet. For this you order your choice of takeaway food, have it delivered to the Southport Arts Centre, eat it and enjoy the cabaret. Children's Showtime: A chance to see top children's entertainers in action. Your hosts Clivo and Jeani will introduce the legendary Sooty assisted by Richard Cadell along with the magic of Doug Gregg, the ventriloquial skills of John Kimmons and past holders of the British Ring Shield High Jinx. Thank you Andy for giving and highlighting these 20 excellent reasons why all magicians should attend the British Ring Convention in Southport September 23rd to 27th. I would like to add an additional two. One is the conversation David & Dania will be having with John Pye about their extraordinary career in show business. The other is having the opportunity of meeting up with old friends, to chat, to reminisce, swap ideas with your fellow magicians, in other words socialise. That is the purpose of a Convention as well as watching and listening. News just received from Mandy Davis. This will be of interest to junior magicians. For your Junior Workshop on Saturday afternoon the celebrity tutor will be Hayashi. She is hoping that she will be able to secure another personality to attend the session and if she is successful in doing so this will be confirmed next week together with his identity. Remember that this session is strictly for you magicians of 18 years of age and under. An interesting podcast between Andrew Webb and John Lenahan has just been posted on the magicconventionguide.com website. You can listen to it by going to httpp://www.magicconventionguide.com/2009/magic-convention-guide-podcast-050909-john-lenahan/ The list of books and manuscripts belonging to the late Fred Hughes and to be auctioned in aid of the Welfare Fund at Southport is now on the Announcements page in the Members Area of this website. Any non member who would like the list please email me with your request to bobring25@aol.com Registrations cannot now be accepted on line or by phone or e-mail the Registration Officer but will be at the Registration Desk in Southport from 10.30am on Wednesday 23rd September. -------------------------------------------- 10. Free Performances By Elio Simonetti And Eva Salleh ------------------------------------------ Message by Elio Simonetti (Aust) Eva and I will be giving a series of performances in shopping centres to the public: Monday 21 September to Friday 25 September 11am and 1pm daily Centro The Glen 235 Springvale Road Glen Waverley VIC (03) 9802 3200 Monday 28 September to Friday 2 October 11am and 1pm daily Centro Keilor Taylors Road Keilor Downs VIC (03) 9364 0444 Wednesday 7 October to Friday 9 October 11am and 1pm daily Gosford Town Centre Cnr Henry Parry Dr & William St Gosford NSW (02) 4324 7131 Monday 12 October to Friday 16 October 11am and 1pm daily 180 Caroline Chisholm Dr Winston Hills NSW (02) 9838 7822 And don't forget about our performance with Geoff Conrau of Theatre of Marvels (www.theatreofmarvels.com) at the opening of The Magic Zone in Bayswater (www.themagiczone.com.au) on Sunday 27 September at 11am. Tickets are only $15. Come along and help support this great venture. ------------------------------------------- 11. A New Book From Bev Bergeron -------------------------------------------- Message by Bev Bergeron (US) Just returned from the Texas Association of Magicians convention in Houston, Texas. Over 600 magicians gathered at the plush Omni Hotel and enjoyed the fun and mysteries for 4 days. Good shows and good lectures made up for the high price breakfast. While MCing the Friday night show I introduced my latest book a novel about a tent show magician who smuggled gold to the Far East in the 1930s. This is the way it is described on the back cover: Romance and smuggling gold in the Far East, while witnessing the beginning of WWII. An old time adventure story based on true happenings and the telling of untold stories that happen before the World War II started. Join our master magician as he cons his magical way across the Orient outsmarting the USA, British and Japanese Governments with a shipload of gold. "I started to read your /Magic Connections /book last night thinking I would finish it in a few days. I became so involved in the adventures of the traveling troupe of entertainers that I spent the entire night reading until this morning - I finished the book. A great story - a must read." Bill Rauscher The book is rated PG-13 if there is such a rating - not for children. It can be ordered on my web site: www.BevBergeron.com See you down the road, Bev Bergeron -------------------------------------------- 12. 6th Worldwide Escape Artist Convention ------------------------------------------- October 2, 3 & 4, 2009 Doubletree Ontario Airport Hotel, Ontario, California For Information go to: www.CannonsGreatEscapes.com Or call (818) 385-7092 -------------------------------------------- 13. Golden Magic Wand Contest - Budapest,   Hungary ------------------------------------------- Message by Gyula Czili (Hungary) 6th Joker Magic Day 2010, Golden Magic Wand Contest Convention Dates: 17-18th of April 2010 Place:  PESTÚJHELYI  KÖZÖSSÉGI HÁZ Convention Location (city, state): Budapest,   Hungary Convention Hotel: Hotel Ében  www.gerandhotels.hu Events: International Dealer Fair, special prices Golden Magic Wand Contest   (Close-Up, Stage magic) Lectures (Harry Alan, Roberto Giobbi) Party Raffle with lots of valuable prizes Announcement of winners, Golden Magic Wand Ceremony Gala show Registration price(s): Full two days:  EURO 50.00 ($70.00) Full two days spouse: EURO 20.00 ($30.00) Only Gala-Show EURO 15.00 ($20.00) Competition fee: EURO20.00            ($30.00) (deadline: 15th of March 2010) Contact name:  Gyula Czili, Joker Magic Contact address (street address, city, state, zip, country): 1155 Budapest, Obsitos u. 17. Hungary Contact phone:  (+361) 306-9046 Contact email: mail@jokermagic.com Convention website: www.jokermagic.com Contact fax:  (+361) 306-9678 Spend a magical weekend in the beautiful Budapest, the capital of Hungary! -------------------------------------------- 14. "Magicana" Magazine Number 339 -------------------------------------------- Message by Michael Woolf (NZ) We jumped the gun last week. Editor Michael Woolf tells us that the next issue of "Magicana" Magazine is due to be mailed to subscribers on time as normal. 36 pages with a great colour cover picturing Terry Herbert, star of the upcoming mini-Convention at Palmerston North, the issue also features full coverage of the Editor's travels in the USA including the IBM and SAM Conventions. "Magicana" Magazine will be mailed at the end of September. -------------------------------------------- 15. 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) -------------------------------------------- 16. 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.Alan-Watson.com 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 2009 Alan Watson