* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand e-zine * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #154 Date: 12th January 2003 Editor: Alan Watson www.magician.co.nz www.alan-watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor’s Message 2. Paul Daniels’ Magical Masterclass - Sydney Australia 3. Paul Daniels' Magical Masterclass www.pdmasterclass.com 4. Latest Update On I.B.M. Convention 5. Update On SAM Convention 6. Richard Levin - Developed Bone Marrow Cancer 7. Paul And Debbie’s Daniels Home Damaged - Flooding 8. Danny Archer Lecture Schedule 9. Lance Burton Will Appear On "Street Smarts" 10. New Years Eve In Dubai 11. South African Magic Convention 2003 - Durban 12. Michael Grandinetti Predicts Headlines 13. "In the Picture" On 9's Y? Show 14. Re: Snippy New Year - By Peter Marucci 15. Dale Salwak's "Stars of Magic" 16. The Great Levante Stamp 17. Re: Hong Kong Convention 18. Stan Kramien's 16th Annual Magic Jamboree 19. Abbott's Close-up Convention 20. The Amazing ‘Orchante’ Saga - Page 143 21. Magic New Zealand e-zine archives 22. Subscription Management ------------------------------------ 1. Editor's Message ------------------------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One Sad to report that Paul and Debbie’s home and treasured possessions have been severely damaged due to flooding. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time – see item 7. ---------------------------------- Richard Levin has developed bone marrow cancer - see item 6 We first met Richard and his wife Janice when we were both performing close-up at the Magic Castle way back in 1987. You can contact Richard by emailing him at: magiclevin@att.net ----------------------------------------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ---------------------------------- 2. Paul Daniels - Magical Masterclass – Sydney Australia ---------------------------------- Message from Sean Taylor (Aust) TAYLOR'S Magic Shop Is proud to present, for the first time in Australia… PAUL DANIELS Paul Daniels is without doubt the finest and most successful magician Britain has ever produced. Paul has performed more magic on TV than anyone in history, his weekly TV specials ran for over 15 years. Here are just a few of his achievements:-  * Magician Of The Year - Academy of Magical Arts, Hollywood.  * Golden Rose Of Montreux - The top European TV award  * 14 months and over $2 million season In London's West End.  * Seasons at London Paladium and Las Vegas Tropicana.  * Appearances on Royal Variety Show.  * Numerous Record Breaking TV runs. For more than 30 years Paul Daniels has been at the peak of his profession, he is the complete entertainer and one of the funniest and most skilled in the business. This is a unique opportunity for Australian magicians to see him in action in TWO VERY SPECIAL EVENTS! Saturday 8th February 10am -5pm Conference Room - Zenith Theatre, Chatswood The Paul Daniels MasterClass This full day MasterClass will show you how to….. * Dramatically improve and enhance every trick you already own or perform by taking it apart and working out why it works. * Easily make more money from every show….. up to three times more. * Perform on T.V. , get on the radio and in the news. * Develop your performance skills, stage persona and presence. * And, most importantly, make your magic more entertaining! Paul will perform tricks throughout the day as examples and will steer and tailor the sessions to the participants. This MasterClass is about you and your magic and Paul will show you his radical ways of improving what you already do. He guarantees your magic will benefit! There is ample opportunity for you to ask questions and seek advice. Business seminars frequently cost 1000' s of dollars, indeed this seminar in the UK is well over $300. As a special offer from Taylor's the full day will be just $225 including GST. Call today, places are limited. Sunday 9th February 7.30pm- Public Show Zenith Theatre - Railway St, Chatswood An Audience With Paul Daniels This unique one man show has played to huge acclaim throughout the UK. This is the one and only time it has been seen outside Britain and we are delighted Paul has agreed to perform it in Sydney. The show features two hours of Magic, Comedy and Chat from the man himself. You will see the routines which have served Paul through his meteoric rise from club entertainer to multi millionaire and household name. Let Paul regale you with hilarious stories about his life in showbiz and answer questions too! This is the perfect night to bring along family and friends to see the best in the business! Tickets On Sale now $49.95 (No concessions) Taylor's Magic Shop Tel. (02) 9411 6233 Fax. (02) 9419 8585 Shop 1, The Interchange, Chatswood 2067 taylorsmagicshop@aol.com ------------------------------------ 3. Paul Daniels' Magical Masterclass www.pdmasterclass.com ------------------------------------- Message from Paul Daniels (England) This special event is Paul’s way of saying thank you to those people who are serious about pursuing the art of magic, and we hope that you are someone who genuinely wants to improve in their magical abilities, make money, and perhaps even become famous from performing magic! What will you learn? Firstly, I must emphasise that this is NOT a traditional magic lecture. In fact, it can’t be compared to any other magic lecture you have ever heard. Anyone can teach you tricks, but Paul has agreed to teach YOU the REAL magic - the business of magic! (Okay, we admit he probably will be tempted to show you a few tricks to illustrate some of the points). He will be revealing many of the techniques and ideas that he used throughout his career to shoot straight to the top of the game. Amongst other things, Paul will explain: 1. How to develop a unique stage character or persona that will be entertaining to virtually any audience. If you are serious about performing magic well, you will enjoy hearing how you can be entertaining regardless of your current experience. Yes, many of the factors are simple, but the point is that Paul is one of only a handful of magicians that realise how important they are, and by acting on them he has had phenomenal success, even before he was on TV. 2. How to radically enhance every magic effect you already own without spending any more money! Paul’s trademark over the years has been the way he has presented every magic effect in a unique and entertaining way. He will explain and show you the complete process for taking a trick apart, examining how and why it works, and then discuss the various ways of making it better. Paul has got this process down to a fine art now, and he will reveal his formula for doing it. Bear in mind that this process can be done with every trick and prop you already own or perform. This session alone is worth the price of the day because it ’s one of the main reasons why Paul has been successful. The ability to present your OWN magic in your OWN style is critical to your long-term success. 3. How to get on TV, Radio, and into the Newspapers Paul's step by step methods for doing these things will be fully explained. It's not theory; it's what he himself has used to get publicity. 4. The best way to find, learn, and practise your magic Paul really does have all of these down to a fine art, and he will show you how to choose the right kind of magic for your own style, as well as the best way of learning any effects you are interested in. 5. How to improve your existing performance skills Paul will show you many of the common mistakes magicians make in their performances, and by looking at the wrong ways of doing things (often amusing to watch), it is much easier to then do it the right way. He will be looking at misdirection, handling of props, stage techniques and much more. 6. How to easily triple your income on every show you do This might sound unrealistic, but if you are already performing, you really can make much more money than you do now, with very little extra effort on your part. Paul has used the techniques himself throughout his career in order to make the most from every booking, and the techniques can be applied to many other businesses too. 7. How to promote yourself and your shows effectively Through no fault of their own, many magicians don’t know much about marketing their business, and Paul is a master at it. He will explain his somewhat unorthodox approach, but he will also prove why it works, and how you can benefit too. Paul will also give examples of specific occasions where he used these methods very powerfully. 8. How to tap currently untouched markets - the potential for this is phenomenal! If you think there is not much work for magicians out there, this section will leave you simply gobsmacked and itching to get out there again. Paul believes that those who act on this information really can make a fortune from magic. 9. How every gig can lead onto at least three more, with very little effort on your part. Again, Paul’s mastery of the business of magic has enabled him to earn more money than most people dream of, and you can do the same, you really can. This section reveals more techniques and ways of handling audiences to enable you to earn more money. And that’s just for starters! This is an incredible opportunity to benefit both directly, and face to face with someone who is widely considered to be one of the most brilliant minds in magic the world has ever known. You will of course have ample opportunity to ask any burning questions you might have, about any aspect of magic. The day is about YOU and YOUR magic, and Paul wants to help you succeed. ------------------------------------ 4. Latest Update On I.B.M. Convention ------------------------------------- Message from Mindy Burden (US) Dates: July 1-5  Early-bird activities Tues., July 1  Gold Medal contest begins Wed., July 2  Concludes with Strolling Olympics July 5 Chairman: Mindy Burden  jam3rma@avolve.net Registration: Mel Kientz  napamagic@aol.com  I.B.M. Convention Registration  2020 W. Yucca Drive  Wickenburg AZ 95390 Headquarters Hotel:  Kansas City Downtown Marriott  200 W. 12th St., Kansas City MO 64105  1-816-421-6800  Room rate: $99 per night Registration rates:  I.B.M. member/spouse $145  I.B.M. Junior member $100  Child under 12 $75  Non-member $145*  *add: $55-US, $60-Canada, $65- all other countries  Order of Merlin breakfast $17  Banquet $35 Talent booked at this writing (alphabetical order):  Danny Archer  Gay Blackstone  Rich Bloch  Tom Burgoon  Michael Close  Aldo Colombini  Fakelli & Kil  Bob Fitch  Ardan James  Andre Kole  Jay Marshall  Max Maven  Kenji Minemura  Jonathan Neal  Obie O'Brien  Shoot Ogawa  Kevin Spencer Additional Information: I.B.M. website for updates: www.magician.org KC Marriott offers a fabulous setting for magicians to congregate and share magic. In addition to standard room amenities, Marriott also has: health club, indoor pool, sauna, gift shop, 2 restaurants, and 2 lounges/bars. Beautiful Lyric Theater just a walk across the street! City/Nearby Sites & Attractions:  4 Riverboat Casinos  Harry Truman home & library  Science City  Union Station  Hallmark Cards headquarters & Crown Plaza shopping &  Hallmark Kaleidoscope (craft sessions for kids)  'City of Fountains'; beautiful city-wide artistic fountains  Kansas City Zoo  IMAX theater  Kansas City Royals baseball  NASCAR racing  KC steaks & ribs--fabulous & friendly on pocketbook!  KC jazz & blues--sweet music to the ears! COME JOIN US! --------------------------------- 5. Update On SAM Convention ---------------------------------- Message from George Schindler - S.A.M Public Relations CONVENTION CLOSE-UP AND LECTURERS ANNOUNCED The Society of American Magicians released a partial list of Close-up and Lecturers booked for its July 7-10 National Convention in Las Vegas this year. Close-up performers booked to date include, Paul Green, Alan Ackerman, Frank Zak and Tomo Maeda. Four performances are scheduled to accommodate all the registrants. Each of the performers will do more than the usual ten minutes allowing them to deliver their best material. Other performers will be announced as they are added. Emcees in two close-up rooms will be Terry Seabrooke and George Schindler. Lectures booked so far are by Kenrick "Ice" McDonald, Frank Zak, Paul Green and a special two hour session with Jeff McBride. For a list of other performers already booked, see www.magicsam.com --------------------------------- 6. Richard Levin - Developed Bone Marrow Cancer ---------------------------------- Message Richard Levin (US) My health for 2002 and two was not a good year. I am doing great. I just have to deal with the problem. I was have terrible pain in my left hip and cyatic nerve. The V.A. had me do aqua therapy, massage therapy and physical therapy. About four months later and with an x-ray they decided that there was no cartilage and I needed a complete hip replacement. I will not go in to the number of times I heard just 4 to 6 months. I went to a very good private doctor and hospital. I received much help from friends and even food. The operation was wonderful and I am doing great with a physical therapist. It is fantastic to be mobile without crutches or a Cain. I have diabetes. The numbers have been craping up. The medication is still working wonderful but my fingers are sore. The VA has rated me for diabetes because they believe the early on set is because of agent orange. In their words the cause is more likely than not. I have ET. essential thrombosis.. My bone marrow is malfunctioning they have told me from agent orange. I am on chemotherapy. I am currently taking a cancer drug called hydrxeura,  but the numbers are moving up and have increased the dose. I have lose on muscle in my right arm bisect. They have no idea why it happened and have said it can not be reattached. I have had several diabetic blisters which have burst and yield yellow puss. I had to have x-ray to make such it. I have lost two teeth which has been blamed on agent orange and they paid for the dentist procedure. Please excuse the spelling! There is more but I think this is enough. I hope 2003 is a better health year. I hope it is healthy for everyone. Magic has been my main diversion and has saved my life by distracting me. magiclevin@att.net --------------------------------- 7. Paul And Debbie’s Daniels Home Damaged - Flooding ---------------------------------- Message from Paul Daniels (England) January 01 Wednesday in Westwoodside with Lewis and Camilla 02 Thursday Come home from Westwoodside. We arrived in the evening to find that the house was flooded throughout the ground floor to a depth of about 5”. To be honest I sat on the stairs and went into just about the deepest depression I could remember. I was tired. All that work, for nothing. The river had risen way above previous levels and had come over the top of the walls and up through the patio. I have no idea where it came into the house, although I suspect the front door, being wooden, had a lot to do with it. There was no point in trying to save anything in that water, I just lifted a couple of things that were able to be wiped, and went to bed. I did not sleep much. 03 Friday and the waters continued to rise. I went out in waders but the water came over the top of them and I stayed out too long ferrying stuff for neighbours. My feet froze and when I came in I could not feel them at all. Deb suggested that I take a bath so I ran a tepid one and got in to soak. Suddenly my feet were in terrible pain so I staggered out. Immediately they started to itch beyond belief. I grabbed towels and rubbed them so hard I thought I might take the skin off. Deb came in and got very worried. My feet and legs up to my knees were BRIGHT purple and blue and red patches. It seemed to take forever to get them back to normal. That’s a lesson for the future! During that day I tried to get out to move the cars, but could not reach them. The van went underwater and that has a very high floor level. The Christmas tree had tipped over and all the ‘toys’ that I had collected over the years that ‘animate’ the bottom were destroyed. I got excited at saving my laptop, but then found that the USB ports and the CD-Rom reader would not work. The phones also ‘died’ in the water, both the main line and the Nokia. Now we were down to only Deb’s phone and it stayed that way until the 10th Jan. Amazing how many people got annoyed that they could not phone us or email us. 04 It is amazing how delighted you feel at ‘saving’ a golf tee peg that has been floating in the water. It’s stupid but I guess it is a gesture. The water is now about 16 to 18” high throughout the ground floor. The doors, sideboard, bookcases, all made to match, are ruined beyond repair. Dozens of video tapes are underwater. Books on lower shelves are gone and ALL furniture will have to go. The pressure of the floodwater has burst the seals on the double glazing and there is water between the panes. We have some power in odd sockets and we have heating upstairs. The fridge doors are buckled. 05 Neighbours are totally marooned. Some have no heating at all. It is Nikki Driver’s Birthday, our friend, but of course we can’t get out to send cards to anyone celebrating at this time. 06 Monday and I get some chest waders delivered by the bloke next door who has been for some. Sadly his 21 year old daughter, Miranda, had a heart-type attack in the night and he had to ferry the ambulance men to the house in the evening and then load them and her back into the boat to get her to hospital. Unbelievably they bring her back at 2 o’clock in the morning and he has to do all the ferrying again! You have to wade in and pull boats because the current is too strong for oars or engines. It sweeps across between the houses and your legs keep getting pushed to one side. You have to hang on like mad and I wear a lifejacket. Now I am the ferry man and pull people and deliver groceries. It is very cold and starting to freeze over at night. I have managed to get an extension lead because we have now lost power in the bedroom. We decide that we have to ‘lose’ all the work we have done and pull this house down. We don’t really have a choice on this and I guess you have to live here to understand that. We will rebuild. We start planning how to bring that about. Insurance companies are contacted to warn them of the impending claims. They are brilliant even when they don’t know who we are. There is a knock at the door and it is Andrew, who works with me, being carried by his father in law. Can’t believe they got through. We laugh a lot because they are Jehovah’s Witnesses and the gag is that nothing can stop them knocking on your door. I pull them back up the lane in the boat. Can’t sleep, too much to think about. 07 Andrew Lock comes back the next day and we do a bit of work on the coming tours. The waters show signs of receding. I start to dip into the downstairs waters, and clear the tree of decorations. I have floating boxes everywhere of stuff that I have saved, stuff that I can clean, stuff to dump after the insurance man has seen it, etc. I am still ferrying people and stuff. Miranda has died in the night. It’s awful. Debbie makes fish pies and I deliver them around the neighbours. We go to Sue and Martin’s next door for dinner, in waders! 08 Andrew Lock, more work, and more cleaning up. Insurance people are in constant touch. The one phone we have is going nuts. 09 Ann Varley’s Birthday. She has horses up north and it occurs to me that I should have borrowed a tall one for getting in and out through the water. Both of the insurance assessors got in and out through the receding waters by me loading them into the van and them jumping for the steps. Buy a Volkswagen van folks. It went four feet underwater and started on the third attempt. I daren’t look at my act in the back. There is no water in the house now, only wet mud. The electricians have been but instead of ‘helping’ they have taped everything up and they say it will be off for quite a while whilst it dries out thoroughly. I have by-passed a bit to get the computer to work and a couple of other bits. My oldest friend Graham Reed turns up in the village with champagne. He can’t get in to us but I get Debbie out and they go to Henley to do a bit of shopping. I load him into the van when they get back and we have lunch in the upper part of the muddy house. I think he got a shock. People really cannot tell what this is like unless they have been in it. The insurance guy says we are the worst hit. They pay for us an overnight in a hotel in London and it feels like heaven to be out of the damp. 10 We went to the US Embassy to get Visas for working there in March. No problems. Went to visit Mam. When we got back the water is well down and the lane is now being driven. Our drive is still underwater but that will be down by morning. BT got the phone lines working again today so I was able to connect to the Internet and the easiest way to deal with the majority of messages was to write this out so that you can understand why you haven’t been answered, or contacted, or whatever. Thank you to all the friends who have been in touch with offers of help, it was greatly appreciated, even if there is nothing you can do. Hey, that’s not true; you could all start the Daniels House Rebuilding Fund ‘cos the insurance companies will not pay for that! The first contractor arrives to give quotations in the morning. The drying out company comes on Sunday morning. In the very long term we will be better off, it is just such a depressing mess at the moment. Hey ho. Tomorrow I start listing everything… yuk! Debbie will go off to her mother’s to do the washing and ironing. Life will start to come back to ‘normal’, whatever that is. 11 Gary Cowlam will visit for assessing the cost of all the replacement work. Debbie will visit her mother to do the washing and ironing. This morning, by the way, the lounge is frozen over....wanna come skating? ---------------------------------- 8. Danny Archer Lecture Schedule ---------------------------------- Message from Danny Archer (US) I will be kicking off my first lecture tour of the year in February, presenting my new lecture called ON TARGET ... I hope if you are in the area you will come out and see some of the great new effects featuring magic with Cards, Coins, Bills, Photographs, Wind-up Animals & Business Cards. Dates below and if you need more info, please call or e-mail ... Thanks, Danny Archer FEBRUARY 2 Atlanta, GA 3 Boca Raton, FL 5 Miami, FL 7 Ft. Meyers, Fl 9 Melbourne, FL 10 West Palm Beach, FL 12 Jacksonville, FL 15 Orlando, FL banquet performance 16 Orlando, FL lecture 17 Ocala, FL P Derby 18 Tallahassee, FK workshop 19 Pensacola, FL 20 New Orleans, LA 21 Baton Rouge, LA 22 Tyler, TX 23 Dallas, TX 24 Lake Charles, LA 25 Little Rock, AR Peace, Danny Archer 303.321.6267 fax 303.355-2013 e-mail : lecturenet@aol.com ---------------------------------- 9. Lance Burton Will Appear On "Street Smarts" ---------------------------------- Message from Wayne Bernath, Lance Burton’s Director of Publicity Lance Burton will appear on "Street Smarts" that was filmed in the promenade area of the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino. It will air on Monday, Jan, 27, 2003 (check your local listings). ---------------------------------- 10. New Years Eve In Dubai ---------------------------------- Message from Guy Cater (NZ) What an evening!! My wife Cynthia and I had flown to Dubai (The United Arab Emirates) via two days in Bangkok, for a couple of Hypnotism Shows in the Emirates Ramada Hotel and for me to M.C. a wonderful New Years Eve night. It was held at the Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa, right on the warm blue waters of the Arabian Gulf (ex Persian Gulf). Before we left Cynthia was a little apprehensive about traveling to the Middle East as she is an American but I think I put her mind to rest when I explained that the U.A.E. was at least a fired scud missile length away from Iraq!! New Years Eve theme at the resort was ‘Sinbad’s Journey Around The World’ and I played Sinbad, complete with costume. The venue was outside with 150 tables set in an Arabic setting even to the extent of having four camels in as part of the set ... They were finally removed just after midnight as one of them began to produce garden fertilizer and the smell was overpowering! Cynthia and I had the pleasure of meeting the Consuls from both Germany and Japan and His Most Royal Highness Sheikh Mana Al Kotoumb Rashid (Uncle of the Ruler). The next night His Highness invited us to a special ‘party’ in the members club of ‘The Sphinx’ (a lovely complex he owns). Turns out there were only 20 people there and guess who His Highness wanted to entertain his friends!!! Probably one of the richest men in the world and he got a free show!!! Was nice for Cynthia as His Highness (I got a real kick out of calling him that ... not that you had a choice) gave her a big hug and told her how beautiful she was. Meanwhile ... back at the New Years Eve Spectacular... On the bill were a twenty four member cabaret ballet (nice way of saying ‘dancing girls’), from the Ukraine, a three member circus family from Bulgaria, an eight piece hip hop band from England, 6 belly dancers from Egypt and Lebanon, an eight piece Latin band from Columbia, Shaki Wassof, UAEs most popular singer and his twelve piece Arabic band and me, from New Zealand. With the sound and lighting guys taking care of the enormous outdoor stage there were just over 70 of us. The night went from 9pm till 5am the next morning. Of interest to magicians was The Family Ulievy from Bulgaria. Dad Alexander performed fire eating and blowing, lying on broken glass and balancing his wife Zoyla on a 3 meter pole from his chin to her foot (amazing) and their son Daniel performed the 3 sword suspension, ziz zag and sub truck with his mother plus a host of extremely fast magical costume changes .. within seconds.. Used to traveling the fairs of Eastern Europe they loved the relaxed atmosphere of Dubai. I had the joy of leading the New Year Countdown getting everyone to sing and then watching the spectacular fireworks display. I also found it very sad ... there were 1500 in the audience, each of whom had paid 250 US dollars to attend, and during the fireworks, with the English band still playing I went offstage into the audience crowding around the stage and shook hands, hugged and kissed (in that very European and Arabic manner) with people from Arabia, Lebanon, England, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and some nationalities that I did not know. What saddened me was that at that moment all those folk were so happy with the New Year coming in but below the surface was the knowledge that this New Year would probably bring war to the region.... and all of the nationalities we met were just nice ordinary people. So very sad. In the meantime ... like a true professional, I took the money. Philosophy comes after the check!!! ---------------------------------- 11. South African Magic Convention 2003 - Durban ---------------------------------- Message from Graham Barkus (South Africa) Convention Details Date: 23 – 27 September 2003 Venue: Blue Waters Hotel. Marine Parade, DURBAN. Proposed Programme: Wednesday 24 Sept 15.00 onwards – Registration 19.00 - Welcome cocktail party 20.00 - International Cabaret Thursday 25 Sept morning : Lectures, Demos and Workshops Dealers open for demos and sales Lunch Afternoon: Lectures, Workshops and teach in’s Dealers open for demos and sales Evening: Surprise trip with supper and refreshments. Friday 26 Sept morning: Guest Artist presentations and lectures Dealers open for demos and sales Lunch Afternoon: Demo’s, workshops and lectures Dealers open for demos and sales Evening: Finger supper then off to the Natal Playhouse for the Gala Show. Saturday 27 Sept morning: Dealers open until 10.00 for final purchases. 10.00: Magical Mystery Tour taking in 3 venues, Lunch, shows and gifts. (Tour ends 17.00) Evening 19.00: Gala Dinner and Cabaret Sunday 28 Sept Morning: Breakfast and farewells to those not attending the SAMCO Meeting. Accommodation: We are presently negotiating favourable rates with both the Blue Waters Hotel and a number of B&B’s in close proximity to the Convention venue. Rates will be advised once they are finalised. Dealers: Please contact us as we are offering a very special deal never before seen at conventions in this country!! We want you all here shops, inventors and traders. International Guests: We are presently in negotiations with International Superstars of Magic (well known to everyone). Sponsorships and final costs will be the ultimate decider, but you will be seeing stars, of stage and television that have not been seen before, live, in South Africa Convention Fees: The inclusive fee for the entire convention as detailed above will be approximately R800,00, if paid by 30 June 2003. Unfortunately there will be a late registration fee due to the deposits etc which all have to be paid up front Registration: Forms will be e-mailed to all registered members of societies in January 2003. Convenors: Peter Williams 082 9255032 Beesplace@atom.co.za Graham Barkus 082 7895974 Barkus@iafrica.com ---------------------------------- 12. Michael Grandinetti Predicts Headlines Of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ---------------------------------- Message from Michael Grandinetti Success!! - Michael Grandinetti Accurately Predicts The Headlines Of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Forseeing The Outcome Of The Nfl Playoff Game Three Weeks In Advance! Los Angeles, CA – January 7, 2003 – 2003 got off to a magical start for Master Illusionist Michael Grandinetti on January 6 when he successfully predicted the headlines of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Pittsburgh’s “JohnDaveBubbaShelley” Morning Radio Show. This success is the culmination of an event that began three weeks ago. On Monday, December 16, Michael’s written “vision” was sealed in an envelope in Los Angeles. The envelope was then sent to the B94 (WBZZ-FM) studios in Pittsburgh, via Certified Express Mail, with the instructions that it not be opened until Michael’s interview on January 6. Once Michael arrived, Bubba, one of the four on-air personalities, opened the sealed envelope, broke the four notarized seals, and removed the prediction – all while Michael was several feet away. The headline of the newspaper stated “The Steelers score 22 points in the 4th quarter to defeat Cleveland, 36-33, and advance to face Tennessee in the next round of the playoffs.” Michael’s prediction matched perfectly. “Amazing, simply amazing” said Shelley Duffy, another member of the morning team, “I have no idea how that is even possible!” “Growing up in Pittsburgh, it was a thrill to come back and make this exciting prediction involving the NFL Playoffs. This was just the first step in an even larger project that we are now working  on,” Michael said. This successful radio event kicks off what is already planning to be a very busy year for Michael. In addition to performances scheduled throughout the country, Michael will be performing at the American Diabetes Association Benefit Dinner in Beverly Hills in February and at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood in the spring. Currently residing in Los Angeles, CA, 25-year-old Michael Grandinetti has been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC Family, FOX, TNN and on radio stations across the country. In 1999, his magic was introduced to the world when he challenged “The Tower of Flaming Spikes” on the NBC special The World’s Most Dangerous Magic II. Michael’s other television appearances include Fox & Friends, New York Today, Crook & Chase, and Entertainment Tonight. For more information on The Magic of Michael Grandinetti, visit: www.michaelgrandinetti.com For photos of Michael’s in-studio prediction, visit: www.b94fm.com/jdbs_eventsmon1.shtml ---------------------------------- 13. "In the Picture" On 9's Y? Show ---------------------------------- Message from Fast Jimmy (Aust) I have been asked by several magicians where this brilliant effect can be purchased. For more information check out Dave Lord's website at www.davelord.com.au then click on Dave Lord's Magic Works, on the top of the next page click on Magic Effects and then click on "In the Picture". I have performed this effect at children's birthday parties, in roving close-up situations, and at parlour shows. Not only is it very strong and personal magic, but also a real reputation maker for any serious magician. If you have ever wanted to give the birthday child, married couple or lucky spectator a momento from your show then this is exactly what you're after. The video is available in both PAL and NTSC format, and he has a limited stock of second hand Polaroid camera's suitable for the effect. For more information contact Dave Lord on dave@davelord.com.au ---------------------------------- 14. Re: Snippy New Year - By Peter Marucci ---------------------------------- Message from Jack Poulter (Canada) > >When they are fully dry, you will have a number of strips that will last for weeks, if the cemented sides are not allowed to touch. (I have used them up to two months after I prepared them and they still worked -- but about two to three weeks is the longest they should be left for optimum use.)< < ----- If you make up several strips they can be stored with untreated sheets of paper between them so they do not stick to each other. I make the first fold so that there is one end of the strip extends beyond the other: it is easy to hold and let the other end drop down to "restore". I have found that two thin coats of rubber cement*, the first being allowed to dry before applying the second thin coat, works better than one heavy coat. The talcum powder is applied only after the second coat of cement. If the prepared strips are stored for some time after preparation, it may be difficult to identify the treated side. I place a small X with a pencil on the treated side, usually at the end that will eventually stick up when folded. The marks will help thwart Murphy's Law. *"Rubber cement" has other names outside North America. Rubber cement used to be used for patching bicycle and automobile inner tubes with rubber patches. Now a "vulcanizing liquid" is used; the patches are thinner and appear to melt into the tube. Someone has said that the term "cow gum" is the name used in Australia. You can likely identify the correct product by the brush applicator in the lid of the bottle. If it is a rubbery paper glue, then it is probably the correct product. Jack, in Canada. Jack Poulter jpoulter@islandnet.com ---------------------------------- 15. Dale Salwak's "Stars of Magic" ---------------------------------- Message from Don Wiberg, International Secretary, I.B.M. Dale Salwak's "Stars of Magic" show at the McAnnich Arts Center at College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn (Chicago), Illinois, U.S.A. was a huge success. M.C. Chris Mitchell kept the audience in a good mood with his comedy magic. Jade, with her extraordinary beauty and grace performed some of the most delightful magic ever seen by this audience. Dale Salwak manipulated cards and coins in a classic manor. His performance of the Zombie had the audience convinced that the silver globe was really floating. The first half ended with Amos Levkovitch and his exquisite magic with doves. After Amos vanished a carousel of beautiful doves and took his well earned bow, the doves flew from some mysterious place to his outstretched arms. The audience awarded Amos with more applause and cheers of appreciation. The second half of the show featured the illusions of Chuck Jones and Company. Chuck had just returned from a most successful tour of Australia and New Zealand and was more than ready to entertain this New Year's Eve crowd. Chuck's illusions baffled and entertained the packed theatre of the McAnnich Arts Center. There were a number of Chicagoland magicians in the crowd but the audience was made up of lay people. It was apparent from the applause and enthusiam of the audience that they had never seen such a well balanced and well produced magic show. The technical direction was all handed by Dale Hindman. The show ran smoothly without any technical glitches. This was a most wonderful way to celebrate the end of 2002 and to toast in the New Year. Thanks to Dale Salwak for bringing this superb show to the Midwest. ---------------------------------- 16. The Great Levante Stamp ---------------------------------- Message from Roger Thompson Someone told me, that there will be a stamp issued in Australia this year for The Great Levante! Do you have any details, if it is true! Best Wishes from Austria...Roger ---------------------------------- 17. Re: Hong Kong Convention ---------------------------------- Message from Richard Walls (NZ) Re: Hong Kong Convention The old marketing maxim holds good, what where and when. The organisers have forgotten to post the dates!!!! ---------------------------------- 18. Stan Kramien's 16th Annual Magic Jamboree ---------------------------------- Message from Stan Kramien (US) Stan Kramien's 16th annual Magic Jamboree will take place May 23, and 24, at the well known BIG TOP RANCH, and Show Arena in Newberg Oregon (a town near Portland Oregon,,the FUN event is attended by magis from all over,,,,EVERYTHING is furnished,,all food, banquet, drinks,,all on one ticket,,ask anyone who has attended (Ali Bongo came last year,,all the biggies have been here) they weill all tell you it is the most fun you will ever have at a magic happening,,,contact stankramien@yahoo.com to be on the mailing list,,and in closing may I say "You all come"....Stan the man ---------------------------------- 19. Abbott's Close-up Convention ---------------------------------- Message from Tom Craven (US) Alan... in a previous post I stated the Holy Toledo convention was on 14th and 15th of March 2003. It is in fact a week later.... March 21st, and 22nd. Abbott's Close-up Convention is on the 14th and 15th! Abbot's is "Fun," Toledo will be a working convention for me! I'll be at both, and hope to see some of you there too! Stop and say "hi" if you are! Also, I'm lecturing in Raleigh and Wilmington, N.C. next week, as well as working the SCAM convention in Columbia, S.C. on the 17th and 18th of January! Say "hi" to me there too! --------------------------------- 20. The Amazing ‘Orchante’ Saga – Page 143 ---------------------------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) We Leave New Zealand (again) For Tropical Fiji If someone had said to me that the next time I left New Zealand’s shores, accompanied by my new wife, it would be many, many years (perhaps never), before we would return home; I would have laughed out loud. How could we possibly have known what fate had in store for us! Perhaps I had better start at beginning, which is usually a good place to set out. As I have mentioned previously, on several occasions, the majority of my work/ income during the Seventies was derived from performing my shows not only for small privately owned hotels, but also the various large hotel chains throughout the length and breadth New Zealand. It was during one of the runs down in the South Island, that I met Eric. He was the managing this particular hotel – I've forgotten the name of it now, but it was one of those rather expensive touristy type hotels, down in Te Anau or Queenstown – somewhere like that. We hit it off big time - Eric and I and, whenever I rang to say that I was heading his way, he always managed to find me a week or so, to put on my show at the hotel. It was during December of 1975, when I was again ‘doing my thing’ at Eric’s hotel that he informed me that the company who owned the hotel had asked him if he would consider taking over the management of a beach resort/hotel in Fiji. Eric told me that it took him all of two seconds, considering, before he said, “OK”. Well you would, wouldn’t you! Eric was adamant that as soon he was settled in Fiji, he wanted us to pack up and fly over and join him at the hotel, making it our permanent home. He was going to pool together all the other hotels in the chain on Fiji, including others on the ‘mainland’, and those that were on different smaller islands of the Fijian group. Many of these were privately owned - catering for the very rich; exclusive and very expensive sun-drenched ‘Islands in Paradise’, perfect ‘Treasures of Tranquillity’, for those who could afford it - the playgrounds of internationally famous film stars etc, who wish to vanish from the eyes of the public - and the invasive press, for a few weeks. The idea was that we would have regular, non stop employment for years to come. THAT WAS THE PLAN. As I write this, I glance out of the window of the office/spare bedroom of our home here in England, then stare out at the snow - filled clouds, the heavy white frost that carpets the road, footpath and grass outside. The temperature outside is minus something bloody awful on this freezing winter’s day of January, Friday 10th 2003; and I can’t help thinking back to those wonderful, heady days when I was traipsing all over the South Pacific, and say out loud – “What the hell am I doing here”, and think, with a wee tear in my eye, how and why it all went down a different road. What makes it even worse is that the mail has just arrived, and amongst the usual ‘Get Rich Quick’ crap is a manila envelope. It is from Alan Watson, with a copy of Michael Woolf’s ‘MAGICANA’, New Zealand’s International Magazine for Magicians, Volume 49 - Number 298. Among others, it contains a wonderful (pardon my blushes), article that Richard Webster has written about our recent ‘Lifetime Achievement Award, which he personally presented to us, here at our home. On the back cover of the magazine are several photographs of Alan Watson and his family (on a working holiday), performing in Port Vila, one of the islands of the Vanuatu (New Hebrides) group, not all that far, relatively speaking, from New Caledonia or Fiji. Those photographs bring back so many memories for me; I was running around and performing on all those islands in the sixties, and there sure wasn’t the luxury such as the ‘Waterfront Bar & Grill’ in Port Vila, back then. In those days it was a lot more primitive. Gilbert Thong, my old friend and promoter from Noumea, in New Caledonia, used to cart me off to many of those far flung islands to work my 2½ hour stage show, not just in picture theatre/halls, but also in tiny remote villages, many off the beaten track. I wasn't just doing sleight of hand magic (I've never been a boxes, tubes and ‘push the buttons’ man), but also ventriloquism, hypnotism and the fakir act - Fire-Eating, the Beds of Nails and Sword Swallowing. The ‘Psychic Surgery’ (‘String Thing’) wasn't in the act in those days, which is probably just as well, the natives would, more than likely have cut me open to see what else they could pull out, and thrown ‘IT’ as well as the rest of me, into the communal cooking pot. Joking aside, There is no doubt that primeval fear of the unknown can have disastrous consequences! - CONTINUES – ------------------------------------- 21. 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) Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. ------------------------------------- 22. 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 2003 Alan Watson