* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #358 Date: Sunday 16th October 2005 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. MagicMasterclass DVD 3. Magic Is The Glue That Binds Us Together 4. Please Join Me In Congratulating David Goodsell 5. New Website For Elio Simonetti And Eva Salleh 6. The 28th New Zealand International Convention Of Magicians 7. A Dice Stacking Retrospective, Part 11 8. The Amazing Orchante Saga 9. e-zine Archives 10. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice ------------------ 1. Editors Message ------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One Paul Romhany has hit on a real winner with his MagicMasterclass DVD - a real innovative marketing idea to generate $$ revenue after each show. Refer item 2. ------------------------------ Illusionists Kevin and Cindy Spencer USA announce the sale of the new DVD - ASIA. The DVD is a documentary-style production of their recent tour in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It includes preparation and departure, press conferences, production set up, backstage footage, show clips, bloopers and outtakes, photo galleries of Asia and much more. This is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to move a large-scale production across the Pacific Ocean! Orders can be placed on the SHOP at www.SpencersMagic.com. Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ----------------- 2. MagicMasterclass DVD ----------------- Message from Paul Romhany (NZ) I have been very busy with MagicMasterclass DVD, it has really turned out to be a product that many magicians have wanted for some time. The list of professional magicians who have bought our DVD reads like a who's who in magic! I have produced a 'generic' Magic Teaching DVD for ages 8 and up that magicians can use to sell and they buy the copyright giving them permission to burn as many as they wish. Due to the demand of the first DVD we are now offering an even better deal! With the release of our new DVD (Magic Masterclass II) we are now personalising each DVD so that photos and your name appear on your own personal DVD. This is proving to be the ULTIMATE selling tool for magicians after their shows. Just visit our testimonial page to hear what others are saying. To find out more check out: http://www.magicmasterclass.com ----------------- 3. Magic Is The Glue That Binds Us Together ----------------- Message from Andy Dallas President-Elect Society of American Magicians Well I'm back! I am so excited about the preparations going on for the Louisville, KY SAM Convention in 2006. This looks to be shaping up into something you will not want to miss. As I travel around the world representing the SAM, I found out that Magic is not the most important element of our great organization. Magic is the glue that binds us together. The most important part of the Magic community is you. Your willingness to mentor, teach and share your knowledge skills and entertainment with others. It's amazing how the small area of entertainment spreads out to reach so many in such a positive way. I for one am proud to be associated with those of you who unselfishly give your time to extend the experience of Magic to those less fortunate than yourself. I also want to thank all of you who volunteer to organize and participate in your local Magic clubs. Its magic that holds us together, but its all of you that make being involved in the world of Magic so wonderful. More to Come ----------------- 4. Please Join Me In Congratulating David Goodsell ----------------- Message from Andy Dallas President-Elect Society of American Magicians As many of you already know the SAM's MUM is getting a new editor and a new facelift. I would like to take this opportunity to wish John Moehring all the best in his undertaking. But this is not about the new MUM; this is about the current MUM and its editor David Goodsell. I have had the opportunity to get to know David and his wonderful wife Jann for many years. Both are PNP's. Both are, and have been, very active in the SAM, SYM, and the Magic community in general. Its easy to look at the MUM today and not realize from where it came. The incredible transformation that David has accomplished, working on a very limited budget, not only continued to move the MUM forward, but also did it with dignity and integrity every step of the way. It is David and Jann's involvement, among others, that made me want to be a part of the SAM National. They encouraged me not so much by words, but by example. Their dedication has, and always will be, to see that the SAM continues to be the best it can be. David and Jann are outstanding people. We have been so lucky to have them in our organization. Their achievements in many areas of the SAM and SYM (Jann is the Chair of the SYM) will carry us long into the future. On behalf of myself and all those who know the Goodsells (as I know, I can speak for them as well), thank you and please realize that we don't give you our respect, you have earned it ten-fold. Please join me in congratulating David for the outstanding work and efforts he has made on behalf of the SAM, its members, and you. ----------------- 5. New Website For Elio Simonetti And Eva Salleh ----------------- Message from Elio Simonetti Dear Friends, The website for our shopping centre show has been completely overhauled. Most of the photographs for it were taken by (The Magic Circle of Victoria's very own) Leanne Strahan - wife and partner of Paul Bowen. The address is www.themagicshow.info This website uses Flash technology, and may take a short while to open, if you use a dial up internet connection. Hope that you enjoy browsing through it. --------------------------------------------- 6. The 28th New Zealand International Convention Of Magicians ---------------------------------------------------------- Message from Joel Fenton The 28th New Zealand International Convention Of Magicians October 20th-23rd 2006 - Palmerston North, New Zealand The Palmerston North Magic Circle (Inc) are pleased to officially announce one of the major stars of our upcoming 2006 Convention. David Williamson. Stay tuned for further announcements, and keep checking the Convention Website for all Convention news, updates and announcements as they appear. http://www.joel.co.nz/convention.htm This is a Convention you do not want to miss. David Williamson: Considered to be one of the world's most talented magicians, David Williamson knows the secret of capturing the imagination of any audience. A born showman and an unusually accomplished sleight of hand artist, David dazzles audiences with a unique and delightful brand of entertainment, blending heart-stopping magic with sidesplitting hilarity. In 1981 David won first place in the International Brotherhood of Magicians' sleight of hand competition. That year he also became the first ever recipient of the prestigious Gold Cups Award of Excellence in close-up magic. David was voted "Sleight of Hand Magician of the Year" two years in a row by his peers at Hollywood's renowned Magic Castle. He was also twice awarded the "Magic Castle Lecturer of the Year" and the "Magic Castle Parlor Magician of the Year". David was voted "Most Wanted Magician" at the 2003 FISM convention in Den Haag. David has been featured on ABC's, Champions of Magic, where he appeared with Princess Stephanie as he performed his miracles at different locations in and around Monaco. David has also co-starred in several top-rated prime-time network specials including CBS' Magicians' Favorite Magicians, NBC's Houdini: Unlocking His Mysteries, and NBC's World's Greatest Magic III. As host of the United Kingdom's acclaimed television series The Magic Comedy Strip, David's irresistible mix of humor and skill helped make it one of the highest rated shows in the country. He has created illusions for and performed in several commercials and has developed TV shows for Walt Disney Productions and ABC, as well as consulting for illusionists David Copperfield's and David Blaine's TV specials. Most recently, David appeared on PAX TV's World Magic Awards special where he was awarded comedy magician of the year. His best-selling magic book, Williamson's Wonders, has been translated into four languages. This will be David Williamson's first visit to New Zealand. He will be both Lecturing and Performing. ----------------- 7. A Dice Stacking Retrospective, Part 11 ----------------- Message from Tony L. Lewis (US) K.C. Card & Dice Company (cont.), #11, in the dice stacking series Hi fellow magic enthusiasts, In the prior article of this series, I made my first visit to the K.C. Card & Dice Company where I ordered a set of eight custom made 5/8 Inch inlaid dice. A couple of weeks later I revisited this notorious manufacturer of precision gaming equipment to pick up my set of custom made dice. When they brought out my order, I was extremely pleased by the way that the dice looked. The red, blue, and black inlaid spots were flawlessly flush with each face. "Tony Lewis" was printed in gold on the "two side" of each die. When I gave them a practice shake in my cup, they stacked up very smoothly. I then tried to do the double stack of four that "The Senator" had taught me and that also worked perfectly. These were definitely precision dice as they stacked up even when a couple of them clearly stuck out. This practically never occurs with cheaper molded dice. These dice have received heavy usage from me over the last forty-five years. Amazingly, they now look almost as sharp as they did when I first acquired them. Furthermore, they still hold their stack as reliably as they ever did. I now had professional equipment. All I had left to do was to raise the quality of my stacking skill up to a level that matched that of these gorgeous new dice. I have acquired only one additional set of dice over the last four decades. They are blue "bird's-eye" casino dice. These three quarter inch size beauties are what I use with the custom leather cup made for me by the late, great Mike Rogers. This set of cup and dice looks more classy than the older one, but I still feel more comfortable when performing with my original battered cup and the K.C. dice. As I was preparing to leave K.C. Card & Dice Company, one of the salesmen asked me if I ever did any gambling. I replied that as a matter of fact I ran a weekly poker game at my apartment. He asked me if I would like to make sure that I never lost. He went on to tell me that if I bought several of the "special" decks he could sell me, I would assure myself of always winning. I replied that I have always played an honest game of cards and that I would continue to do so. He then suggested that I should buy a couple of these decks so that I could recognize one if it was ever used against me. I retorted in turn that this would be unnecessary, as I always played with men of unquestionable integrity such as doctors, businessman, etc. He then laughed very hard and said to me, "Kid, who do you think our best buyers are? They're certainly not shifty eyed guys with pencil mustaches. Who's going to play with their deck? It's just the sort of people that you're talking about. Some of our best customers are doctors, lawyers, and businessmen trying to scam their buddies." It suddenly occurred to me that I was probably a little too naive for my own good. The salesman went on to say, "As long as you've been a decent customer, let me show you how two of our best decks work. He then went over to a cabinet and pulled out a couple of decks of "Bee Club Special" cards made by the U. S. Playing Card Company. At that time and right on through the 1980's, this particular type of deck was favored by most gamblers as well as the Nevada casinos. It was the brand that was always used wherever I played poker. * * * In my next article I will describe in detail the marking systems used on the "special decks" sold by K.C. Card & dice Company. One of them was truly diabolic. BTW a couple of years after this, the salesman's evaluation proved to be spot on. Yup, I recognized one of his products in a poker game run by a highly respected organizer of boys' clubs in Chicago. So my crash course in marked cards really payed off. Regards, Tony L. Lewis ----------------- 8. The Amazing Orchante Saga ----------------- Message from Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)(UK ex-pat Kiwi) Page 71 Things happen! The other night on television I was watching a factual/documentary style programme hosted by Michael Parkinson - his guest was the famous English comedian and television presenter, Jim Davidson. Jim is extremely successful (in the millionaire bracket) which is quite amazing considering that he's been through four marriages and all of the resultant alimony; he must have paid out a small fortune. On top of that, he became an alcoholic, almost to the point of suicide! The bottom line of this is, he is now completely reformed, but what really impressed me, was that he didn't 'pull any punches' - telling his story straight down the line, on live television, with complete honesty, no matter how bad, or big a bastard it made him look. I liked that - have much the same attitude myself. If segments of what I'm going to relate, with regards to my outrageous, at best -mischievous behaviour, makes me also, look like a complete/**/&#*##*%/???- Then, so be it! Before I get started on what was to become, and did have a major impact not only in my life but also, in that of two others - make that four. I had better explain that, almost three months to the day, 15th of July 2001, my ex wife Sharon and her husband John arrived here the in U.K. from New Zealand, on the first leg of an extended European holiday. Sharon and John came and stayed with Veronica and I for three days before heading off to Europe. It was the first time I'd seen Sharon in more than 17 years (in Sydney Australia) - we had a great time, during which I asked Sharon for her permission for me to relate the following. Happily, she gave it. Thank you Sharon. Some time late February (I think) of 1971 -I have been booked for a six-night engagement at the Milford Marina Hotel, which is (WAS?) situated on the North Shore of Auckland City, with accommodation provided, if required. At this point of time, I'm married to Sharon. We have one son - Jason, who is two years of age, going on three - and another one almost on the way. Although I lived just a few miles away from the 'Marina', I took advantage of the accommodation. I was only too well aware of the 'Marina's' private bar which, although mainly used by hotel guests and visitors - was also the favourite after-hours drinking hole/haunt for the off-duty staff and those in the 'know'. Some of the 'sessions' could and often did, run into the wee small hours (although that depended on the barman/manager's mood and the type of company in the bar). Even back in those days. It was also a great spot to perform close-up magic, except for the exorbitant prices of the drinks, especially if you were into drinking 'shorts' or cocktails; you needed a wallet with a bottomless pit! Mind you, most of my drinks were paid for, one of the 'perks' of performing good magic! Upon arriving at the hotel I waltzed up the front stairs to the reception desk where I was confronted by an extremely attractive, in fact, quite beautiful - 'Redhead'. I must digress for a moment. Always, in the right hand pocket of my trousers there is a 'thumb tip' (if you don't know what that is, you're not a magician) -also in the pocket I carry a thimble, which nestles quite nicely inside the tip. Over the years, that thimble has created more astonishment and introductions than I care to recall. It has 'popped' out from the most extraordinary places - always creating much amusement, followed by such comments as "How did you do that" - "Where did that come from" and, "Do it again!" As I signed the registry and explained than I was a magician and the guest artist for that week, I could not help but notice that this 'vision of loveliness', was wearing a frock with a modest bit of cleavage showing - that was enough for me! With a twinkle in my eye I said, "I see you like to sew", then in a flash produced the thimble from you know where. Always, I repeat, always - without exception - the reaction is one of sheer amazement! "How dare you touch me - nobody touches me like that". Before I had time to say that I hadn't 'touched' her, this 'iceberg' had given me a smack, right across the kisser! ---------------- 9. 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) ------------------- 10. 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 2005 Alan Watson