* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment * www.watson.co.nz/fezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #611 Date: Sunday 5th October 2008 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. Disaster Relief Needs Help 3. The Academy Of Magical Arts Lease News 4. Eastbourne IBM Board Of Director's And Attendee's 5. John R. Brown III Thanks His Magical Friends 6. Remarkable Magic #67 - Nick Lewin 7. Perform For The Children - #89 - Kyle Peron 8. Entertaining On The Ocean #40 - Paul Romhany 9. I've Just Listened To A Short Interview With Marc Paul 10. Internet TV For Magician 11. Magic Week Proclaimed! 12. Criss Angel - Unfavorable Reviews - Cirque Du Soleil Show 13. Award-Winning Magician Gives Away All His Secrets 14. Illusions/Stage Magic For Sale 15. America's Got Talent Ends 16. Nyhart Any Card Selected Will Rise Houlette 17. 12th Annual Motor City Close-Up Convention 18. 29th New Zealand International Magicians Convention 2008 19. e-zine Archives 20. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- News Items In Brief: Magic New Zealand this week will be sent out to just over 14,000 subscribers around the world. Most of the new subscribers are from Europe. Tony Clark is having a grand opening this weekend for his new Studio of Magic. You can check it out at: www.tonyclarkmagic.com/studio Congratulations to Henry Lewis (England) who was this week unanimously elected to be an Honary Vice-President for The Magic Circle. Congratulation to Trevor Lewis (Wales) who was installed as President of the IBM British Ring by John Styles during their annual Convention in Eastbourne last week. Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. Disaster Relief Needs Help -------------------------------------------- Message from George Schindler - S.A.M. Public Relations The Society of American Magicians Magic Endowment Fund has already supplied disaster assistance payments to recent victims of the Ike Hurricane in Texas. While payments have already been extended more money is still needed. Many magicians still have no power, much water damage and need shelter, food and drinking water to carry them through. Many of them have lost their means of support due to school, park and other venue closures. We urge you donate whatever you can to this assistance effort. Your private tax exempt donations and those from your magic clubs will be gratefully accepted and acknowledged. Please send checks payable to the Society of American Magicians Magic Endowment Fund and mail to Disaster Relief, SAM Magic Endowment Fund, 234 Towyn Court, Ambler, PA 19002 -------------------------------------------- 3. The Academy Of Magical Arts Lease News -------------------------------------------- Message from Bill Bowers I'm pleased to report that detailed discussions for a new lease for the Academy on the Magic Castle have now begun in earnest. While the sale of the entire 10 1/2 acre Glover Family property is still in escrow, and we cannot predict with certainty when the transaction will be finally completed, the prospective buyers are in negotiations with us concerning the Magic Castle lease. The group purchasing the property is lead by Sean MacPherson, a very successful, highly regarded, and well-known owner and operator of hotels and restaurants in both New York and Los Angeles. In New York, Sean owns and operates The Waverly Inn, The Maritime Hotel, The Bowery Hotel, The Jane Hotel, Lafayette House, The Park Restaurant, and others. For those of you who would like to see, firsthand, some of Sean MacPherson's local projects, you can visit Jones or Swingers in Hollywood and El Carmen or Bar Lubitsch in Los Angeles. I expect to have more news to pass along as our negotiations progress and be certain that we will keep the membership updated on developments as they become available for release. -------------------------------------------- 4. Eastbourne IBM Board Of Director's And Attendee's -------------------------------------------- Message from Michael Finney (US) I would like to use your newsletter to thank the Eastbourne IBM convention board of director's and attendee's, Lori (my wife) took a really hard fall on the side walk on our way to do my lecture just in front of the hall. Her head hit the pavement like a walnut, you know that hollow sound. She was walking in front of me and her foot hit the uneven sidewalk, I had to watch the whole thing not able to help her at all. I walked her into the lobby and explained what had happened and in seconds there was a first aid person (I still don't know his name, but what a pro) on the spot with ice and aid like I have never seen. I was to do my lecture in five minutes. They told me they were going to take her to the hospital to be checked out just to be on the safe side. Lori tried to tell them no, she was OK. But I think that was more for me than them. She told me to go do my lecture and that she would be OK. She did not want me to disappoint anyone just because she had fallen. If I started thanking people I would forget someone so I won't take that chance other then to say Carol Pye, John's wife never left Lori's side. No one knows what that is like until it happens to them, let along in a foreign country. Needless to say my lecture was a mess. I could not remember a thing I wanted to say or do. My mind was with Lori. I explained briefly what had just happened to the attendee's in the audience and tried my best but it well could have been the worst lecture I had ever done. My mind and thought's were like a super ball in a small box bouncing off the walls. I should never have left her side. Carol called every few minutes to let someone know how things were going at the hospital and that they had taken x-rays and there were no fractures just a small concussion (if there's such a thing) some abrasions and a lot of bruising. I was heading down to the hospital at the end of my lecture and was told just stay at the hotel they would be coming back straight away. Well, we are home and she is doing fine but still has a face full of bruises and some reoccurring headaches. I don't want to take up much more of your letter space so please allow me to say thank you once again to one and all at the Eastbourne IBM for their preparedness and assistance. With Great Appreciation and Love Michael Finney -------------------------------------------- 5. John R. Brown III Thanks His Magical Friends  -------------------------------------------- Message from John R. Brown III (San Francisco, USA) Dear friends This is being written to those who have written in support of Jan's recent corneal tear and infection in her left eye earlier this month, which was painful and which required Jan to rest in bed for more than two weeks. We had to cancel our long planned trip to the UK for a magic convention and to Portugal because of this sudden turn of events. Looking for a silver lining, this probably saved us a pretty penny. The good news is that Jan is getting better every day. Jan wishes to thank you for your kind thoughts, prayers and speedy recovery wishes. After 3 weeks in darkness she is now able to go outside with a large floppy hat and dark sunglasses. She looks like Greta Garbo. Yesterday the ophthalmologist confirmed that her infection is gone, that her cornea is thin but healing, and that her vision should be fully restored in time. Thanks again for your caring thoughts, each of which I had to read to Jan, who has not been able to look at a computer screen until a day or so ago. You really lifted Jan's spirits and helped her heal. Many thanks for taking the time to write, and kind regards, Jack -------------------------------------------- 6. Remarkable Magic #67 - Nick Lewin -------------------------------------------- Message from Nick Lewin (US) McBride and the state of the art in learning. About eighteen months ago I wrote a column about Jeff McBride and let it be known that aside from his prodigious skills as a magician I was really impressed about the way he has set about sharing his knowledge of magic. At the time I was referring to his superb series of DVDs that covered his encyclopeadic skill as a magician. Of Course, I was well aware of his exciting 'Mystery School' venture and his 'Master Class' projects, however I was familiar with them only via word of mouth and their fine reputation. Well things have changed and I want to add an update on the subject in this week's column. The amount of books, magazines, routines, DVDs and lectures available to those who desire to improve their understanding of magic is truly unbelievable. If you just want to learn tricks then that list is almost infinite. However they do nothing to replace the one thing that I feel is imperative to fully reaching your potential as a magician. That missing ingredient can be best summed up by the word mentorship. I have been very lucky in my development as a professional magician in that I had two of the three finest mentors a comedy magician could ever hope to have. I'm not going to name names! The first person to email me those three names will get a truly amazing surprise gift that is very relevant to this discussion. I recently performed at Harrah's in Las Vegas filling in for Mac King who was taking a little time off to get his plaid suit re-thatched. I got a call from Jeff who told me that he and Eugene Burger were bringing their current Master Class to my show on Friday. Jeff asked if I would meet with the group after the show and do a brief Q & A. I replied that I would be delighted and I really meant it. One of the problems of working as much as I do is that you can't always keep up with friends such as Jeff and Eugene as much as you would like to and I marked the date gleefully on my calendar. Then I pretty much forgot about it 'till Friday afternoon. After my show on Friday I met up with Jeff and his small group in an empty showroom and we began our Q & A session. I had brought blindfolds; billets and clipboards but this proved to be a more relaxed form of Q & A than mentalists usually envision them. Jeff, Eugene and I sat onstage while the master class sat around us in an informal group. I suspect that I shared as much of my true knowledge in the next hour than I had done before to any group of magicians. The reason was that Jeff had watched my show with a great deal of care and asked me some really great questions. In my study of metaphysics I have long realized that without the right questions the answers don't mean much. Jeff cut right to the heart of the matter and Eugene threw in some questions that were amazingly insightful in his usual quirky manner. The questioning was then thrown open to the class who followed up many of the leads that Jeff had opened with his questions. As I was sitting there it ran through my mind how very lucky those young magicians were to have the advantage of the direct information that resulted from the real life interaction that was going on. It was the closest thing you could get to one on one mentoring but had the added synergy that a small tightly knit group can add to the mix. I certainly hope the Master Class enjoyed the session as much as I did. I learned quite a bit about my methods and techniques I had never realized before just by verbalizing them. It was a wonderfully organic and civilized occasion and I loved being a part of it. This is how real learning is accomplished; by mind's opening and interacting under the guidance of someone who really knows what is what and why. Keep up the good work Jeff (and Eugene!) we really need to keep these important threads of true mentoring alive before we all get too bogged down in media items to recognize them! As always send any bricks or bouquets to nicklewin1@mac.com and check out my website at http://www.NickLewin.com -------------------------------------------- 7. Perform For The Children - #89 - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message from Kyle Peron (US) magic4u02@aol.com http://www.kyleandkellymagic.com I think every magician can remember a time when the magic bug bit. It is that moment in time when you realized that magic was not something you wanted to do but something you HAD to do. It is that feeling of a trick performed well. It is that power of learning a new technique or effect. It is the amazing euphoria you feel when the audience responds well to what you do. But can this also be a bad thing if not watched carefully? Can loving an effect or wanting that great response cloud your better judgment? Every magician has this inner desire to crave the applause. After all if we did not enjoy it so much, we wouldn't be performing in the first place. There is nothing wrong with wanting that reaction and enjoying being in the limelight. However, as a magician we can also fall victim to forgetting a very important lesson. That lesson is to never forget who your audience really is. Never forget who you are performing for or why you are there in the first place. We must remember that we are not performing for ourselves. We are performing for the audience and it is the audience that we should be totally and completely focused on. A perfect example of this is the birthday party market. When we perform for a birthday party we are supposed to be there to make the birthday child's day the very best we can. It is their special day and it is our job to make it memorable for them. We are getting hired to help create an atmosphere of fun. But what steers us away from performing for the kids and instead performing for the adults? I say this because it happens a lot and it is a very easy trap to fall into. What is it inside of us that make us forget the children are there? I think sometimes it is our own love for an effect and the desire to just show it off to everyone we see. I think sometimes it may also be a fear that the children we are performing for are not reacting the way we want them to so we change to a different audience. I also feel that there are some magicians that feel that since the parents hired us, we must perform for them to satisfy them and their friends. The first concept we can tackle most easily. It is the simple idea that some magicians should not be performing for children in the first place. Not everyone is cut out to perform for kids. If you do not like kids and do not enjoy being a kid at heart yourself, then you probably shouldn't be performing for them. In this case you then see the performer performing a stand up or close up show for the adults and calling it a birthday party. Define your markets. Know who you are and the markets you should work and those you should not. If you are a children's performer and hired to perform at a birthday party, then you simply must remember why you are there. Perform for the children. Make then smile, giggle and laugh. Make them clap and shout out the birthday child's name as the magic words for the day. Engage them and get them interacting with you. If you tailor the show to them I guarantee the adults will love you for it. Do not feel that you have to physically impress the parents by performing for them. The parents did not hire you to come and perform the show for them. They hired you because they wanted to create a great day for their son or daughter and they felt you could make that happen. You are always a solutions provider whether you understand it or not. The parent has a need for which they seek a solution for. In this case they want their child's day to be special. Make it special by catering your show entirely to the birthday child and their friends. The parents need is for a great time and a great experience for their child. You can solve that for them. Why would they not be more than satisfied? If you make their child feel extra special they will love you 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. - "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 Kyle Peron Magician and Illusionist www.kyleandkellymagic.com -------------------------------------------- 8. Entertaining On The Ocean #40 - Paul Romhany -------------------------------------------- Message from Paul Romhany (NZ) This week I'd like to introduce you to a professional magician from South Africa. He has shared some really wonderful articles with me in the past and I asked if it would be possible to allow members of Magic New Zealand to read them. Over the next few issues I will be handing it all over to Colin Underwood. Show Management Prop Management Part three Most of the venues I am currently performing in are good but there were one or two really awful ones. I simply requested other hotels. My Monday night show is outdoors in a large square with drunken people screaming and shouting as they go past and the management wanted me to split my hour show into three. I refused and agreed to a two part split. After seeing the advantage of this they changed all the other shows to a two part split. I actually told the management if they didn't like it, they must get somebody else, in a nice way of course. I guess this comes with experience but I have always stood my ground most times when it comes to my show. You slowly get wise over the years. On my arrival my first thoughts were of frustration when I realized some problems I could not change and I had to accept this fact. I performed at all the venues with a basic outline of a show and once I was happy that my management company had the regular venues for me in place I was then able to adapt and change my show accordingly. Once I was happy with the show I had a new music CD cut with links and segues which were much tighter. It is different if you are in the same venue every night and a couple of rehearsals will iron out the problems. These problems are the same as those at certain corporate shows as they are normally a one off function and you arrive just before it starts. My advice when in rehearsals filming TV shows or commercials or in a big corporate show and that is, do not be shy when it comes to getting your technical specifications correct as you are in the limelight and it will reflect on you. If you have to stop the rehearsal and request a different lighting plot then do so. Lighting, stage or music problems that are fixable before a show are acceptable. Any problems that you canot fix are ultimately your responsibility in accepting the show. Audience and weather problems are those experiences that are out of your hands. Although a certain amount of hassles with audience members can be alleviated by studying and gauging your audience before the show and mentally noting certain members that look more open and friendly, there are those occasions that you will not expect. A spectator that refuses to come on stage is not one to carry on bothering with, move onto the next person. Studying body language will help in this regard as well. I use a total of three men in my show and generally choose an open faced type person who responds to you when you talk to him. I do use a technique which helps me get them on stage without directly asking. I ask the first two assistants to just stand up and wave at me, this they will comply with, I now ask the public that I need two people to help me and they are to put up their hands! It gets a laugh as the two men are already standing with their hands in the air and waving and they are now obliged to help me. There is a whole audience participation bit which gets the audience bonded and is very entertaining before they come on stage which makes them feel like stars. My third assistant will more easily come onstage based on the fact that the other two helped me and weren't embarrassed etc. I sometimes have performed a comedy balloon routine with the two men and I find the third assistant when it comes to him is more reticent to come up. I try and chose people with character faces or some characteristic which I can use to my advantage.( Bill Cosby of the Cosby show used this technique and if you look at his shows you will see the audience members have been chosen for their strange jobs or hobbies, he was able to make laughs from their answers). A bald hair bloke in the bike show is great as there are jokes I can use about his head while on my unicycle. In the escape routine I try to find two opposites for example a tall man with a short man but I will also play up on their reactions depending on their characters when on stage. I can judge who to joke with. I also have to keep routines at a good pace as the venues are hot and the men are under stage lighting and can see the sweat start developing on their faces. At the end of each routine I use a street performing technique and that is to focus all the applause on the audience members. There is an interesting point of view which is if you don't push the audience they won't react as well. If you tell them to go crazy they generally do. I also use the children in the audience to my advantage by telling them to scream after the routine. This technique works with all age groups and you simply adapt the wording from scream to go crazy or give it up for so and so etc. There is a definite difference in my ending of my bike routine if I do not tell them to applaud! I also feel it has something to do with the fact that the plot is made aware of to the audience, in other words they know I am going to stab the cards, what they don't know is if I will be successful. I also find the use of upbeat music as an ending works and a good sound technician can increase the applause by raising the volume as the climax comes. I am using wording and attitude to direct the applause to a peak and then I sustain the applause as I said by getting another round of clapping for my assistant as he leaves the stage. Of course all this will only work if the routine is successful, visual and entertained them. An assistant that is drunk or gives me a lot of hassles will be allowed to leave the stage especially for my bike routine. I have many times in the past had to change audience helpers in the show. A few times I have had somebody come up to find they are mentally or physically handicapped. I generally just excuse them with applause as it is obvious to the audience what the problem is. On one occasion recently the audience member was just having so much fun and finding everything very funny he couldn't keep his composure and I regrettably had to let him sit down after I had milked all the laughter from him. Seeing somebody laughing is a very contagious situation and with appropriate facial expressions and reactions you can increase this situation. Sometimes the bloke holding the bike can't hold me up so I get a second person that helps with extra new jokes based on them holding each other etc. There are other audience techniques I use if they still fail to help me get on the bike. -------------------------------------------- 9. I've Just Listened To A Short Interview With Marc Paul -------------------------------------------- Message from Mike Easterbrook (NZ) I've just listened to a short interview that Nick conducted with Marc Paul. I have an idea it was conducted on board a cruise ship. Interesting to have a magician and a mind reader on the same voyage! The perception of the public is actually not the same as that of the magic fraternity. The interview offers a glimpse into how Marc got into magic and mind reading and it's worthwhile downloading it and having a listen yourself.  Marc tells Nick about his early influences in magic how he got interested, how he progressed, and his mentors who helped him along the way. Marc grew up at the latter stages of the David Nixon era and this was followed by the Paul Daniels shows, which (most probably) influenced many a young magician at that time. Paul had a TV show for something like 16 years on British television. A record that probably will never be bettered. When anyone who is a professional has something to say, we should take note. When you get a full time comedy performer talking to a magician who makes his living as a mind reader, and very busy trade show worker, we can all learn something. A short excerpt from the 3-hour recording is available as a free download at this link www.marcpaul.com/audiointerview.htm -------------------------------------------- 10. Internet TV For Magician -------------------------------------------- Message from Eric DeCamps (US) There is a new internet site called "Vaude.TV" which features short programming in a variety of categories such as comedy, information, etc. At the site my friend David Corsaro is hosting a weekly magic-themed show called "Time to be Awesome" which will have reviews, interviews with famous magicians, and behind-the-scenes looks at some of your favorite magic shows. On the second episode of the series David has me on as a guest. So please go to www.vaude.tv or http://vaude.tv/category/time-to-be-awesome to see my interview and a short intimate performance. If you like magic (and who doesn't?) please visit the site, check out the show and don't forget to tell your friends to check it out too. BTW, you can post comments and rate each episode. So let them know what you think. -------------------------------------------- 11. Magic Week Proclaimed! -------------------------------------------- Message from George Schindler - S.A.M. Public Relations New York- October 1, 2008 - Bruce Kalver, National President of the Society of American Magicians, proclaimed the week of October 25 to October 31 as National Magic Week throughout the United States and Canada. For more than forty years the Society has recognized the anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini with a special "week" of events to highlight the charitable work of the Society throughout the year. Governors and Local Mayors throughout the country will be proclaiming this week in their cities and states. Magic displays can be found at libraries, stores and malls along with special shows throughout the country during National Magic Week. For a list of events in your area contact www.magicsam.com/magicweek.asp -------------------------------------------- 12. Criss Angel - Unfavorable Reviews For His Cirque Du Soleil Show -------------------------------------------- Message from Mark Kornhauser (US) Doug Elfman: Angel's 'Believe' magic: Miffed fans disappear Criss Angel left many audience members unsatisfied at the opening of "Believe" at the Luxor over the weekend. Some complained the magic was subpar. "Belief was not suspended once," said one fan. Criss Angel fans flew in from as far away as London to see his new Cirque du Soleil show open at the Luxor on Friday. The verdict by many? Creatively, "Believe" is a possibly unsalvageable "waste of time" and a "dead end" that literally bored some audience members to sleep...For the full article go to: http://www.lvrj.com/news/29875759.html Also check out.. http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/elfman/Criss_Angels_New_Show_Scores_Of_Readers_Chime_In.html -------------------------------------------- 13. Award-Winning Magician Gives Away All His Secrets -------------------------------------------- Message from Matt Marcy (US) New Theatrical Show Exposes the Truth About Becoming a Magician Disillusioned: Confessions of a Serial Magician is a brand new theatrical magic show that debuts at [Inside] the Ford at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood from October 16-19, 2008. Based on a true story, Disillusioned follows one magician as he struggles to find respect in an art form that doesn't get any. Combining comedy, magic, storytelling, multimedia and audience interaction, the show is entirely different than any other theatrical show or magic show ever produced. Instead, it is a hybrid that creates an entirely new type of theatrical experience. Disillusioned stars Magic Castle comic-magician Matt Marcy who has twice been nominated as best comedy-magician of the year, and has performed over 3,000 shows including performances in Las Vegas, on television, and for Fortune 500 companies. Nearly one-third of the 90-minute show is made up of Marcy's original award-winning illusions, including his signature "Blender of Death" comedy escape. In between the magic, Disillusioned weaves various scenes, stories, and videos into a hilarious yet poignant narrative as Marcy explores the universal challenges of striving to gain respect and learning self-confidence, all while trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Directed by Nicole Blaine, who co-created the hit 2005 show Pipe Dreams, and featuring actress Susan Smythe, Disillusioned includes adult themes and language, and is intended for audience members over the age of 15. For more information or tickets, visit the show's official website at www.disillusionedshow.com, or call the Ford theatre box office at (323) 461-3673. -------------------------------------------- 14. Illusions/Stage Magic For Sale -------------------------------------------- Message from James Galea I've got a whole bunch of illusions all with custom ATA cases (including props from Don Wayne/Oz Illusions/Collector's Workshop) and stage magic for sale. If you'd like a list send an email to info@jamesgalea.com with props as the subject and I'll shoot one through. -------------------------------------------- 15. America's Got Talent Ends -------------------------------------------- Message from Dan Stapleton (US) OK...so some opera singer wins the Million Bucks! I was routing for the magician who ripped the doves head off! -------------------------------------------- 16. Nyhart Any Card Selected Will Rise Houlette -------------------------------------------- Message from Carl Williams Many years ago both me and Bill McIlhany became fascinated with the Nyhart any card selected will rise Houlette. We each purchased one on the antique market but became disenchanted when we found out the special deck of cards required for the trick to function property was worn to the point where it simply would no longer operate in the houlette. The two of us decided to pool our resources to fund the building of a special cutter that would accurately reproduce the cards made by Nyhart. The project was a great success and provided cards to each of us to be used with the houlettes we has purchased. Subsequently, I bought out Mr. McIlhany's portion of the card cutting machine and have been in a position for several years to offer these decks to others owning Nyhart houlettes. Not having advertised the availability of these cards I feel sure there are collectors that own Nyhart Houlettes whom would greatly appreciate being able to purchase new decks. These cards are available in either blue or red backs from Carl Williams at Custom Magic (323-256-0358) at a cost of $150 per deck. As you know my company, Custom Magic, has never spent one nickel in advertising for our products speak for themselves. I'm only mentioning the availability of these cards as a convenience to those owning Nyhart Houlettes but have no idea what to do about the worn out cards that constitute most of these very old card rises. Here again, please use this information at your discretion. It is being offered strictly in hopes it will be of service to some of your readers if they have the need. As far as a profit incentive on my behalf if I sold a thousand decks I would still not break even on the effort and the money I have invested in this very special card cutter. -------------------------------------------- 17. 12th Annual Motor City Close-Up Convention -------------------------------------------- Message John Luka The 12th Annual Motor City Convention will be here the weekend of November 14-16, 2008. That's less than six weeks away! I am very excited about this year's line-up. I believe that you will find this to be one of the strongest line-ups of recent years. The magic will be outstanding! The Motor City Convention will feature Kozmo, John Guastaferro, Eric Jones, and Geoff Williams. This year I am also featuring a special guest performance by Brad Lancaster. There will also be some other surprises. I have heard rumors that Joan Caesar, the current I.B.M. International President, will be there. This year we will also have a special guest of honor. Karl Norman, one of the original entertainers at the legendary Forks Hotel in Buffalo, New York. Karl will be celebrating his ninetieth birthday at the convention. Kozmo will perform his hilarious street act for your entertainment pleasure. You will be among the very first to attend his lecture. John Guastaferro will be presenting his outstanding card magic. If you have not seen John perform, you are in for a real treat. Eric Jones is the new guy on the block to watch. His coin magic will stop you cold. You will be amazed! Geoff Williams will keep you in stitches and entertain you with some very strong commercial magic. As I mentioned, this year's line-up is incredibly good. As usual, you will have an opportunity to meet and mingle with these performers, ask questions, and share some of your ideas with them. You can find more convention information, including the schedule of events, by going to the convention website: http://www.johnlukamagic.com/ On my site, there is a link to each performer's website for you to browse. You can also register quickly and easily on line via PayPal. Or, you can snail mail your registration to the address shown on the convention website. There will be four lectures, three optional workshops and three close-up shows. The cost of the optional workshops is $25 per workshop. This is a real bargain, considering the skill of Geoff Williams, John Guastaferro, and Eric Jones. Geoff, John, and Eric are exceptional performers. They have much to offer in their respective workshops. Be sure to sign up for the workshop of your choice. Some of the dealers signed up already include: Hank Moorehouse, Mint Magic, Gordon Miller, Shawn & Ed's Magic, The Wunderground, Tony Weiland's Magic Exchange, and Kozmo Magic. I am looking forward to seeing you at this year's event. -- John Luka ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Here is a description of the workshop content from the three performers conducting workshops this year. I believe that each of them has really put a lot of time into planning their respective workshops. These workshops should prove to be very productive. Each workshop is reasonably priced. Those who are interested in attending should really get their money's worth. Please keep in mind that the first workshop takes place on Friday afternoon from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Please note that this workshop is on Friday before the opening close-up show. Geoff Williams In just two short hours, you'll learn three complete, professionally-crafted routines to add to your repertoire: 4-Way Coincidence: an impromptu card miracle that is different every time it's performed. In fact, at the beginning, the magician has NO IDEA how it's going to proceed! 3CP: three silver dollars are produced from seemingly-empty hands. It looks impossible but it's quite easy to do! Sleight-of-hand made fun! Thready Or Not: a killer 5-phase "ring & string" routine you WILL use! There's something for everybody. You'll also receive a BONUS GIFT just for attending! Attendees need to bring the following materials to Geoff's workshop: -- a regular deck of cards -- 3 silver dollars -- a large finger ring (shoelaces will be supplied) Eric Jones The "It's Not As Hard As It Looks" Workshop Eric Jones will be providing a sleight-intensive training session covering some of his pet effects and techniques for coin and card conjuring with ranging difficulty. These effects are directly out of his working repertoire and will provide hands on training to all who attend. Some of the items in the workshop will include: SpeedFly: A Visual Coins Across routine (3 Fly) that uses only 3 coins. NO gimmicks, gaffs or extra coins. Features Eric's Impromptu Rattle Gimmick, a utility sleight that you will be able to immediately implement in your own routines. Out With Three: A quirky 3 coin production that you'll have to see to believe. KKK (Three Klan Vanish): A Vanish of three ungimmicked coins that solves several problems for the serious student of coin magic. The Oxy Clean Challenge: A production and vanish sequence that is done under test conditions. The audience is invited to completely surround the seated performer and be amazed as he produces and completely vanishes three coins. A thing of beauty. El Cambio Nada: A chest level color change of a card that will floor both laymen and magician alike. The Art of Using The Shoulder As A Servante: An old ruse brought into the 21st Century with new techniques and applications. Turn your spectator into an impromptu holdout. And much, much more... Attendees will need: -A pack of cards -3 coins *Optional - A flipper coin and shell ( used in one routine) Eric's teaching style will make learning both fun and easy. You'll quickly be using techniques you may have disregarded as too difficult after attending this workshop. No one will be left behind. No questions will go unanswered. At the end of this workshop, you'll know that "It's Not As Hard As It Looks". John Guastaferro During this two-hour workshop, John will cover some of his most powerful items, perfect for all skill levels. 1. Ballet Cut John will dissect the finer points of what Gordon Bean says "is sure to become a standard flourish/control in magic." You'll learn how to perform this simple and impressive in-the-hands false cut in just minutes. John will also share several creative applications utilizing the Ballet Cut, including the amazing "Ballet Stunner." 2. Two-Fer Change For the first time, John will share his new Two-fer Change, a simple and deceptive switch of two cards. Learn three different applications, including a box transposition that's been fooling the best of them. 3. Famous Aces John reveals his stunning Ace assembly, where the Aces completely vanish from their packets and reunite inside the card box. This is surprising and simple. Here's what others are saying about this showpiece: "John's 'Famous Aces' is my new favorite." - Jeff McBride "John's astounding 'Famous Aces' is now a featured part of my lectures." - Michael Ammar 4. Trans-Pocket Switch With this versatile utility move, you'll learn to cleanly cause a card travel to your back pocket. This one is great for casual, impromptu performing situations. Q&A Session To close the workshop, John will welcome questions about any of the material covered during the convention in his performances and lecture. If there's something you're curious about, this is the perfect time to ask. "Bring a deck of cards. All other necessary props will be provided FREE to the first 15 people." -------------------------------------------- 18. 29th New Zealand International Magicians Convention 2008 -------------------------------------------- The 29th New Zealand International Magicians Convention will be held in Auckland, New Zealand from the night of December 27th 2008 to January 1st 2009, 1.00am. Eight Confirmed Headliners John Shryock (USA), Marty and Brenda Hahne (USA), Ross Skiffington (Aust), George Schindler (USA) Steve Walker (Aust) Sean Taylor (Aust) and Charles Gauci (Aust) The venue will be the Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre in Mount Wellington where we last ran a successful Convention in 2001-2002. Bookings can be made for convention accommodation by contacting: Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre, 58 Waipuna Road, Mt.Wellington, PO Box 14 164, Panmure, Auckland, New Zealand. Phone: +64 9 526 3000 Fax: +64 9 527 1937 Toll Free Reservations (NZ): 0800 924 786. http://www.waipunahotel.co.nz/ We have been able to secure a very attractive room rate of $NZ110 per night (Incl GST) for single or double rooms with registrants being able to book direct with the hotel. *************************** PLEASE NOTE that 95% of the ALLOCATED rooms have already been booked by conventioneers. If you are planning to attend best to book NOW! This convention will be a SELL OUT! *************************** The official registration form for the convention can be downloaded from: http://www.ibmring160.com/ If you don't have internet web access contact Ross Harlick, Secretary, 91 Panapa Drive, Meadowbank, Auckland 1072, New Zealand Or by: Phone: +64 (09) 521 3327 Fax: +64 (09) 521 3327 -------------------------------------------- 19. 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) -------------------------------------------- 20. 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. 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