* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment * www.Alan-Watson.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #613 Date: Sunday 19th October 2008 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. Richard Garriott On International Space Station 3. 2009 S.A.M. National Convention In Buffalo, NY 4. The Bernard And Irene Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series 5. Re: Walter Blaney's Comments On "Flash Of Genius" 6. Remarkable Magic #69 - Nick Lewin 7. The Rules Of The Game - #91 - Kyle Peron 8. Magic Mornings Video Podcast 9. A Magician And His Rabbit Called, "Presto" 10. 90th Birthday Of Karl Norman 11. The Monster Magic Contest 12. Stage Magician Of The Year 2008 13. Article On The Extraordinary Talent Of Judy Carter 14. Thank You Kyle Peron 15. 29th New Zealand International Magicians Convention 2008 16. e-zine Archives 17. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- I have been invited this coming week to visit China by Jian Lin Executive President of FISM WCM2009 to view progress and facilities for next year's FISM being held in Beijing. Consequently there will be no Magic New Zealand e-zine next Sunday (as I will be away from 21-28 October). The next publication of Magic New Zealand e-zine will be Sunday 2 November. -------------------------------- The Variety Artist of New Zealand Entertainment Awards 2008 Pleased to report that a number of New Zealand magicians featured in this year's awards: Silver Scroll of Honour was awarded to Michael Woolf for Lifetime Achievement. Top Children's Entertainer awarded to Alan Watson. Other nominees were Mike Colonna (Walnut the Clown) and Jon Zealando. Top Variety Act awarded to Dave Sheridan. Other nominees for this award were Paul Romhany and Brent McLeod. -------------------------------- Michele and I really enjoyed watching this week on DVD "Women in Boxes". It's very reasonably priced at $22.95US and they accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express), eChecks and PayPal. The company also offers a variety of shipping options -- to the US at least -- including First Class Mail, Priority Mail and UPS Overnight. The direct link to order is: http://www.filmbaby.com/films/3277 You may also contact them by phone from 9am-5pm PST at 1-877-FILMBABY (1-877-345-6222) or by emailing filmbaby@filmbaby.com or info@womeninboxes.com. FilmBaby's direct number for overseas customers is 1-503-255-1847. Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. Richard Garriott On International Space Station -------------------------------------------- Message from Society of American Magicians Public Relations George Schindler www.magicsam.com Richard Garriott, famed video game developer and a member of the Society of American Magicians (#206 - Austin, Texas) following in his father's footsteps has launched aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station. He and the crew docked successfully at 9:26 AM GST. Richard's father Owen Garriott is a former NASA astronaut who completed two space missions during his career. Richard is the first second generation American in space, and also the sixth private astronaut client of Space Adventures. He is the first magician in space. See the launch and more information at: www.richardinsapcde.com. -------------------------------------------- 3. 2009 S.A.M. National Convention In Buffalo, NY -------------------------------------------- Message from Society of American Magicians Public Relations George Schindler www.magicsam.com Passports and Tigers Plans for our 2009 S.A.M. National Convention in Buffalo, NY are underway and there are many exciting programs in the works. All conventioneers will be attending a Las Vegas style magic review located in the heart of Niagara Falls, starring The International Grand Champion of Magic, Greg Frewin. You can check out Greg Frewin's show by going to: www.gregfrewintheatre.com . You won't want to miss this exciting illusion show featuring rare and majestic tigers at his 600 seat theatre. Because we will be crossing into Canada, it is extremely important that all attendees have their passports so they can cross the border without any problems. Effective June 1, 2009 actual passports, not just identification, are required to return to the U.S., so be sure to acquire one before it gets too late. To learn all about the convention go to: www.magicsam.com and click on Buffalo Convention. -------------------------------------------- 4. The Bernard And Irene Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series -------------------------------------------- Message from Society of American Magicians Public Relations George Schindler www.magicsam.com New York Magic The Bernard and Irene Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series Thursday, October 30-6:30 pm featuring George Schindler Each October for over 40 years, the Society of American Magicians has celebrated "National Magic Week" to honor the memory of Harry Houdini who died on Halloween in 1926. Enjoy amazing feats of magic with George Schindler, the Dean of the Society of American Magicians, including his hilarious "Champagne Bubbles" illusion, passing champagne through the body of an audience volunteer; the "Chopper," which brings danger and comedy to two volunteers; and meet "Cecil" the talking rabbit. Guest magician and current president of the Society of American Magicians Mr. Bruce Kalver will present a new "Optical Illusion." Demonstrations of close-up magic with other magicians will follow the program. George Schindler is the Dean and former National President of the Society of American Magicians, and is a member of the Society's Hall of Fame. He has authored nine books on magic and is a leading authority on ventriloquism. Magicians: $8.00 (Enter discount code MAG177) General Admission: $15 Seniors, Educators, and Students: $10 N-YHS Members: $8 To order tickets, call 212-868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com. Advance purchase is required to guarantee seating. New-York Historical Society 170 Central Park West at 77th Street New York NY 10024 (212) 873-3400 www.nyhistory.org -------------------------------------------- 5. Re: Walter Blaney's Comments On "Flash Of Genius"  -------------------------------------------- Message from James George ITRmagicTricks.com Inventor of the ITR From my perspective as the Inventor of the ITR, I have watched this happen to so many others and myself. The worst part is the constant reminders, when I get mailed these very poorly made products as if they are mine and I am expected to repair them.  Here are some ideas for those of you who would like to make sure you are supporting the Original Inventors; First off be sure to check out Magic Fakers online, so you can learn to spot the Originals from the Fakes. When I tried to point out some of the pirates on The Magic Cafe, I was banned from their web-site, so don't think you are going to get an accurate view of reality from them, you will need to visit the link below for that... http://magicfakers.blogspot.com/2007/10/welcome-to-magic-fakers.html 2. Spread the Above Link around to all your Magic Friends so they are also aware. There is a huge base of unethical dealers that pawn off pirate inventions as if they are the original. Many are well known names in the industry that you would not dream they might spoil their reputation. Many even use our names for these knock off products and our packed with names we have used for our products for many years, so don't necessarily think you are going to get the original by going by the advertisement they post on the site as many will have an ad for my original item, but ship you a knock-off when you order. The next step is when you are shipped one of these Knock-Off's is to return it to the Dealer and get your money back, and let them know you do not appreciate this and that if it happens again you will never do business with them again. George Robinson of Viking Manufacturing has teamed up with many of the Inventor'sOf Magic and refuses to sell too many of the dealers that promote knock-off's. Unfortunately even many of those dealers still engage in this practice. So our only hope is for YOU to make sure you are getting the originals and that comes with knowing who created it and insisting on the original. I know that John Cornelius and many others like me are refusing to put our new inventions on the market until we see a climate change in the industry. Many of us have sadly have had to move our creative focus out of the Magic field, I am certain this is why so many of the new items being offered are just rehashes of old items and the industry itself is dying because of it. New inventions are the life blood of Magic and Magic Shops, and until people start to see that we are all connected and that you can't get a something from nothing, do we have any hope of seeing this change. Thanks for your support of the Original Inventors in Magic! -------------------------------------------- 6. Remarkable Magic #69 - Nick Lewin -------------------------------------------- Message from Nick Lewin (US) Peter Pit, gone but not forgiven. It seems incredible but I have been writing my column in Magic New Zealand for over two and a half years. Time flies when you have a deadline! It all began during a visit to New Zealand, I think the idea had its conception during a visit that Alan and I had with Richard Webster. During the approximately 130 columns I have written I have been remarkably upbeat and positive. I recently received an email asking me if I had ever met a magician I didn't like? Those of you who actually know me (there is a handful) would chuckle at the absurdity of that idea. There are numerous magicians I not only dislike but also have absolutely no respect for. I am half-Scottish and the Scots can hold a grudge long after they forget how or why it started. I decided that in the interest of partial integrity I had better write about and maybe exorcise one or two of these demons in upcoming columns. These views I hasten to add are mine and mine alone and have nothing to do with Alan Watson or anyone else. I was initially somewhat reluctant to do so but then again it might be quite cathartic in a curious way. When I arrived in Los Angeles I met Peter Pit for the first time and a lasting feud was born. Peter made a half-hearted attempt to hit on me and then settled back to trying to make my life as miserable as possible, which was for me far the superior situation. I'm not sure what caused his animosity but I suspect being a younger, European comedy magician didn't help! While Peter could certainly be helpful to younger performers if he wanted to, his help often came with strings attached. Peter booked the new Palace of Mystery at the Castle and he made it all but impossible for me to work there when it was first opened. I made my home in the adjacent Parlour of Prestidigitation. The first time I worked the Palace was when a rather important booker was coming into town to see new acts. I arranged for her to see me perform at 'The Horn' a neat little nightclub in Santa Monica. In the interest of seeing as many performers as possible she asked if I could do a set at the Castle instead. I somewhat reluctantly agreed. I was amazed when I arrived and Peter told me I would be closing the second show of the evening. Peter would open the show, a manipulator would do 8 minutes in the middle and I would close the show with 15-20 minutes. Too good to be true; you bet! Peter opened the show with thirty minutes, introduced the manipulator, and then told me the show was running over and I could only perform for five minutes and then he was closing the curtain! I went out to do my show and sure enough five minutes into it, mid-trick, the house lights went up and the curtain was closed, leaving me out front having to fight my way back through the closed curtain. Later when Peter was booking the various 'outcall' bookings from the Castle I was certainly not surprised when I didn't receive any. What did come as a shock was when I later discovered that bookers who phoned to request me were told I had died! I could go on for pages with similar stories (catch me at a bar, buy me a vodka, and I will!) but I won't as many things are better left unsaid. My hidden goal in these columns has been to try and use each one to highlight something I learned. I certainly learned a lot by reacting to Peter and it made me a much stronger performer. By the time Peter fell from grace with the Castle I was nicely established and even felt a little sorry for him. The last time I saw Peter was in Las Vegas when he visited my show at the Maxim. It was a rather bittersweet moment and I found it impossible to hate him as I once had. I just had to let go the years of negativity and try and concentrate on the advances I had made in magic not only in spite of Peter but maybe because of him. As always send any bricks or bouquets to nicklewin@earthlink.net and check out my website at http://www.NickLewin.com -------------------------------------------- 7. The Rules Of The Game - #91 - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message from Kyle Peron (US) magic4u02@aol.com http://www.kyleandkellymagic.com In every game or sport you play, there are rules in which you must follow. These rules govern what you do and how you do it. Magic is no different. Although it is not a game, there are rules of which we can say apply to proper performance and conduct. The other day I was going through some old files and I came across a list I generated for myself years ago. I had long since forgotten about it but it was simply a list of things to remember as I perform. Many were simple things and common sense. However, seeing them on paper made me realize that many of us forget simple rules that make us better performers. I wanted to try and share some of them with you in hopes that it may help us all remember just some of the many little things that can make the difference between an amateur and a pro. 1) Never turn your back to your audience: Not only is it bad stage movement, it also rude to your audience. Work on prop placement so as to prevent from having to do this. 2) Don't block your face: Many times I see performers who hold the props so that their face is hidden or blocked. Always remember that the magic is not about the prop but about YOU. Use the props and the apparatus to frame you. 3) Engage the audience with your eyes: Many performers get so caught up in the show and remembering what goes next, that they forget the audience is out there. Engage the audience with your eyes. Look at them and learn to scan the audience engaging people at various times. This makes you more personable. 4) Stop hiding: Simply stated, this means do not hide behind your tables or illusions or props. I have seen so many magicians stand behind tables too much. Try and work in front of the table or to the side of the table. This way they see YOU and it does not look as if you are hiding something. 5) Don't fall on love with yourself: As magicians we can fall in love with a move or a trick so much that we will perform it even if we know that it is not right for the act or for the show. Learn when to take something out because it just is not the perfect fit. 6) Speak up and speak out: When you perform make sure you speak clearly and speak out towards your audience. Many magicians tend to speak too fast, talk downward towards their chest and do not project their voice as well as they should. 7) Greet your helpers: Always make sure you treat your helpers as if they were a guest in your own home. This means asking for their name, shaking their hand and giving them proper applause for assisting you. 8) Never forget your audience: Always remember that to a magician, our audience is everything. Without our audience, we are all just lonely people on stage by ourselves. Remember your audience and make sure to thank them for being there. 9) Be prepared: Never assume anything. Always try and be as self-contained as you can be and learn to be ready for any situation that may come up. Proper preparation can save you many headaches. 10) Be a professional always: Being a professional means acting like one at all times and not just when the curtains open and stop when the curtains close. There are certainly countless others but I will leave it at this for now. I hope to be able to expand on this list with future articles in the future. It is my hopes that some of these will help you to remember the little things that mean so much to a better performance. 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 -------------------------------------------- 8. Magic Mornings Video Podcast -------------------------------------------- Message from Dean Atkinson (Aust) Melbourne magicians Kamal Bhushan and Dean Atkinson continue to delight audiences in their weekly Magic Mornings video podcast. The show fuses informative magic reviews, clips, comedic personality and hilarious repartee. Please watch us at http://www.magicmornings.com.au/ Our show also has its own online magic forum at http://www.magicmornings.com.au/forum -------------------------------------------- 9. A Magician And His Rabbit Called, "Presto" -------------------------------------------- Message from Dave Tenneboe Last week Tony Wilson kindly mentioned the cartoon about a magician and his rabbit called, "Presto." It's a hilarious tale of what happens when you don't feed your bunny. If you have and use ITunes on your computer--my son got me going on that by giving me his old IPod to use for my show music--you can download the cartoon and watch it forever, or as long as you have your computer with ITunes, for about $2.00. Just search for 'Presto' in your ITunes store menu. On a related note, my son Zac also had me buy a remote control package for my IPod for about $100 to use for my show music when he's not available to do it for me. It works great. It's a small base that you plug your IPod into, runs on batteries I think--not sure, not totally up to speed here, there's no outside power source--but you just run a cord into your PA system where you normally plug in your music from the base unit. You have to be at the base to turn on your IPod and get it ready to go with whichever playlist you're using, and then you just use the fairly small remote device from where ever you're performing on stage. I'm not sure of the range, but I usually perform within 20 feet or so of my PA and it works fine. You can manage all of your music and have a playlist for every different show on your computer and download it within a few minutes or less to your IPod. I have yet to reach the limit of music compiled on my IPod--it holds 8 gigs--and I have all of my music for my personal use and for all of my shows on it. I could easily get by with 4 gigs and have room left over. I have literally hundreds of songs stored on it. I used to use a mini-disc player and this is so much easier, and no discs to buy. From what I've read, Alan uses it for his shows and can tell you more. Dave Tenneboe, President, SAM $273, Sioux Falls, SD, USA -------------------------------------------- 10. 90th Birthday Of Karl Norman -------------------------------------------- Message from Tony Weiland November 17th will celebrate the 90th birthday of Karl Norman. This legendary bar magigian who spent 40 years working behind the bar at the famous Forks Hotel in Buffalo beside his friend Eddie Fechter has touched and inspired so many people is having a special day. Ring 12 in Buffalo is hosting a special tribute night to him on November 3rd.  If you would like to share your good wishes with him please e-mail them to tonysmagic@aol.com or send hard copy material to Tony Weiland 20 Vermont Ave. Lockport NY 14094 I know he would love to hear from many of you, all greetings will be read or displayed on this special night. If Karl has touched your life now it is time to touch his. This is a surprise to Karl so please do not contact him directly. -------------------------------------------- 11. The Monster Magic Contest -------------------------------------------- Message from Jeff McBride (US) We are so excited about our upcoming Monster Magician Contest, sponsored by Monster Soft drinks. The winner will receive a free 7-day Master Class!! Here are the details: Do you have what it takes to be considered the "Monster Magician?" Upload and find out! We are looking for submissions in the form of "One Minute Wonder" videos which you will upload to this contest. Please prepare your submissions and upload them to streetofcards.tv no later than 11:59pm on October 29th, 2008. Winners will be announced at midnight on Oct 31st 2008 LIVE on air during the Halloween WONDERGROUND broadcast. We will let the SOC-TV audience choose the top 3 finalists and Jeff McBride will choose the grand prize winner. Here's How it Works -- Your video must focus on the creative energy and bring out the monster magician within one minute! The videos should not contain any off color or offensive language and can be themed in any way you wish. Involvement of real audience reaction to your magic demonstrates that you are not just fooling the camera. The Monster Magic theme represents anything unnatural or monstrous! Please post your submissions following the guidelines below. #1 Be Creative: We want to see what you will do in one minute to capture our attention and make us wonder? #2 Be Original: We want to see some originality. Please do not send video that is not yours. #3 One Minute Or Less: In order for your submission to be included in this contest, your upload must be 1 min in length or less. This is a requirement. Videos over this length will be denied access to this contest. #4 Enter More Than Once: As long as your submissions are Creative, Original and Under 1 minute in length, enter as many submissions as you like. Three top prizes for the video contest will be awarded. The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria: Relevance to Monster Magic theme: 40% Creativity: 30% Originality: 30% You must decide. We know that you are all monster magicians, but just one will be creative and original enough to ultimately be named the Monster Magician. This is a title that will earn one lucky magician loads of exposure! You can't win if you don't enter. Each week during the Live WONDERGROUND broadcasts, we will be sweetening the prize pot and adding prizes every week as we get closer to the announcement night. Stay tuned for weekly prize patrol updates. First Prize Offering: Extended (7-day) Master Class at the McBride Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas. Upload Submissions Here: http://streetofcards.tv/upload.php Good Luck to all of you. Your friend in magic, Jeff McBride -------------------------------------------- 12. Stage Magician Of The Year 2008 -------------------------------------------- Message from Peter Scarlett MIMC www.themagiccircle.co.uk www.peterscarlett.com The Magic Circle Stage Magician of the Year is John Archer, runner up was Michael Vadini and third prize went to James Freedman. -------------------------------------------- 13. Article On The Extraordinary Talent Of Judy Carter -------------------------------------------- Message from Joyce Basch, "Ms.gician" (US) So glad to read your fabulous article on the extraordinary talent, Judy Carter. I was a new Magician when she had her own show in a Hollywood Theater in the 1980's. My Magician friends (men) and I realized what a unique performance she gave. We were new to Magic and unbiased! However, some Magicians (men) at the Magic Castle negatively criticized her show and her Magic. I know they wished they could have had the courage and talent to have their own shows in Hollywood! She also was featured on a Johnny Carson Show and she did 'saw the man in halves'...... on the piano. He was a huge, hefty man and it looked like she tossed him onto the piano. This, of course, added to the hilarity of her presentation. Judy is a small woman......... only in physical stature not in talent. -------------------------------------------- 14. Thank You Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message from Bob Klamm This is just a public word of appreciation to Kyle Peron for his praise in my direction last week in this column. It was greatly appreciated, though I must say that such lavish recognition is sometimes more embarrassing than a sound criticism. That is especially true when it comes from one who has such a command of what can be done to make magic truly great. I am humbled by his kind remarks. Incidentally he suggests that one of the conventions should do a show sometimes, featuring only those performers that are physically challenged. Sounds good to me. By the way, the ring routine he refers to can be seen on video at our website, www.klammbooks.com. -------------------------------------------- 15. 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 -------------------------------------------- 16. 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) -------------------------------------------- 17. 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 2008 Alan Watson