* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Magic New Zealand®
* Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment Ltd (New
Zealand)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Issue Number: #1605
Date: Sunday 7th February 2021
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: editor@magicnewzealand.com
================================
Hi here is the latest news
================================
1.
Editor's Message
2. Vanish Magazine Celebrates Ten Years
3. Magician Says Business Is Booming In Lockdown
4. Busker Gets The Sack!
5. Magic Auction - Preview
6. In My Thoughts - John Carey #109
7. Magic Estate Short Sale
8. Magic & Mystery School Events
9. The Inside Story - Chapter 2 - Mark Wilson
10. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
11. E-zine Archives
12. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
--------------------------------------------
1. Editor's Message
--------------------------------------------
If
you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in HTML
format
go to: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2021-Jan-to-Dec-2021/1605-Feb07-2021.html
If
you would like to write a regular column for Magic New Zealand
or have some magic news drop me a line:
Editor@MagicNewZealand.com
--------------------------------------------
2. Vanish Magazine Celebrates Ten Years
--------------------------------------------
Message by Paul Romhany - Editor Vanish Magazine
www.vanishmagazine.com
This
year is the 10th year of Vanish Magic Magazine. Looking
back on all the feature stories we have covered in the magazine
reminds me of the amazing people out there in the world
of magic. My main goal was to make it a truly international
magic magazine and we have certainly achieved that ... and
more.
When
you look at our covers and stories we are possibly the most
diverse magazine in magic with the topics we cover. It has
always been my goal not to shy away from subjects that are
often hid under the rug in this business. I am proud of
all we have accomplished and the people involved.
By
subscribing you get full access to every single addition
published.
Here
is a list of cover stories from day one until present. One
of the things we started was the double cover - a front
and back cover so we can feature more artists.
Note:
coming up we have a very special for Valentines Day - stay
tuned .... it's been a long time in the making and is well
overdue.
Special
Editions
Mark Wilson Special
Criss Angel Special Edition
DangerFest Special Edition
Black Lives Matter Special Edition
Chaplin Museum Opening Switzerland Special Edition
Franz Harary Special Edition
Boris Wild/Seigfried
Kevin Bethea/ Bev Bergeron
Malin Nisson/ Walter Blaney
James Galea/Halloween feature
Leah Kyle/Florian Sainvet
Marvin Berglas/Marvin Roy
COVID cover/ Jason Verners
Jason Ladanye/ Ger Copper
Black Lives Matter/Sarah Fields
Craig Diamond/Norm Nielsen
Murray/Roy Horn
Belinda Sinclair
Consentino
The Sentimentalists
Sean Watson
Jeff Christensen
Sean Heydon
Amberylynn
Matt Johnson
The Great Ballantine/Rudy Coby
Ruben Vilagrand
Ray Andreson
Chris Funk
Vanish Awards 2019
Eric Bedard
Chloe Crawford
DMC
Ding Yang
Vitaly Beckman
Anastasia Synn
Mike Michaels
Shin Lim (Wins AGT)
Bob Fitch
Romany - Diva of Magic
John Taylor
Bundy & Morgan
Yigal Mesik
Erica Vanlee
James Cielen
Paul Daniels
Anthony Street
Murray Hatfield and Teresa
Maddox Dixon
The Illusionists
Nick Diffatte
Ehrlich Brothers
Will Tsai
Michael & Melanie Giles
Carisa Hendrix
Uri Geller
Ning Cai
Morgan Strebler
Keith Fields
Anthony Owen
Magus from Japan
Bill Abbott.
Mo Magic from South Africa
Daryl
Wayne Rogers
Paul Romhany
Luis De Matos
Lu Chen
Andrew Gerard
A unique trip to North Korea to perform magic by Hal Myers
Russ Stevens
Marty Putz
Matt Franco
Aurelia Thierree
Stan Allen
Richard Webster
Shin Lim (Wins FISM)
Richard Forget
Steve Spill
Keith Barry
Steve Valentine
Matthew Wright
Mark & Nani Wilson
Alan Watson
Chipper Lowell
-------------------------------------------
3. Magician Says Business Is Booming In Lockdown
-------------------------------------------
Article forward by Peter Phillips (UK)
Evening
Express UK
A
professional magician who saw his bookings vanish at the
start of the Covid-19 pandemic said demand for his online
shows has soared during lockdown.
Darren
Delaney said the past three months have been his busiest-ever
period, despite only being able to perform remotely from
his home-made studio in Lewisham, south-east London.
Since
April, the 44-year-old has performed more than 200 shows
to audiences all over the world through video conferencing
platforms like Zoom, with clients including web giant Google
and investment banking firm Credit Suisse.
The
full-time magician of six years said he made the switch
online after the first national lockdown in March caused
bookings for his face-to-face shows to "disappear within
the space of a few days".
Mr
Delaney told the PA news agency: "I was scrambling
around at the time, thinking how can I cut my living costs?
What have I got in the savings account? Because I had no
idea when I would work again.
"Then
a friend who works in the telecommunications industry messaged
me to say 'Do you think you can do magic on video conferencing?'
"My
first response was 'I can't see how that will work'.
"Then
shortly after, I had contact from a client of mine, asking
if I could do a show over Zoom. It worked surprisingly well,
so that was the start of it."
Mr
Delaney, whose repertoire includes cabaret-style, close-up
and table magic, performs live through Zoom and is able
to interact with his online audience in real-time via a
laptop.
But
he has had to adapt some of his tricks to suit the new format.
The
Magic Circle member said: "What I realised very quickly
was that there are some things I do in real life that I
can't do online, because they rely on me borrowing something
from somebody, or there are some tricks that are only impressive
if the props can be examined, which isn't possible on Zoom.
"I've
had to adapt some tricks. I can't have you pick a card on
Zoom, but I can ask you to name a card, for example."
Mr
Delaney, who has been performing magic since the age of
nine, said bookings had increased significantly during winter
as companies looked for Covid-friendly entertainment for
their Christmas parties, with clients coming from around
the world.
"November,
December, January, and now I'm booked up now for February,
have been the busiest months I've ever had since I've been
doing this," Mr Delaney added.
"In
December, I don't think there were any days where I did
less than four events, and there were a couple where I did
seven in the same day, which wouldn't be possible in real
life (pre-lockdown)."
Other
magicians who have switched to online performances said
the format has allowed them to entertain audiences from
all over the world with ease.
Edinburgh-based
magician Elliot Bibby said he has performed around 500 shows
in the past year.
The
28-year-old said: "It has been everything from family
shows to high-end corporate gigs, and I think the power
of Zoom is that people from all over the world can watch."
Meanwhile,
Nick Einhorn, who has been a full-time magician for 25 years,
said it was only in October that he started putting together
an online show.
The
45-year-old, from Hertfordshire, said: "I kicked myself
into action, knowing that some people had been successful
with it, and realised if I couldn't be successful with it,
it wasn't because of the market, it was because I wasn't
looking hard enough.
"I
slowly started putting a show together, and December was
great (for bookings). The spillover is that there has been
enough work for January and February."
https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/uk/magician-says-business-is-booming-in-lockdown/
--------------------------------------------
4. Busker Gets The Sack!
--------------------------------------------
Message by James Hessler
Well,
that's what it seems like. As with everyone in the world
buskers face a massive change due to how things are. As
a busking magician of over 20 years James has now gone into
video overdrive and is launching a Brand New YouTube channel.
So far, so what I hear you say. And quite rightly too.
However!
To support and promote this new channel, James and his team
have created a MEGA competition where the prizes are like
an Aladins cave. Props that you will use, rare magazines
(The Crimp) that will test you, and a smorgasbord of books
to have you reading, and learning for many months to come.
With more prizes available and being added take a look at
their registration page to get on board. There's nothing
to buy, so nothing to be sold, and only prizes to be won
when it all goes live! Registering now will help you get
into pole position to have your choice of prize. Simple!
Go
to jameshessler.com to register
--------------------------------------------
5. Magic Auction - Preview
--------------------------------------------
Haversat
& Ewing Galleries, LLC
Purveyors of Conjuring Collectibles
Auction Preview
Haversat
& Ewing Galleries Auction
-February
12 & 13, 2021-
An
epic array of classical conjuring apparatus, books, posters
and paper.
The
Great Jansen - Rare Poster. Lot 68
Original
pencil and charcoal sketch of Doug Henning by Gary Darwin.
The sketch is autographed to Gary by Henning. Lot 117
Houdini
Owned Leg Irons. Lot 40
Houdini
Scrapbook. Lot 41
Houdini's
East Indian Needles. Lot 39
Harry
Houdini Challenge. Lot 36
David
Haversat haversat@gmail.com
-------------------------------------------
6. In My Thoughts - John Carey #109
-------------------------------------------
Message by John Carey (UK)
http://www.johncareymagic.co.uk/
In
my thoughts is an extremely direct location of a mentally
selected card. In fact there's many ways of handling the
final revelation. Totally impromptu and practical. Sound
like fun? Read on... Hand out the deck for shuffling and
then ask your spectator to cut the deck into two tabled
halves. Ask your helper to decide which half they want to
use? Take the other half and hold it in left hand dealing
grip. Direct your spectator to cut their packet into two
halves. "Miriam, in a moment I'm going to ask you to
think of a card. But you see, the problem is lots of people
think of the same card, like the Ace of Spades and the Queen
of Hearts. So to make this totally random, we will have
you do this under test conditions."
Comment
that a playing card is made up of a value and a suit. Ask
the spectator to pick up either packet for the value and
peek at the face card of that packet. Encourage them to
just think of the value they see and then table the packet.
Next ask them to pick up the other packet, peek the face
card and lock the thought of just the suit of that card
in their mind before replacing this packet. "So, Miriam,
if you take the value and suit you are now thinking of and
combine them, you have created a card that merely exists
in your mind yes?"
Be
crystal clear with the above and take your time. Pick up
the suit packet and place it on top of yours securing a
left pinky break beneath it. Then pick up the value packet
and place that on top of your cards, securing a momentary
left third finger break beneath it. We will now turn the
deck face up and ribbon spread it on the table, at the same
time getting a secret peek of both value and suit cards.
To do this the palm down right hand grips the deck from
above, the right thumb at the inner left corner and the
right second finger at the outer left corner. Revolve the
deck face up from left to right.
The
two packets below your respective breaks will automatically
be converted into steps that you can secretly peek. Remember
the card at the lower step as a value, say Seven and the
card at the upper step as the suit, say Hearts. This is
the book break peek of Ed Marlo applied to two cards. Immediately
ribbon spread the face-up deck as you comment that they
are merely thinking of a card.
Use
this opportunity to secretly locate their card and note
the card above it as your key card. Close up the deck and
hold it face down. "So, Miriam, you have but one card
merely in your mind. A card that not a soul in the world
knows right? I'm going to try to use my heightened intuitive
sense to try to capture that thought." Start dealing
cards face up into a packet on the table, pausing and looking
at your helper. Continue dealing until you come to and deal
your key card. "I'm getting some uncanny feeling to
stop right here. What card are you thinking of? Impossible!"
The card is turned over dramatically and your work is done.
Notes:
If their card is too near the top or bottom of the deck,
simply cut the deck and complete.
-------------------------------------------
7. Magic Estate Short Sale
-------------------------------------------
Message by Steve Varro (USA)
Welcome
To Estates Of Magic
So
What is a Short Sale and what does that mean?
Well
this estate is a small one to help a Christian Magician
who is retiring.
Almost
everything is $20 or less.
It
will only last 2 weeks, and when it's over its over!
Just go to estatesofmagic.com and click on the latest catalog
-------------------------------------------
8. Magic & Mystery School Events
-------------------------------------------
Message by Jeff McBride (US)
February,
2021
7,
14 & 21 - Sunday's Cool - with Nurse Abbi - LIVE Online
20
& 21 - Shaman & Showman - with Jeff McBride, Dr.
Larry Hass, and Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz - LIVE ONLINE
23
- Comedy Magic - with Paul Draper & Guests - LIVE Online
March,
2021
2
& 9 - Comedy Magic - with Paul Draper & Guests -
LIVE Online
https://shop.magicalwisdom/events
-------------------------------------
9. The Inside Story - Chapter 2 - Mark Wilson
-------------------------------------
From the Magic New Zealand ezine archives
.
Written by the late Mark Wilson (US)
Our
very first television series was called Time For Magic.
The format was simple. I was the magician, Nani was the
beautiful assistant. We had an announcer and an organist,
who played ad lib music throughout each show. TIME FOR MAGIC
debuted in February, 1954, on WFAA-TV, the ABC station for
the Dallas, Fort Worth Area. It aired Tuesday and Thursday
afternoons from 5:45 pm to 6:00 pm.
We
had no idea how our show would be received by viewers, since
no one had ever seen a magic show like this before. And
then the ratings came into the station. TIME FOR MAGIC was
a hit. Not only were the ratings good, they were great!
At the end of the first year, ours was the highest rated
weekday show in the Dallas, Fort Worth market on the air
before 6:00 pm. We even outranked all the network daytime
shows including Howdy Doody, Dinah Shore and Perry Como.
Yes, magic, our kind of magic, did work on television.
During
our second year on the air, it was time for the next step...
selling our series in additional markets. I drove to Waco,
Texas and presented the show to the owner of the local Dr.
Pepper Bottling Company. He had heard of the show's exceptional
rating in Dallas. He also knew of the success of our first
magic premium, a book of thirteen magic tricks called Sealed
Secrets. On each weekly show I would demonstrate a simple
magic trick. To get the "Sealed Secrets"
booklet explaining the secrets to these tricks, viewers
would send in twelve Dr. Pepper bottlecaps. Dr. Pepper assumed
response would be minimal.
To
the delight of Dr. Pepper (and Nani and I), thousands of
bottlecaps arrived at the television station each week.
This spurred the writing of "Sealed Secrets #2."
Over a twenty-six week period, more than one quarter million
Dr. Pepper Bottle caps were received from the greater Dallas
market.
During
the time between leaving SMU and selling the first local
series I married Nancy Louise Selma Arends, AKA Nani (rhymes
with Bonnie) Darnell. Although business was the farthest
thing from my mind, this was probably the best career move
I ever made. Those few
months were the only time in my entire life when I had not
been making my income with magic. I had taken a job as a
salesman for my uncle, who owned a "decal" company.
(Decals are those pieces of paper with designs on them that
you soak in water. Then you can slide the design off onto
a piece of glass or whatever.)
I
knew that being a decal salesman was not my long range goal,
and I think my uncle knew too, but I needed a job. And it's
a good thing too, because I'm pretty sure Nani's mother
would never have let her marry a magician.
I
always felt that Nani's on-camera presence in the Allakazam
shows was a definite plus for our ratings. Over the years,
many people who were then our young viewers, who are now
in their forties and fifties, have told me that, although
they liked the magic, the real reason they watched was to
see Nani. At a recent magician's convention, one of my fellow
wizards asked me to thank Nani for stimulating his then
thirteen year old hormones, proving that the Magic Land
of Allakazam was not only entertaining, but educational
as well!
Over
the next three years I sold our television show, now aired
thirty minutes once a week and called "The Mark Wilson
Magic Club," in other cities. First in Waco, then San
Antonio and then Houston. At one time we were on-the-air
in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston at the same time. Since
this was before video tape recording was available, we had
to perform each show "live" with a different announcer,
director and organist in each city. We would perform the
show at KRLD, the CBS station in Dallas, then drive to San
Antonio and perform the show on KONO, then drive to Houston
for the half hour on KGUL and do it all over again. Now
Nani and I were both as busy as I had been in SMU. I was
not sure this was the kind of progress I wanted.
Please
understand, making these sales was not easy. In Houston,
we were on the local CBS station at 5:00pm. on Sunday afternoon,
a more expensive television time-slot. To sell the show
and pay for the television time, I had to put together a
combination of four sponsors... Dr. Pepper, Imperial Sugar,
Frito's, and Nuehoff Brothers Packing, selling each sponsor
individually.
And
those initial ratings in Dallas were not just some kind
of survey fluke. We were leading our time periods in all
the cities. And our show at 5:00 pm Sunday in Houston had
about an equal number of men, women and children viewers,
proving that magic on television appealed to the whole family.
Everything
was going well for us in Texas in 1958 when we decided it
was time to move to the next step. I would attempt to sell
the show in Los Angeles.
Nani
and I prepared everything. A written presentation, which
included our ratings successes, letters of praise from sponsors
for increasing their sales, photos of throngs of people
attending our personal appearances, and kinescopes of the
show (this was still before video tape), everything we could
think of.
I
flew to Los Angeles and checked into the Beverly Hilton
Hotel. The next day I started making the rounds, eventually
calling on every local television station. I couldn't even
get past the front desk. I finally had a meeting with the
program director of Channel 13, an independent station with
no network affiliation.
I
wish I could remember the gentleman's name, because he honestly
attempted to help me. He explained that just about everyone
in LA had an idea for a really great children's television
series, which they were all attempting to sell. And there
was already Engineer Bill and Hobo Kelly and Romper Room...
LA really didn't need another kid's show. I should return
to Dallas and continue my career there. And, by the way,
"Magic won't work on television anyway. Viewers will
think your magic is done the same way they do those camera
tricks on I Dream of Jeannie."
Gees...
here we go again. Was I going to have to educate the whole
world?
On
my way back to the hotel I drove by Television City, the
gigantic CBS network production facility. Even though no
one knew me in Los Angeles, I was a big fish in Dallas and
I was not about to go through Television City on a guided
tour like some out-of-town tourist. I walked around the
outside of the building wondering what was inside. I could
see some scenic pieces through the loading dock entrance.
I wanted to be there.
My
room was on the south side of the hotel. The day was smog
free... one of those, "on a clear day you could see
Catalina," days... which I could. I looked out at the
big city, I was not discouraged, I was angry. "You're
not going to get me. I'll get you. I'll do it the same way
I did with the local show, I'll sell it to a national sponsor...
and while I'm at it, I'll sell it as a network show."
Next time, "How to Sell a Network Series."
Happy
Magic!
www.markwilsonmagic.com
Continues
next week
-------------------------------------
10. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
-------------------------------------
Written by the late Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)
Trevor
King - Q S M. 'The Master' - The Legend!
The
key figure behind the successful shows of many local and
international entertainers touring New Zealand, has been
Trevor King, tour manager extraordinary for the Kerridge
- Odeon organisation.
If
you were living in Christchurch there must surely have been
times when you've been slowly edging towards the entrance
door to 'His Majesty's' or the town hall amid an expectant
throng of theatregoers all eager to enjoy a night of glamorous
excitement on stage, when suddenly a voice of anguish from
a programme seller or ticket seller summons a tall, efficient
looking, saviour! Maybe someone has been double-booked,
or the programme seller has run out of change.
Whatever the crisis, it is the job of the tour manager to
put it right, in an instant. But these instances are surely
minute among the countless duties to which Trevor King has
attended throughout his career as New Zealand's most experienced
tour manager.
Trevor
is a well - known Christchurch identity; he began in theatres
as an ice-cream boy and progressed, over the years and through
the ranks, to have managed the Christchurch theatre chain
for the Kerridge Odeon Organisation. Always approachable,
and with a brilliant and dry wit, he makes new friends daily,
but never forgets the older acquaintances, often dropping
them a line or reminiscing over a polite ale or two. Show
people are mysterious people. You never know what to expect
of them. Some are the happiest and most enjoyable people
imaginable. Others are downright impossible. Either way,
they are 'Show Business', and Trevor King knows show business
and its people, better than anyone I know, in New Zealand.
He
has rubbed shoulders with the Stars, and many of them still
correspond with him. The walls of Trevor's home bear mementos
of his involvement with innumerable visiting artists. He
has toured with performers such as the Beatles, the Vienna
Boys Choir, Andy Stewart, Gene Pitney, the Seekers, Rolf
Harris, and Frank Ifield, to name a few. (I gave an extensive
list back on Page 107). Of the Beatles, he says, "Nice
boys - I had no trouble with them".
Entertainment
has been in Trevor's blood since his days as a boy in Sydenham
when he used to charge his friends a penny to watch 'magic
lantern' slides, with a free comic thrown in. He ran a Youth
Club for many years, and thousands still know him as 'Uncle
Trev' from the days of his 'Saturday Chums Club' at the
old Liberty Theatre. As I mentioned earlier, he worked as
an ice-cream boy at the Metro Theatre in Sydenham and, before
long, he had been promoted to doorman. That duty earned
him half-a-crown a night - a sum he took a week to earn
- as an ice-cream boy.
Leaving
school at 14, he gained full time Theatre work, and was
Custodian at the age of 16. Soon he was Publicity man at
the old St. James Theatre, where he was responsible for
advertising movies in the Newspapers, and the Posters in
front of the Theatre. Trevor's
intimate knowledge of the screen world and its workings
quickly took him into Theatre management and, by the time
he retired, he had managed every Theatre in Christchurch.
A
devoted Elvis Presley fan (I bought him a very good book
about 'Elvis' myself, as a way of saying 'Thank You' for
the rare publicity/photographs/reviews he has sent me -
at enormous cost I must add, which must have put a small
dent in his wallet - of my own 'personal hero' Franquin),
Trevor has every record his 'King' namesake ever made, and
met him after a concert in Madison Square Gardens, New York,
where Elvis autographed a photograph for him. He has also
met boxing great, Muhammad Ali, and is equally proud of
the autographed photo with which he was presented.
Trevor
has no difficulty in naming the performers with whom he
most enjoyed travelling: (The Vienna Boys Choir have that
honour). He says, "They were a pleasure to work with
- well-mannered, cheerful and friendly." He became
a real "Uncle Trev" to the boys on their
visits and, so impressed the touring company that they insisted
on returning some of the kindness by this unusual gesture.
When he visited Vienna in 1977 during a tour of the United
States and
Europe, he was given the VIP Suite, which is maintained
by the school that the boys attend.
Continues
-
--------------------------------------------
11. E-zine Archives
---------------------------------------------
Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e- zine go to:
www.magicnewzealand.com
Click
on the red button centre right "Archives"
When you enter the archive the e- zines are in issue order
in folders for each year and are Coded, e.g. 001 Nov06 1999.txt
first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the
date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999)
--------------------------------------------
12. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice
--------------------------------------------
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You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand®
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, this publication may be freely
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the above disclaimer.
© Copyright 2021 Alan Watson QSM
www.magicnewzealand.com
http://twitter.com/#!/magicnewzealand
www.watson.co.nz
www.balloon-twister.co.nz