Magic New Zealand® E-zine

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* Magic New Zealand®
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Issue Number: #1715
Date: Sunday 14th May 2023
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: Editor@magicnewzealand.com

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Hi here is the latest news
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1. Editor's Message
2. The Story Of The Society Of American Magicians
3. Jennifer Choi - 6 Guinness World Records In One Day
4. Mother's Day Closeout Magic Sale
5. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #107
6. Jeff McBride's Magic & Mystery School Events
7. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 30
8. Tales From The Fantastic Magic Center - #40
9. Your Thoughts Are Mine... John Carey #198
10. E-zine Archives
11. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice

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1. Editor's Message
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If you would like to read the Magic New Zealand e-zine in HTML format go to: https://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2023-Jan-to-Dec-2023/1715-May14-2023.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

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2. The Story Of The Society Of American Magicians
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On this day 121 years ago, a group of magicians led by W. Golden Mortimer gathered at Martinka's Magic Shop to form The Society of American Magicians. Saram Ellison was given the honor of holding member number 1 with a total of 24 members joining that first day. It would be almost 2 years later that Harry Houdini would be elected as a member of The S.A.M. before being elected resident in 1917.
If you would like to learn more about the History of The Society of American Magicians, we will soon be opening pre-orders for "Magic in America: The Story of The Society of American Magicians.

Learn more at magicSAM.com/historybook

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3. Jennifer Choi - 6 Guinness World Records In One Day
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Jennifer Choi sets 6 Guinness World Records in one day. @AprilJenniferChoi's superstar World Records magic is galactic. @MagicalWomenwithConnieBoyd are thrilled to feature this super girl magic power magician and danger act specialist.

Jennifer's talents don't stop at World Records imagine that she is employed as a NASA engineer of Mechanical Analysis at the Kennedy Space Center, where she is currently working on the Artemis Mission. The Artemis Project NASA program that has the goal of returning astronauts to the lunar surface.

https://youtu.be/pxJz-HjYWMs

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4. Mother's Day Closeout Magic Sale
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Message by Steve Varro (US)

Estates of Magic Welcomes you to its Mother's Day Closeout Sale

There's a small estate that needs to be sold by the end of the month, and we're currently offering limited-time discounts of up to 50% off the listed prices. It's an opportunity that you wouldn't want to miss.

To check out the estate, visit EstatesOfMagic.com and click on the catalog button.

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5. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #107
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Message by Paul Stone (US)

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip to see 'V' The Ultimate Variety Show.

I have seen this show a number of times over the past twenty years, partly because, as I've often mentioned in my articles, I love Variety Acts, and partly because I never tire of watching my good friend Wally Eastwood, who is the Host of the show, and who appears throughout and holds the show together.

In case you've never had the chance to see Wally perform, he is not only a very talented juggler, his comedy is hilarious too, and his timing is superb.

Wally has performed on the Strip in various shows non-stop for over 30 years, and has clocked up many thousands of shows. I seriously doubt if any Variety performer has appeared more often.

One of the acts in this successful and long running show is Canadian magician Jason Byrne who has been appearing in 'V' for several years too.

Jason has also headlined his own illusion show on cruise ships, but it is his bird act that has been his staple, and is the one that he is best known for.

His bird productions are slick, and like so many top pros, every move is carefully choreographed and honed to perfection.

I first booked Jason back in 2008 when he appeared at the IBM British Ring Convention in Eastbourne and then at the 'Tribute to Siegfried & Roy' at the London Palladium, a show that also featured Wally Eastwood, who pretty much stole the show!

What I admire about Jason is that his on-stage persona has changed with the times, ensuring that his act perfectly suits and his complements his look.

This is a good lesson that many performers would be wise to take on board. The key is to stay relevant.

Jason has an assuredness and confidence that only comes from working night after night. And his performance level never drops below excellent, which is quite a feat especially considering that the working conditions in the 'V' Show are hardly ideal for his act.

When I first went to see the 'V' Show over twenty years ago, the host was Jeff Hobson, who in my opinion is one of the best comedy magicians on the planet, and also a wonderful host, a role he filled for a few years so successfully in the 'Illusionists' touring show.

Jeff now runs 'Marvyn's Magic Theater in La Quinta, in California, named in honour of the legendary Marvyn Roy. I'm excited to be visiting Jeff there next week. I saw the theater when it was being built, but this will be my first time actually attending a show there.

Although I have been based for the past 14 years in Las Vegas, it's no secret that my home city is Liverpool in England, a city I'm extremely proud of. This week it is hosting the 'Eurovision Song Contest' which will be seen in dozens of countries around Europe, drawing viewing audiences of hundreds of millions. It is a huge honour for Liverpool. Massive Congratulations to everyone involved.

Liverpool of course is known worldwide as the home of The Beatles. Last night I took a friend to see the Beatles 'LOVE' Show at the Mirage Hotel and Casino (the venue for Siegfried & Roy's phenomenal show which ran for 14 years). I have seen the 'LOVE' Show several times, and the music always brings back memories for me of growing up in the 'Swinging 60's' in Liverpool.
One of The Beatles songs, 'Come Together', made me pause for a moment and think about outstanding and very popular magician, Scott Alexander, who so sadly and prematurely passed away a few weeks ago.

Scott performed a very commercial and entertaining cut and restored rope routine to this song, and every time I hear it, I think of him with a smile. He was taken from us way too soon, and he will be sorely missed.

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6. Jeff McBride's Magic & Mystery School Events
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Message by Jeff McBride (US)

June 2023 - Magic & Mystery School Events

2-4 - McBride's Magic & Mystery School Festival Of Magic - with Jeff McBride, Larry Hass, Ricardo Rosenkranz and Ross Johnson - Live In Chicago

7-11 - Master Stage Hypnosis (Early Bird Pricing until April 1st) - with Kevin Lepine (4 Students Only) - Live In Las Vegas

9-11 - Card Magic Mastery - Session 1 (Sold Out) - with Jeff McBride (6 Students Only) - Live In Las Vegas (See session 2 in May)

23-25 - Mentalism for Close-Up & Stage - with Jeff McBride (6 Students Only) - Live In Las Vegas

August 2023 - Magic & Mystery School Events

5 - The Magic & Mystery School Experience - Session 1 - With Jeff McBride - Live In Las Vegas

10 - The Magic & Mystery School Experience - Session 2 - With Jeff McBride - Live In Las Vegas

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7. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 30
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Message by Wittus Witt (Germany)

Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 30
Now that all loans have been returned (Goethe magic box, picture from 1460 and magic case from Bellachini-Schledorn) I would like to present special exhibits from my own collection, which also enjoy a high rarity value. I will start with a very rare magic catalog of the German magician and magic dealer Ernst Basch from around 1890.

Ernst Basch was born in 1838 and died in 1908. He also called himself "The Professor of Magic and Physics". Ernst was the second of four brothers: Friedrich Joseph Basch, Heinrich Basch and Friedrich Basch. He traveled extremely successfully with demonstrations of dioramas and ghost pictures. His illusions included The Liquor Factory, The Enchanted Birdcage, a decapitation trick, transformations, and physics experiments.

He gave his first performance on October 20, 1860, in the hall of the Künstlerverein in Bremen. Around 1870 he showed the Goldfish Catch and the Wunderspringbrunnen.
In the late 1860s, he traveled with his Cagliostro Theater, for which he had a transportable wooden theater structure built in Holland in 1872. One must imagine that this theater was 44 meters long, 16 meters wide and 8 meters high. It had room for 1,600 spectators. Two ships, or 15 railroad cars, were needed to transport it.

On October 31, 1886, he gave his last performance in the same theatre in Bremen where he had begun his career. He then founded, as one of the first in Germany, a company for the manufacture and sale of magic apparatus in Hanover, Nienburger Straße, which, as it was stated in an advertisement, constantly exhibited 5,000 apparatus in its 22 salons (showrooms). One of its prominent customers was Lucas Bellachini-Strack.

The company was taken over in 1918 by Reinhold Pfalz from Leipzig. Pfalz continued to use Basch's original catalogs, but with a label taped over. In my collection I have one of these catalogs, which are very rare today. I know of only one other copy, which is in the collection of Christina and Volker Huber.

In the Magic-Pedia you can see this catalog:
https://www.zauber-pedia.de/index.php?title=Ernst_Basch

Until next time

Wittus
www.hamburger-zaubermuseum.com

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8. Tales From The Fantastic Magic Center - #40
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Message by Kent Cummins, Director (US)

Artificial Intelligence

"Alexa, what is ChatGPT?"

"I asked the AI this question, and she (it?) defined it as, "ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and released in November 2022."

So, I then asked ChatGPT to write 200 words about AI for Magicians. Here is what I got:
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a hot topic in recent years, and it's no surprise that magicians are taking notice of its potential for use in their performances. With AI, magicians can create new and innovative illusions that were previously impossible. In fact, some magicians are already using AI to enhance their performances in a variety of ways.

One way magicians are using AI is to create intelligent assistants that can help them with their tricks. For example, AI can be used to identify audience members and provide information to the magician in real-time. This information can then be used to tailor the performance to the audience, making it more engaging and interactive.

Another way magicians are using AI is to create digital assistants that can help them with their performances. These assistants can be programmed to perform specific tasks, such as playing music or lighting effects, allowing the magician to focus on the performance itself.
AI can also be used to create realistic and convincing virtual assistants that can interact with the audience. These assistants can be used to create illusions that were previously impossible, such as disappearing and reappearing objects.

Overall, AI offers a wealth of opportunities for magicians to create new and innovative illusions. By using AI, magicians can push the boundaries of what's possible in magic and create performances that are truly awe-inspiring.

The Fantastic Magic Center is dedicated to preserving and sharing the art of magic. But I can't do it without your help.

My Patreon account is the same place as my free weekly podcast:
www.FantasticMagicCenter.com
kent@magichotline.com

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9. Your Thoughts Are Mine... John Carey #198
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Message by John Carey (UK)
http://www.johncareymagic.co.uk/

Your thoughts are mine...

I've always been fascinated with any card plot involving a thought-of card. There are some beautiful effects of this type scattered in the magical literature, both gaffed and ungaffed. I wanted a version that could come as close to mind reading as possible with a normal deck. Here for your enjoyment is the fruit of my labour.

Set up: There is a very small set up to this effect that you can easily set on the fly or just pre-set. Place the 9 of Clubs near the top of the deck, the 9 of Hearts in the middle, the 9 of Spades near the face of the deck and put the 9 of Diamonds inside a pay envelope and place it inside your wallet.

Presentation:

"Mick, today we will attempt an experiment in mind reading. Some people are skeptical about this sort of thing, but also others are believers too. Now numbers play an important part in all of our lives. We have house numbers, PIN numbers and lottery numbers, just to give a few
examples. Numbers are well and truly everywhere. I'd like you to just think of a number say between ten and twenty. Got one? Now picture the two digits of that number on the wall in front of you. Now let's randomize everything. Add those digits together to form a small number and then, just for fun subtract that smaller number from your thought of number to form a random number that nobody in this bar, town or indeed country could possibly know.

So now you are thinking of a number even you didn't know you'd think of! Now I'd like you to think of one of the four playing card suits. Then combine that thought with the random number you are thinking of to form a card in your mind. So if for example you are thinking 5 and Clubs, that would be the 5 of Clubs ok.

Earlier today I too just thought of a card. Would you please pick up the deck and take out your card? It's not there? You see, I took the card I thought of and placed it inside an envelope that's in my wallet. Let me remove it. What card are you thinking of Mick? The nine of Diamonds?
Please open the envelope and take out the contents. As you can now see, your thoughts are well and truly mine!"

Mental force and structure:

A while ago, my friend Chris Wood taught me a simple number force he said was old and couldn't credit unfortunately. Now I'm not usually enamored with maths based methods but this one is so good, simple and clean and easy it didn't take long for me to apply the force to this piece. So basically we will be forcing the number 9. Ask a spectator to think of a number between 10 and 20. Then get them to add the two digits together to form a smaller number and then subtract that number from their thought of number to automatically force 9. So for example, they think of 16.

Added together those digits total 7. Subtract the small number from the larger number and presto! Make your instructions casual but crisp and get it out of the way. Now ask your helper to think of a playing card suit and combine that thought with their 'random' number to form a card purely in their mind. Give an example as in the presentation so they know exactly what they need to do.

So how exactly do we know what card they are thinking of to successfully bring the effect home? The answer is extremely simple, but subtle. Your deck is stacked with the 9C third or fourth from the top, the 9H in the centre, the 9S third or fourth from the face and the 9D is inside an envelope in your wallet. In the presentation outline I gave you they couldn't find their
thought of card so I then mention that earlier today I thought of a card too and placed it in an envelope in my wallet.

I remove the envelope and they take out the 9D and the mystery is complete. However, if you see them remove a card from near the top you know it's the 9C, from the centre would be 9H and if they remove a card near the face their thought of card is 9S. In these three instances I mention that earlier today I thought of a card too and name the appropriate card. They turn their card over and your work is finished.

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E-zine Archives
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Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e- zine go to:
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Click on the red button centre right "Archives"

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Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice
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