Number 441 - 6th December 2008

 

"I told you not to rub it!" Uri Geller receives The David Berglas International Magic Award from David Berglas at last weekend's 37th International Magic Convention in London. Following the presentation Uri Geller invited questions from the assembled audience of magicians on any aspect of his life and career. A fascinating 30 minutes ensued, offering glimpses into just what makes Uri Geller tick. Uri's appearance was a wonderful surprise, and his candid answers refreshing. His performance on The Dimbleby Talk-In in Great Britain back in November 1973 caused an immediate sensation at that time. I was one of the lucky ones who saw it when it went out. When that spoon bent Uri was as excited and elated with the outcome as his audience, his reaction for me was always the key to his success. Uri is one of the great showmen of our time. At the end of the question and answer session the audience gave him a standing ovation. (DT). This week Magic Circular editor Matthew Field reports on the whole International convention, including the Close-up Competition results (many thanks Matt), Click Here. 6.12.08

 

Andi Gladwin and Rob James' The Session 2009 is approaching quickly (17th and 18th January) and is all set to be another sell-out. Joining Ray Kosby (USA), David Acer (Canada), John Guastaferro (USA), Noel Qualter (UK) and John Archer (UK) is contemporary British magician John van der Put, who recently won 1st place at the IBM Close-Up Competition in Eastbourne. John's alter ego 'Piff the Magic Dragon' will be performing in the evening show. Andi and Rob will be announcing at least 4 more performers in the coming weeks, so register now to reserve your tickets! www.sessionconvention.com. 6.12.08

 

Showzam, Blackpool's Festival of Circus, Magic and New Variety, returns for the second year bringing a host of shows and entertainment that will appeal to all magicians including the International Stars of Magic show featuring Soma from Hungary, Makha Tendo from Japan, Juan Mayoral from Spain, and more top acts. Plus: escapology stunts, close-up magicians and incredible circus and variety shows. 13th - 22nd February 2009. For further details visit www.showzam.co.uk. 6.12.08

 

Axel Hecklau is a well known fulltime professional magician from Berlin, Germany. During his second lecture tour in 2008 which took in over 40 cities in Germany he proudly presented his new version of a classic piece in magic, The Torn & Restored Newspaper. His Torn & Restored Newspaper, entitled NEWSFLASH, is simply incredible! You must watch this video clip! Click Here, or visit his brand new shop: www.axelhecklau.com. 6.12.08

 

Magicians.co.uk hosted a party for clients and friends on Monday November 24th, to celebrate the recent announcement of the company’s new name and identity. Over 150 guests enjoyed a canapé reception followed by a delicious meal at Mary Ward House, London and were entertained by fire jugglers, hustlers, mind readers, pickpockets, fantastic live swing music and of course, magicians. Guests included Alexis Conran, Guy Hollingworth, Richard McDougall and Chris Power. Media attending included Event Magazine, Prestige Events Guide and MagicWeek. www.magicians.co.uk. 6.12.08

 

The Magic Circle Annual Awards Banquet was held on November 22nd at the Holiday Inn, Bloomsbury. Siegfried and Roy were awarded The David Devant Trophy for services to international magic. The Maskelyne Trophy was posthumously awarded to Chris Pratt for services to British magic. A Silver Wand was presented to Peter Scarlett for services to The Magic Circle. The John Nevil Maskelyne Award was presented to John Fisher for his literary contributions to magic. The Carlton Comedy Award went to Ian Keable and The Cecil Lyle Award was won by Michael Giblin for his contribution to the Magic Circular. www.themagiccircle.co.uk. 6.12.08

 

Wessex Magical Association presents The Life and Career of David Nixon, a lecture by Steve Short. Steve has researched David Nixon's life and career with the help of David's family and many people who knew and worked with him, including Ali Bongo, his magic advisor and friend. Using a Power Point presentation Steve will show many unseen photos and tell stories - some funny, some sad. At the end of the presentation, Steve will show highlights from David's television shows. The lecture takes place in Poole, Dorset on Tuesday, January 13th and is open to visiting magicians (£5 admission). The lecture starts at 8pm. For further details contact: Derek Roberts 01202 247370 keredroberts@ntlworld.com. www.wmagic.co.uk. 6.12.08

 

MagicTricks.co.uk launch new site for young magicians. MagicTricks.co.uk have just launched a brand new spin-off site aimed at young magicians – www.magictricksjunior.co.uk. They have been working on the Junior site for several months now and have created their own brand of magic focusing on quality items that really will get children interested in magic (as apposed to 100-trick sets which are usually a letdown. The site is also great for parents and adults buying presents for children. MagicTricks Junior offers a wide variety of the gift ideas for young magicians, wanting to break into magic! 6.12.08

 

"Cruise ship passengers surprised by pirate attack" Click Here. News media across the globe reported on last Sunday's pirate attack on MS Nautica (Oceania Cruises). Onboard, magic team Des and Cherry King emailed: "Yesterday (on the 30th November) while cruising between the coast of Yemen and Somalia, pirates in two small skiffs attacked MS Nautica and eight shots were fired at our ship. The Captain immediately made evasive manoeuvres and managed to outrun the pirates by going full speed ahead. Also, we were due to stop in Mumbai, but owing to the terrorist attacks this has now been cancelled and the itinerary changed; we will now get a visit to the Maldives instead. Our contract on board is until March 2009. We have been doing nine months of the year at sea for the last ten years and have visited 115 different countries but have never been attacked by pirates before!!" "Cruise ship passengers describe 'pop, pop, pop' of gunfire as pirates attacked" Click Here. 6.12.08

 

Ian and Elisa (Galithia Conexion) have just returned from working onboard Color Lines flagship the Fantasy. Performing close-up magic during the day and a stage show in the evening to over 900 Norweign and German passengers. "It was quite difficult at first due to the language barrier, but we soon overcame that by performing hard hitting visual magic" said Ian. www.ianrhamilton.co.uk. 6.12.08

 

Laura London appears on Magic Party on BBC 2 Northern Ireland at 10pm on Tuesday 16th December in the series that mixes mixing magic and music (and Sky channel 992). "Magician Laura London makes an impression at a party thrown by Belfast rock band Nocturn, creating some personal magic illusions while DJ Joe Lindsay plays some head-banging tunes." www.lauralondonmagic.com. 6.12.08

 

Quick Change Artists – Keelan Leyser and Charlotte Marie just days away from being caught in India. Quick Change Artists Keelan Leyser and Charlotte Marie were in the Taj Palace, Mumbai, India, only a few days prior to the awful terrorist attack. They were there performing for the 75th Anniversary of Unilever, India. 6.12.08

 

JezO’s Magic and Laughter Show. “An exciting children’s show is continuing to tour the UK. Featuring the rising star of comedy magic JezO (Jeremy Bond), this show will appeal to children from 4–10 and, importantly, to their parents and grandparents too. JezO’s great comedy skills, together with a thorough grounding and understanding of magic and illusion, put the emphasis very firmly on entertainment.” Thursday 19th February 2009 at 2.30 pm. Tamworth Assembly Rooms, Tamworth, Staffordshire Box Office: 01827 709618. Further dates to be announced shortly. A PMB Productions presentation. www.jezo.co.uk. 6.12.08

 

Jayne Corrigan was featured in Thursday's Mirror, "Meet the full-time female magician who lives out her Harry Potter fantasies for real" Click Here, "Mirror Works: I really love this job.. now that IS magic!" Click Here, Mirror Works: Tricks of the trade Click Here. www.magicbyjayne.co.uk. 6.12.08

 

Nick Einhorn and David Penn entertained dozens of the UK’s most talented songwriters and producers at a truly memorable event at the Tate Modern last week. The Society of Distinguished Songwriters includes members Gary Barlow, Don Black, Gary Kemp, Sir Tim Rice, Guy Chambers, Marty Wilde and King SOD David Arnold (Photo). A special performance, blending magic with music, created a dynamic opening to a unique show in which each artist sung their most famous songs. 6.12.08

 

Look out for magician Zane this Christmas, but in a different role... Zane, the proprietor of www.zanesmagicshop.com, also entertains as 'Joe Swing- The Singer With the Magic Touch' singing the songs of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bobby Darin. Joe Swing can be seen performing for ten dates at The Hop Exchange in London during December. Joe Swing also uses magic in his routines, visit: www.joeswing.co.uk. 6.12.08

 

Mist (Sean Alexander & Vanessa) have just arrived back in the UK following a ten-day day run in Dubai. The show was a great success, wowing audiences at the Mall of the Emirates. Click Here to read a review in the City Times. 6.12.08

 

News from Lots of Magic: "To celebrate the launch of Lots of Magic auction web site, you are invited to the party on 7th January 2009 in Ealing, London. This is going to be a fantastic event with close-up magicians and a full stage show including performances from John Archer, Mark Shortland, Tim Shoesmith, Michael Pearce, Kerry Scorah, Romany (Diva of Magic), Richard Pinner and Amethyist. To apply for tickets, to be there for free, please contact launchparty@lotsofmagic.co.uk, we have limited seats available. Only open to magicians and entertainers please, we do not have the space for wives and family." 6.12.08

 

Wolverhampton's Top Talent Show 2009. "Wolverhampton’s Top Talent is the Black Country’s answer to a high profile talent competition, giving gifted individuals a chance to shine, while at the same time raising money for the local charity ‘Promise Dreams’. The competition will see 1000’s of contestants battle it out over audition heats to earn a place in the grand final, where they will stand a chance of being crowned the Top Talent, at a glamorous, celebrity hosted event, winning £2,500 prize money." March - June 2009, visit www.wolverhamptonstoptalent.com for details. 6.12.08

 

Disney brings Mickey's Magic Show to city... "Mickey Mouse will be casting his magic wand over the Trent FM Arena next year when Disney returns to the venue with a brand new production. Mickey's Magic Show will feature buddies Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Daisy Duck and a host of world class magicians at the venue for four shows on March 24 and 25." To read the full story in This is Nottingham, Click Here. 6.12.08

 

Congratulations to Peter Roberts, winner of the George Powell Trophy for Comedy Magic at the Leeds Magical Association on November 25th, and well done to Joe Moore and Donna in the runners-up spot, an excellent competition and a thoroughly entertaining evening. Graham Roe. www.leedsmagic.co.uk. 6.12.08

 

Kerry Scorah snaps a good 'un. "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" and so they didn't, but who are these three monkeys spotted at Ron's Day? • "Blyth family sharing their home with 74 pets" Click Here • "Seeing is believing" Click Here • Max Somerset: An Evening of Magic, reviewed by Elliott Hodges, Click Here • "Magician says trick to success is support" Click Here • "Magician Joshua Jay Wows FOX 4 Anchors" Click Here • "Update: more bad news for 'Criss Angel Believe'" Click Here • "Are you happy? Kieron Kirkland, mentalist and magician" Click Here • That's it for another week here on planet Earth. See you next week, Duncan. 6.12.08

 

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