Number 571 - 4th June 2011
WarpedMagic
are pleased to announce four lecturers for their Midlands Magic
Day on 28th August 2011 at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull: "In addition to our Dealers Hall we are now able to offer four lectures
at the incredible advance price of £5 each or £6 on the day. Lectures
begin at 10am with David Jones, followed by Paul Gordon at mid-day. In
the afternoon Michael Vincent lectures at 2pm and our final lecture at
4pm is Marc Oberon. A limited number of advance purchase Gold Passes are
available – see
www.magicday.co.uk for full details.
4.6.11
Wayne Dobson Lecture - Thames Valley
Magicians Guild. The brilliant Wayne Dobson lectures at the Thames
Valley Magicians Guild on Wednesday 29th June at 7.30pm (note
earlier than usual start time). £3 members, £10 no n members (visiting
magicians welcome). Venue: The Highfield Club, George Street, Bicester,
Oxon OX26 2ED (Map).
www.thamesvalleymagic.com.
4.6.11
David
Stone to lecture for International Magic, London: "We
have a super treat for you on 23rd June. Our next lecturer is David
Stone from France. David is a FISM prize winner (among other awards)
and even his recent DVD Lecture "Real Secrets of Magic" claimed an award
for the trailer. The lecture will take you through what it takes to be a
professional magician. Table-hopping or restaurant magic have nothing to
do with the kind of close-up magic you might perform for your friends:
The professional magician has to entertain people who are not expecting
him.
David is not in London very often and this is an excellent opportunity
to see him close up and close to home. Highly recommended!"
The charge is £15.00 per person and is payable at the entrance on the
evening of the lecture (7.15pm for a 7.30pm start. Estimated finishing time is
9.45pm).
If you would like to attend, email
admin@internationalmagic.com in advance to reserve your place. The
venue is the Casa Italiana, 136 Clerkenwell Road, London
EC1R 5DL (Map
+
Google Map)
www.internationalmagic.com.
4.6.11
Exonian
Magic Society 75th Anniversary.
The Exonian Magic Society will be holding a one-day convention to
celebrate their 75th anniversary. "We have a fantastic line-up featuring Shawn Farquhar, Marc Paul, Martin Cox, Magic
Dave, Zak Stone, Danny Schlesinger, David Beckley, Malcolm Norton and Celtic
Storm.
4 lectures, Close-up Sessions, Dealers, a Gala Show and a three-course
meal, all for a fantastic price of £25 for the day or £35 for the whole
event." October 2nd at
Langstone Cliff
Hotel, Mount Pleasant Road, Dawlish Warren, Dawlish, Devon EX7 0NA (Map).
Places are limited so book early and be entered into
their free draw:
www.exonianmagicsociety.com.
4.6.11
Conjuring
at the Court – Thursday 30th June. Conjuring at the Court returns
with a fabulous evening of magic, mind-reading and comedy. From the
organisers: "It’s our second birthday – we’ve been going for two years!
We’re thrilled to have booked Ali Cook with his astonishing magic and
offbeat comedy. Bharat Patel returns to the show! An international
illusionist with the music and colour of India. Quentin Reynolds is a
psychic entertainer – he will read your mind, so take care what you
think about. Dave Allen is one of the UK’s top comedy magicians – and
he’s sent me a list of his awards to prove it. And Stephen Barry is your
ebullient and engaging compère. Best of all, there’ll be a birthday
cake!"
The show is in the charming, newly refurbished function room of the
Drayton Court, 2 The Avenue, West Ealing, London W13 8PH (Map). Doors 7.30pm; show
8pm - 10pm with an interval. Tickets £10 via
www.conjuringatthecourt.com.
4.6.11
Canada's
Matthew Johnson lectures at The Coventry Magic Circle, on Tuesday
21st June at 8pm. Visiting magicians from other societies are very
welcome, admission £5. The lecture, entitled 'Monkey Business', is an
eclectic mix of close-up magic, stand up and comedy magic that just
about anyone can do. Matthew's magic is easy to do, fun to do and most
importantly fun to watch! Did we also mention that all of Matthew's
close up magic instantly resets, which means it is perfect for the
working performer! This is a lecture packed with commercial magic that
you will use!" Venue: Bentley Road Club, 23 Bentley Road, Nuneaton,
Warwickshire CV11 5LR (Map)
www.coventrymagiccircle.co.uk
www.realfunnyguy.com.
21.5.11
Carny
Cabaret - free ticket offer for MagicWeek readers offer...
"Exclusive to MagicWeek's loyal readers - a free pair of tickets for
each reader for the 8th June performance of ‘The Carny Cabaret Show’ at
Madame JoJo’s, Soho, London!" To claim your free pair of tickets email
Chris Cross with your two guest list names, to
info@chris-cross.co.uk. "Mr. Chris Cross hosts the sexiest, weirdest
and craziest show in the UK; setting new limits in the Cabaret World.
Show 7pm to 10pm. Expect to see Magicians, Burlesque Dancers, Mimes,
Cirque Acts, Sword Swallowers, Sideshow Freaks and many more acts on the
bill! Line-up for the 8th June: Chris Cross, Lorraine Bowen, The Card
Ninja, Sapphire DeVine, The Hazzard Brothers, Constance Peach, Dee
Christopher, George Little, Roxanne Von Noir, Miss Dolly Blowup, Bob
Slayer, and Owen Lean! Don’t miss this one-off opportunity!" For more
details visit:
www.carnycabaret.co.uk. For ticket deal email
info@chris-cross.co.uk.
4.6.11
Armed
& Dangerous by James Brandon The Performer’s Guide to Dealing
with Hecklers and Interruptions: "An amazing brand new book
containing over 150 pages of hints, tips and advice on how to handle
every performer’s worst nightmare… hecklers and interruptions. Also
contains over 800 put-downs, comebacks and snappy answers for every
situation you could ever encounter while performing on stage. It’s not
just about hecklers either… Produced in paperback with a gloss laminated
full colour front cover, it is crammed with over 150 pages of hints,
tips, stories, advice, gags, lines, put-downs, in fact everything you
will ever need to handle hecklers and interruptions on stage." For more
info and to order visit:
www.hecklertactics.com
www.jamesbrandon.co.uk.
4.6.11
News
from Blackpool Magicians' Club: Blackpool Magicians Club held their
Annual General Meeting on Thursday 26th May week and announced a record
turnover and profit. Officers elected: President (for 2 years) Derek
Lever; Treasurer Michael Shepherd; Registration Officer Arthur Casson;
Secretary David Plant; Convention Organiser Derek Lever; Assistant
Convention Organisers Russ Stevens and David Plant; Entertainments
Officer Derek Lever; Welfare Officer and Librarian John Hardman;
Clubroom Manager David Plant; Committee Members Harry Robson, Jeremy
Guest and Jim O'Toole; President Elect Russell Brown. The Honorary Life
Vice President proposed a vote of thanks to Derek Lever for 15 years of
hard work as Convention Organiser and members gave Derek a standing
ovation. Derek is this week attending the White Magic Convention in
Russia as a Juror and Lecturer. Registrations for Blackpool Convention
and F.I.S.M. World Championships are pouring in. Visit the website
www.blackpoolmagic.com.
4.6.11
Oliver
Meech is lecturing at The Mystic Ring on Thursday June 9th at 7.45pm. In
this fun and informative lecture you’ll learn a range of tricks,
designed to be original yet practical. There will also be a
mini-workshop teaching a powerful creativity technique that makes it
easy to come up with new tricks of your own. Not to be missed. The
Mystic Ring meet at The Conservative Club, 49 High Street North,
Dunstable. For more details check out
www.mysticring.co.uk.
4.6.11
Celebrate
With Mark ...30 years in magic. On December 1st this year Mark Leveridge
will have completed exactly 30 years as a full time magic pro, and since
he's rather proud of that achievement, he's decided that he would like
to mark the occasion with something a little different. And to that end
he is announcing a special event called Celebrate With Mark which
comprises of two elements. Firstly, it is going to be an event held at a
hotel somewhere in the UK in early December that will be a cross between
a party and a magic event. There'll be magic performances, talks and
several surprises. More details will be revealed in the coming weeks.
The second component of Celebrate With Mark is a series of 26 weekly
special offers which will stretch from June until December! Every
Saturday, starting on June 4th, a short video explaining a special offer
will be posted on the MLM homepage. Each offer will be different and
will run for 7 days with a new offer being posted every Saturday. As
well as offering many opportunities to save lots of money and to receive
various free gifts, there's another aspect to it too. The person who
takes part in the most number of weeks during the 26 week offer period
will receive a mega prize of goodies worth over £215. Celebrate With
Mark starts today (4th June) and more information is available at
www.markleveridge.co.uk.
4.6.11
LabcoMagic
will visit London again this year, from Thursday 23rd June - Sunday 26th.
Labco email: "If you want to see our new products, please email us at
sorenharbo@gmail.com. Then we
will arrange a meeting at our hotel. You can see the new products on our
website
www.labcomagic.com. The product section on the website is now
password protected. Email us if you have trouble logging in. On our
website you can also download AREA51 for free. It is an E-book with a
lot of routines for the UFO system."
4.6.11
Morgan & West: Crime Solving Magicians OxFringe. Time travelling magicians Morgan & West return with an
all-new show and their toughest challenge yet - solving their own
murder. Can they recognise the rogue responsible, tinker with the
timeline and save their skins? Join the plucky prestidigitators at the
Simpkins Lee Theatre in Oxford as they romp through a casebook of
detection and deception. Mystery, merriment and mild peril galore in the
world's first paradoxical Whodunnit magic show! Wednesday 15th to
Saturday 18th June, 6.30pm. Tickets are a mere £7 and can be booked via
the website
www.wegottickets.com.
Venue: Oxford Simpkins Lee Theatre, Lady Margaret Hall Norham Gardens,
Oxford OX2 6QA (Map).
4.6.11
Summer
entertainment opportunity: "Trevor George Entertainments are seeking
boy/girl and girl/girl acts to work from July 1st through to September 2nd on
boats performing children's entertainment. 2 hours per day. Includes
magic show, face-painting, skin work (costumes). Great opportunity for
young, budding magicians. Must have your own magic show. Please send
your CV, biog (including headshot) and showreel to Jay Fortune
mail@jfortune.co.uk. Closing date for applicants Friday 10th June.
Only successful applicants will be contacted and correspondence will not
be entered into."
4.6.11
An
Audience With The Count. On Thursday 9th June the
Merlin Magical Society are holding 'An Audience With The Count'. A
lecture by Ali Cardabra that consists of a selection of original effects
performed as a themed show, followed by the explanations. The Merlin
meet at Little Heath Parish Hall, Thornton Road, Potters Bar,
Hertfordshire EN6 1JJ (Map)
and the evening will run from 8pm until 10pm. Entry is only £5. For
further information contact John Clayton (Secretary) on 07931 525399.
4.6.11
Children’s
Magic Show – London. Sunday 10th July, Enterprise Hotel, 15-25
Hogarth Road, Earls Court, London SW5 0QJ (Map).
Treat your children to a show full of magic, ventriloquism and fun from
one of the top performers in the country, prize-winning magician David
Tomkins (Part of the Earls Court Festival). An afternoon of wonder and
entertainment for children and their parents. Plus the Magic Cave,
London's leading magic stall, demonstrating and selling a range of
superb tricks and jokes for adults and children. Tickets just £5
(children 4-16) £7 (adults) from:
www.earlscourtfestival.co.uk Doors open 2pm show 2.30pm runs to
about 4pm with an interval. There will be a bar.
4.6.11
It's
Not All About Finger Flinging. Alan
Mylecraine will be presenting his 'It's Not All About Finger Flinging'
Lecture at 8pm on Monday 6th June at the Grimsby Ace Magicians Club,
Jubilee Inn, 350 St. Nicholas Drive, Grimsby DN37 9SF (Map) with a £5.00
charge for visiting magicians. The lecture offers tricks and tips from
Alan's working repertoire which promises to have something for everyone.
The evening will feature both close-up and stage effects and
explanations with the emphasis on presentation and getting the most from
your magic. For further details contact Gary Bryson on
gary@magicianfx.co.uk or 07810 796967 or to visit Alan's website
www.alanmylecraine.t83.net.
4.6.11
Alan
Taylor has tackled allsorts during his magic career, and most
recently, balloon modelling on The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show on
Absolute Radio! Five years ago he went through to the 2nd round in
Britain's Got Talent and back in 1997 he was the first magician to
perform on the Barrymore Show. Watch Alan's TV moments via his website
www.alprendo.co.uk.
4.6.11
The
Art of Magic - London. Thursday 7th July, Philbeach Hall, Philbeach
Gardens, Earls Court, London SW5 9EB (Map),
a few minutes from Earls Court tube (Warwick Road exit). Russell
Levinson is organising a terrific evening of magic as part of the Earls
Court Festival! "Starring great performers from The Magic Circle: Ian
Keable will read your mind – and make you laugh with his sparkling wit;
Michael Pearse juggles and jokes – Irish humour that has his audience in
stitches; International illusionist Bharat Patel brings the magic, music
and colour of India; Genial Earls Court conjurer Russell Levinson – you
won’t believe your eyes; Your host is comedian, raconteur and explorer,
the eccentric and hilarious Tim Fitzhigham. Tickets just £8 (£6
concessions) from:
www.earlscourtfestival.co.uk. Doors open 7.30pm, show 8-10pm with an
interval. There will be a bar.
4.6.11
Tony
Griffith will be holding another of his 'At Homes' on Sunday 13th
November. As in previous years this will be held at his home in
Bristol. Registration is £50 (£45 if paid before 31st August) and
includes, morning coffee, buffet lunch, and a light tea prior to
departure. In addition each person will receive a ‘goodies’ bag
containing a number of items worth more than the registration fee.
Numbers will not exceed 12 persons. Details: "During the day Tony will
cover a whole variety of subjects such as Stand Up/ Close Up Magic in
the real world, After Dinner Speaking/Entertainment, Presenting and
organising a Talk/Show Presentation, Promotion, Publicity and
Organisation, Working in Schools. Due to the very intimate nature of the
day Tony will also be able to cater for the individual interests and
requirements of those attending. Tony Griffith is a Gold Star Member of
The Inner Magic Circle. He has considerable experience in the world of
magic having lectured throughout the UK, Europe, the U.S.A, Australia
and New Zealand. He is the author of the recently acclaimed
Reflections series of books. He has presented his magic for some of
the country’s leading companies and hotel chains, both at Corporate
Events and in the Trade Show arena. He has lectured to The Magic Circle
on 7 occasions, and The Magic Castle in Hollywood on 5 occasions, where
he has also given over 100 performances. Bristol International Airport
is only 15 minutes away from Tony's home. Likewise the motorway system
is not too far away. So, if you are interested in having a more in depth
look at magic with a very experienced professional contact Tony on 01275
835463 or by email at
tony@tonygriffith.co.uk. Previous 'At Homers' have been hailed by
those attending as a Master Class."
4.6.11
Britain's Got Talent
nearly crumbles under the
weight of its own bloated self-importance... Over-produced and directed by people
who don't really understand the medium that they are working in; judged by
people who are far from qualified to judge (although Simon Cowell did
bring a semblance of sanity to the finals in his own 'charming'
self-righteous way), this year's finals' week
found itself hoisted by its own petard.
Want to know how NOT to film a dance act? Click Here (Abyss video). And if you are working in UV or Day-Glo (and you can bet that this was the production company's idea) then switch off everything else... but also bear in mind that in UV we can't see faces, so the personality of the performer is lost, so maybe just forget UV. Also, isn't it staggering that time and time again visual acts and dancers are ruined by cluttered backdrops, too many camera cuts, and too many wide shots. It's like the amateur video maker over-using a zoom; professional TV people producing one of the biggest shows on TV shouldn't be making so many basic mistakes.
Watch Paul Gbegbaje's own choice of material for his audition: Click Here. Then watch what the producers had him churn out after they'd got hold of him Click Here (sounded more like a formulaic Richard Clayderman medley, complete with redundant backing that did nothing but detract). To be frank the list of acts that were ill-served by this show could run for pages.
Watch the original and brilliant 'Evolution of Dance' by Judson Laipply (seen by 170 million on YouTube) Click Here (find out more via Wiki: Click Here) and then watch the clone that the judges put through TWICE in their naivety, taking him (Steven Hall) to the final! Click Here.
I know the ratings are huge - and the show is a tremendous success, but I wish that the people producing this stuff would do some homework, go and visit a few top night spots in Europe and the rest of the world, and actually see what's really out there, and then learn how to capture it on television properly. And hire some judges that know live entertainment, and know the difference between talent and novelty; the difference between an act and a one trick pony (or dog).
It's not all bad... Ant and Dec are the perfect hosts, super talents both, and some of the acts will have greatly benefited from the exposure. Magic-wise it was disappointing. Most professional magicians decided long ago to steer well clear of this monster. We only really saw illusionists David & Karen, who picked a winning illusion for their first spot which deservedly propelled them into the semi finals, only for them to then be beaten by Jean Martyn, a 'musical act' that I have to say I found incredibly un-musical... in fact I can't imagine anything less musical or more irritating than this: Click Here, but that's the nature of the beast that is Britain's Got Talent. Full marks though to David & Karen Click Here for having a solid go at it. The final is tonight and MagicWeek is backing Razy Gogonea, Paul Gbegbaje, and New Bounce (but we won't be phoning-in I can assure you of that!) BGT website: Click Here.
Final thought, the upcoming Penn & Teller: Fool Us series should act as a genuine showcase for magic talent. The initial show was well produced and well shot and is being repeated ahead of the series on Wednesday 15th June on ITV2; see TV Magic (DT). 4.6.11
"Derren Brown: Two strippers stole my thunder at my worst ever gig" Click Here • "Illusionist Derren Brown Builds His Memory Palace" Click Here • "Magician Buried Alive 100 Hours" Click Here and Click Here • "He should be so lucky: 'I'm being cyber stalked by a naked lesbian', claims Paul Daniels" Click Here • "Abra-Carell - New Magician Movie Starring Steve Carell" Click Here • "Comedy magician set for Lancaster appearance" Click Here • "Live chat with magician Lance Burton" Click Here • "Magic festival kicks off in Perm" Click Here • "Magician Hospitalized After Stunt Accident" Click Here • "Lessons learned from the recession in Las Vegas" Click Here • Not magic, but Igor Presnyakov's got talent Click Here, as has Sungha Jung Click Here! • And finally, never work with animals, children, or Jedward: Click Here. That's it! See you next week, Duncan. 4.6.11