Number 600 - 24th December 2011

 

TV's 50 Greatest Magic Tricks - Saturday 31st December on Channel 5: "A countdown of the greatest TV magic tricks of all time. From the astonishing set pieces of Penn and Teller to the mindbending of Derren Brown and the street magic of David Blaine, be prepared to be amazed and mystified. Contributions come from magic's greatest stars, including Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee, new magician wonderkid Dynamo, Penn and Teller, and magic fans Joe Pasquale, Stephen Mulhern, and Dick and Dom." See TV Magic for times. 24.12.11

 

The David Berglas Award 2012. The British Magical Society was formed in Birmingham in 1905 and is the oldest magical society in Europe. Its first President was David Devant, and it initiated the growth of the magical society movement in the UK including the formation of The Magic Circle in June of the same year. This Trophy is awarded annually to a British magician... 'For service to magic in general or performing ability.' Members of the British Magical Society are invited each year to make a nomination for the Award. The previous recipients of this Award have been Peter Warlock, Paul Daniels, John Fisher, Ali Bongo, Alan Shaxon, Pat Page, Roy Johnson, Ron Macmillan, David Berglas, Donald Bevan, Wayne Dobson, Jeffery Atkins, Derek Lever, Edwin Dawes, Elizabeth Warlock, Geoffrey Durham, Alex Elmsley, Paul Kieve, Mark Raffles, Terry Herbert, Roy Walton, Bob Hamilton and the current holder, Derren Brown. A committee of the five immediate Past Presidents decide the winner. The BMS is pleased to announce that the winner of the Award this Year is: Anthony Owen. The Trophy will be presented at our Annual Dinner on Saturday 24th March 2012 at the Tally Ho Conference & Banqueting Centre, Edgbaston, Birmingham. Paul Cadley, Hon Secretary, British Magical Society. www.britishmagicalsociety.co.uk. 24.12.11

 

Portrait of the artist: Paul Daniels, magician. "My breakthrough came at 35. I employed a man to get me on television; he did, and that changed my whole life" What's the best advice anyone ever gave you? "Practically all my good advice came from my father. He'd say: 'Measure it twice, you'll only cut it once – and that will apply to your life as much as it applies to woodwork.'" Laura Barnett interviews Paul Daniels for The Guardian. To read the full interview Click Here. 24.12.11

 

The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club... This is where it all started for Paul Daniels's television career. The entire series is now available on DVD from Amazon.co.uk. Complete Series 3 (with Paul Daniels) Click Here, Complete Series 4 (with Paul Daniels) Click Here. MagicWeek receives a commission from Amazon.co.uk sales. 24.12.11

 

‘Magic Night’ at Madame Jojo’s, London. Friday, 20th January 2012: "Mind reading, floating objects, a record breaker, sawings in half and scissor hands! John Hicks and his unusual assistant will be breaking world records by attempting 50 tricks in 5 minutes, Oliver Tabor plays tricks on your eyes with some incredible illusions and Stuart Turner gets mugging, Matt G picks at your mind and Anil Desai (master of a thousand voices) gets scissor hands! Morgan and West, the gentlemanly Victorian time traveling magicians will provide mind bending magic and all proceedings will be overseen by Tommy Cooperesque Christian Lee." Magic Night at Madame Jojos. Doors open 7pm show starts at 7.45pm. Tickets £12 including entry to 'Good Foot'. Show ticket plus dinner: £22.00. Tickets: www.ticketweb.co.uk www.lastminute.com or Ticket Web on 08444 77 1000. Madame JoJo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street, London W1F 0SE (Map) 020 734 3040 www.magicnight.co.uk. 24.12.11

 

Newsflash 2.0 - Watch Axel Hecklau perform his brilliant Newsflash 2.0 Click Here and then ask yourself if it's not the finest Torn & Restored Newspaper ever! Axel will be appearing at the Blackpool Convention in February. 24.12.11

 

Christmas wishes from the British Ring: "The President and his Lady (Brian Miller and Audrey) of The International Brotherhood of Magicians British Ring Number 25 send cordial good wishes for peace and happiness to magicians throughout the world and hope 2012 will be a successful year for you all. The British Ring convention takes place in Great Yarmouth from 26th-30th September 2012. It will truly be an all British convention and acts confirmed so far include Nicholas Einhorn, Mandy Muden, Roy Davenport, Steve Hewlett, Chris Woodward and Rajan. The dealers’ hall is a very important part of any convention and we welcome back after many years of absence, Davenports and Mark Mason. Further information will be published when it becomes available. The members’ preferential convention (early bird) rate of £95 is available up to 31st December 2011 and details can be found on www.magicconvention.co.uk." Geoffrey Newton PRO. 24.12.11

 

Prodigy Project - SP Magic: Scott Perry writes: "My new year's resolution was to spend more time with a deck of cards in my hand than without in 2012. I decided to turn this resolution in to a project that will last the whole year with weekly video updates. The project has been named the Prodigy Project and that's what I hope to become, a prodigy. Over the year I will look in to myths, science, stories and facts behind card magic. I also hope to include interviews/appearances from well known magicians from time to time. I have uploaded a video to announce the project Click Here I will be posting updates on twitter @spmagicuk and using the hash tag #prodigyproject." www.spmagic.co.uk/V3/waiting.html www.facebook.com/SPMagicUK. 24.12.11

 

Now I like John Styles... but I also like Harry Hill... John Styles is the man behind the ventriloquism and puppetry in three programmes and films being shown over the Christmas period this year: Harry Hill's Little Cracker, A Christmas Carol and The Polar Express. John is also appearing as a guest on BBC Radio Kent's 'Special Sunday Supplement', at lunchtime on Christmas Day. 24.12.11

 

The Magic of Showbiz. Controversial Hypnotist, Magician and Mentalist Jonathan Royle is now offering several new lectures and workshops for Magic Clubs and Conventions to book, worldwide. Full details of the various services available, along with your chance to share in some free Mentalism EBooks and Hypnosis Training Videos, together with a sneak peak at some of Royle's surreal European Comedy TV series can be found now at tinyurl.com/bqynknw. 24.12.11

 

Dynamo: Magician Impossible, four shows, back to back on Monday 26th December on Watch. "At 5pm Street magician Dynamo performs a spectacular Matrix-style levitation, physically moves a girl's tan line and performs magic with rock star Ian Brown. At 6pm Dynamo turns snow into diamonds, amazes ex-Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt in a London jewellers, and leaves Rio Ferdinand speechless. At 7pm Dynamo travels around the world, dazzling those he meets with his illusions. In this episode, he wows comedian Mat Horne, and vanishes in Miami. And at 8pm Dynamo hits LA where he leaves Travis Barker stunned and Natalie Imbruglia in a flap. Back home, he makes headlines with Radio 1's Scott Mills." See TV Magic for details. 24.12.11

 

Rudy, Santa and Elfin and the 85 members and guests who attended The Order of the Magi (Manchester) President’s Christmas party send good wishes to magicians and their families everywhere. Enjoy the Festive Season and may “2-0-1-2- be good 4U”. By the way can you guess who the people in the photo really are? First correct answer to urbanwizard@uwclub.net wins a prize. Geoffrey Newton PRO. 24.12.11

 

Coming Up: Magic. "The local branch of magic enthusiasts suspect their chairwoman Felicity has some involvement in the death of their favourite magician. So when she suggests a dramatic and spectacular finale for the society, the members resolve to stop Felicity at any cost." Starring Jane Horrocks, late night Monday 2nd January - see TV Magic. 24.12.11

 

The Untold Tommy Cooper. 9pm on Wednesday 28th December on Channel 4. "This one-off special looks at the untold life of British national treasure, comedian and magician Tommy Cooper. Drawing on details from the meticulous diaries of his life-long manager Miff Ferrie, The Untold Tommy Cooper features previously unheard audio and unseen archive footage from Cooper's personal and professional life, including material never performed before. Fans as diverse as Johnny Vegas, Damien Hirst, Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Roger Moore, Alfred Molina and Reece Shearsmith talk about their love of Cooper, while voices never heard before - including the man who tried to save Cooper's life - reveal their stories about and passion for this comedy giant." 24.12.11

 

"Magician invited to Kim Jong Il funeral" Click Here • "Kim Jong-il's relationships: an unlikely sex symbol" Click Here • "Jay Mohr Joins The Ever-Expanding Cast of Burt Wonderstone" Click Here • "Magic festival back for a ninth year" Click Here • "Magic Colin takes top title" Click Here • "Of all the places for a Vegas magician to land a gig" Click Here • "The Sooty Christmas Show" Click Here • "Sex, drink and Paul Daniels: The Krankies confess to their wild past" Click Here • "Five-letter Word for Magic" Click Here • "Recognise magic as an art form: Raghuvir" Click Here • "Mane United" Click Here • "Channel 4 to take over London's tube for New Year's Eve" Click Here • Ollie Mealing is offering magicians a free trick until December 27th via his Facebook page, simply visit facebook.com/olliemealingmagician and follow the instructions • And finally, not magic (in fact totally off-topic) but if you ever wanted to be a cowboy when you grew up (but didn't quite make the grade) then you'll love this... Ennio Morricone's The Ecstasy of Gold, from The Good, the Bad, the Ugly conducted by Ennio Morricone himself. Crank it up and Click Here (next week another orchestral cinema classic, to welcome in the New Year!). 24.12.11

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers worldwide from the MagicWeek team - it's our 600th issue today! From Duncan, Keiko, Amelia and Louis. Thank you to everyone who submitted news items and reviews throughout the year, and thanks too, to all our advertisers (the best on the web) and of course to you for reading MagicWeek every week! Have a great Christmas. 24.12.11

 

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