Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Preview of Magic Magazine for March 2014

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MAGIC Magazine March 2014 CoverMAGIC Magazine January 2014From The Editor

The March 2014 issue of MAGIC Magazineis now out. If you haven't already received your copy, here's a look at what's coming your way.

MAGIC Magazine is also available for the iPad. The cost is only $3.99 per issue, and it arrives within a few minutes. Best of all, you can enjoy it wherever you want.

Thanks for your continuing support…

Stan Allen








Stories in MAGIC this month: Alt

Solving the Puzzle of Ryan Oakes
By Tom Wallace
Acclaimed by his peers even as a youngster, Ryan Oakes has forged a successful career in magic, somehow keeping a low profile while being involved in highly visible projects. Corporate shows, a television series, and a magic set branded with his name keep Ryan busy, in New York City — and far beyond.


Tempered GlassTempered Glass Phenomena
By William E. Spooner
Call them Prince Rupert's Drops or the Devil's Tears. No matter the name, the curious properties of tempered glass products have intrigued and entertained scientists and magicians for centuries.


Sirens at Sea
Sirens at Sea
By Rory Johnston
A magic production show starring a female magician is still unusual, especially when the producer is also a woman. But having one woman create and produce three such shows, running concurrently on different cruise ships, and star in one herself is truly unique. Yet that is what Connie Boyd has achieved.

Sirens at Sea
The Rameses Royal Centenary
By Chris Woodward
March 1914 saw the first Royal Variety Performance for the King and Queen of England at the London Palladium. And it was a magician, Rameses the Necromancer, who was chosen to close the show.
Wizard Wars


Wizard Wars
By Alan Howard
Pair up four magicians, give them some random items, and see what magic they can create. That's the premise behind Wizard Wars, a pilot for a new television show on Syfy cable network.

Correction: As the March issue went to print, the pilot episode ofWizard Wars was scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, March 4. It has since been pulled from that time slot, with no new airdate available.


Plus Updates on…
    Vegas Tent
  • The 2014 edition of the Columbus Magi-Fest
  • Extreme Vegas, a hybrid magic/dance/circus production
  • The Winter Festival of Magic in Indianapolis
  • Derek Hughes' Insomnia
  • Remembrances of Scott Lewis, Dave Madden, and Brian McCullagh

Bonus Content for the March Issue…
  • The original test competition that led to the pilot episode of Wizard Wars
  • Jason England explaining some of the finer points of tricks from Close Culls
  • Convention Podcast: Florida State Magic Convention

Products reviewed this month:

Fifteen products are reviewed this month by Peter Duffie, Jason England, Gabe Fajuri, Jared Brandon Kopf, Francis Menotti, Arthur Trace:

Hungry? by Mathieu Bich Alt
Cruise Magic 101 by Nick Lewin
Psy-Colony by Gary Brown
Click 2 by Valdemar Gestur
Twisted Queens by SansMinds
Instant Fortune Teller by McTaggart and Hall Alt
Allegro by Miguel Puga
EP by Valdemar Gestur
SoundzAmazing by MagiGadgets
RE by Chris Webb
Heinstein's Dream by Karl Hein
Built to Last with Doug Conn
Showmanship for Magicians by Dariel Fitzkee
Alluminati by Chris Oberle
MAYHEW: What Women Want by John Lovick


And there's even more tricks and advice this month:

Harapan OngIan RowlandMike CaveneyMark KornhauserSimon CoronelScott Tokar
First Look: Close Culls
Harapan Ong
Readers of MAGIC Magazine will recognize the name Harapan Ong, as he has previously shared several moves and routines in Joshua Jay's "Talk About Tricks" column. Of his native Singapore, Harapan says, "We don't get much outside influence from other magicians, but I believe this has been a blessing in disguise. It has given me the potential to explore magic without preconceived limits or constraints." Most of Harapan's material deals with the spread cull, a sleight he has dissected and enhanced in several intriguing ways, as you will see in these four effects excerpted from his new booklet, Close Culls.

Loving Mentalism: Gorilla Mentalism
Ian Rowland
This month's "Loving Mentalism" comes with an apology. There are already so many mentalism routines featuring gorillas, and I'm sure readers will be bored by the very idea of trudging through yet another. Alas, in a shameful display of barren creativity, that's exactly what's on offer this month — one more gorilla mentalism routine to add to the pile. What's it about? Well, attention blindness is the theme, and it's about putting a picture of a 300-pound gorilla right in front of people and yet, due to a quirk of the mind, they never even notice it's there.

Bent on Deception: Get Smart: Control vs. Chaos
Mike Bent
A lot of children's entertainers are at the extreme ends of the control vs. chaos seesaw. Some are control freaks who don't allow for any spontaneity and make the kids almost afraid to laugh or respond. Others are the wacky uncle who comes for a visit, gets the kids all hyper and sugared up, and then leaves right before the inevitable meltdown. I've learned that, for me, the answer isn't just a balance between the two, because when you're working with kids, things can easily tip out of balance. The answer is much easier than that and can be broken down into six easy steps.

Classic Correspondence from Egyptian Hall Museum: Percy Naldrett to Reg Wishart
Mike Caveney
Everyone who knew Percy Naldrett said he was a character. By the time of his death in 1973 at age 88, he had become a grand old man of magic, having witnessed so much of what the British magic scene had to offer during the 20th century. Naldrett was an inveterate letter-writer and his missives were filled with news, gossip, advice, and opinions. This letter to a magician named Reginald Wishart described, among other topics, Amac's illusion called Find the Lady.

For What It's Worth: Pulitzer Prize for Kornhauser?
Mark Kornhauser
Although I have always had a preference for the Nobel Peace Prize, who could turn down a Pulitzer? Unfortunately, it costs fifty dollars just to submit an application to the nominating committee. And who knows, I might not even qualify. But simply having the name "Kornhauser" and "Pulitzer" in the title makes it more likely that there will be some status benefit for me. It's just the way Google and humans work. I'm simply applying the widely accepted self-aggrandizing ethos of the day. I have broken no laws and I manage to draw attention to myself. Thanks for listening. Like me on Facebook.

Walkabout Soup: Expensive Illumination
Simon Coronel
There was this card sandwich routine that I used to do, one of those "Jacks-as-detectives trap the chosen card between them" type of effects. I'd given it a deliberately melodramatic presentation. Part of the script went: "This is going to be a film noir piece. Imagine that we're doing this in a dark room with an overhead spotlight and a Henry Mancini track playing. We didn't have the production budget to do it for real, so use your imagination." Given that I usually performed the routine in restaurants, this was obviously a joke. But then I thought, What about actually doing it? Actually getting an overhead spotlight, killing the lights, and doing the trick to dramatic music. Particularly in the Magic Castle's Close-up Gallery, that would look awesome…

Real-World Methods: One Thing
Scott Tokar
Cocky. That is what the famous Dutch magician Peter Pit used to call me. Back when I was a Junior at the Magic Castle, maybe seventeen or eighteen years old, I didn't get along so well with Peter, maybe because he often called me "cocky" or maybe because I was just too self-assertive. But even though we didn't form a close bond of friendship — or even a mutual respect, for that matter — Peter Pit gave me, as a young man, the most important advice I have ever received: "In order to become a real success in magic, you should focus on one thing and master it. Take that one thing and make it yours." 

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

I got this from facebook and 11 minutes later I checked for my sticker. They are tricking me. Screw you facebook!

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Saturday, February 1, 2014

Magic Magazine Preview February 2014

I sent this out later than I wanted to. 

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MAGIC Magazine January 2014 CoverMAGIC Magazine January 2014From The Editor

If you have not tried out our MAGIC Plus, this is a great month to do so.

There's a tutorial video of V.I.P. Card Through Handkerchief from Steve Valentine, as well as a clip of Dick Turpin — one of Steve's mentors — performing Cards to Pocket. And for even more Mr. Valentine (in February, no less), we have posted his December 2007 interview from this magazine.

There's also a video sampler of BeBop Bamboozled, the Super Bowl XXIII Halftime Show featuring magic in 3-D, and the entire first episode of a new Irish magic series. And of course, Jason England walks you through the latest card tutorial.

It's all available on the MAGIC Plus page atwww.MAGICmagazine.com. Your copy of the February issue is your key. Enjoy!

Thanks for your continuing support…

Stan Allen

P.S. MAGIC Magazine is also available for the iPad. The cost is only $3.99 per issue, and it arrives within a few minutes. Best of all, you only buy it once, then you own it forever and can enjoy it wherever you want.



Steve ValentineV.I.P. Card Through HandkerchiefMore stories in MAGIC this month:

Steve Valentine: His Magic, His Mentors,
and His Rediscovery of the Real Secrets of Magic

By Chris Philpott
Steve Valentine once described himself as "an actor and a magician, playing the part of a magician as an actor, playing a magician as an actor acting as a magician." Lay audiences know him for his many television roles, while magicians know him as a close-up performer who studies and honors the masters and mysteries of the past.


V.I.P. Card Through Handkerchief
By Steve Valentine
Here are two impromptu variations of a classic effect, adapted by Steve Valentine from the work of past masters of magic Paul Rosini and Edward Victor.



SuperbowlThe Most Watched Magic Event in History
By Rory Johnston
Twenty-five years ago, Dan Witkowski presented a halftime show that may have changed the way such Super Bowl events have been done ever since. He did it with innovation, nerve, and magic.



Paul Gleeson, Behind the Scenes
By Jamie D. Grant
Paul Gleeson, known onstage as Rua, is one of the latest magicians to have his own television series — and he is the first and only magician to do so in Ireland, presented entirely in the Irish language.

Johnny Eck
The Remarkable Johnny Eck
By Mark Walker
He was one of the most unusual secrets in magic, the truly baffling star of an illusion that is still whispered about today. Sideshow performer Johnny Eck was also a magician in his own right, a painter, and so much more -- while being so much less.

Jason England
Plus Updates on…
  • Voronin's show, The Count's Ball, plays Berlin
  • Wayne Alan revives an old theater in Virginia
  • Danny & Stacey Cole produce magic in Albuquerque
  • Donations roll in for the Brookledge Follies
  • Remembrances of Karl Norman and Rod "The Hop" Dee

Bonus Content in MAGIC Plus
  • Steve Valentine teaching the V.I.P. trick
  • Vintage footage of Dick Turpin performing Cards to Pocket
  • An excerpt from Rua's magic series on Irish television
  • Highlights of the 1989 Super Bowl halftime show
  • Jason England explaining some of the finer points of tricks fromMayhew
  • PDF of "In His Words: Steve Valentine" from December 2007
  • Convention Podcast: Abbott's Close-up Convention

More products reviewed this month:

Sixteen products are reviewed this month by Peter Duffie, Jason England, Greg Gleason, Jared Brandon Kopf, Francis Menotti, Arthur Trace:

Too Hot for the Devil by Matt Field and Tom Gagnon Masters of Illusion
Undiluted Hocus-Pocus by Martin Gardner
Numbers, Cards, and Time! By Carlos Vinuesa
The Messado Rings by Joshua Messado
Techno Pop by Jack Carpenter
Illusion Paradigm by Paul Osborne & Friends
Fractalicious with John Bannon and Liam Montier
Reflex by Patrick Kun
Secrets of My Magic by David Devant Masters of Illusion
The Secrets of Packet Tricks,
Vols. 1-3
 by L&L Publishing
Tips on Comedy for Magicians: Vol. 1 with Robert Baxt
The Red Envelope with David Sousa
Do Not Disturb! by Thomas Heine and Rainer Mees
Alien Concepts, Vols. 1 & 2 by Anthony Asimov
Snow Blind and Color Blast Cards by Bob Solari


And there's even more tricks and advice this month:

MayhewIan RowlandMike CaveneyMark KornhauserSimon CoronelFirst Look: Mayhew
John Lovick
Stephen Minch writes: "If you live in the Tacoma-Seattle area of Washington, or if you keep your fingers pressed firmly to the pulse of card magic barely overground, you know who Steve Mayhew is, and you will be excited to learn that, after more than ten years of intense and unceasing labor, a slender volume of nearly all his magic is being released. Steve Mayhew is, without question, the greatest exponent and innovator of card magic to have lived since J.N. Hofzinser. Now, I'm delighted to say, thanks to the long labors of John Lovick, we submit the following [three effects] in evidence."

Loving Mentalism: The Purple Cow
Ian Rowland
A grand illusion is on offer this month in "Loving Mentalism." It's an illusion in which a cow transforms into a horse right before a spectator's eyes! Well, maybe "grand illusion" is taking things a little too far. It's all done with a simple card containing a few questions, and the illusion only takes place in the spectator's mind rather than on a Las Vegas stage. Nonetheless, it's a simple and deceptive little mystery that shows you're a master of persuasion and mind manipulation.

Bent on Deception: The Mysterious Case of the Missing Matching Mitten
Mike Bent
This routine uses two ideas from Billy McComb. You invite a helper onstage, then show five different cards, each printed with a different-colored mitten. After you place the five cards aside, you ask your helper to turn around. Then you show the audience an envelope with a window cut out. The envelope contains a single card. You explain to the audience that the card is your prediction, and show a picture of a red mitten that your helper needs to match. Next, you take the prediction card out of the envelope and place it aside, face down. You spread the stack of face-down cards in front of your helper and ask her to choose a card that she thinks will match the prediction you showed earlier. She turns over her card to show a yellow mitten! You act disappointed. You say "Sorry, it's not a match" as you turn over the prediction card to reveal — a yellow mitten! Your helper did get it right! But what happened to the red mitten? As you turn around to look for it, a cutout of a red mitten is stuck on your backside!

Classic Correspondence from Egyptian Hall Museum:
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. to Stephen Patrick

Mike Caveney
"It's Fun to be Fooled — It's More Fun to Know." To the magicians it must have felt like a tsunami. One moment everything was fine, and then suddenly you couldn't turn around without having the secret to a magic trick rubbed in your face. Over 1,200 daily newspapers ran black-and-white comics that used magic principles as a way to sell nicotine. On Sundays, the ads got even bigger and appeared in full color. The most popular magazines of the day all carried Camel ads that exposed our precious secrets to the masses. Not surprisingly, the response from the magic world was immediate and decisive.

For What It's Worth: My Fake Love
Mark Kornhauser
A long time ago, Chipper Lowell and I were in a show together in Lake Tahoe and we noticed how audiences always fall for the fake "poignant moment." Entertainers easily recognize this artificial plea for sympathy and roll their eyes at the obvious ruse. Most everyone else, however, gets out the Kleenex. We thought, If it's that easy to create poignancy, then why shouldn't we incorporate it in an equally fake way? As it turned out, blatantly insincere as we were, our "poignant" moments were often taken at face value.

Walkabout Soup: Seventeen Chairs and a Fringe Festival
Simon Coronel
Back in 2004, during my final year at university, I produced a one-man show in the Melbourne Fringe Festival. I had been learning magic for four years at that point and wanted to unleash my brilliance on the world. If you've ever been involved in a Fringe Festival, you will know that they can be harsh mistresses. The efforts involved in producing your own one-hour show are pretty intimidating, particularly for a first-timer.