Winnipeg: Matt DiSero with Big Daddy Tazz

From Eventbrite:

Big Daddy Tazz and Friends will be again hosting its annual comedy night. With the support of the Winnipeg East AM Rotary Club.

Come join Tazz with his friends, Kevin McDonald, Matt DiSero, Graham Chittenden, Cory Mack and Chad Anderson on January 24th, 2020 at the Metropolitan Entertainment Centre. Doors open at 6:00pm, rush seating, Show time: 7:30pm.

Read more and buy tickets.

Shin Lim makes guest appearance on "America's Got Talent: The Champions"

From the January 13 upload "Marc Spelmann Blows Minds With Magic! - America's Got Talent: The Champions" on the "America's Got Talent" YouTube channel:

"America’s Got Talent: The Champions" brings together the world’s most talented, memorable and all-around fan-favorite acts from past seasons of "AGT" and the other "Got Talent" franchises, spanning 194 territories.

Murray's magical mittens

Watch Murray's Christmas give-back this year as he distributes mittens knitted by his mom to homeless people in Las Vegas.


From Murray Sawchuck's Youtube channel:

Surprising The Homeless with MAGIC! (Try Not To Cry)

Shin Lim takes on Bohemian Rhapsody

From Shin Lim's YouTube channel:

This was extremely challenging making this video!
Absolutely no CGI was used on the card tricks in this routine.

One of my all time favorite songs, I hope you like this tribute to it.

Sonny Patel on The Kind Of Late Show

From Sonny Patel's Facebook post:

Check out my interview on The Kind Of Late Show with host/comedian Veronica Antipolo!

Also some very funny Christmas tunes by comedian Nikki Yee. Thanks to Frequency5fm for having me out!

Chris Funk on the Masters of Illusion Christmas special

From Chris Funk's Facebook post:

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Toronto: James Harrison lecture

In case you missed it, here are links to two recent highly viewed videos featuring James:

• The September 26th Modern Rogue episode "How Pickpockets Steal Watches" with James Harrison has over 1.8 million views.
• The September 30th Modern Rogue episode "How Pickpockets Steal Wallets" with James Harrison trended on YouTube in early October

From The Browser's Den of Magic:

James Harrison Lecture
Saturday, January 11, 2020

Whether you are a hobbyist looking to learn a new skill, or a professional looking for a proven trick, don’t miss this rare opportunity to add pickpocketing to your repertoire!

After 20 years of performing close up, strolling magic, James Harrison has established himself as a pickpocket specialist.  He has shared his knowledge as an author for Street Magic Magazine, as well as at conferences and conventions across North America and Europe. His television show, Behind the Magic, aired on Rogers TV and his recent appearance on Modern Rogue has been trending on YouTube.

James will teach you how to interrupt and entertain any audience with the opening series from his strolling magic repertoire that lets everyone know that he is worth their time!

Tricks and topics include:

Repeat Card to Pen
A great repeat card to impossible location and Why it’s important to have more than just a Sharpie pen.

Wallet Pen
Wow a table with just a coin and pen with this series based off of Rune Klan, David Stone and Harrison’s own ideas.

Necro Tagged
A thought of word book test with a great scary story, still safe for corporate.

Card CollectionA great segue for handing out business cards – it is a card trick without playing cards!

Grift SenseA con man’s prediction of a spectator’s series of choices.

Ring to WatchIf you like Garret Thomas’ Ring Thing, you will love this perfect segue into pickpocketing.

PickPocketingWatch? Wallet? Cell phone? Anything that is not nailed down! How to deal with change in clothing styles. Who to choose, and more importantly, who NOT to choose!

"It's been a pleasure to work with James at one of the largest hackers convention in Vegas. I watched him explain the how to’s of pickpocketing to a packed room, and still steal off them mere moments later. Watch and learn from him now, while you still can, because soon the whole world will be booking him up.”
Brian Brushwood - host of Modern Rogue and Scam Nation

“I will highly recommend James Harrison’s knowledge and skills… an opportunity not to be missed out on” James Brown, Professional Opportunist

We look forward to you joining us on the 11th!


Read more and buy tickets.

Darcy Oake: How to do magic on TV

From Darcy Oake's November 19 Instagram post:

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View this post on Instagram

How to do magic on TV 😂😂

A post shared by Darcy Oake (@darcyoake) on Nov 19, 2019 at 5:39am PST

ICYMI: Darcy Oake and Chris Ramsay in "A Series of Impossible Events!"

In case you missed this 2016 collaboration between Darcy and Chris.


From Darcy Oake's YouTube channel:

This video was done in one continuous take. No cuts. No camera tricks.

Chris Ramsay: Buying Strangers ANYTHING They Want at a Magic Shop!!

From the Twitter feed of Chris Ramsay:

Question for magicians: other than complaining about Youtube magic exposure, what have you done to help the community?

"Buying Strangers ANYTHING They Want at a Magic Shop!!" from Chris Ramsay's YouTube channel:

I worked at a magic shop for a day and paid for strangers!!

Chris Ramsay, green backed cards, and cardistry

A fabulous combination if I've ever heard one.  Don't believe me?  Have a look at this video he posted to Instagram last week:

View this post on Instagram

Just having fun. #cardistry // jacket: @fairplaybrand

A post shared by Chris Ramsay (@chrisramsay52) on Nov 14, 2019 at 5:32am PST

Darcy Oake's "BGT: The Champions" semi-final performance

A reminder that Darcy performs one night only at London’s Leicester Square Theatre on October 31st!

From the Britain's Got Talent YouTube channel, watch as Darcy Oake turns back time to honour his brother:


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From Darcy Oake's Twitter feed:

Darcy performs one night only at London’s @lsqtheatre on October 31st! Don’t miss this phenomenal night of magic! Tickets on sale now at https://t.co/1Ns9UiUNQT pic.twitter.com/U6iavBOqfg

— Darcy Oake (@DarcyOake) September 13, 2019

Toronto: The Sentimentalists Midtown Residency and AGT audition video

Updated at 8:15am to add:

• Catch The Sentimentalists on AGT Tuesday July 16th!  

Looking forward to learning more about this!  (AGT audition video is at the bottom of the post.)


From the The Sentimentalists Midtown Residency Facebook event:

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From the America's Got Talent YouTube channel:

Derek Selinger on Fool Us and Breakfast Television

Derek Selinger's performance of "The Deadly Gallows" from Penn and Teller Fool Us Season 6.



From the Magic Inspired YouTube channel:

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From the Breakfast Television Twitter feed:

Calgary illusionist @DerekSelinger shows off the tricks that got him a chance on @CWPennandTeller https://t.co/7qBRm9cO45 pic.twitter.com/UbunNHZ5KY

— Breakfast Television & CityNews Calgary (@BTCityNewsCGY) June 28, 2019

Congratulations to the 2018 Canadian Rising Star

The winners of Magicana's Allan Slaight awards will be announced every day this week, starting yesterday. Special congratulations to Carisa Hendrix for winning the Canadian Rising Star award!


From the Magicana Twitter feed:

Here's 1 of 5 #AllanSlaightAwards celebrating #excellenceinmagic The Canadian Rising Star award, acknowledges outstanding work by an emerging artist & comes with an iPad, & $5,000 from the Slaight Family Foundation. ... AND, it's @CarisaHendrix WATCH: https://t.co/EBWbKTAG8J pic.twitter.com/n2PWVxeapx

— Magicana (@sharingwonder) June 24, 2019

Winner of Cheap Tricks 2

Earlier this month, The Sentimentalists hosted a contest for inexpensive impromptu magic: Cheap Tricks 2.


One of the participants, James Alan, had this to say on his June 12th post on his blog:

I appeared alongside John Roldan, Jim Byrnes, Beyond Mental Borders, Jonah Babins, Harry Zimmerman, Jacqueline Swann and Shamus MacGregor. The contest was judged by Steffi Kay of the Sentimentalists, Ben Train, Rayn, and the previous champion Chris Westfall. (I was a judge on the first contest in 2017, but agreed to give up my spot to Chris.)

My set of constrains was that I had 3 hours to build an act using a budget of $5 with only material procured at a the nearby A&W. I also had to present in the theme of a XXX-rated Adult Film…. magic for grownups indeed. I’m so glad I forgot to invite my mother to watch. I’m more glad that magic elder statesman Mark Lewis was in the audience to witness me debasing the art of magic.

You can watch the winning NSFW performance on James Alan's YouTube channel.

Congratulations James!

Lee Asher's thoughts on the recent Cartamundi / USPCC deal

Skip to the bottom of this post to watch Lee's video.

ICYMI...

From the June 4th article "Cartamundi to acquire The United States Playing Card Company" from Cartamundi:

Turnhout, June 4, 2019 – The Belgian privately owned group Cartamundi has signed an agreement to buy The United States Playing Card Company (USPC) from its parent company Newell Brands. The acclaimed playing cards maker’s focus is on North America and Spain. Through this acquisition, Cartamundi continues to invest in the global entertainment market.

The United States Playing Card Company, owner of the iconic brands such as Bicycle®, Bee®, Hoyle® and Fournier®, is the global standard within the world of playing cards. The business employs over 350 people and has manufacturing facilities in the U.S. city of Erlanger (Kentucky) and the Spanish city of Vitoria (Álava). In 2018 USPC realized net sales of approximately 112 million US dollars.

Read more.

From Lee Asher's Twitter feed:

If you love #Playingcards, watch this video about my thoughts on the @CartamundiCards @bicyclecards merger. I promise it's worth your time, and I might change the way you feel about all of this. 😊https://t.co/QdEFmdEVNV pic.twitter.com/SnFK9OlUxp

— Lee Asher (@LeeAsherMagic) June 13, 2019

From Lee Asher's YouTube channel:

Billy Kidd in the Vegas News

From the June 4 article 'Women Are (Secretly) The Driving Force Behind Facebook’s “Making Magic”' in the Vegas News:

The last two episodes of Facebook’s Making Magic featured people you don’t often see in the magic industry: Women. Not only are women featured; their back-to-back episodes have been streamed more than those of their male counterparts.

This comes as no surprise to Making Magic guest Mistie Knight.

“People are excited to see women in major magic roles, not just the shadows,” Knight says. “For so long, it was assumed that women in magic were merely ‘lovely assistants’ providing eye candy. The truth is, in illusion shows women are often the ones doing the heavy lifting.”

Read more.

Making Magic Episode 4: Billy Kidd Defeats Duct Tape

Nicholas Wallace in ET Canada

From the June 5 article "Gabrielle Union Is Possessed By A Creepy Doll In Magician’s Mystifying ‘AGT’ Audition" by Brent Furdyk in ET Canada:

“America’s Got Talent” has seen its fair share of nightmarish magic acts over the years, but magician Nicholas Wallace has raised the bar when it comes to sheer creepiness.For his trick, Wallace explained that he saved an old rocking chair and a disturbing-looking doll from a fire in a hotel, revealing that the chair and the doll share some kind of a supernatural connection.Enlisting judge Gabrielle Union as his volunteer, he asked her to sit in the rocking chair and then covered her eyes with a blindfold.

Read more.

From the America's Got Talent YouTube channel:

Discourse in Magic with Matt Johnson (plus 60s docs)

Via iTricks, Matt Johnson featured on the web series "60 Second Docs" in the episode "The Bittersweet Ache of Escaping." (embedded at the bottom of this post)


From Discourse in Magic:

On episode 158, Matt Johnson joins Jonah to discuss escapology, adding human elements to your magic, and recreating your brand. You may know Matt for his water tank escape on Penn & Teller: Fool Us or for his semi-place finish on Britain’s Got Talent.

Matt remembers a wind-up box at his grandmother’s house sparking his initial love for magic. While not a magic trick, it still gave him this magical feeling and caused him to want to know how a little box could play music. At the age of twelve, he started learning tricks and, after performing for Matt’s siblings’ birthday, a magician took Matt under his wing. Soon, he was attending his local shop every weekend right through his teen years.

Read more and listen.

If you do what other people do you will be one step behind ANYONE. Dare to be different. Do something new! @likemattjohnson https://t.co/FUJWcj0DnY pic.twitter.com/WprQ7ew6So

— Discourse in Magic (@discoursenmagic) April 29, 2019

From the 60 Second Docs YouTube channel: