16 April 2015

Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap

As many of you are aware, I live-Tweeted and live-blogged the first annual Browser's Magic Bash last Sunday.  In this post I've consolidated (and edited) the blog posts and Tweets, and included many of your Tweets tagged with #BrowsersBash2015 . (For the complete list of Tweets and photos check out this Twitter link to #BrowsersBash2015 )  It's a very long post.  Click "read more" below to view it.  Thanks for joining in.

I hope you all had as much fun as I did!


15 April 2015

Breaking news: $250,000 For Excellence in Magic

I hope there's an award for best Canadian Magic Blog!  *fingers crossed*


From Magicana:
Magicana is pleased to announce on behalf of the Slaight Family Foundation the creation of the Allan Slaight Awards to recognize oustanding achievement in the pursuit of the impossible.

Initiated by the Slaight Family Foundation to honour Canadian media mogul and philanthropist Allan Slaight, and his lifelong passion for and contribution to magic, Magicana will distribute, on behalf of the Slaight Family Foundation, $250,000 over five years to recognize excellence in magic.

Read more.

Jason, Glenn, Keith, Greydon, Chris and Chris at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com


Mississauga (Thurs):   Jason Palter

Pickering (Fri):   Glenn Ottaway

Toronto (Sun):  Keith Brown and Greydon Gilmore

Toronto (Tues):  Sketchy Magic


James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.



--
* Offer is subject to change without notice.  Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

14 April 2015

Thirty seconds with Steve Valentine

This is the last in my baker's dozen of "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews, so called because I approached the interviewees at Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Arts Camp last summer with the idea that I would interview them for 30 seconds. It didn't always work that way.


Professional actor and magician Steve Valentine was born in Scotland and currently resides in LA. Love and happiness are the things that come to his mind when he thinks of Canada; his wife, Inna, is originally from Toronto. Steve met Magic Mike Segal at a chance encounter at The Browser's Den of Magic. After hearing Mike talk about Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp, Steve said that he'd "like to help out if he could in anyway." And so, Steve attended magic camp last summer.

FUN FACT:
Steve would rather watch Dr. Who than either Star Wars or Star Trek.

DID YOU KNOW?
- Steve's life motto: "Always do everything you want and love to do, to live a fulfilling life. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
- Steve was named the Magic Castle's Close-up Magician of the Year two years in a row.
- You may have seen Steve in on TV on shows such as Crossing Jordan, House, NCIS, and The Big Bang Theory.
Here's what Steve had to say about Sorcerers Safari: "It's fun! It's a bunch of magic nerds getting together." He also expressed a little bit of jealousy. Like many of the adults who have been to magic camp, Steve wishes something like this was available to him in his youth.

Steve's first memory of magic has him at six years of age in a playground in England and involves a vanishing knot. It was around that time that he also learned an important show business reality – if there's no publicity, no one will show up.

It's Steve's observation that the kids today are learning at an exponential rate given the easy availability of magic videos to consume. He hopes these kids will also make a point of exposing themselves to more of the history of the craft and rounding themselves out as individuals. Steve thinks that we're at a great place in magic, in that there's a new generation of audiences available who are not jaded by the "old shtick." He's especially happy that audiences are really accepting and enjoying close-up magic. Steve's advice for aspiring magicians: "Learn and read as much as you can – old books especially (fewer people know about this stuff)."

When Steve's not being magical, he loves being an awesome dad to his beautiful daughter, Evie. (Evie is a celebrity in her own right at magic camp. As near as anyone can tell, she never had to stand on her own because all of the campers were lined up to carry her!)

Visit Steve's website at: SteveValentine.com


From the Fireside Productions Facebook page:

Steve Valentine kills ...
Posted by Fireside Productions on Friday, 5 September 2014



Previously published "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews:







From the Sorcerers Safari Twitter feed:

13 April 2015

Interview: Zack Mirza about his show "Illusions of Grandeur"

Zack Mirza's show "Illusions of Grandeur" airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on OLN.

I'm excited to have to guest post at TV, eh? where I interview Zack about his show.
.
Thank you for the opportunity Diane!

An excerpt from TV, eh?:
I was very impressed to see that you include historical footage like clips from Dai Vernon’s “The Spirit of Magic.” I understand you’re going to be delving into some magic history throughout the other episodes. How important do you think it is for magicians to study the history of their craft?

Prior to the show I knew a little bit about the history of magic but going through the whole experience I got exposed to so much more. I can’t express how important it is for up and coming magicians, and magicians out there in general, for them to learn about the history of magic. We’re basically standing on the shoulders of giants. Everything that they’ve done is pretty much the ground work for what magicians are today. There’s so much respect. There’s so much wisdom that you can pull from anyone in the past. As soon as you get to learn a little bit about the history it just makes it that much more special.

Read more.

Dean Gunnarson's "Escape or Die!"

Dean Gunnarson's show "Escape or Die!" starts Tuesday April the 14th at 9pm on OLN.

Reveen's Red Falcon Tuxedo

From Ty Reveen's Facebook page:

My father's famous Red Falcon Tuxedo was donated to The Arts and Culture Centre in St. John's Newfoundland today. I know...
Posted by Reveen The Next Generation on Thursday, 26 March 2015

12 April 2015

Live-blogging #BrowsersBash2015

If all goes according to plan, all live-blogging posts from #BrowsersBash2015 will appear under this post.  The most recent update will be immediately after this post.  Check back often for updates!
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."


Individual jam-sessions happening directly after the show!
Good night!
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."


The Browser's Magic Bash tradition has officially begun and is off to a great start!
What's in store for next year?
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."

Amazing stage show with David Acer, Haim Goldenberg, Greg Frewin, Nathan Kranzo, John Park and Richard Sanders!
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."

Kranzo' s up!
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."

Jeff just won the first ever Head Basher award for his contributions to the magic community!
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."


From Jeff:

Two people worked tirelessly to make the #BrowsersBash2015 come together into this wonderful event.

Both are wickedly smart. Both are very creative. Both are very hard workers. And both are very good people.

Lee Asher and John Talbot ...without them there would be no Browser's Magic Bash.

Thank you Lee and John!

They were both presented with sweater vests!
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."


Jeff's thanking:
- all the staff here at the MonteCassino for treating us like family. Cheers to the office, engineering, hotel, and kitchen staff. 
- people who helped transform the Bash into something special: Annie Pinsky, Mike Segal, James Allen, Ben Train, Chris Mayhew, Marvin & Shawna York, Nicole Lee, John Michalson, Stephanie Kline, Roxanne Talbot, and Christina Asher.
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."

Richard Sanders lecture starting!
"Canadian bills are stupid."
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."


Wow!   Alexander Pappas came here all the way from Switzerland and Jo Deng came from Changsha, China.
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."

Kudos to Steven Kline Productions for all the behind the scenes work and to Luiz Castro for helping!
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."

David Acer lecturing!
Updated April 27th to add:
  • This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."

Browser's Magic Bash Food Drive had two tables full of cans & dried goods contributed.
A week tomorrow, it's going to the Toronto Food Bank on behalf of the local magic community.