Jason Palter is the special guest at the Magic Café

Visit Jason Palter at the Magic Café:

I'm the Special Guest over at http://t.co/uWfnopEt3Q for the next few days. Bring on the questions, and discussions. Let's chat!
— Jason Palter (@paltergeist) August 29, 2014

HWDYKM answers: part 3

The third post in a short series of answers to those true or false questions asked in the post "How well do you know me?"

Question seven:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic performs / performed magic professionally.

All of you correctly guessed that I don't perform magic professionally.


Question eight:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic performs / performed magic semi-professionally.

Four of you (66%) of you correctly guessed that I don't perform magic semi-professionally either.


Question nine:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic performs / performed with live animals.

One of you (16%) correctly guessed that I've performed with live animals.  Well, demonstrated really.  Once.  Under duress.  In an ill-fitting borrowed jacket.  With a borrowed dove.  At a NYCAN in a room filled with magicians.   I don't know who was more surprised at the success of the dove production -- me or the dove.


Question ten:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic box jumps / jumped.

One of you correctly guessed that I've boxed jumped.  (I wonder, was it the same person who guessed I've performed with live animals?)  I've box jumped in front of a live audience for a Christmas show.  I have tremendous respect for the folks that box jump for a living.  Doubly so for the ones who do it and work with live animals.


Question eleven:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic has recently (within the past 5 years) published a book.

Two of you (33%) thought that I've recently published a book.  I have not.  Which means that I'm not Ariel Frailich, in spite of the fact that many of you thought I was.  Very high praise.  But not true.


How are you scoring so far?

Anyone out there want to change your guess as to who I am?

Top 5 posts in August 2014

It's been another busy month at Canada's Magic, with over 40 posts and more than 1900 page loads.  The most viewed posts were:

5. Grateful for our August sponsors - I'm very appreciative of your support!

4. Canadian magicians and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge - New links added as they become available.

3. Win tickets to see "An honest liar" in Toronto - Do any of last month's winners have a review to post?

2. Random thoughts from Sorcerers Safari 2014 - If you're a kid or teen interested in magic, definitely check out Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Camp!

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1. [Guest post] Kreskin at the CNE - Thank you to The Magic Demon for this popular guest post!

Video: Shawn Farquhar Fool Us REVEALED

From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

Post by Shawn Farquhar.

Keep this comment from Shawn in mind,

"Josh Burch, the creator of this video, has a great sense of humor and with video "exposures" like this on YouTube it makes it much harder to find a more logical explanation."

Eric Leclerc and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Donations to ALS research can be made at ALS.ca

A reminder that  Eric Leclerc can be seen at le Festival de magie de Québec 2014.

One of my favourite video's so far ....

From the Lecleric Show's YouTube channel:

TFO 24.7 interviews Eric Leclerc

From TFO 24.7's YouTube channel:

Nous avons plongé pendant un après-midi dans le monde d’Éric Leclerc, un magicien franco-ontarien de la région d'Ottawa qui vous coupera le souffle avec sa dextérité et vous charmera avec sa joie de vivre.

Shawn Farquhar at TRICS 2014

From TRICS convention:

October 2-4

Talent includes:

• Shawn Farquhar
• Kostya Kimlat
• Kainoa Harbottle
• Francis Menotti
• Vincent Hedan
• Kozmo and
• Mark Zacharia

Read more and buy tickets.

Daniel Steep on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

From Daniel Steep's Facebook page:

Post by Daniel Steep.

Dave Curran and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

A reminder that donations to ALS research can be made at ALS.ca

From Dave Curran's Facebook page:

Post by Dave Curran.

Murray SawChuck on Wizard Wars tonight

According to iTricks and Steve Valentine, Murray SawChuck will be appearing on Wizard Wars tonight on Space.  Apparently last week, Chris Funk and Ekaterina lost to Gregory Wilson and Justin Flom.

Go, Murray, go!

My buddy @MurraySawChuck is on #WizardWars tonight. GOOD LUCK!!
— Steve Valentine (@Stevevalentine) August 26, 2014

Advertising the Festival de magie de Québec!

Every year, the Festival de magie de Québec has some wonderfully creative advertising.  In 2011 it was this magical billboard. In 2012, it was la disparition.  In 2013, pouvoirs magiques.   This year, watch le balai magique:





[via EricESPINOSA8]

IncrediBrent and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

A reminder that donations to ALS research can be made at ALS.ca

From IncrediBrent's Facebook page:

Post by The Magic & Comedy of IncrediBrent.

Phil Pivnick and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

A reminder that donations to ALS research can be made at ALS.ca

From Phil Pivnick's YouTube channel:

So, my sister nominated me to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Make a donation, or dump a bucket of ice water on my head. Well, 8 hours later, I did both. 

This is the video of (sorta) getting ready for the Ice Bucket Challenge, and then dumping the ice over my poor little self.

Canadian magicians and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Updated September 7th to add:

• Shawn Farquhar's video

Updated September 6th to add:

• Paul Pacific's video

Updated August 29th to add:

• Eric Leclerc's video
• Daniel Steep's video

Updated August 26 to add:

• Dave Curran's video
• Incredibrent's video
• Phil Pivnick's video 

Quite a number of magicians have taken the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge:  Isaac Haber, Harris III, Lazarus Benson, Rich Ferguson, Wayne Gonce, Justin Willman, Michael Trixx, Thomas Hayden,  Brad Ross, Penn & Teller, Piff the Magic Dragon & Mac King, and many, many more I'm sure.

Alex Seaman thought that it was time for Canadian magicians to get into the game.  At Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance camp, he took the challenge and then challenged the entire camp.  The campers took up the challenge, with a little help from Steve Valentine.  Watch what happened next:





They're looking at you:  Jon Armstrong, Jay Sankey, David Acer, Johnny Ace Palmer, Oscar Munoz, Eric Buss, Steven Kline, Greg Frewin, Dan Harlan, Lee Asher, Aaron Fisher, Nathan Kranzo, Danny Garcia, Michael Ammar, The Buck Twins, Soma, Shawn Farquhar, Eric Jones, Justin Flom, Joe and Carol Givan, Lance Burton, Penn & Teller, Criss Angel, Wayne Houchin, Nathan Burton, Mac King, Rich Bloch, David Blaine, David Copperfield, Dan Sperry, Homer Liwag, Chris Kenner, The Amazing Johnathan and Anastasia, Jordan Gomez, Alex Ramon, Justin Willman, Eric Mead, Kevin James, Jen & Mike Segal!


Donations to ALS research can be made at ALS.ca

Broken wand: David Allan Smith

We were notified by Dennis Schick, the editor of the Broken Wand in the International Brotherhood of Magician's magazine, The Linking Ring, of the passing of David Allan Smith.

From Your Life Moments:

SMITH, David Allan (Al) - 1924 - 2013 Died peacefully in the early morning hours on Monday, November 25, 2013 at the Extendicare Mapleview. He was a Second World War Veteran. Beloved husband of Joan. Predeceased by his sister-in-law Gwen Brighty. Caring father of Pat, Garr (Mary) and Wendy Piper (Jeff). "Pop" to Stephen Smith (Lorraine), Marnie (fiance Andy), Mitch and Bren Piper. Great grandfather of Spencer Smith. "Uncle Smit" to John Brighty (Lori Johnson), Sue Brown (Doug) and Kevin Brighty. For many years he was a dedicated member of Kiwanis, holding several positions including Lieutenant Governor. In recent years, he enjoyed the fellowship of his former Kiwanians at their regular Tuesday lunches at Reggies. He was very proud of the fact that he was a Kiwanian as well as a honourary Rotarian. He was a long time Rotary judge at the Community Day Parade and he was heavily involved in the Musical Comedy Guild designing and constructing sets. He had a fascination with magic and performed at numerous shows. 

Read more.

Random thoughts from Sorcerers Safari 2014

• Mike and Jen Segal are totally awesome and inspiring people!
• It is tremendous that organizations such as Ellusionist support Sorcerers Safari. (Kids, did you remember to send a quick "thank you" e-mail to them for the generous gift you received?  Do it now!  -- Mom)
• The safety and welfare of the children is an absolute priority.
• Spotted: Mike and Jen Segal, Dan Weibe, Eric Leclerc, Aaron Fisher, Dave Mitchell, Carey Lauder, Lee Asher, Dick Joiner, Steven Kline, Lisa & Michael Close, Ben Train, Chris Mayhew,  Mike D'Urzo, Chris Pilsworth, Rosemary Reid, Joan Caesar, Evelyn and Phil Matlin, Becki & Bill Wells, Philip DaCosta, Mark Correia,  Lorena & Trevor Watters, Chris Westfall, Scott Hammell, Alex Seaman, Loran, Asi Wind and Steve Valentine ... I'm sure there were more!
• It's very cool to see that some of the youth of today have such a philanthropic bent.  I'm thinking here of Mark Correia's "Escaping Parkinson's" stunt to raise money for Parkinson's research project which raised over $15000 and Alex Seaman entry in to the "Ice Bucket Challenge" to raise funds for ALS (video to be seen shortly).
• One just never knows where Aaron Fisher is going to appear.
• It can get mighty cold at night.
• The star-gazing is incredible away from all the city lights!
• Cube Zags are cool.
• There's always something to do or someone to talk to.  If you want "down time" you have to make it! (And risk missing out!)
• I saw a deer and a rabbit in the woods.  And a hummingbird too!
• Egg plants can be really big.
• Bonfires can have blue flames! (Merci Loran!)
• Candlelit lanterns are wonderful.
• The campers' show was all kinds of AWESOME! Twenty-seven brave performers in just under 2 hours!  My favourite from the campers' show was Holden & Brett's 3 card monte routine.  (Although Ava and Steve's partnership came a close second.)
• To answer a question asked by Doug, Steve Valentine may very well be taller than David Acer.  
• If you haven't met Steve Valentine yet, get thee to the Browser's Den for the "Getting together with Steve Valentine" event.  He's a wonderful person.  You're welcome.
• Being a cabin counselor is a tough gig.  The magic has to come second to taking care of the kids.  (Kind of like being a parent.)
• The kids at camp are were very polite.  They spontaneously thanked me for interviewing them!  Impressive.
• Perfect Magic also brought thoughtful gifts for the campers!  (Kids, I just said you were polite, so while you're sending your thank you e-mail to Ellusionist, make sure you send one to Perfect Magic too.  Do it now!  -- Mom)
• Carey Lauder is an incredible photographer.  (See samples of his magic camp from three years back in Vanish magazine.)
• Chris Mayhew shot some fabulous footage – I can't wait to see this year's camp video!
• Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp gets better every year!
• Mike Segal and Mike Toal should be very proud of what they started together over 18 years ago.
• Sorcerers Safari is full of super nice, caring, talented individuals!

Don't just take my word for it, here's what other people had to say about this summer's magic camp experience:

If ur into magic, or if u hve kids who luv doin magic (truly the greatest hobby for a child, teaches so much) I recommend @SorcerersSafari
— Steve Valentine (@Stevevalentine) August 21, 2014

@LeeAsherMagic fully supports my dietary choices! Thanks for an awesome week @SorcerersSafari #MagicCamp #ss2014 pic.twitter.com/qCUAIbk9wt
— Aaron Fisher (@aaronfishercard) August 20, 2014

Home from the stars and magic, & the future stars of magic @SorcerersSafari until next year..I'm out! @LeeAsherMagic pic.twitter.com/Yo0TnJSVMW
— Chris Westfall (@westfallmagic) August 20, 2014

Just left Canada's magic camp. I had an amazing time with @LeeAsherMagic @aaronfishercard @MikeCloseMagic and many other great magicians.
— Asi Wind (@Asiwind) August 20, 2014

Back home from Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp it was an incredible time, seeing all those kids so enthusiastic about... http://t.co/Nf1Jn8Yq3R
— chris mayhew (@chrismayhew1) August 20, 2014

Just back from our 1st visit to @sorceressfari. What a wonderful experience and great time we had. Read Evy's blog next Wednesday!
— Philip Matlin (@Perfect_Magic) August 21, 2014

Post by Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp.

[Guest post] Kreskin at the CNE

The following is a guest post from an author who wishes to be known as The Magic Demon.  Photos taken during Kreskin's second show at the CNE on Friday, August 15th, 2014.

--

Kreskin loves Canada. And Canada loves Kreskin. He said he thinks of Canada as his second home. Many Canadians even think of him as one of us. No wonder, we've long been enthralled by his charismatic performances, most memorably those also seen throughout the world during his famous 1970s television series taped in Ottawa and Toronto.

Kreskin at the CNE

photo: © The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Kreskin's twice daily performances at this year's CNE in Toronto is like attending a master class in audience management. With nothing more than his easily recognized voice and considerable stage presence, Kreskin presents a remarkable demonstration of the "powers of suggestion". He says it is definitely not any kind of hypnosis (which he asserts does not exist anyway). Whatever it is, he held the entire audience (both onstage and offstage) spellbound with his supreme confidence and showmanship honed over a lifetime of such performances.

Kreskin with a stage full of volunteers

photo: © The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Here Kreskin's "powers of suggestion" render onstage audience members unable to voluntarily control the movement of their own hands and fingers, much to the amusement of the rest of the audience.

Kreskin's powers of suggestion

photo: © The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

During the show Kreskin stopped to chat with this onstage audience member who, under Kreskin's influence, appeared to be unable to remember his own name.

Kreskin messing with minds

photo: © The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Here Kreskin's influence causes an onstage audience member to believe the woman beside him has eleven fingers, which he repeatedly miscounted, much to his growing bewilderment.

Kreskin's influence on anatomy

photo: © The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Kreskin concluded his entertaining performance with an homage to Dunninger: "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't [believe], none will be good enough". Kreskin's shows follow in the tradition of Dunninger's who originated the disclaimer.

Anyone within traveling distance of the CNE should see Kreskin this summer. His act may be old school but he still knocks it out of the park each and every time. At nearly 80 he is an inspiration. Dare I say "amazing"? There is so much to learn from watching him. He's well worth the price of admission.

Kreskin at the CNE

photo: © The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

Also at this year's CNE in Toronto, ventriloquist Michael Harrison presents two shows daily. His laughter-filled act is clever and fast paced and a total audience pleaser.

Here Michael does the talking for both his dummy and also for an audience member in a climax to his act that left his delighted audience wishing for more.

Photo taken during Michael's second CNE show on Friday, August 15th, 2014.

Michael Harrison at the CNE

photo: © The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

If you plan to attend this summer's CNE in Toronto you should be sure to check out the "Browser's Den of Magic" booth in the Hobby Building. Although primarily designed to create interest among newbies, there's some extra good deals on offer that should be of interest to all.

Here Browser's Den of Magic associate Ahmed entertains an enchanted young fan.

Photo taken at the CNE on Friday, August 15th, 2014.

Ahmed at the CNE

photo: © The Magic Demon, 2014, All rights reserved

 ~~~~

Thank you The Magic Demon for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

Festival de magie de Québec 2014

From Festival de Magie:

29 au 31 août 2014 

Read more and buy tickets.

Featuring:

Daniel Coutu

Nicolas Gignac

Danys Hamel

Éric Leclerc

Sébastien Louis

Marc Trudel

Christian Cagigal

Mathieu Bich

Stéphane Bourgoin 

Marc Trudel

Gustave Coulombe

Anthony Drouin

Philippe Thériault

Vincent Mentalo

Stephan Therien

and

Projection du film "An honest Liar" Un film sur James Randi

Report: Asi Wind at the Comedy Nest

From Perfect Magic:

We don’t get out a whole lot. We used to when we were younger, but now, after a day at the magic shop we are happy to go home and relax. But Asi Wind, New York  Mentalist and Mind-Reader, was giving a one man show at the Comedy Nest at the old Montreal Forum and we wanted to see him as we had heard about him of course but never had seen him.

Read more.

Ryan Pilling builds a "lazy" magic table

From Playing Big:

My goal for this project was to have a small side table for my show that is extremely portable. This “lazy” table can easily fit in a briefcase, because of the dirty little secret… you only need to carry half of it!

All you need is this easy-to-make table top, which will attach to your standard microphone stand commonly found in 99% of the places I do shows. Worst case scenario, you fly into town and can’t find one in the venue… they can be bought or rented in a heartbeat.

Read more.

HWDYKM answers: part 2

The second post in a short series of answers to those true or false questions asked in the post "How well do you know me?"

Question two:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic is / has been on the executive of CAM.

Question three:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic is / has been on the executive of IBM.

None of you thought that I'm executive material for CAM and 16% (one) of you thought I've been on the executive for IBM.  Fact of the matter is, I've not been (and am not) on the executive for either of these organizations.  Which means, among other things, I'm not Joan Caesar.  (Prior to this poll, at least one person thought that I was -- high praise indeed!)


Question four:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic was born in Western Canada.

Question five:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic was born in Central Canada.

Question six:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic was born in Eastern Canada.

One person thought I was born in Western Canada, one in Central Canada and no one thought I was born in Eastern Canada.  One of you is correct.  I was born in Central Canada.

How are you scoring so far?

Anyone out there want to change your guess as to who I am?

Spidey Akkelian in the press

From the Perfect Magic Facebook page:

Post by Perfect Magic.

Toronto: There's magic at the Ex in 2014!

There's magic at the CNE again this year!

Majinx is back at Kids' World with Professor Wick's School of Magic and Illusion.

And Kreskin is at the Variety Stage.  From The Ex:

From the hard news formats of CNN, ABC and FOX NEWS to the ingenious madcap comedy of David Letterman and outrageous humour of Howard Stern, Kreskin has become a household name. Nationally recognized as a teenager as “The World’s Youngest Hypnotist”, he went on to become a mesmerizing entertainer and a major player in criminal investigations and anti-terrorism initiatives. For the past 11 years, he has been featured on CNN on New Year’s Day to discuss his predictions for the months to come.

Read more.

Toronto: Getting together with Steve Valentine

From the Browser's Den of Magic:

WHAT: Steve Valentine Get-Together
WHERE: Browser's Den
WHEN: Saturday August 23rd, 2014
COST: FREE 

For those interested enough to attend this event, Steve Valentine promises to perform some of his best-selling routines which won him prestigious back-to-back Magic Castle awards. He'll also share a few of the secrets that made him a great magician. Witness powerful effects using objects like: Playing Cards, Coins, and cloth (You must see this one, to believe it!)

Fresh from his recent appearance playing four completely different villains in Disney flicks, Steve Valentine visits Toronto for a free special Get-Together spending time with all the Toronto magicians after heading up to Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp.

And...

Read more.

Frederic Demarais dans la semaine

From the Perfect Magic Facebook page:

Post by Perfect Magic.

Houdini in the Amherst News

From the Amherst News:

On Aug. 3, exactly 118 years after Houdini’s visit to Amherst, MacNab took people on a tour of Houdini’s time spent in Amherst.

The tour made four stops, and each stop featured magic by Margaret Steele, a magician from Peekskill, New York, who has performed magic throughout the world, most recently performing in China. 

The first stop was directly behind the First Baptist Church on Victoria Street where the back parking lot meets Amherst Town Square.

Read more.

[via Wild About Houdini]

Congratulations PCAM winners!

Congratulations to Gwyn Auger and Billy Hsueh for their respective wins at PCAM this year!

Does anyone have the official list of contest results?

Winner of Best ASSISTANT for #pcam2014 is me!!!!! Thanks Frank for putting me in your act! #magiclife #goldmedal pic.twitter.com/mCCxbG0yHQ
— Gwyn Auger (@magicassistant) August 4, 2014

Placed First in the Pacific Coast Close Up Competition :) i loved every moment of it.
— Billy Hsueh (@MagicofBilly) August 4, 2014

Random thoughts about "An honest liar"

From special correspondent Derek, who was at the screening of "An honest liar" on Friday night:

• The film sketched Randi's early career and then moved on to detail his high-profile debunking of Uri Gellar, faith healers, the channeling movement and paranormal research. It concluded with the deception is his own life: the identity fraud committed by his partner.
• It shone a light on the ethics of disproof by deception.
• It contrasted his public face proclaiming honesty, and his private face where he kept a couple of big secrets.
• It's interesting, go see it!

In addition:

• Randi performed a quick rope tie routine.
• There was a meet and greet as well as photo ops.
• Birthday cake was involved.

England: Shawn Farquhar

From the Perfect Magic Facebook page:

Post by Perfect Magic.

Winners to see "An honest liar"

A quick reminder that "An honest liar" is playing various times at Toronto's Bloor Cinema until August 21st.

The contest to win tickets to see "An honest liar" in Toronto tonight closed last night at midnight.  Here's the official list of entrants:

1. Dan McLean Jr
2. Mark Campbell
3. Magic Mike Segal
4. Mark Lewis
5. David Olson

I digress for a moment and encourage everyone to read the entry by Mark Lewis.  I wish I could offer a prize for best entry!

Random draw results:

  

  

Congratulations to Mike, Dan, and Mark Campbell!  I've sent you an e-mail with the name of the contact person and instructions on how to claim your tickets.  Enjoy the show tonight and be sure to tell me all about the Q&A with Randi!

Thank you all for playing!  A special thanks to Hannah from Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival for generously making these tickets available to you!

Trevor and Lorena in the Vancouver Sun

From the Vancouver Sun:

Powerful magic can be found in the unlikeliest of places. Trevor and Lorena Watters, a couple from North Delta, were crowned North American Champions of Stage Magic earlier this month, winning them entry to the 2015 World Championships of Magic in Rimini, Italy. The Sun reached the pair between illusions to discover how magic brought them together and what tricks they’re conjuring up for next year’s contest.

Q: What drew you both to magic?

Read more.

Win tickets to see "An honest liar" in Toronto

Great news! I have been offered three pairs of tickets to give away to my readers, to attend "AN HONEST LIAR" at the Friday, August 8, 6:30pm screening in Toronto, Canada.  (I understand that there's a Q&A with Randi at that screening.)

I will be holding a random draw for each pair of tickets.  (There will be three winners. Each winner will receive a pair of tickets.)  The draw results will be posted on Friday August the 8th.


To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post, telling me your favourite Amazing Randi memory (from a personal encounter, an interview, a performance etc).  (You do not need to be a magician to enter the contest.)(Your favourite memory could be entering this contest!)
2. Leave your name, along with a way that I may contact you (e-mail address, phone number, website, Twitter handle etc.) so that I can notify you if you win.
3. If you win, you must be willing to provide your full name and contact information for me to share with Hannah from Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

The fine print:

• To participate in the contest, you must be 18 years of age or older.
• One entry per person.
• This giveaway is open to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. (Je m'excuse!)
• This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
• If you experience difficulties leaving a comment, you may e-mail it to me for posting.  (I am not responsible if your e-mail is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.)
• You must be able to use the tickets as offered.  (No cash value will be offered if you cannot use the tickets.)
• Photo ID will be required to claim the tickets at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema box office prior to the show on your way into the screening.
• The odds of winning depend on how many people enter the contest.
• Contest closes on Thursday August the 7th, 2014 at 11:59pm EST.

With thanks to Hannah from Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival for generously making these tickets available to you!

Toronto: An honest liar

Updated at 14:40:

• Contest details can be found at this post: Win tickets to see "An honest liar" in Toronto

I'm hoping to set up a ticket give away for this documentary.  Details to follow.

From Hot Docs:

AN HONEST LIAR
August 8- 21

James “The Amazing” Randi is an 85-year-old magician and escape artist who has been enchanted with illusions from a young age. Dedicating his life to learning the tricks of the trade, Randi became a sensation who toured the world, always honest about being a “liar, cheat and charlatan.” When people start using the same tricks but calling themselves “psychics”—like spoon-bender Uri Geller or “faith-healing” like televangelist Peter Popoff—Randi is angry and afraid for the people who are duped.  

James "The Amazing" Randi will participate in a Q&A on August 8, at 6:30 p.m., moderated by NOW Magazine's senior film writer Norm Wilner. 

Read more and buy tickets.

Bob Cates in The Record

From The Record:

Bob Cates, champion juggler of fire sticks and sharp knives, stood at The Hot Corner.

Third base on a baseball diamond somewhere outside Ottawa.

All is not fair at the county fair. Not in the fall of 1998.

"Behind me was a hay machine, threshing away," recalled Cates, now a 43-year-old Hespeler resident and 2014 Canadian Comedy Awards nominee for best variety act.                          
Read more.

Montreal: Patrik Kuffs

From the Perfect Magic Facebook page:

Post by Perfect Magic.

James Jordan on Global News

From Global News:

Montreal: Asi Wind performance

In addition to Asi Wind's Toronto lecture date and his lectures in Montreal and Ottawa, he's also doing a show in Montreal!

From The Comedy Nest Event Brite page:

Asi Wind - Monday August 11th

Buy tickets.

[via Perfect Magic]

HWDYKM answers: part 1

Last month, I posted some statements about me for you to guess as true or false.  Today is the first in a short series of answers to those true or false questions.

According to Google, there were over 150 views of the post.  Six of you dared to guess.

I was reminded by Sammy, that "... some of us know who you are and would skew the results."  (I was also reminded that the results may not have been skewed in my favour!)

Fair enough.


Question one:  True or False?

The person behind the curtain at Canada's Magic is shorter than the average of the heights of Richard Forget, Ryan Pilling, James Alan and David Acer.

Four (66%) of you correctly suspect that I'm not that tall.  (Which makes me wonder who the other third of you think I am.)  While it's true that we grow some of our magicians real tall in these parts, I'm not one of them.  (I echo the thoughts by Doug, who commented "Wait, people can be taller than David Acer?!")

How are you scoring so far?

Browser's Den magic club day

From the Browser's Den of Magic Facebook group:

Tomorrow, August 2nd is (free) MAGIC CLUB DAY at the shop.
All are welcome!
Club meets from 2:30pm to about 5:00pm. 

Read more.

Corey Mintz makes dinner for David Ben

From the Toronto Star, Saturday July 19, 2014, page L3, by Corey Mintz:

It's hard to choose a playlist for dinner with a magician.  Just "Final Countdown" on a four-hour loop?  I settle on the early '70s smooth jazz sounds of Bob James.

I don't know a lot about magic but I feel that this could be the soundtrack to a Doug Henning television special.

Planning a menu for David Ben was easier.  I only had to figure out how to execute the most obvious food allusion, to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Steve Valentine surprise special guest at Sorcerers Safari

How exciting for this year's campers!  Among many other notables, Steve Valentine was the 2013 Magic Castle Lecturer of the Year!

From the Sorcerers Safari Facebook group:

Well we can finally let the cat out of the bag.....our surprise special guest this year, along with Asi Wind, will be Magic Castle's lecturer of the year....Steve Valentine!!

So excited to have these guys up at Sorcerers! Along with our awesome 'regulars' Lee Asher , Aaron Fisher,  Eric Leclerc, Steven Kline  and so many others, It's really going to be the BEST SUMMER YET!! Hope you can join us Aug. 15-20. See you there! 

Read more.

Grateful for our August sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support.  This site would not be possible without their backing.

We're grateful to have the support of:

• Clive Court - The Fun-da-Mentalist,
• Evelyn & Phil Matlin, owners of Perfect Magic and
• Jeff Pinsky, owner of The Browser's Den of Magic!

The next time you see them, let them know you saw their sponsorship here!

For more information about purchasing Sponsored Posts or about our Platinum, Gold, or Silver level sponsorships, please visit our Sponsorship page.

Or you can Be Our Friend for only $20 per year! 

Donations of any size are always welcome.

Who's where August 2014

Leave a comment on this post to let us know where you're going to be this month!

Listings from last month's comments section:

From Captain Corbin:

Yarr,
I'll be performing pirate themed magic shows every Friday in July and August at London Ontario's Storybook Gardens! and Every Sunday in July and August at Gravenhurst Ontario's Wharf aboard the steamship Wenonah I'll be hosting a 2 hour pirate cruise on Lake Muskoka!

Hosting Magic@theCage this Sunday with Jason Palter and Wes Zaharuk. Still a few tickets left: http://t.co/WIvcsZrdWt
— James Alan (@james_alan) August 14, 2014

Next Public performances are happening this weekend in #canada. I'll be at #portcredit #buskerfest... http://t.co/3eS0hjWSWE
— Billy Kidd (@Billykiddshow) August 10, 2014

"Exchange hits the mark ★★★★” - @WinnipegNews, Opens 8 PM. Join me in BYOV 47! http://t.co/tgmqU64T7M #yegfringe
— Keith Brown (@KeithHBrown) August 14, 2014

Every Tuesday starting August 19th 10/9c on Syfy channel #wizardwars begins. I'm on Episode 4 with Leon Etienne.... http://t.co/S21hyTJ0ro
— Billy Kidd (@Billykiddshow) August 9, 2014

Come see a show this summer. If you're looking for me you shouldn't have to look to far because I'm everywhere! http://t.co/k8vOwv5Zso
— IncrediBrent (@IncrediBrent) June 18, 2014