Showing posts with label # media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label # media. Show all posts

06 July 2018

Alex Seaman in the Tri-City News

Congratulations Alex, on becoming the youngest in history to be installed as the International President-Elect of the International Brotherhood of Magicians!


From the July 4th article "Making magic on the international stage --Former Tri-City News paper boy delivers with his act" by Grant Granger in the Tri-City News:

Like many other kids, Zander got a magic kit when he was in kindergarten. But he lost interest in it quickly and put it away. The desire to pull the kit out of the closet didn't resurface until he was 11 years old when his family was on vacation in Victoria. They dropped into Tony's Trick and Joke Shop run by renowned magician Tony Eng. It had its fair share of the prankster staples like squirting nickels, hand buzzers and whoopee cushions. What little Alex couldn't take his eyes off of, though, was the Wall of Magic Wonders with all its oddities.

His parents and two younger brothers had other plans that day, but Alex didn't want to leave so they left him "with the magician dude."

Eng taught him a bunch of stuff, and by the time he exited he was the proud possessor of a deck of cards, sleight-of-hand sponge balls and other magic stuff. And he began to practise, practise and practise some more.

Read more.

01 July 2018

Dai Vernon in Atlas Obscura

From the June 25th article "An Insider’s Tour of New York’s Disappearing Magic History," by Sarah Laskow in Atlas Obscura:
With his sharp mustache and debonair smile, Dai Vernon always looked like he knew more than he was revealing, and as his stature in the magic community grew, his life became legend. When he came to New York from Ottawa, Canada, in 1915, the vaudeville circuit was still feeding magicians steady income and fame, though Pastor’s heyday was long over. A kid obsessed with magic and card tricks, Vernon gravitated to the city’s magic shops. Martinka’s had already become legendary, though from the outside, one reporter wrote in 1916, it looked like “a little dingy shop … with one window full of dusty paraphernalia,” in the shadow of Sixth Avenue’s elevated train. Whatever wonders the shop had to offer were in the back room, off-limits to newcomers like Vernon.


Read more.

30 June 2018

Jordan Vo and Care Elise in the Mission City Record

From the June 25th article "Magical couple sweeps Fraser Valley competition" in the Mission City Record:
Among those there to be judged by a jury of their peers were a couple, Jordan Vo and Care Elise. The magicians that night were competing for one of two awards, the title of 2018 Stage Magician of the Year and the Peter Reveen Variety Trophy named in honour of the late illusionist and hypnotist, Peter Reveen.

A couple both on stage and off, Jordan and Care can often be spotted throughout the Fraser Valley performing at festivals and events as a duo. But this time, they weren’t competing together, but as two solo acts.

Read more.

21 June 2018

Masters of Illusion 2018 (season 5)

I spied Chris Funk, Murray Sawchuk, Billy Kidd, and Greg Frewin.

Who'd I miss?

Masters of Illusion returns for a fifth anniversary season on The CW with two 30-minute episodes airing back to back on Friday, June 29, 2018 at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. Central.


Watch the promo on Chris Funk's Instagram:

20 June 2018

Catching up with The Sentimentalists (they're on Penn and Teller's Fool Us!)

Catch Chris Mysterion and Steffi Kay:
  • Mon June 25 on Penn and Teller's Fool Us on CW Network
  • Fri June 29 and Sat Jun 30 at Smoke and Mirrors Theater in Pennsylvania
  • Sat Sept 15 at Zoetic in Hamilton


From The Sentimentalist's Facebook page:











11 June 2018

Marien Hopman's magic stolen

From the June 9th article, "Chatham magician hopes tricks will reappear after being stolen" by Stacey Janzer in the Windsor CBC :
Poof. The magic's gone.

Chatham, Ont.'s Marien Hopman likes to perform a trick or two when he can, but his box of magic tricks were stolen.

At 71, he's been interested in magic since he was 10. The retired professional salesman says he would perform magic at children's parties.

Last week, he spotted a sponge ball on the floor of his car and wondered what it was doing there. He opened up his glove compartment — it was empty and his heart sank. That's where he kept his treasure trove of tricks.

"I just keep it in there to so I can make people happy," Hopman said.

Read more.

03 June 2018

Henry Box Brown: The magician who escaped from slavery in a 3x2 foot box

From the May 29th article, "This ingenious slave mailed himself to freedom in a wooden box in 1849," by Mildred Europa Taylor in Face 2 Face Africa:
In 1875, he returned to the United States with his wife and daughter. Brown made a living as a magician.

His last performance took place in Ontario, Canada, on February 26, 1889.

Meanwhile, the two Smiths who had helped Brown to escape, Samuel and James, attempted to ship more enslaved people from Virginia to Philadelphia but they were caught and put on trial.

Read more.

01 June 2018

Luc Langevin received the medal of the National Assembly

Congratulations Luc!


From the May 30th, 2018 article, "Luc Langevin était à l’Assemblée nationale mercredi, mais n’a pas fait disparaître le premier ministre...," by Marie-Renee Grondin in le Journal de Quebec (as translated by Google translate):
Rest assured! The illusionist Luc Langevin was visiting the National Assembly Wednesday, but it was not to remove the Prime Minister Philippe Couillard ...

Although this may have been a scenario dreamed up by some voters (who will have the power to make it disappear themselves, if that is their wish, next October), the famous conjurer was in parliament to receive a prestigious distinction.

He received the medal of the National Assembly, from the hands of Geneviève Guilbault, the member for Louis-Hébert who represents the riding where he grew up.

Read more.
Read original article











26 May 2018

Whitehorse: John Kaplan's "AbracaDAZZLE"

From the May 24th article "Special Olympians return from P.E.I with plenty of hardware" by Chuck Tobin in the Whitehorse Daily Star:
To help raise money to cover the cost of last week’s trip to Charlottetown and the upcoming trip to Antigonish, Special Olympics Yukon is daring the curious.

For two nights – June 6,7 at Christ the King Elementary – the organization is presenting Abraca Dazzle, a magic show starring Canadian magician John Kaplan and his renowned family-friendly magic show.

Special Olympics Yukon will be sending a contingent of 31 to Antigonish, including 20 athletes and 11 coaches and mission staff. They’ll be competing in bocce, athletics, swimming, soccer and rhythmic gymnastics.

Read more.

24 May 2018

David Peck interviews The Sentimentalists, Julie Eng, and Daniel Zuckerbrot

David Peck has previously interviewed many magicians on his Face 2 Face podcast.  Recently he's added The Sentimentalists (episode 362), as well as Julie Eng and Daniel Zuckerbrot (episode 373) to his growing list.


From Face 2 Face Live: The Sentimentalists – Episode 362
The Sentimentalists and I talk about skepticism, assumptions and religious belief, burlesque theatre, mentalism and magic, scientific headspace and what it means to be a collector of rare oddities.

Biography
World-renowned mentalist Mysterion partners with mentalist Steffi Kay to create a mind reading experience that is truly breathtaking. Steffi brings a grace, flair and elegance to the mentalism she practises and with her vintage look, approach and style you will feel transported back to Vaudeville to the golden age of magic.

Read more and listen to podcast.



From Face 2 Face Live: Daniel Zuckerbrot and Julie Eng on “The Science of Magic” – Episode 373
Julie Eng, Daniel Zuckerbot and David Peck talk about their new film The Science of Magic, change blindness, assumptions, subverting reality, free will, doubt and the problems of perception.

Synopsis
Magic has become the latest investigative tool for scientists exploring human cognition, neurobiology, and behaviour. Across Canada, the US and Europe, our film follows researchers who are bringing magicians’ tricks into the laboratory.  With impossible magic, amazing facts, and opportunities for viewers to participate in the magic, this extraordinary exploration peeks behind the curtain into a fascinating world where ancient magic meets modern science.

Canadian magician and executive director of the arts organization Magicana, Julie Eng not only mystifies us with magic, she also takes us to Montreal’s McGill University to meet Jay Olson. He is one of the scientists spearheading this novel and powerful approach to experimental psychology.  On the streets of Montreal Julie and Jay use card tricks to help us understand how magic can be used to explore human consciousness. But these simple tricks have given way to more elaborate experiments.

Read more and listen to podcast.

21 May 2018

The Magic Word with Scott Wells

For those of you who don't already know, Scott Wells hosts a podcast for magicians.

Recently, he's published a few which may be of interest to you!

From "410 - Carisa Hendrix - Getting Uncomfortable" on The Magic Word Podcast:
Carisa Hendrix is a magician who is on the rise. Oh, also, she happens to be a woman. She is one of the new breed who I believe is one of the "Stars of Tomorrow" as she pursues her dreams on stage. Most young people I see today seem to be involved in close-up and entertaining small groups of people, but few true entertainers are comfortable on stage in front of a large audience. Carisa is one of that rare breed.

She suggests that we should step out of our comfort zone and try new things that stretch our boundaries and move into new, perhaps uncomfortable, areas that will make us better performers and people. She says that artists should practice "moving towards the place of greatest discomfort and just sitting in that space." She suggests that magicians should not be afraid to fail.

On another matter, there was quite a bit of controversy about her July 2017 cover on VANISH Magazine. She addresses it quite well and succinctly on her blog.

Read more and listen to podcast.



From "423: Neil McNally - The Doug Henning Project" on The Magic Word Podcast:
Neil McNally is a passionate man. He is most passionate about Doug Henning and he hosts a weekday blog called "The Doug Henning Project". Who could imagine that there would be that much to reveal about this iconic figure. We recently "hit a nerve" with the podcast #415 with Chip Romero as that episode was one of our most downloaded podcast. So, it was a natural thing to chat with the webmaster of "The Doug Henning Project" so those who are interested in Doug Henning could learn even more. Neil is not a performing magician though he is taking lessons at The Magic Castle. But his passion is history and collecting of Doug Henning. He is also producing a documentary on Doug Henning and will soon be crowd funding his project.

Read more and listen to podcast.


And one from the archives.

From "201 - Murray Sawchuck - Celebrity Magician" on The Magic Word Podcast:
Murray Sawchuck recently completed two and a half years at the Tropicana's Laugh Factory in Las Vegas. On December 20, 2014, he will begin a new afternoon show at Planet Hollywood's "Sincity Theater" along his wife, Chloe, and his partner, Lefty. Murray will add illusions to his comedy magic show plus bring in different aspects of his other appearances on television such as "Pawn Stars" and other shows.

During our conversation, Murray talked about his upcoming appearance on Hallmark's Home & Family morning talk show. After you have listened to the podcast, then be sure to come back to watch this video. The other two videos below are from a couple of his appearances on "America's Got Talent" (sic).

Read more and listen to podcast.








[With thanks to The Magic Demon for sending this along.]

07 May 2018

New York City: Vitaly Beckman's "An Evening of Wonders"

From the May 4th article "Illusionist Vitaly Beckman Will Bring An Evening of Wonders Off-Broadway" by Andrew Gans on Playbill:
Vitaly Beckman, who stumped fellow magicians Penn & Teller on TV's Penn & Teller: Fool Us, will make his New York City performing debut next month.

Produced by Daryl Roth, Vitaly: An Evening of Wonders will begin previews June 13 prior to an official opening June 21 at the Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues). The limited engagement is scheduled to run through September 30.

“Vitaly fooled us with his humor and amazing magic,” Penn & Teller said in a statement. “We are so proud he’s opening at the Westside Theatre where we first opened our show in New York over 30 years ago. He is an ingenious inventor, full of charming surprises.”

Read more.

28 April 2018

The Thrillusionists: May 4th premier

Updated at 8am to add:
  • Suspicion confirmed, Sorcerers Safari alumnus Brad Bond is one of the three stars in The Thrillusionists!
  • From the April 27th article "Tricky Orillia teen set to make magical debut on CBC series" in Barrie Today:
    Brad Bond has been fascinated by trickery, sleight-of-hand and the mystery of illusions since he received a magic kit from his grandparents as a Christmas present when he was 10-years-old.

    But for him, this has never been child’s play. Bond, now 16, has approached the craft like a professional, painstakingly working on his technique, delivery and persona. That work has paid off.

    The Grade 10 Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School student was one of three youths chosen – more than 1,000 auditioned from coast to coast – to host The Thrillusionists, a ground-breaking magic show set to make its debut next month.

    “It’s almost surreal,” Bond says of his new gig. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was very young.”


I have a sneaking suspicion that a Sorcerers Safari alumnus is one of the Thrillusionists!


From The Thrillusionists Facebook page:
The Thrillusionists will PREMIERE on CBCKIDS.CA and on-demand MAY 4TH 2018!!! Stay tuned to this page for news update, live appearances and more! Thanks for watching and have a magical day! Bought to you by CBC Kids & 5'7 Films


From the CBC:
The Thrillusionists explored the mystical and fascinating world of magic with kid magicians! Our team of three master magicians are guaranteed to blow your mind!

Watch as they travel the city of Toronto, gaining access to various VIP locations — backstage at concerts, professional sports arenas and amusement parks — and perform their trickery for celebrities!

The Thrillusionists is brought to you by television-magic masterminds who have worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Criss Angel, David Blaine, Dynamo and David Copperfield.

The Thrillusionists are two boys and one girl (ages 8-12). This is the first magic series that involves kid magicians performing “grown up” illusions, all to delight and entertain kids!

Read more.


Check out the Thrillusionists YouTube channel.







23 April 2018

Fort Macleod: Ben Price's "Rabbit Stew"

From the April 18th article "Empress Theatre to host magic show" by admin in the Macleod Gazette Online:
The Empress Theatre Society plans to pull a rabbit out of its hat with a new fund-raiser on Saturday, April 28.

Magician Ben Price brings his new show Rabbit Stew to the Empress stage at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is by donation and proceeds from the show go to the Empress Theatre Society.

“My new show, Rabbit Stew, is set to hit the stages of festivals around Canada this summer and I thought what better place to premier the show than right close to home?” Price said.

Read more.

17 April 2018

Matt Johnson's BGT audition

From the April 14th article "Who is Britain’s Got Talent’s daring escape artist Matt Johnson?" by Matthew Trask at Radio Times:
Matt’s career began in his hometown of Sheffield, where he cut his teeth as a street magician and illusionist.

In his 20-year-long career leading to the Britain’s Got Talent stage, he traversed the globe performing his unique style of illusion and his daring escapes to audiences around the world.

Matt auditioned with the same audacious trick for BGT in 2017. Unfortunately, the tank he was using broke leaving the stage flooded.
Read more.


From the Britian's Got Talent YouTube channel:



14 April 2018

Reviews: Luc Langevin's "Now tomorrow"

From the April 12th article "Luc Langevin still spectacular" by Sandra Godin in le Journal de Quebec, translated by Google:

Amazement and incomprehension: two feelings that will invade you constantly during this second show of Luc Langevin, who concocted us ten new spectacular illusions, between telepathy, teleportation and levitation.

The public remained speechless after the illusionist had teleported a spectator locked in a safe, at the end of the first media of Now tomorrow , which was held Thursday at Albert-Rousseau Hall. It was just before he levitated up the stage.

The master of illusion retains its title with numbers that combine mathematics, science, technology, projections and optical illusions, at the end as fascinating as each other.

Read moreRead original.


From the April 13th article "Luc Langevin: The magic of illusions" by Virginie Landry in Journal Metro, translated by Google:
"Everyone knows that magic does not exist." It is on this statement that Luc Langevin begins his new book, The science of illusion , in which he decrypts his art through scientific concepts. But we have a hard time believing that there is not an ounce of magic in what he does ...

"In my wildest dreams, I was hoping to go there, but I did not expect to get there in such a short time," says the magician, who is celebrating his 10-year career this year. In the last decade, Luc Langevin has animated As Magic , At the Limits of Illusion , Defying Magic , as well as several specials with local artists and documentaries. He also put on his first indoor show and released three board games. Phew. "When I look at all this, I think I was productive!" He laughs. (And he wants us to believe that there is no magic in there? Anyway ...)

In 2018, question of being as busy as in recent years, the magician launches a second show indoors, Now tomorrow , and a first book. The purpose of this book? "I wanted to lift the veil on some physical phenomena that I use. I found that these methods or phenomena were almost more interesting than the tricks I make with them. "In doing so, Luc Langevin wanted to give magic its nobility so that people understand that" it's not just clowning. to entertain children "is an art.

Read moreRead original.



From the April 13th article "Luc Langevin: believe in the impossible" by Sandra Godin in le Soleil, translated by Google:
In the Tomorrow Today program, Luc Langevin notes that his way of practicing his job as a "creator of illusions" has changed since his first show: "My scientific knowledge still inspires my illusions, but I learned that to reach the the brain of the public, sometimes you have to go through the heart. "

And that's exactly what he's doing with this new show: his numbers are still as surprising and spectacular as they are ... human and sincere, and tell a story. Including that of this extremely shy boy that was the little Luc Langevin, for whom magic was a lifesaver ...

And although the magical numbers of the illusionist are (of course) the nerve of the war of this evening staged by René-Richard Cyr, we must say that the success of the company is very much based on the likeable and endearing personality of Luc Langevin, and the constant dialogue he sets up with his audience.

Read moreRead original.


01 April 2018

I'll just leave this here

First, some backstory from Shawn Farquhar's December 9th Facebook post (emphasis mine):
A Letter to the Magic Community...

As Producers of Penn & Teller : Fool Us, our guiding principle is that the show is made "by magicians, for magicians." We have tried to provide a positive Prime Time outlet for magicians everywhere over the course of our 4 seasons on the air - and we've been lucky and successful enough to get an order for Season Five on the CW Network.

As always, our goal is to feature the best and brightest in the magic world, and as such, we'd like to respectfully invite you to submit a recording of a trick you perform that you believe would be good for our show. Highly original presentations and original tricks of all kinds are appreciated.


And here's a not so subtle reminder that my original effect "The Fools' Monte," was well received by (and dare I say fooled) Jeff McBride at the workshop he held at CAM in 2003. 


With that, I'll just leave you this Tweet from Teller:
A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.



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All kidding aside, April 2nd at 9pm PST the first annual April Fool Us Day Special will premiere!



From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

30 March 2018

Pauline Kong in the Peace Arch News

Also on the bill for the April 8 show in Richmond, are Oslen Chang, and Will Tsai.


From the March 26th article "Moonlighting as magician, Surrey nurse raises funds for hospital ICU" by Tom Zillich in the Peace Arch News:
On April 8, Kong is producing a Vegas-style event called “FATE 2: The Dance and Illusions of Oslen,” a benefit for the ICU department at the hospital where she works.

The goal is to raise $10,000 for the cause, and Kong said Monday that the show, which is set to play the 1,000-seat theatre at River Rock Casino Resort, is nearly sold-out. For event details, visit riverrock.com/event/fate-2-dance-illusions-oslen.

In a related effort, she launched a GoFundMe campaign, called “Magic Show for Surrey Hospital ICU,” with a goal of generating an additional $30,000. A video posted on the fundraising website dramatizes the time Kong landed in hospital as a six-year-old, and her memories of a nurse’s soothing, reassuring voice.

Read more.

29 March 2018

Windsor: Piff the Magic Dragon

From the March 25th article "Q and A: Piff the Magic Dragon" by Dalson Chen in the Windsor Star:
Piff the Magic Dragon likes to point out that he’s not as famous as his older brother — Steve.

But the English-born magician with a spiky tail (John van der Put) isn’t hurting for work these days, having been featured to great response on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and America’s Got Talent.

Witness Piff’s deadpan humour and ironic illusions in person when he performs at Caesars Windsor on Friday, March 30.

Q. Dragons seem to be very popular now, what with Game of Thrones, Imagine Dragons, Dragons’ Den — have you noticed people giving you more respect?

A. Yeah, finally. It’s a good time to be a dragon. Before that, it was just about being shot in the face by a dwarf or a hobbit. But times have changed.

Read more.

28 March 2018

Spidey to perform on “Showtime at the Apollo”

Tune in tomorrow to watch Spidey on “Showtime at the Apollo”!

From the “Showtime at the Apollo” press release:
Toronto, ON (March 27, 2018) - World-renowned Canadian Mentalist and Hypnotist sensation, Spidey will be performing on the American FOX primetime TV Series, “Showtime at the Apollo”, a one-hour talent competition hosted by Steve Harvey and Adrienne Houghton. Showcasing some of the most unforgettable talent on the legendary stage, Spidey will appear on the March 29 episode where he lands himself as a finalist in the competition. Recently named USA Mentalist of the Year 2017 by APCA, with a career spanning over a decade, Spidey has been able to captivate audiences with shows and tours across the globe, including performances on NETFLIX, NBC, Discovery, CW, Entertainment Tonight, SyFy, TruTV and many more.