Canada's Magic

21 February 2013

Michael Francis: World record holder!

Since 2005, the Guinness World Record for most one-handed coin rolls in a minute has been 45, until Sunday (Feb. 10) when Clarkson resident Michael Francis passed a U.S. half dollar between his fingers 49 times in one minute.

"It means a lot," said Francis. "In the magic of field, most coin rolls a minute has been the most highly regarded one … all of the biggest magicians have tried for it."

Well, move over Houdini because the 28-year-old broke an additional four coin rolling records Sunday: most consecutive coin rolls in one minute with two hands, 92 (previous record 78); most multiple coin rolls in a minute with one hand, 29 (previous record 26); most one-handed coin rolls with no time limit, 986 (previous record 72) and most consecutive coin rolls with two hands, no time limit, 211 (previous record 102).

Read more.

The article goes on to say that Michael is going to attempt to break an additional 25 Guinness World Records this year! Good luck Michael!

By my count, that puts the total of Canadian Guinness World Record holding magicians to four!

Doug The Great: Heaviest Stilts Mastered.
Scott Hammell: Highest Suspension Straight Jacket Escape.
Lucas Wilson: Fastest Suspension Straight Jacket Escape.

Murray Hatfield: US lectures

Murray Hatfield will be lecturing in the United States in March and April. Visit his Facebook page for an up to date listing of dates and cities.

The list below is current as of February 14:

Mar. 5 Tulsa, OH
Mar. 6 Kansas City, MO
Mar. 7 Pigeon Forge, TN
Mar. 8 Pigeon Forge, TN
Mar. 9 Pigeon Forge, TN
Mar. 10 Huntsville, AL
Mar. 12 Jacksonville, FL
Mar. 13 Memphis, TN
Mar. 14 Murfreesboro, TN
Mar. 16 New Orleans, LA
Mar. 18 St. Louis, MO
Mar. 19 Peoria, IL
Mar. 20 Chicago, IL - Midwest Magic
Mar. 21 Chicago, IL - Tinley Park
Mar. 24 Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Mar. 25 Lake Charles, LA
Mar. 26 Houston, TX
Mar. 27 San Antonio, TX
Mar. 28 McAllen, TX
Mar. 30 Albuquerque, NM
Apr. 1 Tucson, AZ
Apr. 3 Las Vegas, NV

20 February 2013

Broken wand: Leonard Miedzianowski

From the Montreal Gazette:

1951-2013 Leonard Miedzianowski, aka Nemo Turner son of the late Peter Miedzianowski and Wanda Lorek, survived by his brother John and sister Regina, and numerous friends. Leonard was a well known Montreal magician.

Read more.

[via Perfect Magic]

From "Remebering Nemo" over at the Rotary Club of Montreal.

Nemo Turner, born Leonard Miedzianowski, age 61, died early Friday morning, February 8, 2013.

Nemo (the name he took when he began to perform magic) was a well known Montrealer having frequently appeared in the media.
After attending Concordia University (Loyola campus) and receiving a Bachelor’s degree in psychology he carried on with his career as a magician and llusionist, his loyal assistant, Melvin Rabbit at his side. A sense of whimsy and an ability to generate publicity on Nemo’s part led to Melvin, a small white rabbit, gaining his own measure of fame, resulting in a lifestyle that included his own bank account and dining at the Mount Stephen Club. Nemo went on to blend his entertainment skills with education and also was involved in real estate ventures.

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John Cox writes about Houdini Never Died

Over at Wild About Harry, John Cox writes about Houdini Never Died:

Here is the entire 1979 documentary Houdini Never Died. This was produced by John Watson and Pen Densham who later wrote and directed TNTs Houdini. It intercuts Houdini's story with footage of contemporary magicians including Doug Henning. It also has nice footage of James Randi performing a suspended straitjacket escape over Niagara Falls and the 50th Anniversary Official Houdini seance held at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame. Definitely a product of its time, but that's what makes this great.

Read more.

David Peck: TEDx talk on wonder

Last month, David Peck spoke at TEDxSixteenMileCreek. Watch his talk, "Pockets of Wonder" on YouTube:

19 February 2013

Does Magician of the year mean the same thing as Perfomer of the year?

When Shawn posted the list of current nominations for "Magician of the Year" on the CAM website, I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one completely floored to see the name of an amateur magician in the mix. (I was floored because the name was mine. But many of you were shocked, I think, because an amateur was on the list.)

I, like many of you reading, assumed that "Magician of the Year" meant, among other things, "Performer of the Year." I am incredibly honoured to be listed with all of the fine performers nominated thus far. (Imagine my surprise, to receive messages from people in support of my nomination!) A casual glance at the names on the list, informs me that I don't stand a chance.

But it has lead to interesting discussions. I'm pretty convinced that to win Magician of the Year, you have to be a professional peformer. What do you think?