Rounding the Eastern rings in December

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.

Halifax, NS	Ring 316 (Conjourer's Court)	- n/a - Visit their Facebook page.
St. John, NB	Magic Circle of St. John	- n/a

Please leave a comment or e-mail me about corrections or omissions.

Top 5 posts in November 2014

It's been a busy month for news with 50 posts! Here are the most viewed posts at Canada's Magic this month:

5. Who's where November 2014 - Don't forget to add your appearance to our December "Who's  where" post!

4. [Guest post] Watching the Magic Unfold - Thank you Erin for your guest post!

3. Keith Brown at TEDx University of Windsor - This young man is making great strides.

2. A Q&A with Erin Thomas - It's not often I get to ask questions of an author.

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1. Win a copy of Forcing the Ace - Thanks to everyone who played!  A special thanks to Amy Collins from Orca Book Publishers for generously making this book available to you!

Toronto: Kainoa Harbottle lecture

From the Browser's Den of Magic:

Sunday, December 21

Currently known by most magicians as the coin guru for Reel Magic Magazine and Sleight School, Kainoa just wowed the audiences at the Magic Castle with his all coin close-up act. You may have seen him on Curtis Kam's Palms of Steel series, on the New York Coin Magic DVDs, or even read his many publications on close-up magic. Seeing him live is an entirely different experience.

Kainoa’s lecture will feature magic designed with visual impact, cleanliness of method, and modular climaxes. The material and techniques were developed in the strolling and table-hopping environments of Waikiki. He will also be discussing how to transform your close-up pieces into stand-up material using before and after examples from his repertoire. 

Read more and buy tickets.

Montreal: Michael Close and Kainoa Harbottle

From Montreal Magic Jam:

We are excited to announce that we have two amazing magicians coming to Montreal in December. Michael Close, author of the Workers series and one of the top close-up magicians in the world, will be presenting both classic and brand new material in his Dec 10 lecture. The next week, Kainoa Harbottle, one of the most skilled and innovative coin magicians around, will present both a lecture and a workshop. As a thank you for making this an incredible year for the Montreal Magic Jam, we have an ealry Christmas present for you. While individual tickets will be available at the usual price, we’re offering the following specials:

Read more and buy tickets.

[via Magic Information Canada] 

11/2014 update to the Johnny Giordmaine tribute site

From the curator of the Johnny Giordmaine tribute site:

John Giordmaine tribute news. 

JohnGiordmaine.com, the online tribute to Canada's most beloved children's magician (1898-1974), has posted an interim update to welcome new visitors from the Society of American Magicians who have read the featured article about Johnny in MUM's December 2014 issue.

All other visitors are also very welcome!

This update features Doug Henning's 1989 "retirement from magic " letter published in GENII. Visitors may be surprised to read that Doug thanked "the late John Giordmaine" first and foremost for helping him "so much over the years" - even before Dai Vernon, Slydini or Jay Marshall!

There are now over 50 pages about Johnny and his inspiring legacy in magic. Remembrances are always very welcome; contact information is on the site, which is:

http://www.johngiordmaine.com  

Murray SawChuck on "Extreme Escapes”

Updated at 6:45am to include the link to the Las Vegas Sun article which mentions his recently received Career Achievement Award in the Magic Arts and his Best Comedy Variety Act of 2014 award.  Congratulations Murray!


From Vegas News:

“Extreme Escapes” is a new original reality series with death-defying stunts premiering on REELZ, Saturday, November 29 

Each one-hour episode of “Extreme Escapes” brings the shock, wonder and danger of escapology to television with astonishing performances by artists including Las Vegas headlining comic magician Murray SawChuck, America’s Got Talent contestant Spencer Horsman, Masters of Illusion LIVE! performer Farrell Dillon, Las Vegas Illusionist Jan Rouven and Hungarian escape artist David Merlini.

Read more.

More on "Extreme Escapes" from the Las Vegas Sun:

There’s no denying that magician Murray Sawchuck is on a roll as he gets ready to take on a new run at Sin City Theater in Planet Hollywood after nearly three years at the Tropicana’s Laugh Factory.

He’s just completed four months of filming “Extreme Escapes,” which starts broadcasting on Reelz for 26 weeks as of this Saturday. He was asked to do the “Blind Drive” illusion and wound up being invited to do more than 21 “escapes” for the series.

Read more.

[via iTricks] 

Phil Matlin's ragtime tour 2014

Phil Matlin, owner of Perfect Magic, will be playing ragtime and touring through Ontario (Elmira, Kitchener, New Hamburg, and Waterloo) at the end of December.

• Dec. 26 - Lanark Place 44 Lanark Place, Kitchener
• Dec. 29 - Chateau Gardens 11 Herbert St., Elmira 
• Dec. 30 - Nithview Home 200 Boullee, New Hamburg
• Dec. 31 - Parkwood Mennonite Homes, 726 New Hampshire, Waterloo
• Dec. 31 - Bankside Terrace 71 Bankside Drive, Kitchener 

Watch Phil play Carolina in the Morning below: