Top 5 posts in June 2015

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

5.  David Merry in the The London Free Press - A very funny performer!

4. Clive Court, Life Member of the Canadian Public Relations Society - Congratulations Clive!

3. Spidey and his team The Surrealists on "Fake Off" - Cheer Spidey on!

2. Who's where June 2015 - Add yourself to next month's.

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1. Video: Shawn Farquhar Fool Us REVEALED  - an interesting demonstration of the power of The Long Tail

Congratulations to the 2015 Canadian Rising Star

The winners of the Allan Slaight awards were announced last Saturday.  Special congratulations to Mahdi Gilbert for winning the Canadian Rising Star award!


From Magicana:

Congratulations to the first-ever Allan Slaight Award winners, recognizing outstanding achievement in the pursuit of the impossible! 

 Lifetime Achievement Award ($15,000)  JOHNNY THOMPSON  

Sharing Wonder Award ($15,000)  PENN & TELLER 

Sharing Secrets Award ($10,000)  MIKE CAVENEY  

International Rising Star ($5,000)  HENRY VARGAS  

Canadian Rising Star ($5,000)  MAHDI GILBERT  

Read more.

Win tickets to see Darcy Oake's show,"Edge of Reality," in Toronto

This contest is now closed. The winner has been announced!

I am excited to announce that I have been offered one pair of tickets to give away to my readers, to attend Darcy Oake's show, "Edge of Reality" at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Canada on Saturday, November 14, 2015.

Darcy Oake has become a global sensation since his 2014 appearances on UK’s hugely successful television competition Britain’s Got Talent where he surpassed thousands of contestants to land among the show’s top ten finalists and win over 200 million viewers of the program worldwide. Check out his amazing audition video here.

I will be holding a random draw to determine the winner.  (There will be one winner.)  The seats are Orchestra Level (ground floor), Row L, valued at $55 per ticket. The draw results will be posted on Friday July the 17th.


To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post, telling me your favourite stage illusion (to perform or to watch).  (You do not need to be a magician to enter the contest.  Your favourite could be "whatever Darcy does when we see his show!")
     
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 so that the Sony Centre can arrange for ticket pick up.

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.)
• Transportation to/from Toronto and accommodations will not be provided.
• Photo ID will be required to claim the tickets.
• The odds of winning depend on how many people enter the contest.
• Contest closes on Thursday July the 16th, 2015 at 11:59pm EDT.

With thanks to the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts for generously making these tickets available to you! 

Ring events in July 2015

• Montreal, QC, Ring 62 (20th Century Ring) - Charter celebration party!
  
• Fraser Valley, BC, IBM Ring 387 (Fraser Valley Magic Circle, Celeste Evans Ring) - Third Monday Magic - 7:00 pm - Kids Night - "FROZEN" theme

James Alan interviewed by HOWL

From James Alan's Twitter feed:

My interview with HOWL Magazine http://t.co/Tirswq69n6 http://t.co/sPyEFitV0r

— James Alan (@james_alan) June 24, 2015

Conjuring arts Summer reading program

From the Conjuring Arts:

Our Summer reading program is back!

This year in addition to the FREE book of the week we are now giving huge discounts each week on a select number of books! These discounted books will change each week so order now if you want to take advantage of the bargain.

This year we start week one with the FREE download of Maskelyne's Book of Magic by Jasper Maskelyne. Enjoy it.

Read more and download books.

[With appreciation to James Alan for letting me know.]

Spidey and his team The Surrealists on "Fake Off"

From VOCAB Communications:

Canadian mentalist and hypnotist “Spidey” and his team “The Surrealists” featured in US Weekly for one of Fake Off’s most shocking tricks

-“That was the biggest fake off we’ll maybe ever see in the entire show!”  

-  Fake Off judge Casper Smart - 

Toronto, ON (June, 18) - Canadian mentalist and hypnotist sensation Spidey, and his team The Surrealists, wowed the judges in the semi-finals of Season 2 of Fake Off, with an electricity-themed performance. Team members Joel Meyers (St. Louis), Joseph Reohm (Los Angeles), and Spidey (Montreal), left Judge Casper Smart in shock with their unexpected magic trick and earned them the only perfect score of the season. The semi-finals aired on June 17 on truTV, and US Weekly was quick to pick up the exclusive video of the performance.  

“That was the biggest fake off we’ll maybe ever see in the entire show!” says judge Casper Smart.  

The Season 2 semi-finals will air on ACTION in Canada on July 15, and the season finale will air on July 22. Known for his incredible hypnosis demonstrations and viral videos, Spidey has also been nominated for Canadian Magician of the Yearand Canadian Variety Entertainer of the Year. His unique style has captivated audiences and left them amazed. He made it as a finalist on Canada’s Got Talent, as well as appeared on the Discovery Channel, SyFy, CBC, and Space.His SyFy episode for Wizard Wars received over one million views. He has worked as a Hollywood consultant and most recently for actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception and The Dark Knight), as well as for Academy award-winning director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future and Cast Away). Spidey is also the star of Guzzo Magic Series, primarily broadcasted through cinemas in Montreal and Quebec and surrounding areas, with over six million views per year.  

Spidey is best known for his YouTube video that immediately went viral with over 1.65 million hits. Spidey immediately became an international online sensation with people from 210 countries tuning in to watch his incredible confrontation with a police officer. Pulling him over for speeding and running a stop sign, viewers from around the world were mesmerized by Spidey’s incredible hypnosis techniques.