02 April 2018

Winnipeg: Conjurors' Cabaret

Featuring:
  • Ken Sky ‘Mystifier,’ 
  • Brian Trudeau ‘Mindshocker,' 
  • Sean Fields ‘The Mastermind,’ and 
  • Gregoire ‘The Astonisher.'

From Carey Lauder's Facebook page:

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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:
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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:

31 March 2018

Top 5 posts of March 2018

Out of the 30+ posts at Canada's Magic this month, here are the 5 most viewed posts in the past 30 days:

5. Go-Fund Me campaign in support of Dan Goldberg - It's nice to see so many people helping those in need!
4. Random thoughts about "The Science of Magic" on CBC's "The Nature of Things" - I hope you enjoyed the show as much as I did.
3.  Winnipeg: "Magic & Skepticism" with Matt Dillahunty - Don't forget he's touring Canada this year.
2. Who are the top 10 Canadian magicians of all time? - Fabulous to see over 40 deserving magicians nominated so far!

and the most viewed post this month  ...





1. Watch "The Science of Magic" on CBC’s "The Nature of Things" Sunday, March 18 - Did you?  Congratulations to Julie, the Zuckerbrots, and everyone else involved in the show!

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.


27 March 2018

Review of Michael Close's "The Paradigm Shift" Volumes One and Two


From the March 15th post "The Paradigm Shift Volumes One and Two" by Jamy Ian Swiss at Magicana:

Michael Close has in his lifetime in show business, worked extensively as both a professional magician and a professional musician (he plays piano). At one time a professional restaurant worker in his native Indiana, Michael was mentored by legendary sleight-of-hand maestro (and jazz radio program host) Harry Riser, whose own two closest mentors were no less than Charlie Miller and Dai Vernon. The late Mr. Riser has also long been named as mentor to Johnny Thompson; despite their closeness in age, it was Riser who helped guide Thompson toward the kind of magic that would eventually lead to his becoming the legendary master he is considered today.  In other words, Mr. Close is part of a lengthy and honored continuum of great magicians, a line he has done great justice to by continuing to contribute in creative and generous manner for future generations. He has not missed the true lessons of his mentors.

Read more.


From Michael Close's Facebook page: