Peter Mennie unpacks his TV archive

From Peter Mennie's blog post "That’s a Lot of Magic!":

Way back when (about two years ago), I did a lot of television. Every month for 11 months, I had an appearance on a local TV chat show. I did two-three routines every time (that's 20-30 tricks) for nearly twenty years!

Over the next few months, here are some of the greatest hits - in no chronological order - and with apologies for the video quality of some of the segments.

Read more and watch video. [1 - Straight Ahead]

Peter's also posted:

• Television Magic Archives – Part 2 [2 - No Cards Required]
• Television Magic Archives – Part 3 [3 - Never Play with Matches]
• Television Magic Archives – Part 4 [4 - The Cards Know Everything] 
• Television Magic Archives – Part 5 [5 - A Dual Reality Card Trick]

Broken wand: Lorne Joseph Overholt

Lorne was a member of the London's Magicians Guild.


From Your Life Moments:

OVERHOLT, Lorne Joseph - Peacefully at Victoria Hospital, on Tuesday, December 18, 2018, in his 97th year. Beloved husband of Evelyn for 76 years. Loving father of Jo Anne Lightbody (Stuart), Denise Nugent (Jim), and David Overholt (Helen). Cherished grandfather of Katherine Knight (Rob), Michael Lightbody, David Keene (Christina), Karra Overholt, Jason Pine (Melanie), and nine great-grandchildren. Lorne’s faith in Jesus Christ was the central theme of his life, which inspires his children and grandchildren. “Well done, good and faithful servant.”


Read more.

With thanks to Peter Mennie for letting us know.

Calgary: Potted Potter

From Arts Commons:

Tue February 5 - Mon February 18, 2019

All seven Harry Potter books in seventy hilarious minutes!

Potted Potter the New York and West End smash hit has garnered rave reviews from New York to Nashville, Chicago to Mexico City and Critics’ Picks from the New York Times, New York Magazine, Time Out London, Boston Globe, Chicago Daily Herald and the New York Post!

Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real life game of Quidditch) into seventy hilarious minutes. This fantastically funny show features all your favorite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic!

Even if you don’t know the difference between a Horcrux and a Hufflepuff, Potted Potter will make you roar with laughter. This brilliant family entertainment is perfect for ages six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed).

Read more and buy tickets.

1 week to go until we open at @yycARTS Catch a show between Feb 5 - 18 https://t.co/9bRg3MpEPv#Calgary #Alberta #Magic pic.twitter.com/x7qxtIhtEq

— Potted Potter (@PottedPotter) January 29, 2019

Carisa Hendrix in Ozy

A reminder that you can see Carisa Hendrix perform in Calgary on February 9th.


From the January 30th article "IT'S NO TRICK: WOMEN ARE CRASHING THE MALE-DOMINATED WORLD OF MAGIC" by Tania Bhattacharya in Ozy:

You can tell a lot about a person by what they drink, declares Lucy Darling, the elegant, razor-sharp alter ego of 31-year-old Canadian magician Carisa Hendrix. She’s entertaining a giddy audience at the Magic Castle, the Academy of Magical Arts’ (AMA) private clubhouse in Los Angeles, with her Maker Martini routine. Tony and Jennifer — two spectators — select the strawberry martini and the gimlet as the cocktails they want. Darling goes behind her magical bar to shake up an empty shaker, then pours three different drinks in one go. She hands the strawberry martini to Tony and the gimlet to Jennifer, and they return to their seats, amazed.

A Guinness World Record holder for the longest duration of fire torch teething – a stunt where you hold a fire torch upright with your teeth – and winner of best comedy magic show at the 2017 Melbourne Magic Festival, Hendrix is among a growing number of female illusionists changing the world of magic. For decades, women have largely been relegated to the role of perky assistants who are sawed in half. Now, more and more women are joining the profession as magicians themselves. Top magic schools are recording a dramatic surge in female students. And audiences are embracing them like never before.

Read more.

Calgary: Carisa Hendrix at the Deerfoot Inn & Casino

From Ticketfly:

SAT, FEBRUARY 9

Carisa Hendrix is a magician, circus stunt girl and bubble performer featured in the Guinness Book of World Records (2014 Book, Page 86) and Ripley’s Believe it or Not. This 5-time award winning performer has been thrilling audiences all over Canada and internationally for the past 15 years with her signature blend of classy, cute comedy entertainment. Multi-talented, she has a huge vocabulary of Circus Skills, Sideshow Stunts and Magic effects under her belt as well as Balloon Sculpting, Stilt Walking, Fire Dance, Visual Art and Acting. As the Artistic Director of Ballyhoo Entertainment she is excited to be working with a variety of talented young artist to provide a wide range of fun & creative entertainment options for special events.

You might know her from her appearances in 2 popular Youtube projects Protector’s Chronicles (300000+ combined views) and The Art of Slow Motion Fire Eating (75000+ views). Or perhaps you recognize her for the expertise she displays in her best selling instructional DVD on Fire Eating as well as the 1000+ fire eating students who have learned from her first hand in classes all over Canada & the USA.

Read more and buy tickets.

Jason Latimer's Impossible Science Stage Show at UTS

From the January 31st article "Toronto student wins First Prize in Engineering.com's Impossible Science Challenge. Jason Latimer, World Champion Magician to perform live for her school on February 6th." on the PR Newswire:

Jason Latimer, World Champion Magician, Curator of Impossible Science and Science Channel Host, is flying into Toronto on Wednesday, February 6, to perform his Impossible Science Stage Show LIVE for students at University of Toronto Schools (UTS). #BestAssemblyEver

"He's coming for one reason, Ananya Chadha. Ananya is an extraordinary STEM mind, TKS innovator, and grade 11 student who won the challenge with her project that used EEG's and electrodes to control a remote controlled car with her brain!" commented Lauren Baldesarra, Chief Creative Officer, engineering.com and Co-founder of ProjectBoard.

https://projectboard.engineering.com/project/impossible-science-challenge-brain-controlled-car

Read more.

Ryan Michael in Global News

You can see Ryan on Feb. 2 at Dakoda’s Sports Bar and Grill in Kelowna.

From the January 25th article, "‘It’s all about creating that one moment of mystery’: Kelowna magician sets sights on America’s Got Talent" by Shay Galor in Global News:

“I think the first time I ever saw a trick was David Blaine on television with his first special. Me and my dad watched it,” Michael said. “I think we must have watched it 100 times or more, just watching every little thing that he did. And it was amazing. It totally hooked me right away.”

Michael has been practicing magic for about a decade, with six of those years performing professionally in front of audiences across the country.

“The whole reason that I do magic, aside from creating a connection with people, is that one moment where your brain disconnects from reality and has to think about what just happened,” Michael said.

Read more and watch video.