In memoriam 2015

Updated 2016-01 to include Paul Bradshaw.

Bradshaw, Paul ( - 2015)

Chervin, Alexander ( - 2015)

Lenz, Eric (1935 - 2015)

Silverman, Larry ( - 2015)

Ward, Joe (1932 - 2015)

Please e-mail additions or corrections to "canadasmagic at gmail dot com"

Thank you for a great 2015!

We couldn't have done it without you!

Thank you to our readers, our fans, our followers, our wonderful guest posters (The Magic Demon and Kidlet), people who have offered up prizes for contests (the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Gwyn Auger, Sheldon Casavant, Marion and Ted Outerbridge, and the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema), those who sent news our way, and last but not least, thank you to all of this year's friends (John Smithman, John Harrison, Richard Lyn, and Joan Caesar) and sponsors (be sure to support them!):

For more information about purchasing Sponsored Posts or about our Platinum, Gold, or Silver level sponsorships, please visit our Sponsorship page.

Or you can Be Our Friend for only $20 per year! 

Donations of any size are always welcome.

Top 5 posts in December 2015

Here are the most viewed posts at Canada's Magic this month:

5. Murray's escape from being dragged behind a car -- Here's hoping 2015 didn't feel like Murray must have felt doing this.

4. Darcy Oake's TV special -- What did you think of it?

3. Toronto: Save the date for Magicana -- April 2016  is a busy month for magic in Canada.

2. Shriners' Holiday Magic Shows -- A lot of folks looked you up before going to the show!

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1.  Searching for military paramedic Nathan -- Does anyone have leads for finding Pick Pocket James' guardian angel?

Five deadly magic tricks

From Metro (Toronto):

Scott Hammell did the unthinkable. He asked someone to load a gun, point it at him and pull the trigger. He doesn’t have a death wish, he’s a magician and the subject of a new documentary, The Trick with the Gun, that details the planning and performing of the most dangerous illusion ever devised, the Bullet Catch.

Fourteen magicians have died attempting it and the most famous conjurer of all time, Houdini, never even tried it. Hammell says the trick is risky but, “there are safe ways of doing things that are seemingly extremely dangerous.”

He adds, “obviously things can go wrong and that can have a catastrophic chain reaction.”

There is always room for error and sometimes magicians get hurt or even killed on stage.

Hammell gave Metro an exclusive list of the five most dangerous — and potentially fatal — tricks ever performed on stage.

Read more.

Vancouver: Magic Dinner Show Live 2016

From Event Brite:

Fri, 22 Jan 2016

Your MC is the Award Winning Jeff Christensen. Featuring the North American FISM Champions of Stage Magic Trevor & Lorena Watters and their Comedy Magic Variety Act - Steve The Pretty Good! Pre-dinner Close-Up Magic by the Society of American Magicians #95! Fabulous 9 course Delicious Chinese Banquet Dinner!

Read more and buy tickets.

Darcy Oake at London's New Year’s Day Parade

The lucky audience in Winnipeg got to see this stunt performed!

From the Evening Standard:

Escapologist Darcy Oake is set to attempt the “pinnacle of his career” at the New Year’s Day Parade in London.

Oake, 28, will be suspended with a box locked on his head filled with water. With his hands tied and on one gulp of air he will try and pick locks to escape. 

Writing on his Facebook wall, Oake said the stunt, which he performed for the first time at the end of his 2015 tour on December 5, was "Single handedly the most dangerous thing I've ever done in my life".

Read more.

And now for something completely different

Not magic, but magical in its own way.  Sorry.

From JB's YouTube channel:

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[via Shawn Farquhar]