Luc Langevin and David Blaine on television in the coming week

On Monday night, CBOFT shows it will be airing "Luc Langevin: aux limites de l'illusion 2."

On Wednesday night, catch David Blaine's "Real or Magic" on ABC.

Magic and rehab help transform kids with disabilities

From The Star:

Presto! Change-o! Magic is all about transformation.

We are mesmerized by what we cannot explain, enthralled when hands deceive our eyes.

So it was on a recent afternoon in a compact auditorium that’s part of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and was filled with an audience of 50 facility staff, clients, friends and family of the small performers who individually sat in front of the proverbial magician’s table with black cloth and fringe.

Read more.

Toronto: Kenton Knepper workshops

Some of you already know that Kenton Knepper will be lecturing at Ring 17 in April.  What you may not know is that Kenton will also be offering an "Introduction to Mentalism" workshop and a "Mentalism Intensive." 

From Ring 17:

Introduction to Mentalism

Friday, April 4, 2013

The 3 Hour Workshop will contain strong yet easy mentalism material anyone can do. Most of the effects use very basic props, such as business cards, playing cards, candy and other easily found objects. You need not be a mentalist to attend this workshop. You will leave doing memorable, sure-fire mentalism, that you can perform close-up, stand-up and in intimate situations.

Mentalism Intensive

Saturday, April 5, 2014

You need not be a mentalist to attend this workshop. You should be prepared to leave as one.

• Learn how to use personality and symbolic readings to connect to your audience and potential clients.
• Learn how Kenton Mind Reads personalities in performance and gives mini-readings before engaging a spectator in an effect. Then practice with Kenton as he helps you do it too.
• Learn how to make standard magic and mentalism effects connect with audiences deeply by adding in short impressions. Even your equivoque routine will seem to be real Mind Reading.
• Learn Kenton’s color and symbol reading cues and applications.
• Learn an unusual book test effect and method, which also allows you to connect more deeply with an audience.
• Learn how Suggestion and Mentalism must work together to make for realistic presentations.
• Plenty of experiential time to practice the methods taught and get Kenton’s personal help in perfecting these and other routines and methods.

More will be revealed, but only to those who attend.

Workshops are each limited to 20 participants. Spaces are filled on a first-come, first served basis.

Read more and buy tickets.

Canada at Magi-Fest 2014

Canada will be well represented at Magi-Fest 2014!  Both Chris Pilsworth and Ben Train are listed as performers.  In addition, a crew from Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp will be there including: Magic Mike Segal, Jen Segal, Steven Kline (event production and late night lecturer), and Eric Leclerc.

I hope one of you will be sending me a trip report!

Happy 2014!

Wishing you and yours a year filled with awe and wonder!

In memoriam

Update February 19th, 2014 to include:

• Eliason, William (Bill) (1932- 2013) and
• Hobbs, Doug ( - 2013)

Updated at 9:16 to include:

• Crazy Frank's / Tony's / Murray's Trick and Joke shop (197x - 2013)
• Morrissey Magic (1959 - 2013)

• Barna, Robert ( - 2013)
• Black, Harold ( - 2013)
• Campbell, Floyd (1921 - 2013)
• Cheng, Luis ( - 2013)
• Eliason, William (Bill) (1932- 2013)
• Feldman, Stuart ( - 2013)
• Harper, Blain (1972-2013)
• Hobbs, Doug ( - 2013)
• Kerr, Danny (1943  - 2013)
• Kramer, Greg (1962 - 2013)
• MacKenzie, Munro (1923 - 2013)
• Massecar, Raymond (1925 - 2013)
• Miedzianowski, Leonard aka Nemo Turner (1951-2013)
• Parker, Raymond (1929 - 2013)
• Peterson, Charles ( - 2013)
• Philip, Andrew ( - 2013)
• Reveen, Peter James (1935-2013)
• Talbi, Mehdi ( - 2013)

It's all because of you!

Thank you to our readers, our fans, our followers, our wonderful guest posters (The Magic Demon, James Alan, Ian Crawford, Ring 99 and Killarney Sheffield), those who send news our way, and last but not least, thank you to all of this year's sponsors (be sure to support them!):

 

 

None of this would be possible without all of you!

Croswell and Forget on Le plus grand cabaret du monde

From Magic Stripped with Richard Forget's Facebook page:

What are ya doing New Years Eve? If you get channel TV5 in your area watch Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde. It will be a four hour extravaganza of the best variety acts from around the world. There's even a countdown. I know because we did it at the beginning of this month!! 

This was my third time on the show and definitely my most favorite. Check it out.
On the show I performed my classic act, An Urban Phantasy.  

Read more.

From Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde:

Visuels :
Neil Croswell : magicien colombes
Richard Forget : magie avec feu 

Read more.

Murray keeps Christmas promise

From iTricks:

Being in the hospital over the holidays must be pretty hard, especially for kids and a visit from a magician must make it a little brighter. Remember back in November when iTricks reported that Murray Sawchuck had visited the UMC Trauma Center and promised to return on Christmas? He made good on his promise and was back to perform for young patients yesterday.

Read more and watch video.

Dave Attwood interviews Jamie D. Grant

In episode 46 from December 18th, Dave Attwood interviews Jamie D. Grant.  See if you agree with the thought that "random acts of kindness are wrong."

Listen to the interview at Dave Attwood's site.

Kreskin on Home and Family

From iTricks:

The Amazing Kreskin will be joining The Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family this morning at 10 AM Eastern, 9 AM Central. If you miss it this morning, it will be re-aired Monday at noon Eastern. In more television news, Travel Channel is rebroadcasting the first two episodes of White Magic on

Read more.

More Christmas magic from Ryan

Watch more Christmas magic from Ryan Joyce:

Let me carry you

How would you react if a total stranger came up to you and asked if they could carry you?

I can only imagine the looks Wes Barker got while making his YouTube video "Carrying People Around The World."  From YouTube:

This video took me 2 years to complete. It means a great deal to me. I hope it can add a little something to your day.

In an attempt to set a world record I started carrying random people all over the globe. I have no agenda for this video. My only goal is to spread and share inspirations. However random or strange they may seem.

Dave Attwood interviews Ryan Pilling

In episode 45 from December 11th, Dave Attwood interviews Ryan Pilling.  Recorded at the Three Of Clubs Convention, Ryan discusses February's upcoming WOW Fest.

Listen to the interview at Dave Attwood's site.

Broken wand: Floyd Campbell

From Telford's Burial and Cremation:

Floyd Jackson Campbell
(August 20, 1921 - June 10, 2013)

Passed away in Nanaimo General Hospital on June 10, 2013.

He is survived by his family: three sons, two daughters and their families.

Floyd will be sadly missed by his family and friends.

Read more.

[Guest post] Love’s magic

The following is a guest post from an author Killarney Sheffield. 

--

Hello, my name is Killarney Sheffield. I am an award winning multi-published historical romance author from right here in Canada. You’re probably wondering why a romance author is writing on a magic blog, well it all started with a plot to a book I was working on called Love’s Magic. The story is about a female magician named Celeste in the early 1800’s and her sidekick a black Holland Lop rabbit Dexter. I know, magic rabbits are supposed to be white thanks to Mary Toft, but I had to make it a little unusual, because well, that is the publishing industry. As I got into the story I realized that if I was going to write about a magician I needed to know something about the craft of magic itself. Yes, I could have just made it all up and flubbed my way through the magic scenes but someone somewhere would have caught it, and I try to be true to the things I write about even though it is fiction. I could have bought a book on magic tricks but since I write in the historical period I needed to know early tricks and the history of magic. I was lost. As you know magician’s don’t like to share their secrets, can you blame them? I was on twitter one day and reached out to an American magician/escape artist and explained about the book. He was happy to help me write the magic scenes as long as I never revealed how they were done. I got to know him well after emailing and Skypeing back and forth for a few months and was amazed at just how seriously he took his craft, from the breathing exercises and practises, to his whole routine before each show he does. It really opened my eyes to the complexity of what magician’s do. Eventually I finished writing the book and emailed it to him to read it and double check my magic scenes. Once he gave me the thumbs up off it went into The Great Romance Contest of 2013. From there it came in runner up and was contracted by Assent Publishing’s Breathless Books imprint. The book is to be released this February and will be my 15th title. I couldn’t have done it without my Twitter magician. Not only do I have a new appreciation for the magician’s craft and skill, but now I am a diehard fan. There is a whole lot more to magic than meets the eye!


--
Thank you Killarney for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

To learn more about "Love's Magic" visit http://www.assentpublishing.com/AuthorAnnouncements.aspx#KSheffield

Ty Reveen on CTV Morning Live

Watch Ty Reveen on CTV Morning Live 10 16 2013 on YouTube:

Toronto: Dan McLean Jr as "Trashy Claus"

From Facebook:

Friday December 20th

This Friday night is the Trash Palace's Christmas party, and they've asked me to be their "Trashy Claus": A drunken, grumpy Saint Nick.

I'll be just a small part of the evening's fesivities, singing an unsavoury version of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", and reading a few pages from "Santa's Diary" (more unsavouriness, from my 1992 essay).

Read more.

Keith Brown Fringing

Congratulations Keith!

Current cities I will be fringing in: Orlando, London, Winnipeg and Edmonton (BYOV)!!
— Keith Brown (@KeithHBrown) December 18, 2013

World-renowned Playing Card Expert Buys Largest Internet Playing Card Forum - Match Made in Heaven

For Immediate Release:

Toronto, Ontario. - December 17th, 2013 - In a surprise announcement, world-renowned playing card expert Tom Dawson stated that he has purchased "the Discourse at playingcardforum.com," the world's largest playing card Internet forum from previous owner and playing card designer, Alexander Yusupov.

The inspiration for selling The Discourse recalled twenty-two year old Alexander Yusupov, original founder of the forum "Tom and Judy Dawson are THE experts," Yusupov said. "It was time to pass the forum along to people that could take my work into unprecedented territory."

As the author, with Judy, his wife, of the definitive work "The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards," as well the current president of the 52 Plus Joker Club, the preeminent North American card collecting organization, Mr. Dawson has lots to offer the large and growing roster of playing card collectors online.

Don Boyer, administrator of the Discourse and 52 Plus Joker member, agrees.  "I knew that Alex Yusupov had for some time been considering a sale of the forum, but the right opportunity hadn't presented itself.  When Tom Dawson and Lee Asher approached me recently to discuss future plans for 52 Plus Joker, it seems like a natural fit to unite these two organizations in some way, creating a synergy between them that makes them greater together than they are individually.  I suggested the idea to both parties and this is the happy result."

The idea of hunting for vintage pasteboards has always intrigued Mr. Dawson since he began his obsession almost forty years ago. The kind of passion that drove him back then to seek out the beauty and history those decks of cards possess still leads him today to help other fellow collectors, no matter their age or experience. After updating the 52 Plus Joker's Constitution and Mission Statement to expand the membership to include more modern custom playing card collectors and designers, Mr. Dawson saw the purchase of a sizable forum with over ten thousand members worldwide as a rare opportunity, one he couldn't pass up.

"When the United States Playing Card Company needs their collection evaluated, they call Tom and Judy Dawson. Imagine the kind of rich history and fascinating information they are going to share with anyone interested," said 52 Plus Joker's Director of Publicity, Lee Asher.

Asher adds, "It looks like 2014 is going to be pretty spectacular for card enthusiasts. I can't remember a time when everyone was so excited about playing card culture!"

According to Discourse statistics, the forum's membership is already growing exponentially with a high rate of regular visitors and posters. With luck, and if Tom Dawson 'plays his cards right,' he will end up achieving his ultimate goal of inspiring a new generation of playing card aficionados.

Interested in collecting playing cards? You aren't alone! Membership in the Discourse is free of charge to the public. Visit Tom Dawson's Discourse now, and get started today.

http://playingcardforum.com

For more information, go to the official announcement by Tom at The Discourse.