Review: David Acer, John Carney, Michel Huot and Rafael DiCaprio at the Comedy Nest.

From Perfect Magic:

As I wrote on the Perfect Magic Facebook, too bad for you if you didn’t go to the Comedy Nest in Montreal last Sunday night. For us, Phil and I, it was like old home week and brought back warm and pleasant memories of Magie Montréal. We had tried to phone Mephisto, aka Wym Vermeys, who was our partner in that venture but couldn’t reach him. He called the day after the show and said he was in Florida. He was heartbroken that he missed it.

David was terrific as the MC. He did many funny bits, which I know all who were there will use, magicians or not! He didn’t do any magic but some good comic mind reading stuff.

Read more.

Winnipeg: A Family Day of Magic

From the Magic Club of Winnipeg's Facebook page:

The Magic Club of Winnipeg presents, "A Family Day of Magic".
Sunday, April 27, 2014 

Two shows in support of M.T.Y.P. ( Manitoba Theatre For Young People

Read more.

Magically benevolent Canadians

In this month's issue of the Linking Ring (Vol 94, #2, February 2014, pages 30-34), five Canadians were featured in the article "Still Giving:  The Benevolence of Magic Continues, part 3."  They are:

• Marien Hopman and "Busking for Hunger"
• Mike D'Urzo fundraising for "Dental Volunteers for Israel" and volunteering at functions for children with developmental challenges
• Magic Mike Segal for benevolence born out of Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Camp

and last but not least

• Matt DiSero and David Peck in their effort to reduce the incidence of malaria via "Mosquitos Suck"

If you recall, Canada also had an entry in the article that started it all in The Linking Ring (v92, #12), Dennis Schick wrote "The Benevolence of Magic" (page 56) which had a lovely mention of Magicana for it's My Magic Hands, Senior Sorcery and Tony Eng Youth Fund initiatives.

Broken wand: W. Doug Hobbs

From The Star:

DOUG HOBBS Peacefully with his family by his side at the Hamilton General Hospital on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at the age of 68 years. Loving husband and best friend of Nannette (Bambi) for 47 years. Devoted father of Shari and her husband Ben Diamond of Winnipeg and Tammi and Tim Tyler of St. Catharines. He will be greatly missed by his grandchildren Laurie, Jessica, Megan, Ethan and Madison. He is survived by his sister Ginny Huebsch. He is predeceased by his daughter Laurie (1976). Doug was a broadcaster/sport director for many years for CKTB Radio, the voice of the Baby Blue Jays, Official Scorekeeper for the Toronto Blue Jays for many years, a lifetime member for the Order of Magicians, as well as an avid swimmer and a collector and lover of music.

Read more.

[via The Linking Ring, Vol 94, #2, February 2014]

Toronto: Brant Matthews lecture

From the Browser's Den:

SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2014

Though BRANT MATTHEWS has been a customer of Browser’s Den for over twenty years he has spent much of that time traveling the world with his special brand of street performing (Fire, Juggling, Magic, Comedy).

He has seen all the right and wrong approaches to street performing and busking.  It was Brant’s idea to give this lecture. He truly wants to give back to the community some of what he has learned the hard way…through trail and error.

Read more.

FCM Video Q&A with Gwyn Auger

Go over to Full Circle Magic to watch Gwyn Auger's live video Q&A!

Broken wand: Jack Bateman

I'll post more details as they become available to me.

From the IBM Ring 17 Facebook page:

I am sorry to report the passing of an old ring 17 member. Mr. Jack Bateman, also known as the Wacky Wizard, passed away last Monday evening at Scarborough General Hospital. A good friend, a great mentor, and always inventing new ways to display his magic. R.I.P. Jack. You will be missed

Toronto: Playing Card Collectors Meeting

From the Browser's Den:

Sunday March 2nd, 2014

Calling all playing card collectors within a 200 kilometer radius of Toronto and the GTA!

With the help of 52 Plus Joker (North American Playing Card Collector's Club), the Browser's Den proudly offers you the opportunity to spend an entire afternoon with World renowned Playing Card Experts and authors of the Hochman Encyclopedia of Playing Cards - Mr. Tom & Judy Dawson.

Read more.

Brian Michaels remembered in the Hamilton Spectator

From The Spec:

Brian Moynagh crammed more life into 39 years than most do in a lifetime, his wife says.

While the Burlington magician was known internationally for his seamless tricks, he was awe-inspiring off stage, too, as he persevered against his cystic fibrosis.

Moynagh — who went by the stage name Brian Michaels — died Feb. 7.

Aware from the start of his CF diagnosis, Carrie Lamers says she and her husband lived life together "with eyes wide open but a healthy dose of denial — We knew what we were getting into, but we never dwelled on it at all."

Even after receiving a double-lung transplant in 2006, he was back on stage in two months.

Read more.

[via Ring 17]

Joan Caesar and Jay Sankey at Blackpool 2014

Joan Caesar and Obie O'Brien will be hosting the "The Four F's Stars of Close Up Magic."

Jay Sankey will be lecturing and performing at Blackpool 2014, February 21st to 23rd!  For more information, visit the Blackpool Magicians' Club website.

WowFest news round-up!

Watch Ryan Pilling talk about WowFest on BT Calgary.

Ryan Pilling and Gwyn Auger interviewed by Swerve magazine.

http://t.co/k1EADluCxm Time to get your tickets for the first and possibly ONLY Garden Variety Show of 2014! #calgary #letsgetmagic
— James Jordan (@GVS_varietyshow) February 13, 2014

Review: Lee Asher's Catch 33

From Wayne Kawamoto:

Classic Monte with a Killer Ending

Lee Asher offers this amazing take on classic three-card monte that's taught via a downloadable pdf file that you can view on your computer or mobile device. Asher not only teaches the basics of the monte, he offers a stunning switch at the routine's end that may very well surpass the classic "bent corner" ploy. It's an entertaining routine at a great price.

Read more.

Toronto: Magic at the Winchester has moved

From Reality Based Magic:

I very much regret to report that due to circumstances beyond our control, The Winchester Stage and Bar is no longer available for our performances on Sunday evenings.

Fortunately, our Tuesday night venue, The Cage 292, has taken us in. Going forward we will continue to offer our shows ever Sunday night at The Crimson Lounge, located inside The Cage 292 (292 College Street @ Spadina). We will continue to honour all tickets and reservations from Magic at the Winchester at the new location.

Read more.

David Blaine a Ford fan

News reports about David Blaine's meeting with Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford:

From The Star:

Meanwhile, well over a dozen journalists, plus TV cameras and photographers, were camped outside Mayor Rob Ford’s office waiting for famed magician David Blaine to appear.

Blaine had apparently phoned Doug Ford Thursday night to see if he could pop over to city hall and meet Toronto’s notorious mayor.

Read more.

From Global Toronto:

The magician entered and exited the mayor’s office through the back door and was kept out of the gaze of Toronto’s media.

The impromptu meeting was apparently set up late Thursday night when Doug Ford said he received a call from the magician.

“He said ‘I’m a big fan of your brother, and I’d love to come by and do a few tricks,’” Ford claimed.

Read more.

From Sun News:

Mayor Rob Ford got a magical visit from David Blaine on Friday.

Blaine — clearly a master magician — managed to enter and leave the mayor’s office through the back door, avoiding media gathered out front.

“David Blaine was amazing,” Ford said after the private show for a collection of mayor’s office staffers, councillors and the city’s top bureaucrats. Ford’s staff did show off a bent quarter and a playing card — the five of hearts — as evidence of Blaine’s appearance.

Read more.

Celebrity divas react to Ryan Joyce

Full tution scholarship to Sorcerers Safari Magic and Peformance Camp

From the Society of American Magicians:

In addition, the Magic Endowment Fund Is Providing Scholarships to ... [snip] ... the Sorcerers Summer Safari located near Toronto in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada for the week of August 15 to August 20, 2014. The Magic Endowment Fund Is Proud to Offer the Scholarships Which It Has Done for the Past 21 years. Involvement in the magical arts not only makes a crucial difference in the lives of youngsters during their formative years, it has been proven to develop character and good traits and combat juvenile delinquency.

Read more and apply.

David Acer in the Montreal Gazette

David Acer, John Carney, Michel Huot and Rafael DiCaprio will perform Sunday, Feb. 16 at the Comedy Nest.


From the Montreal Gazette:

MONTREAL — In keeping with the spirit of Sochi, David Acer, ace close-up magician/standup comic, is demonstrating his Olympic card trick. It entails no skates or snowboards or moguls. It does entail, however, mittens as well as a deck of cards.

“It’s a sleight-of-mitten trick,” says Acer, co-owner of the Comedy Nest, where this demonstration is taking place. “Just to make sure I can’t do any digital trickery.” Phew. No worries about impromptu prostate exams, let alone much card trickery — not with those clunky mitts

Read more and watch video.

Michael James on APTN tonight

From Michael J Magic:

@TheCandyShow New episode featuring #Halifax #Magician @MichaelJMagic airing tonight on APTN 10pm EST/ 11pm AST @canadasmagic

— Michael James (@MichaelJMagic) February 12, 2014

Richard Forget on the cover of Vanish

Richard Forget is featured in the current issue (12) of Vanish International Magic Magazine.  You can read it as a live eMagazine here (requires Flash).

Grateful for our February sponsors

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