Winner of Cheap Tricks 2

Earlier this month, The Sentimentalists hosted a contest for inexpensive impromptu magic: Cheap Tricks 2.


One of the participants, James Alan, had this to say on his June 12th post on his blog:

I appeared alongside John Roldan, Jim Byrnes, Beyond Mental Borders, Jonah Babins, Harry Zimmerman, Jacqueline Swann and Shamus MacGregor. The contest was judged by Steffi Kay of the Sentimentalists, Ben Train, Rayn, and the previous champion Chris Westfall. (I was a judge on the first contest in 2017, but agreed to give up my spot to Chris.)

My set of constrains was that I had 3 hours to build an act using a budget of $5 with only material procured at a the nearby A&W. I also had to present in the theme of a XXX-rated Adult Film…. magic for grownups indeed. I’m so glad I forgot to invite my mother to watch. I’m more glad that magic elder statesman Mark Lewis was in the audience to witness me debasing the art of magic.

You can watch the winning NSFW performance on James Alan's YouTube channel.

Congratulations James!

Memdeck - The Next Step Webinar with Michael Close

From Michael Close:

Sunday, June 23, 2019
10:00 am (EDT)  &  4:00 pm (EDT)

Memdeck - The Next Step Webinar
You’ve put in the hours, memorized a stack, and can now perform a few basic effects with it. What’s the next step? What skills do you need to acquire on the road to memdeck mastery? You’ll find out in our new webinar, “Memdeck, the Next Step.” You can ask questions during the live broadcast of the webinar; if you can’t join live, you’ll have unlimited access to the replay. The webinar will run about ninety minutes.

We’ll discuss:

• A review of basic memdeck skills
• A review of basic memdeck effects
• The challenges of “the next step”
• Estimation
• Culling
• False shuffles
• Thinking on your feet
• Other useful tools
• Explanations of many useful effects

The information in this webinar is “stack independent” – it will apply regardless of which stack you have learned.

This webinar is geared to those who have memorized a stack and have some confidence with it. It is not geared to memdeck neophytes. (If you have not yet memorized a stack, you should wait for another presentation of our “Demystifying the Memorized Deck” webinar.

Read more.

Toronto: Jeff Hinchliffe's Memorized Deck workshop

From the Browser's Den of Magic Newsletter:

Young Jeff here with a special announcement for the card guys...I am doing my second Memorized Deck workshop.

The date will be SATURDAY JULY 13th, and the workshop/lecture will run from 6:30pm-10:30pm. That's FOUR HOURS of memorized deck magic! The cost is $40 and will be limited to twenty participants. To sign-up you can either call the shop (416-783-7022) or e-mail me directly at jhinchliffe13 AT gmail DOT com

I will be covering a wide range of information about memorized decks, including breaking down the differences between different stacks, stack-dependent and stack-independent material, and how to maintain your memorized deck when performing non-memorized deck magic.


Read more.

St. Thomas: Magic and Brews

From Eventbrite:

This is the grand opening event will be sure to tickle your tastebuds and blow your mind! World-renowned master magician Bill Abbott, (and former St.Thomas resident) is taking a detour from his current U.S. tour to jump the border on July 5th to bring the MAGIC to Caps Off!

Your ticket includes exclusive access to this event that starts at 7pm where you can purchase freshly brewed beer and enjoy complimentary charcuterie boards of meats & cheese PLUS up close and personal magic that happens in your own hands and mind!

Then sit down at 7:45 pm and experience the show that's filled with laughter, surprise, charm and wonder! Witness the incredible and hilarious magic show that has entertained and amazed audiences around the world! Bill Abbott will demonstrate mind blowing sleight of hand, jaw dropping illusion and laugh out loud comedy that will leave you thoroughly entertained. Then hang after while we serve up one more brew for the road and maybe grab a growler to go!

Read more and buy tickets.

From Bill Abbott's Twitter feed:

Come celebrate the brewery these two started! Sunday July 7 at 7pm in St. Thomas ON. I’ve got killer tricks, jokes and unexplainable mysteries to share! #billabbottlive #ginjaninja @capsoffbrewing

Get your tix here https://t.co/mYjWPt1zFF pic.twitter.com/SGNAqxWsrs

— Bill Abbott (@billabbottlive) June 14, 2019

Catching up with Luc Langevin

Catch Luc Langevin in Montreal and Quebec City in November and December respectively.  Or watch him record the show "The Children of the TV."  Or watch the show once it airs!  Or watch the Geminis and see if he takes his category "Best Variety Special."

Congratulations Luc!


From the June 12 article "Luc Langevin de retour au Québec" in La Press:

L'illusionniste présentera ainsi son spectacle Maintenant demain sur plusieurs scènes québécoises dans les prochains mois.

Il sera notamment à la salle Maisonneuve de la Place des Arts le 9 novembre et à la salle Albert-Rousseau de Québec les 22 et 23 décembre.

Read more.

From Luc Langevin's Twitter feed:

Amis québécois, je ferai partie des invités de l'émission "Les enfants de la télé" à @iciradiocanada lors du tournage du mardi 18 juin de 18h à 22h et il encore possible d'y assister gratuitement. Les personnes intéressées doivent réserver ici -> https://t.co/fc3UbplTtd pic.twitter.com/eHze1IhBwp

— Luc Langevin (@LucLangevin) June 13, 2019

Belle surprise pendant mes vacances : Je viens d’apprendre que je suis en nomination aux Gémeaux comme meilleur animateur de spécial de variété! Cheers 🥂! pic.twitter.com/hJlMaC63xG

— Luc Langevin (@LucLangevin) June 13, 2019