Montreal Magic Jam hosts Jared Kopf virtual lecture [Feb 25]

From the Montreal Magic Jam:

Friday Feb 25th

Jared Kopf performs magic and interprets symbols all over the world. Sometimes, he and a company of
wizards create practical effects for plays, films, and TV shows such as “The Eye Ball,” A Ghost Story, and National Geographic’s Breakthrough. Other times, he pretends to be someone else on a stage or in a movie. Once, in Changchun, he found the philosopher’s stone and turned lead into gold. Occasionally, he reads the tarot for free outside a café on Greenville Avenue, just down the street from his home in Dallas, Texas where he lives with the sorceress Elayna Mitchell and their son Martin, who draws people’s dreams in a notebook.

Read more and buy tickets.

 

Dean Gunnarson on the The Weekend Morning Show (Manitoba) with Nadia Kidwai

Listen to the February 12th episode "International Brotherhood of Magicians celebrating 100th anniversary!" 

Remembering Ivan Reitman

Updated February 19th to add:

• a link to the February 18th article "THE SCOOP | The Royal Alexandra Theatre To Dim Lights In Honour Ivan Reitman" by Michael Vincent in Ludwig Van Toronto.
  
• a link to the February 16th post "Jim Steinmeyer Reflects on Ivan Reitman and 'Merlin'" by Neil McNally in The Doug Henning Project.
  

 

Updated February 16th to add: 

• a link to the February 15th article "The king of ‘slobs vs. snobs’: Ivan Reitman reinvented a Hollywood genre, then did it again" by Jaime Weinman in The Hamilton Spectator.
• a link to the February 15th post "Brian Lumley Reflects on Ivan Reitman" by Neil McNally in The Doug Henning Project.
  

 

Updated February 15th:

• at 1:45pm to add Peter Mennie's Facebook post from February 14th.
  
• at 8am to add a link to Neil McNally's post February 14th post "Ivan Reitman (1946-2022)" at The Doug Henning Project.
  

 

Ivan Reitman passed away on Saturday, February 12, 2022.  

You may know that the Toronto-raised filmmaker directed blockbusters such as Ghostbusters and Meatballs.  

We were reminded by Peter Mennie that Ivan was friends with Doug Henning.  From Neil McNally at The Doug Henning Project: "It was said that Ivan fronted him (Doug) the money to purchase the props to create his stage show which became known as Spellbound."

Ivan went on to produce and direct Spellbound at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre.  (Neil has uploaded an image of the Spellbound pamphlet.)  In addition Ivan co-produced Doug's The Magic Show on Broadway.

Our sincere condolences to Ivan's family and friends.

From the February 14th Facebook post by Peter Mennie:

Read more about Ivan:

• "THE SCOOP | The Royal Alexandra Theatre To Dim Lights In Honour Ivan Reitman" by Michael Vincent in Ludwig Van Toronto.
  
• "Jim Steinmeyer Reflects on Ivan Reitman and 'Merlin'" by Neil McNally in The Doug Henning Project.
• "Brian Lumley Reflects on Ivan Reitman" by Neil McNally in The Doug Henning Project.
  
• "The king of ‘slobs vs. snobs’: Ivan Reitman reinvented a Hollywood genre, then did it again" by Jaime Weinman in The Hamilton Spectator.
• "Ivan Reitman (1946-2022)" by Neil McNally at The Doug Henning Project.
  
• "Ivan Reitman, acclaimed Canadian producer and director of Ghostbusters, dead at 75" at the CBC.
• "Ivan Reitman just might be the most influential Canadian filmmaker of all time" by Barry Hertz at The Globe and Mail.
• "Director Ivan Reitman remembered as comedy heavyweight, champion of Canadian film" at CityNews.
  

 

 

Ring 17 hosts Magic Christian virtual lecture [Feb 17]

Thursday, February 17, 2022

 

From IBM Ring 17:

In February, we will be joined live from Austria by performer and author Magic Christian. Magic Christian has won numerous awards, including a Performers Fellowship from the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. He recently completed two mammoth tomes about the life and magic of the legendary Viennese conjurer Hofzinser.  

Read more.

 

 

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A post shared by Hat & Rabbit Club, Toronto (@hatandrabbitclub)

 

Marty Chan in the Edmonton Journal

From the February 4th article "Edmonton authors Natasha Deen and Marty Chan dominate the young-readers realm" by Justin Bell in the Edmonton Journal:

Now, the acclaimed author is shepherding his three newest publications to release. Chan’s first new book, Kylie the Magnificent, about a girl who wants to be a magician but is pigeonholed into being a magician’s assistant, came out last December. It’s for kids 9-12.

Willpower, about a girl with powers hiding from authorities and also for kids 9-12, comes out this month. Final Cut, the story of a boy and a video project gone wrong, comes out in August. It’s for readers over the age of 12. All three are from Orca Book Publishers.

Small age differences can make a big difference in language, tone and subject matter for young readers. But when it comes down to it, it’s all about story and character.

“The thought process is the same. It always comes down to story and character,” says Chan. “I still have to come up with a believable and strong character. The second thing I think about is what are the stories? What are the characters that are relevant for that particular age? When kids are reading, they tend to read up in terms of age and issues they are facing.”

Read more.