Magic Preview #5 Hot off the presses!

From The Editor Welcome to the fifth installment of MAGIC Preview, offering a peek at what's coming in the March issue of MAGIC Magazine, as well as an item or two that came in after we went to press. If you're not a subscriber, I hope this will get you interested in giving us a try. Please check out our risk-free, one-month-at-a-time subscription plan at the bottom of this email. Of course, we still offer our annual subscriptions as well. If you are a subscriber, these MAGIC Previews give you an advance look at what's en route to your mailbox. And, of course, you'll still receive our exclusive MAGIC eUpdates with all the latest television news. Stan Allen P.S. Feel free to forward these monthly Previews to your friends. If you received this from a friend and would like to be added to the list, please send an email to preview@magicmagazine.com. ======================================================================== Sorcery Manufacturing - Releases NEW Spectra ITR - Now with Improved Spectra Thread! Recent Review from Linking Ring Magazine... Here is my review for The Spectra Reel by James George Those of you who love levitation's on a smaller scale are familiar with James George and his Invisible Thread Reels or ITR's at Sorcery Mfg. No one has been more aggressive and innovative with close up levitation's than Mr. George. I have been using his ITR's since the early 1990's. I can personally attest to Mr. George's honesty, diligence and customer attentiveness! I still use one of the first Boss Reels he ever made, for my close up work! Now I will use nothing except this new Spectra Reel! With his new Spectra Ultra Fine Thread, you can perform levitations right under the spectators' noses - it is THAT invisible! This thread is TWICE as invisible as the the thread found in the Boss reels and very, very strong! This new Ultra Fine thread and Spectra Reel are perfect for the Cabaret, Parlor, close-up or street magicians! The Spectra Reel opens up lengthwise so that is a snap to replace the thread or bands. Another terrific feature is that the tension of the thread can be adjusted in just a few seconds by merely twisting the end caps! Plus the reel is whisper quiet! These are NOT throw away reels! My reels are still in great shape after 15 years of use! "Street Magicians" will find this reel a welcome friend. James George will personally accommodate any questions or repairs needed! You can visit his website, http://MyITR.com, for products, refills, questions, forums and down-loadable repair and replacement videos! Many things change in magical performances, but there is one venue that will ALWAYS be welcome - mind-bending levitation's! The Spectra Reel comes with enough thread for dozens and dozens of performances! At only $59.97, you should run - not walk - to James George's website! Click Here to Purchase! Highest Recommendations! Paul A. Lelekis ========================================================================= Along The Way "Noel Britten has to be the funniest comedy magician since Tommy Cooper." Those are pretty strong words from a British reviewer, considering how revered the late Tommy Cooper still is in the UK. While Noel dismisses the praise ("They should get out more!"), author David Britland tells us exactly why that review and all the others are true. "Noel is very funny — funny enough to work without props, crossing the border between magician and comedian with ease." This success has been earned with lots of hard work and a search for perfection. Of course, there were a few shows along the way that were a little less than "perfect," and Noel good-naturedly shares them with us. For this Preview, we've excerpted just one: "I get on the ship late on a Thursday night, and I'm up and about on Friday morning. There's a cinema on the ship, so I go to see a film. I get back to the cabin, do a bit of writing, watch a DVD, have a snooze. At 8:40 p.m., I start thinking I should get ready for the show. The show is at 9:30. Plenty of time for a shower and to get the props ready. Fifty minutes is plenty of time. This is what is running through my mind when there is a hefty knock at the door. It's the cruise director. She asks if anyone told me that the clocks went forward an hour at midday! The audience has been waiting upstairs for me for the last ten minutes! "I gather what props I can — most are strewn all around the cabin. I chuck some stuff in my bag. I run up five decks. I'm out of breath and not in the zone at all. I don't have my opening two gags ready and they are my security blankets. I'm thinking about what I put in the bag. "I start with an Invisible Deck routine, which has someone throwing the invisible deck into the bag as I tell them that if they get it in the bag they win a big prize. They throw and, as I follow the imaginary flight of the invisible deck, I think, I don't remember putting the cards in the bag. Sure enough, the deck isn't there. All I can say is, 'Well done, you got it in,' and start a completely different routine. It made no sense at all. All that build-up with nothing at the end. "The audience hates me. And this is my first spot of three. My theory of making the audience like you on the first show is right out the window.... Other feature stories in this issue: • How three North American magicians convinced Tenyo to let them re-create the Japanese company's classic tricks in upscale, non-plastic editions. • An interview with the writer/director of The Great Buck Howard, a new movie based on his experiences working with Kreskin. • The tale of how Harbin's Zig-Zag Girl came to America -- but shouldn't have. • A German magic show with an all-star international cast blending their acts from one to the next -- without a single word. • Our annual Convention Guide, previewing magic events for 2009 and onward. ======================================================================= DVD SET Special! VIDEO CLIPS View Clip View Clip View Clip View Clip DESCRIPTION PK Ring Effects Set (4 DVDs) by Randi Rain This is a great 4 volume set of PK effects from underground performer Randi Rain. Jigger not! - Is fantastic chop cup routine that is great for Table hopping and bar magic. Flying Matches – this effect is very strong and would play well extremely with bizarre magic performers! Bill Shift – A very visual, easy and clean bill switch. Everything can be examined. Repeal – one of the most visual cap and bottles routines on the market and it’s done with a FLAT CAP! Bottle and cap can be fully examined!! Total running time Approximately 56min Now Only $40.00 for the Entire Set! Click Here to Purchase. They are only $15.00 if you buy them Individually! Just mention the special when you check out and you will only be Billed $40.00 if you put all four DVD's in your cart. ================================================================================ A Return for a Farewell It was almost a year ago that Siegfried and Roy promised to return to the stage in February 2009 as part of the annual fundraiser for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute. That promise will be fulfilled on February 28 at the Keep Memory Alive: Power of Love gala at the Bellagio hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The performance will be filmed by ABC television and broadcast as "The Return of Siegfried & Roy," a special edition of the network's hour-long 20/20 news magazine show. Airing on March 6 [10 p.m. ET], the show will feature the magic duo's performance, as well as a segment on the Ruvo Institute in Nevada, a center dedicated to the study of debilitating neurological diseases. Siegfried and Roy say their participation in the fundraiser will be both a return to the stage and their farewell performance, the final time they will present their signature illusions. "We never got to say a proper goodbye," Roy said. "This will be our final bow and it will never be repeated." Other news items in this issue: Ed Alonzo Tours with Britney Spears Twenty Magicians Work the Inauguration Folies Bergere Takes Final Bow A Moment with... Tony Curtis How the Castle Took Back the Kitchen A Farewell to Marconick And more! Ali Bongo Suffers Stroke Ali Bongo, the 79-year-old president of The Magic Circle, suffered a stroke while about to present a lecture in Paris during the last week of January. Circle vice-president Jack Delvin reports that Ali was feeling "anxious" while preparing in his hotel room. After arriving at the venue, Ali was waiting backstage, just about to go on, when he fainted and hit his head. He was rushed to a Paris hospital in a fire engine. He was given medication for an erratic heartbeat, and advised that he should be put on a pacemaker. Ali refused to have that operation without first returning home to the UK. He felt well at the time, but the next night in the hospital suffered a stroke from a blood clot in his brain. The stroke left Bongo's right side paralyzed and caused some problems with his speech. Scans showed the clot gradually responding well to treatment, and Ali now seems to be recovering well. His niece, Allison, traveled to Paris to be with him, and he was able to communicate with several magicians and other friends via Allison's cell phone. Ali was airlifted to a hospital in London, where his condition has stabilized and he continues to recover. While visiting hours are limited, his neighbor brings Ali his mail and reads to him each day. =========================================================================== The Wizard Wand, Great for Beginners and Kids! VIDEO CLIPS View Clip DESCRIPTION Wizard Wand by I-Magic Effect High-quality plastic, wooden-styled wand that illuminates a colored led at the front tip while playing a mystical chime as you perform your tricks. Perfect for use with any theme - princesses or wizards and warlords or any Magician's routine. Dimensions Approximately 14" Long x 1" (Tapered to 1/2") (35.56cm x 2.54cm) Simply Pay Pal $12.97 to Sorcerymfg@aol.com and it will be on its way immediately! Just mention Wizard Wand Special upon Checkout. ========================================================================== From the Marketplace Our lead item this month is Gambling Protection Series, Steve Forte's legendary video series now on DVD. Here's an abridged version of Brad Henderson's review: Ever see something so good it makes you kind of sad? That was my experience with Steve Forte's Gambling Protection Series. I'm not sure what possessed me to buy these videos when they were released on VHS back in the '80s. I knew nothing about Forte or his product. But I will never forget the moment I popped in that first tape. A veil was lifted. So this is what those moves I'd been practicing were supposed to look like! I didn't talk about the videos much. In fact, I made a point of not telling friends about them. I knew I'd seen the real work -- important work that, despite its commercial release, needed to be guarded. I still feel the same way, sort of. I realize now that it is important to preserve information. I realize that Forte is truly a one-of-a-kind expert. And I am happy that Forte (with the help of Jason England) has decided to re-release this important information on a three-DVD set. The first two DVDs contain the complete original Gambling Protection Series. Most everyone who bought the tapes should reinvest in the DVDs, if only to have the material in an indexed, digital format. New to the series is the third volume. Here, one finds a full-length television show depicting some of the moves from the previous tapes, executed in seemingly real-life situations, as well as a personal tour of Forte's amazing museum of gambling apparatus and equipment. While the production value on the television program is definitely dated, it is both entertaining and informative to watch. The museum tour is something many would give their right hand to see in person, so a video tour of this wonderful repository is a treat. The audio quality could have been better, but this isn't a Discovery Channel affair, it's a private individual giving the outside world a peek into his home and his passion. Also included is the full performance of Forte's appearance on Hidden Secrets of Magic, and 52 -- that's right, 52 -- never-before-recorded moves. Many will find this chapter alone worth the price of admission. "Covet" best describes the sensation I had when watching this chapter. There are a couple of moves shown here that I would dedicate my life to perfecting. And while these moves are not taught, dedicated students will still learn a great deal from watching them. If you are a card worker, you will want this series. If you have an interest in gambling, gambling history, or card-table artifice, you will want this series. If you are a collector of historically important documents showcasing exceptional skill and uniquely talented people, you will want this series. If you would like to see what the epitome of natural sleight of hand performed to perfection looks like, you will want this series. C'mon, it's Steve Freakin' Forte! If you are interested in purchasing this set, please send us an e-mail at Sorcerymfg@aol.com We will also most likely have this available from our other site Http://ITRMagicTricks.com very soon! Other items reviewed this month: MagicBase Pro by Bob Miller Sprung & Dagger by Ryan Schlutz The Plot Thickens by Oliver Meech Illusion Through Expectation by Alex Moffat Branded by Tim Trono Slate of Mind Revisted by Dean Tellefson Spontaneous Combustion DVD by Jay Sankey Scarne on Card Tricks Card Mastery by Michael MacDougall The Scoundrels Touch by School for Scoundrels Bullseye by Brent Braun The Gecko by Jim Rosenbaum Blackstone, The Magic Detective Smoke and Mirrors by Rick Marcelli with Chris Clobber Rat's Riddle by John Kaplan Exodus by Cosmo Solano Subscribe! You can now choose to receive MAGIC risk-free with our new "Monthly Subscription" for only $5 each month. Of course, you can still subscribe for the entire year, as well. Click here for complete subscription details. Click here to see the entire list of what's coming in the March issue of MAGIC Magazine. Click here to purchase this issue.