Magic News
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Magic News – 2nd June 2009
The well-known Turkish magician and screenwriter Kubilay “QB” Tunçer has been given the Merlin Award, one of the world’s most prestigious honors for magicians.
The International Magicians Society, which has more than 36,000 members around the world, chose Tunçer as the best stage and cabaret magician of this year in recognition of his contributions to the art of magic, his innovative style of combining theatre and magic, and his support for young magicians.
Tunçer is the first Turk to receive the award, which was previously given to David Copperfield, Criss Angel, Jeff McBride and Penn & Teller.
IMS President Tony Hassini will present the 2009 Merlin Award to Tunçer at a ceremony in Istanbul on June 12.
Tuncer is the first Turkish magician to perform on stage in Las Vegas.
He has performed more than 1,000 shows around the world and has brought Turkish audiences the world’s most important magicians on his TV program. He was also the guest of more than 100 television programs in the world.
The talented boy magician from Britain’s Got Talent that we mentioned a few weeks ago has vowed to keep his magic cloak on, despite leaving the competition.
Thomas Herron, who is just five years old, has said he will continue to wave his magic wand despite the knock back to his future career.
The magical apprentice amazed everyone when he took to the stage and performed magic tricks to nearly 10 million people to take part in ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.
The budding magician stunned judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan when he hopped onto the stage in January to try to win the chance to perform for Her Majesty the Queen at the Royal Variety Show.
However Thomas then made a disappearing act himself, as he was told he would not get into the live semi-finals.
Magic Night at Madam Jojo’s does Sharp Edges on Friday 5th June with juggling knives, skateboards, guillotines and some razor blades chucked in just for good measure. AJ the escapologist will be endangering life, limb and the front row by juggling knives on a moving skateboard whilst the dark mistress of magic, Careena Fenton, is a Happy Chopper with her guillotine. Nick Mohammed will be playing some funny tricks with his invisible and hilarious orchestra and those well mannered anarchists, Barry and Stuart, swallow razor blades, insert needles and play with the audience’s minds. If you’re squeamish, look away now!
Franco will be on his squeeze box and all this will be expertly compered by Neil Henry who will be playing a big trick on the audience called: ‘You read it here first’. Come along to one of London’s most dynamic and exciting entertainment haunts, Madame JoJo’s, and see why this night continues to be one of the best contemporary cabaret nights on the circuit – with incredible and cutting edge magic acts and some of the best cabaret in town.” Tickets £10/£7 concessions. Tickets can also be purchased via ticketweb.co.uk or via the box office on 08700 600 100. Doors open at 7pm / showtime 7.45pm – 10pm. For more info check out magicnight.co.uk.
Maverick showman Philip Escoffey will challenge what you believe to be true – live at The Bloomsbury Theatre in London on Saturday 6th June.
What interests Philip is not whether people can read minds or not (as luck would have it, it seems he can!), nor even how they do it, but what the rational – perhaps even cynical – mind does in the face of an irrefutable demonstration… and why some minds don’t even seem to need that!
His show, entitled Six Impossible Things Before Dinner makes the audience challenge one huge thing: what they fundamentally believe is possible. Don’t miss this opportunity to let mind reading’s enfant terrible change your life. Tickets: £16.50, concessions £15.00.
Magic News – 26th May 2009
It’s finally been confirmed that King of Pop Michael Jackson has officially hired a magician for his upcoming O2 Arena shows. However, it turns out that it is neither Criss Angel or David Copperfield. The magi in question is Ed Alonzo, an illusionist who previously worked with Britney Spears on her shows.Alonzo confirmed, saying: “I met with Michael Jackson a couple of days ago and am now officially creating magic and illusions for his concert,”.
“I will not be performing in the show as I do with Britney. I’m just creating the magic that Michael has requested in his vision…[He] has a great knowledge of magic and has performed illusions in his shows before.”
Apparently, Jackson so far has two routines in mind which will use magical elements. Alonzo will be demonstrating the effects to the Thriller star later this week. Alonzo will then rehearse with the star and integrate the magic into the show. Alonzo, who has previously appeared in Saved By The Bell and America’s Next Top Model, will head to London with Britney Spears’s ‘Circus’ show next month before the Michael Jackson residency begins.
A new book has revealed that late Beatles member John Lennon was nearly involved in a fight with 6ft 4in magician Tommy Cooper, after he made an insulting remark about Tommy’s wife Gwen. The incident is reported to have happened at a VIP event hosted by Beatles manager Brian Epstein in August 1964, where guests included Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Judy Garland and Dusty Springfield. The alleged incident came to light in the memoirs of Frank Allen, frontman with Sixties band The Searchers.
In an interview with a London newspaper Allen said “There was almost a fracas when Tommy Cooper perceived that John Lennon, always the caustic wit and never one to consider someone’s feelings before throwing a sarcastic line their way, had been offensive to his wife. The comedian rose and confronted the rock star. Cooper was an awesome size, a tall, bulky man with the face of a boxer and the looks that suggested that in a fight he was unlikely to emerge the loser.
Allen continued: “Luckily for Lennon, who was known to have played the hard man, usually when he knew he was dealing with a weaker opponent, an aide quickly intervened,” he said.
Irish illusionist and magician Keith Barry was the toast of the rugby set after his prediction about the results, made on radio last week came true.
He predicted that Leinster would beat Leicester by a margin of three points to lift the Heineken Cup which they duly did.
Bookmakers Paddy Power lost over €500,000 thanks to the Leinster triumph. And almost half of this, some €225,000, was paid out on bets of a three-point win.
But despite his confident prediction coming to pass, Barry admitted to feeling a little bit of pressure as the seconds ticked away at Murrayfield on Saturday. He told journalists: “I was screaming at the TV for Leinster not to score another try at the end,” he said.
Barry continued: “It’s great. It’s the first time I’ve ever made an open prediction like that which came true, I decided it was about time I put my money where my mouth is. Nobody thought they’d win by exactly three points, that’s why the odds were 19/1.”
He was inundated with calls yesterday as grateful friends thanked him for lining their pockets courtesy of the bookies.
And finally… Not many authors would get a round of applause for describing a new apple sorbet.
But this is precisely what happened when celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal described his latest work in progress to a Hay Festival audience in Powys, Wales.
The dessert is being developed with the help of resident magician at the Fat Duck restaurant, John Van Der Put and includes pouring whisky on top, exploding glitter and setting it on fire, without melting the sorbet, said the chef.
The chef is fascinated by the way in which the senses work and it is hoped that the presentation of the dessert will work like a magic trick, Blumenthal told the audience at the literary festival.
Magic News – 19th May 2009
Six days, five magic clubs and 106 miles after starting The Magic Trek that we featured a couple of weeks ago came to an end, as Sean Lobban and his team arrived at The Magic Circle Headquarters on Sunday 10th May. They were met there by friends, families and Acting President Jack Delvin, and Magic Circle Council member Rob Cox.
At the end of each day they were met by members of each town’s magic club and even received donations from some of them.
They created a stir on some of Hampshire and Berkshire’s busiest roads, with traffic slowing down to look at Rod in his straitjacket, Laurie juggling whilst blindfolded and then the seven foot rabbit!! Fortunately, no accidents were caused. The Magic Trek was held together by its support team of David Luckett, Rob Driscoll and Sharon Lobban who provided refreshments, repairs and recovery for any broken down walkers. A video of the walk can be seen on YouTube.com. The best thing is that we achieved our target of £5,000 for The Anthony Nolan Trust. Of course donations are still welcome online at AnthonyNolanEvents.org.uk/MagicTrek.
Following on from our story about Piers Morgan and his complaint about the lack of good magicians on Britain’s Got Talent, a five year old boy has stepped into the breach and wowed the judges. Thomas Herron from East Grinstead managed to leave Simon Cowell speechless with his magic effects on the Saturday night ITV show.
The talented magician travelled to the January auditions in London with his parents for the chance to perform for Her Majesty the Queen at the Royal Variety Show. On Saturday around 10million people watched the recorded show as Thomas was put through to the next round of the competition by judges Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden.
Proud mum Diane said that the young wizard has been performing magic since he was just three-years-old after seeing a magic show in a nearby town.
Best of all, when asked how he pulled off the effects that had amazed the judges, he simply said ‘Magic’. The judges asked if he would actually like to meet the Queen if he wins the competition, to which he said ‘No’.
Thomas has already performed in the next round of the competition but audiences will have to wait for the next episode of the talent show to find out if the five-year-old cast his spell over the judges for a second time.
Congratulations to Pete Wardell who won The Magic Circle Close-Up Magician of the Year this week. The former street performer presented his take on the classic Cups and Balls routine and amazed judges with a combination of powerful magic and nonchalant charm. John van dur Put of StandNotAmazed was placed second, with an excellent performance featuring some first class original magic. Paul Brown came third. Paul’s act featured the four elements Air, Water, Fire and Earth in a cleverly woven piece that resulted in him being awarded the Ali Bongo Originality Prize as well. Congratulations to all the winners.
The Magic News – 12th May 2009
Michael Jackson has dropped David Copperfield from his residency at London’s O2 arena because the illusionist was too expensive. The singer has now reportedly hired US magician Criss Angel to join his creative team after falling out with Copperfield, who had apparently demanded a staggering $1 million per show. A source told a London newspaper: “Michael wants to use lots of illusions to ensure his shows are as explosive and entertaining as possible. He was so excited about working with David but fell out with him over the money he wanted.”
PIERS Morgan has been complaining about the quality of the magicians on hit show Britain’s Got Talent.
The talent judge wants a top level illusionist to amaze him on the show. Before the auditions for the show, he was quoted as saying: “I’ve seen some great magic acts and we’re all aware of people like David Blaine and David Copperfield, and we’ve seen nothing like that on Britain’s Got Talent in three years.
“I don’t know where they are, or whether they’re scared because we have a sort of anti-magician feel to the show.”
He said the programme has no shortage of great singers, dancers and musicians, but lacks good magicians, jugglers and fire-eaters.
“All those acts you expect to see on an old-fashioned variety show we’ve not seen a lot of at a high level,” he added.
Meet The Magic Circle! Twice a month The Magic Circle opens its doors to members of the public for a special evening of magic, featuring some of the club’s top magicians. The evening consists of performances of close-up magic and a full stage show, together with a short talk on the history of magic and The Magic Circle. There’s time to see the many exhibits and visit the museum, and magic hosts are on-hand to answer any questions. Included in the price is a drink on arrival and light refreshments and coffee during the interval. The bar is also open. This is a great opportunity to Meet The Magic Circle. For more information, phone 0845 0062504, or visit themagiccircle.co.uk.
As this episode is all about TV magic here are a couple of magical appearances over the next week:
At 11.30pm tonight, Tuesday 12th May on MTV One you can see David Blaine as he performs in South Park. Kenny, Cartman and Kyle decide to join his cult-like following, leaving Stan and Jesus to save them…
And in the early hours of Wednesday 13th May at 12:45am on Film4, you can see the 1958 film ‘The Magician‘ starring Max Von Sydow as Albert Vogler, a 19th century mental magician accused of blasphemy. Directed by Ingmar Bergman, the film veers between light comedy and black horror in this award-winning psychological drama.
The Magic News – 5th May 2009
A magician from Gosport has vowed to do a death-defying underwater escape if his team of entertainers raise £5,000 on a 100-mile trek. Performer Rod Newman will walk the whole way in a straitjacket while other colleagues from the Magic Circle juggle and perform tricks for passers-by.
It started in Cosham today and will take in Southampton, Winchester, Basingstoke, and Reading before finishing at the Magic Circle’s HQ here in London on May 10. If they reach their fundraising target, the 49-year-old has pledged to free himself from a straitjacket while tied inside a mailbag underwater, similar to the feats performed by the legendary Harry Houdini.
Mr Newman has already accomplished the escape from the jacket and the bag separately, but never successfully done both together. So far he has been practising it with a small oxygen canister, but when he does it for real, there will be no oxygen, just a safety diver to make sure he doesn’t drown.
Newman is a former navy rescue diver and has tried this dangerous stunt before when it left him trapped and close to drowning after he dislocated his shoulder while submerged. Thankfully his safety diver realised what was happening and pulled him to the surface.
The 100-mile trek, organised by children’s entertainer Sean Lobban, will be raising money for the leukaemia charity, the Anthony Nolan Trust. Also taking part are Robert Bone, Laurie Brokenshire, Ian Marriott, Glen Stone, Harold Straker, Laura Tasker, and Jason Waskett.
Etienne Pradier will be presenting his classic table magic at The Zetter in London on Thursday 7th May. He will also be presenting his full magic show alongside Paul Martin at the same venue – tickets can be purchased at £12 direct from Etienne’s office or via email on info@frenchmagician.co.uk. You can also check out TheZetter.com.
Piff The Magic Dragon will be performing along with the company of StandNotAmazed at the Brighton Fringe Festival. The team are working their magic as part of ‘Parlure’ – a show filled with music, magic, dance and theatre which takes place live in the amazing Spiegeltent – a 1920’s mirrored cabaret venue which has played host to the likes of Marlene Dietrich and La Clique. For more info, go to PiffTheMagicDragon.com and StandNotAmazed.com.
The Magic News – 28th April 2009
Dubai police arrested a 35-year old woman on Thursday last week who allegedly conned nearly 200 women out of large sums of money by convincing them that she could do black magic to solve their family problems.
The police said the African woman charged her victims between 500 and 10,000 Dirhams for her supposed powers and that she has been practising black magic in the United Arab Emirates for eight years.
The police received complaints from a large number of women who had been deceived by her promising to solve their problems. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Dubai police sent a female police officer as a decoy customer to the suspect. The officer told the woman that her husband was having illicit affairs with other women.
The African woman asked the officer to pay Dh500 as fees for starting the process and told her to meet her next day with more money when she would perform the magic. The police raided the apartment and seized coloured liquids and rosaries and other items used to convince the women that she was able to do black magic. She has been referred to the Public Prosecution Service.
Presenter Francine Stock will be talking to Sir Michael Caine on The Film Programme at 4.30pm on Friday 1st May on BBC Radio Four. The actor will be looking back at his film career and his role as an old magician in Is Anybody There? which opens in cinemas across the UK from Friday 1st May. To see the trailer go to www.isanybodytheremovie.com
On Friday 1st May, head down to Madame JoJo’s nightclub on Brewer Street in Soho for Magic Night. It features Christian Lee, Lady Carol, Franco, Neil Henry and future Smoke & Mirrors guest John Lenahan. Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 7.45pm. Tickets can also be purchased via www.ticketweb.co.uk. For full information on all the great acts, check out www.magicnight.co.uk.
And if you can’t make it through the weekend without another injection of magic, pop down to the Barons Court Theatre situated beneath The Curtains Up pub for The Magic Cavern. Produced by magician Richard Leigh, the next show is on Sunday 3rd May at 3pm. Tickets are £12.00 with £10.00 Concessions. Go to www.falseimpressions.co.uk for full details and booking details.
The Magic News – 21st April 2009
India’s union minister for commerce and industries Kamal Nath has hired a magician to amaze voters in favour of the Congress Party by holding magic shows to highlight the issue of suicide of farmers among others.
Unbelieveably, the magician – called Rakesh – organised magic shows in several parts of the constituency to convince voters that if Congress is voted to power then the farmers will not be forced to commit suicide.
To convey the message he organizes a magic show by putting a rope around his neck and then asks the spectators to pull it, escaping from the potential strangulation by magically passing through the noose tied around his neck.
He then proceeds to tell them that if they vote for Kamal Nath’s party, they too will escape from the death trap.
Far higher numbers turned out to see the magic show organised by Rakesh than attended more traditional poll meetings organized by other candidates.
Hollywood director John Turteltaub is currently casting his own version of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice which will star Nicolas Cage. Young actor Toby Kebbell is the most recent addition to the production.
According to Variety magazine, Rocknrolla star Kebbell will play Drake Stone, a celebrity illusionist who joins forces with Alfred Molina’s evil sorcerer Horvath to wreak havoc in New York.
The film will be loosely based on the short film The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Disney’s Fantasia. Turteltaub’s film will revolve around a college student who is recruited by sorcerer Nicolas Cage and given a crash course in magic to help save Manhattan from dark forces.
Psychological entertainer and TV mentalist Derren Brown can be seen in his first acting role this week. He will be playing the role of Sir Roger Widdowson in Crooked House on BBC 4 at 10pm this Thursday 23rd April. Derren is currently on tour with his latest ‘dark, funny and… utterly baffling’ show entitled Enigma. For dates and more info, check out www.derrenbrown.co.uk.
You can see magician and future Smoke & Mirrors guest John Van Der Put this Friday evening at Brown’s Courtrooms on St. Martin’s Lane in Covent Garden for ‘An Evening of Fine Wine, Dining and Conjuring’. John will be performing his own unique style of close-up magic during the exclusive three-course dinner, followed by a cabaret magic set alongside acclaimed new theatre company StandNotAmazed. For more information go to www.vanderput.com or browns-restaurants.co.uk.
The Magic News – 14th April 2009
Magic News with Julia Barnett
In this week’s news:
A London source has reported that international superstar Michael Jackson, whose upcoming shows at the O2 Arena sold out in minutes, has hired magician David Copperfield to add some spectacular stunts to his concerts. The highlights are alleged to include high wire routines and a levitation effect. The source also indicated that Jackson and Copperfield have been friends for years.
Harry Houdini’s family have filed paperwork for the legal right to exhume the renowned escape artist’s body — his best escape yet I feel. A team of forensic experts will test his remains in a search for clues relating to his possible murder. Houdini’s receipt of death threats from spiritualists he exposed as frauds in his later years have contributed to rumours that he may have been the victim of homicide. According to the family’s lawyer, it could be several months before the body is exhumed. The scientist leading the team that will run tests on Houdini’s remains is no stranger to the procedure, having presided over the exhumations of outlaw Jesse James and Albert DeSalvo, the notorious “Boston Strangler.” Most of Houdini’s biographers claim that he died of peritonitis secondary to a ruptured appendix. Some suggest that a university student played a part in the death, hitting Houdini several times in the stomach as a part of a stunt when Houdini may have already been suffering from appendicitis.
In other Houdini news, Summit Entertainment has purchased the film rights to the biography The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero. The book was published in 2006. It generated controversy by hinting that Houdini was a British spy. It also rekindled suggestions that disgruntled con artists Houdini debunked when they posed as spiritualists may have been directly involved in his death. The film will not be a traditional biopic; instead Summit intends to present it as an action-thriller. A possible franchise may develop. Summit are currently seeking screenwriters to adapt the biography.
Michael Caine is appearing again on the silver screen as a magician — or retired magician in this case. His new film Is Anybody In There? is opening on the 17th of April.
And finally, if you want to see live magic this week in London, Peter Antoniou is appearing from Friday the 17th of April at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden with his show Thought Thief: Is Your Mind Safe? The show is a fusion of comedy and mind reading. Tickets are available from the theatre or via ticketweb.com.
