Friday, April 28, 2006

The Full Report

Greetings from Hank Lee's Magic Factory, where we have all been trying to catch up on our rest following last weekend's gala Cape Cod Conclave. I hope you were there. If not, you missed, to quote one of our Conclavers, "the best party in magic!" The talent was beyond outstanding. To be honest, there was not an act I didn’t enjoy. Of course, I had favorites, but I think that in an effort to be politically correct, I should not name them. Of the acts I had not seen live before, it was treat to see Flip's act in person. Such a classic of magic. And, Charlie Fry and Sherri blew me away. As Stephen Kradolfer said after the show, "He's just not human." And, as I said, the rest of the talent was way up there on the applause-o-meter. Just plain great.
Other than the talent, there were some wonderful moments that made the convention so very special this year. David Merry's side splitting stories at the night-before party. None of which I can repeat here. Rafael and Jenny's comments at SeaCrest's front desk, none of which I can repeat here. Scott's comments when his sound system played "The Girl From Ipanima" for the umpteenth time. Not repeatable. So much that cannot be repeated. You just had to be there. And, I hope you will be with us next April.
Now, let's take a look at all the great magic in this week's Hotlist.

InTact - One of the hottest items at this year's Cape Cod Conclave! InTact is brand new from Jesse Feinberg, the creator of MagiCap, Cash Card, Pen Thru Arm and other wonderful effects!
A signed, selected card visually appears inside a Tic Tac mint box.
Have a regular playing card freely selected, signed and returned to the deck.
Take a real Tic Tac box out of your pocket with your empty hand.
Only a couple of mints can be seen inside as you shake the box around.
Give the box one more, emphatic shake, and a card appears inside the box! Immediately open the Tic Tac box, remove and unfold the card and reveal the signed selection!
Everything is examinable.
Bonus effects and handling are described in detail. InTact is perfect for close-up magicians at any skill level. It is very easy to learn and perform. No tricky moves. No setup. No forces of any kind.
It looks so good, you will even fool yourself! $20.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8262&cat=&page=1)

Mental Parano - A spectator names any card in the deck (for example, the Queen of Clubs). You call attention to a folded piece of paper secured with a rubber band around the deck of cards. It is your prediction.
The selected card is found, removed from the deck and placed face up on the table. The deck is returned to the box and you unfold the note and have the spectator read it aloud: "Your card is the Queen of Clubs!" Amazing!
Comes complete with gimmicked Bicycle Deck and full instructions. Self working, but oh, so powerful. $45.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8258&cat=&page=1)

The Ring Thing - When Garrett Thomas introduced The Ring Thing at the famous FFFF invitation-only close-up magic convention, some of the top close-up magicians in the world asked to see it over and over again. Luminaries such as David Blaine, Jeff McBride, Gregory Wilson and many others have asked Garrett to teach them this fabulous impromptu routine. Why? Because it looks like real magic! And now, every detail of The Ring Thing can be yours— Garrett Thomas has held nothing back.
The Ring Thing looks like trick photography, but it’s not! It’s a quick, visual, impromptu miracle that you can do right before their eyes. ?Pull off your finger ring, toss it back towards your other hand and it visibly appears back on your finger!
Garrett doesn’t just stop at teaching The Ring Thing. This DVD is a post-graduate course in finger ring magic. Of course, effects that can be performed at a moment’s notice and with no preparation are some of the most valuable tricks to know, and finger rings are everyday objects that are always available. Imagine visibly taking a ring on and off right through your finger! Imagine visibly changing a coin into a ring and then back into a coin again! Imagine causing an invisible ring to really become visible! All of this of and much more are revealed in Garrett Thomas’ The Ring Thing! $24.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8255&cat=&page=1)

Card Warp DVD - - World's Greatest Magic By The World's Greatest Magicians - This benchmark collection features just about all of magic’s most enduring and classic effects and routines. It’s a fabulous compendium with many of the top masters in the world of magic teaching their handlings and routines for some of magic’s classics. Each volume covers a specific subject and features new, old, and sometimes rare footage by some of the top video producers in magic.
It's been said that Roy Walton invented one of the most original card effects of all time with his Card Warp. Ever since then, magicians have taken this concept to even more baffling heights. How can a flat two-dimensional object like a playing card turn completely over even when folded into another flat object?
* Card Warp - Michael Ammar
* The Warpedist Cards - Scotty York
* Dollar Bill Warp - Paul Diamond
* Star Warp, Michael Ammar
* Warp II, - Bruce Cervon
* Dr. Strangetrick - Michael Close
* The Inquisition - Eugene Burger (performance only) $19.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8256&cat=&page=1)

Time Is Money DVD - Asi Wind - On this much requested and anticipated new DVD, Asi explains, in great detail, his original routine that will enable you to make a spectator's bill vanish from your fingertips and reappear underneath his own wrist watch! Featuring handling details kept under wraps until now. Plus several bonus routines, "Morph", "2 Bad" (Angelo Carbone), "Crumpled" (Harel), "Bill To Change", and the stage handling for "Time Is Money". $34.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8259&cat=&page=1)

Secrets Of Matrix/Coin Assemblies DVD - Close-up magicians have known for years that audiences love the classic plot where four coins individually placed under four playing cards magically gather under one of the cards. It could be convincingly argued that Al Schneider began a revolution in coin magic when he synthesized earlier versions of this plot and came up with Matrix, a direct and streamlined handling of the coin assembly that has spawned countless variations.
On this DVD, the very best versions of Matrix have been collected along with several of its earlier ancestors. You’ll begin your journey by learning the effect that started it all by the man who invented it – Al Schneider’s classic Matrix. You’ll also learn various handlings of the basic version from Bill Malone and Michael Ammar. Once mastered, you can move on to some eye-popping Reverse Matrix effects, where the coins actually go back to where they came from, with Aldo Colombini and Dan Fleshman. If you’d like to add a killer finale, check out routines by J.C. Wagner and Harry Allen. And to prove that there’s more to Matrix than coins hopping around, there’s Dan Harlan’s presentation with a horror movie theme. There’s also Johnny Thompson’s classic presentation with a handkerchief and Derek Dingle’s version of Ross Bertram’s Coin Assembly. And, to top it all off, there’s historic footage of Ross Bertram also performing and explaining his classic assembly. $19.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8257&cat=&page=1)

Best Of Duffie On Disc - Peter Duffie - Spawned from legendary magicians, carried through time by exaggeration and understatement, it's history's treasure chest evolved! Throw caution to the wind and invite the storm full force! As the sky cracks down the center, you stand prepared, open mind in hand!
Duffie on Disc, The Best of Peter Duffie, ebook on CD-Rom skins each trick to it most basic elements!
The Best of Peter Duffie features high-impact, visually stunning card magic! An open book environment digitally teaches underground concepts wrapped in easy to understand, entertaining magic. Learn all these great tricks without breaking a sweat!
• Edgy and bizarre Duffie exclusive!
• Year plus supply of material for workers!
• A powerful bag of tricks for intermediates!
Includes Carter’s Fooler, Populace, Mate Trix, Suabian Twist, Ideal Holmes, Cannibalector, Mini Hellraiser, Backfire Poker, Wedluck, Craftmaster, and much, much more! Plus Bonus Material!
Duffie on Disc, The Best of Peter Duffie is a massive collection. It's searchable, printable, learnable, usable, and practical!
More than 40 tricks plus bonus material all in PDF format on CD-ROM! Two articles and Mad Mix, a fast moving visual effect based on ideas from Alex Elmsley, Roy Walton and Dai Vernon! $35.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8261&cat=&page=1)

Sessions With Simon DVD Set - The Impossible Magic Of Simon Aronson - Simon Aronson has been a respected creator of innovative card magic for over 25 years. Combining his strong background in mentalism with his extensive knowledge of card magic, Simon has created a host of blockbuster card miracles that aren’t knuckle busters! The Aronson approach diabolically blends subtleties, stacks, sleights, mathematics, gaffs, thinking on your feet and much more, to produce strong, clean, impossible looking “hands off” magic that leaves your spectators shaking their heads and uttering, “But you didn’t do anything!”
In these DVDs, Simon has selected his favorite creations for you. The performances are fun, friendly—and utterly fooling. The explanations are done in Simon’s typical style: clear, in depth, and full of the tips, subtleties, and explanations of why Simon has chosen a particular approach. It’s like a session with Simon that lets you share in his creative thinking.
All three DVDs for one low price. $99.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8266&cat=&page=1)

Secrets Of Sponge Balls DVD - You’ll find a sponge ball routine in almost every close-up performer’s repertoire. In this volume, you’ll discover a virtual encyclopedia of sponge ball magic. Routines from thirteen of the best sponge ball workers of all time have been collected in one place for the first time, making this DVD the most comprehensive reference work on performing magic with sponge balls ever produced. You’ll learn many unique vanishes, moves and stratagems to build your own routine or to plug into the routine you already do.
You'll see past masters such as Albert Goshman and Frank Garcia. You'll learn great basic routines from Daryl, Mark Leveridge and Steve Darci along with unique twists from Frank Balzerak, Jon Tremaine and Aldo Colombini. And, if you're looking for sensational ways to end your sponge ball routine, there are jaw-dropping endings by Flip, Eugene Burger and Roger Klause. For good measure, there are completely different takes on sponge ball work, such as Johnny Thompson's handling of Roy Benson's classic bowl routine and Michael Finney's routine, suitable even for large audiences. You'll never find more diversified and usable information about one of close-up magic's most ubiquitous effects gathered together in one place than in this amazing collection. $19.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=8260&cat=&page=1)

And, that's all the new stuff this week. Something for everyone! I hope you will find some time to spend with us at www.magicfact.com, because we love it when you come by (and even more when you come and buy!)
Hank Lee