Friday, November 17, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!

Greetings from all of us here at Hank Lee's Magic Factory. I know it is hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is less than a week away. Just six short days. Time sure does fly. I'll bet turkeys wish they could as well. They can't, can they? We'll bne packing up the station wagon and heading off to the Millers of New Hampshire for our annual Thanksgiving feast. Of course, I will be oh, so very careful in the food department. Speaking of which, 3 more pounds this week. 35 pounds so far. Wait until you see me. If you can!

The Holiday Extra is back from the printers. The place is filled with carton after carton of mailers, just waiting to be addressed and sent scurrying off to all of you. Unless you are not on our snail mail list, in which case you will not get one. To rectify this terrible problem, just send me an email with your name and address and I will put you on the list right away.

On the Conclave front, we have just firmed up the contract with Italy's Tony Binarelli. He will lecture, perform close-up and appear on one of our evening shows. I'll bet Bonnie can even get him to give her his recipe t for pasta. We shall see! I know you want to register for the Conclave right now, and you can do it at www.magicfact.com by clicking on the Conclave Button.

Tonight is opening night for the LHS production of Evita. Lucas has been working like a demon on his part. Rehearsals well into the night every day. We are all very excited, of course. I will give you a full review, or as much as I think you can stand, next week.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The upcoming week marks the very last sales event for 2006. Historically, we do not run sales events during the holiday season. So, if you have been dreaming of stuff you want to buy when the price is, as they say, right, now is the time. Or you will have to wait until 2007!

THANKSGIVING SAVINGS - For the next seven days, from the very moment you receive this email until Thursday, November 23rd at midnight, everything (well, almost everything) is on sale at 25% off the retail price. All you need to do is enter the special code TURKEYDAY in the Discount Coupon Box at the bottom of the first page of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com and we will automatically deduct 25% from your order total. If you are calling your order in to the Toll Free Order Line at 800 874 7400, FAXing your order to us at 781 395 2034 or emailing us your order to magicfact@aol.com make sure to mention the special code so you can save a huge 25%!

There are a few rules that apply, as in all things in life.
(1) The 25% is deducted from the retail price of the item. No intermediate discounts may be applied. In the case of sets, such as DVDs and Videos, the 25% is deducted from the retail price of each item and not from the set price.
(2) Certain items, due to contractual restrictions, are not included in this sale. All Joe Porper items, Paul Harris Prime Time Magic items, Viking/CW items, Kennedy Enterprises items, Colin Rose items, Mike Caveney Books, JB Magic, Jay Sankey, Martin Breese, Mikame Craft items, Greater Magic Teach-In DVDs, One Of A Kind Collectors' Items and a few other items are not included in the sale. If you place an order for an item that is not on this list or not noted in our online catalog, but is excluded from the sale, we will let you know before processing your order.
And that's it. It could not be easier. So, get your order together and save yourself some serious money! But, act quickly. The sale ends Thursday at midnight!

Now, let's take a look at this week's Hotlist!

Linking Laces: Permanently link anyone’s shoelaces!
She rests her shoe-covered foot on your lap. You rub her tied laces to soften them up and her two loops suddenly link!
You have to untie her laces to unlink them.
Gallantly re-tie her laces to make two new unlinked bunny ears. This time, she pinches the two separate loops between her own fingers, and again the two loops link! And they stay linked!
She reluctantly takes her foot off of your lap and wanders away with her impossibly linked laces. She can keep her laces linked forever, or she can eventually untie them in a futile attempt to unravel the mystery.
No gimmicks! Works with most types of laces.
The loops are genuinely linked.
The linked loops can be examined
Completely impromptu.
Can be performed with or without a lap.
Comes with a powerful bonus effect: The No-Gimmick Self-Tying Shoelace.
Complete with booklet and DVD. $24.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8546&cat=0&page=1)

Porper Coin Block: An incredible solid-through-solid effect from Joe Porper!
It’s no secret that Joe Porper’s passion in magic is creating effects that can’t be figured out and that can be examined
The new Porper Coin Block fulfills both of his requirements.
Show a solid metal block that has a hole drilled through the center with a slot that runs through it, from top to bottom. The slot will just accept a quarter-size coin.
Hand the spectators the block and a steel bolt for examination.
Then, show that the coin will easily drop through the slot.
Place the bolt through the hole, blocking the slot.
Now, the coin, when dropped into the slot, does not fall out until you remove the bolt.
Again show the bolt and replace it into the block.
Drop the coin into the slot. Magically, it falls through and out the bottom! An absolutely amazing effect!
And, you can then pass both the block and the bolt out for examination! Quality as only Joe Porper can create.
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8545&cat=0&page=1)

Magic Castle Board Game: There is no better holiday gift for the magi on your list than the new Magic Castle Board Game.
A game that every magician and upcoming magician will want to own. It’s a fun magical game that can played with the family or friends. You can have anywhere from two to four players, and it is suitable for ages six and older.
The game comes with: 1 Gameboard, 1 Die, 4 Game Tokens, 18 Draw cards,and 18 Action cards. $19.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8549&cat=0&page=1)

Split Decision - Joshua Jay: Two spectators look at one card. Yet later on, they can’t agree on which card was selected.
“It’s the Nine of Hearts.”
“No way! I saw the Ace of Diamonds.”
What happened? And more importantly, what do you do?
Joshua Jay’s Split Decision!
A card is very fairly removed from the deck and torn in half. Half changes into the Nine of Hearts while the other half becomes the Ace of Diamonds. Yet the halves still fit.
Split Decision is at once memorable magic and the perfect souvenir (in fact, performing the trick creates two impossible objects!). What’s more, Split Decision leaves the spectators with an impossible object and an experience they will never forget.
No sleights necessary. Each package contains the necessary custom-printed gimmicked cards as well as a detailed instructional DVD of Joshua Jay performing and explaining several handlings. Each gaff, custom printed by the US Playing Card Company on Bicycle stock, is uniquely designed to be torn in half and yet display two different values.
Let Joshua Jay, one of magic’s rising stars, teach you the closing piece to his close-up repertoire! $20.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8547&cat=0&page=1)

Card Attack - Alex Lourido: Alex Lourido’s Card Attack. Two great effects using one great idea!
One:
A spectator selects a card, commits it to memory, and then buries it anywhere in the deck. There is no shuffling from this point on. Upon discussing the marvelous new medical benefits that have been made possible through nanotechnology, the magician removes a piece of “Nano-X-Ray Film” from his pocket and hands it out for examination. After receiving it back, he explains the film’s incredible ability to capture x-ray images of practically any material it comes in contact with. However, there is a catch! “This new technology has not been completely perfected and there is an element of danger involved!” He then places the green film onto the hand of the spectator who made the card selection, to absorb a small sample of DNA. He explains that this is necessary to activate the film. Then, slowly, he lowers the green film over the top of the deck and to everyone's shock and amazement, the identity of the selected card burns its image onto the film -- permanently! As he hands the
film out for examination he explains that the film's ability to focus on a single card out of 52, is amazing; however, such a process damages the rest of a perfectly good deck. The magician turns the deck over and fans out the cards to reveal that every card in the deck is now completely blank, except for the selected card, which is unharmed! “As you can see scientists are not prepared to test this on humans yet! And I especially feel sorry for the poor chimpanzee that gets stuck with testing this new product!”


Two:
A card is selected and then shuffled back into the deck. Upon placing the deck down on the table, the magician cracks his wallet open to reveal an interesting new piece of technology – Nano X-Ray Film! He removes the film from his wallet and places it down on the deck. Amazingly, and to everyone's astonishment, an image of the selected card slowly develops onto the green film! But wait, there's more! The magician explains that the image isn't a mere facsimile of the selected card, but actual particles of the card itself, which are being slowly absorbed onto the film! He lifts the film off the deck places it back into his wallet, then places the wallet down on the table a few inches from the deck. After a few moments pass, he picks up the deck and spreads it out so that every card can be seen. He asks a spectator to sift through the deck and locate the selected card. Surprisingly, after a thorough search the selected card is missing! Fairly, and in plain view the magician
reaches over and picks up his wallet. As he slowly opens it the green film has completely transformed into something else – the selected playing card! “It slowly dematerialized in the deck, then re-materialized onto the special film...now that's real magic!”

Entire trick can be reset in seconds. No sleight of hand required for either effect. No rough or smooth cards. Film resets instantly. This is not a printing trick or optical illusion, the film actually captures an image that will remain until magician resets. No switching of any kind. And amazingly, this technologically advanced set can be added to any ordinary deck at a moments notice! $49.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8548&cat=0&page=1)

Tic Tac Toe Scratch: Ask a spectator to play a game of Tic Tac Toe with you. The presentation revolves around luck and games, two intriguing topics.
Once the game has been completed, the spectator is asked to scratch a prediction card (this is along the lines of a scratch and win lottery ticket) which has been in full view at all times. The spectator does so, revealing a filled-in Tic Tac Toe board, which exactly matches the just-played game! Absolutely astonishing!
Supplied complete with illustrated instructions and 40 special cards. $19.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8550&cat=0&page=1)

Finn Jon Close-Up DVD: It's your personal and intimate one on one session with Finn Jon! Without a doubt, one of the most creative minds in magic! You will learn both stage and close-up techniques!
• Rough & Smooth – Make your own paper-to-bills!
• Learn how to force cards with “rough and smooth” principles.
• Creative ideas with a thumb tip – How to use a thumb tip with a dice cup.
• Variations for silk vanishes.
• Finn’s secret silk vanishing gimmick.
• Zombie Ball Finn’s Way – These are non-traditional zombie routines. Finn’s secret zombie gimmick, which you can make yourself to be used with balls, bottles, cans, etc.
• New world eggs & balls Magic – Multiplying eggs and multiplying sponge balls (no half shells used).
• The floating egg.
• The great thread story – No one spins more thread than Finn Jon, creator of the famous “Elastic Loop.”
• Portable soap bubble gimmick – How to make your own simple portable gimmick that you can carry with you anywhere. This allows you to be ready to do bubble magic instantly!
This DVD is so entertaining, even if you never perform what Finn teaches, you will get your money’s worth! We promise you an enlightening evening watching Finn perform his magic! He will fool you – guaranteed! $24.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8551&cat=0&page=1)

And, that's our fine selection of magical goodies for this week. While I would really like to stay and chat, I must be off to the treadmill and then into my sartorial finery for this evening's performance of Evita.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and don't eat too much Turkey. Then, I hope you find some time to spend with us online at www.magicfact.com. We do so love your company!
Hank Lee