Greetings from everyone here at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. I hope your holidays were wonderful and you are looking forward to New Year’s Eve. Close the book on 2006 and open a brand new one for 2007. Hard to believe that an entire year has passed! I can only say that if your year was as good as mine, you had a great year!
I apologize for this week’s email letter being a day late. Bonnie and I took the kids on a short cruise between Christmas and New Year’s and, not having online access, could not send out the weekly letter. But, it’s only a day late. I am sure you will forgive me. Right?
The cruise was amazing. The new cruise ships are so big, really like a floating hotel. We sailed on the Jewel of The Seas (Bonnie thought it was the Jewelry Of The Seas. Oh, well) It holds 2500 people, which makes it a mid-size ship in the cruise world today. There are 13 decks, and to tell you the truth, I got lost a few times. Fore and aft were my big problems. The ship stopped at three ports: Cozumel, Mexico; Costa Maya, Mexico and Grand Cayman. I saw enough straw items and T-shirts to last me a very long time. We also took a trip to the Mayan ruins in Costa Maya, and it was most interesting. Once seen, never forgotten, as they say.
There was so much food on the ship, it boggles the mind. For me, I really tried to watch what I ate and stick with a lot of salads and vegetables No desserts, no bread, no potatoes. In fact, the joke at dinner was that for dessert, I would order “The Usual: nothing.” On the last night, the waiter brought me an empty plate decorated with the words, “The Usual.” I laughed while everyone else ate cake. I think was done before, by someone in France. Marie somebody.
Anyway, it was a really fine week. Very relaxing. Lots of fun. But, now it’s back to work as usual. So, with no further delay, here’s this week’s Hotlist at www.magicfact.com.
Write Angle: The very latest from our pal Jesse Feinberg. The effect could not be more straightforward. Hold a normal-looking Bic pen in your outstretched hand.
Slowly and visibly, the pen begins to bend, until it is bent at almost a 90 degree angle.
You immediately hand the pen out for examination! And, they will find nothing.
To get the full effect of this wonder, check out the video demo. You will be just as amazed as I was when Jesse showed it to me! $39.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8608&cat=0&page=1)
Brainstorm In My Pajamas – Ron Dayton: A humorous title for one heck of an idea book. Ron Dayton is one of the most prolific minds in magic, and his alter ego- Kotah - has been popular on the bizarre scene for years as well.
Ron has compiled a series of ideas, tricks, improvements for his creations and much more.
Some of the section titles and topics: 15 Tips, A Card By Any Other Name, Ain’t Nothin’ Easy (A routine with Mardi Gras coins to verse.), Bee’s Knees Tongue Twister Mentalism, Card Box Variations, How to dust of old chestnuts, Diablo Rope, Enigma, Ideas with a Magic Funnel, Articles on Creativity, a huge reference list for the magic inventor, Variations on the Coin Pail, Variations on the Egg Bag, Essays on Pulls, Essays on Body Magic, Essays on Lapping, Magic off the rack, Chinese Sticks, Card Catching, Magic with Bic pens, 18 effects with rubber cement, Magic with Silks, The Pea Can, Thimbles, The Ball and Vase, The Cerebral Gym, Impromptu Bottle Levitation, Novelty Paper Plate Masks for the children’s entertainer, Psychometric variations, Applications for Shiners, Slates, the Speed Reader Stack, Wands, The Warlock’s Finger, The Rabbit Wringer and more!
This is a book for the inventor, wanna-be, and every day performer who wants a giant resource of ideas they can use plus fertilizer for their own imaginations.
The book is set up much like a buffet or meal to whet and hone your creative appetite!
Best of all, this book includes a reprint of the long unavailable Dayton Razor Blade Miracle! Ron's version of the razor blade trick is superb in that it uses only one set of razors, and nothing need be concealed in the mouth at the beginning or the end. Yes, the exact same razors that go in to the mouth separate, are the exact same ones that emerge strung together at the end!
180 pages with illustrations. $39.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8610&cat=0&page=1)
Prohibition: Borrow a normal beer or soda bottle from someone-anybody-at a bar, restaurant, party or wherever. Grab a couple of caps off the bar and give them to the participants to examine; one that will end up inside the bottle and one to cap the bottle to keep the bottle secured.
Hold the bottle in your hand, snap the cap on the bottom once, twice, and bang! It is inside. As simple as that!
Immediately hand the bottle back to the person you were working with to be examined; you are totally and unequivocally clean. Believe it. It is that quick. Lighting fast.
Prohibition can be done totally impromptu, completely surrounded, and is totally visual! They'll just sit there and look at you with their mouths wide open-totally "gob smacked" as the Scots say. $24.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8605&cat=0&page=1)
Jadoo Wallah: Explain that you have in your possession a type of type of magic wand used by the street fakirs of India, the Jadoo Wallah. Produce the stick. It is a wand made of wood, about 10 inches long. The wand is capped at each end with two carved pieces. The wand can be handed out for examination. Also shown is a 48 inch length of twisted satin cord. The cord is also shown to be ungimmicked. The cord is taken, and wrapped several times around the centre of the wand. The ends of the wand are held by a spectator, and another spectator pulls on the ends of the cord to verify they really are wrapped tightly around it.
Approach the wand. Without touching the wand with your hands, you breath on it and whisper the magic incantation "jadoo-wallah".
Instantly the cords melt off the wand, unwind, and fall to the floor!
All can be examined!
The effect comes with the Jadoo-Wallah stick (about 12 inches long in total), the 48 inch long satin cord, gimmick, and instructions. $40.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8609&cat=0&page=1)
ACAAN (Any Card At Any Number – Jumbo): A spectator names any a card and any position in the deck It is a 100 % free choice.
Bring out a a Jumbo Deck and let the deck of cards slide out of the box into the spectator's hands. The spectator counts the cards until he reaches the position he chose. The Jumbo Card at that position is turned over to reveal that it is indeed the card that the spectator has chosen!
Eduardo Kozuch has been working on this method for 3 years with the following objectives in mind:
o The use of very large cards (11x14 ") to make the effect visible even in a large venue.
o The magicians at no time touches the cards.
o The spectator is the one who counts the cards and at the same time checks to see that the deck is normal.
o The deck can be used for other types of tricks.
o The possibility of alternatives so there aren't any mathematic calculations and no memorization work..
Comes complete with special 11"x14" (28cm x 35.5cm) Jumbo Size Deck with box, gimmick, 3 replacement boxes and 8 page photo-illustrated instruction booklet. $300.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8613&cat=0&page=1)
Cyber Space Mental Control Watch: Three of the best known “mental watches,” together in one beautiful timepiece. This precision watch contains three different action systems, so many different presentations and routines are possible! You can wear this as your everyday watch. It is a Swiss-made movement in a beautiful Japanese case.
• A spectator mentally selects a time, but never writes anything down or says a word. Place your watch on the table, and without touching it, the hands start running like crazy and stop at the mentally selected time. You can also do this routine with the watch on your wrist.
• Without the spectator saying a word, suddenly the watch starts running like crazy and stops at the mentally selected time, even while you are blindfolded! There is no force of any kind.
• With the watch on a spectator's wrist, you cause it to run like crazy and stop at the mentally selected time.
• Comes with full instructions for five complete routines with eight variations!
• Remember, the spectator never mentions the mentally selected time. It is kept secret in their mind! And, you never have to touch the watch to perform the effect!
• One year full guarantee.
• Only 24 of these have been made, and when they are gone, there will be no more.
• Not a prediction watch. A watch that demonstrates your power of telekineses!
“The watch is beautiful. What's funny is the fact that when the hands are moving it looks like what only mentalists see when they are using watches like Perfect Time and other watches of that ilk. Your watch can actually stop on a time only thought of by a spectator and flat on the table without touching it, ‘You have truly created the ultimate watch miracle.’ And you can quote me on that.” - Larry Becker. $385.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8582&cat=0&page=1)
Illusionworks DVD Vols. 1 & 2 – Rand Woodbury: Step into Rand Woodbury's workshop where he teaches you the secrets of performing, designing and building your own illusions. Four volume series has been collected as a 2 DVD set (each available separately). It should be considered an education into the many principles of illusion design.
Volume 1
Steps & Bases
Volume 2
Special Secrets
$29.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8611&cat=0&page=1)
Mike Gallo’s Ball & Vase DVD: Featured on this DVD is one of Mike’s most prized effects. The Ball & Vase has been a staple in just about every magic kit that was ever sold. Mike has taken this beginner’s effect to a whole new level. Anyone who knows the original will have their heads spinning and their jaws dropping when they see this amazing routine!
You will also learn 2 more effects that have made Mike a most sought after performer and lecturer.
* The Pocket Counterfeiter – A four coin production form a purse frame.
* Another Wild Coin – The classic Wild Coin plot with Gallo-esque touch
$34.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8614&cat=0&page=1)
Illusionworks DVD Vols. 3 & 4 – Rand Woodbury: Step into Rand Woodbury's workshop where he teaches you the secrets of performing, designing and building your own illusions. Four volume series has been collected as a 2 DVD set (each available separately) should be considered an education into the many principles of illusion design.
Volume 3
Tricks of the Trade
Volume 4
Professional Illusion Builders
$29.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8612&cat=0&page=1)
And that’s this week’s goodies. Not bad for the last week of the year. Not bad? This stuff is great!
Have a happy and healthy New Year’s celebration. Don’t drink and drive, ever. And, I hope you will find some time to spend with us this weekend either online at www.magicfact.com or in person at our downtown Boston emporium at 112 South Street. Either way, we love your company.
Hank Lee
