Friday, May 04, 2007

Conclave Photos!

Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. Have you ever been to the Registry of Motor Vehicles? Ever registered a car, or should I say try to register a car? Well, I spent a week at the registry one afternoon this week. I was registering Aron’s new car. Thing is, he’s in Florida and we’re in Boston and it is a little complicated. Of course, anything that is a little complicated, the DMV turns into a situation that requires Einstein to solve. First trip to the DMV was two weeks ago, and I was told that one of the critical papers was not in order, so it would have to be changed, notarized and sworn to on a stack of bibles before they would even look at it. It took a little over two weeks to get the change made. One day to get to the dealership in Florida, 14 days to sit on the desk of the person who was supposed to make the change, ten phone calls from me to light a fire under said person, and one day to get the paperwork back to me. The papers came back yesterday,
so I trotted off to the DMV today. Guess what, one of the papers was still wrong. After my head exploded, I took a ride to our insurance agent, handed him all the papers, asked him to get them fixed up, get the registration and plates and send them down to Aron in Florida. “Should have had us do it in the first place,” sez he. “Right,” said I. Lesson learned. The DMV is not a place for amateurs. So, never go their yourself. Always send a professional, no matter what they charge. It’s well worth
it.

You may recall that I promised you a full review of this year’s Conclave. As the saying goes, one picture is worth a thousand words. Out good friend Mike Maione took over 200 amazing photos at the Conclave. How much is 200 times a thousand. Wait, wait. I know. It’s 200,000. So, this photo essay is worth over 200,000 words. I want to share the photos with you, so I turned them into a Quicktime Slide Show, complete with music. You can download it by going to our Conclave Photo Spot:
http://hankleesmagicfactory.c.topica.com/maaglXAabyhV5aaaaaab/
It’s a pretty large file, so be patient. If you were at the Conclave, this will be like a trip down memory lane. If not, you will get a pretty good idea of what it’s like to be there. And, then you’ll run to register for next year!

OK, enough chitter-chatter, let’s check out this week’s excitement:

Hold on, stop the presses! Before you go any further, make sure and check out our bound Pabluar Magazine giveaway. First item ont he Hotlist at www.magicfact.com. It is unbelievable, but true!

DVD Giveaway: This week, we are having a plain old giveaway. You got it. It's a DVD Giveaway! For the next seven days, from right now until Thursday, May 12th, at midnight, you have the opportunity to get DVDs for free! But, you have to get them the old fashioned way. You have to earn them.

Here's the way it works. For every order of $100 or more, you get one free DVD (your choice of any single DVD that sells for $35.00 or less). If you spend $200 or more, you get two free DVDs (again, your choice). $300 or more gets you three free DVDs. And on it goes. The more you buy, the more you get for free! It's an incredible deal when you figure that the average price of a DVD is $35.00! In order to claim your free DVD, just put the name of the DVD in the Customer Notes Box at the bottom of the second page of the online checkout (after you fill in your name, address, etc.) at www.magicfact.com. If you phone your order in to our toll free number at 800 874 7400, just let the order-person know what free DVD you want. If you FAX the order to us at 781 395 2034, same thing. Just let us know which ones you want. Remember, the giveaway ends on Thursday, May 12th, at midnight!

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

Pyro Penetrator: A true shocker and an amazing routine.
A lit cigarette or pen visually penetrates a functional lighter. Both objects "heal" instantly and can be examined. The audience reactions are incredible.
Every once in a while an effect comes along that not only astonishes but also creates authentic emotional involvement. PyroPenetrator is one of them.
"Maybe it's the incredible sight, maybe it's the danger aspect. We don't know. All we're reporting is that we haven't seen audiences excited like that in a long time!"
FEATURES?
* Lighter actually works?
* No danger at any point?
* Borrowed cigarette/pen/bill?
* Both objects can be handled by spectator before, during and after effect!?
* Fully examinable?
* Airport safe
$49.95 (10.1382)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8812&cat=0&page=1)

Bish Bash Bosh: Do you love Wayne Dobson’s Smash & Stab, but are too scared to do it, or do you need family friendly effects for your show? Then Bish Bash Bosh is for you!
Four wooden plinths are shown, one of which holds an egg inside an eggcup.
Four upturned polystyrene cups are then used to cover the plinths.
A spectator mixes up the cups and plinths while your back is turned, so that no one knows where the egg is.
Then, using the special numbered cards, the spectator, or you, proceed to BISH, BASH and BOSH the cups with the mallet. Miraculously, a potentially messy outcome is avoided and you lift the last cup to reveal the egg!
You are supplied with the following:
4 round wooden plinths, one of which is mounted with an eggcup.
A wooden mallet.
A “BISH BASH BOSH” sign and wooden plinth to display and hold the sign.
4 cards numbered 1-4.
Supply of polystyrene cups to get you started (these are available locally).
Made by Colin Rose, so you know the quality is outstanding! $299.99 $60.1433)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8813&cat=0&page=1)

Destination Box – Jon Allen: - What would you want from your ideal 'Card to Box'?
Let the person who signed the card remove it themselves?
Have no worries about switching the card?
Feel safe that only you can open the box?
Be able to use any style of card?
Have a box suitable as a feature item?
To adapt the box to your own style or theme of an event?
Have a 100% total examinable box?
Have the facility to perform several other routines with it such as Bill to Box, Headline Prediction,
The Big Surprise, Watch Steal Finale and more?
Now you can achieve all the above with a most remarkable item, Jon Allen’s The Destination Box.
Features:
• Crafted from solid American Black Walnut.
• Solid brass hinges, hasp & staple with secure padlock.
• Unique design by Jon Allen.
• External dimension: 4-3/4”x3”x2” (120mm x 75mm x 55mm)
• Internal flocking for added elegance.
• Extra specialized coating for added protection.
• Devious method makes the box 100% examinable.
Effect: Hand someone a locked box to hold. Perform your favorite signed card trick (obviously not Card on Ceiling!). As a finale, you unlock the box to reveal another box inside. Within this box is a folded playing card. The person who signed the card carefully removes it from the box to reveal it is their signed card. Produced in very limited quantities. $300.00 (30.1235)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8818&cat=0&page=1)

Gallerian Bend – Erick Castle: A completely impromptu spoon bend with no gaffs or gimmicks!
The Gallerian Bend takes the concept of bending a spoon using just the power of your mind to a whole new level! It is a completely impromptu spoon bend that you will immediately add to your close-up repertoire! Easy to perform without any set up and using just a regular spoon.
Erick has been refining Gallerian over the past 3 years, not only trying to make-it visually beautiful, but also making it something very practical to perform in all type of settings.
Can this be performed surrounded?
Yes! The beautiful thing about Gallerian, it's actually viewable completely surrounded This effect could be performed as walk-around, close-up or on stage.
Does this use a gimmicked spoon?
No! The spoon is not prepared and could be borrowed if you don't mind giving the spoon back to the owner in a bent condition.
Can this be performed with a fork rather than a spoon?
Yes. We actually think it looks even better, due to narrower 'tyne section' surface. $30.00 (DV00697)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8814&cat=0&page=1)

The Red Carpet: The Red Carpet is entertaining mentalism with an ending so startling and funny, it is sure to bring the house down!
Originally presented in 1985, the routine caused such magic notables as Sid Lorraine, Howard Lyons, Norm Houghton and Bruce Posgate to give a standing ovation! This closely guarded routine is now being released to the magic fraternity for the first time.
“We are a society obsessed with celebrities and famous people. Their sometimes fairy-tale stories are published all over, and many of us seem drawn to these reports.”
With that introduction, you display a large sketch book of celebrity and character illustrations drawn by your friend. No, your friend is not a stalker; just an admirer of the rich and famous! The book contains 40 different images of famous people and personalities.
An audience member is allowed to randomly select one of the images from the book. The spectator mentally focuses on their chosen icon. Then, while you are blindfolded by the "Red Carpet" (actually a red fabric bag that covers your head to prohibit any peeking), you actually fail to find the name. After what appears to be a botched attempt at entertaining and mystifying the crowd with an experiment in telepathy, you whip off the hood to reveal you have now transformed into the exact likeness of the chosen celebrity! A hilarious smash climax that will bring the audience to their feet!
The Red Carpet is simple to learn, and easy to perform. It is an astounding commercial mentalism effect that has been honed through countless live performances. A fresh and brand new approach to mentalism, and the eye-popping routine will play to audiences of all sizes.
Comes complete with everything you need to perform the full routine, including a sketchbook with custom, hand-drawn, royalty-free celebrity and character images, props, gimmicks, the detailed 8-minute audience-tested comedy script, a performance DVD, and live and broadcast performance rights. Each trick is hand signed, numbered and comes in an authentic metal film-reel canister from the movies!
Available the end of June. Pre-order now and don’t pay a penny for shipping.
$195.00 (60.1434)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8816&cat=0&page=1)

Freakey: Gregory Wilson’s Freakey doesn’t just open doors, it kicks them down!
Finally, a Copper/Silver routine that really makes sense.
What do you take with you every time you leave the house. Your keys!
Add Freakey to your repertoire and you’ll have a miracle in your pocket anytime, anywhere.
Two distinctly different house keys switch places repeatedly in a flashy, five-phase, fast-paced, in-their-face, Monte-type routine, finishing clean in the spectator’s tightly clenched fist.
Included are a dozen more clever and captivating bonus routines and ideas from Michael Weber, Paul Harris, John Kennedy, Max Maven, David Acer, Jon Allen, Mark Jenest, Thom Peterson, Danny Archer and David Gripenwaldt.
It’s the perfect opener, or closer!
Comes complete with everything you need, including the precision-crafter gimmicked key and an elegant, easy to open key fob.
Also includes a professionally produced instructional DVD. In stock right now. $95.00 (10.1383)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8819&cat=0&page=1)

The Eyes Have It DVD: Learn how to create characters with nothing but your hands and a comedy pair of eyes! This is the perfect ice-breaker for close-up workers, walk-around magicians, clowns, children's entertainers, MCs, you name it!
Kurt Freitag, Magic Castle host, manager, and number-one fan is absolutely fantastic in this creatively, imaginative demonstration of pure fun with puppet eyes. He and his co-star, Naphtalia Silverman, bring characters to life, using only their hands and a set, or several sets, of eyes. This two-part video (Performance and Explanations) amuses, entertains, and stirs the imagination in a charming, humorous, and colorful way.
Brian Ochab, an emmy-nominated director, captures the characters Kurt and Naphtalia bring to life in this clever, innovative, and artistic masterpiece. Filmed entirely on location at the Magic Castle, this video will warm your heart, make you laugh, and give you a strong desire to get a set of those eyes (included with the DVD) in your hot, little hands.
Just pop the comedy eyes in your pocket and you'll be able to entertain anyone anywhere and anytime after watching this DVD!
Gags, tips, routine ideas galore that will set your act apart from all the rest!
Comes complete with DVD and a real pair of comedy eyes! $19.95 (DVD00700)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8820&cat=0&page=1)

Magic With Markers – Two DVD Set – Coats & Byrd: One of the most widely used items in magic is the Sharpie marker. Until now, the Sharpie has only been used to aid magicians during their performances. Now, the same marker can be used to entertain and amaze.?Step-by-step demonstrations, featuring picture-in-picture, are interwoven with multiple camera angles to provide you ample time to fully learn and perform each trick. This DVD set has been filmed using broadcast quality cameras and mastered with Dolby Digital Stereo to enhance your viewing and listening pleasure. Magicians Nicholas Byrd and James Coats expertly demonstrate the diversity and ease of using markers as a magic tool. Whether you’re a novice or an advanced professional magician, Magic with Markers teaches you how to amaze others with simple vanishes and productions through to advanced manipulations. Byrd and Coats provide you with all the magic you need to leave that positive permanent impression. $39.95 (DVD00698)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8815&cat=0&page=1)

Floating Cap: Losander, Master of the Art of Levitation, has created a new levitation effect, The Floating Cap. This effect can be performed in a close-up setting or on stage.
Borrow a baseball cap, or any hat you can find from an audience member.
You also need an ordinary handkerchief, which again you can either borrow or produce yourself.
Simply cover the cap with the handkerchief and suddenly, without explanation, it begins to rise. The cap flies almost completely uncovered up and down without any movement of your hands. In the end, the cap lands back in your hands leaving your audience mystified.
Losander has put his over 30 years of knowledge into this effect. He has created a floating gimmick that allows you to float any hat or cap without setup time. The cap floats just as magically as the Sphere, which was created by Losander and Tommy Wonder.
This package includes a handkerchief, the gimmick and a DVD, which not only explains the effect, which you can learn in a couple of minutes, but also provides you with Losander's valuable knowledge on how to improve your already existing levitation skills.
Your audience will believe that you are a real magician!
$85.00. (60.1424)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8761&cat=0&page=1)

Digital Graffiti – Two DVD Set: David Peck is an award winning Canadian magician, public speaker, and lecturer. Digital Graffiti is David's first DVD release. The material spans over twenty years of performing for magicians and lay audiences alike. He has written for and appeared in such respected magazines as Tops, Genii, Magic, Northern Peaks and The Linking Ring. His work is an eclectic collection of close up and stage/parlor magic. Combining self-working, highly visual material with sleight-of-hand principles, his approach appeals to magicians of all shapes and sizes. The material is practical, magical and visual. Complete routines involving coins, cards, matchsticks and sugar cubes - each effect is carefully explained in a detailed and visual explicit manner.
Including Red or White. A cork is removed from a wine bottle and is clearly held in the right hand. Instantly the cork vanishes from the right hand and appears in the neck of the bottle. This is a stunner. It is easy to do and a strong opening effect.
Special Added Surprise:
Interview Segment with Jay Sankey. $34.95 (DVD00699)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8817&cat=0&page=1)

And, here are a couple of items that have been unavailable for a while, and are just remade!

Harry Anderson’s Cufflinks: Call me crazy, but I really believe that Cuff Links is the best routine Harry Anderson ever developed. It has everything. Lots of Magic. Brilliant use of audience participation. Hilarious situation comedy. And a big finish. Not to mention handcuffs and flaming money!
Cuff Links is actually two of Harry's routines woven into one great piece of entertainment.
In the first routine, Buffalo Bill, Harry invites a lady on stage and hands her the Big Finish envelope.
Then, he borrows two Five Dollar hills from two different gentlemen.
He places the bills together and tears them in half. Each spectator gets to keep one half of their bill as a receipt. Taking a lighter, Harry accidentally sets the remaining two bill-halves on fire. They go up in a brilliant flash!
Now, Harry brings out his wallet which bursts into flames! He quickly puts it away.
The lady is now instructed to tear open the sealed envelope. There, inside, are two halves of two Five Dollar bills. Of course, the two halves exactly match the ones held by the two spectators! All of which brings us to Cuff Links.
Harry borrows the four Five Dollar bill-halves back from the gentlemen. For some reason they give the money to him!
The lady is instructed to tear the four pieces in half. She does.
Harry takes the eight pieces and changes them into a real Ten Dollar bill!
He then tears the ten in half and tries to give each spectator one half. They laugh and say "NO!"; OK. So, he puts the two fives in a wallet and hands it to the lady to hold. She is not to let go of the wallet no matter what!
Now, Harry snaps a set of handcuffs onto his own wrists.
Suddenly, his arms and the lady's arms are linked together! The fun begins.
They try and unlink. She puts her head through his arms. He slides all the way to the floor. He puts ones foot between his arms. Suddenly, his hands are cuffed between his legs. He steps through with his other foot. Finally, they are unlinked!
The lady is asked to open the wallet. Inside, she finds two Five Dollar Bills! Wow!!
Harry brings one of his hands around to the front. There is one manacled hand dangling from his other wrist!
He returns the bills to the spectators. He thanks the lady and sends her back to her seat. And, he bows to tremendous applause!
Cuff Links is an unbelievable routine. Truly a reputation maker. It comes with the special Handcuffs; The Locking Himber Wallet; The Fake Hand and The Full Routine. Supply your own Flash Bills and Hot Wallet. $79.95 (60.648)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=3065&cat=0&page=1)

Book Of Treasures: Available again! Ken Scott's Book of Treasures should be in every family performer's repertoire!
Flip through a book entitled "The Treasure Map to the Libraries," showing a picture of a large treasure chest on each page. "The library is like a giant treasure chest."
Ask the kids, "What kind of treasure do you think you might find in the library?" Of course, they respond "Books!" Flip through the book again. All the pictures have changed to books!
"That's right," you say. "Books are the treasure we find in the library." You further explain, "The true treasure is the knowledge we gain from reading the books. And the best part is it's available to everyone!" Flip through the book again, this time showing treasure chests opened up and full of treasure.
Now for the finale: Fold the book in half (lengthwise) and have the audience recite the magic words, "Reading Is Magic!" As the magic words are spoken, you pour out a treasure trove of golden coins!
What a routine! Perfect for school and library shows. Easy to do, and a real crowd pleaser! $34.95 (50.916)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=7359&cat=0&page=1)

And that’s the excitement for this week. Plenty exciting it is! I hope you will check out these fine new items in our online catalog, and check out some of our fine old items as well. With over 6000 items to check out, it will keep you busy for a while!

As always, I hope you will find some time to spend with us at www.magicfact.com. You know how much we love your company!
Hank Lee