Friday, June 01, 2007

Baseball Is Life!

Greetings from all of us here at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. And what a week this has been. As most of you know, we are die-hard Red Sox fans here at Hank Lee’s. The Red Sox games take precedence over all other activities. Except shipping your orders. And, I know that some of you are Yankees fans. So sad. Not being one to rub it in, just let me say these two words. Double Digits. That’s right, as of this morning (and with any luck for all mornings form now on) the Yankees are more than 10 games behind our beloved Red Sox. Just the way it is meant to be.
I had the opportunity to attend a concert this week at the New England Conservatory of Music. Lucas the younger son takes lessons there and sings in both the Youth Chorus and the Camerata. He also sings in the shower, the bedroom and just about any other place he can. The concert was unbelievable. The talent is astounding. Especially Lucas. Of course.
And that concludes the bragging section of this week’s email Newsletter.
On the business side of things, last week I announced that we were producing a new, spiffy, html version of the Newsletter. I suggested that folks should change their profile so that they received the html version. Some people were having problems changing from Text Only to html, and I was able to help them make the change. If you are still receiving the Text Only version and want to change to html, you can use the link at the bottom of the Newsletter (cut and paste the URL to get to your profile) or just let me know and I will make the change for you. You don’t want to miss out on this very hip new format.
And now to this week’s excitement, and I really like this one!
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, June 7th, 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, June 7th, at midnight!

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

Hot Spots – Ton Onosaka: An absolutely amazing trick from Ton Onosaka. Hot Spots takes one of the classics of magic and gives it a huge shot in the arm!
Show a flat square die. As you turn the die over, the spots go from one to six to three to five, then you show that the numbers really are 1, 3, 5 and 6!
Finally, you toss the die into the air and it changes into a large three dimensional die. It looks so cool!
We have had these on order forever, and a few finally arrived. But, just a few. Really. So order now and don’t be disappointed!
$79.95 (60.1440)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8865&cat=0&page=1)

Sleight Of Hand Secrets With Cards DVD – Jay Sankey: Featuring 18 full routines and 40 sleights, this is the ultimate introduction to performing astounding sleight-of-hand magic with just an ordinary pack of cards!
Learn the secrets behind many of Jay Sankey's all-time favorite card miracles including dozens of changes, controls, forces, counts and vanishes! And as a very special added bonus, Jay has included two bonus sections!
Bonus Section #1: Five professional sleight-of-hand flourishes (so you can look like you have been handling a deck of cards for years!)
Bonus Section #2: Five super-secret poker techniques including false shuffles, cuts and deals!
If you are just starting out in sleight-of-hand magic, this is the perfect DVD for you!
Contents include:
Two Card Transposition
Forgery
In Hands Triumph
Twirl Change
Fragile Harbor
Touch A Card Force
Lost & Found Aces
Carbon Paper
Selective Memory
Card On Ceiling
Double Life Force
Just Joking
Please Don’t Feed The Playing Cards
Torn & Restored Card
Deviant Behavior
The Ambitious Card

Card Case Surprise
Smuggler Aces
Impossible Transformation
Karate Card
Riffle Shuffle
One and Cut
Top Card Turnover
Illogical Cut
One Hand Shuffle
Slip False Shuffle
Top Stock False Shuffle
False Cut 1
False Cut 2
Second Dealing
$25.00 (DVD00711)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8861&cat=0&page=1)

Mercury Wallet: More than just a card in wallet, much more!
Here are just three effects possible with Jim Pace’s Mercury Wallet:
Mercury Card Prediction:
A spectator is asked to slide a card from a face down ribbon spread. Without looking at it, the card is folded into quarters and handed to the magician. He then removes his wallet and opens it. Inside, there is a prediction. It is taken out and handed to the spectator with the folded card. The prediction is read and the card is unfolded: they match!
Deja Vu:
Hand your wallet to a spectator and ask them to hand it back. Ask if it is OK to remove your wedding ring and place it into the wallet. Doing so, you hand the spectator the wallet then ask them to hand it back to you. Ask the spectator is they are familiar with the concept of deja vu. Ask the spectator to take your wedding ring off your finger and place it into the wallet. They are surprised to find that your wedding ring is back on your finger, just as before the effect began!
ESP Bill Switch:
A borrowed bill's serial number is predicted with the help of the Mercury Wallet.
$59.95 (10.1390)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8862&cat=0&page=1)

Color Fusion Change Bag: The Henry Evans Color Fusion Change Bag actually changes colors while you perform the trick! From black to blue to red to yellow. Audiences go from puzzled to mesmerized.
A twist to the classic change bag. A red silk changes to a yellow silk, as in the classic version, then you pretend to explain the secret showing two silks (one red and one yellow). Put both silks into the bag, and when you take them out, they are blue! But wait, the bag has now changed color, it is now red and yellow inside! $39.95 (60.1439)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8858&cat=0&page=1)

Tossed Out Deck – Wayne Dobson: Wayne's routine, from his professional stand-up act, contains his added psychological nuances to David Hoy’s original Tossed Out Deck routine.
Without wishing to detract from the original, Wayne always found that it received a muted response from the audience. This was because when all three assistants sit down at the same time, the audience is confused as to what has actually happened. This confusion results in polite applause, when they should really be giving you an ovation!
If you perform the Tossed Out Deck as it is outlined in Wayne's routine, you will be amazed at the increased level of response and applause. Includes instructional DVD with Wayne’s word-for-word routine. $39.95 (30.1241)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8865&cat=0&page=1)

ShooBee Bubble Top Clown Shoes: We are proud to present ShoeBees. This line of professional clown shoes is simply the best! They are made of real leather. All the shoes have a hard shell bubble toe. All the colors are bright and really stand out. You won't be able to take your eyes off of these shoes!
• All leather construction for long life and durably, vibrant colors and unique patterns and design.
• One size fits all. Perfect for clowns, children entertainers, MCs, circus entertainers, etc.
• Imported from England! Spice up your act today with a pair of these cool clown shoes!
Available in these styles:
Shoe Bees Bubble Toe wingtip Blue/Yellow/Red
Shoe Bees Bubble Toe wingtip Blue & White w/stars
Shoe Bees Bubble Toe wingtip Red & White w/stars
Shoe Bees Bubble Toe wingtip Yellow & Red
$299.95 (50.954)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8857&cat=0&page=1)

Christmas Carol Book Test: Oh, those Dickensian rascals. Copperfield and Scrooge. Marley & Cratchett. The two Olivers – Twist and David. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is one of the all-time best selling classic books about the holiday season. Now, for the first time ever, it is also a professionally designed book test!
The spectator freely selects any page and you know the first word on the page! It's that simple and direct. No questions asked and nothing is written down.
Completely examinable before and after the performance and anyone can read the book from the beginning to end without ever finding the gaff. There are no duplicate prediction words, no page forcing and no gimmicks whatsoever; it is totally self-contained.
Pull it out of the package, take 30 seconds to skim over the instructions, and you can perform it for anyone, anywhere, anytime. It is one of the simplest but most powerful book tests ever invented. $49.95 (40.570)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8860&cat=0&page=1)

Die Cupo: A new version of the classic Die In a Cup. No metal cup or balls, no magnets. It works with a totally different principle to provide more variations. Die Cupo gives you far more possibilities than an ordinary Chop Cup.
The die moves from under the cup to your pocket and from your pocket back to the cup. From the cup to your hand. All this without any sleight of hand! This special cup does it all for you.
Place the die in your hand, and the cup on the spectator's hand. Throw the die towards the cup and the spectator actually feels the die arrive under the cup!
Place the die on the table and cover it with the cup. Just touch the cup and the die penetrates the table top!
Whenever you want you can show both the cup and your hands. A moment later you put the cup on your outstretched palm. Lift the cup and the die is back!
You will be thrilled by the clever and simple method used in Die Cupo.
You will love to play with this and create your own routines. The cup has a black leather finish outside and green felt inside.
Comes complete with the cup, dice, a giant die for the final load and photo instructions.
$48.00 (10.1391)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8863&cat=0&page=1)

And that’s everything that’s hot this week, except for the weather, and of course the Red Sox. In case you need to get in touch with me over the next three days, I will be glued to the V set watching the Red Sox battle the Yankees. It’s going to be a fun weekend!
Of course, I hope you will find some time during your busy weekend to spend with us at www.magicfact.com. We certainly do love the company!
Hank Lee