Friday, January 09, 2009

The Rain, The Snow, The Winter!

Very wet and soggy greetings from all of us here at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. It is now clear the kind of winter we are going to have. And, it’s not pretty. First it snows. Then we shovel and clear the walks and the driveways. Then it gets freezing cold and the snow gets a nice icy crust. Which creates ice dams on the roof. Then, it rains, which melts some of the snow and drives the water up under the shingles and into the living room and the bedroom and the bathroom. With all the warm places in the world, still we stay right here in New England and endure the winter. Why? Got me? Maybe because we’ve always done it. Is that a reason?

On the home front, Aron, the elder son, is back in Florida and has already started classes. It was great having him here for a few weeks. But, I know that he is glad to be back wearing sandals and shorts and no hat or scarf. Lucas, the singing son, will be here for another few weeks. He is on intersession and doing an internship with the Opera Company of Boston. So far, he is doing data entry, but if he listens to his old man and figures out that the squeaky wheel gets the oil, he’ll be singing arias in no time. We shall see.

This year’s Conclave is settling in nicely. We have just booked Anna Jack, one of the wildest novelty acts around. This is one act you will not forget! Add to the already star-studded talent lineup, I can honestly say that this year’s event will be one of the best! You can get more details by clicking on the Conclave Button at www.magicfact.com. You can even register while you are there! Almost forgot, the dates are April 17th – 19th!

Now, let’s take a look at this week’s excitement.

TRIPLE POINTS: The Hank Lee Rewards Program has been up and running for some time now, and people are collecting and using some serious points. As a reminder, for every retail dollar you spend with us at Hank Lee’s, you will get one Reward Point. Twenty Reward Points can be redeemed for one dollar in merchandise. Two hundred Reward Points gets you $10.00 in free merchandise. And on and on. The points are automatically added, and your point balance will appear on the invoice that comes with your order. There is no limit to the number of points you can collect. The points never expire, so you can use them any time. All you need to do is tell us how many points you want to redeem when you place your next order (if you are ordering online, just put the number of points you would like to redeem in the Customer Notes Box and we will deduct the proper number of dollars from your order total). We think it’s a great idea. The perfect way to save for future orders! What could be better?
I’ll tell you what’s better. Triple Points! That’s right, for the next seven days, until January 15th at midnight, we are giving you Triple Points! So, for every retail dollar you spend, you will get three points. The points will add up so fast that you won’t believe it! And you can use them with your very next order or with an order you place a year from now. The points never expire. So, buy some magic and watch those points accumulate!

And, now here’s this week’s Hotlist.

Yannick Chretien DVD: Produced by David Stone – Directed by Jean-Luc Bertrand – Visual tricks and tricks using simple methods for real-world situations.
Four Ace Production, Sandwich, Transfer, Open Travelers, Reset, Matrix, Open Prediction, Color Changes, Cards to Pockets. It’s all here!
Plus the long-awaited Muscle Vanish, an incredible coin vanish. No sleeves. No pull. No gimmick! It leaves your hand absolutely and completely clean. This one has really fooled the experts.
Contents:
MisHAND – Hyper-visual and ultra-smart transposition of cards in the hand of a spectator.
Open Prediction – Yannick’s simplified version of the Open Prediction, done without any gimmicked card.
Reflipped – A visual four-card transposition routine. The one that impressed the greates names in card magic!
Red//Black//Ace – A beautiful Ace production that ends with the red and black Aces separated.
Cointrol – A coin disappears in a very clean way and appears in the middle of the deck. On top of the chosen card. No gimmick. No fake card.
Whooper – Double sandwich routine coupled with an instant transposition. And, you never touch the cards!
HCDS Hiro Sakai – A visual Ace change! Easy to learn. Totally impressive.
Auto Change – Two Half Dollars are produced then visually changed into a dollar bill.
Two Back – A chosen card I freely lost in the middle of a blue deck. Suddenly, all of the cards turn face up except one! Plus, the entire deck has changed to red, except for the chosen card.
Betcha – A spectator names any four of a kind. The cards are removed from the deck. The spectators are told that the cards will travel to your pockets in the blink of an eye. And, they do!
Rubber Retro – The Paul Harris Reset classic. Four Aces changes one by one into four Kings, only they are tied inside a rubber band.
Open Travelers – Without a doubt one of the most visual and impressive versions of this classic effect.
Allergy – The trick of the DVD! Torn and Restored meets Card in Pocket. Huge effect. Huge impact.
Bonus:
• The full competition routine that Yannick used to win the 1st Prize at the French Championship of Magic.
• A Matrix with a totally amazing climax (Demo Only)
• Explanation of an additional routine using the Muscle Vanish.
• David Stone performing Yannick’s Open Travelers.
$59.95 (DVD00957)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9786&cat=0&page=1)
The Shakespeare Experiment - Miracle Factory:
Possibly the most elegant book test ever created, and so cleverly gimmicked, they'll think the Bard's ghost is helping you!
Anywhere the spectator opens the book, you immediately divine several different words from various locations the volunteer chooses, and you can even recite a complete Shakespearean passage!
The volunteer can then pass the book around and you can instantly give readings for different words on pages other spectators turn to!
The Shakespeare Experiment combines several distinctly clever methods, so the spectators won't be able to follow your technique. And yes, the text is different from page to page.
Designed for the professional entertainer, this amazing book lets you completely customize your presentation with specific words for comedy, romantic, or dramatic styles. The plays, Sonnets, glossary, and even the illustrations have all been gimmicked to allow you to perform several distinct effects.
And if you're daring enough for the right audience, you'll love the secret Elizabethan Dirty Words feature.
It's easy to learn and perform, with none of the usual obvious methods: no forces, fishing, anagrams, gimmicks, or guiding to the longest word on a page or line.
The book is elegantly bound in leather with gold-foil stamping and gilt-edged pages, and comes to you complete with The Shakespeare Experiment instruction manual and optional performance accessories.
• Lavish production with gilt-edged, satin-finish paper, and distinctive ribbon bookmark
• Tipped-in color frontispiece
• Over forty beautiful Gustave Doré engravings
• Deluxe endpapers
• Individually numbered; only 1000 copies printed.
• Diabolically gimmicked but looks totally normal
• No forces, no fishing, no guiding to "the longest word," no spelling-bee anagrams
• No gimmicks, breaks, or glimpses
• No additional props needed
• No guessing or asking the first letter of the word
• You don't ever have to touch the book!
• Instantly repeatable
• Different plays, pages, and text throughout the book
• Easy to perform!
Pages 816 – Hardbound $300.00 (40.664)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9788&cat=0&page=1)

"William Shakespeare wrote, 'I am not bound to please thee with my answers.' But this book is — literally!" — Max Maven

Electronic Smoke One - Nicolas Lepage:
A brand new magic smoke system that allows you to generate smoke from your hands. Here are some specifications:
* Will not stain or damage your clothes.
* Smells nice, with a slight strawberry scent.
* Noiseless, and therefore perfect for close-up situations.
Electronic Smoke One will enhance any effect. Any object can be made to appear or disappear in a puff of smoke! Comes complete ready to use!
250.00 (10.1493)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9782&cat=0&page=1)

Quintet - Jack Kent Tillar:
Five Predictions For All Occasions - The Complete Collection
Jack Kent Tillar continues his acclaimed series covering more than five decades in the world of mentalism. This collection includes all of his classic prediction effects for television, stage, parlor, and close-up and for those important promotion or publicity parties. All under one cover, with no electronics or apparatus!
• Over two dozen performance pieces.
• Five commercial prediction routines directly from Jack Kent Tillar's private catalog!
• Insider professional tips on maximizing impact and entertainment value by Ross Johnson and Maurice Fogel!
• Three private routines: Comic Book Hero, The Signed and Numbered Art Piece Prediction plus The Man Who Saw Tomorrow!
• Two effects slated for individual commercial release: ESP Symbol Control and The Annemann $2,000 Card Challenge!
• Publicity routines including "See-Through" Headline Prediction, The Joe Renzetti Stage Prediction, and the new "Parachute" Miniature Nest of Boxes Prediction!
146 pages. Softbound. $49.95 (BK01627)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9784&cat=0&page=1)

The Thing – Platinum Edition: The reputation-making one-man levitation that can be performed anywhere just got better!
Perform it in a living room, on a large theater stage, or in broad daylight on the street.
The Thing can float in any performing situation with your audience viewing from any angle. No matter how close the spectators are, whether they're behind, on top or underneath you, they will not see how The Thing works! Practical, one-man levitations are few and far between. After a decade and a half of research and development in front of real audiences, Bill is re-releasing the routine Genii Magazine has called, "The most practical, portable, self-contained, angle proof levitation effect ever."
Show an empty box made of clear plastic. The box lid is opened and an empty cloth handkerchief is draped over the open box. Mysteriously a form rises slowly up from out of the box under the cloth continuing up until it is hovering suspended in mid-air. The audience can have a clear view of the levitation from any angle and can see there is no support of any kind. You then lift a corner of the cloth up and over the levitating object only to have it suddenly disappear leaving the cloth hanging empty in your fingers!
By draping the cloth over the invisible object it slowly makes its reappearance in an unbelievably magical fashion. The object can then float up and out of your fingers, shoot on a horizontal plane away from you or out above the heads of the audience. Finally you push the cloth-covered object back down into the box, dramatically close the lid and bow to thunderous applause!
Points to consider:
• No threads
• No magnets
• No assistants
• No reset. Perform it over and over again without any lighting or staging considerations to worry about.
The Thing Platinum Edition Package Includes:
• Hand-Made Gimmicked and Ungimmicked Cloths - The new Platinum Edition Thing gimmick is hand-sewn, assembled and each one inspected by creator Bill Abbott. The new light-weight components and imported microfiber material make performing this mind-blowing levitation almost effortless and completely deceptive.
• Solid Clear View Box - The solid clear view box is made of a lightweight, non-glare, high impact clear Lucite and metal framing, manufactured for a lifetime of use.
• The Pocket Thing - Bill Abbott has included a second portable box and an all-new handling so you'll be armed with everything you need to perform this angle-proof levitation directly under the noses of your audiences. The new handling enables you to place a clear foldable acrylic box on the open palm of a spectator and have the Thing rise up literally inches from the assisting volunteer. Walk-around at a party, table to table at a restaurant or out in the open on the street, The Pocket Thing is ready for any environment.
• The Poster - Included with The Thing Platinum Edition is a glossy double-sided poster with the main routine in photographic sequence on one side, taking you step-by-step through the entire performance and on the flip-side is The Pocket Thing handling. Just adhere it to a wall or your practice mirror and begin.
• Music Themes On CD - The Thing Platinum Edition package features a compact disc with 14 music themes, so you can choose the right vibe for your show. Each theme has been carefully constructed and composed specifically for The Thing and is royalty-free so you can use it in any public or private space, on the web and on T.V.
Instructional DVD Includes:
• Routine Training - Bill Abbott conducts an intensive training session unlike any other, to accomplish one goal - for you to perfect the routine!
• The Wildbaum Sessions - Cirque Du Soleil artist Paul Wildbaum takes The Thing in new directions in studio sessions that cover the illusion of emptiness, body isolation, point fix, resistance, breathing, stage movement, character development and motivation.
• The Conversation - Sit down with the creator Bill Abbott and Paul Wildbaum for an in-depth examination of how The Thing came to be and the history of it's development.
• The Workshop Notes - Included on the DVD are Bill Abbott's Workshop Notes that were previously only available to those who attended Bill's exclusive Thing Workshop.
$199.95 (60.1396)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8569&cat=0&page=1)

Cataclysmic Coin - Bob Solari:
Display a penny at your fingertips.
Instantly and visibly the penny changes to a Jumbo Penny!
No sleight of hand, jumbo coin may be examined, 100% mechanical, learn in minutes, can be performed in short sleeves, complete with all necessary gimmicks.
Jumbo Penny measures approximately 2 inches in diameter. Photo illustrated instructions.
$11.00 (20.407)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9780&cat=0&page=1)

Shibboleth – Angelo Stagnaro: A collection of very powerful mentalism routines. So powerful that Jeff McBride describes the information as dangerous to those who would wield it unwisely!
The fourth book in the Psi-Books series, "Shibboleth" was inspired by Stagnaro's desire to perform mentalism without relying on known psychological techniques. Inspiration was also found in suggestions from audience members, who asked to see effects duplicated from pop culture sources like movies and comic books. Stagnaro has also taken these suggestions to heart.
Stagnaro also provides a new and refreshing format for his book. The effect descriptions are brief, and accompanied by a symbol-coded system describing various aspects of each effect. This makes for an interesting read and a great addition to any magician's or mentalist's library.
149 pages, hardbound. $45.00 (BK01626)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9783&cat=0&page=1)

Avenue - Dorian Rhodell:
Avenue, Thinking and Direction in Card Magic, is a study of classic principles, reinvigorated for a modern audience. On this DVD you will learn several card miracles designed by professional magician, Dorian Rhodell.
Dorian Rhodell is not only an avid practitioner of card magic, he is also a former student of the late Larry Jennings. His style and technique, although more classical, have been tailored for a modern audience and will suit any performance atmosphere.
The effects explained on this DVD have served his professional repertoire for many years and are sure to bring new wonder and excitement to your audiences.
Journey down an avenue of classic design, modern thinking and professional direction and experience the card magic of Dorian Rhodell. $35.00 (DVD00956)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9785&cat=0&page=1)

"A real miracle man." - Larry Jennings

Telepathy In Action – Orville Meyer: Once in a lifetime do you find an idea so startling, so different!
Imagine an act with no equipment, nothing to carry, no stooges or confederates, no advance preparation, no special skills, little or nothing to memorize! Yet with this act, you can keep the largest audience spellbound, shrieking with laughter, shaking their heads in amazement, at your incredible feats of mental telepathy. You will get more laughs than a comedian yet it is a semi-serious, dignified presentation!
Telepathy In Action is different. Never before described. Based on a principle never before applied in the entertainment field. No magical skills or principles involved. Only one real requirement for the performer: assurance, gained through experience in appearing before groups.
A complete 45-60 minute act in itself; not recommended as part of any other kind of act, including magic. It will, however, work well with any other acts on a long show.
Opens up a complete new field of entertainment! $29.95 (40.663)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9781&cat=0&page=1)

And that’s this week’s Where Was All this Great Magic When I Was Growing Up Hotlist! Looking over this week’s selections, there is some absolutely incredible magic to choose from. I hope you agree and choose a whole bunch!
As always, we hope you will find some time in your busy schedule to spend with us either online cat www.magicfact.com or in person at 102 North Street in Medford. Either way, we love the company!
Hank