Friday, October 30, 2009

Boo!

Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. As you know, this is Halloween weekend. I hope you have a lot of shows booked on Friday and Saturday. Maybe even a couple on Sunday. If you bought new props this year from us for your Halloween shows, take a picture of yourself using your new prop, and maybe we’ll publish it in the email Newsletter.

Right now, as you read this letter, Bonnie and I are on the way to Philadelphia to meet up with Harry Anderson and his family. We’ll be at Harry’s show on Friday night and then spend some quality time just hangin.’ Harry’s Big Money has been selling like crazy. I had to call Harry and twist his arm a little to get him to send us more. He did, so we will be able to fill everyone’s orders.

Normally, when we go away, even for a couple of days, we need to park Bones will a puppy-sitter. Well, I decided it was time to teach Bones to puppy-sit himself. So, we’ve been working really hard to teach him to get his own food (and not eat the whole 20 pound bag) and to let himself in and out of the house (and not run away).

I just got this note from good friend Chipper Lowell. “We'll be coming through your area at the end of November. Our show, ‘BLiNK! - An Incredible Evening of Award-Winning Magic!’ will be at The Music Hall, in Portsmouth, NH on November 27 & 28. Starring myself, with special guest artists: Jade, Christopher Hart, and Joe Devlin. 8pm evening performance on Friday, the 27th, and an 11am matinee (1-hour version) on Saturday, the 28th. “
I will be there, and I hope if you are anywhere in New England, you will make the drive. The show looks great!
Here’s a link for info and tickets.
(http://www.blinkshow.com)

Since this is Halloween Weekend, it makes perfect sense that we should have a nice Halloween Sales Event. So, read on!

Halloween Sales Event: The early birds and those dressed up like early birds, really love this sales event. And why not? Save and save. More today than tomorrow, and certainly more than the day after. This sounds a lot like last week’s sales event, cleverly disguised as a Halloween Sale.
Here’s how it works: No matter what day, from right now until Thursday, the 5th of November at midnight, when you purchase from us at Hank Lee’s, you will save money. But, as you may have heard, the early bird gets the worm! Starting right now, you will save 30% on your entire order, subject to the rules below. We will hold that discount, 30%, through Monday, the 2nd of November at midnight. We will reduce the discount by 1% each day after that until the 5th of November at midnight. All you need to do is enter the special code HALLOWEEN in the Discount Coupon Box of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com and we will automatically deduct the correct amount 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!

There are a few rules that apply, as with all things in life.
• The minimum order to use this discount is $30.00.
• The discount is deducted from the retail price of the item. No intermediate discounts (such as HankoGram pricing) may be applied. In the case of sets, such as DVDs and Videos, the discount is deducted from the retail price of each item and not from the set price.
• Offers cannot be combined.
• Certain items, due to contractual restrictions, are not included in this sale. All Joe Porper items, Paul Harris Prime Time Magic items, theory11 items, Viking/CW items, Kennedy Enterprises items, Colin Rose items, Mike Caveney Books, MagicSmith, Martin Breese, Mikame Craft items, Johnson Products 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.
• Coupons, Reward Points and Promotional Gift Certificates may not be used during this sales event..
• As the discount is automatically generated, you must put the special code in the Discount Coupon Box, and nowhere else. You may have to scroll to the bottom of the page to find the box, but it is there. If you are not sure how to do this, please phone your order in to our toll-free order line at 800 874 7400, and we will take care of you. We cannot offer discounts retroactively.

And that's it. It could not be easier. So, get your order together and save yourself some serious money! But, act quickly. It all ends on the 5th of November at midnight!

And now to this week’s Hotlist!

Miser’s Delight Pro-X: JB Magic has added several brand new features to the Miser’s Delight bag. Along with all the usual features, you can now make the lights cascade in and out of the bag. Plus the new incredible electronics will allow you to remove all 14 lights one light at a time. This looks fantastic
You have to see these bags to believe both the effect and quality of them. Each bag is individually made by an electronics expert.
The bags have 3 different settings: manual, variable timer and infrared. Each setting will allow 14 lights to appear or vanish one at a time inside the bag.
Manual: allows the lights to appear while you are holding the bag.
Infrared: every time you wave your hand near the bag a light appears.
Variable Timer: lights appear every few seconds in the bag while you are nowhere near the bag.
Perfect for stand up, children's shows or cabaret. Using a red D’Lite you pluck a bright red light from thin air. The light appears and vanishes at will. Finally toss the light into the bag. The light shows through the semi transparent frosted bag, then visually drops down inside the bag (this looks amazing). When the bag is full any time you wish you blow in the bag and all the lights instantly vanish.
Top quality bag and craftmanship. We will have these in limited numbers so do not miss out. Highest recommendation. High-tech magic. $200.00 (60.1626)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9909&cat=0&page=1)

Bullets After Dark – 2 DVD Set – John Bannon: Featuring brand new material, re-worked classics, and the cream of the crop from Bannon's best-selling book, Dear Mr. Fantasy. Bullets After Dark is a treasure trove of workable, awe-inspiring magic, from self-workers (that will fool you) to deviously constructed sleight-of-hand routines.
This is a veritable master class in contemporary card magic. Three hours of stunning material across two DVDs-including in-depth interviews and commentary. Watch how Bannon thinks. How he constructs tricks. How he makes his magic special.
Your ticket to a "money-can't-buy" one-on-one session with one of the finest thinkers in magic today.
Disc 1:
Dead Reckoning
She mentally spells the name of her card—and there it is!
Dawn Patrol
He "accidentally" shuffles one card between two face-up Queens. Yeah, right, but you won't believe how—and how fast—this works.
Doctored Daley
Presentational judo to knock your spectator off-balance. See what a small addition to a classic magic trick can accomplish.
Power Of Poker
One card at a time, she forms two poker hands. He correctly predicts every one of her ten separate decisions. A self-working poker blockbuster, gone mental.
Counterpunch
The Dunbury Delusion slams into the Biddle trick. It's not just a card trick, it's a con job.
4 Faces North
Bannon's "Last Man Standing" leaner and meaner. Shuffle the cards face-up and face-down. No way! Only Aces staring upward.
Watching The Detectives
Continue your guided tour down the garden path. A sandwich trick from the twilight zone. You won't see it coming . . .
New Jax/Full Circle
Next stop: A highly-engineered, stealth fighter-like transposition. Welcome to the future.
Disc 2:
Origami Prediction
A mathematical drive-by. Multi-stage prediction with error-correction. Fools you when you see it. Fool yourself when you do it.
The Einstein Overkill
Fooled Einstein; might fool you. Einstein didn't get to see the kicker ending. He wouldn't stand a chance.
Bullet Train (Iconoclastic Aces - Syncopated Aces - Interrobang Aces)
Iconoclastic. Syncopated. Interrobang!? Bannon's unholy trio of Ace assemblies. Ahead of their time. A neo-modern classic
J.B. Flytrap False Cut
Cool, tight, and not-too-flourishy. In your hands only.
The Bannon Triumph
Re-branding Bannon's classic four-packet Triumph routine. You know it, you love it. Or, will love it...
$35.00 (DVD01066)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9906&cat=0&page=1)

Praise for Bullets After Dark:

"Mind-boggling, brilliant, commercial and practical. In a word... excellent!" - Daryl - The Magician's Magician

"John's material is fantastic and the production is wonderfully modern." - Bill Malone

"Great effects, practical methods and intriguing presentations. This is Bannon at his best." - R Paul Wilson

"Advances in our craft are a result of acts of the mind, and John Bannon is, without doubt, one of the best thinkers we have." - David Regal

Search & Destroy – Aaron Fisher: As magicians, we project an air of mysterious, hidden ability. Our audiences are envious of this power, and their secret is that they wish they could do what we do. Search & Destroy gives them that opportunity, in a fun, entertaining, and completely self-working way. And yet without offering them a single clue as to how it's all done!
The plot is simple: the slow-motion sandwich effect. A card is selected and returned to the pack. Two kings are placed face-up near the top and bottom of the pack. They move in toward the center, one step at a time, until only one card is trapped between them. Of course, that one card turns out to be the selection. But here's the rub: the entire effect happens with the spectator holding the cards! Better yet, this trick is all but self-working. If you can control a playing card, you can perform this miracle.
Virtually self working; allows you to concentrate on learning the touches and nuances that turn this trick into a miracle
Audience tested thousands of times
Widely considered the best sandwich trick of all time
Any deck, anytime, anywhere
Practical, powerful technique — lessons that will evolve your magic
Search & Destroy also includes a detailed explanation of the Nowhere Pass — Aaron's acclaimed and well-thought-out approach to the Bluff Pass, long considered the province of only the most advanced sleight-of-hand experts. With the care and attention that has come to define Aaron's teaching, this segment will give you a new tool in your arsenal that you will find uses for in many of your own favorite effects. And that's only the beginning: the lessons you learn here about tension, focus, and design in sleight of hand will improve every card trick you do.
Learn the secret of soft, elegant sleight of hand
Perform surrounded
Any conditions
Completely invisible from any angle
Control a card to any position in the pack
$30.00 (DVD01067)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9911&cat=0&page=1)

No Cards & Post-It Prestidigitation: Kostya Kimlat's brand new double CDROM that features two incredible books, Post-It Prestidigitation and No Cards. Combined, you will receive over 16 non-card effects with photos and illustrations of some killer magic.
No Cards includes Humid Shenanigans, Kostya's work on impromptu routines for the everyday world. Kostya's fully illustrated booklet includes magic with chocolate candy, pocket change, store receipts, peanuts, chicken wings, even cherries. Featuring a routine by Adam Rubin and a bonus: Kostya's infamous production of a spectator's phone number followed by their very own car license plate! This type of magic will either get you arrested or idolized.
What's Included?
9 Non-Card Effects
33 Illustrations
Adam Rubin's favorite M&M Miracle that everyone loves!
and... 2 Bonus Routines: Catch-## and License to Steal - Kostya's signature piece for many years!
Post-It Prestidigitation will teach you killer magic that uses a naturally-made post-it pad gimmick and several routines utilizing different kinds of pads. You'll take a look at the challenges of making the one-ahead principle convincing and discover some unique and powerful solutions that use post-it pads as a simple, casual tool to create powerful and audience-engaging routines.
What's Included?
7 Killer Effects
1 Clever Gimmick
3 Thought-Provoking Essays
14 Photographs
A revolutionary way of looking at the 1-ahead principle
and... A bonus routine. by the Millionaire's Magician - Steve Cohen
All files are in Adobe PDF format. $19.95 (BK01673)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9904&cat=0&page=1)

Extreme – Human Body Stunts – 4 DVD Set – Luis DeMatos: 12 Human Body Stunts performed and taught by Luis De Matos.
The Essential Magic Collection, a new series of instructional DVDs featuring the best in professional magic. The first release is Luis de Matos's EXTREME: Human Body Stunts for Professionals. A four DVD set, containing twelve different stunts as used by Luis de Matos in his stage, corporate and television work.
Includes:
Firewalking
Stone Breaking
Blowtorch
Frozen Alive
Arrow Snapping
Bottle Break 1
Strait Jacket
Walking on Broken Glass
Bar Bending
Bottle Break 2
And much more!
$189.95 (DVD01065)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9903&cat=0&page=1)

"Luis de Matos is one of Europe's top illusionists. Whatever Luis does, he does with style and this DVD set is no exception. These are professional routines, professionally described. This collection is a great opportunity to learn some of magic's most impressive stunts from someone who has made a reputation performing them" - David Copperfield

Korn Silks: Karrell Fox's Korn Silks was one of his best ideas. Show your favorite production box or tube. Reach inside and produce a 36" silk with a colorful picture of a clown printed on it. One thing, though. The clown's head is missing! So, you get a kid to hold up the silk with their head in place of the clown's.
Do it again. This time produce a big picture of a monkey holding a banana. Of course, a second kid's face finishes the picture! Lots of laughs with this
The third silk is a ballerina. How cute will the third kid look holding this one up!
The final silk is the strongman! Finished perfectly by the fourth youngster,
At the end of the routine, you have a gen-u-wine Silken Sideshow! The kids holding the silks fill the stage. And, you stand in the middle getting all the applause! What a finish for any family show! Fun and mystery and a big show at the end.
Steve Goshman has done a beautiful job producing these silks, which have been in demand for years.,
Includes four beautiful, 36-inch, 100% silks and some great routining ideas. Priced very low for such a quality set. $70.00 (60.1118)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=6740&cat=0&page=1)

Card Work, Card Play – Kostya Kimlat: This CD-ROM contains a 60 page e-book, over 25 videos, 12 versatile techniques, and 11 powerful effects for magicians wanting to take their card magic to the next level.
What's the Work?
Card techniques you will love and use: Forces, Switches, Displays, Counts, contributions from B.J. Bueno, Jack Park, Aaron Shields and much more!
What's the Play? Evil Geniuses, Hallucinogenics, Egos, House Parties, Undercover Rhapsodies, Zephyrs, Satan, and more!
What's on the CD-ROM?
26 Videos
60 Page PDF Booklet
12 Versatile Techniques
11 Powerful Effects
Mac & PC CD-ROM
$19.95 (BK01674)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9905&cat=0&page=1)

Magic Menu – Fall 2009: They’re back! For more than ten years, from 1990 through 2001, The Magic Menu was a continuing and trusted source of practical information for close-up magicians, particularly those who performed in restaurants, bars and night spots. Each issue brought real-world advice, information, reviews of the latest magic and audience-tested effects from some of the best magicians in the world
After an eight-year hiatus, The Magic Menu is back with a renewed vision and a brand new staff for another generation of professional and semi-professional close-up magicians.
Some of the columnists and contributors you'll meet include Paul Green (held over by popular demand from the original staff), Paul Gordon, Christopher Lyle, James Prince, Tom Frank and, of course, founder and editor Jim Sisti
And, unlike the newsletter format of the original, the new incarnation of The Magic Menu will feature a magazine-like look with a full-color cover. Inside, however, will be the same quality of information, insights and original magic that made The Magic Menu one of magic's most unique periodicals. $10.00 (BK01676)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9908&cat=0&page=1)

“Anyone interested in mastering the complex performance arena of restaurant and bar magic should find this information priceless.” - Michael Ammar

The Bermuda Triangle: Brand new from David Goodsell, the Bermuda Triangle is an excellent piece of story magic.
Almost everyone has heard of the famous Bermuda Triangle, where ships and airplanes suddenly vanish, leaving not a trace.
Display an 11” x 17” full color poster showing a map of the Triangle.
Bring out a 4” x 11” plastic triangle with a hole in its center, “found in some wreckage off the coast of Florida.” Show the triangle on both sides.
Don't put your fingers in the hole! Things that go in don't come out!
Push a silk handkerchief into the hole in the triangle, and it suddenly disappears.
Hand out the triangle for immediate examination.
Every thing you need is supplied. Silk, poster, instructions, gimmicks and triangle. And, a complete script. $39.95 (60.1627)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9910&cat=0&page=1)

Up The Ante – Martyn Smith: What would you do when faced with a bet so unbelievably good that you simply couldn't lose? How far would you go? What are your limits?
Imagine if you will that a spectator is able to cut, deal and shuffle your cards, without you touching them whatsoever. Yet, you are able to make the most unbelievable bets upon the cards he or she deals to the table! There is no sleight of hand and this works with totally un-gaffed cards! You are able to bet that the first several pairs dealt face down to the table will contain both a red and a black card. When you have had enough of challenging your opponent in this way, you then propose that the next group of cards dealt will contain one card of each suit! This is repeated a few times before you make the final, outrageous wager that, if thirteen face down cards were dealt then that group will contain an Ace right through to a King - thirteen different cards in all! Amazingly you are able to repeat that feat a second time.
If you did not possess a reputation as a card-sharp before this routine, you certainly will at the end! Remember that you did not shuffle or indeed even handle the cards!
Interested? Then read on…
Very Easy to do!
No gaffed cards or gimmicks!
No hard memorization work!
No sleight of hand!
The cards do all the work for you!
The outcome is the same every time!
A great bar bet and magician fooler!
$19.95 (BK01675)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9907&cat=0&page=1)

And that’s this week’s Off To See The Liberty Bell Hotlist. Chock full of great magic that you have the liberty to order, if you choose!
Have a great Halloween. Be safe, and don’t eat any of the unwrapped candies.
As always, we really appreciate your taking time to spend with us either online at www.magicfact.com or in person at 102 North Street in Medford. Ether way we love the company!
Hank