Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. We were close. Oh, so very close. The sun was shining. Spring was clearly on the way. When the skies opened up with two more days of torrential rain. Oh, Bummer. Just when things had started to dry out, along came another ton of rain. The water table was already really high, and the new rain put it over the top. So, get out the mops and buckets, because here we go again! The good news is that with the carpet gone, the basement is really easy to clean. Always looking at the silver lining. That’s me.
I want to wish a very happy Easter to all of our friends. I hope that you find all the eggs!
The Conclave is less than a week away. All the last minute registrations are coming in, and this year we have room for all. All of us are so excited what with the new venue and all. It should be a fabulous weekend. Do I need to ask if you are going to be with us? After all these weeks, do I need to tell you how to register? Really, do I? Oh, OK. You can register right here:
(http://www.hanklee.org/conclave/conclave12.html)
I hope you are one of those people who like to make last-minute plans and will be with us!
All kinds of new magic coming our way in the past few weeks. Did you order a Dove Wand and a Dove-Let? These are two of the most fun and silliest items we have added to our line in the recent past. We have sold a ton of them to fun-loving people like us! You need to check out both items! Not just silly, but really good magic.
Lucas has been home for Spring break. This year, Spring break coincided with Passover. So, Lucas came home to eat a lot of Matzoh. He even tried Zayde’s Famous Matzo Meal, Milk and Sugar concoction. It’s a lot like concrete in a cup, and has the same effect on your digestive system. We’ll send Lucas home with a big container of Metamucil when he goes back to school on Sunday. Lucas’ GF Julia came home with Lucas for Spring Break. Like a breath of fresh air. She even does dishes!
Hard to believe though it is, I still have a lot of stuff to do before the Conclave. My nails. My hairs. My wardrobe selection. These things don’t do themselves you know! So, I will leave you to this week’s excitement!
FREE SHIPPING EXTENDED AGAIN: Until Friday, the 9th of April at midnight, we are offering free ground shipping on any order over $30.00 to anywhere in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii! Just enter the special code SHIPMEFREE in the Discount Coupon Box at the bottom of the first page of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com. We will happily pick up the ground shipping charges on your order. Of course, if you want your order sent Fedex Three Day (Express Saver), Second Day or Next Day, you will just have to pay the difference.
Note: Your email confirmation from our online system will still list the shipping as free, but we will charge the difference when we ship your order.
Overseas customers will save as well! We will pay one-half of the Air Post shipping charges on your orders until the 9th of April! Just remember to enter the special code SHIPMEFREE in the Discount Coupon Box, or let the person taking your phone order know when you place your order at 800 874 7400.
Now, let’s take a look at this week’s Hotlist
(1) Smoke & Mirrors Playing Cards: Illustrated by renowned artist Si Scott, the Smoke & Mirrorsplaying cards were developed by Dan and Dave Buck. Dan and Dave spent over eight months working with Si on the design, with the goal being to create a deck that is elegant, refined, and modern.
Interest in the decks has been unrivaled since word first emerged of their existence. All of the artwork was illustrated by hand in pen and ink. The fourth edition Smoke & Mirrors or the Green edition represents a minimalist style. With an all new retro, simplified back design and unique - never before done - metallic ink. Dressed to impress with a dark green shimmer - they are no longer just black and white.
From the intricacy of the design to the feel, finish, and quality, Smoke & Mirrors are a case study in attention to detail. The feel and finish is flawless - printed on premium Aristocrat quality stock.
The result is an artistic expression of royalty: a true luxury deck. The First, Second and Third Editions sold out very quickly; now we are pleased to announce the Fourth Edition.
A deck of playing cards engineered truly with the professional in mind.
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10014&cat=0&page=1)
(2) Athos: Ignite The Imagination!
What if a participant, under your guide, could enter into a state of heightened sensory awareness and, without knowing how, they could:
• Imagine and visualize which gun among five is unloaded so that you could point that gun to your head and safely pull the trigger?
• Sense which envelope among five is the only one containing money which someone else (and not you) put it in, so that the other four envelopes could be burned, torn, trashed with full confidence that they are empty (or containing torn pieces of newspaper)?
• Feel repelled by four chairs and attracted by one, which proves to be the right one for them?
• Know which ESP symbol you have chosen, while you know which one they have chosen?
• Avoid a shocking curse and keep the blessings for them?
And all of that by accessing some inner state of focused imagination and thought power that ancient shamans, monks and priests of practically every culture used as a door to connect with the world of their mystical Experiences.
Paolo Cavalli's Athos will help you in demonstrating these powerful feats, and more!
Paolo Cavalli's Athos comes with a precision made gimmick, the routines and most importantly, the script which is what makes the effect as close as possible to the real thing.
Bonus: One bonus routine you can apply to book tests (no need for any gimmicked book-test).
$120.00 (40.719)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10017&cat=0&page=1)
"Paolo Cavalli is one of the true underground geniuses of this craft who emerges from his grotto at infrequent intervals with breath-taking discoveries which I'm certain, like Faust, he bargains with dark forces to obtain. Those who have tasted his previous offerings will not hesitate to purchase his latest creation, Athos. Those who do hesitate will miss out on a miracle. Athos not only lives up to its description; it surpasses it in both potential and breadth of concept. The presentation alone is iconic; the method the stuff of Canonical legend; the finely-crafted 'necessaries' a pleasure to behold and use." - John Riggs
(3) New York Coin Magic Seminar - Volume 11, Workers: More than two hours of incredible routines by today’s top coin workers. Dr. Michael Rubinstein leads off with three workers from his vast repertoire. The Wishing Well is a wonderful, 4 coin production, with a story that reels in your audience. Tallahassee Jumping Coins is a three coin non-gaffed coins across, with the last coin impossibly traveling to the spectator's closed fist! Deja Vu Coin Vanish is a three coin vanish done twice, the second being instantaneous!
Mike Gallo is up next with two incredible routines. Okito Rocks will blow away your spectators as coins travel and change under impossible circumstances. The World Famous Two Coin Trick will prove that two coins are never enough!
All of these are good, but the biggest news is that, on this DVD, David Roth gives up a secret he has kept quiet for over 15 years! He explains this secret, a useful tool for all stand up coin workers, in three routines: Coins to Cup, Chop Stick Wild Coin, and the Three Coin Vanish. This technique fried the guys at the last Seminar, and all were sworn to secrecy until the release of this DVD.
Rounding out the main section are contributions from our seminar guests. Deep Palms Coins Across is offered by Eric DeCamps. Doug Brewer fools the guys all the time with Two Coin Classic. Scotty York attaches a nickel to his head at his bar with Nickel Head, and now you can do it as well! Scott Robinson explains why all coin magic is not the same with Differences. Rounding out this section is Bill Citino's wonderful opener, Money Doesn't Grow on Trees.
The bonus section contains two more worker routines by Gallo, a discussion of Stealth palm by Rubinstein, and further insight into Roth's Secret. $34.95 (DVD01113)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10015&cat=0&page=1)
(4) Rewind – Mickael Chatelain: Mickael spent almost an entire year working on Rewind. The result is unbelievable, yet easily performed.
A spectator selects a card from your deck; you fold the card in quarters and have the spectator sign its face. Once the card is signed, you tear it into two, then four pieces. The pieces are clearly separate from each other. You place two of the pieces between your lips and hold the other two at your fingertips. With no possible funny business, you restore the two pieces you were holding in your hands, leaving nothing to hide or add! Take the third piece at your fingertips, and as impossible as it seems, it becomes fused with the rest of the card as you simply hold it in place. An impossible and very visual restoration. Now bring the card with the missing corner to your lips and the spectators will see the last piece melt into place in full view! Show your hands empty, which they really are, and don't forget to return the card to the spectator, who will confirm that the card is indeed the one he signed.
REMEMBER:
Very easy to do.
Very visual, the restoration takes no manipulation
An English/French DVD explains everything; the gimmick takes care of the rest.
Rewind is made to last.
A new method for this great classic.
DVD and gimmick included.
$87.50 (30.1481)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10019&cat=0&page=1)
(5) Silent Running – Ben Harris: Silent Running is a "Think Of A Card" concept that requires no props at all. You don't even need a deck of cards. Any spectator is asked to think of any number from 1-10, and then asked to think of a suit (either Clubs, Hearts, Spades or Diamonds). She does all of this in her head, telling you nothing. In her mind she combines the chosen number and suit to create the visual image of a playing card. Again, she says nothing! Once it’s confirmed that she is thinking of a card that no one can possibly know, you proceed to reveal it in any number of ways, including:
Direct Mind Read:
You ask the spectator to concentrate. You then reveal her thought-of card with 100% accuracy. It's that simple. Once you know the method you'll be able to do this at any time, anywhere!
The Dissolving Card:
The spectator is handed a deck of cards before you begin. She is asked to think of a card. When she has confirmed that she has a card in her mind, you ask her to imagine it "slowly fading way”. Upon confirming that her mental image is gone, she is asked to take the deck and to remove her thought-of card. She attempts to do this, and counts the cards. However, there are only 51 cards and her thought-of card is not there. It has really faded into nothing! You never touch the deck—in fact you never need to know her thought of card at all! Thanks to a clever Bob Cassidy idea, you can even do this with two spectators, having two cards dissolve one after the other!
Spirited Card Stab:
A deck is shuffled by a spectator, spread upon the table, and covered with a sheet of newspaper. A knife is introduced and the spectator is asked to think of a card. Once she has done this, she is asked to imagine the spirit of her imagined card flowing down her arms, through her wrists, into her hands and finally into the knife. The performer now takes the knife and lunges it through the newspaper—where it stands proud for all to see. Now, for the first time, the spectator announces her thought-of card to the audience. The knife is ripped from the newspaper and is seen to be impaling the very same card. There are no switches—the thought-of card is genuinely impaled on the knife blade!
Important Points:
• Nothing is ever written down—this is strictly a verbal procedure!
• There is no dual reality. The spectator and audience experience the same effect!
• There are no gimmicks used at all, no nail writers, electronics—nothing!
Bonus ideas:
In addition to the above, Steve Shufton contributes further nuance for card workers and presents “Speechless”—a devastating version of “The Open Prediction”.
As a very special treat, professional mentalist Devin Knight provides Two fully developed routines, each bristling with fine detail and subtlety. Any of these bonus items are worth the price of admission on their own!
60 pages, printed on acid free paper, color cover.
$39.95 (30.1482)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10020&cat=0&page=1)
(6) New York Coin Seminar - Volume 12 – Back To Workers: Two hours of even more incredible material for the hobbyist and pro alike! Dr. Michael Rubinstein offers Time For Change, a purse spellbound routine with a surprise climax. Fuzzy Math takes the gadabout coins idea to a new level. Silver Extraction is so practical, it will make you take your old gaff out of the drawer, dust it off, and perform a winner!
Mike Gallo comes to bat next, with two more amazing routines. Two Copper One Silver offers a new way to perform the classic routine, leaving you totally clean. Okito Transit, shows once again Mike's exceptional versatility with the Okito box, as he uses it in ways that will blow you away.
David Roth continues with his amazing coin magic. He demonstrates and explains the McCarthy Handkerchief Vanish. proving once again that there is gold hidden in the old books. Rip-O is also a forgotten trick for most magicians, but David's brilliant presentation brings it up to speed, and will quickly find its way back into the worker's repertoire!
Our special guests have contributed even more wonderful effects for this volume. Doug Brewer teaches Recaptivated, a wonderful routine to produce coins from your pen cap. Eric DeCamps explains another Worker Coins Across. Icon Scotty York presents and explains one of his favorite bar tricks, Nickel Through the Hand - Almost. Scott Robinson teaches Loose Change, a quickie with a penny and nickel that everyone will do after watching it! Host Marc DeSouza closes out the set with Copper Silver My Way, a practical copper silver transposition with a lovely premise and the engaging DeSouza touch.
But there's more! The bonus section contains a discussion of click passes by Rubinstein, two more eye opening bonus effects by Gallo, a performance of the Chanin TV coin production by Roth, and two more bonus effects by Doug Brewer right out of his professional repertoire! $34.95 (DVD01114)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10016&cat=0&page=1)
(7) Scorched DVD - Nopera Whitley:
A revelation that will literally fry them!
A selected card is scorched into another playing card.
Routines include:
Scorched: A selected card is burnt into another card with a flash of fire.
Heart Burn: A heart is burnt into a card with only your fingers. Includes smoke from fingers.
Words and Names: Great for book test and mentalism routines.
Other ideas from Andrew Gerard.
Some routines require flash paper that is not included.
Basic tools are required to make the Scorched gimmick.
DVD and Gimmicks included. $25.00 (30.1483)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10021&cat=0&page=1)
"Endless routine possibilities...the Hottest way to reveal any card, word, name and more."
Not recommended for anyone under 18 years of age.
(8) New York Coin Magic Seminar – Volume 13 – Back To Workers: Yet another 15 practical, hard hitting coin magic effects used by pros, but easy enough for the average close up magician. Dr. Michael Rubinstein starts off this volume with Copper Silver Brass, a five-phase routine that uses no gaffs, and no extra coins! Copper Silver Transposition is the classic effect, made easy to perform with the Rubinstein slide move. The Purse and Glass is Rubinstein's take on Roth's classic showpiece, now made into a stand up worker effect for all performing situations!
Mike Gallo shows his take on the Cap and Pence, but steals the show with his rendition of Milton Kort's Four From Two Equals. David Roth follows with his Flurry, giving all the details you need to perform this one coin classic.
Not to be undone, our contributors have gone all out to give you the finest coin magic around! Eric DeCamps struts his stuff with his Three Coins and a Ring. Doug Brewer goes Trekkie with Transporter Malfunction. Scotty York sneaks in Bill Swindle. Scott Robinson uses two spectators for his In The Hands CopSilBrass. Marc DeSouza shows some new ideas with his Coins Across, and Dan Watkins reveals a new idea, a progressive wild coin that was a big hit with the guys at the Seminar, called The Coin Chalice
But wait, there's more!! Our bonus section finishes the series with two more killer effects by Mike Gallo (does he ever run out of new stuff?), a discussion of coin magic by Roth, a bonus routine by Rubinstein, a performance by Scotty York, and a table discussion of workers effects. $34.95 (DVD01115)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10018&cat=0&page=1)
(9) Magic & Comedy DVD – Jay Sankey
• Includes over 40 minutes of live footage (shot in HD) from an exclusive 'magic & comedy' seminar.
• Learn how to use humor as the ultimate misdirection, 'find the funny' in any magic or mentalist effect, acting challenges that will help you grow as a comedic performer, play with your audience rather than just performing for them, avoid 'jokes' that only 'put up walls,' craft effective call-backs, be funny without letting your magic suffer, and much, much more!
• Special Bonus: Live clips from Jay's own performance archive including comedy clubs, TV appearances, short videos, cartoons and more!
• Jay headlined comedy clubs with his original stand-up act for years. His humor has also been featured on several television specials. Jay is also the author of 'Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy,' considered by stand-up comics all over the world to be a modern classic. So when Jay releases a new DVD focusing on how you can make your own magic performances funnier, you know it's going to be something special.
• Warning: Explicit Language
$25.00 (DVD01116)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10022&cat=0&page=1)
(10) Mental XL DVD– Pascal de Clermont:
Pascal de Clermont is known worldwide as one of the top performing mentalists. This DVD is designed to get you introduced to some basic principles, and instantly learn a trick alllowing you to practice those principles.
Contents:
• Enliec: A trick using a standard dictionary. Your spectator will choose a word from it, and by going alphabetically letter by letter, you will be able to find the word that your spectator has picked. Extremely easy to perform, and yet very bright, this effect is perfect to practice your pumping abilities because you don't even have to pump.
• Peek Me: Pascal's version of peeking the serial number of a borrowed bill. Impromptu, easy to perform: a real serial peeker. This DVD describes the effect performed with a Euro Banknote, but it can be easily adapted to any foreign or domestic bill.
• Logos: Pascal's notepad effect that uses the Raschomon principle, with amazing simplicity. This is a great introduction to pumping right here, and again, the logic and the construction of the trick make it so easy to perform. Perfect for table hopping, instantly reset, I dare you not to want to perform that effect as soon as you see it!
• Mental 21: This is the classic 21 card trick effect revisited and mixed with pumping and techniques to cut it short, and fool any laymen around you.
• Predict It: An introduction to the PATEO force, that allows you to perform a great impromptu effect at any time using only borrowed objects. Performable by a 4 year old, it's a great teaching/give away trick even though extremely strong so you really want to keep it secret.
• Geographical: Pascal's adaptation of the "wordo" gimmick on a road map, using a business card. Another ultra easy to perform trick, that can be adapted and used for a lot of effects.
$30.00 (DVD01117)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10023&cat=0&page=1)
(11) Freefall – Andrew Mayne: Make bricks, bowling balls, fish bowls even a hot cup of coffee appear from nowhere!
Andrew Mayne presents his innovative technique for making impossible and unwieldy objects appear from impossible places.
Bowling Ball - An updated handling on Andrew's Bowling Ball from Shopping Bag effect that makes a great show opener or closer. Includes Andrew's new handling and technique that makes this a portable, practical illusion you'll want to make a part of your show.
Brick - Make a heavy brick appear from an empty lunch bag and drop it literally at your audience's feet. This never-seen-before effect allows you to create a huge impact up close or onstage when you produce a real brick under the most challenging conditions.
Fish Bowl - Make a fish bowl appear complete with real fish! Use it as part of an Aerial Fishing routine or use the bowl to produce giveaway items or anything else you want.
Home Brew - This is Andrew's almost impromptu method for making a hot cup of coffee appear. It makes a great ice break or fun effect to do at the coffee house.
Freefall is an easy to perform effect that's almost impromptu in its simplicity. You can use it onstage with a bowling ball or up close with a brick you can leave as a souvenir. It's got multiple applications including one that's right for your show.
$15.00 (60.1661)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10025&cat=0&page=1)
And that’s this week’s So Close To The Conclave We can Almost Taste It Hotlist! Lots of great stuff, most of which we will have with us on display in our bigger than life booth at the Conclave!
As always, thanks so much for spending time with us whether it’s online at www.magicfact.com or in person at 102 North Street in Medford. Either way, we love it when you drop by!
Hank
