Last weekend, Bonnie and I hit the road and drove (in the Prius of course) to New Rochelle, New York for an engagement party on my side of the family. I did my best to look for Rob and Laura Petrie’s house, but could not find it. For one reason or another, it’s almost always Bonnie’s side of the family that gets the action. We rarely see my side. So, it was a special pleasure to see my cousins last weekend.
On Monday, Lucas flew off to Toronto to see Julia. Just a short trip. He is already back, and he had a great time! It really drives home how different life is than when I was growing up. My kids fly here and there and think nothing of it. For us, flying anywhere was always such a big deal.
Speaking of flying, Lucas leaves on Monday for four weeks in Italy. He’ll be singing the part of Don Ottavio in the opera, Don Giovanni. I think at some point, Aron and Lucas will be able to hook up in London for a day. It could be a very expensive day, especially if Aron is at the helm.
It has been a little weird at home. First there are no kids. Then there’s one. Then there’s none. Then there’s the other one. Then there’s none. Then there’s one. And as of Monday there will be none. Emotionally, it’s been a little like a roller coaster. You empty nesters know what I mean, right?
That’s everything from here, so let’s take a look at this week’s excitement!
Buy Some, Get Some at 100% Off Extended! I know it sounds crazy, but we have figured out a way to do this. For every order you place, we will send you some brand new, right off the shelf, magic equal in value to the merchandise you ordered. Whaaaaat? Crazy, right? Maybe not so crazy. Ask the folks who took advantage of this the last time around and got hundreds and hundreds of dollars in free magic! We have a truckload of great new stuff just arriving for this promotion.
Here’s how it works. If you buy $50.00 in merchandise, we will send along with your order another $50.00 in free merchandise. Same for $100.00 or $200.00 or $300.00 or more. However much you spend, we will match it with additional magic of the same value.
The magic we will send is really good stuff. There are some tricks and some DVDs, even some books. It is brand new, right from stock. Stuff you will like and use!
It all starts right now, the very second you get this email Newsletter. And it will run through Friday, June 18th at midnight. Eight full days. All you need to do is put the special code BUY SOME in the Customer Notes Box of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com so we know that you wish to participate in the promotion. If you call or FAX your order in to us, just mention the code BUY SOME.
There really aren’t many rules or restrictions. The only thing is, we cannot combine offers. So, Reward Points, Promotional Gift Certificates and Magic Of The Month Club pricing will not apply. Oh, and the minimum order for this promotion is $30.00. Makes sense, right?
Get your order in to us, and see what surprises await you!
Now, let’s take a look at this week’s Hotlist.
(1) The Hawk 2.0: Make your ambitious card routine go through the roof!
Imagine you're in a movie theater munching popcorn and the guy in the movie performs an utterly impossible magic effect. One of those "written for the movies" moments that you know could never exist in the real world. Or could it?
Introducing Hawk 2.0. The Real Deal. Watch the movie. It’s all true!
This can be the finale to your normal Ambitious Card Routine, or a stand alone big-build-up show stopper.
Anyone signs both sides of any card (from a normal deck). You insert the signed card into the center of the deck, which you place on the floor (or hold in one hand). Everyone stares at the top of the deck on the floor. The suspense builds. Then in full view, with no cover and without anyone touching the deck, the signed card miraculously appears on top! You immediately turn the card over to show the other signature, then toss out the card to the astonished crowd.
Let's be clear. Nothing is touching the deck when the effect happens. The deck is sitting by itself on the floor, surrounded by space. A few seconds go by and then the signed card literally poofs into existence on top of the deck. It visibly appears out of nowhere, just like an impossible fantasy effect in the movies!
You can fly your Hawk even higher by placing a borrowed signed coin on top of the deck. Under these test conditions the signed card still twinkles into view on top of the deck. And, it is still under the coin! The coin never ever moves. And again this can happen without you ever touching the deck. Only one coin is used and can be immediately returned to its owner.
And there's yet another Hawk 2.0 upgrade: The PH inspired Lucky Card Gimmick. This bonus gimmick lets you start and finish clean with zero sleight of hand.
The Hawk 2.0 resets in just a few seconds. You receive two different custom-made gimmicks, plus enough material to make at least a dozen more.
Alexander Kolle went beyond all reason and jam packed the DVD with everything you'll ever want to know about flying your ambitious card through the roof!
$39.95 (30.1494)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10135&cat=0&page=1)
(2) Vortex – Tom Stone: A whirlwind of routines, tricks, ideas and opinions—inspired and inspiring.
Open this book and you enter the mind of Tom Stone, one of Sweden's finest professional magicians and one of the world's most wildly innovative magical thinkers. Within a few pages you will be swept up and carried away by the creative whirlwind that is constantly blowing in Stone's brain. As you are whipped from idea to idea you will be exposed to a level of professional thinking that leaves no area of magic untouched, from close-up to stage, from manipulation to psychology, routining to prop construction, presentation to stagecraft.
Challenging ideas demanding thought and development vie for attention with routines honed over years of performance. Vortex is a chronicle of a full-time performer's creative journey, with its fruits and challenges, presented with the intent that every reader will continue the adventure.
Vortex cuts a swath across the entire map of magic, from close-up to platform and stage. While doing so, Stone shows how these boundaries can be crossed, taking effects from one venue and adapting them to play successfully in another.
The material in Vortex displays a unique melding of artistic ideals with realistic professionalism, guided by many years of performing experience.
Explained is everything from card tricks designed for three or four persons to sleek manipulation routines devised for hundreds in a theater. Among the more than 70 ideas explained in Vortex are signature pieces from Tom Stone's repertoire, such as:
• Gold Wielder, a linking finger-ring handling that avoids all the usual weaknesses and difficulties
• Ambivalent Travelers and Mr. Fogg, two brilliant and practical approaches to the "Ambidextrous Travellers"
• A Toast for Charon, an elegant coin production finishing with the surprising appearance of a full bottle of wine
• Benson Burner, which transforms "Benson's Bowl" into a striking stage piece with a visually stunning final production
Vortex is a record of artistic and creative quests, frustrations, triumphs and introspection, made by one of the most articulate minds thinking in magic today.
270 pages, 504 illustrations, Hardcover. $55.00 (BK01713)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10134&cat=0&page=1)
(3) Inflataball: This brand new effect from master woodworker Colin Rose is visual magic at its very best. It can be used as a terrific opener to your Sponge Ball Routine; it’s perfect for Close Up & Table Hopping. Quick and easy to perform, re-sets instantly, ready to go again and again.
Show a round wooden box which opens up to reveal a small sponge ball. Explain that you are going to make the ball disappear. But, the unexpected happens. The lid of the box seems to float up by itself in a mysterious way! The ball inside the box has grown to four times its original size!
Beautifully made, as we’ve come to expect from Five of Hearts Magic!
$57.50 (10.1573)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10129&cat=0&page=1)
(4) Halloween Safety Magic Show DVD – Tommy James -
Maximize your earnings potential during the Halloween season!
Check out the first DVD of its kind with something for every performer - from the beginner to the seasoned professional! Tommy James proudly presents his entertaining and educational Halloween Safety Magic Show recorded live in front of hundreds of elementary school students and their teachers. If you ever wanted to produce a Halloween - themed magic show or are looking for fresh new ideas, you will find a gold mine of material in this fun-filled DVD. Having a safety theme show can make you more money, help you stand out with schools, libraries and youth groups as well as enhance your reputation! You'll see an entire 45-minute, high-energy performance complete with educational and useful safety tips for children and parents to keep in mind during their night of spooky fun. Following the performance, watch a 30-minute one-on-one session with Tommy James who shows you firsthand how to develop this specialized show and make many of the props easily for little cost.
Plus, you will learn more than one dozen memorable routines you will use:
Multiplying Eyeballs - Opener to music with a surprise ending.
The Silver Scepter - A spooky magic wand that drives the kids crazy.
Bunnicula’s Castle - Bunnicula the bunny appears in his castle
Multiplying Carrots - Dan Garrett’s comedy multiplying carrots
The Cat - Tommy’s handling of a Trevor Lewis classic
Wand to Snake & Pop Wand - The handling of two great comedy wands
Flashlight Fun – Another Trevor Lewis classic with a safety message
Ghost Gavel – A haunted gavel that has a life of its own
Haunted Jack-O-Lantern – A perfect running gag for any Halloween show
Alien Impression - A quick comedy gag
Flying Ghost - A comical 7 minute routine with an audience volunteer
Floating Skull of Dracula - A unique and hilarious zombie skull routine
Forgetful Frankie - Tommy’s twist on Mike Bent’s great effect
The Viper - A Halloween show is not complete without a snake basket
Plus- All the one-liners, gags and bits of business
This DVD holds nothing back!
$34.95 (DVD01158)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10133&cat=0&page=1)
(5) 120% Chestosterone – Chester Sass - Germany's premier up-and-coming Mentalist, Chester Sass has done it at last. Critically acclaimed TV-Street Mentalist Chester Sass has put pen to paper to share the secrets of some of his award-winning routines with you! Following its initial publication in Germany, this mentalism bestseller is now available for the first time in English. In his book, Chester teaches impromptu effects that will knock your audience off their feet! These effects were developed through performance for performance. If you're looking for effects that get a maximum reaction with minimum preparation, this is the book for you!
Here's what you'll get
Zodiac:
These days, to be a top mentalist, you must have a solid zodiac routine in your repertoire. Haven't you always dreamed of going up to people, asking them to think of their zodiac sign and then divining it before their eyes?
Hello, is it me you're looking for?:
Imagine asking a perfect stranger to think of someone they haven't spoken to recently. You take the spectator's cell phone and they watch as you dial an unknown number. Then the unthinkable happens: the person who answers the call is the person the spectator was thinking of!
Music was my first love:
How is it possible for you to immediately start singing, beat boxing or naming the song a spectator has selected from a card containing several world-famous artists and their hits, without having to ask any questions??
The CSI-Book Test:
Haven't you always wanted to pull off a flawless book test at a party where the spectator has an absolutely free choice of the book, page and word?
Ches-Te(a)r:
Still looking for the perfect Center Tear? What about the best way to justify the writing, the tear and the peek? Your search is over, with the new CHES-TEAR!
Equivoque:
When done correctly, Equivoque produces a miraculous effect. So why are there so many bad examples of it? Chester sums up his thoughts on this subject in the hopes that you will be more satisfied with your next Equivoque routine.
One-Ahead Principle:
Properly performed, the One-Ahead Principle can produce a very powerful effect. Chester Sass has further refined this technique ridding it of the slightest bit of doubt.
These routines are easy to learn and very well conceived.
All of the mentalism routines in this book have been tested out in the open. They were designed for the "real world" and don't require any unusual props or special circumstances to be performed.
Everything is described at length with both words and pictures.
Detailed photos leave no question unanswered.
As an added bonus, the purchase of this book includes access to a specially developed program that will help you practice and memorize the Zodiac routine in as little time as possible.
What's more, you also receive a gimmick worth $30 on its own.
$50.00 (BK01711)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10132&cat=0&page=1)
(6) Color Changing Swiss Army Knife: Pocket Swiss Army Knives are commonplace items that people see all the time. They're on key chains, they're sold in many stores, and, best of all, they come in several colors. This makes them perfect for a color changing knife routine.
You will receive two routines: One using a single gaffed knife, the other using a gaffed knife and a ungaffed knife. Each routine uses several moves and each move is described in detail. Most of the moves are easy and can be picked up rather quickly.
Includes: Two knives and a color photo illustrated instruction manual. $99.95 (10.1574)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10137&cat=0&page=1)
(7) Incredible Suit Jacket Escape – Anthony Lindan:
The routine has a wonderfully simple and beautifully ridiculous premise. The performer challenges himself, to the delight and entertainment of the audience, to escape from his very own suit jacket. And like all of the best classic commercial comedy routines, the real entertainment is derived from the journey. It's the adventure of the performer vs. suit jacket. For the working performer this routine has it all; it's visual, it's physical, it's hilarious, it has audience participation, it fills a stage and fits in a briefcase!
An Introduction
Corporate entertainer Anthony Lindan has closed every engagement for the past fifteen years with his Incredible Suit Jacket Escape. Honed over thousands of performances in every possible environment and for every kind of audience the Incredible Suit Jacket Escape is a large scale, one-man illusion that fills a stage and fits in a briefcase.
Routine Description
Explain that you would like to close your show with an homage to the incredible magician and escape artist Harry Houdini. One of Harry Houdini's amazing feats was to escape from a straight jacket. Now it was legendary that Houdini was in such peak physical shape that he was able to dislocate body parts and free himself from some of the toughest straight jackets ever manufactured. Admit that you are not exactly in the phenomenal physical condition Houdini was, so in honor of the great master, you will attempt to escape from your own suit jacket! As the audience laughter dies down, you explain that to make things more challenging, your hands will be cuffed together, making it nearly impossible for you to escape. Two volunteers are invited to the stage to inspect the handcuffs and locks, and proceed to lock your hands behind your back. A curtain is raised by the two volunteers. It's at this point that the hilarious mayhem begins! The curtain is raised and lowered several times, each time revealing you (and your jacket) in more and more ludicrous physical positions. The jacket is half on half off, then it's on completely backwards, then it's almost off but the cuffs are snagged painfully between your legs! Impossibly, the jacket ends up hanging free from your head, and your hands are still cuffed behind your back! Suddenly you offer a free hand to shake the hand of the volunteer on your left and just as suddenly you offer your other to shake the volunteer's hand on his right, and the audience laughs their way into a huge round of applause!
The Incredible Suit Jacket Escape Package Includes:
Live Performance and Instructional DVD
Three live performances shot in full HD!
Prop Examination
Anthony examines each of the props necessary to perform the routine including the correct shackle set to use for the escape, the right size locks, where to keep the keys and the complete details of how to construct the simple four-sided curtain.
Pre-Show Preparation
From packing the routine for travel, setting the stage before your show and finally the right position for the props just prior to your performance, it is all detailed here so nothing is left to chance.
Volunteer Selection and Management
Anthony sheds light on the do's and don'ts of volunteer selection, how to instruct them while on stage and control the situation during the routine.
A Complete Routine Breakdown
The routine is pain-stakingly taken apart move by move by Anthony who teaches every nuance and detail in chronological order so you can follow along with props in hand.
No Jacket? No Problem!
As the jacket is not a tricky prop, there is no reason you have to use your own jacket. In fact early on in Anthony's experience with the routine he forgot his jacket and was forced to use an audience member's borrowed jacket for the routine!
A Conversation
Bill Abbott & Anthony Lindan conclude the DVD with a conversation centered around The Incredible Suit Jacket Escape.
A Practice Poster
The included 12" x 18" practice poster showcases the major physical maneuvers in the routine in complete photographic sequence.
$59.95 (60.1673)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10130&cat=0&page=1)
(8) Elegant Deceptions – 3 DVD Set – Michael Vincent: Volume 3 continues with the same intention as Volumes 1 and 2: to transform the learning of magic through the medium of DVD. Over the last year, Michael Vincent has broken new ground in merging the DVD medium with his dynamic teaching style.
This new release showcases Michael Vincent at his very best, as a performance driven artist. In studying this DVD, it is our hope that you will feel the passion, drive and enthusiasm that Michael brings to every performance.
In continuing this series, Michael has deliberately taken the approach of communicating to you as his personal students. He takes for granted that you have taken the time to study the first two volumes because Volume 3 picks up the pace and expands the possibilities of what can be achieved with more advanced skill and artistic delivery. Thank you for continuing your journey with Michael Vincent.
Table of Contents:
Disc One:
Opening Discussion with Chris Harding
Live Parlor Show Featuring:
Symphony of the Rings
Rubber Band Trick
Hanging Coins
Bill Switch Routine
Card up The Sleeve
Ultimate Travelers
Ladies’ Looking Glass
Close-Up Show in the Bar, Part One (With full Explanations)
The Ultra Clean Transposition
All Hands on Deck
Disc Two:
Close-up Performance in the Bar-Part Two
4Play with Foursome
The Vegas Hustle
Aces for Experts
Back To the future
Bonus Performance
The Many Faces of a Woman
Disc Three:
Borrowed Deck Conversation With Chris Harding.
Routines featured:
Reading "Tells" - An idea inspired by Juan Tamariz with special thanks to Darwin Ortiz.
Asthmatic Card Control - Michael's handling for Harry Lorayne's Numero Uno
A Match Made in Heaven - Dai Vernon's "Matching the Cards" (from a borrowed Shuffled Deck).
Irv Weiner's Triple Transposition - One simple technique sets you up for an amazing series of transpositions.
This section is an intriguing conversation about the benefits of mastering "The Cull" so that you can work with a borrowed deck.
What makes this section of the DVD so compelling is that Michael performs and then explains a number of routines which would normally require you to begin with a stacked deck.
Ascension - Michael's exquisite handling for the classic "Ambitious Aces", inspired by an idea of James Swain's.
A Final Conversation with Chris Harding. In this final conversation, Michael imparts his knowledge and wisdom in the hope that it inspires you all to continue thinking and expanding the possibilities for your magic.
$69.95 (DVD01157)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10131&cat=0&page=1)
(9) Amazing Book Of Cards – Joshua Jay : Finally, here's how to do all those showy tricks and flourishes that card players are dying to know: How to send a deck cascading from one hand to the other. How to snap open two flawless fans. How to cut a deck with one hand. Choose four Aces seemingly at random. Flick a card accurately across the room.
The clearest, easiest-to-follow book of step-by-step directions, This book will show anyone how to do 52 amazing things with a deck of cards. It combines friendly, concise text and full-color photos with a full-length DVD that teaches the lessons and shows the subtleties of performance. Here are simple, killer tricks, like "Presto Prediction," which performs the impossible task of knowing someone's choice before she even makes it. Nine different shuffles, including the Faro Shuffle, the one most often used by pros, which helps you perfectly weave a split deck together in seconds. How to perform fans, flips, and flourishes, including Ribbon Spread & Flip and Catch-a-Deck. Tricks you can't lose - go ahead, take the bet to throw a card in a hat. How to memorize a deck in less than ten seconds, how to put a deck of cards into a glass bottle, build a card castle, and more. Filling out this labor of love is a whole world of card trivia, including the origins of Kings: King of Spades is modeled after King David, the King of Diamonds is Julius Caesar, Hearts is Charlemagne, and Clubs, Alexander the Great.
200 pages. – Softbound. $16.95 (BK01712)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=10136&cat=0&page=1)
And, that’s this week’s Super Dooper Hotlist! Personally, I think every item on this list is just terrific. So, you should have a really good time reading about them all!
As always, we appreciate the time you spend with us, whether it’s online at www.magicfact.com or in person at 102 North Street in Medford. Either way, we love the company!
Hank Lee
