Scott Wells reports from the 65th annual Texas Association of Magicians gathering in Austin, Texas. We were lucky to get interviews with a very diverse group of performers, lecturers and magic celebrities including Michael Webber, Richard Garriott, Fumio, Hull Youngbood. Marshall Brodien, SAM President mark Weidhass, TAOM Secretary Mary Cay Gold, Oscar Munoz, Jeff McBride, Paul Vigil, Pop Hayden, Sam Sawyers, Wayne Dobson, Pat Hazell and many more! If you missed it, you can still feel like you were there with this episode of the Magic Newswire podcast!
With the last performance of Lance Burton's show at the Monte Carlo now behind us, all we have are memories. Mike Weatherford shares his in an article for the Las Vegas Review Journal.
"We were working 18 hours a day trying to get the show opened. But we opened on time, and on budget, the same date the hotel opened."
If anything stands out on this lazy Labor Day weekend, it's Burton's work ethic over the years. Something tells me this vacation won't be too long.
In Robin Leach's column for Las Vegas Weekly, he references the recent Magic Magazine cover story.
But the master magician knew his mind-boggling statistics instantly when I asked him for them: He performed more than 5,000 shows at the Monte Carlo for more than 5 million people, and the show grossed more than $200 million during the incredible run. Before the lengthy and unprecedented Monte Carlo engagement, he appeared at the old Hacienda. So during his entire career to date in Las Vegas, he’s amassed an incredible 15,000 shows.
You can listen to my chat with Stan Allen HERE. If you missed my interview with Lance last year, you can listen to that HERE.
Because so many people enjoyed watching the video of "Del Ray's Baffling Dice" that I posted recently, I thought that I'd share some additional tidbits of him that I have courtesy of Joe Hanosek. In this clip, we get a few minutes of Del Ray performing close-up at a country club in the early 1980's. I hope that you enjoy watching these as I post them as much as I have!
PHOTO : Jay JannerThe Statesman offers up some coverage of the Austin Street Magic Festival occuring this weekend:
With about 600 people from across the state attending, the event is a sort of South by Southwest for the world of magic — a venue for would-be Lone Star Houdinis to talk trade, peddle their wares and perform. The event kicked off Thursday evening with the first Austin Street Magic Festival and will continue through the weekend with lectures, contests, public performances and a talk by Austin video-game designer and amateur magician Richard Garriott.
Magic Magazine's Stan Allen is back with us on the Magic Newswire to talk about the current issue of the magazine which profiles the career of Lance Burton. With unprecidented access to Lance, Magic Magazine presents all side of this great performer as he wraps up his final performances at the Monte Carlo. We also discuss the unprecidented interest in the upcoming 20th Anniversary of Magic Live which has now closed registration after only a week of opening to the public.
Recently acquired from the estate of Dr. Hans Berlitz. A fully functional Re-Animator, circa 1915. Dr. Berlitz experimented in re-animating small animals like bats and parts of animals such as a monkeys paw. It was also rumored that he could use the machine to teleport in-animate objects and open holes into other dimensions. The device comes inside an old aged wood box (and itself is primarily wood) about 14 by 12 inches and 14 inches tall. It has laboratory labels in German on the box. When you unlatch the bottom, the top of the box pulls off to reveal the Re-Animator.
A machine with working brass gauge, dials, switches, lights, plasma chamber, sound and even a working smoke exhaust pipe. The machine is activated by inserting a key into the lower front control panel. The second tier of the device has an "engine" made of wood on the outside with lights, brass tubes, steam vent and an active "plasma" chamber. Sitting next to the "engine" is a scientific bell jar dome. It is connected to the machine by various brass tubes and electrical wires.
You are provided with a "specimen". A tiny dead bat preserved yet still has fur on it and is slightly decayed. It is hand made with hand stitched fur and 100% real looking. Trust me, your spectators will not want to touch this bat. It is lying on a clear glass petrie style dish. You place the dish with bat inside the glass dome.
From the machine you pull out two electrical aged cotton covered cords. On the end of each cord is a conducting probe that you have a volunteer grasp in their fist. You explain that "this will drain a small amount of your life force into the device, you might get a little light headed, but don‘t worry, it will be over very quickly."
You insert the brass key and fire up the machine. Within a few moments the machine begins going through its systems "power up" phases. The dead bat starts to twitch and convulse as "lifeforce" is drained into the machine through the hand held probes. It appears you have successfully given some “life” to the previously dead creature. After several moments you tell the spec to release the probes. They release the probes they‘ve been grasping in their hand and the bat stops moving. Just as everyone starts to relax, the bat suddenly flies up off the dish with one last residual burst of life. And then crumples in a dead heap.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the first television appearance of Siegfried & Roy. This clip is from one of the magic specials that Dick Cavett hosted for HBO in the late 1970's. Enjoy watching them before they became SARMOTI!
In case you missed it, here is your chance to see Michael Grasso become the first magician in the history of the US version of America's Got Talent to move on to the top 10! Congrats Michael! And, to all the other magic acts that performed this year and gave us a reason to watch, please accept my heartfelt thanks!
I spoke with Stan earlier today, then got the following email. If you have plans to attend the 20th Anniversary blow-out of Magic Live, it looks like you need to make a decision asap!
From Stan: We have opened registration for Magic Live 2011 and the response has been completely unprecedented. We’re really quite taken aback! When we opened registration for 2009, we hit almost 100 within 24 hours, and we were elated. When we opened Alumni Registration this year, we took well over 100 within 24 minutes! Of the 920 places available, we currently have less than 100 left. I’m mentioning this because it’s you, our subscribers, that we would most like to have attend MAGIC Live! You’re part of our family. So, if you’re thinking about joining us next August, please go directly to our website, Do Not Pass Go, and sign up — now! It only requires a $50 deposit, which is fully refundable through December 31, 2010.
Tonight we learn if the magic will continue on this season of AGT. Last night were the performances and here they are if you missed them. What do you think?
Scott Wells reports from the 65th annual Texas Association of Magicians gathering in Austin, Texas. We were lucky to get interviews with a very diverse group of performers, lecturers and magic celebrities including Michael Webber, Richard Garriott, Fumio, Hull Youngbood. Marshall Brodien, SAM President mark Weidhass, TAOM Secretary Mary Cay Gold, Oscar Munoz, Jeff McBride, Paul Vigil, Pop Hayden, Sam Sawyers, Wayne Dobson, Pat Hazell and many more! If you missed it, you can still feel like you were there with this episode of the Magic Newswire podcast!
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