ANOTHER YEAR OF MAGIC :: BY STAN ALLEN

The January 2013 issue of MAGIC Magazine is now out, available both in print and on the iPad. If you haven't already received your copy, here's a look at what's "between the covers."

But before you jump into the January issue, I want to mention that in my "From the Editor" column last month, I wrote about how impressed I was with Alan Shaxon [1933-2012], both onstage and off. In particular, I cited his Hydrostatic Glass routine, and how simple and effective it was. As the December issue was going to press, I was reminded that Alan gave us permission to print this routine as part of our March 2004 cover story on him. With the permission of the original publishers at Davenports, we have added the instructions, illustrations, and routine to MAGIC Plus for December. So, grab your December copy of the magazine, log into Plus, and learn what I consider to be possibly the best ending to a talking magic act I've ever seen.

Then jump to the January MAGIC Plus and see the complete collection of Danny Cole's Internet videos, including a behind-the-scenes reveal of his most recent installment — only available to MAGIC Magazine readers!

And that's just the beginning of another exciting year of MAGIC. Stan Allen

Stories in MAGIC this month:

COVER: Danny Cole — He Gets It!
By Tod Gerard
He started gaining attention as a teenage magician from Southern California, but today, Danny Cole performs all over the world. And he has turned his talents toward creating unique magic effects for Internet viewers. To date, he's released ten of these short videos — and we've got 'em all on MAGIC Plus. Danny has also given us an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at his most recent head-scratcher!

An Evening with Harry
By Joe Givan & Carol Massie-Givan
Magic. Mayhem. Mystery. Murder? Maybe. Maybe not. One thing's for sure: somebody's dead, and the art of magic may have something to do with it.

The scene is the Trocadero Vaudevilles theater at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. has hired Harry Robenstein to perform his magic in a variety show, alongside a number of other acts. Things get hairy for Harry when another magician barges onstage and cuts the wire Harry uses to raise his Hindu Rope in the air. The interloper is the young Erik Weisz. He exposes Harry's method, claiming that he, Erik, will be the greatest magician in the world. Robenstein is enraged that this young man not only exposes his magic, but that Erik wants his spot in the show! And he gets it, replacing Harry with his own magic and escape act. What follows is an interesting and hilarious battle of two magicians trying to make it in the world of showbiz.

Alana: The Girl Just Wants to Have Fun
By Jaq Greenspon
It's a magician's nightmare. You're set to go onstage at FISM for your competition slot. Standing in the wings with your act loaded, you psych yourself up to go out there and wow the crowd. You see your name on the screen, you hear the microphone turn on, and you take a deep breath. This is it. And then the announcer says that there will be a half hour intermission, and before you can even register your shock and surprise, the house is half empty and you're left with thirty minutes in which to psych yourself back up again. That's exactly what happened to Alana Moehlmann, one of the German participants at last year's FISM in Blackpool, England. And yet, a half hour later, she took the stage and wowed the crowd.

Taking Another Look at Houdini's Movies
By Chris Philpott
Houdini's movies are a fascinating but neglected part of his legacy. The conventional wisdom about these movies is that the stories were just excuses for his escapes and that he was a very weak actor. Story-wise, why is it a problem that the films are excuses for escapes? We don't complain that action movies are just excuses for action scenes. The question is, are they a good excuse? A film like The Dark Knight is. Unfortunately, most of Houdini's movies are not. As for Houdini's acting, yes, it's awful in spots, but most of it is fairly good and there are moments of emotional honesty, power, and charisma that hint that maybe, if things had gone a little differently, Houdini might have become a real movie star.

I Hereby Resolve…
January is traditionally a time to look forward while at the same time looking back. This month, MAGIC Magazine does the same, with more than two dozen noted magicians — Kevin James, Eugene Burger, Cyril, Michael Weber, Topas, Mac King, John Bannon, Armando Lucero, Derek Hughes, and more — sharing their resolutions for 2013.

Magician Burned on TV Show
Wayne Houchin suffered first-degree burns on his scalp, face, and right arm while taping a television program in the Dominican Republic on Monday, November 26. The injuries came at the hands of the host of the show, who doused Houchin with a flaming liquid.

Criminal Kid Shows?
In February 2000, Robert E. Markwood was found guilty of the second-degree felony of indecency with a child, stemming from an incident with a boy in January 1999. He was released from prison last February, having served the full twelve-year sentence. Bob Markwood, now 67, showed up in the media recently, when the Inside Edition television show did a segment on registered sex offenders who are still working as children's entertainers.

Comments

[The Great Houdunit]

HEY!!!! What happened to the newswire??? Sure hope you're ok Dodd. Long time no news. :( {Wrote this 4/7/2013}