Last Week's Article

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Steve congratulates our new Dean of Magicians, George Schindler...
(photo by Jan Dacri)

CHANGESUNDERWAYINVEGAS

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - Greetings from the sunny desert. Winter is upon us, with temps around 70 every day, and the only snow in sight is in the mountains, about a half hour ride away, and visible from the Strip in the far distance on the tops of the mountain ranges.

Let's see, the World Magic Summit Desert Seminar Convention Gathering thing came and went, and aside from Roy getting press coverage for making an appearance on canes, then stood and walked briefly without the supports, a touching moment I secretly watched from the light booth. I did not attend, I'm really not the convention attendee type.

Seems that Chris Angel is making noise about a show he intends to do here in Vegas. Bolstered by the success of his magic show on A&E, he figures he can fill the room on a nightly basis. Word of his deal at one specific hotel is rumored, but we can't say for sure where that might be. Also have no idea what type of show this would be, but knowing Chris, it will be a dark, edgy show, not your typical top hat and bunny rabbit affair.

The long-awaited closing of the Adrenelline - Magic that S**cks - took place several weeks ago, right after our report of just how bad the show was. Guess the guy just ran out of money, or his producers woke up and realized the show was a bust. Either way, it is gone from the scene, as it should be. Just another example of a budding magician who thought he was ready for the big time. Seems I irritated the performer with my caustic, yet absolutely accurate comments about the show. All I can say is, if ya can't take the heat, stay out of the fire, eh?

The Amazing Johnathan may be moving from the Sahara, but no details are available yet. Rick Thomas is faced with the fact that his showroom at the STardust - where he reently moved to after a long engagement at the Tropicana, will be gone by the end of the year. The hotel will be imploded, which means he must move his tigers once more. He has quite a few options up his sleeve, so watch for an exciting announcement concerning his future later in the year.

And Steve Wyrick, the guy with the biggest illusions ever, says that construction on his theatre and entertainment complex is on schedule (in the new Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino on the Strip), and the place is looking fine. I will check out the progress this week and report back next time I sit down at the keyboard. The magic community is anxious to see just what Steve has up his sleeve. I understand the show will have elements from his Sahara engagement as well as his most recent Aladdin show, combined with many new pieces currently under construction. Should be a great show.

 

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MAGICVISITORSFROMAFAR

Lots of friends visited Vegas as a result of this magic gathering, and although I did not attend the event, I spent time with a few special people during their stay here.I picked up the one and only Ali Bongo when he arrived from London, a ffew days before the convention started, and we enjoyed a fine evening together. We shared storied, discussed The Magic Cirlce and all the issues that represents, talked about magic in general, show business, close-up magic, and on and on. Such an enjoyable evening with one of the true geniuses in the magic world (shouldn't we elect Ali as the next president of The Magic Circle?) Jan got to spend time with him earlier in the day as they went shopping together.

I brought him, first, to the scene of my very first close-up show, "Extreme Close-up", which was in the Orleans, in Brendan's Pub. Sitting in the seats in front of the stage we talked about show business and magic in such inappropriate settings such as this room. The real world of performing for a living, we both confirmed, is full of circumstances that force one to compromise their performance in one way or another.

This room was too noisy and dark, and lined with a row of video poker machines across the bar, making the noise level constant and annoying to people who are attempting to listen to the performer.

I took the engagement, however, without much concern for these negatives. I knew we could bring a spot light, adjust the stage lights, the sound was great, and the video feed from the camera would be projected on all 20 large screens that surrounded the joint. Things could be worse, I thought. I've worked in worse conditions. And after all, this was Las Vegas, my own show, with electronic jumbotron advertising on the outside sign, and did I mention the money?

As it turned out, I was able to convince the powers that decide such things that we would all benefit from moving the show somewhere else, and after 3 weeks in Brendan's, we moved next door to Sazio, the restaurant inside the Orleans, where we converted a function room into a "Magic Parlour", for a dinner show that ran for six months. Made great money, and opened the door for my show to move to the Strip. As it now stands, it is the first (the only one!) and longest running close-up magic show in Las Vegas! And when announcements are made in a month or so, it will move to a whole new level. Stay tuned.

I decided to take Ali to one of the local hangouts here for a fine Italian dinner, then we headed back to the convention hotel, did card tricks for the guests in the lobby, then I left him. When I last looked, Ali was standing on the front desk, pulling cards and streamers from the air while acrowd gathered and the police were called.

Next week I will connect with good pal Paul Stone who is still in town doing lectures in Arizona before rturning here, then back to London, or should I say, Liverpool. Looking forward to seeing Paul, who has recently released many of the classic Ken Brooke items as collector's edition pieces.

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MASTEROFDECEPTION

Not that I am an advocate of people drinking when they shouldn't (look at Seabrooke) but I wanted to share this very funny story with you. Last week while in Los Angeles, I visited a ttrue master of deception, not a magician, but a devious sort just the same.

I can't tell you his name, or he would have me killed. He is a very famous person, you know, the big star celebrity-type. I've known him for years, and I stopped by his mansion for a visit. He was lounging in the back yard, his wife was in the kitchen. I sat with his wife for a bit, and she told me that he finally stopped drinking completely, which I applauded. I also thought about that for a moment. My friend drinks more booze than I have ever seen anyone drink. I couldn't image him without a drink in his hand. I found this fact very hard to believe, but I didn't say anything, just smiled and said, "great".

Out in the back yard, I sat with my buddy, we talked about his latest movie, and show business gossip. I mentioned what his wife had told me, and he confirmed that, yes, indeed, he had stopped drinking completely just a few months ago. I congratulated him. Then he said, "come and have a look at my garden..."

Garden? This guy hates the outdoors and anything green. Yet, seconds later, here we were in a side yard, with plants, flowers and veggies growing in neat little rows. He walked among them like a proud pappa, then he stopped, looked at one of the plants, then got down on the ground, I assumed to check something out more closely. Then he stood up and walked along the row of plants as we talked.

Then, he looked at a tomatoe plant and seemed concerned about something, knelt down and got real close to the plant, then he was back up again, walking. I thought I saw something wierd, so I walked closer to him. Sure enough, the next time he bent down to check on a plant, I noticed that he grabbed a small, almost invisible tube, lowered his head, and began sipping from the tube, like a straw. When he stood up, he noticed that I was watching, and he smiled.

"I guess you may have discovered my ruse".

What the heck is that? I couldn't imagine what I was watching. My friend, it seems, had created a most devious method of having a cocktail without anyone knowing. He had actually buried a bunch of bottles, and inserted long tubes or straws into them, then covered them up with dirt and hid them among his plants. When he bent down to "check on them", he secretly sipped a drink from the hidden straws...such a clever system, I told him I had to call Terry Seabrooke and give him the idea.

Again, I say, for some people, drinking is not an option, and abuse is never a good thing, but for my movie star pal, he had come up with a clever way of imbibing that ranks right up there with sawing a lady in two, don't ya think?

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SPONGEBALLMAGICDVD

I flew across the desert in my new sports car, with a hot chick sitting beside me and the top down (the car's top, not the hot chick's). The reason for the trip - a performance at the Magic Castle and a session to tape for a new program called "Sponge Ball Toolbox DVD". It is a project that is being produced by "Magic by Gosh" owner, Steve Goshman, son of the legendary Albert Goshman. I am honored to be doing this project with Steve, as his dad was a dear, dear friend, teacher and mentor to me. His son, Steve, and I have also become friends, and when he called and asked if I would do this project, I immediately said yes.

He said that he has had this idea for a while, and he called various people in the magic business to ask who would be the one to do such a project, and everyone told him to call me.

Now, I was honored to be asked, especially given my long-ago relationship with Albert, and my association with sponge ball magic since the very early days of my performing career. When we first began discussing this program, I knew we had to film it at the Magic Castle, in the famed Close-up Gallery, where I first performed the sponge balls back in 1974, with Goshman, Dai Vernon and Charlie Miller sitting right there in front of me.

We began shooting in the famous room that has seen everyone from Jay Ose, Vernon, Goshman and so many others presenting their magic in the heart of Hollywood, California, in the morning, and by 3 pm, we had shot everything we needed. Steve Goshman was there for much of it, along with the assistant he hired, a very pretty and talented Vanessa, who had the thankless job of being the spectator, and the hand, in the explanations of various moves and routines.

Now begins the long, critical edit phase. I have asked a few of my pals to contribute their pet moves or routines, so as a bonus, we will have a few special guests adding to this program. Among them, Aldo Colombini, Gary Darwin, Simon Lovell, Dean of Magicians George Schindler, Brad Burt and even Al Goshman.

My goal for this program is to create the definitive collection of "how-to" information for anyone who wants to perform sponge ball magic. It will be useful for all skill levels, from the beginner to the advanced performer. It is a toolbox of ideas, moves, vanishes, routines and advice, and it will come packaged with a fantastic set of sponge balls, a purse frame, and other props. Look for it later in the year at your favorite magic shop.

Very special thanks go to Louis at L&L Publishing for permission to go forward with this project, as I have recently completed a very extensive DVD series which includes a lot of in-depth sponge ball magic, and I did not want this program to compete with that. Louis feels this DVD will merely enhance the big DVD set, and we will have a commercial mention within the content of the Sponge Ball Toolbox so people can buy the big DVD set if they want more details.

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EUROPEANDEPUTIESAPPOINTEDBYMAGICSOCIETY

In a continuing effort to œbuild bridges among magicians, the Society of American Magicians National President, Richard Dooley announced the appointment of three new International Deputies in Europe.

Domenico Dante of Italy has been appointed as International Deputy Continental Europe. Andreas Swatosch has been named International Deputy for Austria, and our very own Tony Brook, International Deputy - Portugal. Tony is one of the busiest people in magic, both onstage and behind the scenes. He brings his energy and ideas to this position with gusto. As the Director of International Operations and one of the founders of MagicWebChannel, we are lucky to have him on our team, and we know he will bring the same level of enthusiasm to his post for the S.A.M.

The new Deputies will work as liaison officials to bring greater awareness of the S.A.M. to their regions while cultivating new members abroad. They will be able to answer members questions and promote the camaraderie among the existing members in their regions.

Other International Deputies around the world are Terry Seabrooke (UK), Shintaro Fujiyama (Japan), Yosi Notkowitz (Israel) and Alan Watson (New Zealand.) Contact information is available at the SAM website . Visit the International News page.

Please join us at the S.A.M. booths at the Blackpool Convention in England and at FLASOMA in Bogota, Colombia later this month.

THEAMAZINGBALLANTINETRIBUTEDVD

The Amazing Ballantine DVD

Editing is nearly complete on the Carl Ballantine tribute DVD, and we expect to ship out the first copies before the end of the month. Thanks to all of you who purchased this special DVD already, and for the rest of you, get with it! Everyone in show business (not just in magic) should want to own this program. It looks great, and has lots of Ballantine moments from the past and from his recent appearances at the IBM conventions in San Diego and Reno.

LEEASHERMAGICWEBSITE

Worth a look, this website contains all of the great magic from the creative thinking performer, Lee Asher. His DVD's are full of action, advice, routines and act-enhancing material. Check out this site when you have a few moments and want to be inspired.

While on the subject of cool websites, this is another website that you should check out. It is a company that claims to have the worlds greatest thumb tips. How wonderful are they? Have a look here...

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STONESMAGIC

The Rolling Stones hit Vegas this coming weekend, and before the show, I will be forcing cards and producing sponge bunnies in the hands of Mick, Keith, Ronnie and Charlie at a private party backstage in the MGM Arena. Can't wait for the concert, which will be (I know, I'm a bit of a crazy man) my 34th Stones concert.

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DENNISREGLINGLATESTCOLUMN

Dennis present a Classified Ads Prediction that you will use. This is an old standard in mentalism, and yet I seldom see it used anymore. This is really strong magic whether as part of a mentalism show or a magic program. A wonderfully convincing demonstration of your psychic ability.

 

Next week, his article on "How to Promote Your Magic Act" contains valuable advice that is practical and important.

Check out his latest here..

Magically yours,

Steve

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A Few of the better ones...Previous AbracaDACRI Columns:
Last Week's Article	Jay Marshall has left the building
Ballantine Tribute in Las Vegas	RIch Thomas new baby tiger steals the show
Jerry Lewis Telethon and photos	Johnny Carson says his final good-night
IBM Reno Convention highlights and photos	Dublin Invasion
Paul Winchell dies	Johnny Thompson Gala Event in Vegas
Gerry & The Pacemakers	Tony Brook's "In Conversation With Steve Dacri
David C opperfield Review	Tony Orlando and Herman's Hermits
My Own Chuck Berry Story	Baby Tigers -Exlusive - at home with Rick Thomas
Farewell to Channing	Apology to the Pendragons
Sponges, Stones and Cocktails	Steve Wyrick on Television

 

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