Asher films footage during Japanese journey

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November 20, 2009

Last time we saw Lee Asher, he was making sushi magically disappear! Get this… he would put a piece of sushi IN HIS MOUTH… close his mouth, then a few seconds later, it was gone! OH SNAP!

Lee sent us Part 2 of his Japanese journeys, which include a great magic store he visited, outstanding city scenery and some footage of the lectures he has been giving. The last minute or so rock — even with a translator, the Card Star is the man.

Hopefully he’ll send us some footage of an Arcane card being used to cut sushi. Hey, if the Masters can cut cheese…

Posted by Joe Hadsall | Filed Under General

Bullets: Cyril’s debut, Jay’s cameo, Kate’s campaign, skeptic’s complaint

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November 17, 2009

Sometimes, when I look for something cool and blogworthy, I find a couple of things worth pounding keys. Other times, I find a whole bunch of stuff. Tonight is one of those nights. Bullets, baby. Bullets:

Attention, Asian viewers of the AXN Network: We are jealous of you. Cyril Takayama’s newest TV show, Simply Magic, is slated to premiere this Thursday. Set your DVRs and save it until we can crash on your couch and watch it with you… we’ll bring the roast beef and Baconnaise sandwiches on sourdough. AXN has a teaser vid you can watch.
When we’re not pounding keys (Hey! Twice in one post for that phrase!), we’ve been getting wrapped up in ABC’s FlashForward. So we not only geeked out when Lloyd Simcoe managed to beat a four-of-a-kind in poker with, we suspect, some sleight of hand — we about jumped out of the couch and threw our practice Arcanes in the air when we saw Ricky Jay at the end.

Speaking of Arcanes: Remember that video in the Artist Gallery featuring the redhead who perched a stack of cards on her wrist and gave them a spin? That’s Ekaterina Dobrokhotova, a magician and flourisher widely known in the flourishing community. She’s asking for help landing another job as a shopping consultant. Thecuso is helping her out with a contest; he has the details.
We all know magicians have powers, but Ontario may be giving too much power to them, according to a skeptic’s blog. A member of the Canadian Skeptics United has a problem with an effort to grant the power of prescription to naturopaths, who practice natural healing. Not really magic related, but interesting nonetheless.

Posted by Joe Hadsall | Filed Under Ellusionist Products, General, Magic on TV

Sushi first order of business for Asher

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November 12, 2009

A 14-hour flight to Japan makes a man hungry for sushi. (Truth be told, the act of blogging about Lee Asher in Japan makes US hungry for sushi.) Apparently, Asher is having a pretty good time. He filed this video diary on his YouTube site:

Posted by Joe Hadsall | Filed Under General

Race through Ellusionist’s digital aisles: Details of 2009 Holiday Contest announced

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November 12, 2009

The latest holiday contest has been announced, and it’s a good one. Because, like last year, there’s two.

As usual, you can buy your way into the special bracketed gifts, which include the elusive 1st edition Black Ghost decks. But if your order is chosen out of a drawing, you could win so much more, including uncut sheets, a year’s supply of Arcanes or a videoconference session with Brad Christian.

The grand prize: One lucky person will get to fill their shopping cart with whatever they can cram in five minutes. Get ready to mash play on that mouse button. The limit is $1,500 worth, but we don’t think you can get it all.

All the details are here. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

Posted by Joe Hadsall | Filed Under Ellusionist Products, General

Hand Out a hand up for money magic

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November 10, 2009

Steve Haynes has another great bill effect for your money magic. Sure, you can change five bills from one denomination to another, but this time you can hand all the bills out openly without worrying about anything.

Hand Out 500 uses a slick gimmick that lets you visibly change bills and hand them out afterward. The gimmick is so solid that it lets you do the snap, sudden change either covered or out in the open (be sure to tell your spectators to refrain from blinking). The effect has so few vulnerable angles that it’s almost spectator proof.

The best part: Hayes presents an alternate use of the gimmick to present an unbelievable card to wallet effect. When we saw this, our brain cells lit up like wildfire with all the applications.

Hand Out 500 is the latest from the Paul Harris Presents line, and is available now from Ellusionist. Check out the trailer and details.

Posted by Joe Hadsall | Filed Under Ellusionist Products, General