431: 2018 I.B.M. Convention - Day One Update

Tuesday July 3, 2018

9 AM - 9 PM Lance Burton Teen Seminar

9 AM - 5 PM Dealer Load In

4:30 PM - 9 PM Early Bird Registration Open

5 PM - 7 PM Dealer's Room Open

7 PM - 8 PM EDF Distinguished Lecture - Gary Brown

9 PM - 10 PM Lecture - Rick Merrill

Wednesday July 4, 2018

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Stage Contestants Meeting

9 AM - 10 AM Stage Contest Judges Briefing

9 AM - 12 NOON Registration Open

9:30 AM - 1 PM Lance Burton Teen Seminar

9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Stage Contest Rehearsal

8 AM - 10:30 AM Dealers last minute load in

10:30 AM - 5 PM Dealer's Room Open

11:00 AM I.B.M. Board Meeting

1 PM - 3 PM Stage Contest - Part 1

1 PM - 5 PM Registration Open

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Lecture - Pop Hayden

6:15 PM Autograph Session & Welcome Reception

7:30 PM - 9 PM Welcome Show/June Horowitz Honoree

10 PM - 11 PM Lecture - Steve Valentine

11:30 PM Eugene Burger Legacy Lecture

Larry Wilson Reveals Ford's New 2017 Escape from White Rabbit on Vimeo.

Nov. 19, 2015 UPDATE: Larry Wilson teamed up with Jimmy Kimmel co-host Guillermo and “YouTube sensation" Meghan Rienks to reveal the new 2017 Ford Escape. The Internet spot, filmed on Hollywood Boulevard across the street from the studio where ABCs latenight show Kimmel Live is shot, featured a vanish of the sidekick inside a “piñata of doom” and his distant reappearance. Wilson performed the trick at his Spellbinder convention on October 24 and the next day received a call from Kimmel’s people. Quick arrangements were made, the routine was rehearsed for two days, and then it was shot live on November 16.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:02:45 - I.B.M. International President Bob Patterson and First Lady, Nancy Patterson

00:05:40 - Gay Blackstone talks about the new season of "Masters of Illusion" on the CW Network.

00:12:13 - Jeff McBride talks about the youth seminar

00:19:42 - Bill Cook also talks about the youth seminar.

00:26:25 - Larry Wilson will part of the upcoming show "Legends of Comedy Magic" on Thursday July 5th with Jeff Hobson, Michael Finney and Nick Lewin

00:47:57 - Tim Stolba with Iowa Magic Shop in the Dealer's Room talks about brick and mortar shops

00:52:37 - Lance Burton talks about his youth seminar that was held over the past couple days

00:58:17 - Keith Fields talks about working at magic theaters around the U.S.

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Season Five of MASTERS OF ILLUSION debuted on The CW Network Friday, June 29, 2018

358: Mat Franco - Magic Reinvented Nightly

Winner of Season 9 of "America's Got Talent [sic]" (AGT). Mat Franco has a successful show on the Las Vegas Strip for the past year and a half in the newly remodeled Linq Casino and Hotel, which was the former Imperial Palace. His show is unlike any other on the Strip and pulls from many of the popular tricks he performed on AGT. The name of his show "Magic Reinvented Nightly" is the perfect title because, without giving away any surprises, every show is different but...oh, darn it, I really can't say any more. But I do recommend the show. It is done with pure skill and personality. The focus is not on the props, dancers or music but focused on the performer himself. And he is riding high on the success of his TV appearances. I know that his show will have "legs" and should remain popular for many years to come.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:04:50 - Mat Franco talks a lot about his experience on America's Got Talent [sic] television show. He obviously had a completely different experience than all the other magicians who preceded him. We also chat about his new show at the Linq Hotel and Casino (which is owned by Caesar's). He also tells about his years performing on the college circuit, his early inspirations, trick selection, timing, nervousness, developing his character, bad decisions along the way, creating his vision of the show, and more.

01:12:46 - Product review of "Matrix Pad Reloaded" by Richard Griffin. Effect: a Post-It notepad is shown. Four spots are drawn in each corner of the pad with a Sharpie. One by one with a rub of the finger, the spots visibly assemble to one corner. The top sheet can be peeled off and given to a spectator. Highly recommended.

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Click the graphic above to visit The Linq, get directions, make hotel and show reservations.

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334: A Magical Christmas Carol

Over the past year, I have attended a LOT of magic conventions. During those events, i have tried to update you with what was going on each day with daily updates from the organizers, talent, registrants, and dealers plus sometimes a little "color" background outside of the hotel.

But while I had some of my guests "cornered" for a few minutes, I asked them to do a reading of the classic story, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. As many of you don't know, Dickens was a bit of a conjurer himself having performed during the summer of 1949 in a coastal resort off of the Isle of Wight purveying prestidigitation to those on holiday in the area. He was known as the “Rhia Rhama Rhoos - the Unparalleled Necromancer" and reportedly performed many unusual tricks including making playing cards magically burst into flames, transporting a woman’s watch from inside a wooden box and into the middle of a loaf of bread, and even cooking a steaming hot plum pudding in a gentleman’s top hat.

But prior to his venturing onto the stage to prestidigitate, he had already written many of his well-known novels including one published in 1843 which would become the iconic classic and perennial treatise on the holiday, "A Christmas Carol".

So here I present you this year's audio greeting card with great gratitude to all of my guests who participated in this project and also to all of you who regularly listen to The Magic Word Podcast. Happy Holidays!

As a little added treat for you this holiday season, here is a video I filmed and edited in 1985. Magician Scott Wells is visited by "three foreign" visitors who want to learn magic. In this video, Scott performs close-up, stand-up and stage magic for his guests. He also gives magic lessons to his guests; however, these instructions have been edited out of this public video.

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