Magic Friday

2014-01-11T03:26:00.000-08:00

e-mail: jamie@Professional-Magician.com

~Please comment after your visit~

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Something a little different!

2011-05-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

Hiya Gang!

Something a bit different this week for everyone who's thinking about adding a stage show to their repertoire~ fun!

Thanks for watching!

~jamie

LEGACY from The Underground Collective

2011-05-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hiya Gang!

No time to write up anything, I'm afraid. I hope you enjoy it anyways!

The Magic Friday Show~ Episode 22: LEGACY from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

All my best,

jamie

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Has Magic Friday come to an end?

2011-03-27T02:38:00.000-07:00

...Absolutely Not!

However, I have recently come across an amazing opportunity that is going to take a large commitment on my part and, as a result, I'm taking a 3 month hiatus. That's not to say that if I can find myself with some free moments that I won't come on and write/film something up- I absolutely will. I just wanted to throw out a worst-case scenario.

This will probably work out for the best as when I do come back, I'll have lots to write up as Magic Friday itself will still be taking place, just not with the follow-up reviews that we're used to (probably until July). So wish me luck & have a wonderful Spring!

My best,

jamie
www.SendWonder.com

P.S. I just wanted to add that there's a massive 140 reviews already here to take a look through! So while I'm gone, take a look around and visit some old ones. It's amazing how many of these I still do day to day. Happy hunting!

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Guest of Honour

2011-02-21T22:56:00.001-08:00

Hiya Gang!

I'm "Guest Of honour" over at the Cafe this week. Come by and ask me a question!

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SMOKE from Alan Rorrison

2011-02-21T02:34:00.000-08:00

In honour of such a great effect, I thought I'd film Magic Friday a bit differently this week. Fun!

What The Audience Sees:

Untitled from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

How It Went:

Untitled from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

The Difficulty:

Untitled from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Best Lines:

Untitled from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Untitled from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

My Rating:

Untitled from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Magic Friday Approved!

The JDG Tip:

Untitled from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

The iTricks Idea:

Watch it here!

Closing Thoughts:

Untitled from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant

www.Professional-Magician.com

Home of the Impossible Bottle~ the "Anything Is Possible" bottle.

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THE 52 VS JOKER PROJECT by Gary Jones and Chris Congreave

2011-01-28T01:16:00.001-08:00

What The Audience Sees:

“So Jamie asks me to think of a card and say it out loud. Nothing crazy. I picked the seven of clubs. He tells me, though, that he took that card out of the deck this morning and left it at home. No way, right! Well, he says he’s going to use the two Jokers to go home and get it! He shows me the two Jokers when, all of a sudden, there’s a card between them. But you know what?! It wasn’t the seven of clubs- no, it was this crazy card that had all fifty-two on it! It was hilarious!! But then Jamie, as always, tells me to hold on…and THE FIFTY-TWO CARD CHANGED INTO MINE! It was outta control!!!!!”

How It Went:

Okay, what can I tell you- I love easy magic. There, I said it. Sometimes faros just give me a migraine and all I want is some self-worker. Guilty! And the 52 vs Joker Project is pretty much that. Not only is it dead easy, but it also does nothing to my deck- super bonus! So to say Friday was a pleasure is an understatement. It was just a majorly fun day. And, for reasons I’m not even sure of myself, it was because of that 52 on 1 card. You wouldn’t believe the laughs it got! Why? It’s not like it’s funny or anything but, for whatever reason, people simply laughed when they saw it. Weird, yet awesome.

And, as you’ll see by watching the video here in a second, it goes off without a hitch. When I did it all day last week, there was nary a problem as there’s almost nothing to catch. Even the appearance of the 52 card is a shocker- it just looks really good.

The Difficulty:

If you can hold a deck of cards in your hand, you should be good to go.

Best Lines:

”Chris! Chris! Did you see that?!”

~Whenever people look to their friends for validation that they’re not hallucinating, I know I’ve got a winner.

“HAHAHAHAHAH. Look at that! That’s awesome!”

~I had no idea the 52 on 1 card is so popular amongst lay people.

Angry Bob Rating:

“Yeah yeah, my card’s going to appear between the Jokers, m&#tha(^&^. Big deal…wha?! What the %^@^ is this &@*. Find my card idiot!…^#%^#, how did you do that!" 4.5/5.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

By simply tossing an extra card into my deck, I’m good to go! Fantastic!

The JDG Tip:

PASSWORD: The only number in the title of this trick: **

The Magic Friday Show~ Episode 21 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

Friday was just such a fun day- great work gang!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant

www.Professional-Magician.com

Home of the Impossible Bottle~ the "Anything Is Possible" bottle.

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SUPER SLIM HIP POCKET MULLICA by Paul Harris & Tim Trono

2011-01-08T11:59:00.001-08:00

What The Audience Sees:

“So I was trying to turn the screws to Jamie this week, you know, hassling him about how if he was any good, he would take my watch or something. Well, he looks at me and tells me that he didn’t need my watch, as he had my identity. He told me that he had already taken my Driver’s License! He asked me to take it out of my wallet but, if possible, to not look at it. I know exactly where it is, so I took it out without looking and handed it to him. What a sucker I was! Because he laughed and simply said, “Well, that was easy. I told you I had your driver’s license! And you gave it to me! That means it’s mine now…” Now here’s the thing- when he turned it around, it was actually his. It was HIS LICENSE!!! He somehow put his license in my wallet! And then he took his wallet, opened up a zippered compartment and pulled mine out!!! It was nuts!! I’m never wearing my watch around him again. Or bringing my wallet!!!”

How It Went:

If you’ve been following Magic Friday for any length of time, you probably know that I have a serious wallet problem. I mean, serious. I have enough wallets to start my own leather goods store. I could probably take them all apart and have enough leather for some sort of tent. But what can you do? I’m an addict! And I switch them from time to time as the seasons change. But now? Whoowee. I might have one that I’ll be using for a veeeeeery long time. I love this wallet. And the routine with the license is absolutely killer! Not only did I do this all day on Friday, but I’ve been using this all throughout December at my holiday gigs. And it’s awesome.

What I love most is the ability to bust something out, immediately, whenever someone comments on their wallet or watch after learning that I’m a magician. Egad, I get tired of that! Well, not any more, lol~ because this plays so strong! It really is a premise that strikes home, because the spec has already planted the seed in their own minds that I have the ability that I’m about to show. The craziest part is when people were trying to take their license out without looking at it- it was funny to see how many people could actually do it. I would then follow it with the simple line, “Are you sure this is yours?” before going into the, “That was easy!” premise.

A great friend of mine told me the best wallet a magician can have is the wallet he uses. And, even though I’m happy to say I’ve used all of my wallets, I can honestly say that I’ve never used one as much as the Super Slim. Normally I never bring my wallet to gigs (pocket space is crucial!) but this has made the exclusive Pocket List. Not only that, but I use it all the time in my regular life as well. Awesomenss all around.

The Difficulty:

You need to practice. That’s a given for this one. That said, it’s not like your doing a hundred faros in a row or something. You just need to have a certain smoothness of action.. 2/5.

Best Lines:

”...silence....”

~He slowly took his license back and starting looking through his wallet to see if anything else was missing, lol.

“When did you do it?! I didn’t feel a thing!”

~There’s something about this effect that really has a ring of truth to the whole thing. They honestly believe you put your own license into their wallet, and took theirs.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

This is a hard one to rate. Angry Bob has seen Card to Wallet before, so it was hard to gauge if it “fooled” him. He only started talking about this time his uncle took someone’s wallet for real, blah, blah, blah. 3/5.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

Any time something makes my working gig pocket list, it’s a keeper. A true find!

The JDG Tip:

PASSWORD: What type of wallet is this?
"M***ICA" (All in Caps)

The Magic Friday Show ~ Episode 19 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

I’ll also list everything that can go into the wallet (in case you’d like to use it as your everyday, like myself). Let’s see what I’ve got in here…

Left side: Pen. NFW, Powerball 60, an envelope with prediction, various paper money (folded), Extreme Burn.

Right side: Driver’s license, 20 business cards, 4 plastic cards (Atm, CC, etc.)

Mullica Pull Out: I actually keep my 3 Card Monte in the window.

I could fit a bit more, but I’m trying to slim down my wallet life, lol.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

A new year, a new wallet, and a lot of Magic Fridays to come. It’s going to be great, I can tell!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.Professional-Magician.com

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Magic Friday needs your help!

2010-12-05T01:26:00.001-08:00

Well gang, it's been a crazy year. So much has gone on and I've seen so much magic! It's been awesome. And now, like the rest of you, I'm deep into the season's gigs and am looking forward to hitting the Magic Friday blog with some regularity once we come out the other side.

But, in order for me to do that- I need your help! What magic would you like to see reviewed here? Are their any particular DVDs, books, and tricks that you know of, that play super strong that I may have missed? If so, please comment below!

Magic Friday is going to be a main focus for me in 2011 and I think you're all going to be happy with what you find here. Interviews, ideas, Angry Bob, and a place that you can come to only find strong magic. That's always been the plan, since I started this column years ago- to provide all of you with somewhere that you can come and not have to sort through thousands of posts and negativity. Somewhere where you can come and read or watch an episode and know, with confidence, that you'll get something you like. 2011 is going to be a fantastic year- I can tell...

In the meantime, you can take a listen to this podcast, if you're interested, as it gives some insight into who I am, what I do, and the point of it all...

Thanks for your suggestions! Without you, none of this would be possible...

Jamie D. Grant

www.Professional-Magician.com

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The JDG Fundamental Cups!

2010-11-22T17:16:00.000-08:00

The JDG Fundamental Cups ~ from Jamie D. Grant & RNT2 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

http://www.rnt2.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=30335

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ALICE'S REVENGE by Bob Farmer

2010-11-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

What The Audience Sees:

“Man, where’s Jamie been? He’s been gone for a while, man! We were missing our magic fix. But he was back on Friday, yo. And he can still read those minds, you know what I’m sayin’?! Check it- he busts into our office and tells us he’s in a rush but that he’s been thinking about us. He said that this morning he was convinced that one of us was going to be able to name a Queen, any Queen, and that it would be gone from his wallet, where he had put three of them when he woke up. So I pipe up and say the Queen of Diamonds and you know what? Jamie pulled the cards out and she was gone! But here’s the crazy part!!! In her place was a blank card…and it had writing on it…and it said that he knew I’d be right!!! How does he do this?! Man!!!"

How It Went:

As I mention in my video review, I’ve been trying to only do card magic that doesn't require any gaffs, special decks, etc. However, I allow myself one exception~ packet tricks! I cycle through what goes into my wallet every couple of months, so packet are fair game. And, let me tell you, this one’s a winner! Why?

Because it’s so easy, lol. Really, it’s the easiest trick you’ll do. But don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s not awesome, because it is. I did this all day Friday to great results. Maybe not of the “I’ve just changed your life” variety but still a fun time. The biggest challenge was creating some sort of buildup/tension. Because of the lack of process (there’s no equivoque, or dealing, etc), it was almost too fast. Name a Queen. Look, it’s gone. So I really built up the “are you sure”, “what made you pick that one? Were you by chance sneaking around my bedroom this morning?” type of lines. By the end of the day, however, I discovered the most important thing about this effect…

The examinable blank card. Genius. In the beginning of the day I simply didn’t use it to it’s full potential, but by the end of the day I got it. (See Video Review). Basically, this needs to given away. It’s such a wonderful moment when people grab that card and turn it over, especially if you’ve written a note on it. I love it.

The Difficulty:

It’s not difficult at all. If you can hold a pack of four cards (and only fours cards) in your hand, then you’re good to go.. 1/5.

Best Lines:

“How do you always know?”
~When I do magic on Friday, and if it’s someone whose seen me before, you can only imagine what they think.

“GIVE ME THAT!
~This guy grabbed the blank card so fast I couldn’t even react. Hilarious!

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

This is tough to say, I’m not really sure. At first, Angry Bob wanted the blank card. A look of confusion spread across his brow and I thought he was going to hit me. Then he asked for the rest, to which I replied, “Forget it. You won’t give them back.” Not a bad line, but not as good as a switched packet. That said, when I did it for laypeople, everyone was so busy talking about the blank card that no one asked to see the others. Perfect.[3]/5[/5].

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

Nothing makes me happier than coming across a new trick that I can carry with me for a while. The handling of Alice’s Revenge is also so clean, it’s silly. Bob Farmer obviously put some wonderful thought into this and came up with a terrific result!

The JDG Tip:
PASSWORD (Bob's last name. the "F" needs to be capitalized)

The Magic Friday Show~ Episode 19 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Closing Thoughts:

I’m up for future Magic Friday suggestions so, if you have any or if you have anything to say at all, please leave a comment~ I read them all!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

jamie d. grant
www.Professional-Magician.com

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The Six~ by Jamie D. Grant

2010-09-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hiya Gang!

I'm heading out for a while and won't be back until mid-October. So I thought I'd leave you with some essays I've been writing over on Theory 11. I hope you like them:

The Six~ by Jamie D. Grant

All my best,

jamie

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FINGERS-NOSE DO AS I DO from Martin Gardner/via The Magical Arts Journal

2010-09-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

(Sorry gang! I'm just so crazy busy writing my book for the Send Wonder campaign, that I'm just putting up the video review. If you have any questions, just comment here, though, and I'll respond!)

Password: Michael *****. 5 letters- all capitalized. The publisher of this book. Rhymes with...hmmm. Nothing.

The Magic Friday Show~ Episode Eighteen! from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Best Lines:

“NHNNHSNNSH!"

~They were squeezing their nose so hard, lol.

“DO IT AGAIN!"

~The ultimate compliment.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Doo doo de do- yah yah yah! That was my happy dance right there, lol. Angry Bob was decimated. Just do it once, though.

"I want you to go outside, grab a $@%@ and @$%@ with a @^%@." 5/5.

Have a great week everyone!

~jamie d. grant
www.Professional-Magician.com

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"Mr.E Takes A Stroll" from ONE DEGREE by John Guastaferro

2010-09-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

(Sorry gang! I'm just so crazy busy with my Send Wonder campaign, that I'm just putting up the video review. If you have any questions, just comment here, though, and I'll respond!)

Password: The name of John's new book- all CAPS (*** ******)

Magic Friday Show Episode Seventeen from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

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HEIRLOOM WALLET from Alakazam

2010-08-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Video Review Only This Week!

(Sorry gang! I'm just so crazy busy with my Send Wonder campaign, that I'm just putting up the video review. If you have any questions, just comment here, though, and I'll respond!)

Password: What you put your money in. Heirllom ****** (The "W" must be capitalized)

Magic Friday Show ~ Episode 15 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

I did this trick quite a while ago (KK) and brought it back to try and use this wallet. Angry Bob remembered it from before but seemed to be more angry than before. I think that I somehow canceled out what he thought took place the first time around and, as a result, he was fooled. 4/5.

Note: I just scrolled back through my original review of KK from 2006! I have to disagree with I wrote the first time around, however. The video review is a more accurate assessment of my current thoughts and beliefs. Funny how things can change!

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LEATHER OF TRUTH by Andreas Minz

2010-08-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

Video Review Only This Week!

(Sorry gang! I'm just so crazy busy with my Send Wonder campaign, that I'm just putting up the video review. If you have any questions, just comment here, though, and I'll respond!)

Password: First word in the title. ******* of Truth (The "L" must be capitalized)

The Magic Friday Show~ Episode 14 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Sold Out!

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ZODIAC by Chester Sass

2010-07-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

Video Review Only This Week!

(Sorry gang! I'm just so crazy busy with my Send Wonder campaign, that I'm just putting up the video review. If you have any questions, just comment here, though, and I'll respond!)

P.S. I probably should have cleaned that corner of the mirror and I'm wearing sunglasses (indoors-yikes) because of an "ocular issue" I was having today, lol.

P.P.S There's also no "Angry Bob" rating because I already knew his Zodiac sign. I would give this a high rating though- it's pretty bulletproof!

Password: Name of the effect (The "Z" must be capitalized)

The Magic Friday Show ~ Episode Thirteen from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

WILD AT HEART for Rachel Colombini

2010-06-26T19:02:00.001-07:00

Hiya Gang!

So, I write Magic Friday every 2 weeks. That's always been my goal. That gives me enough time in case a few Fridays go awry and provides me with a bit of a backlog. It also helps because I've started filming them and it takes a fair amount of time. Thank goodness I love doing it!

However, this week I've decided not to review anything at all. Instead, I'm just going to pitch something. And it's not even a bottle, lol. Let me even get crazier and say that I haven't even looked at it this product. I haven't performed anything from it. Heck, I haven't even looked at the table of contents.

Why not? Because, for me at least, it doesn't matter. Because I got an e-mail from a 13 year old kid. Because the wife of one magic's greats is really sick. Because it's going to cost her two hundred thousand k to have surgery (someone needs to explain that one to me).

So, I'm just going to say maybe we should all buy this and move a couple of seats forward on the Karma Bus. 100% of the proceeds go to the Colombinis and its simply a nice thing to do. If I had time, I would have performed something from it, but I think there's a sense of urgency here that needs to be capitalized. So, that's my review for the week. My Angry Bob rating is a 5/5 for anyone who gives me flack, lol.

All my best,

jamie

ULTIMATE OIL & WATER by Anthony Owen

2010-06-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

Note: Video review is halfway down, under "The JDG Tip"

What The Audience Sees:

“Okay, so I'm still in mass mental meltdown after that trick Jamie showed us on Friday. I mean, he didn't do any funny moves or gestures, or any abracadabray kind of stuff, or anything! He simply showed us six cards, 3 red & 3 black. And he laid them down, alternating the colour. Red, black, red, black, red, black. Then "poof" they were separated! Red, red, red, black, black, black! It was just so...magical! I don't know what else to say! It was real, true magic. And he did it three times! and the last time he did it? Get this! He did it face up!!!I'm speechless..."

How It Went:

If you were right beside me, at this moment, watching me type, you'd see the huge smile on my face. I love this trick. Love it! As many of you know, I don't review bad magic (I can't really go around showing bad magic, can I?) but there's some that I review, that I like more than others. And Anthony Owen's "Ultimate Oil & Water" is now at the top of my list. When it comes to magic that I keep with me, in my wallet, this is probably the first thing I'll be pulling out in the future.

The thing that I loved about Friday was that it is such a clear effect to explain and describe. Six cards alternating colour magically separate into three and three of each. Period. Visually, it is just as clear. It's like the audience was watching the magic happening at that moment. When I showed that the colours were grouped together, people got the feeling that it was happening right at that moment.

Combine that with the fact that I can do it three times, with each time escalating in proof and impossibility, and you have a sure-fire winner. I had such great reactions all day that it was an absolute pleasure to have to work, lol. There wasn't a single "meh" reaction from all the times I performed it, either. Gasps and shock were the orders of the day.

The Difficulty:

This isn't a hard trick at all but you will need to practise it a bit. It's important to put the time into this if you want the confidence needed to not worry. 3/5.

Best Lines:

“Where are we?! Are we still in Vancouver?!”

~This is an awesome line, lol.

“Amazing, amazing, amazing."

~What more can you ask for?.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Angry Bob is having a hard time these days. I might have to bust out a TT trick next week to give him a break. I seriously thought he was going to have a heart attack right in front of me. Needless to say- no clue.

"$#%# it. I don't even want to know." 4.5/5.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

A new packet trick- hurrah! I know I've been going on and on about my summer project of only doing magic with borrowed decks but I stil allow myself one packet trick to be on me at all times. Ultimate Oil & Water is now that trick! I also realize that there are many versions of this effect and that opinions vary on personal favourites. For me, this is my new favourite- I'll stand by that!

The JDG Tip:

PASSWORD: Oil and "*****" (the W must be capitalized)

Untitled from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

Thanks for reading and watching everyone! If you are reading this in the summer of 2010, I highly suggest you go over to www.professional-magician.com and take a look at my "Send Wonder" campaign. If it's years later- thanks for reading, and watching!

All my best,

Jamie D. Grant
www.cardsinabottle.com

Is your name on the list to the right?

2010-06-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

If you're a creator and have had your effect reviewed here on Magic Friday, I'm pleased to announce that you have full license either of the above images on all product and advertising particular to that effect. (Leaving a comment here to say that you've taken the image would be greatly appreciated!)

BOX CLEVER from James Brown's DVD "The Opportunist" (Vol.01)

2010-06-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

Note. Video review is halfway down the page!

What The Audience Sees:

“This Jamie dude can make stuff, like, teleport, man! He made this card I pick fly across the table and land under a box, and I didn’t see a thing! Check it, I pick a card. He puts it into the deck. BAM! It’s under the card box. He takes it again. He puts in into the deck. BAM! It’s back under the cardbox. He says he’ll do it one more time. It doesn’t work. Why? BAMALAM! Because the whole deck, except my single card, is under the cardbox! AMAZING!”

How It Went:

I think I may have mentioned this before but I often feel like I’m an old miner in the Klondike searching for gold. While sorting through DVDs. Books, tricks, etc, looking for effects for Magic Friday, I get hungry, cold, scared, and worried. Sometimes I cry. And then, while knee deep in the proverbial rivers, I’ll look into my goldpan and find the biggest nugget you could imagine. And it all suddenly becomes worth it.

Box clever is one of those pieces of gold. You can use a borrowed deck. There’s no moves. Brilliantly routined. Everything I look for. Why James Brown didn’t just call me and tell me to look at this is beyond me, lol.

When I performed this all day, it kept getting better and better. I ended it with the deck going to under the box and people couldn’t believe it. It’s just such a shocker. I think they thought that twice was impossible enough, so when you can keep going, it just fries their minds. And the great thing is, that everything can be examined. People would immediately grab the deck and I could just sit back and relax. Fantastic.

The Difficulty:

This isn’t a hard routine in the slightest. You just need to focus and control your surroundings a bit. 2/5.

Best Lines:

“NO IT’S NOT!!!!”
~When I told them the deck had traveled, lol. And yes it had.

“UNGH!”
~This person actually let out a noise like they had been punched in the calf.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Ha! There’s nothing more enjoyable than leading Angry Bob down the garden path only to watch him fall into a deep hole at the end. After the first phase he was so smug and demanded to see it again. When I did, he was floored. And when the entire deck went, he was silent, lol. A true testament. 4.5/5.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

A great find. This is going into my Top 10 tricks that I do with a borrowed deck, for sure. It's basically a combination of Card Under Glass and The Homing Card~ I love it!

The JDG Tip:

PASSWORD: James' last name. A colour that starts with a capital "B".

Magic Friday Show ~ Episode 12 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

I’m up for future Magic Friday suggestions so, if you have any or if you have anything to say at all, please leave a comment~ I read them all!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.cardsinabottle.com

SNEAK PREVIEW by Danny Archer

2010-05-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

~Video review is at "The JDG Tip" about halfway down~

What The Audience Sees:

“Can someone please explain to us how Jamie has managed to sneak into every movie I’ve ever seen, since I was a kid, and remember them all?! Because that’s the only way he could have known! Listen, he had these cool business cards printed, right, because he collects autographs or something. I mean, they’re blank except for a picture of a movie screen. Anyways, I write down a movie that only I know I’ve seen, onto the card and place it FACE DOWN into his hand. He cannot see it! To prove the point, he even slides it back into the middle of the stack of business cards. And then…BLAM!…He names my movie! HOW? Thank goodness he gave me his card- I’m calling him for my next party!”

How It Went:

You know, I’ve been meaning to write this one up for some time but I’ve been unintentionally delayed. I really wanted to see how it would play at an actual paid gig and, even though I’ve done a few hundred since I’ve gotten this effect, I’ve always forgotten to take it with me. Doh! Double Doh! This trick is great! It takes up the exact same amount of pocket space that I normally designate for business cards, but I now have a great closing effect for my set. I sincerely wish I had it for all those other times.

I think I made up for it on Friday, though as I used it dozens of times to great effect. What I like about it is that it’s super clean. I mean, you’re basically looking at a stack of business cards and an elastic band. That’s it. No wallet, clipboard, helmet transmitters, etc. Just a small stack of cards. No folding required! Hurrah! Not that I’m lazy, but at gigs, I really want to not have to worry. And Sneak Preview is worry free.

The reactions were right on point as well. I can always tell if something’s gone exceedingly well when the spectators start addressing each other. They wanted to know if we were in on it and all the pressure is on the spec defending himself that we weren’t in cahoots, lol. Awesome.

The Difficulty:

Man, like, what, 1/5? Do your eyes move? Sweet, then you can do this.

Best Lines:

“Peter! PETER! Do you guys know each other?!?!! ANSWER ME!”

~Poor Peter was in for a rough night I think.

“Were you there?!"

~At Ben Hur?! Um, no.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Let’s just all be thankful that Angry Bob doesn’t show up at any of these functions. Could you imagine?! With regards to this, however, I’d say pretty high. There’s a flash of the stack that is really nice, and takes people away from the cards. Maybe a 4/5? I'm not worried.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

I owe myself an apology for not taking this out sooner. It’s gone into my Suit Jacket- the ultimate rating!

The JDG Tip:

PASSWORD~ Danny's last name. Rhymes with Marcher (the "A" must be capitalized)

The Magic Friday Show~ Episode 12 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

Someone e-mailed me and mentioned that they couldn’t watch my video reviews because they live in a mountain cabin, so it looks like we’re back to the old format-written and video. I hope you like it!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.cardsinabottle.com

No review today!

2010-05-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hiya Gang,

Sorry about that- I've been working on some projects all weekend and didn't get a chance to video my review. Maybe later this week? If you're interested, however, here's my latest:

http://www.professional-magician.com/2010/05/coming-this-summer.html

All my best,

jamie

SANITIZED by Kelvin Ng

2010-05-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Video Review (PASSWORD: The name of this trick. The "S" needs to be capitalized.):

The Magic Friday Show~ Episode Eleven from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.
Note- I was verrrry tired when I shot this, lol Apologies in advance for being so rambly!

Best Lines From The Day:

"Are you kidding me?!!"

~He was convinced that he was seeing things!

"Give me that!!"

~And it wasn't so he could clean his hands again, lol.

Angry Bob Rating:

I have a co-worker (Bob) whose uncle was a magician and thereby has a good working knowledge of how magic works. He's pretty grumpy but likes Magic Friday's because he can tell me how he figured out how the effect is done...

The card reveal isn’t a magician fooler. And Angry Bob, although not a magician per se, wasn’t fooled at all…except on how he was made to pick the Nine Of Clubs. So you can imagine that this works quite well- which it did- when you do it on someone who has no idea what a force is to begin with. 1/5.

The JDG Tip:

If you can find it- get the Aloe Purell- it's green and will help your colour effect!

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

I didn't review the other 2 effects that come with Sanitized but should mention that they're quite good. Will Tsai has an idea on the Free Will effect which is absolutely awesome and is an idea that you can use in many other applications.

Thanks for watching!

All my best,

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.Professional-Magician.com

UPDATE: Now available for purchase! E:mail me at magic@jamiedgrant.com for pricing.

Suggestions, anyone?

2010-05-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

Lol,

Well, Friday's effect was such a disaster that it isn't even worth filming going into the Bag Of Shame. No creator can ever blame me for not trying, though.

So, how about some suggestions instead? Is there anything you'd like to see reviewed? If so, please comment here! Thanks!

All my best,

jamie

FOOTLOOSE by Dan Hauss from his DVD set "Restless"

2010-04-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hiya Gang!

I'm going to be experimenting with different Magic Friday formats, now that I'm doing video every time~ so please bear with me while I decide on what's best. And I'd love to hear your opinions!

Without further ado:

The Video Review (PASSWORD: The name of the DVD set this trick comes from. The "R" needs to be capitalized.)

The Magic Friday Show~ Episode 10 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Best Lines From The Day:

"Whawhatwhat?! Hey! HEY! COME LOOK AT THIS!!!"

~This guy was yelling so loud, I thought the cops were going to come by for a visit!

"Nope. That didn't happen. Nopey dopey."

~"Nopey dopey? Lol, just pure disbelief (in a good way).

Angry Bob Rating:

I have a co-worker (Bob) whose uncle was a magician and thereby has a good working knowledge of how magic works. He's pretty grumpy but likes Magic Friday's because he can tell me how he figured out how the effect is done...
Well, he stared in disbelief, and then almost kicked me in the face, lol. He then started inspecting his own shoelace as he thought I had done something to his shoe. Lol, I'm going to say 4.5/5.

The JDG Tip:

I've actually got a few good tips that are only going to make sense to people that own this. So to these people, I'll just tell you to use a chopstick or a piece from a coathanger...

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

Thanks for watching, reading, and commenting everyone! I do my absolute best to never steer you wrong, as I know we all want to make great purchases. I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one as the set has something for everyone!

All my best,

Jamie D. Grant
www.Professional-Magician.com

TRICYCLE by Daniel Garcia

2010-04-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

I didn't have time to do the usual full write-up, but did manage to get a video done! Thanks for watching, and I look forward to the discussion...

PASSWORD: Danny's Last Name (the "G" must be capitalized)

The Magic Friday Show- Tricycle by Daniel Garcia from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.
P.S. Angry Bob had a great day, but that was to be expected. It went by everyone else like gangbusters!

BUSKING by Jamie D. Grant, Part 3 of 3

2010-03-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hiya Gang!

Here's the final wrap-up of the whole busking experience: an interview with the legendary Tom Frank! I hope you enjoy:

The Magic Friday Show Episode 8 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Spring Break! (Off for 2 weeks)

2010-03-14T14:47:00.001-07:00

Hiya Gang!

It looks like I'm heading down to Magic-Con, so I need to get ready! As a result, we'll be taking a 2 week hiatus here at Magic Friday that we'll pawn off as Spring Break.

In the meantime, I'm going to redirect you over to a fellow Seymour Street Conjuring Society member's blog that is, without question, worth looking at. If you haven't been to Andrew Musgrave's "Ye Olde Magick Blogge", now's the time!

http://sleightly.com/blog

Okay, while you're all doing that, I'm off to make bottles, pack, plan, write, and practice. I encourage everyone to explore some old Magic Fridays that you might like video reviews for, and let me know! I'm here to help!

See ya in 2 weeks (when we'll finally wrap up our Busking Trilogy! If you have any questions about that- now is a good time to ask!),

jamie

An interview with Jason England about Erdnase~

2010-03-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not wrapping up Part 3 of our busking series this week, but this was too good to give up! I hope you like it:

TheMagicFridayShowEpisode7.1 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

BUSKING by Jamie D. Grant, Part 2 of 3

2010-03-01T15:36:00.001-08:00

What The Audience Saw:

“Man, so we all go down to the Olympics to watch the crowds and everything, and you’ll never guess what we saw!!! Jamie D. Grant- the world-famous Corporate Magician performing magic on the street! You know, the guy that does all those glorious gigs indoors and gets mailed a cheque at the end! Yeah, the guy that’s never done an outdoor show in his entire life, the one who’s never done the Cups and Balls before, and the one who had no idea about what he was doing. Lol, it was hilarious! How’d it go? Well, take a look here, if you haven’t already…”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qRcvHC3Oeg

How It Went:

Lol, Whooooweee! Yessir! I got taken to school, lol. That said, it went awesome, I think. I can’t even begin to describe the excitement, fun, and coolness of the street- I might be hooked!

Okay, we have a lot to talk about- I’ll do a video wrap up for Part 3 (next week) but for this Part 2, I thought I’d give everyone a rundown on all the gear I used and the effects I chose.

MY GEAR:

Table: Tony Clark’s “Portable Table”. I had Tony make me a table that I would be able to pack up and take around, and this was the result. Absolutely awesome!
http://www.magicsax.com/page3/page18/page18.html

20’ Bright Blue Rope.

Table Servante (bag): From Frank Starsini at The Ambitious Card. I love this bag!
http://www.theambitiouscard.com/aitem.cfm?itemid=25

Cups: From Christian Jedinat.
http://www.jedinat-zaubershop.de/shop/show/show_pr/en/Professional-copper-und-nickel-cups-and-balls/~tplprodukt_1/~prid119.htm.

The Cups and Balls routine I used is a verbal variation of James Prince’s from his DVD “Menu for Miracles”.
http://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=43884

Balls: From Josh Riel via Frank at The Ambitious Card.

Final Loads: Tennis Balls.

Silk & TT.

Rope: for Richard Sanders Fiber Optics.
http://magicfriday.blogspot.com/2008/11/richard-sanders-fiber-optics.html

Deck of Bicycle Playing Cards.

Glass of Water.

Magic Wand: given to me by Eric Evans.

Precious Metal: by John Zander (fork to spoon).
http://magicfriday.blogspot.com/2008/11/precious-metal-by-john-zander.html

5 #19 Yellow Elastic Bands: for CMH.
http://magicfriday.blogspot.com/2008/11/cmh-crazy-mans-handcuffs-by-arthur.html

Eight Ball.

MY SET

This was my planned set but it got changed pretty quickly once I started…

1) TT to silk.

This played okay but I felt like it wasn’t holding attention very well. I would be able to attract a couple of people to my table no problem, but it wasn’t helping my build. I think it might have been because if you were walking by, and the silk was already in my fist, then there was nothing to “see”. It was just me with my hand out.

I changed it to:

CMH. I wasn’t sure if people would be able to see this very clearly, but they seemed to be able to. I’ve got fairly large hands, and I’ve done this enough times that I know many different ways to present it. It worked.

2) Card Trick: 3D Realization from Mark Southwork. http://magicfriday.blogspot.com/2009/04/3d-realization-by-mark-southworth-from.html

I do this trick for every Walk Around gig I do. It kills. I know that for a fact. On the street, however, it was a no go. People were probably too far away to see the appearance of the 8 Ball clearly?

I changed it to:

A random Pick A Card trick, and used it as an opener. As soon as someone came to my table, I would say, “Hey thanks for stopping by! Can you shuffle these for me?”…

3) Rope Trick: Fiber Optics.

Worked wonderfully. Another one taken from my Walk Around (and stage) set.

4) Glass of Water Appearance.

Same as Fiber Optics. I’ve been doing this for years and am well practiced at it. I actually don’t want to tip this at all, but I guess this is what Magic Friday is all about: It’s from Barrie Richardson’s “Theatre of the Mind”

5) Cups and Balls.

How long have I been a magician? And how many thousands of times have I performed that Chop Cup routine? Amazing that this was the first time in my life that I performed the actual Cups and Balls. Regardless, it went brilliantly, although I need to put some serious work into my final load timing reveals. If you look at the Youtube video, you’ll also see that, in my last set, I forgot to load one of the cups, lol. You can see me do a quick shuffle and then wipe my head, lol.

FINAL SET

1) Random card trick
2) CMH
3) Precious Metal
4) Fiber Optics
5) Cups and Balls

MY PREPARATION

So what did I do to prepare myself? I watched, and read, the following:

“Art Of Street Performing” DVDs from Cellini.

“Menu Of Miracles” DVDs from James Prince.
http://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=43884

“School Of Busking” DVDs from Mario Morris.
http://www.schoolofbusking.com/id4.html

“Street Magic And The Art Of War” Book from Eric Evans.
http://www.secretartofmagic.com/secret2.htm

“Street Cups” Dvd and book from Gazzo.

“To Lure With Spetacle” Book from Jimmy Talksalot.
http://www.leapinglizardsmagic.com/csspages/css_lure_with_spectacle.htm

“Tales From The Streets” DVDs from Kozmo.
http://www.kozmomagic.com/

The Difficulty:

Was busking difficult? Yes and no. There’s something so different about people paying you, at that very moment, and having them stay to do so. When I do Corporate gigs no one ever walks away from me. Where are they going to go, lol? Outside, however, they can go anywhere! And, if they leave, they get to keep their money, lol! So, yes, it was terrifying: What if no one stops? What if no one pays? These things can really play with you. However, one question that I never asked myself was, “What if I suck?” Because I don’t. I know that. And it was key to my survival. As long as you are able to remember that you’re good at what you do, and that people generally like you, then you’ll be good to go.

My Best Lines:

These are my best lines from the night. Busking is all about the lines, I found.

"Rogaine is expensive!”

~It’s always better to beat someone to the punch, and I came up with this on the spot. It ended up being my Hat Line.

"Foreigners with cash, please stop here!"

~I think this worked at the Olympics because all of the locals got to be “in” on the joke. I’m not too sure how this will work during the rest of the year though.

Angry Bob Rating:

Angry Bob would have had a field day. Thank ^#^#^ he wasn’t there, lol.

My Rating:

I give busking a 10/10. Here’s what I wrote somewhere else:

I personally think every Magician should busk for a time in their lives- absolutely. For me, there is nothing greater than the knowledge that you can go out onto the street anywhere in the world and suriive. Not by digging ditches, or painting fences, but by simply being you. A Magician.

The JDG Tip:

Bring friends!!!! Having friends with you will make your first time sooooo much better. When I made 1 dollar, it was hilarious! If I had been by myself, however, I probably would have started to cry.

Closing Thoughts:

There’s lots more to talk about and next week I’ll give a video wrap up of the whole experience. Thanks for reading!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.Professional-Magician.com

BUSKING by Jamie D. Grant, Part 1 of 3

2010-02-19T21:56:00.000-08:00

~Click the pic to watch the video!~

Well, I finally busked! After years of Corporate gigs and Private functions, I thought I should take it to the streets to see how I'd fare in the real world. Needless to say, my eyes were opened. Wide.

So this video/review will be part 1 of 3, with this first installment here simply being the video of what happened. Next week, I'll do a more traditional Magic Friday write-up (detailing gear, effect selection, etc.), and then for the final week 3, I'll do a video wrap up of the whole experience.

Please comment with any questions and comments and I'll answer them either next week or in week 3's video.

Thanks!

Jamie D. Grant
www.Professional-Magician.com

Dennis Loomis Routine for the James Riser/Dennis Loomis MICRO CHOP CUP

2010-02-14T16:14:00.000-08:00

.
Originally written in 2006! New Video added~

What The Audience Sees:

'The performer made this little ball appear and disappear from a cup and then these two balls that don't even fit in the cup fell out!'

How It Went:

Well, I give up. I really wanted to review a terrible trick this week so that people who read my reviews won't think I love everything. Unfortuneately, I chose Dennis Loomis' Chop cup routine instead. If you want an effect that is less than a 5/5, don't read any further...

Tonight I did two shows (1 half hour cocktail party and 1 two hour Christmas party-both of which I scored from Magic Friday performances) and they went absolutely perfectly. Confidance is so utterly crucial in our art that I can't explain how, I don't know, safe (that's the best way I can put it) I felt, knowing this routine. It was the main effect for the cocktail party and it was the main effect for every table at the Christmas party.

What I loved is that the Micro Cup (I totally missed the boat and didn't get a Riser-I'm kicking myself after tonight...) is that it's small enough that you can show a group that was next to your previous group the exact same routine without the worry of them having already seen it. I went from group to group to group and it was new to each one. It was flawless.

Best Lines:

"DOMO! DOMO!" which I found out to be 'Thank You' in Japanese. She also kept bowing so low I was worried she was going to hit her head on the floor.

Standing Ovation. The ultimate Best Line.

Angry Bob Rating:

I have a co-worker (Bob) whose uncle was a magician and thereby has a good working knowledge of how magic works. He's pretty grumpy but likes Magic Friday's because he can tell me how he figured out how the effect is done...

5/5.
I performed this today for Angry Bob in prep for tonight. Tooooooo funny.
"$#%# you! You $$#$#% son of a %#%$%#%$^! Let me see that #$%#!#% thing!...#%$#%#! you have to be $#$@$#@$@$ kidding me! No I don't wanna' see the $#%#$!%% little %^$^$^ red #%$#% ball! I wanna' ^%&%&know how these 2 other $#%$#%$#! ones got in there! #%$%#!

My Rating:

5/5. Sorry, this routine is perfect. I'll perform this for the rest of my life. Next week I'll perform the crappiest effect I can find, I promise.

The JDG Tip:

For some reason, people aren't too suprised with the red ball disappearing and appearing, maybe because they know that's what we, as magicians, are good at. It's the final two loads that kill them, so milk them for all they're worth. I use a red and white high bounce ball and a miniature tennis ball (both of which came from toy stores). After, I say, 'If you can put those back in the cup for me, that'd be great, Thanx!' I hand them the cup and balls and pretend to walk away.

Watch it here! That’s right, we now have video!

Password: "Chop ***". Three letters. The first letter must be capitalized. (C)

MagicFridayShowEpisodeSix from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

Closing Thoughts:

To Dennis Loomis if he reads this:

Standing Ovation.

Purchase Here:

I actually don't have any of these for sale at the moment, but I think Dennis has a couple left. Also, there may be a new edition coming soon!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.professional-magician.com/

FOUR QUARTERS by Magick Balay

2010-02-08T08:38:00.000-08:00

What The Audience Sees:
"Okay, so Friday was really strange- I think we were all hypnotized! Jamie shows us an American one-dollar bill, right? Nothing crazy. But then, all of a sudden, it changed! It morphed itself inside out or something! Jamie told us that he had temporarily hypnotized all of us and that the bill should look different, and did it ever! It was like all reversed, backwardsy, split into quarters, kind of magical weirdnessness! None of us could believe our eyes! And man, did we ever have a great weekend because of it!”

How It Went:

You know, I’ve never really given the Mis-Made Bill premise a go before and I have to say, I’ve been missing out. I only wish I had been able to do it with borrowed money, which all you guys and gals in The States will be able to do. A Mis-Made Loonie just wouldn’t be the same, lol (a Loonie is a Canadian one-dollar coin). On that note, those of you in the US do have a real advantage. Up here, the smallest bill is a Five, but people are never really carrying them around because the smallest bill that most ATMs give out are Twenties. So, if you’re in the US, take advantage of it. However, I digress…
Even though I was using my own bill, and a foreign one at that, it still rocked the house. I was a bit surprised myself, actually. People were giving each other looks like, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” The magic really played with their minds on Friday. I’ve been thinking about it all weekend and I’m still trying to dissect why it went so well, and I think it’s because, unlike normal paper, people know how impossible it is to “make” a bill. And a bill has a feel to it that can’t be faked (well, not legally, lol) so I think as soon as people touched it, they simply fully believed. There is also something more believable about it being the same denomination, I think.
And I have to say, I love Magick Balay’s handling of the switch! It has a more natural sort of feel to me than previous switches I’ve used and it went by everyone on Friday. There is something about the “turning” in Magick’s method that I really like and it seemed to help both me and my audience. I’ll talk about it more in the video portion but I just found it a more believable way of folding something. I found people weren’t burning my hands as much as when I’ve done switches before- perhaps it comes across as more casual.

The Difficulty:

This took me a while to get down and, as you’ll see, I still have to force myself to not look at my hands (when performing for real people, I find that an easier task because you have conversation going on, but it still took a while to get confident). However, this should be well within the capabilities of a solid magician. 3/5.

Best Lines:

"OMG, it’s backwards…no, it’s sideways, OMG! How did you do that?!”
~It’s always better to have someone ask, “How did you do that?” as opposed to, “Where did the other one go?”

"Holy %$^$! This is the same dollar, too!!!”
~I’m not sure what convinced them of that, but hey, I’ll take it!

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.
"You %$^$%#n switched it. That’s pretty cool, though.”
3/5. I’m giving this a higher mark than you’d think after Angry Bob’s reaction, but that’s because he still has no idea how I did it. I’ve used a bill switch for a few Magic Fridays in the past, so I’m pretty sure Angry Bob has looked into how it works but I know he can’t do it himself. If you were to do this to someone with no magic knowledge, you’d fry them.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

Well, I’ve decided to switch (Ha, Ha, get it? I said…never mind) in Magick’s new handling as the one I’m going to be using in the future. When you watch the DVD and you see how fast he is with it, you can see how it will get light years better than how I’m currently performing with it. And, when it gets to Magick’s level (hopefully), I think it will be perfect. The “turning” combined with the “kickup” of the bill is just enough to make me put my old switch back on the shelf.

The JDG Tip:

Watch it here! That’s right, we now have video!!!

Password: "The $100 Bill ******". Six letters. (Rhymes with "Ditch") The first letter must be capitalized. (S)

Four Quarters by Magick Balay from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it Here!

Closing Thoughts:

Congrats to NYMP for making such a great DVD. It was nice to watch something that just showed me the performer going through the steps. Sometimes Magic DVDs get so complicated that I want to throw myself out the window and this was a refreshingly straightforward instructional video. Very well done.

Purchase Here:

5 in Stock:
$25 + $5 shipping
DVD with American Mis-Made $1 bill!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.cardsinabottle.com

DE'RING by De'vo

2010-01-31T19:53:00.000-08:00

What The Audience Sees:
"So Jamie has become some sort of ninja, apparently. You should have seen it man, this guy is so quick! He showed us his ring, but then he took it off his finger so that he wasn’t wearing it, but simply holding it. Then…BLAM! It was right back on his finger! We were all like, “WHHAAAAAA??!” So he does it again- Ring On, Ring Off, BLAM! It was like Bruce Lee stuff! Or maybe he took his ring off, hypnotized us, went out for a coffee, hung out with some druids, wrote a few spells, had a hamburger, came back, put the ring back on, and unhyptnotized us. Who knows! All I know is that it rocked. ”

How It Went:

I’m a huge fan of ring magic. Ring Thing, Pinnacle, De’Ring, all of this stuff- I really enjoy it. I can also confidently say that the audience enjoys it too. De’Ring is a bit of flash that just looks super cool! And rings just have a sort of magical quality about them- I think that if I was going to do magic with something I’m wearing, then a ring seems to make sense, as opposed to, say, a belt, lol. De’vo, if you read this, I would love to see a wicked belt manipulation video! That would be fan-tastic.
So Friday went over really well. De’Ring is one of those effects where it it’s not such a mystery as to what’s going on but as to how it’s going on (literally). Well, maybe that’s not a fair thing to say. Because De’Ring does fool people. Most people won’t know how you got it back on your finger, that’s for sure. I think people come away with a feeling that I’ve done a specific task and that I’m good at what I do. It’s almost like a confirmation of skill in all aspects of what I’m performing. In a sense, I felt like people thought, “Of course, Jamie can do that. He’s so good,” which puts them in a fantastic thought process of “What’s next?!” And people’s reactions were great! It’s just such a shock to see it back on.
And of course this is all thanks to De’vo, who is such a talent it’s freakin scary! The things he can do are absolutely stunning and look like the kind of things you’d only expect someone with superhuman gifts (which he has) to do. I think he’s not into magic so much as manipulation but, I’m sorry De’Ring, when done well, is real magic. It was especially powerful when people didn’t realize that it was back on my finger right away. Instead of a ‘travel’, it was a ‘disappearance’ and an ‘appearance’, Two for the price of one!

The Difficulty:

I’m not going to lie to you and say that you’ll be busting this out in ten minutes. It takes practice. It’s not as hard, by any means, as some of the other stuff that De’vo puts out though. Also, you’ll also be throwing your ring all over the place (well, at least I did!) so don’t practice with something expensive, lol. 3.5/5.

Best Lines:

"WHHAAAAAAA??!!! DO IT AGAIN!"
~Lol, Imagine walking up to someone and slapping them in the face. But instead of it hurting, it feels good. That’s what this is like.

"How the %#^# did you get that back on there so fast?! That’s amazing!”
~Simple, Practice.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.
”You %#%##’n put it on your finger, ^^&$&((*$.”
Yeah, I know. I put it there. So does this “fool” Angry Bob? I guess not. 1/5. But, does it impress Angry Bob? I would think so. I mean, it’s a display of skill, as well as being a great effect. For me, it’s almost a no lose situation, If someone has an idea how it’s done, it doesn’t phase me because it simply looks so great.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!
Like I mentioned above, I love Ring stuff and De’Ring is an effect I use daily. No kidding, I probably do De’Ring for someone every single day of my life. How many other effects do I have that I can say that about? So for me, De’Ring is an absolute must-have! I also love the fact that it doesn’t take up any more pocket space. If I could wear a deck of cards on my finger, I probably would, lol.

The JDG Tip:

Watch it here! That’s right, we now have video!!!

Password: "*** Maven". Three letters: The first letter must be capitalized. (M)

The Magic Friday Show/Episode Four from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Purchase Here:

5 in stock:
$35 + $5 shipping. De'Ring is a DVD that can be purchased directly from here at the Magic Friday Studio!

Closing Thoughts:

Thanks for reading and watching! If you’ve got a minute, please leave a comment and let me know you came by for a visit! And…

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.cardsinabottle.com

3 NO EVIL by Doug Higley

2010-01-23T23:16:00.000-08:00

What The Audience Sees:

”Holy Smokes! Jamie brought in an envelope of some crazy weird photos on Friday- they looked like Angry Bob as a baby, Ha! Seriously, they were these four strange photos of some Shrunken Heads that were totally bizarre. On one of them, Jamie had a message on the back, and he gave it to me and said to not read it yet. He then had me select, from the remaining three, one of the photos for me, one for himself, and one to go in the envelope. Well, you’re not going to believe this, but after I made the selections, he told me to look at the back of the photo I was holding... I looked on the back...and it said exactly what I had done!!! The Shrunken Head had already known what I was going to do before I had done it!!! It was creeeeeepy awesome! Big Ted started to take off his shoes, and I went running to look for some Garlic and a wooden stake. Those Heads must be stopped!!! ”

How It Went:

Sometimes there’s magic that you know will stay with people. A special moment of time, an image, a thought, ~something that they won’t ever forget because it made such an impact. 3 No Evil is one of those effects that provides that magic. Not just because of the outcome, but because the story and the pictures are so interesting. I don’t think many people have seen a Shrunken Head before, let alone four of them, and they caused mucho discussion on Friday. Note: It helps to have a little bit of knowledge of the history behind Shrunken Heads and I encourage you to read up a bit about them- they’re absolutely fascinating and will give you some great discussion material!

Most people on Friday were absolutely fascinated with the pictures, which is great, because they can be studied to no end. There’s nothing to find, which makes the ending so strong and I really emphasized the selection process, which is quite clear. As a result, the reveal came across as a real kicker. People just weren’t expecting it. I think because this effect is so hands off that it just played a bit differently, which was nice. When they read the card, there’s an element of mystery, in the sense of, “Who wrote that message? And when?” It’s deeply intriguing.

I love magic like this. It brings something into play that is totally outside the norm for most people. I mean, if I was a piano player, it probably wouldn’t make sense to be carrying around an envelope with four Shrunken Head pictures in it, lol. That’s why it’s so great to be a magician. Where else can I introduce these kind of things into someone’s life? Awesome.

The Difficulty:

Zero. Well, maybe a 1 because you need to know how to read. Other than that, completely easy peasy.

Best Lines:

”AIIHAHHIIIIHAHAiiiiiiiiiiii!”

~Lol, and the trick hadn’t even really started yet. I just brought out the pictures, lol.

”What the %^#^# are those things?! Where did they come from?!”

~This is actually a very interesting comment. They didn’t ask, “Where did you get that made?” but rather, “Where did they come from?” It just showed how people knew they were real. Very cool.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Everybody do the Angry Bob Dance! Ha Ha Ha, Angrrrry Bob! Ha Ha Ha, Angrrrrry Bob! All together now!

Lol, he was floored. He kept trying to switch the one he wanted to keep and the one he wanted me to have. And before he read the back, he was so sure that the trick needed another step. He was shocked when I told him to read the photo he was holding.

”Read the back? It better not say to go ^#&# myself... … …How the ^#^& did it know that. ^$%^!!!! This is ^#&&&#&!!”

5/5.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

Why is this trick such a fooler, I wonder? It‘s like some sort of left jab. You don’t see it coming, I guess. People get so wrapped up in the story, and in their own questions, that maybe they forget that there’s magic involved? And once the reveal becomes known, it just sends people for a loop. Great work and a great effect. Truly.

The JDG Tip:

Watch it here! That’s right, we now have video!!!

Password: "Expert At The Card *****". Five letters: The first letter must be capitalized. (T)

TheMagicFridayShowEpisodeThree from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

Thanks to everyone for commenting and for writing such kind words, with regards to the new video reviews. Even though the amount of work has tripled, lol, I’m absolutely loving this new format and am really happy it’s being so well received. Super thanks!

Purchase Here:

SORRY- SOLD OUT!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.whatizit.net/

2010-01-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

Let's welcome a new Magic Friday advertiser! The Alchemist's Warehouse was created by Drew Tomlinson in 2004 and is based in Sacramento, California. Take a look his ad (it's at the base of the blog above the "search"), order something, and tell him you went there via Magic Friday! I believe he's even offering a FREE book right now, through this very link...

______________________________________________________

The CROSSROADS DECK from Ben Harris

2010-01-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

NEW: Jan.16/2010
VIDEO ADDED
(halfway down)

Magic Friday is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

”Yo, you want to know what I saw, right? Yeah? You sure? Because I saw the devil, man! Or maybe not! Maybe he’s a miracle worker! Who the %#^# knows what the heck Jamie is! He probably doesn’t even know!!! Check it- he puts a deck of cards on the table, right. He NEVER touches them again; I swear to you it’s true. He doesn’t touch the things. Instead he has me and Big Ted come up with a card. We chose the 2 of Clubs. BOOM! It’s gone, he says. We count the cards. There’s only 51. Big Ted starts to giggle. I start to get nervous. He tells us to turn the cards face up and find the 2 of Clubs. Well, guess what? Yeah, I know you know! The 2 of Clubs isn’t in the deck and the %^$^^$%^^$ pulls it out of his shoe! I couldn’t believe it! Big Ted started doing jumping jacks! Me? I just got the heck out of there before the Seven Horsemen showed up. It was awesome!!!"

How It Went:

I’ve reviewed a Ben Harris effect in the past and gave it a great Rating (Enlightenment) and I’m about to do it again. You know, the thing I liked about Enlightenment was that it was something that I wouldn’t use all the time- it’s something unique that I can break out on special occasions. The Crossroads deck, however, doesn’t fall into that category because I will be using this all the time. I mean, it was almost made for Magic Friday- self working and instantly resettable = awesome.

Everyone loved it, as well. The thing that makes this so impossible is the fact that I never touched the cards. It’s just so surreal. And I didn’t play it like, “I knew you were going to pick the [card]”. Instead, I played it like, “Voila. I just made your card vanish from the deck.” And it killed. Over and over again.

Best Lines:

”AIGGAHHIIGAH! It’s gone, it’s gone!!”

-This was only after they had counted to 51, lol. They didn’t even know that the card had vanished for sure yet.

”%#^#. That’s a good trick.”

-Angry Bob.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

See above. 5/5.

My Rating:

What can I say? I love it. The only downside I can think of is that a table is ideal- But, nah, I did it a few times on Friday with someone counting the cards onto the hands of another, so a table isn’t even really necessary. I don’t know if there are any drawbacks. I mean, any time I can do an effect where I don’t have to actually do anything is going to score pretty high, lol. How about 9.5/10. Ah, the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. It was actually the easiest Magic Friday I can remember in a long time.

The JDG Tip:

Watch it here! That’s right, we now have video!!!

Password: LAST name of The Father Of Close-Up Magic, six letters:
Dai ******. You need to capitalize the first letter (V).

The Magic friday Show/ Episode Two from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.

~Now Available For Purchase Below~

1) Just to clarify, Crossroads can be repeated if desired (a trip out of sight for one second to "put their card somewhere" might be in order.
2) It will not be possible to have your card arrive via your pet, spontaneously.
3) I promise to say, "Awesome" less than fifty times next week. Thank you so much for watching!!!

Closing Thoughts:

Keep in mind that this is a deck. Well, actually, it’s a manuscript. But it’s something extra that you’ll carry with you. And I want to convey that that shouldn’t be a negative. The fact that it can be repeated immediately is priceless and should help you with your purchase decision if you’re wary about adding another deck to your repertoire- I’ve already bumped another deck from my Working Case and replaced it with the Crossroads. Great work Ben!

$35 Crossroads PDF. Crossroads is a PDF/Zip file that will be e-mailed withing 24 hours (I'm sure I'll be much quicker than that!)

Also, my "Basic E" manuscript will come free with this purchase. After I received the effect (and loved it !), I wrote up a quick note about something I thought people might find useful and sent it to Ben Harris. He kindly turned it into a wonderful PDF all its own!

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.whatizit.net

NEW COMMENT CONTEST~ Magic Friday Patter for sale soon!

2010-01-14T15:10:00.000-08:00

Hiya!

I get a lot of requests asking for the patter I use for all the Magic Fridays and I'm more than happy to provide it, but am thinking a small remuneration (i.e. me getting a small amount of moohlah) isn't out of line~

How about $2.50?

That will cover the coffee I'll be drinking while I write them up. That sounds fair, methinks.

So, apart from all future ones, where do I start?! I've got over a hundred! Hmmmm. How about:

Let's get five people to post the name of an effect, that I've already performed obviously, below and I'll give the patter to those first five for whatever effect they've suggested for free.

And I'll give myself a deadline- How about a week starting Friday? That should work! Okay first five people, let's hear it!

All my best,

jamie

DIPLOPIA by Paul Vigil

2010-01-11T01:51:00.000-08:00

What The Audience Sees:

”Today was MY day, man! I’m thinking of starting my own mind reading business! Jamie comes in and busts out a deck of cards and tells us that today is going to be good. He asks me to think of a card, any one I like, and then remove it from the deck. Then HE selects a card, and we’re all laughing because we’re pretty sure he’ll be able to find that one later. Anyways, once our cards are back into the deck he tells me to “’read his mind’! Yeah, like right. But he insists. He tells me to concentrate and pull his card out of the deck, but to not show him. So I just pull out some whatever card, you know what I’m sayin, and he has me put it into my pocket. So I’ve selected a card, he’s selected a card, I’ve ‘found’ his, and now he says he’ll find mine. Well, he does! Which is whack because I have no idea how he does this voodoo crazy mojodojo. But then it gets really %^^##%d up. Because, wait for it,… he tells everyone the name of the card that he had picked for himself…and that’s the card I pull out of my pocket!!!! It was Mingo!! People were freakin’ out asking me how I knew what his card was and I didn’t know what to say! When you’re good, you’re good. Booya!”

How It Went:

What can I tell you? When Paul showed me this at MINDvention, it just blew my mind. It’s not just the effect which is so awesome, but the completeness of it all. The plot, routining, involvement, and method are as good as it gets. And it’s all accomplished with a deck of cards and nothing else. Fantastic.

And, I’m very happy to say, that it played as well as I hoped. Sometimes I’ll absolutely love something only to have the Magic Friday Crowd collectively go, “meh” but this wasn’t the case on Friday. Every group loved it. Period. And it’s just a surprise to have the person pull your card out of their pocket. There’s a certain sort of legitimate real-world magic to the scenario. I’m even happier to say that I also was 100%. I was worried that I might crack under pressure and mess things up but I managed to really rise to the occasion. Which is funny, because I was jamming with my magic gang a couple of days before and I was having some difficulties with some very basic life skills. But, hey, that’s what practice is for.

On that note, I’d also like to mention that practice actually works. That might be a strange thing to say but I think it needs to be said. For me anyways, I know that I might be going through something and think that I’ll never get it down but if I keep at it, I always get it. And from that point on, I always seem to not have a problem. The mind is a wonderful thing.

The Difficulty:

No forcing & no knuckle busting sleights. This trick requires some thought, though, and isn’t something you’ll be busting out in 5 minutes. I think the practice required is nothing compared to the end result. Oh, and it’s not a memdeck either.

Best Lines:

”How the %^#^ did you do that?! Wait a minute, how the %#^#%^ did I do that?!?!!”

~They’ll never know…

”AHHHHHHHHH!!!”

~That’s what she said when she pulled my card out, lol.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Angry Bob was decimated on Friday. He had such a smug look on his face when I showed him his card, and I knew he was going to say something. But when I started to tell him the card that was in his pocket? He was crushed. Remember, I never see this card as he just pulls it right out of the deck and sticks it in his pocket. No controls or anything. Brilliant.

”Wha?! Well, &^#^%&**, I guess this shows that I’m better than you. You &#^&.”

5/5.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

And happily so! There was some concern with my magic gang that I was A) going to take too long to do the trick, and B) that someone might catch on to what was happening. Both concerns were completely unwarranted. The trick is really engaging and the method is something that a layman would never figure out. And what the magic gang thought that people would think was happening never crossed a mind either. Diplopia is simply one of my favourite card tricks to date. No kidding.

The JDG Tip:

Watch it here! That’s right, we now have video!!!
Password: First name of The Father Of Close-Up Magic, three letters:
*** Vernon. You need to capitalize the first letter.

The Magic Friday Review Show~ Episode 1 from Jamie D. Grant on Vimeo.
I should mention that the cards (selections) in the vid I'm using are just examples. I.e. they get miscalled and don't match. But you'll get the point. I hope.

The iTricks Idea:

Read It Here!

Closing Thoughts:

I’m super excited about having video reviews now and would love to hear your thoughts on it. It took me hours, lol. And, I’m also happy to offer Diplopia up for sale from this very blog. I’m going to be starting to sell some of the tricks I review and am happy to have the ability to do so. We all know what it’s like to be disappointed with a purchase and I’m hoping that I’ll never steer you wrong. Here at the Magic Friday Studio, I want everyone to simply have the best there is to offer. Thanks for reading (and watching!)

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.whatizit.net

Exciting News!

2009-12-21T01:42:00.000-08:00

Hiya Gang!

2010 is going to be an exciting year! Not only will you see more Magic Friday Reviews (starring yours truly, Angry Bob, Big Ted, and The Audience) but I'll be posting magic related thoughts & ideas as well.

Combine that with a move to Video for some posts and a new Magic Friday Studio ( the name for the new Magic Friday store, where you'll be able to purchase some of your favorite Magic Friday effects ~Every purchase will also come with my exact patter for that Magic Friday~) and we have a truly thrilling ride ahead of us! It's going to be great!

All my best,

Jamie D. Grant
www.whatizit.net

_________________________________________________________

GUM by Jeff Prace

2009-12-21T01:19:00.000-08:00

What The Audience Sees:

”Okay, okay, okay. So apparently Willy Moth%^ f#^^#n Wonka came into our office on Friday. Yeah, I’m not kidding you. I won’t be surprised if my desk is now made of cotton candy or something! First Jamie did this super quick trick where some aces switched places, which was awesome! We were all lovin’ it. But then, as he’s leaving, he asks us if we want some gum. When he shows us the pack though, there’s only one piece. Big Ted almost trampled poor Shortstop trying to get it when Jamie told him to hold on a second. He waved his hand, and the pack was now full! It was now full of gum! It was utter madness! I mean this was some seriously Golden Ticket magic going on right here. I almost had me an Oompa Loompa! ”

How It Went:

I should mention that the trick where “the aces switched places” that I performed prior to GUM was John Bannon’s version of Doc Daley’s Last Trick. I’ve already reviewed that trick for Magic Friday but John has a specific moment in his handling, which is awesome, that he just released via his new DVD set Bullets After Dark. If you haven’t checked it out, you should.

Okay, so how is Jeff Prace’s GUM? What can I tell you- I love it. I am a big believer in having everything in my life contain a magical property or have the ability to do something magical. I think, and this is just me, that everything I touch should have the ability to obey my command, lol. A nice idea, but pretty impossible. It’s not impossible, however, to stack the odds in my favour. And if I can do so by simply carrying a gum packet around with me, then rock and roll.

Now, some people are probably thinking, do we really need Gum Magic? Is this what our art’s all about? And I say; sure, why not? This trick isn’t going to take people into a new state of consciousness about society or anything but it is something, I think, that they expect a magician to have the ability to do. If I knew a magician, a real magician, liked gum and he/she ran out, I wouldn’t expect them to head to the 7-11. I would expect them to do the very thing that Jeff has enabled us to do. Make it appear, as if by magic.

And it does appear so. It’s real eye candy and looks wonderful. People were absolutely stunned when they saw the full box. What’s great about this is that no one misses it because everyone’s truly paying attention. I mean everyone really wanted a piece of gum, lol. So the disappointment and subsequent joy is real emotion. And the trick itself is utterly foolproof, which leads me to a possible new section…

The Difficulty:

I’ve had a few requests over the years of adding a Difficulty Rating to Magic Friday but I’ve always turned it down because I felt that it shouldn’t matter. If a trick was awesome, but it meant spending a month in the forest eating nothing but hot chocolate powder, then so be it. Off to the forest we go.

That said, there’s another saying that says the customer is always right; so maybe I’ll give it a shot. How difficult is GUM, then? Well, if you’re able to pour a glass of water, then you can do this trick. It’s probably the easiest trick you’ll ever perform. A better question is, how easy is Gum to make? And even that is pretty easy too. Well, you’ll need about twenty minutes and a couple of things that I’m pretty sure you’ll have. There’s nothing weird you need to go out to get or anything, I don’t think. And, if you’re a true magician, you should have some arts and craft ability so this won’t be anything difficult. It will take, like I said, about twenty minutes of some private time at the table and then you’ll be able to use it for as long as it lasts, which I’m thinking will be a long time.

Best Lines:

”OMG, there’s gum!!!! He’s got gum now!”

~I wish you could have heard this lady. She was soooooooo happy.

”Whasha? Wahtcha? Whasha whatcha?”
~Lol. My new mantra.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

”Give me a piece of that ^#^&&, you ^#&#^#&!!!”

~Oh, happy days! Ha ha! I was ready! I gave Angry Bob the first piece…left to go, and then handed out others. 4/5. I’m only saying 4, instead of 5, because he was to busy chewing and studying other people’s pieces to say anything. So I can’t be sure, but he looked fooled!

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

I like it and I’ll stand by that. That said, I wouldn’t bust this out at a corporate gig or anything. I also wouldn’t do it as a stand-alone effect. You don’t want too much focus on this being a “trick” as it should appear as something completely outside of a performance. This is the kind of magic that I love most, the kind that just happens because I’m a true magician, not because I happen to have a deck of cards on me. So use it lightly. Do so, and you’ll have a winner.

The JDG Tip:

This is going to be painfully obvious, but hey, make sure you bring enough gum for everyone, If you own this trick, you’ll know what I mean. Seriously. So much so, in fact, that I wouldn’t take this with me unless my pockets had at least another pack (for large crowds of course).

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

I hope everyone has a wonderful season and thanks for reading, writing, commenting, listening, supporting, and believing. 2010 is going to be a year of Magical Fridays, I can feel it!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.whatizit.net/MagicFridayStudio
______________________________________________________________

SEARCH and DESTROY featuring the NOWHERE PASS from Aaron Fisher

2009-11-29T22:11:00.000-08:00

What The Audience Sees:

”Well, it’s good to see Jamie back on track, man. He had a bad stretch there for a while but last week he took us to the bridge with that Coin and Chapstick magic, and this week, %#^#, this week he had us all havin’ the time of our lives with this card trick he pulled off. He took the two Kings out of the deck right, and he had me select a card. I put it back, but with a snap of his hands- BOOM, it was between the two Kings!

Then he took it to the next level! He gave the deck to Angry Bob and said that A.B was going to do the magic! He had Big Ted select a card and put it back, and then he gave the deck to A.B. The two Kings were put back in near the ends of the deck but after A.B. said his magic word of “Go ^#&& yourself,” the Kings got closer together! He did it again, and this time the Kings were side by side in the deck with only one card in between them- Big Ted’s!!! It was awesome! Angry Bob dropped the cards in astonished disgust and Big Ted started to rub his knees with his elbow! Me? I just freaked the %$^$ out!!!”

How It Went:

I’m starting over. I’m talking about my Card Magic here. I think I’m done with special decks, custom cards, etc. I just can’t deal with it all anymore. I keep losing track of what does what, lol! So I’m starting over. Every card trick I want to do now needs to be done with a regular deck that I can leave with the specs. That’s my plan. And I want to do strong magic. Really strong magic. Paul Vigil’s Diplopia is on my list definitely (look for that in the next couple of weeks) as is Kostya Kimlat’s Roadrunner Cull. This week though? Aaron Fisher’s SEARCH and DESTROY (featuring the NOWHERE PASS). And it fit the bill to a “T”. A regular deck, with awesome sleight of hand, that can be done for the spectators and left with the spectators- both the memory and the deck itself- that’s what I’m talking about.

It was a great Friday. SEARCH and DESTROY is simply a great routine (not a card trick, but a routine). If you perform professionally, you’ll know what I mean here when I say that finding a solid four minutes is a hard thing to do. But this effect held it! It’s entertaining and held the attention all day. What was funny was that people were pretty amazed at the first phase, where their card is found between the Kings, alone. When I told them that they were going to do it, they were simply rapt. When the cards keep moving closer together, people really couldn’t believe it and by the time we hit the last reveal, they were on the edge of their toes (I always perform standing).

People truly love card magic. I firmly believe that. It just needs to be engaging. I think that the attention span of the audience nowadays is fairly short unless you can convince them, right off the bat, that you’re worth their time. And the way SEARCH and DESTROY is laid out, you’re able to do that. Sheer awesomenss.

Best Lines:

”Lol, Don’t give those cards to me Magic Man, I can’t do %$$… … I DID IT! I DID IT!”

~Sometimes a happy spectator makes a brilliant magician. Not the other way around.

”OOH OOH OOH ooh ya ya ya!”

~I don’t know what joyous song this person started singing, but it was catchy. Ooh ooh ooh…

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

5/5. He dropped the cards, lol. It was so funny. Well, he more like threw them, lol. Either way, he was ^^#^&&#. And fooled.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

You know, I knew Aaron Fisher by name but hadn’t seen any of his work. I had heard of his book “The Paper Engine” but for whatever reason, I thought he was a knucklebusting, card ninja, serious kind of guy. I was wrong! He came across as a funny, cool, super fantastic performer. An awesome surprise. Needless to say, I’ll be picking up whatever he’s offering next. I think that’s important- find a performer you like, and support them. After all, he’s already helped me (without knowing it probably) all day Friday, lol. You know a nice thing someone said to me on Friday? “Jamie, thank you for that.” That says it all. So Aaron, thanks for this.

The JDG Tip:

For the first between the Kings reveal, I take them, put them on the top and bottom of the deck and said, “I’m going to make your card appear between the two Kings. (pause). Ta da!” It’s an old joke but, without fail, got a laugh. Which is good, because one second later their card is between the two Kings.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

Things are going really well these days! Keep an eye out here in the next while because I’ve got some great stuff coming up- I can’t wait!

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
The Magic Friday Studio
______________________________________________________________

PROXIMITY from Craig Fillicetti

2009-11-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

What The Audience Sees:

”Okay, so Jamie has, like, Superman Sight or something. Get this- the guy can see through your skin, dude! For shizzy! I was holding a coin in one hand and a thing of chap stick in the other. I put them both behind my back and then brought out only one hand. And he could tell me what was in it! Every time! I think I made him do it seventy times and he was never wrong! Never! He can probably see the inside of my lungs and read my fortune for &^$%’s sake! He’s outta control! ”

How It Went:

As long as you haven’t moved into a cave recently, you already know who Craig Fillicetti is and have probably heard about his amazing products. I reviewed his incredible Multi Dimensional a while back and am pleased to say that his Proximity is just as good. The thing I love about Craig’s work is the effect is so clear and the method is so undetectable.

Proximity is a “which hand” effect and it is a real fooler. So much so, in fact, that the method never even enters the equation. I never gave it a moment’s thought and the specs were utterly baffled the entire day. Not once did anyone come within a light year of knowing how I knew what they were holding. What I did have to focus on, however, was presentation. And this is one of those rare cases where it changed with every group I did it for. How can I explain this- well, with The Cups and Balls, for example, everyone watches and is surprised when I finally reveal the live untamed raccoon at the end.

With Proximity, however, I found that interest levels, duration, focus, etc. were different with everyone every time. Some people would be shocked with me doing it once, some people wanted it done ten times, some people would try and mess with me, some people would be rapt, etc. So it ended up being a great way to gauge people. So much so, that I think I may start doing this as my opener for my Walk Around Sets, “Hi, I’m Jamie, Can you hold onto these for a quick second while I introduce myself?…”
It’s just a fantastic effect to discover a bit about your audience. That, combined with the fact that it’s foolproof (a must, in my case) makes it an absolute winner.

Best Lines:

"Which one am I holding now, magic man? Hunh? Tell me!!!!!!"

~Lol, it was quite obvious that he wasn’t holding the coin or the chap stick but instead of saying “Nothing”, I said, “Neither.” BOOM! He was fried as he revealed a paperclip.

”But…I don’t understand…my hand is closed…"

~Bsshhshwooohohhh. The sound of a brain melting.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

I can’t tell you. He was particularly Angry on Friday and refused to take part, lol.

”Go stick that %$^^$%# up in your %%^#^&.”

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!

Proximity has made it into the “I take it with me when I leave the house” file so that says a lot. I also love that I can perform this sitting- i.e. when I go out to dinner, without having to get up or anything. It’s effects like these that seem so innocent but help build your reputation forever. It might not be crazy visual or anything but it really affects people. It’s what I’ll call a “Connecter”. And I love having the ability to create those types of moments. Great work, Craig!

The JDG Tip:

Really pay attention to your audience! Make sure everyone’s focused and really try and gauge how many times you’re going to do it before you begin. I found that five times was the max and three was the minimum. And really sell the last time.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

Sorry for the delays in reviews, folks. I’ve been trying to give effects a try that might not normally get good reviews and well, lol, there’s a reason for that. I’ve got a great line up for the next couple months, though, so look back here next week! And…

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.whatizit.net
______________________________________________________________

2009-10-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

Take a look inside the new Magic Friday Studio. Featuring the "Coin Carrier"~ for the discerning gentleman and conjurer. Handcrafted by Jamie D. Grant. ___________________________________________________________________

POWERBALL 60 from Bill Abbott and Richard Sanders

2009-10-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

Magic Friday is written by Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

”Man, we’ve been talking about Friday all day around here! The Monday water cooler talk has never been so lively; and all because Jamie came up in here and read our &*^%^ minds. You would think we were used to it by now! But Friday was special because it involved something we all know and love- the lottery.

Jamie came in and said that someone had told him that if he was so great at magic and all, then how come he didn’t win the lottery. They had even sent him some Scratch and Win tickets to prove their point. But Jamie explained to us that sometimes he just gets a feeling about certain things and the lottery just hadn’t been one of those “things” yet. But he showed us the tickets that his friend had sent him and asked us if we wanted to try something. He said he'd like to test my psychic abilities and see how many times I could get a number on. He asked me to think of any number between one and sixty. He then showed me the six tickets and asked how many of them had my number on them. I only had two, to which he said that that was better than most. He put the tickets away though and said he was starting to have one of those feelings he was talking about, and he quickly jotted down something on a Sticky Note. He then asked me what number I was thinking of and, remember, I hadn’t told a soul what that number was yet. But when he turned over the sticky note, my number was on it!!! It was craziness! How does he know these things?! I told no one!!! Big Ted started to clap behind his back and Angry Bob almost cracked a tooth!”

How It Went:

Powerball 60 is awesome. Anytime I can add a routine to my wallet, I am a super happy guy, and this has been in it since I got it. I’ve been performing this every single day and have had such great reactions each and every time. Part of it has to do with the fact that every spectator has been thinking of the same thing at one point or another, namely, if this guy’s so good, how come he hasn’t won the lottery yet. So on Friday, my patter was right on point. Not only did it explain why I had lottery tickets on me, but it also justified why I’m not riding around in a Lambo (I just love saying that word).

There were a couple of hiccups during the day that I’ll go through in the JDG Tip and iTricks Idea but overall this effect went over great. It was interesting to see how many people liked the fact that every number that was scratched was a soccer ball, lol. Everyone commented on that. And the method is absolutely foolproof- I never made a mistake and wasn’t worried about it. A couple of things I did to protect myself was I had the spec lay the lotto tickets face down after they checked them (I didn’t want to see the numbers) and I chose to write the number down and have them verbally say it. I think Bill and Richard suggest, in one of the routines, to have both of you write it down, but I like having them just saying theirs out loud and then I turned mine over.

Best Lines:

”We have a winner!!!!!!!!

~That just made me laugh.

”Come with me right now! We’re going to go buy some tickets!!!!"

~Any time money’s involved, you’ll get more interest, lol.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

5/5. He was floored. I think what hit him the hardest was that I didn’t look at faces of the tickets. That, and that my prediction was already written down when the spec named their number out loud.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved! Like I mentioned, this went into my wallet immediately. I’m not sure if I would do this in a Walk Around set- maybe if I was Table Hopping, but it is a killer for Impromtu, that’s for sure. The fact that it so easy is wonderful as well. I also can appreciate the amount of time it must have taken to design the tickets. Unless you’re performing at a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, you shouldn’t have anyone question them. And I didn’t have anyone on Friday. All in all- fantastic!

The JDG Tip:

Okay, so I would tell people that a friend from England sent these to me. Until someone asked why the price on the back wasn’t in Pounds. ”Oh, they must have bought them in the States when they were there. They mailed them from New York.”

Now, it’s a friend from the U.S., lol.

The iTricks Idea:

Read It Here!

Closing Thoughts:

The only thing I don’t understand is why Bill and Richard are offering “Refills”. These will last for a super long time! Nice of them to do, however, in case you ever lose them (the tickets, that is. It would be pretty hard to lose Bill and Richard).

Have a Great Week Everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
Visit The New Magic Friday Studio!
______________________________________________________________

POINTLESS from Gregory Wilson

2009-10-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

What The Audience Sees:

"Wow, Jamie sure has had a tough time the last few weeks. I mean some of that magic lately was a bit weak- too bad I can't tell you about it. Anyways, he made up for it this Friday. And it wasn't anything big either. Check it out, he took out his pen, right? It was a plain old Bic pen, but he could make the cap jump on and off at will! It was crazy! Basically, he would be holding the pen, writing side up and the cap on the bottom and then he would then just twirl it and the cap would be on the writing part. It was nuts! Just by turning it around he could make the cap go from one end to the other. It was so cool! We loved it!"

How It Went:

Lol, sorry about the delay in Magic Friday reports folks but the last couple Fridays haven't been the most fantastic, lol. Oh well, that's the point of MF- to try things out. I was quite happy with this Friday, though. Greg's new effect played way bigger than I thought it would. I think it has something to do with the fact that everybody has used a Bic pen at one point in his or her life. That, and the fact that the illusion just catches people off guard.

I started off the day doing the full routine but, by the end of the day, would just do it twice. I found that the first time was a "What just happened, show me again!" kind of moment and the second was a "Wha? C'mon, one more time!" to which I would respond, "No." lol. It's a perfect little opener that is a great introduction. It's not like you're walking up to someone and pulling a bird out of their shoe or anything. You're simply doing something really visual with an object that they've used many times in their own life. It went over really well.

Best Lines:

"What did I just see there?! Man, you must have fast hands!"

-It's always nice to be credited with skill, lol.

"Gimme that pen...What on Eeee-arth? How did you do that?!"

-Pretty standard but nice, nonetheless.

Angry Bob Rating:

"Hunh. Why don't you show me ***** ******** ********* ** ***, you %$^^$% &^$%$."

-1/5. What can I say? He nailed it. I sure as heck didn't tell him that though, lol. I also showed this to my magician gang and they knew what was going on but I have to say, I honestly don't think the lay audience caught it. I think the only reason Angry Bob knew was because he probably owned, or saw, a *** through ******* at some point in his life. If someone's unfamiliar with that device, I don't think you'll have a problem. Also, Greg has some awesome points (the one from Garret Thomas is great) on the DVD that cover the handing out. So no worries.

My Rating:

Magic Friday Approved!
-Like I mentioned earlier, this trick isn't about changing someone's life. For me, it was about establishing credibility. I was able to walk up to someone that didn't know me and, literally, within seconds, establish myself as someone that is able to do something very cool, without freaking anyone out. I have no problem recommending this trick. And it went into my gig bag, which says something as well.

The JDG Tip:

I'm sure most people will put two and two together but this is the perfect opener for Greg's Recap. The trick is to make POINTLESS very quick. It's enough to shake their foundations and then you rock them with Recap. The perfect combo.

The iTricks Idea:

Read it here!

Closing Thoughts:

I think I like the new Magic Friday Approved rating. Basically I want everyone to be able to see that and know that they can safely buy the trick and will use it. It applies in this case, for sure. Have fun with it!

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
New Magic Friday Studio!
______________________________________________________________

2009-09-20T22:12:00.001-07:00

An unaltered deck of cards in a bottle. Anything Is Possible.
All "Anything Is Possible" bottles are made by Jamie D. Grant
________________________________________________________________________________

Kostya Kimlat's !WARNING

2009-09-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Magic Friday is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

”This Friday was suh-weeeet! You know why? Fire. That’s why. Jamie was in our office and showed us this lighter he had just bought and explained how he hated that Warning Label sticker that comes on them. So he pulls it off the lighter and asks us if we want to see something cool. “He!!s yes!”, we said. Well, he actually sets the Warning Label on fire, no kidding! The thing goes *poof* but, get this, it reappears back on the lighter in a %^$%$^^# flash!!! I don’t know what else to say! Lighter, sticker off, fire, sticker on. It was awesomely crazy!”

How It Went:

You could probably go outside, right now, light something, anything for that matter, on fire and get a crowd. People love fire. It’s that simple. Now- go outside, light the sticker on your lighter on fire, and make it magically reappear back on the lighter and you’ll get a crowd that’s going crazy, lol. And it really is simple!

Holy Smokes I love this trick! (Ha, ha, get it? I said, “Holy Smokes” and we’re talking about fi...ahem...never mind). It totally rocked it all day Friday. It’s just such a brilliant way to introduce something that we all know plays so well. And people just couldn’t believe the restoration. Almost every single person or group I showed this too demanded to see the lighter after. They just couldn’t believe it. Well done.

Best Lines:

”That was HOT!”

-I think about five different people all said the same thing, lol.

”Gimme that! Baaaam, that was nuttolo!””

-Nuttolo?

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

“That looked pretty good, Grant. For a *&^&*% *$&&&&*$.”

-I obviously can’t write what those last two words are, lol, but they were his usual abuse. I’m not sure what to think, to be honest. I’m almost positive he knows what f%#$% paper is, but there’s no way he’s seen !Warning labels. And I think the “move” might have slipped him a bit. Let’s say, 3.5/5 as he didn’t toss out any explanations.

My Rating:

Well, I love this effect and absolutely love that I now have a good reason to bust out fire. Combine that with the fact that I think Kostya Kimlat is an amazing person and we have a total winner in my books. 10/10. I mean, c’mon, it’s freakin’ a fire trick for Pete’s sake!

Reminded of that, I can’t express enough how well this is going to play for paying gigs. If you’ve ever used a Fire Wallet, you know the attention it gets, and how much people enjoy it. Well, for me, I think this will be even better. I don’t have to worry about filling anything or having a massive flame to deal with. Every performance will be a quick flash that exists in a magical context. Fantastic.

The JDG Tip:

If you have the choice between the big and the small lighters, I found the bigger one to work better. It’s a bit easier to handle and, in my opinion, just looks nicer. Go big!

New!
The iTricks Idea

Check out iTricks one week after this is posted for another idea to help you out!

Closing Thoughts:

Kostya is one of those people who deserves every success he has. If you ever get a chance to meet him, do yourself a favour and talk with him for as long as possible. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.whatizit.net
______________________________________________________________

2009-09-06T22:20:00.001-07:00

An unaltered deck of cards in a bottle. Anything Is Possible.

All "Anything Is Possible" bottles are made by Jamie D. Grant
______________________________________________________________________

Mark James' MULTIPLE SELECTION from his DVD set "Supercharged Classics Vol. 2"

2009-09-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

~ Magic Friday is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

”So me, Big Ted, and Angry Bob are all hanging out when Jamie comes in and asks us to all take a card. We’re all pretty excited because it’s not often we all get to pick one at the same time and we’re all feelin’ pretty good. I don’t know what else to say, really. Jamie had us put them back, the cards were lost in the deck and then, one by one, he brought down the Magic Craziness down so hard upon our heads that it gave me a Magic Headache! Dude, how does he do it? I mean, does he freeze time and go around the room giggling at how awesome his powers must be? Anyways, he found our cards in some fun ways and when Angry Bob’s was found under the bottle- Whoooooo weeeeeee! I thought he was going to crack it over Jamie’s head! Big Ted simply fell to the ground and busted out some crunches. Toooo fun!”

How It Went:

I know I only review one trick from a DVD or book so I need to come out and say this- Mark James is great. Is he revolutionary in coming up with new ideas and methods? Not that I saw (even though he might very well be) on this DVD. But would I hire him to work my party? Absolutely. He just has a personality that, in my opinion, makes watching this DVD, and his previous volume, a pleasure to watch. As a result, I picked his Multiple Selection to review, not because the trick is super crazy but because it’s a real world worker.

Which brings me to Friday, which went rather well. Multiple Selection is just that, the finding of different people’s cards and it played great as I am almost always performing to groups. I have actually been looking for a multiple card routine for a while so I should thank Mark for helping me find it so easily (the name). That said, the trick itself didn’t change anyone’s lives necessarily but it was a solid piece that enabled me to interact well with my Magic Friday crowd. On the DVD, I think Mark says he uses it as the middle trick in his set, and I agree that that’s an excellent spot. Which brings me to something else...

The super cool thing that Mark did with his DVD is that he shows you what an entire set looks like. You see him at the group and he shows you all his tricks in a row in front of a real audience. You get to see how he transitions from one trick to another, where his props go, and what he says in between the effects. That’s something I would totally love to see more of. Brilliant.

Best Lines:

”That wasn’t it- AHHHHHHHHHHHH”

-This person yelled so loudly, I’m surprised security didn’t come up, lol.

”Lollolololol..”

-That’s always the best reaction to me.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

“Yeah, I bet those cards aren’t even in the...WTF! ^^$&&&. Hey Grant, go ^#& yourself...”

-Ha ha, there’s a good card under glass bit, and I saved this for Angry Bob. I brought in a water bottle myself for this very reason. Bingo! 5/5.

My Rating:

I’m going to give the trick a 8/10 simply because the trick isn’t out of this worldy- but don’t let that fool you. It’s a solid worker and is the type of thing that will get used when you’re doing paid gigs. I’d also like to say again how much I enjoyed watching these DVDs. I sincerely hope that someone reads this and picks them up because I’m sure they’ll be as surprised as I was. And if you’re someone who’s looking to improve his Walk Around set, these discs will be solid gold.

The JDG Tip:

You might be tempted to vary the replacement procedures for each selection but let me discourage you from doing that. There’s something to be said about the uniformity of it all and I don’t think any spec had a clue as to where they were coming from.

Closing Thoughts:

Mark, if you ever get to Canada, let me know so I can throw a party- just so I can have you at it.

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.whatizit.net
______________________________________________________________

METAMORPHOSIS by Wayne Dobson

2009-07-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

Magic Friday is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant.

What The Audience Sees:

”Man, today was kinda cool. Jamie told us that he has started collecting coins and that he’s pretty pumped about his new collection. When he pulled out his coin holder, however, he only had two coins, lol. Anyways, he puts them both into my hand- there was a Chinese coin and some American coin- and asks me to shake them up. He then reaches into my cupped hands and pulls out the American silver coin and puts it onto the back of my hand. He asks me if I can remember the date, without looking. Of course I can’t, so he asked me if I can tell him how big the hole in the coin is, instead. Well, there isn’t a hole in the American coin, right? But check it out! On my hand was the black Chinese coin and the American coin was in my cupped hands! They had switched places! It was awesome!

How It Went:

I love Wayne Dobson- I think he’s an awesome guy and that his magic rocks. I also really like, not love, but really like, his new effect- Metamorphosis. I’ll be honest- this didn’t change anyone’s life on Friday. Don’t get me wrong, it played well and is super strong. It just isn’t a life changer.

Now here’s the thing- I don’t want all the magic I do to be crazy intense super crazy unbelievable mind blowing stuff. Sometimes I want to just be able to bust something out that says, “Hey, I’m a fun guy and I’d like to show you something that’s cool.” And Metamorphosis does just that. The thing I really like about it is that it’s such a worker. I mean, all day I was ending super clean because of everyone’s focus on the back of there hand. It was just such a no brainer. I also really like the fact that the two coins come out of a small business card wallet and that they are completely examinable.

Best Lines:

”Were you in on it?!”

-This was said from someone watching -to the active participant. They couldn’t believe the transposition and thought my spectator was helping me, lol.

”Hmmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmmm.”

-I’m not even sure what this lady was thinking, but she was smiling at least...

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

“I’ve seen this before, b^^#^^&&. Do you want me to do it for you?!”

-Lol, he didn’t even stay around to watch, lol. Which is too bad because I think this would have raised his eyebrows a bit.

My Rating:

This is a tough one, to be honest. Sometimes I really like things for absolutely no solid reason. I just like them. Don’t get me wrong- this effect has a lot of solid reasons to like it, but there’s something about it that I can’t explain that just makes me smile. I’ve been carrying it around with me since I’ve got it and I’ve simply been having a great time. It’s just that it’s not on the same level of some of the other stuff I do. That said, it has made the cut of going into my Working Set. My inside lower left Ticket Pocket in my suit is always where I keep my business cards and I’ve switched tricks in and out of there for years- and I plan on putting Metamorphosis in there for the next while. So how about 8.5/10.

The JDG Tip:

If you drop the very important piece down five flights of concrete stairs, don’t panic. I did and it was just fine. Pretty unbelievable, really.

Closing Thoughts:

I think you could do a lot worse that this trick. If you’re looking for something that’s easy and fun to do that doesn’t take a lot of thought, do yourself a favour and pick this up. And then perform it. People will thank you.

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.whatizit.net
______________________________________________________________

BLACKOUT! by Platt

2009-06-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

Magic Friay is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

”Today, I saw the impossible, man. It was unbelievable! Check it out, right. Jamie comes bustin’ in and says that he’s done it. I guess these crazy magicians have some things that even they can’t do, and Jamie says that ever since the late 1800s every magician has tried to solve the problem of creating a “Flying Coin” , whatever the ^#^%# that is.

Anyways, he showed us these two huge coins that were American Silver Dollars from the 1920s and described how Houdini himself had tried to take a couple of coins, exactly like the ones he was holding, and make one of them go from one hand to the other. He said that there were lots of ways to do it, but that Houdini had wanted to use real magic, and now Jamie thought he had figured out how to do it. B#&&sh&*, right? Wrong! The absolute truth! Jamie is real magic. He took a coin, one in each hand, and then, *poof!* he turned into a leopard! Okay, not really, but he might have welled (welled?). Because, when he opened up his right hand, the coin was gone, and in his left hand were two. That coin travelled though the Spiritland and went into his other hand. And these coins were big man, there’s no way that Dollar got by me. No, it travelled by magic. Real magic. Leopard $^#% magic. This guy is fo real!

How It Went:

Wow, what a great day Friday was! Blackout took no prisoners! From first thing in the morning right up until the very end, this effect rocked and socked all day long. It’s not too often that I come across something that is so clean and can be repeated so quickly. You want to see it again? No problem. Boom! Coin gone. What’s that? Again? Sure! Boom! Coin’s in the other hand! Pure sweetness.

I basically did the simple handling all day, as well. I gave the whole Flying Coin Houdini presentation but, at the end of the day, I was making one coin go from one hand to the other. That’s it. Now I know there’s a whole bunch of ways we can do this, but Blackout is by far the easiest. I didn’t have to do a sleight all day! I just Blacked Out (that’s my past tense of performing Blackout) all day long. It went so well, that I’ve been setup all weekend, too. It’s a good thing I like black shirts!

Best Lines:

”Ooooooooooooh! That was a sweet one!”

-I think she was trying to flirt with me, lol.

”Do it again...Again...Again...”

-It’s just so crazy that no one ever catches it. Granted, I have my hands fully extended in front of me for a while before I reveal.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Let’s all do the Angry Bob Dance! Bo bad a da- to the left! Bo da de dum- to the right! Bad a da cha cha cha na na na!

He didn’t have a clue. Not even a hint. He was deathly silent and watched it three times before he stormed out. 5/5.

My Rating:

I have ruined magic for five people. No kidding. These people hate magic and it’s entirely my fault. I’ll explain- Every time I get something new, I perform it for these five people first. They don’t get the full meal deal. Sometimes, they barely get a snack. I’ve dropped cards on these people, spilled water on them, wrapped them in sheets, ripped their clothes, and bored them to tears. Literally. Woe to the magician who comes across one of these five and asks them to pick a card! They would sooner eat it. Luckily, they’re my friends. And, as a reviewer, they are an absolute must. Because I need those five attempts to see if an effect has something that I might have missed. Not that Blackout is the case here, but I just read a review for it in MAGIC that left me kind of “meh”. Now, I have no idea if they reviewer actually went out and tried it a few times or not, but he didn’t leave me with the impression that he did (Apologies in advance if I'm mistaken). And I think this is crucial. I show my Sacrificial Five everything that I get. Just in case I missed something. (Sorry about the D*n A*my guys- Forgive me!) I digress...

Blackout, in my opinion, is not a “meh”. It’s an absolute 10/10 in my books. Maybe it just suits me, or perhaps it’s just a super killer effect! The coin is extremely well made and I found Platt to be likeable and a good teacher. To be honest, I could care less about production values (this was also noted in the MAGIC review), but that’s just me. As long as I can figure out what the heck I’m supposed to do, I’m ready to roll. And roll, I did. Blackout rocked and I love this effect.

The JDG Tip:

About halfway through the day, I switched from my body to my shirt- when you get the effect, you’ll know what I mean. Two words- Duct Tape. Just be warned! A residue can be left if you’re not careful- not a big deal to me, though, since it’s on the inside- but be aware of that anyway. I found it more comfortable.

Closing Thoughts:

I really like that Brian and his Dad make magic stuff together. It reminds me of that book, “Danny, Champion of the World”. Cool.

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.jamiedgrant.com
____________________________________________________________________

ENCASED by David Forrest

2009-06-21T23:39:00.000-07:00

What The Audience Sees:

”Dude, I am loving the card tricks! Anyone who says they don’t like card tricks just needs to come over and see my man here. This guy is good with a capital “G”. This Friday, for example, he had me pick a card, any card, and sign my name across the face. Well, he puts it into the deck and then, BOOM, it’s not in the deck anymore. Nuh-unh. He had some crazy-%## spirits come fly over from Amazing Man Land and steal the card out of the deck somehow, probably eat a few souls on the way back, and dropped my card into an impossible location- the box the cards came from!!! Are you hearing me here? My card went into the deck- I saw it- and then a second later it’s in the ^&$&&$^ box instead!!! Jamie is off the gri-hi-zid with this stuff!!! I love it!

How It Went:

Believe it or not, Card to Box was the first trick I ever learned. No kidding. I was in Grade 3 or something and I have no idea how I learned it. All I remember is that it involved a f*%ce that took about 18 steps and then I would go through the deck, pull out three incorrect cards and state that one of them was their card. While they were looking of the three cards on the table, I would quickly find their card, pull it out, and put it into the box, and walk across the room and throw the box as far away as I could. You wouldn’t believe the number of times it worked....Once! But man, it killed that kid.

Anyways, I always loved that trick and here comes David Forrest with one of the (if not simply the) best solution I’ve ever come across. It’s easy, fast, resettable, and amazing. I dare say it’s perfect.

I don’t think I’ve done one card trick as many times as I did Encased on Friday. I did this trick over and over and over and every single time it fried people. I mean, it’s just so clean. I don’t know even what to tell you, really. There were so many reactions that it’s hard to pinpoint any from the others- they were all great. You know its funny- this is a card to Impossible Location plot but for whatever reason it plays out more than you would think. I mean, Card to Wallet is obviously a wonderful effect but there’s something special about Card to Box. Maybe it’s because it’s a bit more organic and the fact that all the items are in full view the entire time? Or maybe it’s just me. Whatever the encase (ha ha. Get it? Encase? Instead of “whatever the case”, I said, "whatever the en..."ahem..carrying on then), this Friday went down as one of the all time great card days.

Best Lines:

”Nonononononononono!!”

-This guy was backing up as he said that, lol.

”You are the greatest magician to ever live.”

-That just made me laugh.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

This was an interesting one. I made the mistake of not having Angry Bob sign the card so he thought he knew the method right away. As I pulled his card from the box, he immediately grabbed the deck and started going through it . Once he saw his card wasn’t there, he said, “%#^^#. Now it’s good.” So I think a 5/5 is in order but a lesson was learned, regardless- get them to sign it! If you don’t, they will just think you have two of the same card.

My Rating:

Well, as you can tell, I love this effect and think David has done an awesome job with it. The only downside I came across was that it didn’t play as easily if I was standing. Don’t get me wrong, I made it work when there were no tables around, but it wasn’t as good as when I could freely toss the box aside and later have the card found in it. Also, you can’t do this with a borrowed deck (which is the perfect trick). So, we’ll give it a 9.5/10 and that half point loss is given begrudgingly- in my heart, gimmicked or not, and table or not, this is a ten.

The JDG Tip:

I took an old Joker and cut out a piece from the centre and used that instead of the Sharpie Marks idea. If you have the DVD, you’ll know what I mean. It’s in no way necessary but it made me feel a lot better and sometimes that’s worth a lot!

Closing Thoughts:

Why can’t I have a Scottish accent?

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
Vancouver Magician
www.jamiedgrant.com
______________________________________________________________

Multi Dimensional by Craig Filicetti

2009-05-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

Magic Friday is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

“How? How? How does he do it?! Check it, man. He’s got a cube, he knows the colour. Simple as that. There’s no way he could know! What else does this guy have in that head of his? My PIN number? Look, it happened on Magic Friday. He came into the office with a small toy cube that had six different coloured sides. He gets us to put it onto the table, where he can’t see it. Well, with his back turned, he tells us what colour is facing up! So we thought maybe he saw somehow, right? So we get Big Ted to hold it in his hands...He tells us again! Finally he gives Angry Bob a small wooden box and tells him to put the cube in the box and then to put the box into my hands once he’s left the room...And he comes back in and tells us the colour! How? Angry Bob punched a hole in the wall, Big Ted started to clap behind his back, and I just stood there and watched my brain melt onto the floor!!!! I believe, man, I believe!!!

How It Went:

I wish you could see the smile on my face right now. Holy smokes, I love this thing! I mean, really love it! So much so, that I took it with me every time I left the house this weekend. It killed! I honestly can’t say enough. Here, how about I give you my entire presentation:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay everyone, I’ve been working on something.”
-I place the cube immediately onto the counter or table. If there was none around, I would hand it to someone to hold.

“I watched this documentary about this guy, Daniel Tammet, called “Born On A Blue Day”. It was about this guy, Daniel, who could see numbers as colours in his mind. He didn’t see the number 7 as a number but rather as a colour, like green or something. As a result, he can do extraordinary mathematical calculations. It was awesome. Has anyone else seen it?”
-Wait for audience response.

“Well, I though that was pretty cool and it led me to something I’m working on now, which is the ability to see thoughts as colours. Or in this case today, colours as thoughts. Take a look at that toy cube I bought. There six different colours, right? Well, I’m going to turn my back and I’d like you to just place it onto the table...”
-With my back turned, I’d name the colour with a question mark. Example. “Black?”

“I think I may have gotten lucky there. Try it again and cover it with your hand. Let’s see if I can do this. Focus on the colour for me...”
-I’d name the colour a bit more definitively. “Blue, I’m pretty sure.”

“Yeah, I know, pretty crazy right?! I’m getting pretty good. But I’ve been doing this a while and some people have thought I could see it somehow. So I had this little box made. Do me a favour. Turn around put it into the box and cover it with your hands. I’m going to leave the room while you do it...”
-I’d walk back in and look straight at the person and 100% confident. “You chose Yellow. I know it.”

Applause, gasps, fainting ensues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best Lines:

”You’re too good man, you’re too good!!”

-Thanks Craig!

”What else can you see man? Really...”

-This little thing will make believers out of anyone.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Slience. Punch. Walked out. Priceless. 5/5.

My Rating:

10/10. No question. This is one of my prized possessions now. And deservedly so. It’s made so well that it makes my head spin.

The JDG Tip:

I read some questions from people about how to justify the cube and the box and I that’s valid. I’m not much for, “This is something I found.” or whatnot. I believe you have to be honest, in a sense. “This is something I bought to help me train.” worked really well for me, as did, “...and I had a friend make the box to help me further.” In the end, I don’t think there’s any heat on the cube anyway. I mean, it’s so small that there’s now way it can help you.

Closing Thoughts:

This is a masterwork from Craig Filicetti. No kidding. I try to make sure that everything that gets reviewed on Magic Friday is something you can go out and actually use, and I promise you this will be used. A lot. Have fun.

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.whatizit.net
______________________________________________________________

UNWRITTEN by Oliver Meech from His Book "The Plot Thickens"

2009-05-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

Magic Friday is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

“This Jamie cat sure is funny, man. So it’s Magic Friday, right, and he comes in and says he just had a problem with his last group and that he needs me to sign something before we start. He pulls out some cards and one of them has a contract on the back saying that I’ll be good and stuff. So I sign it and he blows us away with this crazy cube trick. But then he says, “I knew you would be a good audience!” and then I said, “Well why did I have to sign the contract then?” and he replies, “I didn’t.” Well, I turned over the card and my signature was gone!!! And when he told me to pick up the pen, I couldn’t get the cap off!! It was craaaaaaaaazy!!”

How It Went:

This is one of those tricks that just helps solidify you as a magician as opposed to someone who knows some magic tricks. I mean, only a real magician has a contract on the back of his card, right? And it played out really well on Friday. The great thing about it is that it’s not really a trick in itself. It’s just a magical moment that plays out after something else you’ve done.

People laughed at the opening premise and the beginning is a great way to introduce everything. Walking into a room and saying, “Holy Smokes, you wouldn’t believe that last crowd! Here, you gotta sign this...” is a really funny bit and gets the energy going right off the top.

I did, however, leave out the pen cap not coming off bit about halfway through the day. I found that a “He switched the pen” idea might also lead to a “Then he must have switched the card too” train of thought and I wanted to leave the card as pure magic. I also didn’t want them to think I used invisible ink so I made sure they held onto the pen.

Best Lines:

”Did I sign that? I signed that didn’t I?!?!”

-It’s always amazing to see someone doubt themselves..

”Get outta here, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL!!!!

-It’s a really fun bit.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

“Where’s the ^#&&#^ **#&&#**#?”

-Okay, so it wasn’t an Angry Bob fooler. But it fooled everyone else. And I don’t think he caught the %#^(*&. He just knew something had happened. 2/5.

My Rating:

Did this change people’s lives? Probably not. But it sure brought some fun into them. I don’t know, I liked it. Let’s say, 8.5/10. If for nothing else than the premise and idea, which I thought was great. And it leaves your card on the table, which is always nice.

The JDG Tip:

I think my reasoning for leaving the pen back bit out is valid and I was happier with how it went. I just didn’t like the challenge it presented and really wanted them to keep the pen. Maybe getting something printed on the pen is a good idea as well. That way, they could keep the pen and the card.

Closing Thoughts:

I’ve heard the phrase “This book will inspire you!” many times but it really rings true here. Oliver has some crazy unique thinking that gets you thinking outside of the box. I don’t normally review an entire book but I would have to say that I enjoyed reading this when looking for an effect for Friday. Great work Oliver! And excellent crediting, as well. That was a pleasant surprise!

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.whatizit.net
______________________________________________________________

DEEP 3 by Bro Gilbert

2009-05-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

Magic Friday is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

“What can I say?! This Jamie cat is a ^$&&#*^%’n time traveller! He obviously went back in time, while we weren’t looking, and found out about me and Wendy Heindrix under the bleachers. It was crazy! He brought out this deck of cards, right, and showed us that this crazy lady he had met last week had given him two jokers as a gift. Then he asked me to remember who the first person I ever kissed was. Well, Wendy wasn’t hard to forget because she had choked me with her tongue. Anyways, when he spread the cards out, on the back of the two jokers were the initials “W” and “H”. I went nuts, Angry Bob couldn’t believe I had kissed a girl, and Big Ted couldn’t stop giggling! WTF, I mean, seriously!”

How It Went:

I’ll be honest here- I’ve never been into special decks too much. Sometimes the tricks can be mindblowers but I never consider taking one to a paid gig as pocket space is worth its space in gold (I’m talking Walk-Around here, and not my parlour show or something). I mean, it would have to really be a heavy hitter for me to carry around a deck that only serves one specific purpose.

Well, Deep 3 makes the cut, easily. It is so clean and has such a presentational hook that it went straight into my Walk-Around case when I got home. Especially with summer coming up and the ton of weddings I have booked, this trick is an absolute no brainer. And I mean that, literally. I could do this in my sleep which is an absolute necessity for gigs. Magic Friday is great practice but paid gigs have to be flawless and Deep 3 is practically self working.

Back to Friday, though. People loved it! I was initially worried that if I did this for a group, that the people who weren’t the selected spectator would lose interest, but I found ways around that. Namely, I would say, after asking if they could remember who their first kiss was, “Okay. And is that person in this room right now?” That brought everyone into the effect and got a laugh every time. It also was the perfect time to do what needed to be done. Overall, this trick was a hit all day.

Best Lines:

” How did you know that?! How?!!!”
-It really is shocking that those initials are there.

”OMG, OMG, OMG! That’s craaaaaaaaxzy!”
-People are really mentally involved with this effect. There’s true emotion present.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

”Hunh. Let’s see your thumbs, ^&$&^^&%&&%... ... Hmmm. How the ^$^$ did you manage to write that, then. &$**$!!!” 5/5.

I think that would be some people’s first instinct until they realize how big and broad the letters are. Once they realize that, they’re crushed.

My Rating:

I’m not sure if I’ve ever given a special deck a 10/10 but I think Deep 3 totally warrants it- if for nothing else than the impact it’s going to have on my upcoming summer wedding gigs. Aside from that, it still totally works for anything else you can think of. I was thinking of getting the group to think of someone that wasn’t with them that day, the initials of a state or province they had recently travelled to, their best friend in elementary school, the first letters on a bill serial number, letters on their licence plate, etc. Any of these things are great topics to introduce into a group as opposed to the usual, “Pick a card.” bit.

And this brings up something Bro touches on in the instructions- Why are the initials there? Did I write them before I came to the gig? Did they magically appear? Did the woman who gave the jokers to me, write them? For me, I gave the impression that I was given two jokers and that since they were not the same as my deck, that I could write on them and not worry about it. That was my way about it (and that I wrote them before I showed up, obviously) and it went awesome.

The JDG Tip:

2 things:

1) I would tell people, “I was working this gig last week and I met this lady there who had two jokers in her purse, yadda, yadda...”- This lets people know that you are a working pro who does gigs. Always important!

2) If I thought there was any hesitation on the part of the spec when I questioned them about their first kiss, I would add, ”It can be the name of one of your parents if you don’t want to share the name. As long as you’re confident I couldn’t know it.” This was to protect myself from getting someone who had never been kissed and was potentially embarrassed. Always protect your spectators!

Closing Thoughts:

Bro Gilbert has a winner on his hands here. It always makes me happy to come across effects that are easy to write up and are a pleasure to perform! Thanks Bro!

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
http://www.whatizit.net
______________________________________________________________

ATOMIC 2.0 from the DVD "Reality Check" by Michael Paul

2009-04-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Magic Friday is written by Jamie D. Grant, a magician in Vancouver, Canada

What The Audience Sees:

“This week, Jamie said he just had a few moments and wanted to show us something quickly. Boom, there’s a flash of light, or fire, or maybe he made me hallucinate for a second and, all of a sudden, he’s holding a candy in a wrapper. Then, the %#^#n candy simply disappears from the wrapper! I didn’t know where it went until I saw that it had reappeared in his mouth! Crazy! Can you imagine going out to dinner with this guy? He probably doesn’t even need to order! He can just walk in through the doors and turn right around, totally full! It was pretty sweet.”

How It Went:

You know, sometimes you just stumble across something and it really hits home. Atomic 2.0 is this kind of effect. It’s visual, it’s concise, it’s well thought out, it’s easy, and it makes for a cool opener. I’ve often wanted something that was a bit “flashy” and this is the perfect trick.

On Friday, it played super well and, I’ll admit, stronger than I though it would. I had the idea that I could use this as an opener before moving into something that I thought was stronger but the reactions I got from this justified it as a stand alone effect. I think sometimes we take for granted some of the techniques and items we have at our disposal and forget that most spectators have never seen this kind of thing before. Ever. I mean, I know a lot of people, and I’ve never had anybody show me this kind of thing. So you can imagine what it can do to a spectator.

And the candy appearance is just super cool. Its disappearance is even cooler. And the reappearance just makes a sort of logical sense that makes the whole thing practical, logical, and magical. I mean, this is the kind of thing that a real magician would do (aside from creating large sums of cash).

Best Lines:

”Where did that come from?!!”

-A good question, to be sure.

”Hey! Where did it go?!! No way!!!!!”

-I think these natural reactions confirm their belief in what they thought happened. Awesome.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

”Hunh. Real %$^$n cute. Give me one.”

-I’m not really sure, to be honest. He gave no indication whatsoever and just wanted a candy, lol.

My Rating:

You know, I think this trick deserves a higher rating than I would normally consider. And there’s a couple of reasons for it. If a fellow magician just showed you this, you would probably just go- that’s kind of cool. But after doing it all day Friday, I realized just how “real world” this is, and how I’ll probably be performing this for a very long time. I also liked Michael Paul and his performing style and think he has good magical head on his shoulders. Let’s put it this way, each time I’ve left the house this weekend, I’ve had Atomic 2.0 ready to go- that says something. 9.5/10.

The JDG Tip:

I speak.

Lol, I wanted to leave the JDG Tip with just those two words but I guess I should elaborate. While Michael’s reasons for not speaking make sense, I think speaking helps the magic a bit in this case and is just more my style.

Closing Thoughts:

Pick up this DVD. I think we need to support artists like Michael Paul and encourage them. It’s this kind of disc that will give you something that you’ll definitely use but might otherwise get overlooked for something fancier and more in. That would be a mistake. That’s my pitch and I’m stickin’ to it.

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.jamiedgrant.com
____________________________________________________________________

3D REALIZATION by Mark Southworth from his DVD Surefire

2009-04-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

~ Magic Friday is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

“Let me just start off by saying that I just got back from the hospital. And do you know why? Because Jamie MELTED MY BRAIN on Friday! He melted ALL our brains! Except for Big Ted’s, who’s brain actually turned solid! It was nuts. Check it- Jamie had me select a card. No big deal. He then asked me if that card felt any different. He said that it was a bit bigger than the rest. I said No Way, as did Angry Bob, but Jamie said that it was. He put it back into the deck and told us to feel the side of the pack and that we would feel it. Well, we did, and we didn’t feel nothing. Jamie said he could feel it and, as a result, could find the card instantly, at which point he pulled one card from the deck. But check it out- it wasn’t my card! Angry Bob actually started smiling, he was so happy! Jamie looked confused and asked what my card was and I told him I selected the Eight of Spades. He said he should have known as it was a Black Eight as that card is bigger than all the rest in the deck. AND A #%^#^in EIGHT BALL FELL OUT OF THE DECK!!!! Let me say that again. A ^#%^# EIGHT BALL CAME OUT OF THE %^#^#^ DECK OF CARDS!!! Big Ted turned to Angry Bob and simply said, “Help me, Bobby.” It was so surreal!!! Awesome!

How It Went:

Hooooooo we! This trick was super killer! I love it and everyone on Friday thought it was fantastic! It’s just such a bizarre moment when that Eight Ball falls. I actually did this at a gig last week as well, and it was the one effect that I would do at the end of my set where you could see people asking themselves if what they just saw really happened. I would drop the Eight Ball into my hand and hand it to someone and the look on their face when they took it from me was priceless! I mean, it’s a solid pool ball that they just saw come from a clean deck of cards.

Brilliant.

So much so, that I have actually taken the effort of bringing an Eight Ball with me all week, whenever I leave the house.

Best Lines:

”DDSSSHHHHHHHHWWWHOOOOOOOoooooo”

-This wasn’t actually said by a person but was the noise of all the brains leaving the room at once. It kind of sounded like that noise from Lost that they always play.

”Am I awake right now? What is this? Who are you?

-I can’t describe the look on this guy’s face.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Hold on one second... ... ... I just had to do my “ I Just Super Fooled Angry Bob” Happy Dance. Actually, hold on... ... ... I just had to do it again.

5/5. Who has any idea how it’s done? No one! Angry Bob, and the rest of the gang, were absolutely gobsmacked! There isn’t any telegraphing of what’s going to happen whatsoever.

My Rating:

Normally I would consider giving this a 9.5, only because you have to carry an Eight Ball around but it is so worth it. 10/10 is my official rating. I’ve immediately incorporated this into my Walk Around working sets and am so happy with the results.

The JDG Tip:

I’ve actually got a couple of ideas here. First of all, I used an Omni Deck for the squish ending. For whatever reason, I didn’t like the idea of flattening the ball. I just wanted it to be in play, and then disappear. And, to be honest, I rarely did that at all. For almost every time, I let the Eight Ball stay out. And I would act confused as to where I could put it when the effect was over.

As to where I did put it for the gig, I purchased a Belt Strap Holster (used for radios maybe?) from a military store. It’s just a single Velcro loop. It worked perfectly on the belt!

And lastly, I had no idea that Eight Balls came in different sizes. When I went to buy one, the guy asked me which size. Get the smaller one. The audience has no idea and it’s just a bit more manageable.

Closing Thoughts:

Any time I can come away from a Magic Friday with an effect that I can use in my working set is huge success for me, and this trick fits the bill like no other. Thanks Mark!

Have a great week, everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
www.whatizit.net
______________________________________________________________

TAGGED by Richard Sanders

2009-03-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

~ Magic Friday is written and performed by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

“Friday was totally off the hook, yo! I mean, seriously! Jamie comes bustin’ into our office and we were ready, man. Angry Bob, Big Ted, myself, and everyone else had a hard week, and we needed some magic in our lives. Angry Bob was practically frothing at the mouth and, come to think of it, Big Ted actually was. Anyways, Jamie gets one of us to pick a card and we know it’s going to come out of someone’s ear or something- we love the card tricks, man! But before Jamie blows our minds, he asks us if we like his new chain. Now, Jamie’s the cooliest but his chain was rather undope, you know what I’m sayin’? It was a regular dogtag like chain. There wasn’t even any diamonds on it. I didn’t want to say anything though, so I’m like, “Yeah, that ah-ight”. And he says, “I know it’s nothing special, but how about now?” And the place exploded! He waved the cards in front of the chain and our card came out of the deck and ATTACHED itself to the chain!!!! Blam! Big Ted goes down! BOOM, Angry Bob starts rushing Jamie to pull it off his head! But that Jamie’s like a ninja, man. He sidestepped Bob and simply pulled it off his head and said, “Lol, here, take it!” and then hightailed it out of there. Then the place went crazy again! We were all checking it out and the chain went through the card!!!! Fo- real! Nutella, man, totally Nutella!”

How It Went:

Some Fridays you just don’t know what to expect. I kind of knew that TAGGED would go over great but at some places it went over REALLY great! And I mean really! I’m guessing it’s because everyone, at one time or another, has tried to put a chain on and off and knows it’s not the easiest thing, let alone having a card magically appear on it.

And, as I expected, the younger the crowd, the better it went. Some effects, like Poker Effects, play better with the older crowd and some effects, like cards appearing on a chain around your neck, appeal more to the younger gang. I figured that would be the case and, sure enough, it was. Everybody liked it, however, and it has an instant reset (except for when I gave it away at the end), which is worth it’s weight in gold. Awesome trick.

Best Lines:

”UNGNGNHH!”

-This was like a collective gasp/moan/groan from three people. And it was in perfect unison. You would think they were part of an elephant imitation society, lol.

”It’s not actually on there dude, whatever...ACKKAHN?!!"

-Believe it or not, you can take it off your neck and hand it out. Totally clean. Sweet!

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Well, after I escaped his crazed Karate attack, I left immediately so I didn’t have any idea what he thought but...I had to return to that office and, I’ll be honest here, he came right up to me and told me how I did it. I mean, not exactly but pretty freakin’ close. I do what I always do, though and simply deny, deny, deny. I’m fairly good at deflecting people’s thought process but it’s still interesting to note. By the time I left, I know he was doubting himself, but it was interesting. And, as I say, please remember that Angry Bob knows way more than the regular layperson. I am totally confidant that no one else had a clue- but Angry Bob was pretty in tune. 1/5.

My Rating:

I’m going for a 9/10 on this one. It’s instantly resettable, no clean up per se, plays strong, and looks awesome. I’ve already tossed it into a Ziploc bag and into my Close-Up case where only effects I perform at working gig go, so that should say something.

The JDG Tip:

This one was apparent the first time I performed TAGGED. Make sure the clasp (to put the chain on) is on the right hand side. You’ll see why.

Closing Thoughts:

Richard Sanders’ products are always a hit. I don’t think I’ve picked up anything from him that I didn’t like, and actually perform. I look forward to see what else he has up his sleeve!

Have a great week!

Jamie D. Grant
www.jamiedgrant.com
______________________________________________________________

357 by Tom Lauten

2009-03-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

Magic Friday is written By Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

“This Friday was pretty cool! Jamie came by and told us that we were going to be playing Russian Roulette! Big Ted got a bit scared but Jamie explained that we were going to be using paper bullets and not real bullets- that would have been inappropriate for a corporate environment (in my opinion). Anyways, it was still exciting. Jamie showed us six pieces of paper and six envelopes. Each sheet of paper had a something written on it that symbolized a bullet and, on the other side, something that indicated that it would be safe. We turned one of the papers with the Bullet side face up and put all the papers in the separate envelopes at random. Without looking or anything, Jamie slowly pulled five of the six papers out of the envelopes with the Safe side face up! You have seen Big Ted with each revealing- you would think the things were real! It was really fun without being dangerous, and I have no idea how he did it!”

How It Went:

This was a fun day! The thing that I need to say, right off the bat, is that this routine really “opens up” the group you’re performing for. It just encourages discussion and chat and, well, fun. As opposed to say, the Ambitious Card, for example, where everyone for the most part is silent (or in shock) and simply watching, this effect is very interactive. Almost every time I said, “We’re going to be playing Russian Roulette today...” someone would point at one of their co-workers or boss and scream, “Use Him!!!”, lol. So, right away, people were into it.

And I also love the fact that it uses pieces of paper instead of, ummmm, bullets. Lol. Seriously, there’s something nice about the compactness (is that a word?) of it all. Six envelopes, with papers inside, and you’re ready to go- super clean. And, like I said, people had a great time all throughout the day. Not one mistake and everyone completely understood what was going on, and what they were supposed to do. Awesome.

Best Lines:

”BOOM!”
-This guy yelled that, and I mean YELLED THAT, with every envelope, lol, even though it said “Click”. Pretty funny.

”How did you know? How did he know? Someone tell me how he knew?!! I mixed them myself!!!
-The specs can totally shuffle the envelopes and you’ll still know. Sweet!

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

”Give me those %^#%^#% envelopes! ... ... Give me the %#%^#%^ paper!!! ... ... Okay, how about you go #%%#% and the #^%^# the %#^%#^#^ out of the %$%#^#%!... ... Now!"

-5/5. There is no way he’ll know. It took me a fair bit of practice until I was confidant I could be 100% and there’s no way a spec will ever know after one viewing.

My Rating:

I really like this effect (obviously, or I wouldn’t be performing it, lol). And I can’t see too many downsides, to be honest. I guess, ideally, you would use a table but, and I did on Friday, it’s totally possible to do this standing, which is great. I was also totally sure that there was no way that anyone knew how I was doing it, and that it would always work. Having effects like those are sometimes rare, so it was nice feeling. 9.5/10.

The JDG Tip:

This isn’t a tip of mine, but something I read on the forums, which is don’t use a black sharpie to write the words as they might show through the envelope. I had no problem but it’s something to consider. My personal tip to you is to practice. Take the time and make sure you’re one hundred per cent. It is a game of life and death after all.

Closing Thoughts:

Peter and Marc (who do the teaching on the DVD) are genuinely funny guys and ask pertinent questions to each other. It made the learning process fun and so much easier. A job well done. That said, I would have liked to see Tom on the DVD (just because I like putting faces to great ideas).

Have a great week!

Jamie D. Grant
Vancouver Magician
www.jamiedgrant.com
______________________________________________________________

DECK DROPPER by Trevor Duffy

2009-02-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Magic Friday is written by Vancouver Magician Jamie D. Grant

What The Audience Sees:

”Why can’t Jamie make us all rich? I mean, he can make deck of cards appear out of nowhere, can’t he just make a million dollars show up?! Check it- he did this amazing card trick where he didn’t even use a deck of cards. They were invisible. But halfway through the show a deck simply appeared OUT OF NOWHERE! It was supernuts! Big Ted fell to his knees and began speaking in Tongues! I mean, one second his hands were empty, and then the next? BOOM! Deck of cards! Caaaarazy!”

How It Went:

Sometimes I come home with a big magical glow all around me. My amazing wife (seven years this year!) can always tell if a Magic Friday’s gone well (that’s also the reason, by the way, that some Fridays are missing reviews- disasters, lol.). Anyway, I was glowing this Friday!

What’s funny is that I didn’t even try the Deck Dropper until the night before. I’ve had it for a while but never really ‘set it up’ for whatever reason. What a mistake. This thing is fantastic. I did the Invisible Deck all day which, as we all know, is already killer, but with the Deck Dropper, you’ve got a lethal companion. The appearance is awesome and, as anyone who sleeves can tell you, is extremely shocking. But the great thing about the Deck Dropper is the fact that you can carry a deck around with you 24/7 (providing you sleep with a jacket on) and not use up any pocket space! Invaluable! Plus the instant reset?! Fuggedaboutit. Just go pick one up.

Best Lines:

”Oh My F#%^!!!!
-I can honestly say that I’ve never heard that word combo before, lol.

”That’s not real! That’s not real! AIIYUUAUAKKAKKCHKAK”
-I call this the surprise choke. Where people are so shocked they start choking on their own amazement, lol.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Ahhh, nothing makes a Friday sweeter than destroying Angry Bob!

”WTF!? I’ve seen this f%#^^ trick before. I can actually do it %@%^@... ... ...WHERE DID THAT DECK COME FROM? Tell me now!!!! %#^^#
-Gotcha. 5/5

MyRating:

I have to say that this will be going into my working repertoire immediately (I always use a suit when I work) so on that alone, I have to give this 9/10. And the only reason it’s not a ten is because of the jacket requirement. Then again, is it ever possible to make a deck appear so cleanly without one? Maybe I’m being unrealistic. So how about 9.5/10. This rocks.

The JDG Tip:

Really practice with the placement. While the Deck Dropper is crazy easy to use itself, the placement of it needs some experimenting. I would hate for someone to use this and think that it doesn't feel right and then not use it. I tried different places for about half an hour and have found the 'sweet spot', if you will. I don't even know it's there. Sweet, it is!

Closing Thoughts:

Going back to why you see some missing Magic Fridays- I should write a book one day of all the disastrous Magic Fridays I’ve had (through my own poor trick selection choices), lol. There hasn’t been a lot but there’s been enough to maybe write something up. Something to think about...

Have A Great Week Everyone!

~jamie d. grant
http://www.whatizit.net
____________________________________________________________________

INTUITION by Hondo and David Leon Productions

2009-02-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

~ Magic Friday by Jamie D. Grant ~

What The Audience Sees:

”This week was so cool. Jamie did this amazing trick where he came in and handed us an envelope. He then took out a deck of cards and put them onto the table. Then he turned to Big Ted and asked him to name any number between 1 and 52. Big Ted said “18” and Jamie handed him the cards. He told Big Ted to deal off seventeen cards and put the eighteenth to the side. Jamie then proved to us that it was a full deck by dealing off the rest of the cards and, sure enough, there was fifty-two, plus a couple of Jokers. Now came the crazy part! Jamie showed us that the cards in the deck were all different, which they were, and that Big Ted (who was now beginning to sweat) could have picked any number but chose eighteen. Jamie asked Big Ten to turn the card on the table over and it was the Two of Diamonds. Jamie then turned to me and asked me to remove the card that was in the envelope. And it was the Two of Diamonds as well! It was nuts!!! How did he know what number Big Ted (who ran out of the room) would name? The guy is psychic!”

How It Went:

As you know, I only perform great tricks for Magic Friday. I don’t review bad effects simply because I can’t show ‘bad’ magic to my clients. I do find, however, that among the great magic that I review, that I really love some more than others. Recently “White Star” was a massive success and, this week, I can say that Intuition really hit home with me. I love this effect. Are there some concerns? Sure. But those small things are what will keep this out of the hands of regular magicians much, as much as I hate to admit, to my benefit.

I do have the benefit on Magic Friday of having five minutes before each performance to reset and this is where most people will have the concern. I’ll be up front. To reset, you have to deal the entire pack onto the table. That’s it. But, if you’re a Walk Around magician, that can potentially be problematic. For me, though, the strength of this trick far outweighs that issue. I mean, the spectator can deal to his number, if you wish, and it’s going to be 100%. Awesome! And for those people who have this and think that the +1 or +2 may be a problem (sorry, you have to own this trick to know what I’m talking about here), I can say conclusively that it made no difference whatsoever. Every time, no matter what the situation, this trick killed.

It’s hard for me to say why I liked this trick so much. I think it’s because it seems so clean. This is definitely something that will most likely go into my parlour show (where I never do more than 2 card effects anyway, thereby negating the reset thing). There’s also no crazy moves or handlings. You know what I think it is: This is the kind of magic that a spectator could do, but can’t because he’s not a magician. It’s the kind of trick that people can think “Imagine if someone named a number, and I knew the card at that position?” and now, thanks to Hondo and David Leon, we can. I loved it and people all day Friday loved it a well. And dealing out the cards to show them there was a full deck wasn’t a problem either. It was the kind of thing, I think, they might do if they had to do a card trick. A great success overall.

Best Lines:

”You knew we were going to ask to see all the cards, lol!!!

-This was said after I dealt all the cards out and turned them over. Interesting that this group thought that the cards might all be the same, or a stack of some sort. They looked all different though.

”Lol! How...on...Earth...did you do that?!?!”

-This guy loved it.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

This will be a tough one. He was shocked when I showed the cards all different but immediately asked to see the deck. This, however, is simply a stock reaction for someone that has some knowledge for magic. Spectators are, or should be, satisfied when you simply show them the cards, without them having to handle them. So maybe a 3.5/5? Needless to say, I told him to forget it, lol.

My Rating:

I’ll let you in on a bit of Magic Friday method here. Whenever I get an effect that I think will play well, I spend the time to learn it and practice. Then I’ll come on the Café and read every post about it that I can find to see if there are any tips or ideas I need to know before I go out into the world. And, a lot of time, I’ll read posts that can be negative or say a trick is no good but, because I actually try them out, I know they simply haven’t been field tested properly. This trick is a prime example. Intuition, in my opinion, is great. If you have it and are worried, I simply say go out and perform it. But here’s the key: Refrain from doing a couple of tricks for whoever it is. Try and simply do Intuition and leave it at that. You won’t be disappointed.

9/10. And I’ll stand by that rating.

Note: I went out Saturday night (last night) knowing that I was going to publish this review today. In order to make sure I followed my own advice, I brought out Intuition and, sure enough, everyone asked me to show them something. I told them that I would, but that I would only perform one trick and one trick only. I then pulled out the envelope and said, “You see, I knew that you were going to ask to see something. And I have an envelope here to prove it. But this will be the only thing I’ll do tonight. But it’s going to blow your minds!” Sure enough, it totally blew them away.

The JDG Tip:

Make sure you reset the deck before you perform this again. Luckily I only made that mistake when showing it to my magic gang, lol. But it's a great tip. Reset it immediately after your show!

Other than that, let the spectaor deal the cards and let someone hold onto the envelope or the card. There is so little you have to do with this trick that you should take total advantage of that.

Closing Thoughts:

I watch a lot of Dvds, lol. A lot! And I have seen the range of production values from the downright comical to the most amazing. What I’ve learned for myself, however, is that I’ll gladly take terrible production if I like the teacher and the trick. I don’t care too much about lighting or sound. I would learn magic from smoke signals if I had to. That said, I really liked David Leon. He came across as so honest and personable that I was quite surprised. It’s just him on the couch teaching the effect. There was no mind blowing graphics or music or anything. Just a really nice guy teaching an awesome trick. Bravo.

Have a great week everyone!

jamie d. grant
creator of the Limited Edition David Blaine “Anything Is Possible” bottle, now available, for a limited time @ Fantasma Magic
____________________________________________

SHOE'T by Mark Southworth and Mark Mason

2009-01-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

~ Magic Friday by Jamie D. Grant ~

What The Audience Sees:

"Jamie walked in on Friday holding a pack of playing cards so we knew it was going to be good. Big Ted loves card tricks (as we all do) and he was almost crying in anticipation. Jamie asked Big Ted to select any card he liked and to write his name across the face. Good thing Jamie asked him to write his name. Anything else and we would have been scr*#^%d. So Big Ted does, and Jamie returned it back to the deck (the card, not Big Ted, ha ha). Nothing crazy. But then Jamie hands the deck to me and asks me to find the card. I can even do it face up! Well you won’t believe this but the card wasn’t in the deck anymore! I swear! And Jamie says, “Of course it’s not. It’s in my shoe.” BOOM! Big Ted faints! Jamie hasn’t even proved it yet and Big Ted drops like a #^^^%$&. Anyways, Jamie takes off his shoe and, sure enough, there’s a card inside. He shows the shoe all around and then slowly pulls the card out. AND IT WAS BIG TED’S CARD! Too bad he didn’t see it! It was amazing!”

How It Went:

One of the first card tricks I ever learned back in elementary school was the selection of a card, and the subsequent discovery of it in the card box. It basically consisted of a little kid making you do an extremely complicated series of tasks to select a card and then you returning it to the pack (the card, not the kid). The little kid would then search for about five minutes because half the time he couldn’t remember the card you were supposed to have selected. He would the pull out three random cards and lay them face down on the table and tell you that one of cards was yours. While you were looking at those, the little kid would pick out your real card and put it into the card box. No palming, no machine made hold outs. He would just grab it and stuff it in there. And it would kill you, lol. You would be shocked. Every time!

I still do that trick. Shoe’t is basically the same thing. A card is discovered somewhere crazy. But unlike the card box, everyone knows how even more impossible (can we have different levels of impossible, lol?) it would be to get a card into your shoe without anyone seeing. I mean, it pretty much is impossible. And it destroyed people all day. The fact tat you can slip off your shoe and show it, while it’s still on ground, is absolute craziness as well. Seriously. And the great thing is, is that no one wants to grab it out for you, lol. We all know how specs can sometime’s be super grabby. Not a single person reached for the shoe, obviously. And it was a clean shoe and sock (that’s an early JDG Tip for you, by the way, lol). There’s just something about the shoe.

Best Lines:

Let’s see your other one!!!!
-I guess they wanted to see what would show up in my other shoe, lol.

No way that’s my card...ACK!!!!!!
-It was.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

”Do I look %^#^^ stupid to you??!...Don’t answer that!!! That’s just some other card you put in there before!! ...Wha?!? It’s signed!?!! Go f^$& yourself Grant!

5/5.

My Rating:

You know this is going to be pretty high. I would even say 9/10 simply because it costs you nothing. I’m not talking about price of the effect but rather set up, pocket management, etc. Here we have a trick where we can walk out the door and never have to worry about setting it up. As long as you have a deck of cards, you’re ready to go. That’s worth a lot to me. And, as a testament to the fact, I have Shoe’t on me right now. Now, is pulling as card out of your shoe always appropriate? Not always, but then just don’t do it at those times. That doesn’t mean you can’t be ready to rock it out when it is time, though. And there’s always a time, lol.

The JDG Tip:

1.) Make sure the card is signed. If you don't, then the trick is worthless (to an extent). If you prucahsed Shoe't, go the extra foot and have them sign the card.

2) When I remove the card, after showing the shoe, I tip the toe to the ground. I found that helped make sure everything worked perfectly.

Closing Thoughts:

It was w really good day and I’m happy about this effect. It brought me back to those first days of stuffing a card in the box but with much more stringent conditions. And any day I can blast Angry Bob is a good day, lol.

Have a great week everyone!

jamie d. grant
http://www.whatizit.net/
(click to see a deck of cards inside a bottle)
____________________________________________________________________

ENLIGHTENMENT by Ben Harris

2009-01-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

~ Magic Friday by Jamie D. Grant ~

What The Audience Sees:

"This Jamie cat needs his own T.V show man! C'mon people, I'm serious! This guy does stuff that can only be done in movies! And he's doin' it for real! Take this Friday, the dude walked into our space and said he was going to show us a simple card trick. Simple, my !##! These two cards switched places before our eyes. Then he says, in a low whisper, that he wants to show us something he's never shown anyone before...something really crazy. And @^%@^ @$%@$ was it ever! He levitated a card right off the top of the deck. Are you listening to me? He can make objects move with his mind, I'm tellin' you! This card just floated up off the top and came back down! And I took it dude, and it was normal! Unlike this Jamie character... Caaaaraaaaaaazy!"

How It Went:

You know, thank goodness for Magic Friday. I'm a real lucky guy. Not only do I have an active (and potentially huge) weekly audience, but I'm forced to try things I might not otherwise. And I'll be honest- If I didn't have to perform Magic Friday, I might have passed on Enlightenment. And that would have been a real shame.

First of all, I have the Enlightenment Deck, which is awesome, and I have the Paradigm Shifter, so I basically have the Enlightenment set. That made it a lot easier for me to go out and start trying it out. If I didn't, I might not have taken the trouble to make the deck which, I think, is brilliant. If you have Enlightenment sitting on a shelf, do yourself a huge favour and give yourself a night off and make the deck. It's worth it, trust me.

Okay, so my set up for the day was to start off with a simple two card transpo and hope they said the words "That's incredible!" which surprisingly happened more times than I thought it would. I would then say, "Thanks! Hey, are you old enough to remember that show called "That's Incredible!"? Because they had this guy on this one time that could move objects with his mind. No kidding. He would dress up in this Karate outfit and use his energy to move phone book pages and things. And here's something I've never told anyone. I can do it too... Watch."

And away we would go. And make no mistake, it was powerful. You would think I was knocking spectators over with my energy, this played so well. I don't know what to say about it, really. It just killed. They would look at it floating up and have no reaction whatsoever, and then you'd see their faces melt like the first Indiana Jones movie ending. It was just shocking.

My other premise, if I didn't play out the James Hydrick story, was about how in the olden days, all magicians wanted to be able to float a lady. And I would use the Queen and go from there...

To be honest, though, the Hydrick (sorry, that's the name of the guy from "That's Incredible!" show) premise was the best. Probably because I'm giving this sort of Realty TV power to myself for a moment. I'm telling them that I, too, can do something that made someone famous. It's almost like, if someone asks you if you can float like David Blaine and you say, "Sure" and then fly around the room. For the people that remembered Hydrick, and there was a couple, it was a moment they'll never forget.

Best Lines:

"That's Incredible!!!
-Bing! Thank you, you win a prize!

"Nunh unh. Nunh unh. That did not just happen. Nope. It did not."
-Lol, it sure did.

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

Lol, the thing about Angry Bob is that he has a magician's "Second Sight". Laypeople only have "One Sight" (I'm making this up as I write this, by the way). Let's see if I can explain what I mean...

A layperson will think up an explanation immediately (sometimes a few explanations simultaneously). I.e. He put the card in his wallet when I wasn't looking. Until they realize (if you've done your job properly) that you eliminated that possibility. I.e. No, wait, I was looking the entire time.. They then, hopefully, believe that you did it magically. They've used up their One Sight.

Magicians, however, or someone with a knowledge of magic (and as a side note, I find that computer programmers fall into this category) will immediately go through their One Sight (I saw the wallet the entire time) and go through to their Second Sight which enables them to brainstorm ridiculous ideas that, occasionally, are right. I.e. There was that flock of birds flying overhead and one of them did land near him. Now, if that bird had some thread attached to his left wing, and that was going to his wallet. Then, maybe...

Normally, for those people, we have all sorts of weapons at our disposal (time, reason, etc.) to eliminate their Second Sight as well. But, if you know someone long enough, then they can get the jump on you.

Angry Bob: "Give me that top card, m*&^%^&* *&*&!*& !" (First Sight)

Me: "Knock yourself out dude."

Angry Bob: "Give me the deck then." This is his Second Sight coming into play. Often times, Second Sights are simply lucky guesses. You have to, occasionally, call their bluff.

Me: ( I move my hand forward with the deck while, intentionally, putting the box into my pocket.)

Angry Bob: The box, too ^%#^@^ @&@!!!!

Me: "Now you're being too demanding." (And I take everything back, except the queen he was actually holding, lol.)

So, after all that, did Angry Bob know how it worked? Not a chance! 5/5. But, did he know that I can't make think things float with my mind? Uh, yeah. But, and here's why we're in business- most people want to believe. And, lucky for us, they will.

My Rating:

Is this something that I would recommend? Absolutely. Is it, however, something that people will use? If they're smart, they will. But I think some people won't take into the world. I think you need the place for it. You need the guts. And by that, I mean, the courage to take something out that you normally wouldn't. If someone told me to take a deck and accessories like this to a gig, I'd probably say they're crazy- I can do a lot of other magic with a regular deck. But I'd have missed something really special. Something... incredible. 9.5/10.

The JDG Tip:

This was thought up by my good friend Dave Moses:

Put a bottle cap into your rear pants pocket. It works like a charm! Brilliant- and that's exactly how I got in and out.

Closing Thoughts:

Don't be afraid to show people only one thing. Change their lives and move on!

Have a great week!

~jamie d. grant
http://www.whatizit.net/
(click to see an unaltered deck of cards inside a bottle!)
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Mark Mason's FUTURE ZONE

2009-01-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

~ Magic Friday by Jamie D. Grant ~

And we're back! I hope everyone had a great holiday!

What The Audience Sees:

"Jamie did it again! The guy's a %#$%# mindreader! Check it out, he came into our office and showed us a wallet that only had one thing in it- an envelope. He told us that this morning he had placed a single card in the envelope that was in the wallet. Then he pulls out a deck of cards and starts dealing them onto the table and asks me to say the word Stop. I did. He asked me if I was sure. I was. Well, he took the card out of the envelope and it matched the card I stopped at. It was amazing!"

How It Went:

I've been sorting through a lot of Mark Mason stuff over the last couple of months and I decided on performing Future Zone this Friday for a couple of reasons:

1) It can be real quick (if you want) or longer, depending on how you want to present.

and,

2) It has instant reset.

Combine those two with a real fooler and you have the perfect Magic Friday piece. And it went over really well. Over and over again, it blew people's minds and I don't think I had a bad reaction once. It was super consistent and was easy to follow which is also key. The wallet is nice and it's pretty obvious that there in only one card in it.

Best Lines:

"What else do you know, lol!!!!
-Some people might have read into this as flirting.

"Let me look in that envelope! There must be a whole deck in there somehow, lol!"
-Not exactly...

Angry Bob Rating:

For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.

"I want the first card m%^#%^ #^#%^#.
-I'm still not sure if that was Angry Bob just being Angry Bob or if he had an idea of what was going on. I brushed it off (as always) and said that it was too late as we had already dealt through the first couple. Still, I'm not sure...2.5/5?

My Rating:

I really like this trick and it played super strong. I loved the directness and the resetability but I'm not a huge fan of needing to carry another deck of cards around. Even though it might be worth it. Let's say 8/10. I think that Mark should put out a small booklet of other effects that can be done with the same deck, or the wallet for that matter. I'd buy a Future Zone companion in a heartbeat.

The JDG Tip:

Use a pencil with your envelope~ you'll know what I mean. Also, do a different card trick first. Then bring out the wallet as an afterthought and rebring (is that word?) out the deck of cards. It worked brilliantly.

Closing Thoughts:

I'm really liking a lot of Mark's stuff. If I could just start linking the tricks together that need special somethings, I think I would be onto something. Definitely an idea to play around with...
Have a great week everyone!

Jamie D. Grant
Vancouver Magician
ww.jamiedgrant.com
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