Introducing KeyStone Entertainment

It's been one heck of a week. With corporate gigs this week plus the launch of the NZ side of KeyStone Entertainment it's all been go. In between I still rehearse my act and continue to write - and get to the gym each day (well almost each day!)

When I arrived in New Zealand in February I had meetings with a few of the top event companies. I was astonished to find out from them that they were flying in acts from Australia because they felt there weren't any acts up to the international standard that they were looking for. These are the top end corporate gigs and require acts that are constantly working in this field and have a proven track record of shows that will always go over well. With this in mind, I set about working hand in hand with event companies and my wife Natalie and I started up our own Premier International Talent Agency called Keystone Entertainment Ltd., where we fly in some of the best entertainment for corporate events. You can check out the website at www.keystone-entertainment.co.nz
We will be bringing in acts that we have seen perform personally, and know can deliver the goods. I like to be able to sit down with event companies and be able to explain each act that I think would suit the event. Unlike a lot of agents who just throw names at the clients, I feel a more hands on approach is better for us, for the performer and the final event.
Natalie and I constantly travel the world and are introduced to new acts all the time - so we will continue to travel and see what is available. If an act wishes to be on our books then we do need to see a full 45 minute live show - no montages or flashy video productions - just the act itself.

For those who will be in the Auckland are this week (that's Auckland, New Zealand) I am part of a variety show for the New Zealand Variety Artists Club big yearly Charity Event. It's going to be an amazing show with some of the best super star entertainers in the country. Here are the details. Those living in New Zealand will recognize the names of the celebrity acts. It will also be a great chance for me to catch up with my good friend Guy Cater. We did a TV show together years ago which ran over a period of two years and I haven't seen him in over a decade!!

MAGIC CASTLE REVIEW
In some of my past BLOGS I've talked about a dear friend Ben Robinson, and Ben has shared articles with me for the BLOG. I came across this one recently as Ben appeared at The Magic Castle last week, and this was such a great review that I thought I'd share it with readers. Ben is also the author of this amazing book, The MagiCIAn: John Mulholland's Secret Life which is a great read - and I think would make an amazing movie!

Here is the review of the week at The Magic Castle:

MAGIC CASTLE
Hollywood, CA
Parlour of Prestidigitation
June 21-27, 2010
Special to American Variety

By Arthur Gibbons Jr.

The world famous Magic Castle – a half-century of Hollywood hocus pocus – produced a top bill ending June. Two performers, opposites in every way, exemplified the adage of immaculate attraction. Opening in the early slot was Big Apple baffler Ben Robinson. A regular on the late nite opening scene for genius schtarkers Jackie Mason, Jerry Lewis, and musical acts as disparate as Johnny Cash and the new age artists October Project, this turn found Robinson providing entertaining entrée for a world champion of magic, Johnny Ace Palmer.

Longtime stand-up regular Jimmy Brent provided the big up to Robinson’s dramatic opener. Light jazz swings the curtain open for the purple-clad wonder worker Robinson. Butterfly yellow silk changes instantly to heavy silver walking sticks and then eye-popping penetrations, productions and vanishes adorn his graceful hands. Champagne disappears without pink elephant chasers amidst remarks about the Marx Brothers grandfather-magician and tales of a one-handed pickpocket! The audience is intimately involved. More silk flows from a gent’s fly and the uproar is loud enough to be heard on Sunset six blocks away. It’s comedy magic at its finest until comico magico Robinson pulls the rug out becoming story teller par excellence. Robinson provides easy listening, boffo trix, fast paced comedy, genuine surprises and genial showmanship. This was his Magic Castle debut.

Johnny Ace Palmer, a true world champion packed the room SRO for all 21 shows during the week. An old hand at Castle conjurations – winner of Magician of the Year award for Close Up Magic twice consecutively – Palmer raises the roof and doesn’t disappoint. Tall, bearded, witty, well-dressed, and gentle as a Summer breeze, his hands move like lightening as cards thought of travel inside his pocket, cut ropes mend, minds are read and sponges multiply in his mouth and dental floss brings a hilarious reference to Plato.

Palmer’s finale cements his legend status. Aided by three audience beauties, an old trick becomes an unforgettable piece of sorcery. He promises the materialization of “live baby chickens” and he delivers. The audience would not let him leave at the two shows I took in.

Robinson – the savvy New Yorker with odd credentials from Everest base camp – and Palmer the tall super hero with a quiet voice provided one of the best bills the Magic Castle has ever produced. If only the Magic Castle could maintain this level of class and talent; membership would be mandatory in the City of Angels.

Romhany's Youtube favorites
Thanks this week to my good friend Jonathan Levey from Canada, who sends him some great items. Here are a few clips that have kept me laughing all week.

The Great Train Robbery (TGTR) with Lucie and Desi:

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSKsU16zDyU&feature=related

Part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5cPu11BvmU&feature=related

Part three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxtrPgqOrXk&feature=related

HELP SUPPORT DAN SPERRY

This is something I would like EVERY PERSON READING THIS BLOG to do - just take a minute out of your day to help our friend in magic Dan Sperry get on the finals and WIN America's Got Talent. After some of the magic I've seen on this show we need to get people who can actually lift our art out of the gutter from that show. Dan is just different and talented enough to do it. I toured with Dan across Canada a few years back and you won't find a nice enough guy who is truly dedicated to the art of magic. We need more magicians like Dan you think outside the box, are incredibly creative and perform an amazing show. So let's all get together and vote for Dan!!
Simply go to THE VOTING GALLERY and you'll see Dan amongst a group of videos. (he's the one with the SPIKEY hair) - then click on the thumbs UP button. He's performing his famous lifesaver through neck.

Dear Paul,

I appreciate your continued support of my magic career. I just received a voice mail message from the producers of America's Got Talent. We had been talking about me possibly participating in this season's America's Got Talent contest. In the end we agreed to have me do the YouTube contest. The YouTube contest is where 40 different acts are chosen to be put on the America's Got Talent YouTube.com page where YOU can vote for an act to make it into the contest and perform LIVE on August 11. I am one of the YouTube finalists and would sincerely appreciate your vote to be chosen into the contest this season. Please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/agt

And you will see the icon of my video third row down and second video in from the left. You are allowed to vote on one video per day, so please do me a favor and forward this to all your frie nds and family and tell as many people as you can about it and get up every morning to have your cup of coffee and drop me a vote every day.

Again here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/agt

Thank you so much!

Sincerely,
Dan Sperry

HOCUS-POCUS PRIVATE ESTATE SALE
Everytime I speak to Paul Gross at Hocus-Pocus I have to ask him what has come in for the Private Estate sale. It's really worth coming back daily to see what they have come in. I managed just yesterday to acquire something that is so unique, so amazing and a one off that it is beyond words. It arrived and I'll be putting it in the new show scheduled for the end of the year. I was so excited because this will be the opening of my show. It's one of those items built by one of the top craftsman in the world, and will not only blow the audience away but magicians who think they know, will have NO CLUE as to how this works. I'm not going to give it away but just would like to tell you all to be sure to check out the website www.hocus-pocus.com and be sure to view Private Estate sales because they have some truly incredible magic on there, and most of them you can't get anymore.
Also, I know Paul Gross does like to get his hands on unique items, so if you are cleaning out your magic cupboards you might want to give him a call or drop him an email at :sales@hocus-pocus.com

ROMHANY"S PICKS OF THE WEEK
Passport by David Regal

This has some nice ideas in it for a card to wallet type effect. It's pretty much all mechanical so if you don't like to palm cards this could be for you. It uses a few different ideas to achieve the effect and I think overall is a great effect. For me, I just palming cards however I do love the idea of the passport. I think it offers some great patter lines - especially for somebody like me who travels so much. This is worth looking at if you want to do a card to wallet type routine.

Here is the blurb from www.hocus-pocus.com
A card to impossible location effect with no forces, no palming, and no hesitation.

The spectator selects any card, secretly writes the name of a location on it's face, then returns it to the deck. The performer waves a black leather embossed passport case over the cards, then is able to tell the spectator the name of the unspoken location.

The passport case is opened and a passport removed from inside. The pages of the passport are flipped, and a face down card is found inside - the card is removed and it proves to be the card selected by the spectator complete with his handwritten location. The card can be given to the spectator.

NOTE: If desired, the passport can be bound with rubber bands and in view prior to the selection of a card. This is a card-to-impossible-location effect with no forces, no palming, and no hesitation.

Wow 2.0 Face Up Version

There really is only one word to describe this amazing visual effect - WOW!! Visually this looks impossible and it's so easy to use - pretty much anybody who can hold a deck of cards can do this. Really you only need to hold one card. The first time I saw this I was blown away - it's just so visual. There is also a Face Down version out as well. I think this would be a great ending to Ambitious Card or any other signed card routine - it's truly stunning. I can see this being used my almost every walk-about magician in the world - it's THAT good!!!

here is what Hocus-Pocus.com have to say:-
Wow 2.0 is THE most visible and amazing card change ever. It happens slowly and right before your eyes. Wow 2.0 is hailed by magicians around the world as one of the most amazing card effects they have ever seen. This looks like trick photography but happens right before their eyes.

A card is selected, signed, and lost in the deck. A random card is removed and fails to be the chosen card. This random card is inserted in a plastic sleeve to isolate it and avoid any chance of "tricky sleight of hand." The card SLOWLY and VISIBLY changes to the signed selection. You will be blown away by how amazing this looks. After seeing this trick, Lance Burton simply said, "WOW!" He was at a loss for words, thus the name.

Wow 2.0 (Face Up) now includes the gimmick and thorough instructional DVD. As a bonus, world renowned trade show performer Paul Gertner contributes an amazing effect where the magic moment is captured forever on a spectator's phone - a souvenir they will talk about long after it is over.

Wow 2.0 is one of the most amazing pieces of magic you will ever do. Easy, visual and stunning - you will do it just to amuse yourself and marvel at its effect. Includes instructional DVD and Face Up Wow 2.0 gimmick.

Available soon...Pre-order yours today and receive FREE SHIPPING ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!

BLUFF DVD Set

Now, this DVD set might have passed you by, it passed me by until I accidentally came across it at Hocus-Pocus. This really has some fantastic material on it - from a killer 3-FLY to card effects and the reason I got it was for the rose magic. This is such a wonderfully produced DVD - featuring French magicians - the quality of magic is great and for you all finger flickers you'll love the card effects. There is some really visual and stunning magic on here that I can easily see me working on and adding to my close-up repertoire. There are a few card changes that are just stunning - and one idea that uses a Ben Harris idea but takes it to new levels I'm going to be doing straight away. I'm glad I came across this DVD because it's filled with fantastic effects and sleights. There is a really great four coin production on your knees which is cool. I know what I"m doing all week now:)

Here is what Hocus-Pocus.com have to say

Gemma (roses). A rose appears, disappears and is rediscovered.
Sedna (cards). A face-up card between two face-down cards visually changes into a previously chosen card.
Melo (flourish). A small flourish.
Hofzy (cards). A solution for a Hofzinser's aces problem.
One Coin Flash (coins). A one coin surprise
Moulin Rouge 2 (flourish). One of the most beautiful flourishes ever created.
Hold'on for Hold 'Em (gambling). How gamblers win at Hold 'Em.
Astral (cards). A production of four cards with a surprise.
Black Coffee(flourish). A blind flourish.
DVD 2:
Bruxelles (cards). A very visual discovery of two chosen cards.
Zlata (coins, roses). A coin changes into a rose.
CanaSpin (flourish). A card spins at your fingertips.
Copsilver (coins). A visual copper/silver transposition in the spectator's hands.
JJ (cards). A one-card kind of Reset.
BLUFFle Shuffle (gambling). A false riffle-shuffle.
Incandescence (coins). A coin visually appears at your fingertips.
Black Beat (gambling). A lesson in dishonesty when playing Draw Poker.
DVD 3:
Sonic Boom (cards). Four cards are produced and visually change into four other cards.
Three F-light (coins). A classic "three coins vanishing routine" revisited.
Black Jacky (gambling). A blackjack demonstration where the dealer wins although the players shuffled the deck.
Jocky (cards). A joker is split into two chosen cards.
Hexagon (flourish). How to build a hexagon with a pack of cards.
Don (cards). An ambitious aces routine with a final twist.
Motil (roses). Three roses appear one at a time.
Fanny (flourish). A fan spins at your fingertips.
Value (coins, rings). A Spellbound sequence with a coin and a ring.
Agora 3.0 (flourish). Need a third hand?

Mega Wave Book by John Bannon

John Bannon is one of my favorite close-up magicians. I use more of his stuff than anybody else I think for close-up. This is a great book where you are taught variations on one of the all time (now) classics of magic Brainwave. There is some really great material in here - and it could be put aside by most, but for those that purchase this will own something they'll use for ever!! One of the best buys I've seen in a long time. If you watch the footage at www.hocus-pocus.com you'll see just how stunning this really is.

Here is what Hocus-pocus.com have to say:

The Fractal Invasion continues. John Bannon's exciting new foray into the world of Fractal Card Magic. Ride the Wave! A smash hit at the 2010 Blackpool Convention.

75 pages. Fully-illustrated. Seven tricks including "Mega 'Wave," the ultimate evolution of the four-card examinable Brainwave.

Stephen Tucker's "Omega," concept completely re-mixed. Plus six other "fractal" routines.
Mega Wave - Hocus Pocus and Mumbo Jumbo hammer the four-card Brainwave.
Fractal Re-Call - JB's insanely popular "Call of the Wild" wild card routine fractalized. Use any deck.
Short Attention Scam - A maximum magic minute. JB's hit, "The Royal Scam," for the impatient.
Mag-7 - Wild card. Fractal. Magnificent.
Poker Pairadox - Re-mix Trost's classic matching effect. Go all in.
Fractal Jacks - Deal or no deal? Layered mental, pasteboard and fractal engineering.
Wicked - Help Dorothy escape from you know who.)

Source: http://romhanyreport.blogspot.com/2010/06/introducing-keystone-entertainment.html