Take a look inside the new Magic Friday Studio. Featuring the "Coin Carrier"~ for the discerning gentleman and conjurer. Handcrafted by Jamie D. Grant. ___________________________________________________________________
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
Magic Friday is written by Jamie D. GrantWhat 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!
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POINTLESS from Gregory Wilson
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!
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Deck of cards in a bottle ~ The perfect gift for friends, family, or yourself.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Kostya Kimlat's !WARNING
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%#$% paper is, but there’s no way he’s seen !Warning labels. And I think the “move” might have slipped him a bit. Let’s say, 3.5/5 as he didn’t toss out any explanations.
My Rating:
Well, I love this effect and absolutely love that I now have a good reason to bust out fire. Combine that with the fact that I think Kostya Kimlat is an amazing person and we have a total winner in my books. 10/10. I mean, c’mon, it’s freakin’ a fire trick for Pete’s sake!
Reminded of that, I can’t express enough how well this is going to play for paying gigs. If you’ve ever used a Fire Wallet, you know the attention it gets, and how much people enjoy it. Well, for me, I think this will be even better. I don’t have to worry about filling anything or having a massive flame to deal with. Every performance will be a quick flash that exists in a magical context. Fantastic.
The JDG Tip:
If you have the choice between the big and the small lighters, I found the bigger one to work better. It’s a bit easier to handle and, in my opinion, just looks nicer. Go big!
New!
The iTricks Idea
Check out iTricks one week after this is posted for another idea to help you out!
Closing Thoughts:
Kostya is one of those people who deserves every success he has. If you ever get a chance to meet him, do yourself a favour and talk with him for as long as possible. You won’t regret it, I promise.
Have a great week, everyone!
Jamie D. Grant
www.whatizit.net
______________________________________________________________
What The Audience Sees:
”This Friday was suh-weeeet! You know why? Fire. That’s why. Jamie was in our office and showed us this lighter he had just bought and explained how he hated that Warning Label sticker that comes on them. So he pulls it off the lighter and asks us if we want to see something cool. “He!!s yes!”, we said. Well, he actually sets the Warning Label on fire, no kidding! The thing goes *poof* but, get this, it reappears back on the lighter in a %^$%$^^# flash!!! I don’t know what else to say! Lighter, sticker off, fire, sticker on. It was awesomely crazy!”
How It Went:
You could probably go outside, right now, light something, anything for that matter, on fire and get a crowd. People love fire. It’s that simple. Now- go outside, light the sticker on your lighter on fire, and make it magically reappear back on the lighter and you’ll get a crowd that’s going crazy, lol. And it really is simple!
Holy Smokes I love this trick! (Ha, ha, get it? I said, “Holy Smokes” and we’re talking about fi...ahem...never mind). It totally rocked it all day Friday. It’s just such a brilliant way to introduce something that we all know plays so well. And people just couldn’t believe the restoration. Almost every single person or group I showed this too demanded to see the lighter after. They just couldn’t believe it. Well done.
Best Lines:
”That was HOT!”
-I think about five different people all said the same thing, lol.
”Gimme that! Baaaam, that was nuttolo!””
-Nuttolo?
Angry Bob Rating:
For those of you reading this article for the first time, Angry Bob is a co-worker who has an understanding of some magic because his uncle was a magician. Angry Bob knows that TT’s exist, for example, but he has no desire to become a magician himself. He also has an anger management problem that can be experienced first hand if he can’t figure out how a trick is done. A high rating means he has no idea.
“That looked pretty good, Grant. For a *&^&*% *$&&&&*$.”
-I obviously can’t write what those last two words are, lol, but they were his usual abuse. I’m not sure what to think, to be honest. I’m almost positive he knows what f%#$% 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
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