Acar, Noblezada, Morgan, Sam, Black Fox and I just got back to Penguin UK from BLACKPOOL a few minutes ago. We're heading to Central London for some late night sight-seeing before the guys head back to Las Vegas. Acar and I are staying in London for another week working at Penguin UK.

Blackpool was FANTASTIC. We got to meet a ton of Penguins.

More soon. Including a details and photos from BLACKPOOL 2006.

We sent out a newsletter email about Card Stunts early this morning. Here's the text of the email in case you're not on our email list:

Dear Penguin Customer,

I'm writing today to let you know that Gregory Wilson's Card Stunts is back in stock! Card Stunts is one of our most popular and MOST REQUESTED DVDs!

Why? Because Card Stunts will teach you how to ACTUALLY ENTERTAIN with a pack of playing cards--better than perhaps any other DVD ever produced. It's not just a bunch of tricks. It's EIGHT proven routines that work for real audiences. GUARANTEED. The difference is huge. Tricks make you a fun guy to be around. Routines make you an entertainer with an act.

"Card Stunts is a must have DVD for card workers. It's one of the Top 5 Card Magic DVDs of ALL TIME. And it's the best example of a full act with cards ever put on tape." -- Maxwell Murphy, Penguin Magic

If you've never seen a Gregory Wilson DVD before you're in for a treat. He's one of the most charismatic magicians in the world today. And he's an excellent teacher. You'll love learning this material.

This is extremely visual card magic that's as fun to perform as it is to watch. But don't just take my word for it. Here's what some Penguin customers have to say about Card Stunts:

"This dvd deserves 10 stars. If you are a serious cardician this is a must in your repertoire." -- Lauren Mea, France"If you want to take your card magic to the next level, then get this DVD." -- G Money, San Antonio, Texas

"Just go to any magic forum and you'll see that magician's that do magic for a living say things like "this is the best tape I own!" and "This is one video I'm never going to get rid of." Now that it's out on DVD, it's a steal for 30 bucks! This is by far one of my favorite... probably my favorite card DVD I own!" -- Dann, Grand Rapids, MI

"Gregory Wilsons card stunts is a must buy. The tricks are incredible, the explanations are good, and thy're pretty easy to do." -- Penguin from California

"I'm Speechless. This dvd is absolutely amazing the routines in it are all very good. None of the routines you will not use in this dvd. Gregory Wilson is my HERO." --Fred Youm, London, Ontario, Canada

"This is a must buy, and in my opinion a great combination of magic and flourishing." -- Penguin, USA"All I have to say is, Greg is unbelievable and entertaining as hell. I have Card Sunts on VHS. It's one of Gregs best releases. I have everything he releases." -- In Flames, Toronto

Card Stunts is without question one of the best products at Penguin Magic. I hope you'll take a moment to check out the demo video, read the reviews, and see for yourself. If you're serious about entertaining with a pack of cards, there's no better choice. http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=1169

Thanks for choosing Penguin Magic. You were born to perform. Now go out and entertain the world.

Sincerely,

Maxwell Murphy
Penguin Magic: born to perform
http://www.penguinmagic.com

P.S. Gregory Wilson is one of the top teachers in magic today. Gregory Wilson titles available through Penguin include:

On the Spot: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=466
Ring Leader: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=469
Card Stunts: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=1169
Pyrotechnic Pasteboards: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=362

Acar, Paul, Jay, Sam and I have been on the road shooting a new DVD on the three shell game. We drove to the famous resort town "Big Bear" in California and took to the slopes with Native American magician Black Fox. We captured Black Fox's incredible three shell game routine from every angle for your entertainment and education.

From the side of a mountain to the main hall of an upscale ski resort lodge, we captured all the action. We even shot in a small local restaurant for members of the California press.

Keep an eye on the site and you will soon see Black Fox's beautiful hand painted shells. Be sure to check out the incredible Scarab Beetle and Turtle shells. Black Fox's Three Shell Game DVD is expected out in early May.

Here are some photos from the trip:


Above: Jay realizes we're lost.





Above: we finally find Black Fox. From left to right: Acar, Jay, Black Fox, Maxwell.



Above: hanging out at dinner. From left to right: Sam, Black Fox, Maxwell, Acar, Jay.

Thanks to MGM4MAGIC for the heads-up on a cool article.

The article is from AOL News and it's titled "Magic Does the Trick in Upcoming Thrillers".
http://articles.news.aol.com/movies/article.adp?id=20060215070109990001&cid=19

The article reminded me of a thought I had watching King Kong (the new movie) a few weeks back. I thought to myself, "by itself, magic is just a bunch of special effects that people can do in real life."

King Kong was the first time (and to date the only time) I've ever seen CGI so perfectly realistic that it fooled me. It was also one of the most BORING movies I've seen in a long time.

Watching it felt a lot like being fooled by a magic trick. Two DINOSAURS were fighting on screen so I KNEW someone was doing a trick..., but I didn't know HOW it worked. I knew it was "computers" like a spectator might know it's "strings" that make a levitation work... but I couldn't tell you how it ACTUALLY WORKED...

I'm not saying it's boring to get fooled by a magic trick. I actually like the feeling. But, magic tricks usually last three minutes and King Kong lasted THREE HOURS. Imagine watching someone float a dollar bill for three hours!

My point is this:

You can use your "special effects" to get noticed, to make a point, to get a laugh, or to open someone's mind. Or, you can use them to fool people. Fooling people is fun, but meaningful and memorable experiences are a much better gift to the world. So create them.

Of course, if you're a little brother like me you're still going to have to fool the heck out of your big brother once in awhile... just enough to keep him scratching.

This from Magic Historian Paul Draper:

When politics and magic don't mix (India) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4713116.stm

A side-effect of ISPs doing their best to minimize the amount of SPAM their customers receive is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies with opt-in mailing lists to communicate with their customers through email.

We're experiencing this challenge first hand as more and more of our customers tell us they're no longer receiving our newsletters and promotional emails. We will continue to work with the major ISPs to ensure high deliverability rates, but we'll also make sure to post all newsletter and promotional emails to this blog so you can come here and catch up on the latest news anytime.

The following promotional email is set to be sent out tonight at midnight (Pacific):

Dear Penguin Customer,

Now through Valentines Day (February 14th), we're having a HUGE Sankey Valentine's Day Blow-Out SALE! You'll save up to 72% on our entire range of Sankey Magic items. PLUS, we're giving away a FREE Firestarters DVD (a $30 value) with all orders over $99.

Firestarters is the perfect DVD for Valentine's Day because it teaches you how to be more romantic with your magic! Click here for details: http://www.penguinmagic.com/jay_sankey_magic_tricks_tour.php

Firestarters features 17 brand new close-up and mentalism effects designed to TURN UP THE HEAT between you and your audience! Jay Sankey teaches you how to determine real prospects, communicate your interest and availability, encourage flirting, fuel chemistry and (most importantly) GET THAT PHONE NUMBER!

Jay also shares an exciting collection of 24 "firestarter tips," the insightful information you need to get the sparks flying night after night! Learn how to "Make Compliments," "Express Success," "Appeal to Her Every Sense," "Make Her the Star," and so much more!

Jay even includes valuable information on "Making the Phone Call," "The First Date," and "How to Get ANY Woman's Phone Number!"

At any other magic shop Firestarters sells for $30. For a limited time you can buy Firestarters at Penguin Magic for only $22.50. And, now through Valentines Day you can get Firestarters ABSOLUTELY FREE with all orders over $99!"

Here's what one Penguin Customer said:

"Firestarters is FANTASTIC !!! I bought the DVD as a way to learn interesting romatic tricks to perform for my wife. Jay's techniques are real hits. For the unbelievers, Jay's advice on how to approach and speak to women is Dead On. It's not the magic, but the approach that counts. The magic is a good excuse to enter into another's personal zone, and that's what you want. Jay's methods for opening up conversations with anyone are fabulous. His tips for what to say, how to look, and what not to do are exactly what women want." -- Penguin Customer from Orange County, CA

Click here to check out Firestarters, read more reviews, and watch the demo video: http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=930

Click here for details: http://www.penguinmagic.com/promotions.php

Thanks for choosing Penguin Magic. Happy Valentines Day!

Sincerely,

Maxwell Murphy
Penguin Magic: born to perform.
http://www.penguinmagic.com1-800-717-2799

P.S. The bonus items don't stop there. For a limited time we're also giving away the following:

- A free Spirit Key with your purchase of the Seance (DVD)!

- A free In Your Face Thumb Tip with your purchase of Darwin's Encyclopedia of Thumb Tip Magic!

- A free Table Hopping Cups and Balls (DVD) with your purchase of The Penguin Cups!

- A free "born to perform T-Shirt" with orders over $100!

Click here for details: http://www.penguinmagic.com/promotions.php

Some of you may not know how simple it is to be notified of the newest posts on the Penguin Magic Blog. This is done through the use of RSS and Atom feeds. These are simplified forms of the blog entries themselves, which are in an easily accessible format.

To read these feeds, you need what is known as a "feed reader" or a "news aggregator", many of which are available for free. You can find news aggregators for your system here.

Once you have your news aggregator downloaded and installed, simply set it up to see the following address: http://www.penguinmagic.com/blog/atom.xml

Once you've done this, you'll be able to read brief versions of each of our recent entries, click on each entry to read the full version, and be notified each time the site is updated automatically!

magic.projecthistory.org

We've been interested in working on the project of cataloging all of the world's magic inventor information and credits for quite some time. Two years ago we purchased the rights to a book by Gary Darwin called, "Who Invented the Magic". It's a fascinating book, but a great deal is missing. For example, the book makes no attempt to cover the incredibly rich area of close-up card magic.

Our vision with "Who Invented the Magic" was to publish it for free online and invite other magicians to contribute their knowledge to fill in the missing pieces. We discovered recently that magic historian and Cultural Anthropologist Paul Draper was about to kick-off a similar project.

Paul's idea was to create a free online encyclopedia of magic history. It would be built in the model of the popular Wikipedia, but it would be focused exclusively on the art of magic. That focus would allow Paul to protect against exposure of magic secrets on the site, and allow all magicians to be included in the online encyclopedia.

We loved Paul's concept, and we thought it would be great for the community, so we offered to help sponsor the site.

magic.projecthistory.org goes live tonight! It's currently being updated with all of the information in "Who Invented the Magic". The information being put into magic.projecthistory.org will be instantly available via the web anywhere in the world.

As a moderator, Paul will be reading and updating the site... But he can't do it alone! At magic.projecthistory.org EVERYONE IS A MODERATOR! We need your help to add definitions, entries and articles. Come online and share your knowledge with others in our art. We stand on the shoulders of the giants who have come before us, and together we can honor them by writing their history and giving proper credit to their effects.

With the help of magicians around the world, magic.projecthistory.org will soon become the ultimate resource for all of us to share in the deep and rich history of magic.

Visit today and explore the history of your favorite effects on magic.projecthistory.org!

Only 3 simple rules:

1) Fill out a profile before posting.
2) Please, no exposure of methods. Any exposure posts will be deleted.
3) No advertisements, self-promotion or vanity posts.

Click here to check out the site!