Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
March 23, 2009

Howdy friends. Spring has sprung and love and magic is in the air. Lots of things happening in and around Houston this week and in the near future. I mentioned that we have quite a line-up of lecturers coming through soon and that’s a fact. I also mentioned that the Magic Island is under repair but that’s a rumor. I mentioned that “love is in the air” because one of our local magic aficionados will soon be tying the knot that can’t be undone. Looking around the state Austin, TX will host their annual auction in a few weeks and they have also announced their state-wide magic competition open to all comers. Back to Houston, the T.A.O.M. will host its mid-year meeting in Houston this weekend; we have our monthly I.B.M. Ring meeting tonight at our recently remodeled regular location; plus lots of magicians working around town including a séance. (Read More…)

Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
March 16, 2009

Howdy friends. Faith and begorrah if it isn’t the week when we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I say “week” though the actual celebration day is Tuesday March 17th, but Chicago dyed its river green this past weekend marking the official kickoff of mirth and merriment. Let’s hope this festive feeling spills over in the economy to employ more magicians. This week some of us in Houston will enjoy a free movie premiere (and magic show); some young magicians will congregate this weekend; and, more. And BTW, did you notice something different at the end of last week’s blog? (Read More…)

Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
March 9, 2009

Howdy friends. By today most of us in the U.S. have made the adjustments to our mental clocks since we "sprang forward" one hour over the weekend, thus losing one hour of sleep which we will gain back later this year. It sounds vaguely like the economic recovery plan. Anyway, lots of lecturers coming through here this year. In times of economic slowdown, we must turn to alternate streams of revenue which is why I think we will be seeing an unprecedented volume of professional magicians going on lecture tours. And this is a good thing for us as we see various styles and learn great stuff from some of the best. This week we have an update on The Magic Island plus other things going on around Houston. (Read More...)

Ali Bongo Passes Away

1929-2009
by Scott Wells, A.I.M.C. with Silver Star

The world of magic and indeed the world of entertainment will be a more solemn place as we mourn the loss of our magical brother, Ali Bongo, "The Shriek of Araby." At the end of January 2009, Bongo (79) collapsed while giving a lecture in Paris. He was taken to the hospital and, while there, suffered a stroke. Bongo was subsequently returned to the United Kingdom and cared for in St Thomas' Hospital, London, where he later died from complications arising from pneumonia on Sunday March 8, 2009. (Read More...)

Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
March 2, 2009

Howdy friends. Time to flip the calendar page and wish our friends "down under" in Western Australia a Happy "Labour" Day. While some celebrate and some play, some work or are looking for work. Opportunities abound for those who seek them out even in these unstable economic times. Magicians are known for our creativity and for presenting magic on the leading edge of technology before the rest of the world discovers it (see: Robert-Houdin and the Light/Heavy Chest). Now is certainly the time to prove our creative worth to maintain economic viability and perhaps indeed our very existence. But enough heavy pontificating...lot's of stuff happening in and around the Houston magic community and beyond this week...Richard Hatch public show, meetings, lectures and an update on The Magic Island. (Read More...)

Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
February 23, 2009

Howdy friends. The 81st Academy Award Show is history and Hollywood made a bold statement. It seemed to say that the underdogs who fight will emerge winners. "Slumdog Millionaire" took top movie and Sean Penn won best actor for "Milk" and, after many nominations, Kate Winslet finally won the coveted best actress trophy. This says to me that even though the economy is tough and getting worse, magicians who persevere will succeed. There were even a couple references to magicians at the awards ceremonies, too. While on this subject, an upcoming movie will soon be released on a mentalist who resembles Kreskin. But back to local news, the Lone Star Auction was held this past weekend in Ft. Worth. Thousands of dollars exchanged hands among a hundred magicians. Locally we will have our I.B.M. Ring meeting on a new night, plus more news from around Houston. (Read More...)

Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
February 16, 2009

Howdy friends.  It's relevant that today is President's Day in the U.S. so we should give some space to talk about our Officer Installation Banquet. As expected we had a record breaking crowd this year with over 400 people in attendance. We had 15 of Houston's finest close-up magicians strolling the room before dinner and more than a half dozen stage performers including our guest performers from Austin. February is only half way over and we still have a lot to do this month with magic meetings and local performances. (Read More...)

Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
February 9, 2009

Howdy friends. What a week we had in Houston! John Calvert's lecture was really more of an event with some in attendance all the way from Las Vegas and many we hadn't seen in years at any lecture. John will be lecturing elsewhere around the area this week, too. While he was in town, I sat down for a taped interview which is embedded in this blog. Chris Korn also gave a stellar lecture for a lucky few, again with some driving hundreds of miles to see him. This coming Sunday will be our much anticipated Annual Banquet. I also have an update on the remodeling of The Magic Island; the Kingwood area magicians will meet for lunch this week, and; other events are happening on the Houston magic scene this week. (Read More...)

Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
February 2, 2009

Howdy friends. Another year and history is made: the Steelers are the World "Football" Champs (not soccer); Punxsutawney Phil (the groundhog) saw his shadow which means we will have six more weeks of winter, and: I am beginning my second year of this weekly blog about the Houston magic scene. This week is full and I mean full. We begin with a meeting, go to a lecture, then to a comedy club, then back to another lecture and make final preparations for the following week and our annual banquet. And in between there are magicians working around town plus a local magician is selling a new "Poltergeist Table" and there is an open opportunity to perform for special needs kids. Also, we have some sad news to report. (Read More...)

Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
January 26, 2009

Howdy friends. I have been posting weekly updates to this column since February 4, 2008 with great regularity. By my count, it appears that we are now reaching a milestone with 50 postings making this a golden anniversary of sorts. This began as a labor of love and continues to be so even today as I sit here sipping my savory coffee. And I hope to continue submitting more updates to help promote magic in general and Houston in particular. We have a few things going on around town this week for those interested in all things magic around Houston. First, information about some lectures coming; fire and water damage forces us out of I.B.M. Ring venue; banquet update; club meeting notices; T.A.O.M. video update, and; who's working where. (Read More...)