Weekly Round-Up
by SCOTT WELLS
October 6, 2008

Howdy friends.  I am so glad to see that other cities (San Diego and Chicago) are now reporting what's happening on their local magic scene. Magic is a big house with many rooms and I am happy to visit as many as I can.  I look forward to seeing this web portal grow to include happenings in other major cities, too. You can go elsewhere to read about the new Masked Magician TV series or reviews on Criss Angel's new Las Vegas shows.  But here you can see what the local "workers" are doing so you can join us when you are in town.  For example, there is a lot of magic stuff going on around Houston: the Magic Island remains closed for repairs; Julian Franklin goes to sea; magic club meeting; magic lectures; spooky séances, and; who's working where and when. (Read More...)

I have been reporting on the status of the Magic Island and here is the latest. The carpeting and wall coverings have been removed from every room and hallway in the building with the exception of the Palace of Tutankhamen (the main theatre that seats 150).  They took pictures of the posters that were on the walls so they can re-hang them where they were after the remodeling is complete.  Their intent is to tile the floors and walls and eliminate the rich interior that made the island a Magic Mecca in the sun.  The owner's belief is that he wants something that will "last 100 years."  Let's hope that the Island will indeed last a hundred years.  But it sounds like it will suffer as looking like a Mexican restaurant.  This is not a disparaging remark, but only to give you an idea of the direction it seems headed...one which will not muffle noise but will increase it as sound will bounce off the walls.

Furthermore, the targeted re-opening date for the Magic Island is November 1st; however, the real date may be closer to January 1st.  As we get closer to whenever that opening date will be, they will see who is available to perform in the new venue. Oh, by the way, since the carpeting in the theatre was untouched, everything should remain the same in that area. Since there was water damage in and around the stage, they are considering fixing the roof and will repair the gaping hole in the dressing room. They will not be replacing the wood flooring. I don't know if it suffered significant water damage or is warped.  More on the Island as the renovations near completion.

Most of you who read The Linking Ring are no doubt familiar with the monthly articles penned by our own Julian Franklin. He delivers sound marketing advice every month that helps all magician become better business people.  Well, Julian is joining a crew of other motivational speakers at sea (including Barry Mitchell and Tim Sonefelt) this week for the Creativity at Sea cruise out of Galveston aboard the Magnificent Carnival Ectasy.  This cruise promises five days of brainstorming, the creative process, script writing, creative marketing, creativity exercises and contests.  Although this year's ship has set sail, check out http://www.timsonefelt.com/cas/ for future opportunities to get aboard.

Tonight October 6th will be the monthly meeting of the Houston Association of Magicians (H.A.O.M.) which holds its joint meeting with the S.A.M. Assembly #19.  We always start with a mini-lecture arranged by Scott Hollingsworth starting at 7:00 followed by separate, but equal, business meetings at 7:30 p.m.  Our meetings are open to all magicians and those with a true interest in our craft. For more information and directions, visit www.HoustonMagic.com Don't forget that Kostya Kimlat will be the third in the H.A.O.M. Lecture Series next Tuesday, October 14th.

Tonight's mini-lecture will be given by Scott Wells who will show a PowerPoint Presentation of Houdini's Lecture on Fraudulent Mediums.  It will include nearly 100 photos that were duplicated from the slides actually used by Houdini then later by Eugene Powell in their lectures. This is a perfect lecture for the Halloween season and fits well with the séances that Scott gives twice weekly during October with Jamie Salinas.  Visit www.HoustonSeance.com for more information on their shows (Wednesday and Sunday evenings).

Houston is the nation's fourth largest city and as such it is hard for everyone to make the drive to all of our meetings and lectures.  So, some local magi meet in their suburban areas with each other for regular luncheons.  One such group meets weekly south of Houston in the NASA near League City usually on Mondays at 11:30 at different restaurants around their area.  To get on their mailing list or to see where they will next meet, contact Charlie Randall (of H&R Magic Books) at Charlie@magicbookshop.com and see if you can meet and eat with them the next time you are visiting their area. 

On the opposite side of town, there is a group near Kingwood in north Houston who meets more or less monthly. They usually meet at Luby's restaurant in Deerbrook Mall, Humble, TX that is not too far from Bush (Intercontinental) Airport and very near H&R Magic Book Shop. So, if you have time before your flight out, you might want to join them and take a short side trip to perhaps the world's largest magic book shop.  This month they will meet at noon next Tuesday October 14th at Luby's if you are interested in joining them. John Laws sends out a reminder to people wanting to get together and talk magic up there.  You can contact John at njlaws3@kingwoodcable.com and ask to be on his distribution list.

Robert Berry will be performing close-up this Tuesday October 7th at Olive's Martini Bar and Grill.  On October 18th he will do some strolling at the Texas Fest then be performing in the VIP tent.  For more info and tickets, check out www.mycigarcigar.com  Finally this month, Robert will be entertaining on Halloween at Lazy Brook Baptist Church.

Scott Wells will perform magic "on the grill" this week at Tokyohana's Grill and Sushi Bar at 3239 Southwest Freeway (I-45) on Thursday night on October 9th from 7:00 to 9:00 then Shane Wilson will perform there on Saturday October 11th from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. Braeden Clark-Tarpley is the resident magician at Zake Sushi Restaurant where you can watch him this and every Saturday night from 8:00 to 11:00.

Eric Falconer continues as the house magician two nights a week at Sakekawa, a sushi restaurant in the Woodlands, a northern suburb of Houston. Eric will be performing tableside and "grill" side each Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 then again on Saturdays from 6:30 to 8:30.  You can call Sakekawa for reservations at 281-419-5988.

As we consider entertaining our lay audience with "things that go bump in the night," I think we should ponder this week's quote from Oscar Wilde, "Man can believe the impossible but can never believe the improbable."