304: Gay Blackstone, First Lady of Magic

Blackstone. An iconic name that means "magic". Well, okay, it may also mean a winery...but for us, it means "magic".

The name conjures up perhaps the last of the big traveling shows from legitimate theaters to Broadway. And Harry Blackstone, Junior's widow, Gay, continues that tradition by taking "Masters of Illusion" on the road and bringing it to an even wider audience each week on the CW television network. After being the wife and assistant for Harry Blackstone, Jr. for many years, she is now a producer, director, consultant, lecturer and author. She has made a mark of her own not only with the "Masters of Illusion" show, but also with the many awards she has earned including being named one of "2007 Hollywood's Women of Distinction" plus being the President of the Academy of Magic Arts.

Along with Harriet Jacobson and Robbie Willmarth, Gay also owns and operates the magic-themed jewelry company, BJW Magical Jewelers, which is often seen in the dealers' rooms at magic conventions.

Gay Blackstone is more than the widow of Harry Blackstone Jr. She is also a television and stage producer, director, consultant, lecturer and author. She was president of the Academy of Magical Arts and was named one of "2007 Hollywood's Women of Distinction" by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

On July 3, 2016, while attending the 88th I.B.M. conveintion in San Antonio, Texas, Gay Blackstone joined Scott Wells on the microphone to record a podcast for The Magic Word.

In our conversation, I learned that Gay was once one of the "Gold-Diggers" dancers on the Dean Martin Show before she met Harry. She also has some great stories about their summer retreats to Blackstone Island in Colon, Michigan and how important Abbott's Get Togethers are to her. She then talks about "Masters of Illusion" and a little about how the acts are selected. If you are interested in being on the TV or touring show, then first listen to this podcast.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Looking for that special item? Perhaps a customized jewelry item might be in your future. Check out BJW Magical Jewelers.

Click the banner for more information on this year's Get Together and to register today!

303: What's App with Carl Andrews

Carl Andrews hails from Indianapolis, IN but lived and performed in Hawaii for eight years and now resides in North Carolina.

Carl talks about the old "Illusions" restaurant in Carmel, IN that was a magic themed restaurant that featured now well-known magic "names" like Michael Close, Homer Luwag, Chris Kenner, plus guests like Eugene Burger, Charles Greene III and others. We also talk about magic-themed restaurants.

Video clip from Carl Andrews Mental Comedy Show carlrandrews.com

A brief message about Audio Ape, the best audio companion for Show Cues.

During our discussion, Carl and I talked about an app by Max Krause but could not remember it's name. The app Carl was talking about during the podcast was Mental Killer and it's only available on the iPhone. To see some of the products offered by Carl Andrews, please visit his website at: http://www.carlandrews.com/products.html You can help both Carl and The Magic Word by purchasing his book through Amazon by clicking on the link below in this blog. And if you want to learn more about ShowCues, then visit the Conjuring Cabinet website then order it through the iTunes App store for $89.99.

BTW, during this podcast, I was trying to remember the name of a spy-themed bar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After this podcast was posted, John Graybeal, a Friend of The Magic Word, reminded me that the name of the place is the Safe House. Thanks, John. It is unquestionably one of the coolest places I've ever visited!

Order Carl's book, "Magic From Maui" that includes all of the effects on his DVD of the same name, and more! Lots of great ideas and tricks for performing Restaurant Magic. It is just as fresh and relevant aas the day it was published in 2003.

Thank you to the Friends of The Magic Word whose financial support helps pay for the shipping of these prizes.

Click the banner to visit The Magic Word online magic store. Help support us with your purchases.

302: Day Four -2016 I.B.M. Convention

The final day of the convention was no less packed than the others starting off with the annual Order of Merlin breakfast. This is for I.B.M. members with 25 years or more of consecutive membership. This year's speaker was Richard "Rick" Heath who spoke about 40 years of artwork in Le Grand David show. The final day of the Triple Treat followed. Then after lunch, the pages of The Linking Ring magazine came alive with lectures by the columnists and editor in several break-out rooms.

Eric Jones gave the final lecture in the banquet hall and the evening show entertained the registrants and public alike with a show hosted by Steve Bargatze and included Joseph Gabriel, Thommy Ten and Amelie, and a special appearance by Johnny Thompson and Shawn Farquhar dressed as doves. The show closed with the illusions of Scott Pepper. We then retreated to the hotel where we had a farewell party/reception for everyone.

Time Stamps for this podcast:

00:02:34 - Richard "Rick" Heath was the artist who worked for Le Grand David magic show. Here he gives a talk to the Order of Merlin members at their annual breakfast meeting. He talks about the 40 years of artwork in the show: posters, props, backdrops and portraits. you can download and view the special, full color booklet that Rick gave to attendees by Clicking Here.

00:38:39 - John McLaughlin, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, talks about how he has been enjoying the convention and what he's learned and what magic he's doing in his daily life.

00:53:00 - Joshua Jay talks about his recent lecture during the convention, "Tragic Magic" plus other things that he and Andi Gladwin are working on with Vanishing, Inc. and the MagiFest.

00:55:56 - Former National President of the Texas Association of Magicians, and the Entertainment Director of the former Magic Island in Houston, Scott Hollingsworth, talks about some of his favorite parts of the convention. He also talks about the upcoming T.A.O.M. convention coming in September 2-5 in Corpus Christi, Texas,

01:06:52 - Past National President of the S.A.M. talks about his favorite parts (so far) of this convention, plus a plug for the upcoming S.A.M. convention in Indianapolis and the Magic Compass.

01:14:03 - Steve Bargatze tells about his behind-the-scenes as he prepared topical humor for the convention.

01:25:18 - First International Vise President of the I.B.M., Michael Finney, talks about the changing scene on magic conventions plus his upcoming "Dry Heat Classic" charity golf event.

Thank you everyone who entered the contest to win one of two hard copies of Rick's booklet that accompanied his speech before the "Order of Merlin" members' breakfast. Watch for upcoming opportunities to win prizes from The Magic Word.