169: Day 4 - IBM/SAM Combined Convention 2014

On this Independence Day in the U.S., we saw plenty of fireworks in the close-up and stage contests today. The finals were held in the evening with some solid competitors that made it difficult for the judges to decide upon a clear winner.

Also this day was the annual banquet which included the awarding of the Milbourne Christopher trophies. This year the recipients were:

Illusionist Award - Alex Ramon

Mentalist Award - Joseph Curcillo

Close-Up Award - Dani DaOrtiz

Visual Magic Art Award - Rick Heath

Masters Award - Dale Salwak

Literary Award - Jim Steinmeyer

Lifetime Achievement Award - Stan Kramien

Some of the past winners of the Milbourne Christopher Award.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:48 - Eric Jones will be traveling to China and Australia to perform, plus he has a new effect that will soon be on the market.

00:10:56 - Christian Painter (one half of the Christian and Katalina mind reading duo), was one of the contestants in the FISM North American Championships. He talks about entering contests plus some of his advice and tips.

00:27:41 - Past National Presidents of the S.A.M, Mark Weidhaas and Vinny Grosso talk about this convention as it relates to registration and the contests as each chaired those respective positions for this event.

00:36:33 - Chris Hannibal, another of the contestants (close-up, in this case), tell us about his road to prepare for this competition and his creative process in developing this routine.

00:40:40 - Joe Curcillo talks about his excitement of being a recipient of the Milbourne Christopher award.

00:44:17 - Inside the banquet, I set my recorder to capture the auction for a prized photo of Joanie Spina and David Copperfield, the proceeds of which went directly to help with Joanie's medical expenses. We also hear the announcements of the recipients for the Milbourne Christopher awards.

01:18:43 - Bill Gleason tells about the history of the "Patriot and Patriotism Award" and how deserving members can apply or suggest a recipient for this prestigious award.

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featuring Christian and Katalina in Indianapolis, Indiana

108: MAGIC Live! 2013 - Day 3

Day three was another fun and exciting day that began with the Opening Session hosted by Justin Flom A highlight of the show was Xavier Mortimer's incredibly innovative routines. He is currently featured in the Cirque du Soliel show here in Vegas, "Michael Jackson One".. But it was Wayne Dobson being interviewed by Jeff McBride which received a standing ovation.

00:00:07 – Tom Vorjahan, Daniel Herron and Eddie Wade give a recap of the Documentary Live 1 show from last night that featured the Long Beach Mystics hosted by Stan Allen and Mike Caveney. It featured David Deeble, Victor and Diamond, Michael Weber, Dana Daniels, Mark Kalin and Jinger, Armando Lucera, Kevin James, and James Hamilton (as Alexander Hamilton).

00:08:33 – I give a short review of the General Session that was hosted by Justin Flom and featured Master Payne, Bill Abbott, Xavier Mortimer, and Wayne Dobson being interviewed by Jeff McBride.

00:13:00 – I chatted with random people dining at the In ‘N Out and how much they enjoy this place. It is one of my regular, mandatory places to dine while in Las Vegas.

00:15:02 – Simon Coronel talks about creativity and how he developed his routine.

00:26:00 – Photo time with Criss Angel

00:26:50 – David Hira talks about this convention and conventions in general and their appeal to different age groups.

00:34:45 – Scott Hunstler was one of the winners on the Sunday night Welcome Party. He talks about what he won. Mark Weidhaas, S.A.M. Past President, and Errol Lipschitz, from Vancouver, talks about their experience of this convention.

00:39:56 – We viewed the documentary about Ricky Jay’s life, Deceptive Practices. Here I get to talk with a few people who know Ricky and have a perspective and opinion on the movie. It isn’t anything like Siskell & Ebert, but I think you will enjoy this discussion by Peter Samelson, Tim Felix and Jon Stetson.

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The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

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