Back From Allakazam!

Well, I'm back! Max and I made a day trip to Mark and Nani Wilson's warehouse to pick up the Allakazam Hats. It was quite a site to see them all lined up in the entryway of their offices. Mark and Nani stayed up 'till the wee hours on Mother's Day by making sure all the Hats were signed and numbered by each of them. I must say how impressed I am in the finished product. Jay Leslie has gone above and beyond even my expectations on quality and craftsmanship. For those who pre-ordered, your wait is almost over as we will begin shipping the Allakazam Hats tomorrow (Friday). For those of you who are still interested, we have less than a few left with the original memorabilia package included, so hurry and place your order soon. I guarantee for those of you who purchased the Allakazam Hat, you will not only be happy but proud of yourself for making the investment. My sincere thanks to Mark and Nani and Jay Leslie for helping this dream project become a reality.


Mark and Nani signing and numbering each Allakazam Hat


Allakazam Hats preparing for their trip home

So, last evening, I was asked to speak about Hocus Pocus to a group called Business Incubator, a Fresno-based business that showcased "Entrepreneur Unplugged Night." It was a casual event with about 25 to 30 businessmen and women interested in the growth, development, and success of local businesses. Of course, I couldn't just go up and talk the entire evening without performing a bit of magic, and since beer was being served, what better way to kick off the evening than by performing the famous Vanishing Beer Bottle trick! It got a great round of applause and enthusiasm from the audience, and the perfect icebreaker to begin my talk. I began at 5:45 PM and before I knew it, it was 7:00 PM. A great crowd with a fantastic Q & A. I really enjoyed myself.

We're still getting a lot of great response from the Aldo and Rachel Colombini Lecture last week. It was a great double-feature with both Aldo and Rachel performing and lecturing. Everyone got their money's worth as the lecture, which began at 7:00 PM didn't end until 10:30 PM. If these two fine lecturers come to your area, make sure you do everything in your power to go see them.

Aldo still Ringing Around.


Rachel Colombini performs and teaches one of her effects


Clowning around after the lecture

Ball Vases? OK, it's been brought to my attention that I may have a small problem. I have a ball vase fetish that just won't relinquish its hold on me. What began as a practical joke has grown into an obsession that I cannot control. I now have over 80 ball vases in my collection, from the rarest of rare to the common plastic version. You name it; I have it! And here's the part that shows I truly have a problem: I want more! Do you have a ball vase you'd like to part with? If so, I'd like to give it a good home with the others shown below. You can contact me via email at sales@hocus-pocus.com or call toll-free 800-407-4040. Please, no calls from Ball Vases Anonymous...


Just a few of the ball vases in my office


But wait; there's more! You can never have enough.

Until next time,

Paul

Off to the Magic Land of Allakazam

No blog this week; Paul is traveling and visiting with Mark and Nani Wilson to pick up the Allakazam Hats. Expect a full report and back to blogging as usual next Friday.

Until then,

Mike

From Flea Circuses To?

We hit the mother lode! As many of you know, we sell private collections and estate items. We've recently acquired one of the largest private collections of magic we've seen in years! For the past several months, we've been unpacking and putting together hundreds of different effects, from the smallest close-up effect to the larger stage pieces. Some are newer effects, some are from the past, even rare items! Mike and I are finishing up the list of items today so the blog must be brief as the list is massive! This is your heads-up; if you wish to participate in this event, it's simple:

Tomorrow, Saturday afternoon, I will be sending out an email with a secret link to all these great items. Here's the catch: you must be a Hocus Pocus Online Member to receive the email. Don't worry; it's free and your member information stays with us! If you're not already a member, simply click the link below:

http://hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/join.cfm?

Fill out the information, and in a matter of seconds, you will be an official Hocus Pocus Online Member! It's that simple, and to get your taste buds going, check out the photos of just some of the items below:












Footlockers full of magic

So, as you can tell by the photos, we ain't kiddin' around. There's something for everyone, so watch for the email and remember -- all of these items are one-of-a-kind and sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Don't be left out.

Until next time,

Paul

Wedding Bells

Writing the blog a day early as tomorrow I'll be heading north along with Betty and Max to visit my son, Cole at St. Mary's. School will be out in less than 3 weeks for him, and it will be time to move him out of his dorm. We're going to rent a mini storage so Cole won't have to move everything back to Fresno for the Summer months. Saturday night, we'll head to San Francisco for a nice dinner all together, and then it's back home on Sunday.

Last weekend was my niece, Sara's wedding. My sister Jan and her husband Chris did a fabulous job coordinating the entire affair. The hall was beautifully decorated, the food was fantastic, and the ceremony and entertainment afterwards were great. It was fun seeing my cousin, Brian, who I hadn't seen in several years and getting together with all my other relatives. I wish all the luck to the bride and groom, pictured below:


Sara and Brandon


Max, dressed up like a dude


My mother and me


My daughter, Renee


My cousins, Brian and Karen


My daughter, Aimee, Sara, and Renee


My sister and me


Dancing the night away with the bride


Renee and I rock it out

Special announcement: Speaking of wedding bells, my daughter, Renee, on Monday evening, gave us the good news: she and her boyfriend, Jonathan, are also getting married next April! Betty and I are, of course, very excited, and we couldn't be happier as Jonathan will be a welcome addition to the family!


Jonathan and Renee

Funny story about Jonathan: When Renee and he had been dating for several months, Jonathan asked Renee what her father did for a living. When Renee told him that I was in the magic business, he told her to wait a second, he went into the other room, and came back with a Scotch & Soda coin trick. Turns out that Jonathan has been doing magic as a hobby for years. Who'd have thought? Small world, indeed.

So that about wraps it up this week. And what a week it's been! Thanks to all of you who take the time to read this blog and for keeping us busy around the clock at Hocus Pocus.

Until next time,

Paul

Birthday Wishes and Weddings

Quite the week here at Hocus Pocus. First of all, we all thought that the dreaded tax season would have the same slowing effect on our work here at Hocus Pocus. Such is not the case; perhaps the President's Economic Stimulus Package is working its magic because we've had our best month ever so far! We're running as fast as we can, and we thank you all for keeping us so busy!

This weekend, my sister's daughter, Sara, my niece, will be getting married this Saturday. In between packing and shipping, my sister has been fielding calls from bands, caterers, florists, etc., all while still managing to get your packages shipped to you on time. Quite the multi-tasker. We encouraged here to take this Thursday and Friday off to make sure everything is letter perfect come Saturday. The festivities begin tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM, and I am sure everything will come off as smooth as silk. Congratulations, Sara!

Tomorrow morning, Max and I head to Kingsburg, a little town approximately 25 miles south of Fresno, to attend a classic car show advertised as the largest in Central California. Max is very excited to attend and drool over classic cars from the past. He just got his 1969 Nova back from the upholsterers, and I must say, this is one hot looking car! He is now saving his money for the final investment, which will be a new paint job for the car's exterior. Once done, he'll be able to enter his car in a car show and rival some of his competition. This is his real love in life and what he wants to do, and he shows real passion about it, so of course, I am encouraging him all the way. He is now just weeks away, believe it or not, from getting his driver's license. Then watch out!



I'm really excited about a new product my friend, Chris Kenworthy, has just released: the Telethought Wallet! It has taken Chris over 2 years in the making, and when he first told me about it a couple of years ago, I couldn't wait for its release. Well, now it's here, and it is truly devious! When the finished product finally arrived here a couple of weeks ago and I had a chance to check it out, two words instantly came out of my mouth, which cannot be repeated here or in mixed company. If you want the ultimate peek wallet, this is a must-have. It comes in two different sizes, and you can check them out HERE and HERE!



Another item that has had quite its share of buzz on the boards is Matrix by Mickael Chatelain! Rather than describe it here, check it out along with the online video! You won't be disappointed. As of right now, Hocus Pocus is the only magic shop in the United States with a supply of Matrix in stock, ready for immediate delivery.

As of this writing, we now have 6 Free Downloads for you to check out, thanks to Michael Boden and John Mendoza. As of two days ago, we put Michael Boden's Unclassified Moves online, and he is really on fire! Sharing everything from coves and sleights to complete effects, and we can't thank him enough for his contributions. He and Mike Giusti have been in talks, and look for much more to come from Michael soon.


Mark and Nani Wilson

Belated birthday greetings to my mentor of magic, Mark Wilson! Last Friday was Mark Wilson's birthday. And guess what? Tomorrow is Nani Wilson's birthday! What better gift to give magic's most influential couple who have everything than a Happy Birthday wish? So, as a surprise, why not send your birthday greetings and wishes to Mark and Nani by sending them an email at naniwilson@sbcglobal.net? It will be a great belated birthday surprise for Mark and a total surprise for Nani. Happy birthday, Mark and Nani! Here's to many more to come!

Until next time,

Paul

A Night To Remember

Well, as promised, last weekend was better than even I could have imagined. Betty and I left for Los Angeles around noon on Saturday and arrived at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at 3:00 PM. We checked in and had a light lunch. Before you knew it, it was 6:00 PM, time to put on my tux, and Betty her evening gown and head downstairs. There were already several hundred magicians and celebrities in attendance walking the Red Carpet. After the meet & greet from 6-7 PM, there was a cocktail party hour, and it was amazing to see so many famous people in one place. Mark and Nani Wilson arrived close to 7:00 PM, and we all entered the ballroom and took our seats. Shortly after, the meal was served and then it was time for the awards banquet to begin. Opening the banquet were the Mums, a group of acrobats, jugglers, and mimes who circulated through the audience with their final destination: the stage. Lots of color, movement, and music started the evening off with a bang.


The Mums

Mark Nelson then introduced Mark Wilson who announced the first award of the evening which, believe it or not, was the Award of Merit. It was a great honor to receive this award, but it was an even greater honor to have it presented by Mark Wilson:


Mark Wilson






Accepting the award -- something I'll never forget

After the Award of Merit presentation, I took my seat, still hard for me to believe I was even there. As the evening progressed, Bob Barker stood up and did 15 minuted of ad-lib, which was great. A pro of his caliber do his thing at 80+ years-old; he's still got it! He then introduced the MC of the evening: Mark Kornhauser, and then the various awards were handed out, including a Master's Fellowship to Patrick Page, Performing Fellowship to both Penn & Teller and Dr. Sawa of Japan, a Creative Fellowship to Steve Dushek, long-deserved Literary Fellowship to William Kalush, a Special Fellowship to the Amazing Johnathan, and Lifetime Achievement Award to Al Cohen. And then, of course, there were the other awards, this time presented with special wand created by John Gaughan and $1000.00 cash prize. Close-Up Magician of the Year went to Paul Green, Parlor Magician of the Year went to Shoot Ogawa, Lecturer of the Year went to Martin Lewis, Stage Magician of the Year went to Dana Daniels, and Magician of the Year went to Derren Brown. We were also treated to the hilarious commentary by Jason Alexander throughout the evening, Bob Zabrecky, Matt Plendl as Mr. Dead, an act you MUST see if you get the chance, Rocco, FISM Gold Cup Award-Winner Rick Merrill, who absolutely killed, the great Patrick Page, and Eric Buss performing his now-famous Spring Snake Symphony.


Loni Anderson in attendance on the Red Carpet


John Gaughan and Gay Blackstone on the Red Carpet


Rocco in action



Matt Plendl AKA Mr. Dead


Mr. Dead and Bob Zabrecky








Amazing Johnathan, or is it?


The real Amazing Johnathan makes his appearance


Jason Alexander entertains the crowd throughout the evening




Jason Alexander and Milt Larsen yucking it up




Patrick Page and Steve Valentine


Neil Patrick Harris and Bruce Vilanch


Shoot Ogawa receiving his award


Max Maven presents the award to Dr. Sawa


Dr. Sawa


Diana Zimmerman and Bob Dorian


Tippi Hedron and Ron Wilson


Martin Lewis


Bob Barker


Dick Van Patton and Michael Finney


Mark Nelson and June Lockhart


Paul Daniels and Steve Valentine


Dana Daniels sans Luigi


David Krumholtz and Julie (Cat Woman) Newmar


Paul Green accepts his award


The after party with Mark Wilson, Michael Finney, Nani Wilson, and Michael Finney's brother


Betty, myself, Mark and Nani


Standing with Shoot Ogawa, Mark and Nani

Special thanks to Pete Biro and Barry Sokolsky for sharing some of the photos above.

I must tell you that my life has been forever changed since the first day the Magic Land of Allakazam aired. Watching Mark and Nani Wilson on TV, reading about all the Academy of Magical Arts Awards Banquets as a kid in Genii magazine -- not in my wildest dreams would I have ever believed I would have gotten this award and it be presented by Mark Wilson himself! Thanks, Mark and Nani, for all you've done, not only for me, but for all the others you've inspired and continue to inspire! Spending the evening with you was a memory I will cherish forever. Thanks to you for the kind emails and calls, and thanks for allowing me to share a little slice of heaven with you.

Until next time,

Paul

It's Great To Be Back Again

So I'm back and almost fully recovered. This is the first sinus infection I've had in a while, and trust me, it's making up for lost time. After spending almost an entire day last Friday in the doctor's office under heavy duty antibiotics, I'm about 90% well. Thanks to those of you who wrote get-well emails and off-the-cuff medical advice. Special thanks to Mike for taking over last week and sharing a side of him that most people didn't know about... He appreciates all the nice emails and comments, and had no idea so many would find it of interest.

Got a nice note from Michael Grandinetti about his performance at Easter At The White House. Sounds like he had a great time and sent along this photo taken from the White House overlooking the south lawn towards the Washington Monument. According to Michael, there were over 22,000 people on the grounds for this event, and it was something he will never forget! Quite an accomplishment for this young and very talented magician.


A view from the White House

My son, Max, returned from his trip from France, and brought with him several hundred photos, much to my wife's and my delight. He's given us a narrative travel log as he shared each of the photos with us. He had a great time. Of course, as soon as he got home, the first thing on his agenda was washing his car and gearing it up for some new upholstery. He's now almost completely restored the car with the exception of an outer paint job, and I must say, it does look pretty darned good! What I'm most proud of is that he's done it all on his own without any financial support from his mother and me. Last night, he found a 1970 El Camino online that he wants us to look at this evening. Why do I have this feeling we'll be adding yet another car to the Gross household? He loves cars as much as I love magic at his age, so who knows where this will take him? I'll update you on the El Camino next week.



I'm very happy that we are able to re-release Mike Giusti's Ring-A-Majig, one of our best-selling accessories for a borrowed ring routine! It has been unavailable for quite some time as the original manufacturer had to stop production on it. Luckily, Mike showed it to our own Tim Wisseman, creator of such effects as the Lie Detector TW3000, Remote Vision Color Cube, Remote Vision Die, and Mini Remote Vision Color Cube has made it even better and more durable than ever, and Mike has updated the instructions to comic book form with additional thoughts and extras! Have we got your attention yet? If so, click the image above to read more about the new and improved Ring-A-Majig!



Imagine my surprise when I got a phone call from Mark Wilson last Wednesday telling me that I was going to be given the Magic Castle Award of Merit! Quite an unexpected surprise, to say the least! More exciting is the fact that Mark told me that he has arranged to present me the award himself! So, tomorrow morning, Betty and I head to Los Angeles to attend the 40th Annual Academy of Magical Arts Awards Banquet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel! This is a black tie affair where movie stars and some of the world's most famous magicians will attend. Quite the swanky affair, and I am very humbled, taken aback, and excited to be a part of this whole affair. Hope to update you will photos and daily details in next week's blog.

Until next time,

Paul

It's Not All About Magic

Hi, all. Mike Giusti here.

Well, allergy season has officially arrived, and Paul is down for the count. It hits him hard with a sinus infection each and every year, and everyone here at the shop should start taking bets as to when Paul will be out; it happens that regularly! Get well, Paul.

On the home front, we've been busier than ever here at Hocus Pocus. I've been putting on new products and categories like a madman, and thanks to my old pal, Mr. Caffeine, I'm able to keep up with it all. Barely. This week we had one of the most successful Estate and Private Collectible Sales ever! In fact, more and more people are contacting us to help them sell their older, unused merchandise, so look forward to seeing more of these lists in the future.

Personally, I couldn't be more busy. In an effort to try to simplify my life, I have done the exact opposite: March, April and May are now completely booked with both magic and music gigs. For those of you who don't know, I picked up piano at an early age and studied for a while until I found my first true love: bass. I can't quite explain it, but ever since I remember, I've always had an affinity for singing harmony to the point where I could sing lyrics of songs to the bass line. In other words, I could sing the lyrics, but the music coming out of my mouth would always be the bass line and or harmonies of the tune.

My first bass was an old German stand-up acoustic that was bigger than I was. In fact, I remember traveling with my college band and dreading the size of this instrument. You all know what I mean:


The old German Stand Up Bass

So I finally sold it as my college salad-eating days couldn't afford me the luxury of owning both a stand up and electric. I picked up my first electric bass and truly found my niche. It was an old red Hohner bass that was licensed by Steinberger, (I really wanted the Steinberger XL2 but couldn't afford at the time). After a couple of years, I sold the Hohner and got a great deal on the Steinberger XL2! You've all seen the Steinberger bass I'm talking about; everyone who paid attention to all the bands of the 80s and 90s saw it:


The Steinberger XL2

Made entirely of a graphite composite and all one piece, I loved that bass and used it all the way up until the mid-90s, when it got stolen! I was heartbroken. To make matters worse, Steinberger had stopped making these basses, and eBay wasn't around back then, so the basses were scarce. So I unhappily borrowed a friend's Fender Jazz bass and played with various bands all over California, scraping all my pennies together for my next purchase and, since I was living in Northern California at the time, I was able to talk to the incredible people at Alembic, based in Santa Rosa! To me, Alembic was always unobtainable; they are the Rolls Royce of bass makers, and their basses are not cheap. In fact, master bass virtuoso, Stanley Clarke uses them all the time for every one of his albums. It was there that I bought my first custom-made Series 1, which I still own to this day:


My old lady: the Alembic Series 1

Such a work of art this bass is, with a neck-through-body construction and made of maple, exotic African Cocobolo wood, and my initials embedded in the neck with mother of pearl, this thing is not only gorgeous to look at, but it sounds SOOOOOO good, whether keeping the low end or soloing! It is, by far, my favorite bass, and the best sounding one I've ever owned. I use primarily for studio work, however, it's a bit on the heavy side, and I'm always afraid of dinging it, so I started looking for a more steady gigging instrument. I tried the Musicman Stingray, which I had always admired the sound that people like Peter Gabriel's bassist, Tony Levin and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, Flea got, so I put some jack down for one. Here, you can see it in the middle of my "studio":


From left to right: the NS CR Double Bass, an old acoustic guitar hanging on the wall, the Stingray, and the Alembic Series 1

Call it buyer's remorse, but almost immediately, I didn't like the feel of the Stingray. It only had 20 frets instead of the 24 I am used to, so soloing was extremely limited for me, so I looked into Musicman's other options and sold the Stingray for the 24 fretted instrument called the Bongo:


The Bongo Bass I owned was the top black one

This bass felt a lot better, but its high end got lost with the rest of the instruments, so the search was on again for a gigging bass that sounded great, both in the low and high end. I came across someone who was selling a Pedulla 1988 MVP bass, and it caught my interest immediately; I remember seeing a great band in the Bay Area called WHaT, and the bassist/singer, Endre Tarczy, used it and I always thought it sounded great. Since I had gambled before with the other two basses, I decided to sell the Bongo and get the Pedulla. It has been with me ever since (in fact, it is the bass pictured at the very top of the blog). It gives me the tone I need without the weight of the Series 1, and I couldn't be happier with this bass.

Oh, and during my search for a good gigging bass, since I missed my old friend, the German acoustic stand-up bass, I decided to revisit history and look into Steinberger's new series of basses, and I was able to get a great deal on an NS CR Double Bass:


NS CR Double Bass

This bass weighs more than half of the old acoustic stand-up and sounds just as good, if not better, and is perfect for playing the smaller venues like clubs and coffee houses where jazz and blues are more appropriate. It even comes apart and fits into a single gig bag over the shoulder, quite unlike the stand-up.

Wow. If you've read this far so far, you deserve a standing ovation! I hadn't planned on this much information, but I am happy to say that my band, Smoke Break, is getting more popular by the day, and tonight, we are playing live at Club Milano in the Fulton Mall area of Fresno, and you can also see us at Club Salsa Monday, April 7th and again at Club Milano Saturday, April 19th.

Paul will return next week, so enough of my mindless off-topic prattling.

Take care,

Mike

Ah, The Good Ol' Days...

It's certainly no secret to any of you who know me how much I enjoy older antique magic. I attribute my early exposure to the late Marvin (Buma) Burger from San Francisco's old House of Magic. As a young man in my early teens, I remember the first piece of antique magic I ever bought from him, and I still have it to this day. Little did I know that this part of the magic world would become such a huge part of my life today... As my personal collection grows, I'm happy that I have a large enough space in which to display it. The history of our craft is most interesting to me, more than just books on tricks, I specifically enjoy historical and biographical books on the subject. Enter the recent Pleasant Nightmares Book by William Rauscher. This is just that -- a historical and biographical look at the career of Bill Neff. Neff was a master of the Spook Show, and his career spanned from the 1930s well into the 1960s. I found this book both extremely fascinating and hard to put down. Within two nights, I read the entire book and cannot recommend it highly enough. It is filled with great information and fantastic, vintage photographs.

The interesting coincidence is that I recently acquired several original Bill Neff comic books from the 1940s. Walter B Gibson was instrumental in bringing these to life starting in September, 1948 through February of 1953. I purchased these from the original purchaser, who bought them in his youth and kept them in immaculate condition -- as new as they day they came off the presses!



The Red Dragon issue is one of the rarest and sought after by both comic collectors and magicians. Below are the others, Ghostbreaker, published in September of 1948 and Racket Squad in February of 1953.





In addition to these comics, from the same collector, I acquired this extremely rare McElroy Talking Skull from 1937! The McElroy Brothers were well-renown ventriloquist figure makers, and their figures and craftsmanship so unique, they are sought after with vigor by collectors today. Any McElroy products are extremely rare, and I cannot tell you how excited I was to add this piece to my collection. Considering this skull is 71 years-old and in mint, perfect condition makes it an even more rare find! Included with the skull is the original manuscript, written by Lester Lake for the McElroy Brothers. Ah, the good ol' days. If there were only a time machine and we could go back again.


The McElroy Talking Skull and original manuscript

Greetings from Argentina!



Our good friend, Noberto Jansenson, came from Argentina, via Los Angeles to visit for a couple of days. We always enjoy Noberto's visits, almost as much as he enjoys our city of Fresno, which is quite different from that of Buenos Aires. While here, he told us about a recent television special that he has filmed in his home country that will feature interviews with the biggest and brightest stars coupled with his very own magic. This venture is completely different from what is typically presented in the evenings, and the television company has given Jansenson creative freedom from the interview questions to the type of magic he wishes to present. He is very excited about this new venture, and we are sure that it will be a huge success.


Jansenson sees a magic prop he likes


And I left him locked in it (but not for too long)

Tomorrow evening, my son, Max returns from his 2 week-long vacation from France. He's called Betty and me to report in, and it sounds like he's had a great time! His only complaint is that he wants us to take him to Burger King for a bacon cheeseburger and fries when he gets home.

Have a good Easter weekend.

Until next time,

Paul

The French Connection

Max is here.

Bonjour. OK, that's all the French you'll get outta me today. I started out the blog today as my youngest son, Max, left Wednesday on a trip to France! As part of a class trip, he'll be gone for a total of nine days where he'll be able to see such landmarks as the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, Chateau of Chenonceau, Palace of Versailles and then they will be off to Normandy to see the battleground of World War 2, not to mention the fine French food and other things. At 15 years of age, both Betty and I felt that this would be an incredible opportunity for Max. He's already phoned once and is having a great time. Betty purchased him a special memory card for his camera for plenty of pictures. He returns at midnight next Saturday, and I'm sure he'll have TONS of stories to share with us. In the meantime, he's left us explicit instructions on how to take care of the birds in the aviary, which I am following to a T, and of course, there's the car. He's left a list for his older brother, Cole, to start it up and drive it every day. No eating, drinking, etc. are allowed inside, however... He's even asked that Cole pick him up at the airport and drive him home in his Nova.



ALLAKAZAM HAT UPDATE

The response to the Allakazam Hat has been tremendous! As you may remember, we made this visible on the web site a week ago today. With only 50 limited edition units being produced, we have already sold over 50% of them. We still have a few units available to those who pre-order the first 36, enabling you to also receive the special Allakazam Memorabilia Package and personalized autographed photo. Contact us soon if you are interested.

If you haven't seen the web site this week, Mike has put on a new record of hot products, averaging around 10 per day. If you want to keep ahead of the game, you can sign up with your email to get daily updates around 5:00 PM PDT each day. Simply click your mouse on the right-hand column of the web site that states :

New Feature: Would you like daily email updates on new products added to our website? If so enter your email address below.

Also, treat yourself to the brand new free download from Michael Boden called "Hole in One," the third in a series of free downloads we are offering. Each effect is unique and well worth taking the time to check out. Simply click the FREE DOWNLOAD link inside the web site on the left hand column.

EASTER AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Our good friend and customer, Michael Grandinetti, will be the host magician performing at this year's Easter at the White House! Michael's a great guy, and we know he'll do an outstanding job. Congratulations, Michael!

Illusionist Michael Grandinetti Brings Easter Magic To The White House

Master illusionist Michael Grandinetti, as featured on NBC, CBS, FOX and stages around the country, performs amazing, never before seen illusions for an expected audience of over 18,000 people at the 2008 White House Easter Egg Roll!