Archive for February, 2006

Russian White Magician – Claimed Immortality – Died

Yuri Longo – Dead Now

Oops.

From Moscow
News:

Russian white magician Yuri Longo, who became famous in Gorbachev's times for
raising the dead, has died much to his few fans' surprise, local media reported.
But several hours after his death he was again a star — now among Russian
Internet users.

No more than a dozen people used to visit his official web-site daily before
Feb. 19, the day of his death. But now the web-page is on the top of the Rambler
web counter's 'health' section with 1,766 visitors per day.

Probably, the man who had to be immortal, aimed to live a little longer. His
site registration expires on 06.06.06. He died of an aorta aneurism, while his
fans claim it was an "energy stroke".

Longo became extremely popular after millions of Soviet viewers saw him
reanimating a man in the evening news on a state TV-channel. However, later it
was revealed that Longo directed a piece of reporting himself and paid a bribe
for its translation.

He also hired an alcoholic to play a "part" of the man
raising from the dead.

Last year he tried to revive his fame, saying in an interview with a U.S.
immigrant Russian-language newspaper that he was the one to blame for Viktor
Yushchenko's disease as he reanimated him too late.

The Ukrainian president's
skin went off after his body spent six days in a grave, Longo said. However, he
also said that he has never seen the "real" Yushchenko and, thus, reanimated a
man to replace him at the request of a certain "Polish biological center" that
finally refused to pay him for the procedure.

Nevertheless, "operation Yushcehnko" did not claim Longo so much popularity
as his own real death."

Magic News Magic Malaysia Magicians

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Chris Korn & J.B. Benn in Mondo Magic Singapore

Chris Korn Wows ‘Em

We were breezing through this morning’s edition of The Malaysian Star

while we waited for Mr. Lazybones and his son, Mr. Lazybones, Jr. to open the
Mystic Hollow Dough-Nutz Cafe and Bistro. All they had to do was open the
drive-thru window but that was apparently taking too much effort or planning, so
we waited in our gas-guzzling ’82 Ford Granada and tried to find a decent
channel on the factory-equipped AM radio.

Unlike the Lazybones family, the young courier for The Malaysian Star
delivers to the home daily and well-before anyone is awake or aware that we are
borrowing the paper for a few hours.

Chris Korn and J.B. Benn filmed their presentation of street magic on the
beach in the island nation. Whilst it makes for great shots of well-tanned
bathing buddies, it makes the use of pulls or Toppits impossible or awkward.

Mr. Korn and Mr. Benn had to rely on their own talent and skills, therefore.
Their work is nothing short of amazing!

The
Malaysian Star met with the magicians at the beautiful Silosa Beach on
Sentosa Island, Singapore.

The reporter described the two thusly:

Korn goateed and lanky, dressed the part in a white T-shirt and
shorts, sporting a visor cap. Benn, who is about a head shorter and beefier than
Korn, was in T-shirt and jeans.

My suspicions were that Benn, whose dark brown eyes held secrets beyond my
experience, was mostly quiet and a tad introverted unlike his partner who was
just the opposite. It was a good fit and their differing personalities matched
their talents although they were both in the same field.

“Benn’s style is
slightly more intense and it shows with the tricks he does,” said Korn.

We think Mr. Korn is an outstanding magician. His easy-going style belies his
incredible abilities and makes the experience all the more exceptional.

Still with all the skills, Beach Magic presents challenges:

It was Korn who combed the beach mostly and wowed the crowd with his
sleight of hand, card and coin tricks. He met with some difficulty though with
some of the card tricks mainly because of the humidity, which made the cards
damp and rather slippery.

One trick in particular, where Korn asked a bikini-clad sunbather to pick a
card, then place it back in the deck and he would shuffle it and send the entire
deck flying in the air while attempting to catch the card with his toes, just
proved too trying.

Korn gave up after three attempts. But he made it up by
drawing the card from his mouth instead.

Beach bunnies and bums were impressed by both magicians and the journalist
was amazed the show required no additional equipment or “sexy girl assistants.”

What I love about the magic we do is that it is organic; I could
have nothing with me, absolutely nothing. I can show up at somebody?s house and
just borrow a cup and just do it. People really freak out when it?s with their
own stuff. If I bring my own cup, somehow … even though it’s…
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David Parker Featured

David Parker

David Parker, president of The Greater Charleston Magic Club, was named
“Magician of the Year” by his peers at the South Carolina Association of
Magicians convention in Columbia, S.C on January 14, 2006.

Mr. Parker of Ladson, SC and
president of The Greater Charleston Magic Club, was honored with the “Magician
of the Year for South Carolina 2006″ on January 14, 2006 at the International
Gala Show hosted by the South Carolina Association of Magicians in Columbia, SC.
The South Carolina Association of Magicians awards this honor to those they
believe best advance the art of magic in a positive direction.

David Parker, whose full time job has been as a local truck driver within the
South Carolina State Ports, says he is honored to receive this award from his
peers and is humbled to have his name associated with some of the past winners.
Past winners of this honor include: Tim Sonifelt from Greer, SC, Mick Ayres form
Hilton Head, SC, John Tudor from Columbia, SC, David Tanner and Ron Conley from
Myrtle Beach, SC.

Each of the past winners of the award had made their mark in the field of
magic. Tim Sonifelt was the first person to receive the “Magician of the Year”
award. He is a full time magician who performs throughout the southeast for
churches, libraries and corporations. Mick Ayres is an all around entertainer.

A
full time magician, storyteller and musician working for the Disney Corporation
in Hilton Head, SC. John Tudor the founder of the South Carolina Association of
Magicians and the first magician ever to be listed as an approved artist with
the SC Arts Commission is a full time magician performing for schools and
corporate clients though out of United States.

Ron Conley, owner of Conley’s House of Magic, who has been performing his
“Drugs, Strangers and Other Dangers Show” in over 300 schools in North Carolina
and South Carolina has won over thirty three trophies in both close-up and
stage. David Tanner, owner of Broadway Magic, has performed all over the United
States and over 20 countries around the world. David is an avid collector of
magic memorabilia. His collection includes rare items such as the handcuffs and
keys once used by the great Harry Houdini.

David Parker, the newest member to receive this honor is the first magician
in the history of the award to receive it as an amateur close-up magician and
also the first winner from the Charleston, SC area. David says, “I’m proud I can
bring this award to “The Holy City” for the first time and hope Charleston, SC
will become a focal point for magic along the east coast.

The Spoleto festival
is a great annual event for the arts and I hope to inspire magicians around
South Carolina to come together to add their performing skills to this event.
Currently I’m working with the local society of magicians in Charleston to
produce a show for this annual event, and we have directors from all over the
state committing their time and resources to help turn this dream into a
reality.”

When asked about the art that is his passion David says, “Our art form is a
strange blend of entertaining, inspiring wonder and…
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