They report on a particularly unsettling incident immediately following a contestant’s performance in the Close-Up Competition.
On occasion, we get caught up in the excitement and become disoriented as to time, place, and identity. There are even times when we forget our place in human history.
Magicians are assured that FISM may be world wide in scope and fertile ground for our craft, but there are those who would attempt to plant the malignant weed of division to destroy, not build.
Not surprising given recent events reported virtually everywhere but Mainland China, the issue of Taiwan gave rise to a very ugly moment in what was promising to be one of the best FISMs yet.
Be sure to visit their incredible web site for access to their store, their performance schedule, and the very latest on just about everything Magic: http://magicunlimited.com.
The peripatetic and personable team of Tim Ellis and Sue-Anne Webster are on the ground giving the bird’s eye view of the low-down in Beijing, China.
How is it going over there?
From their latest entry, it sounds like Beijing may have found the secret to pulling off a great Magic convention.
Compare the reviews of prior FISMs.
This one is shaping up to be a humdinger.
Even though no magic was performed during the welcome banquet, Mr. Ellis and Ms. Webster write it was still magical.
Yes, there was absolutely no magic in the dinner show, but we were treated to what appeared to be the absolute best in many facets of Chinese entertainment. Most people I spoke to afterwards said they wouldn’t have changed a thing and rated the first day of FISM 2009 a 9 out of 10.
That is high praise from real magicians who make their living entertaining real people all around the world. They’ve seen some lesser FISM iterations and have a perfect perspective.
We were going to blame it on a typo but knew we would be caught out. How can someone mean to type “Tim Ellis and Sue-Anne Webster” but instead type “Dr. Alexander”?
In yesterday’s award-winning article about India television and Dr. Alexander, we did not do our fact checking.
We wrote, with our typical aplomb:
We hear that Dr. Alexander – Guiness World Record Holder for the the Longest Magic Show – will perform on the series.
Yes, Dr. Alexander will appear on the series but he is not the Guiness World Record Holder for the Longest Magic Show.
Even as we typed the Dr. Alexander story, we seemed to remember reading some where about an attempt at the Guiness World Record for Longest Show being performed by Tim Ellis and Sue-Anne Webster.
Maybe it was on one of those message boards or a mailing list, we thought.
We could not remember where we read that Tim Ellis and Sue-Anne Webster held the Guiness World Record and, in fact, had beaten Dr. Alexander’s own record.
Andre Kole’s article urging the IBM to sanction individuals stealing his illusions included a reference to the World Record for the longest magic show. Unfortunately, Mr. Kole credited Dr. Alex with the record.
(Although, if Dr. Alex claims the record for a single person performing, he may be right).
The Guinness people have not yet updated their information but the new official holders of this endurance feat are participants in the appropriately named World’s Longest Magic Show (“WLMS”) including Tim Ellis and Sue-Anne Webster.
In fact, as we typed this late-breaking news, Mr. Ellis said he just received the certification from the Guinness people. It is now official.
Assume you grew up in the wild and never knew of civilization; as if you were a modern day Kaspar Hauser.
This strange man/boy wandered into a German town and lived a short, mysterious life. He lacked the social, hygienic and language skills that come from being raised by humans.
And yet he was very bright and inquisitive. He was plagued with a terrible hunchback apparently caused by his prior imprisonment in a small space.
He was either murdered or killed himself in the center of the town one evening and the cause of his death has never been determined.
Now, you as little Kaspar, stumble into civilization and are adopted by a very rich person and treated to only the best in life.
You have the best food, even though your palate lacked the sophistication necessary to discern Filet Mignon with a fine 1989 Mondavi Cabernet Reserve from Beanie Weenies and Grape Kool-Aid.
You would rightfully guess that all food in this brave new world tastes so wonderful and that all homes were stately mansions populated by caring and giving people.
You’re probably thinking, “what the heck is he talking about? So much for modern psychotropic medication!” Or maybe your thinking, “I haven’t even read this far. I gave up in the first paragraph.” Actually, no, I don’t know how you could think that if you stopped reading in the first paragraph.
Tim Ellis and Sue-Anne Webster continue their updates from China and the FISM competition in Beijing, China.
The peripatetic and personable team of 
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