I had the pleasure of meeting Sean Goodman at our visit to Davenports Magic Kingdom this summer. He’s a softly-spoken and engaging entertainer and we’ve enjoyed his previous releases (Genetics, TickTock and Star Struck) – so we were looking forward to the chance to review CelebriDate.

What’s the effect? It’s a little misleading to describe the effect, since a number of possible presentations are possible. The one we’re most likely to use would look a bit like this: you hand out a diary which is filled with the birthdays of 366 celebrities; a spectator then writes down a special date on a business card; another spectator freely selects a card from a deck of cards; this card reminds you of a famous person which, of course, turns out to be the one at the date selected by the spectator.

The common theme in Sean’s work is simplicity – he always takes the simplest route to the outcome he is looking for. If you’re the sort of magician who is only excited by the latest and greatest new-fangled method then this won’t excite you at all. But if you remember the first rule of magic – that it’s the effect (on the spectator) not the method that matters you will want to look at this.

You are provided with a nicely printed (unfeked) paperback diary. My review copy arrived with a slightly battered corner – and my impression is that if you’re using it a lot then you will probably have to replace it before too long – but it looks convincing enough. There are a good variety of different kinds of ‘celebrities’ in there – from historical figures like Rembrandt to current actors and sports stars.

The DVD explains the ‘structure’ of the routine and then outlines a number of different methods for each part. There are pros and cons to the different routines suggested – the one I have described is the one that works best for me, but you might prefer a different one. Sean explains everything clearly with all the detail necessary.

It is quite difficult to review this kind of mental magic since often the ‘baldness’ of the method can sometimes makes it hard to imagine the effect on the audience (and I haven’t had a chance to road test this yet). However, my suspicion is that the structure of the routine will sufficiently obscure the method, and the use of someone’s birthday will automatically create an emotional hook/interest – so this really ought to get some good reactions. You could even combine it with StarStruck to make a really pleasing routine.

I already perform a ‘traditional’ (i.e. playing card based) diary trick, but I can see lots of advantages to the celebrity theme – especially with a younger or family audience. Well worth a punt at £23.99 (at the time of writing). Available from MagicShop.co.uk.

PS in case you are wondering, 19th September is Sean’s birthday! And no, I’m not some kind of obsessive stalker – but he does mention that more than once on the DVD. Happy Birthday Sean!

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The end of the year is also a time for reflections.  And our two favourite DVDs of the year are going to be our first recommendations.  BBM’s Ultimate Self-Working Card Tricks was a superb release (see our review here) with some killer effects which are easy to do (£19.99).

And Mark Bendell’s The Unknown is full of really clever magic which is extremely workable (£25.50). Both would make great stocking fillers for you or your magical loved one!

Favourite tricks of the year are harder to pick.  On the shortlist is definitely Genetics (see our review here).  Easy to do, entertaining – what more could you want.  And a great wedding routine (£26.99).

This isn’t a trick, but would look great on your bookshelf. An Impossible Bottle, containing a deck of Bicycle Cards is hard to beat for a ‘must have’ non-trick item for the magic lover. We’ve got one on our shelf! (£59.99 – also available in red)

We can’t close the year out without mentioning at least one deck of Bicycle Cards!  There have been so many released this year that it is very hard to choose.  But in honour of the year that was, why not grab a deck of London 2012 cards.  The Blue Crown produced limited runs of these decks with a Gold, Silver or Bronze case design.  Why not get one of each to remember a really significant time for the UK? (£9.99)

Choosing a Magic Set for a child

We promised you some recommended magic sets for any young would-be magicians you know. If you’ve got a bit of money to spend, then you could do a lot worse than the Fantasma Legends of Magic Set. Some of the items in this are of pro quality – and it seems to get away from the plasticky feel of some of the more common sets. At £59.99 it feels like quite a significant investment, but it should keep their interest.

The Secret Magic Set is a cheaper option and comes in a nice case, but the props are of less good quality. At this price you might also consider the Marvin’s Magic Fifty Greatest Magic Tricks – which contains some classic effects and is more widely available.

If price is an issue, then the Joshua Jay books are worth a look. He is a great teacher and the combination of book and DVD is a killer.  And they are readily available at Amazon (see below)

The post Trick of the Month – December 2012 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

They say:

“A fabulous effect to show to a couple! You explain that men and women think differently and like different things. To illustrate this, you show some cards which have pictures of various items such as a dog, cat, iron, whip etc. and suggest that some will appeal to men and some to women.

The cards are mixed and then offered one at a time to the man and woman alternately. Any cards they don’t want are discarded. At the end, to their amazement the man’s selections are turned over and they all have BLUE BACKS, and the woman’s have PINK BACKS!”
If you’ve been in magic any length of time, you will probably already know the method.

But nevertheless there’s lots to like here. It is easy to do, which means you can focus on the presentation. Always a plus. It is a rare trick in that it will appeal to men and women alike. There is the opportunity for bags of audience interaction. Oh, and did I mention it is easy to do!

The packaging is attractive and styled after a movie release. The DVD explanation is extremely clear with appealing and obvious navigation. Sean comes across well and I enjoyed his discussion of the creation of the effect. And you will find his habit of nodding to camera at the end of each section to show that it is over either endearing or annoying!

In addition to the basic presentation, there is an alternative presentation, and a bonus effect which could be incorporated into either. For my money, the alternative presentation isn’t as strong, but it would still go down well. And it will help you to think about other possible routines, because, without giving anything away, there is scope with these cards for a number of effects. I am also pleased to see a live performance with ‘real people’ – since that gives you confidence in the effect.

The cards provided are nicely produced and the graphics, in particular, are very pleasing. I have some doubts about how long the cards would last if used regularly – and I know of some folk who have decided to laminate them for this reason. For the price of the effect (£26.99) I do wonder whether some slightly more hard-wearing cards could have been provided. Perhaps they will offer ‘refill’ sets in the future.

My only other minor criticism is to do with the ‘self-working’ nature of the effect. Presentation is important above all things with this kind of effect (well with any effect really), and for the less experienced performer, I wonder whether Sean could have provided a little more advice on this. You do get the opportunity to watch him performing it live, but maybe one or two more specific tips would have been helpful.

A ‘reset’ is involved, between performances. But there is an alternative way of handling the routine which would avoid this. I would have to use both in the real world to comment on this. Similarly a table is preferable, but you could use people’s hands as a stand in. So I don’t think either of these things are issues.

All in all this is a great effect – and it will certainly be making its way into my working set. Highly recommended, especially if you do a lot of wedding/round the tables type maqgic.

Available direct from the producers at MagicDirect.com

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If you are in to your card magic then J K Hartmann’s work is always worth a look. Card Dodgery is his latest (and final?) book and promises something for everyone – whatever your level of experience. £27.99

Cards, cards, cards, cards… The stylish Doomsday deck is now available in blood red. A hint of the Mayan adds intrigue to this new limited edition deck of Bicycle cards. £9.49

And if you like to see all the latest variant cards, how about a Silver version of the Bicycle Steampunk – £6.50.

We really like the look and premise of Genetics. Not going to say more now because hope to do a proper review in the next week or so… Watch this space, or purchase it now for £33.99.

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