Psychics and Mediums are Scum!

Houdini, after the death of his mother, spent a great part of his life debunking these frauds and con artists who under the umbrella of entertainers take hard earned money from believers who in times of crisis are looking for answers.  Most folks go to these charlatans in times of feeling low. Questions about love, health and wealth are among the top three.

Today James Randi AKA The Amazing Randi has led the war against frauds like these by establishing the James Randi Educational Foundation that once a year invites these frauds to prove if their “powers” or “gifts” are real under scientific conditions & if they do show that they can predict the future or communicate with the dead Randi will be happy to give them the 1 Million dollar reward money & help introduce them to the world.                                (Picture is of James Randi)                                                  

Last month, three young girls who had been kidnapped some 10 years earlier were found in a Cincinnati home. One of these girls was named Amanda Berry. In 2004 Sylvia Browne, (a self proclaimed Psychic) appeared on the Montel Williams show and was asked by Amanda Berry’s mom “can you help me find my daughter?” Sylvia Browne looked at the mother with certainty  and said “It’s too late, she is in heaven and on the other side. And her last words were ‘Goodbye mom I love you’.” It makes me sick just to type out that last sentence!  The mother of Amanda Berry never found out her daughter was in fact alive because she herself died 1 year after appearing on the Montel Williams show.

You can see videos on youtube of Sylvia Browne’s arrogance when she gives a grieving mother false news.  There have been folks on TV for years claiming to be Mediums and Psychics and unfortunately being on TV itself gives them creditability with lots of folks.  The newest up & comer in the world of FRAUDS is the Long Island Medium. Who also has several videos on youtube showing her miss at her claims, but of course all that is edited out when you see her own show.

People will always be looking for answers, I think it is in our DNA, but by going to a Psychic or a Medium you are not only wasting time but also money.

For more info check out James Randi’s website at www.randi.org

Wes Iseli's Close up magic at the fair pt 1

Life on the road...

Yesterday, June 14th 2013, was one of those memorable days on the road. We left the house at 7:00 am with our breakfast sandwiches in our hands to arrive in Vienna (Northern Va) to perform at a summer camp at 9:30 am. Once the show was over we headed to Richmond, Va to perform at another summer camp at 1:15 pm. We ate our packed lunches along the way and Lana watched the Smurfs on the TVs in the van, but with traffic on the interstate we barely made it on time. As soon as that show was over we got gas and a couple of sodas from the gas station and headed back to Herndon (Northern Va) for an open house for a daycare who was signing up kids for their summer program, but once again with traffic on the interstate we barely made it on time for a 5:30 pm showtime. Once this show was over and we got all packed up we decided to hang out and play soccer with Lana who had been in the car all day like us; we wanted to stretch our legs too. Afterwards, we found a Ruby Tuesday and grabbed a bite to eat then headed home. We realized on the way home we needed a few things for the house and as tired as we were we had to stop for groceries, by the time we got home it was 11:00 pm.

People have no idea of what is involved in being a full time entertainer. The time we spend on the road and fuel costs are almost unheard of. Just yesterday we spent around $120.00 in gas and around 13 hours in the van.

My favorite part of being a magician has always been the time in front of the audience. Drive time, packing and unpacking the van, setting up and taking down the show, loading and unloading animals, office work, rehearsals, researching new tricks and illusions, and more are hardly ever seen, much less thought about; even our families are surprised when we talk about this part of our job.

Wes Iseli's Dollar to Impossible Location

This was filmed after an illusion show in Northern Va around 11:00 pm. I am in sweats because the audience is all gone and I was loading the van and trailer. This is an effect I have been working on for a while and I am thinking about marketing it to magicians later this year. You are seeing the effect just as it happened. The only edit was turning the camera point of view when the videographer turned the camera on its side while filming. 

Magi_Whirl 2013 Recap

    From left to right: Eric Henning, John Carlson, Brad Ross,

 John Payne, and Juliana Chen

Magi-Whirl is a small magic convention held in Alexandria, VA each year the weekend after Easter. They do a great job on getting entertainers from all over the world to lecture and perform in the Gala show which is held on the last night. At the last minute I found out I was able to attend this year’s convention. The worst part was that Natalie & I decided she & Lana would stay at home for this trip; I really missed my girls.
This year’s convention had Disney Illusionist Brad Ross, John Payne, John Carlson and last, but definitely not least, Juliana Chen. I know these names mean nothing to most of my readers, but to magicians they are a great get for such a small convention.
As most of you know, I am not only a magician & Illusionist but I am a collector of magic, a history buff when it comes to magic, and I am a huge all around fan of magic. The main reason I wanted to attend this year’s convention was to meet Juliana Chen who is the only female ever to win FISM or “The Olympics of Magic.” She was not only an amazing talent but a really sweet person and took time out to teach me a few of her award winning secrets.
Although I was there to see Juliana, the overall convention was great. John Carlson and Brad Ross spoke about marketing and John Payne surprised me with an amazing lecture on showmanship and getting the most out of your props.

Here I am working with Juliana after her lecture 

Wes Iseli's Reappearing Chocolate Eggs

This was a trick I learned years ago. I have been thinking about this for a while and while watching my daughter digging into her Easter basket it reminded me of this effect. I hope you enjoy it.

My About.com Interview

Wes Iseli is a Virginia-based magician who entertains at resorts, country clubs, theaters, trade shows, company picnics, and high school auditoriums all over the East Coast. Close-up, stand up,illusions: Wes does it all and often performs with his wife Natalie. He’s also the owner of his own entertainment agency called “Party Magic” and often conducts lectures for other magicians.

Some years back, I met Wes and Natalie when they were in Southern California on their honeymoon. Over the years, we’ve stayed in touch and I’ve admired their charitable work. Since 2007, Wes has performed his “24 Hours of Magic” show where he stands in front of a Walmart and performs magic for 24-hours and collects money on behalf of a charity.

Wes recently took time out to talk with Magic.About.com. I hope that through this interview Wes inspires magicians to pursue and support important causes of their own.

Wayne Kawamoto: How do you support charities and what was your inspiration?
Wes Iseli: I support a bunch of charities in different ways. I give blood as often as I can, I offer discounted shows to charities and/or help them get sponsors so I can perform for them for free. I have a video commercial on YouTube titled Wes Iseli's Team Fox Commercial (click here to view). I also support Relay for life and have been performing my 24-hour magic show every year since 2007 which raises money for The Children’s Miracle Network.

My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when I was seven years old and I watched that disease turn him into a shell of a man over the next 18 years. He died from Cancer which was not found because the Parkinson’s medication masked his symptoms.

WK: Please tell me about your “24 Hours of Magic.”
WI: I racked my brain for about a year wanting to do something big at Christmas time as a way to inspire others and give back. I set up a booth in front of a local Walmart performing close up magic while asking for donations for the charity. I do it outside in the cold on the sidewalk, which sounds crazy but if I were inside and warm it wouldn’t be as much of a news story. (Click here to watch a video.)

I advertise “24 hours of magic” or “72 shows in 24 hours.” I guarantee ten minutes on and ten minutes off for the entire 24 hours but work more than that during busy times and in the middle of the night I try to keep an audience as long as I can because at that point they are entertaining me and keeping me busy. The best part is I always get newspaper coverage and TV news to cover me as well.

WK: How do you promote the event?
WI: I use magic as my tool to make money for the charity. In my home town I have a fan base. Friends, family and fans who can and do use social media let people know I will be performing magic 24 hours straight. I also put up posters and contact all the local media outlets. If I was just asking for donations there would be no buzz and no media coverage. Working for a charity and asking for donations is no different than performing at a trade show asking people to hand over their business cards or come into the booth.

WK: How did you get involved with the Childrens' Miracle Network?
WI: The Children’s Miracle Network is the charity that Walmart supports throughout the year. I told them about my idea for the 24-hour show for charity and they asked me if I could do it for the Children’s Miracle Network. It’s a great cause so I said agreed. The stories I have heard over the years about the Children’s Miracle Network are heart wrenching and I know that all my hard work to raise money for them is going to a great cause.

WK: Any advice that you can give magicians who may like to do magic on behalf of charities?
WI: Once you get an idea write it down and go for it. I was turned down at two other Walmarts before getting the OK at a location one hour from my home. Now I could go to any Walmart and do this because it is a win win for everyone involved. I get press, the charity gets money and press, and Walmart is the backbone of everything as it is the location for the event. And when people come to see me, very few leave without going into Walmart. I am now working at a Walmart less than a mile from my home which was not even open when I started all this in 2007.

WK: Any other thoughts come to mind?
WI: 2013 will my seventh year of “24 Hours of Magic.” I really enjoy being known as the “charitable magician” and having folks look forward to my event each year. I have even inspired several folks to take up magic as a hobby after seeing me perform at my event.

Year one was the best weather wise with highs in the 50’s, but I have also had lows in the teens overnight which is terrible. And performing close up [sleight of hand] magic while you’re shivering is harder than you can imagine. Also, when it is cold people don’t stick around long no matter what effects you show them, which means time goes by slower because you’re just waiting to perform. The only upside to extreme cold is the fact it makes for a better news story.

This year I plan on going even bigger, I am making plans now to do 30 days of giving over the month of November 2013. Each day I plan on visiting a charitable organization and donating supplies and/or time and filming a magic effect at each location and uploading it to myYouTube channel. I plan on mentioning the organization, explaining what they do, and then ending with a magic effect every day for the month.

Even though people think I am crazy for doing the 24 hour event, I still feel I have more to give. Hopefully 30 days of giving will help me feel more satisfied with my internal guilt that I am not doing enough.

To see the article at About.com click here: http://magic.about.com/od/professionalmagicians/a/Interview-With-Wes-Iseli-charitable-Magician.htm