 BEST BOOK/GENERAL -- Besting the other contenders on sheer scope alone, and arriving just
under the tax deadline for consideration as a 1996 entry, is Paul Harris's three-volume The Art
of Astonishment. These are three large, sumptuous books, packed not only with most of Paul's
earlier books, writings, and separately marketed effects, but with some beguiling new stuff by
Paul and some of his friends. The foremost friend here is Eric Mead, who not only wrote and
tested most of the material, but who also contributed material that was arguably too good to
include in such a collection. Thank you, Eric, and congratulations, Paul.
BEST BOOK/MENTAL-OCCULT -- This one easily goes to Scott Moore-Davis's Seance, the
hardback collection of his 12-issue magazine of the same name. Golem felt it should have been
suppressed, as the material should remain the province of those who choose to operate outside
the law. I abstained from voting, having contributed to the original journal, but Columbine
championed it also, expressing a fascination with the recurring photos of Eugene Burger.
BEST MARKETED CARD TRICK -- Jim Pace's "The Web." Thanks to this nasty little card
trick, the unexpected appearances of spiders have created a stir among magic audiences
throughout the land. As some might turn up noses at a cheap laugh, this is in its way a cheap
scream, but it's a very real scream, and if that is your goal, as it has often been mine, this is an
efficient way of achieving it.
BEST PUBLISHED CARD TRICK IN A MAGAZINE -- Rich Moratta's "The Card in the
Orange," in Gordon Bean's "The Locked Room," Genii, January 1996. This is not "just another
card trick," but a card trick that has been a featured part of a professional act for years. I
coveted this item for a long time and was amazed when Rich published it. Either he was being
just incredibly generous or he lost a huge bet to Gordon Bean.
BEST PUBLISHED CARD STRATAGEM IN A MAGAZINE -- "Marxism & Magic," Robert
Farmer's card-marking system, MAGIC, October 1996. My vision is lousy, but I can see and
easily read these marks from a distance. This is a breakthrough article in marked card systems.
BEST NEW FACE IN A TELEVISED MAGIC SPECIAL -- Columbine insisted on this one:
Robert Gallup, whose Extreme Magic special caught the magic world by surprise. Who is this guy and
where did he come from? I particularly enjoyed Gallup's laser beam levitation.
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR -- There were nine major new television specials, and Gary
Ouellet brought us four of them: Lance Burton, Master Magician: The Legend Begins,
Champions of Magic, Hidden Secrets of Magic, and The World's Greatest Magic III. In
addition, WGM I andII also popped up this year in reruns. Although the success of these shows
is often reduced to ratings, it is noted here that some truly excellent magic is showcased in these
specials, to the benefit of both magicians and lay audiences who might not otherwise have seen
it. But the ratings have been strong as well. It is clear that Gary has figured out how to package
magic so that it attracts and holds audiences, and I hope this continues for a long time. Given
the number of magicians on these specials, the quantity of specials, and the stong ratings for all
of them, I suspect that Gary has connected more magicians with more viewers in 1996 than
anyone before him in the long history of the art. He earns both the Scarab and our heartfelt
thanks for this effort.
PRODUCER OF THE CENTURY -- How can such a young-looking guy have done so much for
so long? This award goes to Milt Larsen, for two of his many productions, the Magic Castle and
It's Magic. Milt is particularly acknowleged this year for having recently produced the 40th (!!!)
anniversary edition of It's Magic. This year's edition featured Mac King, Juliana Chen, Ed Alonzo, Jason
Byrne, Brad Cummings, and Princess Tenko. The Magic Castle, Milt's other major production,
started in 1963, and so is still only a young 34-year-old or so.
BEST NEW STAGE ILLUSION -- Easy: David Copperfield's "The Laser." The beam cuts him
in half, he sort of falls apart, the top half picks up the bottom half, and then these remains move
forward toward the audience. If I had seen this on TV rather than in person, I would have sworn
David was cheating.
BEST MAGAZINE ARTICLE -- This one was a tie, but that's OK because the tie goes to the
same guy, Max Maven, for his in-depth cover story on Jay Marshall, "With Jasper in Magicland"
(Genii, July, 1996) and for his book-length "Treasures from 60 Years" retrospective (Genii,
September 1996). Must reading for all magicians.
"LIFETIME" ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS IN JOURNALISM -- In television, they say that five
years is a lifetime. The same is surely true for magic magazines, and therefore a Golden Scarab
for excellence in publishing goes to Stan Allen for completing five years of his incredible
magazine, MAGIC. If five years is a lifetime, how does one gauge 60 years? A Golden Scarab
also goes out to the Larsen family for completing 60 years of publishing Genii, which is now
issuing from Erika Larsen's capable hands. If you aren't receiving both these monthly
magazines, you are simply not in complete touch with the world of magic as it is happening in
the nineties. |
