November 16, 2008
Here's what's in this edition of
Jheff's Marketplace of the Mind Newsletter
*** BIG BROTHER'S TAWDRY LITTLE SISTER - Doug Segal
*** WHISPERING BUDDHA - Docc Hilford
*** SEXTET - Jack Kent Tillar
*** WORD WORK - Larry Becker & Lee Earle
To make a purchase of any item in the JMOM newsletter,
please go to http://www.MarketplaceoftheMind.com and use the
shopping cart. If you're unable to do this, you may respond
to this e-mail.
To make sure you've not been missing any newsletters, check
out the website. All of the recent past newsletters are
archived there.
*********
Mindvention 2008 is now history and it was probably the best
Mindvention of them all. A few highlights for me were: Marc
Salem's lament about the art of mentalism and magic; Docc
Hilford, who's always amazing and who blew everyone away by
doing and demonstrating System 88; Devin Knight's "surprise"
appearance at the attendee's show and his demonstration of
his awesome new Improved Lexicon Phenomena, which is as
clever and brilliant as the Mother of All Book Tests; Rick
Jermay's very personal and practical marketing lecture; Luke
Jermay's ranting about book tests now being a magician's
trick and how much he loathes them; and Tansel Kaya and Berk
Eratay, two young mentalists, who are the winner and
runner-up of the Turkish Phenomenon, did a riotous gag
routine with Docc Hilford and then did a couple of very
solid and entertaining mentalism pieces.
Of course there were many, many more events, highlights, and
well-known mentalists who showed up to the convention. And
I'll try to remember to fill you in on more stuff in the
coming newsletters.
And what about my lecture at Mindvention? If you weren't
there and want to know all about it, you'll have to
subscribe to the Journal of the Mind. Subscribers will be
getting an issue that spotlights the lecture and that is
essentially the lecture notes. For more info on the Journal
of the Mind, see below.
Some great new stuff has come in since Mindvention. For
instance, three new items have been added to the Friends of
the Marketplace: Doug Segal's BIG BROTHER'S TAWDRY LITTLE
SISTER, Dr. Bill's SUGGESTABILITIES, and The Miracle
Factory's THE SHAKESPEARE EXPERIMENT. Doug Segal's effect
is included in this newsletter. The other two items will be
in the next one. Check out the product updates for other
stuff that has come in and will be reviewed as soon as
possible.
**** DOCC HILFORD
Docc was at Mindvention and it's always a pleasure to see
Docc. He's just released two new products. One is the
WHISPERING BUDDHA (see below) and the other is TOP SHELF.
WHISPERING BUDDHA is part of the TOP SHELF marketing system
package, so if you're interest in both, you may want to
purchase the whole thing. At the time of this writing, it's
not on the website yet. It should be up Monday or Tuesday.
And here's a little bit of news that Docc fans may enjoy.
In the next few weeks, Docc will be releasing CMII, or
Cellular Mitosis II. I told him that I simply loved
Cellular Mitosis but that often I'm in a place where my
cellphone doesn't work. He said that his new version can
work with someone else's phone and their friend. I
certainly can't wait for that and I'll let you know as soon
as it's available.
Also, Docc mentioned that a big mistake was made on the
Little Black Book. Apparently, the wrong file was published
and that has led to all the complaints about it. He will be
republishing it and replacing all the copies at his cost.
When the new version is ready, I'll let you know.
Don't forget that I still have a few of his DVD sets still
available and on sale. The details are below.
**** JE4
Now that Mindvention is over, this limited edition is now
available on my website. What is it? It's my Fourth
Dimensional Telepathy routine that is the cornerstone of my
club act, the one I perform regularly at the Magic Castle.
JE4 stands for Jheff's Elegant 4th Dimensional Telepathy
routine. Because I'm still performing it, I'm limiting this
to only 100 copies and selling it for $100 each. And, boy,
have I already been taking the heat from some professionals
familiar with my routine who told me that was way too low.
But I already made my decision. And wait until you see the
bonus that I threw in.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/je4.html
**** JHEFF AT THE MAGIC CASTLE
I'll be appearing there December 1 through 7 as the Early
Parlour performer. As indicated above, JE4 is a cornerstone
of that act, so if you want to see it in action, drop on by
as it would be an honor to have you in the audience. If
you're not a member of the Magic Castle, let me know and
I'll arrange to get you in.
**** PREDICTAMENTAL
I've been getting very nice response to this pocket/close-up
mentalism routine, which also made its official debut at
Mindvention. I had some printed copies of it there, but it
will be available as a PDF download very shortly (which I
hope is by the week's end).
**** IMPORTANT CHANGE FOR INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS
I've had to change the shipping charge policy for
international orders. Since the price increases earlier
this year, I've allowed international customers to make
choices. Unfortunately, this has proved disastrous. For
example, I've had several customers order using the Flat
Rate Envelope Priority Mail option, however the items would
not fit into that envelope. Several orders have been lost
or seriously delayed with the standard air mail option.
So, from now on, international customers will automatically
get the priority mail option. I can certainly accomodate
cheaper shipping methods, but you'll have to e-mail first
before you order and I can tell you what they are so we can
work out the best and most inexpensive way to mail the
stuff. If you think an order can fit into a flat rate
envelope, write to me and I'll let you know if that option
can be used. Just contact me first.
Hopefully, this will work out, but things may change.
**** MONSTER MENTALISM SPECIAL RETURNS!
I have a few sets left of the most talked about DVD set of
the year. So, for a limited time, I'll offer that special
again. You can get an additional 15% off for a total of 25%
off the Suggested Retail Price. This offer will last until
the few that I have on my shelf are sold and then the
discount below will be deactivated again. You can save even
more if you're a subscriber to Journal of the Mind.
To take advantage, use "DOCC" (without the quotes) as the
coupon code. Make sure you see the discount before you
finalize your order or I will NOT be able to refund the
difference.
**** PRODUCT UPDATES
Other new items that will be discussed in upcoming
newsletters and/or added soon to my catalog are Dr. Bill's
SUGGESTIBILITIES, Trevor Duff's MICROPHONE HANDS FREE BRACE,
The Miracle Factory's THE SHAKESPEARE EXPERIMENT, Docc
Hilford's TOP SHELF, Matthew Mello's TECHNIQUE, Juan
Tamariz' VERBAL MAGIC, Wayne Fox's THOUGHT PROCESS and FULL
HOUSE, Aldo Colombini's TRI-COLOR DIVINATION, Menny
Lindenfeld's PSYCHIC CREDIT CARD, three from Dave Powell
(HAUNTED HAND, INVISIBLE CARD PUNCH, MICROWRITER), Sean
Field's EXPLICIT FOOTAGE: TOME and EXPLICIT FOOTAGE: BENZ,
John Sheets' NAILED IT, Haim Goldenberg's INSIDE THOUGHTS
and MY PRECIOUS, and a bunch of cool stuff from Craig
Browning. Some of this stuff is already on the website with
comments. Some of this stuff I will not catalog.
***** JOURNAL OF THE MIND 2008 SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE NOW!
The new issue of Jheff's Journal of the Mind spotlights BRYN
REYNOLDS, a highly regarded part-time pro who's produced
some very fine material. To get this issue, you need to
subscribe to the Journal of the Mind.
For $47 you get a subscription to the 2008 issues of Jheff's
Journal of the Mind, an all-new e-zine for mentalists. Plus,
you get an additional 5% discount off merchandise from the
Marketplace of the Mind, and many other very cool features.
If you want a taste of what you get, check out the preview
edition of the Bonus #0 issue featuring Jack Kent Tillar.
Go to the website and click on the banner at the top. Or
use the link below.
Check it out here: www.marketplaceofthemind.com/jmmc.html
***** THE FRIENDS OF THE MARKETPLACE
Don't forget to check out the new Friends of the Marketplace
section. This is for those creators who are producing
wonderful products that I don't carry. This is because, to
save overhead, I order as needed from my distributor, and
these creators aren't mass distributing it. If you'd like
me to review your product and help you sell it, then you'll
find details about the Friends of the Marketplace program on
the website.
Recent additions include:
Alain Nu's WORD WORK, VOLUME 2 - Alain's legendary work on
book tests using an unprepared or borrowed book!
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Word_Work2.html
Greg Arce's HANDS OF TIME - Three brilliant new effects from
one of the most creative minds in mentalism today.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Hands_of_time.html
Bob Cassidy's 21ST CENTURY Q&A - A brilliant Q&A routine
combining classic ideas and principles in mentalism.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/21st_Century_QA.html
Bob Cassidy's THE MAG-EYE MOVE - Bob's brilliant take on a
classic peek move.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Mag_Eye_Move.html
Ron Martin's PALM READER'S NOTEBOOK - The classic is back
and updated with plenty of impressive extras.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Palm_Readers_Notebook.ht
ml
Dr. Bill's FOURCE - A clever new updating of a classic
force! http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Fource.html
Kenton Knepper's THE GUIDE - Anyone can hypnotize their
audiences with this new tool from the creator of Wonder
Words! http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Guide.html
Jerome Finley's THOUGHT CHANNEL - An incredible new version
of a classic effect that uses no gimmicks and appears like
real minding!
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Thought_Channel.html
Jerome Finley's THOUGHT CHANNEL 2.0 The sequel to one of the
most incredible routines to come out in decades, this
manuscript has a no-gimmick version of pseudo-psychometry
that is a must-have for serious mentalists.
http://www.marketplaceofthemind.com/Thought_Channel_2.html
Remember, I don't make a dime on this stuff. I do this
because I think the stuff is very good and worth it.
http://www.jheff.com/friendsofthemarketplace.html
Until next time. -- Jheff
*********
DOUG SEGAL
BIG BROTHER'S TAWDRY LITTLE SISTER
Suggested Retail Price:£35
Available at:
http://www.thehumanobservatory.co.uk
THE BLURB:
Imagine playing a reality TV game with your audience...
Imagine allowing 9 truly randomly selected members of your
audience to genuinely choose which 9 celebrity photos on
display to "Evict" from your Big Brother House leaving the
10th as the winner...
How amazing would it be if, when replaced on the easel, the
backs of all the eliminated photos were marked "Evicted" but
the 10th had "Winner" written on the back?
The Holy Grail of Big Brother effects:
No stooges, no forces, every choice is genuine, no dice
rolling, no change bags, no word play or equivoque: You ask
them which one they want to eliminate and they answer.
No rough and smooth,no photos switched in, no photos
switched out, the very same photos taken off the board go
back on the board, no need for multiple outs, nothing added,
nothing taken away.
Pure. Simple. Direct. Commercial.
You Get:
All the hand finished photos, gaffs, props and materials you
need to perform the effect (Even the Blu-Tack!). The only
things you'll need to provide is a piece of paper, a pen and
a easel or other flat surface to Blu-Tack the photos to).
Full instructions including the complete scripting I use in
my show, insights into the psychological forces used & tips
on how to make this a feature effect with lots of audience
involvement (and humour if that's your style - It is mine).
PLEASE NOTE: I AM A BUSY FULL TIME WORKING PROFESSIONAL AND
EACH SET IS HAND MADE. YOU SHOULD ALLOW A WEEK FOR CREATION
AND DESPATCH. PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU HAVE A DEADLINE TO MEET
AND I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHAT I CAN DO.
MY COMMENTS:
Doug Segal performs this regularly and you can see him
perform it on his website. It's garnered very strong
reactions, because quite frankly it is indeed a very strong
effect. Certainly, there are no new principles here, but
it's a fun and direct presentation. The blurb is quite
accurate. It's very easy to do.
One note: The blurb seems contradictory in that it claims
there are no forces, yet there are "insights into the
psychological forces used." To be more specific, nothing
needs to be forced, but there are forces in play. If they
don't work out, there are still plenty of ways to get to the
end result, which is that the winner will have been
predicted. By no means is the winner forced. It can be a
different outcome each time.
If I had to find some constructive criticism with this, it
would only be that the selection of celebrities could have
been a bit more multi-cultural. The celebrities included
are Paris Hilton, Josh Holloway, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie,
Kylie Minogue, Johnny Depp, Daniel Craig, Jessica Alba,
Keira Knightley, and Orlando Bloom. This is nit-picking, of
course. It doesn't matter who the ten are if audiences
recognize them, but I know that there may be some who are
concerned by this.
The package comes with all the photos you need and the
Blu-Tack. The 5.5" x 8.5", 16-page instructions is a desk
published booklet, and it's not the prettiest, but it
doesn't need to be. All the info is there, it's quite
clear, and it contains color photos. Additionally, you will
need to obtain some material that's easily obtained from an
art supply store to maintain the props, but the props are
ready to go right out of the package. For performances,
you'll also need a surface to post the photos on, such as an
easel.
Now, if you need any further convincing that this is a fun
and worthy effect suitable for your act, go to Doug's
website and watch him perform this. Or just take my word,
and go to his website and order it. This is a highly
entertaining, simple-to-do, packs flat-plays big routine
that I most heartily recommend.
*********
DOCC HILFORD
THE WHISPERING BUDDHA
JMOM Price: $50
Suggested Retail Price: $55
THE BLURB:
An Amazing Classic Brought to Life!
The Whispering Buddha is one of the greatest and strangest
classics in magic. Greatest because of its simple and direct
effect, yet strange because probably no one has actually
performed it!
That's about to change. Fifteen years ago, Docc Hilford
developed a workable method with his friend the late German
mentalist, Punx. The result was a routine that maintained
the clean directness of the original effect and made
performance easy on the entertainer.
The mage shows a beautiful 5 inch, antique statue of the
BUDDHA from Thailand. A participant writes a wish, a person
and a location where they could both enjoy the wish on a
prayer paper. They also think of a question and writes it on
the paper. The prayer paper is burned and in a whisper the
idol discloses the wish, the person's name, the destination
of joy and answers the personal question. THE SPECTATOR
HEARS THE WHISPERS!
In the 1920s, Joe Ovette marketed the effect that was
subsequently published in Corinda's Thirteen Steps to
Mentalism. In that version, the method was simple; you read
the lips of the participant when she whispered her question
to the statue! Simple, however near impossible to
accomplish.
Docc's Whispering Buddha utilizes some methods that YOU MAY
ALREADY KNOW. The classic method of the famed CT has been
blended with another technique and disguised by the genius
of Punx. The improvement lets information be written all
OVER THE PAPER! In addition, the paper is designed with
Buddhist themed art rich for patter possibilities.
The REAL secret is an advanced waking hypnosis and NLP
technique that makes the spectator ACTUALLY HEAR THE
WHISPERS! That's right!
How rare are simple, direct tricks that completely baffle
magicians with clever methods while emotionally affecting an
audience? This is one of those rare gems. A true reputation
maker.
Here's what you get:
* A beautiful, 5" Thai BUDDHA * A velvet carrying bag * A
pad of special billet papers * Scripted story and
instructions
MY COMMENTS:
If you're like me, and you're a big fan of Docc's Cellular
Mitosis, then you'll absolutely love this. One could say
that this is Cellular Mitosis without the cellphone.
Instead, there is a Buddha. And, yes, the spectator does
indeed hear the Buddha. How? It certainly involves a
"waking hypnosis and NLP technique," but I could also
explain it a bit more easily if I describe a very natural
phenomenon that can occur when one goes to the beach. I
can't be more specific though or I'd give it away. Trust me.
It works.
Docc demonstrated this at the 2008 Mindvention and it was a
big hit. As stated in the blurb, the effect uses a few
well-known classic techniques to gain the information that's
written on the special paper that is provided in the
package. These techniques do need to be mastered and
they're not difficult. Actually, these are techniques that
most mentalists should know.
Also included in the package is a pad of paper with about 50
3" x 4" sheets in it (the "special billet papers"). The
design of these papers is ingenious but also leads to one of
the drawbacks of this routine. As written, you need a
matchbook and be able to burn the torn papers. In some
areas, like California where I am, it's not easy to find
ashtray and matches, nor are there places which would
welcome the burning of billets. Docc does not provide an
alternative, however I'm sure professionals familiar with
the needed classic techniques can come up with an
alternative solution.
The Buddha which is included stands a tad more than five
inches high. Incidentally, if you don't wish to use a
Buddha, you can use another small, special object. Whatever
it is (and Docc personally uses a smaller Buddha), that item
is not gimmicked at all (like the cellphone in Cellular
Mitosis). As Docc points out, it is stronger when done in a
small group and he explains why in the booklet.
Like Cellular Mitosis, I consider this an invaluable
technique for mentalists. If you're in a situation where
you want to perform this, you can pull out a mysterious key
or special coin, plus a business card or piece of paper, and
perform the effect. Needless to say, I definitely recommend
this.
NOTE: Docc's TOP SHELF marketing system package includes THE
WHISPERING BUDDHA, THE ROSINI SECRET, THE SECRETS OF DR.
TAO, and THE INVISIBLE STRANGER, as well as the TOP SHELF
marketing system.
*********
JACK KENT TILLAR
SEXTET
JMOM Price: $45
Suggested Retail Price: $49.95
THE BLURB:
This is the complete collection of Jack Kent Tillar's
telephone, fax, and email routines --
All under one cover:
* Over two dozen new long distance performance pieces! *
Insider professional tips on maximizing impact and
entertainment value! * Three private routines: E.T. Call
Home, Coast-to-Coast Telepathy, and the JKT extension! * Two
effects originally slated for individual commercial release:
My Favorite Picture Code and Psychic Hot-line * Plus a new
unpublished bonus routines by Michael Weber and an
additional hilarious routine by Ross Johnson.
"I envy Jack, he has so many talents, it seems unfair. His
new work Sextet carries with it his trademarked search for
perfection, historical, context, and a beguiling simplicity
(though not simple). Maybe I should take up music." - Marc
Salem
"One is hard pressed to name a best or favorite from this
book. Every effect is strong, clean, and can play like the
'real work'." - Ross Johnson
Pages 154 - Softbound
MY COMMENTS:
Once again, I'll remind you that I've been assisting Jack in
producing these books, so I'm a bit biased. The theme of
this book, which was a recent sell-out at Mindvention, is
long-distance telepathy or effects you can do over the
phone, fax, or e-mail. And, yes, you haven't missed
anything yet. This is indeed number 6 in Jack's series. At
the time of this writing, 4, 5, and 7 have not been
published. They are on their way, though.
The book is divided into six sections, though there is a
bonus section: Multiple Thought Projection, Projecting
Pictures and Shapes, Projecting Playing Cards, Projecting
Numbers, Telephone Secrets, Feature Publicity Effects and
the Bonus Section that includes Michael Weber's Micro
Miracle. Most sections have four chapters in each.
Being that this is an anthology of many different types of
routines within the scope of the category, there are ones
you'll absolutely love, ones that you won't, and ones that
will get your creative thoughts spinning. Some are brand
new, some are classics, and some are forgotten classics.
Jack's been in the business for a number of decades and this
is his compilation of his favorite effects in this category.
When Jack's series of seven books is finished, it will be an
important literary achievement for mentalists. And would it
be totally unexpected if I add that I highly recommend this?
I didn't think so.
*********
LARRY BECKER & LEE EARLE
WORD WORK
JMOM Price: $63
Suggested Retail Price: $69
THE BLURB:
A walk-around book test that's repeatable and puzzling, too!
WordWork - They just think of a crossword puzzle clue (ie.
"39 Across; 9 letters; 'a vivid, sudden memory'") and you
instantly tell them that very word, (ie. "FLASHBACK"). Can
be repeated.
WordPlay - When they merely imagine one of more than 35
words on any page's clue list, you reveal it in a heartbeat.
Or they can pick a clue word on any page and you guide them
to that word in that puzzle's 19x25 letter grid - whether
the word is horizontal, vertical, backwards, or on a
diagonal!
Features: No pumping Real puzzles No crib sheets
Self-contained Simple & easy Examinable
Comes compmlete with instruction sheet and two(2) 64 page
puzzle books (one word search the other crossword).
Book Dimensions Approximately 5" x 4" (12.7cm x 10cm)
MY COMMENTS:
Essentially, this can be coined the "Supermarket Puzzle
Books Flashback Edition." Let me stress that I said
"essentially." There's a bit more to them than just that.
Those familiar with the Flashback series of books will know
immediately what I'm talking about. The puzzle books are
those small booklets that are found at supermarket
checkouts. At least, they're found here in the United
States. I'm not sure about elsewhere in the world. The
package includes two books. One book consists of crossword
puzzles and the other is of word search puzzles.
My one criticism is that Larry and Lee could have gone a bit
further with this idea. For instance, most of these types
of books have little black-and-white drawings on the clue
pages. They could very easily have worked these drawings
onto each page with a very easy method to determine which
picture it was. This certainly doesn't detract from its
useability, nor is it a drawback. It's just an opportunity
I think Larry and Lee missed. Also, as a side note, Bob
Cassidy put out an effect for puzzle books in his e-book,
Crossroads Crosswords, which some readers may be familiar
with. The method Bob uses is totally different than this
one, if you're looking to do mentalism effects with puzzle
books, it's worth checking out, too.
As it is, this is and does exactly what it advertises. They
are well-made and look like real supermarket checkout puzzle
books that easily fit in your pocket. The instructions are
on a single sheet of paper, double-sided, and that's all you
need, because this is so simple-to-do. Definitely
recommended.
*********
To make a purchase of any item in the JMOM newsletter,
please go to http://www.MarketplaceoftheMind.com and use the
shopping cart. If you're unable to do this, you may respond
to this e-mail.
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