Every good thing must come to an end...

I have been informed by blogger.com that they are going to cease the FTP Upload of blogs, which is the method I use to publish my blog.

I am not sure what to do about this, I don't really want to deal with installing my own software to maintain a blog. I'm tempted to just keep a MySpace blog, but MySpace does not provide any mechanism to import all of my previous blog posts.

As of right now, it is my intention to re-write my website as I want to update a lot of the information. I plan to do a larger layout that can display more information and make the website more "Flash-like" but continue to use pure DHTML and JavaScript as opposed to Flash.

My "contact" page is being abused spammers - I'm not sure why they are targeting me, but I want to assure everyone that I have no need for Viagra and if you are the one that is using my contact page to try to sell me some please stop! One part of the website update will be to deter such spam from reaching my mailbox.

So sometime in the future, expect a brand new amazingjoejoe.com!

-JoeJoe

Magic at the Beach

The big magic convention in Myrtle Beach is finally over. While many (most?) magicians attend several of these every year, this is only the 3rd convention I've ever attended ... the first being in 1992. Needless to say, I had a blast! It was really awesome being able to meet in person the great people I've met online over the years!

Murray's lecture was outstanding, every magician should go out of their way to see his lecture. Shawn Farquhar is one of the most dynamic performers ever. And it was a real treat to actually meet Rocco - I have heard so much about his charisma, but all that was nothing to actually witness it first hand. And let's not forget Dave Tanner's collection of Houdini Memorabilia he was kind enough to display.

But it is even better that it is over! I've spent the last several months working exclusively on the new levitation, and I have so many other projects that I have wanted to work on. This includes a new set of silver cups and balls I found at a flea market that need polishing and an improved design for my dancing cane.

I am left with a big question ... do I continue to work on the levitation, or do I move on to a new idea I have to cut myself in half? Last minute complications prevented me from performing it as I envisioned ... and I have new ideas to make it even better. But the cutting myself in half might turn out to be a much better illusion in the end. So it's something to think about.

Time to get back into the studio and figure it all out ... oh yea, one more thing ... I will be posting video soon of my performance at the convention, so make sure you are subscribed to my YouTube channel so you don't miss it!

-JoeJoe

Zoey The Wonderbird

I am flabbergasted! Five thousand views, with 72 five-star ratings! Thank you everyone for making Zoey's video a huge success ... I read her every comment that has been posted and she thanks you all!



-JoeJoe and Zoey!

Magic at the Beach

Myrtle Beach finally gets a magic convention! January 14-16th at the Ocean Dunes Resort and Conference Center: Magic at the Beach.

This is very good news for me, because as many already know ... I do not travel well. Thus, I don't get to go to many of these conventions. I am very excited that no less than four FISM winners will be in town!

There will also be a stage competition. I generally do not like to think of magic as a competition sport, and tend to shy away from these things. But after a great deal of thought, I have decided to enter this competition.

I made this decision after realizing that I had enough of my own original magic for a complete act. There will be no store bought magic in my routine, only original magic that I myself have created including my Floating Knot and my Sword-in-Chest.

I will also unveil a brand new stage illusion I created, which I do not plan to tip other than to say it is a self-levitation. In recent years, the self levitation has become the "holy grail" of magic with every magician and his mother trying to invent the latest and greatest method. I don't proclaim mine to be the latest or the greatest, but I think it is pretty clever and will blow the minds off some of the "move monkey" magicians at this convention.

So that is the update ... hope to see you at the convention!

-JoeJoe

Magic Floating Cigarette Illusion

This video is a remake of my floating cigarette video(s). I've wanted to do this for a long time. The original videos were filmed with "fake cigarettes" after I quit smoking and was not actively performing the routine. As a consequence, I have always felt my performance was not up to par. However, it is still my most popular video so I left it up.

I put a lot of time and thought into this remake, and I am most pleased with the result. I think it is my best video to date. I have been performing the routine again, and I have been using real cigarettes - no, I am not smoking them just floating them. Nothing floats like a real cigarette, something about their weight and balance.

So here it is ... don't forget to give it a few stars, and if you haven't already done so subscribe to my channel. [smile]





-JoeJoe

Dancing Cane and Silk Hanky

Today, I upload the 2nd Summerfest 2009 Video:





-JoeJoe

Summerfest 2009 Videos

Tonight I upload the first of a series of videos shot over Summerfest 2009! These will all just be short little clips of me doing simple magic tricks for kids. Enjoy!



-JoeJoe