A Week of Magic

Keith Barry



We started off this week with the long-anticipated David Blaine special, and if you've been looking at our Hot/New section of the web site, we've featured many new products that were featured on that special as well as the Paul Harris Prime Time product line. Every one of these products is truly special and quite a value at the price. If you haven't already done so, do yourself a favor and check out the video demos of these products. Don't forget to watch Keith Barry tonight at 8:00 PM on CBS. Check your local listings for more details.


Ray Lum

We had a surprise visit from our good friend Ray Lum and his friend Timothy James. They're preparing for their upcoming tour, "House of Wonders, Volume 1" starting July 1st in the Campbell, California. They've made several visits in preparation to taking their show on the road. If any of you know Ray as well as we do, you know how much of a perfectionist he is. Also, while Ray was here, he presented Hocus Pocus with a welcome-to-our-new-home gift of a beautiful 8-sheet Carter the Great Cheating the Gallows poster, professionally mounted on linen. Ray knows that I've wanted this poster for a long time, and my jaws hit the floor the first time I saw it. We had a perfect spot right behind Mike's desk, where it resides:


Cheating the Gallows, Carter the Great

Yesterday was my son Max's 14th birthday, and for months, and for months he's been asking for an X-Box 360. For any of you who have looked for one of these, you know it's easier said than done. Betty looked for weeks to no avail, and Max was so convinced he was going to get one of these, we decided to fool him a bit. It wasn't until the day before his birthday that Betty finally found one left at a local store! Next, it was time to hide it in the house, but we had to make sure to hide it well, because Max goes on secret missions looking for his gifts. To really fake him out, Betty wrote a note where it was hidden in the house and wrapped it up in a small box. You should have seen the look on his face when she brought out his smaller-than-expected gift. He opened it up and immediately began searching throughout the entire house on a mock scavenger hunt. Needless to say he was thrilled and we never heard a peep or saw him again for hours. If only life was that simple again.

Believe it or not, we went from Winter right to Summer and skipped Spring entirely! The weather here has been in the 90s and yesterday we broke a record of 98 degrees for this time of year. The air conditioning units are getting a workout both here and at home. As we near the end of this month, graduation is approaching. Max will be graduating junior high school and my eldest son, Cole will be graduating high school and preparing himself for the big move to college in Moraga, California at St. Mary's.

Just got off the phone with Dexter, and they're wrapping up the final shoot for the upcoming Criss Angel Mindfreak season, starting Wednesday, May 31.

So there you have it -- lots of magic, lots of sunshine, and lots of excitement. Don't forget to spend time with your family and enjoy your weekend!

Until next time,

Paul