Basically he shows an envelope with a prediction. You choose a card (not from a deck) draw it into a normal spiral notebook (can be any paper really) sign it, and spectator opens the envelope and it is the card spectator drew.
Not a bad effect, though I prefered several others he was pushing. Dean is so creative. He has way too much time to think in that barbershop.

I was REALLY floored by Revelation. Dean thought he may have to perform CPR on me. It is such an incredible idea and VERY clean. I didn't pick it up, but I did finally snag one of his beautiful pads. We got to see several shows after the convention, Penn and Teller (with Café regular Dave V and his lovely wife), Mac King, and Lance Burton. All were fantastic, but Penn and Teller really stood out to me as it was my first time seeing them in Vegas. They have a new "close-up" bit done on a big screen that will fool you big time.

And how about those kids in the teen competition?!?! My good friend Bill Koch from Chicago took 2nd place and the Yamagami brothers took 3rd. But the young man from Japan who took first place, Hiroki (something) was killer. He really has star written all over him.

Just to keep the record straight -

Soma won the Golden Lion's Head Award which is the "People's Choice" award and the $5000 is given by the WMS.

Han Seol-Hui from Korea won the SARMOTI Award which is decided and given by Siegfried and Roy and is also accompanied by a $5000 cash prize.

Bill

I didn't have the good fortune of discussing with Vince Mendoza, but Vinny "The Godfather" kindly showed me a full series of really clever rubber band effects during the too short time we had together over a breakfast. I couldn't grab him anymore after that and if I had time to show him some twists on card counts, I couldn't show him the Chameleon bag Purse routine that he was interested in. So much to share and so little time...!

Anyhow, I discovered that Vinny, as I supected, is not gifted only with cards and coins. Impressive magician with incredible creative capacity. I wish I could travel across again for your lecture Vinny. Very few people fully realize how valuable that will be.

For those who haven't seen his act:

SOMA - Phone Act
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jucxw56RDik

One of the best contemporary manipulation acts.

Great Act.....

Greeting to everyone...

"SOMA" (Mr. Sámuel Hajnóczy) did a MIRACLE
with that creative entertaining work for the magicians world...

It was so needed that kind of wictory for Hungary
after Uri`s "pseudo-mentalist" and absolutely provokative TV shows
named "The Successor", which those are simply failed...,
as we alarmed the magicians earlier with James Randi before that crazy fake invasion against real magic...

Hungarian magicians was not listening to J.Randi and to me, to us, so they went involved into that crazy show presented always with continue media terror, but we did our job since one year, Uri and his local crazy magicians, helpers, partners simply lost their games against us...

While now the situations are looks much much better than one year ago, we still do not knowing how it was possible to happened that two local magic star quickly became a "mentalist", after they returned to their normal levels, now they are magicians again...

Even Soma`s main teacher and mentor "Mr. Jupiter" (Mr. Gergely Molnar),
who is a leader (or not?!) of the Hungarian magicians also was playing in Uri`s TV show, while he surprised also as well all the magicians, but the public opinion too in Hungary with his that kind of choice, what strange choice nearly made a lot of problems and real chaos...

We was attacked because of the continue analyzing the happenings and irrational media presentations of that show...

Now, we are still working on hardly (on Illusion Depo Forum also...)to normalize the magic life in Hungary, because is still a big big mass around and inside it...

I hope, that "Soma" will understand his new position, and will help for us to build a real magic culture in that country, we already started...

Magic is not just an easy business, or an easy life for anybody without knowing it`s real traditions, basics and main laws...

Magic is more than entertainment, more than art, and more than science...,

which facts was hardly forgotten long long ago...


So, "Soma", Congratulations again...,

and please welcome into the real and new magical world...


Best Regards,
_______________
ALEX, S.H.