Hamner
and Barber to Receive International Magicians Awards
July 12, 2006
Branson entertainers Dave & Denise Hamner and Jim Barber will
each be
honored as recipients of the “Merlin Award” by the International
Magicians Society (IMS). The prestigious awards will be presented to
the stars of The Hamner Barber Variety Show in person during their
August 12th, 8pm show by the World President of the IMS, Mr. Tony
Hassini.
 The
Hamners are being honored with their second Merlin Award as
“Entertainers of the Year.” In 1999 they received the coveted award
for
“Best Manipulation.”
Making this year's presentation even more special, Jim Barber
is
receiving his Merlin Award for “Ventriloquist of the Year,” being
the
first entertainer ever to receive this award for
ventriloquism in the
society’s 38 year history.
The International Magicians Society (IMS) is the world's largest
magic
society as recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. The IMS
began in 1968 and now has over 37,000 members worldwide. It was
created
to help promote and preserve the art of magic and provide a format
where magicians (and magic hobbyists) could share their secrets and
ideas.
In the profession of magic, the Merlin statuette is the equivalent
of
the Oscar for film, the Emmy for television, and the Tony for
theater.
It is presented only to those entertainers who have achieved the
highest level in their craft. The voting members begin with
approximately one hundred names and narrow the list down to a select
few. The criteria considered for a winner include talent,
showmanship,
originality, skills, and above all, the rare ability to entertain
under
any conditions.
The Merlin Award statuette was commissioned to over 100 art
students
from various colleges across the country. The winning design was
carved
and created in 1968 by New York University art student Carol
Michaud.
Some of the more famous winners of the Merlin Award for excellence
in
magic include: Harry Blackstone, Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy and
David Copperfield.
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