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AgeGap · 15th July 2007, 08:01 AM

He seems to come in for a lot of stick. I'm from the UK and this may have some bearing on why I don't get it cos he is not big over here.

DJM · 15th July 2007, 10:00 AM

I always want to throw a chair on the TV when I watch him.. I have a feeling that's the general opinion.

Bob Klase · 15th July 2007, 10:16 AM

One reason is his (excessive) use of movie special effects techniques instead of magic such as these.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mQeTmq...elated&search=

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mBJct6CfW3I

JonWhite · 15th July 2007, 11:19 AM

I find his "magic" persona is pretty damn annoying as well (but then I'm not a 15 year old goth).

AgeGap · 16th July 2007, 12:59 AM

I wondered what the fuss was about. Anyone see his picture in "The Magic World of the Amazing Randi"?

Cain · 16th July 2007, 07:51 PM

Quote:

NBC also announced Monday that it would be getting into some mind games for another series. It has signed a deal with magician Criss Angel and Uri Geller for a competition where they will search for the next great mentalist.

http://tv.yahoo.com/show/35539/news/...apprentice__ER

MelBrooksfan · 16th July 2007, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by Cain

http://tv.yahoo.com/show/35539/news/...apprentice__ER

Can we interpret this as a tacit admission from Uri that he's a fake?

Cain · 17th July 2007, 04:43 PM

I wondered the same. Unfortunately, Criss Angel likes to give his followers the impression that some of the things he does are "real" (and not the obvious stunts). In a rare moment of solidarity I joined Rikzilla on some Criss Angel fan forum in a vain attempt to disabuse folks of their mistaken belief that Angel possesses extraordinary powers. They insistently invoked Angel's appeal to "mind, body, and spirit." The experience left me detesting that vacuous phrase more than I thought possible.

Christ, we should take this as an opportunity! I should bone up on mentalism and at least audition. That's a lucrative racket. After gaining fame and fortune I will come clean and admit the whole thing is nonsense. Wow, this is a plan. Anyway, it would be great if someone sympathetic to skepticism exposed all that stupid **** as nonsense in the live final episode when "America" votes.

JoeEllison · 17th July 2007, 07:07 PM

My wife and I are going on vacation to Vegas next year, and we're staying at the Luxor. Why? Apparently, Chris Sarantakos has his offices there, and does various staged non-illusions around the hotel. My wife wants the opportunity to shout out "YOU'RE SO FULL OF ************" during one of his idiot performances.

thaiboxerken · 17th July 2007, 09:21 PM

At the local SAM meeting last month, I gathered that many magicians didn't like his abuse of special effects and video editting. I agree.

Using CGI to impress the television audience is about as appeal to me, as a magician, as Keanu Reeves dodging bullets in "bullet time." It takes no skill on part of the magician, just his crew.

MelBrooksfan · 17th July 2007, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by Cain

I wondered the same. Unfortunately, Criss Angel likes to give his followers the impression that some of the things he does are "real" (and not the obvious stunts). In a rare moment of solidarity I joined Rikzilla on some Criss Angel fan forum in a vain attempt to disabuse folks of their mistaken belief that Angel possesses extraordinary powers. They insistently invoked Angel's appeal to "mind, body, and spirit." The experience left me detesting that vacuous phrase more than I thought possible.

It's really annoyingly ambiguous. I recall the stunt where he got the 4 kids to lift a car with one finger each. He walked away saying something akin to, 'I really wanted to show those kids that they had a special power.' And, by this point, the schoolkids were far behind which left me wondering why he was bothering to stay 'in-character.'

Part of the problem may be that Criss treats the television audience the same as any other audience (this is the only way I can see him justifying the use of editing effects). Thusly, he must stay in-character the whole time. This combined with the cameras-following-a-celebrity reality show format could cause the confusion and make some more.. impressionable individuals believe he has woo-powers.

dannagain · 18th July 2007, 02:57 AM

i hate criss angel. he's corny as hell and he's not even that good a magician. when he does actually do non cgi effects they're always pretty simple and easy to figure out. cyril takayama is the only magician i've ever seen who actually looks like he has woo powers. i cant link yet but go to youtube and type in 'cyril takayama hamburger'.

treble_head · 18th July 2007, 03:15 AM

The only thing I'll say for Criss Angel is that he's apparently feeding a need. I personally find his schtick as annoying as the magicians who looked like understudies for off broadway productions in sequined tuxedos.

Plus, I don't like his style. There are magicians who use stooges, etc, who make it look natural. Angel looks so nervous, I'm surprised anyone is shocked when he does what he does.

Criss Angel is to magic what Larry The Cable Guy is to comedy. (oohhh... the punch line is coming up, get more into your fake character than normal... get louder... PUNCHLINE!!!!)

Sorry, but, even knowing how it's done, David Copperfield doing Grandpa's Aces excites me way more than a Criss Angel bit I can figure out later. It's entirely the artistry that makes me love it, not the fact that he can or can't do it...

It gets him chicks. More power to him. It's the artistry and command that make a good magic bit great. It seems like Criss works out his new stuff for a day and makes it "kinda" work to most people. Pisses me off.

Orphia Nay · 18th July 2007, 03:40 AM

After watching his TV show a couple of times he really made me want to vomit.

Then, after seeing posts about this, my opinion strengthened:

Originally Posted by Cain

...
In a rare moment of solidarity I joined Rikzilla on some Criss Angel fan forum in a vain attempt to disabuse folks of their mistaken belief that Angel possesses extraordinary powers. They insistently invoked Angel's appeal to "mind, body, and spirit." The experience left me detesting that vacuous phrase more than I thought possible.
...

But I heard him on Penn Jillette's radio show earlier this year, and I started to change my mind.

Download the show here:

http://www.pennfans.net/view/Audio_A...ow.2006.02.07/

I can't remember why I changed my mind, now, except for thinking that if Penn likes him, he can't be too bad. I have a vague recollection that he seemed to be a skeptic. I'm going to listen to the show again.

Cain · 18th July 2007, 09:29 AM

Criss Angel comes off well in the above interview, but I wonder if he's the type of person out to please everyone. He goes on Penn's show and says he's skeptical, praises Randi, criticizes blood suckers. Well, he does criticize magicians, describing most presentations as "hokey" and "corny." I agree, but dannagain above says Angel is himself corny.

Penn does get a good line off about if Angel did possess authentic supernatural powers: "That's like questioning your morality. If you did have special powers you would be out saving babies not passing through a window." Lance Burton is way better than Penn and Angel.

OXEL · 29th July 2007, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by dannagain

[...]
go to youtube and type in 'cyril takayama hamburger'.

I found the aquarium part even more astonishing.

Orphia Nay · 2nd August 2007, 03:08 AM

Originally Posted by Cain

Penn does get a good line off about if Angel did possess authentic supernatural powers: "That's like questioning your morality. If you did have special powers you would be out saving babies not passing through a window."

Yes, that was the part of the show I was thinking of. That raised Criss Angel a few notches in my estimation. I still much prefer Penn & Teller and James Randi, but then they have the skeptical angle covered. I'll have to look out for Lance Burton. Got any links? Cheers.

T'ai Chi · 2nd August 2007, 02:52 PM

I think CA's act is very cheesy, but then most all magic is to some degree.

CA's people attempt to hype up every trick as dangerous and life threatening, and are probably some of the worse actors around IMO.

Bob Klase · 2nd August 2007, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by T'ai Chi

I think CA's act is very cheesy, but then most all magic is to some degree.

CA's people attempt to hype up every trick as dangerous and life threatening, and are probably some of the worse actors around IMO.

Perhaps CA is a much better magician than I thought. He got T'ai Chi to actually write something I agree with.

T'ai Chi · 2nd August 2007, 06:21 PM

Not to mention more cuts than elementary school children in a cafeteria lunch line.

genshi · 18th October 2007, 09:03 PM

I don't like Criss Angel because of the cheese factor (And I remember him from the days when he was in a bad heavy metal band doing the disappearing lady in the middle of a song!) and he is at best a mediocre magician but one that does appeal to a younger youtube generation crowd, but what I don't get is how he has this flock of veteran magicians on his payroll. Every time I've watched his show, he's got another "consultant" (Banachek, Luke Jermay, Johnny Thompson... last time it was Jeff McBride.) Are they just doing it for the money or do they see something in him that most of us are missing? Or could it be that they simply support the fact that, at the very least, guys like Criss Angel and David Blaine have brought magic back into the spotlight of entertainment (which, I got to give them credit for.)

Follow up: I just listened to the clip from the Penn Jillette show and have to admit I gained a little more respect for the guy. He seems genuinely a student of magic and debunker of those who claim supernatural powers and one of the only tricks of his that I wasn't sure about and thought the only two possible ways to do it is through camera edits (which I watched very closely over and over and saw none) or another method I had a theory on, turns out it was this other method which he reveals in this interview. He did it "the hard way" instead of copping out to using camera tricks.

Nabukadnezar · 16th November 2007, 02:11 PM

I hate Criss Angel's staged tricks, but he was lovely when he made fun of Jim Callahan and Uri Geller:

tvsquad.com/2007/11/02/jim-callahan-vs-criss-angel-video/

greymatters · 17th November 2007, 07:33 PM

Back before the A&E series (but after his bad days), I saw his shows live, and some on tape (like Japan, etc.), and they were quite good and enjoyable. When I first saw his Mindfreak series, I couldn't understand what happened. I know he can do better, but the show seemed like he was giving up.

Myself, I prefer a return to the Mark Wilson rules:

1. Always have a live audience
2. Never have the camera cut away during a trick.
3. Let viewers know that they see exactly what the studio audience sees.

These rules are all about credibility. Magic on TV is made far more effective with these rules in place, yet they have recently been thrown out the window by the likes of Blaine and Angel.

Granted, Criss Angel wasn't always the greatest performer, either:

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the JREF. The JREF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the JREF. The JREF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

...and just so you don't think I'm letting Jim Callahan off of the hook:

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the JREF. The JREF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

littlehulkster · 20th November 2007, 07:36 PM

Basically, it's cool to hate Criss Angel because he's popular and people want to rage against the machine. People then offer flimsy justification by saying Criss does the exact same things every other TV magician does.

Bob Klase · 20th November 2007, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by littlehulkster

Basically, it's cool to hate Criss Angel because he's popular and people want to rage against the machine. People then offer flimsy justification by saying Criss does the exact same things every other TV magician does.

Could you specify any particular "people" who have offered that justification?

If not, then I could at least point to specific instances that would support my claim that "basically it's cool to hate Darren Brown because he's popular and people want to rage against the machine. People (specific example available in Trick or Treat thread) off flimsy justification by saying Darren does simple tricks that can be found in books."

Mangoose · 22nd November 2007, 09:31 AM

I really liked Angel's dig at Geller last night when he criticized those who claimed to have paranormal abilities when it is illusion....

He puts on a watchable show, but as I was telling my mom yesterday, he depends too much on props and editing. I watched one episode of Mindfreak where he did this cool trick of sticking his arm through a guy's back and the hand comes out through the chest. That was cool until I googled and found a company that was selling the gear for doing exactly that trick. That then disappointed me to find that it wasn't even all that original.

DJM · 22nd November 2007, 01:07 PM

A magician not doing something 100% original? That's mindblowing.

Azrael 5 · 23rd November 2007, 02:12 AM

Originally Posted by DJM

A magician not doing something 100% original? That's mindblowing.

It's a travesty.

Bob Klase · 24th November 2007, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by Azrael 5

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJM
A magician not doing something 100% original? That's mindblowing.

It's a travesty.

A travesty? Here's a real shocker- I found out that virtually every single band and singer in the world are all using the same 8 notes! And many of them are playing music that you can buy in any music store! And the worst part- you can buy their instruments in instrument stores in any large city. I even found guitars being sold on the internet!

Azrael 5 · 24th November 2007, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by Bob Klase

A travesty? Here's a real shocker- I found out that virtually every single band and singer in the world are all using the same 8 notes! And many of them are playing music that you can buy in any music store! And the worst part- you can buy their instruments in instrument stores in any large city. I even found guitars being sold on the internet!

Bob your irony meter is bust.

Unalienable · 27th November 2007, 02:22 PM

He's one of my least favorite magicians, ever. But I'll still watch his show if I have some time to kill, that's just because I have a passion for the art. And he does have some skills. (Although it's hard to tell exactly the extent of his skills... with all the stooges and camera edits.)

But I just don't enjoy the persona he is trying to present. The old saying goes something like this: "A magician is an actor, pretending to be a magician." The persona that Angel presents is not a likable character, at least not for me.

Unalienable · 27th November 2007, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by Mangoose

I watched one episode of Mindfreak where he did this cool trick of sticking his arm through a guy's back and the hand comes out through the chest. That was cool until I googled and found a company that was selling the gear for doing exactly that trick. That then disappointed me to find that it wasn't even all that original.

In that case, you will be disappointed with every trick you ever see in your life, provided you do the research.

One magician told me that he thinks the last real breakthrough in the art of magic happened in the 1930's when Dupont invented women's nylon pantyhose. And thus was born a new high-tech form of "invisible thread". I hope I can say that without breaking exposure rules here? Yes, magicians really do use invisible thread, trap doors, and mirrors. There I said it! The secret it out!

karmicserenade · 27th November 2007, 02:47 PM

Uhh seeing him shirtless has made a believer out of me hehe...his is rather hot...but yeah, I am dissapointed in his 'tricks', which are just camera effects

Merko · 2nd December 2007, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by Nabukadnezar

I hate Criss Angel's staged tricks, but he was lovely when he made fun of Jim Callahan and Uri Geller:

tvsquad.com/2007/11/02/jim-callahan-vs-criss-angel-video/

Awesome! Never even heard about Criss Angel before, but no matter how lousy his tricks may be, he definitely earned my respect there.

As for using tricks made for TV, well.. certainly I find it hard to be impressed by a trick that isn't "live". Though such tricks may still have other qualities. I was very amused when Penn & Teller did this TV trick where they ran a giant trailer over Teller's chest, with some live audience all around. Then they revealed that the trick was done by rigging the trailer with weights on one side, and a soft fake tyre. They asked some woman in the audience, if she didn't see that the trailer was obviously rigged (or something along that). Her reply: "I lied, just as you told me to do!". Absolutely hilarious!

15th July 2007, 08:01 AM	#1
AgeGap Master Poster Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,394	What is the general opinion of Criss Angel? He seems to come in for a lot of stick. I'm from the UK and this may have some bearing on why I don't get it cos he is not big over here.
AgeGap Master Poster Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,394

15th July 2007, 10:00 AM	#2
DJM Muse Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 791	I always want to throw a chair on the TV when I watch him.. I have a feeling that's the general opinion.
DJM Muse Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 791

15th July 2007, 11:19 AM	#4
JonWhite Muse Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: London Posts: 647	I find his "magic" persona is pretty damn annoying as well (but then I'm not a 15 year old goth).
	__________________ "In cases where prior knowledge is available, the alternative to 'an open mind' is not 'a closed mind'. It is 'an informed mind'. In such contexts, any appeal to 'keep an open mind' is an appeal to prefer ignorance over knowledge" Ian Rowland

16th July 2007, 12:59 AM	#5
AgeGap Master Poster Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,394	I wondered what the fuss was about. Anyone see his picture in "The Magic World of the Amazing Randi"?
AgeGap Master Poster Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,394

16th July 2007, 07:51 PM	#6
Cain Straussian Join Date: May 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 7,008	Quote: NBC also announced Monday that it would be getting into some mind games for another series. It has signed a deal with magician Criss Angel and Uri Geller for a competition where they will search for the next great mentalist. http://tv.yahoo.com/show/35539/news/...apprentice__ER
	__________________ *Arrested Development* is coming back! Michael (to GOB): Get rid of the Seaward. Lucille: I’ll leave when I’m good and ready.

15th July 2007, 10:16 AM	#3
Bob Klase Master Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,833	One reason is his (excessive) use of movie special effects techniques instead of magic such as these. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mQeTmq...elated&search= http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mBJct6CfW3I

16th July 2007, 08:24 PM	#7
MelBrooksfan Graduate Poster Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,011	Originally Posted by Cain http://tv.yahoo.com/show/35539/news/...apprentice__ER Can we interpret this as a tacit admission from Uri that he's a fake?

17th July 2007, 04:43 PM	#8
Cain Straussian Join Date: May 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 7,008	I wondered the same. Unfortunately, Criss Angel likes to give his followers the impression that some of the things he does are "real" (and not the obvious stunts). In a rare moment of solidarity I joined Rikzilla on some Criss Angel fan forum in a vain attempt to disabuse folks of their mistaken belief that Angel possesses extraordinary powers. They insistently invoked Angel's appeal to "mind, body, and spirit." The experience left me detesting that vacuous phrase more than I thought possible. Christ, we should take this as an opportunity! I should bone up on mentalism and at least audition. That's a lucrative racket. After gaining fame and fortune I will come clean and admit the whole thing is nonsense. Wow, this is a plan. Anyway, it would be great if someone sympathetic to skepticism exposed all that stupid **** as nonsense in the live final episode when "America" votes.
	__________________ *Arrested Development* is coming back! Michael (to GOB): Get rid of the Seaward. Lucille: I’ll leave when I’m good and ready.

17th July 2007, 07:07 PM	#9
JoeEllison Cuddly Like a Koala Bear Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 7,276	My wife and I are going on vacation to Vegas next year, and we're staying at the Luxor. Why? Apparently, Chris Sarantakos has his offices there, and does various staged non-illusions around the hotel. My wife wants the opportunity to shout out "YOU'RE SO FULL OF ************" during one of his idiot performances.

17th July 2007, 09:21 PM	#10
thaiboxerken Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 21,086	At the local SAM meeting last month, I gathered that many magicians didn't like his abuse of special effects and video editting. I agree. Using CGI to impress the television audience is about as appeal to me, as a magician, as Keanu Reeves dodging bullets in "bullet time." It takes no skill on part of the magician, just his crew.
	__________________ All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power & profit - Thomas Paine

17th July 2007, 09:48 PM	#11
MelBrooksfan Graduate Poster Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,011	Originally Posted by Cain I wondered the same. Unfortunately, Criss Angel likes to give his followers the impression that some of the things he does are "real" (and not the obvious stunts). In a rare moment of solidarity I joined Rikzilla on some Criss Angel fan forum in a vain attempt to disabuse folks of their mistaken belief that Angel possesses extraordinary powers. They insistently invoked Angel's appeal to "mind, body, and spirit." The experience left me detesting that vacuous phrase more than I thought possible. It's really annoyingly ambiguous. I recall the stunt where he got the 4 kids to lift a car with one finger each. He walked away saying something akin to, 'I really wanted to show those kids that they had a special power.' And, by this point, the schoolkids were far behind which left me wondering why he was bothering to stay 'in-character.' Part of the problem may be that Criss treats the television audience the same as any other audience (this is the only way I can see him justifying the use of editing effects). Thusly, he must stay in-character the whole time. This combined with the cameras-following-a-celebrity reality show format could cause the confusion and make some more.. impressionable individuals believe he has woo-powers.
	Last edited by MelBrooksfan; 17th July 2007 at 09:54 PM.

18th July 2007, 02:57 AM	#12
dannagain Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 175	i hate criss angel. he's corny as hell and he's not even that good a magician. when he does actually do non cgi effects they're always pretty simple and easy to figure out. cyril takayama is the only magician i've ever seen who actually looks like he has woo powers. i cant link yet but go to youtube and type in 'cyril takayama hamburger'.
dannagain Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 175

18th July 2007, 03:15 AM	#13
treble_head Cupcake Loser Moron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Look. Behind. You. Posts: 10,973	The only thing I'll say for Criss Angel is that he's apparently feeding a need. I personally find his schtick as annoying as the magicians who looked like understudies for off broadway productions in sequined tuxedos. Plus, I don't like his style. There are magicians who use stooges, etc, who make it look natural. Angel looks so nervous, I'm surprised anyone is shocked when he does what he does. Criss Angel is to magic what Larry The Cable Guy is to comedy. (oohhh... the punch line is coming up, get more into your fake character than normal... get louder... PUNCHLINE!!!!) Sorry, but, even knowing how it's done, David Copperfield doing Grandpa's Aces excites me way more than a Criss Angel bit I can figure out later. It's entirely the artistry that makes me love it, not the fact that he can or can't do it... It gets him chicks. More power to him. It's the artistry and command that make a good magic bit great. It seems like Criss works out his new stuff for a day and makes it "kinda" work to most people. Pisses me off.
	__________________ I am humble. I am modest. Those two things are what make me great. That's not going to work Treb. I'm still going to like you. - Arthwollipot

18th July 2007, 03:40 AM	#14
Orphia Nay Penguilicious Spodmaster. Tagger Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ponylandistan Presidential Palace (above the Spods' stables). Posts: 28,821	After watching his TV show a couple of times he really made me want to vomit. Then, after seeing posts about this, my opinion strengthened: Originally Posted by Cain ... In a rare moment of solidarity I joined Rikzilla on some Criss Angel fan forum in a vain attempt to disabuse folks of their mistaken belief that Angel possesses extraordinary powers. They insistently invoked Angel's appeal to "mind, body, and spirit." The experience left me detesting that vacuous phrase more than I thought possible. ... But I heard him on Penn Jillette's radio show earlier this year, and I started to change my mind. Download the show here: http://www.pennfans.net/view/Audio_A...ow.2006.02.07/ I can't remember why I changed my mind, now, except for thinking that if Penn likes him, he can't be too bad. I have a vague recollection that he seemed to be a skeptic. I'm going to listen to the show again.
	__________________ Are you an ex-Truther? Please share your story. ~ The Australasian Skeptics Forum.

18th July 2007, 09:29 AM	#15
Cain Straussian Join Date: May 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 7,008	Criss Angel comes off well in the above interview, but I wonder if he's the type of person out to please everyone. He goes on Penn's show and says he's skeptical, praises Randi, criticizes blood suckers. Well, he does criticize magicians, describing most presentations as "hokey" and "corny." I agree, but dannagain above says Angel is himself corny. Penn does get a good line off about if Angel did possess authentic supernatural powers: "That's like questioning your morality. If you did have special powers you would be out saving babies not passing through a window." Lance Burton is way better than Penn and Angel.
	__________________ *Arrested Development* is coming back! Michael (to GOB): Get rid of the Seaward. Lucille: I’ll leave when I’m good and ready.

29th July 2007, 03:00 PM	#16
OXEL Critical Thinker Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: R.I.P. Posts: 252	Originally Posted by dannagain [...] go to youtube and type in 'cyril takayama hamburger'. I found the aquarium part even more astonishing.

2nd August 2007, 03:08 AM	#17
Orphia Nay Penguilicious Spodmaster. Tagger Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ponylandistan Presidential Palace (above the Spods' stables). Posts: 28,821	Originally Posted by Cain Penn does get a good line off about if Angel did possess authentic supernatural powers: "That's like questioning your morality. If you did have special powers you would be out saving babies not passing through a window." Yes, that was the part of the show I was thinking of. That raised Criss Angel a few notches in my estimation. I still much prefer Penn & Teller and James Randi, but then they have the skeptical angle covered. I'll have to look out for Lance Burton. Got any links? Cheers.
	__________________ Are you an ex-Truther? Please share your story. ~ The Australasian Skeptics Forum.

2nd August 2007, 02:52 PM	#18
T'ai Chi Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 11,235	I think CA's act is very cheesy, but then most all magic is to some degree. CA's people attempt to hype up every trick as dangerous and life threatening, and are probably some of the worse actors around IMO.
	__________________ http://www.statisticool.com

2nd August 2007, 04:32 PM	#19
Bob Klase Master Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,833	Originally Posted by T'ai Chi I think CA's act is very cheesy, but then most all magic is to some degree. CA's people attempt to hype up every trick as dangerous and life threatening, and are probably some of the worse actors around IMO. Perhaps CA is a much better magician than I thought. He got T'ai Chi to actually write something I agree with.

2nd August 2007, 06:21 PM	#20
T'ai Chi Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 11,235	Not to mention more cuts than elementary school children in a cafeteria lunch line.
	__________________ http://www.statisticool.com

18th October 2007, 09:03 PM	#21
genshi New Blood Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pasadena, CA - Portland, OR Posts: 11	I don't like Criss Angel because of the cheese factor (And I remember him from the days when he was in a bad heavy metal band doing the disappearing lady in the middle of a song!) and he is at best a mediocre magician but one that does appeal to a younger youtube generation crowd, but what I don't get is how he has this flock of veteran magicians on his payroll. Every time I've watched his show, he's got another "consultant" (Banachek, Luke Jermay, Johnny Thompson... last time it was Jeff McBride.) Are they just doing it for the money or do they see something in him that most of us are missing? Or could it be that they simply support the fact that, at the very least, guys like Criss Angel and David Blaine have brought magic back into the spotlight of entertainment (which, I got to give them credit for.) Follow up: I just listened to the clip from the Penn Jillette show and have to admit I gained a little more respect for the guy. He seems genuinely a student of magic and debunker of those who claim supernatural powers and one of the only tricks of his that I wasn't sure about and thought the only two possible ways to do it is through camera edits (which I watched very closely over and over and saw none) or another method I had a theory on, turns out it was this other method which he reveals in this interview. He did it "the hard way" instead of copping out to using camera tricks.
	__________________ ::\| genshi \|:: Last edited by genshi; 18th October 2007 at 09:35 PM. Reason: Further thoughts

16th November 2007, 02:11 PM	#22
Nabukadnezar New Blood Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 16	I hate Criss Angel's staged tricks, but he was lovely when he made fun of Jim Callahan and Uri Geller: tvsquad.com/2007/11/02/jim-callahan-vs-criss-angel-video/
Nabukadnezar New Blood Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 16

20th November 2007, 07:36 PM	#24
littlehulkster Critical Thinker Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 428	Basically, it's cool to hate Criss Angel because he's popular and people want to rage against the machine. People then offer flimsy justification by saying Criss does the exact same things every other TV magician does.
	Last edited by littlehulkster; 20th November 2007 at 07:37 PM.

20th November 2007, 09:46 PM	#25
Bob Klase Master Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,833	Originally Posted by littlehulkster Basically, it's cool to hate Criss Angel because he's popular and people want to rage against the machine. People then offer flimsy justification by saying Criss does the exact same things every other TV magician does. Could you specify any particular "people" who have offered that justification? If not, then I could at least point to specific instances that would support my claim that "basically it's cool to hate Darren Brown because he's popular and people want to rage against the machine. People (specific example available in Trick or Treat thread) off flimsy justification by saying Darren does simple tricks that can be found in books."

22nd November 2007, 09:31 AM	#26
Mangoose Muse Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 923	I really liked Angel's dig at Geller last night when he criticized those who claimed to have paranormal abilities when it is illusion.... He puts on a watchable show, but as I was telling my mom yesterday, he depends too much on props and editing. I watched one episode of Mindfreak where he did this cool trick of sticking his arm through a guy's back and the hand comes out through the chest. That was cool until I googled and found a company that was selling the gear for doing exactly that trick. That then disappointed me to find that it wasn't even all that original.
Mangoose Muse Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 923

22nd November 2007, 01:07 PM	#27
DJM Muse Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 791	A magician not doing something 100% original? That's mindblowing.
DJM Muse Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 791

23rd November 2007, 02:12 AM	#28
Azrael 5 Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Yorkshire,Uk Posts: 5,042	Originally Posted by DJM A magician not doing something 100% original? That's mindblowing. It's a travesty.
	__________________ "I achieve these results through a mixture of magic,misdirection,suggestion and showmanship"-Derren Brown

24th November 2007, 09:10 AM	#29
Bob Klase Master Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,833	Originally Posted by Azrael 5 Quote: Originally Posted by DJM A magician not doing something 100% original? That's mindblowing. It's a travesty. A travesty? Here's a real shocker- I found out that virtually every single band and singer in the world are all using the same 8 notes! And many of them are playing music that you can buy in any music store! And the worst part- you can buy their instruments in instrument stores in any large city. I even found guitars being sold on the internet!

24th November 2007, 10:02 AM	#30
Azrael 5 Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Yorkshire,Uk Posts: 5,042	Originally Posted by Bob Klase A travesty? Here's a real shocker- I found out that virtually every single band and singer in the world are all using the same 8 notes! And many of them are playing music that you can buy in any music store! And the worst part- you can buy their instruments in instrument stores in any large city. I even found guitars being sold on the internet! Bob your irony meter is bust.
	__________________ "I achieve these results through a mixture of magic,misdirection,suggestion and showmanship"-Derren Brown

27th November 2007, 02:22 PM	#31
Unalienable Critical Thinker Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 296	He's one of my least favorite magicians, ever. But I'll still watch his show if I have some time to kill, that's just because I have a passion for the art. And he does have some skills. (Although it's hard to tell exactly the extent of his skills... with all the stooges and camera edits.) But I just don't enjoy the persona he is trying to present. The old saying goes something like this: "A magician is an actor, pretending to be a magician." The persona that Angel presents is not a likable character, at least not for me.
	__________________ What do you do when you know that you know, that you know that you're wrong? -- Sun Ra

27th November 2007, 02:27 PM	#32
Unalienable Critical Thinker Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 296	Originally Posted by Mangoose I watched one episode of Mindfreak where he did this cool trick of sticking his arm through a guy's back and the hand comes out through the chest. That was cool until I googled and found a company that was selling the gear for doing exactly that trick. That then disappointed me to find that it wasn't even all that original. In that case, you will be disappointed with every trick you ever see in your life, provided you do the research. One magician told me that he thinks the last real breakthrough in the art of magic happened in the 1930's when Dupont invented women's nylon pantyhose. And thus was born a new high-tech form of "invisible thread". I hope I can say that without breaking exposure rules here? Yes, magicians really do use invisible thread, trap doors, and mirrors. There I said it! The secret it out!
	__________________ What do you do when you know that you know, that you know that you're wrong? -- Sun Ra

27th November 2007, 02:47 PM	#33
karmicserenade Thinker Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 136	Uhh seeing him shirtless has made a believer out of me hehe...his is rather hot...but yeah, I am dissapointed in his 'tricks', which are just camera effects
karmicserenade Thinker Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 136

2nd December 2007, 12:24 PM	#34
Merko Graduate Poster Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,901	Originally Posted by Nabukadnezar I hate Criss Angel's staged tricks, but he was lovely when he made fun of Jim Callahan and Uri Geller: tvsquad.com/2007/11/02/jim-callahan-vs-criss-angel-video/ Awesome! Never even heard about Criss Angel before, but no matter how lousy his tricks may be, he definitely earned my respect there. As for using tricks made for TV, well.. certainly I find it hard to be impressed by a trick that isn't "live". Though such tricks may still have other qualities. I was very amused when Penn & Teller did this TV trick where they ran a giant trailer over Teller's chest, with some live audience all around. Then they revealed that the trick was done by rigging the trailer with weights on one side, and a soft fake tyre. They asked some woman in the audience, if she didn't see that the trailer was obviously rigged (or something along that). Her reply: "I lied, just as you told me to do!". Absolutely hilarious!
Merko Graduate Poster Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,901