Criss Angel: Mindfreak

[jaguarr]

Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely loathe David Blaine. He single-handedly turned me off to magic and illusionists, which I used to really love. I caught Criss Angel's (http://www.aetv.com/crissangel) new show on A&E on Wednesday night and really enjoyed it. He's a bit over-dramatic at times, but that's a part of his charm in many ways. And he had me genuinely scratching my head at some of the illusions he pulled off (the butterfly from the paper one was pretty amazing if you caught it). The fact that he does so much of his stuff out in the open on the street and involving the general public makes it all the more remarkable.

Anyone catch his new show or seen him perform before? What did you think of him?

jag

[maxwell's demon]

all i know is i always used to walk by the NY theatre in midtown where he did his show and i got really tired of his face. he just seemed like David Blaine Goth™ :(

maybe i'll check out the show though:up:

[Valorman]

ive seen i think..2 of his shows and i was amazed by both of them.hes a pretty cool guy too and watching him do what he does is....chilling to say the least.its funny how calm he is about it too.just adds to the freakyness of it

lol and oh yeah..david blane sucks

"magic..you call that..magic..im david blane..watch me levitate...aauuaahhhhhhhhh":D

[Wilhelm-Scream]

wait, I haven't seen a David Blaine video for years, but the one I did see was amazing.
Why does he suck ?

[jaguarr]

all i know is i always used to walk by the NY theatre in midtown where he did his show and i got really tired of his face. he just seemed like David Blaine Goth™ :(

maybe i'll check out the show though:up:

Nahhh. David Blaine is just an arrogant ass. This guy's got sort of a punk rock thing going on, combined with some sometimes overly concerted mystique. His show's pretty entertaining. The favorite bit of mine that he did was just used as a cut scene between his major illusions he was doing. He was in a parking lot and approached a woman. He asked her if she had anything to write on in her purse, so she pulled a napkin out. He asked her to draw her favorite animal on the napkin, so she drew a butterfly. He then folded the napkin up and held it between his palms and acting like he was really concentrating. Then he unfolded the napkin and a live butterfly flew out and the drawing was gone. Pretty impressive illusion to pull off. Most of his stuff was live and with an unsuspecting crowd on the street, including full blown levitation of people from the crowd. They showed him walking around Vegas doing his levitation trick (he likes to put his arms out and throw his head back like Jesus when he does it, which is entertaining but probably not for the reasons he intended), freaking the general public out.

It's worth checking his show out.

jag

[maxwell's demon]

but aren't all those tricks just like david blaine? it seems like it's only the presentation that's changed.

[jaguarr]

but aren't all those tricks just like david blaine? it seems like it's only the presentation that's changed.


The presentation is definitely very different. Like I said, he's got more of a punk rock mentality that permeates what he does. Maybe I identify with that more. Some of his tricks are similar to Blaine's (let's face it, there's not a whole lot of new tricks and illusions under the sun, just different takes and presentations of them). The way he just roams around the street and does his tricks, though, taking away the element of being able to pre-rig gags in a more controlled environment, is what really impressed me.

jag

[Mr. Edward Hyde]

Man I had really wanted to see this show. I miss everything. :(

[Valorman]

The presentation is definitely very different. Like I said, he's got more of a punk rock mentality that permeates what he does. Maybe I identify with that more. Some of his tricks are similar to Blaine's (let's face it, there's not a whole lot of new tricks and illusions under the sun, just different takes and presentations of them). The way he just roams around the street and does his tricks, though, taking away the element of being able to pre-rig gags in a more controlled environment, is what really impressed me.

jag

and on top of all that.sometimes he does it blindfolded too..and i dont me.appears then ties a blindfold to his face i mean walking around new york for an hour blindfolded pulling random tricks.its crazy

[jaguarr]

and on top of all that.sometimes he does it blindfolded too..and i dont me.appears then ties a blindfold to his face i mean walking around new york for an hour blindfolded pulling random tricks.its crazy

Hadn't seen him do that. I wonder if they'll show him doing that on his new A&E series.

jag

[Equint77]

that troll was performing some trick where he stayed underwater for 2 days or something at Bryant Park across the street from my job.

By the time I got some interest to go check it out... he was already gone.

maybe I'll check his show out if it takes place in NYC.

[Son Of Logan]

Street magicians suck. All the stuff they show you on tv is edited down to make peoples reactions show at the right moment. Plus they take little bits and things they do during the trick and edit them out to make the tricks look more fantastic. My wife watched Criss Angel the other night. I couldn't take it.

And David Blaine sold his soul to the devil...j/k

[jaguarr]

^^^
I know what you're talking about, but a lot of what Angel was doing was done on steady shot camera with no cutaways while he was doing his tricks.

jag

[maxwell's demon]

^^^
I know what you're talking about, but a lot of what Angel was doing was done on steady shot camera with no cutaways while he was doing his tricks.

jag


but again, isn't that just what blain did? i remember seeing two specials, each with lots of steady cam, live-on-the-streets, tricks, including a variant of the butterfly trick (blain's version involved asking someone to write down their favorite word and then immediately pointing to a cab that was driving by with the word painted on the side of it!). he's also done the levitation thing a number of times on the streets. (i even know how it's done;))

i think the part of the key is in what you can do wiht a lcutch of live material and "faked" live material added in later.

[jaguarr]

but again, isn't that just what blain did? i remember seeing two specials, each with lots of steady cam, live-on-the-streets, tricks, including a variant of the butterfly trick (blain's version involved asking someone to write down their favorite word and then immediately pointing to a cab that was driving by with the word painted on the side of it!). he's also done the levitation thing a number of times on the streets. (i even know how it's done;))

i think the part of the key is in what you can do wiht a lcutch of live material and "faked" live material added in later.

As I alluded to in one of my previous posts in this thread, I really think there's relatively little that's new in the way of illusion and trickery. What makes each performer unique is their presentation and the personal spin or take they have on those illusions. David Blaine's really done nothing new in his tricks and illusions, either, other than his presentation and his particular spin on them.

That said, I'd love to learn how to pull off that levitation trick in public. I'd do it at work in a meeting when someone was disagreeing with me in a meeting. LOL!

jag

[maxwell's demon]

ok- so i saw the first ten minutes of the levitation episode.
I'll have to watch the rest before i decide ( i didn't see him "teach" a regular person to levitate- as he said he wanted to do), but i'd say he's got *something* going on.
While the opening levitiation bits were almost identical to ones i'd seen blain do a while ago, Angel did add a new "bit" to it, (i think- it's been a while since i saw the Blaine show).
Still, it didn't take long to figure out how it was done.

[Valorman]

How?

[kane9321]

i saw the show..liked it alot

[Superman]

Well someone tell me how the levitation thing is done. I've watched both of them do it and have no ideal how it's done. :(

[Superman=Routh]

This tv show looks like crap, has anyone heard his sucky theme song?

"minndddd freeakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk"

give me a break!

[Incrediblejeff]

I just watched the levitation episode yesterday,I was very impressed.I just find Chris Angel annoying ,and over-dramatic.

[jaguarr]

This tv show looks like crap, has anyone heard his sucky theme song?

"minndddd freeakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk"

give me a break!

It's not any worse than most of the other television theme songs on the air. At least the guy composed and performed it himself, which is more than most people who have their own television shows can say. Besides, I have a feeling he'd have named the show "Mind F**k" and had his theme song reflect that if the FCC would have let him get away with it.

jag

[Superman=Routh]

SINGS

lllllaaaaaaaa llaaaaaa Superherohypeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Spider-Who?]

criss angel is okay. i saw a special on him a couple years ago. he did some tricks and the major one was him under water in a giant tank for a few days. it was pretty disgusting, the water got REALLY murky and he was a giant prune. havent caught the new show.

[maxwell's demon]

i don't want to give the whole thing away, suffice to say that its actually 3 different techniques and ,unfortunately, the most impressive one is completely faked. a crane is used. this is why you'll notice that in the crane shots (where he goes up several feet) he generally has far smaller crowds of "real people" around. I don't mind revealing this because i don't consider that kind of trickery to be ""magic".


For the others, IF you're curious, look up the balducci effect and or "king rising" technique.
I won't post the explanations here.

(If you'd prefer it to remain a mystery- more power to you. i think belief in magic is a great thing- and i sometimes kick myself for trying to "figure out" how it's done.)

as for criss angel's "addition" to this trick, when you see him levitate up onto a chair, he really "is" using only his body to "levitate".

But if you watch closely, and if you look up those other 2 techniques, you can probably figure out how he does it pretty easily.

[Superman]

i don't want to give the whole thing away, suffice to say that its actually 3 different techniques and ,unfortunately, the most impressive one is completely faked. a crane is used. this is why you'll notice that in the crane shots (where he goes up several feet) he generally has far smaller crowds of "real people" around. I don't mind revealing this because i don't consider that kind of trickery to be ""magic".


For the others, IF you're curious, look up the balducci effect and or "king rising" technique.
I won't post the explanations here.

(If you'd prefer it to remain a mystery- more power to you. i think belief in magic is a great thing- and i sometimes kick myself for trying to "figure out" how it's done.)

as for criss angel's "addition" to this trick, when you see him levitate up onto a chair, he really "is" using only his body to "levitate".

But if you watch closely, and if you look up those other 2 techniques, you can probably figure out how he does it pretty easily.
Thanks.

I looked up both and found out how the balducci effect is done but I can't find anything on how the king rising technique is done without buying some video. :(

[jaguarr]

Max, I'm familiar with both King Rising and the Balducci Effect. He's figured out a new approach, and I think you're right that it's got elements from those two, but when I watched him clear himself up onto the seat of that chair in that restaurant and the clearance he got to do that, I have to confess that he had me stumped. Same with his ride up the escalator without touching a damn thing. I'll have to think about this a little more. The crane shots are relatively obvious, but I think he's figured out a new way to make those happen as well. The one that really got me was the one he did at the end of that levitation episode where he had the girl full on in the air, touching nothing or no one and the camera was circling around and catching the whole thing and the crowd's reaction in the background from all angles. Either he's got some major skill and some new ways of approaching some of this, or the real magician is the editor (as is the case with the Blaine "Street Magic" special).

jag

[street magic FO]

Hes nothin like david blaine david blaine is super fake
but chris angel dude he rocks he floated 5-10 ft. david blaine did 3 inches and ive got proof that hes a fake go to this website he does summin called the balcuddi levitation act http://www.magiclearn.50megs.com/photo2.html

[Roughneck]

He looked pretty good when I saw him last week, liked him better than Blaine.

[jaguarr]

Hes nothin like david blaine david blaine is super fake
but chris angel dude he rocks he floated 5-10 ft. david blaine did 3 inches and ive got proof that hes a fake go to this website he does summin called the balcuddi levitation act http://www.magiclearn.50megs.com/photo2.html


Well, if you want to be technical about it, ALL illusionists are "fake". It's their ability to make you think they've done something amazing that sets them apart. I agree with you. David Blaine is an ass and I don't find him all that impressive. Criss Angel, while a little over-dramatic at times, has an engaging persona and has actually stumped me on several of his tricks as to how he actually did it.

This past week's shows were okay. His barrel trick owed most of it's magic to his editor. The bed of the nails and the H2 were sort of underwhelming, though I do like seeing him doing more physical stunts that sometimes just require a lot of balls like his jumping up and down on broken glass or next week's show where he takes deep muscle tissue piercing and hanging from hooks to a new level when he does that while hanging from a helicopter! :eek:

jag

[DBella]

Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely loathe David Blaine. He single-handedly turned me off to magic and illusionists, which I used to really love. I caught Criss Angel's (http://www.aetv.com/crissangel) new show on A&E on Wednesday night and really enjoyed it. He's a bit over-dramatic at times, but that's a part of his charm in many ways. And he had me genuinely scratching my head at some of the illusions he pulled off (the butterfly from the paper one was pretty amazing if you caught it). The fact that he does so much of his stuff out in the open on the street and involving the general public makes it all the more remarkable.

Anyone catch his new show or seen him perform before? What did you think of him?

jag
I watched his show last Wednesday and now I've a date with him same time, same channel, every week! He's AWESOME! His illusions, magic, whatever you call it... it's mindblowing! I was playing frisbee yesterday and wished I could do what he did with it. Oh, and the card that end up OUTSIDE of the bus windshield... how in the world did he do that?! And the pins and thread!! Me made me believe in magic. :up:

What did I think of him? I think he's amazing! (and hot :o)

[DBella]

...next week's show where he takes deep muscle tissue piercing and hanging from hooks to a new level when he does that while hanging from a helicopter! :eek:

jag
This stunt you mentioned... it made me sick in the stomach. It looks SO painful. :( I am sure he'll succeed as otherwise, there won't be a "series".

[jaguarr]

This stunt you mentioned... it made me sick in the stomach. It looks SO painful. :( I am sure he'll succeed as otherwise, there won't be a "series".


Well, I've seen people do seemingly much worse with hooks in their flesh, in all reality, but the fact that he's doing it hanging from a helicopter far above the ground is a little unnerving.

jag

[DBella]

Well, I've seen people do seemingly much worse with hooks in their flesh, in all reality, but the fact that he's doing it hanging from a helicopter far above the ground is a little unnerving.

jag
That's what makes the difference. Like you, I've seen people such things with their flesh, be it hooks or nails or anything sharp... but I've not seen them doing it hanging from a helicopter. OUCH!

[jaguarr]

That's what makes the difference. Like you, I've seen people such things with their flesh, be it hooks or nails or anything sharp... but I've not seen them doing it hanging from a helicopter. OUCH!


I've seen Allen Falkner (http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=allenfalkner) perform numerous times and he does far worse to his body with those hooks that Angel will be doing on his show next week. But...like we've mentioned...he doesn't do it 100 feet in the air, dangling from a moving helicopter.

jag

[DBella]

I've seen Allen Falkner (http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=allenfalkner) perform numerous times and he does far worse to his body with those hooks that Angel will be doing on his show next week. But...like we've mentioned...he doesn't do it 100 feet in the air, dangling from a moving helicopter.

jag
OMG! Ouchies!! I've never heard of Allen Falkner before. Does he have a TV show too? Where can I see him "perform"?

[jaguarr]

OMG! Ouchies!! I've never heard of Allen Falkner before. Does he have a TV show too? Where can I see him "perform"?


He doesn't have a TV show. He's just very well known in the body modification and fetish circles. He usually performs at some of the more major body mod and fetish events. His show is quite something else. His signature piece is where he puts hooks in his back and his knees, puts on a beat up old cowboy hat and proceeds to "jump" up and down on the hooks in a fashion that makes him look like he's riding a bull. It's insane to watch and I've seen more than a few people, some of them hardened bikers and body mod enthusiasts who aren't squeamish, get queasy and yack while watching him. He also has a flair for picking up his lovely assistants and swinging them around while he's still hanging from his hooks.

jag

[Valorman]

i dont care if all of it is an illusion.watch what he did with the frisbee and tell me that isint awesome

[jaguarr]

Well, I'll be damned. I flip to Criss Angel's show last night to watch him get pierced through the back with heavy duty hooks and dangle from a helicopter and lo and behold, who's doing the piercing and the line rigging? Allen Falkner. Criss definitely got the best in the biz to help him with that stunt. I gotta give the guy props for doing what he did. That required no sleight of hand or trickery whatsoever. Just a pair of big brass balls. I kind of enjoyed the show last night because it really just focused on his focusing on being able to do this and the mental preparation he put himself through to do it, which is very reflective of the people who do this sort of body suspension. No magic tricks. No illusions. Just him vs. the pain and the fear. Kinda cool to see him do a show like that. And, yes, they flew his ass all over the desert canyons with that helicopter, him dangling from four large fish-hooks through the muscle tissue across his back. :eek:

jag

[Superman=Routh]

*sings that goofy theme song*, mmmmm mmmmmm mind freakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. That song is so annoying

[gap5ewl]

i did the levitation trick "king something" on my mom and sis couple of days back and they started to freak out.. they were like wtf!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? so thank you criss angel for teaching me how to freak out my family. im going to show it to my firends next week lol

[jaguarr]

*sings that goofy theme song*, mmmmm mmmmmm mind freakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. That song is so annoying

Kinda stuck on that, aren't ya? :p

jag

[jaguarr]

i did the levitation trick "king something" on my mom and sis couple of days back and they started to freak out.. they were like wtf!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? so thank you criss angel for teaching me how to freak out my family. im going to show it to my firends next week lol

That's called King Rising. If you do it for them again, they'll figure out how you did it pretty quickly. ;)

jag

[Superman=Routh]

Kinda stuck on that, aren't ya? :p

jag


LOL sadly yea its like stuck in my head see here I go again,, MMMMMM mind freakkkkkkk

[Strange]

Criss Angel and David Blane act way too dramatic, it really gets on my nerves. I guess that is part of the show but I don't care for it.

[kypade]

so far the frisbee thing's really all l've liked. lve seen like 3 episodes now. l dunno. wish he'd do more of the small magic stuff, rather than spend 78 percent of the show on his big physical test thing.

[Strange]

Well, I'll be damned. I flip to Criss Angel's show last night to watch him get pierced through the back with heavy duty hooks and dangle from a helicopter and lo and behold, who's doing the piercing and the line rigging? Allen Falkner. Criss definitely got the best in the biz to help him with that stunt. I gotta give the guy props for doing what he did. That required no sleight of hand or trickery whatsoever. Just a pair of big brass balls. I kind of enjoyed the show last night because it really just focused on his focusing on being able to do this and the mental preparation he put himself through to do it, which is very reflective of the people who do this sort of body suspension. No magic tricks. No illusions. Just him vs. the pain and the fear. Kinda cool to see him do a show like that. And, yes, they flew his ass all over the desert canyons with that helicopter, him dangling from four large fish-hooks through the muscle tissue across his back. :eek:

jag


Hagging from a helicopter with hooks in his back does not really impress me. Now if he had a big hook through his testicles and got drug around on broken glass by a motorcycle, now that would be classic entertainment.

[jaguarr]

Hagging from a helicopter with hooks in his back does not really impress me. Now if he had a big hook through his testicles and got drug around on broken glass by a motorcycle, now that would be classic entertainment.

Errrr....yeah.....I think he's saving that one for next season...

jag

[Son Of Logan]

Why do magicians keep doing these ridiculous endurance tricks? What the hell does that have to do with magic.

[kane9321]

that stunt lastnite just looked painfull as hell

[BK]

That's called King Rising. If you do it for them again, they'll figure out how you did it pretty quickly. ;)

jag
Mind telling us how that particular trick is performed? Seems just like the Balducci, but you just rise a little higher.

And yeah, I will give anyone like 500 bucks if they can tell me how Criss does that sick levitation. When he does it outside it might be fishy, but goddammit he did it inside a restaurant and a mall. Not to mention he does that levitiation ish on another person! I mean seriously, I would not be surprised in the least if this guy harnesses black magic or is in fact JC reincarnated. :o

[jaguarr]

Mind telling us how that particular trick is performed? Seems just like the Balducci, but you just rise a little higher.

And yeah, I will give anyone like 500 bucks if they can tell me how Criss does that sick levitation. When he does it outside it might be fishy, but goddammit he did it inside a restaurant and a mall. Not to mention he does that levitiation ish on another person! I mean seriously, I would not be surprised in the least if this guy harnesses black magic or is in fact JC reincarnated. :o


Maxwell and I bantered back and forth on this a bit. Do a Google on King's Rising and Balducci Effect and you'll see the difference and how to do both of them if you look in the right places. Angels' got a new tweak or two to these that he's made that I haven't fully figured out but they're the basis for some of his levitation bits. No matter how you slice it, though, the guy has some incredible skill and control.

jag

[BK]

Maxwell and I bantered back and forth on this a bit. Do a Google on King's Rising and Balducci Effect and you'll see the difference and how to do both of them if you look in the right places.
I literally looked in 8 diff. places and all of them just had a video that showed it, but never actually explained it. Plus if you want to learn it, you have to buy a video. :down

[jaguarr]

I literally looked in 8 diff. places and all of them just had a video that showed it, but never actually explained it. Plus if you want to learn it, you have to buy a video. :down

There's some places on the 'net that teach it all for free. Keep digging. :)

jag

[BK]

Stop teasing and pm me a link or something. :o

[jaguarr]

Stop teasing and pm me a link or something. :o

I've got a couple places bookmarked on my home system. I'll look 'em up when I get home from work. :up:

jag

[kypade]

Anyone still watch this? The one on right now is pretty cool so far. The quarter thing was interesting. I still wish it wasn't all built around one purely physical stunt. Ok, you blew yourself up and survived. I dont care. I wanna see the magic stuff.

[Master Chief]

Didn't that guy like, move a tree and lift a car over his head once?

[Edd Extraordinaire]

http://www.believeinangel.com/wallpapers/dannie_criss2.jpg



MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINDFREAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AK!

[kypade]

They're showing the one where he is in the tank in NY...man, that would kill me. I'd eat through my chest...straight to my heart...if i were stuck in that situation.

[Edd Extraordinaire]

It's all fake.

[jaguarr]

Anyone still watch this? The one on right now is pretty cool so far. The quarter thing was interesting. I still wish it wasn't all built around one purely physical stunt. Ok, you blew yourself up and survived. I dont care. I wanna see the magic stuff.

The wife and I quit watching it after awhile. When he had the H2 park on his chest, we started losing interest (that and we got ahold of a copy of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy for our PS2 :D ). He's still damn entertaining, though. He does do a lot of things that you either wonder how the hell he did it or you have to admire him for having big brass balls. The last one we saw was when he got the equivalent of a lightning strike off one of the largest Tesla coils in the world. Bzzzzzt! :D

jag

[jaguarr]

It's all fake.

Geee, ya think so? :)

jag

[Mr. Edward Hyde]

Didn't that guy like, move a tree and lift a car over his head once?
No silly, that was jesus.

[ScottyBBadd]

No I have not.

[Ultimate_Superman]

Does this guy freak you out with all the stuff he does? Me and my wife saw him preform once and I swear this guy will freak you out.


http://www.virtualmagie.com/images/actualites/magie-AngelChris.jpg

[jaguarr]

It's like freakin' MAGIC! (http://www.superherohype.com/forums/showthread.php?t=189647&highlight=criss) :p

jag

[Ultimate_Superman]

Woops sorry.

[Ultimate_Superman]

This guy is something but he just freaks me out me and my wife saw him preform once and this guy I don't know theres something wrong with him.

[Erzengel]

It's magic!!

http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/entertainers/magicians/doug-henning/pic4.JPG

[jaguarr]

It's magic!!

http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/entertainers/magicians/doug-henning/pic4.JPG

Hahaha! Whatever happened to Doug Henning, anyway? Never mind, I don't think I really want to know.

jag

[AndThePickles]

Street magicians suck. All the stuff they show you on tv is edited down to make peoples reactions show at the right moment. Plus they take little bits and things they do during the trick and edit them out to make the tricks look more fantastic. My wife watched Criss Angel the other night. I couldn't take it.

And David Blaine sold his soul to the devil...j/k

More than that, he's the frickin Antichrist :( His trick where he changed a cup of coffee into a cup of coins freaked me out more than anything I've seen him do.

As for Angel, I'll have to check him out, because I've never seen him.

[Ultimate_Superman]

I just want to know how the hell can you throw a pack of cards from the inside of the bus and the one the girl wrote on some how ended up on the outside of the bus. Or how the hell can you set your self on fire fall down and appear in the crowd not even a second later or just pull a person in half.

[Ultimate_Superman]

More than that, he's the frickin Antichrist :( His trick where he changed a cup of coffee into a cup of coins freaked me out more than anything I've seen him do.

As for Angel, I'll have to check him out, because I've never seen him.Angel is the Antichrist, he turns water into beer.

[jaguarr]

I just want to know how the hell can you throw a pack of cards from the inside of the bus and the one the girl wrote on some how ended up on the outside of the bus. Or how the hell can you set your self on fire fall down and appear in the crowd not even a second later or just pull a person in half.

I'm particularly interested in learning the pulling a person in half trick. I think that would be a hoot at staff meetings.

jag

[Ultimate_Superman]

I'm particularly interested in learning the pulling a person in half trick. I think that would be a hoot at staff meetings.

jagYour not the only the guy picked a person in the park and picked two other people just to tug at her and they pulled her apart and her legs were still moving and as she tried to run/crawl away.

[AndThePickles]

Angel is the Antichrist, he turns water into beer.

Uh oh.

Just from his pictures, he's quite a scary looking man.

[jaguarr]

Your not the only the guy picked a person in the park and picked two other people just to tug at her and they pulled her apart and her legs were still moving and as she tried to run/crawl away.

Yeah, I saw that episode. :) Lately, he's been stretching out into a lot of escape artist stuff which has been somewhat cool to watch. As long as he doesn't start doing stupid **** like David Blaine does like staying in a glass case for a month and such, I'll watch when I have the time.

jag

[Ultimate_Superman]

I Tivo it after I saw him in person. My wife and I were there in Vegas when he did that set myself on fire trick. The guy is sick.

[Mentok]

I just want to punch him in the face.

[DOG LIPS]

I just want to punch him in the face.
He eats his own face, a punch isn't going to do much. :cmad:

[DarthRekal]

check youtube or google


CYRIL TAKAYAMA.. he's been doing most of the same stuff before criss angel..


that said i love criss angel not cause of his tricks cause he really seems genuine.... he's a true showman..yes i know this stuff is fake but its still interesting to watch and some stuff is headscratching WOW!.....



season ONE was ALOT better though..this season is a little more boring... and i am starting to see how the tricks unfold...... but i still like him!

[Poetic Chaos]

Actors and Editing. Like all magic.

[Bad Superman]

Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely loathe David Blaine. He single-handedly turned me off to magic and illusionists, which I used to really love. I caught Criss Angel's (http://www.aetv.com/crissangel) new show on A&E on Wednesday night and really enjoyed it. He's a bit over-dramatic at times, but that's a part of his charm in many ways. And he had me genuinely scratching my head at some of the illusions he pulled off (the butterfly from the paper one was pretty amazing if you caught it). The fact that he does so much of his stuff out in the open on the street and involving the general public makes it all the more remarkable.

Anyone catch his new show or seen him perform before? What did you think of him?

jag

The guy is the best illusionist I've ever seen. Make sure you catch the "Levitation" episode.

[Poetic Chaos]

Let him disappear in one continuous shot instead of cutting away to another at angle "2, 1..." and I'll be impressed.

[Darthphere]

Criss is a stupid way to spell your name.

[jaguarr]

Let him disappear in one continuous shot instead of cutting away to another at angle "2, 1..." and I'll be impressed.

You want him to be actually magic rather than just doing illusions, don't you?

jag

[Wilhelm-Scream]

Criss is a stupid way to spell your name.But not the stupidest.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/Wilhelm-Scream/kk.jpg

[Poetic Chaos]

You want him to be actually magic rather than just doing illusions, don't you?

jag

I just don't want him to be so obvious about it. The crawling through glass was impressive.

[jaguarr]

I just don't want him to be so obvious about it. The crawling through glass was impressive.

You know magic's not real, right? :huh:

jag

[Poetic Chaos]

uhh...:dry:

More illusion, less editing is what I'm saying.

[jaguarr]

uhh...:dry:

I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you. You had to hear it at some point, though.

jag

[Poetic Chaos]

I prefer magic that doesn't require the spectators to act.

[Darthphere]

You know magic's not real, right? :huh:

jag


"David Blaine, magic is real and I believe in you."

[jaguarr]

I prefer magic that doesn't require the spectators to act along.

I know it's upsetting, but try to be strong.

:D

I'm just messin' with ya. Who are some of your favorite illusionists?

jag

[Mr. Credible]

Your not the only the guy picked a person in the park and picked two other people just to tug at her and they pulled her apart and her legs were still moving and as she tried to run/crawl away.

best. avatar. ever. sarah carter > ghandi.

and i hate chris angel... i'm so freaking sure he pulled some chick in half :rolleyes:

i liked david blaine when he did his street card tricks, but i don't like this little phase he's going through lately. it's stupid.

[Poetic Chaos]

I remember seeing this act years ago. Don't know his name but he looks like Ras Al Ghul. More psychological.

[Bat Attack]

Minfreeeeeeeeak!!!!!! Mindfreeeeeeeeeeeeeak!!! Mindfreeeeeeeeeeeak!

[jimmy]

Hey, it's a catchy song.

[WilcofanAshes]

His illusions are pretty cool, but I can in no way get past all of his bull****, over-dramatic cheesy acting for the camera. And all those crane shots in between segments of him with his arms out screaming in the desert :rolleyes: Give me a ****in' break.

[TNC9852002]

How does he do this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlIwcVAxZsU

-TNC

[Master Chief]

I saw my post from two years ago, and now I think he's a very, very good performer, but his presentation just isn't for me, lol. Even more now because after a few months of actually getting into magic, I know how he does pretty much everything.

[Crook]

I saw my post from two years ago, and now I think he's a very, very good performer, but his presentation just isn't for me, lol. Even more now because after a few months of actually getting into magic, I know how he does pretty much everything.
Please, indulge us..

[Abaddon]

WRONG FORUM!!:cmad:

[imdaly]

Moving to "Magic" Forum....?

[TNC9852002]

LMAO@imdaly's avatar!

Hey Master Chief! I've spent a month or so in the past studying card tricks, but even I don't have a clue as to how he's doing that levitation thing in the link I posted.

-TNC

[Master Chief]

Please, indulge us..

I'm not going to expose how stuff is done, but I'll link you up with the site that helped me learn a lot since I don't have the pleasure of knowing a magician who would teach me personally. :(

www.ellusionist.com

Their card decks are freaking sweeeeeeeet.

[Crook]

I'm not going to expose how stuff is done
How about a pm? :o

I just wanna know how the really simple tricks are done, like that disappearing ball in the hand. Pisses me off. :cmad: :csad:

[chaseter]

Magic is not real...it is all illusion.

[chaseter]

How does he do this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlIwcVAxZsU

-TNC
That looks incredibly fake.

[Master Chief]

LMAO@imdaly's avatar!

Hey Master Chief! I've spent a month or so in the past studying card tricks, but even I don't have a clue as to how he's doing that levitation thing in the link I posted.

-TNC

I don't know exactly what he's doing, but there's something suspending him. If I were there and I didn't see something carrying him across, and I actually saw him floating, then I'd be stumped. But with camera you never know.

How about a pm? :o

I just wanna know how the really simple tricks are done, like that disappearing ball in the hand. Pisses me off. :cmad: :csad:

There's palming and then there's thumb tips and stuff. :o

Magic is not real...it is all illusion.

That's why it's a performer's job to shatter a spectator's mind, lol. I've performed acts of kinetic energy for a couple friends who are always trying to bust my tricks, and I got the biggest reaction out of them by moving a pen a little bit with my hands a good 10-11 inches away. :word: And no, I didn't use a magnet. And I let them pick up the pen right after I was finished. GoOOAAWWWD I love magic.

[TNC9852002]

I dunno. Criss does a lot of illusions, seemingly impossible with a lot of spectators and camera work. If everyone was in on these things every time, wouldn't we know the truth by now? I mean, they're filming in a very public area. This knowledge could've been spilled a long time ago if that was the case. That's why I'm skeptical of the "fake spectators" argument that some people use. I dunno, it seems so out there and would be exploiting true "illusionism", IMO.

-TNC

[Crook]

Well there's always contracts and such. No one really wants to get sued. :o

[Mr. Credible]

How does he do this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlIwcVAxZsU

-TNC

what i don't get is, he supposedly just "floated" across that gap, and then he probably took the elevator downstairs.

why doesn't he just float around all the time? i would.

[jaguarr]

GoOOAAWWWD I love magic.


If you get really good at it, Matty, maybe you can magically give Kate a real foot. :up:

jag

[Mike_D202]

The favorite bit of mine that he did was just used as a cut scene between his major illusions he was doing. He was in a parking lot and approached a woman. He asked her if she had anything to write on in her purse, so she pulled a napkin out. He asked her to draw her favorite animal on the napkin, so she drew a butterfly. He then folded the napkin up and held it between his palms and acting like he was really concentrating. Then he unfolded the napkin and a live butterfly flew out and the drawing was gone.
jag

Thats because the woman was hired :o

Check this out:

8dww9tbpHJg

[jaguarr]

Thats because the woman was hired :o

Well, duhhhh. I could have told you that when I first watched him do it. :huh: Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the illusion.


Check this out:

8dww9tbpHJg

Interesting. Still, I think it's funny that all these people think they're uncovering some big mystery when they expose how illusionists do their tricks. They're ILLUSIONISTS! What they do isn't real and isn't meant to be interpreted that way. Their goal is to make it LOOK like they did something otherwise impossible.

jag

[Mike_D202]

How does he do this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlIwcVAxZsU

-TNC

1. You never see a far away shot of Chris, if you notice we never see a direct shot of whats above him (ie. all we see is a close up shot of him in frame).

2. Who the hell says "Yea! You da man Chris!" in a crowd?! They are hired actors. The camera man all of a sudden gets a shot of a black guy leadin a crowd of white people into a parking lot then points up at Chris?! :dry:

3. When he "lifts off", you can see his feet dangling a bit as if something pulling him up by his back.

[BRUTAL]

If you get really good at it, Matty, maybe you can magically give Kate a real foot. :up:

jag

BWAHAHAHAAAA!

[Master Chief]

I dunno. Criss does a lot of illusions, seemingly impossible with a lot of spectators and camera work. If everyone was in on these things every time, wouldn't we know the truth by now? I mean, they're filming in a very public area. This knowledge could've been spilled a long time ago if that was the case. That's why I'm skeptical of the "fake spectators" argument that some people use. I dunno, it seems so out there and would be exploiting true "illusionism", IMO.

-TNC

Drexx is righto. :o Not one of those people wants to break their contract, because it'll cost them like, ten times what they were paid to sign it.

If you get really good at it, Matty, maybe you can magically give Kate a real foot. :up:

jag

omg. :cmad:

I love her as she is she doesn't need a normal foot even though that would rock EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/LilBrother/Smilies/cursin10.gif

[user123456789]

Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely loathe David Blaine. He single-handedly turned me off to magic and illusionists, which I used to really love. I caught Criss Angel's (http://www.aetv.com/crissangel) new show on A&E on Wednesday night and really enjoyed it. He's a bit over-dramatic at times, but that's a part of his charm in many ways. And he had me genuinely scratching my head at some of the illusions he pulled off (the butterfly from the paper one was pretty amazing if you caught it). The fact that he does so much of his stuff out in the open on the street and involving the general public makes it all the more remarkable.

Anyone catch his new show or seen him perform before? What did you think of him?

jag
jag i thought u would know better

criss angel is all staged

tsk tsk !!

[jaguarr]

jag i thought u would know better

criss angel is all staged

tsk tsk !!

Ya think so, Einstein? :rolleyes:

jag

[Jack Rabbit]

wait, I haven't seen a David Blaine video for years, but the one I did see was amazing.
Why does he suck ?

I'm with you. I have nothing against either...

Except 'Criss' Angel.

What the ****, man? It's Chris. Spell it normally.

[user123456789]

Ya think so, Einstein? :rolleyes:

jag
yes

also

we never landed on the moon

[Jack Rabbit]

I was researching some levitation techniques, and stumbled upon this.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=955_1175362637&p=1

How the **** does he do that?

[D.Rex]

Ive seen the **** he does and some of it really does leave you scratching your head. Ive never seen either him or david in person but Criss's show is really entertaining.

[Jerry!]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrTvNzGCZE&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYxu_MQSTTY&mode=related&search=


David Blaine is the best.

[AlteredEgo]

did anyone else see a little card trick commercial he did where he has you think of a card and then makes it appear? me and my brother did it at the same time and we both picked the same card and he ****ing got it. scared the **** outta me and my brother... anyone know how he did that?

[Jerry!]

Not sure what commercial that is. But if there is a certain way you lead up to the "reveal" then its probably some type of self working magic trick. Or just an incredible coincidence.

[chaseter]

did anyone else see a little card trick commercial he did where he has you think of a card and then makes it appear? me and my brother did it at the same time and we both picked the same card and he ****ing got it. scared the **** outta me and my brother... anyone know how he did that?
Whatever card you pick...you end up on the same one. I figured out how to do it and use to do it with animals but forgot:huh:

[AlteredEgo]

no no no, it wasnt one of those that were like, "think of a number, now subtract 2, now multiply it by 0, okay now add 4.... your number is 4" all he did was, he said think of a card, concentrate, and the ****ing card flipped out of the pack in one hand and in to his other hand. no body else saw this? it was during an episode about subliminal messaging and it got me severely paranoid :(

[strikezone89]

i love the new season. the luxor thing was F****** insane

[Matt]

did anyone else see a little card trick commercial he did where he has you think of a card and then makes it appear? me and my brother did it at the same time and we both picked the same card and he ****ing got it. scared the **** outta me and my brother... anyone know how he did that?

You seriously fell for that? Its easy. The card you choose is the only one that is focused upon long enough to actually see. That is why everyone picks it.

Angel's tricks are usually really easy to figure out and once you do all of the mystique that makes magic fun is gone.

[jaguarr]

I watched the episode where the steamroller rolls over him last night. First episode I've watched all season. All I can say is, WTF did Criss Angel do to his hair? :huh:

jag

[Jerry!]

You seriously fell for that? Its easy. The card you choose is the only one that is focused upon long enough to actually see. That is why everyone picks it.

Angel's tricks are usually really easy to figure out and once you do all of the mystique that makes magic fun is gone.

Yeah the deck is rigged, I think he glues that card or some of the others together so that when it gets to that card, its slow enough so you can see it, but all the other cards go too fast.

[Wolfwood]

Plus the Queen of Hearts sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the regular number cards.

[AlteredEgo]

You seriously fell for that? Its easy. The card you choose is the only one that is focused upon long enough to actually see. That is why everyone picks it.

Angel's tricks are usually really easy to figure out and once you do all of the mystique that makes magic fun is gone. no its not like he shows you the cards and tells you to pick one, he says think of one, then pop, there it ****ing is. thats why i cant figure it out, there were absolutely no ****ing frills to it. i wish i could find the clip on youtube cause now i think im just crazy. the only thing i can think it is is that the queen of hearts is a pretty safe assumption when people first think of a card, but then why not the ace of spades or something. my brain hurts. :(

[Master Chief]

You seriously fell for that? Its easy. The card you choose is the only one that is focused upon long enough to actually see. That is why everyone picks it.

Angel's tricks are usually really easy to figure out and once you do all of the mystique that makes magic fun is gone.

Method: A short card... OORAH!! hahaha.

I watched the episode where the steamroller rolls over him last night. First episode I've watched all season. All I can say is, WTF did Criss Angel do to his hair? :huh:

jag

Wait until you see him age a 12 year old girl's body 8 years, lol. :o

[Superhero Hype!]

I like his tricks, but he's a liar when it comes to when he asks if people know him that he'll do the trick with. Many are paid actors.

[Mr. Credible]

did anyone else see a little card trick commercial he did where he has you think of a card and then makes it appear? me and my brother did it at the same time and we both picked the same card and he ****ing got it. scared the **** outta me and my brother... anyone know how he did that?

hell yeah... that freaked me out.


but i think i know how he does it. he tells you to pick a card, then he flips through the deck so fast you can't see any of the cards, exept the one he slows down, just for a fraction of a second, so that's the only one your brain registers.


simple, but cool as hell.

[Mr. Credible]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrTvNzGCZE&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYxu_MQSTTY&mode=related&search=


David Blaine is the best.

that's the funniest thing i've seen all day!

[Mr. Credible]

here's that david blaine card trick we were talking about... it's hard to pick the card out in youtube quality, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7Wvk-CVN-Y

[Mr. Credible]

wow... how does he do the one where he just guesses your card without you even having to pick one out of a deck?(blaine, not angel)

i need to learn how to do that. it's the ultimate party trick.

[Jerry!]

I like his tricks, but he's a liar when it comes to when he asks if people know him that he'll do the trick with. Many are paid actors.

Thats true with just about every street magician/magician. There will always be people who are in on the trick.

[Jerry!]

wow... how does he do the one where he just guesses your card without you even having to pick one out of a deck?(blaine, not angel)

i need to learn how to do that. it's the ultimate party trick.

I already explained that. The deck is rigged. Some cards before and after the Queen of spades card is glued together, making it slow down when it gets to those cards when he shuffles through them. All the other cards go by too fast, but when it gets to those cards it slows down just enough for you to recognize the card.

[CAGE]

I like his tricks, but he's a liar when it comes to when he asks if people know him that he'll do the trick with. Many are paid actors.

I ****in knew it! :cmad:

[strikezone89]

before mindfreak criss angel did a tv special (like david blaine does once in a while) and he did this thing where he says to touch ur tv and he was going to show u he was a real magacian, and he said "are u ready" then then i got shocked and then he said "see aint i electrfying?"
scariest **** eve.r

[SlyGuyTtjn]

I try really hard to think of how Angel does some stunts.. But my god.. He's like a super-powered dude.. C'mon.. Explain how he flies, makes an Elephant disappear/reappear.. My most memorable Angel stunt was when he ate a signed quarter, moved his hand over his arm... Cut his open, and pulled that quarter out with blood on it.. lol

[Jerry!]

People are in on the trick, slight of hand, and the magic of TV editing.

[GNR]

Patent Pending = Criss hater,David fanboy

[WalterKovacs]

has anyone figured out yet how he does the saw myself in half technique?

[Jerry!]

Patent Pending = Criss hater,David fanboy

? Not sure where you got that from, Blaine does the same stuff. Its all done mostly the same, just different variations really. Sometimes Blaine does or attempts physical challenges, like that time he was in the sphere of water. But the magic, all magicians use sleight of hand, rigged card decks, use people in their acts. Plus those videos I posted of David Blaine are just hilarious spoofs of his street magic act.

[GoldGoblin]

Does Criss Angel have one of those jet-packs when he flies?

[CAGE]

How the **** did he make that little girl age like that? There's just no ****in way :confused: