Criss Angel Mindfreak

I believe Criss Angel is worth watching. He is very charismatic and entertaining and his illusions are wonderful. Keep in mind as you watch, he is an illusionist and self-proclaimed provocateur. He is performing solely to entertain you and push himself to and beyond his own limitations. Finally, there is a show out there that can transport me to a time in my life where anything was possible. Naturally, the things he does(minus the stunts) are all pure illusion. Tell me, though, in this world of harsh, stark reality, isn't it nice to be "magically" entertained ? I live enough reality, I don't need to watch it on TV. I look forward to escaping for 30 minutes at a time with this HOT man who, incidentally, is my age.

The first time I saw this show, I said "wow, this guy is amazing." Then I realized that anyone with a video camera can do magic tricks. Don't get me wrong, this show is worth watching for the entertainment factor. Just remember that nobody can defy the laws of gravity, no matter how convincing he is. I would like to go see one of his shows live. He seems like a very good entertainer. However, when he says that he will leave something in one spot and then the camera cuts to a different angle, it makes you wonder if they touched anything. The reactions from the spectators often seem authentic, but for all we know they could be straight out of acting school. They all seem to be the same age. Plus the show is filmed in Vegas so who knows what kind of people they have there.

I caught this show on cable a couple of years ago. My first impression was that this was a cutting edge attempt at marketing to the Generatin X and Y audience. The host, and creator of the program is a Goth-Emo looking guy adorned with beads, piercings and grunge clothing. With his thick New York accent, Criss Angel markets himself as a magician to be reckoned with while incorporating his view and cursory knowledge of phenomonen and ESP.

The show is entertaining from a viewers initial perspective, but after closer review and attention one can see that he uses every cheap marketing ploy to buffer his image as a suave, sullen and mysterious being exuding wisdom, power and charisma. A once aspiring Rock musician, Angel sings his own cover theme song, "Mindfreak", which sends excruciatingly gnawing vibes to my ears. Angel doesn't even stop there. He intersperses his show with paid actors and extras expressing testimony to his awe-inspiring performances. Editing tricks, jumpcuts and cutaways are heavily utilized to bring credibility to these fantastic stunts, feats and backyard tricks.

It's like watching a campaign for a person running for office. About 60% of the show is dedicated to people, including Angel's family members, reacting to his stunts and expressing how ingeneous and gifted a soul he is. I know the paid actors cannot be rumors, because normally unbiased onlookers would show more indifference. Criss Angel may be a creditable magician, but he lacks an underlying charm. He comes across as sullen, arrogant and egocentric. Who else would dedicate 20% of their program employing a bevy of pretty girls as female admirers. This is narcissism at its most salient form. Criss Angel is undoubtedly a culprit of this. Magic should speak for itself. A true craftsman shouldn't rely on phony testimonials from people.

What really ignites my skepticism is that Angel delves into other areas outside of Magic. He claims to be an authority on every subject rather than a humble student of the arts and disciplines.

Criss Angel had his butt handed to him after receiving abysmal reviews of his new show, "Believe", which described the Vegas strip show as nothing short of atrocious.

Criss Angel is an amazing magician. He does unbelievable things- stunts that risk his life and can cause death. He can make things appear out of no where(for example when he goes around asking people to remove their hats and hold it above their head and then asks them "what is your biggest fear" the next thing you know they see their biggest fer right in their hat (for ex. a real big spider) He also does other amazing and mind blowing tricks. Other tricks that he preforms are having people sit on a chair and having the room a little dark with a lamp (i guess) because there was a shadow there......and he has two ladies sitting on the chairs then what he does is he never touches the women NEVER he only touched the shadow( taped it three times) and the women actually felt the three taps. He also does many many other tricks.....

Criss is an extraordinary man. His show pushes the limits of magic. He is constantly putting himself in life threatening situations. He may turn you off because of the Gothic style clothing (which I know for a fact he doesn't always wear) or the type of music he play's on his show Mindfreak. But I had the chance to talk to Criss himself on Thursday July 19, 2007 at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas.There is a stereotype that all Goths are dark and mysterious, but with Criss it just doesn't fit. He is one of the most respectful men I have ever met. Weather he is on his show or not, Criss will do everything in his power to make sure no one is hurt or injured, and if someone is Criss will do anything for that person. A reason I think he is so amazing, is because he does things people would not dream of doing. People think it's amazing the things he does, especially since he is turning 40 this year. But it doesn't surprise me with his amazing physical conditions, trust me this man is fit. I have seen Criss on many occasions without a shirt on. When I talked to Criss, he was so respectful he wouldn't swear or ignore people. There was a crowd of about 15 people outside the Luxor to see him, and he signed autographs and took pictures with every single person. He is very dedicated to his job and he loves it, which is great. He has been working 15 years to entertain people with his talents. And for someone to criticize him, without ever seeing him in person or seeing one of his performances live is not right. If you were at one of his stunts, it's no joke. What he is doing is real. I have personally seen Criss perform these stunts. There is no stunt doubles. I saw Criss drive 100 mph in a Lamborghini through a light cloud of smoke, and he and the car disappeared, it was just gone. There was nowhere it could have gone. This man is known worldwide, so obviously he's doing something right. And it's working for him. He has his own store at the Luxor Hotel. He has a Dodge Viper, a Lamborghini, and a Rolls Royce. He lives at the Luxor, which isn't cheap. So I say continue what you're doing and have a ton of fun doing it. I love you! Megan