well you kinda are family, it's amazing that I look like people in my family, have similar mannerisms and even similar tastes as people in my family

Right now Im just blasting avril on the computer

Did anyone see the show tonight? I missed it yet again. I dont know how that keep happening. How was it?

It was pretty good...he buried himself alive. Though I find myself more looking forward to the little things he does interspersed with the main stunt...tonight he did some pretty interesting stuff with shadows, and manifesting people's phobias. The repeat is on at 2 a.m. ET.

I have to point out how funny it kind of is that in EVERY episode, they have his brothers and his mother pacing around, freaking out..."he will NOT do this again!"...tonight his mother and girlfriend were almost in tears...he should rename it "Criss Angel Gives Everyone In His Family An Ulcer"

I only saw the last stunt tonight, was too busy watching Comedy . But the final stunt was when Criss Angel laid down on a placement of nails, pointing upward. They put a board on his chest, and had a Hummer slowely approach the board and rest atop. Next thing you know, he pushes the board and lifts the Hummer in seconds (forgot how many, 4 at max). The Hummer recedes and Criss Angel's back is unharmed. Sure there are a little traces of where the nails were once, but no blood...

Definetly NOT an illusion...more something like what Monks would do.

LOL! Thats funny....gives his family an ulcer. I thought at first how sweet and concerned they were until I found out that most of this stuff he has done before in his shows. So then I figured they were just acting as well.

Yes alot of what he does is hyping his act with his emotions and that of family and friends. As far as how he does some of his stunts, like levitating and levitating hypnotized people....well I would like to be there to actually see with my own eyes and not that of a camera.

yeah ive seen it he alsto layed on a nail of bed and have a hummer h2o run him over and then he lifted the hummer for like one or 2 secs but that was enough ,he was pretty hurt after tho, i wish i could do wat he does

I've seen these things happen, even on a Documentary on the Discovery Channel where people can sustain excessive forces of pain. Its pretty horrible and amazing at the same time...

I've seen it once or twice and it airs on A&E on one of the day's of the week here. It's interesting, to see if I catch it. I'm not really into it I would rather watch MythBusters or something like that.

I happen to see Criss angel, and he is not a fake, since I am a magician myself, we swaped some tricks and they have had nothing to do with the magician having people fake things but since I am a magician, I will not tell how he did it. I've also met other magicians like David Copperfield, David Blaine, P.J. Webber, and a couple others, I know alot of there tricks.

I just caught Criss Angel on A&E for the first time tonight. He levitated in many different locations and situations. None of which were a stage setting or soemthing obvious like that. If the levitating trick is not in the editing, or an "informed" audience, and we are seeing the actual undoctored real footage...We are seeing an amazing phenomenon. And that's what I think is happening here. This guy has tapped in to some way to manipulate the energy that's all around us. And that's not that hard to believe since what we think is real is mostly just an illusion anyways. Ha ha!

I was searching metacrawler for card manipulation techniques, and came across this post. i have a fairly good idea how criss does the queen of diamonds out of the scattered section of cards ...(the one where he budges it out by mind power then hovers it up to his hand)

its complicated but most good tricks are:
one part i dont get is how he knew to move the queen out but beyond that...the telekenisis part ... i've seen mentions around the net about weaving a complex system of nearly invisible thread around the card... if you watch him closely, he spins his hand deliberately in specific ways like he is trying to loop the card...as for his first part where he steps back... im assuming he needed to adjust the string a wee bit or to actually put the string on... after he moves the card out he backs off for a moment.. and if you watch his right hand he rubs his fingers around like he is balling string up off of his hand...

then again i could be wrong maybe he does have a power beyond that of most of the population....either way... he's fun to watch...

I love this guy, have been looking on his website and reading about him on forums but am still yet to actually see an episode of his show!! *sobs* I dont have sky tv anyone know when it will be showing on normal tv?
Cheers,

Bella.x.

Ok,

I had to register because I read this entire thread and there are some huge misunderstandings from some of you here ...

First off, Angel's tricks are performed with stooges, or props, ie., the people he says he's never met before are actually in on the illusion.

He is not actually performing David Blaine type street magic because Angel's magic utilizes a lot of props and a crew to set things up - he has been accused of editing in crowd reactions by most seasoned magicians, ie., what we see on TV as the final shot is not what the crowd actually saw during the live, "impromptu" trick ... you might be seeing genuine reaction from some of the crowd, but there are also others who are in on it with him ... for example ...

I am not a magician, nor illusionist by any means, and I saw the show last night (Wed.) on levitation - some are pretty easy to explain simply by watching carefully.

I actually taped the show last night and I watched the final stunt only twice before I easily saw how he did it...this is the one where he chooses a "spectator" from the crowd and proceeds to make her "levitate" (on Fremont St. in Vegas).

If you look closely at the woman's shirt right around her waist, you will see that her shirt is bunched up, as if something is pulling it upwards ... it then becomes very obvious that he is simply leaning her back on some kind of invisible wire ... watch the video folks and you will see exactly what I'm talking about, and given that Fremont St. has a ceiling, and the fact that he never moves his hands around the woman's body, it puts this "illusion" into an entirely different perspective.

I hope I didn't spoil anyone's fun, but this business of him having "magical" powers is nonsense.

I don;t believe that.
I think this guy is doing some kind of Illusion but the fact the the people from the street are in on it.

I didn't say that all of the people on the street were in on it - only some - actually, only the girl who levitated would've needed to be in on it.

I mean come on - right there under bright lights and a busy street you honestly believe that he hypnotized her, and put her completely "out" within only a few seconds?

Just look at her shirt right around her waist ... it's a dead giveaway ...

But that still doesn't explain how 'Fake' he is. I haven't been watching the show, but i've been seeing him putting a miniture belonging from a random person onto a small doll, and then poking the doll with a needle, and having the random person flinch to there the needle poked. In some cases, he used a liter.

Ans there are many more tricks he has done that are still unexplained. I would accept a 'He's Fake' from a real magician, but not from someone who isn't a magician.

I think criss angel is absolutely horrible. When he get's who ever he gets to edit his "tricks" they should be a lot more careful if they plan on decieving logical realistic people.

Of course at first I was like wow how does this man do this.... so, pop in the VHS and record the episodes, anyone who is curious how this "magician" does his levitation slow mow the thing, and play the child hood game find what is different in this picture then the last. And then you'll see what the editors left in.

And it is so evident that his "shocked" street people are just the everyday person getting paid to convince YOU.

In what context are you referring to "fake"?

Certainly I don't need to be a magician to understand that Criss Angel is an entertainer who performs elaborate illusions ... nothing more.

Of course I find him entertaining, he did win magician of the year twice and has had a large Broadway show for quite some time ... but there are people on this thread who are wondering or claiming that Angel is actually levitating himself and others without the aid of any props, optical illusions, or camera tricks.

If you tell a television audience they're about to see amazing effects by an amazing magician... then they expect that what they're seeing onscreen, is what the people there are seeing live. Angel has props, setups, and a crew. He does several tapings of a lot of the segments you watch...and most of them are very clever, but I guarantee you they are not anything that defies our current knowledge of physics.

Of course everything is going to be hard to figure out and well-hidden, it's a trick ... I mean, Angel does a bit where he jumps into a puddle at a playground and vanishes into thin air, only to reappear on some stairs far away instantaneously ... this is a camera trick people!!!

Criss used to even answer questions about what he continually refers to as illusions on his official website forum ... he makes no claims that he has any special powers and he freely acknowledges that he is an entertainer ... he is NOT some mystic who levitates with the power of his mind ...

Ya know...you're right. I also noticed that when he picks her up, her eyes appear to be open, but then he has to "wake" her up.

But indecline...I don't think he's ALL nonsense.

here's a link to one of his levitation tricks.

http://www.muchosucko.com/video-crissangellevitation.html

pay close attention when he says 'flex'.....watch the female's arm/hand...notice how it drops slighty momentarily before somehow 'snaking' its way back straight glued to her sides? eh......that must be some kind of a magical force.

he has to ability to levitate then he sure can levitate a bus? right? well i'm not really sure but seems to me he likes all his levitation subjects all longed hair females....?

but anyways....if you guys are interested in criss angel then check out alain nu. though he is not notable like david and criss nor are his tricks.

I also seen the episodes, check this out!
http://www.wimp.com/teleport/
This kind of magik was happening for 200 yrs and the Catholics praised this one guy in the 1700's. I read part of a ebook that explains everything. Amazing stuff!

I'm sorry if you misunderstood what I was trying to say - I didn't mean to say that Criss himself is nonsense - I myself think he is an amazing magician and am just as entertained as most of you.

What I was referring to as "nonsense" was the idea that Criss has magical powers, or is levitating physical objects with his mind, as quite a few posts on this thread have put forth.

He is simply performing very clever illusions - to think that the world's top scientists, politicians, and power mongers would allow Criss Angel to completely dispel everything we as humans understand about science and physics on a TV series (if it were real) without any kind of interruption, study, or hesitation is ridiculous.

If Criss were actually levitating himself and others with his mind, or if any individual had the ability to do so, we the public would be the last to find out ... something like that would throw the entire world and social order into complete chaos ...

Is he amazing at performing clever illusions and slight of hand? Of course. But he is not defying any physical laws by doing so ... he puts his pants on one leg at a time just like we all do.

I still don't know how he does the teleport trick but there's some that are pretty obvious.

http://spark.vo.llnwd.net/o1/crissa...003/garbage.htm

for those who want a better quality of the same trick. that movie is being actually downloaded into your hard drive...you just need to go to your "documents and settings folder". then your user folder, not default user. local settings folder, which is hidden. then the temporary internet folder. the file is called E-GARBAGECAN[1].mov you can view it any window size you want.

play close attention to the garbage can. why is there garbage bag protruding on the right side (when the trash can is upside down). when you put a garbage bag to cover the inside of the trash can...it should be inside..not outside. and it is only in that area that the blue garbage bag is sticking out.

when the trash can is being lowered...why is the back end still several inches off the ground when the front is already touching the ground??

also when a trash can is about to cover you and as it is being lowered....aren't you supposed to bend yourself, especially in the leg portion of your body? clearly Criss doesn't attempt to do that....his legs are straight at all times.

and to everyone thinking the 'audience' surrounding him are the true audience...they are not. the true spectators are the ones standing several distance way in the background......the 'audience' surrounding him is in on the trick and there to hide Criss as he escapes into the balcony. note as the trash can is covering Criss up, the 'audience' stand so close together physically blocking all views of the trash can from the real on-lookers way in the background.

the interviewee(s) are not the from the 'audience' surrounding him during the trick. they are in fact the true spectators in the distant background where they appear to believe Criss is actually covered up by the trash can.

and the remark "come over here so you can get a good see". lol. that is to throw the TV audience off that the 'audience' around him are the real spectators but of course not true. and yes we do know you are standing on cement floor...and not quicksand.

[quote=crissangelslave,Aug 8 2005, 04:05 PM]
Has anyone else seen Criss Angel's magic before?
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Have you seen that one with the voodoo doll?[COLOR=red]Hes so hot wish I met him!!!
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I know this is completely off-topic, but if you are really 9 years old like your birth date says, aren't you a little young to think a 30-something is hot?

Maybe I'm just an old lady...

Well, Criss has been criticized not as a magician, but for his Mindfread TV show ... the reason being that he uses heavy editing and camera tricks to fool the viewers at home - not in all cases, but in several of his more spectacular tricks he certainly is utilizing camera editing.

How the Garbage Can Trick is Done

NYC has a lot of underground passegeways that lead right to apartment buildings that were primarily built some time ago for plumbers, servicemen, deliverymen, and grocers to be able to access the buildings without going throught the front door. In the garbage can stunt, Criss simply goes underground via the bottom of the garbage can, through a tunnel to a nearby building's basement, up a few stairs and within 20 seconds he is on the roof ...

The DEJA VU trick is simply a camera trick. When Criss steps in front of the camera, the couple that supposedley disappears simply steps into a nearby hotel room door (or even off to the side out of the camera angle), a duplicate couple (ie two people dressed the same, who approximately resemble each other) then steps into the hallway 100ft behind Criss while he's blocking the camera - we are then treated to a long cut shot of this couple simply walking as if they instantaneously appeared there.

It works because there are two couples - which obviously causes a distraction when people are going to try to recognize 4 complete strangers. We are also brisked through the beginning with the disappearing couple so we don't really get a great look at them - suffice to say, with today's makeup and special effects, its not hard to get 2 couples who could pass as twins from a distance if you're only allowed a glimpsing shot of each.

The props then come in with the ooze-n-ahhs and to us at home it looked like he made someone disappear.

Look at when Criss even meets the couples in the hallway ... its very obvious that the couples are relaxed, well articulated actors considering it's supposed to be an impromptu event.

I mean, if someone actually made a human being or physical object disappear and reappear somewhere else, don't you think there would be worldwide news of this event? Don't you think the participants would be just a little shook up? Let's be rational here. The only place we know that this kind of thing happens is with the quantam jump of electrons within an atom ... if Criss Angel were doing it, the world would be turned upside down right now - it would not remain contained in some late night magic-reality show on TV.

What I can't believe is that some of you are believing his tricks, when he freely admits they are tricks, he does not have superpowers, and he is an entertainer. My god, some of you are really grasping for paranormal straws.

This has been said before in this thread I know. But where in Gods name do you get off beleiving this guy has actual magical powers? I mean when someone says they're an illusionist that's what they are.
il·lu·sion·ist ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-lzh-nst)
n.
Philosophy. An adherent of the doctrine of illusionism.
An artist whose work is marked by illusionism.
A magician or ventriloquist.

il·lu·sion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-lzhn)
n.

An erroneous perception of reality.
An erroneous concept or belief.
The condition of being deceived by a false perception or belief.
Something, such as a fantastic plan or desire, that causes an erroneous belief or perception.
Illusionism in art.
A fine transparent cloth, used for dresses or trimmings

The man is here to entertain you, that's what he gets paid to do. And do you know how many camera tricks and scene cuts go into each show? The whole thing is planned. There are scripts, a camera crew, props, special effects, doubles, and paid actors. Do you think he could really put people into trances and levitate them in such a big noisy city. I've been to an actual hypnotist and you need complete relaxation and quitness. And it takes a while to be induced into a real trance.
The man would be all over the news and scientists would be killin theirselves because of confusion if this was real. It's a late night show on A&E. Nothing more nothing less. Get over yourselves.

Thankyou. A voice of reason.

OK , 2 of his things explained...but I have no clue on the rest...This is going to be a long read

Swallowing sewing needles and thread and then pulling it out of his belly button.

Throwing the deck of cards against the bus window and the one that the girl signed being on the OUTSIDE of the bus.

both explained :

Effect: The magician is seen to roll some thread into a ball in his fingers.

The thread then appears to be placed in his mouth and he appears to swallow it.

The magician appears to be in pain, when he bares his stomach and visibly pulls the thread out from it.

Items: Thread, two pieces of the same coloured thread.

"New skin" latex clear paint for covering cuts and grazes or other brand of latex paint. This liquid paint is normally available from pharmacies.

Method: You need to paint a one to two inch square area on your stomach with the latex. When it dries you can pull it gently away from the skin to form a pocket.

Place one piece of thread in the pocket, leaving a small piece sticking out.

Cover the latex pocket with make up to match the colour of your skin.

The latex pocket can alternatively be made by attaching a piece of skin coloured latex that has been cut from a halloween mask. This could be attached by using the latex paint as glue.

The performance is done by the magician rolling one of the pieces of thread into a ball and then pretending to place the thread in his mouth, retaining the thread between his thumb and finger. Then he pretends to swallow the string.
Remember, in the interests of safety, do not put the string in your mouth. The small ball of string retained between the thumb and finger will not be noticed by the spectator and can be easily discarded out of sight.

The rest of the trick depends on acting the pain enhancing the illusion that the thread has pushed its way through the magicians stomach.

The thread can then be pulled from the latex pocket.

Effect : The performer asks the spectator to pick a card without him seeing the face and replace it in the pack.

The pack is then shuffled and the performer is apparently unsuccessful in locating the card.

After a few attempts, the cards are thrown against a window in a fit of rage. On looking at the window, the chosen card is seen to be sticking to it, even more surprising is the fact that the card is on the inside of the window.

Preparation : You will need two identical packs of cards and a willing helper.

Method: This trick should be performed in an area with a large window nearby and with the spectator facing away from the window.

The spectator is asked to choose a card from a pack, memorize it and without showing you, replace the card in the pack.

The pack is then shuffled and and a couple of attempts at "is this your card " tried followed by a look of disbelief when the spectator tells you that it is not their card (this is all part of the act as you don''t even need to know the card).

After a few attempts you fake an angry outburst and making sure the cards are squared up throw the pack broadside at the window, where they will hit the window and fall to the ground, except the chosen card which is sticking to the window.

Your helper was already positioned behind the window and spectator and had an identical pack of cards. He was able to see the chosen card and took the duplicate from his pack.

A small piece of looped sticky tape or magicians wax was attached to the duplicate card and it was stuck to the inside of the window.

The helper should then have walked away from the window.

This trick creates a real surprise but it is important to pick up the fallen cards quickly and to pocket the original chosen card.


Even more her : http://www.goodtricks.net/frameset6.html

Sorry magicians

Interesting. But Criss Angel did this trick on a moving bus....hence, no helper on the other side of the window. How do you explain this?

Yeah, I enjoyed your read there. Most of the things you said, I agree. But what if the chances of him being not fake?

I'm sorry to give such a small response, but I really got nothing to say. You got many good points, but some of the stunts in the show are too good to be faked, like the spin-off from the Voodoo Doll Classic. I don't know how he does it. in other words, I have no definite explanation of what or how he does it. So i'm just going to open my mind to the many possibilities, like the audience acting along. But there are other explanations that top that one, its just hard to explain.

What are you, six? What you see and what was filmed is not are two totally different things. They can change things, put scenes before each other. Do you honestly to God beleive this man is a real magician because he has a late night TV show. As I said before, get over yourself.

He is getting to much attention from younger poeple. With the rock star image and darker stuff to what we call magic...he lures in everyone. I dont respect him at all. He is trying to make these kind of stuff dark things...and i really dont like that. People would soon try to ignore magicans like us because of his image. And the teleport tricks and stuff...im not impressed. At the stage anyone can do anything impossible. Also the levitation trick was easy as i see it. I can clearly see that he is beeing pulled up and that he looses some control over his feet...not impressed...the teleport trick im not going to give any hints. And i have seen him do the coin appear when he cuts his wrist...he is doing EXACT the same lame stuff as david blaine but he is just renewing it a little bit so you all think its all different.

I do magic tricks and such stuff...i dont go around look like a gothic star wannabe...only laugh and having fun. But its too much of a fake what he does and i dont like fake stuff.

To answer how he could have done it on a moving bus ( without insults ) ...

Stunt men can do amazing things , like being harnessed on front of the bus to put the card there , than when bus stops , easily put the card there than have plenty of time to get to side of bus when it stops before anyone gets out...And also , what kind of enjoyment would any of us get if we really new how he does these illusions?...Thats why they do this

p.s. If you think about it , he said his personal bus broke down.Do you really think he would have taken a public bus with a camera crew on such short notice?Limousines were made for celebrities , not public buses.These stunts are carefully planned out.

Hailo,

Hey no problem man - we both come here to converse and exchange thought - I completely agree with you that Criss does some pretty clever and amazing tricks, but they are nothing more than that.

As I said before, if Criss were actually doing things that were turning our physical world upside down, he would be the subject of much more interest and scrutiny from the scientific world than we would be allowed to see.

As far as the Voodoo trick, I've never seen that one, so I don't know what it entails. However, if you keep in mind that Criss most definitely uses props (ie paid actors that are in on the trick), it might cast the illusion into a new perspective.

This is the major reason Criss has been criticized for his TV show (even though he has garned quite a bit of respect for his Broadway show that ran for so long); that is, he tells the viewing audience that there are no setups, camera tricks, or that he has never "met" the people he is doing his tricks on - when a lot of the time, this is completely misleading, or simply a bald-faced lie.

Like the levitation on Fremont St. in Las Vegas - he claims there are no setups, and that he has never met the girl that he levitates, however, this same girl proceeds to become hypnotized into a deep sleep within seconds, and then is laid back and supported on an invisible wire that was obviously set up beforehand.

When you understand what Criss is doing, it actually kind of sucks, because with today's technology, it wouldn't be very hard to do a lot of the tricks he is doing.

Again, with the voodoo trick, keep in mind that even though Criss may say the other people aren't "in on it", a lot of times for the more unbelievable tricks, they are. (Look at my explanation for the Deja Vu trick as well).

Take Care,

indecline

Why do people like you always have to ruin it for the rest of us? Some levitation methods are cheezy at best, and only work from a certain angle. Criss is taped with people surrounding him, and the camera moves around him as well.

I would never pretend to be amazed for a camera if I was not truly amazed, and I think that most people would do the same. You bring up editing software. Do they use that to plug in amazed spectators and find people touching Criss after levitating?

Have you ever thought that some of us live our lives WANTING to believe that there really is such a thing as magic? Yes, Criss performs ILLUSIONS, but they are better than anybody else is doing, so instead of blaming it on software and camera tricks, why can't you just let those of us that believe that real magic is out there exist?

Seriously, we live in a f'd up world, and it's nice to escape once in a while, but someone always has to mess it up by telling us that what seems real, really is not real.

I don't care what anybody says, Criss is the new age of magic and he's not a dork like those other fools.

It comes on at 10pm here. I havent seen it since Over There started on FX. And I cant stay up until 1 or 2 am when it Mind Freak comes on again.

Hello...I just wanted to interject about Chris Angel. Actually I was reading some of the other posters threads and wondering if there was something going on about Chris and here you are. Hum?? I live in E. Tennessee and here, his show airs on A&E, usually on Sunday nights.

I am awed at his ability to control his mind. He has been meditating and practicing his magic for many years. I get a kick out of the people he performs his acts on. "How did you do that"? Like he's going to tell them.

Does anyone have a favorite that they have seen him do? I may be repeating since this is such a long thread but I'm sure someone will direct me if that's the case.

add say it was bs, except for the fact he does most of his tricks in the street where there are people constantly coming and going. I don't beleive he is magic, but i don't believe it is camera editing. Even Houdini's tricks were considered impossible, in the days before high tech sofware editing. Subtle variations in large fields of mirrors can make someone think they are moving faster than they really are, or in different directions then they really are. Slight turning in a large mirror field could make small automatic corrections allow a couple to technically move in circles. A sudden large scale deactivation of a large field of mirros would appear to cause deja vu, while being nothing more than the removal of the initial illusion. This trick would not work on a blind person because of there inabilty to fall victim to visual tricks.

u meant this guy's pic ??

[attachmentid=18273]

Hands Down Criss Angel is better than David Blaine. They both are amazing, dont get me wrong but Blaine is too cocky and never screws up, Criss is more human cuz he has messed up a few tricks like in the muscle reading one. Also look at the card through window, Blaine on the street, Angel on a moving bus with a signed card. Also the levetation is better in Mindfreak

An illusionist is someone who can make others believe they are seeing him or her do something impossible.....without the others figuring out how it is done....Some people are fixated on the act of levitation, but the escape from the burning clothes is equally amazing. How would a person go from being the one on fire to the one putting the fire out? Literally smoke and mirrors, people! As for spectators saying something was done without a single trick, people DO lie on camera, take Bill Clinton for example! Criss is DEAD sexy, that "rock star image" works for me, and I am not a "younger' person.

By the way you two up there, play nicely!

Removed a few posts from here containing obscenities and flaming, please try to keep the discussion civil please everyone.

Criss Angel has been around for a long time, I didn't respect him until just recently, just seeing him on commercials makes you think he's some kind of poser. But the dark make up and special effects aside, he's a great guy who does impossible magic. I wish I had 1/10th of the determination he has. Last nights episode was great too.. I'm a big fan now.

there is nothing supernatural about this guy. he is a magician not a superhuman. although i will say he is a very good magician illusionist, due to the fact that most people think everything he does is real. come on people if he can levitate naturally dont you think they would do some tests on him? people now adays are just too gullible which is why he is such a successful magician.

You see eryone has their own views of whats real and whats an illusion so If you dont believe just keep it to urself because you will ruin it for others that believe it. Personally I am a criss angel fan and I love him. I believe that it is all in your mind. we only use ten percent of our minds, criss on the other hand uses about 25 percent of his mind, imagine what we could do if we used 100 percent of our minds. I belive you can trian urself to do anything the real trick is how do you unlock the parts of your brain to do stuff like that, You think criss just woke up one day and decided to levitate.... No it took years of concentration. Its all in ur mind thats what he says.