The sad thing about Criss Angel

[Hazerman15]

Well whoop-dee-doo! While we're at it, I'm a general second class of the Intergalactic Heartbreaker Squad.

If he were an entertainer instead of a con man, he would admit that he's not actually channeling a dead guy.

Since he attempts to have his cake and eat it too, he deserves what he got. He humiliated himself on national TV with that ballistic reaction to Criss's challenge, and no one I know takes him seriously as a result. The only people standing up for him are generally those who have a vendetta against Criss.

There is a difference. If he is claiming to be an entertainer, than his job is to entertain, not prove that he is talking to the dead. Agree or disagree with his methods, but he is an entertainer.

Secondly, your line about admitting he is not talking to the dead is false. The only person that you have come into contact with is this man when in character. I will repeat that, IN CHARACTER. He is not going to admit he is faking it if he is in character, it would ruin it all.

You have to realize that there is a difference between what a person says when he is in character in front of millions of spectators, and when he is speaking as himself.

 

[Steerpike]

Docc Hilford does the same thing, but he still admits, "Some people say I'm a con man and they're probably right."

Ooh, he was in character! That justifies everything! Give me a break.

I do haunted magic too, but if seriously questioned I will come clean. I don't go on national TV and say, "It's up to you to decide whether I'm real or not."

And then he reacts by screaming that Criss is an "intellectual bigot". Spare me. The fact that you see nothing wrong with that in and of itself is rather telling.

 

[Hazerman15]

Docc Hilford does the same thing, but he still admits, "Some people say I'm a con man and they're probably right."

Ooh, he was in character! That justifies everything! Give me a break.

I do haunted magic too, but if seriously questioned I will come clean. I don't go on national TV and say, "It's up to you to decide whether I'm real or not."

And then he reacts by screaming that Criss is an "intellectual bigot". Spare me. The fact that you see nothing wrong with that in and of itself is rather telling.

I guess we are just going to agree to disagree.
All i know is that if i were to perform in a magic show, and i performed a routine using an invisible deck. I would be pissed off if someone else came up on stage and said do it with this deck and I will give you a million dollars because you are a liar and a fake.
If that situation happened to me, would i just say "oh i cant, im using a heavily gimmicked deck"? I wouldnt be able to do that at all. And if I did that in front of millions on national television, I might as well kiss that routine goodbye.

Thats where I am coming from. My feelings on that are not going to change.

 

[Steerpike]

This isn't an invisible deck. This is lying about the dead. Am I the only one capable of telling the difference?

A better analogy would be going up on stage and manifesting wounds in your palms while crying tears of blood as you're standing in a crucified pose, then having someone call you on it. What would you do then?

Mediumistic stunts are not for everybody because they're playing with fire. And to be frank, I don't think they belong on TV. Mostly because people trust their TVs too much. Look what it's done for that miserable witch Sylvia Browne.

Unbelievable. Criss finally does something right, and people still find a way to complain about it.

 

[Hazerman15]

This isn't an invisible deck. This is lying about the dead. Am I the only one capable of telling the difference?

A better analogy would be going up on stage and manifesting wounds in your palms while crying tears of blood as you're standing in a crucified pose, then having someone call you on it. What would you do then?

Mediumistic stunts are not for everybody because they're playing with fire. And to be frank, I don't think they belong on TV. Mostly because people trust their TVs too much. Look what it's done for that miserable witch Sylvia Browne.

Unbelievable. Criss finally does something right, and people still find a way to complain about it.

I understand your point. I do not entirely agree, as I have stated. I will leave it at that.

 

[Anthony Bass]

Have you guys heard of Anthony Bass?
He's a HORRIBLE magician. Who does he think he is?

^^*sucky attempt at easing the tension**

Anthony Bass

 

[spikormikor13]

Have you guys heard of Anthony Bass?
He's a HORRIBLE magician. Who does he think he is?

^^*sucky attempt at easing the tension**

Anthony Bass

I chuckled.

Criss Angel > me. I know that much.

 

[Jakeh]

Criss Angel has a huge problem with con artists and people who claim to talk to the dead. I didn't see the Phenomenon thing, but from what I know of Angel, he must have seen something that really bothered or offended him if he lashed out at someone who was performing. I might go watch this on youtube before I make up my mind, but I agree with many of Criss's principles about magic and performing, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for now.

The thing is though, Criss didn't even "lash out" at him. He merely asked him a question and this "entertainer just because he says so" decided to go off at Criss. I know you haven't seen it, so I'm not saying you said anything wrong or anything, but I'm just saying. Actually, because of the way people talk about it, I don't blame you for thinking Criss lashed out at him.

 

[StreetMage]

Okay, I've seen the footage, and Criss was absolutely on top of that situation, and he was absolutely right to do what he did.

First of all, I can't believe that a con-man like Uri Gellar still has any credibility anywhere. Isn't he the guy that claims he has telekinetic powers?

Second, Jim Callahan is definitely a disgusting con-man. Even if he admits he's an entertainer, he still claims what he's doing is real, and that is completely unacceptable. Many people have strong beliefs and misgivings about the paranormal, and for Jim Callahan to exploit that is sick. I'd lump this guy in with fake faith healers and psychic surgery.

The really sad thing about Callahan is that his display was the most bogus thing I've ever seen. If Uri Gellar really thinks that Jim Callahan has a "flair of honesty," then Uri Gellar is an idiot. A huge idiot. It's my opinion that Gellar was defending a fellow con-man. That "spirit writing" thing was the most absurd, overacted performance I've seen anywhere, and I'm appalled that he's managed to gain any kind of fame or credibility with that lame act. The patter for my ambitious card routine is more convincing than that crap.

This was not a case of Criss calling out a fellow magician and saying "I'm better than you." This was a case of Criss calling out a con-man who wants people to believe that he can make the dead jump through hoops for their entertainment so he can get rich from people's beliefs about life after death.

Criss Angel > (Jim Callahan x Uri Gellar)^2 + tinkerbell

 

[Jakeh]

^ To add to him getting rich off people, on his website it said something like "Contact me after you've died and I'll get you a job - only $100!" or something to that extent.

Nutso!

 

[Sergey]

Criss Angel > (Jim Callahan x Uri Gellar)^2 + tinkerbell

Oh no you didn't!

But in all seriousness I'd like to address the camera trick issue that you guys have. There is no difference between sleight of hand, a gimmick, stooge or a camera trick, in my opinion. Because as I've seen people say and I completely agree with that the method doesn't matter that much, what matters is the effect, and even more important is how you present it. The only minus is Criss Angel can sometimes use it to an extent that it is not believable or serious anymore, for example the one time when he turned a little girl into a big girl, I mean come on get serious, I think that's what killed it for me, and heard a lot of my friends making fun of the show just because of that.

 

[Jakeh]

Oh no you didn't!

But in all seriousness I'd like to address the camera trick issue that you guys have. There is no difference between sleight of hand, a gimmick, stooge or a camera trick, in my opinion. Because as I've seen people say and I completely agree with that the method doesn't matter that much, what matters is the effect, and even more important is how you present it. The only minus is Criss Angel can sometimes use it to an extent that it is not believable or serious anymore, for example the one time when he turned a little girl into a big girl, I mean come on get serious, I think that's what killed it for me, and heard a lot of my friends making fun of the show just because of that.

One of my favourite quotes to make on Ellusionist in a Criss Angel thread is, "The end always justifies the means." which is what Brad Christian said himself on one of the DVDs.