Four minutes with Criss Angel
July 24, 2008 | 10:16
am
Last night I went to Cathouse at Luxor for the premiere party for Criss Angel's new season of "Mindfreak." The degree to which Angel's fame has grown locally in the last year was measurable by the difference between last year's premiere at Luxor and this year's event.
Last year, the premiere was in an accessible area of the Luxor, and though well attended, the event was not a big deal. But last night, I had trouble finding parking at the Luxor self-parking garage early on a Wednesday night. That does not happen. But in addition to the premiere event for the VIP crowd that I was covering at Cathouse, Angel alerted fans through social network sites that he planned to make a personal appearance at the Criss Angel store in Luxor, and his fans were out in force -- or by chance the Luxor happened to have a lot of local teens who dress like Siouxsie Sioux there last night.
Angel also packed the Cathouse VIP premiere party this year with all his friends, admirers and cast members from both his television show "Mindfreak" and his soon-to-open Cirque show, "Believe." As the episode of "Mindfreak" aired, Angel's table had people in the room perching on every inch of space to be near him. If the room was a boat, we would have capsized. It was a real visual of how many people love you when you are on top in Vegas. In the past year, Angel has grown a lot of friends compared to last year's premiere.
And he seemed to be having a blast. After the show, which featured an illusion where he walked on Lake Mead, he gave the crowd an emotional speech (emotional in that Angel's voice cracked and he got a little teary) to tell us all that he was a little "buzzed" but that he really loved us.
I had been promised a short interview with Angel after the event and was a little surprised that he had with him both the director for his Cirque show and the music composer. That would be fine if I could give you now some previously unknown details about "Believe." Of course, none of the three was willing reveal anything yet about Believe.
But Angel's director for Believe, Serge Denoncourt, went on at length to me about how wrong the press was for reporting that Angel and he were not getting along. Denocourt said the constant dishonest press accounts of feuding between them were ridiculous and inaccurate. He told me he and Angel were getting along famously. I was a little baffled because I had not asked any question about how they were getting along. In fact, I have never reported on or read anyone else writing about any issues between Angel and "Believe's" Cirque director. But glad to know, should I ever see those stories, I have a firm denial from Serge Denoncourt.
Anyway, under these conditions, my short interview with Angel had little chance for intimacy, and Angel by his own admission was not entirely sober. The room was also still packed with people gawking at Angel, and his Cirque colleagues were chipping in their thoughts too.
Angel mostly wanted to talk about his escape on live television next week from a building being imploded in Florida. "It is not a trick, it is an escape. What you see is what you get. Next week I put it all on the line. I have to escape in 3 minutes and 30 seconds or the helicopter leaves without me, because the building is coming down. If I am one second late the helicopter leaves without me. This is the biggest and scariest escape of my life." Angel promised his mother this will be his last dangerous escape, and I asked him if he expected he would keep his word. "I believe I will, because you know what? I don't have to do that ... no more, because I have 'Believe' starting on Oct. 10 and this will be my home for 10 years."
We then briefly discussed reports that this stunt was so dangerous that Cirque had bought extra insurance on Angel. Because Cirque had already insured "Believe," that made no sense to me. And Angel admitted that the story came from him not understanding a question he was asked by a reporter. He reminded me that when it comes to insurance there is "Believe," "Mindfreak," and his personal life to deal with and the result in this case was a misunderstanding. So no, Cirque needed no extra insurance for next week's escape.
I asked Angel for his account of the now infamous confrontation he had with local writer Norm Clarke. Angel replied without missing a beat: "I invited Norm tonight. What happened between me and Norm is between me and Norm. I did invite him here. I hope he comes to the opening of 'Believe,' because 'Believe' is going to be the show to see."
And with that Angel and his entourage were whisked away. The entire interview lasted just over four minutes. That seems like such a short interview with Angel until you realize it is still 30 seconds more than he gets next week to finish his business and escape. (Photo by Sarah Gerke)
Angel also packed the Cathouse VIP premiere party this year with all his friends, admirers and cast members from both his television show "Mindfreak" and his soon-to-open Cirque show, "Believe." As the episode of "Mindfreak" aired, Angel's table had people in the room perching on every inch of space to be near him. If the room was a boat, we would have capsized. It was a real visual of how many people love you when you are on top in Vegas. In the past year, Angel has grown a lot of friends compared to last year's premiere.
And he seemed to be having a blast. After the show, which featured an illusion where he walked on Lake Mead, he gave the crowd an emotional speech (emotional in that Angel's voice cracked and he got a little teary) to tell us all that he was a little "buzzed" but that he really loved us.
I had been promised a short interview with Angel after the event and was a little surprised that he had with him both the director for his Cirque show and the music composer. That would be fine if I could give you now some previously unknown details about "Believe." Of course, none of the three was willing reveal anything yet about Believe.
But Angel's director for Believe, Serge Denoncourt, went on at length to me about how wrong the press was for reporting that Angel and he were not getting along. Denocourt said the constant dishonest press accounts of feuding between them were ridiculous and inaccurate. He told me he and Angel were getting along famously. I was a little baffled because I had not asked any question about how they were getting along. In fact, I have never reported on or read anyone else writing about any issues between Angel and "Believe's" Cirque director. But glad to know, should I ever see those stories, I have a firm denial from Serge Denoncourt.
Anyway, under these conditions, my short interview with Angel had little chance for intimacy, and Angel by his own admission was not entirely sober. The room was also still packed with people gawking at Angel, and his Cirque colleagues were chipping in their thoughts too.
Angel mostly wanted to talk about his escape on live television next week from a building being imploded in Florida. "It is not a trick, it is an escape. What you see is what you get. Next week I put it all on the line. I have to escape in 3 minutes and 30 seconds or the helicopter leaves without me, because the building is coming down. If I am one second late the helicopter leaves without me. This is the biggest and scariest escape of my life." Angel promised his mother this will be his last dangerous escape, and I asked him if he expected he would keep his word. "I believe I will, because you know what? I don't have to do that ... no more, because I have 'Believe' starting on Oct. 10 and this will be my home for 10 years."
We then briefly discussed reports that this stunt was so dangerous that Cirque had bought extra insurance on Angel. Because Cirque had already insured "Believe," that made no sense to me. And Angel admitted that the story came from him not understanding a question he was asked by a reporter. He reminded me that when it comes to insurance there is "Believe," "Mindfreak," and his personal life to deal with and the result in this case was a misunderstanding. So no, Cirque needed no extra insurance for next week's escape.
I asked Angel for his account of the now infamous confrontation he had with local writer Norm Clarke. Angel replied without missing a beat: "I invited Norm tonight. What happened between me and Norm is between me and Norm. I did invite him here. I hope he comes to the opening of 'Believe,' because 'Believe' is going to be the show to see."
And with that Angel and his entourage were whisked away. The entire interview lasted just over four minutes. That seems like such a short interview with Angel until you realize it is still 30 seconds more than he gets next week to finish his business and escape. (Photo by Sarah Gerke)
Oh Collin, your the only one that cares it seems. I can only assume the intensity in which you are persuing this that you have never had a verbal confrontation with anyone in your entire life. This loyal doesn't need to question it because people have verbal exchanges all the time. All I can say is so what?
Posted by: Another Jeanne | July 29, 2008 at 04:14 PM
Love this title Richard Abowitz.
4 Minutes With Criss Angel....sort of describes all his girlfriends during the past few years. Criss is a much better bull$hit artist than an illusionist. We all know Criss isn't too bright so whenever he comes off intelligent its a clear sign that he was well rehearsed. I assume his PR teams helps him with all the BIG words
Posted by: Loyal Jeanne | July 29, 2008 at 06:30 PM
Criss Angel is consistently drunk on self-importance.
Posted by: Kayala | July 30, 2008 at 12:19 PM
After Criss' Amazing escape from the building implosion tonight, there was an interview where JD introduces Sandra to the world as Criss' "friend." She was even in the episode tonight doing a trick with Criss. Looks like Sandra is the REAL girlfriend... I mean he took her all the way to Florida with him, and then gave her a shout out as his "cupcake" And she was with the Family the entire time!!! GOOD FOR HIM!!!
Posted by: interesting | July 30, 2008 at 10:07 PM
He calls her "Cupcake" because on her birthday you can fit all the candles on one cupcake.
Posted by: LMAO | July 31, 2008 at 06:04 AM
Forgot to add, Cupcake didn't even get a hug as Criss walked away from the building. Everyone else did but not Cupcake.
Posted by: LMAO | July 31, 2008 at 06:06 AM
I LOVE YOU
Posted by: leelee | July 31, 2008 at 08:15 AM
LMAO, I did catch that too. She obviously doesn't have that much love for him if she could care less about his health. Criss didn't hug his neice either. It looked like he is embarrassed of his niece because she's fat.
Posted by: Leigha | July 31, 2008 at 08:52 PM
Maybe because she actually FAMILY. By marriage, she's family! Looks like Criss is trying another 'illusion', but for what? Why? She's even too young to GO INTO the clubs! Oh well.... Why should we CARE?
Posted by: ???????????? | August 01, 2008 at 12:50 AM
Criss did an amazing job! I don't care how he escaped, I just know that what he did was really risky, and not doing what he's supposed to do for one second, could have gotten him killed.
Posted by: Rachael | August 01, 2008 at 03:39 PM
Wow, Colin, it has been a while since I have read these articles (and your responses), but I see you are still beating the same dead horse! Do you not have a life? These are relatively easy to get, you know. All you do is, TURN OFF THE COMPUTER, and go out and interact with real people instead of cyber-people. Try it, you might like it. Ane if you want to obsess over something, find something real to obsess over.
Love ya' Criss!!!
Posted by: Loyal Sandy | August 08, 2008 at 02:32 PM
Has any one noticed that criss' only ring that he is wearing is on his wedding ring finger and it kinder looked like there was a tatto on that finger in his live episode of mindfreak. I might be wrong but I just making sure I'm not imaging things.
Posted by: Criss' Girl ( I wish) | August 10, 2008 at 04:23 AM
Yes, he does have a tattoo on his ring finger. He had it done when he was dating Veronica.
Posted by: Loyal Sandy | August 10, 2008 at 03:50 PM
Ok number one, if there was ANY truth to what Criss talks about with SOME of his illusions being REAL, like walking on Lake meade, he would NOT drink ever- to be able to control your "energy" and manifest it in any REAL way your system needs to be CLEAN! This is what pisses me off, the times he claims to be REAL- anyone can hire a professional crew and take CHANCES, there is NO magic in that however its makes for great "talk" and gets you noticed- As far as all his dif girls, another way to get noticed, in Hollywood ANY attention is good attention, celebs don't care who is used or hurt in the process of obtaining thier fame- very very sad- I went to see Criss at the Luxor when his new mindfreak premiered, my niece loves him to death, I had a picture to give Criss that she made because she is too sick to go recovering from surgery, anyway he was 5 feet in front of me(as I was leaving the Luxor) standing outside of the CatHouse, I said "criss this is from my eight year old niece"...he could barley lift his head he was so DRUNK and just looked at me and stumbled into the whore house,sadly I had to lie to my niece that I never got close enough to him..... Yeah if people new the TRUTH about Criss they would be embarassed to ever speak his name.
Posted by: Nikki | August 10, 2008 at 10:12 PM
Nikki, if your 8 year old niece was a 23 year old gorgeous model I bet Criss would have stopped. She always manages to stop for them. Drunk, well that's what he does now when he's not working out or working on his BELIEVE show. Enter the world of celebritism and fame.
Posted by: Kayala | August 14, 2008 at 08:56 AM
I really just want to say to all the people that have commented on this article saying things that are demeaning to Criss, need to get a life. Criss is one of the kindest people anyone will ever meet. And the comment about him taking steroids, is absolutely ridiculous! If you have ever watched an episode of mindfreak, it should be pretty apparent what type of person Criss is. He has only found success because of his determination and hard work--and of course all of the people who believed in his dream.
Criss is an amazing person, who gives so many people hope within their own lives. Now us loyals, we understand that people will never understand how Criss makes us feel, until they experience it within their own life. But that gives you no right to hide behind your computer screen and bash someone that you've probably never met before.
Every comment that talks about how he's so "fake"...again is a ridiculous statement. Criss has made it quite clear to the viewer that a lot of what he does is real---mind, body and spirit---but he has also made it very public that he blends illusion with reality, As the viewer its our job to decide which is which. If Criss sat there at the end of each episode and explained exactly how it was done...what would be the point?
So maybe all the negative people trying to bring Criss down shoul d wake up and focus on reality. Because not only is Cris successful because of his televeision show, he also has a book on the bestselling list, and what--five albums out? He is a man of many talents, and will never be tied down to one specific thing.
Criss makes you believe the impossible, and if you can take that and apply it to your own life---as in--if he can levetate over the Luxor, I can get through whatever it is that I am dealing with---then that is the true magic.
Illusion is what you see, magic is what you feel.
Posted by: Teesha | August 14, 2008 at 01:11 PM
I am completely amazed at how gullible people are. Here we are again...more examples of deflection away from the issues of happenings of Criss Angel in Las Vegas. But it seems like Criss Angel don't have to do a thing because he has these blind unquestioning fans of his to stand in front of him as a buffer. A buffer that he welcomes to stand behind so that he don't have to answer questions.
I have seen comments to Richard's articles of many instances of CA's arrogance, and it always seems to bring out CA's blind obedience fans, all tripping over themselves to come up with excuses for CA's behavior and efforts to explain CA's behavior away. It's all smoke and mirrors.
One thing is lacking in all of this though. Criss Angel does not come forward and speak for himself. At all. And when he does come forward to speak, it's only to talk about things he wants to talk about, such as plugging his show, things that put him in a favorable light. He is not held to any ethics at all except for his need to make more money. It appears that he feels he does not have to apologize for anything. He appears to feel he doesn't have to even acknowledge anything. He is not required to come forward to explain himself and his actions. He chooses to just ignore everything in hopes that it goes away, figuring that time is on his side, better if he just rides it and waits it out.
It's over four months now since his reprehensible behavior in threatening a respected and credible reporter (Norm Clarke during the Miss America Pageant in April); someone who is held to far more ethics than Criss Angel has ever been held to.
The only solutions so far has been Criss Angel's silence, along with Cirque de Soleil's silence. They both hope it blows over.
Well, it appears that this silence goes both ways. The reporter who was threatened (Norm Clarke) by Criss Angel has not reported on him at all. I am happy to see that silence goes both ways and that Norm has made him personae non grata here in Las Vegas. Reporters from around the country (and possibly the world) look to Norm to see about Las Vegas news. There is nothing there about Criss. You lose, Criss.
And I really get the impression that other reporters are jumping on the same bandwagon. And not only because of that instance, but because Criss Angel holds press conferences and proves to be a difficult person to interview. I see Criss Angel only invites reporters who he feels are "trusted" to report favorable things and he appears to want to control everything that is printed about him. The odds in this endeavor show that soon he will run out of reporters to invite, because they will soon become sick of him. I also get the impression reporters are kind of tired of attending and will soon prefer to not even attend because it's only going to more of the same defelction of issues every time they attend. You are losing more, Criss, because you think you are controlling "spin" on things, but you are sorely misinformed...it will all catch up to you.
Pretty soon the only people that will be allowed to interview him will be only Loyals. And, compared to the rest of world, those numbers are not going to keep Criss Angel's legend in his own mind going, not to mention that fact that this alone won't make him money and will only thin his wallet.
Posted by: ColinFromLasVegas | August 15, 2008 at 09:47 AM
Colin, your post today speaks leaps and volumes.
The only ones left that are posting such highly gratifying comments on behalf of Criss Angel are his true loyals that have yet to see any side of Criss being capable of any wrongdoing.
Criss Angel demonstrates such control that it is beyond healthy. In fact, the narcissist quickly comes to mind.
I still cannot fathom why the people behind Cirque have yet to speak up if for any reason to encourage families to come to Vegas to see the new BELIEVE show.
Whenever I do read these blogs it is always geared to the same focus, personal life. Specifically, his drinking and skirt chasing with the young ladies of Vegas. Although now I can see more clearly how all these controlling behavior combines into one. Criss is such a master of control in every aspect of his life that he had to let go 75% of his MF payroll to accommodate his desire of what appears to be a lame season of MF4. His young skirt chasing because no one in his age bracket would be able to put up with such childish behavior or narcissist tendencies.
Criss Angel is a sick man. People like Criss will never see themselves in a bad light and will only laugh at us who see the harm in his behavior. In time, however, when the wallet starts to thin out and the gothic loyals grow up will he be forced to take responsibility for his actions.
Posted by: Connie | August 15, 2008 at 11:29 AM
Criss Angel will never go down. There are people who will always be there and stand up for him, because he deserves it! He has his family, a lot of friends and of course a large amount of Loyal fans. With his art, he has done so much for all of us... I don't believe in all those naysayers and dedicated haters, I believe in Criss. I overcame a very personal fear that limited my daily life, because of him, his lead by example and his message I was able to face it. I will be grateful for that for the the rest of my life, and I believe that he's a wonderful man who has a heart of gold. He can't please everyone, and he's not some kind of perfect god. Nobody is. But he's a very special person and a multi-talented, captivating artist. It's not up to any of us to judge about his private life- whether you love him or hate him, at least respect that.
Posted by: LoyalAnanya | August 18, 2008 at 12:57 AM
>>>I believe in Criss. I overcame a very personal fear that limited my daily life, because of him, his lead by example and his message I was able to face it.<<<
You heard it on the Buffet first! Criss Angel's next career move will be to follow in the footsteps of Richard Simmons or Tony Robbins.
And I bet he will STILL be the biggest draw in Vegas even if he's pitching Deal-A-Meal.
I love Vegas' return to the Fat Elvis days.
Posted by: Big Karl | August 18, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Question for Colin. Has Criss Angel been cooling off with his bad temper these days?
Is he starting to work better with the reporters of Las Vegas? Just curious since another 6 weeks and the new Live show will be going. How's the tickets selling?
Posted by: Kayala | August 21, 2008 at 01:57 PM
Not a peep from him lately, Kayala. I can only speculate people told him to lay low because of all the bad press (which he caused himself) and/or reporters just are not interested in talking with him. I do see that no reporter lately is reporting about him at all though. And it's a sure bet that Norm Clarke is not interested in even uttering his name. Norm has not reported anything at all about Criss Angel for quite awhile. Which is why I say that when Criss Angel talked with Richard Abowitz at the Luxor on July 23 (in this blog article) that he invited him to it....that was a total lie. Because Norm would have said something in his column about it.
I don't know about ticket sales with his show. I'm just kind of amused at the report that there will be "cheap seats" along with the expensive seats in his upcoming show. This is a technique that a lot of the shows use here for live venues here in Las Vegas to try to ensure that the show is sold out every show. Basically, the thinking is that whatever needs to be done to get the show room full...let's think of ways to do it. Whether that is going to happen with Criss Angel's show or not is only conjecture right now.
I really don't know the exact answers to your questions, Kayala. I can only give a good guess. Richard here could probably answer your questions better.
Posted by: ColinFromLasVegas | August 21, 2008 at 04:21 PM
This is my first time visiting your site and i must say i like it a lot.
Your message was an interesting read.
I will definetly check back here more often!
hooka
Posted by: hooka | August 26, 2008 at 05:23 PM
Hey Colin,
Guess you're wrong again. Go back and re-read (if you indeed can) Mr. Clarke's columes. Criss was written about in them several times AFTER the supposed "incident" occured.
Posted by: Loyal Sandy | September 08, 2008 at 08:50 PM