Therein lies the problem, Observer. I don't care about liking Criss Angel nor praising him nor hating him nor do I care if he succeeds or fails. All of that is unimportant. If Criss Angel left Las Vegas, THAT would be the wonderful thing that ever happened. If he left here and went somewhere else and did his stupid stuff somewhere else, then you wouldn't get any more of these notes from me. The main thing is that the way he's been acting here is like a slap in the face to all workers, other entertainers and locals here in Las Vegas.

What I am talking about, and it keeps getting glossed over by comments here on this board that have no bearing on the issue, is that CA has come to Las Vegas and acted like a complete autocratic dork and coward, clearly exhibiting arrogance towards anyone and everyone, and the only ones that he is seen with are the ones that will further his career. There are quite a few things he's done in Sin City that call attention to himself, but let's focus on the main thing he did:

FACT: In April, he threatened a Las Vegas Review Journal reporter (Norm Clark) who has been reporting for way longer than Criss Angel has been a so called star.

FACT: Norm Clark is well loved by his readers here in Las Vegas. He is not a "hack writer" that writes "smut" and is a "typical tabloid journalist" and a member of the "paparazzi." He just happens to write about entertainment things here in Las Vegas, of which there are quite a few of them that happen from time to time. From everything that is seen, he does it acurately and without any biases at all. Additionally, and I am presuming this, but I'm very sure I'm correct, he is very, very well respected amongst his journalist peers. This bears truth because the editor of the Las Vegas Review Journal stood up for him and publicly stated to Criss Angel and put him on notice to never, ever threaten any of his reporters again.

In other words, this reporter has WAY more credibility than Criss Angel ever had, and this knucklehead threatened him, and he did it in such a way that the threat carried with it the notion of blinding him. No matter what comments are made on this board, this truth cannot be refuted. It happened.

Now, everyone says this is old news, to get over it and to move on. No on can. Why? Because within the three months since it happened, to add insult to injury, Criss Angel, when asked about it, he deflected all questions about it by saying "It was complicated" and "it would take awhile to explain." Apparently, Criss Angel has been taking instructions on how to manipulate everything how he wants it to be by watching north Korean diplomats lie about nuclear weapons.

This actually puts this story back on the front burner again, people. And that is why I see it being pursued by reporters. Because an injustice has happened and there hasn't been anything said about it by the person who did it STILL to this day. And here it is...WAY past four months since it happened.

Well, I for one, am awaiting patiently for this lengthy account from him (or even a few more syllables). Which, I'm sure, will never happen. THAT is why I say he is a total coward. Criss Angel does not own up to anything he does, own up to mistakes, own up to behavior faults he has done or claim any type of responsibility for it. This tells everyone something compelling about this clown. I was brought up to own up to mistakes that I have done in my life. And I stick to that. Because that's what I was taught. It's the right thing to do. To me, Criss Angel is not a man at all. By his actions regarding this matter, he is not a "bad boy" or "awww....that's just him" or "if you know him, then you would understand that's how he acts." No. Wrong answer. From what he is exhibiting to people that have at least half a brain is that he is acting like a convict....a manipulator.

Even stranger still is Cirque de Soleil of Canada's take on this whole thing. They are content to distance themselves from the matter. They say "it's a matter between Criss and Norm." WRONG ANSWER! You hired the idiot and you stand to lose quite a bit of money if he does stupid stuff in his private life. Perhaps you are in charge of his show and stuff, but I am pretty sure you are also in some way liable for his actions, especially when those actions are public and cause adverse publicity against him, and then this snowballs to adverse publicity against Cirque de Soleil, causing a potention to lose millions of dollars because you can't reign in this guy.

I take nothing back that I write in these comments. Because what I'm writing is the truth as I know it. And I'm pretty sure I'm getting the right story here.....

Well Paranormalist Jim Callahan on NBC's Phenomenon predicted Angel would go down.
And that he would be the one to take the guy down.

Looking back at the tapes from the NBC show you can see that Callahan was setting Angel up and programming him 'Criss' to fail.

Callahan was using something called a self fulfilling prophecy.
Angel made the mistake of attacking the wrong guy.
From what I hear Callahan told the producers that if he was Attacked by Criss on the show he would destroy Angels career.

Looks like Callahan got into Angels head to make good on his threat.
Interesting stuff.

There is a video somewhere of Callahan talking about all of this and that all Angel has to do to change his situation is to.............................

Nope I will not tell you.
Watch the tape for yourself.

Collin, you write the truth as you know it from one source, namely Norm's article. One of the articles from Norm's paper also indicated Criss tried to have another contestant change positions with Veronica (during the telecast) so that Veronica would be in better view. There were two fans, that I know of that were at the telecast and they have stated Criss was neither upset nor did he at any time approach the stage. There was also a comment on one of these blogs made by a fellow beauty contestant's sister who never saw Criss approach the stage. So if this bit of information is untrue, which was reported by your respected journalist, then the rest of that article is probably untrue. There are no other witness's and every blog that wrote about this, there main source was Norm Clarke's article. You also seem very sure about something that you were not witness to.
Even if there is a shred of true to that incident, Norm still has his one good eye. If there was a threat it wasn't carried out. There are many artists who have had run-ins with journalists or the paparrazi. Lets put ourselves in the artists shoes for a moment. People are only human, I would get extremely upset if there was half truths or untruths written about me.

Criss did explain himself. What was written was not how it happened. Why should he have to elaborate. No one seems to care except you. Where is your friend Jim, anyway? Maybe Jim should concentrate on his career more and less with trying to ruin someone else's career. If you want to get even, work on your craft, get yourself a TV show and a live show. Anything else is wasted energy.

Anyway, I beg to differ, no one has ruined Criss. Criss has many fans who do not post on these blogs. They just don't want to deal with all that negativity. I know because I am on a few Criss boards. Besides the average person doesn't follow these blogs. I know people who enjoy Criss's show as well as other shows but they do not go on any message boards, chat rooms nor are they members of fan clubs. Even if they do read these blogs, these people really don't care. If anything it just peaks peoples interest.

You seem concerned about what happens in Vegas, yet I don't recall you posting anything negative about a certain other someone who was accused of a hideous crime. I know there is a big difference between being accused and charged. But your willing to condemn Criss from a story written in a gossip rag. Criss isn't the one who had police confiscate his warehouse looking for evidence.

Someone else posted that Criss is nice to his fans as we are his meal ticket. Well hello, Criss like many other artists and entertainers are offering a service, its called entertainment. All fans really need to worry about is how they feel during those few hours of entertainment, be it Movies, concerts, tv shows. It is a way to unwind and to forget about lifes trials and tribulations. It is also a great way to spend time with family and friends.
The entertainment industy is a bit worse then other industries, as some fans aren't just satisfied with the service, they want the artists soul.

You can't base an opinion of someone unless you meet them personally. Our interaction with different people differs as well. You would have so many different opinions of me as a person depending on who you ask.
Someone who messed up installing my hardwood floors will have a totally different opinion of me then say a client, who would have a different opinon of me then a friend or loved one.
As for bosses, well I don't have nice things to say about one of my old bosses. Doesn't mean that either one of us was a terrible person, it was just a situation where our personalities didn't mesh and it was time for me to move on, which I did. If you were to ask my bosses about me, that one boss would have a completely different opinion of me then the others. Doesn't mean this person is right.
And if you were to ask my other coworkers about that one boss, there opinion of this person may be different then mine.

I so like Observers post, he/she was right on and striaght to the point.

Richard, sorry for the long winded post. I do want to clarify something about the pricing. The pricing of tickets is unchained from day one. Its the same pricing structure and to some degree in line with other magic shows. So if the pricing had already been set from the very beginning, why would Cirque sign the deal with Criss if they were worried about selling these tickets?

Criss has really hit the big time, this article is much ado about nothing.

It's the same thing again. Criss Angel's behavior is explained away by spouting general, non-specific things. Everyone looks like an angel (forgive the pun) when you do that, and avoid talking specifics. Attempts to throw a curve ball and throw doubt in everything that it even happened at all. Throw it back in the writer's face with counter-allegations that throw doubt on everything. That's all I've seen in these posts. Serious deflection. There is even posts about what happened as if history is re-written, contending it happened like THIS, not like THAT.

He did it. I did not personally witness anything, but from looking through articles and reportings of what happened with the threat he made to a reporter, I see NOTHING that points at any inkling of Criss Angel not doing what he did. You can point fingers at everything and anything, but it happened. And I am shocked by it. And I am dismayed, as are a lot of other people, that a so called celebrity does not own up to it or apologize. He just waves his hand and tries to make it go away. POOF! As if it were nothing.

But one thing is interesting though.....there is generally speaking things, keeping away from specifics....there is deflection away from the issue..smoke and mirrors.....but there STILL isn't any valid reasons offered for Criss Angel's arrogant behavior in threatening a reporter locally here in Las Vegas. And I'm not the only one in Las Vegas that is thinking like this. There are many others. Just like there are many that don't post responses to articles like this that support Criss Angel, there are also MANY of the silent majority that are disgusted by Criss Angel and categorize him along with other "train wreck" personalities. They just don't respond in forums like this. But they do respond by not watching Criss Angel's show, nor do they buy anything he sells or endorses. And, I don't think I need to point this out, but I have joined their ranks. Absolutely.

Off the subject just a little bit, I noticed that at a recent press conference at the Luxor, His Majesty Criss Angel comes out and basically takes charge of the press conference saying, "I don't want to talk about that." Then he starts talking about some stupid goth crucifix hanging around his neck. As if reporters and the general viewing public are interested in dumb stuff like that. Another example of deflection powers he possesses that will catch up to him. And I feel sorry for the reporters who would like to ask pointed questions. Because they can't. They are not afforded the opportunity. His Nibs only talks about what he wants to talk about. Many so called celebrities do this, but not in that direct and arrogant fashion. The ones that I have seen do this in the past are not in the public light anymore. Because most people see right through that...not only reporters, but the general public too.

I do not know Criss Angel personally. And this is in of itself is a blessing. Because judging from his public personae, I don't want to. Not interested. This saying that I don't know Criss Angel is another example of deflection away from the issue.

Now, here is a new one! Explanation of Criss' behavior by pointing at another celebrity and alleged criminal behavior. I'm sorry. I admit I don't know much about that. But to use another person's legal problems to justify Criss Angel's behavior is kind of sick, don't you think? It don't explain anything about the issue dealing with Criss Angel at all. Because they are entirely different from each other. One is charge with a serious crime. The other isn't (although he probably should be, in my opinion). No commonality in it at all, except they are both magicians...which is not good enough to make it an excuse to bring up. It's serious deflection, smoke and mirrors again. I'm not on a crusade against magicians in general, nor are the basic readers to Richard's article posting here.

I'm sorry, but all I see is nothing valid in any of the excuses, reasons and things posted here trying to defend Criss Angel. And believe me, I'm not on a witch hunt here. I could try to dig through and find all kinds of things about Criss Angel. But I'm not interested in that. I could care less. What I'm interested in is why does Criss Angel threaten a respected reporter for the Las Vegas Review Journal? And why doesn't he come forward and own up to it? Why doesn't he even talk about it? What compels Criss Angel to do something like this and then just act like it didn't happen? And why is Cirque de Soleil people quiet about it?

Compelling questions. And these questions linger...saying something about Criss Angel, something dark, ugly, arrogant and reckless. The questions aren't going away neither.

Being a Las Vegan myself, I can guarantee that this town is fed up with Criss Angel. The only fans he has left here are those teeny-boppers who are too blind to see the truth.

^What a ridiculous, unfounded statement. Criss Angel has many fans from all walks of life, not only here in the United States, but around the world as well. Some people like myself could care less about Criss' personal life, and are fans purely for the magic, entertainment, and artistry that Criss provides weekly on his TV show "Mindfreak", and soon in his life show, "Believe."

The "Norm" incident needs to be dropped. If this was truly the huge news story that some of you claim, surely it would have made some kind of press or headlines in a major magazine or internet publication - outside of Vegas - after it happened. But has it? No. If this blog didn't exist, we wouldn't even know of the incident, because this blog is the only place where it keeps on being brought up. What happened, happened, and I doubt that anyone who is posting here really KNOWS what truly happened in the first place. None of us were there, we don't know for a fact what happened. It is none of our business. As it stands now, the Norm "story" is nothing more than a series of rumors and unfounded accusations that I personally have no desire to hear the outcome of, and I don't see why people constantly need to drag Criss' name through the mud concerning this silly matter.

--Jessica

I am curious to see what thoughts some of you might write if you pointed your pathetic, judgemental camera's inward? How exciting is your life that you are so concerned about Chriss's????????? Everybody loves a winner until the winner loses....right? For gosh sakes, leave the guy alone and let him live his life the way he sees fit! Don't be jealous that he has acheived something some of you can only dream of! I met Chriss and he was beyond gracious and quite normal, I assure you. As the beatles said... "LET IT BE"......

C

All I know is Criss is one of the most talented magicians in the world today.. maybe of all time. All of the smack talk should stop because he's the best and we should consider ourselves lucky to be alive during such an amazing performers career.

*When Criss Angel became a permanent residence at Luxor in Las Vegas I didn't have a clue who he was. I never watched his show nor do I care to now. I worked in the front desk at that hotel for a few months shy of 3 years. I never had direct contact with him only his staff and assistants. I heard all sorts of comments from my fellow coworkers about how Criss Angel treated them; rude, arrogant and demanding. From what I gather now, Mr. Angel still runs around the Luxor like he owns that hotel. I recall when his wife would stay with him on occasions he kept her either in his suite or had her attain outside adventures on her own or with her small group of friends in order to avoid any suspicions his fans may have had that Criss was a "kept" man. Apparently that was the utmost importance to both him and his manager. That woman always appeared to be in a sad state. I never once caught a smile out of her.
I suspected she felt like she didn't fit or belong in her husband's lifestyle even while trying to fit in to our establishment. What I hoped she never would find out was that whenever she left to go back to her east coast home Mr. Angel always had frequent visitors that would come to his suite to help him get thru the night. Apparently she did find out and from what I heard, she hired a private investigator to watch him. It must have been an easy catch since most of us employees were already well aware of his infidelity and commented on it.

I'm not a fan of Criss Angel but all I can conclude from the time I was an employee at Luxor to my exit is that Criss Angel does have a strong and sincere passion, to be famous. Criss Angel does not treat the Luxor workers with kindness and respect. The only ones that ever exhibit this behavior are his fans, his groupies or his paid entertainment. I hate to share with you all but he is not what you all believe he to be. He will treat you all with sincere kindness with his hands open wide so you can support his lavish lifestyle and all the glamour that goes with it.

Posted by: A former Luxor Employee | July 12, 2008 at 05:39 PM*

criss moved into the luxor when he began filming season3. at this time Joann had already filed for divorce and was not living with criss anymore. so what you wrote is totally wrong. joann and criss had been together in season1 and season2 i think - and at this time criss lived in the aladdinhotel and not in the luxor. why do you make up this lie about criss? i don`t believe you that you worked really at the luxor. stop trying to fool other people who are believing the shit you are writing. it`s sad that your life is so boring that you are trying to ruin the life of another person ...

Do not waste your time or money on this show - it is horrible. Cirque should remove their name from this production because it is a mere afterthought. There is nothing Cirque about this show and at best some grade school magic. I was so disappointed. The show started late and dragged on and on.

okay i just want to say for everyone who is giving it a bad reveiw isnt getting the point at all. its a preview show. and yeah you will see some mistakes here and there but the show is getting better and better everyday. besides some of the bad reveiws alot of people out there atcually loved the show. they came in with an open mind and got it. once the gala premeire show starts on holloween. it will be one of the best shows in vegas. trust me on this one!

I agree with Tina, I was a Criss Angel fan up until this past Friday ( Oct 10th) when I went to see "beLIEve" at the Luxor.
The set was amazing, the seats were amazing but the show... not so amazing. I think its like Criss took an idea and said here is what is going through my head, not realizing that 99% of the population is not going to get it.
There were a few moments of greatness in there but the weak parts far outweighed the good. The flow and ebb of it just did not work well at all. And the thought that they want to have it perfected in 20 days?? lol, not unless they rehaul the entire show will this be worth going to. The cirque was awesome in it, as rabbits, as green things, as crows ** hint to criss* get off the stage when cirque is performing.
The very best part when I competely lost it and started laughing out loud was the end when Criss staretd singing and he shouted " sing if you know the words" uhhh yah, get right on that lol. He can't dance much less sing, especially shouldn't do either in public.
In general, the show was just awful... if you are a Criss Angel fan and want to stay a fan I suggest staying away from then 1 and 1/2 hr. ego trip that is supposed to be a show.

Its not that I dislike Criss Angel or have anything against him, it was that the show was absolutely awful.
And my opinion counts just as much as any other person out there. If you are in Vegas and looking for a good time, you can go see one of the many other shows that are alot more inexepensive. I paid $93.75 for my ticket plus taxes = $106.63, for Section 203 which was in the middle but far from the stage.
I went to Stomp the night before and it was 59.75 for my seat plus taxes and I was 4th row. Stomp got a standing ovation at the end, Believe got a golf clap at best.

The believe show needs to be fixed, it needs to focus on 1 or 2 ideas at most and flow the story around that. Until that happens, my advice is to skip it and go to a different show.