a terrible illusion indeed, with or without the help of the 'spirit world'.

I never liked Criss Angel until this moment, which made for good television.

Anyone else notice that the author he "channeled" misspelled "wheels?" Maybe he needs to find a deceased proof-reader as well.

well, I assumed the misspelled words were part of the trick. Remember, he did ask Raven what was in the box before he read the board. Also remember that HE picked the 100 objects that She could choose from. I would guess his writing, depending on how he placed it under the mirror, would allow him to read the words differently to match what was in the box. It's kind of like that trick that birth-month guessers do at fairs, where they scribble on a board and the scribbles could be read as either Jun or Jan.

Did anyone else notice that when he "tried" to pull himself away from the host to go after Criss, he actually hooked his elbow around the guy's arm and pulled him forward?

I like Criss, and my respect for him went up big time when he put that phony in his place.

Chris Angel is my new hero. Wow! Is he Randi's son from another incarnation?

Just watched it again...Chris is setting these jerks up! It's about time. Randi rules.
Luv your website and your work Randi.

I assumed it was all a stunt done to generate controversy leading to improved ratings. Uri even remarked how 'controversial' the psychic was, just to emphasize the point. It was followed by a sub-Jerry Springer style fight. Pretty lame.

Chris was great and so non-chalant about how he set them up. But I do believe that the others in their dilussional world believe that they are the real thing. Even though they cannot produce anything concrete,they think the little that they do do is enough to make it real. And "Heaven forbid" anyone who questions this will certainly go to "hell". Poor Criss with the last name of Angel he is destined to go "South". Now since I have tap danced my way through what I was really meaning to say. Criss you "Rock", you among many need to do live shows to question and enlighten the "believers" that there is more than what the eye can see. Now I am going to go get my "tarot cards" and my "Crystal Ball" and set up shop just around the corner.

I loved it, and loved the part about "the Jerry Springer type show". Keep it up everybody, one down and many to go.

Here's the complete Callahan performance. Be warned, it is indeed comical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE45QHIUfiM

I never watched Angel. But now, I will go back & watch every episode of his show. I wonder how he feels about Randi. He obviously knows him. I also notice that neither Callahan nor Geller make any attempt to figure out what's in the envelope.

It all looked completely staged to me.

If you look at Callahan's website, you will see that he does not claim to have paranormal powers. He is therefore an entertain and not a phony. It is apparent to me that Callahan cleverly manipulated CA to assist in his own publicity efforts. Jim Callahan is a talented performer who knows how to leverage any situation to his own benefit.

I've never cared for Chris Angel, but he scored big points from we with that segment.

EVERYBODY IS PRAISING CHRIS ANGEL, HE'S JUST AS PHONEY AS THAT CALLAHAN GUY. ALL HIS ILLUSIONS ARE DONE WITH CAMERA TRICKS. AUDIENCE MEMBERS ARE PAID TO REACT TO NOTHING. THEY EDIT IT LATER. LET'S SEE HIM LEVITATE SOMEBODY ON THIS LIVE SHOW.

WRITTEN BY AARON

written by Aaron Kaye, November 03, 2007
EVERYBODY IS PRAISING CHRIS ANGEL, HE'S JUST AS PHONEY AS THAT CALLAHAN GUY. ALL HIS ILLUSIONS ARE DONE WITH CAMERA TRICKS. AUDIENCE MEMBERS ARE PAID TO REACT TO NOTHING. THEY EDIT IT LATER. LET'S SEE HIM LEVITATE SOMEBODY ON THIS LIVE SHOW.

** ..the difference is that Chris is an entertainer, he does not denied that....that, and to say that you really have psi power is just a hole different story...!

and oh.I forgot......way to go chris!!...... skeptic team....7
....wooo hoo guys..ZZZZZEERRROOO.!!!!
Ive just enjoy when those morons are exposed...!!

I've recently come across a couple blogs that claim Criss failed to de-bunk Callahan's trick because he was personally baffled. I doubt anybody here is of that same opinion, but just in case, I thought I'd give just one of the many ways Callahan could've performed this parlor trick (without any "ghost writers" of course. Sorry for the bad pun. I had to do it).
Here's a simple analogy: I ask you to pick a card from a deck, then go outside and burn it. Don't worry, I'll stay here so there's no way I can see the card. You get back and I give you some b.s. about how when things burn, they give off different amounts of energy and based on the energy I felt while you were burning the card, I think it was the 4 of clubs. Amazed? You shouldn't be because while you were outside trying to light the card on fire, I was simply checking the remaining 51 cards to see which was missing.
Same thing for Callahan. Remove 1 item from a table of 100 items and you've got 99 items plus an empty space where the removed item had been. Voila!
Now, does anybody really believe Criss Angel, the guy who somehow made it appear as if he was levitating above the Luxor, was stumped? Criss referred to Callahan's performance as comical because it WAS comical, and I bet it offended him as both a skeptic and an illusionist. Between Uri and Callahan, I'm beginning to believe that claims of the supernatural tend to be the refuge of bad magicians.
--M

Ah, you people are funny!


the entire thing was scripted. sometimes us magicians are fooled too. ;-)

Michael, I was thinking the same thing. They mentioned that Callahan had no access to the box once it was closed, but never said anything about the table of objects.

Also, Experimentalist, I have a feeling that Callahan's referring to himself as an "entertainer" is more about protecting himself from claims of fraud than honesty about his act. He's already claimed that he was going to win the JREF prize with his Deja Vu Experiment, and is offering his own $1,000,000 prize to anyone who wants to work for him after they die.

Thanks for responding to my comment Jeremy. Of course guessing Callahan's ulterior motive behind his disclaimer is a matter of speculation. You may be right, or you may not be.

Chriss' hypocracy.
CA has claimed to be an expert on muscle reading. His demonstrations of this however have appeared to involve stooges (secret assistants). He has recently been challenged by a particular performer to demonstrate his muscle reading ability under scientific test conditions. If he cannot do this, than one might conclude that Criss Angel is as big a fraud as he claims Callahan to be.
Just a thought.

Another thought.

Has it occurred to anyone here that the entire, "what's in the envelope" bit was a planned, Andy Kauffman style set up that all three performers were in on.
A bit of sensationalism to boost the ratings maybe.

Has this group of skeptics been fooled into believing that scene was real when it wasn't? Where are our critical thinking skills?

It is hilarious that magicians today wonder why magic is fading as people grow more and more cynical. It is any wonder with this disease I call "randi-ism" running rampant ruining the magic for the human race?

Thanks to randi and his attack squad, more modern magi feel the need to tell on themselves and further spoil the very thing they are trying to do. Is it any wonder why everyone you meet today tries to "figure out how it's done" when you show them a "trick?"

Thank Randi and his cohorts for that...lol

Folks Jim in an entertainer... to question the motives behind his disclaimer is ludicrous. We may as well question the motives behind criss' disclaimer while we are at it.

Just the day before this show... criss was channeling the spirit of a dead girl and her killer for the sake of entertainment on HIS TV show. Do you honestly think he told those guests of his that this was all a pretend seance? Of course not! That would ruin the effect and the reactions needed for TV. So let me see if I understand... It is OK for criss to channel dead people for entertainment but it is not OK for other entertainers to do so??

Sounds like an ideological bigot to me...

I have even heard David Copperfield point blank say that he was going to be the medium, the go between for the spirit world. Of course this is done in the context of his stage show.

Just like Jims act was done in the context of a mentalism TV show. Jim also performs on stage as well...

For what it is worth, Jim predicted that both criss and randi would attempt to expose him. Either he is a master as seeing the future with Raymonds help...

Or they are all in on it! Raymond too! lol

I am with you Experimentalist... planned and canned just like a wrestling match. Thanks to the killing of magical moments and all things mysterious by "randi-ism", in order to even get people to watch this show they had to spark some drama.

You have all fallen into the drama! lol

I thought criss' catch phrase was "believe"... maybe he should think about changing that. Maybe he is saying we should only believe in him?

Jim doesn't charge people to contact their dead relatives and charge them thousands for messages from the dead. He is a paranormal entertainer. Just because he doesn't feel the need to openly tell folks how stupid they are by constantly saying "this is all just a trick, it is not real" does not make him a fraud. He lives his character...

Here is tip for you skeptical "magicians" out there... your audience doesn't want to know how much smarter you are than them. They don't want to be told you are a fake. They don't want to be "fooled" and "tricked" then have you brag about how you were able to get one over on them. So get down off your high horse and come down to earth...

They want to feel mystery and suspense. They want to experience a rare moment of true wonder and amazement. They want to make up their OWN minds... not be told by YOU what they should and should not believe.

Maybe criss and randi can start hanging out at the mall to "expose" Santa and the easter bunny! Yeah that's the ticket!

Ooo I know! They can team up to start busting rap stars who pretend to have big houses and cars in their videos when it turns out the cars and girls are all rented for the video shoot! Wonder why they don't go after THAT kind of "fraud"? THAT illusion does FAR more damage and causes FAR more CRIME than anything us psychic entertainers do. THOSE frauds are much more detrimental to society in general than Uri Geller and Jim Callahan.

Let's face it... criss was caught live on TV being a plain old hater. Whether planned or not.. he looked like a pawn in NBCs game. He wasn't debunking a spiritualist as would Houdini... he was exhibiting haterism. Houdini didn't attack entertainers on stage after their SHOW.

Now criss has set the precedent that it is OK to just call out any magic performer you see performing, including YOU. "Hey can you do the (insert trick here)? NO? well then you are a fraud!" It's like we can make requests of mystery performers now? Like they are DJs?? Bah!

To quote criss in his mastery of the English language... "blah blah blah blah blah"

I am proud to see a fellow paranormalist from my own home state being so vigorously attacked by the minions of randi and his puppet criss. Way to go Jim! It's making for fine entertainment indeed!

Experimentalist -

Put simply, I don't think anything in Angel's past would lend itself to the view that he's acting with any of the performers. He might be, but he's long told people that he has NO supernatural powers of any kind. His appearing here seems consistent with that.

He certainly could be in on the gag, but I'd be surprised. We'll just have to see where this goes as the season ends.


Jason Profit -

How about we go over all your complaints, shall we?

It is hilarious that magicians today wonder why magic is fading as people grow more and more cynical. It is any wonder with this disease I call "randi-ism" running rampant ruining the magic for the human race?

Liars are getting caught - this is a bad thing?

It is OK for criss to channel dead people for entertainment but it is not OK for other entertainers to do so?

Actually, he didn't. Not only does he know that, so do the people he tricks - even if they don't find out until after the show. And if other "entertainers" convince the people to come back each week for another "conversation" at $50 a time, when do you stop calling them entertainers and start calling them emotional extortionists?

Jim predicted that both criss and randi would attempt to expose him.

He can predict the obvious! Wow!

Jim doesn't charge people to contact their dead relatives and charge them thousands for messages from the dead.

Yet he encourages the belief in exactly those scam artists. For those keeping score at home, this is not a good thing.

He is a paranormal entertainer. Just because he doesn't feel the need to openly tell folks how stupid they are by constantly saying "this is all just a trick, it is not real" does not make him a fraud.

So, he's a professional asshole who believes his audience is stupid? Good defence!

Here is tip for you skeptical "magicians" out there... your audience doesn't want to know how much smarter you are than them. They don't want to be told you are a fake. They don't want to be "fooled" and "tricked" then have you brag about how you were able to get one over on them.

This must explain why Criss Angel and Penn and Teller are such poor draws. Seriously, who ever heard of them?

So get down off your high horse and come down to earth...

To get this straight: telling people that they (the entertainers) are doing what they do through skill and hard work is being LESS humble than claiming paranormal/god-granted/alien-bestowed powers? Riiiight.

They want to make up their OWN minds... not be told by YOU what they should and should not believe.

In the words of another skeptic: "I reject your reality and replace it with my own." Keep plugging this pitch, mate: with any luck, you could get it taught in school instead of science.

Maybe criss and randi can start hanging out at the mall to "expose" Santa and the easter bunny!

Never been here before, have you?

They can team up to start busting rap stars who pretend to have big houses and cars [...]

Consumerism is a different problem, mate. Head on down to your local mall and tell them.

He wasn't debunking a spiritualist as would Houdini... he was exhibiting haterism. Houdini didn't attack entertainers on stage after their SHOW.

Except that he was invited onto the show to do exactly that - to be a judge. Or didn't you know that's what judges do? And Houdini was very public in his denunciations of so-called psychics.

Now criss has set the precedent that it is OK to just call out any magic performer you see performing, including YOU.

Actually, as you so astutely noted, Houdini did that a long time ago: he often spoke out loud in seances, questioning the abilities of the "psychics" he visited. Randi has done much the same himself, if someone has proclaimed paranormal abilities and tries using them in front of him.

Plus, once again, Angel was invited to judge the performers and their abilities. If someone puts in a bad performance, it's going to get slammed. The national stage is no place of the weak.

"Hey can you do the (insert trick here)? NO? well then you are a fraud!"

Hmm... I must have missed that part. Can you give ANY instance where this has happened? As has been pointed out here, repeatedly, just because someone cannot do one thing doesn't mean he can't do another.

Bah!

Nice touch.

I am proud to see a fellow paranormalist from my own home state being so vigorously attacked by the minions of randi and his puppet criss.

Is this the same as: "Ha ha! You fools! You have fallen into my clever trap!" I've heard some particularly bad game players use this in an attempt to get their opponent to take back a good move.

Doesn't work very often, but nice try.

Whoops! The third-from-last paragraph should be italicized. My bad.

Lol... Wow congratulations Erin. You get an A- in your "out of context" exam. Could you possibly take my statements any more out of context? I am sure you could... go ahead now... give it go ;-)

To only use the little snippets of my text that you want to twist into other meanings is just as dishonest as that which you are trying fight. My comment speaks for itself.

Your comment reeks of non-sequiturs...

The drama is built in and very purposeful. I thought it was rather funny to see Criss as the guest host on Uri Gellers show. With out a doubt, criss will also try and "debunk" Uri at some point on the show. Once again though, Uri will benefit from the controversy and so will Jim.

I am sure many of you are steaming that Uri managed to get a prime time show on NBC. Just relax for a bit and enjoy the SHOW. Criss should be flattered to be the guest host of a legend.

As a psychic entertainer myself I have a great amount of respect for the accomplishments of all the performers on the show. That includes Jim, Uri and Criss as well as all of the other entertainers who are brave enough to accept the ridiculous limits of the shows format.

Thankfully I was able to purge myself of a long lasting case of "Randi-ism". It is ok if other people believe differently from you. It is NOT ok to shove your beliefs down anyone elses throat. Your rights end where the next individuals right begin.

Jim clearly states he is an entertainer and shows his audience enough respect to let them make up their own mind as to what they believe. I commend him for that. He understands that mystery and wonder are a wonderful thing to share with his audience. Good for him.

This wasn't a JREF test that was supposed to offer scientific "proof" of anything...lol. It is a reality TV show about mentalists and their ACT.

Jason -

You're joking, right? I don't feel like replying to simple statements like "Or they are all in on it! Raymond too! lol " because there's nothing to respond to.

Can you please point out where the "context" I've left out has changed ANY statement you made?

I wait with baited breath.

Jason,

Callahan repeatly says he can contact the spirit world. This is an extraordinary claim that no one has ever proved. The first person to PROVE the existence of the spirit world, or ANY paranaomal claim will win the Nobel prize and be the world's most famous person. Criss was right on to expose this bogus claim.

As a person who claims paranomal powers yourself, why don't you take Randi's challenge. If you're not willing then you are as big a fraud as Callahan and Geller.

I misspelled paranormal twice! BTW, Erin, great posts!

Jason Profit,

The act of guessing "what's in the box" wasn't suppose to be the entertaining part. Any ol' fool can setup that trick. The "impressive" part was suppose to be him being possessed. It's not a very entertaining trick when he shows no actual "possession." Also, Jim wants people to believe HE'S ACTUALLY BEING POSSESSED. That's the only impressive part of his performance. But, it's NOT impressive, because all he did was some spazzing out and scribble on a whiteboard. Criss Angel does similar tricks, but always reminds people and tells people that it's a trick, and it's not real. (Maybe not constantly and blatantly in his shows, but if you ask him, he'll tell you it's a trick.)

This guy's sole performance was based off of "him being possessed." Criss was rather upset by that rather unentertaining, yet comical display, that he was trying to play it off as real. So, he wanted the guy to do something more amazing and contact his "spirit friend" and guess what's inside the envelope.

IceSage,

True! If Callahan really is psychic, as he claims, why not just tell Criss what's in the envelope and take the million bucks! Why get all P. O.'d just because Criss makes such a generous offer? I can't believe Jason Profit is defending this guy!

Boy, you guys really ARE set on "educating the (poor, deluded) public", aren't you? (A phrase claimed by the Sceptics in the pub mob.) How we must all doff our dunce's caps to your superior intellect, and thank you. We're all fools... Thank you for keeping us all on an even keel.

Unfortunately, you fail to realise that the public is a lot smarter than you give them credit for. You see, apart from the seriously unbalanced few - and nothing you do or say will convince them otherwise - we all realise that Phenomenon is entertainment. It’s a show. It's on NBC. It's a reality show. It's a competition. The people taking part are entertainers... What more do we need?

You could always go along to a theatre play and shout that "They're all actors! He's not REALLY a prince from Denmark! It's all woo-woo-woo" At least people would listen to you then.

So, please, get out from behind your keyboards. Go out and live a real life amongst real people. And take a well earned break from trying to educate us all. We don't appreciate you looking down your noses at us.

In the meantime, I thank you. The world thanks you… now go and get a life!

Drew

Drew,

Wow! Why are you so defensive? (BTW, YOU are ALSO sitting behind a keyboard, and reading these blogs - - do YOU have a life?)

When an entertainer claims to have supernatural powers and expects us to believe it, we have a right to challenge that claim. From your strange post I would guess that you believe in communication from beyond the grave. True?

Well despite what your leader may tell you. Jim actually has a lot of supporters and fans. Don't take any one persons word for anything... think for yourselves.

Randi has conveniently failed to mention that other performers on the very same show made claims of even more bizarre paranormal abilities and such. One of them even claims his dead brother walks with him daily... And these guys didn't mention in their act that they were offering entertainment. Jim plainly states what he did was entertainment...lol Did you guys not hear that part?

Maybe you guys missed the show where Criss claims to channel a girl who was murdered??? Then the little disclaimer after the credits Criss says "I don't believe in ghost" while he winks. That certainly doesn't send mixed messages to the "Loyal", his group of young followers now does it? Does that not encourage the belief in the same things folks are trying whine about Jim promoting?

I need not defend Jim... He is a grown man who has had his own stage show for years now. I just like to see the whole story told.

Criss made himself out to be a hypocrite. I pose this question to the high and mighty here who are obviously so much smarter than the rest of the world...

Why is it ok for one performer (Criss) to perform a spiritualistic routine and not another performer (Jim)???

Criss repeatedly goes to every length in his show to get you to believe that everything you see is "real". He constantly claims "no camera tricks, edits or stooges"... haha riiiiiight...

I have no intentions of swaying any of your beliefs. I could care less how you choose to limit yourselves and whine and bicker about "educating the public". I am just suggesting that maybe you try looking at the full facts on both sides and think for yourselves rather than parroting the almighty.

As you see, a member of the general public has spoken here. Fine post drew! Maybe Drew sounds a pinch defensive to you because "Randi-ism" comes across rather snotty and condescending...

I don't see Drews post as being defensive though. Honestly he sounds like the majority of intelligent people that I run across everyday.

Fact remains:
The believers will still believe
The non believers will not believe
The skeptics will remain skeptical

For those who would like to see a more objective take on the matter here is a great video that lays it out in black and white.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1KM8U--QUU

Jim is being singled out and it will only HELP his career. Ask Randi... He helped Uri's name become a household word for years in the US.

Hi, I'm a magician and also a skeptic. The comments here have become nothing more than a magician versus skeptic boxing match. I have had the honour of having a couple of pieces published on this site that Randi deemed newsworthy. I'd like to make a few observations from wat I've read here.

1. It appears that Criss Angel is getting a lot of praise from skeptics because he is standing up against someone that claimed he had supernatural ability. He did it on tv in front of several million viewers. Why is it that Criss Angel has not confronted Uri Geller? How can a man with such conviction work with such a fraud like Geller. Geller sells crystals on shopping channels, makes the wildest claims of any psychic I know of and yet there sits Criss Angel beside Uri and says nothing. Criss is no hero, he's on tv for the cash, end of story.

2.Every magician performs theatre. When we as an audience watch a magic show, be it live theatre or on tv, we suspend our disbelief and enjoy the mystery and amazement of seeing the impossible happen before our eyes. If a magician announces that he will turn water to wine, we know it's a trick, the magi doesn't have to state that fact. Often the magician will announce that he has the power to turn water to wine, and he will command us all to watch as he does so before our very eyes. Do we debunk him? No (why not?). If someone were to stand from the audience and shout that it was a trick, that person would be booed out of the theatre. Callahan created the theatre on a tv magic show, where millions tune in to watch the magic. He tells his audience he will contact spirits in order to create the scene just as any magician would, why debunk him and not every magician that ever performed (that includes C.A.) for ALL claim to do the impossible.


3. Assuming nothing was staged; Criss Angel acted in a very unprofessional manor. How dare he attempt to spoil an entertainer’s performance. How dare he single out a competitor in a competition in that way. In the field of entertainment there is a very strict code of conduct, you do not publicly put down another magician (out with the role of judging the act), you do not publicly expose magical effects, be it by name or method. I appreciate that Criss was a judge however he is there to comment on an act. He is there to judge the content, the choreography and overall presentation. He is NOT there to judge the person, his beliefs and claims. He is not there to make challenges outside of the rules of the competition.

I feel that there was no need to debunk Jim Callahan as there was nothing to debunk, unless you are going to call every magician in the land. I think it is wrong to praise Criss Angel, he too is a magician and has made his own wild claims. Criss tried to (verbally) attack a fellow performer, in a competition and acted in the most unprofessional manor. Criss acted as a skeptic driven by his strong critical beliefs and yet sits beside Uri Geller without a whisper against him. What a hypocrit. Being a skeptic involves educating the ignorant. Those that watched the show new what the show was all about and do not need educating. Those people that read these comments are already on the path to enlightenment or have already reached it, so who are we aiming our comments at, each other? Yes, perhaps we all have things to learn and should never become too complacent.

Where did the other 99 objects go? Nuff said.

Jim uses EVERYONE for publicity, he even used me over at the cafe. He got what he deserved for a lame effect. How stupid does he assume the audience is. The laymen in the room with me all back engineered it, and then said: All that drama for THAT?

Like him or hate him, he's getting publicity! I heard from some in Criss's crew that Callahan was going to bust on Criss as soon as Criss critiqued Jim. So after Angel heard about it in rehearsals, he decided to cut him off with the challenge.

Gotta love drama, now if anyone wants to see some real mentalism, come see the real phenomenon at boultoncenter.org tonight at 7...

Jason & Drew,

Okay, let’s cut to the chase here. We can bicker all day about stage magic and whether or not Criss has ever made paranormal claims or whether Jim’s claim of receiving messages from the dead is just part of his “act” or if he’s making a factual claim.

What I’m curious about is: (and I’m just a musician, not the “high & mighty, snobby intellectual trying to educate the public”), do you guys believe in the LITERAL TRUTH of the real existence of spirits, and that it’s possible for us to contact dead people and receive messages from beyond the grave? If you answer yes I will respect that, but would be curious as to what evidence you have to back up your beliefs.

Sorry for being a bit aggressive earlier.

If the rather scruffy Criss Angel personage had dared to challenge me I would have insisted on payment of $200 in advance on the grounds that I never do free readings. If he is claiming to give me a million dollars if I am correct I think it is only fair to insist on a deposit to show good faith. After all there is no proof whatever that he intends to keep to his part of the bargain. It is not unreasonable to put his money where his rather large mouth is. At any rate I never do readings for free.

Once he had paid me I would merely have pocketed the money and said, "You are quite correct. I have no idea what is in the envelope and furthermore I don't care. Good day"

Serves the bastard right for exposing glass through the table on television. I usually do it with a buddha instead of a glass because I am a very spiritual person. However I have been inhibited from doing this now by a dreadful freak of nature who looks as if he has just come out of jail.

Not the sort of person who would fit in well in the upper strata of society I am afraid.

Hi Mark,

Are you an illusionist/entertainer or do you also claim paranormal powers?

Thanks.

Hi Walk, I'm so glad you had no negative comments to make on my post (above) does that mean you agree with what I've said? Oh yes, I'm also a paranormal entertainer, LOL

I must inform the Walk gentleman that I am MARK LEWIS and a terribly important person. I cannot possibly provide information to him unless he pays in advance. I do take Paypal. I cannot accept American money though since I live in Canada
and we do not accept Monopoly money there.

I see my post replying to the esteemed walk personage has been deleted. I am afraid that I am now unable to inform him as to my philosophy in these matters. However since I am a terribly important and eminent person I am sure he will find out anyway.

“I am MARK LEWIS and a terribly important person.”

“ (...) since I am a terribly important and eminent person I am sure he will find out anyway.”

Wow! Terribly important, eminent, and so humble!

All I asked Mark is if he claims to have paranormal powers, and he wants me to PAY for that information. Whew! This is another example of why rationalists have a problem with those who try to defraud the gullible by claiming unsubstantiated powers.

Hi Kinesis,

You may have missed something in the video where Criss makes his challenge. He challenged BOTH Callahan AND Geller.
I could be wrong here, but I believe Criss’s postion has always been that he is an illusionist performing tricks. I don’t believe he has ever claimed supernatural powers. If you could provide me a link showing that he has, I will stand corrected.

I agree that his “ambush” of Callahan and Geller was a bit rude, but it seems to me that in the biographical lead-in to his act Callahan actually claims to have powers that have never been proved possible.

There is a fine line between an entertainer saying “I’m going to contact the dead” (wink, wink), and saying “If you pay me $100 I will give you an ACTUAL message from your dead Granny”. Do you agree?

In your stage act does your audience know you are creating an illusion or do you claim to ACTUALLY be changing the laws of physics?

Thank you.

No, Walk my boy. It is merely rationalists showing they do not understand humour. Perhaps they need to get a sense of it.

Quite frankly I think sceptics do themselves a disservice and lose every argument with psychics because they always look so bloody miserable. Even Randi himself who has a fantastic sense of humour comes off very badly on TV because he looks like he is attending a funeral when he argues with psychics. The old chap needs to let his natural humour flow a little bit on TV and he would score far more points.

There. I am giving him a little advice and I haven't even charged for it. However he is nearly as important a person as myself and I consider it a professional courtesy.

However Walk (why is it that sceptics always post under assumed names) does not qualify as there is no evidence that he is of any importance whatever. Therefore until he produces such evidence I am afraid he will have to pay. No US dollars please as they are not worth very much any more.

Mark,

“No, Walk my boy. It is merely rationalists showing they do not understand humour.”

So do you do a paranormal act or are you a comedian?

“However Walk (...) does not qualify as there is no evidence that he is of any importance whatever. “

So you seem to be saying that your words have authority because you are a “terribly important” person (whatever that is supposed to mean), although you offer no evidence of this, and I’m not worth answering because I have provided no evidence of my “importance”. Hello? Discrepancy?

I asked you a simple question - - - “do you claim paranormal powers”, and obviously, you are too evasive to answer.

Nonsense my boy. I am NOT too evasive to answer. I am too clever to do so. Besides you haven't paid me yet.

Incidentally tell Mary that I require payment in advance. You can't fool a true psychic you know

Dear Walk,

Please go to YouTube and search "Criss Angel Chain Trick Revealed". In the prelude to the trick, Criss clearly states that he has wanted to present a demonstration that proved that the laws of this physical world can be bent or broken. That is a claim of paranormal ability. Claiming that he mixes "real" stuff with trickery, as he said recently on Larry King, is also a false claim. In his own word, he wants to "blurr the lines between illusion and reality". Does that mean he wants people to believe the "real" stuff he does is a trick?? NO! He wants people to perceive that his trickery is the real thing! ANY magician who makes these claims on national television, before millions of viewers on a weekly basis should be called out. I was a big fan of Criss Angel and never missed a show. I watched Phenom because he was on. But, when he challenged a performer on a show in which said performer said "thank you for letting me entertain you", I felt that Mr. Angel was being hypocritical. Mr. Angel may claim trickery off camera or if you ask him, as many have noted (Jim Callahan states on his website that he is an entertainer and that everything should be viewed as such). However, the claim made before millions of viewers who do not hear him say that he uses trickery, is my main point of contention and should be for all true skeptics.
As skeptics, we need to maintain our standards else we lose our own credibility. We cannot pick and choose who we challenge or the claims they make based on personal bias. I mean, is it OK to appear to speak to the dead as long as we claim that some of the stuff we do is trickery and then let the audience decide which is which? We must ask for consistency in a person's public claims and if those claims are dishonest or deceptive, we must hold those who make them accountable. Criss Angel, David Copperfield, David Blaine, Jim Callahan- NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!

Derek Lee,

I don’t have time to watch the video right now (I’ll post again after watching), but if Criss seriously claims (not wink, wink) actual paranormal powers before an audience then I agree his ambush of Callahan was hypocritical. I contend that any entertainer who makes these claims is a fraud and should be exposed as such. As you say “no exceptions.”

Our friend Mark Lewis is quite a case. I ask him if he’s making this claim and he ducks the question by making the ridiculous request that I pay him, all the while condescendingly referring to me as “my boy” (I’m 63 years old and have made my living as a professional entertainer for the past forty years). His obvious superiority complex is quite annoying.

BTW Mark, nice website! I see you answer the question there with the usual “some of it’s a trick, some of it’s real - - you decide”. It’s a clever dodge, but at least you’re not making a definitive factual claim of supernatural powers and I respect you for that.

Yes, no exceptions.
I'm not familiar with this Lewis guy, but I'll keep an eye out for him. Sounds like he does have a superiority complex- or he knows something we don't ;)

I am NOT ducking the question. I will be quite happy to answer it once I have received payment. I have absolutely no idea why this soon to be senior citizen does not understand that in order to get something there has to be an exchange of energy. I will give him my energy if he gives me his money.

I must henceforth advise all psychic personages to counter all sceptic's objections by asking for payment up front. Cash only of course. Sceptics have a track record of fraud and deception so we cannot accept cheques or credit cards. I don't mind Paypal though. No US money for reasons I have stated already.

This ploy works wonderfully well because sceptics never pay in advance. They are afraid to put their money where their mouths are. Sure, they make all sorts of silly financial challenges but they never pay up front. Unless they do so they must of course be ignored.

If the Walk personage has really made a living as an entertainer for the last 40 years he should be a bit more forthcoming about his identity. Entertainers normally have a sense of humour and I have yet seen no evidence of such on his part. I am afraid that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. In Walk's case extra extraordinary evidence.

You will notice that he has expressed no puzzlement at my assertion concerning Mary. You will further notice that he claims to have gone to the trouble of going to my website. There are many Mark Lewis's in the world although naturally none quite like me. However he has not produced a scintilla of evidence that the Mark Lewis he enquired about is the one on the website. Lack of due diligence in my opinion.

I may be that person but I may not be. I shall merely say that one plus one make two. He has admitted going to a website and he has not acted with puzzlement over my "Mary" mention. Not extraordinary evidence of duplicity on his part but let us say circumstantial enough to satisfy me.

Methinks he has tried to fool a psychic regarding "Mary" but it didn't work because the psychic is either as sharp as a razor or is indeed truly psychic.

I shall not call him boy any more in view of his great age. I shall merely term him grandad.

As for claims of superiority I think this is perfectly acceptable if the party is indeed superior. And it is perfectly obvious that I am.

But to engage in the matter further I must insist that Walk defines his terms. He does not explain what he means by "psychic" or "supernatural". One person's definition may be different that another person's definition. What is his definition?

Mark,

This exchange has gotten a bit bizarre, but I’ll hang in a bit longer.

You keep referring to someone named “Mary”. I’ve never mentioned this name in my posts, so I’m not sure who you are referring to. I cetainly don’t mind being called grandad, as I am one. Thank you for dropping the “my boy”.

You said “Sceptics have a track record of fraud and deception”. Sure, and psychics have a reputation of complete honesty. (i.e. Sylvia Browne).

You said you were a paranormal entertainer based in Canada, so out of curiosity I did a brief search and found this website:
http://www.marklewisentertainment.com/index.html
If this is not you, then I’m back to square one, not knowing anything about you except that you’re better than anyone else and you keep asking me to send you money.

I’ll stop asking you to state your professional claims (I don’t really care beyond basic curiosity). Continued success in your career, and thank you for the brief discussion.

Walk, old chap. Sylvia Browne is a greedy old bitch who should be burned at the stake. Not a metaphysical and compassionate spiritual person like myself.

Furthermore I did NOT say I was a paranormal entertainer out of Canada. However I am indeed terribly entertaining and out of Canada where the populace are terribly boring and not entertaining in the slightest.

I may or may not be paranormal but I have reason to believe that I am certainly beyond normal. Give my love to Mary.

I meant to sign off, but I can’t help but ask, who the hell is this “Mary” you keep referring to? I seriously have no idea who you are talking about, and if you review my above posts you’ll see the first mention is from you. If you need money to answer then forget it.

Sorry I assumed that was your website. I stand corrected.

You said, “I may or may not be paranormal but I have reason to believe that I am certainly beyond normal.” IMHO, you are DEFINITELY beyond normal.

I didn't say it wasn't my website. It might be. On the other hand it might not be. If you require that information I am sure I can come to a reasonable arrangement regarding price. I shall even give you a discount. I always do for impoverished sceptics.

If you want to know who Mary is I shall be delighted to work out a special price for you but you probably don't have to pay since you know already and you are not even psychic.

Okay, I realize I’ve been had, and your’re just trying to put one over on me. At least we agree on Sylvia Browne. And yes, you ARE entertaining. I’ll sign off now. Cheers.

Heated discussion, interesting.

Watching the replay over and over it seems scripted to me. A nice little piece of acting on all sides.

sebastian,

If, in fact, it was scripted (hard to tell), the only REALLY BAD acting was Callahan pretending to be possessed! Truly hilarious!

I notced in the after-show interviews:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z9QV-XdcaxI
Callahan ranted that Criss needed a bunch of people standing between them to protect him. As you’ll notice, there was NO ONE standing between them at any time!

Criss Angel seems to be in my city at the moment. I do not recall giving him permission to do so but I shall let it go for the moment. I did read in the papers that three years ago he was living on the streets of Las Vegas. Quite disgraceful lack of breeding if that is the case.

Walk, old chap. Since you are posting videos you may find this one of interest. I did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1KM8U--QUU

I'd like to thank the posters for an entertaining evening. Things were slow at work and I enjoyed reading the posts. People see entertainment through their own eyes, with their own beliefs and what they enjoy. I'd like to add my own two cents.
Though I like magic and illusion, I have not watched "Phenomenon". When I first heard of it I thought it sounded like a combination of "American Idol" and "PSI Factor - Tales of the Paranormal". It didn't sound like a winning combination to me. I have seen the You Tube clips and would like to add my own critique.
I don't know if this is Callahan's regular act. I understand he is a spiritualist. No one has commented if this is a presentation from his act or something tailored to TV. I think the illusion started on a bad foot when they do not show who selected the item and how it was selected. The chain of custody of the car would make it more interesting or enticing. This may have been due to time constraints for the show. I know that a member of the panel guarded the box. The full screen face and the lead in did not grab me. All I could think was that it's mighty dark. The Author Raymond Hill will be the spirit to enter Callahan. The video explains the ring of salt and the item is in a box filled with salt. Church bells ring and Callahan does reverse spirit writing. A buzzer goes off and the item is revealed.
The problem with this act is that it is a spirit writing act with no hook and relies on previous beliefs to prove itself. The first thing that bothered me is if the spirit is an author, how come he misspelled wheels. Spiritualists have claimed to have written novels through their spiritual friends. The video states the box is filled with salt when only a cup full falls out. The box seems bigger than that. The bells were fine but the buzzer seemed like something I heard in the haunted house ride at the carnival. Something seems wrong and I like to be awed by a trick. Especially on national TV.
The fact that this is live is a draw and failure draws in viewers. People like to see that. The aftermath reminded me of Andy Kaufman and the fake fight on ABC's show "Fridays". Criss Angel is now going to bring the two envelopes to every show and his offer is open to all takers. A director's hook? Maybe.
I have seen Criss Angel's show. I have not seen him live. Is its entertaining? Yes, but not tops on my list. I have seen other magicians and enjoyed their shows much more. Revealing magic now a days is no big illusion. The secrets have always been there. I remember reading a book from the library in the 70's that was written in the 30's. It revealed many of Houdini's secrets. Information is just easier to find these days. I don't mind if a performer reveals a trick. It is the talent that I enjoy.
Howard Cosell gained ratings with his angst towards Muhammed Ali. While the brouhaha is interesting, I don't think I'll be catching this show any time soon. I'll wait for the big finale.

Bill

as a Teacher in the Arts of the Mystical Natures (aka) "Wizardryl"...

I too was taken back by the image of chris attemping to mess with a so called entertainer..with the 911 message in the envelope.....

However mentalist, as well as documented psychic persons don't always get whats before them even if they have the gift to see or cheat, and Chris Angel tends to take everything to a personal level, because he was out not to just be a judge but to try and do as houdini did, Which wasn't just to be good at the skills but to attack others whom he could see though their tricks or gimics at.because he not only wanted to protect his fans and others but also...to "not disprove" the actions but too truely see for himself.....as it was "call out DEATH" and have a showdown.....(as you see death won)

So when you see mentalist and those in these fields of research they don't want to disprove..they want to control

As for the other card..i felt it was a secret letter from his father...or some joke on us..by trying to find out when world peace world happen....lol

http://groups.msn.com/Ancientorderofthegoldenwizard

contact me if i'm right.lol

i think criss angel is great.. he expose jim callahan , all psychic failed when james randi had a paranormal challenge (millon dollar challge) non of the psychic had pass the challenge , so it very obvious that all psychic are conman. we must be skeptical and not to believe a proposition when there is no ground and supposing it true. We must always be skeptical , rational & logical in thinking.

MESSAGE to JAMES RANDI from Russell Tan , james randi im from malaysia and you are popular here in malaysia , many skeptical people in malaysia will always support your work. You are my IDOL .