I was watching Mindfreak this weekend and he was doing a trick on an ice skating rink where he makes a card pass through the ice so it's actually underneath the ice. It was a pretty cool illusion and I'm sure it was done with some kind of edit (really don't think there was a stooge involved here, just a fair amt of time passed between when the card was signed and when it "passed" through the ice). But in fairness to Angel, I think the reactions from the spectators may have been genuine in this one.
Anyway, the part about this I thought was funny was right before he was going to pass the card through the ice, he says "look, nothing at all in my hands." and while he shows his hands he is wearing black fingerless motorcycle gloves and at least 7 rings between his two hands. I thought it was a riot saying look, nothing in my hands when the portion of his hands that was actually visible were just few finger tips. Personally I don't like Criss's goth style, but I can't say it bothers me. But when doing sleight of hand, it would probably be best to be able to see your hands when you're going to tell people to look at them.

You think that's bad? Did you see his so called "continuous shot" when he did that hit by car illusion? He says one continuous shot and then the camera actual pans away and looks at the audience for a few seconds. Now the subject being filmed left the shot... so is that really a continuous shot in the magic sense?

Criss Angel really does ask his audience to be stupid.

He said it was one continuous shot. That means the camera didn't shut off, they didn't switch to another camera and they didn't edit the shot. It was one, continuous shot. It panned over; but it was a CONTINUOUS run of film. Technically, it was a continuous shot. Also, Criss has technically gotten continuously worse as the seasons go on. He needs to focus on his Cirque thingie and drop off our televisions for a few years. He's run out of ideas and hasn't gotten more skilled at performing the old tricks.

Exactly, like how he is going to attempt to escape from a barrel inside a box 100ft in the air or something? While handcuffed? Flashbacks from season 1 anybody? Where he escaped and lance burton was there. Its the EXACT same trick. Why do it again? The only difference is that the barrel is inside a box now.

That's EXACTLY what I thought, too. And the being burned on the table...Same thing as his burned alive from Season 1. He's set on fire and he vanishes, leaving clothes burning. Except this time, he's on a table. Same thing...just revamped. His consultants have gone the way of the Dodo bird....All the creativity has left. And his Cirque show is now questionable. They keep prolonging the show's opening. Seems there's "technical difficulties" Probably meaning difficulties with Angel. There's going to be problems since he's going to have to share the spotlight

Well yes technically it is a continuous shot since the film never cuts. But the point of a continuous shot in magic is that the subject being filmed never leaves the shot.

It's pointless to have a continuous shot that looks away. Completely pointless.

drum roll please... his coin transportation(/matrix) has a continuous shot DURING the trick, only trick he can do well if you ask me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPIg9HsU ... re=related

Despite the fact that he may be not performing that in front of the people he chose. Notice how you cannot see them whenever he does the moves... you can just hear them. Still could imply that he's using a gimmick to help himself out. Just a thought, could be a re-take without the chosen spectators.

even though I don't like the guy, I really hope he didn't have to stage his coin matrix, i'd die from laughter then...

It's kinda funny... if the camera moves away during the trick to show the spectators, you doubt that the trick was done genuine... but if the camera catches the trick in one continuous shot the entire time, some people doubt that the spectators were really there!

Don't descend on me, it's just my 2 cents because I find it hilarious how he can't please some of you whatever he does.

Back on topic, I have to agree that the "nothing in my hands" claim was really funny in this situation! Well but bloopers like this usually work for entertainment, people talk about it and have something to smirk.

Hey, I'm just saying its a possibility. I'm not saying it was definitely done. And besides, Blaine has done it before too, its been proven for him. So why wouldn't other professional magicians do the same to make themselves look good? Also, that matrix looked better to me than Shoot's matrix which seems almost impossible. If you know the secret, it looks a little to easy for him to transfer the coins, look at his hands, he doesn't pause them when doing the move. Even shoot needs to pause his hands and change their position. This is why I doubt it, but I'm not saying its true.

I know, and I told you don't descend on me, my comment was just what came to my mind in that moment.
No, I don't know how to do this coin matrix, only the version with cards over the coins, but it's one of the tricks I definitely want to get in the future! Of course, anything is possible. You're entitled to your opinion/doubt and so am I, while I just believe it looks so great because he's practiced it for many years. But for a trick that will be on tv, it's always possible that they filmed him doing it more than one time for different or even the same audience/s, and the one that looked best ends up on tv.