Talk:Criss Angel/Archive 3

Archive 1

Archive 2

Archive 3

beLIEve: Spike TV

Angel debuted a new TV show entitled "Criss Angel: beLIEve" on Spike network October 15, 2013 where he performs various stunts and tricks, similar to his other TV show from A&E "Mindfreak". — Preceding unsigned comment added by BeLIEveCA (talk • contribs) 02:56, 23 December 2013 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Criss Angel/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Casliber (talk · contribs) 10:42, 2 March 2014 (UTC)

Right - I'll do this one - loved his shows. Will make straightforward copyedits as I go and jot queries below: Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 10:42, 2 March 2014 (UTC)

• Can you caption the images and give basic info (where and when taken, and who is in the second one)

• Ensure all refs have dates formatted the same way (look at accessdate of FN 103 for example)

• Given the size of the article, the lead should be bigger - aim for two paras each about the size of what's currently there (i.e. double the lead in size)

• I'd split the first sentence in the Early life section - avoid run on "and"s

• By the time he graduated from East Meadow High School, he decided to pursue a career - I'd make it "had decided" - pluperfect tense here

• The last sentence about his Greek decent sits oddly where it is. I'd try and get it near the beginning of the section.

• With his career, how was he selected to go on TV in 1994...any info here would be good.

• ... in a "water torture cell" - if this is the name of the device, doesn't need to be in quote marks

• where he was "Shackled and submerged in a phone-booth-sized tank of water in New York's Times Square" - rewrite without quotation marks - should be straightforward. Use quotes only for memorable ones, as the quote marks are jarring to read.

• To prepare for the trick, he practiced in a neighbor's backyard swimming pool next to his mother's house in East Meadow, New York, and prior to the performance he had only managed to spent 12 consecutive hours in the water. - the "and" sits oddly - would split the sentence there.

• ...and was named one of the best shows of the summer - state by whom

• I'd link root canal

• Is there any more discussion on how he does his tricks? That'd be good to add.

More later. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 11:44, 2 March 2014 (UTC)

Thank you Cas Liber. I have followed your advice on each of these points and made changes to the page accordingly. The one item I had trouble with was an explanation as to his 1994 selection. I was able to find a non-RS source (an unsourced undergraduate essay) that claims he was chosen because he was willing to reveal how his magic tricks were done, however I cannot find an RS that supports this. So while the information is out there, I'm not sure there is a reference we can use to add it. Jeremy112233 (talk) 17:27, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

Aah, this is not uncommon - nevermind, leave out until something turns up. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:22, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

• There is a great quote in this on how he feels about mediums which gives a good insight,

• I note there is some material on google books. though not accessible for me in Oz. Can you access any of these or get them in a local library?

Thanks Cas Liber, I have taken your advice and added in material from the Newsday article, in addition to some additional material I found regarding how he has revealed his tricks and box office information. In terms of Google books, those with free previews are only travel books talking about his show and a comedian skewering him for a joke, so I'm not sure there is additional material available there. There is a preview for his own book, but I'm not sure if including material from it will help as it is a primary reference. Jeremy112233 (talk) 18:12, 7 March 2014 (UTC)

1. Well written?:

Prose quality:

Manual of Style compliance:

2. Factually accurate and verifiable?:

References to sources:

Citations to reliable sources, where required:

No original research:

3. Broad in coverage?:

Major aspects:

Focused:

4. Reflects a neutral point of view?:

Fair representation without bias:

5. Reasonably stable?

No edit wars, etc. (Vandalism does not count against GA):

6. Illustrated by images, when possible and appropriate?:

Images are copyright tagged, and non-free images have fair use rationales:

Images are provided where possible and appropriate, with suitable captions:

Overall:

Pass or Fail: - I was umming and aaahing over breadth of coverage WRT GA status for a few days. Ultimately I think if one were trying for FA then one would need one or more of the books, but as it stands the coverage is broad enough to qualify for GA status. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 13:02, 18 March 2014 (UTC)

Sounds great, I will keep that in mind as I revisit the article over time! Jeremy112233 (talk) 14:38, 18 March 2014 (UTC)

DYK Excerpt Possibly Incorrect...

According to this, Cris Angel's TV show was "the first weekly magic show to air in over 40 years;" I can verify that this information is at least partially false because just a few years ago I used to watch a weekly secrets-of-magic revealed show--that said, I would not have any problem if there was a distinction made between a magic show and a magic-exposed show. I'm just wondering about this for clarification purposes. Thanks! მაLiphradicusEpicusთე 18:48, 28 March 2014 (UTC)

Hi there, it is the first show to focus the performed illusions. A show that does not focus on illusions wouldn't be a magic show persay. However, what is the show you are looking at, perhaps I can research the origins/broadcast information to clarify the information on the page. Jeremy112233 (talk) 19:40, 28 March 2014 (UTC)

Thanks, Jeremy; the show in question is called Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed and aired for a while on Fox. We actually do have an article on it; all I was wondering was if it could be merited as a "magic show" due to its nature, after all, many of the tricks exposed in this show are extremely advanced tricks that an illusionist such as Criss may perform. :) მაLiphradicusEpicusთე

I've taken a look--there were only four non-weekly shows broadcast in the 90's; the show didn't become weekly until after Mindfreak debuted in 2005 (the weekly Breaking began in 2008). The airdates for the original Breaking were not consecutive, as can be seen here, thus the original incarnation was not a weekly series :) Jeremy112233 (talk) 21:54, 28 March 2014 (UTC)

For more of an RS this book described it as a "four part show" and not a weekly series. Jeremy112233 (talk) 21:58, 28 March 2014 (UTC)

Okay, no problem here. I was just wondering...on another note, I do remember seeing this show for several months a couple of years ago on Fox very late at night where I live. I'm not sure if it was a sequel to the four part show, or if it was different entirely, but I do remember it. :/ მაLiphradicusEpicusთე

Semi-protected edit request on 28 June 2014

96.227.201.157 (talk) 04:39, 28 June 2014 (UTC) In your article, you describe the "Implosion Escape" by Criss Angel. The article is totally false. The show was promoted as "LIVE", yet the escape was done using a pre-recorded video of him picking locks on the way to the roof. It was only LIVE until he reached the first door inside the building. His claim that the original purpose was to reach the roof helicopter is totally false. FOXTV revealed the pre-recorded tape on their news broadcast the same night the show aired. "Criss Angel Mindfreak" was loaded with tricks that were done by video effects (Digital Compositing, edits), etc. Example: Levitating from buildings. Shots real that this 3 minute illusion actually took hours to shoot and are full of edits. Why does Wikipedia post claims that are sp obviously false, and wont allow comments to show the truth?

And read WP:Not Censored, Wikipedia:Assume good faith, and WP:Verifiability -- Your claims of Wikipedia posting obviously false claims and not allowing comments to show the truth are ridiculous. Get off your soapbox, cite a reliable source (instead of giving us your personal claims, because as far as we know, you're making up or are confused about what you saw on TV), and then we'll add it.

Ian.thomson (talk) 12:25, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

Angel's Reliance on Mysticism and Esotericism

There is barely any content related to Angel's background in mysticism and esotericism. Compendious books like Mark Booth's SECRET HISTORY OF THE WORLD allude to his having delved into the realms of darkness to derive power for his most impressive illusions. Whether one believes in the authenticity of these powers or not, this aspect of Angel's performances should not go unmentioned. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.77.49.225 (talk) 13:05, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

Wikipedia does not make any statements in articles about living persons based on conspiracy theorist hogwash. Ian.thomson (talk) 13:19, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

World record: fastest time escaping from a straitjacket?

In the section on world records it says that Criss Angel hold a record over 2:30 minutes, which is not at all covered in the reference. Guinness reports the world recors being 2,84 seconds (dating about 6 months after the source in the reference had been retrieved). So, I honestly do not know about that stuff and also I am new around here, but there seems to be something going on. Maybe someone could have a look at that... Benigno Bonobo (talk) 03:12, 24 November 2018 (UTC)

Greek Translation of his Name

I'm not sure how his name got translated into Greek, but I suspect this wasn't done by a person. Being fluent in Greek myself, I know that Christopher Nikolaos Sarantakos is actually Χριστόφορος Νικόλαος Σαραντάκος. I believe this needs to be updated to reflect the correct translation. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Joop1974 (talk • contribs) 18:11, 11 March 2019 (UTC)

Greek Translation of his name

Please change Ψηριστοπηερ Νιψηολασ Σαραντακοσ to Χριστόφορος Νικόλαος Σαραντάκος as the Greek translation was clearly written by someone who does not speak the language. Ψηριστοπηερ Νιψηολασ Σαραντακοσ translates to Pristopier Nipsolaos Saranatkos, with σ used incorrectly as in Greek, the letter ς is used at the end of a word instead of σ. FutureEyeDoctor (talk) 10:31, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

 Already done "Χριστόφορος Νικόλαος Σαραντάκος" is what is currently in the article. NiciVampireHeart 09:32, 20 March 2019 (UTC)

Criss Angel Was Not Given a "Magician of the Century" Award by IMS

Criss Angel Was Not Given a "Magician of the Century" Award by IMS. The link provided to support the aforementioned statement appears to be wrong. Nowhere on the IMS website does it say that Criss Angel received the "Magician of the Century" title. In fact, the article cited on Criss's page does not identify who gave Criss the award. I could find no article on Google saying that the IMS gave Criss this award.

Also, the Wikipedia article for the International Magicians Society states that Siegfried and Roy were given the award of "Magician(s) of the Century" in 2000. Having two awards for "Magician of the Century" sounds dubious. Further the IMS website shows no evidence that Siegfried and Roy were named "Magician(s) of the Century," either.

IMS' website does not unambiguously record anywhere that CA received the award, but rather states it somewhat as an afterthought where David Copperfield is definitely stated to be a Century winner; one can read the text as stating CA is a Century-winner or construe the meaning to refer to the previous, more ordinary award. That said, it's well within the group's right to disambiguate the wording one way or the other, but as of this date--Feb 18/20--that's how it stands.

But all that somewhat misses the character of IMS itself. It seems to be a rather skillfully self-promoting body with considerably less historical prestige and pedigree in the magical community than than meets the eye which is slower than the hand. JohndanR (talk) 06:11, 18 February 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 31 May 2020

Married partner, Australian Shaunyl Benson 17th February 2015 (not just partners but actually married, page fails to state this and also claims they are only dating) First child, son, date of birth 16th February 2014 (page only states the year of birth yet states the full date for second child, also a son). (Thanks) RedCyanPhotos (talk) 19:35, 31 May 2020 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. JTP ^{(talk • contribs)} 20:29, 31 May 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• Headshot of Criss Angel.png

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 01:22, 17 June 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 August 2020

Help account offline (talk) 10:51, 1 August 2020 (UTC)

Reads like publicity

15 or 20 years ago, much of what characterized the accelerating buzz about the performer is the claims of fraud; not fraud about magic per se, inasmuch as the art of magic is the art of fraud, but fraud implicit in his video material: claims and controversies about editing, the "reaction clips", crowd-control, shills and the like.

If the magic paradigm has shifted, because of Criss Angel's skillful advance in the use of video editing and crowd-management over previous practitioners' forays into the art (David Copperfield, et al.), that hardly removes the history of the popular view of the Criss Angel persona.

An example, back in the day, can be found at

skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2008/08/criss-angel-fake-escape-demolition.html

the comments, and author-rebuttals, underscoring the fact the controversy was real (whichever side you fall on), and it's not as though it has entirely disappeared either. Perhaps professional magicians have a vested interest in making entire Wikipedia histories... disappear. Perhaps a day will come when their shills make even historians agree that that would seem like an admirable accomplishment. JohndanR (talk) 16:49, 15 June 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 July 2021

Current spouse should be Shaunyl Sarantakos m. 2015

Children should be Johnny Crisstopher b. 2014 Sarantakos and Xristos Yanni Sarantakos b. 2019 2600:1700:6E80:8810:DCDC:7759:71DA:985E (talk) 20:37, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 20:41, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 9 November 2021

1) Criss Angel has a newborn daughter. Change "two sons together" to "two sons and a daughter together"

2) Add the daughter's name and DOB. Birth announced on Shaunyl Benson's Instagram page accessible through this article. https://www.people.com/parents/criss-angel-wife-shaunyl-benson-welcome-baby-daughter/

3) Also, Shaunyl Benson is called his "wife" in articles, but Wikipedia page just says they've been "dating since 2012" in Personal Life. Unclear which status is correct. 73.132.218.153 (talk) 21:50, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

 Partly done: The daughter's name and DOB are WP:BLPPRIVACY concern and will not be added (From WP:BLPPRIVACY: "If a [...] person is borderline notable [like a notable person's children], err on the side of caution and simply list the year, provided that there is a reliable source for it.") The names and DOBs of the sons will be removed for the same reason.

If it is unclear if they are married or not, the question should be subject to discussion and consensus.

I have changed the text to say that they have 2 sons and a daughter. SSSB (talk) 10:51, 13 November 2021 (UTC)

Lost Suspension Record

It should be noted that Criss Angel hasn't held the record for the longest body suspension in over ten years (Lost in 2008 to Matt Zane).

References