~C4Chaos

I Hire Dead People

After seeing this ad on Jim Callahan's website, I now understand why Criss Angel acted like a jerk on live TV during last night's Phenomenon.

---

JOB OPENINGS FOR THE DEAD
(Sign up now before it's too late!)
Possible $1,000,000.00 Here.

I am currently searching for persons who would like to work with in my future productions and experiments.

I have openings starting as early as December 1st when rehearsal for my new show begins. You will receive billing as being part of the show and compensated for your assistance.

I am in need of people who are interested in employment after their deaths. You must fill out the employment form found here.

.....

Those who commit suicide are not eligible for a position in this current show and will not be considered for inclusion in our data base nor are those who are murdered by those wishing to get someone into the show (though we have found this ad being forwarded to those who wish their coworkers the best of luck in finding a new job with us!).

Those who will be dead as a result of capital punishment or euthanasia will be considered on a case by case basis.

Read more.

---

Whoah! You mean I can be employed after my death? Wow! Do I have to pay taxes too? This is just plain silly to me.

As much as I want to believe in psi and the paranormal, I'm with Criss Angel on this one.

Anyway, I don't care too much about this altercation at this point because it takes away the attention from the other contestants who are more entertaining.

Case in point: Angela Funovits gets my vote. See her emotional performance in this video.

Staged Phenomenon?

So I was watching the reality TV show Phenomenon earlier this evening. I was impressed and entertained by the performances of the illusionists and mentalists in the show. Then this Jim Callahan guy did his “paranormal” performance. His trick performance was to guess an object inside a locked box. The object was chosen from a list of 100 items and was placed in the box by a guest, without Callahan's knowledge, of course. Then Callahan did a seance on live TV and channeled a dead author named Raymond. He did an automatic writing and behaved as if he was in agony while doing the channeling. He did managed to guess the content of the box. Swell.

And so it was time for the critics to evaluate Callahan's performance. Uri Geller gave Callahan a good evaluation, saying that his performance was “very convincing.”  Now it was Criss Angel's turn to say something about Callahan's performance. Instead of evaluating the performance, Angel said, “I think it's comical, quite frankly.” And then Angel whipped out an envelope and challenged him and Uri Geller to guess what was in the envelope. Angel said that he would give a million dollars (of his own money) if anyone could guess what was inside. Callahan became confrontational and called Angel an “ideological bigot.” And then an altercation ensued.

But enough talk. Here's the video for your entertainment pleasure.

So why did Criss Angel acted like a jerk and exposed Jim Callahan on live TV. Well, one possibility is that Criss Angel really hates frauds who claim supernatural or paranormal powers. Here's an excerpt from his interview on Larry King the day before the show.

KING: Is that a trick?

ANGEL: That – put it this way, no one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with “Phenomenon.” If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust them live and on television. That's what Houdini did for more than half of his life, because those people prey on the vulnerable.

And Criss Angel stuck to his guns. He's been planning this all along. He made a mockery out of Jim Callahan's “paranormal” performance on live TV. Now, it's also possible that this “altercation” was staged from the very beginning to boost ratings and to get clueless bloggers to blog about the incident. Ahem. But even if it was staged it still looked cool on TV. And if it wasn't staged then it's double the coolness. It's entertaining to see frauds get exposed on live TV. If Jim Callahan is the real deal then he could've just accepted Angel's challenge and went home with a million bucks, and made Angel look like an a**hole. But since I'm a skeptic myself, I think it's all an act. There I said it.

But what I really want to see is for Uri Geller and Criss Angel to get it on. I sense a tension between the two. Here's Geller who believes in the supernatural and paranormal while Angel is a skeptic that would make the Amazing Randi proud. Ah, well. Those two were paired for a reason: Good TV.

Anyway, I did enjoy the performances of the other contestants. They're all awesome. But my vote for the evening goes to the lone woman (Angela Funovits). She's got charisma (ok, fine, she's hot too), and her performance was the most emotional. She was literally shaking after her perfomance. I also dig the guy (Guy Bavli) who stopped his heart on live TV. All their tricks were impressive. But it was all about the performance. I'm gonna tune in next week for sure.

---

P.S. i still think this is staged in some way, to spice up the show. and/or it was intentionally (or calculated) provoked by Angel since his next season of Mindfreak starts next week. good freakin' promo for his show. just like Houdini, he's a master of PR too :)

speaking of Criss Angel as a master of PR, his Loyals love the show!

as for Jim Callahan, c'mon! his act maybe good but he's putting too much emphasis on the paranormal and making a mockery out of dead people.

case in point: here's an advertisement on Callahan's website.

“Jim Callahan is seeking individuals who desire employment after death. I am looking for individuals who would like to participate in my shows and experiments after their deaths. You will be compensated for your participation and time. Find out more here.”

i mean, WTF?! why would you need to get employed or compensated after your death? can't we all just move on and not pay taxes from the other side? jeeesh! i think that's the part that made Criss Angel freaked out!

UPDATE (11/02/07): Here's Criss Angel talking to Access Hollywood about the incident. Some people may not agree with his views on the paranormal. But I think he has an excellent point.

Criss Angel Talks ' Phenomenon' Confrontation – All Access Magician Criss Angel talks to Access about the confrontation that broke out on the NBC television show “Phenomenon” between himself and Jim Callahan, one of the show's contestants.

(Magic) Trick or (Movie) Treat

It's Halloween night and I've got nothing to do. It's no fun to spend it alone so I thought of watching Saw IV and scream with strangers in the theater. But I just remembered that tonight is Phenomenon night! Dang. So which would it be? Watch some magic tricks or treat myself to a movie…

Ok fine. I'm going with the magic trick. I'll just go check out Saw IV this weekend.

Speaking of Phenomenon, it's my new favorite reality TV show. It's ten times more exciting than American Idol. Seriously.

Case in point: Check out this mentalist named Eran Raven. He did a live Nailgun Russian Roulette last week. Even Criss Angel was impressed. He's got my vote.

Tonight I'm looking forward to the only female illusionist on the show, Angela Funovits. Let's see if her looks and talent can steal the show.

So yeah, I think I better go now and grab some food because I'll be a happy camper tonight, alone, watching some live magic tricks on a reality TV show.

Does counter-terrorism justify torture?

It looks like the main plot of Season 7 of 24 revolves around Jack Bauer being on trial for torturing a suspected terrorist (in Season 6). Check out the exclusive U.K. trailer.

24 is the best suspense action thriller ever! I can't wait! Tony Almeda is going down! This time, for good!

Ahem, sorry, I got carried away. Anyway, going back to my original question…

Does counter-terrorism justify torture?

Sam Harris has an excellent essay on this entitled, In Defense of Torture. Based on my own basic moral intuition, I agree with him.

What do you think?

Barbarians Week @ History Channel

I slept late last night watching Barbarians Week on the History Channel -- a week of programming featuring those rude plundering blood-thirsty boys of ancient civilization. The story of the Goths is fascinating. They were a tribe of peaceful peasants, driven away from their homes by barbarians (the Huns), was forced to join the Roman army, oppressed by Rome, then turned into powerful barbarians themselves, and got even with the Romans by plundering Rome's capital. Moral of the story: if you oppress peeps, they will bite back your ass, with blood and gore.

The Barbarians Week sort of a prequel to History Channel's The Dark Ages:

"After the fall of Rome and before the rebirth of the Renaissance, Europe survived six centuries of continental revolution characterized by famine, plague and bloodshed—a time known as the Dark Ages. At its worst, life in the Dark Ages was miserable, brutish and—for the fortunate—short. But through the darkness shone scattered rays of light, men and women who tended the flame of progress while the world around them descended into chaos. Those points of light brought about the footprint of modern Europe both politically and culturally. The two-hour special THE DARK AGES explores the unprecedented period spanning the fall of Rome and Europe’s 'medieval awakening.'"

I like watching features like this, even if the re-constructed stories were extrapolated by historians, because they set things into perspective. I'm grateful that I'm alive at this point in time.

Katherine says: “Trash Your TV!”

I somewhat agree. So check out the Trash Your TV blog, because it looks cool. No wonder, because Katherine is from Boulder. Go figure.