STORM2K

CLEARWATER -- It's official: Illusionist Criss Angel will try to escape from a Clearwater Beach hotel about to be blown up for a live broadcast of his Mindfreak cable television show at 10 p.m. July 30.

Angel The cable television network A&E announced the decision today. The Times reported on July 11 that Angel and A&E were in discussions with Clearwater officials to stage the stunt at the old Spyglass Resort, known for its 100-foot-tall mural of a hot-air balloon.

The one-hour episode will be the first time the show has been broadcast live, according to A&E.

In a statement, Angel, 40, promised that the escape would “blow your mind and be above and beyond anything you have ever seen me attempt.”

For the escape, he is to be shackled to a seventh-floor balcony in the nine-story hotel, which is now vacant, and will have to free himself and make it to a hovering helicopter before the building is imploded.

No tickets will be sold, and the event is open to the public, A&E said. But all spectators will have to watch the escape from a distance. There will be a 9- by 12-foot screen mounted for spectators with a feed of the live show.

The implosion will be handled by Advanced Explosives Demolition Inc. of Idaho and Cross Construction Services of Tampa. Plans call for more than 100 kilograms -- or more than 220 pounds -- of explosives to be placed on three floors of the building to reduce the structure to 3,000-plus tons of debris. Once the explosives are detonated, they will create a vacuum inside the building that is expected to cause the Spyglass to implode.

The site is expected to be redeveloped with a new hotel.

Mike Donila, Times staff writer

http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/ ... el-to.html

That's fine, till he fails to do it.

Interesting. Pier 60 comes to mind too (all the street performers), which probably has nothing to do with this stunt but it is Clearwater.....

The event is tonight at 10pm live on A&E. Anyone going up to the event, Pier 60, Clearwater beach numerous view sport and the GOM are all available for live watch. Pier 60 will have concessions, numerous of the Clearwater marina business boats will be out in the GOM to watch the event. according to Clearwater officials, no glass what so ever is allowed near the event. The Jumbo-tron will be there however.

I will not be going to the event. I dont see the reason to try to get up there in and around 10-20,000 people just to see a 4 minute event. I will be watching it live on tv.

Hubby mentioned this to me the other day. He saw it on the news. I looked up your thread and told him the channel it would be on and the time. I don't think he is going to try and stay up and watch it. He has to get up at 4:30 in the morning.

I might try and stay up to see it - if I can hold my eyes open that long. LOL

BTW I heard on the news this morning that it will be closer to 11pm for the implosion.

Knowing television it probably will be at 10:56 lol.

It is on A&E live now. The stunt is less than 40 mins away!

All did NOT go as planned! He got stuck at the last lock...did not make the helicopter...but somehow made it out of the imploded rubble! I know I held my breath for a minute or two. still shaking.

When he did not make it out of that building, I thought maybe this is staged and that he will appear out of nowhere just like he did from other episodes. He could not have survived that and that was clearly stated throughout the episode.

When he appeared, I knew this was planned.

fact789 wrote:All did NOT go as planned! He got stuck at the last lock...did not make the helicopter...but somehow made it out of the imploded rubble! I know I held my breath for a minute or two. still shaking.

Me too, I wondered if he was going to complete it or not but he didn't! The question is WTH?

I thought it was gonna at least be interesting, but then he just 'APPEARED' on the ground of the collapsed building. It's all smoke and mirrors. There probably wasn't a building to begin with.

Jason_B wrote:I thought it was gonna at least be interesting, but then he just 'APPEARED' on the ground of the collapsed building. It's all smoke and mirrors. There probably wasn't a building to begin with.

there was a building...

my thoughts are that it was faked and that somehow criss was on the ground the entire time or like you said mirrors with prerecording cameras. Did anyone notice the camera that showed him first showed him walking, they didnt show him crawling out, and why was the camera point directly his way to begin with? Also, why were the cameras turned off in the building at the exact same time?

Well the news in Tampa was showing how they practiced this several times before the actual event. I'm betting the cams inside the building were pre-recorded. Even knowing they practiced several times today I was still holding my breath, was affraid he was trying to pull a Hudini, he did say this would be his last stunt! Thought maybe he would die tonight!

I could tell he was nervous just before he broke the window and while he was handcuffed, but im not sure if that was real or not. I really doubt this will be his last stunt...he makes too much.

Ah, but a promise to Mom is a promise you have to keep! I think he's done.

Meh.

I was dissapointed to say the least. I'm sure you can find a replay somewhere on the web. Check out the handcuffs. Yes they were real but I thought I noticed that he put them in his pocket (which made a bump in his pocket) I don't think I saw that later when he was trying to pick the last lock - or come to think of it when he was going down the hall.

My take - what we saw of him until he got in the building was real but once he got inside I think it was taped earlier. He could easily have rappelled down the back side - or inside for that matter. I really had a feeling it was staged when I saw him kick in the window.

Did you hear his remark about it raining on his hands when he was handcuffed to the rail? May have been dripping from the roof edge - but it wasn't raining in Clearwater when the "stunt" went off.

Edited to add:
I did like the stunt they showed with the car. That was kinda cool.

The local news suspects that Criss Angel repelled down the side of the Spyglass and went into a cubby hole in a nearby hotel and then came out during the dust.

There's actually footage of him coming out of the building next door after the explosion. BUSTED!

mf_dolphin wrote:There's actually footage of him coming out of the building next door after the explosion. BUSTED!

Good, now I can tell that to my girlfriend and she'll stop obcessing over his phony behind.

mf_dolphin wrote:There's actually footage of him coming out of the building next door after the explosion. BUSTED!

really? I havent seen it yet.