mindfreak

I used to watch Criss Angel Mindfreak on A&E quite a bit. I've always liked Angel more than David Blaine because Angel would perform actual illusions and tricks (he calls them "demonstrations") rather than the pointless publicity stunts that have kept Blaine in the public eye.

I must admit though, as the second season wore on, I found myself less and less impressed. I don't, however, think that's Angel's fault. If anything, his tricks have become more intense and more imaginative, but after awhile, magic in general stops impressing me. Even if he does something truly astonishing, I always know it's a trick. If someone comes up to me on the street and performs a card trick and I have no idea how they did it, I might think, 'huh, that's neat,' but the novelty will wear off in a few minutes.

Well, not the real David Blaine, but these two videos (warning: strong language) via our pals at AOL feature actor Mitch Silpa doing a pretty accurate Blaine impression (right down to the lackadaisical delivery) and scaring the crap out of two young men, who, by the end, just want Blaine to leave them the hell alone. Make sure you watch the second clip first (the YouTube one) and then the one on top.

Also, for another spoof of a popular street magician, you should check out Human Giant's "The Illusionators," over on MTV's site. Paul Scheer and Aziz Ansari do a near-perfect parody of Criss Angel's Mindfreak series, right down to the sexy hair and rock and roll aesthetic.

I wonder when someone is going to do a Penn and Teller spoof? I'd like to see that.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by new episodes of Help Me Help You and Boston Legal.
• CBS has a new NCIS at 8, followed by a new episode of The Unit, then a repeat CSI: NY.
• NBC has a repeat Friday Night Lights at 8, then new eps of Law and Order: CI and Law and Order: SVU.
• FOX has a new Standoff at 8 and then a new House.
• Over on The CW, a repeat Gilmore Girls a new Veronica Mars.
• PBS has a new Nova at 8, then a new Frontline.
• ABC has The Sixth Sense at 8.
• AMC is showing a bunch of Halloween films as part of their Monsterfest.
• Emeril cooks up Halloween treats on a repeat Emeril Live, on Food Network at 8.
• Cartoon Network has a bunch of Halloween-themed shows tonight, including Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Ed, Edd, 'n Eddy, Camp Lazlo, and The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.
• TV Land has a Halloween Little House on the Prairie at 8.
• At 9, TLC has a new Overhaulin' at 8, followed by a new Miami Ink.
• Bravo has Even Scarier Movie Moments at 9.
• HGTV has a scary 25 Biggest Decorating Mistakes at 9.
• There are two new eps of The World Series of Poker at 9, on ESPN.
• At 10, FX has a new Nip/Tuck.
• Also at 10: A&E has a new Criss Angel Mindfreak, then the Halloween special, then another episode.
• On Lifetime at 11, two Halloween eps of Will & Grace.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing With The Stars.
• CBS has the series premiere of Jericho at 8, followed by the season premieres of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• FOX has a new Bones at 8, followed by a new Justice.
• NBC has the two hour season premiere of The Biggest Loser at 8, followed by the series premiere of Kidnapped.
• The CW Network makes it's bow with the two hour season premiere of America's Next Top Model at 8.
• MyTV has a new Desire at 8, followed by a new Fashion House.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Good Eats.
• Discovery has a new Stunt Junkies at 10.
• There's a new Criss Angel Mindfreak at 10 on A&E.
• Also at 10: HBO has a new Inside the NFL.

• At 8, CBS has a new Rock Star: Supernova.
• NBC has a new, two hour America's Got Talent at 8.
• TCM has two classic Marx Brothers movies starting at 8: Animal Crackers and Monkey Business.
• At 9, FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance.
• There are two new eps of Nightmares & Dreamscapes at 9 on TNT.
• A&E has a new Inked at 9.
• Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" continues, including a special Mythbusters at 10.
• AMC has a new Hustle at 10.
• Bravo has a new Project Runway at 10.
• FX has a new 30 Days at 10. (Jeez, Wednesdays at 10 has become quite the time for TV this summer.)
• There's a new Blade at 10 on Spike.
• Also at 10: A&E has a new Criss Angel: Mindfreak.