Let me set up the scene: I’m not feeling well, I didn’t have the best week at work, my computer issues are all over the map and the only prescription is bad Reality TV. First up: Criss Angel: Mindfreak.
I’ve said it before, but I enjoy watching Mindfreak. Now this isn’t something I tell everyone in real life, just the international audience that reads this blog. Here’s the thing: I enjoy the show, however, I also can find humor in it and this latest episode, a “special live” broadcast wherein Criss “narrowly” escaped from an imploding hotel, brought it in spades.
We lay our scene in Clearwater, Florida, which gave me pause, because I expected some Scientology overtones (sorry, Clearwater, but you know how it is). Thankfully, Criss has shaved off the bizarre, Grizzly Adams beard that put him neck in neck with Eric Neis in the “Reality Star of a Certain Age trying to front as a roadie for Willie Nelson” Sweepstakes and looks decades younger. I also noticed that he updated the opening credits, a decision I’m not sure I’m fond of.
Since this is a “Very Special Episode” Tim Vincent took time from his busy Access Hollywood hosting duties to come down and emcee. I wonder if A&E thought that hiring
someone with a British accent would give this special a hint of legitimacy…ha! Honestly, between all the women, cars, and mentions of his all new show at The Luxor, this had to be the most shameless self-promotion I’ve seen in a long time…until I watched Kathy Griffin cavort around with Adnan Ghalib (scroll down).
Now, I enjoy Criss when’s he doing slight of hand or that freaky “mentalism” stuff he does so well, therefore I just cannot get into the wacky “demonstrations”. Honestly, despite all their pleas to the camera, do you honestly think the top guys from either The Luxor or Cirque would allow Criss to risk injury before his new show goes live? I have to imagine that the contract between Criss and Company is as thick as the “M” Volume of the Encyclopedia Brittanica. Like always, the “escape” goes awry and just when everyone thinks all hope is lost (or not…because instead of acting concerned, the crowd seemed to cheer at the implosion…clearly they had no idea what was going on) Criss emerges in his trademark “I’ve been to Hell and back” middle-distance stare, covered in debris. Why is this man not in movies? Honestly, I’m picturing a buddy comedy with The Rock and Seann William Scott.
I chased that morsel with My Life on the D-List. I still love this show, although I am a little over Team Griffin. Small doses, Bravo, small doses. Also, do the episodes seem more frantic this season? They’re in LA, they’re in NY, they’re in Mexico, there’s Woz, there’s Maggie, there’s Anderson Cooper. I much preferred it when it was just Kathy trying to peddle her DVDs in the Virgin Megastore to 15 customers, two of which were related to her. Anyway, the trend of random celebrity cameos continued with an appearance by Suze Orman. While some might find her abrasive, I cheered when she called Jessica (or “Jennifer”) out for leasing a car, as let’s be honest, I had the same conversation with two people last month. Just like Suze, however, my advice fell on deaf ears, which isn’t that odd, since unlike Suze, I don’t have five homes and am currently staying in because I dropped a lot of money in LA (a $7.50 glass of grapefruit juice, people) and I’m sick.
Now for the socially relevant part: Could Adnan Ghalib please figure into more shows on Bravo? I must point out that I’m kidding because it would be just my luck that Tim Gunn will be introducing him to the Designers on Project Runway next week. I’ll admit to enjoying his accent, but I could not deal with how he seemed embarrassed by Kathy. This coming from someone who willingly dated another person who drove around Sunset Boulevard to use the Right Aid bathroom over and over again. Plus, by the time this episode aired, Adnan is a not-so-fondly distant memory. I only even semi-liked him because he appeared to give Sam Lufti a hard time, which is aces in my book. Plus, you know that secretly Adnan craved all the attention too. I bet he’s watched this episode like five times now.
