Lords of Illusions.

   Magic is an old word used to describe many events that people can't give a reasonable explanation to. Some call them miracles and others call them tricks but they all have one common denominator and that's the magician. Magicians have one of the greatest gifts a person can have and that's an imagination combined with the will to make the illusion seem real to everyone else. From Houdini to Criss Angel and David Blaine, many unbelievable tricks and illusions have brought people back into the world of illusions. But when does the illusion start to cross the line between a mystery and what's crazy?
   David Blaine is a master of many illusions from card tricks to making himself levitate in the eyes of other people. Don't worry I won't reveal how it's done but there are some issues many people do have with this man. David Blaine is mostly known now for the stunts he puts himself through such as placing himself in a bowl of freezing water for several hours or hanging upside down for days. The question here is what's the trick? Besides putting your body and sanity at risk there is no illusion, only a stunt.
   Don't be fooled though, there is serious mental preparation that needs to be done but the fact is this is the work of a stuntman, not a magician. David Blaine is an amazing magician and he brings a lot to the table with his magic and while some of his stunts I don't consider magic, he brings a sense of reality to the picture. Criss Angel, who has been blessed with a lot of fame and spotlight however has been criticized heavily for his acts. I was introduced to Criss Angel through his breakout show Mindfreak. I always consider him to be a fantastic magician as good as David Blaine but others tend to disagree.
   Certain people have said that his acts are "staged" and there is use of "trick photography" in his show. Basically those people don't believe him to be a real magician. In a way I can understand, I thought Angel went over the top when he levitated over a hotel lobby and floated down. Now is that a mystery or is it so crazy that people just consider it "staged." Both these men put themselves in dangerous and yes I admit, "controlled" situations but that doesn't make them fake.
   Illusions by the very definition are fake so therefore, what's the problem? Maybe these men do take it over the limit and it becomes ridiculous to a certain point. But that's the purpose in any profession, not just to do the job but also set the bar higher than what it was. Back when magic was starting out, I'm sure people thought sawing a lady in half was over the line but now it's a common trick by many magicians. Who knows what will happen now that magic has been pushed by these two lords of illusions.