Smallscreen News
NBC 'Phenomenon' joins Uri Geller and Criss Angel
By Stone Martindale Jul 17, 2007, 0:05 GMT
06/16/2007 - Criss Angel - Las Vegas, NV © Terry Thompson / PR Photos
NBC has signed a series deal with illusionist and soon-to-be divorcee Criss Angel (Criss Angel Mindfreak) and famed mentalist Uri Geller for Phenomenon.
The show will be a mysterious live competition series in which both men will conduct an intensive search for the next great mentalist. The announcement was made today by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios at the Television Critic's Association (TCA) event in Beverly Hills.
"The match-up of two world-famous personalities, Uri Geller and Criss Angel -- who have demonstrated astounding skills -- makes for a riveting series format," said Silverman.
"Factor in the mystery of the genre, the live competitive angle as the contestants attempt to follow in Criss and Uri's footsteps, and incredible interactive applications, and we think viewers will have many compelling reasons to watch."
The series will be based on an Israeli version, monitored by Geller which achieved a historical record-breaking viewing audience, and will test 10 aspiring mentalists who must compete each week to demonstrate a wide spectrum of mystifying talents.
Judging will be a panel of weekly celebrity guests who participate along with a studio audience. Geller and Angel will assess the contestants and offer their unfiltered opinions. Ultimately, the winner's fate will be determined by the viewers at home.
Angel is the creator, director and star of his eponymous cable series, "Criss Angel Mindfreak" - currently finishing post-production on its third season.
Legendary Uri Geller soared to international fame by claiming extreme mind-over-matter abilities that aroused much controversy to this day in his hundreds of TV shows across the globe -- particularly the ability to bend spoons, among others. He was instrumental in creating the first interactive TV show worldwide when mysteriously objects bent in people's homes and broken watches came alive.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
I wonder if NBC has seen this clip from the Israeli version!
Go to: youtube.com
Look for:
watch?v=V1Y7QR314xA
From the current Discover Magazine:
(caption on a photo of Geller holding a key) For the love of God, please bend.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO…URI GELLER?.
In the late 1960s, the Israeli mentalist Uri Geller rose to superstardom claiming he had psychic powers and a Magneto-like ability to bend steel with his mind. He appeared on magazine covers and talk shows and was even commissioned to investigate a high-profile kidnapping in Budapest. 'A lot of scientists believed him at one point,' says James Randi, author of The Truth About Uri Geller. But with fame came scrutiny, and Geller was outed as a fraud on NBC's The Tonight Show and in Time magazine in 1973. Most of the sports teams he backed lost, and the missing Hungarian girl for whom he foretold a safe return was found murdered. Ultimately, Geller proved more litigious than psychic: He spent his best years unsuccessfully suing his detractors for libel.
Recently Geller resurfaced as a reality-TV star. Earlier this year, he hosted the Israeli show The Successor, a talent search in which Geller seeks out a telepathic heir. Unfortunately for Geller, the show took a bad turn when, during one episode, he was caught using a fingertip magnet to move a compass needle (see YouTube). The Israeli media raked him over the coals, and the Knesset branded him 'a disgrace to the state of Israel.'
But above all, many consider Geller a disgrace to magic. Unlike most working magicians, he hasn't updated his act in over three decades. 'It's amazing a guy in the trade this long wouldn't come up with anything new,' says Randi, also a magician. 'He's literally a three-trick pony.'
uri geller's story was very recently filmed in a documentary called: 'staya erusa, find the book of knowledge' see the amazing trailer on www.stayaerusa.org
Criss Angel is all artist, ego is false, he is magical and magnificant pulling all awe's out of hat and soul.
I support you Criss in day through night into dreams and beyond...
Sincerely Brittany K. bkamerschen@hotmail.com
Criss Angel IS all ego. Or at least he appears that way. This is why the show failed here. To be on network tv, you need a bigger audience than he's got for Mind Freak. You don't treat your co-host the way he did, or question a contestant's authenticity.
page: 1
yepJul 17th, 2007 - 18:58:02
Uri is going to bend a certain blond over in a way cris will enjoy-lol
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