Criss Angel has blast at Edwards

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William O'Brien
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Criss Angel, star of the television show "Mindfreak" filmed a one-hour special for his fifth season premiere here June 15.

The celebrity took time to visit with more than 200 fans at Edwards and sign autographs in the Stripes Lounge at the Oasis Community Center.

"Edwards personifies the future of the military," said Mr. Angel. "To me, doing a stunt here has always been something that's been in my mind. I just didn't know when I would be able to get here."

Mr. Angel made a special visit to talk with some of the families of deployed servicemembers.

"The men and women who serve this country, not only do they make a huge sacrifice, but their families and friends do too," said Mr. Angel. "If your brother or wife or husband gets deployed for a long period of time you don't get the opportunity to see them or to do simple things with them."

"I've been a Criss Angel fan for years," said Tech. Sgt. Chad Callahan, F-22 Raptor Combined Test Force crew chief. "When I found out he was going to be here I had to be here to check it out, get an autograph and meet him. It's great that he came here. It's an honor he would take time to visit the military and say what he said."

Similar to other celebrity visits, the cast and crew of Mindfreak used Edwards facilities and servicemembers for authenticity of their production.

"Everyone's been so hospitable, opening their arms and facilities for Mindfreak and it's just been a dream come true," said Mr. Angel.

"The Air Force has been extraordinarily cooperative," added David Baram, executive producer of Mindfreak. "We coordinated this on short notice. This is a very dangerous stunt that Criss is going to attempt tonight. The base has been fantastic -- probably the best experience we've ever had working with any military base."

While here, the cast and crew talked with the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum curator about examples of the application of illusions to military strategy. They also filmed several scenes at the Military Working Dog Facility and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Compound.

Edwards personnel can expect to see a familiar face or two, as several Airmen here were featured.

"I'm going to try to avoid literally being blown up by an IED," said Mr. Angel. "Usually, when I do a stunt, if I'm wrong it's a huge embarrassment, but this time it's a life or death situation."

The show is scheduled to premiere on the Arts and Entertainment network in August.

"We wish the best of luck to all personnel and their families," said Mr. Baram. "We would like to ask them to watch our premier Aug. 12 on A&E."

Before leaving the autograph signing, Mr. Angel talked about how much he appreciates the sacrifices made by everyone in the Armed forces as well as their families.

"To all the men and women who are serving this country (around) the world, I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sacrifice; dedication and for your love and passion for this amazing country," said Mr. Angel. "I'm just honored and privileged to be an American and to be here today."