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122-505: Aziz Ismail Ansari ( / ə n ˈ s ɑːr i / ; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series Parks and Recreation (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series Master of None (2015–2021) for which he won several acting and writing awards, including two Emmys and a Golden Globe , which
244-584: A "flashpoint of discussion about #MeToo ". There was disagreement in media commentary as to whether the incident described in the Babe article constituted sexual misconduct. Ansari stated that the encounter "by all indications was completely consensual", but some commentators alleged that his actions were misogynistic , lacked affirmative consent , and spoke to a larger culture of harmful male expectations . Others said that Ansari's actions did not constitute sexual misconduct and that his accuser's narrative trivializes
366-500: A Comedy Series for Ansari and Yang, and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Ansari; Yang and Ansari won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode "Parents". Yang and Ansari were also honored with a Peabody Award in May 2016 for the series. In 2018 Ansari won a Golden Globe for best actor in a TV comedy for
488-497: A North American tour during the summer of 2014. The show also featured Angel's own illusions, which he performed for about 40 minutes of the show. Robin Leach said of the show that, " Magicjam is great fun and a high-energy show packed with mind-blowing magic." In 2014, Angel premiered the stage show Mindfreak LIVE! The touring show features illusions from Angel himself, which received positive reviews. The demonstrations used in
610-456: A cable television series based upon the show entitled Criss Angel BeLIEve was broadcast on Spike TV . The first season included 11 one-hour episodes, including 118 different illusions. Guests on the show include Ludacris , Ice-T , Randy Couture and Shaquille O'Neal . When asked about the three years between the last episode of Mindfreak and his return to television, Angel stated that, "I didn't take long at all to go back to television. It
732-532: A cameo in the feature film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone , and Jim Carrey 's character in the movie " Steve Gray " has been said to be modeled after Angel. There is a wax statue of Angel in the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Las Vegas. Angel has a passion for music and claims to have been a musician longer than a magician. In 1989, he fronted the short-lived heavy metal band Angel and produced
854-532: A date to an event organized by the Parks department. The night ends in chaos with Ron and Tammy being arrested and getting married. It is later revealed in the episode "Indianapolis" that Tom has created his own cologne scent called "Tommy Fresh". In the season finale, Tom quits his job at the Parks Department to work at Entertainment 720 with Jean-Ralphio. Tom begins working at Entertainment 720 and offers
976-575: A day. In 2005, Angel became the creator, director, and executive producer of the A&;E Network show Criss Angel Mindfreak , and had entered production in January. Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed at The Aladdin in Las Vegas, with Season 3 at the Luxor Las Vegas . Premiering on July 20, 2005, the show's illusions included walking on water, levitating , walking up the side of Luxor Hotel (in
1098-576: A gala opening on October 31, 2008, with preview shows in late September on the 82nd anniversary of Harry Houdini's death. The initial preview received mixed reactions and reviews. Reporters for the Las Vegas Sun , Los Angeles Times , and Las Vegas Review-Journal cited a lack of the magic Angel is known for, as well as a confusing and uninteresting theme. They also opined that neither Angel nor Cirque du Soleil were able to perform to their capabilities during these initial performances. On
1220-407: A human to be completely submerged under water. This performance would also become a part of his first television special. Angel has also been known to actively discourage a belief in mediumship , stating that there is no way for mediums to speak with people beyond the dead. He has said, "If somebody's doing that for entertainment purposes, that's one thing. But if they claim to be communicating with
1342-706: A live audience and judged by Angel, Loni Love and Lance Burton . Angel won the International Magician Society's Magician of the Year award in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, in addition to its "Magician of the Decade" title in 2009 and "Magician of the Century" title in 2010. He was the 22nd recipient of the Louie Award for outstanding achievement in the art of magic. He has also appeared on
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#17327912454691464-436: A million dollars of his own money to whoever could do so. This led to an argument between Callahan and Angel, during which Callahan walked toward Angel and called him an "ideological bigot", with the two pulled apart as the show promptly went to a commercial break. Angel has since revealed the contents of one envelope and at the unveiling he challenged Geller one more time. Geller responded, "Although we were born one day apart - I
1586-570: A new tour entitled "Buried Alive", with dates scheduled for Q2/Q3 2012. A third stand-up special, Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive , was filmed during the tour at the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, and premiered on Netflix on November 1, 2013. His 2015 special, Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden , also premiered on Netflix. In February 2019, Ansari began a new stand-up tour entitled The Road to Nowhere , which
1708-838: A new tour, Dangerously Delicious , which was in theaters across the United States; stops included the Bonnaroo Music Festival and Carnegie Hall in New York City. The tour wrapped with a filming for a special, Dangerously Delicious at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., in June 2011. This special was released on his website in March 2012 for download or stream. In March 2012, Ansari announced
1830-771: A performance of Believe at the Luxor. In 2002, Angel married his longtime girlfriend JoAnn Winkhart. The couple filed for divorce four years later. Although Angel was seen with his wife in the buried alive illusion (season 1, episode 6, 2005) and the body suspension illusion (season 1, episode 5, 2005), she was not credited as his wife; rather, she was listed as "Criss's Girl". In November 2008, Angel began dating Holly Madison , former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner . The relationship ended in February 2009. He proposed to Sandra Gonzalez on September 7, 2011, in Cabo San Lucas during
1952-564: A problem with the trick and how to ensure it does not happen again. Starting in October 2007, he appeared as a judge on Phenomenon with Uri Geller . In a CNN interview about the show, he told Larry King "no one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon . If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust [him] live and on television." On
2074-456: A promotional music video for the song "Don't You Want My Love", incorporating several magic tricks. Angel later went on to collaborate with industrial rock musician Klay Scott for a new band titled Angeldust in 1995. Angeldust released its debut album Musical Conjurings from the World of Illusion in 1998. He later released the albums System 1 , System 2 , and System 3 . In 2003, he released
2196-510: A really serious-looking plaque and all of the restaurants we've given it to have put it front and center. It's funny because people will walk into a restaurant and be like, 'What the fuck is the Food Club? Who are these guys etched in gold?'" They also produced a tongue-in-cheek video about the club for Jash , filming them debating whether or not restaurants were plaque-worthy. Ansari is a fan of indie rock music. His book, Modern Romance ,
2318-596: A record of 5 hours 42 minutes. The record was set in Times Square , New York, where he performed the record-breaking stunt, suspended by eight fishhooks in his body. He held the world world record until it was broken in 2008. He set the fastest time to perform the "Metamorphosis" illusion at less than one second. He is also the holder of the Guinness world record for "The most people to disappear in an illusion", for making 100 people disappear on May 26, 2010, during
2440-548: A relationship, and before leaving on a business trip to Rwanda, Nadia agrees to call him when she returns. During a meeting, Tom meets a man who likes his ideas and helps him jump-start his idea for a restaurant, Tom's Bistro. Now in 2017, Tom's Bistro has become very successful. After reuniting with his ex-girlfriend Lucy, he convinces her to move from Chicago to Pawnee and work at the Bistro. Shortly thereafter, they begin dating and he eventually proposes to her, which she accepts. In
2562-676: A residency show at the Planet Hollywood Hotel in Las Vegas. The first show at Planet Hollywood ran initially from Wednesdays through Sundays in a showroom named after Angel as the Criss Angel Theater. A small number of shows took place in December 2018, before its premiere in mid-January 2019. John Katsilometes at the Las Vegas Review-Journal stated the new show "recast what a magic show
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#17327912454692684-526: A second season in May 2006, and was named one of the best shows of the summer by the Tulsa World newspaper. The show was renewed for a third season in July 2006; as of that third season the show was A&E's number one rated show, with more than 1.5 million viewers. That year he promoted the show with a performance where he was suspended within a cube encased in concrete above Times Square, escaping from
2806-415: A series of flash-forwards in the finale, it is shown that Tom loses a great amount of money after unsuccessfully attempting to franchise Tom's Bistro. However, he later becomes a success again by writing a book about his many failures and how others may be able to achieve success. Aziz Ansari , who was particularly acclaimed during the first season for his role as Tom Haverford, received similar praise in
2928-481: A set of doves for his act. By the time he graduated from East Meadow High School , he had decided to pursue a career as a professional magician instead of attending college as his parents wanted. According to the Biography Channel , "Angel hit the road and began touring with other traveling performance acts. Between traveling and performing, he attempted to further his education on his own by studying
3050-635: A show that combined magic with music. They released their first album, Musical Conjurings from the World of Illusions , in 1998. Also that year, Angel performed a 10-minute show over the course of the "World of Illusion" conference in Madison Square Garden , performing 60 shows per day. However, by 2000, Klayton's name was removed from Angel's website. Angel also starred in the 1997 television movie The Science of Magic and its 2003 sequel The Science of Magic II . Criss Angel Mindfreak , which would later become Angel's first television series,
3172-403: A sunset dinner. They broke up shortly after. Since 2012, Angel has been dating Australian singer Shaunyl Benson. The couple have two sons together, born in 2014 and 2019, and a daughter born in 2021. In 2015, the couple's first child was diagnosed with b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As of 2010, Big Bear Choppers had produced seven custom-made motorcycles for Angel, who featured
3294-525: A very high image of himself and brags that people view him as a "Brown Superman with a Beard" and has also asked to be introduced as "The Brown Gosling ". He is very appreciative of pop culture and the idea of 'swag', very often expressed in his vernacular (e.g. saying "'Serts" instead of "desserts" in the episode "Soulmates"). Tom often teams with April Ludgate and sometimes Donna Meagle to prank and harass Jerry Gergich. He also finds Ben Wyatt an easy target of tease. Tom appears lackadaisical about his work at
3416-516: A woman using the pseudonym "Grace" accused Ansari of sexual misconduct in an article on Babe.net , a website that was aimed at Millennial and Gen-Z readers. According to the article, the woman later texted Ansari expressing her discomfort, and he replied to her with an apology. Media critic Allison Davis, who later interviewed the article's author, Katie Way, called the Babe.net article "some combination of as-told-to and reported piece and morning-after group-chat gossip", saying that it became
3538-410: A woman's orange hat, which others find ridiculous. Ron discovers Tom's green card marriage with Wendy, but agrees to keep it secret, especially after Tom discovers Ron secretly moonlights as a nightclub jazz musician. Tom and Wendy get a divorce shortly after she gets her citizenship. Although he initially appears fine, Tom realizes he did in fact harbor feelings for Wendy and regrets the parting. At
3660-411: Is a fictional character on the NBC series Parks and Recreation . He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who—in his own mind—is revered for his high levels of confidence and unmatched entrepreneurial skills. Thomas Montgomery "Tom" Haverford is an Indian American , who changed his name from Darwish Sabir Ismael Ghani to be more appealing in politics. He
3782-540: Is an American magician, illusionist and musician. He is often referred to as one of the world's most successful illusionists, generating in excess of $ 150 million in tourism revenue for Las Vegas in one year. Angel began his career in New York City, before moving his base of operations to the Las Vegas Valley . He is known for starring in the hit television show MINDFREAK and the stage show Criss Angel MINDFREAK LIVE! (previously Criss Angel Believe ) at
Aziz Ansari - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-464: Is an adaptation of the non-fiction book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by surgeon Atul Gawande , published in 2014. In April 2022, production of the film was halted due to a complaint of inappropriate behavior by Murray on set. According to The Hollywood Reporter , Ansari's second project Good Fortune was scheduled to begin filming in May 2023, but was delayed indefinitely due to
4026-409: Is exactly what I'm looking for in a government employee." Tom is often chosen to go on field projects with Leslie. He is also known for abusing his small amount of public power for self-benefit. Tom studies the culture of pickup artists and engages in a practice he calls " peacocking ," which involves finding a visual element that makes him stand out in public like a peacock. In one such date, he wears
4148-480: Is his business competitor, and struggles to keep Rent-a-Swag afloat, before finally giving in and selling Rent-a-Swag. He tries to focus on his job, helping Leslie get fluoride added to the water in Pawnee, and helping to set up the unity concert. While assisting Nadia Stasky, a beautiful and humorous doctor, at the Parks and Recreation office, Tom attempts to woo her and she later agrees to go out with him. The two pursue
4270-817: Is often assumed to be an immigrant by much of the Parks and Recreation staff (Leslie often assuming him to be Libyan ), though, as he frequently reminds them, he hails from South Carolina , as does Ansari. He initially shared an office with Leslie Knope and worked as her immediate subordinate at the Pawnee parks and recreation department, often serving as her right-hand man. Tom displays an extremely sarcastic, mischievous and cocky attitude, and frequently attempts to secure favors from local contractors. Tom has demonstrated his talent and passion for entrepreneurship in many occasions, including Entertainment 720, Rent-A-Swag, and Tom's Bistro. He takes his appearance very seriously, often donning office-casual polo shirts, as well as fitted suits with boat shoes. He also buys clothing from
4392-674: Is supposed to feel like," due to the extensive use of special effects, pyrotechnics and technology. The show is still running as of 2023, with the latest dates beginning on March 1, 2023. The Supernaturalists premiered in June 2015 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino's The Fox Theater, with Angel serving as creator, director and executive producer. Performers for the show include illusionist Landon Swank, magician Krystyn Lambert, escape artist Spencer Horsman, mentalist Banachek , dog conjuror Johnny Dominguez, magician Stefan, and close up magician Adrian Vega. Robin Leach reviewed
4514-574: Is the author of the book Mindfreak: Secret Revelations , published by HarperEntertainment in 2007. Mindfreak: Secret Revelations appeared on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list that year. According to the Las Vegas Sun , "The 295-page book details the early beginnings of his career, memorable demonstrations from his TV show and personal reflections. "Secret Revelations" also contains several pictures and provides step-by-step instructions for 40 of his basic Mindfreaks. Laura Morton helped
4636-647: The 2023 Writers Guild of America strike . The film was written and is being directed by and stars Ansari alongside Keanu Reeves , Seth Rogen , and Keke Palmer . In January 2024, the project was revealed to have begun filming with Ansari, Rogen, Reeves, and Palmer. Ansari was raised as a Muslim , but has described himself as " not religious " on Twitter. In 2014, he identified as a feminist , saying his girlfriend has helped influence him. Ansari also incorporated an episode about feminism titled "Ladies and Gentlemen" in Master of None . In an interview in 2015, he spoke about
4758-531: The COVID-19 pandemic . By January 2021, production was getting ready to resume, with Naomi Ackie joining the cast. The season was released on May 23, 2021. Ansari's performance in the show earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy . The series earned four Emmy nominations in 2016 : Outstanding Comedy Series , Outstanding Writing for
4880-650: The Luxor casino in Las Vegas. Following his departure from The Luxor after a decade-long run, Angel opened the new MINDFREAK show in the Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. He also produced and starred in the TV series Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars on CW, Criss Angel BeLIEve on Spike TV , a one-hour special Trick'd on A&E, and the reality competition show Phenomenon on NBC . He also holds multiple world records made during his magic performances, and
5002-474: The Paramount Theatre . Ansari's book, Modern Romance: An Investigation , was released on June 16, 2015. The book is about the comedic pitfalls of dating in the modern world and was written with sociologist Eric Klinenberg . In February 2022, Ansari was set to make his feature directorial debut with a dramedy film titled Being Mortal starring Bill Murray , Keke Palmer and Seth Rogen . It
Aziz Ansari - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-577: The South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics . He graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business in 2004, with a Bachelor of Business degree in marketing. His mother, Fatima, is an obstetrician and gynecologist and his father, Shoukath, is a gastroenterologist . Both of his parents appeared in the first two seasons of Master of None . Ansari frequently performed at
5246-623: The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre , as well as weekly shows such as Invite Them Up . In 2005, Rolling Stone included him in their annual "Hot List" as their choice for the "Hot Standup", and he won the Jury Award for "Best Standup" at HBO 's 2006 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado . Around the summer of 2005, Ansari began collaborating with fellow comedians Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer (both from
5368-540: The VH1 Rock Honors awards, biting the head off a bat as a part of the introduction in homage to Osbourne's early career onstage antics. At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards , Angel performed an illusion as a part of the musical performance by Britney Spears and helped to plan her stage show, which opened the television broadcast. He was also hired as the illusionist for the planned 2009 Michael Jackson O2 arena concerts before Jackson's death. In 2013, Angel had
5490-492: The #MeToo movement against forms of sexual abuse. Way was criticized for her handling of the story and for not following accepted journalistic standards. For The Atlantic , James Hamblin wrote that these "stories of gray areas are exactly what [...] need to be told and discussed." "Even Ansari, the semi-ironic expert who authored a book on interpersonal communication [...] was seeing something totally different from his date, Grace", who felt coerced. Ansari briefly receded from
5612-627: The Criss Angel Magic Collection, which contained six Mindfreak Magic Tricks instructions, 250 tricks, and a magic kit for children. The product was backed by $ 50 million in marketing. Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars aired weekly episodes on The CW , beginning in late 2022. Numerous stars appeared in the first season including Donny Osmond , Randy Couture and Michael Ian Black . Each week two celebrities compete against each other after they are trained by Angel. There are three categories which are performed in front of
5734-530: The Greek , I Love You, Man , 30 Minutes or Less , This Is the End , and Observe and Report . In 2009, Ansari appeared in the Judd Apatow film Funny People . Apatow liked Ansari's character, "Randy", and commissioned him and Human Giant collaborator Jason Woliner to create online shorts centered around his character, to promote the film. These shorts proved successful and the character became
5856-516: The Netflix original series Master of None , which he created and wrote with Parks and Recreation writer Alan Yang . James Poniewozik of The New York Times called the show "the year's best comedy straight out of the gate" and praised its genre-crossing appeal. The show initially ran for two seasons. Production work began on a third season in early 2020 in London, but was put on hold because of
5978-427: The October 31, 2007, episode of the reality show Phenomenon , paranormalist Jim Callahan performed a summoning , purportedly of deceased author Raymond Hill, to help discover the contents of a locked box. Although fellow judge Uri Geller praised the performance, Angel called it "comical" and subsequently challenged both Callahan and Geller to guess the contents of two envelopes he pulled out of his pocket, offering
6100-524: The age of 6. Keenly aware of the camera at all times, Angel manages to offer some personality, especially where family is involved. Viewers follow the illusionist as he contemplates new and more dangerous stunts, while his crew, including his often-fretful brothers, offer insight as to what, other than ego, drives someone in this profession." The show ran from 2005 until 2010, at which point he had been featured for more hours on prime time television than any other magician in history. Other tricks performed in
6222-547: The album Supernatural . His musical style continues to be in the heavy metal style, though when describing his musical style he has said, "There are elements where it's more electronic, and there are orchestrated sections. I decided to take it in different places because I'm inspired by emotion and by giving people a connection, a sense of a feeling — whether it's excitement or crying or being happy." He also produced soundtracks for his television series Mindfreak , including collaborations with members of Korn and Godsmack . Angel
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#17327912454696344-429: The basis for a DVD/CD special for Comedy Central . The set, titled Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening , aired January 17, 2010. Ansari's comedy style tends to focus on aspects of his personal life. "I like talking about things that are going on in my life, because that's always going to be different and original", he says. "No one else is gonna be talking about my personal experiences". In July 2010, Ansari began
6466-432: The block before it was set to crash to the ground. Magic effects creator Sean Field stated of Angel this year that, "Criss Angel is the biggest name in magic since Houdini ... No other magician has invaded pop culture to the degree that Criss Angel has. He has changed the image of magic and made it cool." The show became one of the most popular foreign television shows in parts of Asia, including China. The television show
6588-540: The book Mindfreak: Secret Revelations . Criss Angel was born on December 19, 1967, at Hempstead General Hospital in Hempstead , on Long Island , New York . He is of Greek descent. Angel was raised in Elmont until fourth grade, when his family moved to East Meadow, New York . His father, John Sarantakos, owned a restaurant and doughnut shop. He developed an interest in magic at age seven and took inspiration from
6710-512: The bosses off Ron's back, but doesn't overachieve to the point where the Parks department is tasked to do extra assignments. Tom initially refuses but eventually agrees. After his joking style made Ann Perkins smile at a Valentine's Day party, she decides to meet him for a date which his antics immediately made her regret. However, after several fits and starts, Tom has convinced Ann to keep seeing him, even though he's oblivious to (or ignoring) her disgust at allowing herself to do so. Sometime between
6832-618: The boys' collection at Brooks Brothers ("Telethon"). In "Go Big or Go Home," Tom also boasted about ladies' sneakers he bought from his workplace during Pawnee's government shutdown. Though it is not explicitly said, it's assumed Tom worked at Lady Foot Locker , where his best friend Jean-Ralphio Saperstein has a job too ("Woman of the Year"). He later opens up his own luxurious clothing-rental store for growing teens, Rent-A-Swag, and employs Jean-Ralphio's sister Mona-Lisa Saperstein. Tom married his Canadian -born college friend Wendy to secure her U.S. citizenship (a green card marriage ). Despite
6954-608: The covers of Magic and Genii magazines. In 2008, Angel was one of the inaugural nominees for the Harry Houdini Award, awarded by the Harry Houdini Museum. Angel is the youngest magician to ever be inducted into the International Magician Society's Magic Hall of Fame. He is also the only man to have won the Merlin Magician of the Year award on two occasions, in 2001 and 2004. In 2011, he
7076-622: The dead, I don't care if they're from my hometown, I don't care if they're my family members: I'll expose them and tell them what they really are." In August 2002, Angel spent 24 hours shackled underwater in a phone booth-sized water torture cell in New York's Times Square . The act was said to be inspired by the great escape artist, Harry Houdini . WWE corporation being the owners of the World Underground Theatre where Angel had been performing his stage show. To prepare for
7198-553: The end of Season 2, Tom meets Lucy, a bartender at the Snake Hole Lounge. As of the finale, the two are dating. At the beginning of Season 3, Tom is seen working at an apparel store as a sales associate while the government is on furlough. Lucy eventually breaks up with him, and reveals that their relationship ended because Tom spent too much time talking about his ex-wife's relationship with Ron Swanson. As an attempt to exact revenge on Ron, Tom brings Ron's ex-wife Tammy as
7320-654: The end of season four and the start of season five, Tom and Ann break up. Tom finally begins what appears to be a reputable business, based on an idea he came up with during a fundraiser for Jerry in "Halloween Surprise". The idea, aptly titled "Rent-a-Swag" is to rent his own high-end clothing to middle school boys whose mothers don't want to constantly buy them new articles of clothing through puberty that they will grow out of quickly. He hires Mona-Lisa Saperstein and subsequently starts dating her. While building this business, Tom finally learns how to responsibly make use of his money. Tom learns that Jean-Ralphio's dad, Dr. Saperstein,
7442-412: The episode's meaningfulness to him saying "I thought it was interesting that this is happening, yet so many people are unaware of it. And the problem is people aren't talking about it. What I've learned, as a guy, is to just ask women questions and listen to what they have to say. Go to your group of female friends and ask them about times they've experienced sexism at their job, and you'll get blown away by
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#17327912454697564-403: The escape. He first picked open a set of handcuffs that had him shackled to a balcony railing. He then smashed the window of the room in order to enter the hotel, and picked padlocks on both the room's internal door and the door to the stairwell. The escape was initially supposed to occur via a ladder that dangled above the hotel's roof 30 seconds before collapse, after picking through five locks on
7686-468: The executive producer; I direct it; I create it. I write all the music for my TV specials and my live performances. It's on my label. I write it; I produce it." During the special Angel performed stunts, including lighting himself on fire and making a tarantula emerge from a pedestrian's soda can. In 2003, Angel was also featured in the two-hour TBS special Made in Japan . In early 2003, Angel performed at
7808-457: The film's death-defying stunt." For another episode for the series filmed in New York City he was asked by the NYPD not to pre-announce the performance, as crowd control for some Angel performances had become a concern for the police. This trick saw Angel hanging his feet, while bound with two straitjackets and a noose around his neck which were attached to metal weights. While he was successful in
7930-421: The film, in which he laid beneath a circle of suspended swords, and predicted the correct order of six falling swords to avoid becoming stabbed through his body after their release. The swords were selected by the audience with the help of a randomly bouncing ball . According to the Las Vegas Sun , "Criss is the only, and first, magician in the world granted permission from the inventor and filmmaker to re-create
8052-427: The first two seasons of Netflix's critically acclaimed series Master of None , for which he also served as a writer and director. As a stand-up comedian, Ansari released his first comedy special, Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening , in January 2010 on Comedy Central Records. He continues to perform stand-up on tour and on Netflix. His first book, Modern Romance: An Investigation , was released in June 2015. He
8174-594: The great illusionist Harry Houdini . Angel performed for an audience after five years of practising his craft at age 12, for which he was paid $ 10. By age 14, Angel was performing throughout high school at restaurants in East Meadow, including the Wine Gallery. Angel's first major illusion was making his mother float in their family den. Early in his career he was helped by animal breeder and reality-television host Marc Morrone , who helped Angel find and train
8296-413: The group, which debuted April 5, 2007. The show ran for two seasons and the group was offered a third season, but they opted to pursue other opportunities. Ansari had been offered the role of Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation , and since the members wrote everything together, they decided, as Scheer told Vulture , "it would be better if we walked away as friends instead of burn out on each other and
8418-423: The history of magic in public libraries. He also studied the art of mysticism, music, martial arts and even dance." Angel once said, "I stayed away from magicians when I was younger because I didn't want to think like them and wanted to create my own style." His first television appearance was in 1994, where he performed as a part of Secrets , a one-hour ABC primetime special. One of the early supporters of Angel
8540-465: The improv troupe Respecto Montalban ), as well as director Jason Woliner to make short films. The first series created by the group was Shutterbugs , which followed Huebel and Ansari as cutthroat child talent agents. This was followed up by the Illusionators , which starred Ansari and Scheer as Criss Angel –style goth magicians. In mid-2006, MTV greenlit Human Giant , a sketch series from
8662-404: The late 2000s. His clip "Walk on Water" had received more than 39 million views by 2010, and more than 46 million by 2013. By early 2013, his videos had achieved more than 200 million views. Another highly watched clip is "Rip Bodies Apart", taken from the premiere episode of BeLIEve , which had more than twelve million views within a month. In 2010, Angel partnered with IdeaVillage to release
8784-534: The light of 39 focused lamps that can be seen from space ), floating between two buildings, causing a Lamborghini to disappear , surviving in an exploding C4 Crate, cutting himself in half in full view of an audience and getting run over by a steamroller while lying on a bed of broken glass. The first season of the show was released on DVD after it completed its on-screen run. The show also released its Halloween special, along with two special episodes, on an additional one-disc DVD offering. The show returned for
8906-610: The magic. In 2011, the Toronto Star wrote: "The show is easily the most exciting thing now on stage in Vegas!" That year the show attracted an estimated $ 150 million in ticket sales. The show ran through 2019, and was the best selling magic show in Las Vegas as of 2013. In 2019, he began his new show "Mindfreak Live" at Planet Hollywood , where he currently performs 5 nights a week. The stage show celebrated its fifth anniversary of appearing on stage in October 2013. That month
9028-499: The magician write the book." California Bookwatch wrote that it "tells of Criss Angel's evolution as a performance artist, magician and musician, charting his rise to fame beginning at age 6 and adding details of his life and his artistic philosophy and influences ... His survey covers the 'Mindfreaks' which allow him to push for excellence in very different worlds". Criss Angel is the most watched magician in Internet history since
9150-776: The marriage, Tom aggressively flirts with other women, which has prompted confusion from people unfamiliar with his arrangement with Wendy. He is constantly pursuing women even during his marriage, as far as going to strip clubs , hitting on Ann Perkins , distributing copies of his house keys to beautiful women, and judging at the Miss Pawnee pageant. Tom has complete authority over the Pawnee tennis court reservation system, which has brought him into close contact with many attractive female tennis enthusiasts. Tom's heroes include Tiger Woods , Vin Diesel , Michael Bolton , Flo Rida , Patrick Jane , Paul Walker , and Jamie Foxx . He has
9272-555: The motorcycle designers on his show Criss Angel Mindfreak . He also had a Harley Davidson motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers , which he rode in the intro filmed for Criss Angel Mindfreak . As a philanthropist, Angel created the Believe Foundation 'Believe Anything is Possible', and was awarded the Make-A-Wish Foundation award for most supportive celebrity on May 19, 2010. He was also awarded
9394-416: The parks department and regularly undermines Leslie. He plays online Scrabble against his superior, Ron Swanson , during work time and loses on purpose in order to further his career. Ron, who believes in as little government interference as possible, approvingly states of Tom, "He doesn't do a lot of work around here. He shows zero initiative. He's not a team player. He never wants to go that extra mile. Tom
9516-421: The perfect home to do it." Endemol purchased the foreign distribution rights for the show, and was the "most-watched new original series [on Spike TV] in more than 18 months" according to The Hollywood Reporter . In the episode "Lord of Illusions — Death Premonition", Angel paid homage to Clive Barker, the director of the horror movie of the same name . In the episode, Angel performed the closing stunt from
9638-478: The performance that the show was "unbelievably BAD" and that he'd "rather be getting a root canal ", and word had gotten back to Angel by the end of the performance. Cirque du Soleil later apologized to Hilton for Angel's remarks. In 2010, the Las Vegas Sun critic John Katsilometes, after being unimpressed by the initial show, said Believe had improved by reducing the narrative elements and focusing on
9760-486: The positive side, the Las Vegas Sun later quoted Star Pulse, stating, "He has created a live show that is everything a perfect magic performance should be — and then some. It's not just remarkable magic — it's transcendent art that won't just blow your mind; it will quite possibly change your life." In April 2009, Angel ended a performance of Believe by "hurling obscene insults" at blogger Perez Hilton , an audience member. Hilton reportedly had texted to his fans during
9882-422: The premiere episode of its 24th season. During a 2007 episode of the show, he successfully guessed the number between 1 and 100 he asked Winfrey to think of without telling him. Angel has appeared on other talk shows including The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson , Jimmy Kimmel Live! , The Megan Mullally Show , The Ellen DeGeneres Show , AVN Awards Show 2007 and Larry King Live on CNN . He
10004-411: The public eye following the incident and resumed performing stand-up comedy in May 2018. In 2016, Ansari was the recipient of Smithsonian Magazine's American Ingenuity Award for Performing Arts. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Aziz Ansari 49th in their list of greatest stand-up comedians of all time. Tom Haverford Thomas Montgomery " Tom " Haverford (born Darwish Sabir Ismail Ghani )
10126-464: The release of the new branding for Miller Lite beer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , on the 80th anniversary of Houdini's last performance in that city. For the performance, he was suspended ten stories in the air and bound in a straitjacket, from which he escaped. He also performed an illusion at Ozzfest in 2005. During this period Angel also earned money selling signed merchandise, making up to $ 50,000
10248-445: The roof's door. Instead, Angel emerged from the rubble after the collapse, claiming that the initial plan was always to escape via the helicopter. The total time allotted for the entire illusion was four minutes, with dynamite located on the first, second, and fourth floors of the building. In 2006, Angel partnered with Cirque du Soleil to produce the stage show Criss Angel Believe (stylized as " Criss Angel BeLIEve "), premiering
10370-524: The second season as well. Alan Sepinwall, television columnist with The Star-Ledger , described Tom as the funniest of the characters during the first season , and Jonah Weiner of Slate.com , who was critical of the first season, said Tom was "the brightest spot." Paste ranked him No. 10 in their list of the 20 Best Characters of 2011. Criss Angel Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos ( Greek : Χριστόφορος Νικόλαος Σαραντάκος ; born December 19, 1967), known professionally as Criss Angel ,
10492-407: The shoeshinist at city hall, Andy Dwyer, a job, which Andy turns down. Entertainment 720 goes bankrupt due to their massive overspending and no business model and Tom decides to throw one last party which Lucy attends at which he confesses to her that he is broke and jobless. Ron tries to persuade Tom to take his old job back, departing from Tom's early storyline by saying he does his job well and keeps
10614-439: The show also became the most watched YouTube magic clips in the history of the site, with more than 15 million views. In the show, Angel revealed the secrets behind some of his illusions to the audience. This included the "Lord of Illusions" trick, where he revealed that he had the swords in a preset order so that he could avoid them. The episode featuring this illusion also includes a meeting between Angel and his team discussing
10736-554: The show as having "overwhelming positive reactions" and wrote that it contained "the most mind-blowing magic spectacle that's playing anywhere". Angel has stated that the show is a culmination of ten years of development, which he began in 2005, and is intended as a global touring show and as a premiering venue for several new illusions from each magician. Angel has made numerous special television guest appearances on WWE Raw , including acting as guest star on March 8, 2010. He also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show , including
10858-409: The show at the Luxor Las Vegas on September 26, 2008. It became the bestselling live magic show in the world. The name of the show was taken from Harry Houdini , for the mythology of Houdini choosing the word "believe" as the codeword for communicating with Houdini after his death. Luxor's parent company, MGM Mirage , financed the show with $ 100 million. After several delays, the show was set for
10980-433: The show included the performance of séances , as well as other tricks in order to teach his audience about con men and how to avoid scams intended to manipulate money out of people. In July 2008, Angel escaped from a beachside hotel before its demolition in front of a crowd of about 50,000 people, an illusion that also aired on the television program. After the illusion, Angel showed the audience step by step how he achieved
11102-551: The show so he could work on Parks and Recreation . Ansari also has a recurring role on the animated comedy Bob's Burgers as Darryl. In August 2011, Ansari made a cameo appearance in the music video for " Otis " by Jay-Z and Kanye West from their collaborative album Watch the Throne . Ansari hosted the January 21, 2017 episode of Saturday Night Live , becoming the first person of Indian origin to do so. Ansari has made appearances in several films, including Get Him to
11224-568: The show were developed in Angel's illusion laboratory in Las Vegas, located in a 60,000 square foot warehouse. His international touring with the show marked the first time that Angel had traveled with his show in about six years. The premiere show of the performance occurred at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut during November 2014. Following on from the success of his touring show, Angel announced his Mindfreak stage show would become
11346-625: The show." In June 2008, Ansari was announced as the first cast hire for NBC's comedy Parks and Recreation . The show debuted in April 2009 with Ansari playing one of the main characters, Tom Haverford , for the show's seven seasons. Ansari's performance was praised by critics, including Entertainment Weekly , TV Guide , and Yahoo! TV, which placed him in the No. 1 spot on its list of "TV MVPS". Starting in November 2015, Ansari starred as Dev Shah in
11468-564: The show; this made him the first Asian-American actor to win a Golden Globe for acting in television. In addition to his work on Parks and Recreation , Ansari appeared on the HBO series Flight of the Conchords as an eccentric and prejudiced fruit vendor. He had a recurring role in season eight of the ABC sitcom Scrubs as Ed, a new intern at the hospital. Ansari's character was written off
11590-400: The star of his childhood idol, Harry Houdini . The International Brotherhood of Magicians presented Angel with a Lifetime Achievement Award in July 2018, becoming only the sixth illusionist to receive the award. Vanish Magic magazine awarded Angel "The Greatest of All Time" illusionist award in 2022. In February 2002, Angel broke the world record for the longest body suspension , setting
11712-475: The streets of New York, hypnotising passers-by, turning cups of take-away coffee into cockroaches and suspending himself from the ceiling by inserting hooks into his back. The piece de resistance of all these mind games is an update of the Houdini underwater trick - an attempt to stay in a (cell) tank of water for 24 hours, padlocked and restrained. All seems to be going well, until the filter system breaks down and
11834-443: The subject of one of the film ideas Ansari and Woliner are developing for Apatow Productions . Two other ideas in development are Let's Do This , a road movie about two motivational speakers, and an untitled film about two disgraced astronauts who must return to space to clear their names. Ansari is attached to star in another film with Danny McBride based on an idea from Ansari and 30 Rock writer Matt Hubbard . In April 2010, it
11956-519: The tank. On October 20, 2002, Angel performed in the ABC Family television special named Criss Angel Mindfreak: Postmodern illusionist , an hour-long performance and tribute to Harry Houdini. The special aired again on December 24, 2002, on Channel 4 in the U.K. The Birmingham Evening Mail reviewed the show, writing, "Criss Angel is currently making a name for himself as a more provocative, darker alternative to [other illusionists]. He walks
12078-454: The things they tell you." Ansari is a " foodie " (although he dislikes the term); he and his friends Eric Wareheim and Jason Woliner have formed what they called "The Food Club", which involves them dressing up in suits and captain hats and rewarding restaurants with "Food Club" plaques. The plaques have their faces engraved along with the words: "The Food Club has dined here and deemed it plaque-worthy". He explained to Vanity Fair , "It's
12200-461: The trick, Angel tore his shoulder muscles and this required surgery in January 2014. This resulted in the temporary closing of the Believe stage show between January and April 2014, while he was recovering from the surgery and returning to performance shape. He did however host a new stage show featuring other magicians between February and March 2014 in lieu of performing in his own show. Clips from
12322-521: The trick, he practiced in a neighbor's backyard swimming pool next to his mother's house in East Meadow, New York . Prior to the performance he had only managed to spend 12 consecutive hours in the water. He fasted for 24 hours before the performance to make it through the period without need to exit and use the bathroom. During the trick, he went through 16 oxygen tanks. After the trick, he was required to remove his own shackles and chains before exiting
12444-654: The water begins to heat up." On October 31, 2003, the Sci-Fi Channel aired the one-hour special Supernatural starring Angel. Kate O'Hare said of the special that, "Filmed in part at Universal Theme Park in Orlando, Fla., "Supernatural" finds Angel crawling up buildings, passing a quarter through his skin, spontaneously combusting and having otherworldly creatures burst from his chest." When asked about his process in creating television specials, Angel said that, "I like to have my hand in everything on my TV specials. I'm
12566-441: The water. Within an hour, his skin began to react substantially to the water. At the end of the performance, according to Ted Shaffrey, "Before he emerged from the phone-booth sized contraption of clear plastic and steel, Angel yanked out the air hose that allowed him to breathe. Then assistants pulled a black curtain over the 220-gallon (832-liter) chamber to block the view of television cameras and about 100 people gathered outside
12688-523: The window in which he was displayed. Under cover, Angel apparently escaped from the shackles that bound his arms, legs and neck, before pulling himself from the watery chamber with a celebratory scream." Upon successfully completing the trick, he was described as having "skin crinkled and his eyes bloodshot", and upon emerging from the tank he was taken to St. Clare's Hospital and treated for severe dehydration. He reported afterwards that he had suffered from overheating, jaw fatigue, and semi-consciousness while in
12810-463: The world's premiere mentalist; and new female magician Krystyn Lambert, who has been prominently featured in the Spike series ... joined by grandmaster manipulators Jason Byrne and Tony Clarke, supreme close-up artist Armando Vera and the magic comedy of Russ Merlin." The production was written and directed by Criss Angel. In January 2014, Angel announced that he planned on taking Criss Angel Magicjam on
12932-415: Was also a guest on The Tonight Show , Late Show with David Letterman , America's Got Talent , and The Rosie O'Donnell Show . He also made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY , Las Vegas and Rules of Engagement . In 2011, Angel also appeared in an Orville Redenbacher Pop-Up Bowl popcorn commercial. In May 2005, Angel introduced honoree Ozzy Osbourne at
13054-582: Was announced that Ansari would star in the film 30 Minutes or Less . The film was directed by Ruben Fleischer and co-starred Jesse Eisenberg and McBride. The film was released on August 12, 2011. Ansari tours as a stand-up comedian . In 2006 and 2007, he toured with the Comedians of Comedy and Flight of the Conchords . In late 2008 and early 2009, his own comedy tour, the Glow in the Dark Tour, became
13176-634: Was awarded the World Magic Legacy Awards' Living Legend award. During the same year, Angel was inducted to the International Magicians Society 's Hall of Fame. As a result, it made him the youngest IMS inductee to date, aged 43. On July 20, 2017, Angel was the recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . His star is located next to The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and across the street from
13298-540: Was born in Columbia, South Carolina to Indian immigrants from the state of Tamil Nadu . His parents are Tamil Muslims , though Ansari himself is non-religious . He has a younger brother, Aniz Adam Ansari, who is seven years his junior. Aniz is also a writer, and co-wrote an episode of Master of None with his brother. Ansari grew up in Bennettsville, South Carolina where he attended Marlboro Academy as well as
13420-449: Was born on the 20th of December and you on the 19th - a lot of years between us - 40 years, you were one year old when I came out with my spoon bending..." Criss Angel cut him off at this point, saying, "I guess this is a 'no,'" and proceeded to open the envelope. The envelope contained an index card with the numbers "911" printed on it for September 11, 2001 . Angel's explanation was this: "If on 9-10 somebody could have predicted that 9-11
13542-438: Was going to happen, they could have saved thousands of lives". The other envelope's contents were scheduled to be revealed on the first episode of Season 4 of Criss Angel: Mindfreak . The temporary replacement show for Believe was entitled Criss Angel Magicjam , which was performed in the same Luxor theatre. According to the Las Vegas Sun , the show included, "Longtime Las Vegas comedy-illusionist Nathan Burton; Banachek ,
13664-594: Was his official public return after the sexual-misconduct allegations and media backlash that put his career on a year-long hiatus in 2018. The performance was a response to the events of that past year, and touched on topics ranging from cultural appropriation, racism to sexual misconduct. His next comedy special Aziz Ansari: Right Now was released on July 9, 2019, followed by Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian , released on January 25, 2022. In May 2019, Ansari teamed up with Dave Chappelle for three shows in Austin, Texas at
13786-432: Was horror director Clive Barker . In 1995, Barker asked Angel to work with him on his film Lord of Illusions . He also later recorded the intro to Angel's album World of Illusion: System One . Barker stated in the mid-1990s, "Criss Angel is extraordinary, a spectacular mix of visionary magic. This is the future, and it can't come quickly enough." During that year, he collaborated with musician Klayton to form Angeldust,
13908-535: Was included in the Time 100 list of most influential people in 2016. In July 2019, Ansari released his fifth comedy special Aziz Ansari: Right Now , which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album . In 2021, Netflix released Master of None Presents: Moments in Love , which Ansari wrote and directed. The following year he released his comedy special Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian on Netflix. Aziz Ansari
14030-627: Was my choice to work on the live Cirque show and to get that where I wanted it to be. "Now that that show is just humming and doing amazing business — it's the #1 bestselling magic show in the world as far as ticket sales and the perception that people are experiencing and coming back to see it multiple times — I felt it was in a great place and I could think about television again. Obviously, "Believe" will continue to evolve until its last performance because I always want to add new magic, I'm always tweaking and transforming it. I missed being on television, I had something new creatively to say, and Spike became
14152-405: Was named Magician of the Decade in 2009, Magician of the Century in 2010 by the International Magicians Society . In 2017, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Vanish magazine awarded him the "Greatest of All Time" award in 2019. In addition to his career as an illusionist, Angel was the lead singer for his industrial band Angeldust, which released five albums. He also authored
14274-840: Was named after a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song of the same name; the band's guitarist, Nick Zinner , had earlier made a cameo appearance in a filmed skit by Ansari parodying Justin Bieber . He can also be spotted crowd surfing in the LCD Soundsystem documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits , during a performance of the song "Yeah" at the band's Madison Square Garden show. Ansari is also a fan of hip-hop ; he has referenced Kanye West in several of his comedy routines and created an unofficial video for West's song " Famous " with Wareheim while on set for Master of None . Ansari has also been known to enjoy dance music – while touring Australia in 2010, he
14396-433: Was noted as a part of the mid-2000s films, television, and books that drove a resurgence of the public popularity of magic. Criss Angel Mindfreak was the first weekly magic television show to air in 40 years. Daily Variety reviewed the premiere writing, "The stunts alone are impressive. But what makes the show fascinating are the down-home touches in which we see the kid from New York, who first honed his magic skills at
14518-556: Was originally an off-Broadway show by Angel, which in 2001 was picked up by the World Underground Theatre. When not performing the show, Angel worked the streets promoting the show to pedestrians. Criss Angel Mindfreak ran for more than 600 performances between 2001 and 2003 at the World Underground Theater in Times Square. His 24 hours in a tank of water set a world record for the longest amount of time for
14640-509: Was spotted in a Sydney nightclub with Major Lazer , Diplo and Skerrit Bwoy . Dialogue of him in character as Tom Haverford from Parks and Recreation was also sampled in the Odd Mob song "Is It a Banger?". Ansari was a close friend of the comedian Harris Wittels ; they frequently worked together and were working on a new script together at the time of his passing. Wittels was also set to star in Master of None prior to his death; his role
14762-637: Was the first award received by an Asian American actor for acting on television. Ansari began performing comedy in New York City , while a student at NYU Stern in 2000. He later co-created and starred in the MTV sketch comedy show Human Giant , after which he had acting roles in a number of feature films. From 2009 to 2015, Ansari gained prominence for his role as Tom Haverford in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation . In 2015, Ansari co-created, and starred in
14884-615: Was ultimately taken by Wareheim. Ansari purchased an apartment in Tribeca , Downtown Manhattan in 2018 that had previously been owned by New York Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh for US$ 5.7 million. In December 2021, it was reported that Ansari had become engaged to Danish forensic data scientist Serena Skov Campbell. In June 2022, Ansari and Campbell got married, with their wedding being held in Tuscany, Italy . In January 2018,
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