Curtain closes on Criss Angel-Belinda romance
This was to be a simple video release. But in Criss Angel’s magic kingdom, “simple” can get complicated.
On Monday, the star of “Mindfreak Live” at Luxor posted a behind-the-scenes clip of the new music video starring Latin pop star and “Baywatch” cast member Belinda Peregrin Schull, known simply as Belinda in her public life. The video is for the dance track “Bailalo,” recorded over several days in June in the desert near Las Vegas.
Angel directed the piece, which features artists from all seven Cirque du Soleil productions on the Strip. Electronic dance music superstar and Vegas headliner Steve Aoki co-produced the single and appears in the behind-the-scenes clip.
Angel teased an announcement of this project throughout Sunday, posting Instagram images of him working with Cirque artists, peering into cameras and directing the pop star.
The video is an adventurous effort, featuring Belinda riding a wheelie on a bicycle with a unicorn head atop its Swarovski-crystal handlebars. Four guys rumbling along on motorcycles flank her. There is a healthy use of slow-motion videography, black-and-white effects, and scenes of Belinda in a schoolgirl’s dress, Britney Spears-style. Cast members from Cirque include the Sgt. Pepper character from “Love” at The Mirage and the sand crab from “Ka” at MGM Grand.
As a subplot to this effort, Angel and Belinda had been romantically linked since July 2016, and were reportedly engaged this year. Angel even had “Beli” tattooed on his left chest in her honor. But that relationship officially hit the skids Sunday, just a day before Angel posted the video of the making of ‘Bailalo.”
Sunday night, Belinda tweeted, “I’m not going to talk or give any more details about my personal life. I’m calm, I am with my family, and at this very moment, I don’t have a partner. Blessings to all.” This is the version translated from the Spanish, which Belinda punctuated with a two-heart emoji.
In a text message Monday, Angel countered with, “I am relieved to say I am no longer engaged or in a relationship. Better off finding out about someone’s true character now before it’s too late.”
The Mexican talk show “Ventaneando” had earlier accused Angel of cheating on the pop star. On Sept. 4, Angel shot back on Twitter with, “Really? I know YOU CAN’T back up any of ur allegations! They DON’T exist.” (He added a fist emoji here). “In my attorney’s hands…#FakeNews More to come.”
The following day, Angel replied to his own tweet with, “The truth will set you free! Like magic, that story is gone.” Belinda had defended Angel on her Twitter page, posting: “I want to clarify that what is being said about @CrissAngel isn’t true, they want to damage his integrity which I also defend.” That tweet has since been deleted from Belinda’s account.
Left in the ashes is the final cut of the “Bailalo” video, which, because of the discord, might never be made public. But Angel does have an impressive, nine-minute clip of how it came together.
Now that he’s single again, Angel will need to deal with that tattoo. Luckily for him, “Beli” can be easily extended to read, “Believe,” which, we remember, was Angel’s mantra and the title of his show when he hit the Strip a decade ago.
This ink can be fixed, “Like magic.”
S&R to club the keg
Speaking of large-scale magic, legendary illusionists Siegfried & Roy are launching the Oktoberfest season at Hofbrauhaus on Friday night. The duo taps the first keg of the celebration at 7:30 p.m. S&R traditionally launch this celeb-laden festival, which runs through the end of October.
Those also in line are pro BMX rider Ricardo Laguna on Saturday; Brett Raymer and Wayde King of “Tanked” on Sept. 22; the cast of “Raiding the Rock Vault” at Hard Rock Hotel on Sept. 23; the men of “Chippendales” at the Rio on Sept. 29; Planet Hollywood magician Murray Sawchuck on Sept. 30; the cast of “Legends in Concert” on Oct. 7; the Australian Bee Gees of the Excalibur on Oct. 13; V Theater at Miracle Mile Shops magician Nathan Burton on Oct. 14; the cast of “Fantasy” at Luxor on Oct. 27; and Paris Las Vegas hypnotist Anthony Cools on Oct. 28.’
Storm returns
Burlesque legend Tempest Storm, recovering from a fractured right hip she suffered in a fall in an Atlanta hotel suite Aug. 19, is due back home in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Storm had surgery the following day and has been in recovering in an Atlanta rehabilitation facility.
Storm suffered her injury as she tumbled in the bathroom while preparing to leave Atlanta, where she had appeared at the Atlanta Underground Film Festival. She attended a screening of the documentary “Tempest Storm” the night before her fall.
Storm’s friend and manager Harvey Robbins said the 89-year-old Storm would need more time to recover from the injury and surgery, and that her appearance Oct. 4-8 in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and other dates overseas (including stops in Switzerland and Germany this fall) have been canceled.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.