Go behind the scenes with Press Tour Journal

Fans of magic, "Fear Factor" and heavy metal -- somehow those three things do go together -- will likely be drawn to A&E's "Criss Angel Mindfreak" (10 p.m. Wednesday), a new series hosted by a magician/musician with long black hair, clad in leather and with chains around his neck.

Angel looks as if he'd be Marilyn Manson's in-house magician, and his name brings to mind Kiss rocker Peter Criss, but he's an articulate -- even soft-spoken -- guy.

At the start of a press conference Thursday, Criss demonstrated his talent by swallowing a shot of wine containing needles. Then he downed some thread before pulling the thread, with needles hanging from it, from his belly button. Gross? Kind of, but pretty fascinating, too.

Criss describes what he does as "blurring the line between mentalism, illusion and stunts." Wednesday's premiere will feature Angel being set on fire in one stunt and levitating on Fremont Street in Las Vegas in another.

"A lot of what I do is completely real. A lot of it is completely an illusion," Angel said. "What I try to do is blur the lines between both of them and leave it up to the audience to determine what is what."

Angel said he doesn't fear death, but he also doesn't take irrational risks.

"I spend many years sometimes developing how to actually do this so I don't kill myself, although the danger is always evident," he said. "I have not come across anything that I wanted to do that I couldn't do. Some take longer to figure out how to do safely."

Angel said "Mindfreak" will carry a disclaimer discouraging viewers from attempting any of his stunts at home.

"There is a strong warning right up top of the show, and in some of the shows. ... I underscore that with me personally saying the warning."

"Mindfreaks" Criss Angel brings his bold brand of magic to A&E. Click photo for larger image.

Angel appears to have a rivalry going with illusionist David Blaine (Angel said Blaine challenged him to a head-to-head contest, but now doesn't return his calls), but he said what sets his magic show apart is the way it focuses on his preparation.

"This is the first show that really unveils the secrecy and lets the viewer actually see the process, the trials and tribulations ... from inception to fruition," Angel said. "It really gets people vested on that emotional level so that when I perform it, whether they love me or hate me, they're connected somehow."

'Curb' returns.....

HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" returns for a 10-episode fifth season Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. It will be followed at 10:30 by "Extras," a new BBC co-production starring Ricky Gervais ("The Office") as a movie extra who's always clamoring for more screen time.

A&E's decline

A&E has become a muddled mess, a mishmosh of mostly reality lowbrow series ("Growing Up Gotti") and middlebrow movies ("Faith of My Fathers") with an occasional quality drama ("MI-5") thrown in here and there.

Next up: Taking a cue from NBC's "Behind the Camera" TV movies, A&E will produce films about the making of "Psycho" and "Saturday Night Live."

On the reality front, A&E will air a five-part series about men with girlfriends who are considering the priesthood called "God or the Girl?" "Dallas SWAT" is "Cops" with a SWAT team. "Jackpot Diaries" trails instant millionaires and what happens after they cash their winning checks. "Rollergirls" follows a team of women who participate in Roller Derby.

BBC America improves

While A&E continues to traffic in a lot of junky programming, BBC America is recovering from its over-reliance on British reality imports and is moving back toward its drama-centric roots.

The network previewed two upcoming series that look worthwhile. "Bodies" (9 p.m. Sept. 29) was described by the British press as a darker "ER" as it chronicles the politics, malpractice and black humor inside an English hospital.

The daring "Viva Blackpool" (10 p.m. Oct. 23) isn't intimidated by the failure of "Cop Rock" as its characters sing along with famous tunes ("Viva Las Vegas," "These Boots Were Made for Walking") in a casino-set mystery-thriller.

When "Viva Blackpool" aired in England, the title was simply "Blackpool," but BBC America programming executive Kathryn Mitchell added "Viva" to the title because she was worried "that people would think it was a thriller about some sort of lake of death."

Channel surfing

The Parents Television Council has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission over the f-word airing in the lyrics of a tape-delayed Who performance during ABC's broadcast of Live 8. ... ABC's new reality show "Brat Camp" had a winning debut Wednesday that was watched by 10.4 million viewers. ... Don't hold your breath waiting for that third season of Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show." Chappelle's creative partner has parted company with the network, according to USA Today. ... NBC has ordered "The Book of Daniel" for midseason. This drama follows an Episcopalian minister (Aidan Quinn) who's on prescription pills and is the only one who sees and hears Jesus (Garret Dillahunt). ... Steve Guttenberg will play a mayoral candidate and Charisma Carpenter ("Angel") will be a young stepmother in season two of UPN's "Veronica Mars."