It's 7:22 a.m. on a bright, clear day in Nevada's Valley of Fire. Criss Angel, muscular, shirtless and wearing a rhinestone cross necklace that dangles down to his navel, walks underneath the blazing ...

It was one of John Ripley's prouder moments as a father. He texted his daughter, who was on a trip to Europe, and told her not to eat the French fries in Athens. She replied: "Why? Because they're too ...