Now that David Blaine is out of the clear box that was his home for 44 days during a recent starvation stunt in London, his fellow New York illusionist Criss Angel is throwing down the gauntlet for a magical "High Noon."

"He said [on the radio] that he wanted to do something side by side," Angel says. "Then when my camp contacted his camp on three or four different occasions, they wanted nothing to do with it.

"I'm about, say what you do, do what you say. If you don't really feel that way, then don't go shooting off your mouth. To me, it's about the principle. I don't care about the money. I would do it just to prove a point, so people can see who the best magician is today, and who's the most provocative. I would donate all my money to charity.

"I would love the opportunity to show the world that what he does is stuff that's not really pushing any envelopes."

According to a Page Six story in the New York Post back in November 2002, Blaine, "weary of the lesser-known Angel's constant taunts," told WPLJ radio that he thought he and Angel "should seal themselves in a 'bubble' and see who lasts the longest without food or water."

Well, Blaine did just that, lasting for the aforementioned 44 days, suspended over the River Thames. Angel remains unimpressed.

"The problem I have with him," Angel says, "is he shoots off his mouth in the press about doing a challenge side-by-side, then he runs off to London because he can't face his biggest fear -- me."

For what it's worth, Blaine didn't say "neener-neener Criss Angel" or anything else like it when he was released from the box. He's currently off the media radar while recovering from his ordeal.

Angel has also performed public stunts, including spending 24 hours chained, shackled and submerged in a 220-gallon water tank without food, sleep or potty breaks in Aug. 2002. In a nod to Houdini, Angel gave up his oxygen at the last minute and wriggled successfully out of his restraints.

Earlier that year, in February, he hung for nearly six hours from eight fishhooks over Times Square.

Angel -- the only two-time winner, in 2001 and 2004, of the International Magicians Society's Merlin Award for magician of the year -- also had a Broadway show called "Mindfreak" that ran for almost 600 performances, and inspired an ABC Family special of the same name that aired last October.

"I've chosen a different path [from Blaine]," Angel says, "the path of actually having a live show. He's never had a live show in his life."

This year, Angel has a new, one-hour special, "Supernatural," premiering Friday, Oct. 31, at 9 p.m. ET, on Sci Fi Channel.

Angel blends a rock 'n' roll sensibility with a Goth-chick fashion sense, rippling physique and fondness for large-scale, death-wish illusions. He is musically inclined (composing the score for his performances), sports black finger and toenails, and accessorizes with chains.

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.

But Angel has not had any network-TV specials, while Blaine has had four on ABC: "Street Magic," "Magic Man," "Frozen in Time" (which included his release from a block of ice in Times Square) and "Vertigo" (which included the end of his endurance perch atop a pole in New York's Bryant Park).

Not having been on network primetime doesn't bother Angel, he says. "I like to have my hand in everything on my TV specials. I'm the executive producer; I direct it; I create it. I write all the music for my TV special and my live performance. It's on my label. I write it; I produce it.

"Having that control means I do things on a smaller level, and as I do things on a smaller level, they gain a lot of momentum and become larger and larger. For me, it's not about bubblegum or about being on television, who I'm dating, what my personal life is. It's about my art."

And it's about going toe-to-toe with his rival. "It's about innovating and creating new ideas," Angel says. "That's why it's so important for Blaine to face me. At the end of the day, the public would love to see it. It would elevate the art form. Just like a sporting event, a boxing match or whatever, it really brings out the best in both parties.

"Anytime, anywhere, any challenge -- I'm prepared for him. It's insignificant to me [what it is] because, at the end of the day, I'll be the one who wins. There's no way I would lose. It's absolutely impossible."