I've been hard on David Blaine in the past for the same reason a lot of other people give him flak: he has a tendency to call himself a magician and then do bits of public performance art that really have nothing to do with magic. When he starved himself over the River Thames, I became indifference personified, but I have to admit his recent stunt has me more intrigued than I'm willing to admit. Has he really been in that watery globe for a week? If we're to believe reports, he has, and it's been taking a toll on his system. Several news outlets have been reporting that health experts who have been watching Blaine are concerned for his health. One expert says the finale of this stunt, which will air tonight on ABC, may not be possible, as Blaine could very well blackout once he's pulled from the globe. In case you haven't heard, Blaine plans on emerging from the globe, having himself wrapped in chains, and then submerged again to try and beat the record of holding one's breath underwater, which currently stands at eight minutes and fifty-eight seconds. My guess is that the "concerns from medical experts" is all just part of the publicity machine. That, of course, is only my non-expert opinion, but to paraphrase magician Penn Jillette, magic is essentially just another word for lying.How sick is David Blaine really?
I've been hard on David Blaine in the past for the same reason a lot of other people give him flak: he has a tendency to call himself a magician and then do bits of public performance art that really have nothing to do with magic. When he starved himself over the River Thames, I became indifference personified, but I have to admit his recent stunt has me more intrigued than I'm willing to admit. Has he really been in that watery globe for a week? If we're to believe reports, he has, and it's been taking a toll on his system. Several news outlets have been reporting that health experts who have been watching Blaine are concerned for his health. One expert says the finale of this stunt, which will air tonight on ABC, may not be possible, as Blaine could very well blackout once he's pulled from the globe. In case you haven't heard, Blaine plans on emerging from the globe, having himself wrapped in chains, and then submerged again to try and beat the record of holding one's breath underwater, which currently stands at eight minutes and fifty-eight seconds. My guess is that the "concerns from medical experts" is all just part of the publicity machine. That, of course, is only my non-expert opinion, but to paraphrase magician Penn Jillette, magic is essentially just another word for lying.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-08-2006 @ 5:15PM
Don Wilson said...
Have you even seen his hour-long magic shows that he does on the street? That's the magic that makes him a magician.
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5-08-2006 @ 6:28PM
Jen said...
I work a block from the Boy in the Bubble and am so not impressed. I am really bothered by the concept that this person is inflicting serious pain and potential danger on himself for what? Financial gain? Attention? Either way, it makes me kind of sad for him.
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5-08-2006 @ 6:56PM
RuDee said...
I don't know how sick he is really, but I am truly sick of hearing about him. Just this morning, at the conclusion of "The View", a voice-over during the credits, an announcement immediately following the credits, and a network commercial advertising tonight's "event"...all within the span of 30 seconds.
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5-08-2006 @ 9:11PM
dawn said...
They keep hyping it up how hard it is and how bad it is.
The more they reiterate it, the less I believe it.
I agree its a publicity draw.
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5-08-2006 @ 10:10PM
Kris Leesekamp said...
I find David Blaine's psyche very intriguing. He's fascinating to watch, whether levitating, doing card 'tricks,' or testing his physical and emotional limits with death defying feats. I don't believe he does what he does for financial gain or fame. I think it's all part of his character makeup and he's just driven to constantly challenge himself on all levels. His 'stunts' are more about emotional and spiritual endurance than physical endurance, although they may seem purely physical on the surface. It's all about proving to yourself that you're much stronger psychologically and physically than you ever believed. I think that's a very positive message coming from someone so influential.
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5-08-2006 @ 10:24PM
Theresa Lemon said...
People must understand that we humans are so limited in our capabilities. David is just an example of someone who is able to enforce more than 10% of his brainpower. Don't knock the man, the average person has no idea how to engage in such self-challenge. He should influence us all to explore the other 90% that we ALL have.
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5-08-2006 @ 10:49PM
Brad said...
I find it interesting tonight during the special that he went go talk to Evel Knievel. Evel is the god of all things death-defying and it seems that David Blaine is trying to do the same thing. The only problem is that ABC is a different company than it was before when Evel was doing his stunts than it is now and the fact is that they feel as if they need to pump as much anxiety into this as possible, whereas that didn't happen much with Evel.
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5-08-2006 @ 11:32PM
Lisa said...
A friend of mine, K. Lack, is a magician/illusionist who has worked with David, and claims the guy is a genius. I think he's a moron. Refusing his MD, when asked to leave the water, because he "didn't want to let down the people", is such a show of arrogance. I am let down by anyone willing to acquire brain and liver damage for my entertainment.
I suppose his brain damage set in long before this stunt....
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5-09-2006 @ 3:41AM
captainmicahp said...
This guy is just a dude in a box. Once it was a box hanging from a crane, and once it was a cold box, now it is a wet box. So what. It is not interesting. Street magic is cool I guess, but just hanging out in a box for a long is dumb.
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5-09-2006 @ 9:42AM
Stacy said...
I agree with you, Kris! David Blaine is a magician, illusionist and daredevil. It is who he is, it is his profession. I thought it was great when he spoke with Evel Knievel because they could relate with being a daredevil and that made them happy no matter what. Yes, it is dangerous, but think about all the other dangerous stunts actors do in movies, etc.. do you make fun of them? nope, you go see the movies. I too enjoy learning how strong we can be psychologically. I've always been interested in the mind-over-matter theory. David takes precautions to keep himself alive. If he wasn't, he would not have had the doctors and divers there last night. I applaude and appreciate him not only for the entertainment, but for his example and spirit.
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5-09-2006 @ 3:59PM
Rob Cunningham said...
What surprises me is that he sought to beat the "world" record for holding his breath AFTER he'd spent 170 some odd hours in a tank of water and his reserves were severely depleted. And he appears to have been surprised when he wasn't successful. I admire the guy a lot but this aspect of the exhibition was misconceived.
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5-10-2006 @ 12:18AM
Ryan said...
If nothing else, David Blaine is a science experiment, and we should be thanking him for his contribution. Not only is he entertaining, but one willing to test the capabilities of the human body. That's worth something. So, to those who are knocking him, shame on you.
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5-10-2006 @ 10:55AM
Stacy said...
Well, he beat 1 of the 2 records by being the first live human to be in the water for that extended period of time. I'm in hopes he'll do the other part again when he has endured something else like that first. He still did very well though.. 7 mins underwater on no food or sleep.. WOW!
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5-10-2006 @ 3:42PM
Anthony said...
All these stunts that Blaine performs just scream to me that he needs attention. Maybe he just needed a few more hugs as a child. However, the guy is a genius, for one reason and one reason only. The IQ of this nation is dropping exponentially. Every time he acts like an idiot for lying in a coffin, or floating in a bubble, or standing on a platform, there are bigger idiots that will wait on him hand and foot and watch him lie there, float there or stand there.
You're a magician. Pull a rabbit out of a hat, for goodness' sake.
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5-11-2006 @ 3:25PM
Stacy said...
Notice how it's usually only men that make the negative comments about Blaine?... jealous?... could you do it? I think it's fascinating and I can't wait for his next project!!!!
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5-12-2006 @ 1:22PM
Anthony said...
Actually, many women where I work think he's an oxygen sink. Many New Yorkers think all he did was hog city resources. Women higher up in this board think he's a waste of time. I still think he's just an attention hound, not unlike Paris Hilton.
Let him cure AIDS, that'll impress me.
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5-15-2006 @ 7:11PM
Kelly said...
Now that doesn't even make sense! Magicians/stunt artists don't try to cure AIDS or any other disease. However, I bet David would do some awesome tricks for AIDS patients. It's called entertainment dude!
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5-25-2006 @ 12:03AM
onex said...
Am I the only human that sees the deeper truth in what David is doing? How sad 99% of you people and most humans are truly blind.
What he's doing is far deeper than magic and illusions. Its REAL. Is there no one other than myself who knows this?
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