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   Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt

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Topic: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt (Read 285 times)

MzWings
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Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« on: Oct 16^th, 2003, 6:58pm »

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,100296,00.html

Thursday, October 16, 2003

LONDON David Blaine -- shaman to some, charlatan to others, showman above all -- is getting ready to leave his box.

The American magician is approaching Sunday's end to a 44-day fast-cum-vigil in a dangling plastic case -- hungrier, hairier and, he says, wiser, than when he went in.

Blaine, 30, who has previously been buried alive and encased in a block of ice, says the feat is both the hardest and "the most beautiful" thing he's done.

It has undeniably captured the imagination of Britons. Over the last six weeks, onlookers have reacted with a pungent mix of support and ridicule, while commentators puzzled over whether the stunt offered tasteless spectacle or spiritual insight.

Brian Keenan, who was held hostage in Lebanon for 4 1/2 years, wrote in The Guardian newspaper that people were "drawn to this half-naked man hoisted in the heavens. We eat our hamburgers and ice cream in part wonder, part homage, part adoration."

The same paper's theater critic, Michael Billington, judged that "this strange public confinement ... acquires something of the unresolved ambiguity of art." But in The Independent, columnist Terence Blacker condemned the "creepy" Blaine as part of a disturbing trend toward entertainment that "tweaked the public's sadistic impulse."

Blaine certainly brought out a streak of malice in some. In the days after his 7 foot by 7 foot by 3 foot plexiglass box was hoisted 40 feet above the River Thames' south bank on Sept. 5, the illusionist endured the sound of drums and foghorns, the smell of sizzling burgers and the sight of hecklers' bare breasts and buttocks.

One man was arrested for firing paint-filled balloons at Blaine's box. Another was fined for trying to damage the water supply to the box, which allegedly contains only a quilt, a pillow, a journal, a change of clothes and a photo of the magician's mother.

But as time went by, ridicule turned to grudging respect. By the final week, taunts had largely been replaced by encouraging shouts and handwritten signs stuck along the fence around "Camp David," Blaine's riverside enclosure.

Hundreds of people -- teenagers, tourists, families with young children -- gathered daily beneath the box near Tower Bridge. A lethargic Blaine, sporting a new bushy beard and matted hair, rewarded them with weak waves and beatific smiles.

Thousands are expected to show up on Sunday to watch Blaine's exit, which will be broadcast on television and streamed to paying subscribers on the Internet.

Blaine's Web site says he may have to spend a month in hospital recovering from the ordeal. By Day 38, the site said, the magician was "occasionally incoherent and has been exhibiting signs of delusion," smelled strongly of sulfur and was longing to take a bath.

A former street magician, Blaine now specializes in feats of endurance Before entering the box, he said he hoped the test would help him find his "truths."

Many onlookers seem to agree there's something spiritual about the event. Many of the signs dotted around the site had a metaphysical cast. "The butterfly will emerge from its cocoon," said one. "Physically thin -- spiritually fat," declared another.

Paranormalist Uri Geller, a friend and mentor to Blaine, said the American is "a shaman. He has the quality of Rasputin, of Mesmer.

"He believes it is important to suffer," added Geller. "He thinks that is a very real and true human emotion."

Retired carpenter Terry Hutt said he spent every day at the site after watching Blaine enter the box on a live television special.

"You hear the bad bits, but there's more good bits," said Hutt, 68, clad in Union Jack shorts, T-shirt and hat. "People become friends, they share their sandwiches. And we get lots of entertainment. We had Michael Jackson's double the other day.

"This morning a woman brought a dead pigeon in a box. I think she hoped he could bring it back to life."

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Rhune
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Re: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« Reply #1 on: Oct 16^th, 2003, 9:13pm »

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Explain to me how this guy is a magician and not just a press-seeking idiot?

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MzWings
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Re: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« Reply #2 on: Oct 19^th, 2003, 7:58pm »

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on Oct 16^th, 2003, 9:13pm, Rhune wrote:

Explain to me how this guy is a magician and not just a press-seeking idiot?

I can't. However, I've seen many of his magic tricks and they were pretty good. But this type of "stunt" seems to be that of a thrill seeker who's putting his body and brain in serious jeopardy.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,100548,00.html

Dehydration also was a threat, but Marinos Elia, a professor at the Institute of Human Nutrition at the University of Southampton, said the magician had been drinking enough water to prevent that. Elia had been monitoring Blaine's condition.

Skeptics have suggested Blaine could easily add some nutrients to his water, but the medical briefing said tests for alcohol, glucose and sodium had found nothing.

In the box suspended 40 feet above the Thames' south bank, cold nights have had a draining effect on Blaine, and he has experienced shooting pains, dizziness, nausea and irregular heartbeats, Elia said.

Magician David Blaine Leaves Box Suspended Over London

Sunday, October 19, 2003

LONDON New York magician David Blaine emerged Sunday from 44 days of isolation in a clear plastic box, 50 pounds lighter and buoyed by crowds celebrating the conclusion of his self-imposed starvation stunt.

Thousands of people watched the 30-year-old Blaine leave the box, which was suspended by a crane, after it was lowered to the banks of the Thames River. After living on only water since Sept. 5, Blaine was taken to a hospital for examination.

"This has been one of the most inspirational experiences of my life," Blaine said feebly, pausing and looking as if he might pass out. "I have learned more in that box than I have learned in years. I have learned how strong we are as human beings."

Blaine shuffled as he took his first steps on solid ground, and was helped to a stage by attendants.

Cheering crowds filled the small park near London's Tower Bridge and lined the riverbanks to see Blaine in the final few hours of his latest endurance feat in a box measuring 7 feet-by-7 feet-by-3 feet.

Paul Kenny, a medic at the site, said Blaine would undergo blood tests at a private hospital and be given fluids intravenously before moving onto blended foods. It could be several days before he resumed eating solid foods, Kenny said.

"If you look at him he looks great, but I suspect he's been living on adrenaline," Kenny said.

Sunday night's cheerful crowd contrasted strongly with some of the hostility directed toward Blaine earlier in his ordeal. His box has been pelted with eggs, burgers and balloons filled with pink paint.

Rick Brim, 26, a vendor working the crowd on Tower Bridge, said, "Sitting in a box for 44 days is a bit of a farce, especially because there are really people starving, but it's doing me all right selling binoculars."

Blaine has previously been buried alive and encased in a block of ice, and said his latest feat was both the hardest and "the most beautiful" thing he's done. His box was said to contain only a quilt, a pillow, a journal, a change of clothes and a photo of his mother.

A medical briefing issued Saturday said the magician was experiencing dizziness and nausea, and warned that he might die if he resumes normal eating habits too soon after his exit.

Before he entered the box, Blaine said he had bulked up to more than 205 pounds so he could survive on his own body fat.

Dehydration also was a threat, but Marinos Elia, a professor at the Institute of Human Nutrition at the University of Southampton, said the magician had been drinking enough water to prevent that. Elia had been monitoring Blaine's condition.

Skeptics have suggested Blaine could easily add some nutrients to his water, but the medical briefing said tests for alcohol, glucose and sodium had found nothing.

In the box suspended 40 feet above the Thames' south bank, cold nights have had a draining effect on Blaine, and he has experienced shooting pains, dizziness, nausea and irregular heartbeats, Elia said.

« Last Edit: Oct 19^th, 2003, 8:58pm by MzWings »

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MzWings
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Re: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« Reply #3 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 10:17am »

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Tears as Blaine leaves London box

"I have learned how strong we all are as human beings.

"But most importantly I have learned to appreciate the simple things in life -- a smile from a stranger or a loved one, the sunrise and the sunset, everything that God has given us, I love you all so much."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/10/19/blaine.release/index.html

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"Senility Prayer"...God grant me...
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Rhune
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Re: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« Reply #4 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 11:28am »

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Moron...

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azure
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Re: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« Reply #5 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 12:42pm »

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lol rhune

is it safe to assume you are not a big fan of Mr Blaine?

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MzWings
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Re: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« Reply #6 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 12:54pm »

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on Oct 20^th, 2003, 12:42pm, azure wrote:

lol rhune

is it safe to assume you are not a big fan of Mr Blaine?

For me - I've been a tepid fan of Blaine's but I don't care for life-threatening stunts. It's scares me that some kids will try the same.

I don't appreciate his blatant disregard for his very own mind and body. To tell ya the truth, I'm surprised his g/f stays with him. I can only imagine how being with him must always be rather....uh....unsettling?

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Rhune
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Re: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« Reply #7 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 1:38pm »

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I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of Mr. Blaine. I've seen contestants of reality shows commonly referred to as "media whores" but I think Mr. Blaine is well deserving of the title as well. I don't see that he's doing anything special or magical with these stunts. All he's doing is locking himself in a box on public display. I think he's a masochist and an attention seeker.

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MzWings
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Re: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« Reply #8 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 3:52pm »

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ITA! Does anyone know if he receives $'s for these shenanigans? I've not been able to find any info on it.

Idiotic stuntwhore

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"Senility Prayer"...God grant me...
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Rhune
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Re: Magician David Blaine Nears End of Stunt
« Reply #9 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 5:02pm »

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I would be very very surprised if he did not have sponsors of some sort or another. For example, what brand of bottled water was it he was drinking throughout this?

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