David Blaine finally breaks World Record…
April 30, 2008
He’s nothing if not persistent!
After falling somewhat short of breaking the world record for the longest time spent holding breath underwater, during his Drowned Alive special last year, Blaine finally cracked it - this time live on the Oprah show.
David Blaine in his glass bubble from the Drowned Alive special.
The record was previously set at 16 minutes and 32 seconds by Switzerland’s Peter Colat, now stands at a frankly astonishing 17 minutes and 4 seconds.
In the record attempt, Blaine was permitted to inhale pure oxygen for up to 30 minutes - though he apparently only required 23 minutes of that time.
After realising his lifelong dream, he surfaced and after a few short gulps of air, proclaimed that he felt great.
Next up for Blaine is another record attempt - staying awake for 13 days, to break the current record of 11 and a half. Guiness no longer officially recognise this record, due to it’s inherent danger.
David Blaine getting help from Daniel Garcia?
March 21, 2008
A little birdie has spotted Daniel Garcia on the streets of New York City along with the Mystery Man himself, David Blaine. Garcia is working with Blaine as a consultant for his upcoming special, which should be airing on ABC sometime in September. What will we see? Only time will tell. Congrats to Danny on such a cool gig!
Point of Clarification - As with most magic consultants, it is unlikely that Garcia will actually appear on-screen during Blaine’s special. In all likelihood, he is just working with Blaine on material for Blaine to perform himself.
Criss Angel Spoofs David Blaine
February 14, 2008
This is a very funny video of Criss Angel impersonating David Blaine. Not quite as funny as the Blaine parodies (“What the eff David Blaine?”), but Angel nails it!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBkKCdvviK0[/youtube]
David Blaine Postpones Latest Stunt
February 7, 2008
David Blaine’s latest feat of attempting to not sleep for 13 days is being delayed by several months. David is still training for the stunt, calling it his most demanding ever. He wants to reach a target weight and maintain that weight for an extended period before attempting the potentially brain-damaging stunt.
Blaine tells the New York Post, “This one demands a lot out of me.
“I run 13 miles a week around Central Park’s reservoir. I’m down from 230 to 195 pounds in seven weeks. And of course I’m dieting. My raw diet has brown rice, no red meat or animal products besides fish.
“Nothing fits anymore. My wardrobe’s a disaster. I’m using belts. I need to drop another eight pounds and then stay this way. It’s not healthy to go up and down.”
Is David Worried About “Blaine Damage”?
January 14, 2008
Most of the endurance feats David Blaine attempts involve permanent risk to his health. His attempt at breaking the world’s record for not sleeping is no exception. Guinness World Records refuses to list this because of the risk to mental health.
Blaine told the New York Times: “After 36 hours of sleep deprivation it’s like being drunk, 72 hours and paranoia sets in, Day Four the mind goes into hallucinations and you’re dreaming while awake. The problem is there’s no way to know how to offset brain damage or to train for this because there isn’t sufficient research. I believe the first guy’s mistake was not being in great physical condition. Also he used stimulants to keep awake, which I assume did him in.”
Asleep or awake - we just want to see a good show this year.
What The Eff David Blaine?
Some of the most popular YouTube videos are the David Blaine parodies. The third parody came out a couple of weeks ago and is the best one yet.
Not only does the video have some great gags, but there is some interesting camera techniques for some great video magic (worthy enough to find their way into any episode of MindFreak). If you don’t find these funny, then you’re taking all of this way too seriously!
If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHbYTm8U1v8[/youtube]
The Next David Blaine Stunt
December 5, 2007
If the rumor is true, it will be interesting to see how David’s production team will make this next stunt entertaining. The rumor is David Blaine will attempt to break the world record for staying awake. After being buried alive, frozen alive, standing on a pole for days at a time, this next feat doesn’t exactly make you want to run to your Tivo. After all 12 year olds have been attempting this for years!
David obviously feels he has to prove something to himself. He doesn’t have to prove anything to us. Ok, we get it, it’s dangerous. Physicians study David after these feats, and the research may be beneficial. That’s fine, but is watching someone in a bowl of water or not eat entertaining? You can stay awake for days on end on your time, we just want to be entertained.
With his first feats there was a certain air of mystique around them. Buried Alive had the Houdini connection. But the last two - starving for 44 days and sitting in a big goldfish bowl for a week, well it doesn’t have the same awe factor.
Here in the states, we didn’t see the Above The Below special, so I don’t know how much magic was on it, but the last special had very little magic, maybe 5 effects in two hours. Two hours of build up, little magic and he missed the world record for holding your breath underwater.
Since he’s staying awake anyway, maybe they will make it entertaining and actually have him perform some magic so the rest of us don’t fall asleep. The effects that were cut from his last special would be a good start.