Reporter: Stunt not as easy as it looks
September 22, 2008
Photo courtesy New York Daily News
Props to journalists who dive into their stories.
Erin Durkin, of the New York Daily News, sampled upside-down life with David Blaine for a few minutes. Blaine, of course, is performing the stunt to cap off his new special, “David Blaine: Dive of Death” on ABC at 9 p.m. EST this Wednesday. He will attempt to hang upside-down above Central Park’s Wollman Rink for 60 hours. Much longer than Durkin, and without the safety harness she wore.
Durkin writes that Blaine wanted to make absolutely sure what she would feel:
“You’ll feel it,” the stunt man said. “The blood gathers in your head. It becomes overwhelming. You start to get a headache. Your eyes start to feel really tight with blood pressure, your legs go numb. Your extremities start to tingle.”
Durkin said she was flushed and a little dizzy after her hang, but none the worse for the wear. Blaine faces considerably larger risks, of course. He’ll do mid-air ab crunches and leg exercises to keep his circulatory system pumping. But get this: As of Sept. 21, he hasn’t gone more than six hours upside-down without blacking out.
Dive of Death poster released
September 19, 2008
David Blaine has released the official poster for “David Blaine: Dive of Death” on his Facebook site, according to iTricks. At the risk of making my bias obvious: This poster owns. Eat your heart out, Carter the Great.
Blaine’s doctor: Biggest risk is blindness
September 19, 2008
There is still much secrecy about David Blaine’s planned dismount at the end of “David Blaine: Dive of Death.” Because of the secrecy, there’s not much to talk about concerning medical risks.
But before the super-secret dive will come 60 straight hours of hanging upside-down five stories over New York City’s Central Park. One of the doctors advising Blaine, Dr. Massimo Napolitano, spoke with The Record (Hackensack, N.J.) about many of the specific details of Blaine’s stunt. The biggest risk, said the chief of vascular surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, is blindness.
Other nuggets from the story:
- Blood will likely pool in his lungs, but since Blaine has experience with prolonged breath-holding, his body should compensate.
- The kidneys will have problems pushing urine against gravity, so Blaine might have some swelling and cramps in his nethers.
- Speaking of urination, he will have a system to collect it in a bag. That’s not a job we want.
- The biggest effect he faces is reverse physiology, where the pressure on the veins in his head will increase. There’s a risk of brain swelling and clots in the veins of his eyes, which could cause blindness.
Justin Richards, of the New York Press, also got a chance to go into some medical details with Blaine. He writes about why Blaine hasn’t been eating (we’ll spare the messy bits), and what Blaine would have to do in the event of an emergency.
Doctors: Blaine’s head won’t explode, but…
September 19, 2008
Photo courtesy New York Daily News
As it turns out, hanging upside down has some health benefits, according to information in this NewYork Daily News story. Rosie O’Donnell does it to treat depression. Dan Brown does it to inspire plot lines. Richard Gere did it in “American Gigolo.”
But is 60 consecutive hours healthy? Not so much, say doctors.
“His head is not going to explode, but it could cause some problems with the blood flow to his brain,” said Washington doctor Michael Friedman. “I wouldn’t do it, and I wouldn’t counsel anyone else to do it.”
Even health professionals who tout inversion therapy don’t recommend it for that long. Most people have difficulty with 15 minutes, said inversion therapist Anthony Cardenas in the story, and the longest he goes is 30 minutes at a 45-degree angle.
Blaine begins his 60-hour hang on Sept. 22. The conclusion will be aired during “David Blaine: Dive of Death,” at 9 p.m. EST Wednesday, Sept. 24, on ABC.
“David Blaine: Dive of Death’ inspired by ceiling dancers; hidden anagrams in names?
September 18, 2008
Photo courtesy The National Ledger
I doubt he’s talking about Lionel Richie.
David Blaine told The National Ledger that his inspiration for his upcoming special, “David Blaine: Dive of Death,” was inspired by turn-of-the-century ceiling dancers, who would dance on a ceiling ages ago.
His intense training for living upside-down has consisted of building up his endurance by developing a resistance to it. By Sept. 16, he had done about 60 cumulative hours of upside-down training.
“What was even more interesting to me is how your whole perspective on the world changes when you’re upside down. You kind of feel giddy in a weird way.”
In the article, Blaine confirms something that we’ve known for a while: He’ll be doing more street magic in an attempt to get back to his “roots.”
“It’s a show filled with magic — more magic than I’ve put on any show in 10 years. I’m really proud of it.”
Back to the training: The first few days were chronicled in this London Telegraph story, which has been mentioned on quite a few magic sites and forums. My only frustration with this story is that the Telegraph didn’t give the reporter a byline.
That is a tragedy, because it’s one of the most descriptive, brilliant, compelling pieces of journalism on Blaine, or anyone, I’ve seen in a while. Take the time to read it, and post what you think the hidden anagrams are.
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