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David Blaine's New Stunt to be shown Live 24/7 on SKY|one

...interactive!! (August 2003)

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JA
jay Founding member
Taken from Sky Publicity:
Quote:
David Blaine Set To Stun UK In Extraordinary London Feat

David Blaine, the internationally renowned magician and performance artist, is basing his next jaw-dropping feat in the UK. Unveiled today, his latest challenge will see him encased in a clear-plexi glass box by the River Thames where he will endure starvation in solitary confinement for more than six weeks. Sky One and Channel 4 will screen the event, entitled David Blaine: Above the Below.

Blaine will be seen suspended from a crane in the glass box, just seven feet deep, seven feet long and three feet wide, where he aims to remain for an incredible 44 days. He will have no food, no communication and no distractions of any kind. He will have to exist with a tube feeding him water and a waste tube to urinate.


Sky One will be showing the event live as he enters the glass box on Friday 5th September at 20:00hrs and live on Sunday 19th October at 21:00hrs when he completes his challenge and exits. Channel 4 will show the event on Monday 8th September at 22.00hrs and transmit his exit on Monday 20th October at 21.00hrs. Sky One will be streaming live coverage of the event continuously throughout the 44 day period on its Active service, which can be accessed by Sky digital subscribers by pressing the red button. Channel 4 will be streaming the whole event live at www.channel4.com/davidblaine and will be filming the event for broadcast as part of their Magic Month season in October.


Suspended by the River Thames at Potters Fields Park against a backdrop of Tower Bridge and the GLA building, the event is expected to receive global interest and will undoubtedly be a major attraction to the capital city.


The stunt follows in the tradition of Blaine’s unique hybrid of endurance and performance art, as witnessed in last year’s ‘Vertigo’ stunt - where he stood atop a 100ft high pole in New York for 35 hours and ‘Frozen in Time’, where he encased himself in six tons of ice for three days. Blaine, dubbed the ‘Modern Day Houdini’, first caught the public eye with his startling and original ‘street magic’ in his native New York. This new stunt promises to amaze fans all over the world.


This is the first time that David Blaine has ever attempted a major stunt outside of the US – with London chosen as the location.


During his time in London, Blaine will also be unleashing his ‘street magic’ on the British public, in a series of diverse settings ranging from Lambeth to the London Eye. This will air as part of the Above The Below programmes, both screened on Sky One and Channel 4.


David Blaine said: "We are all capable of infinitely more than we believe. We are stronger and more resourceful than we know, and we can endure much more than we think we can. In truth, the only restrictions on our capacity to astonish ourselves and each other are imposed by our own minds.


"My next performance will demonstrate these ideas through the most extreme exercise in isolation and physical deprivation ever attempted. There will be no trickery and no means of escape."


Sara Ramsden, Sky One controller, said: "David is one of the world's greatest performers. This is a fantastic coup for Sky One, London and the UK. The eyes of the world will be trained on London as he attempts this extraordinary feat."


Katie Taylor, Channel 4 Commissioning Editor Entertainment, said: "David Blaine is renowned for pushing boundaries - first with his street magic and now with his endurance feats. C4 has a long relationship with David and we are delighted to be the terrestrial partner for his latest feat."


Filmmaker Harmony Korine will direct the programme and create a narrated essay of the event. Also included in the film, will be original magic of a form never seen before.

Sounds very cool!
RT
rts Founding member
Press red now to wobble his post. (10p per wobble)
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
Great. 44 days of live streaming of a man in a perspex box. You really have to ask, just what is the point ?

What's next ? Live and interactive paint drying ?
RT
rts Founding member
And people say Big Brother was dull Laughing
MT
MrTomServo
People will probably tune in for an average of about 5 seconds per sitting:

"He's still alive. What's on Two?"

http://homepage.mac.com/robertpalmer/tvforum/sig.gif
:-(
A former member
i always thought his tricks are a bit scary though

making a card of your choice appear behind a sheet of glass before your very eyes is v. clever


are there any sites on the net that let you into any of his magic secrets?
:-(
A former member
Ronald McDonald posted:
i always thought his tricks are a bit scary though

making a card of your choice appear behind a sheet of glass before your very eyes is v. clever


are there any sites on the net that let you into any of his magic secrets?



There have been programmes on ITV2 which reveal his "death defying stunts." The people who worked with him have revealed how it is done.

His "frozen in glass for ages" trick was done very simply. Whenever David got too cold, they would "re-freeze the glass by blowing dry ice at it" which would cover the ice with smoke, whilst David was swapped with a lookalike. The TV camera feed from inside the ice was replaced with a video clip whilst the swap occurred. *yawn* easy when you know how.

His "levitation" is very simple. In the street he basically stands on his tiptoes at an angle to his audience, which gives the impression of levitation about 3cm above the ground. The American broads are obviously amazed by this and scream and yell. The rest of the clip is filmed inside a television studio, where David is attached to a harness and lifted about two feet above the ground.

As for the "card behind the glass" trick, there is a person in the cafe eating. They see live footage from the video camera, which Blaine makes the spectator show the card to. The helper then takes a duplicate card and sticks it on the window, much to the amazement of the spectator.

I've read his book too. I think he must have been very drunk when he wrote it, or mentally disabled. He genuinely believes he has magical powers. Now I enjoy a magic show as much as anybody, there's always an element of awe to illusions... but he explains in his book about how ever since he was a child he was magical and could levitate and answer the phone and instinctively know who was on the other end. Confused

My favourite magician has to be Paul Zenon. His tricks are really stupid and usually leave his victims missing shoes and having hands full of baked beans, whilst still making you wonder how he did the tricks.

29 days later

:-(
A former member
I think he's losing the plot....
see here:

http://www.onanist.co.uk/
FU
fusionlad Founding member
callumw posted:
I think he's losing the plot....
see here:

http://www.onanist.co.uk/


Couldn't you have stuck that excellent ( Rolling Eyes )post in this thread?

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