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Etc. David Blaine
By collier schorr
People tend to scatter when David
Blaine levitates. Without the benefit of the usual smoke and mirrors of
stage shows, the mysteriously handsome Blaine can rise up one foot in
the air. Just 25, the Brooklyn-born magician will present this and other
tricks midmonth in his second television special (pal Leonardo DiCaprio
hosted the first one). David Blaine Magic Man (ABC) trails the conjurer
as he practices mouth-dropping sleight of hand for Nashville revelers,
Haitian children, and Yanamoni tribe members in Venezuela (about whom he
says, "Magic is their whole world"). According to Blaine, who
has an extensive off-limits library in his bedroom, his craft is an
intellectual and spiritual pursuit. "Magic is about creating an
everlasting impression on a human being," he says. He definitely
made one on model Bridget Hall, who was caught on film watching in
horror while Blaine swallowed a piece of thread and then pulled it out
through the skin of his abdomen.
Next, Blaine plans to bury himself on
United Nations Way for a full week. Hooked up to heart monitors and
equipped with only a MagLite and the works of Voltaire, he hopes to
raise over a million dollars toward the purpose of much needed medicines
for Haiti. Friends have warned that the standard-size casket will induce
a severe attack of claustrophobia. But Blaine is unfazed—after once
spending a week in a tropical jungle where he awoke to a tarantula on
his chest, the coffin should be a breeze. We certainly hope so. |