Talk:David Blaine

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Contents 1 Notes 2 Minority 3 Girlfriends 4 Performance Artist? 5 Vandalism??? 6 We Need Some Verification 7 Magic spoilers 8 Evening Standard story not true? 9 Livingstone's comments 10 Underwear 11 The science bit 12 For inclusion 13 Gypsy Ancestry 14 Mysterious Stranger 15 Compressed air? 16 the now show 17 Wrong Time 18 Handicap? 19 South Park reference 20 Underwater duration record 21 Street magic as an "in the trade" term for close-up magic? 22 No mention of Yale agreement and release from hospital 23 Mark Harris Commentary 24 What does "pulled his heart out" mean? 25 Line in vertigo part needs removed 26 Some problematic statements 27 More Vandalism ... 28 This has to be one of the worst sourced pages on Wiki.

[edit] Notes

I can't get the notes (the tiny numbers) to work, does that happen to anyone else?Timan123 02:07, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Minority

In London's Above the Below, it was the minority of the crowd who harassed Blaine. A minority is defined as "the smaller in number of two groups forming a whole."

BBC, Oct 19, 2003 The BBC reports that of the crowd of 10,000 on the last day, "there was little sign of the "Blaine-baiters" who have dogged the entertainer for the duration of his stunt, jeering, throwing eggs and cutting his water supply." On the other hand, they add "[Blaine's] stunt has attracted praise and contempt in equal measures." Is the BBC saying that half of the onlookers threw eggs? Is there any report that can substantiate that 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%, even 10% of the onlookers were harassing Blaine?

It is my opinion that "raucous minority" correctly describes the situation. If you have a source that can proof otherwise, please provide it.

Thefool 00:27, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Girlfriends

Blaine has had a host of gorgeous girlfriends. He has dated Josie Maran, Daryl Hannah, Fiona Apple, Madonna, and is currently dating the German supermodel, Manon Von Gerkin.

Source

So?

--L.A.F. 19:53, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Performance Artist?

I would make the case that Blaine should be categorized as a "Performance Artist", rather than "Stunt Performer". Slight distinction, perhaps, but I believe what Blaine does can only be classified as art.

Good point, but the critique above applies to more than just the categorization. David Blaine is a magician. This article, however, makes it sound like he actually, physically performed these stunts (this is what stunt performers do), when in reality he created an illusion that he performed these stunts (isn't this what magician's do?). The article should at least attempt to report the facts about his performances...right now it's predominantly filled entertainment fluff.--24.193.37.41 02:52, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

"This article, however, makes it sound like he actually, physically performed these stunts (this is what stunt performers do), when in reality he created an illusion that he performed these stunts" - Incorrect. There have been no illusions in any of his stunts; he *did* actually perform them. 70.131.159.88 03:18, 9 May 2006 (utc)

i disagree. i read this article a few days ago, and it didn't sit right with me. Really bugged me that the article said lately he's moved away from street magic to doing physical stunts. It's all magic, people. i don't remember where i read it (maybe the Straight Dope?), but the trick with the ice is that a hollow block of ice is actually quite warm inside. Ask any Inuit person who's built an igloo. The ice was covered with a sheet periodically for "refreezing," at which time Blaine would nip out for some rest and a bite to eat. i am now committed to finding this article! Sheesh. Where are Penn and Teller when you need them??

(a quick Google search later)

Ah - here we go. In a Salon.com article, Penn Gilette is quoted as saying "The air will completely insulate him just like he was an Eskimo in an ice igloo. The only hard part for Blaine will be standing still for 3 days. ...My technicians built the ice box for Blaine."

http://dir.salon.com/story/people/col/reit/2000/11/29/npwed/index.html

According to Guiness : "Record bosses said his ice challenge -- in which he was encased in ice for 60 hours, was little different from living in an igloo or an ice hotel."

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/09/04/uk.blaine/index.html

Can someone with more Wikipedia experience than me please make appropriate adjustments to the main page so it reads more like an article about a magician and less like a magician's press release??

[edit] Vandalism???

Why was this page protected? I have been monitoring it for a few days. The only changes are on the underwater stunt where he literally just emerged and people are trying to get the details of his stunt correct and uploaded onto wikipedia as soon as possible. --24.3.147.203 02:02, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

And why do people keep repeating the time he remained submerged? It's listed twice now. Aesu 02:07, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

We were getting vandalism from users. Stuff like "Blaine is a pussy" ect. You probably haven't seen it since it has gotted edited out pretty fast. Smylere Snape 02:14, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Aww, thanks for the information Smylere Snape. I'll patiently wait for an administrator to renable editing of this page Cheers. --Starionwolf 05:30, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Quick question two people just edited the page. Chris83 and Thefool. Are they allowed to edit........if not then someone should revert edits???? 13:46, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

• The temporary ban is on "new or unregistered users" only. Thefool 17:16, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] We Need Some Verification

In the Overview section, it claims he stood on a "100 foot pole for 35 hours", then in the Vertigo section, it says 80 feet. For the mathematically impaired, those are two different numbers.

According to ABC, it is 100 feet.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/specials/blaine/

Thefool 20:51, 5 March 2006 (UTC)

ABC lied or something; it is indeed 80 feet. 70.131.146.157 06:58, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

This link says 105 feet tall.

Magic Directory

Thefool 23:13, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

His book says "nearly-ninety feet" --Kfrogers 19:25, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Magic spoilers

Is there a policy on Wikipedia including magic spoilers? Link explaining the levitation trick: http://www.geocities.com/jhnsnoot/blainelev1.html -- Tarquin

Or this one http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Stage/7308/balducci.html . As to your question, well, wikipedia contains spoilers, and I don't think magic is a special. I'd put that article under Balducci levitation though, since putting it here would give Blaine too much credit -- User:GWO

I agree with your interpretation of the spoilers guideline. Thanks. -- Tarquin

[edit] Evening Standard story not true?

I changed the bit about the Evening Standard story on Blaine's management company. I read this story and it sounded like a load of hogwash... all unattributed and all seemingly at odds with the fact that Blaine's stunt seems so far a complete success. Dare I call the "PMK" management company quoted in the article ... actually PMK/HBH Public Relations... on +1-310-289-6200 to see what they say......? As it stands what I wrote is probably accurate but unverified.

[edit] Livingstone's comments

"London mayor Ken Livingstone criticised the stunt, saying it was disrespectful to IRA members who died in prison in the early 1980s whilst on hunger strike."

If we're talking about the same IRA that blew up Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Airey Neave then I for one would say they deserve all the disrespect they can get, and Livingstone's remarks are pretty disgraceful for an elected representative. Lee M 14:21, 25 Oct 2003 (UTC)

An interesting point of view, but no one I believe that we need to cover in the article. Readers may form their own opinion of Livingstone's comments. Martin 18:25, 13 Nov 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Underwear

In a bizarre footnote to the stunt, Blaine donated the underwear he had worn while in isolation to be auctioned by charity.

I looked at both the links you recommended. Nothing in Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not seemed to apply, but I tried to take Wikipedia:How to write a great article to heart. I've made this as concise and clearly stated as I know how. Thanks! -Nydigovoth

Nydigovoth, what he did with his underwear is hardly relevant to an article about him. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a store of useless trivia like this. Angela 03:52, Oct 26, 2003 (UTC)

Oh, but I think it is relevant. He is seen as a person who does bizarre things, that is part of his reputation. This is yet another example of these sorts of things. This isn't a random fact, like what sort of toothpaste he prefers, it is an example of his behavior that gives him his reputation. -Nydigovoth

Hi again - I removed the addition about the underwear, not because of our above conversation, but because I'm not sure if it is a hoax or not. Maybe I'll research it more before restoring. -Nydigovoth

If true, this would be a valid addition to the article - it's not every day a celebrity auctions their underwear, let alone underwear they've worn continuously for 4x days. However, it does seem unlikely - we'd need a source. Martin 18:24, 13 Nov 2003 (UTC)

[edit] The science bit

I added the scientific case report of Blaine's recovery. His body mass loss (25 kilos) and decrease in body mass index (29 to 21.6) is documented accurately. He added a footnote to medical science, namely that his sense of hunger coincided with increased levels of the hormones orexin and resistin, which may have relevance for studies into appetite. JFW | T@lk 17:40, 12 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] For inclusion

There were a discussion about David Blaine and the controversy regarding his use af the TV-medium in a page about a creation by Mr. Ed Balducci. I cut it out, since I deemed it being irrelevant in that context. However, I saved the cutted part in the talk page: Talk:Balducci_levitation. So, feel free to move it from there and place it in the proper place here. --TStone 14:11, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Gypsy Ancestry

David Blaine has said that he is of Gypsy Ancestry

I think that this claim, as well as his ancestry on the page, needs a citation. --BWD ^(talk) 02:12, 22 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Mysterious Stranger

There was overlapping content concerning Blaine's $100,000 Challenge in the articles David Blaine, Mysterious Stranger, and $100,000 Challenge. Also, a lack of significant details, appropriate to each article. I have attempted to remedy this with due objectivity.

Also, the previous entry in the David Blaine article clearly implied that the $100,000 Challenge was the major motivation to buy the book, as in the case of Masquerade or A Treasure's Trove.

This is not the case. The Challenge was a bonus to this coffee-table-type autobiographical / historical / how-to / reference book.

Thefool 19:51, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Compressed air?

Does anyone know at what pressure is the air he's using? I'm not sure I particularly follow the logic of the free divers' objection that they can't use pure 02, therefore he shouldn't be using compressed air. Unless it's at such high pressure as to significantly hyperoxygenate his blood -- and wouldn't that be dangerous, since clearly he's only at one bar himself? (Not that it has to make sense to be reportable, of course.) Alai 07:22, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

If you dont follow the logic of free diving, then you shouldnt be suggesting"therefore he shouldn't be using compressed'air'". Ask questions by all means, but dont lecture on something you partially or dont understand. Look and you shall see, see and you will learn.

[edit] the now show

Can we include the title given to Mr. Blaine of "git wizard" by the now show?

Benjaminstewart05 10:34, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Include it in The Now Show article.

Thefool 20:34, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

I've put it in the Marcus Brigstocke, too. GWO

[edit] Wrong Time

I was watching the David Blaine special for when he was underwater for 7:08 supposedly and At just after 6 minutes he started having trouble and they got him out. Now it could not have been more than 6:20 that he was actually underwater. ABC actually took the timer off screen when he started having trouble and I believe that this was planned because they wanted to add more time on which they obviously did. Anyone agree and feel it should be changed on here? Day22 02:18, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

The offical time, as being reported by the Associated Press, is 7:08. --Mhking 02:25, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I rewatched it: at 7:00 we saw bubbles, at 7:06 a diver went in and they removed the timer from the screen. It took 20 seconds after that for the divers to remove the ankle-cufs, before he was able to take his first breath. (So at 7:26 he took his first breath.)

The time 7:08 is given because that was the moment the male diver covered his mouth (to prevent him from breathing water), and I suppose that's when he was no longer holding his own breath. 71.199.123.24 03:15, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Handicap?

Does anyone know if David Blaine has some sort of mental handicap? I was listening to him talk on the Drowned Alive special on TV tonight and something just didn't sound right. I checked other websites but they didn't say anything about it. I don't mean to assume that just because someone talks slowly or extremely deliberately that they have a mental handicap, that's not what I'm saying at all. I just thought maybe someone would know.

Did you see him after he emerged from the water after 7 days total and 7 minutes holding his breath until he passed out? If that is the case, I would assume that he was talking "slowly or extremely deliberately" due to those circumstances. If not, could you specify when in the program you saw him act in such a way? It could also be explained as an act to distract people for whatever trick he is trying to perform. Dario 04:05, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Don't be a jerk. It's a valid question. Whether he's doing street magic, entering a block of ice, being interviewed on television, or leaving a plexiglass box, Blaine has indeed always talked "slowly or extremely deliberately." I, unfortunately, don't have an answer. I've never seen it mentioned anywhere, but it may just be a speech impediment. 70.131.159.88 22:47, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

I used to play little league with his little brother, and he'd come to games and throw the ball around and do tricks for us...he never seemed handicapped to me, but I did notice the weird speech thing when he did tricks. When he wasn't doing magic he sounded normal.

[edit] South Park reference

The following was removed -- it is actually true trivia, although it could be shortened somewhat.

"In the episode Super Best Friends, David Blaine seduces the residents of South Park with his magic tricks and convinces them to join his cult of "Blaintologists". The Blaintologists are not an officially recognized as a religion by the federal government and therefore not eligible for tax exempt status. To solve this problem, David Blaine suggests that the entire membership of the cult commit suicide in the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.To stop this, Jesus and his team of "Super Best Friends" which include Muhammed, Buddah, and Moses freeze the reflecting pool to prevent more blaintologists from drowning themselves."

--70.48.71.68 04:08, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I love South Park, but I agree with its removal. There is sufficient space devoted to idolizing South Park already. Thefool 04:52, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I think a brief inclusion is warrented. Wikipedia is a place for collecting facts on a person. It does show the impact that David Blain has in popular culture. Just because in your personal opinion there is too much devoted to South Park already has no barring on whether this should be included. --70.48.71.68 15:37, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

I included the first sentence under Trivia. Trivia is also the name of the category used in Patrick Duffy and Kathie Lee Gifford when referring to South Park. Thefool 19:42, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for summarizing my unessecarily lengthy original South Park addition. I'm glad this all worked out. Cheers. Pumpkin Pi 02:43, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

I think it's worth noting in the reference that for his "stunt" on South Park, David Blaine planned to eat his own head. Thus, the new entry under Trivia would read:

In the episode Super Best Friends, David Blaine seduces the residents of South Park with his magic tricks, and his promised "stunt" of "eating his own head," convincing them to join his cult of "Blaintologists."

Looks good, unless anyone else says anything, slip in the new edit when the vandalism tag is gone. Pumpkin Pi 17:30, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Underwater duration record

According to Diving In Depth, the 7 days underwater is not a record. Khoo Siow Chiow on December 25, 2005 completed 220 hours (a little over 9 days). However, Blaine may have broken the record for saltwater. I'm not sure what the saline requirements are to be considered "saltwater".

That is true. His name is also spelled as "Khoo Swee Chiow" and he already has a Wikipedia article. His feet is covered here: [1], [2], [3]. His personal website is here: [4]. --70.48.71.68 15:41, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Can somebody fix this in the article. It still says "Blaine did nonetheless succeed in setting a record (as yet unrecognized by any record-keeping institution) for being fully submerged in water for more than seven days straight (170+ hours)." Simply taking that sentence out would be ok, but perhaps it should be edited, and contain a reference to Chiow.

I dunno about this one. Everything I can find relating to Chiow mentions "scuba"; this is not the same as what Blaine did 70.131.159.88 03:11, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

This is really great.  :^) It seems as if the facination with blaine will never end......

[edit] Street magic as an "in the trade" term for close-up magic?

From the intro: "He made his name as a performer of close-up magic, usually working on the streets. Amongst magicians this is commonly known as street magic".

I would say it's the opposite. Close-up magic is commonly referred to by magicians, as well, close-up magic. Most people, in my experience, don't have knowledge of this term, whereas partially because of David Blaine's Street Magic specials, they are familiar with the term "street magic". In fact, the article on street magic doesn't equate close-up magic to street magic at all. Anyway, I'm going to change it to be more accurate. --Chan-Ho (Talk) 14:52, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] No mention of Yale agreement and release from hospital

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/09/david.blaine.ap/index.html

CNN reports that he's been released from the hospital following his latest stunt, and that he's agreed to allow doctors from Yale to examine him to quantify the human reaction to being immersed in water for so long.

Need to put this in the article but it's been locked down, can someone do this? Blainetologist 15:57, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

If any ip or new editor unable to edit this article suggests a reasonable wording for what they want added about this, I will gladly add it on their behalf. savidan^{(talk) (e@)} 18:45, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

How about adding this after "It is expected that Blaine will suffer medical problems as a result of his stunt.[6]": Mr. Blaine has undergone multiple short hospital visits since the stunt and has entered an agreement with doctors from Yale to monitor him in order to study the human physiological reaction to prolonged sumbersion." Blainetologist 15:38, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

What is the reference for that. Did you copy and paste the "[6]" from another article? savidan^{(talk) (e@)} 04:55, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Mark Harris Commentary

In the section regarding Blaine's "Drowned Alive" stunt, there is a note that Mark Harris commented that Blaine would have an unfair advantage. However, if you follow the citation for that comment, you will see that Harris said no such thing, merely that Blaine would have to remain calm, less he deplete his oxygen too quickly. This line should be edited or removed.24.147.136.231 23:49, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] What does "pulled his heart out" mean?

In the Trivia section, the following sentence appears. 'During his appearance in Last Call with Carson Daly, he "pulled" his heart out and fainted'. Can the author of that sentence please change it so the meaning is clearer? I don't know what is meant. Ordinary Person 06:25, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

I actually saw that episode, it's very literal. He reached into his chest pushing his hand through his skin and pulled out his heart. It was staged of course, but that's pretty much all you saw. --Pandertome 12:27, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Line in vertigo part needs removed

"He claimed to have been scheduled to start training for this particular stunt on September 11th, 2001, by flying on American Airlines from Kennedy airport at noon to Los Angeles. As Blaine lived in New York City, he delayed his training." That doesn't make too much sense.

[edit] Some problematic statements

Good article in general, but I feel there are a couple of rather undisgised POV statements in the description of Blaine's feats:

"Blaine has been performing real magic for many years, since early childhood. His mother always believed in him and never put him down." What is meant by "real" magic? Do we have any evidence that his mother never put him down, and how is this relevant to the article?

"Below the Above in which five extraordinary people had life changing experiences whilst sleeping below Blaine's box ... while this low budget documentary told one version of the story, British media chose to only report the negative." Describing certain people as "extraordinary" is POV. Do we have any good evidence that their lives changed? Similarly, is there any good evidence that the British media reported only the "negative" aspects of the stunt? To what extent are these positive aspects verifiable?

Any thoughts? --JonAyling 22:41, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Disagreed - this is a horribly written and organised hagiography, though you're right to identify the above quotes as particular culprits. I'd also strongly reject the idea that Above the Below was embraced by anything like a majority of Brits. Media coverage here was almost universally derisive, as was near enough everyone I spoke to at the time, though obviously that's not something that can easily be sourced.

Scott D

--82.41.74.129 21:39, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] More Vandalism ...

The article is hosed up as a result of multiple overlapping incidents of vandalism and hasn't been restored yet. It's too much for me to figure out now. But please restore the "Cancelled Stunts" and "Upcoming Stunt" sections. Joseph N Hall 09:21, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

I have restored the article to this edit and incorporated virtually all of the subsequent changes, even sections that were removed due to POV issues. Tinlinkin 06:00, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] This has to be one of the worst sourced pages on Wiki.

I have added sources needed to much of the article, but I really think it probably needs to be edited to a stub as it is obvious that much of what is on here will never be sourced. I think the problem is that there are too many "fans" editing on here. Too many blainiacs lol. --130.194.13.101 01:06, 19 October 2006 (UTC)Mike