Don´t sneeze...

[greenfreak]

Don't sneeze...

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Magician David Blaine, who has endured being entombed in a block of ice for 61 hours and being buried below ground for a week, was hoisted Tuesday to the top of an 80-foot pillar in midtown Manhattan, where he intends to stand for 35 hours.

"See you guys in about 35 hours," Blaine told reporters as he was lifted by a crane to the top of the pillar behind the Fifth Avenue branch of the New York Public Library.

Amid cheers from a few hundred fans and curious passers-by, Blaine stepped onto the pillar, which at its peak has a width

of about 22 inches. Event organizers said Blaine is not harnessed to the column and the only concession made to safety is two handles on either side of Blaine, which he can clutch onto in the event of intense winds.

The stunt will culminate on Wednesday night when Blaine, who models himself on the legendary Harry Houdini, dives from the platform onto corrugated cardboard boxes. The end of the spectacle will be shown live on an ABC television special called "David Blaine's Vertigo."

When asked why his public spectacles have been sheer endurance tests rather than magical feats, Blaine said a magic-themed stunt would be "the next thing. We're still working on it. But endurance is also important to me because it represents something greater ... It's a sign of trying to do your best to do something."

Source: CNN

Good thing he's getting down before the weekend is here, with all the news stories about future terrorist attacks possible.

I actually watched a show with him just going up to people on the street of NYC and doing tricks for them. It was quite good, we couldn't stop watching. I typically don't like stuff like that (especially those shows where they show the secrets behind the magic) but he's pretty good.

 

[Leslie]

I hope he can do it. I think it's impossible to stand like that for 35 hours, but I hope for his sake he can.

 

[kuulani]

Whoa ... I saw the commercials for this. Is he for real?

 

[Leslie]

he seems to be...

 

[Luis G]

 

[karlwb]

 

[ris]

i saw a vid of his a little while back and it was very impressive, although on slo-mo you could see a bit of his sleight of hand. what if he gets in itch....

 

[Guest]

I'm going to turn on my tv to see that. I can't wait until he dives off.

 

[kuulani]

Very cool show last night. I liked the street magic shots better than the actual jump, but that was impressive too.

Did you see the one he stuck his hand through the glass window to get the lady's watch in the shop? Wow

 

[greenfreak]

Oh that sucks, I missed it. I completely forgot that it was on. I've seen some stuff like that before, but I would have like to have caught it. :mad2:

 

[Guest]

I saw it. Very intense jump. Bet he loves cardboard right now.

 

[Justintime]

I've always enjoyed him

 

[sbcanada]

What did he do when he had to go to the bathroom? Open his fly and let 'er go?

 

[Shadowfax]

Whoah! He's one strange dude!

 

[kuulani]

Hey greenie, ever had the opportunity to see him walking the streets of NY? THAT would be cool!

 

[greenfreak]

For the time I spent in NYC, I never saw a celebrity. Rusty saw Beck on the street once but that was it. Rusty's Dad met all sorts of celebs (he is a limo driver) but that industry is way down since 9/11.

I don't get the chance to go there all that much anymore. When Rusty lived in Brooklyn, we would go in all the time. Museums, Soho, Greenwich Village, the park... We plan on making trips this summer but I'm not going anywhere near it during holidays or high terrorist alert days. Rusty used to work a few blocks from the WTC and now works very close to Wall Street. It's a source of prepetual worry for me.

Maybe we'll go sometime soon.

 

[Professur]

Originally posted by Anakin
What did he do when he had to go to the bathroom? Open his fly and let 'er go?

I was wondering if I was the only one to clue in on that.

 

[outside looking in]

I think "holding it" for 35 hours is more of an endurance test than just standing up.