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David Blaine (born David Blaine White on April 4, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) is an American illusionist and stunt performer. He made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. Contents [hide] * 6 Sources * 7 External links [edit] Early life His father was half Puerto Rican and his mother, Patrice Maureen White, was of Russian Jewish origin.[1] Blaine grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn.[2] He moved to New Jersey and attended Passaic Valley Regional High School in Little Falls.[3] David Blaine was raised and adopted by his stepfather John A. Bukalo, and his legal name was changed to David Blaine Bukalo. He has a half-brother from his mother's marriage to John, named Michael James Bukalo. [edit] Career [edit] Television specials David Blaine began his career by bringing street magic to the public, performing card tricks and illusions such as levitating and bringing dead flies back to life. His first television appearance was on Conan O'Brien, where he also performed card tricks, and promoted his Street Magic special. He used a small camera crew to record his act live in front of everyday people providing the basis for his television specials, David Blaine: Street Magic and David Blaine: Magic Man. His first television special, David Blaine: Street Magic revolutionized the way magic is performed and portrayed on television.[citation needed] With its strong focus on spectators' reactions and showmanship, Blaine entertained unsuspecting pedestrians with standard sleight of hand magic props such as coins, cigarettes and a deck of cards. [edit] Buried Alive On April 5, 1999, Blaine began a stunt called "Buried Alive". He was entombed in an underground plastic box underneath a 3-ton water-filled tank for seven days. An estimated 75,000 people visited the site on Manhattan's Upper West Side where Blaine was buried in a 6-foot-deep hole in the sidewalk. He was in a cramped plastic coffin offering six inches of headroom and two inches on each side. He ate nothing and drank only two to three tablespoons of water a day. He emerged on April 13 after 7 days in the coffin. [edit] Frozen in Time On November 27, 2000, Blaine began a stunt called "Frozen in Time," which was covered on a TV special. Blaine stood encased in a closet of ice located in Times Square, New York. He was lightly dressed and seen to be shivering even before the blocks of ice were sealed around him. A tube supplied him with air and water while his urine was removed with another tube. He was encased in the box of ice for 63 hours, 42 minutes and 15 seconds before being removed with chain saws. The ice was transparent and resting on an elevated platform to show that he was actually inside the ice the entire time. He was removed from the ice in an obviously dazed and disoriented state, wrapped in blankets and taken to the hospital immediately because doctors feared he might be going into shock.[4] Blaine said in the documentary follow-up to this feat that it took "a month" before he was able to walk again and that he had no plans to ever again attempt a stunt of this difficulty. [edit] Vertigo Blaine's next stunt was called "Vertigo." On 22 May 2002, Blaine performed the stunt in Bryant Park, New York City, where a crane lifted him onto a 105 ft (27 m) high and 22 in (55.88 cm) wide pillar. He remained on the pillar for exactly 35 hours. With his legs weak from standing atop the pillar for so long, he ended the feat by jumping down onto a landing platform made out of a 12 foot (3.7 m) high pile of cardboard boxes and suffered a concussion. [edit] Above the Below David Blaine suspended in front of City Hall, London (October 3, 2003) David Blaine suspended in front of City Hall, London (October 3, 2003) On September 5, 2003, Blaine began his 44-day endurance stunt sealed inside a transparent Plexiglas case suspended 30 feet (9 m) in the air next to Potters Fields Park on the south bank of the River Thames in London. The case, measuring 3ft by 3ft by 7ft (0.9 x 0.9 x 2.1 m), had a webcam installed so that viewers could observe his progress. Blaine claimed he went 44 days without any food or nutrients and just 4.5 litres of water per day. However, this was not verified and the water he was given was never inspected for added nutrients. The New England Journal of Medicine published a paper that documented his 44 day fast and stated that his re-feeding was perhaps the most dangerous part of the stunt.[citation needed] The stunt became the subject of much media attention and a large degree of derision and ridicule. For example, Page 3 girls and glamour models from various men's magazines flashed at him and a burger was flown up to the box by a remote-controlled helicopter as a taunt [1]. It caused speculation when eggs that had been thrown from the crowd were cleared from the box, as he was not meant to communicate with anyone. Blaine emerged on schedule on October 19, murmuring "I love you all!" and was quickly hospitalized. He appeared gaunt and he claimed to have lost 54 pounds (24.5 kg) during his fast. [edit] Drowned Alive David Blaine at Lincoln Center, sharing a moment with a fan as spectators look on (2 May 2006). David Blaine at Lincoln Center, sharing a moment with a fan as spectators look on (2 May 2006). On May 1, 2006, Blaine was submerged in an 8 feet (2.4 m) diameter, water-filled sphere (isotonic saline, 0.9% salt) in front of the Lincoln Center in New York City for a planned seven days and seven nights, using tubes for air and nutrition. He concluded this event by attempting to hold his breath underwater to break the world record of 8 minutes, 58 seconds. Blaine also tried to free himself from handcuffs and chains put on him upon coming out after the week in the sphere.[5] He seemed to have trouble escaping from the last of the handcuffs. Blaine failed in his attempt, holding his breath for 7 minutes and 33 seconds before showing signs of distress and being pulled up by the support divers.[6] Blaine did claim to have succeeded in setting a record for being fully submerged in water for more than seven days straight (177 hours). Blaine underwent multiple short hospital visits after the stunt ended and has entered an agreement with doctors from Yale University to monitor him in order to study the human physiological reaction to prolonged submersion.[7] During the stunt, doctors witnessed skin breakdown at the hands and feet, and liver failure. In an interview on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius satellite radio, Blaine spoke of the week-long fasting he did before the "drowning alive" stunt, to avoid having to be concerned with defecation. For urine, he wore an external, condom-style catheter. [edit] Revolution On November 19, 2006, Blaine announced his next stunt: he would be shackled to a rotating gyroscope. His goal was to escape from his shackles after the gyroscope had been spinning for 16 hours. The gyroscope was constantly spinning at a rate of eight revolutions per minute while hanging above an empty lot in Manhattan near Times Square. The stunt began on November 21, 2006, with Blaine declaring, "This one's exciting for me. This one's a fun one." After spinning in shackles in the gyroscope for two days, Blaine emerged with a crash a half hour after being allowed to try.[8] As a result of his success, Blaine led 100 children selected by The Salvation Army on a shopping spree at Target, after each child received a $500 gift certificate from the retailer. Blaine said the stunt was particularly important since The Salvation Army had provided him with clothing while he was growing up. "This challenge