| VOLUME: 35 / ISSUE: 1,064 / Monday – November 27, 2000 |
| David Blaine is scheduled to be frozen in a block of ice on Monday around 8am on 44th Street and Broadway in New York City. Good Morning America (7-9am) on ABC-TV is scheduled to cover the event live. As in his last stunt it should get a lot of coverage on local news and entertainment shows throughout the day and continue through Wednesday when he is removed using chainsaws. The latest news and TV appearances can be found in MagicTimes.com and TVMagicGuide.com. Don’t forget to checkout davidblaine.com where they expect to have a live feed from NYC where you will also be able to monitor his vital signs. For more information click: HERE.(11/27) Ricky Jay will be appearing in David Mamet’s new movie, “State and Main,” which is scheduled to open on Dec. 22. Currently in the works is another Mamet movie titled “Heist” which will also feature Ricky Jay.(11/27) David Blaine’s television special and upcoming stunt are covered in the News-Sentinel where he is interviewed by phone and is quoted heavily. As to his plans after he gets out he said, “I plan to lay down, eat all I want and drink hot chocolate… I plan to spend a lot of time alone with my girlfriend. I have a lot to look forward to.” To read the Nov. 26 article by Terry Morrow titled “Chillin’ with David Blaine: Ice stunt to give magician a cool vacation” click: HERE.(11/27) Whit Haydn, Reed McClintock, Lorenzo Clark, Bill Chaudet, Jim Bentley, Mike Elkan, Charles Bach, Jeanine Anderson appearing at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, on Nov. 27-Dec. 3. Paul Green lectures on Sunday Dec. 3.(11/27) |
| VOLUME: 35 / ISSUE: 1,065 / Tuesday – November 28, 2000 |
 David Blaine On Ice: An Exclusive Inside View. Behind the scenes reporting on the David Blaine Frozen In Time event with stories and observations you will not read anywhere else. Learn about the safety precautions, reporters, crowds, posters, location and much more. …Go to full story.(11/28)David Blaine who is, “set to begin his 62 hours as a human ice cube today – is worried that his ‘most-chilling feat yet’ could melt before his eyes” is featured in a New York Post story. To read the Nov. 27 story by Adam Miller titled “Warm Temps Give The Ice Man Chills” click: HERE.(11/28) “Hundreds of bystanders gathered to witness the spectacle. …Blaine waved at the crush of reporters and bystanders that gathered in midtown Manhattan to watch as he was sealed in ice. To read the Nov. 28 story titled ” Illusionist off his rocker on the rocks in Time Square” which appeared in the Australian SMH.com click: HERE.(11/28) ABC News which likes to call David Blaine a “mystifier” describes the event and everything that went into it with some detail. There is also a reference to The Amazing Randi who according to the article has frozen himself “five or six times, and his longest stint was two hours and 11 minutes.” To read the Nov. 27 story titled “Frozen in Time: David Blaine’s Cool Stunt” click: HERE. (11/28) The Reuters news service describes the David Blaine event as “Hooked up to monitors gauging his vital signs and wearing only pants, a knit cap and boots, Blaine made like a human Popsicle as curious New Yorkers and tourists alike shuffled by to gawk, wave or touch the ice block to make sure it was real.” To read the Nov. 27 story by Chris Michaud titled “Daredevil Blaine Enters Ice Block in Latest Stunt” click: HERE.(11/28) NEW YORK: It will be Rich Marotta day at Tannen’s Magic Shop (24 West 25th Street) in NYC on Saturday Dec. 2. Marotta will be demonstrating some of his favorite magic and highlights from his recently released three volume set of videos about comedy magic. For more information phone: 212-929-4500.(11/28) |
| VOLUME: 35 / ISSUE: 1,066 / Wednesday – November 29, 2000 |
 Blaine Bound In Block Of Ice On Broadway. Shades of Kuda Bux, Lester Lake and of course the great “Mystefier,” Houdini! David Blaine has revived the spectacular outdoor stunts of an earlier day, now tricked out with 21st century technology. MagicTimes spoke with William Kalush, Blaine’s collaborator as well as co-executive producer of the ABC-TV special “Frozen In Time,” at the Broadway and 44th Street site where magician Blaine braves the chill of his icy crypt and the scrutiny of the world as he awaits to be released from his arctic-like cell at the conclusion of the Nov. 29 broadcast. …Go to full story.(11/29)The New York Post gossip column “Page Six” trying to stir some controversy by getting Penn Jillette and David Copperfield’s people to put down what David Blaine is doing. Also mentioned in the article is James Randi. To read the Nov. 28 article by Richard Johnson with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson click: HERE.(11/29) Bill Kalush is quoted in the New York Post, “If the ice gets too thin, then the whole thing might fall apart… Everything should be all right with the help of dry ice and colder weather at night, but Mother Nature isn’t really helping us out.” To read the Nov. 28 article by Clemente Lisi titled “Magician’s Frigid Feat Debuts” click: HERE.(11/29) David Blaine’s ice encasement is beginning to melt. The New York Daily news reported that “More than 3,000 pounds of ice has been added to the block since the Brooklyn ‘mystifyer,’ as he calls himself, was encased yesterday morning.” To read the Nov. 28 article by Peter DeMarco titled “Ice Melting on Daredevil” click: HERE.(11/29) A story about David Blaine in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch describes his ice event, TV show and an encounter the writer had with him at a party. The writer comments about the show, “About half the special was available for preview, and featured variations on the usual Blaine tricks. He prefers “astonishments,” and that’s truly a better word for what he does.” To read the Nov. 28 story by Gail Pennington titled “Magician is really cool – in ice, as a matter of fact” click: HERE.(11/29) George Schindler, Jeff Smith, and Jack K. Greenberg, are mentioned and quoted in a San Diego Business Journal article about the profitable business of performing magic for corporate clients. To read the Dec. 30 article titled “Magic Is Helping Make Sales Appear” and supplied by YellowBrix and Infoseek click: HERE.(11/29) |
| VOLUME: 35 / ISSUE: 1,067 / Thursday – November 30, 2000 |
| David Blaine was rushed to a hospital after completing his icy stunt last night. Explaining his condition he said that his ankles are swollen and he is not able to walk. He expects to leave the hospital in a couple of days and be back to normal very soon. His biggest problem toward the end is that he became delusional and thought he was dead.(11/30) “The Iceman cometh … out” was the lead of a Reuters story immediately following the Blaine event. The story reported that “…on Wednesday, his [David Blaine] first words were: ‘I want out. I want out now.’ Minutes later, Blaine was free, but he had to be carried. Shaky and seemingly disoriented, he said, ‘Something’s wrong,’ as microphones were thrust into his face, and a close friend told reporters the daredevil ‘probably went into shock.”’ To read the Nov. 30 story by Chris Michaud titled “Daredevil Carried Out of Ice Cell After 2-1/2 Days” click: HERE.(11/30) David Blaine is out and here is what the Associated Press wrote “Blaine emerged wobbly and incoherent Wednesday night after the ice was chipped away. He was quickly wrapped in blankets, placed on a stretcher, and whisked to a waiting ambulance. His condition was not immediately known.” To read the Nov. 30 article by Lukas I. Alpert titled “Illusionist Freed From Icy Confines” click: HERE.(11/30) ABC News reported that “Magician David Blaine was freed from an eight-foot tall block of ice tonight before a crowd of onlookers chanting his name, after nearly three days inside the giant cube. After more than 61 hours, engineers and paramedics pulled Blaine from the ice block. He was clearly disoriented, unable to walk on his own and complained of severe foot pain. With his girlfriend by his side, Blaine was driven off in an ambulance. His condition is not known.” To read the Nov. 29 article titled “Icebreaker : Magician David Blaine Comes in From the Cold” click: HERE.(11/30) David Copperfield who will be performing at the Orange Country Performing Arts Center this week is featured in The Orange County Register. Describing his new show Copperfield is quoted, “It’s a whole other way of thinking about magic. We’re not pulling rabbits out of hats or cutting people in half… It’s dealing on a global level and also using people’s dreams and their desires, as opposed to ‘I’m going to fool you.” To read the Nov. 29 article by Karissa S. Wang titled “Copperfield makes audiences appear” click: HERE.(11/30) iCast which was supplying the feed for David Blaine’s Frozen In Time stunt officially goes out of business on Thursday Nov. 30. According to CNET News CMGI it’s parent company “…has seen its stock price dip more than 90 percent from its 52-week high of $163.50. Its shares closed Wednesday at $10.88. To read the Nov. 29 story by Jim Hu titled “CMGI to pull plug on iCast site” click: HERE.(11/30) The Halifax Herald ran a story about David Blaine trying to find out if he is crazy. According to Andrea Wong, ABC’s senior vice president of alternative series and specials, “I think so… But there’s a cross between brilliance and totally out of his mind.” Speaking about him earning a living Blaine is quoted, “I’m surviving, but I’m not pulling in the dollars,” he says. “I haven’t bought a car. I have a motorcycle and I can buy DVDs when I want so I’m not hurting, but my goal isn’t to sell out. It’s to advance the art of magic.” To read the Nov. 29 article by Kevin D. Thompson titled “The iceman cometh to prime-time television: The boldness of illusionist David Blaine” click: HERE.(11/30) David Blaine featured in an ABC News story which reported that “Thousands of people stopped by the ABC studio on the corner of 44th Street and Broadway, where Blaine was encased in a six-ton block of ice for nearly three days — holding up traffic and raising the tempers of both traffic police and local business people.” To read the Nov. 29 article by Melanie Axelrod titled “Only in New York City: Really Cool or Really Crazy? David Blaine Ice Stunt Has Spectators Scratching Their Heads” click: HERE.(11/30) ENGLAND: The 29th International Magic Convention produced by Martin and Ron MacMillan takes place on Dec. 1-3 in London. This year’s performers include Ray Kosby, Jon LeClair, Rudy Coby, Bob Read, Derren Brown, Johnny Lonn, Bill Goodwin, Boris Wild, Bob Ostin, Michael Menes, Kenji Minemura, Scott Penrose, Davide Costi, Noel Britten, Vladik Miagkostoupov, Eric Buss, Tom Ogden and a special show featuring five of Italy’s elite close up performers. The convention takes place at three separate locations with the lectures and close-up competitions on Dec. 1-2 at the “Thistle Euston Hotel,” the main part of the convention takes place on Dec. 3 at “The Congress Centre’ Great Russell Street,” and the “Stars of Magic & Variety” show takes place at “Her Majesty’s Theatre” on Dec. 3. For more information click: HERE.(11/30) |
| VOLUME: 36 / ISSUE: 1,068 / Friday – December 1, 2000 |
| The overnight Nielsen TV ratings for Wednesday Nov. 29 have “David Blaine: Frozen In Time” second in it’s time slot for the night with a 10.8 rating and a 16 share which translates to a little more than 11 million households who tuned in to see the show. The rating is considered very good and better than the two previous shows. The overnights are usually adjusted before they become official in a few days.(12/1) The David Blaine live webcast which was produced by iCast increased the traffic to that site. Variety reported that “The three-day Webcast significantly increased traffic to the site, from around 100,000 visitors to almost 1 million.” Unfortunately iCast went out of business immediately after the webcast. To read the Nov. 30 story by Ann Donahue and Tim Swanson titled “Madona, Magician Attract Millions On Net” click: HERE.(12/1) Mike Kett wrote, “Applied Magic,” a magic book shows how the various routines described can help people with physical therapy, teaching and public speaking. A Daily Herald story describes what is in the book “…Kett has taken 50 tricks and physical activities and identified how each could be used for various therapies.” To read the Nov. 27 article by Denise Raleigh titled “Physical therapist reveals secrets to working magic” click: HERE.(12/1) David Blaine who has taken the New York press by storm is featured in a New York Times story which describes him when he came out of the ice as “The magician who emerged from the increasingly unstable ice box seemed a shadow of the confident, robust, shirtless fellow who entered two days before.” Describing the last day of the event, “Hours before his escape, the thrill of the chill appeared to have been lost for Mr. Blaine, who looked pale and cold inside his ice bubble, often putting his hands in his pockets or blowing into his stocking cap. And unlike previous days, he wasn’t smiling much.” To read the Nov. 30 article by Jesse McKinley titled “Weak From His 62 Hours in Ice, Ice Man Exits to an Ambulance” click: HERE.(You need to be a member to view this).(12/1) JAPAN: David Roth lectures at Magic Land (Yamatoya Blug. 3rd Floor, Kayaba-Cho 3-5-2 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku) in Tokyo on Friday Dec. 1. Admission is 3500 – 5000 Yen. For more information phone: 81-3-3666-4749.(12/1) PRESS RELEASE: FEEN-X, A MAGIC NEWSLETTER, ENTERS A SECOND YEAR WITH – FEEN-X: 2001! |
| VOLUME: 36 / ISSUE: 1,069 / Saturday – December 2, 2000 |
 David Copperfield’s show “Unknown Dimension” which is touring in California is reviewed in the Los Angeles Times. He is described as “…those who have never seen Copperfield perform live before (and he is seldom photographed smiling) will be startled by just how funny he is, firing off-the-cuff retorts at the audience with the same finesse that he brings to his magic.” The review concludes “Even for David Copperfield, it’s a new high.” To read the Dec. 1 review by F. Kathleen Foley titled “Copperfield Spices Illusions With Sexy Fun” click: HERE.(12/2)David Blaine is featured in a New York Times article which covers his condition after the event and reveals new information about his personal life. After watching the end of the TV special with the reporter she describes him, “When Mr. Blaine sees himself unlocked from the ice, mumbling about having lost his mind, tears come to his eyes. He’s sitting on a chair on wheels, he is told, unable to move his legs; he says he has lost money on the stunt; he says he would never do it again, and he is crying.” About Blaine’s finances, “He also says that while ABC paid him $1 million, he is now $150,000 in debt. But he says it isn’t about the money. It’s about testing yourself. Embracing what frightens you.” To read the Dec. 1 article by Joyce Wadler titled “A Latter-Day Houdini, Out of Cold Storage” click: HERE. (Members only website).(12/2) Paul Daniels in a short Evening Standard article which implies that he might be in trouble for teaching a magic effect to Louis Theroux who is doing a TV feature about him in Weird Weekends. To read the Dec. 1 story titled “Theroux claims Daniels broke Magic rules” supplied by Infoseek and YellowBrix click: HERE.(12/2) “David Blaine: Frozen In Time” is reviewed in The Salt Lake Tribune and it is panned. The review ended with “Had there been more mystifying and less ice, the special would have left me more than cold.” To read the Dec. 1 review by Martin Renzhofer titled “ABC’s David Blaine Magic Special Was The Ice Man Dumbeth” click: HERE.(12/2) Mike Freiman, a 14-year old magician who is addicted to card magic is featured in the Los Angeles Times. Friedman describes magic “It’s like chips. You can’t eat just one… If you do a magic trick, you have to keep doing them. It’s an obsession with me.” To read the Nov. 30 article by Anna Gorman titled “Teen Magician Gives His Time to Teaching Others Tricks of Trade” click: HERE.(12/2) Mike Smith in The Northern Echo where he brags about his entry in the British Magical Close-Up Championships in Blackpool next February. To read the Dec. 1 article by Sara Foster titled “Mike prepares for magic moment in top contest” click: HERE.(12/2) T.K. Vadivelu who is a shadowgrapher and magician is profiled in The Hindu. Vadivelu said that “Magic became my childhood obsession.” To read the Dec. 1 article by V.R. Devika titled “Silhouettes spell humour” click: HERE.(12/2) |
| VOLUME: 36 / ISSUE: 1,070 / Sunday – December 3, 2000 |
| A BBC News story describes David Blaine as “the fastest-rising star in the world of magic, taking his dazzling abilities off the small screen and onto the streets.” Describing what makes for good magic according to Blaine, “He speaks of needing to ‘affect’ those for whom he performs, to touch a personal nerve. Hence the coins in the beggar’s cup. ‘My favourite part is when I connect,’ he says. ‘If there’s no connection, there’s no magic.” Magicians mentioned in the article are Paul Daniels, Tommy Cooper, David Nixon, Jack Delvin, and Jerry Sadowitz. To read the Dec. 2 article by Andrew Walker titled “David Blaine: No Illusions” click: HERE.(12/3) Presto, Rocco, Master Lee, Todd Robbins, Chris Capehart, Florian Klein, and Michael Chaut appear at Monday Night Magic on Dec. 4 at 8pm in NYC. For tickets call Ticketmaster at: 212-307-4100.(12/3) Hal Marquardt who “…travels the world performing magic on cruise ships that leave from U.S. ports in Florida, California and Alaska” is featured in an Oregon News-Review article. To read the Nov. 27 story by Cathy Shields titled “Magician entertains at sea” click: HERE.(12/3) |
Amazon Recommends
