David Blaine: Frozen in Time (TV Special 2000)

David Blaine: Frozen in Time (TV Special 2000). David Blaine: Frozen in Time: Directed by Roger Goodman. With David Blaine, Kevin Spacey, Lenny Kravitz, Michael J. Fox. Street magician, David Blaine, attempts to freeze himself within a block of ice for 72 hours. The hour includes pre-taped footage of Blaine's preparation for the trick and his entry into the icy hangout, as well as segments of Blaine stumping pedestrians with his hip brand of sleight of hand and trickery.

“As a professional close-up magician, I find Blaine an interesting character: he came virtually out of nowhere (to magicians and the lay public) to become pretty much a household name.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI admired his cajones — and some of his technical skills using very old and well-known magical effects in attempting to turn them into what his promos called u0026quot;street magic.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMake no mistake… this catu0026#39;s no u0026quot;street magician.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eStreet magicians get PAID for their tricks, and not much — they pass a hat — generally theyu0026#39;re fairly broke. Dave just walks up on (supposedly) unsuspecting folks, blows them away then slips into the sunset… or back to his room at the Four Seasons.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut Blaine does a few legitimately cool magic effects, primarily with cards, although most of the u0026quot;actualu0026quot; effects he performs — those which one of us can actually perform for a u0026quot;regularu0026quot; audience — have been developed, or made famous, by actual working professional magicians.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYup — sorta like Copperfield. Blaineu0026#39;s not an innovator, or even a particularly effective performer. Check out the list of u0026quot;magic advisorsu0026quot; at the end of his specials. And those are only the ones who are STILL ALIVE!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis u0026quot;Frozen in Timeu0026quot; special is particularly foul — at least four of the effects are accomplished via u0026quot;stoogesu0026quot; (paid spectators) or total camera trickery. And we wonu0026#39;t go into the finale.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCopperfield would be proud.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNonetheless, I have his signed and numbered poster for this stunt framed and matted in my living room.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYeah, Iu0026#39;m the whore ;)”