Magician Set to Live in Aquarium

Yes

I don't know - he's pretty hardcore. Like the platform and the whole Thames Square things - he's intense. I wouldn't doubt that he'll be in the water for the whole time unless something goes dreadfully wrong (I mean dreadfully wrong in the unplanned sense, not in the completely obviously staged sense).

He'll certainly be in there for an uninterrupted week, if he can handle it. He doesn't take breaks. Like Dev said, "he's pretty hardcore" and I don't doubt he'll be able to do it.

The magic that guy performs never ceases to blow my mind. I think all his specials are pretty interesting and I'm excited to see this one.

Perhaps he will be coated in some hydrophobic coating, like vaseline.

Exactly what I wanted to say, Tommy H. This fellow is an industry, and he has probably remedies specifically designed to increase his endurance, perhaps even some medicament to shoot himself up with.

That said, David Blaine is awe-inspiring as a magician, as an endurance performer and as an artist. He cannot be taken down. I would bet on him, but I suppose the odds on the water tank are pretty low.

His street magic is so so. The levitation that he does is a party trick even I can do, and it wasn't even filmed correctly in one of his specials so you could see how it was done.

But as Miss Dev said, he's pretty hardcore when it comes to his endurance stunts. That's where he excels.

His street magic is so so. The levitation that he does is a party trick even I can do, and it wasn't even filmed correctly in one of his specials so you could see how it was done

Really? Are you a magician, Erik? I have never seen the levitation stunt performed by any other, so I easily became a victim of the sleight of hand, but I did notice that it was filmed from a strange angle, as if the perspective of the camera mattered.

I don't suppose you would tell secrets of the branch on a public forum like this. Isn't there some sort of magicians "code of silence"?

Yes. The angle of the camera and indeed the audience is alpha and omega to this trick. The trick is called the Balducci leviation (after the guy who invented it) and for an easy do-it-at-home version, you can check out this site. WARNING: This WILL spoil the illusion.

He actually does two versions, the street version and one with a crane which obviously is not performed in front of an audience, but often spliced together with public reactions to make it appear that he does in his videos.

Major props to his endurance stunts though.

The angle of the shot is only 1 thing he does. There are 2 different ways the trick is done. In the shots that he comes only a few inches at most he is using the angles to his advantage and pushing himself up by his toe. Note: he is always facing away from the person he wants to fool. The second is simple TV effects and is filmed separately from the reactions of the crowd. They see him go up a couple inches and we see him go up much higher.

That said. This guy is great at what he does. He can use all the tricks in the world to pull off a stunt but the simple fact he has the determination to try is impressive. Regardless of any cheats he may not want you to know about. The guy is out to entertain and that's all he needs to do for me to be a fan.

The angle of the shot is only 1 thing he does. There are 2 different ways the trick is done. In the shots that he comes only a few inches at most he is using the angles to his advantage and pushing himself up by his toe. Note: he is always facing away from the person he wants to fool. The second is simple TV effects and is filmed separately from the reactions of the crowd. They see him go up a couple inches and we see him go up much higher.

That said. This guy is great at what he does. He can use all the tricks in the world to pull off a stunt but the simple fact he has the determination to try is impressive. Regardless of any cheats he may not want you to know about. The guy is out to entertain and that's all he needs to do for me to be a fan.

What about the Criss Angel levitation trick? The one where he floats 3-4 feet off the ground both outside and inside and he lets the camera move all the way around him? Also the ones where he levitates other people?

What about the Criss Angel levitation trick? The one where he floats 3-4 feet off the ground both outside and inside and he lets the camera move all the way around him? Also the ones where he levitates other people?

The key word to look for here is "camera". Is your life so bad/boring that you need to believe in real magic? I would usualy just say, "If you saw it on TV then it must be true!". But I will skip the sarcasm and just say.. Don't believe everything you see, especially on TV. Copperfield never walked through the Great Wall of China. He can't put his finger strait through a coin unless the coin is specially made.

These guys are masters of deception. They know where you will look, what will draw your attention and they practice constantly to perfect their tricks because it takes a lot of skill.

Yea, but he did get the Statue of Liberty to disappear (kidding, of course).

I don't think Miss Dev is necessarily a believer in magic. She could be just looking for an answer to more complex tricks.

@Claus - thanks - that's exactly it. I've seen loads of explanations of the "levitation" trick - but none addresses the way Criss Angel does it. I'm not saying that he is actually floating above the ground - but he sure is a good illusionist and I would love to know how he actually does it... it's pretty fascinating. (I used to watch Jonathon Creek on BBC and always loved the logical explanations of illusions).

@Collin - I rarely believe ANYTHING I see on tv.

Is your life so bad/boring that you need to believe in real magic?

You seem a little sensitive about this topic.

Show us on the doll where Magic touched you...