The Magicians' Corner

Started by MacGuffin, August 16, 2006, 04:57:21 PM

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MacGuffin

Copperfield's Next Trick? Eternal Life

Sure he may have walked through the Great Wall of China, wooed Claudia Schiffer and used his superpowers to thwart would-be robbers, but those were mere parlor tricks. Now David Copperfield is ready for his greatest feat: immortality.

The master illusionist has announced he has discovered--wait for it--the Fountain of Youth.

Copperfield, 49, told Reuters that the magical healing waters of yore are actually located in the Exuma archipelago, a chain of four small islands in the Bahamas that he just so happened to have purchased recently for $65 million.

"I've discovered a true phenomenon," Copperfield told the wire service. "You can take dead leaves, they come in contact with the water, they become full of life again...Bugs or insects that are near death, come in contact with the water, they'll fly away. It's an amazing thing, very, very exciting."

And a very, very good marketing ploy.

Copperfield recently transformed one of the isles, Musha Cay, into a posh, private retreat that the ultra-rich can enjoy for up to $392,000 a week. Spiking the Mai Tais with a couple drops of the elixir of life could easily add a zero or two to the final bill.

To prove he's not kidding, the TV trickster says he intends to authenticate his finding, hiring biologists and geologists to scientifically evaluate the purported curative pool's effects. In the meantime, he's keeping the waters off limits.

Copperfield's publicist, Stacy Wolfe said the entertainer was currently on the island and unreachable for comment.

The myth of the Fountain of Youth dates backs centuries. Ponce de Leon and his conquistador crew first heard about in from natives encountered in the Caribbean who believed that a spring with rejuvenating properties was located in the Bahamas not far from Copperfield's chain.

The Spaniards set out for the fabled spot and ended up landing in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1513. Today, St. Augustine pays tribute to the legend via the Fountain of Youth National Archaeological Park, which, includes a museum, various artifacts, an Indian village and a spring--not the spring--but one that tourists can drink from in the hopes of turning back the clock on the aging process.

And what do the locals think of Copperfield's claim?

Dr. C. Randall Harrell, founder of the Tampa-area Fountain of Youth Institute (www.fountainofyouth.com), suggested the illusionist might want to stick to sleight of hand.

"I'm a big fan of David Copperfield, but obviously he's an illusionist and we deal with reality," Harrell said by phone, adding that his institute offers more science-based approaches to everlasting youth, such as cosmetic surgery, a medi-spa for such non-invasive procedures as laser skin tightening, and "rejuvenation vacation" packages.

Then again, if Copperfield can make the Statue of Liberty vanish, we wouldn't bet against him when it comes to making liver spots disappear.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

polkablues

I'm a little surprised Copperfield would sink to something this sleazy.  Not that David Copperfield has ever been the apotheosis of class, but still.  This almost sounds like something Uri Geller would do.
My house, my rules, my coffee

Sigur Rós

I believe mister Copperfield. He would never lie!

MacGuffin

Illusionist David Blaine unveils latest stunt



US magician David Blaine will try to escape from shackles after spending two days in a spinning gyroscope suspended above New York next week, the illusionist said Friday, unveiling his latest stunt.

On Tuesday, Blaine will be locked spread eagle into the gyroscope, which will then be hoisted 15 metres (50 feet) into the air and spun at up to eight revolutions a minute until Thursday, when he will try to escape.

To avoid any problematic calls of nature, the 33-year-old will not eat or drink for as long as it takes to empty his system.

Earlier this year, Blaine spent a week in a water-filled sphere in an abortive challenge that was supposed to culminate with him holding his breath for a record nine minutes.

He was pulled from the globe after seven minutes when he appeared to struggle while removing chains around his hands and feet. He said Friday the experience had shaken his confidence.

"Slightly. One hundred percent slightly," he joked.

The latest challenge was dreamed up by retail giant Target and the Salvation Army, who will give 100 needy children a shopping spree when the stunt is over and the Thanksgiving Day sales begin on Friday.

The children get the prize whether or not Blaine makes it.

Blaine said one of his biggest concerns in the challenge, besides not eating or drinking, would be dizziness.

"Just to make it more difficult on myself, I added a motor (to the gyroscope), so even when I'm sleeping there'll be continuous movement. ... I think I'm going to have to stay awake the whole time," he said.

"This one's exciting for me. This one's a fun one," he said.

The gyroscope will also leave Blaine exposed to the elements, with the performer saying that he only hoped it wouldn't rain or snow while he dangles above a vacant lot near Manhattan's Times Square.

At a publicity event Friday, Blaine was hoisted up in the air by a construction crane, holding onto a metal hook by one hand several metres in the air as he spoke to reporters.

"After this test, I'm a little bit nervous," he said.

Blaine previously spent 44 days without eating while suspended in a glass box above London's River Thames in 2003.

Other Blaine stunts have included being encased in ice for nearly 62 hours and spending 35 hours standing on a 30-meter (100-foot) pillar.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

MacGuffin




Illusionist in Times Square cement box stunt

U.S. illusionist Criss Angel began a 24-hour stunt on Monday that will end with him trying to escape from a small cement box strung up above New York's Times Square before it crashes to the ground.

About 100 fans gathered in the rain to watch the spectacle in a parking lot just off Times Square, the same spot where U.S. magician David Blaine spent two days in November shackled to a gyroscope hoisted in the air before escaping.

Angel, 39, sat in a four-foot (1.2 meter) square clear box slowly being encased in cement that was suspended 12 feet above the ground as he spoke to reporters and fans.

The box will be lifted to 40 feet later on Monday and Angel will try to escape on Tuesday morning before the box is sent plunging to the ground.

"We're going to stay the whole 24 hours," said Jeremy McLay, a 20-year-old pharmacy worker who traveled three hours from Pennsylvania to watch the stunt. "It's awesome because it's never been done. We think he can do it."

Angel has been building a career as a magician since he was a teenager in New York but grabbed the spotlight in 2005 when U.S. cable channel A&E began airing his show "Mindfreak."

The cement box stunt was to draw attention to the third season of the show, which starts on Tuesday and has included levitation, walking on water, and lying on a bed of nails while an SUV drives over him.

"I'm here to do what I have always wanted to do -- try to do the impossible," Angel told Reuters from the box. "Not as a trick, not as an illusion, but as a real life demonstration in the art of escape as Houdini did for his day."

"This is really a testament to how I live my life and how I live my career and how I really try to live each moment to the fullest, pushing my own boundaries," he said.

A camera inside the box showed Angel's every move on a big screen and will eventually broadcast his escape attempt.

"This guy, he means a lot to me, because he shows if he can believe it, anybody else can believe it," said Jose Mejia, a 19-year-old New York student. "It's about mind and believing in yourself, you can do anything."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

Pubrick

wow, some people just don't know what time it is.
under the paving stones.

Stefen

Instead of trying to out tah da eachother, they should band together and use their powers for good. Why make food disappear when instead you could make some food appear?
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

72teeth

Fuck that, I want an all out, Sword in the Stoney-shapeshiftery-wizard to wizardy ass Battle to the Death... !!!
Houdini to Block mother fucker!!!!


Doctor, Always Do the Right Thing.

Yowza Yowza Yowza