David Blaine is a master of street magic and is included at the top of the list of the best magicians of all time, along with other greats such as David Copperfield and Criss Angel. He is mainly known for his incredible feats of physical endurance, such as holding his breath for 17 minutes and being frozen in a block of ice for three days. These stunts, which would most likely end in our demise, he makes look like normal feats of endurance. He is also a master of close-up magic, often frightening his viewers with unexplainable and mind-bowing tricks.
Close-up magic is what he focused on in his new TV special, David Blaine: Real or Magic. In this special which aired on ABC network on Tuesday, Nov. 19, Blaine wowed various Hollywood stars with his amazing illusions and close-up magic tricks. These stars included greats such as Will Smith, Harrison Ford, Kanye West, Katy Perry, and Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. The appearances of these stars really added to the overall quality of the program because seeing these familiar faces cringing with looks of fear and amazement was really amusing.
For some people, seeing all of these Hollywood stars in one show would be enough to amuse them, and while it was really cool to see all of them, I was looking for something more. I had heard about the amazing tricks David Blaine performs, and I was very eager to witness them for myself.
David Blaine failed to disappoint me. Every one of his tricks was very well thought out and perfectly executed. Some people have said that it is fake, or that the stars were in on the tricks, but I disagree. Many of the stunts would have been next to impossible to fake, and I’m pretty sure no actor could have faked their reactions. You could tell that they were truly amazed. While I know that many of the tricks are just illusions, it is still amazing that Blaine is able to deceive people to that extent. I don’t want to give too many of his tricks away, but one of the best was when he poked an ice pick through his hand and bicep without producing a drop of blood! This shocked and disgusted Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul as they struggled to watch but could not turn away from the amazing sight.
This special is not one to be missed and I urge you to experience this amazing program for yourself. You can see the special on YouTube, and re-runs will be aired on ABC.