David Blaine tonight

[Doug Thornton]

Just a reminder, David Blaine's first special in awhile - with no stunts, just magic - airs tonight 9:30 - 11pm eastern time, ABC.

http://abc.go.com/shows/movies-and-spec ... l-or-magic

Link to previous discussion about his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel last week:

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=43427&p=292451#p292451

[Richard Kaufman]

The Genii will be watching.

[Richard Kaufman]

Unfortunately the Genii is writing, not watching, but gotta love that DVR! Here is an interview with Blaine about the show on Collider:

http://collider.com/david-blaine-real-o ... ore-295967

[Doug Thornton]

I look forward to seeing comments tomorrow. I liked the show but don't want to spoil anything for folks in other time zones.
BUT - just a heads up - there was a promo that David will be on Nightline which airs on ABC at 12:35 am.

[Richard Kaufman]

David Copperfield will be on Nightline tonight, not David Blaine.

[Richard Kaufman]

I think it's David Copperfield that will be on Nightline tonight, not David Blaine.

[Terry_Holley]

After Blaine's show tonight they reported it would be Blaine on Nightline! We'll know for sure in about 35 minutes!

[Richard Kaufman]

Look here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wor ... d=20943971
It's Blaine's photo, but read the story and you'll see that it's Copperfield on the show.

[Terry_Holley]

1 hour 22 minutes into the show Blaine appears on a commercial and says, "I'm David Blaine, catch me later on Nightline." Beats me!

[Steve Bryant]

Great show, California. Don't miss it.

[Terry_Holley]

Starts with clips from Blaine's TV show but doesn't interview him other than him making a few comments. Then it moves into covering and interviewing Copperfield.

[fredreisz]

David Blaine couldn't care less about what I think, but the show felt too much to me like a "Reader's Digest" of closeup magic. After a while I also was just overloaded with clever use of what the video camera does not show. Too much of that for me. Yes, there were good moments but with Blaine everything is a moment, little development, little dramatic buildup, too little theatrical sense. But, hey, it is working very well for him. Peace...Fred *Reisz)

[user_241]

The thing with David Blaine is that his "style" is done purposefully. The whole point he is trying to get across is formlessness. Blaine's magic tricks are simply about the effect. His style is about minimalism. Take away all the theatricality and just show ordinary everyday people magic.

After watching the special last night, my conclusion is that his performance has actually improved over the years. If you compare his the way he presents magic in his most recent special and his older specials, you will see that the flow of the effect is really well done.

At the end of the day, Blaine's magic isn't really about the effect. I recall Penn & Teller saying how Blaine was the first one to turn the cameras on the spectators. Blaine's magic is about the spectators just as much as we, as magician's enjoy watching the effect.

[Brian Morton]

Blaine's lack of expression is a performance choice (and it works for him). That he now throws in a smile shows more of a performer secure in his skin than in his younger day. He admits in this Yahoo interview that he adopts this affectation for a reason:

"Even though I do magic and I'm always very stonefaced, I'm actually vicariously living through people's reactions," he explains. "That's the addiction to what I do."

http://screen.yahoo.com/daily-shot-with ... 00316.html