David Blaine and Daryl Hannah

[MaxNY]

Today's (Tuesday May 7th 2002) New York Post reports that Magician David Blaine is making sweet magic with Daryl Hannah...
And they reported his pole...fifty feet.(I believe Magic Magazine had it at 100 feet)

[Matthew Field]

Originally posted by MaxNY:
sweet magic with Daryl Hannah...And they reported his pole...fifty feet.

No wonder she's going out with him! :o

Matt Field

[Robert McDaniel]

Ha! Now I really am jealous of David Blaine. BTW, the latest Rolling Stone has an article about Blaine and Madonna, no less.

[Pete McCabe]

Blaine is so damned lucky! I could go out with Daryl Hannah and Madonna twice as well as he can.

[Richard Kaufman]

Isn't Darryl Hannah old enough to be his mother? She was going out with Jackson Browne (and getting wacked around, it's rumored) 15 years ago!

[Steve Bryant]

"Old enough to be his mother" were the exact words that came to mind when I read this. Indeed she had an embarrassingly small bit part in some recent movie, playing the lead's mother. Ah, but in Splash and Roxanne, she was spectacular. I guess she doesn't fall into that group of old movie stars Blaine was trashing in his Magic Live interview with Max.

[Jon Racherbaumer]

I thought I was the only one on this Forum "with no life?" I'll admit to watching at least 10 films weekly. (BTW, just watched the original "Insomnia" TWICE and will probably see the re-make with Al Pacino and Robin Williams. The original is excellent!)

So...

...for the record, Darryl Hannah is 42 years old. However, she is only 2 inches shorter than Blaine (in stocking feet)...which logistically speaking is a good thing. As a kid they thought she was autistic, which may explain the type-cast dumb-blonde with long legs image. Yes, she toured with Jackson Browne...who allegedly slapped around all his wimmins...

Has everyone forgotten that she also was JFK Jr's beddy-buddy?

Also, let's not forget how fetching she was in "Blade Runner," "Reckless," "Steel Magnolias," and "At Play in the Fields of the Lord." She was even good in "The Pope of Greenwich Village."

She also RECENTLY played a ditsy stripper in a Z-movie (straight to video) called something like "Nights at the Blue Iguana." She has a great scene when she tries to get out of a traffic ticket.

Blaine by all accounts gets around...and around...and around...

Onward...
(I gotta watch two Errol Morris short films before I go to bed...)

[John Pezzullo]

However, she is only 2 inches shorter than Blaine (in stocking feet)...which logistically speaking is a good thing.

In stilettos she's four inches taller than him....which logistically speaking is even better!!

[Guest]

Perhaps he can revive her career the way he revived that fly.

[Michael Edwards]

If you haven't already done so, you really should read the profile in Rolling Stone. It's a provocative and ultimately disturbing piece...about Blaine, about celebrity, and about the demons that haunt him.

[Steve Bryant]

And the issue has a really great cover photo.

[Guest]

Maybe Darryl Hannah can eventually post on the thread called "Polishing the Johnson (cup)".

[Carl Mercurio]

So you had to remind me of "Blade Runner," and "At Play in the Fields of the Lord." That's a combined 4 or 5 hours of my life I'll never get back. My eyes still hurt from seeing Kathy Bates naked in "At Play". The only thing more startling was the juxtaposition of Billy Bob Thornton's naked body against that of Halle Berry's in "Monster's Ball." Devastatingly beautiful black woman vs. hairy-ass white dude with middle-age gut. You gotta love Hollywood. Btw, the book "At Play" was pretty good, but like the move version, too long.

[Elwood]

Like to see her sleight of hand...she's got a finger missing, I believe!

[John Pezzullo]

Jon,

Check the following URL regarding "Insomnia":

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/scri ... omnia.html

Regards,

John

[Guest]

And wasn't Daryl in Legal Eagles with Robert Redford or has that film disappeared without trace? Splash and Blade Runner were probably the best two movies she was in, though the latter was only a bit part.

Insomnia was a good movie, I hope the remake does it justice.

I always thought Blaine got into magic just to meet chicks, lol.Just shows he is multi talented :0

Paul.

[MaxNY]

Jon, you said "as a kid, they thought Darryl was autistic."
And as a kid, they thought Blaine was... artistic.
A perfect match!!

[Michael Edwards]

So what's the point? David Blaine is a young man who has made an enormous connection with the public. Apparently there is something about him that makes personal connections as well. Some of these relationships have found their way into the tabloids and newsmagazines...and even onto an internet forum or two. So? The real questions for the conjuring community to ponder are why this troubling -- and troubled -- young man has become one of the most recognized and fascinating of magicians, how his personna has altered the public's perception of magic and magicians, and its implications for the future of the craft.

[Carl Mercurio]

I did a walkaround gig at a junior high school kind-of teen social night and dance the other night. All they wanted to know is if I had ever met David Blaine.

[Matthew Field]

I saw the ad for the new Blaine special. It aired during the big ABC miniseries Dinotopia.

It is extremely well shot -- a close-up of Blaine, a door opens, he steps out into open space.

I am looking forward to the special.

Matt Field

[Brian Morton]

Michael Edwards cogently wrote:

So what's the point? David Blaine is a young man who has made an enormous connection with the public. Apparently there is something about him that makes personal connections as well. Some of these relationships have found their way into the tabloids and newsmagazines...and even onto an internet forum or two. So? The real questions for the conjuring community to ponder are why this troubling -- and troubled -- young man has become one of the most recognized and fascinating of magicians, how his personna has altered the public's perception of magic and magicians, and its implications for the future of the craft.

I would argue that Blaine has made his way into the zeitgeist for many of the same reasons Houdini made it into the headlines in his day (although that is probably the only thing Blaine has in common with The Great Liberator).

Blaine comes along in a time where society apparently has a need for "mysticism," for answers such as those that the con artist John Edward gives. It is a recognized end-of-the century phenomenon that Blaine has been riding, along with our culture's love affair with youth and the young.

Combine that with the fact that magic at large (read, in the popular media) has been moving more and more in a direction of bigger and more outlandish, not to mention more "staged" (see all the Ouellet/Pudney/Jaffe specials, combined with 15 years of Copperfield and Las Vegas becoming the center of all magical performance arenas), then something like this was bound to happen. I thought Harry Anderson might have brought the whole thing down to earth a little more, but he is a little too old to satisfy the media's need for youth, more youth and more youth (see: Spears, Britney; Aguilera, Christina; Moore, Mandy; Sync, N' ).

And, as I wrote before in GENII, along comes Kwai Chang Blaine, who, like Samuel L. Jackson's character in "Pulp Fiction," just "walks the earth," doing card tricks.

Youth of America are jaded, but they also yearn for something "unexplainable." Oh, and "cool." Blaine does not explain. Blaine looks "cool." And he simply stares at people after his performance (see the Rolling Stone article reference, "The Stare.") And he walks away.

Cintra Wilson wrote in Salon magazine, "There has always been something grimy about magic. Even at its very best, it is a long con. Magic is based on tricks and secrecy, so traditionally, only pathetic, lonely people ever want to lie that much to get attention. Magicians are historically a sorry-assed lot, who keep company with flame-retardant midgets and frog-swallowers." She regularly writes about celebrity and showbusiness, albeit in a jaundiced way.

She basically described Penn & Teller as "old," Ricky Jay as someone with skin like an "old sponge" and likened David Copperfield to Liza Minelli.

Ouch. Not pretty, but maybe to a 20 year old who watches Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Roswell, probably true.

Nature abhors a vacuum. David Blaine fills it.

As for the future: Can we make ourselves relevant in a youth-obsessed age? Will Blaine's star continue to rise or will he be cast aside once he's too old to be cool? Or will he, and ourselves continue to remake our art so we can evolve past the "magic clown," "foofy-guys-with-boxes" image we have built for ourselves.

And can we get a jaded, A.D.D.-afflicted public
to "get it?"

Those are the real questions for our future.

brian :cool:

[Guest]

Kwai Chang Blaine. Haha, very funny!

Blaine's success cannot not be ignored and should be analyzed. Mr. Morton's insights are very intriguing. But who would have guessed Blaine would have made it this far three years ago? Fourth TV Special, universally recognizable name, and now Daryl Hannah!?! I really think most of us see this (still) as unbelievable! Is a young, cool, "non-staged" turn-of-the-century mystic really that persuasive and attractive? Are these the things that have propelled Blaine to the stratosphere? I mean, really, who didn't first think of Blaine as a punk kid when they first saw him? Now we're scambling to find the nerve that Blaine has tapped.

Maybe magic tricks, per se, have nothing to do with Blaines' success. What's the difference between David Carradine's character of Kung Fu fame (another surprise hit) appearing basically retarded and at the same time catching knives and arrows in mid-air and David Blaine, the same, but bringing dead birds back to life? Little.

Maybe Kwai Chang Blaine isn't so funny after all.

[Terry]

Both Brian & Steve make good points...could Blaine be the Uri Geller of this decade? The only difference is he doesn't make claims of supernatural gifts, he let's the audience make that decision. Really good move on his part!

Since most good magic takes place in the spectators mind, Blaine is really performing magic to the lay audience. He is using psychology(?) at it's best.

I was on the anti-Blaine side until I started studying his whole performing personna and read the Rolling Stone article. He has done what Henning did in the 70's, he has taken magic into the new decade. He's not following in the "cookie cutter" style of performing the Rings, then Zombie, etc., wearing the tux or outlandish costumes.

I do however think that Blaine has gotten caught in the trap of what is the next big thing we can do next year. Copperfield made the statement, after vanishing the jet, that he didn't want to make the mistake. We have since witnessed the Statue of Liberty vanish, Niagra Falls escape, etc. The thirst of the big $$ by TV exec's will cause performers to push the envelope one time too many and will result in serious injury or death.

I carry no delusions of fame nor do I seek it. So my opinion is not one of jealousy, but rather appreciation of Blaine's efforts. I enjoy my collection of books & videos, practice whatever catches my interest and perform for friends or family when asked. That is what makes me happy.

Besides, Blaine doesn't know us, doesn't care what our opinion is, and is laughing all the way to the bank or Hannah's/current squeeze's bed. :D

[MaxNY]

Back in the sixties, as a kid I couldn't wait to see another Evil Knievel jump . They were huge publicity stunts. Have we seen a daredevil since Evil? Nobody really comes to mind. Is the lay audience remembering his close-up, or his death defying, slow torture/publicity building stunts? His magic has captured many, but his mind altering torture capades are what the people are demanding.

[Jim Maloney_dup1]

Originally posted by MaxNY:
Back in the sixties, as a kid I couldn't wait to see another Evil Knievel jump . They were huge publicity stunts. Have we seen a daredevil since Evil? Nobody really comes to mind.

Captain Robbie Knievel (Evil Knievel's son) did a few stunts a couple of years ago. I seem to recall him jumping part of the Grand Canyon on a motorcycle, jumping a moving train headed directly at him, and jumping about five helicopters which on the ground, but had their propellers spinning.

-Jim

[Carl Mercurio]

Now wait damn minute. I am not lonely!!!....My take on Blaine. He's himself and very good at it, and the fame is part talent and part good fortune--as fame usually is. Laymen love plenty of other cool magicians. Blaine's just had the good fortune of being able to reach a wider audience. As for me, I like any performer who's true to himself or herself. So I like Blaine a lot, I like Mac King a lot, I like Simon Lovell a lot...and on and on....So don't try to tap into the vein Blaine has tapped into. Find your own vein and hammer away.....

[Richard Kaufman]

A friend was reading "US" magazine's article on famous female stars and what kind of plastic surgery they've had.
Ms. Hanna was in there!
Dish that dirt, baby!

[Terry]

Just saw on one of the "news" shows that Botox treatment parties are the big thing. It runs $700 per person and they inject this substance into your skin to reduce wrinkles. It is a temporary fix that requires several treatments to work. How vain and ignorant can people be?

[MaxNY]

I don't know if plastic surgery is considered "dirt".
I seem to recall that when she was dating JFK Jr., they said that she had ties to old money. (Not really dirt either).

[Guest]

Shame he has to take British magicians ideas without giving them credit.

[Jim Maloney_dup1]

Originally posted by Sue Reed:
Shame he has to take British magicians ideas without giving them credit.

Huh?

-Jim

[Guest]

Take a look at 'Blaine copies Paul Zenon' in the 'General' area.

[MaxNY]

Today's New York Post 6/24/02, has a picture of the two love birds in Paris!. She has never looked happier,( except for the factory scene in Pittsburgh with what's his name.)

[opie]

Let us not forget the truly artistic performance she gave in the rape scene of Clan of the Cave Bear.....
:p opie