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David Blaine photos of starting evening
London: 6th September - Day One
It was a balmy late summer's evening with the occasional gentle trickle of rain. The media had billed this as a 'spectacular'. In the event this was a very low key event by London standards. "They get more at a Wimbledon football match!" commented one of the crowd.
David Blaine - final TV interview with Nicky Campbell
As
usual with live TV there were many interruptions for commercial breaks. The
warm-up set a very low key start to proceedings and couldn't get a Mexican wave
going! Nicky Campbell tried his best to keep things lively - they cut to
an ad break early which caused much confusion. Blaine himself was very
quiet and Campbell struggled to get answers from him - was this the START of the
event?
"I'm not worried about the first three weeks, I'm worried about the second half of this when I start to lose my mind and everything gets really bad," Blaine said before entering the box.
The thing Blaine got most excite about was the lip balm, when questioned he said that his lips had given him most problems in previous stunts.
There was talk of nappies (diapers) but his manager dismissed it as mere press speculation.
David Blaine: Final Kiss
There was a final goodbye from the team. TV interviews with the medical staff still couldn't get the excitement going; "he could loose his eyesight between 45-50 days" (but he's only in there for 44!)?
One wag in the crowd shouted "Moses fasted for 40 days and brought us back the 10 Commandments - Blaine going up there for 44 days to promote a one hour TV show"
The claim was that Blaine was going to be incommunicado but he is so close to the ground that he can communicate with the team through hand signals. Wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and carrying a sleeping bag he appeared like any other London tourist looking for a cheap bed for the night.
Much bedding, a sports bag, a photo of his departed mother and a diary and
pencil were among the items loaded aboard. Compared to his other feats
this seemed to be not very challenging - even Blaine appeared bored and
disinterested.
David Blaine: The crane takes the strain
Blaine, 30, entered his tiny temporary home suspended between Tower Bridge and the new Greater London Assembly building (Ken Livingstone's headlamp building) at Potters Field Park at 20.27 GMT Friday 6th September 2003
Blaine is not due to leave until Sunday, October 19 at 20:00 GMT (21:00 BST)
David Blaine: The Lift begins - David Blaine looks down bemused
David Blaine: Lift off!
David Blaine: 40' (13m) in the air
David Blaine: Gets his sleeping bag out for the night
David Blaine: Fills a bottle with water
No sooner were the TV lights out and Blaine rolled out his sleeping bag and started to prepare for the night. First, Blaine filled a bottle with water from the tube feed that had been provided.
What could happen during the next 44 days to make this more interesting?
Why 44 days? Blaine said because it was his birth date 4/4. Also, because Blaine has been informed that starting with Day 45 of a fast, one can lose one's eyesight.
David Blaine: Great view of Tower Bridge as Blaine settles down for his first night
There were gentle waves to the crowd as he settled down. Two small opening vents had been inserted into the side of the capsule during the day because his team thought that he might get too warm. Blaine closed the vents as he settled down for the night.
David Blaine: Was that it? I thought they were going to hang him over the river!
David Blaine: Bored already ?
No fireworks, no loud music or cheering ...
The "Spectacular" was over, the TV crews packed up, the World's press dispersed, the Thames river cruisers went back to their moorings and we shall return in 44 days to see the end - let's hope for a more entertaining evening.
Bets Off?
Ladbrokes, the bookmakers, says it is not convinced the illusionist really
would be surviving without food. The statement follows the magician being
rejected by the Guinness Book of Records for his forthcoming feat on the grounds
of danger to health.
A Ladbrokes spokesman said: "In our eyes Blaine is odds-on to complete his feat
but we need convincing that the stunt is a true test of endurance.
"For example, how pure is the water he is drinking? A bookie won't get involved
unless we are convinced that there is a wholly independent steward or referee.
"We would love to take bets on Blaine but bookies won't mess with an illusionist
otherwise by magic we will find ourselves shelling out thousands of pounds."
However, other bookmakers are taking bets on Blaine lasting the 44 days.
William Hill was offering odds of 2/9 that he will successfully complete the
challenge, and 3/1 that he will come out early.
"This is the first time we've ever bet on a stunt of this nature, but it has
really captured the public imagination and we decided to give people the
opportunity to stake a bet on the outcome," said Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe
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