David Blaine, the magic man!

For his savvy street magician style, his uncanny sense of timing and the fact that his former girlfriend is the astonishing Josie Maran.

Why is he famous?

Blaine has generated an insane amount of celebrity based on the old Harry Houdini standard -- perform an incredible stunt and notify the press beforehand. In addition, his television specials broke the mold of typical magic performances.

He is currently making headlines for his most recent stunt, which involves Blaine living in a box suspended by London's River Thames, and enduring starvation and solitary confinement for 44 days.

David Blaine is one of the most intelligent and talented performers to hit the big time in years. Think of another famous magician who can do what Blaine does without all of the hype, pyrotechnics, props, and beautiful assistants.

The man has a flair for doing the impossible in the most unassuming and believable way. If you have ever seen his television specials, David Blaine: Street Magic or David Blaine: Magic Man, then you have an idea of how suave the grunge performer is.

Bio

Born in Brooklyn, New York on April 4, 1973, David Blaine was inspired by his mother to dabble in magic. Blaine began at the age of four when he witnessed a subway performer and then chose to try his first card trick routine.

As a teenager, Blaine began to pursue acting as a career and took regular trips into Manhattan from his then New Jersey home to attend classes. He was fortunate enough to land some commercial spots and appearances on daytime dramas.

It was during this time that his ability to levitate off of the ground surfaced and at the urging of his personal physician, Blaine underwent a thorough examination.

Career was ready to be lifted

As a young adult, Blaine moved back to the city, to the notorious neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen. His mother was stricken with cancer around the same time and passed away in 1994, when Blaine was just 21. Yet the loss did not stifle his burning ambition to perform.

He began to make a name for himself at celebrity functions by doing magic tricks for famous people, such as Mike Tyson, Al Pacino and David Geffen. Through a common contact, he struck a friendship with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Blaine decided to take a chance and aspire to greater heights, so he made a tape of a performance and sent it to ABC. The response was tremendous and an interview was requested soon after. His first special was later produced, David Blaine: Street Magic and it became a ratings hit in 1997. David Blaine: Magic Man followed two years later.

Blaine was soon in demand on the talk show circuit and appeared on just about every major show imaginable. He was even rumored to be dating Madonna at one time.

David Blaine is one of the most intelligent and talented performers to hit the big time in years. Think of another famous magician who can do what Blaine does without all of the hype, pyrotechnics, props, and beautiful assistants. The man has a flair for doing the impossible in the most unassuming and believable way. If you have ever seen his television specials, David Blaine: Street Magic or David Blaine: Magic Man, then you have an idea of how suave the grunge performer is.

The one problem we have with Blaine is that he takes forever between public appearances, like his "frozen in a block of ice" stunt a couple of years back, and television specials. He must be making some great coin because the man is invisible to his fans most of the time. But that may be the point after all.

Personality & talent

The man is not yet thirty but he is on the cusp of creating his own empire. Think about it -- with his talent and effusive charm, Blaine could do whatever he wanted with his magic. A Vegas show with his own theater and a guaranteed income? No problem. A regular television show on a major network? For sure. Film projects and books galore? You bet.

Hell, Blaine could become the magician equivalent of Oprah or Martha Stewart. It could happen, but we doubt that he would want it that way. The man is so reclusive and mysterious that the spotlight could taint his image. Blaine knows how to leave audiences wanting more.

Woman magnetism

If he were more visible then perhaps the score would be higher. But for the love of God, the man was having sex with supermodel and uber-babe Josie Maran! Maybe they are still sleeping together as you read this, as they are allegedly "still friends"! What more could you ask for?

If Blaine could land one of the most supreme and beautiful women on the planet, what would stop him from having whoever he wanted now? Plus, with all of his purported magical powers, maybe he could cast spells over women. Hey, maybe that explains Josie!

Accomplishments & fame

We had to give Blaine a lower score than we wanted to because the fact of the matter is that the man has not exploded onto the scene just yet. He generated an amazing amount of buzz with David Blaine: Street Magic in 1997, and followed it up with another special two years later. You might remember that he buried himself alive for seven days in order to promote 1999's David Blaine: Magic Man.

The publicity he has generated for his New York City stunts is considerable but to be honest, Blaine has to come on stronger than that on a regular basis to penetrate the collective mindset of mainstream America, let alone a global audience.

That will surely change with his most recent endurance stunt, which involves Blaine living in solitary confinement for 44 days -- with no food -- in a glass box suspended by the River Thames in London. Unfortunately, Blaine is mostly attracting negative press, as passersby are harassing him during his stunt.

Coolness factor

The one factor that Blaine has going for him is that he is perceived as cool. The dichotomy of not pandering to a mass market 24/7 is that you maintain that aura of hip, fresh and current. If he strays from the underground reputation he has acquired, he could lose that special quality.

Such is the delicate balance when you have one foot on the college campus scene and the other in the marketing boardrooms of corporate America. Who do you play up to? Do you go for the money or stick to your current comfort level and choose to reap the benefits of being cool? So far, Blaine has gone for the latter.

Personal style

We have yet to see the man dress up, but Blaine has the urban, grunge, casual yet fashionable look down. In black and a wicked trendy hat, the man looks very GQ. But then again, with a bag of tricks and charisma up his sleeve, how on earth could he afford to look bad?

"(I want to bring magic) to a level where Houdini had it a hundred years ago. When you thought of magic, you were intrigued... you were emotionally moved by it. It had a meaning and a purpose." -David Blaine

Blaine buried alive

In 1999, Blaine performed his most notable stunt to date, as he was submerged in 4000 pounds of water for over one week to promote his latest special. The publicity was amazing and after he emerged 24 pounds lighter, he once again was seen plugging the show on the talk show circuit. Another stunt involving a block of ice generated similar acclaim, as well as many cynics.

But even the recent rash of theories attempting to debunk the Blaine brand of magic has not diminished his fame. In fact, the negative publicity has had the opposite effect, as movie and book deals have rolled in, and has proved to be a rallying point for his most fervent supporters.

Unfortunately for Blaine, there are more skeptics than supporters during his "Above The Below" stunt, which involves Blaine living in a glass box that is suspended by a crane by the River Thames in London, for 44 days, without food.