David Blaine couldn't pull a cab out of his bag of tricks last week when his pregnant fiancée, Alizee Guinochet, went into labor during the latest blizzard. According to the NY Post, "the doorman and people on the street tried to help him flag down a taxi. But there were absolutely no cars on the road," and not a car service in town would pick the couple up. But it turns out Blaine had luck on his side, and a plow owned by a private contractor came around the corner and picked them up. The couple welcomed a baby girl, whose name they have not yet released, but... what would the baby version of Mr. Plow be? more ›

Yesterday it was announced that David Blaine would be setting up shop in Times Square for 72 hours of street magic, all in the name of raising money for Haiti. And before you hate, one commenter who saw him in action today pointed out that a man in the crowd told Blaine that his Mom is currently in Haiti, and he hasn't heard from her yet. He continued, "David truly cared and took the man's contact information to get in touch with people on the ground." more ›

Presto, chango! David Blaine is turning the Haiti tragedy into a self-promotional opportunity. Word on the street is that the magician will be performing 72-hours of non-stop magic in Times Square to raise money for the victims of the earthquake. He's working with the Red Cross, and will start his magical marathon tomorrow at 9 a.m. (at West 43rd Street and Broadway). Every little bit helps. If you spot him out there, send us your pics/video. more ›

Hurricane Bill washed out one of the last weekends of the summer for most beachgoers after state parks officials closed down most beaches due to the dangerous conditions brought on by effects of the storm. But when surfers got wind of the fact that sea was foaming like a bottle of beer, they simply told the State Parks Department, "The waves are comin', but we ain't got no fear." Officials said that 2,000 surfers, some from as far as California, showed up at Montauk—the most ever counted out there. And one Long Beach manager told Newsday, "You're supposed to have a pass. The surfers refuse to come out of the water when they're waved in to check their beach passes." more ›

David Blaine has found a new project: Mia Farrow. The 64-year-old activist/actress has tapped into the magician's bag of tricks to get some tips on how to endure a hunger strike. She started the fast on Monday, in the name of Darfur, and has been blogging about it on her website, saying, "Before I began this fast David Blaine (magician and endurance artist) called me. So kind of him. He told me a little about how to prepare and what to expect. He said after 6 days I won't feel hunger. He told me to drink 4 liters of water." Farrow only weighs in at 110 pounds, and will be living on a water-only diet for three weeks. She maintains: "What I am going through now is nothing compared what the people of Darfur are facing. When I feel hunger pangs and my head aches, I think of them." [via the Daily News] more ›

After an epic upside-down FAIL during his last stunt, it's nice to see David Blaine will be putting away the bells and whistles and doing some of his regular street magic this afternoon. CITYarts, a non-profit public art organization in New York, informs us that they'll be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. today to celebrate the restoration of the 36-year-old mosaic benches around Grant's Tomb in Morningside Heights (located at Riverside Drive and West 122nd Street). Blaine, allegedly a fan of the benches, will be on hand "doing magic for the kids," and all are invited to attend! more ›

David Blaine didn't disappear during his Dive of Death this week, and he's certainly not disappearing from the press. He's now come close to admitting failure, but is blaming both President Bush and nature. That's right, the "amazing" ending he dreamed up was foiled by high winds. "Blaine said his grand finale of diving from a platform 44 feet to the ground while attached to a harness didn't go according to plan. He was supposed to jump and, at 10 feet, be swept away by a bunch of helium-filled balloons. Instead, he dangled awkwardly for a moment before disappearing in an ascent into the night sky." He also added, "I know that it didn't work right when all my friends called up and said, `Wait, what happened? I'm confused.'" Apparently the massive roar of "boos" didn't tip him off. [via Mollygood] more ›

No one will ever know for certain how many of the 60 hours David Blaine actually hung suspended upside-down for. Many spectators witnessed him standing upright, being suspended horizontally and basically just slacking off on his mind-exploding magician duties. A collective "yawn" was heard throughout the city as the 60 hours went on, and last night ABC aired the grand finale: the Dive of Death. more ›

So just what is David Blaine doing to fill the time during his "Dive of Death" stunt? A trip uptown yesterday revealed that yes, as has been reported, Blaine has taken regular standing breaks to be checked on by a physician. He also noted that standing was the only time he can drink water because drinking it upside-down "makes me feel like I'm gonna puke." more ›

David Blaine spending 60 hours suspended upside down over Central Park's Wollman Rink just got even less interesting! While being lowered closer to the ground in order to chat with fans still falls within the rulebook, his medical exams have him standing upright on his own two feet! One spectator caught him and now there's photographic evidence! Well, if you want to suspend (heh) disbelief for a while and ignore the cheats, you can now join Blaine for a few minutes--his "expert stunt team has arranged for fans to take the David Blaine Challenge by safely hanging upside down for a minute or two, Tuesday, 3 - 11 p.m., Central Park’s Wollman Rink." more ›

David Blaine has been upside down since yesterday, and today his medical team will be on hand at Wollman Rink to check in on their patient. There have been some concerns about what being in his position for 60 hours can do to the human body (like blindness!), so stay tuned for what's likely to be a dramatic yet reassuring press conference with the docs. more ›

Street illusionist-stunt fiend David Blaine embarked on his 60-hour project to hang upside over Wollman Rink in Central Park. While doctors say his head won't explode from doing The Dive of Death (as it's called for his ABC special), he could very well go blind. more ›

Unsurprisingly, doctors have some concerns over David Blaine, who announced his latest stunt, the "Dive of Death," last month. The idea is simple enough: hang upside down over Wollman Rink for 60 hours; Blaine has already been practicing at a gym and was up to 8 hours at the last check-in. While hanging upside down, in some people's opinions, has its health benefits (Rosie O'Donnell does it to treat depression!), a doctor told The Daily News, "His head is not going to explode, but it could cause some problems with the blood flow to his brain. I wouldn't do it, and I wouldn't counsel anyone else to do it." So far the 35-year-old endurance stuntman hasn't suffered from his practices, but he did note: "This is a lot more difficult than it looks." more ›

Illusionist David Blaine is looking for your support when he suspends himself to a cable with magnetic boots upside-down above Wollman Rink for three days next week. In today's NY Daily News, he revealed more details about the stunt including that doctors will check on him every few hours, a cherry-picker will lift visitors to his level and he will urinate through a catheter. Blaine has been practicing by hanging upside-down with gravity boots at a private gym in the Flatiron district. The longest he's gone thus far is eight hours. Next week he'll try to do it without any sleep for sixty. Blaine told the News that he's fine with criticism, but gets upset when "people think it's an elaborate hologram." more ›

Brooklyn's leading magician David Blaine will live in the great outdoors of New York once again in just a few weeks for his next major public stunt, walking upside-down above Wollman Rink for three days. Blaine will perform the "Dive of Death" starting on the morning of September 22 as passers-by in Central Park will be able to see him as he hangs upside-down like a bat while connected to a wire via magnetic boots. He will not eat during his sixty hours on the wire and plans to sleep-upside down as well. This will all culminate in a two-hour special to air on ABC on the 24th. How he will get down remains--like the man himself--wrapped in mystery. The stunt will be less than a mile from Lincoln Center where in 2006 Gothamist visited the "Mysterious Stranger" while he lived in a bubble for a week. more ›

Queens Council Member Peter Vallone Jr. has introduced a bill that would have Evel Knievel rolling in his grave. If it becomes law, stunt men are going to have a tough time working on their craft in New York, as it would outlaw climbing and jumping off any structure taller than 25 feet; daredevils could get fined and spend up to a year in jail. Alain Robert is not going to be happy about this (video). more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Austin St. in Queens, a pedestrian struck off Balfour Pl. and Empire Blvd. in Brooklyn, and a rescue on Bank St. in Manhattan.
• The Domino Sugar factory on Brooklyn's waterfront has achieved landmark status.
• David Chase is heading to court to face a former municipal court judge who claims he came up with an idea for a show about a northern NJ mob family.
• David Blaine's next stunt of endurance in the Big Apple will be a tribute to I-bankers and lawyers logging billable hours, as he attempts to stay awake for as long as humanly possibly. The magic? No cocaine.
• Led Zeppelin may be traveling back to NYC for a return engagement. The songs remain the same.
• The men convicted in the 1989 "wilding" Central Park rape attack case have been given the go-ahead to update their lawsuits against the city.
• A former waitress at the strip club Scores is suing one of the managers for sexual harassment.
• New York City as retirement village.

Today we have illusionists like David Blaine performing "stunts" in the city, but back in the day there was the real deal stuntman, Evel Knievel. Just after making news by making nice with Kanye West (after suing him over this video), he died yesterday in Clearwater, Florida at the age of 69. The NY Times reports he had "failing health for years with diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung condition. In 1999, he... more ›

As of last night, Pier 54 became a temporary home for the band Cartel. Haven't heard of them? That's probably why they opted for this reality show/publicity stunt thing. more ›

The Post says that David Blaine has has lost 25 pounds (sometimes riding his bike in Central Park) as he gets ready for his next stunt. And what is the stunt? A jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, which would be a reprisal of a stunt by Steve Brodie who jumped into the East River while tied up in the 19th century. The thing is, Brodie didn't jump - a dummy was thrown off instead. more ›

READING: Alice Walker's daughter, Rebecca Walker, reads from her book "Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood after a Lifetime of Ambivalence". Babies, family, pregnancy...will all be discussed. more ›

Some of Gothamist's favorite stories in the city were about the animals of New York City. Here's how animals ruled the Big Apple in 2006: more ›

If you ever thought that strapping yourself into a spinning gyroscope in 30-something degree weather for two days would be a good idea, then consider yourself David Blaine's kindred spirit. more ›

We're worried that David Blaine has an eating disorder - he's planned his next stunt to take place over Thanksgiving! The illusionist, last seen submerged for days with gross skin issues at Lincoln Center, will be suspended over Times Square for three days. From E!:

The challenge, sponsored by Target to kick off the holiday shopping season, will get underway at 10 a.m. Tuesday, when Blaine is slated to be hoisted by crane to his destination, 40 feet above West 46th Street near Eighth Avenue. more ›

After last year's mess of an awards show and this year's joke of nominations (where is love for Lauren Graham, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences?), we were going to swear off this year's Emmys. But then we realized Conan O'Brien was hosting, so we must watch and liveblog. And there's the hope of a good Steve Carrell bit, not to mention awkward reaction shots of Candy and Tori Spelling during the Aaron Spelling tribute. more ›

- His next plan is to film in the jungle and live with dangerous animals to show they aren't so dangerous (dude, tell that to Roy Horn!) more ›

- Why someone hates the Ten Commandments on YouTube more ›

Last weekend the Andi Warholas, dressed as their namesake, went for brunch, posed for de la Vega, took the subway and finally visited David Blaine in his giant tank of breath-holding failure. more ›

If you were envious of David Blaine staying under water for eight days envy no more! The weather situation is taking a turn toward the soggy. The blocking high we mentioned yesterday is going to keep an approaching storm system over us for several days. The Weather Service is euphemistically saying we will have "unsettled" weather through their forecast period. What they mean is rain, rain, rain, and rain. There will be heavy rain and light rain, rain showers and thunderstorms. There will be red rain, purple rain, and maybe even rain from outer space. Thirty-two flavors of rain in all. There will be enough rain to make us wrinkly and moldy. more ›

- When the divers had to "rescue" Blaine - they were so cool in their silver divesuits! more ›