Results tagged “stunt”

Nic Cage's spectacular path of destruction expanded beyond his career last night, nearly costing two innocent bystanders their lives. Around 1 a.m., a car chase through Times Square for Cage's movie The Sorcerer'’s Apprentice became uncomfortably realistic when the driver of one of the vehicles, a black Ferrari, lost control and skidded off Seventh Avenue. One tourist from England told the Post he saw the Ferrari "taking out a lamppost and a news stand. One lady was knocked to the ground and a lamppost landed directly on top of a chap." It quickly crashed to a halt at the Sbarro, as this video shows:

The New Museum seems to be a magnet for strange activity. Earlier this year a dead deer was spotted outside of its doors, and now AnimalNY reports that "during the press preview for the New Museum’s triennial exhibition, 'Younger Than Jesus,' someone hung a giant banner stating 'Please, New Museum, Show My Work' on the facade outside." It was promptly removed, but a painting across the street with the same plea was also spotted. Until the artist reveals him/herself however, the stunt has failed since no one knows who the work belongs to. However, someone with video capabilities happened to be nearby when the banner was still up, and they made a video including both that and the painting—ultimately asking the artist to unmask thyself. We've asked the New Museum to comment on the artwork, but have yet to hear back.

Finally, would-be Empire State Building stunt jumper Jeb Corliss is at the end of his nearly three-year-long legal nightmare. In 2006 he attempted to jump from the building with a parachute, but his plan was foiled by security at the last minute. Since then he's been in and out of court, and more recently he was convicted, meaning he could face years behind bars. Well, yesterday was judgement day, and following Alain Robert's slap on the wrist, Corliss was "sentenced to three years of probation and 100 hours of community service," which he is allowed to serve out in his hometown of Malibu, California. No doubt a relief for the stuntman; when he was first facing a judge in 2006 he had said, "I live in a country whose motto is 'Land of the free.' I don't feel very free here." This time around Corliss called the judge: "a wonderful man."

Jeb Corliss, who attempted to parachute off the Empire State Building in 2006 and has been in and out of court since, was convicted yesterday of reckless endangerment. He could face up to one year in jail, a significantly steeper punishment than was just handed to NY Times Building climber Alain Robert, who received a fine and community service. Corliss told the awaiting press,"I'm shocked. I can't believe it," and he'll now have to wait until January 22nd to find out what his exact sentencing will be. The Daily News adds that defense lawyer Mark Heller spoke up to Assistant DA Mark Crooks, a relative of flight pioneer Orville Wright, saying "If your great-great-granduncle were alive today, he would disagree with your argument that Jeb Corliss was being selfish, arrogant and reckless." Crooks responded that the Wright Brothers "didn't take their flying machines into crowded cities."

Incase you didn't know, the Jeb Corliss case is still wrapped up in the courts. The stuntman tried to jump off the Empire State Building over two years ago, only to be thwarted by the police. Now the NY Post reports that yesterday was "Fun with Physics Day" as a NYU physics professor explained to the jury that "despite the skyscraper's 'wedding cake' shape, an object falling off the observation deck could still reach the street - if it were first propelled horizontally at approximately 10 mph." Undoubtedly, those in attendance learned a little something, as the paper notes that all in all there were more than "six hours of testimony about the interplay of mass, wind resistance and acceleration." Perhaps it also helped Corliss plan his next stunt.

Is Peter Vallone Jr's favorite daredevil, Jeb Corliss, back at it? While he's facing misdemeanor charges from his 2006 attempt to jump off the Empire State Building (the Daily News notes that he's still fighting to get the charges tossed due to missing evidence), Corliss may already be planning his next move. He told The NY Post that he would "absolutely" take advantage of the new law passed that allows urban stunts like parachuting off buildings with a police permit, and he added, "I love Mayor Bloomberg" (who signed the bill). Back in July Philippe Petit, who walked a highwire between the WTC towers in 1974, told us, "I continue to have in my mind some illegal walks. But we live in a different time now, and suddenly in a big city like New York, if I'm caught by the powers that be at the top of a building ... I would be shot first and asked questions later."

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]

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.

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."

       

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.

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."

   

In August of 1974, a 24-year-old Frenchman named Philippe Petit snuck into the World Trade Center, reached the top, and walked across a wire cable that was strung between the Twin Towers. New York watched captivated below. Some fun facts: it took 6 years to plan the stunt, the gap between the towers was 140 feet, and even though it was illegal, charges were dropped and Petit was merely sentenced to entertaining kids in Central Park (where he walked over Belvedere Lake).

           

Earlier today thrillseeker/activist Alain Robert scaled the NY Times Building in order to draw attention to the Global Warming threat. He reportedly climbed 52 floors, to the roof, before being detained by police around 12:30 p.m. He did so without the aid of any climbing instruments (except his shoes) and sans the safety of a parachute strapped to his back.

At approximately 11:57 a.m. a news alert came in saying there was a large crowd gathered at 620 8th Avenue and West 40th Street. "LEVEL 1 CALLED FOR CROWD CONTROL, AND A POSSIBLE PERSON ATTEMPTING TO JUMP DOWN FROM A BLDG." A reader wrote in minutes later saying, "Someone is climbing the exterior of the NY Times building."

In January 1931, Modern Mechanics magazine featured daredevils, stuntmen, and others with risky odd jobs. Unsurprisingly, many of them flocked to the city, from Madison Square Garden to the Brooklyn Bridge. One of particular interest is Sig Smith, who once walked around the crown of the Statue of Liberty, blindfolded!

Everybody has heard of the Statue of Liberty, though not many people realize what a huge object it is. They say that a man can crawl out of the statue’s eye. If he should slip through that eye he would drop to certain death at the base, more than 150 feet below.

Continue reading "NYC's Daredevil Past"

After trying to parachute off of the Empire State Building in 2006, Jeb Corliss found himself in front of a judge; at first the charges were dismissed, but earlier this year he was charged with reckless endangerment. The misdemeanor could turn the daredevil into a caged bird for up to one year.

Yesterday we noted Council Member Peter Vallone Jr.'s latest mission: putting an end to stunts. Of course, one of the best examples of this daredevil activity is brought to us by Jeb Corliss; after attempting to jump off the Empire State Building in 2006 Bloomberg wasn't too happy with this thrill-seeker. Or the judge that dropped the charges against him. But now the city is revisiting the case and trying to appeal the decision.

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).

Improv Everywhere was back recently causing a commotion (or more appropriately: a standstill) at Grand Central. For this prank the troupe had 207 "agents" in place that all froze on cue for five minutes. (We'd love to see this go down in Times Square.) The below footage shows the latest stunt: