DAVID BLAINE SPEAKING TOUR

As was first reported here on the Magic Newswire, David Blaine has begun a series of speaking engagements with the first being in Dallas and here's what happened: 

At precisely 8 p.m., the opera house curtain rose to reveal, center stage, a large tank, seemingly filled with water, in which Blaine, wearing a thick, dark suit, sat submerged. In front of him a small table held a plate of fruit, bottle of wine and other props. Breathing through a mask at first, Blaine finally tapped his watch, indicating that he'd take off the mask and commence holding his breath for 12 minutes.

A loud soundtrack of a rapid heartbeat boomed out of the speakers and the digital clock inside the water tank started adding up the seconds. One minute, two without breathing. Then five. Blaine, always positioned in three-quarter view, lifted the lid on a silver bowl inside the tank, releasing goldfish that swam around him. He peeled and nibbled a banana. Occasionally, a few bubbles escaped his lips.

At the nine-minute mark, he floated slowly toward the top of the tank, headfirst but still underwater. On the large screen projecting his image via live video above the stage, he looked shaky. Two assistants scrambled up from the wings and positioned themselves over the top of the tank. Would Blaine make it to 12 minutes without breathing, risking brain-damaging hypoxia?

Read the complete article here.

And, in case you missed it the first time around, here's David "Dressed for Dinner":