Blaine nominated for Houdini award

SCRANTON, Pa., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- The Board of Directors of The Houdini Museum in Scranton, Pa., says it has nominated magician David Blaine for its first Houdini Award.

"When David Blaine is buried alive for seven days, frozen in a block of ice or hung upside down for 60 hours, he credits Harry Houdini's legendary escapes as his inspiration. In April, Blaine broke a world record by holding his breath underwater for 17 minutes and 4.4 seconds, another Houdini-inspired stunt," the museum noted in a news release.

Blaine is currently attempting to hang upside down over New York's Wollman skating rink for 60 hours as his latest stunt. The endurance challenge began Monday morning and is scheduled to end Wednesday night.

Others nominated for the inaugural Houdini Award are James Randi, Dorothy Dietrich and Caesar Pelez of Le Grand David.

The winner of the award is to have a special coin minted in his or her honor, the museum said.