Topic: David Blaine

David Blaine (born David Blaine White; April 4, 1973) is an American magician and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has set and broken several world records. Theater owner James Nederlander has referred to Blaine as a modern day Houdini as has The New York Times while he has also been called a "Houdini wanna-be" by the New York Daily News.

Blaine was born David Blaine White in Brooklyn, New York to a father of Puerto Rican-Catholic descent and a mother of Russian-Jewish descent. His mother, Patrice Maureen White (1946–1995), was a school teacher living in New York, and his father William Perez was a Vietnam veteran. He was raised by his single mother and attended many schools in Brooklyn. When he was ten years old, his mother married John Bukalo and they moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, where he attended Passaic Valley Regional High School. He has a half-brother named Michael James Bukalo.

On May 19, 1997, Blaine's first television special, David Blaine: Street Magic aired on the ABC network. According to The New York Daily News, “Blaine can lay claim to his own brand of wizardry. The magic he offers in tonight’s show operates on an uncommonly personal level.” When asked about his performance style, David explained, “I'd like to bring magic back to the place it used to be 100 years ago.”' Time Magazine commented, "his deceptively low-key, ultracool manner leaves spectators more amazed than if he'd razzle-dazzled." The New York Times wrote, “He's taken a craft that's been around for hundreds of years and done something unique and fresh with it."