From now on when I think of the boy in the bubble, I will think of David Blaine and his latest stunt. He has sealed himself in a giant ball filled with water in front of Lincoln Center in his latest attempt at fame and fortune. Fancying himself a modern day Houdini, Blaine has previously been buried alive for seven days, frozen himself in ice, stood on a small platform at the top of a 100 foot high pole for 35 hours, and lived in a Plexiglas box for 44 days without food.

This newest endurance test has him living in the water-filled sphere for a week at the end of which he will hold his breath for 9 minutes, hoping to beat the world record.

Upon first glance, one can’t help but think of Daryl Hannah in Splash; you know, that scene where she’s been captured and she’s stuck in the tiny tank in the lab. But I’ll admit that there is something magical in walking up to a giant blue bubble with a person floating in it. This sort of ‘hurry hurry hurry, step-right-up-and-see-it’ carnival atmosphere — for free — is unusual and fun. It’s because of these crowd gathering, large scale spectacles that Blaine often gets compared to Houdini. But the similarities stop there. Houdini would escape from a straight jacket while suspended upside down. Blane is sitting in water, and later, he’s gonna hold his breath.

The choice of location seems really odd to me as well. This is Lincoln Center, a cultural institution — home of the Metropolitan Opera House and Julliard. It speaks volumes to the dumbing down of America that it is also now the site of ABC’s newest ratings stunt.

I can spend 6 hours in my bathtub. Can I have a TV show?

I understand the need to push the limits of human endurance. It’s what allows mankind to climb mountains, explore the deepest oceans, even venture into space. But the way Blane is doing it isn’t clever or useful. A two-year-old could come up with this idea, “Oh yeah, well I’m gonna hold my breath til I turn blue”. I would be much more impressed if Blane continued to work on his illusions– an art form I hold in high respect — and stayed away from the stupid human tricks.