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Next For David Blaine: Street Starvation, Begging LONDON (DPI) - Illusionist David Blaine, who recently ended a 44-day fast suspended above the Thames river, today announced that his next stunt will be his most intricate. Titled Street Starvation, the performance-art piece will apparently merge his two most popular stunts. "Everyone has seen Street Magic, which, by the way, is now available on DVD," said Blaine, referring to his television special in which he surprised pedestrians with magic tricks. "And everyone saw me in the box. So what better follow-up than to do both at the same time?" The magician said he'll spend at least six months on the street, sitting nearly motionless on the concrete, slowly starving himself. "It's the kind of thing that's never been done before," Blaine said. "I mean, it's one thing to see someone starving to death protected by a box, but how will people react when they see a man starving right in front of them as they walk by? This could revolutionize performance art." However, Blaine was adamant that he won't punish his body the way he did in the London stunt. "I plan on eating, but not often," he said. "In fact, the only time I'll purchase food is when my fans pass by and give me money to do so." Blaine detailed plans for collecting the donations in a receptacle in front of him, such as a tin can or overturned hat. He insisted he won't be in any danger of serious starvation. "How many people could possibly walk past a starving man on the street without providing him with some form of assistance?" he said. "That's just inhuman." To nail the point home to passersby, Blaine said, he will probably construct some type of sign, likely handwritten on a piece of cardboard, asking the public for their assistance. He also pointed out that he will not be completely without nutrition. "There are a lot of popular wines that are actually fortified with ingredients," said Blaine. "I'll likely consume that in place of water, for my health." At just a few dollars a bottle, he said, he figures he can subsist largely on the wine rather than food. "But, you know, law-enforcement officials may not appreciate that I'm consuming these products in public," he said. "I'll probably mask the bottle inside a brown paper bag or something to avoid problems." Blaine abruptly ended the press conference when reporters asked if he was doing this simply because nobody wanted to pay to see his stupid shit anymore. (Reported by Greg Preece)

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