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Monday, May 08, 2006
Can a Man Hold His Breath for 9 Minutes?
 Tonight, Houdini-heir wannabe David Blaine will try to set the world record for holding one's breath. Why? Fame, fortune and TV ratings, of course. You can watch his Drowned Alive special from 8 to 10 tonight on ABC. Notice how the title wants us to think: The guy could die. He's been living underwater for a week in a bubble in New York's Lincoln Center, and during his breathless test he'll have to escape all sorts of shackles! Shackled, too? He could really die!Which raise some questions. First, do drawn-out death flirtations make for must-see TV? (Me, I'll be watching simulated deaths on Fox's 24.) Second, is it legit? Like, uh, the guy's a magician, an accomplished expert in how'd-he-do-that? street magic tricks. Then again, he's tested human limits before, such as apparently being trapped inside a block of ice for a previous ABC special. Blaine's website says he's been training with "a world class elite free-diving team" that has "multiple free-dive world record holders." The show will try to persuade doubters that h'es never "resorted to the use of body doubles, mirrors or other trickery in completing his past arduous challenges." An admittedly brief search for research on the subject does suggest the stunt could be real. Apparently, people can train themselves to greatly increase how long they can hold their breath. How? Basically by practicing. That somehow makes the body somehow boost one's lung capacity, some researchers found. Here's a report of another study. By the way, part of Blaine's practicing brought him here to Camden's Adventure Aquarium, where he swam in the shark tank. For an offbeat spin on that, check out the end of tonight's 6 p.m. news on WPVI (Ch. 6) as funnyman Don Polec doggie-paddles with the man-eaters, too.
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