David's Dive of Death TV special will feature him taking a blow from the MMA athlete.

WHY? You may ask yourself - well David simply wants to replicate the "trick" which killed his idol Harry Houdini. Any why Kimbo Slice? Because he is one of the few people he fears.

There’s no illusion involved to this bit. David Blaine simply stands in the middle of the cage, lifts up his shirt to prove he’s not hiding any protective material, and asks Kimbo to punch him. And after? Kimbo is wowed by David Blaine’s resistance to his gut shot. Kimbo’s manager jokingly asks, “Hey, is this going to make Kimbo look weak?” I don’t think so. And I hope after this, Blaine checks in with a doctor.

David was supposed to come down tonight at 9 p.m (2am UK time)., but ABC officials said today that the stunt's finale has been pushed back to 9:15 p.m.

David will have to endure an extra 15 minutes of his ordeal due to Bush's nationally televised speech about the economic crisis.

As with all of David's stunts there have been many people who are skeptical and label the ordeals as a whole elaborate magic trick; The Dive of Death is no different.

The Dive of Death has been “rubbished” by New Yorkers “curious New Yorkers arrived at Central Park’s Woolman Rink to witness the unusual event and found him standing upright.”  An Entertainment Weekly blogger posted “Finally, after 15 minutes or so, Blaine went back to being upside-down. There wasn’t much to see. He just hung.”

Another blogger wrote “This is like being on a hunger strike for 22 hours a day. You know, taking two hours off for lunch and dinner break. Oh, and coffee and snacks.”

Even David’s Security Guard was unimpressed, stating “yeah, it's kind of cheap, isn't it”

About once every hour, David comes upright for about five minutes for a medical and equipment check. He has something to drink and he relieves himself, something even David can't do upside down.

OUR DEFENCE FOR DAVID
These kind of “Cheating” blogs, and news articles have spread across the internet, but in David’s defence the original press release did state “He will pull himself up to drink liquids and to restore circulation.” Therefore David HAS NOT cheated anyone – there was no expectation for him to hand upside-down for 60 consecutive hours.

Read the complete articles
Official Dive of Death Press Release Released By ABC
David Blaine Rubbished Over Breaks From Hanging Upside Down By The Times
David Blaine Caught Taking Standing-Up Breaks By Fox News

David has began his ordeal this morning at 8:30am EST. At Central Park's Wollman Rink.

Remember to watch the finale on Wednesday, September 24th at 9:00pm EST on ABC.

David will urinate through a tube and drink water during the stunt, which is due to end on Wednesday.

To prepare himself, David said he had been starving himself for a week and lost over a stone, and conducted a six-hour trial run.

David has admitted some people want him to fail, but added: "I'm more upset when people think it's an elaborate hologram."

David Blaine has been warned his latest stunt the Dive of Death could blind him.

Specialist Dr Massimo Napolitano has said blood pressure in his eyes will rise dangerously. "My biggest concern for him is possible clotting in the veins of his eyes, causing blindness"

Hanging upside down will increases blood pressure in the head, especially in the eyes.

He described what happens to the human body when inverted for long periods as "reverse physiology. The pressure in the veins in your head increases, especially the pressure in your eyes. There's a risk of having swelling of the brain and clots in the veins of the eyes."

Dr Napolitano did not say whether possible blindness could be temporary or permanent. Swelling and cramping in other organs was also possible. The expert said the challenge could yield valuable data for doctors.

A news article by NY Daily News has published the related problems in David's latest stunt. "but it could cause some problems with the blood flow to his brain," said Washington doctor Michael Friedman. "I wouldn't do it, and I wouldn't counsel anyone else to do it."

The article also states some of the benifits in hanging upside down under short durations "Rosie O'Donnell hangs upside down to treat depression; and "Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown does it to inspire plot lines."

Read the complete articles
David Blaine Worries Doctors With Plan To 'Hang Out' Over Central Park By NY Daily News

After David read about a terminally ill kid's (Tim's) "Make a Wish Foundation" wish - he responded and setup a meeting with him.

The Gloucester Citizen has published an article of the meeting, now David will help another of Tim's dreams come true to meet American rapper Kanye West "On learning this, David, who is a friend of the musician, said he would see what he could do"

Tim and David exchanged phone numbers "Tim texted his hero shortly after he left saying 'thank you for making my dreams come true'."

Read the complete article
Meeting David Blaine Was Pure Magic For Hester's Way Boy By Gloucester Citizen

For those who are interested in reading the Official Press Release for Dive of Death, I have made it available on my website.

Read the complete Press Release
Dive of Death Press Release Released By ABC

I have further details of David's "Dive of Death" feat

Time: September 22, 2008 at 10am to September 24, 2008 at 11pm
Location: Wollman Rink
Street: Central Park
City/Town: New York

David has announced his new stunt - he will hang upside down above New York's Central Park for three days and two nights.

During the order David will be deprived of food as he is suspended six storys up on a highwire for his Dive of Death, which will be filmed to air on U.S. TV on 24 September 2008.