Bah! (I hate spoilers)

Well, clearly my retreat last night into mindless television was a mistake. See, I have such fond memories of the original "Secrets of Magic Revealed" television specials. Granted, that was all the way back in the late 199os, when something narrated by a star of The X-Files was actually relevant. I used to watch them in the middle of winter, curled up in my chilly apartment way the hell out in Brooklyn.

So I figured that the show's renewal (brought on by the Masked Magician's crazy popularity in Brazil and in Europe) would be like nostalgia. I like magic! And he lets me watch the show because he gets to see the scantily-clad assistants. But I didn't count on the resurgence of "bad-ass" magicians over the last 10 years to throw a wrench in things.

I know that the Masked Magician is no longer calling out the stars of my childhood (like my 6th grade crush on David Copperfield, who I got to see perform live, but wasn't allowed to wait for autograph from) because these men are practically dinosaurs. He's totally busting on people like Criss Angel, who I find unbelievably creepy. I forgot, however, that he'd also hit my very, very favorite of all: David Blaine.

I so have the hots for David Blaine. One could argue that he too has lost his relevance, since he no longer does magic but has turned to ridiculous feats of endurance (yes, I did see him stand on the pole, and I did see him in the bubble, and I can't wait until he decides that Florida will be a great location for his next stunt). But I do have the "Street Magic" DVD (a gift, I swear! A gift, admittedly, I had on my Amazon.com wishlist), and I love it. The guy just has such presence*. And he seemed so authentic. Here was one master of legerdemain that I was willing to believe in!

Until I watched the silly show last night and that stupid Masked Magician revealed a trick that David Blaine used to do that I found fascinating. The short version? A doctored quarter. I felt so betrayed... that David Blaine would resort to fakery and rigged props. I mean, I get it... I know it's all "fake." But... but... I wanted to believe! The illusion, now revealed, feels so cheap and manipulative. Sigh. I should have known better.

* This one time, I was at a theater premiere for a pretty important Off-Broadway theater doing a production starring Edward Norton and Catherine Keener. There were a bunch of celebs in the audience, including Tim Robbins (who really is that tall) and Elijah Wood (who really is that short). As I was standing around with a friend, waiting for the house to open, I find my attention inexplicably drawn away from her and towards a figure walking down the street to the theater. It was, of course, David Blaine and he pulled my focus like an electromagnet. I couldn't look away, and I have no idea what my friend was trying to say to me.