Magician nears end of London vigil

LONDON -- David Blaine -- shaman to some, charlatan to others, showman above all -- is getting ready to leave his box.

The American magician is approaching Sunday's end to a 44-day fast-cum-vigil in a dangling plastic case -- hungrier, hairier and, he says, wiser than when he entered.

The 30-year-old, who previously has been buried alive and encased in a block of ice, says the feat is both the hardest and "the most beautiful" thing he's done.

Thousands are expected to show up Sunday to watch Blaine's exit.

, which will be broadcast on television and streamed to paying subscribers on the Internet.

Blaine's Web site says he may have to spend a month in the hospital recovering from the ordeal. By Day 38, the site said, he was "occasionally incoherent and has been exhibiting signs of delusion," smelled strongly of sulfur and was longing to take a bath.

A former street magician, Blaine now specializes in feats of endurance. Before entering the box, he said he hoped the test would help him find his "truths."

Many onlookers seem to agree there's something spiritual about the event. Several signs dotted around the site had a metaphysical cast. "The butterfly will emerge from its cocoon," said one. "Physically thin -- spiritually fat," declared another.

Paranormalist Uri Geller, a friend and mentor to Blaine, called the American "a shaman. He has the quality of Rasputin, of Mesmer."

"He believes it is important to suffer," added Geller. "He thinks that is a very real and true human emotion."

Retired carpenter Terry Hutt said he spent every day at the site after watching Blaine enter the box on a live television special.

"You hear the bad bits, but there's more good bits," said the 68-year-old Hutt, clad in Union Jack shorts, T-shirt and hat. "People become friends, they share their sandwiches. And we get lots of entertainment. We had Michael Jackson's double the other day.

"This morning a woman brought a dead pigeon in a box," he said. "I think she hoped he could bring it back to life."

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On the Net:

David Blaine: http://www.davidblaine.com