David Blaine Recovering

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday June 10, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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Magician David Blaine, 27, was in fragile shape in his Greenwich Village, New York, apartment on Thursday -- a day after his headline-grabbing, primetime TV stunt of remaining buried in ice for nearly 62 hours. His feet were swollen, his legs couldn't move from the knees down, and he needed help getting to the bathroom. He told "Entertainment Tonight" that he looked weird when he saw himself on videotape after his endurance test, and he told The New York Times about his state of mind when his ice chamber was sealed: "It's weird. I'm really terrified and freaking out. I think I'm not going to make it, I'm telling my guys to get me out." So, why didn't that happen? "I ordered them not to." And although he insists he'll never do anything like the ice stunt again, Blaine, who's been called the Hip-Hop Houdini, does claim, "I learned a lot" Such as? "I'll fight whatever they got."