Harry Houdini, one of the greatest illusionists of all time, can't compete with the press of today:
How Guy Pearce learned to stop hating himself and found the magic touch
Seems like a reasonable account doesn't it? Producers, safety men and insurance agents, panicking because Guy Pearce is being filmed on the set of 'Death Defying Acts' performing an underwater stunt. I don't think he ended up there by accident though, do you? And how many film sets do insurance agents actually attend while shooting is in-progress?? ( In my limited experience, I've never seen one, but if I'm wrong then please feel free to comment. )
Anyway, I won't argue that particular point. It just doesn't sound quite right, especially when I know the next sentence in the 'interview' definitely isn't. I have it on very good authority, that the free-diving record holders they refer to, was actually one individual, not many. As for the weeks of training...well, Guy was left with some 'homework' to do after his one day of training, but the afore-mentioned freediver wasn't involved in any follow up. Nor need he have been. The one accurate part of the story is that Guy was able to hold his breath for 3 minutes, after just a few hours training.
Which brings me around quite nicely to the point of this mini-rant. Why make something up, when the truth is more sensational. Try replacing, "... their 39-year-old Australian star has been training with free-diving record holders for weeks now, and that he can hold his breath for nearly three minutes" with, "...their 39-year-old Australian star has been trained over just a few hours by a freediving record holder, and is now able to hold his breath for nearly three minutes".
I can only suppose that journalists have to practise their art of illusion, and probably more so than Guy Pearce or Harry Houdini ever did.
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2 comments:
Mark, Mark.. you miss the point entirely! next time you get asked to train someone quite as heart-throbbish as Mr Pearce, you have a duty, obligation, you are REQUIRED... to invite all your female freediving friends along! Am I not the only one who watched him at 5.30pm playing with Bouncer for most of my teenage years? : )
I share your pain, Sam. Laura's latest Facebook friend request came from Steve Rothery, Marillion's lead guitarist. Years of following them, blu-tacking giant Marillion posters in my bedsit, wearing their T-shirts and finally honouring them with my best video production work to-date; was simply not enough.
Next time GP makes an appearance, you're first in-line.
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