Darth Vader Hot Air Balloon
Technical data (Darth Vader Balloon registered name “OO-BQZ”):
26 meters (86 feet) high, basket included
21 meters (69 feet) wide
24 meters (78 feet) depth
estimated hot air volume 3.000 m³ (106,000 cubic feet)
estimated weight 290 kilos (640 lb)

Scientists Unearth Superman’s “Kryptonite”
Geologists in Serbia have found a mineral that shares the same chemical composition (sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide) as the fictional kryptonite! The new mineral, dubbed Jadarite, is not the large green crystals that can weaken Superman, but rather a white, powdery substance that contains no fluorine and is non-radioactive.

Potentially Habitable Planet Found
Major step in the search for more life in the universe! For the first time, astronomers have discovered a planet outside our solar system that is potentially habitable, with Earth-like temperatures. Named 581 c, the planet is circling the red dwarf star, Gliese 581.

Cast of Heroes on Larry King Live
The cast members of NBC’s Heroes will be on CNN’s Larry King Live on Friday, April 27 at 9pm ET. Show’s description says, Who’s good? Who’s evil? Who saves the world? Secrets are revealed with the stars of “Heroes,” TV’s hottest new series…”

BONUS
Amazing Duct Tape Sculptures

• Galactus could take the form of a storm cloud (!!!) in Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer. [Link]
• John Rhys-Davies not asked to appear in Indy 4. [Link]
• Actress Laura Dern will return for Jurassic Park IV, but JPIII helmer Joe Johnston won’t be. [Link]
• Kate Beckinsale to play title role in Barbarella remake? [Link via SlashFilm (and they don’t care)]
• CBS show Jericho to return? [Link]
• Kitty Carlisle Hart, from the classic Marx Brothers movie A Night at the Opera, died last night at age 96. [Link]
• Spider-Man the Musical.
• A Superhero Museum opens in Indianapolis. [Link]
• Dave Chappelle performed six-hour stand-up show. Link].
• Young whale found in New York Harbor. [Link]

Great Pyramid Inverted
French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin believes he has solved the mystery behind the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Houdin (hmm, Houdin…Houdini…) will explain his theory of how Khufu’s Pyramid was built from the inside out in a spiraling tunnel.

Student persecuted for ‘religious’ beliefs
A teenage Pastafarian was suspended from school for attempting to attend while dressed in the formal religious garb of his ‘faith’– a pirate costume! Thanks to WWdN for bringing this one to the top of my soup!

Einstein Biopic Heading to the Small Screen
HBO Films and the BBC have teamed up to make Einstein and Eddington, a film starring Andy Serkis (Motion-Capture extrordinaire) and David Tennant (Doctor Who Mark 10) that takes a closer look at the creation of Albert Einstein‘s Theory of Relativity.

R u rdy 4 wrlds fastest txt msg?
Los Angeles will be home to the world’s first text messaging competition, with the winner scoring $10,000. The rub — no txt msg shrthnd. Contestants will be tasked to text sets of complete phrases. Gd LuK!

Apple iTunes offers ‘Complete My Album’
Great news for all of you piecemeal purchasing people! Apple has made it possible to buy the rest of an album from which you’ve already purchased a track or two on Apple’s iTunes Store, without having to pay for what you already own twice. Woo hoo! Time to complete that Amy Winehouse joint!

Astronaut Will Run Marathon – in Space
NASA astronaut Suni Williams will be running the Boston Marathon –from 210 miles in orbit — thus making her run the first satellite race of the Boston Marathon that they’ve ever had on an actual satellite orbiting the Earth. Fellow astronaut Karen Nyberg will be running the marathon traditionally, alongside Suni’s sister, Dina.

Game Faces
Yes, this is what you look like when you’re fragging and teabagging your best mate into the next millennium. Pwnd!!11one!1!

March 30, 1842: Ether Knocks Humanity Out!
One hundred sixty five years ago today, Dr. Crawford Long removed a tumor from one mister James Venable’s neck — marking the first time Ether, long known for its intoxicating effects, was used as an anesthetic. Too bad Doc Crawford was too busy indulging in ‘Ether Frolics’ to document it for another six years, nearly losing him the credit for the medical milestone.

Speaking of March 30 …
Born in 1853, today marks the birthday of famous Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, best known for his Starry Night painting. Happy 154th, Vinnie!