David Blane did it, just now.

Fresh from the AP wire:

David Blaine set a new world record Wednesday for breath-holding, 17 minutes and 4 seconds.
The feat was broadcast live during “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and the studio audience cheered as divers pulled the 35-year-old magician from a water-filled sphere.
Blaine looked relaxed afterward and said the record was “a lifelong dream.”
The previous record was 16 minutes and 32 seconds, set Feb. 10 by Switzerland’s Peter Colat, according to Guinness World Records.

The guy finally did it, even after he failed so horribly with that fish tank in the Lincoln Center Plaza. Maybe he’ll go back to actually doing magic now.

Or is that too much to hope for?