I got some good news on the Facebook front last night: I am now friends with one Robin Gunningham of Bristol, UK-also known as Banksy, the formerly undercover world-famous street artist who was outed as Gunningham yesterday. (Or was he? No official confirmation yet, although the case is strong). Gunningham's Facebook page sports the same schoolboy picture that appeared in the Daily Mail's investigative story. And it has further evidence that he is, in fact, Banksy-unless the whole thing is part of a clever hoax, or the product of a third party with ulterior motives. Words and photos straight from the guy who might be a legend, after the jump:

As a commenter points out, Robin Gunningham, the man the Daily Mail says is in fact supersecret street artist Banksy, has a Facebook page! And among his friends: Peter Dean Rickards-the photographer who took the only known picture of Banksy, in Jamaica. Well that's not how you leave no clues about your identity, dude. [More about Rickards and the famous photo at Animal NY]

Could this be the end of the anonymous life of Banksy-British street artist -to-the-stars, darling of the underground and Angelina Jolie, and the most famous unidentified figure since Batman? We took a shot at solving the mystery ourselves a couple of months ago; but now the Daily Mail has done their own investigation, and we must say: it looks like they have him nailed. All the evidence is below-decide for yourself:

Street art, culture jamming, anti-corporate activism, celebrity loathing, celebrity worship-it's all mixed up into a vast cultural stew these days, making the individual messages of many artists hard to parse. When in doubt just assume the message is, "I'm trying to get famous." British artist James Cauty has taken a pop art style, combined it with an advertising-remix motif, and sprinkled in a little blatant fame whoring to cap it all off. He's just commandeering billboards with pieces about celebrities saying how much they love him, and you have to admit that really crystallizes pop culture circa 2008. Plenty of people with day jobs in advertising dream about having the balls to do this (illegally). Pictured, Cauty's image and billboard theft starring Kate Moss; below, another one with celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.

Will these waggish fragrance marketing types ever stop with their cheeky penis humor? Eleven-year-old cologne wearers sure hope not! San Francisco—a popular home to gays—is all atwitter because of a new campaign by the giant ad agency Ogilvy for Tom of Finland, a new scent inspired by the famous homoerotic artist of the same name. They took posters of Tom's drawings, see, and positioned them just so next to protruding objects—that to a dirty mind might resemble a huge, hard cock! Such sophisticated appeal to the target demographic. The gays like that stuff, right? So they'll surely open their wallets for this:

Legends Rubbers, a small Australian company that sells its condoms in retro-looking tins for the cool effect, made national news by signing up controversial sex-positive artist Hazel Dooney to design some tins for them. It's not the first time prophylactics have collided with the art world; Keith Haring himself "considered ideas for designing condoms," and condoms are a staple medium for a certain breed of working artist. Sex-themed art as a marketing tool seems like a natural fit. And now, a new psychological study confirms its wisdom. Why "dirty thoughts" make men buy things—and a few of Dooney's (racy) past works—after the jump.

Andrew Klapper, a New York plastic surgeon, applied for membership in Soho House, the private Meatpacking District club. But he was turned down, because Soho House said it prefers to cater "to an 'artsy' clientele." Uh, pretty loose definition of "artsy," Soho House! The membership manager there said "We would rather have a great person from IMG versus a plastic surgeon." Perhaps they're looking for a new angle; spies have said the club has been rather dead on recent weekends. (Disagree? Email us). Doree Shafrir once memorably said the club's pool "when not filled with children and their pee, is filled with money managers, mortgage brokers, and Eurotrash." Which sounds like a fairly accurate representation. And how can they say Dr. Klapper isn't artistic when he not only invented the Klapper Breast Scissors, but also pioneered the use of the Davinci (artist name!) Robot system?:

British stencil artist Nick Walker—whose name was recently floated by a leading website as a plausible answer to the question "Who is anonymous international superstar street artist Banksy, really?"—has been a busy man. Not only was he spotted painting a piece on the side of Thunder Jacksons in the West Village—which sparked all this Banksy speculation in the first place—he also did quite a nice giraffe-themed work on the side of Roebling Tea Room in Williamsburg. We're still trying to pin down the true nature of the Banksy-Walker connection, so if you happen to have spotted Walker at work, email us. After the jump, two larger pictures [via Williamsburg is Dead] of the towering ruminant.

Banksy: millionaire street artist, fierce cultural critic, celebrity darling of the art world. The man's prestige has been immeasurably enhanced by his anonymity. He insists on it, and it gives him an air of mystery that only increases his allure to the media, fans, and collectors alike. An alleged photo of him was widely circulated last year, but it certainly didn't result in his real name being printed in his omnipresent media coverage. Those in his inner circle insist on strict concealment of his identity. Theories, of course, abound. But today, Bucky Turco at Animal NY believes he's stumbled upon Banksy's true identity. Combined with some corroborating evidence we got ourselves, the case is plausible—though far from proven. Now this would be big news:

Shepard Fairey, a.k.a. OBEY, the artist and graphic designer who plastered the world with "Andre The Giant Has A Posse" posters and is perhaps the biggest thing ever to happen to wheatpaste, is reportedly going blind. Fast. One source says he could lose his vision by the end of the year. Bucky Turco at Animal NY has the scoop. Sad news.

Berliniamsburg: everybody's doing it! The European sister of Williamsburg is perfect for a perennial trend piece on the antidote to gentrification: you know, just chillin' while being a beatiful loser or an artist or a creator in Berlin. (Even me. I'm so going on vacation in two weeks!) And then T magazine tortures us with photos of two stylish musicians in a Berlin apartment to stab for. As it turns out, "What New York was in the 80s, Berlin is now," is a cliche, according to an interviewee.

While his lawyer was fighting "sick and twisted" baby-fabrication stories this weekend, the fledgling mogul and longtime enforcer/righthand woman Paula Wagner were busy trying to reach a side-deal with the WGA that could be announced later today, one which would allow his United Artists studio to avail itself of the services of union scribes during the strike.

Gourmet editor and former Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl just got back from the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire where she was working on a non-food-related novel. Though Observer eat, drink, pray reporter Doree Shafrir notes Reichl's at-rest aesthetic is "vaguely goth," she doesn't ask how the food was up there. A shame really, because this is how author and former Colony resident Andrea Cohen described it in MacDowell's pamphlet on what to expect from the experience.