People are understandably disappointed in artist Shep Fairey for lying in court about which Associated Press image he did or did not borrow in creating his iconic “Hope” poster of future president Obama. Whether copyright infringement or instance of fair use, the important argument will now become secondary to the (seemingly deserved) public skewering of Fairey. Of course, this kind of debate would never come up in the literary world. Why? Because they actually have things like “plagiarism software”!. Initially designed to ferret out cheaters, it’s recently graduated to identifying brand new Shakespeare plays.

Last week saw the digital release of New Tales to Tell: A Tribute to Love and Rockets (physical drops August 25). In the above, clip Shepard Fairey (who did the album's cover art) interviews guitarist Daniel Ash at the release party.

Artist Shepard Fairey of Obey Giant and Obama poster fame tells us what's in his headphones, why he thinks art and music are the same, and what he would have done at a museum party at the ICA thrown in his honor (if he hadn't been getting arrested instead).

You were supposed to be going to your own party and DJ'ing at it, right?
That's right.

What type of music were you going to play? No one got to hear it. Can you tell me what you were going to spin?
I wish I had my playlist on me, but I know there was some Public Enemy, The Clash, Gang of Four. Let's see what else is in there ... I think some Tone Loc, some Slits, and some Go-Go's.

● Seth Meyers puts this whole Michael Phelps bong-gate into perspective. [SNL]
● Shepard Fairey, the man behind Obama’s "Hope" poster, has been arrested on tagging charges on the way to his first solo exhibit in Boston. It’s hard to keep a low profile as a guerrilla graffiti artist when your work is in the National Portrait Gallery. [LAT]
● In what is totally not a staged photo-op, Christian Bale shows he’s not "done" with his daughter. [JustJared]

The path to artistic super-stardom lies as such: commence career as a typical street art vandal, create a revolutionary art campaign that rocks the world, continue to produce groundbreaking work for 20 years under the radar, then design one of the most iconic images of the decade, and blow up. On the 20th anniversary of Shepard Fairey’s Obey Giant campaign, a collaboration with longtime sponsor Levi Strauss & Co. has finally brought the launch of Fairey’s first ever museum exhibit, Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand, at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

Don't want to shell out $500 for the commemorative Obama inauguration poster by Shepard Fairey? With just a few clicks of the mouse, you too can be an agent of change and have your lovely countenance forever frozen in a blocky triptych of red, white, and blue. "The longest election season in memory is now over, and we wanted to help you unwind and express yourself as we head into the new era," reads the download app come-on widely circulating on Facebook and other hungry, bored corners of the web.

Here's a toplist with a difference, courtesy of GQ. It's topically relevant, it's functional, it's their pick for "Men of the Year." The magazine casts a wide net in drafting "athletes, actors and newsmakers" and consequently ends up running the gamut from hipstery coolness to brazen impudence to extraordinary humanity. The roster includes Shepard Fairey, Mad Men's Jon Hamm, the guys of MGMT, the Boston Celtics, and naturally, our incoming President. More telling, however, are entries for M.I.A. and Megan Fox -- a pair of women whose subversive inclusion echoes the far more interesting roster --i.e., which ladies rocked the "Men of the Year" party.

I did it! I found the quintessential image of 2008! In a search that's taken me through the eternal galleries of Flickr to the back back ends of Google images, it took a visit to the movie blog /Film for me to come across a perfect mashup of the two most iconic figureheads of the year -- and who are opposite sides of the same coin. T-shirt designer James Lillis took Shepard Fairey's iconic Obama image (see his post-election version here) and defaced it with the equally iconic visage of Heath Ledger's Joker to make "The Audacity of Joke." Another addition to the gaggle of Joker threads, and the perfect symbol for a year where everything seemed to go horribly wrong, and yet somehow ended up, well, decent. Click through for larger version of the design.

Shepard Fairey, of the iconic Obama "Hope" poster, has been tapped to design a wine label for Kenwood Vineyards. The label will be used for the limited-edition Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon, which is celebrating its 30th year. 2,146 bottles of this particular vintage were produced, and they're selling at $70 a pop. Not bad for a 2004 Cab wrapped in an original Fairey design.

“Hope,” reads artist Shepard Fairey’s now-iconic pop art posters depicting presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama. It’s not just the art world that pinned its hopes on the Democratic senator from Illinois early on. That one-word tribute sums up the profound feeling that will bring millions of Americans to the voting booths on November 4: Obama is a beacon of hope for a disillusioned public desperate for an intelligent and committed leader who can help this nation recover from the dire consequences of eight years under the Bush administration. He represents our hope for a leader in tune with the needs, fears, and frustrations of this diverse nation, a candidate, whom, we believe, is most willing to end an unjust war in Iraq, and best prepared to help us bounce back from a devastating economic freefall. Senator Obama also offers our greatest hope for increased healthcare for all Americans, and for a commitment to a greener future.