Photo from ImageAfter

Art

Fashion photography is gaining more credibility in the art world as of late. Critics prophesy the dilution of fine art in the 21st century, while supporters of the trend assert that fashion is a formative aspect of our modern culture that deserves official recognition in the arts world. /// UT-Austin names the new dean of the College of Fine Arts, Douglas Dempster, to replace the former dean who retired in the summer of 2006. Dempster purportedly has extensive experience in both "fund raising and academic development."

Film

Under new management, the new Miramax is leaner (and meaner)? A possible sign of the times in the American film production industry (or maybe just a signal of current American economic expectations)? /// The Writers' Guild strike in Hollywood meets with what appears to be actual progress. Important sounding phrases like "common ground" and "ascertainable number" are evidently being used in negotiations, for example. Awkward hugging and excessive complimenting between parties is expected by next week.

Books

Stanford lawyers to defend small publishing house from legal suit by author J.K. Rowling over its plan to print "The Harry Potter Lexicon," a supplement to Rowling's Harry Potter fictional series. /// New company Paperspine aspires to be "the Netflix for books." The company launched last week. You can check out up to five books at a time. Five. Hmm. We assume this service is directed at all you speed-readers out there.

Theatre

Over in England, a Christian evangelist group fails to see the humor in hilarious Jerry Springer-themed opera and brings legal suit to stop it from hitting the stage. The group claimed that the satire was "an offensive, spiteful, systematic mockery and willful denigration of Christian belief." The court ruled against them.

Music

Through his company Thumtronics, Austin entrepreneur Jim Plamondon has invented the "Thummer," a new musical instrument that incorporates a new style of note playing. According to the Wall Street Journal, which covered the device in today's online issue, the Thummer has the potential to revolutionize the way that music is played. /// Classic music is making moves into the digital marketplace: In the US, one in seven classical albums is now sold by download, and analysts predict this figure will triple by 2010.