The week's news on arts, books, film and music....

Whatever today's American twentysomethings want to be called, or whatever marketing agencies want to call them, the simple fact remains that any generation is a collection of individuals. Today Random House releases Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers. Although this book can't hope to define those who have been stamped X, Y, whatever, the collection is a bold reminder that this generation is extremely diverse and very capable. The book's editors---Matt Kellogg and Jillian Quint---are twentysomethings......

The Austin Center for FEMA Disaster Relief closed yesterday The New Pantheon shortlist nominees have been announced, and they are: Animal Collective, Antony and the Johnsons, Fiona Apple, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Kings of Leon, M.I.A., and Sufjan Stevens So there's evidently a species of rare African clawed frogs that, when injected with urine from a pregnant woman, will ovulate. There's also a story about how they're dying......