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:

WTF. Wooden almost actor Jake Gyllenhaal apparently dated wooden former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, according to Star. In 1999! When he wasn't even famous! Apparently their parents knew each other. We don't buy a word of this. Why is it coming out now? Last-ditch effort to rescue Hillary Clinton's campaign with star power? Also according to this story, Chelsea Clinton thinks Jake should marry Reese Witherspoon. According to a "source." That "source" is drugs. [Star]

This week Susan Edgerley, an assistant managing editor, is answering questions from the public on the New York Times' website. Her job, according to her, is "to listen to the career aspirations of the people in the newsroom and help them realize them," and to help the paper integrate its web and print operations more closely. But according to a tipster with a grudge, Edgerley's real title at the Times should be Shouter-In-Chief!:

Time magazine brought together members of its 100 "Most Influential People" list at Time Warner Center tonight, and thanks to phone-blogging members of the press, the celebrities' trash talking, braggadocio and false humility has already hit Twitter in a sort of first-draft of the recaps that will probably hit blogs and newspapers over the next few days. after the jump are some highlights, including quips from Robert Downey Jr., Amy Poehler and John McCain, plus fameball Julia Allison explaining why she wasn't invited.

Terrance Dean, the former MTV producer who's about to release his hotly-anticipated-by-us book on the gay secrets of hip hop, has provided a few more details on "Preston," the mystery pro athlete who Dean says he had a fling with at an island resort. So all of you who guessed football players, baseball players, or Mike Tyson: wrong!:

"'He spends most of his time partying until morning in Paris,' a friend said. 'It's out of control. There's always a different boy and everyone is worried he's going to pull a Halston' - referring to the legendary designer whose work suffered due to drinking and drugs. Halston died of AIDS in 1990." [Post]

The city has bedbug educators, apparently, and one was speaking at a special Department of Housing forum on bedbugs recently, and he let the following terrifying revelation slip in front of a Post reporter: he sees bedbugs all over various subway benches! He even saw one attach itself to some poor, unsuspecting passenger's ass at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station in Brooklyn! Wait, Brooklyn? McKibben Lofts must be mixed up in this somehow. Anyway, the important thing here is: Definitely do panic. Here, look, the Post is helping to spread the pandemonium:

Yesterday the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a federal suit alleging police racially profiled Leonardo Blair, a black New York Post reporter who said he was arrested and harassed for simply walking down the street with his fiancée. The same day, his bosses at the Post ran an editorial saying there was too much fuss made over racial profiling:

"[CBS News] Spokeswoman Kelly Halyard insists: 'Sean McManus asked [producer] Rick [Kaplan] to consider taking some time off to rest after working two jobs for the past 11 weeks. After his week off, Kaplan will transition back into his full-time role as the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and CBS News' election coverage.' Counters our source: 'Total bunk.' Our insider suspects this to be PR spin to keep Katie's situation from looking any worse. If Rick actually does return to the Evening News, 'he won't be there long. They are just spinning.'" [Jossip]

Frivolous backstabbing egocentric money media war! The protagonists: Tim Sykes (pictured), who made a big name for himself as an under-30 hot shot hedge fund guy by starring in a reality show called Wall Street Warriors, and then proceeded to lose lots of his money and try to remake himself as a media figure; and Randall Lane, the former editor of odious greed magazine Trader Monthly and current head of Doubledown Media, who recently lost a gig publishing Players Club magazine after a financial dispute. Lane disinvited Sykes from a Trader Monthly party last year, and the young capitalist is still nursing his wounded ego! Now Sykes has taken to the internet to tell Lane—a "Sick Twisted Son Of A Bitch"—boo-yah, loser!:

Weather Channel anchor Bob Stokes is being accused by a former on-air colleague, Hillary Andrews, of being a sexually harassing, stalkerish jerk. For an extended period of time. Andrews says that Stokes harassed her predecessor out of a job, and then began harassing Andrews even harder, constantly hitting on her and asking her inappropriate questions; i.e., "Will you lick my swizzle stick?" Andrews is now suing Stokes, and two highlights from her court documents are below, describing some of Stokes' conduct. Also, a bonus clip: a colleague forgetting Stokes' name, on-air. Maybe she blocked him out of her mind.

Rich Jernstedt, the chief marketing officer of the massive PR firm Fleishman-Hillard, emails us to explain why, exactly, someone at his firm had the bright idea of mocking Fox News as a nasty, bedbug-infested den of disease, and offering Fox guests a free de-lousing in order to get publicity for a pest control client. Rich, Rich, you don't understand: we're with you on this one. Fox News is a nasty, bedbug-infested den of disease. And we like to see a PR firm uncharacteristically attack a powerful media outlet. We're hoping for a full-on war here! But, reading between the lines of Rich's email, it sounds like Fleishman has done some serious groveling since its CEO got mocked by Fox on-air in retaliation last week. His full email about "our friends at FOX," below:

A crazy man may be videotaping YOUR crotch. And putting the footage on the internet for all to see! The Post, in what is (trend alert) almost surely another story developed solely by poking around on YouTube, alerts the city to a man known only as "househead7d5." He enjoys taping men's crotches—at a phone booth, on the bus, on the subway—and posting the videos online, with clever comments like, "guy on the phone showin a little......gay sweatpants bulge phonebooth NYC," or, even creepier, "I love it when they fall asleep! not the biggest basket but he was a cutie pie nonetheless!" So who is this penis-peering multimedia madman? After the jump, we will investigate!

• So the ladies from Jezebel stopped by for a party and everyone had a superfun time!

Beatrice Inn, the "babe central" Manhattan nightspot that already cracked down on sex and drugs with a sternly worded bathroom sign, has now also banned smoking and dancing. All that's left is for them to ban pretty women and young horny celebrity guys, and they can shut down in peace! Of course, Emily Brill knew about this months ago. [DBTH]

Is Conde Nast building a breast-pump station at 4 Times Square? According to someone, "Just heard that [they're] building an office for their lactating mommies to breast pump and gossip." Is this true? Email sheila@gawker.com. We need more info!

23-year-old socialite-model Lydia Hearst's influence is diffused throughout the zeitgeist like a fine Evian mist. Did we know, for example, that she's "been called the real-life inspiration for Gossip Girl? (She just filmed a small role for the show.) Anyway, that's what she tells us that a magazine told her, via her Page Six magazine column. Then she makes us sit through an item about musician Joe Barney, who just "happens to be my boyfriend."

Tricia Walsh-Smith, the psycho-eyed spurned ex-wife who made this video and this video about her sexually unpleasing Broadway mogul ex is said to be joining the cast of crows for season two of Bravo's Real Housewives of New York City.

So HX magazine has a column called "Homo Dish" and in it is this item about Village Voice gossip Michael Musto: "We hit up Pieces Thursday night, where we ran into gal pals Michael Musto and Chuck Attix, who we'd just kiki-ed with at 'cuda the night before. They told us they'd been trying to beat their personal record of nine bars in one night, and Pieces had put them over the top with 10. Congrats, you crazy drunks! Chuck later slurred that their real dream was to hit 10, and that they were determined to do so this summer. Don't judge. At least they have a hobby." But Musto begs to differ!

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.