Banksy's "Exit Through the Giftshop" Premieres at Sundance

PARK CITY, UTAH — Although it wasn't part of the official lineup, it was called the hottest ticket in town when it premiered at this year's Sundance film festival. Exit Through the Gift Shop, a film by the elusive British street artist Banksy, made its debut in front a full house on Sunday night.

Exit Through the Gift Shop bills itself as “the world’s first street art disaster movie"; its title is based on the Disneyland/Disney World engineered design of having guests exit attractions via the gift shop, making them more apt to purchase souvenirs.

Banksy's graffiti artwork began popping up all around the walls and sidewalks of Park City last week. But one question still remains - did Banksy attend his own premiere? Since his identity is unknown, nobody knows for sure. But the artist did issue the following statement which Sundance Director of Programming John Cooper read to the audience:

"Ladies and gentlemen, and publicists:

Trying to make a movie which truly conveys the raw thrill and expressive power of art is very difficult. So we haven't bothered. Instead, this is simply an everyday tale of life, longing, and mindless vandalism. Everything you are about to see is true, especially the bit where we all lie.

Thanks for coming, please don't give away the ending on Twitter. And please, don't try copying any of this stuff at home, wait until you get to work."

Watch the trailer for Exit Through the Gift Shop:

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Banksy's "Exit Through the Giftshop" Premieres at Sundance

Mona Lisa is Da Vinci's Self-Portrait, Says New Scientific Theory

Researchers plan to exhume the body of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519); the artist is thought to be buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert at the royal Château at Amboise in France's Loire Valley.

LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE — In this week's Mona Lisa news comes a story that even The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown would probably find far-fetched. Researchers from Italy's National Committee for Cultural Heritage have asked permission to exhume the remains of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) from his tomb in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert at the royal Château at Amboise in France's Loire Valley. The scientists believe that the Mona Lisa may actually be Leonardo da Vinci in disguise. The theory: if researchers can locate the artist's skull and use it to reconstruct his face, they may finally be able to identify the famous "lady".

“If we manage to find his skull, we could rebuild Leonardo’s face and compare it with the Mona Lisa,” said Giorgio Gruppioni, an anthropologist from the committee.

Some scholars believe that the artist's presumed homosexuality and love of riddles led him to paint himself as a woman. But not all historians are so enthused by the plan.  

Nicholas Turner, a former curator of drawings at the Getty Museum, told the press, "It sounds a bit fanciful, slightly mad, as if the Leonardo bug has taken hold too firmly in the minds of these people. We know Mona Lisa was a specific person, she existed and it's her portrait," he said. "If Leonardo heard about all this, he would have a good chuckle."

The project could receive formal approval by summer 2010.

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Mona Lisa is Da Vinci's Self-Portrait, Says New Scientific Theory