Monday 31 January 2011

ZUCKERBERGS

This is really painful to watch but oddly compelling at the same time. Witness the bizarre gathering of actor Jesse Eisenberg (who portrayed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network), some comedian who looks a bit like Mark Zuckerberg, and Mark Zuckerberg all attempting comedy on Saturday's SNL.

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A


Street art supremos Remi/Rough and Steve More are bringing their unique brand of post-graffiti to London's Blackall Studios. This joint exhibit of new works, entitled A, explores an aesthetic that lies at the forefront of an urban movement, before the hype of street art. The title 'A' refers to the artists' starting point in reshaping letters of the alphabet, and integrating them into an urban context.




A opens tomorrow until Sunday. 73A Leonard St, EC2A 4QS. Check out Remi/Rough's blog here.

SAG AWARDS


Congrats to The King's Speech - the film won big at the 17th annual Screen Actors Guild awards in LA. Winners included:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast - The King's Speech

Actor - Colin Firth (King's Speech)

Actress - Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Supporting Actor - Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Here's Portman picking up her award, and thanking her parents for teaching her to never be an asshole (hormones?)

RIP JOHN BARRY


Sad news to kick off the week. Iconic composer John Barry has sadly passed away at age 77. His scores are as poignant and memorable as the films they were created for, and included 11 James Bond films, Out of Africa, Born Free, Midnight Cowboy and Body Heat, to name just a few. Over his legendary career, Barry picked up five Oscars, was awarded an OBE and received the Bafta fellowship in 2005 in recognition of his services to film music.

Friday 28 January 2011

OH DEAR


US TV network Lifetime is casting for a new production entitled William and Kate. The romance and courtship of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be turned into a television movie, which will be broadcast on the 29th of April (same day as the royal wedding). Actor Nico Evers Swindell has been cast in the role of Wills, but his commoner fiancee has yet to be found. 

TONIGHT: NOIR


Coco Sumner's Noir (last Friday of each month at Notting Hill Arts Club) has rapidly established itself as the leading club night in the indie/punk field, largely due to sell-out DJ sets by the likes of Miike Snow, Chris Cunningham, La Roux and live sets by White Rose Movement, Sian Alice Group and Too Young To Love.

Don't miss tonight's sets by Robin Scott-Lawson, Black Discs, Tago Mago and a very special guest... Doors open at 7pm, free entry before 8pm, £6 before 11pm and £8 after. 21 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3JQ. 

BRIT GRIT


After two years on the indie circuit - where it picked up the Audience Award at the Raindance film festival - Sam Holland's Zebra Crossing is finally out on general release. Set against the backdrop of the towering, concrete-clad estates of south London, the film blends a diverse mix of characters whose lives revolve around drugs, sex and violent gang culture.

Whilst baring more than a faint resemblance to 1995 French cult La Haine, Zebra Crossing has garnered positive reviews and is sure to please fans of the gritty, social realism genre. Out today.

Thursday 27 January 2011

BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK

The godfather of street-style photography, Bill Cunningham, is getting the docu treatment, out in March. We cannot wait to see it.


Visit the film's official site for further details.

BFI DOES TRUFFAUT


The British Film Institute have announced a major retrospective of groundbreaking French film-maker Francois Truffaut's work. Starting next month, Part One will explore the early career of the quintessential New Wave critic-turned-filmmaker. From Fahrenheit 451 to L'Enfant Sauvage via Stolen Kisses, catch these timeless classics throughout February by booking your tickets here.

THE BEST VIEW OF HEAVEN IS FROM HELL


Photographer and former soldier Bran Symondson returned to Afghanistan two years after serving with the British Army to capture an incredibly intimate side of the ANP (Afghan National Police). With the prevalence of opium fields at its core, Symondson's images offer an unexpected aesthetic rarely attributed to war photography.



His series The Best View of Heaven is from Hell is on display at the Idea Generation Gallery until 20th February.

ROUTE IRISH

Head over to the Guardian, for an exclusive trailer of Ken Loach's latest film, Route Irish. The film, which deals with the hidden consequences of the Iraq war, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, where it was in the running for the Palme d'Or.

WOMEN'S TALES

Miu Miu cements its dedication to fashion film with Women's Tales - A Series of Short Films. Working with female directors from a wide variety of intellectual backgrounds, this series of shorts (to be gradually unveiled throughout the year) aims to explore femininity. Set in London's Claridge's Hotel and starring Audrey Marnay, here is The Powder Room.


Click here for a behind-the-scenes feature, and here for interviews with the creative team.

Wednesday 26 January 2011

MUST-SEE VID


Chanel's Peter Philips has fun with the brand's makeup range in this awesome stop-motion short film.

THE KING'S S*****


Harvey Weinstein has ordered a clean re-edit of Tom Hooper's The King's Speech. Currently rated R in America (whilst only PG in the UK), it is hoped that a family-friendly version of the Oscar frontrunner could reach wider audiences stateside. Weinstein tells the LA Times "Tom and I are trying to find a unique way to do this that keeps his vision of the film." Make sure you catch it over here, then.

HOME-GROWN: STACY PERALTA FOR SPORTS AUTHORITY


Congratulations to Stacy Peralta on his latest ad for American sports goods retailer Sports Authority !

We'll post a video link as soon as it's available, but in the meantime, head over to Advertising Age for an insight into A-list ad agency Team Detroit's impressive strategic growth, handling major accounts such as Ford and Sports Authority.

INTEL.I.AM


In what might initially seem like a puzzling move, Intel have named Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am as their new 'director of creative innovation'. His specific role within the Californian tech company is unclear, but it's safe to expect a plethora of Intel-powered smartphones and tablets will soon appear in his music videos.


Tech companies and manufacturers are wising up to developing relationships with celebrities and million-selling pop stars, bypassing the standard 'spokesperson' role for a (seemingly) more executive, in-house position. Another example of this came last year when Polaroid appointed Lady Gaga as their creative director, before unveiling a range of products designed by the singer - not forgetting, of course, the almost comical extent of its product placement in her Telephone video.

SHOWING TOO MUCH SKIN?

Bad times at MTV. The US version of Channel 4's hit teen drama Skins is proving too edgy for American advertisers - Subway, GM, Taco Bell, Wrigley and several more have pulled their ads following the show's premiere, which sparked a barrage of complaints from the PTC (Parent Television Council). Watch the show's trailer and see for yourselves..

Tuesday 25 January 2011

BLACK SWAN


Congrats to Black Swan for all the Oscar noms. The good people at Premiere.com have compiled a selection of iconic, cinematic ballet scenes (that won't give you nightmares) in honnour of Darren Aronofsky's latest film. See it here.

A special nod also goes out to 30 Rock's reference of the film in their Christmas episode...

PATTI SMITH IN CONVERSATION, TONIGHT


Grab yourself a ticket (£25 - only a handful left) here to witness Patti Smith in conversation with author Geoff Dyer, tonight 7.00 - 8.30pm at the Royal Geographical Society, SW7.

Smith, who won the 2010 US National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids, will be discussing her life and work. One not to miss.

UPDATE: event has now sold out, but returns will be available on the door

OSCAR NOMS


Fresh out, here's a highlight of the 83rd Academy Award nominations:

BEST PICTURE

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit
Winter's Bone
Toy Story 3
127 Hours

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David O Russell, The Fighter
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David Fincher, The Social Network
Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

BEST ACTOR

Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
James Franco, 127 Hours
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham-Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Good luck to the Brits !!

KATE FOR BREAKFAST



How's about a slice of KM this morning. Miss Moss strikes a pose to Evan Voytas' Tomorrow Night We'll Go Anywhere.

Monday 24 January 2011

HOME-GROWN: STACY PERALTA'S BONES BRIGADE


Professional skateboarding legend (and one of Home Corp's very own directors) Stacy Peralta is teaming up with the original Bones Brigade - Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Rodney Mullen, Tommy Guerrero - for a retrospective documentary on the golden age of skating.

Says Peralta, "Those skaters known as the Bones Brigade are now old enough to take a look back."


Work on the project is due to start next month. A coffee table book is also on the cards to be released in conjunction with the film.

BLUE SONGS


Hercules & Love Affair's debut album topped every critic's list when it was released 3 years ago. Their sophomore effort, Blue Songs, isn't out until January 31st, but you can give it an exclusive preview spin via the Guardian here.

HIPSTAMATICS


The team that brought us Hipstamatic, winner the Apple App of the Year Award in 2010, are unveiling their first exhibition (and the first of its kind) at London's Orange Dot Gallery.

A carefully assembled collection of snaps taken with the iPhone app will be on display - and up for sale -  until the 31st of January (10am - 6pm, 54 Tavistock Place, WC1). Entry is free. Check out their blog for a preview.

SUNDANCE: OLSEN BUZZ


Sundance is back. The Home Corp team is in Utah for the indie film festival - more on that later - but for now we have some early buzz in the form of 21 year old Elizabeth Olsen (younger sister to the famous twins).

A graduate from the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, the promising young actress stars in two of the festival's most anticipated films; Chris Kentis (of Open Water fame)'s Silent House, and Sean Durkin's Martha Marcy May Marlene, co-starring Hugh Dancy. One to watch.

ARCADE FIRE IN HYDE PARK

Arcade Fire have just announced a special one-off show in London's Hyde Park on 30th June 2011. Tickets (£48.50) are going on sale this Friday here.

The show will be the band's biggest headlining gig to date, and they will be joined on stage by a host of special guests, incl. Mumford & Sons, The Vaccines and Beirut.

Here's the band singing in a lift (skip to 3:55)

HOME-GROWN: MAX & MICHAEL'S BIG ROOM

Congrats to Max & Michael on their beautiful new video! The promo's touching narrative has already garnered a feature on PromoNews (which you can read here), and is for UK singer-songwriter Tess



The single Big Room is taken from Tess' album Magpie, available here.

Thursday 20 January 2011

HOME-GROWN: D&G TIME

Check out our very own Cyril's excellent spot for D&G Time.



Check back next week for a quick Q&A with Home Corp's newest recruit, where he'll give us all the latest info on his (many) upcoming projects.

EL GUINCHO

We can't get enough of El Guincho's new album Pop Negro (available on Spotify). Here's lead single Bombay:

ANATOMY OF CHANGE


The men's shows have kicked off in Paris, and all eyes are on Nicola Formichetti for his first venture at the helm re-birthed cult label Mugler. Skeleton-tattooed model Rick Genest fronted the show, which has already been described as "a tonic jolt to this so-far sleepy season" by Style.com

Visit the brand's website at 5pm today for an exclusive web-only film (featuring a new Gaga track).

UPDATE: here's the film

COLLEGE PARTY


Brit artist Edward Fornieles took over Guest Projects in London Fields on Saturday night for his latest installation. 

Over a hundred people were invited (through facebook) to recreate an American college party, lead by 12 actors and captured by 5 camera crews. Much frat fun was had, including guests being gaffa-taped to walls, doused in shaving cream and dunked in a fish-tank filled with beer. 

Says Ed, "celebrations reveal what the concerns are in someone’s life, so the college party’s good because it represents or exposes this freedom away from parents and fuses this with intoxication, alcohol and drugs as well as sexuality." (source: DazedDigital)