WATCH THE THRONE

Rap megastars Jay Z and Kanye West released their highly anticipated album Watch The Throne (pictured above) on iTunes on Monday, and fans from all over the world immediately made it shoot to the #1 spot in a staggering 23 different countries (including the UK).

With very little information in the media, no lead singles, and, perhaps most surprisingly, no online leak prior to its release, the LP's success in just under two days is nothing short of staggering.

Artists such as Beyonce, The Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, Q-Tip, Mr. Hudson and Frank Ocean all feature on the album. Expect also samples from La Roux, Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield, Cassius, James Brown and even Will Ferrell. Have a listen to album track Otis (featuring Otis Redding) below:

And here's a teaser for the video:

RIOT CLEAN-UP

Visit this website: www.riotcleanup.co.uk, this facebook page here, and search #riotcleanup on twitter to find out what you can do & where. This is also very helpful. Let's clean up this mess.

LITTLE SCRAPS OF PAPER: LILY & ALESSANDRA

And speaking of Tomas Leach, his excellent Little Scraps of Paper venture (which we first told you about here) has recently uploaded two wonderful new short documentaries.

We meet London-based cake maker extraordinaire Lily Vanilli, and Montreal-born & Brooklyn-based illustrator Alessandra Olanow. Intimate, informative & charming as ever, Little Scraps shorts are always a pure delight:

DOCUMERCIALS

Following nicely on from our recent relaunch of Nonfiction Unlimited on our website, here's an insightful piece from documentary.org's Tamara Krinsky about the unique benefits of documentary filmmakers working in advertising. 

Look out for quotes from our very own Tomas Leach; Krinsky also refers to Tomas' ad for Chevrolet, in which American race-car driver Jimmie Johnson describes his scariest driving experience (see it below).

PJ HARVEY LIVE

PJ Harvey has just announced plans to play a one-off show at London's Royal Albert Hall on October 30th.

This show would mark the British singer's first ever appearance at this historic venue and is sure to be a night not to miss. She is expected to mostly play material from her latest album, Let England Shake (pictured below), which is also the current favourite to win this year's coveted Mercury Music Prize.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday (12th August) at 9am, check here for updates.

MAN OF STEEL

Superhero franchise reboots are obviously big business! After the recent Spiderman first-look trailer, which we told you about last week, here comes another red & blue do-gooder. 

Above is an exclusive preview of British actor Henry Cavill as Superman in a scene from the new movie Man of Steel, which is due out in 2013. The film, directed by Zack Snyder (300, Sucker Punch) also stars Russell Crowe, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne & Kevin Costner. 

THE SECRET LIFE OF ROBYN

We have a soft spot for Swedish pop, and bleached-mopped songstrel Robyn is no exception. Check her out here in this lovely short from documentary filmmaker Jim Goldberg (via Nowness), who captures her on Super 8, backstage at this summer's Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee. Intimate and insightful; we like.

NONFICTION UNLIMITED

Let us direct your attention, kind readers, to the lovingly re-launched Nonfiction section of our website!

With a roster of elite documentary filmmakers at its core, Nonfiction holds a very unique creative position within the industry, and we couldn't be more proud to be partnered with them.

Click HERE for a closer look at their revolutionary approach, through a compelling portfolio of authentic, award-winning commercials, campaigns, features & documentaries (including Stacy Peralta's seminal Riding Giants, below).

SWOON JAMIE WOON

We can't get enough of Jamie Woon's debut album, Mirrorwriting (pictured above). The British singer-songwriter's unique brand of sampler-soul is a blend of acoustic earthiness & progressive beats.

And if that doesn't get you interested, this loop performance of Spirits should do the trick. Get the album here.

We also stumbled across this 11-minute short film about Jamie's writing & performing process - very much worth a look.

ONE TO WATCH: HANNAH NAGLE

Mark our words, 17 year-old Hannah Nagle is one to watch. The young London-based photographer can already boast an internship with the great Mario Testino, but more importantly her work is stunning. Check out her website for her full portfolio.

MOVE, LEARN, EAT

3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles & 2 cameras resulted in these 3 wonderful short films courtesy of Australian filmmaker Rick Mereki. We absolutely love this.

BRAZILIAN HEAT

Discovered at the young age of 14, Brazilian bombshell Raquel Zimmermann is arguably the biggest, hottest supermodel in the world right now. You just have to glance at next season's advertising campaigns, and she is in virtually every single one of them, from YSL to Jimmy Choo via D&G.

Fashion photographer & filmmaker Manuel Nogueira decided to celebrate her roots by shooting her for Brazilian Elle, wearing the creme-de-la-creme of Brazilian designers, such as Alexandre Herchcovitch, Pedro Lourenco & Andrea Maqrues - to name just a few. And if you're not big on fashion, well then you can just enjoy the sight of Raquel dancing around:

MONEY

Once you get passed the affected wardrobe (slightly reminiscent of this), it's hard not to fall for The Drums' infectious new song Money. The surreal video is gorgeous, too. 

Directed by M Blash, the promo was shot in Manhattan, from Chinatown to the West Side Highway & Queens. The Brooklyn band's second album, Portamento, is hotly anticipated & expected to do big big things when it comes out on 5th September. Get it.

THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE

File this one under 'insane but true'. Look out for The Devil's Double, a new film by director Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors, Die Another Day). 

The film, which stars Dominic Cooper & is out next Wednesday, tells the real-life story of Latif Yahia, a man who was forcedly employed for years as the body double for Saddam Hussein's son, Uday. 

Going as far as being made to have cosmetic surgery on his teeth & chin to look more like him, Latif took Uday's place in official duties and was often in peril, literally dodging bullets & surviving a total of 11 assassination attempts. 

We can only imagine the film's take on the story is a mild & Hollywooded-up portrayal of Yahia's grim experience, but it's one to look out for none the less. Check out the trailer below.

VIRGIN

Our love for this band is growing stronger every day... Atlanta-born indie rockers Manchester Orchestra's new single Virgin is our music vid crush of the day. 

The stunning spot was shot in New York by a fan named Ben Disinger, who worked on the track for his school media project. The band loved it so much that it became the song's official vid. Their equally stunning new album Simple Math (pictured above) is out now. Get it get it get it.

5QUESTIONS: ELLEN ROGERS

Yesterday we told you about fashion photographer extraordinaire Ellen Rogers' fantastic new book, Aberrant Necropolis. Today, she answers our five questions. Readysetgo:

1. Who would be your dream subject to shoot?

Possibly amongst many many things, Aleister Crowley and any of his scarlet women during his time in Mexico.

2. What's the last book you read + give us 3 words to describe it.

Umm, I read a few books at a time, but the last one I really liked was We Have Always Lived in the Castle - my friend Annie gave it to me. Three-hundred words could come close to describing it, but just three is careless. How about: do read it ?

3. Best advice you've ever been given?

"Don't be part of a snuff movie". My mother told me this when I was five, she graphically detailed this to me in the hope that I would be sufficiently scared off ever doing it - needless to say it worked. However it has left me with a history of graphic and worrying visions since childhood. I love that woman so much, RIP.

4. What are you doing this weekend?

I will be meeting a makeup artist. Makeup artists, from my experience, are some of the nicest people in the world. Then I am packing all my belongings. My new favourite hobby is moving house; I have done it three times this year already.

5. Recommend your favourite bar in the world.

I don't drink, or socialise or like people, or bars, or the world.


And there you have it. Ellen Rogers, we love you.

WEBSITE: www.ellenrogers.co.uk
BOOK: store.ellenrogers.co.uk

HOME-GROWN: ANDY MARGETSON FOR FIVE STAR

Check out our very own Andy Margetson's fantastic new ad for American stationery brand Mead's Five Star school supplies. 

The ad goes live on US television today, but was shot in London, where Andy collaborated with rising choreography star Simeon Qsyea - who has already worked on music videos with the likes Pink, JLS and 50 cent. 

This excellent new spot is a fresh addition to Andy's already extensive choreography-based work, and we absolutely love it.

CLUMP

By now you should already know we have a penchant for low-budget, low-fi music videos, and here's another one for you to cast your eyes upon. Enigmatic Swedish electro-popstrel Jonna Lee (aka iamamiwhoami) pushes the budget boat a bit far in her video for new single Clump by using a backdrop of loo rolls, but we love it none the less - and yes, it's our music vid crush of the day.

ABERRANT NECROPOLIS

We have long been fans of analogue fashion photographer Ellen Rogers. Her work captures a timeless dream world, filled with equal measures of darkness and seduction. 

Rogers shoots for the likes of Dazed, i-D and Tank on a regular basis and has developed an impressive body of work, which is now assembled into a beautiful 80-page hardback book. Containing 72 photographs, Aberrant Necropolis is out now for £45, and you can buy it here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MTV

It was on this day thirty years ago that MTV launched. The Guardian are celebrating the channel's 30th with a selection of its finest moments (head here to check out the full list), and here's 5 of our own personal favourites:

1. Launch day, with The Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star being the first ever video played on the channel.

2. Yo! MTV Raps. Rap & hip-hop gets its first mainstream tv show.

3. Celebrity Deathmatch. This hasn't aged particularly well, but still holds a special place in our hearts.

4. MTV Unplugged brought us some of the finest acoustic performances from artists such as Lauryn Hill & George Michael. Nirvana's, however, is the one that wil stick in anyone's mind as the ultimate Unplugged.

5. Madonna & Britney kiss. This got far more attention than it deserved, but it undeniably stands out as a memorable MTV moment. Here's Madge doing what she does best.