HOME GIRL: KIM JACOBS

Time to meet another member of our beautiful HOME.corp family!

Name Kim Jacobs
Job Title Director
Where are you from?
A small beach town about an hour's drive north of LA
Where do you live?
In Los Angeles by the ocean, but I left my heart in NY


How long have you been a Home Girl?
A little under a year
What is your all-time favourite HOME.corp film? 
I loved the Kate Moss 3D short
What are you currently working on?
Finishing a spot. Doing some rad animation for another spot. Bidding on tons of stuff. Trying to write a short personal piece. Wanting stars to align for a feature film that I'm dying to do. Trying to disconnect for a vacay (it's been too long).


Favourite film?
Favourite last film I saw was True Grit; unfortunately on a plane - lame me that I didn't see it in a theatre but I will, it was a true work of art.
Last book you read?
The Drop Edge of Yonder by Rudolph Wurlitzer; it's blowing my mind. I'm almost done and anxious to crack Keith Richards' Life on the plane in a few days.


Favourite bar in London?
Loved Claridge's last time I was there. I love going high and low-fi.
Favourite restaurant in London? 
Wherever people take me
Which London shops do you rely on?
Dover Street Market has some nice things. Some of it's a bit too much though. I love Rose's Bakery too.


What are your home comforts?
Yummy linens, my espresso machine, my turntable
What was your last extravagance?
Business class tickets for the whole family. Whoa, that's expensive.
Your life philosophy? 
Trying to stay present and keeping my heart wherever my feet are standing.


What do you love about being a Home Girl?
The people... the people... it's all about the people.


Thanks, Kim! Check out Kim's recent ad for Visa:

HAWAIIAN AIR

We're still very much <3ing Friendly Fires' new album Pala, and extra <3ing the vid for their new single, Hawaiian Air. The spot was directed by Chris Cottam and makes us want to go on holiday (or just anywhere far from London's miserable June weather). Check it out below. 

FRIDAY FUN: DEAR SAINSBURY'S

This is most likely the work of an imaginative PR, but sweet none-the-less. A little girl's letter to supermarket chain Sainsbury's, and their letter back to her.

POTTERMORE

Something is brewing in the world of Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling has sparked rumours that an 8th book could be on the way by launching a mysterious new website. Have a look HERE. Not much information as yet, but this YouTube page does indicate that an announcement is on its way. 

A Twitter account has also appeared, so far amassing over 31,000 followers with just 2 tweets. It's thought Rowling trademarked the name Pottermore back in '09, covering everything from printed books, toys, films, audio & more. To be continued...

A HISTORY OF THE WORLD

The UK's biggest prize for museums has been awarded to the biggest one we have; The British Museum. A History of the World, which is a series of 100 objects charting the last thousand years of our planet, won £100,000 in a ceremony in London last night.

Three smaller institutions dotted around the UK were also in the running for the Art Fund Prize, namely Cambridge's Polar Museum, the Roman Baths Museum in Bath, and the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway. Congrats to all!

LES MIS

Not sure why we're doing so many theatre & musical posts this week, but here goes another one: Tom Hooper, who directed the wildly successful The King's Speech, is currently working on a big-screen adaptation of the hit stage musical, Les Miserables. 

Word is Hugh Jackman is in talks to take on the role of Jean Valjean, who is the lead character in both Victor Hugo's 1862 novel and the stage version which came from it. 

SIR SPENCER BREAKS RECORDS AT AUCTION

The auction record for a painting by Sir Stanley Spencer was broken twice today at Sotherby's in London. Workmen in the House (above), which had a top estimate of £2m, sold for £4.7m. Minutes later, a second painting, Sunflower and Dog Worship (below), which was estimated at a maximum of £1.5m, fetched a staggering £5.4m.

The previous record for a Spencer painting was back in December 1954 when Hilda and I at Pond Street (below) was sold for £1.43m. This impressive sale further cements Sir Stanley as one of the 20th Century's most important British artists, and demonstrates a particularly healthy market for the business of art.

DON'T CALL ME URBAN!

Photographer Simon Wheatly spent more than ten years capturing the harsh realities of inner-city life in London, which gave birth to the grime music scene. His new book Don't Call Me Urban! tells a story of poverty, violence & gang culture from which the ever-present & ever-growing grime scene has emerged. Get the book here.

TURN OFF THE DARK

After being plagued with numerous re-writes, cast injuries & technical difficulties since its previews in November, The Spider-Man musical, entitled Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, finally opened on Boadway last night.

Sadly the show was harshly received by critics, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it a "bloated monster", The New York Times branding it "a bore", and Entertainment Weekly hammering the final nail by blasting the score (composed by U2's Bono & The Edge) as "a mostly lackluster collection of forgettable tunes that play like B-sides". Ouch.

I'M NOT HUMAN AT ALL

Check out this moody & haunting video for Brian Batz (pictured above) aka Sleep Party People's new single I'm Not Human At All, directed by Marie Limkilde. In-keeping with the eerie vibe, make sure to also check out Brian and his band wearing bunny masks & performing the song live at The Copenhagen X Sessions (below below).

BEING WITH YOU

German-born artist Sandro Kopp takes traditional portraiture to a new dimension; a digital one. His latest private view, entitled Being With You, had the privilege of opening this year's Istancool Festival in Turkey. 

The sittings were coordinate across the globe via Skype, with Sandro painting friends, colleagues & complete strangers via his webcam. The resulting work is rich in low-res pixelisation and subjects up-lit by the glare of their computer screens. We love it.

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Starting tomorrow and until the 26th June, the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2011 will be celebrating its 65th year with a jam-packed selection of over 60 films on show, with new British work leading the way.

In attendance will be Sex and The City star Kim Catrall with her film Meet Monica Velour, in which she portrays a 1980s porn star, whilst Kings of Leon will also attend the festivities to premiere their highly anticipated rock documentary, Talihina Sky (which we told you about yonks ago). Click here for more info.

ACTIVE CHILD

Music vid crush of the day comes courtesy of Active Child's new single, I'm In Your Church At Night, and it's a bit of a weird one. Weird & wonderful, that is. Active Child is LA-based falsetto-singing synthpop artist Pat Grossi, and his new EP Curtis Lane (pictured above) is out now. Getit.

THE BOOK OF MORMON

South Park creators Trey Parker & Matt Stone cleaned up at last night's Tony Awards at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, picking up a total of 9 gongs (out of 14 nominations) for their satirical musical, The Book of Mormon. 

The irreverent Broadway show won 'Best Musical', 'Best Orchestration' and 'Best Actress' for Nikki James. This is one we'll definitely catch when it comes to London. Congrats to all the winners, and here is a snippet from the ceremony.

LITTLE SCRAPS OF PAPER: SIMON ERL

London-based tattoo artist Simon Erl is the subject of the latest short film from the Little Scraps of Paper team. Lima Charlie capture Simon at work, as he walks us through his creative process.

GAIA

Guy Laliberte doesn't lack ambition. The famous Canadian performer went from fire-breathing for loose change on the streets of Montreal to founding and owning the venerable Cirque Du Soleil franchise. In 2009, Cirque celebrated its 25th anniversary, but rather than celebrate with a bottle of champagne, now-billionaire Laliberte decided to treat himself to a $35 million ticket to Space.

Following six months of intensive training in Russia, Laliberte (pictured above) boarded the Soyuz shuttle for 11 days in outer space. Armed with his Nikon D3S & D3x cameras, he returned with thousands of stunning pictures, 100 of which have now been assembled into a new book, entitled Gaia. Here's a little preview of what we look like from 220 miles above the ground.

5QUESTIONS: BETH HOECKEL

Ooh it's been too long since we've done one of these. Earlier this week we told you about artist extraordinaire Beth Hoeckel's amazing collages, and now she kindly answers our five questions. Readysetgo!

1. Who would you most like to collaborate with?

I'd love to collaborate with a ghost. The ghost would make their marks while I was sleeping.

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

Currently reading Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence.
Crystalline / Perceptive / Damn

3. Best advice you've ever been given?

"Why do you have to look for a 'real' job? Why don't you just be an artist?" and also "Chill out."

4. What are you doing this weekend?

Working, sweating, laughing, and hopefully some surprises.

5. Recommend your favourite bar in the world.

My favourite bar is Rainbo Club in Chicago, but that's because I have fond memories and many friends there. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to just anyone... Bars in Chicago in general are probably some of the best in the world though.


And there you have it. Thanks, Beth!


WEBSITE: www.bethhoeckel.com
TWITTER: @elizzie_beth

GONE AGAIN

Big love for Californian garage-rockers/surf-poppers Best Coast, and their excellent video for new single Gone Again, which features an all-female firing squad in cat masks who shoot sweets & ice cream at helpless targets. As you do.

THE TIGER'S WIFE

This year's prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction has been awarded to its youngest ever recipient, 25 year-old Tea Obreht. The Serbian-born author & her family fled the Balkans war in the 1990s, and eventually relocated in America, where Obreht wrote her debut novel, The Tiger's Wife. 

The book follows a young doctor called Natalia. As she visits an orphanage in a Balkan country devastated by conflict, she hears of her beloved grandfather's mysterious death. She sets off on a journey to uncover what he was doing during his last days. Congrats to Tea! Get the book here.

DIGITAL LIFE

Nerd Alert: indulge us with this geeky but interesting & well-executed animation, which outlines 15 key facts and predictions for the future of the internet between now and 2015, courtesy of Neo Labels & Mitsue Venture. Lift muzak soundtrack aside, we think this is an acurate forecast of how we can expect our digital lives to evolve in the next 4 years.