NIKI & THE DOVE

We are <3 <3 <3ing Swedish electro-poppers Niki & The Dove in the office today. Hints of The Knife + Stevie Nicks + a little bit of Prince. Check out their latest single The Drummer below, and do give their magnificent new EP (pictured above) a spin here.

APPLE TO LAUNCH iTV

Word on techno street (if such a street existed) is that Apple are readying an integrated TV service that will revolutionise home entertainment, much in the same way that they changed the way we listen to music.

There's much talk of a TV that consumers will be able to talk to, which sounds a little odd and exciting at the same time (if you're as geeky as we are). Head over to the Guardian for all the latest on this.

NY FILM CRITICS CIRCLE

Meryl Streep is no stranger to collecting little statues everywhere she goes, and her latest performance as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady is already proving very popular with critics.

Streep picked up the Best Actress gong at today's New York Film Critics Circle, whilst Brad Pitt walked away with Best Actor for both of his performances in the baseball film Moneyball and comic drama The Tree of Life. 

Nostalgic 1920s silent film The Artist (pictured above) continues to make a lot of 'noise', picking up Best Film and Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius. This one is sure to do well at the Oscars on Feb 26. Check out the trailer below:

H&M + MARNI

With the lucrative Versace collection barely under their belt, retail giant H&M have already announced next Spring's designer collaboration with Italian label Marni. 

As per, the line will feature men and women's pieces that embody the trademark, inventive prints and spirit of Marni's designs, and will be available from 8th of March 2012 in over 260 stores worldwide. Here's a word from Founder and Creative Director Consuelo Castiglioni:

RIP KEN RUSSELL

Legendary and controversial director Ken Russell sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 84. 

Best known for his 1971 film The Devils and his 1969 epic Women In Love, for which he was nominated for an Oscar, Russell also directed the cult 1975 rock musical Tommy. He will be sorely missed. 

NUCLEAR SEASONS

Today's music vid crush is a lovely slice of electro-popness from London-based singer Charli XCX. The track is called Nuclear Seasons and the promo was directed by Ryan Andrews, with visual effects by the always excellent crim3s. Enjoy:

ONE SECOND

Happy Monday one and all. This lunchtime, we're going to be looking at the beauty of a second, with this wonderful collection of 1-second video clips submitted for the Beauty of a Second short film competition.

The competition is orchestrated by Leo Burnett Milan to promote the Montblanc's luxury chronograph, and you can still enter the 3rd round of submissions here. This is the sort of viral marketing campaign we can get behind; lovely stuff.

HOW MANY SLAVES WORK FOR YOU?

Has the abolition served its purpose, or are we deluding ourselves into thinking that slavery no longer exists in modern society?

THIS handy & beautifully-designed website (and app) from the good people at anti-slavery nonprofit Call + Response sheds some light on the matter.

AT HOME WITH ANOUCK

Let's have a little nosy around Belgian supermodel Anouck Lepere's apartment in Antwerp, shall we? 

Lepere studied architecture and design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, and is one of Louis Vuitton's latest Amble Ambassadors; check out her app here. (pics via Nowness)

KARINA TAIRA JOINS HOME.CORP

It is with much excitement that we'd like to announce that Karina Taira has just joined the HOME.corp family !

Japanese-American Karina started working as a professional photographer at just 19, whilst studying at the Art Center College of Design in California. She moved to New York after graduating, and was soon shooting for major brands such as Dior, Guerlain, Diesel and L'Oreal.

It was in 1999 that she began directing commercials, working with leading beauty & cosmetics brands (Boucheron, Cerruti, Nivea, Cacharel), whilst also diversifying her reel shooting campaigns for Nestle, Alfa Romeo and Toyota.

Karina splits her time between New York and Paris, but we predict frequent trips to London are on the cards. We couldn't be happier to have her on board! Check out just a couple of her spots below, and head to her reel on our website for more info.

REMASTERING THE MASTERS

Make sure you check out Thai-born artist Pakpoom Silaphan's latest show at London's Scream gallery (18th Nov - 7th Jan).

His street-art-inspired work mixes well-known modern & contemporary artists - such as Peter Blake, Salvador Dali & Francis Bacon - with recognisable mega brand logos. The show is a comment on contemporary art having become a commodity, and the artists themselves having become brands. We like.

EBAY POP-UP SHOP

Beloved online floggers of any old tat ebay are opening a pop-up store in London! Brand agency Push UK have organised a temporary Christmas-themed retail space, which will open its doors on Soho's Dean Street next week (1st - 5th December).

The shop will feature 'buy it now' products only, which customers can purchase by scanning QR codes in-store with their smart phones. The goods will be divided into 'him', 'her' and 'family' sections, with a separate welcome area, where punters can use iPads to shop until they drop. Click here for more info.

ART FOR HEART'S SAKE

Keep your eyes peeled for hearts, lovely readers: we have an excellent competition for you. Our very own Simon Elborne has set up Art For Heart's Sake - a social enterprise that raises awareness & donations through creative engagement. 

Teaming up with the ever-popular iPhone app Hipstamatic, Art For Heart's Sake are inviting anyone to spot or create anything heart-shaped, snap it with the Hipstamatic app, and enter the resulting shot into the competition by sending it in (check out our own effort above!). Click here to find out how to enter your picture.

The top 100 submissions will be printed, framed and auctioned off at a special event in a Central London gallery in the lead up to Valentine's Day. The top 3 submissions, chosen by a select committee of artists, designers & creatives, will take home some very excellent prizes. And here's the best bit: absolutely all of the proceeds will go to Kids Company.

The competition launches today and runs until December 15th, so get creative and get snapping. Make sure you stop by Art For Heart's Sake's facebook page, follow them on twitter, and visit their official website for further details.

ALICE + DALI

We've just stumbled upon this incredible set of illustrations from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland by none other than surrealist genius Salvador Dali. 

The limited run was offered to the Random House Book of the Month Club readers in 1969, and yes, the Mad Hatter's tea party includes a picture of a melted clock (4th picture down).

Check out this video below for a full flick through the prints; this is one book we'd definitely like to get our hands on.

NO LIGHT, NO LIGHT

Florence's new vid is a beaut, hence why it be our Crush of the Day. The song is called No Light, No Light, it is off her new album Ceremonials, and the promo was shot in New York and was directed by Arni and Kinski. Nothing like a pop star falling off a skyscraper. 

CONVERSE + GORILLAZ

Oh look, Gorillaz have teamed up with Converse to create a shoe. They've also recorded a new song, ahead of their singles collection album (out later this month), but it's not available to hear yet. So you'll have to make do with the shoe for now.

UNHATE

Never one to shy away from publicity (& a bit of controversy), Benetton's latest ad campaign depicts famous world leaders having a kiss & make up. 

Above we have the People's Republic of China's president Hu Jintao landing a smacker on Barack Obama's lips. Below are Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and leader of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, and below that are German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. 

Support the UNHate foundation here.

LOSERS

To celebrate Anti-Bullying Week 2011, the good people at Everynone have created this thoroughly wonderful short film produced by Epoch Films, entitled Losers. Check it out below & pass it on.

FALLING BOOKENDS

Check out these clever bookends from Artori Design. Create your own little action scene by purchasing one here. WANT.

CHRISTINE SUN KIM

We are <3ing photographer & filmmaker Todd Selby's latest film, in which deaf sound artist Christine Sun Kim explains her aesthetic vision. Gorgeous ting. (via nowness)

LAND OF TALK

We have a definite penchant for animated music videos, and it's with this in mind that we'd like to introduce today's crush: Land of Talk's The Hate I Won't Commit.

The Canadian indie rockers are from Montreal, their veryveryvery good album Cloak and Cipher (pictured above) is available here, and the promo is directed, animated and produced by the marvellous Remy M. Larochelle. Enjoy.

HOME.CORP DIRECTORS WIN BIG AT PROMAX

How shall we kick off the week, then? How about with some shiny statues! Huge congrats are in order for not one, but two HOME.corp directors after this weekend's Promax Awards 2011.

Our very own Jon Yeo walked away with the Gold award (pictured top-right) in the Best Use of Design category, for his sumptuous South Bank Sky Arts Awards promo below:

And our very own and newly-adopted Jamie Childs walked away with the Silver award (pictured top-left) in the Best Direct Response Promo for this excellent Tuborg Liquid Soundtrack spot. Hurrah!

DR WHO GOES TO HOLLYWOOD

Sci-fi fans rejoice, Doctor Who is to be turned into a blockbuster Hollywood film. David Yates, who has directed 4 of the Harry Potter movies, has started searching for writers to plot a new adventure for the ageless time lord.

It's unlikely current TV doctor Matt Smith will land the lead gig, as the project is at least three years away from production. So don't hold your breath, but remember you read it here first.

TURNER + TESTINO

It's just been announced that celeb fashion photographer Mario Testino will present this year's Turner Prize, which will take place at the Baltic gallery in Gateshead next month.

The 5th of December will mark the ceremony's 28th anniversary, and the four artists up for the £25k prize are Karla Black, Martin Boyce, George Shaw and Hilary Lloyd (but you already knew that because we told you all about it yonks ago).

Previous presenters of the prestigious award have been Dennis Hopper, Nick Cave, Miuccia Prada and of course Madge, who ruffled a few feathers in 2001 by swearing a bit. Silly Madge.