Boot

A photo of our planet taken from a distance the commander of the International Space Station. If only we could also hear the captain's log...
If you haven't recognised the shape: it's Italy.
The commander, Mr Douglas Wheelock, shares more of his photos on Twitpic.

Brigitte

This is a video of the seducive track 'Ma Benz' as performed by Brigitte.
Brigitte is a French duet formed in 2008 by Sylvie Hoarau and Aurélie Maggiori with an interesting blend of retro and folk. Sylvie Hoarau used to be the lead singer of Vendetta, one of the more interesting French bands.
The song is in fact a cover of 'Ma Benz' by NMT, which is all the more suprising if you actually know the original.

Bad cover version

Bad Cover Version @ Yahoo! Video

You're about to watch one of the most interesting videos there are. The song is 'Bad Cover Version' and the band is Pulp (2001). The video is clearly modelled on 'Do they know it's Christmas', a notorious studio session of jamming celebrities reaching out to us to give Christmas to Africa.
The difference is that this video here appears to be an endearing, if ironic tribute to Pulp and against all odds it features no stars. The singers - albeit honestly cooing their hearts out - are all fake. It's all rather like some strange pop stars maskenball.
Where does one find so many of these people? See if you can spot Robbie Williams, Liam Gallagher, Kylie Minogue, David Bowie, George Michael, Bono, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Jennifer Lopez, Paul McCartney, Craig David, Tom Jones, Björk, Kurt Cobain, Rod Stewart, Meat Loaf, Cher, Jason Kay, Jarvis Cocker, Mick Jagger, Elton John, Missy Elliott, Bob Geldof...

Hey there, Toots!

This is Chloé Michelle Fischbach's hillarious impersonation of a Brooklyn man of Italian origin asking her on a date.
Check her YouTube channel for more improvisations (in particular her 'Girl from Washington Heights').
What I found particularly amazing is that she pulls off the Brooklyn man without any aid in costume or setting. She simply slips into her Brooklyn character, despite the fact that her origin is far from Italian and her gender very female. In fact, she leaves you awed again at the end when she slips back into her own self (if so).
Fischbach has apparently had no ambition so far to become an actress. Will she leave it at that, in front of her growing audience?

Cabaret

'The World Is A Cigarette', by Agent Ribbon from Austin, Texas. The band consists of three women: the lead singer Natalie Ribbons, the drummer Lauren Ribbons and the violinist Naomi Ribbons.

Janelle Monáe

Without any hesitation, I proclaim that Janelle Monáe is the top emerging artist of 2010. Her single 'Tightrope' (featuring also Outkast's Big Boi) will probably be placed on any list of top new tracks of 2010. The music video for 'Tightrope', if you haven't seen it yet, is a must. It is quite possibly the best video of 2010. Monáe's stage persona wears a black suit, string tie and saddle shoes and moves faster than James Brown. Apparently, Miss Monáe is a believer in, and a proponent of, time travel and she dates only androids.

Frederik Roijé

Holy Homes (2007)


Breed Retreat (2010) - an architectural hen house to breed and retreat

Frederik Roijé is a young Dutch designer (his website includes a webshop). He first caught my interest a while ago with his 'Spineless Lamps', showcased and distributed through Droog.
I've been looking to buy that holy home for birds for some time now. Main obstacles: EUR 215 a piece, coupled with a socialistic upbringing.


Spineless Lamps (2003)