Top 10 June 5

"He walks on, doesn't look back, he pretends he cant hear her.
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street seems embarrassed to be there". -Mr Phil

1. The Beatles Rockband

To prep for the new The Beatles Rockband game, which is confirmed for release on September 9th of this year, British comic book artist and designer, Jamie Hewlett, has animated a dazzling opening cinematic animation for The Beatles: Rockband.

Hewlett, best known as the co-creators of Gorillaz, whose band members are all animated characters; Aside from Gorillaz, Hewlett is also the co-creator of comic strip, Tank Girl. The opening cinematic features impressive life-like details and a great mix of both 3D and 2D illustrations. The animation documents The Beatles running through cities from concert to concert, dodging fans, and later, through imaginary landscapes with motifs from the band’s songs. A great Beatles soundtrack accompanies the vibrant animation - a must-see for Beatles fans and animation lovers.

Check out the video HERE

2. Brian Donnelly

Brian Donnelly has been compared to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, both of whom straddled the divide between street and institutional art. But Donnelly has arguably surpassed them with his one-man empire. Business at his Tokyo-based company OriginalFake, created as an outlet for his art and related merchandise, is thriving. During his February L.A. gallery show -- just his second solo exhibition ever -- the line to enter snaked seven blocks; Lance Armstrong bought the biggest painting. The guy who just a few years ago was hiding in bushes to evade anti-graffiti officers is now being courted by megabrands that want his signature graphic treatment on their products. Mostly, he'd rather not. "I only like to work with companies that are part of my life already," says Donnelly, who has said yes to Marc Jacobs, Nike, and Levi's.

Check out his work HERE

3. David Lynch Interview Project

Lord David Lynch has launched Interview Project; “a road trip where people have been found and interviewed.” Traveling some 20,000 miles (in 70 days) across the US of A, Lynch and his henchmen plan to have a new film on the site every threes days or so - which is kinda ironic given Lynch’s opinion on small screens.
121 interviews have been filmed so far, with the first 2 live as of the date of this post.

Check out the project HERE

4. James Jean

Ran in to this illustration by James Jean, one of my favorite artists and couldn't resist to pop it into my list, click image to check it out in a larger format.

Also check out his other work HERE and follow James on his blog HERE

5. Julia Fullerton-Batten

Julia Fullerton-Batten was born in Germany and grew up in the United States and Germany. When she was sixteen she moved to England. Since then she has travelled extensively throughout the world. These visits provided plenty of picture material as well as an insight into different cultures. After studying Photography she did work experience with Vogue Magazine, London, where she went on some interesting shoots with wellknown fashion photographers. Then came five years of freelance assisting a wide variety of different photographers. At this point she thought it was time to start looking through the camera herself as a professional, she spent two months travelling in Vietnam. She returned to London with some interesting still-live observations; she was fortunate enough to win a number of Awards with these images. These enhanced her marketing efforts and she got her first big comission: to shoot a cigarette campaign in Australia.

Check out here portfolio HERE

6. Henry Gunderson

Henry Gunderson seems to be a pretty cool guy, love these lady faces...but he got a whole lot more to show for himself.

Check out more of his work HERE

Check out this mini interview with him with him HERE

7. YouTube XL

YouTube XL is effectively YouTube optimized for the TV. The interface is bigger, the menu is on the left hand side with options for watching, searching and controlling video and settings. Video can be watched in full screen (apparently it looks pretty good) and you can easily browse or create related video playlists. Obviously, because it’s optimized for the big screen, XL strips out a lot of the extras of YouTube regular, specifically comments and community features.

YouTube XL is a no nonsense no new functionality version - custom built for TV viewing. With more and more manufacturers including browsers within their products, plus millions of clip-hungry PS3, Xbox and Wii owners - it makes alot of sense.

Check out YouTube XL HERE

8. AJ Fosik - Wood Animal Sculptures

AJ Fosik's eclectic handmade and intricately designed wood animal sculptures and paintings, combined with cryptic symbols, intrigue and provoke. Fosik creates an experience that at first glance evokes a questioning of familiar concepts and then pushes the viewer to look and think deeper. Inspired by subversive cultural influences which shift complacency, he creates pieces that suspend comfort while at the same time offer recognizable symbols and images. In this dynamic tension the art and the viewer hopefully come together in an expanded definition of culture and assumption.

Check out more of AJ's Wood animals HERE

9. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Here is the new weird music video for Grizzly Bears - Two Weeks, directed by Patrick Daughters.
Production company The Directors Bureau.

Their new album Veckatimest is now in store.

Check out the Video HERE

10. Ron English - The Secret History of Kiss

If your a fan of Ron English’s work, you will be pleased to know his latest work is on show now at the Shooting Gallery SF. Ron is the master of “popaganda”, known for his satirical interpretations of commercial iconography. For his latest show “The Secret History of Kiss”, Ron creates Bouguereau styled paintings with traditional regal and religious subject matter that have Kiss themes to them all. It really doesn’t matter if your a fan of kiss or not, as each one of the oil paintings on show is a masterpiece. The colors, presentation and the way he handles paint is not only inspiring but awe inducing.

See more of Ron's popaganda HERE