Cyclops Turtle {Misc-uity}

I don’t know wether to say “aww” or “euurgh” and I’m desperately trying to resist any one eyed reptile jokes. This cute/weird little critter/monster only has one eye and isn’t it adorable how it keeps falling asleep!!

Lanvin to Design for H&M {Fashion}

H&M have announced their next designer collaboration and the rumors were true…its next designer collaboration will be with Lanvin, one of the most influential brands of the 21st century. Designed by Lanvin’s artistic director Alber Elbaz, and menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver, the collection will go on sale on November 23 in around 200 H&M stores worldwide. The collection of both womenswear and menswear will be revealed to the world on November 2, just three weeks before the clothes hit the store.

Alber Elbaz, artistic director of Lanvin says:
“H&M approached us to collaborate, and see if we could translate the dream we created at Lanvin to a wider audience, not just a dress for less. I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public. This has been an exceptional exercise, where two companies at opposite poles can work together because we share the same philosophy of bringing joy and beauty to men and women around the world.” .

Since joining Lanvin as artistic director in 2001, Alber Elbaz has transformed the Paris-based label, founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin, into a fashion powerhouse bursting with ideas and creativity. Alber Elbaz has pioneered there some of the biggest trends of the past decade – ribbon, bows, pearls, raw edges, sumptuous colour and metallic embellishment among many others. Alber Elbaz has a mastery of cut and an instinct for cloth which leaves a very personal signature on his work, ensuring that all Lanvin clothes are instantly recognizable. Since the introduction of a new menswear line in 2006, Alber Elbaz has also transformed the male wardrobe, bringing a relaxed elegance to men’s clothing which is as special as the womenswear.

“We are thrilled about Lanvin’s collection for H&M, it is such an exciting moment. Lanvin will bring to H&M a luxurious French tradition that is also modern and playful. It is very much a Lanvin collection, using their cut and tailoring, with lots of focus on form and details for both women and men. The launch in November is going to be full of wonderful surprises.” Says Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor at H&M.

Lanvin is the latest brand to collaborate with H&M, with previous collections designed by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Comme des Garçons and Sonia Rykiel. In a new twist, the Lanvin for H&M collection will be revealed to the world through a special film which will be launched on November 2. The film will be available for all to see online at www.hm.com. Following the film’s debut, it will be just three weeks before customers have the chance to get their hands on a covetable piece of Lanvin for H&M.

Touch – A new supernatural drama series for BBC3 {TV}

Some super exciting news….. BBC Three have a new drama series, Touch, from acclaimed theatre, film and TV writer Jack Thorne (Skins, The Scouting Book For Boys, Cast Offs)

Described as an edge-of-the-seat supernatural thriller, Touch is about the vengeful dead who walk on Earth and only uber-geek Paul can save the living from a fiery Armageddon.

Paul is an ordinary young man from an ordinary town who discovers an extraordinary ability – he can see the dead. As he comes to terms with a nightmare reality he meets others who share his powers and share a horrifying secret – the spirits are waging war on the living. Mankind will be destroyed.

But the most terrifying twist is yet to come – Paul discovers that only he holds the key to the world’s salvation.

Ben Stephenson says: “Touch started life as one of our drama pilots but quickly showed such imagination and energy that we asked the hugely talented Jack Thorne to write five more episodes and Touch the series was born.”

Jack Thorne says he’s “Both scared and excited about it, hope it turns out OK.”

The series will comprise of six one hour episodes made by BBC Drama. The cast is still to be confirmed and filming will start next year.

BBC Three drama has won critical acclaim with Being Human and looks forward to Lip Service which is coming soon to the channel this autumn.

Cake Britain – Let Me Eat Cake {Events}

This weekend the World’s first entirely edible art exhibition opens in London.

From edible fishermen, flying meringues to cake burgers and chips, everything in the exhibition will be devoured in the 72hours.

Cake Britain, sponsored by Tate & Lyle Sugars, is based on Mad Artists Tea Party’s interpretation of the meaning of “FAIR”. Cake Britain will host stunts and children’s workshops and feature food art from David A Smith, Jellymongers – Bompas & Parrm Crumbs & Dollies and Lily Vanilli.

All of the exhibits will be for sale with proceeds going to Richard House, We Make Peace and the Fairtrade Foundation. Entry will be free in exchange for a fair donation to the charities.

To visit the exhibition, go to The Future Gallery, 5 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JB from 27th-29th August.

Preview: This Is England '86 {TV}

Set three years on from Shane Meadows’ Bafta winning film This Is England, Chris de Burgh is top of the charts and over 3.4 million britons are unemployed. This Is England in the year 1986. A four-part serial for Channel 4 revisiting the original gang from the acclaimed film.

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Hapless Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) has just finished his final school exam and is a magnet for trouble and bullys. A chance encounter reunites him with Woody (Joe Gilgun), Lol (Vicky McClure), Smell (Rosamund Hanson) and the others and soon the past is forgotten. The gang are back together and they’re all looking for love, a laugh, a job and something that resembles a future.

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This is filmmaker Shane Meadows’ television debut and speaking at a Q&A after the preview screening he made it clear that he didn’t see Television as a stepping stone into film and that he’d grown up watching great made for TV films. He did however say

“UK telly has gone to s***. It really has it’s appalling, but American TV, the new type of shows they’re making like the Sopranos and the Wire are great. That’s how people want to watch TV today, several episodes back to back. They want to sit with the missus and watch a 12 hour film. It’s an event.”

Meadow’s brought in help to bring the much anticipated follow up to TV. That help came in the form of co-writer Jack Thorne (The Scouting Book For Boys, Skins) and sharing the directing of the series with Tom Harper (Misfits). It’s no suprise then that the series is packed full of both hilarious and touching moments.

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Judging by the preview clips of the rest of the series, it looks to become edgier and darker as it progresses. Meadows hints at a dramatic turn of events midway through the series and looks at it as “sort of like two separate films”. The soundtrack was evolved from music the actors were listening to on their mp3 players to get into character and from a stack of discs that the two directors shared between each other leading to a soundtrack that’s not cliche or packed full of well known 80’s chart toppers.

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This Is England ’86 looks to be a hit for Channel 4, another beautiful and gritty flagship show with a lot of potential. Who knows, maybe we’ll be seeing This Is England in the 1990’s in the future…

This Is England ’86 starts on the 7th September on Channel 4


Dress your iPad – Best iPad Cases {Gadgets}

So you bought an iPad…then the shop assistant tried to upsell to you a boring ‘executive’ case that’s so uninspiring the only thing you could think of to say was “errrm”.

Well we’ve scoured the internet to find the best-est (-sic) cases around at the moment so that you can dress your new friend.

LaCie Vegetal Sleeve, £34.99

For the eco-friendly iPad owner, LaCie’s Vegetal Sleeve is made from plant materials sourced from Europe. They feature a soya–based memory foam cushion to protect your gadget from everyday bumps, a linen exterior, and bamboo jersey lining. Comes in different sizes for laptops.

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Byrd & Belle iPad Sleeve, $48

Chic 100% Felted Wool sleeve with a simple leather fastening. This high quality felt is a sustainable and renewable material and offers strength while remaining soft to the touch.

Simple, low fuss and ooh it also comes in ‘graphite’.

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M-Edge Trip Jacket, $49.99

Pretend your iPad is a Moleskine sketchbook if you like. The Trip opens like a book and fastens with elastic. Made from canvas with a leather trim and comes in a variety of colours.

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Pro-Tec Bamboo iPad Case, £24.95

Covers the back and edges of the case so you’re still going to need to find a way to protect the screen if you’re going out and about. If you’re using it only in the comfort of your own home then this slick eco case is ideal.

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Cool Bananas Envelope Case, £24.95

It’s in the shape of an envelope! OK, it’s not fooling anyone but at least it looks good. White leather with a soft velour lining and magnetic clasp.

Prefer it in a different colour? they’ve got it in black leather as well.

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If these don’t tickle your fancy then there are bucket loads of amazing cases on Etsy.com. Here’s just a few that will sell out really quickly…

Great Wave off Kanawaga Sleeve, £46.28

Print onto leather, lined with wool blend felt from Tinderbloom

FARRAGO Leather iPad Case with Strap, £55.54

Don’t be put off by the berry pink, it also comes in manly and neutral colours. No magnetic fastenings so you don’t need to worry about your screen going funny.

Thin Leather Case, £29.99

Really testing the definition of handmade, this one is so unique it comes in ‘Blown’.

Puts the Aww in Koala {Miscuity}

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Look at his little ears wiggle around!!! So cute!!


Google Alerts, Market Research for Actors | The Film Set

There, I said it…market research.

It’s not called Showbusiness for nothing, there are plenty of amazing Actors out there who are incredibly talented but have never had a paid acting job and there’s nothing wrong with that but if you want to make a career from Acting it makes sense to treat it as a business…That means doing all the boring stuff like tax returns, PR and market research.

(yeh yeh Gen, what about this Google Alerts thing) Chill out inner monologue, I’m getting to it.

What is Google Alerts?

Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) You enter the topic you want to keep tabs on and they send you an email when there’s a new result.

The alerts get emailed to you at a frequency you chose or you could opt to receive it via an RSS feed if you have a Google account. Users with Google Accounts can also view, create, edit and delete their alerts using the “Manage your Alerts” page.

What can it be used for?

You can have an alert for yourself (err, it’s not vain), any competitors, any productions that you are really keen on, open auditions in your town, casting directors, that TV show you’re owed repeat fees for, your mates, your mum…the list is endless. (Actually I just learnt the list is limited to 1000 per email address but that’s still a fair few)

Let’s take this scenario for example…there’s a Hypothetical Theatre down the road in the town of Blah where you live. They put their castings up on their website but checking their website everyday is absurd. So, you set up a Google Alert for [“Hypothetical Theatre” Blah Casting] and hooray! When they announce their next casting on their website you’ll be the first to know.

That’s a bit sly isn’t it?

You might think it’s a bit sly but PR companies get paid tons to collect clippings for companies and Google themselves suggest using Alerts for the following things:

” – monitoring a developing news story

– keeping current on a competitor or industry

– getting the latest on a celebrity or event”

What about if there’s more than one person with the same name…

There are folk in the world who have completely unique names…Google Alerts for them are simple and straightforward. However, if you’re searching for a person that has a common name and you don’t want updates on everyone with that particular name, Google have thought of this too and have help guides with some advanced tips.

So for example if you’re searching for someone called thingymabob, and there’s another thingymabob who’s a high profile baker, all you need to do is put a minus (-) sign in front of a keyword attached to the other thingymabob you don’t want to know about. Your search would look like this [“thingymabob” -baker]

My top tip

If you haven’t already got a Google account then head on down and get one. Then instead of choosing to have the alerts sent to you vie email you can receive them to your Google Reader as an RSS feed.

[Google Alerts]

Genevieve Sibayan is a London based Actress, you can find Genevieve’s blog here and get updates by clicking on her rss feed. If you’d like to subscribe to The Film Set on Frost Magazine then click here.