Summer has officially started and to kick off the best period we can ever wish for the Bizarre Summer Ball London at The Scala is set to be a hot ticket this Saturday and TNC’s Joshua is going to be there bringing you all the sights and sounds of a truly unique summer opening event.

The Line-Up 2011

THE FUTUREHEADS (live)

Being a Northerner is a great pleasure to keep some of those roots on our site and with the news of Sunderland rockers The Futureheads are going to be headlining this night makes me even more proud of my northern roots. The guys are set to make this their night!

KUNT & THE GANG (live)

Cult internet superstars Kunt and the Gang…If they had not tried to get a single last christmas to number one (and if that single didn’t chart higher than a Beatles release) I wouldn’t have really given them much of a go, but Fringe Favourites and internet superstars who’s mix of insane, grosse, tasteless and just wrong music and videos have made them Youtube stars. They are better seen live to get the full impact of what they do…you will not forget them in a hurry!

FLAY AND DEVILLE’S CIRCUS OF MARVELS

DEE CHRISTOPHER

CHRIS CROSS

Chris Cross is a real superstar and what he does is frankly insanely amazing. He’ appeared on Britain’s Got Talent and has been all over the world with his act…and usually that means they have been to Europe but he has been ALL over the world and from the humble beginnings on the streets of Newcastle he has become a festival favourite like no other. www.chris-cross.co.uk

PM SLEEZE

PM. Sleeze (Sedition) is a Body Piercer/Bod Modifier, Model and Performer. She has been modelling since 2004 as well and Performing as a ‘Sedette’ with Sedition Industries since early 2010.

Few night like this come along (and we’re based in Brighton) so it’s going to be full on with one of the best line-ups of music and alt-scene kids that make living in this great country worth the taxman’s axe! For more information on The Bizarre Ball head over to their website www.bizarremag.co.uk

This has just come in and the buzz in the office is palpable! Benjamin Taylor, director of The Miserables and UK NSFF Award Winner for Best Film has been shortlisted for the 2011 Student Academy Award in LA.

Competing in the Foreign Finalist Category the nomination comes after a great deal of hard work and commitment from one of the most accomplished and promising new UK directors, this is an incredible achievement, and is a moment am sure Ben is not going to forget anytime soon.

The 2011 Foreign Student Film finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):

“Bekas,” Karzan Kader, Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts, Sweden

“GraffiTiger,” Libor Pixa, Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU), Czech Republic

“The Miserables,” Ben Taylor Wheatley, University of Westminster, United Kingdom

“Raju,” Max Zaehle, Hamburg Media School, Germany

“Tuba Atlantic,” Hallvar Witzo, Norwegian Film School, Norway

All the student film makers should be proud of their accomplishment and the recognition that their films have gained from the worlds biggest Film Awards. Three winners will be selected and invited to the US and will join their American counterparts for a week long list of events and work shops with an award ceremony on June 11th.

We wish all the nominees the very best of luck.

A new craze has been taking over Facebook for the past two days and it all started with this message:

Change your Facebook profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same, for the NSPCC. Until Monday (December 6th), there should be no human faces on Facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is a campaign to stop violence against children!

And just like that profile pictures around the world have been changed to the plethora of characters that seem to have taken over Facebook.

Young and old alike are reliving their childhood memories with characters from Disney films and popular kids TV shows. Some of the standout favourites have been:

The Smurfs, Pokemon, Aladin, Danger Mouse, Dragon Ball Z, Wacky Races, The Flinstones, Scooby Doo, Recess, The Little Mermaid, The Simpsons, Cinderella and many many more.

This has been a clever way to use the power of Facebook for a good cause. Hopefully people will stop and think of all those children who are not able to enjoy their own childhood.

Have you been taking part? What was your favourite childhood cartoon character?

By Nola Ojomu

This years Driven Creativity Competition has less than TWO WEEKS left and the submissions continue to be stunning examples of the creativity, ingenuity, and passion that exists within the filmmakers of tomorrow. We have been incredibly lucky to be able to share some of these videos and will continue to do so. BE WARNED you have less than TWO WEEKS to get you submissions in.

Here are some of the submissions we have shared on our site:

This was the first video we loaded on our site, A Peacocks Tale by Anna Humphries . There is something about this I just love, funny and gentle, Anna has done a pretty amazing job.

When I saw this I was unsure what to think. The blurb that comes with the video on the competition website says:

Experimental Animation showing a stylized walk through Paris This animation VideoClip is composed , performed and produced by Monsieur GREG. This is an exceptional standard and quality. Simply stunning!