(LV and Gucci Gas Masks)

I’m not really sure who this guy is other than his name is Diddo Velema and his Designer Gas Masks are flying around the internet this morning… a ripple effect from the Tom Sachs collection? I’m going to keep it short and sweet, because I hate it when other people dissect art I’m looking at. Draw your own conclusions.

If you’re interested in reading his mission statement on the gallery pieces (not commissioned by the Brands themselves), go to DesignerMasks.com.

(The People Have Spoken)

Ok. So it’s less like the Emmy’s, and more like some dirty underground Award show, minus the red carpet. The winner doesn’t really get much except some “bragging rights”. It’s the Annual YouTube Awards show! Categories are:

Best INSTRUCTIONAL
Best ADORABLE
Best COMMENTARY
Best EYEWITNESS
Best POLITICS
Best SHORT FILM
Best COMEDY
Best CREATIVE
Best INSPIRATIONAL
Best SERIES
Best SPORTS
Best MUSIC

It’s not rocket science. Just good ‘ol fashion online voting. Most of it is crap. Some are mind-bending. Here’s some highlights:

(“Leave Britney Alone”, “Chocolate Rain”)

A Nominee in the COMMENTARY category, the infamous “Leave Britney Alone” rant. The video lost (thank god). The Winner of MUSIC was “Chocolate Rain”, a comically eerie train-wreck of a song that’s traveled really far. Lyrics: “Chocolate Raaaain, History quickly crashing through your veeeins”.

(“Human Tetris”, “How To Solve a Rubik’s Cube”)

Winner in CREATIVE category, “Human Tetris”. Winner in INSTRUCTIONAL category, “How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube”. A sweet nerd gives away the secrets to solving the cube. It’s all about memorizing only a few algorithms, that when repeated roughly 6 times, eventually allows the cube to solve itself. Fascinating… and total cheat-sheet.

(“Battle at Kruger”)

Winner of EYEWITNESS category: I thought I was the only enlightened person revealing “Battle of Kruger” to my friends. Turns out, it’s been viewed 27,179,548 times, with almost 24,000 comments. If you’ve never had the gift of being on a safari (it’s life-changing)… then watch this Baby Buffalo almost turn into Lion meat (or Crocodile meat). Then a showdown ensues with a pack of buffalo’s. Truly a beautiful nature moment.

(“Stop the Clash of Civilizations”)

And lastly, this video was the winner of the POLITICS category. It’s a global “call to arms” encouraging real Middle East peace talks. You can say it’s a political music video made by an organization called AVAAZ.org with a tagline that reads “the third world in action”. A very smart way to reach this generation on election year. It has received 1,792,730 views, and close to 41,000 comments. Talk about making noise.

(“Stop the Clash of Civilizations”)

The video ends with the line, “SuperPower… That’s You”. Amen.

Go to the Winners page to see the champions. You’ll also be able to view the 6 nominees in each category…that is, if you have enough time to kill at your day job.

Source: From a website called Transparency.org.
Part of the Transparency International Annual Survey

Candice and Kristi (SW2′s head honcho) are currently in China working on the growing Starworks presence in Asia. When not producing a fashion show, holding meetings or climbing the Great Wall, they check out the “Night Market” at the corner of their hotel, where local farmers bring their crop to sell.

(local delicacies: crickets, silkworms and scorpions)

Maybe an episode of Starworks Fear Factor when they get back?