The Queen Is Dead: The Smiths

Digg this! Rumors are flying around London that Hollywood stalwart Tom Hanks is interested in doing a film about The Smiths. If it is a hoax then The Mozzer himself must be chuckling from his Hollywood Hills house. The one that used to belong to Nancy Sintra. We already pity the screenwriter who's going to have to pen that dialogue. ...Scene 1. The six year old Morrisey sits in a grim and desolate Manchester playground reading Plato. Anton Corbjin has a lot to answer for!

Judy Blame was a genius of unorthodox styling

"I wanted a lady name because everyone changed their name to one of the same sex, so I thought I'd confuse people. Judy was a nickname given to me by a friend, and Blame just sprang to mind one day. It sounds like a trashy b-movie actress from the 50's - a bleached blonde tart who only made one film and never got anywhere - I like that"
Judy Blame

The Black Ghosts:Anyway You Choose To Give It EP

You've been hearing their giant hit "Face" in every DJ mix all year now but the really, really brilliant thing about London's
The Black Ghosts is the dexterity and range displayed on their recent singles. Loving "Anyway You Choose To Give It", "Some Way Through This" and "I Want Nothing". One minute The Black Ghosts are giving you an icy, shimmering blast of dance perfection (that makes you want to leave the house wearing something...silver) the next it's pure sweet melody ("Something New") and then its on to pure 60's pop reflitered for a digital generation (Full Moon). They're genius!

Raquel Zimmerman: V: Inez and Vinoodh Sasha Pivovora: Vogue Italia: Meisel

There's an interesting showdown brewing over at MDC. General agreement among the clients and contacts feeding us info at the day job is Gemma Ward has pretty much transcended her No 1 slot on the Top 50 since she now behaves in that iconic way of working at her leisure. For that, you can't blame a girl who's been treading the mills from age 15 ! The big Q is who inherits her spot as No 1? My phones are lighting up with advocates for two frontrunners, IMG's artistic Russian Sasha Pivovora and the eternal Brazilian must-have, Raquel Zimmerman. Right now it is a deadlock so it would be fun to get some feedback from the commited modelwatchers out there. Here are the relative pros and cons of our two contenders.

ARGUMENTS FOR RAQUEL:
1. The girl, after working tirelessly for the last 7 years deserves No 1 by merit of her track record , her proven longevity and her body of work. In other words Raquel's 7 years beats Sasha's 3.
2.As a physical presence in both runway shows and in photo-shoots, Raquel looms as the better model in terms of emotional range, body type and editorial versatility.
3.Raquel connects to the entire idea of fashion, is a great backstage politician and by stint of her warm and charismatic personality has kept a wide range of clients , from Vogue to Fendi to Chloe to Valentino (SS08 if she's in the final edit) in the past 5 years

ARGUMENTS AGAINST RAQUEL:

Matthew Stone: PH: Terence Koh: ID Magazine Dec 07

Matthew Stone is 6' 3" which has made this flamboyant showman/shaman an even more imposing presence on the New London art/music/fashion circuit. He takes photographs, served (in every sense) as the resident DJ at Boombox, is obsessed with Michael Jackson and has become a highly hyped artist of the minute . His partners in crime include artist Terence Koh and designer Gareth Pugh and his parties, outfits, art happenings and publicity stunts has made him a one man cult. Is he worth collecting? Mr. Stone was included in a fantastic group show at 10 Rooms and a Sculpture Garden last year and given his network of contacts (ID mag is pushing him hard) it is only a matter of time before the make-or-break collectors engage his work. Besides a little riffing on venerable Renaissance paintings always turns somebody on.

The Shaman, The Monk and The Fool: Matthew Stone

Kate Bosworth: PH: Mario Sorrenti:V Magazine April 07

TI was at lunch yesterday when the question of the CK Jeans gig came up. "It's the Actress and the Hunk," said our source.

A night view from a Coldwater Canyon mansion

We were at the Polo Lounge. I was laughing to myself because the orchids, the players , the hyper-polished woods, the dress sense, the body language and the conversation was every cliche you ever wanted from a Beverly Hills power lunch venue . Thank god for a consistency of line! Our party consisted of our stealth Overlord with fingers that tap between the talent , real estate and nightlife industries, as well as a certain legendary television magnate who by the mere mention of his name got the hostess to spin you straight to his customary corner booth. Flanking him was his lieutenant in arms, a very sharp legal eagle and his new business partner: one of those tech whiz types whose standard dialogue combined business-speak with tech slangs that just turned musical to my untrained ears. Later on, the Magnate's overwhelmingly charming wife , a former Bond girl, swept in to join us. I loved the team work these two executed through the room. Though I did not know who anyone was gathered at the coveted tables, it was clear that this was a very clubbish room marked by a very discrete form of table hopping. One Beverly Hills dowager came over to say hello, giving us the newsflash that the Roberto Cavalli line had sold out in less than half an hour that very morning and that the inventory was so controlled, not even her best friend Roberto or his wife could get the extra pieces she desperately wanted "Very smart! Those people at H&M" she announced before returning to her booth.

Beowulf: The very phallic poster

Well, I survived "Beowulf" last night. It took me a while to get used to the "3D IMAX" experience, which was very much like being trapped in someone else's video game. But half way through the power of the mythology really kicked in and the storytelling got to be...interesting. Especially when Angelina Jolie shows up in the most monstrous of guises. My date, the smarter than thou Colombia undergrad put it best when she deadpanned as we exited " Lesson learnt about Nordic mythology. Don't fuck with Angelina Jolie. She always gets her man." Too true.

Sienna Miller: Pop Magazine: Image via frillr.com

White Cube Exterior

TI's enterprising art correspondent popped over to London to scan the Ellen Altfest White Cube opening in London. Here are his flashes of what clearly was a triumphant night for Ms Atltfest.

Marian Kappos and the artist, Ellen Altfest

The crowd outside The Ellen Altfest opening

Writer Johnathan Walpole and a friend