Women in search of crop circles in Wiltshire, England make an amazing discovery, a rare find, a crop circle! This results in a collective spiritual epiphany. The video was broadcast on Norwegian television as documented evidence of the existence of crop circles. The film makers had no idea that the ‘crop circle’ was created by Quite Interesting Ltd. as part of a promotional campaign for a BBC TV show called ‘Q.I.’. The poor gullible ladies in the video must have been deeply disappointed to discover their magical find was, in actuality, an advertisement.
As expected, folks are pissed by the new ads from Antonio Federici, the world’s most blasphemous ice cream. From Campaign Live:
One ad created in-house shows a pregnant nun eating from a pot of Antonio Federici Gelato Italiano under the strapline “Immaculately conceived”.
Another ad shows two male priests apparently about to kiss, with the strapline “We believe in salvation”.
The print ads appeared in women’s weeklies Grazia, Look and The Lady, but were investigated by the advertising watchdog after it received a number of complaints about them.
Antonio Federici said the idea of “conception” represented the development of their ice cream, and its decision to use religious imagery stemmed from its strong feelings towards their product – the text also read “Ice cream is our religion”.
The Lady later said it regretted the offence that had been caused to its readers and said it would not publish the ad or anything similar to it in future.
The ASA told Antonio Federici that is was not to repeat the ads in their current form, as it was likely to be seen as distortion and mockery of the beliefs of Roman Catholics.
I’m putting together my list list of the best videos of 2010 and this is a definite contender. “Together” by Hervé with a sample from Primal Scream’s “Come Together”. Directed by Starworks. Grooooovy.
Swedish singer and self-appointed guru (Thomas) Di Leva is one of the oddest pop phenomenons I’ve encountered in quite awhile. Apparently he’s been a big star in Sweden for the past 30 years and yet I’d never heard of him. I pride myself on knowing a shitload about rock and roll and spiritual materialism, but somehow Di Leva, who embodies some of the best of the worst in both music and new age mumbo jumbo, has flown below my cultural radar all these years.
A cross between David Bowie, Donovan, Meher Baba and Barbra Streisand, Di Leva has released 19 albums, has dozens of videos on Youtube and a trippy dippy website devoted to his mystical teachings. His spiritual organization is called Spaceflower, which he describes with typical new age vagueness:
We are all Spaceflowers with roots in Eternity. Striving to consciously and blissfully flow through the supreme infinite reality. We are all one with the eternal now forever.
And Di Leva humbly describes himself as…
One of the greatest spiritual teachers and music artists in his home country Sweden. With Spaceflowers he is now taking his vision, presence and action globally.
Whether or not he succeeds in his quest to raise the planet’s consciousness or not is yet to be seen, but for now we have glimmerings of something Divine (as in Pink Flamingos) in his music videos and live performances. As much as I’m tempted to write this guy off, I find him actually quite compelling. From his obvious David Bowie vocal influence, new wave synth beats and Summer Of Love lyrics , Di Leva is not particularly original and, yet, he is. He’s a cosmic rip-off artist that manages the trick of making you almost believe in something totally artificial. But, I like artifice and Di Leva is thoroughly entertaining in his own weird, spacey, Swamidelic way. He’s a flower child gone to seed, Jesus in day-glo Laura Ashley drag or Dreamgirl mu mu. An Aquarian Age Adam Ant. Meher Abba.
Visit Di Leva’s Spaceflowers website and for a mere $9.00 you can receive a cosmic transmission via telephone from the Guru himself. He accepts Paypal.
Update 9/16: since posting this last night, the spaceflower.net website has been taken down for ‘construction’. I wonder why? Was it something I said?
Xochimilco 1914 recreates the historic first meeting of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City on the morning of December 4, 1914. It is based on the original stenographic record of their conversation and animates the words and impact of the historic meeting. Two days after the meeting Villa and Zapata would lead their troops into Mexico City and occupy it.
Today is the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence from Spain.
The video is the a collaborative effort on the part of Mexican arts collective Los Viumasters.
