To the finish.

Team Sky are perhaps the most exciting sporting package to be unleashed this Summer! After a £30 million cash pledge from Rupert Murdoch, this British pro cycling outfit, spearheaded by the infamous 'modfather of pedaling', Bradley Wiggins, are looking to dominate the sport over the coming years - hopeful of taking the sports most recognized title, Le Tour de France this July. What more could you want... England win the World Cup and Wiggins, GB's maiden yellow jersey??!

Dave Brailsford (the guy who masterminded all the cycling golds at the Beijing Olympics) is the visionary behind this operation, and it has to be said he is doing an extremely thorough job! Team Sky is ran like a F1 team. The prep is exceptional (daily briefings, diet & nutrition, massages etc.), the tech on the bikes is exceptional, and the gear is second to none (Pinerello Dogma bikes and Adidas apparel), whilst the riders are some of the best in the World! A strong British ethos is at Sky's heart!

The mission statement of Team Sky is to 'Ride The Line', hence why a turquoise stripe goes down the middle, on the back of each jersey, as well as the bike itself! It means more than colour co-ordinating paint-job though! It's sentiment is based on getting on top of all the marginal gains that will ultimately win or lose you a race, title, or championship, which was what the Brits heavily focused on at the '08 Olympics! History shows that this belief should hopefully bring deserved success!

I got money on'ma mind...

How can an object that has been so basically crafted from an Earthly material warrant so much money?! Amedeo Modigliani was an Italian artist who worked in France. His modernist style was characterized by influences from mask-like faces and the elongation of these forms. He lived a modest life, and ended up struggling with poverty, overwork, and an addiction to alcohol and narcotics. All this, little recognition. Just surviving must've been a struggle...

How surprising then that this sculpture, created between 1910 - 1912, fetched a whopping 43.2 million euros (£35.8 m) at Christie's auction house in Paris this month! It brings up all regular questions associated with art; Why is it worth so much? Why are artists only recognized/rewarded once dead? How is Damien Hirst able to make so much cash alive, when arguably more talented artists can't make any money from their work - barely enough to get by on whilst living??

Plus, I thought we were supposed to be stuck in the worst global recession since the war years?! (Although, it was probably somewhere like a private bank that paid out) I wonder what has drawn such attention from the 'art buying World'? You'd expect works by Picasso, Matisse, etc. to get the interest they receive, by why Modigliani?! Why now? It was Giacometti not so long ago?

Ronson

Haha!! Well, isn't this awkward. Daisy Lowe and Mark Ronson, next to one another, on a blog... After seeing that video I hope he has been reminded about just how gutted he should be feeling! I dunno, I'm sure it was an amicable split! Sorry Mr. Ronson, it is just an unfortunate posting situation... Non-intentional, as I think your a decent fella! At least you have your guitar, decks, and mixing desk for now!

With so many fingers in so many pies, you'd think his guard would drop! Yet still Ronson has delivered some clean and fresh listening material, whilst brushing shoulders (again!) with some defined collaborators! As part of The Creators Project from Vice and Intel, he chats about general things, y'know, Hip-Hop, Lily Allen, and Winehouse etc. There is more important new stuff though, as light is shed on time in the studio, recording for third LP Record Collection with The Business Intl.

Early on, I am very keen for this 60s vibe, sounded out in "Bang, Bang, Bang", to run riot on this Record Collection. The use of old eBay synths is great, alongside fiddly and delicate drumming, topped by Q-Tip and MNDR's springy vocals, together, make a big track! Parallel to this, the Zelda-inspired video for "Circuit Breaker" is genius! I'm longing that Nintendo stumble onto this! Sign him up to redo the Tetris tune!!

Give me the Lowe-down!

Meow!! This week Miss. Daisy Lowe has really hit the limelight/low-light in a big way! This dark and seductively provocative video is utterly ridiculous! And, is probably why the press have gone to town on it! I mean on first view, my initial reaction was literally... WT-ACTUAL-F!! Certainly a way to make a statement!!

Shot as part of the cover shoot for this months UK Esquire mag, which sees her playfully dancing around in very skimpy, yet vastly indiscreet lingerie. Basically, she looks gorgeous and stupidly innocent, whilst bopping about to what can only be described as a cheeky, beat-ridden, bumpin' track called "Tiger" by Maximum Balloon feat. Aku (a decent-sounding TV On The Radio side project)

The track by itself would seem fairly tame, but coupled with this vid, it seems purpose-made. Lowe appears to have taken it personally when told, "Let your Tiger out!!" Simply, it's one of those vids that you get sent a link to at work, which after the first 20 secs you hope you don't have to get up from the desk sharply...

Daisy Lowe for UK esquire HD from Greg Williams on Vimeo.