Did you know? One of the key heroes of the film Children of Men is a Romanian woman. I was caught off guard when I started to recognize what she was saying (since she did not speak English in the movie).

Mihai Panaitescu, a Romanian designer from Focşani who is attending school in Italy, developed this winning concept car design for French automaker Peugeot. In his design notes, he believes the car, Flux, will serve to bind the human with his natural surroundings rather then insulate. He goes on to imagine the car would be powered by hydrogen fuel cells and be constructed with very light-weight materials such as plastic and aluminum (aluminium).

Peugeot is actually going to construct the automobile as a prototype to show off at the prestigious Internationale Automobil-Ausstellungen auto show this September. They also plan an award ceremony in Geneva to honor Mihai and others in October. And they’re cutting him a check for nearly eight grand, according to C|Net.

Not too shabby.

French toymaker Norev plans to profit from the sale of scale-model diecast collectibles of the design. Even Microsoft gets a cut of the action as they announce their intention to incorporate the car into one of their video games for the Xbox. A whole list of other contest partners stand to benefit in various ways from Mihai’s creation.

Mihai Panaitescu’s Flux concept was chosen as the grand winner from some 4,000 submissions. Check out the second and third place winners. From there, you can explore some of the other interesting designs on your own. Or take a gander at Mihai’s graphic design using Star chips and other Romanian brands.

“It’s the first time in the six movies I’ve directed where I’ve said, ‘I’m doing this one my way, the whole way, no matter what.’ Financiers ran out on me and everyone involved in my career was saying it was the biggest mistake I could make. But I’m very happy with the result. And for me, nothing will be the same again.”

Definitely worth your time to see this film, despite the movie title’s egregiously incorrect transliteration into English (si, Virginia, la película está en español con optional English subtitles). If it’s not playing on a big screen near you, you’ll find it  available now from multiple sources.

I have zero idea why any of the Romanian media members, mari şi mici, bothers to report any information whatsoever about which flim-flam singer won a Grammy or what ignorant actress won an Oscar. Zlich. Nada. Nimic. None.

These are pretentious events governed by fabulously-wealthy industry-insiders who play personal politics in handing out so-called awards of recognition to ludicrously rich celebrities (of whom, only a subset rank as artists) in a country that largely doesn’t even know Romania exists.

And yet a goodly number of you seem to care. Why some people chase the shadow that mocks them, I’ll never understand. If you’re so star-struck, the least you can do is enjoy the entertainment of those who ignore you by diving into the future of the Oscars.

American Music Awards? Forget it. Grammy’s? A scam. Billboard? Fixed. Very rarely can money-greased industry insiders overlook the ties that bind them together in order to find the actual album of the year.

The Music Blog, an interesting Romanian source for a wide variety of musical exploration which I’ve been reading for a while now, had posted a poll earlier this year wherein the blog asked visitors to choose the album of the year from a short list that didn’t particularly appeal to me.

But what actually bothered me was I thought it was far too premature to select the 2006 Album of the Year when it was barely mid-April! But Mihai clearly felt enough good albums had been released by that point to make a winner clear. In my dissent, I’ve been secretly conspiring to find the real album of the year.

I had already discovered a little indie band in January which would make a strong candidate. Not wanting to be premature myself, I’ve been exploring all year both within my favorite genres and into styles I don’t much care for. From Serbia to Congo, Germany to Jamaica. It’s been an interesting auditory year.

When October rolled around, I thought a slamdunk winner might be The Decemberists. But their new album was a major disappointment in entertainment quality. I surmised the dismal failure in 2006 shows exactly how brilliant the production of Chris Walla (of DCFC fame) was on the hugely successful literary masterpiece, Picaresque, in 2005.

Honorable mention in the race to put out the best record of 2006 goes to Revolution Void, who really know how to jam! The new album Thread Soul is available free under a Creative Commons license. Fans of jazz, electronica, and/or lounge in a mature, ecletic mix will enjoy this release.

After listening to samples, I anticipate The Falling Star EP will be an excellent release from B! Machine near the end of the year. It may very well rank as third best when it’s finally released at the very end of the year. Synth aficionados can find it online; it won’t be in your local store.

“Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” was a killer debut from the Arctic Monkeys. It very easily ranks as the second best album of the year. I highly recommend it even though it was being hyped all year long. Critics? Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while, y’all.

What, then, sits upon the throne this year?

An unmatched, powerhouse recording I first discovered in June.

The album in its’ entirety is the true story of its’ author through a tumultuous time which none of us would care to live through, if we had any choice. While each song is more than capable of standing on its’ own merit for, it very much deserves to be heard as a whole piece as originally intended.

“We Collide” is an outstanding album released in the UK and Germany by a band called Mesh.

I could tell you all about the sophisticated blend of piano, electronica, rock, synthpop, and acoustical intruments all executed in dramatic, emotional, and deeply personal fashion. We could discuss genuine artistry, entertainment value, and levels of quality. But instead I’ll simply help you sample a tiny, little bit for yourself.

No Place Like Home
Room With A View
Crash

If that piques your interest, then you need to understand the songs work best as a continuous flow because a story is being told. You may find the album in local stores, if they import records from the UK. You can certainly buy the album online as well as the maxi-disc for the acclaimed song “My Hands Are Tied.”