The Scoop 26.02.2010

Disappointment at the BAFTAs and Die Antwoord pop into Joburg on their way to taking over the world

SA left empty handed at the BAFTAs
It was the last big awards ceremony before the Oscars next week, and also the ceremony that had honoured District 9 with the most nominations (7). But District 9 didn't manage to scoop any statues at the British Academy of Film and TV Awards. The Hurt Locker did well, picking up many of the night's big awards, followed by Avatar  setting the stage for a duel between former husband-and-wife directors Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron.

Martha Stewart disappoints local designers

It seems a number of Martha Stewart's fans in South Africa were left wanting after her talk at the Design Indaba in Cape Town this morning. Some Twitter users expressed their frustrations during today's talk by the design and homemaker queen. One said it 'flopped like a bad souffle' - another said she 'used the time to promote all her products instead of giving insight into her success'. Still one user defended her, saying the comments show how naive the local creative industry is. Oh well, at least she let her followers know how nice she found Singita Game Reserve!

Die Antwoord hit Joburg

It almost makes sense that a group which has blown up on the "interweb" has declined media interviews, opting  for web posts and Twitter comments instead. One thing's for sure, this Cape Town based Afrikaans hip hop group has marketing savvy that extends beyond the net. Their posters all over Joburg show that. See you at one of their gigs at the Alexander Theatre in Braamfontein tonight or tomorrow night.

Comedians for a cause

Eddie Izzard kicked off the first comedy show to benefit the 46664 HIV/Aids initiative started by Nelson Mandela. 10 top local comedians will take it to the next level at Sun City this weekend with the 'It's No Joke' show. There's only one female comedienne on the lineup - the rose among the thorns - Tumi Morake. She says she hopes more ladies will start doing stand-up so that one day they could have a 46664 made up entirely of women.

The Scoop - all the top entertainment stories with a local twist - airs every Friday after 4pm with Richard Hardiman on 94.5 Kfm.

Alice in 3D Wonderland

“There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” ~ Lewis Carroll

Alice in Wonderland 3D releases locally on March 5th.

Jozi - The Movie

It's a comedy about living in Joburg and still keeping your sense of humour. Jozi releases on the big screen tomorrow. It comes from the man who brought us Gums and Noses and has an all-star cast, including Lionel Newton, Tobie Cronje and Nick Boraine, together with lead actor Carl Beukes, who plays James. You'll laugh at the moments that make living in Joburg the crazy, rushed, thrilling, annoying, delightful place it is. The soundtrack to the film is its best part - the Black Hotels, HHP, Desmond and the Tutus, Laurie Levine and more.

It's a comedy about living in Joburg and Jozi releases on the big screen today. It comes from the man who brought us Gums and Noses and has an all-star cast, including Lionel Newton, Tobie Cronje and Nick Boraine, together with lead actor Carl Beukes, who plays James. You'll laugh at the moments that make living in Joburg the crazy, rushed, thrilling, annoying, delightful place it is. The soundtrack to the film is its best part - the Black Hotels, HHP, Desmond and the Tutus, Laurie Levine and more.

The Scoop 19.02.10

Mandoza in more trouble and more stars film in SA

Mandoza in another car accident
The story had us sighing with dread - not another Mandoza brush with the law. The kwaito star has been in and out of the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past few years. But this one is a little more mysterious. Police say they don't think Mandoza was the one driving, and therefore the one that caused the accident. But it's still not positive publicity for the singer who has a new album coming out soon. And it's even worse when the singer's publicist switches off his phone instead of dealing with the issue head on.

Chicken Licken ropes in Mini Me

Following in the footsteps of Louis Gossett Junior and Vanilla Ice, Verne Troyer is the lastest celeb to come to SA and film an advert. He and his crew caused quite a stir when they were spotted at the Hyde Park Hotel Bar last night. They were celebrating the wrap of filming on a new commercial for the chicken brand. As a true celebrity of the 21st Century, Vern's been tweeting about his experiences, including the fact that he "brought an extra bag to bring home some cool stuff like a spear, tribal mask, and elephant poop". He also kept calling the Michaelangelo hotel where he is staying a "resort" and was very chuffed that it's one of the official 2010 Fifa World Cup accommodation spots. I saw him in Cannes last year so I know how small he is in real life.

Calling Ben Stiller - Ben Stiller?
I have word that Ben Stiller is in town, scouting out locations in Hillbrow for a new movie he is directing set in Nigeria. Of course, short of driving around the Joburg CBD looking for him, I have yet to see him myself. So if you do spot him, give us a holler! In the meantime, more info about the movie: It's a comedy called 'Help Me Spread Goodness', and is about a Chicago banking man who falls for a Nigerian Internet scam. Apparently it's not going to be all laughs though, and will shed some light on the troubled political and economic situation in Nigeria that has led to such a prolific scamming industry. Wonder if Ben's had experience in being sent these I-Want-To-Transfer-a-Gazillion-Dollars-into-Your-Account-emails too?

A talk show icon is in town
Sir Michael Parkinson is making a documentary about Sport Relief - a BBC Sport and Comic Relief campaign that helps raise funds for various African charities, including one called Leth'ithemba in Katlehong that helps people living with HIV/Aids. He's filming a doccie about the campaign, which will be shown on BBC Entertainment next month, which is when a race will be taking place in Cape Town to help raise awareness about the whole event. "Parky" really is a lovely guy. Even with a cold, he was so nice to everyone here at Primedia Broadcasting when he was interviewed on Jenny Chrwys-Williams' show. Told me he prefers being the interviewee to being the interviewer.

 Me and my really big grin - you can tell how much I like the star I am posing with by the size of my smile ;)

The Scoop - all the top entertainment stories with a local twist - airs every Friday after 4pm with Richard Hardiman on 94.5 Kfm.

White Lion

In 2006 I remember getting a call from a distraught producer to say that valuable footage had been stolen from his car. The footage was for a movie about the rare animal, the white lion, and had been really difficult to set up.

We ran a story on Eyewitness News to see if anyone had any information. Sadly, no one did come forward with concrete help, but the filmmakers were still determined to carry on with the production and eventually re-shot the footage. Here we are four years later and the film has finally been released. And what a gorgeous, charming little film it is! It's narrated by John Kani and also stars Jamie Bartlett. But the real stars are the lions who play Letsatsi as he goes on his journey for survival. I'm not much of an "animal person" but I loved it. It's unique, and beautiful and shows the beauty of our country as well as these majestic animals. take your children (if you have any), take you mom and dad, take yourself!  Watch the trailer before you go.

The Scoop 12.02.10

The death of a fashion icon; and a diva heading to town?

Alexander McQueen commits suicide in his London home
It's not only the fashion world that is today mourning the death of Alexander McQueen - or as he was known to friends, "Lee". It is indeed all of those fans around him who loved his style and imagination, and hoped, aspired, to one day own his garments. He left an impressionable mark on pop culture - from stars like Madonna, Rihanna and more recently Lady Gaga, who seemed to be McQueen's latest muse. She was fond of wearing his daring outfits, which suited her just-as-daring (if not more so) personality. The music video for Bad Romance is a classic example:

Is Whitney coming to SA?
Oh, whatever did we do before Twitter? How did we ever find out the news that some dreams are made of? A flurry of tweets has been going back and forth, saying the singer would perform a once-off show in Durban during March. Durban? A once-off show during her rest-of-the-world global tour? Didn't really sound that likely. The thing is, without confirmation all Twitterville becomes is a virtual rumour-mill. So until an official press release or a Tweet from the (Verified Account) of Ms Houston comes through, we'll be 'saving all our love' for another time ;) What appears to have happened is that an over-eager promoter had said she was to perform at his show, before she had in fact sign on the dotted line. Tut. Tut. Tut

But don't worry folks, Dannii Minogue is in town...as the city's latest food critic and weathergirl?

The younger sis of the darling Kylie is in Cape Town filming the ad campaign for Marks and Spencer. She first let her followers guess where she was, but soon couldn't help herself and was tweeting pics of the Hermanus sunset, telling folks where she had just eaten ("You must try The Bistro in Hermanus. Shabby Chic interior with store and delicious food.”) and giving those fans in dreary cold London constant reminders of how hot it is here. Pic from @DanniiMinogue: Location today for @marksandspencer I'm in heaven :-) on Twitpic

The biggest celebrity of them all - Madiba celebrated 20 years of freedom yesterday...
Where were you when the news was announced by F W De Klerk just a few days before and then when Nelson Mandela walked out of Victor Verster prison? I was but 8 years old and could not - did not - know then just what it meant for the future of my country.
Viva, Madiba, Viva!!

Valentine's Day, baby!
In case you are interested in what some of the local celebs are going to be doing on that day...Danny K will be off to a wedding of a friend, while ex gal pal Leeann is off on a V-day holiday (it seems she’s always off on holiday!); Khanyi Mbau is taking the day to express l-o-v-e and capturing the idea of romance…so speeing off fast cars, then? No, she says she’s having some friends over for dinner, wearing the “cultural colours of Valentine’s Day”. Singer Louise Carver is doing what she does best on that day - sing gorgeous love songs. Comedian Trevor Noah is not a fan and says it’s too commercial. He believes we shouldn’t celebrate it because he was dumped on that day in the past – ag, shame!

The Scoop - all the top entertainment stories with a local twist - airs every Friday after 4pm with Richard Hardiman on 94.5 Kfm.

RIP Alexander "Lee" McQueen

An imagination and style like no other

16 March 1969 – 11 February 2010

Viva Madiba, Viva!

Nelson Mandela walks out of Victor Verster Prison after 27 years behind bars 

11.02.1990

J K Rowling on Failure and Imagination

She may be the best-selling author of the Harry Potter series but J K Rowling knows a thing or two about the importance of failure - and of course, imagination. This is an oldie but a goodie:


J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

We do not need magic to transform our world.
We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.
We have the power to imagine better.
                                                               J K Rowling

The Scoop 05.02.2010

Oscars nods and the final chapter for MJ?

"And the Nominees are.."

The big news this week was, of course, the announcing of the Oscar nominations. The beautiful Anne Hathaway announced the ten movies up for Best Picture, and much to our delight, District 9 is up there. Naturally so is the biggest-selling-movie-of-all-time, Avatar. This is the first year since 1944 that so many nominees made the category - 10. So the list looks like this:

To recap then, District 9 has four nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Neill Blomkamp and partner Terri Tatchell. Invictus only got two, and they didn't include Best Picture - something Best Actor nominee Morgan Freeman is not too happy about. It had me thinking this week about whether or not we, as South Africans, are too emotionally attached to the film or not. Did it honestly deserve a Best Picture nomination? And should Clint Eastwood have been given a Best Directing nod? All in all, it seems the film hasn't been as well received in America as we perhaps would have liked it to have been...

More top SA talent being recognised

You may not know her name but you know her

gorgeous costume designs on The Number One Ladies Detective Agency. Jo Katsaras has been nominated by her peers in the Outstanding Costume Designs for a Contemporary Television Series in the Costume Designers Guild Awards. She's an Emmy-nominated designer and this is just another thumbs-up for her creativity. She's up against the likes of Patricia Field (who made Sex and the City a fashion bible) for her costumes on Ugly Betty and the designers from Big Love, Dancing with the Stars and Glee. The awards will be handed out on February 25th.

Michael Jackon's alleged killer to hand himself over?

This story just keeps dragging on. Hot on the heels of the DVD release of "Michael Jackson: This Is It", Doctor Conrad was meant to have appeared in court today to answer to manslaughter charges for allegedly giving MJ too much propofol (which he shouldn't have been giving him in the first place). He was meant to appear in an LA court today but as TMZ reports, the L.A. County D.A. and the LAPD have been fighting over the whole deal. So, still we wait for the final chapter of MJ's life to play out.

Spud gets a spuddie

So we know John Cleese was attached to the Spud movie, but this week he signed on the dotted line and made it all official. And we got to find out that young Troye Sivan - who was born in Joburg but lives in Australia - will play the young Spud. He was also in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, directed by another of our beloved SA talents, Gavin Hood. Filming is due to begin in the next few months, so watch this space.

A fellow Aquarian celebrates his birthday in SA...

 Two-time Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir sang Happy Birthday to comedian extrodinaire Eddie Izzard at his show in Joburg on Wednesday...his actual birthday is Sunday. Wish him on Twitter @EddieIzzard 

The Scoop - all the top entertainment stories with a local twist - airs every Friday after 4pm with Richard Hardiman on 94.5 Kfm.