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The local film industry is set to be on the spotlight once more when a new short feature called Umalusi (which is a person's name loosely translated to "the herdboy" in English) is released this coming Friday, 10th July 2009. What is most interesting is that the cast, and the director for that matter, are virtually unknown, so we will get to judge the film by what we see rather than being biased towards some of the names we like. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't really give it a thumbs up or down, but below is a synopsis I was sent by Ster kinekor. Umalusi is an introspective riches to rags drama about a spoilt brat, Malusi Mati (Sivu Nobongoza) who has to learn life’s lessons the hard way. Having spent most of his life living in the sleepy coastal city of East London (South Africa) life up to this point has been a breeze for the flamboyant young man. Malusi is as selfish as they come, he is the center of his perverse universe and no one else matter. The tide turns for our anti-hero when after a night of decadence he sleeps with Pearl, the eighteen Year old sister of his best mate. The night ends in tragedy when Pearl dies seemingly from a drug overdose. The extremely malevolent and coked-up Malusi leaves her on the side of the road and runs. Leaving the comfort of his cocooned life he heads for the only place he can hide, Mdanstane township. A completely alien environment for this private school graduate, Malusi is about to learn some vital lessons.....About life...
Please go out there and support our arts. Help our film industry strive with your support of our local productions. Umalusi opens at selected Ster Kinekor cinemas nationwide on Friday, 10th July 2009.
She's the IT girl when you want to know what's happening in the world of entertainment in Mzansi and everywhere else. She hosts the best events, being a representative for such companies like Heineken, Smirnoff, J&B, MTN, Levis, and the list goes on and on. She knows everybody and is known by everybody. She is my wifey, :-). She is Melanie Ramjee.
Melanie is celebrating her birthday (you never reveal a lady's age) this coming Thursday. She is also about to embark on her sabbatical this July so she has decided to combine her birthday party with with her farewell party as she is about to travel the world (attending Madiba's 91st birthday concert in New York is one of her stops in her travels) for a few months.I've mentioned already that she knows everybody and is known by everybody, so if you want to be part of the celebrations this coming Thursday, 02nd July, head on over to INC. in Braamfontein for the time of your life. The damage is only R100 and you get to party with everybody from showbizz. Oh, and the party is themed New Jack Swagger, so go all out with your 90's gear with a twist of SWAG. You know DJ's like Waxxy and Monde will bring that SWAG on the turntables like never before. See you there!!!See above flyer for more details.
The world is reeling with shock and sadness following the news of Michael Jackson's hospitalisation, and ultimately his tragic and unexpected death; from a cardiac arrest arising from heart failure. All spectrums of the media have covered the topic in abundance and it's one on everybody lips or fingers as the whole world sends their messages of sympathy and condolences to Michael's children, family and friends.
When I received a call from one of my friends after the Bafana Bafana game against Brazil last night, I immediately texted a friend of mine from the U.S. to share what they had heard as the local radio deejays were not sure of the facts. He said the news stations were reporting that he was in cardiac arrest, but within minutes he sent back another mobile text to say they were now reporting that he had died.
I cannot begin to describe the sadness that swept through my heart when it was confirmed that he had really passed on. I instantly remembered that me and a group of friends were watching one of his live DVD's for his Bucarest tour in 1992 just last Sunday over lunch and we were talking about him and the power and the ability to capture his fans' spirits and transport them into this surreal inexplainable world of worship.
The testimony to this ability was entrenched in a joke I read about on one of my favourite blogs Panache Report, where one of the commenters revealed a true account of a young, fat girl who used to be taunted by the neighbourhood kids because of her weight. After this happened for a long time, she one day turned around to face a gigantic Michael Jackson poster she had on the wall of her bedroom and loudly emitted, "Michael Jackson, please give me strength". She then went out and whipped those kids' butts; and needless to say, those kids never bothered her again. We all laughed until the back of our heads started to ache. That's just one of the many wonderful memories I will cherish about Michael Jackson until the end of my lifetime.
All I'll say for now is, may his soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans throughout the world, who are all feeling different variations of pain, sadness and sorrow right now. We need to celebrate his life and most importantly the precious treasure he left behind, his music. His legacy will live on forever and stay unparalleled with any other entertainer who has braced this world. He was a trully phenomenal talent. He was trully THE BEST. R.I.P. Micahel Jackson.Picture credit:
Concreteloop
When I saw the lineup for Benny Boom's directoral big screen debut, I got excited. I mean looking at names such as Mos Def, Debbie Allen, Mike Epps, Donald Faison and even Lauren London, I had hopes that it would be a great piece for the music video director.
Needless to say, I wasn't very impressed. Although it's made in a premise of a nice comedy, both actors who I've enjoyed as comedians in their respective works, Mike Epps and Donald Faison, failed to live up to what we know them for. The opportunity for this to be a great comedy was there, but somehow they all failed to capitalise on this with fresh and witty dialogue. Mos Def always adds a certain energy and charisma to his characters. He did here too, but maybe the predictable plot hindered this to shine through.
I must admit though, that he was probably the one who had a few jokes I laughed at. Always groundbreaking in his undertakings, he made news a few months ago for getting the whole cast not to use the "N" while shooting Next Day Air and even when they were on set and not shooting. That's certainly auppladable, proving yet again that Mos Def is not just your regular rapper.
Anyway, because I'm a fan of his, and also actors like Donald Faison (liked his work on Scrubs), Wood Harris (he killed it on The Wire), as well as the beautiful Lauren London (most popular for her stint alongside T.I. on the movie ATL), I jumped at an opportunity to do an advanced screening for my readers and other peeps in the industry. So, if you want to be a part of the screening this coming Thursday, drop me an e-mail at yeahbo@yeahbo.net and I'll forward you the details.
Next Day Air releases at cionemas nationwide next Friday, 03 July 2009.
