MZANSI STILL BLEEDING DOCTORS, NURSES

It appears Mzansi’s battle against the medical doctor brain drain is far from over. A new report suggests the country has lost over R12 billion in training costs for doctors who, after getting qualified, then leave the profession or more likely, go overseas to countries like the US, Canada and the UK.

ROLLING STONE STOPS IN MZANSI

Cape Town, South Africa, November 18, 2011 - Legendary music, culture and current affairs magazine Rolling Stone launches in South Africa on Wednesday 23 November 2011. Covering everything from young visionaries and icons to politics, movies and more, Rolling Stone believes in music as a unifying force.
 

LG PENTOUCH BRINGS TV TO LIFE

LG Electronics (LG) has taken a big step forward in interactive entertainment with the launch of its new Plasma Pentouch TV.

BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK GETS A SOLID CELL C

Research In Motion (RIM) and Cell C today announced that the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is now available in South Africa from Cell C.

DVD REVIEW: THE PERFECT HOST

CAST: David Hyde Pierce, Clayne Crawford, Indira G. Wilson

DIRECTOR: Nick Tomnay

David Hyde Pierce is well-known amongst TV sitcom fans after he played Frasier’s younger brother Niles Crane in the sitcom of the same name. Since then his career hasn’t really taken off, and him teaming up with director Tomnay does not help much. Tomnay himself isn’t exactly Hollywood’s most wanted, with just a handful of features under his belt.

MUAMMAR GADDAFI DIES

Yesterday the world watched in shock as pictures and videos depicting a dying Muammar Gaddafi being dragged along a street, bleeding. Eventually the former Libyan President of 42 years passed on, leaving the world with one less political dictator. Ever since the Libyan uprisings a few months ago, Gaddafi had been extremely defiant of what was an obvious tail end of his reign.

STAND UP AFRICA PROMISES LAUGHS AT EMPERORS

Get ready for a night of laughter and hilarity when some of this continent’s brightest and funniest comedians take to the Emperor’s Palace stage next month in the not-to-be-missed Stand Up Africa, presented by Metro FM Comedy Experience.

REUBEN'S AND NOBU HONOURED AT ONE&ONLY

ONE&ONLY CAPE TOWN is proud to announce that both of the luxury resort’s restaurants, Reuben’s at One&Only Cape Town and Nobu at One&Only Cape Town have been recognized and included in the prestigious American Express Platinum fine dining awards and programme for 2012.

DAILY SUN FOUNDER DIES

Deon du Plessis, flamboyant founder and publisher of the biggest newspaper in the country, Daily Sun, has passed away. The 59 year old du Plessis had been suffering from acute bronchitis when he succumbed. He leaves his wife Vanessa, daughter and two grandchildren.

SILVER MEDALIST CASTER SEMENYA LOOKS FOR NEXT WIN

Athlete Caster Semenya may have not successfully defended her 800m crown in South Korea, but she really did the nation proud by snatching second place in the final and running away with the silver medal. And that she took it so casually and looked very happy at her achievement just goes to show what an amazing young woman she is.

PRO LEAVES TS RECORDS

Pro, who used to be known as Pro Kid, has left DJ Sbu and TK Nciza’s record company TS Records. The Soweto-born rapper who recently became the face of brandy brand Flight of the Fish Eagle, was signed by TS a few years ago after he left Gallo Records.

LINDELANI MKHIZE TAKES TOP POST AT UNIVERSAL

Universal Music South Africa has welcomed Lindelani Mkhize into its fold as the executive director: A&R. He will be responsible for identifying and nurturing new talent both in South Africa as well as sub-Saharan Africa. Mkhize is a well-known industry figure who has had a very long career in music.

DVD REVIEW: THE OTHER MAN

THE OTHER MAN

CAST: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Antonio Banderas

DIRECTOR: Richard Eyre

In a three-way relationship, one of players isn’t fully aware of the third player. It’s only the other two who are wise to the situation, whichever orientation they are, whether it’s the man or the woman cheating. In this case, as the title suggests, it is the female (Linney) who’s having a little extra mayonnaise on the side, without her doting husband’s (Neeson) knowledge.

BLACKBERRY BOLD 9900 NOW IN MZANSI

Research In Motion (RIM) and Vodacom today launched the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone in South Africa.

MOTSEPE TOPS MZANSI'S RICH LIST

Over the weekend, the Sunday Times newspaper released its annual Rich List. At the top of it was Patrice Motsepe, who, according to the paper, is Mzansi’s richest man and worth about R22 billion rand. That’s billion with a B people! The list is based on known public assets, and does not include private onewhich the rich people ofs ten can hide very well. Collectively the top 20 wealthiest South Africans are said to be worth R112 billion.

TOPGEAR MAGAZINE COMING TO MZANSI

TopGear magazine is coming to Mzansi! For a few months it was said to be firmly in the hands of Sunday Times and Sunday World publisher AVUSA. But now it has been confirmed to be NASPERS, the publisher of such magazines at TopCar, You and Drum. The deal comes after only a few weeks of negotiations between the two parties, following the disintegration of talks between BBC Magazines and AVUSA.

BLACKBERRY HOPS TO HIP RHYTHM

BlackBerry presents Masters of Rhythm Salvation 2011, the hip-hop event of the year, at the Ellis Park Arena on 3 September. This year’s final is themed ‘Salvation’ and promises to be the pinnacle of dance and hip-hop for the whole family.

ARTHUR VOWS TO MAKE NONHLE THEMA A MUSIC HIT

Kwaito kingpin Arthur Mafotake and former O Access presenter Nonhle Thema (((boom))) could end up sharing studio time. Arthur told his ever-growing throng of Twitter followers that he would love to record some tracks with Ms Thema (((boom))). Probed as to what kind of music they would make together, Arthur was quite coy, preferring only to insist that he could turn the Nonhle hype into mega sales.

DVD REVIEW: FOR COLORED GIRLS

CAST: Thandie Newton, Janet Jackson, Kerry Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Ealy

DIRECTOR: Tyler Perry

KHANYI MBAU AND PRIMROSE CROUS FACE-OFF ON TWITTER

A third World War nearly broke out on the Twitter space earlier today when two of the country’s best- known socialites traded scratches. Khanyi Mbau and Primrose Crous went at it on the social network soon after Mbau allegedly received an unwelcome phone call from Theunis Crous, Primose’s controversial husband.

DVD REVIEW: GNOMEO & JULIET

GNOMEO & JULIET

DIRECTOR: Kelly Asbury

CAST: Voices – James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Jason Statham, Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart, Hulk Hogan

Animation has become a real family movie genre, no longer just confined to little nunus and their crèche friends. Gnomeo and Juliet is very much the tale of the love birds you had in mind, the tragic love story of Rome and Juliet. Except this one is set in two neighbouring gardens where a whole world, unseen by humans, exists. It’s the world of garden gnomes, one set blue the other red. The two human neighbours are also fierce rivals, which I guess rubbed off on their little creatures.

NOKIA LAUNCHES LIVE TRAFFIC MAPS

Nokia South Africa has launched the latest update to Nokia Maps which shows people real-time traffic conditions, enabling them to pre-plan the quickest and most environmentally-efficient route. Nokia Maps traffic includes updates on congestion, road closures, road works and other traffic incidents, colour-coding roads as red, amber or green depending on traffic flow. Nokia Maps comes pre-loaded on all Nokia smartphones, and provides free turn-by-turn voice guided navigation, forever. The traffic service is available on all touch Symbian smartphones.

TECHNOLOGY HELPS MORE PEOPLE TO WORK FROM HOME

Seventy one per cent of South African knowledge workers are now regularly working outside of the office, whilst 75% of workers are using their own personal computing device at work, according to the “Future of the Workplace”, a survey of more than 100 CIOs and information workers undertaken by Citrix Systems in May and June this year.

BLACKBERRY PREPARES BIGGEST LAUNCH EVER

Research In Motion (RIM) today announced plans to launch 5 new BlackBerry smartphones based on the BlackBerry 7 Operating System.  RIM, in conjunction with carriers and distribution partners around the world, is rolling out two new BlackBerry Bold models and three new BlackBerry Torch models, all running the powerful new BlackBerry 7 OS. 

JOCK BITES THROUGH BOX OFFICE

Jock of the Bushveld, South Africa’s first 3D animated film, released this past weekend and is NUMBER 1 at the South African Box Office.

PRESIDENT ZUMA "URBAN LEGENDS" SOLD AS FACT

The Presidency has noted that an urban legend related to the Public Protector reports on the police buildings lease agreements has crept into official editorial commentary and columns of some media products.

HARRY POTTER MOVIES SURPASS STAR WARS, LORD OF THE RINGS

The Harry Potter movie franchise has now surpassed the Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings series as the highest money-raking series in Hollywood history. So far Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 has grossed over US$7 billion (R47 billion) world wide, and it’s still on circuit! JK Rowling is officially richer than the queen of England, and may soon be even richer than Bernie Ecclestone to become the richest person of any gender in the United Kingdom.

KHLOE KARDASHIAN PREGGERS WITH TWINS!

Gossip site MediaTakeOut.com reports that reality TV star Khloe Kardashian Odom and her LA Lakers star husband Lamar Odom are finally expecting. Khloe is said to be pregnant with not one child but twins! According to MTO, Lamar was bragging about how his wifey is carrying twins just this past weekend.

JLO AND MARC GETTING A DIVORCE

Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony have called it quits on their marriage, 7 years into it. The Latin pair announced their decision through a joint statement which gave no reasons whatsoever about why they are now getting divorced. They have 3 year old twins named Max and Emme.

HARRY POTTER MAGIC BURSTS BOX OFFICE WIDE OPEN

Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the final adventure of the film series based on the beloved books by J.K. Rowling, worked its magic at the local box office earning almost R8.4 million in its opening weekend. 

IBM VOLUNTEERS DITCH GOGGLES, BUILD HOUSES

IBM South Africa has completed the local leg of IBM’s global “Celebration of Service” volunteer programme to commemorate the company’s centennial. The programme in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, saw 10 houses build in one month.

FIRST MZANSI BLACKBERRY APP WINNER ANNOUNCED

Joe Diedericks has been named as South Africa's first BlackBerry App Master for his ‘Salon Queen’ application for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, which will launch in South Africa soon.

He has won a BlackBerry PlayBook and an all-expenses-paid trip to San Francisco from 18 October to 20 October for the BlackBerry Developer Conference where he will be exposed to the latest app development best practices and expertise from Research In Motion, (RIM) the company behind the BlackBerry solution. Joe’s app will also be prominently featured on the South African BlackBerry App World carousel when it is available.

DVD REVIEW: THE AMERICAN

DIRECTOR: Anton Corbijn

CAST: George Clooney, Violante Placido

Strange thing about The American is that one of its producers is Mr Clooney himself, which means he was involved in the hiring of director Corbijn. Before this the Holland-born Corbijn had only worked on music videos and had not done a full film feature. How did he get the job? Who knows. All we know is that the movie didn’t get the critical acclaim it might have, neither did it receive much in terms of money at the global box office.

CONTROVERSIAL CHEF RAMSAY HEADING FOR JOZI

The 2011 Good Food & Wine Show will feature two of the world’s most respected chefs in Gordon Ramsay and George Calombaris. The show takes place at the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg between 22 and 25 September. Organisers promise that this year’s event will be much bigger and exciting than ever before. With someone like Ramsay on the panel, things will certainly get heated no doubt.

HEALTH MINISTER TO BAN ALCOHOL ADVERTISING

Alcohol advertising may soon follow the way of cigarette advertising by falling into the throes of history and theses studies. That’s if Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has his way. Motsoaledi told delegates at COSATU’s conference that alcohol was one of society’s ills that has to be gotten rid of. And one of the ways proposed is to ban advertisements promoting alcohol and its use.

DVD REVIEW: FROZEN

DIRECTOR: Adam Green

CAST: Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers

Three teenagers are on snow-shelled mountain side on a snowboarding trip. Unfortunately they don’t seem to have enough money to buy tickets for the cable car that takes people up the slopes, who thereafter snowboard down on their own. 

OBE CHAMP KADER ASMAL HAS PASSED AWAY

ANC stalwart and former Minister in the Education as well as the Water Affairs Departments, Professor Kader Asmal has passed away. He was 76. Asmal died of a heart attack just two weeks after the passing away of another ANC icon Albertina Sisulu.

LUVO NTEZO APPOINTED ONE&ONLY HEAD SOMMELIER

FOR Luvo Ntezo, there’s always room to grow and his recent appointment as head sommelier at One&Only Cape Town has come at just the right time for this likeable wine aficionado.

Despite the slew of awards that have come his way over the past few years, Luvo Ntezo is a humble man, clearly excited by the scope of the wine world that he so comfortably inhabits.

STANDARD BANK JOY OF JAZZ: HERE'S THE LINEUP

There will be a global mélange of sound at The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz when top international artists join the legendary Wynton Marsalis at the country’s premier jazz-travaganza!

Running from August 25 to 27, the 2011 line-up features artists from America, Brazil, Croatia and Belgium who will share billing with performers from South Africa and the African Diaspora.

BECOME A SOWETO DERBY COACH FOR THE DAY

On 1 June 2011, Carling Black Label launched the Carling Black Label Cup––a unique campaign that gives passionate and knowledgeable soccer fans around South Africa the opportunity to “BE THE COACH”. This campaign culminates in a clash between two soccer giants –– Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs –– on 30 July 2011 at Soccer City.

MZANSI LASS TERRY PHETO TO JOIN BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL SOAPIE

Actress Terry Pheto is joining the cast of one of Mzansi’s favourite international soapies The Bold and the Beautiful. Pheto shot to fame after playing the role of Miriam in the film Tsotsi. The movie subsequently won an Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Foreign Language movie in 2006, and grossed over US$2 million from just 6 screenings in the US. It was directed by Gavin Hood who later directed X-Men Origins: Wolverine.