Thuso Mbedu bags another gig

Thuso Mbedu's star keeps shining brighter and we can't help but be proud.

The Underground Railroad star will be one of the celebrities making an appearance on Rihanna's Savage x Fenty Vol. 3 show.

Rihanna shared a trailer of the show on her Instagram account, ahead of appearing at the Met Gala.

This is another achievement for Mbedu, whose critically acclaimed performance on Railroad earned her a Hollywood Critics Association Award, and also a role on Tristar Pictures' The Woman King, alongside Viola Davis.

Mbedu recently shared a campaign with French luxury maison, Christian Dior, for their Miss Dior perfume.

She is also currently on the cover of W magazine, where she has been named one the new pop culture icons.

The fashion show/concert, which showcases the latest range from Rihanna's lingerie brand, will premiere on Friday, September 24, on Amazon Prime Video.

Teasing the upcoming show, Rihanna said: "We want to make people look good and feel good. We want you to feel sexy and have fun doing it."

The Savage x Fenty lingerie show has become one of the most anticipated shows since it launched in 2019, and it is mainly due the art direction, the diversity the show features and, of course, the garments.

#YouTube is searching for South African creators who will earn big bucks! #SouthAfricaBlog

YouTube has announced that the Youtube Nextup programme will be available in Nigeria and South Africa. The programme is an opportunity for creators to take their content creation to the next level.

Twenty creators with eligible channels will be selected to win a production stipend of $1 000 (about R15 000) to be used for the acquisition of production equipment to advance their Youtube careers.

The selected creators will also have the opportunity to attend a week-long intensive "Creator Camp", learn new skills and access support by the Youtube partnerships team.

The Youtube Nextup programme is available to creators who are committed to advancing their Youtube careers and producing fresh and compelling content.

Eligible channels for selection into the Youtube Nextup programme should have 10 000 to 100 000 subscribers and at least three pieces of original and native video content uploaded in the past three months.

Channel accounts must be compliant with the Youtube community guidelines and have no strikes. Participation in other Youtube creator master classes is also a basis for acceptance.

"We believe that the next generation of successful creators are already honing their skills on Youtube," says Addy Awofisayo, Youtube Content Partnership in Sub-saharan Africa.

"We are excited that the Youtube Nextup programme will help take creators to the next level in their Youtube careers, enabling them to develop whole new genres and online experiences for audiences around the world."

Applications for the Youtube Nextup programme are open.

To apply for Youtube Nextup, each creator must submit an entry form with the video they are most proud of and that best represents their technical production skills, creativity and storytelling ability.

What would South African celebrities come up with for the Met Gala? #MondayMotivation

The Met Gala, which finally took place at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night after months of postponements, is the most coveted ticket on the international celebrity red carpet parade (and this year only a third of the usual guest list was invited to participate in fashion's biggest night). 

It garners a lot of attention, so you probably know the theme was "American Independence", which gave the exhibitionists among the famous and fabulous attendees (and, let's face it, most of them are) plenty of room for interpretation, from founding fathers in powdered wigs, rhinestone cowboys and star-spangled gowns, to Lady Liberty cosplay and lime sequined takes on American football gear — all saying something about America's varied heritage.

A$AP Rocky wore a memory quilt made with fabric and antique quilts sewn together, including a few personal effects such as his dad's bathrobe, to represent his take on America. 

Spanish singer Rosalia wore a tasseled red leather number to represent her Spanish roots. Who knows what Germany-born singer Kim Petras was trying to say about America with the giant horse head she wore on her chest. 

Perhaps a reference to America's Mafia history, if you know your Godfather movies, or maybe she was just giving Megan Thee Stallion a run for her money.

It would be interesting to see what local celebrities would came up with if they had to wear an outfit that represented SA. I'd love to see Somizi in a sequinned rainbow jumpsuit. We also have great traditional outfits to draw on, which we usually see on our streets across the country on Heritage Day (Friday, September 24).

Nomcebo Zikode has Americans all amped up! #FridayFeeling

Not willing to allow anyone to dim her light, singer and Jerusalema hitmaker Nomcebo Zikode will soon make an appearance on the US reality show Love & Hip Hop.

Zikode shared the news on Instagram, saying how excited she was about the opportunity.

"Guess who's gonna be on the biggest show of America: VH!'s Love & Hip Hop," she captioned her snap with the show's producer, Mona ScottYoung.

Zikode is still on her international Jerusalema tour and is set to rock North America next month.

In a video she shared, giving followers a sneak peek into what had happened behind the scenes, she is seen strutting her stuff with two of her dancers on set.

In the comments section, Scott-Young thanked the singer for taking time out to be on the show and said it was her pleasure to meet the Xola hitmaker.

"It was absolutely wonderful spending time with you and again, thank you!" Scott-Young wrote.

While Jerusalema remains one of the biggest songs ever to come out of Mzansi, the politics behind the anthem-like song have hogged headlines in recent months.

The fights behind the scenes for royalties and profits were exposed when Zikode released a statement two months ago saying she hadn't received a cent from the hit song, despite its global success.

She alleged that, instead of getting paid what she was due, she was being ridiculed and that her contribution was being "minimised" by the record label.

House of Zwide star Ona had always wanted to be a star #FridayFeeling

Fresh-faced teen sensation Nefisa Mkhabela rebelled against her father's wishes to pursue a law career by taking her breakout role in novice soapie, House of Zwide.

It has all paid off for the 19 year-old newcomer, who has emerged as television's biggest breakout star of 2021.

The e.tv daily drama has been ratings gold, with a viewership of 4.24 million in July and 4.37 million last month, according to data by Broadcast Research Council of SA.

It comes as no surprise considering how irresistibly charming Mkhabela's wideeyed gaze and radiant smile lights up the screen before she even opens her mouth to speak.

Surely, young girls across the country are recreating her character Onalerona Molapo's bright-hued hairdos and punk style as much as they have done with Sho Madjozi.

But what has won the hearts of viewers is Onalerona storyline that depicts a relatable tale of a talented and aspirant fashion designer from Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, defying her father's orders to study marketing in pursuit of her fashion dreams in Rosebank.

So, you can imagine that I ' m hit with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu when Mkhabela details how in real life she also disobeyed her father.

A year ago, Mkhabela was a grade 12 learner, stressing about writing her matric exams in the age of a pandemic.

Her matric dance, which she was looking forward to, was scheduled for March 27 – but the national lockdown upset those plans when is started on March 25.

"It has always been my dream to be in the spotlight, but I never thought that I will be living the reality I am right now. It is one thing to dream, but to achieve one of the biggest dreams you thought will come later in life so early is incredible," she gushes.

#Motorola Moto G100 is simple but powerful. #PhoneReview #SouthAfricaBlog

There are plenty of professional reviews out there, this is my amateur review after little under 2 months of use. I hope this helps someone who wants to use this Motorola phone in general. 

  

Fantastic design

The iridescent ocean color is just fantastic and the way it looks from different angles under light is fantastic. Almost pains me to put a case on it, but I want to protect my phone from drops and whatnot.  

  

Very, very good battery life

I've gotten 8-9 hours SOT and that includes 4-5 hours on Reddit (lots of pictures and gifs loading), 1-2 hours of Chrome browsing, 2-3 hours of music via VLC (sometimes YT Music) and also YouTube/Twitch for anywhere between 1-3 hours. Stand-by can be anywhere between 24-40 hours depending on how much I use the phone during that time. 

Solid camera

Camera is solid in daylight, takes good pictures and the ultrawide is actually solid, including for some macroshots (that I do not take very often). 4K video is really good in my opinion. 

The Apps

Only has moto apps for stuff like moto gestures and some stuff like media center. Most of the apps are Google apps, including Google phone which is very well designed and the fact that automatically displays who's calling from outside of my contacts is great.

#Springboks under pressure to bounce back

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber never resorted to playing the "R" (referee) card in explaining away the national side's 28-26 loss to the Wallabies on Sunday. 

Though there were definite questions about the quality of the officiating, the bottom line is that the Australians didn't so much win the match as have it handed to them by the Boks.

Nienaber was gracious in saying the Wallabies deserved to win … because they did.

But Springbok indiscipline saw their opponents being given 23 points in goaled kicks. That made the difference and the overtime penalty of Quade Cooper just put the bow on the show for the Wallabies.

However, if (and this is a big if) the Boks learn from their mistakes and tighten up on discipline, then the next game could be a wholly different affair.

Even losing as they did, the Springboks were ahead in the try count, three to one, and the South African power mauling – which has scared many an opponent in the past – was still alive and well.

Kicking by Handre Pollard was also not up to scratch … but that can be rectified.
All in all, Sunday's loss makes the next encounter all the more appetising ... because a Bok bounce back is beautiful to behold.

Makhadzi's energy is unmatched as she raises the bar

Sunday night's episode of Idols SA is still the talk of the town on the TL, thanks to Limpopo musician Makhadzi powerful and her energy-filled performance.

The singing competition, which was announcing its top 10, saw great performance on the line from Boohle, who took to the stage with Busta 929 (and voice of the late Mpura) to perform the hypnotic amapiano jam Amawaza.

While the show was filled with amazing performances, it was the Ghanama performance by Makhadzi and Prince Benza that left SA going gaga.

Queen Makhadzi absolutely slayed her performance and closed off the show on a high note.

Makhadzi had SA in the palm of her hands. From her vocals to her dance moves and the "unique to Makhadzi" energy she served, fans couldn't get over what a great performer the Venda queen is.

On Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, people were raving about her performance and particularly the way she falls as if it's "nothing hectic".

Cassper Nyovest kills it on #TheBraaiShow. #MondayMotivation

On Wednesday night, Cassper Nyovest trended on Twitter for his foray into TV on SABC1.

Mzansi loved him as the host of season 2 of The Braai Show with Cassper Nyovest. That it was a controversial "takeover" from his arch-rival and predecessor, AKA, certainly fuelled curiosity, too.

The bottom line, though, is he holds his own in his new playground, so kudos to him.

He introduced himself as, "The rapping pantsula aka the new Doc Shebeleza, and this is The Braai Show With Cass."
He was a bit nervous as he rolled up to the crib of his first guest – former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi.

Just to contextualise, his excitable state had more to do with Tunzi being his crush than TV jitters.

As they made their way to grab a few braai essentials, Nyovest caught viewers up on what she's been busy with, now that she is back home after a spell in New York City.

He also snuck in the fact that she's been his crush. The banter between the two was chilled and underpinned by a few jibes.

Overall, a few editing glitches aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the show.

◆ The Braai Show 2 airs on SABC1 on Wednesdays at 6pm.

Thando Thabethe says she is not an overnight success! #FridayFeeling

Thando Thabethe is a lot of things, but an overnight success is not one of them.

The 31-year-old radio and TV personality is, however, running a tad late for our tête-à-tête at the 947 studios in the heart of Sandton, Johannesburg.

It's an hour before her afternoon drive show when the pint-sized star makes her appearance from her white Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe.

Yes, girls who drive big cars...

But it's her short cycling suit that attracts the most attention. Thabethe then opens the boot of her car to take out her brand-new bike and helmet.

Thabethe is camera-ready for us. Her face is exquisite, though it's amusing to watch her walk with discomfort because of the stiff-soled cycling shoes.

An amateur cyclist, Thabethe can hardly contain her excitement about participating in this year's 947 Ride Joburg Road in November.

"I don't know what I'm getting myself into. I'm not a rider but I run and gym. The bike at the gym is my least favourite thing," Thabethe mentions.

"But I'm excited about the challenge and it seems fun. I'm that girl that is easy to convince with these kind of things."