Radio & TV

‘You couldn’t make this up’ – the best non-fiction to stream on Showmax now

Published

2 years ago

October 25, 2022

Ameyaw Debrah

The Rehearsal; Tiktok, Boom.; We Met In Virtual Reality; four Emmy winners and six nominees; & much more

MUST-WATCH

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THE REHEARSAL S1 | Binge now, first on Showmax

The Rehearsal explores the lengths one man will go to to reduce the uncertainties of everyday life. With a construction crew, a legion of actors and seemingly unlimited resources, Nathan Fielder (2022 Emmy nominee How To With John Wilson) allows ordinary people to prepare for life’s biggest moments by “rehearsing” them in carefully crafted simulations of his own design. When a single misstep could shatter your entire world, why leave life to chance?

The Rehearsal has been a hit with fans and critics alike, with an 8.7/10 rating on IMdb and a 94% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Daily Beast hailed Fielder as “the undisputed king of cringe comedy,” calling The Rehearsal “a masterpiece of awkward chaos”, whileIndieWire praised the show as “a grand HBO experiment” that achieves “next-level entertainment” and Vanity Fair called it “as enthralling and bizarre as life itself.”

HBO recently renewed The Rehearsal for a second season.

COMING SOON

TIKTOK, BOOM | Stream from 26 October, first on Showmax

With over three billion downloads, TikTok has shaken up the social media landscape to become the most downloaded app in the world.

Featuring influencers like Spencer X, Feroza Aziz, and Deja Fox, TikTok, Boom. is “a lively, handy TikTok primer” that explores how the Chinese-owned app “won the eyeballs of a generation” while becoming “a geopolitical hot potato,” to quote Variety.

Directed by Sundance Institute Documentary Film fellow Shalini Kantayya (Coded Bias), the feature documentary premiered at Sundance in 2022 and screened in competition at SXSW and CPH:DOX.

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WE’RE HERE S2 | Binge from 23 October

Winner of 2022 Emmys for Costumes and Makeup, We’re Here follows Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela as they continue their journey spreading love and connection through the art of drag.

The queens recruit local residents from across small-town America to participate in one-night-only drag shows, inspiring their “drag daughters” to express their genuine selves in front of their families, friends and communities.

Decider lauded the show as “nothing short of a miracle,” and “bigger, bolder, peak excellence”, saying it’s “unlike anything else on TV”, while A.V. Club called it “show stopping” and “a glammed up, emotional road trip.”

HBO has already renewed the unscripted reality series for a third season.

2022 EMMY WINNERS AND NOMINEES

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GEORGE CARLIN’S AMERICAN DREAM | Binge now

Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, the two-part HBO documentary George Carlin’s American Dream was named Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Special at this year’s Emmys.

Described by Stephen Colbert as “the Beatles of comedy”, Carlin’s fearless countercultural comedy spanned five decades, including 14 HBO comedy specials and more than 130 appearances on The Tonight Show, until his death in 2008. The documentary chronicles the life and work of the legendary comedian, a cultural chameleon who is remembered as one of the most influential stand-up comics of all time.

The documentary opens an intimate window into Carlin’s personal life, and includes both material from his stand-up specials and footage from his personal archive, as well as interviews with George Carlin’s family, friends, and the people he inspired – legends like Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Patton Oswalt, Bette Midler, W. Kamau Bell and Jon Stewart.

George Carlin’s American Dream holds a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus calls it a “revealing retrospective on the beloved comedian’s career that ought to be mandatory viewing for standup fans.”

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100 FOOT WAVE S1 | Binge now, first on Showmax

Winner of the 2022 Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography, 100 Foot Wave follows the decade-long odyssey of big-wave surfing pioneer Garrett McNamara who, after visiting a small fishing village in Portugal, helped push the sport beyond the realm of imagination.

The six-part HBO documentary series was also up for Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Series and has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

LA Weekly calls the series “a wild ride… both maddening and captivating to watch.”

STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET | Stream now, first on Showmax

Winner of the Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary Emmy for 2022, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street explores the birth of the most impactful children’s series in TV history, which has won a record 214 Emmys, 11 Grammys, three Peabodys, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for the iconic Muppet Big Bird, and legendary puppeteer Jim Henson).

Street Gang includes the iconic furry characters and the songs multiple generations have come to know by heart, as well as never-before-seen archive footage and interviews with the original gang of visionary creators who set out to change the world. Look out for appearances from Muhammad Ali, James Earl Jones, Reverend Jesse Jackson and more.

Street Gang has a 95% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus calls it “as enlightening as it is purely entertaining.” US Weekly calls it “a warm hug of a documentary.”

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IN THE SAME BREATH | Stream now on Showmax

Nominated for Emmys for both Best Documentary and Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary this year, In The Same Breath illustrates the devastating toll of widespread misinformation in the earliest days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Directed by Nanfu Wang (One Child Nation, Mind Over Murder), who was born in China and now lives in the United States, the documentary explores the early confusion and parallel campaigns by authorities to try to contain the virus as well as shape the public narrative through misinformation, resulting in a devastating impact on citizens of both countries.

The HBO feature documentary also won the Festival Favourites Audience Awards at SXSW 2021, a 2022 Peabody Award, and the 2022 Cinema Eye Honours Award for Outstanding Achievement in Broadcast Nonfiction Filmmaking, among other accolades. As Vox says: “It’s hard to imagine any pandemic documentary being better than In the Same Breath… a chilling, truly absorbing film with big implications for the future.”

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A CHOICE OF WEAPONS: INSPIRED BY GORDON PARKS | Stream now

Nominated for Emmys for both Best Documentary and Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary this year, A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks explores the enduring legacy of the legendary photographer, whose work brought the Black community’s struggle for dignity and justice to middle America on the pages of LIFE magazine from 1948 to 1972.

Directed by Emmy winner John Maggio (Mr. Saturday Night, The Perfect Weapon) and executive produced by Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean and Alicia Keys, the HBO documentary traces Parks’s impact on three contemporary photographers: Devin Allen, whose photograph “Baltimore Uprising” of the Freddie Gray protests was featured on the cover of Time; LaToya Ruby Frazier, who for five years followed the Flint, Michigan, water crisis; and Jamel Shabazz, whose photographs on the streets of New York form a visual history of the hip-hop era while simultaneously presenting affirming images for his community.

Also look out for interviews with the likes of filmmakers Spike Lee and Ava DuVernay, The New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb, actor Richard Roundtree, historian Khalil Muhammad, and the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy.

A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks has an 88% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with RogerEbert.com calling it, “Deeply moving in how it illustrates the ways in which a single life can have an eternal ripple effect throughout the generations.”

OBAMA: IN PURSUIT OF A MORE PERFECT UNION | Stream now

Nominated for Emmys for both Best Documentary and Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary this year, HBO’s Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union chronicles the personal and political journey of Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the USA.

Directed by seven-time Emmy winner Peter Kunhardt and executive produced by The New Yorker‘s Jelani Cobb, the three-part docuseries has a 91% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with RogerEbert.com calling it “a comprehensive and compelling analysis… Kunhardt’s film brightly illuminates how essential the discussion of Obama’s handling of race is to American culture as a whole, especially when it was no accident that every president before him was a white man.”

Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union features the likes of politician Jesse Jackson, professors Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cornel West, political consultant David Axelrod, authors Michael Eric Dyson and Ta-Nehisi Coates, reverends Alvin Love and Jeremiah Wright, New Yorker editor David Remnick, speechwriter Jon Favreau and journalists Laura Washington and Michele Norris. Interspersed with his own speeches and news interviews, the series begins with Obama’s childhood and takes us through his perspective as the son of a white mother from Kansas and an African father, his spiritual formation by a generation of Black leaders, and his hopes for a more inclusive America.

But, as Los Angeles Times, says, “HBO’s new documentary goes places the Obama media machine might not have… It ultimately sets itself apart by taking a deeper look at the multitude of issues that surfaced after America finally chose its first Black president.”

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THE LAST CRUISE | Stream now

Nominated for a 2022 Emmy for Outstanding Short Documentary, HBO’s The Last Cruise chronicles the first big outbreak of the novel coronavirus outside China: the Diamond Princess cruise liner.

As the uncontained outbreak on the luxury vessel at the start of the pandemic in January 2020 became a global spectacle and a faraway symbol of the new virus and its potential to upend any sense of normalcy, passengers aboard the ill-fated cruise ship were quarantined in their staterooms for weeks as the crew tended to the sick, delivered room service and slept and dined in cramped, shared quarters. Through never-before-seen footage from passengers and crew, we watch class divisions erupt as humanity misses its chance to contain Covid-19.

Directed by Hannah Olsen (Baby God), The Last Cruise has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was also nominated for Best Short Documentary at the 2021 Critics Choice Documentary Awards. The Film Stage calls it “a vital and horrifying record of a crisis that we should have quickly learned from, that captures the moment with the immediacy of Facebook Live or Snapchat.”

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DREAMLAND: THE BURNING OF BLACK WALL STREET | Stream now

Nominated for a 2022 Emmy for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary, Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street celebrates the Black cultural renaissance that existed in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and investigates the race massacre 100 years ago that left an indelible but hidden stain on American history.

As RogerEbert.com says, “The story of the Tulsa Massacre entered the national consciousness because of Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen and Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country. Dreamland: The Burning Of Black Wall Street… feels like the first time that the voices of the victims have finally been heard.”

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FREDDIE MERCURY: THE FINAL ACT | Stream now

Nominated for an International Emmy for Best Arts Programming and a BAFTA for Specialist Factual, Freddie Mercury: The Final Actis the story of the extraordinary final chapter of Freddie Mercury’s life and how, after his death from Aids, Queen staged one of the biggest concerts in history, the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, to celebrate his life and challenge the prejudices around HIV/Aids.

The film hears from those who performed at the epic gig, including Gary Cherone (Extreme), Roger Daltrey (The Who), Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), Lisa Stansfield and Paul Young, as well as the concert’s promoter, Harvey Goldsmith.

Directed by BAFTA-nominated documentary filmmaker James Rogan (Monty Python: The Meaning of Live, 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything), Freddie’s story is told alongside the experiences of those who tested positive for HIV and lost loved ones during the same period, with medical practitioners, survivors and human rights campaigners, including Peter Tatchell, recounting the intensity of living through the Aids pandemic and the moral panic it brought about.

STREAM NOW

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ZIWE S2 | Binge from today

Born in the US to Nigerian parents, Ziwe Fumudoh is the host of Ziwe, a riotously funny, no-holds-barred mix of musical numbers, interviews and sketches that challenge our discomfort with race, politics, and other cultural issues.

Ziwe has earned back to back 2021 and 2022 nominations from The Television Critics Association Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Variety, Talk or Sketch, as well as the Dorian Award for Best Current Affairs Program from GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, two years in a row.

Season 2 features guest appearances by the likes of multiple Emmy nominees Nicole Byer (A Black Lady Sketch Show) and Ilana Glazer (Broad City), RuPaul’s Drag Race fan favourite Katya Zamalodchikova, model, actress and author Emily Ratajkowski, and Mia Khalifa.

Vulture hails Ziwe as “iconic”; Vanity Fair says, “Ziwe perfected the art of putting people on the spot”; and Salon.com calls her show “both a true star-making platform and a spoof of the same.”

WE MET IN VIRTUAL REALITY| Stream now, first on Showmax

We Met In Virtual Reality, the first feature-length documentary filmed entirely in virtual reality, tells stories of love, loss, and unexpected connection within the world of VR, where you can be who you’ve always wanted to be.

Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2022 and the NEXT: WAVE Award at CPH:Dox 2022, the HBO documentary has a 94% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Screen International praises it as “a tender, affecting documentary about love, friendship and people finding a place where they can be themselves. It just happens that those people are digitally generated aliens, horned sex demons and other outré creations (even Kermit the Frog) … At once bizarre, charming, perplexing and rich with philosophical implications.”

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MIND OVER MURDER| Binge now

The HBO true crime docuseries Mind Over Murder chronicles the bizarre story of six individuals who were convicted for the 1985 murder of beloved 68-year-old grandmother Helen Wilson. Despite five of the individuals originally confessing to the crime, the “Beatrice Six”, as they became known, were exonerated by DNA evidence in 2009, a turn of events that divided the rural town and incensed Helen’s family.

As the filmmakers track the case, from the murder through investigation, trial, exoneration and two civil suits, shifting perspectives cloud the truth, and a stranger-than-fiction tale emerges that raises questions about the reliability of confessions and memory in criminal cases.

Mind Over Murder is directed by Nanfu Wang, who won the SXSW Audience Award for In The Same Breath, the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Born In China, and was nominated for an Emmy for One Child Nation. The six-part series has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Mashable hailing it as “the must-see true crime series of 2022… Mind-blowing, heartbreaking and ultimately soul-soothing.”

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LADY BOSS: THE JACKIE COLLINS STORY | Stream now

Legendary romance novelist Jackie Collins is the focus of the 2022 Royal Television Society Award-nominated documentary film Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story. Taking viewers on an immersive journey through the writer’s trailblazing life, the film weaves together fact and fiction to reveal the untold story of a ground-breaking author and her mission to build a one-woman literary empire.

Narrated by a cast of Jackie’s closest friends and family, the film shares the private struggles of a woman who became an icon of 1980s feminism whilst hiding her own vulnerability behind a carefully crafted, powerful, public persona. The film evolves from a celebration of Jackie’s revolutionary novels – which placed female sexuality at the heart of their storytelling – into a multi-layered deliberation on feminism, family dynamics, and the universal quest to understand how our childhood experiences and early traumas ultimately make us who we are.

With Emmy winner John Battsek (Searching for Sugarman) among its producers, the documentary has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says, “Helmed with the same frothy glamour as its subject’s novels, Lady Boss is a joyous retrospective of Jackie Collins and a persuasive reappraisal of her literary contributions.”

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RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT | Stream now, first on Showmax

One of just 17 people to have achieved the coveted EGOT (winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award), with a Peabody Award to boot, Rita Moreno is best remembered for her role as Anita in 1961’s musical blockbuster West Side Story. The role earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and delivered its second Oscar win earlier this year for Ariana DeBose in the 2021 Spielberg adaptation, which also saw Rita nominated for a 2022 Critics Choice Award and a Black Reel Award as Valentina. In a career spanning eight decades, she’s also had memorable roles in everything from Singin’ in the Rain and The King and I to the 80s classic series 9 to 5, and award-winning prison drama Oz.

Rita Moreno was named one of Cinema Eye’s Unforgettables earlier this year, with Just a Girl up for Best Documentary at the 2022 Black Reel Awards and Most Compelling Living Subject at the 2021 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, among other honours.

Just a Girl is executive produced by Oscar nominees Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights) and Norman Lear (Maude, Fried Green Tomatoes), who are also among the film’s guests, along with Rita’s West Side Story co-star George Chakiris, Golden Age silver screen star Mitzi Gaynor (South Pacific), Broadway legend Chita Rivera (Sweet Charity, Tick, Tick… Boom!), multi-Grammy-winner Gloria Estefan, Emmy nominee Eva Longoria, and Oscar winners Whoopi Goldberg and Morgan Freeman. There’s also archive footage of both Rita’s late husband, Leonard Gordon, and her former beau, Marlon Brando.

The documentary has a 96% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says: “An affecting profile of screen legend Rita Moreno, Just a Girl is at once a sharp critique of the industry’s crushing inequities and a beautiful homage to an artist who never backed down despite the odds.”

EVERYTHING ON SHOWMAX IN OCTOBER 2022

To see everything on Showmax in October 2022, including the SXSW Cinematography Award winning local horror film Gaia and hit international series like The White Lotus S2, Minx, and P-Valley S2, click here.

Radio & TV

Season Two of The HBO Original Drama Series HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Debuts June 17th on M-Net and Showmax Express from the US

Published

2 days ago

May 8, 2024

Ameyaw Debrah

The eight-episode second season of HBO Original drama series House of the Dragon debuts in the US on Sunday 16 June – and will be available on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) Express from the US at 1am on Monday 17 June and make its prime-time premiere at 7pm on the same day. The series will also be available on Showmax.

Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. As each side believes theirs to be the rightful seat on the Iron Throne, the Green and Black trailers reflect those two perspectives in separate yet complementary halves of the same story. For global audiences, “All Must Choose” their side of House Targaryen as the realm fractures in season two.
Logline: Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen.
Season two returning cast: Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
Season two new cast: Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.
Season two credits: Co-Creator/Executive Producer, George R.R. Martin; Co-Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer, Ryan Condal; Executive Producers Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere, Vince Gerardis. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood.”

Pick your side of House Targaryen on your DStv or stream it on Showmax, each week from Monday, 17 June 2024.

People & Lifestyle

AMVCA: Tune In for a Night of Elegance and Achievement this Saturday on Africa Magic

Published

3 days ago

May 8, 2024

Ameyaw Debrah

The anticipation is palpable as the 10th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, scheduled for 11 May 2024, in Lagos approaches. Viewers are invited to witness the splendour of this prestigious event, broadcasting live on Africa Magic from 3pm on DStv and GOtv.

Reflecting the rich diversity and innovation of African cinema and television, this year’s awards promise some thrilling adjustments with the introduction of exciting new categories such as Best Actor and Best Actress in leading or supporting roles. With a total of 27 categories, including 16 non-voting and 9 audience voting categories, along with two esteemed recognition awards the Lifetime Achievement and Trailblazer Awards – there’s ample opportunity to honour exceptional African talent.

Kicking off the festivities with a prime view of the red carpet hosted by celebrity personalities Toke Makinwa and Uti Nwachukwu viewers can watch the continent’s biggest stars strut their stuff in dazzling creations from some of Africa’s most talented fashion designers from 3pm before settling into the prestigious awards at 6pm.

The main award will be hosted by renowned television host and current host of Nigerian Idols IK Osakioduwa and will feature musical performances from Nigeria’s popular performers Seyi Sodimu, Shaffy Bello, Adekunle Gold, KCee, Chike and Congolese soukous singer Awilo Logomba throughout the awards ceremony.

Save the date for this Saturday, 11 May, and tune in for the live broadcast across all Africa Magic Channels on DStv and GOtv. Don’t miss this remarkable celebration of African creativity and achievement!

Keep your DStv subscription activated to ensure you don’t miss the star-studded event! To upgrade, reconnect or manage your subscription download the MyDStv app on your mobile app store or visit www.dstv.com to join in on the excitement and manage your account. You can also catch all the action while on the move. Stream all content on the DStv Stream app by downloading it from the app store.

Radio & TV

The Queens of Durban are not Holding Back!

Published

3 days ago

May 7, 2024

Ameyaw Debrah

The Real Housewives of Durban reunion will air on Showmax in two parts on 15 and 22 May 2024, following a dramatic Season 4 finale. It saw the ladies separated into two groups and tea spilt from all directions, with accusations of witchcraft, infidelity, control and alcoholism.

We chatted with all the ladies to get a sense of how they are feeling about the reunion, which will be hosted by MaBlerh, and facing up to everything that’s happened this season. Newcomers Ameigh Thompson, Angel Ndlela and Zama Ngcobo are all feeling nervous about their first reunion but that won’t stop them from showing up.

Zama, who has been involved in some of the biggest feuds in the season, says she won’t run away from anything that happened. “I am not a coward,” she says. “What I said on the show is how I feel. People think I won’t show up to the reunion because I am scared. I am not. I am going to go in there and speak my mind. I will not be intimidated by anyone.”

Angel says she’s looking forward to the reunion. “I am glad that I will have the chance to tell my side of the story, while providing clarity where need be,” she says. “Watching the show, I learned a lot of things about myself. It was an amazing experience.”

Ameigh feels like the show has made her stronger and more resolute in her decisions. “Watching myself has been very interesting,” she says. “The journey has made me realise that I am the person I have always known I am. I have been through a lot as a person and a mom, and I hope that my story has helped other women who are in similar situations. There is a light at the end of every tunnel.”

For the OG’s who have done this from the beginning, they understand better than anyone that reunions are a game-changer. Nonku Williams is very clear on what needs to be said and done. “I have been doing this for so long,” she says. “The reason why I am still here is because I understand the assignment. Some people come here, and they want to be what they are not and that is why it does not land. I will always be me and that is my superpower.”

Sorisha Naidoo is done trying to make peace where there is none. “I know what my boundaries are, especially when it comes to friendships,” she says. “I know who my friends are and I know the people who I want to move forward with. And that takes the load off me because I don’t have to please everyone.”

JoJo Robinson, who joined the show in Season 2, says this season has been her calmest yet. “Season 4 has been very relaxed for me,” she says. “I had a very intense Season 3 but just like that, things changed. I’m glad I came back.” Maria Valaskatzis and Slee Ndlovu, who both joined the show in Season 3, have been at the centre of some of the biggest conflicts this season.

“My game plan for this reunion is just to speak the truth,” says Maria. “I am not going to tiptoe around anything and anyone.” Slee feels like she wants to get to the bottom of things that were said about her. “My biggest thing for this reunion is the witchcraft accusations,” she says. “I need the people who accused me of that to tell me what they mean by that, because I am confused and offended.”

Re-watch S4 ahead of the reunion:

https://www.showmax.com/za/stream/shows/the-real-housewives-of-durban/4ef50893-f8ed-3698-9cb5-683c8c06ae15

The second season of The Real Housewives of Nairobi premieres on Showmax on 10 May 2024, with new episodes every Friday. The Real Housewives of Nairobi follows the lives of the most stylish, opulent and hardworking women in Kenya as they navigate their relationships and careers. Season 2 features returning cast members Dr Catherine Masitsa, Minne Kariuki and Vera Sidika, who will be joined by newcomers Farah Esmail, Reja Keji Ladu and Zena Nyambu.

Enhance your streaming entertainment experience by adding Showmax to your DStv subscription at a discounted rate. Download the MyDStv App or visit the DStv website to sign up.

Join the conversation:

#RHODurban

Radio & TV

2024 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) to air LIVE on DStv

Published

2 weeks ago

April 26, 2024

Ameyaw Debrah

MTV has announced the 2024 “VMAs” will make its return to New York on Tuesday, September 10th at the UBS Arena. Airing LIVE on MTV, DStv Channel 130 on Wednesday, 11 September at 1:00am WAT and 2:00am CAT around the world in more than 150 countries. This year’s global fan-filled phenomenon will celebrate the best music videos of the past year with supersized performances, epic tributes, and unforgettable appearances from the world’s biggest celebrities.

“We’re excited to bring this year’s VMAs to UBS Arena, one of the country’s newest and most cutting edge venues,” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “Celebrating one of music’s biggest nights with the incredible, robust New York area fans is something we’ve been looking forward to since the moment last year’s show ended.”

“It’s an honor to host MTV and the VMAs at UBS Arena,” said Mark Shulman, Senior Vice President of Programming, UBS Arena. “This is the culmination of bringing a world class event to a venue that offers state of the art capabilities and the best in fan amenities. We look forward to welcoming this year’s top artists, fans, and viewers worldwide to experience our arena and campus at Belmont Park.”

“We are excited to welcome back the MTV Video Music Awards to New York State,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “From its origins at Radio City Music Hall in 1984 to this September’s event at the UBS Arena, the VMAs continue to captivate millions, showcasing the very best in music video artistry. As we prepare to host this 40th anniversary event, let’s embrace the spirit of creativity and innovation that defines our state’s cultural landscape.”

The “VMAs” will air across MTV’s global footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 150 countries and territories, reaching over 319 million households.

Additional details will be announced closer to the show. Follow @MTV and @VMAs on social to keep up with all-things #VMAs.

Radio & TV

Who is the Real “Kitchen Mama”??? Bolanle Omotayo of Schneider Electric and Yemisi Obe of Grandios Pap Compete in a fierce Pasta Battle on Episode 3 of Cooking With GameChangers

Published

2 weeks ago

April 26, 2024

Ameyaw Debrah

It’s a battle for the best on the new episode of Cooking With Game Changers!

On this episode, Bolanle Omotayo, Marketing & Communications Manager at Schneider Electric, Anglophone West Africa, and Yemisi Obe, Founder of Grandios Pap, slug it out for the Ultimate GameChanger title by preparing their unique versions of pasta.

A day in the life of these GameChangers is explored after which they battle in the kitchen for the title of “Ultimate GameChanger” even as our Judges M.I Abaga, Kaffy and Captain Toba determine who wears the crown. Daniel Etim-Effiong, the show host, makes their time on Cooking with GameChangers extremely delightful.

Who will win this episode? Watch now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ1HXGwBXNw

Watch a day in the life of Bolanle Omotayo of Schneider Electrics- https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=icbYqpz2i4Q&t=0s

Watch a day in the life of Yemisi Obe of Grandios Pap – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVgAYza1JIg&t=0s

You can watch previous episodes of Cooking with GameChangers here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH_-OcY4pX3GoR_WSsKTwzbP7WRcHJc_O&si=FsK-NiFhrfzSZiXY

Cooking with GameChangers follows a-day–in-the-life of a top corporate executive and entrepreneur who ends up in the Cooking with GameChangers kitchen for a cook-off supervised/judged by celebrity host, Daniel Etim-Effiong and judges M.I Abaga, Kaffy, and Captain Toba.

Cooking with GameChangers is a spinoff of Nigeria’s most syndicated talk show, “Binging With GameChangers” which garners over 60 million monthly viewers and airs on TV stations nationwide.

Watch the latest episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ1HXGwBXNw

Subscribe to YouTube Channel: @B2GNetwork

Watch the show every weekend on TV stations nationwide:

SATURDAYS:
NTA Network: Saturdays at 10.30 AM
Silverbird: Saturdays at 1.30 PM
Views Channel: Saturday 6:30 PM; Repeat: Mondays at 9:30 PM; Wednesdays at 9 PM

SUNDAYS:
Africa Magic Family: Sundays at 3.30 PM: Repeat: Wednesdays at 1.30 PM
TVC: Sundays at 5.30 PM
NTA2: Sundays at 5.30 PM
Wazobia Max: Sundays at 5.30 PM; Repeat Mondays at 7 PM
Wazobia TV: Sundays at 5.30 PM; Repeat: Mondays at 7 PM

Follow the show across social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cookingwithgamechangers/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/cookingwithgame
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@cookingwithgamechangers
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cookingwithga...
LinkedIn: @CookingwithGameChangers

Cooking with GameChangers is proudly supported by Power Oil, 2Sure and Aquafina.

Media Partners: BellaNaija, Pulse.ng and Ameyaw Debrah.

Radio & TV

Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio this Friday with Ruger & BNXN

Published

3 weeks ago

April 19, 2024

Ameyaw Debrah

This Week’s Episode Features a Conversation With Ruger and Bnxn, the 5 Hottest Tracks of the Week, Africa Rising and Nandi Madida’s Favourite Track of the Week!

Tune in to Africa Now Radio with Nandi Madida this Friday, April 19th 9a Lagos/London / 10a Johannesburg/Paris / 1a LA / 4a NYC on Apple Music 1 and broadcast on YFM Accra every Sunday at 2pm, YFM Kumasi on Saturdays at 3pm and YFM Takoradi on Saturdays at 6pm.

Cover Star Interview
Nigerian Afropop artists Ruger and Bnxn join Nandi Madida via FaceTime on Apple Music 1 to talk about their latest single, “Ilashe.” They also discuss their first collaborative album, ‘RnB,’ what inspired them to work together, and how they use their lyrics to unpack deep topics.

The Big 5
Nandi Madida shares the 5 hottest new African tracks of the moment. This week’s selection includes new tracks from Joeboy feat. Qing Madi, ODUMODUBLVCK & Blaqbonez feat. Lekaa Beats, Ricky Tyler, Filah Lah Lah, and CKay feat. Olamide.

Africa Rising
South African amapiano duo Shakes & Les are the latest artist featured from Apple Music’s Africa Rising playlist, a campaign which shines a light on the next generation of African superstars, and this week’s show features their singles, the Leemckrazy collab “Funk 99” and the DBN Gogo & Zee Nxumalo collab “Funk 55 (feat. Ceeka RSA & Chley).” Listen HERE.

Nandi’s Song of the Week
Each week, Nandi Madida chooses her favourite track from one of Apple Music’s African playlists. This week she spotlights South African amapiano DJ and producer KMAT and her track, “MKK (feat. CowBoii, diygubzin.live & Ranger),” from Apple Music’s Amapiano Lifestyle playlist. Listen HERE.

Tune in and listen to the full episode this Friday, April 19th at 9a Lagos/London / 10a Johannesburg/Paris / 1a LA / 4a NYC on Apple Music 1 at apple.co/_AfricaNow and broadcast on YFM Accra every Sunday at 2pm, YFM Kumasi on Saturdays at 3pm and YFM Takoradi on Saturdays at 6pm.

***
Ruger and Bnxn tell Apple Music about their Joint Album, ‘RnB’

Bnxn: This project shows synergy at its finest.
Ruger: 100.
Bnxn: It shows quality, it shows the real essence of collaboration – how to bounce off each other, how to learn from each other, how to pick this and flow off what this person [did]. It’s like a relay race—
Ruger: 100!
Bnxn: —but we’re only coming first, you feel me. You gotta understand from the beginning to the end of every record, it’s a crazy collaborative process, from the artists to the producers, so I am beyond proud of this project. It’s why the last song we said “Not Done,” because hopefully…
Ruger: Hopefully we’re not done!

Ruger tells Apple Music why He and Bnxn Work Well Together

You know most Afrobeats artists, they’re always about gyration, enjoyment – let’s make songs people will party to, let’s talk about enjoyment and money and that. We’re talking about everything! Go back to our projects, we talk about everything, we talk about relationships. Most artists in Naija don’t talk about relationships like that, they talk about ‘your body’s banging, you’re fine, you’re this’ but we’re saying the deeper things. As much as the whole world is appreciating that part, I think Nigerians have to actually appreciate that about us, because when we go outside the country that’s what they love about us. “That guy is speaking to me!”