Channel O Music Awards Nominees
It’s awesome that Africa is Representin’ with nominations from 12 different countries at this year’s Channel O Music Video Awards, check out the nominations below. We’ve found some of our favourites artists from the nominations on YouTube – click and watch and tell us what you think! Remember, it’s not the song we’re after, it’s the video! HHP – Thlabane to Maftown D’Banj – Why Me E.A.B.C – Kube Dama Do Bling for Danca Do Remexe Lira – Feel Good Channel O is proud to announce the nominees for the 2007 Channel O Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards. This year’s nominee list has produced 46 artists from 12 different countries. SA’s HHP leads the pack with five nominations under his belt. Hot on his heels with four nominations each are Nigeria’s D’Banj for Why Me, Mozambique’s Dama Do Bling for Danca Do Remexe and Uganda’s E.A.B.C for Kube. Now in their fourth year, the Channel O Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards are unique in that videos are voted for by viewers, giving fans complete control over who receives an award. Criteria used for short-listing were technical quality, frequency of requests for a video on the different Channel O shows and overall creativity. The videos need to have been released between June 2006 and June 2007 and should have received airplay on Channel O. Channel O General Manager Yolisa Phahle is sure that the nominations reflect the diverse and growing music industry in the continent. “We are seeing videos of increasingly high quality and this is a direct reflection of the industry’s growth”, she says. “At Channel O we look to strike a balance between promoting the up and coming big names of tomorrow alongside established artists. This year some of the newer names are also producing outstanding music and high quality videos”. Viewers and fans will be able to vote for their favourite artists by smsing or voting online. Voting starts on Monday 20 August until Thursday, 04 October. Viewers can vote in each category by logging on to http://www.channelo.co.za/ to vote, or SMS to 34622. All sms’s are charged at international call rates. The complete list of nominees is: 1. BEST MALE VIDEO Artist Song Title Country Batman Samini African Lady Ghana D’Banj Why Me Nigeria Don Kikas Miss U Angola HHP Tlhabane to Maftown SA Nameless Sinzia Kenya Tay grin Stand Up Malawi 2. BEST FEMALE VIDEO Artist Song Title Country Chomee Jiver Sexy SA Dama Do Bling Danca Do Remexe Mozambique Ida Make It Hot Kenya Lira Feel Good SA Neyma Mbilo Yanga Mozambique Weird MC Ready to Party Nigeria 3. BEST NEWCOMER VIDEO Artist Song...
Tay Zonday the new Youtube Star
We’re not sure what it is about this guy that has given him his iconic mass appeal, but the world’s going crazy over Tay Zonday’s monotone songs on YouTube “Chocolate Rain” and “Internet Dream”… The video’s are simple talking heads and shoulders, the songs are cheesy with bad repetitive casio keyboard sounding backtracks – maybe it’s his nerdy look and deep baritone voice? Tay Zonday is a 25 year old geeky grad student from Minnesota who’s life is no doubt about to change as nearly 4 million people (and climbing) watch his tacky videos with catchy but damn awful lyrics. The YouTube snowball has everyone and their dog doing their own takes on the songs, watch this space for another internet eye-opener. While we prefer the Internet Dream lyrics and sound, check out the hit Chocolate rain here: ...
Represent Shesha: VUKA! call for entries
We urged you last year and we urge you again in the rapidly disappearing 007. If you want a chance to show your work as a director to the industry at large, the Vuka’s certainly give you a platform to do that. Now we’re not going to nag you, you know who you are, all Representah’s who are already directing or still dream of directing, make it happen! Find your charity partner and make that public service announcement. We look forward to seeing your name on the finalist’s list. You know you can do it! You got about 7 weeks – entries close the 20 Oct so get a move on brothers and sisters with vision, determination and talent. Represent! Every year, without fail, South African film makers dare to make PSA’s about important issues to enter into the MultiChoice VUKA! Awards. This year we dare you to do it again. Entries for the 9th annual MultiChoice VUKA! Awards have just opened. You don’t have to try hard to avoid reality. We live behind high walls, electric fences. Our car windows are up, doors locked. The MultiChoice VUKA! Awards dare you to open your eyes. We dare you to see, to hear and to feel. We dare you to make a commercial that encourages viewers to buy into humanity and not a product. We dare you to put your heart on your sleeve and move people. Come on, we dare you. If you cast your eyes over a list of the people who have dared to make MultiChoice VUKA! Awards it reads like a South African filmmakers guide to Who’s who. Luminaries like Keith Rose, Miles Goodall, Sunu Gonera, Cindy Lee, Kevin Fitzgerald, Mike Middleton, Werner Maritz, Sergio and Lizelle Mes pop out at you. Whether they initially entered as newcomers in the hope of launching their careers, or as professionals flexing their muscles; they all hold some things in common; the daring, the drive and the determination to be successful in this industry. “The MultiChoice VUKA! Awards aims to encourage South Africans to focus beyond the lens, creating empathy, inspiring action, building national pride and, ultimately, generating income and awareness for the charities”, says Marilyn Watson, corporate communications manager, MultiChoice. You can hear the same note of daring in the voices of last year’s winners. Best Overall Newcomer winner, Leon Von Solms says that participating in the MultiChoice VUKA! Awards gave him the confidence and the affirmation he needed to continue following his dream. Best Newcomer Director Matthew Bilton says creating a MultiChoice VUKA! is a rite of passage for any young filmmaker because it gives you a strong understanding of the production...
Is Blackle the new Google?
Thanks to several Representah’s for the heads up – we’ve been hearing about BLACKLE for a couple of days now – the so-called “eco-friendly version of Google” – we finally got the time to check it out and research it a bit – the email that’s circulating explains Blackle as the following: For those worried with energy consumption and all its downsides… When your screen is white, being it an empty word page, or the Google page, your computer consumes 74 watts, and when its black it consumes only 59 watts. So a man named Mark Ontkush wrote an article about the energy saving that would be achieved if Google had a black screen, taking in account the huge number of page views, according to his calculations, 750 mega watts/hour per year would be saved. In a response to this article Google created a black version of its search engine, called Blackle, with the exact same functions as the white version, but with a lower energy consumption, check it out. http://www.blackle.com/ Numerous blogs around the world are debating the theory – like Treehugger where several commentators argue that the theory is questionable: Somebody didn’t think too hard about this one. Most everybody these days are using LCD screens instead of the big clunky CRT monitors. The backlight design of an LCD means that it’s actually using no energy to display a white pixel, and a small voltage is applied to each of three sub-pixels to display a black pixel. Might have been a good idea ten years ago, but not anymore. Wikipedia cuts to the chase: “Blackle is a search engine developed by Heap Media Australia [1], which is energy-saving. It uses the Google search engine, from which the company derives its income.” Mhhmmm smells like a scam to us. Thoughts? For those wanting to use the real Black Google – Google has a black version they have developed:...
Buy the Flying Saucer House for R14m
We’ve always got one eye on the property market, it’s in our blood. And so we were delighted to stumble upon the Flying Saucer house on the Private Property website, a regular hangout for us. It’s so rare to be able to peep into these weird and wonderful mansions, so here’s your chance (although they don’t show it all). At 14 million rond for a circular 650m pozzie featuring only 3 bedrooms but 4 bathrooms and incredible views, it’s a steal! We’ll be putting our offer in shortly 😉 ENTERING THE NEW MILLENNIUM!! While driving along the Witwatersrand mountain range on the outskirts of Johannesburg, Gauteng in South Africa, you will suddenly encounter a “real” FLYING SAUCER. This unique structure is situated at a lookout point on the Witwatersrand mountain range, running through the Roodepoort suburb of Kloofendal in the Gauteng province of the RSA. This structure, which is a private residence, is characterized by long elliptic lines formed by an uninterrupted window line that slants outwards at an angle of 60º. The very distinct aerodynamic shape with its elliptic centre dome is a stark contrast with the immediate environment. However, through a 320º view in all four wind directions over the mountain range, it establishes a balance between the fauna and flora and the development of the modern man. Approaching the “flying saucer” the enormity of its 650sqm cantilevered floor overshadows you, as you are overcome by the majestic power of ingenuity of the creator as his vision and skill turned into reality. The project commenced in 1991 and was completed in 1992. The house is based on eight columns with a ring-beam on top, keeping it in place. There are three garages, servants’ quarters with a bathroom and kitchen. The garage has its own workshop-area with toilet and hand-basin, and there is an outside toilet with a hand-basin for the gardener. The upper floor supported from the ring-beam with sixteen beams across the 550sqm floor. The diameter of the floor slab is 28m. A 100sqm tropical atrium lends privacy to the bedrooms. There are three en suite double bedrooms, each fitted with its own private bathroom. The study is also fitted with its own private bathroom and can easily be converted into a guest unit. The tropical atrium receives its natural sunlight through a 100sqm skylight dome, which also provides light into the entire open-space designed environment. The skylight is the largest dome erected over an indoor garden in a private residence. The billiard room and the Jacuzzi area are fitted with a ladies bar overlooking the north facing greenbelt environment towards OT Airport in the distance. All rooms...
Represent is loving: Haute Cabriere
We love being South African. So many different kinds of people, cultures, opinions and flavours, life is certainly not dull. For example, you gotta love Cape Townians. Many a dinner party conversation has ventured towards the mystical Mountain and beaches of the fairest Cape, the topics ranging from Khayelitsha to Claremont. But one question that seems to always do the rounds is about the people. What is it about Cape Townians that makes them so different from Joburgers? What is it that differentiates us? Why do we feel like such distant cousins? Why do their houses seem better designed, their restaurants more sexy, their lifestyles more appealing, their fashion more edgy? What is it that makes us so different? “Money”, ‘they’ would surely quip, referring to the fact that Jozi peeps actually work for a living and blerrie hard at that. “Ambition”, we would reply, continuing our earnest struggle up the corporate ladder. “Black Diamonds” a Capie would say referring to the annoying new label; “Black People” a cheeky Jozite would reply causing much spluttering and coughing. We can and have spun the debate in many directions and sometimes it gets tiresome in its predictability, but today we’re not interested in fauna, flora, politics or wealth as a differentiator. Today we’re going with WINE and we’re sticking to it. Yip, you heard right, VINO, WINE, PLONK, WYN, TASSIES…. Hear us out. We only know about 4 or 5 Capies in Jozi and everytime we’re in their company, our lips are moistened by the most delicious of fermented grapes. No graca, JC or Johannesburger for them, WINE is like a fine art form for a Cape Townian and as much as Joburgers covet freedom of expression, small business and BEE, Cape Townians worship their Wine. Now obviously CT has a varied population and we’re stereo-typing here and some wine-worshipping is not so fortunate, but has anyone else noticed their general affinity for the good tipple in life? “Some of our best friends are from Cape Town” and we will be forever grateful to them for sharing some of their hushhush WINE secrets with us. The whole point of this article is to venerate the wonderful Cape creation that is HAUTE CABRIERE… Tasted it yet? It’s been gracing a number of our little weekend shindigs in recent months and it’s delicious flavour and composition is unforgettable. We love it so much we decided to look it up on the net and we found http://www.cabriere.co.za/ that confirms our argument above as they describe wine as “the mystical synergy between sun, soil, vine and man…” We can highly recommend the Chardonnay Pinot Noir, with it’s unmistakable touch of magical pink, it’s delicious with any meal...
We will be back!
