DURBAN GAY PRIDE 2013

Last year  Durban Pride was held at Kings Park with a parade. This year the venue was the Ampitheatre on the North Beach opposite the Elangeni Hotel. Members of the LBGTI community were not happy though as there was no parade. But as Lucky from the Gay Centre explained to me that because the Top Gear Festival was held two weeks earlier, it was logistically impossible to plan and include a parade in this year's Pride event. However next year Pride will move to the month of August and a Pride march/parade will be part of the programme. That being said, let's take a look at this year's Durban Pride Festival. As member of the DA (Democratic Alliance) we set up an info table in the middle, surrounded by tables of various other gay/gay-friendly organizations. And before you as a South African ask why was the DA there........ the ANC also came to set up an info table as well. The DA has a lot of openly gay members, MP's and city councillers country wide, so why should we not be be supporting this event? Just for the record, my city counciller is gay, and I'm gay. So what?  As far as attendance figures go, it would appear from my photos that not many people turned up. It seemed that people only started turning up at around 3pm, which was when I was trying to get a cab to go home. I had been there since 10am. Around 4pm all the Jhburg and local and Jhburg drag performers started to arrive. And where was my camera? Packed away already! Remember I was trying to get a cab to go home!  But hats off to the organizers and the Durban Gay & Lesbian Centre, you certainly did a great job. Hopefully it will even be better next year in August when there will be a parade. So start organizing your costume, and go shopping for your wigs etc as 2014 is just around the corner!

Yours truly at Durban Pride 2013.

A DATE WITH IKO MASH



Iko Mash



Who is Iko Mash? I had the pleasure of doing a blog interview with the talented and gorgeous personality. "And what is a blog interview?" I hear you say. Well I sent her a list of questions via e-mail asking her all sorts of things, like her childhood, her dreams, her many talents and of course her current acting role in the Dstv drama "Zabalaza". Below are her replies to my questions.
ME: Where were you born and bred?
IKO: I was born Billy Mothola Emmanuel  Mashiloane, I was born in meadowlands zone 1 in Soweto.

ME:  At what age did you realize you were different from other boys?
IKO: I realized I was different at the age of 7 or 8 because all I loved doing was wearing my Mom's stilettos whilst cleaning the house, and never playing on the street corner like other kids.

ME: Were you naughty as a child?

IKO: I was a very quiet child, and very obedient as a result of the child abuse I recieved at the very tender age of 6 years old.

ME: What made you decide to "dress" as a female full time?

IKO: My mother's cousins were the most beautiful women I had ever seen and that inspired me to be like them.

ME: I know this is a strange question, but what gender are you classified as nowadays?

IKO: I invented the word "shim" and that's how I got to be known, to stop the confusion.
ME:  Are you an only child or do you have siblings?
IKO: My mom has 5 kids and I am the middle child.
ME: When was your biggest break?
IKO: My biggest break was in 2000 when I was in the international commercial with Nelson Mandela for trade and tourism. I was also the face of Sunlight Dishwasher as the black Marilyn Monroe.
ME: What prompted your intrest in the entertainment industry?
IKO: A friend of mine who is an actress had "forced" me to join her agency when she had taken her child for pictures. I started getting called for auditions and realized there and then that this is what I want to do.
ME: Where do you see yourself in 3 to 5 years time?
IKO: I see myself running my own production house, an ad agency, and my own lifestyle show.
ME:  Rumour has it that you will be joining the cast of the local soapie "Zabalaza". Can you tell me more?
IKO: I have been with Zabalaza since episode one but my character's storyline has only started growing a few months after I started. As we know that when you are gay you have to prove yourself over and over again.
ME: Is this the first time you have done any acting?
IKO: I have done acting for many years. I have acted in Gazlam 2, Tshesa 1, Streetlife Movie, and Backstage.
ME: How do you handle/deal with fame, money and of course men?
IKO: I am spiritually very grounded and money is still on the cards. I am never faced by the presence of a man, as I am more focussed on productivity.
ME: After Zabalaza, do you have any future projects you would like to share with me?
IKO: Besides Zabalaza I have a new reality show that is coming to your screens soon. It's an extreme make-over show.
ME: With HIV/AIDS deemed to be from Africa, what message do you have for the world about this pandemic?
IKO: We need to know that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is something that we need to educate ourselves about, because nobody is a victim of some sort. We can't afford to be scared. We have to find ways of fighting the disease as it's not a death sentence.
ME: What other talents do you have?
IKO: I'm a very inspiring motivational speaker, a good cook and a child of God.
ME: Are you in a relationship at the moment?
IKO: I have just built a fantastic relationship with my mom that I never had before, so for the moment there is no time for men as I am nurturing this new rebirth.
ME: What message do you have for people out there who try to bring you down?
IKO: They don't know what I'm made of. I am a child of prayer. They are going to regret even trying.
ME: Do you have any role models?
IKO: Apart from Jesus Christ, my other role models are Somizi, Oprah, my brother and eveyone born with wisdom.
ME: What sort of music do you listen to?
IKO: R & B, Soul, House music.
ME: Your favourite movies?
IKO Titanic and anything with Tyler Perry's Madea in it.
ME: Your favourite musician/celeb?
IKO: Clementine Mosimane, Thandiswa Mazwai, Busi Mhlongo and Miriam Makeba.
ME: Do you have a favourite meal?
IKO: Anything with fish and calamari.
ME: You are also known as a designer. Do you design your own outfits or do you have someone do it for you?
IKO: That's one thing that is my passion as a stylist, so my range of "ms. mash" couture is in the pipeline.

After reading Iko's answers to my questions, I can honestly say that if I was young again Iko Mash would have been my role model.

Iko Mash and friends.

LESS THAN TWO WEEKS TO DURBAN PRIDE 2013

With less than two weeks to go, Durban is gearing up for Pride 2013. There is no parade due to traffic restrictions this year I am told, but a full day's programme of entertainment has been planned. According to Metro police it takes a lot of planning, as streets have to be cordoned off so as to ensure any parade runs smoothly. The Official Programme includes: Miss Gay Durban, Sat 22, 8pm @The Lounge (Stamfordhill Rd); a Flag Raising Ceremony, Mon 24, 12pm @Durban LGBT Centre, 42 McKenzie Road; a Film Night, Tues 25, 6pm @KZNSA; a Boat Cruise by Manhunt, Wed 26,6pm @Durban Harbour; a Pre-Pride Weekend Party, Fri 28, 8pm @Plush Ultra Lounge (Springfield); the Main Event, Sat 29, 10am-10pm @The Amphitheatre (North Beach); the Official After-Party, Sat 29, 9pm, @The Lounge and 1st Durban Pink ShisaNyama, Sun 30,12pm. Facebook fans can get updates to the event here and post any questions they may have. Also if you want to look at their official Facebook page just look for Durban Pride and become one of their followers. All info was provided by The Durban Gay & Lesbian Centre in McKenzie Road Durban.

ARE YOU READY FOR DURBAN PRIDE 2013?

A scene from last year's event!

Yes folks it's that time of year the LBGT community of Durban to take out their feather boas, wigs and high heels for the parade at the end of June 2013. Last  year a gay time was had by all. This year will be no different and I'm hoping to get the inside scoop as to which celebs will be there. But you may have to wait for that nearer the time. All I can tell you is that it will be on the 29th June. Apparently it won't be a King's Park this year as there is a rugby match taking place on the same day. So hopefully it will be in the same area. Still awaiting for a comfirmation of the venue. As soon as more details become available, I will write another post about the event. In the meantime lets reminice about last year's event!

WHOSE FOOLING WHO?

The Armourplateus Parakeetus.

April Fools Day has come an gone for 2013, thank goodness, as people try to play pranks on their friends and the public via social networks and real life. Twitter was a twitter with ridiculous tweets as both celebs and newspapers tried to come up with a joke to amuse the public. Richard Branson tweeted that his Virgin airlines was to launch the world's first glass bottomed plane. Whilst a local magazine reported that the SAA inaugeral flight was about to take off from OR Tambo Airport. Another local newspaper reported that Julius Malema had joined the Democratic Alliance, and Twitter was going to start charging for the use of vowells in tweets. The hospitality industry also got in on the act by announcing that they were introducing a R100 cover charge as they were not making enough money. To be honest I had a one up my sleeve too. I took a photo of my ornamental bird in the garden and it actually looks like some extinc prehistoric bird nesting in my garden. Well I wonder who after yesterday was the fool?

IS THERE LIFE AFTER SOUTH AFRICAN IDOLS?

Yes they’re back for Season 9 and soon we will be able to watch the rise and fall of wannabe singers simultaneously on MNET  and Mzansi Magic  on Dstv . Auditions are already under way and the dates for broadcast have yet to be announced. But what about those who tried in the past and failed; and those who won? Are they still around? What are they doing now? As Julie Andrews once sang in The Sound of Music: “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start……..” we need to go back to Season 1 of South African Idols.

Season 1 started in March 2002. The winner was Heinz Winkler , with Brandon October  (2^nd place) and Melanie Lowe  (3^rd place) as runners up. Ten years down the line Heinz Winkler has appeared in musicals such as “Rent”, and although I cannot find any proof on Google, I seem to recall him playing the part of a doctor in a local Afrikaans drama on TV. Perhaps someone can confirm that. He also performed the song “Chasing Shadows” for the South African release of the Disney movie “Treasure Planet”. He got married in 2006 and has two children. From the resume on Wikipedia, I can’t see much info about him after he got married. Even Brandon October hasn’t done much to become a huge star. Melanie Louw on the other hand has a Facebook page and can be followed on Twitter.

Season 2 was a year later in 2003 and was won by the 20year old Anke Pietrangeli AKA “The Kimberly Diamond”. According to “Entertainment TV” in an article written in 2010, she has virtually disappeared from the music scene.

Season 3 aired in the middle of 2005 with a final between Karin Kortjie and Gift Gwe  taking place at Gold Reef City. Karin Kortjie walked away with the prize with 62.58% of the viewers votes. She was one of Idols most controversial winners. She disappeared from the music scene after her then boyfriend was charged with murder. Nowadays she sings mostly in churches.

Season 4 was back on Mnet in 2007 after a two year absence, during which time their sister channel KykNet, aired Afrikaans Idols. The winner for season 4 was a 17 year old from Cape Town, Jody Williams . Apart from having a fairly successful career, her one claim to fame was in 2010 when she represented Africa in the song “Everyone” the Official Theme song for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. She collaborated with four other artistes, one of whom was Sean Kingston.

Season 5 in 2009 saw Jason Hartman  and Sasha Lee Davids  becoming joint winners after a mix up with the viewers’ votes. Jason is very active to this day in the music business and has also become an activist in conservation projects such as Conservation Guardians which he started in 2011. Sasha Lee Davids however is probably better known for her reality TV show on VuzuTV: “The House of Davids”, which aired last year.

Season 6 in 2010 was the turn of Elvis Blue  from George in the Western Cape, with KZN singer Lloyd Cele  being the runner up. Both have been successful to date having won a few awards between them.

Season 7 aired in 2011 after controversial judge Mara Louw was given the boot and replaced with Unathi Msengana, a local radio personality and musician. Dave Van Vuuren  from Johannesburg was declared the winner. I might add that after Seasons 5/6 it is too early to tell whether theses Idols winners will survive but they seem to be making waves.

Season 8 and 2012 was another controversial year for SA Idols, as contestants who should have been in the top 3 got voted off before they even made the Top 5. Khaya Mthethwa  from Durban came out tops, and became the deserved winner in the end.  

But what of those contestants that didn’t make it to the Top Three? Where are they? Are they still singing? As a build up to Season 9 of SA Idols I’ll take a look at what they are up to. Most information used here can be found on this Wikipedia link:  Idols (South Africa) , whilst other links are to the artistes Facebook pages. You may wonder whether there is life after Idols, but as this summary of Idols shows you have to keep working at your singing talent. After you've won, it's no use to sit back and enjoy the ride. Let's see what the future holds for these winners.       

DEAR OSCAR..........

After reading all the comments on Facebook and Twitter, I feel sorry for both families for what they've had to go through this past week. And things don't look at all good for the "Blade Runner" either. With conflicting reports floating around on the social networks, we as citizens should allow the law to take it's course and not convict him before the case has even started. I am of the opinion that Oscar should not be granted bail, not because he is guilty but for his own protection. People may want him dead now that Reeva is no longer with us, even though it may have been an accident. There is one thing I can't get my head around and that is the fact that you never called out to Reeva in the bathroom, to find out if she was okay before you fired the 4 shots. It's something I really don't understand, and it's not as though you were alone in the apartment. Reeva was not with you, where was she? She had not left the premises. This fact and the fact that you carried her down the stairs, makes the mind boggle. How long did it take you to put your "legs" on before you went to the bathroom? Were you sleeping with them on? I think you really have not thought your affidavit through before giving it to the authorities. The ANCWL don't make things any better for you either. They are demanding that you get "No Bail" from the magistrate, even though when Jacob Zuma allegedly raped one if his house guests they did not demand the same. Double standards! As the bail application continues today, the eyes of the world will be on South Africa. We will just have to wait and see what happens next...........