Pretoria News Weekend 2021-09-11

AMID the pandemic, dealing with grief is a reality and for many people saying their last goodbyes and dealing with loss is a process that must be managed. The mourning period is amplified when you are a public figure and have to remain in the spotlight during this difficult time. Social media and the expectations that strangers have can make the situation even more difficult to deal with. It was on social media platforms that Real Housewives of Atlanta star Nene Leakes was judged when she decided to continue working during her husband Gregg’s last days and also after he died on September 1. She continued working at her restaurant, The Linnethia Lounge, where she revealed that Gregg was on his death bed. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in…

Inkoo Kang IF YOU want an overview of the past three decades at the movies, especially of prestige pictures and art-house cinema, you could do a lot worse than the filmography of Nicole Kidman. Within the 2003 Oscar winner’s projects are glimpses of the trends that have shaped Hollywood’s past quarter-century: the big-budget takeover by superhero flicks (Batman Forever and Aquaman); the stop-and-start resurrection of the studio musical (Moulin Rouge!); the rise of “elevated horror” (The Others); the haphazard rebooting of any and all intellectual property (Bewitched and The Stepford Wives); the overwhelming whiteness of female-led features (The Hours and The Beguiled); even the demoralising unstoppability of Adam Sandler (Just Go With It). As film critic Ann Hornaday noted in a 2017 appreciation, Kidman has enjoyed “one of the…

swedish pop icons Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad are performing digitally with a live 10-piece band next year, and English singer-songwriter Little Boots, 37, has announced she will be singing backing vocals, as well as playing live keyboards and synthesiser at the shows, which is a dream come true for the “life-long ABBA fan”. Sharing some behind-the-scenes snaps in the recording studio with Benny, she wrote on Instagram: “As a life long @abba fan It is an absolute honour to ... be joining @abbavoyage live on stage on keyboards/synthesisers and backing vocals. ⁠ “My love for the songs of Abba runs hard and deep. There is no other songwriting I have been more inspired by throughout my career, in my opinion it is the most…

Halle Berry was “scared s***less” when she made her directorial debut with Bruised. The 55-year-old actress is at the helm of the upcoming Netflix movie in which she also stars as mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jackie Jackie Justice. She told the Daily express newspaper: “Being the director, I have a part in the totality of every department. I get to have a voice. That was different, and I really loved that. “I was scared s***less. Any director will tell you that they're scared, going in. Fear and worry are healthy – it means you want to do your best.” Berry wasn’t initially set to either act in or direct the movie. Blake Lively originally got offered the role, but dropped out six months later. Berry told producers: “I…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za FILM festivals are a celebration of the art of film-making, celebrity and also, fashion. Stars parade on kilometres-long red carpets, preening to the paparazzi after spending hours primping in front of the mirror. The expectation from the world is for the stars to be in haute couture garments from the latest designer collections, a sign they are important enough to be loaned the garments so soon after the show. The evening usually ends with a fashion publication detailing who was the best dressed and forgetting that it was because of a film that the stars were even in attendance. Events like film festivals, where stars have multiple outfit changes in one day, have reminded us about the consumption of the fashion industry. It was partly this reason…

Thobile Mazibuko and Buhle Mbonambi Lukhanyo Mdingi has followed in the footsteps of Thebe Magugu and Sindiso Khumalo by being recognised by the prestigious LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. The Cape Town-based designer was named as the joint winner of the special Karl Lagerfeld Prize during the LVMH Prize 2021 finals on Tuesday. It is the first time that LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) has had three winners for the Karl Lagerfeld Prize. “Given the incredible talent of the finalists, the Jury decided to award the Karl Lagerfeld Prize to three designers: Colm Dillane for KidSuper, Lukhanyo Mdingi and Rui Zhou for Rui. All three have sharp and unique visions of today’s fashion,” said Delphine Arnault, the executive vice-president of Louis Vuitton and founder of the LVMH Prize.…