Pretoria News is a local newspaper circulating in the Tshwane Metropolitan area. Pretoria News covers a range of local news, as well as national and international news, comment and analysis by experts, sport, entertainment and lifestyle.
Adam Taylor WHEN Peng Shuai alleged in a November 2 social media post that she was sexually assaulted by China's former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli, it quickly made waves in China. But it was what happened after that shook the world. Peng disappeared from public life. Discussion of her allegations and fate were censored on social media, only reappearing in a carefully curated way over the past weekend as international outrage grew. China’s media blackout was designed to stem domestic discussion of the allegations against Zhang, just one of the string of #MeToo allegations involving high-profile men but unusual in that it named a top official, rather than a celebrity. But internationally it has backfired, breathing new life into calls for nations to boycott the upcoming Winter Olympics, set to…
Bollywood actor John Abraham, who is playing a triple role for the first time in his career in Satyameva Jayate 2, says the film has been specifically made for the mass audience who go to the theatres and enjoy the “out-and-out commercial film”. The film is a sequel and the first instalment was released in 2018. According to the actor, the second part was made purely after receiving approval from the audience that translated at the box office. “Satyameva Jayate 2 is made for the mass audience and not for a niche one. People who buy tickets to go to the theatres, especially the audience of single-screen theatres in a small town, are not bothered about the reviews and critical explanation. They want entertainment. “For us actors and producers that…
Hollywood star Jared Leto, who is gearing up for the release of his movie House of Gucci, took six hours to transform into his character of Paolo Gucci. Speaking about the iconic transformation, Leto said: “I spent six hours every day filled with excitement and gratitude, and I really used it as an opportunity to work on the inner life of the character. “As I said before, if you have a mask it’s meaningless if you don’t have an inner life. And that’s the most important thing.” He added: “You could certainly play the role without the kind of physical aspects, externally. But you need to have the internal in check, and I used that time as wisely as I could.” The actor knew he had an opportunity here. “I…
Inkoo Kang HERE’S a shortlist of the attributes that the many big-budget, epic-scale medieval, sci-fi or fantasy shows trying to become the next Game of Thrones keep missing about what made that swords-and-sorcery saga an improbable crossover hit: humour, charisma, human stakes in addition to apocalyptic ones. Ned Stark’s execution and the Red Wedding were conversation fodder for days, but so were Tyrion slapping Joffrey and Peter Dinklage’s unlikely sex-symbol status, thanks to the veteran character actor’s supple, wine-lipped way around a quip. We remember the dragon battles and the White Walkers, but just as indelible – and crucial to the series’ mass appeal – were the smaller, character-based moments. Cersei’s shaming. Jaime’s kindness to Brienne. Arya lulling herself to sleep by chanting the names of the foes she vows…
Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za IT WAS an explosion of colour at the Zebra Square Art Gallery as South Africa’s influential creatives, media personalities and business leaders gathered for the SA Style Awards Judges Dinner on Sunday. The glamour stakes started on a high note, thanks to the dress code that required guests to be in their black-tie best while incorporating bright colours. Add the fleet of luxury vehicles that would make a car collector weep, and you have a scene out of a James Bond film. Due to the pandemic and the many losses on the creative scene, SA Style Awards founder Jillian Grogor said they had to push the awards ceremony, which was meant to have been the 25th instalment of the event, to February as celebrating this…
Rhonda K Garelick What becomes of luxury in a global pandemic? Is the pursuit of luxury incompatible with our drastically changed lives under Covid? Luxury can be so external, and life lately feels so internal. A big part of luxury is theatre: the couture gown that dazzles the crowd, the splendid car gliding past onlookers, the Instagrammed vacation. The admiration, desire or even envy of others creates part of luxury’s allure. The pandemic scrambled this. It isolated us physically, reducing opportunities for “performing” our luxuries. Travel was shut down or severely curtailed, as were many parties, openings, galas and all other occasions for gathering and display. Without social interaction, is luxury doomed? Not at all, it turns out. In fact, luxury sales overall have risen during the pandemic, as…
