#KrayVidsFromBackWhenItWasKray

Omg I found this really old video, of my cousin, Azizza and I, imitating two very old and primitive Coloured (malay) aunties at her house. We made so many of these, even devoid of documenting 'em, and I really miss these kray kray days. I think u can tell that we're both kray Taurus' who are talented and then related too! Enjoy.

And the nominees for this years' Oscars are...

The annual academy awards are slated to take place, February 24 live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Hollywood. The panache movie ceremony will honour, and equally recognize some of the best motion pictures screened during the past year. With stars such as Hugh Jackman, Noami Watts, Jennifer Lawren, and Tommy Lee Jones, as well as Anne Hathaway up for possible Oscars, it is undoubted that this year's ceremony will be the most outre, sophisticated, and grandiose one yet, with 84 others behind it. For a comprehensive list of this year's nominations, log onto film and media website, Film Contact by following this link or follow The Academy on Twitter for up-to-the-minute exclusive details and updates.

And the nominees are...

The nominees for the 85^th annual academy awards have been announced, on Thursday officially by this year’s host, Seth MacFarlane and the enchanting Emma Stone. The glitzy event scheduled for February 24, will honour the works and perfections of pivotal releases from 2012. Amongst the nominees are, Les Miserables, Skyfall and the most nominated of all, Lincoln; loosely based around the intriguing life of Abraham Lincoln. The show is also slated to pay tribute, to the tumultuous success of the James Bond franchise, and no doubt a win in every category would be the ultimate tribute, to a movie that has defined and simultaneously redefined the face of action movies, since its inception.

Expected to walk away with most of the Oscars however, is the critically acclaimed movie, Lincoln, which as aforementioned had received this year’s highest number of nominations, making it likely that Lincoln would leave with the night’s most wins. Furthermore, the movie, ‘Asad’- based on the struggles of downtrodden Somalians seeking salvage in Africa, is nominated in the category of Best Short Film, putting another South African at the tip of international stardom and recognition, irrespective of being a director from the Cape.

And the nominees are:

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Hugh Jackman - Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Denzel Washington - Flight

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin - Argo
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams - The Master
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Achievement in Directing

Michael Haneke - Amour
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Amour - Michael Haneke
Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino
Flight - John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom - Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty - Mark Boal

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Argo - Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild - Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin
Life of Pi - David Magee
Lincoln - Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook - David O Russell

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Amour - Michael Haneke (Austria)
War Witch - Kim Nguyen (Canada)
No - Pablo Larraín (Chile)
A Royal Affair - Nikolaj Arcel (Denmark)
Kon-Tiki - Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg (Norway)

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Anna Karenina - Seamus McGarvey
Django Unchained - Robert Richardson
Life of Pi - Claudio Miranda
Lincoln - Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall - Roger Deakins

Best Achievement in Editing

Argo - William Goldenberg
Life of Pi - Tim Squyres
Lincoln - Michael Kahn
Silver Linings Playbook - Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers
Zero Dark Thirty - William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor

Best Achievement in Production Design

Anna Karenina - Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent, Simon Bright
Les Misérables - Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson
Life of Pi - David Gropman, Anna Pinnock
Lincoln - Rick Carter, Jim Erickson

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Anna Karenina - Jacqueline Durran
Les Misérables - Paco Delgado
Lincoln - Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror - Eiko Ishioka
Snow White and the Huntsman - Colleen Atwood

Best Achievement in Makeup

Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Anna Karenina - Dario Marianelli
Argo - Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi - Mychael Danna
Lincoln - John Williams
Skyfall - Thomas Newman

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Chasing Ice - J Ralph ("Before My Time")
Les Misérables - Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer ("Suddenly")
Life of Pi - Mychael Danna, Bombay Jayshree ("Pi's Lullaby")
Skyfall - Adele, Paul Epworth ("Skyfall")
Ted - Walter Murphy, Seth MacFarlane ("Everybody Needs a Best Friend")

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

Argo
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

The Avengers
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Documentary, Features

5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption

Best Short Film, Animated

Adam and Dog - Minkyu Lee
Fresh Guacamole - PES
Head Over Heels - Timothy Reckart, Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly
Paperman - John Kahrs
The Simpsons: The Longest Daycare - David Silverman

Best Short Film, Live Action

Asad - Bryan Buckley, Mino Jarjoura
Buzkashi Boys - Sam French, Ariel Nasr
Curfew - Shawn Christensen
Death of a Shadow - Tom Van Avermaet, Ellen De Waele
Henry - Yan England

To Los Angeles

It feels like forever, since the last time I posted anything on here, and I know I promised to be more consistent with my posts, but I've been so preoccupied lately. I beg the question- do I even have the time? To simply put it, yes I do have the time; it's just seems as if I don't because there are so many tasks at hand and time is perpetually used up- if I'm not going out to the next social, I'm slouched over my laptop, searching for lucrative funding toward international study.

For those of you who don't know, I've been accepted to study a year long acting program, at the New York Film Academy. I'm really excited and nervous at the time, but let's not venture off into talk of my emotions at this point. Right now, I've got to get funding for tuition, travel expenses, living costs, accommodation, and other related costs, etc, sorted out so that study can be possible. Sure, I've been accepted with a $2000 scholarship (roughly R18000), but I've got to come up with the rest of the money on my own. I'm reaching out to organizations, businesses, and people, who are willing to assist me in this endeavour. For a while, I didn't even know where to begin, but I've decided to just do so, instead of wonder where to. It's really crazy, but overwhelming mostly, to think that my audition was worthy enough, to grant me access to a school with such a high caliber and with so much prestige. (trust me, the list of alumni makes me feel like I'm definitely in line for an Oscar or something HA HA)

Anyway, if I secure funding, I'll be off to the States, in the last week of June, to settle in before my first class on July 10. Wish me all of the best luck, and do so in every language possible, because believe me I do rely on it. I've already begun praying to, "To Whom It May Concern", since one cannot be too sure this year, and I really beg of the relevant deity to guide me. Gosh just listen to me...busy praying here- ridiculous, I know; I'm not even religious.

CAMERA EYES

Here's a photo of me, from my TV exam and photo shoot, two weeks ago. I'm so sad the course is already over, and I'm already missing everyone so much. The house was full of talent, and the stakes are always high. I know that we will all succeed, by our own versions of success, in our worlds, and I trust that everyone has garnered, exquisite skill, assertiveness, and indefinitely, confidence.
Renico is an astounding photographer, as you can so clearly see. I am really grateful, and would love to work with him again, away from the agency, and for my own personal photos. I highly recommend him.


Photo by: Renico Van Rensburg

Monologue

Tomorrow is my first class at the, Brumilda Van Rensberg Acting Academy and Agency. As you know, I am so super excited to commence this course, and start working in the area, I've been dying to work in, for a really long time. The Brumilda Academy is an amazing one, because it is run by Brumilda herself, former Egoli actress and South African household name. Some of the other classes are taught by other actors, directors, producers, and scriptwriter's, etc. The course equips one with the necessary skills, in order to start pursuing careers in the creative industries- moreover, the course offers exposure and agency representation for an entire year, after the course; meaning that in some way, or another, there is work guaranteed for you. 

Ahead of the first class, we were asked to prepare:

- Introduction 

- Any 1 minute monologue

-TV link- introducing show (e.g. Top Billing), or own

-News- with 3 headlines

-Song: 2 verses of any well-known song

-Learn words to, "Lion Sleeps Tonight." [Bring props]

-TV Commercial (Own) or copy one

Below I have attached the 3 possible monologues, I might do. The first one by Arnold Beckoff, is the same one I had prepared, a month ago, for the Youth Development Programme at the Joburg Theatre, and I really like it. There are so many elements I can resonate with in Beckoff's monologue; for those who don't know- Arnold is a drag queen, and in this opening scene of the movie, he seems to be offering a critique of his life and choices, thus far, using wit and a thick, raspy voice ton convey this. He remains relatively calm throughout, and becomes expressive by the pronunciation of certain words- he is also in the process of applying make-up, and staring into a mirror. 

I really love the movie-cum-play, The History Boys. It is a mellow, yet eerie account of life at an old boy's school, where boy's will be boy's; where stereotypes are sampled, and before a lens, zooming in to expose the somewhat, secretive and shunned world of 'teacher-scholar' friendships, with astounding results.

Mysterious Skin, is the book-turned-movie, directed by Gregg Araki, and starring, Joseph Gordon Levitt as the central protagonist of the story. The plot follows the life prevalent after Neil (Levitt) was exposed to, and molested by a former baseball coach, along with another boy, whose own anxieties and fears begin to merge with the main plot, before there's an intense moment of merging in the film. 

Torch Song Trilogy
written by Harvey Fierstein

Arnold Beckoff: I think my biggest problem is being young and beautiful. It's my biggest problem because I've never been young and beautiful. Oh, I've been beautiful. And God knows I've been young, but never the twain have met. Not so as anyone would notice anyway. Y'know a shrink acquaintance of mine believes this to be the root of my attraction to a class of men most subtly described as old and ugly. I think he's underestimating my wheedles. See, a ugly person who goes after a pretty person gets nothing but trouble, but a pretty person who goes after a ugly person gets at least cab fare. Now, I ain't sayin' I never fell for a pretty face, but when les jeux sont fais gimme a toad with a pot o' gold and I'll give you three meals a day, cuz honeys, ain't no such thing as a toad when the lights go down. It's either feast or famine. It's the daylight you gotta watch out for. Well face it, a thing of beauty is a joy 'til sunrise. (drags on his cigarette) There's another group you gotta watch your food stamps around: The hopeless.


The History Boys


 Dakin: "How does history happen?" I asked Irwin, and he couldn’t answer. But now he knew. Nothing special. Skid on a corner...ordinary stuff. Irwin had never been on the back of a bike before, so maybe going round the corner he leaned out instead of in and so unbalanced Hector. Trust him to lean the opposite way to everyone else. But he had no memory of what caused it. The last thing he remembered was me asking him out for a drink. Something we never did, incidentally. Still, at least I asked him. Barr the accident, it would have happened.




Mysterious Skin

Neil: [narration voice-over] And as we sat there listening to the carolers, I wanted to tell Brian it was over now and everything would be okay. But that was a lie, plus, I couldn't speak anyway. I wish there was some way for us to go back and undo the past. But there wasn't. There was nothing we could do. So I just stayed silent and trying to telepathically communicate how sorry I was about what had happened. And I thought of all the grief and sadness and fucked up suffering in the world, and it made me want to escape. I wished with all my heart that we could just leave this world behind. Rise like two angels in the night and magically... disappear. 

Talent Promo & Development Programme

The word, Impikelelo simply means; persuasion, or rather directly, go on towards your goal, and that was exactly the agenda behind the godsend-of-a-creation of the Impikelelo Talent Promotion & Development Programme. The initiative was created in order to sustain, nurture, develop and groom emerging local talents, of every genre, from Music to Drama, and it seeks to enable aspiring artists to achieve their dreams of entering the entertainment and arts industries alike, as trained, well-groomed and like-minded individuals.

Joining up for the programme will expose vernal artists to the otherwise "closed" world of arts, and also assist them in driving towards their goals. While I am not sure whether or not there's a fee for the programme, by reading through the description of the company, which can be found here, I am certain that participation could only lead to heaps of success and life-altering opportunities.

There's currently an opportunity to do a photo shoot+ interview, which will be included on the Impikelelo website, launching Monday, August 6 2012, and the reel will be made available and ready-for-viewing throughout the next year, and information pertaining to that can be found on the Impikelelo Facebook page. However, please note that the photo session and interview will be taking place as soon as tomorrow, so make arrangements to be available, if you're interested in attending.

Audition Notice

Hello fellow Artists!

Producers for the popular, SABC 1 show; Intersexions, are currently casting for the second season. Auditions will kick off in Johannesburg, and move to Cape Town and Durban thereafter. The show is plotted around the "AIDS infection chain", and first premiered at the end of 2010 with 25 independent but interrelated episodes. 

For those of you who are interested in auditioning for the show and would like more information, please click here. The producers have uploaded scripts onto the TVSA page, which hopefuls are expected to familiarize themselves with, and rehearse ahead of the first auditions, taking place this weekend, 4 August 2012.

The venue information and times for auditions are as follows:

Johannesburg

Date: 4 August 2012

Time: 10h00-17h00

Venue: Bassline, 10 Henry Nxumalo Street, Newtown   

Information for the other cities have so far not been made available, but do keep referring back to the TVSA homepage, or here if you're looking to audition in another city.

Source: TVSA

Academy of Drama and the Performing Arts

For those of you who don't already know, this autumn I will commence a short, yet very reputable drama and performing arts course, coordinated by Brumilda Van Rensburg, and other exciting SA actors, and writers, etc. The course is going to be fulfill in so many ways, and I cannot wait to reap the rewards. 

The world of Performing Arts has always appealed to me, from a very young age. I love acting, singing, imitating, painting, sketching, designing, writing, producing and directing. I love that I am so inclined towards the artistic realm, because if you're an artist, you will know that art is the greatest liberty, and that the greatest expression, arguably, is art!

For those of you who may be interested in doing the course this autumn, or at a later stage, go to this site for all information pertaining to the course. I eventually settled with the Brumilda Academy, because it is not only a training academy, it is also an agency that helps students find roles in all the different parts of the performing arts; from TV to Stage productions. It's a fun, eccentric, and seemingly challenging course that will definitely, as it seems, equip one for a career in the drama and performing arts field, even if as just a mere beginner. At the end of the course, students are conferred with certificates and a show reel of performances and photos, etc, that will shape a portfolio. Even the final exam sounds fun, though I won't give too much away.

The course is affordable, and runs on Saturdays, starting August 4, with classes from around 9h00 to 17h00, taught by different actors, etc, every week on a different subject. 

I am looking for REALITY STARS!!

Hi Dicks, and Chicks!!

I was recently entered into the IFVF (International Film, and Video Foundation) film making competition, and I am under serious pressure to submit the script. This years competition deals with the reality format, and basically I need to come up with a very quick, yet captivating reality show, in any of the current reality show formats, and this will run for min. 5 minutes and a max. of 10 minutes.
I cannot yet release the title of the show, since I am not fully aware of the rules in that regard. However, it is my choice who I cast, where I shoot, and most things in the production sense of the show.

So I am looking for two people, ONE MALE, and ONE FEMALE, who feel they have what it takes to be a reality star; even if it's just for this short production. Screenings of the show for the competition promises exceptional exposure, and indefinitely, a thrilling experience.

GUIDELINES FOR REALITY STARS:

MALE:

-must be between the ages of 18- 23. No younger and no older.
-blonder hair, though black may also be fine.
-shouldn't be too tall, and muscular. not too short either.
-must be energetic, creative, funny, and liberal.
-must be comfortable with transcending boundaries; so being comfortable enough to do anything on camera.
-must be based in Johannesburg, and be able to travel, even if only with public transport.
-must be committed, punctual, and serious.

FEMALE:

-must be between the ages of 18-23. no younger and no older.
-black hair, or blonde hair, and must be shoulder length or just over.
-average height, and build.
-must be able to demonstrate an energetic, funny, and liberal personality.
-must be comfortable with doing anything in front of camera.
-must be based in Johannesburg, and be able to travel, even if just with public transport.
-must be committed, punctual, and serious.

If you feel you meet the above criteria, and would like me to consider you for my reality show; please email two recent photos of yourself, a brief biography of yourself, and your contact details to this address

Audition coming up

AUDITION:

VENUE: Joburg Theatre
ADDRESS: Braamfontein
TIME: 10am to 1pm
FOR: Joining Youth Development Program
BRING: Prepare one piece you would like to perform, arrive early, and dress in comfortable, rehearsal attire
              such as gym clothing, because apparently it will be quite vigorous.

NB. I am merely passing this message on, and don't know anything further, and neither do I own the rights to anything affiliated with the Joburg Theatre, or the Youth Development program in question.

For more information please visit the Joburg Theatre complex website: here

So you want to be famous, huh?

Everybody wants to be famous; even people who have no concept of the word 'talent', or what exactly it entails to be a public personality. Fame is a construct, built entirely around talented people, who serve as the building blocks of the greater structure. Being famous is about more than just showing up to glitzy events in designer apparel, and posing beautifully for the cameras. Fame is a way of life; it is life for some, especially the authentic creative geniuses who use fame, as passion metamorphosed into business.

Even though I am nowhere near the fame I so boldly speak of; growing up and always keeping my eye close to the entertainment industry, seeing the perks, as well as the pits of fame, being an ardent fame-chaser myself, grants me the audacity to type this blog, with more confidence than Madonna.

So here's an unofficial list of a few things you need to get in order, to make sure you reach fame, and ultimately renowned, and acclaim status:

- Make sure you have the right attitude, and a personality brighter than any summer's day, and also bolder than Helena Bonham Carter, could ever be.
-Ensure that you remain positive, and keep in touch with your abilities at all time.
-Try to stay focused on your goals, and work towards them, slowly, but never lag.
-Be patient.
-Accept rejection, even if it's the millionth time; rejection doesn't imply failure.
-Market, yet never exploit yourself.
-As much as you're selling yourself, never make the mistake of pushing anyone down, or neglecting to help others who want to be where you are.
-Be honest, and willing to make sacrifices.
-Reserve time to look for agents, audition notices, and castings, and never become despondent when there seems to be a lack in notices, just keep looking, and modifying your searches.
-Start a blog, website, and/ or Twitter page; use this to market and promote your talents, products, etc. Use these platforms to showcase your true, and most alluring personality traits, while also demonstrating true passion, and skill.
-Don't ever sell yourself short.
-The most important step is finding a casting agency/talent agency who may represent you, so that you are not considered an unsolicited performer; you have more credibility with a portfolio to your name, and an agency justifying your craft.
-Be aware of cheap, and fake agencies who only want your money, and are looking to exploit you.
-Starting with drama courses through well-known, and reputable drama, music, writing, and film academies, are a great way to gain skills, and experience in the field. Courses like these also help in the development of your attitude, and personality.
-Lastly, keep believing in yourself; stop dreaming, and go for the dream instead. Don't ever let your image, and appearance keep you from going for your goals, be ambitious, and make it more about what you do, and less of what you think people are going to see you as.

Hope my advice is able to help you.
If you are looking for any information regarding castings, casting agents/ agencies, and auditions, and competitions etc, please contact me, and I will, with great effort, endeavour to assist you.

SHAKE YOUR TITS, and poop GLITTER!!


Raeez

My Top Billing Dream

Hello, hello dicks and chicks!!

I have been keeping this under wraps for a while now, but I cannot hold it in any longer! Tomorrow I am heading off to the 2012 Top Billing Presenter search. For those of you who don't know; Top Billing is a local magazine-cum-lifestyle show, weekly, on SABC3 that covers a variety of different segments, such as home & living, lifestyle, fashion, sports, and a vast number of entertainment and media coverage. Top Billing's most notable symbol of course is the top hat, which is featured in every week's show; usually as part of weekly competitions. Many people call the show a slice of cake for the fashionable, and fabulous...and indeed it is.

Perhaps I do have what it takes to be the next Top Billing presenter; but winning isn't the only goal! I am trying to gain experience, meet interesting people, and most importantly, have a lot of fun! I do however believe that I have what it takes, and please don't equate me with those clowns on Idols, who are whole-heartedly convinced that they can sing and end up sounding like helium-filled bodies. I know what I'm doing, so wish me luck!

For anyone who would like to audition; it's simple:

1. Fill in a pre-registration form
2. Print out the form
3. Arrive on any audition day with the form, and the following items:
    - a recent photo of yourself
    - a copy of your ID (NOT the actual one)
    - print out the Terms & Conditions, sign it and take it along
    - and of course, the printed form.

Venue: Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Illovo, Johannesburg
Time: 9am to 5pm

Arrive early, and be prepared to stand in lengthy queues!

THIS COULD BE THAT BIG BREAK!

Basically you need to prepare a link about yourself; demonstrating your personality, as if you were the host presenter. The link is meant to show of your presenter skills, and the facets of your personality, which I suppose will count towards a decision.



Source: topbilling.com