Kyle of South Park.

MTV Networks Africa has just revealed that Comedy Central is launching in South Africa and other parts of the Sub-Sahara. Read the press released below:

MTV Networks Africa (MTVNA), a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), will expand its portfolio of brands in sub-Saharan Africa with the launch of Comedy Central via MultiChoice’s DStv platform. The deal was announced today by Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa and Aletta Alberts, General Manager Content for MultiChoice.

Launching on 6 December 2011, Comedy Central will be a bespoke 24-hour English language comedy channel reaching viewers in 47 territories in sub-Saharan Africa. Offering groundbreaking comedy from Comedy Central’s award-winning programming slate, the channel will include global hit franchises such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report and brand new episodes of South Park.

Funny, innovative, surprising and smart, Comedy Central will be overflowing with non-stop, provocative comedy content including stand-up and sketch comedy, satire, offbeat comedy TV series, classic comedy sitcoms and comedy specials.

Commented Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa, “We are delighted to bring humour, smiles and laughter to viewers by adding Comedy Central to our existing portfolio of brands targeting kids and youth. Comedy Central enables us to deliver innovative content to adults while also offering a one-stop shop for clients targeting viewers from 4 to 40-plus. There is a huge appetite for quality comedy content on the continent and Comedy Central is set to serve a menu of side-splitting entertainment that will help viewers to see the funny side of life.”

“DStv is all about big entertainment and Comedy Central is a good fit for our platform,” said Aletta Alberts. “Our DStv Premium subscribers across South Africa and the rest of Africa will undoubtedly enjoy the unique combination of world-class comedy, mixed with local flavour.”

Comedy Central will be available to DStv Premium subscribers on DStv channel 122. The channel will kick off on 6 December 2011 at 19:30 CAT, commencing with a one-hour special from US stand-up comedian Jeff Dunham, followed by Comedy Central’s global hit The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen and two brand new episodes of South Park.

For further information about Comedy Central in Africa, please go to www.comedycentralafrica.com.

The cast of The Daily Show.

I know a lot of my friends who will be spending hours in front of their television sets come Tuesday. DStv is really are on a mission. They recently launched Studio Universal, Disney XD, TLC nnd Discovery ID. And now Comedy Central?!

Photo Credit: meggitymegs.wordpress.com

Ladysmith Black Mambazo‘s Grammy history began in 1988 when they were nominated for their Shaka Zulu album and went on to win their first ever gong. Since then, they have featured on the coveted list fifteen times. This time around, they are going for their fourth Grammy, with the nomination of their Songs From A Zulu Farm album, in the Best World Music Album category.

Our pride in Black Mambazo continues to grow deeper and deeper as they keep putting us on the global map with their indigenous, rich sound. Also placing our continent in the spolight, and nominated against Black Mambazo are other African heavyweights, including Nigeria‘s Femi Kuti and Malian band Tinariwen. By the way, Tinariwen are no strangers to the Grammy‘s themselves, having recently been part of Herbie Hancock‘s Grammy-winning Imagine Project last year.

Other highlights at next year’s awards, as mentioned above, include Kanye West, leading with a whopping seven nods. What I found interestingly confusing is that even though he has been nominated for most of the general categories, he failed to garner the Album Of The Year nomination.

Hot on Kanye’s heels are Adele, Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars, with six nods apiece. Lil Wayne, who is headed for South Africa for a series of concerts this December, is nominated for five Grammy‘s, while his label mates Drake, and Niki Minaj are nominated for four Grammy‘s each.

Some of my other favourites include Kelly Price who appears on the list three times, two of those with Mint Condition‘s Stokley Williams for their collaboration on the song Not My Daddy, off Mint Condition‘s aptly titled album, 7.

Also noteworthy and interesting is the nomination of former Destiny’s Child members Beyonce and Kelly Rowland in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category. Beyonce is contesting for her retro party anthem named…err…Party, with Andre 3000; and Kelly for her sexually charged Lil Wayne-featured Motivation.

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place at Staples Center in Los Angeles on the 12th of February 2012.

To see the full nominees list, go to Grammy.com.

Photo courtesy of Young Money Entertainment.

The enormous demand for Lil Wayne concert tickets at the Wavehouse, Durban on 11 December 2011 has led to local promoter, Canoc Productions and media partner Channel O announcing an additional concert at the Wavehouse, Umhlanga on Monday, 12 December 2011. Tickets now on sale at Computicket.

The popularity of Lil Wayne, the world’s number one hip hop artist is unsurpassed across the globe with fans flocking to see this phenomenal musician and lyricist perform live on stage. His popularity extends throughout South Africa and the reaction by local fans to next month’s “I Am Still Music” tour to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban is no exception. Earlier this week an extra Johannesburg show was added, followed by today’s announcement of an extra concert to accommodate Durban fans.

Both Durban shows feature the hottest hip hop line up featuring Lil Wayne and the Young Money crew with Corey Gunz, Gudda Gudda, Mack Maine, Shannel, T-Streets and Jae Millz.

The Lil Wayne “I Am Still Music Tour” begins at the Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town on Wednesday, 7th December 2011 followed by two concerts at the Coca Cola Dome, Johannesburg on 09th and 10th December and ending at the Wavehouse in Durban with two concerts on 11th and 12th December 2011. All shows commence at 20h00.

You can’t miss the hottest hip-hop line up ever staged in South Africa. Book at Computicket by calling 0861 915 8000, visit www.computicket.com or visit your nearest Computicket outlet. For more information visit www.lilwaynesatour.co.za or follow Lil Wayne on Twitter @LilWayneSAtour.

TOUR ITINERARY

Cape Town

Venue: Bellville Velodrome
Date: Wednesday, 7 December 2011, 20h00
Ticket prices: R 350, R 600

Johannesburg

Venue: Coca-Cola Dome
Dates: Friday, 9 December 2011 and Saturday, 10 December, 20h00
Ticket prices: R 400, R 600, R 750

Durban

Venue: Wavehouse, Gateway
Dates: Sunday, 11 December & Monday, 12 December 2011, 20h00
Ticket prices: R 400 and R 750

Tickets available from Computicket, 0861 915 8000.

Black Coffee representing South Africa

For the first time, a World Wide Act category has been added. This new category seeks to acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of the music that MTV plays. Fans from all over the world will be able to vote for their favourite artists/group withing five different regions (Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Africa/India/Middle East and Europe). The nominee from each category with the highest number of votes will be announced on the 24th October. They will then battle for the World Wide Act prize which will be announced at the ceremony in Belfast in November.

It is with great delight and pride to announce that South Africa has been put on the map with the nomination of Black Coffee. The other African artists who have received nods in the Africa/India/Middle East region are Fally Ipupa, Cabo Snoop and Wiz Kid.

Fally Ipupa doing it for Congo

Below is the full nomination list for 2011 MTV EMA:

Here is the list of nominees for the “2011 MTV EMA”:

Cabo Snoop will be flying the flag for Angola

You can start voting now by visiting www.mtvema.com. Please my fellow Africans, MTV have played their part. It’s time to play ours and get one of ours at the top of our region. As for the other nominations there are some notably tight contests, like the Best Male, Best Rock and Best Push.

The 18th annual MTV EMA will take place on the 06th of November 2011 at Belfast’s Odyssey Arena. The awards ceremony will be aired on both MTV (DStv 321) and MTVBase (DStv 322). Again, get voting now!

Well done and good luck to our African shining stars!

Wiz Kid carrying Nigeria's hopes

Afrotainment Family of Channels and Museke Inc. recently announced that Western Union has come to the party as one of the sponsors. Just less than a week before it all goes down at the Afrotainment studios, they have revealed that Rwandan-born Iyadede will join melodic Viviane Ndour of Senegal, Ghana’s own highly acclaimed wordsmith Blitz The Ambassador, Afropean sisters Les Nubians and the increasingly popular Congolese star Fally Ipupa will all be providing a soundtrack to the evening of what they dub Afroglam.

With these news, they have also made it known that legendary Benin singer Angelique Kidjo will receive the Lifetime Achievement award for her role as an inspiration to African musicians. Museke Inc’s Tumi Diseko enthused, “We’ve put in a lot of work to make sure this dream becomes a reality. Museke Inc is run by the African Music Fan. Together with Afrotainment, we’ve put together a show featuring some of the best talents to come out of the continent over the last two or three years. This awards platform has been used to acknowledge and publicly appreciate the talent nurtured on our continent”.

Eric Noue from Afrotainment uttered, “The entire Afrotainment team are excited about this opportunity to showcase some of the the Best in African music which they are used to seeing on the Afrotainment Music channel on a daily basis and now the rest of the country can experience it in a Live Televised and streamed performance that is a premiere in North America.”

Both these organisations take pride in spearheading a celebration of African creativity with this event. This certainly promises to be a party note, what with Washington DC-based dance group Les Belles D’Afrique providing their innovative and energetic choreography for the night.

I wish I could be there. But if you are in that part of the world, Afrotainment Museke Online African Music Awards will take place at Afrotainment’s New York studios on Saturday, September 24 and they will broadcast live to on the Afrotainment channels 751 and 667 on the Dish Network in the US. Unfortunately the voting lines closed yesterday, but you can still check out which of your favourite African artists walk away with the gongs online from the awards.afrotainment.us and www.moamas.com websites.

Rahsaan performing during Joy Of Jazz last year.

What I wanted to say is that Rahsaan Patterson has named his next album, before thee new one is even released. A few weeks before dropping his highly-anticipated project, Bluephoria, the man who sizzled at the Joy Of Jazz Festival in South Africa last year has announced on Twitter how much he can’t wait to work on his next project. He tweeted, “I can’t wait to immerse myself in the recording of my next album….’7th Heaven.’” And what an apt title it is, for it is his 7th album after all.

The man who has a vocal range like no other announced this towards the end of June, just few weeks before releasing Bluephoria, the follow up to his 2008 Christmas offering The Ultimate Gift; which in turn followed the underrated, but equally brilliant Wines And Spirits. Bluephoria hits shelves on the 15th of July internationally, and domestically, in the U.S., on the July 19.

Now, I’ve been listening to Bluephoria since I landed my hands on a copy. The first time I listened to it some months back, I instantaneously fell in love with a song called Crazy, which features powerhouse singers Faith Evans and Shanice Wilson. Upon listening to more of the album, more songs crept into my list of favourites. These include the stirring Miss You and haunting Goodbye. Both these songs have come to occupy a special place in my heart, not only because of how beautifully written and sung they are, but because the lyrics speak to me in a profound way. Also, these two songs showcase Rahsaan‘s extensive vocal range.

Another gem that took a life of its own as one that gnaws on my mind every time after listening to Bluephoria is the gospel-tinged Mountain Top, featuring gospel veteran Andre Crouch. And then the chorus parts of Insomnia are so infectious they are bound to make you start dancing or hollering, or whatever one does when they’ve been possessed by musical spirits.

Bluephoria is a gem of an album, just like each and every album of his has turned out to be. What I commend even more about Rahsaan is that every effort is different to the last, so you are guaranteed his growth, personally and musically, in your listening pleasure. He is truly a magnanimous talent. If you are not hip to his music, it’s not too late to get acquainted and ultimately familiar with his powerful voice and soulful sound.

Don’t forget, Bluephoria hits music stores on the 15th of July.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Touch is created by Tim Kring, who is the mastermind behind the supernatural series heroes. The plot of the television series will follow Sutherland as a father who comes to realize his autistic son (David Mazouz) is communicating with him using a complicated numeric system. As time moves on, the realisation that the son may also be able to predict the future becomes apparent.

Which character will Mbatha-Raw will portray, you may ask. She is set to play a social worker who is evaluating the conditions between the father and son duo. It is also reported that legendary actor Danny Glover will play a part of the son’s professor who features extensively in the series.

Many may remember Mbatha-Raw‘s female lead role alongside Boris Kodjoe on JJ Abrahams‘ Undercovers. I was so excited when I learnt about the news last year. Unfortunately, the show was canned just after one season, which seems to be an inevitable curse with many shows lately. She was even nominated for a few awards for her role in the spy drama, including an NAACP Image Award earlier this year.

Mbatha-Raw can also be seen in the upcoming Larry Crowne, with Tom Hanks. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing more of this beauty and talent.

Photo credit: rawpoptower.com

To be eligible for entry, music that was released and received airplay beginning anytime from 1 January 2010 to 1 January 2011 must be submitted. Once again, the voter’s academy will comprise of influential and respected industry figureheads, including DJs.

All MOAMAs categories are open to African artists based on the continent as well as those in the diaspora. Artists may be nominated through the “nominate” link on awards.museke.com. “The Museke Online Africa Music Awards is a chance for the African artist to shine beyond borders, a chance to win more fans. This initiative acknowledges both the fans’ and the artists’ roles in ensuring the continued evolution of the African music industry”, said Tumi Diseko, Museke’s Chief Marketing Officer.

It seems the Museke.com brand is continuing to grow and gain more popularity; leading to more opportunities. It is reported that Museke.com is currently in talks for a long-term exciting and dynamic partnership with another entity, to be announced at a later date.

Now, for the general public, there is now what is called the Voter’s Choice Award.

In the end, the winners of the awards are judged from votes – the fans are the true judges in the Museke Online Africa Music Awards. To further empower the African music fan, Museke has decided to introduce the Voter’s Choice Award, a category which is dedicated to acknowledging the work of lesser known artists that are discovered during the MOAMAs nomination and subsequent voting period.

Diseko went on to say, “Museke.com was started by and continues to be run by fans of African music who are dedicated to discovering new and emerging genres as well as rediscovering older genres. We are proud that the work we do at Museke has inspired so many fans to look beyond their own borders and traditional tastes, and the introduction of the Voter’s Choice Award is an acknowledgement of the African music fan.”

This sounds really exciting. This is a great platform for African music to enjoy equal space on the global music market. The initiative will only help in promoting our own sounds, in turn stamping our presence as global competitors. I can’t wait to see who makes it to the nominees list. And of course, who emerges the winners come September.

Soweto Gospel Choir. (Photo credit: Lorenzo di Nozzi)

The award they won in New York on Monday night was in the Outstanding Music Composition/Direction/Lyrics category at the Annual Sports Emmy Awards presented for the 32nd year by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

ESPN’s unprecedented commitment of resources to an event, for the month-long FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa, was rewarded with three Sports Emmy Awards, including recognition of the outstanding Soweto Gospel Choir and U2 collaboration. “We are proud to be associated with ESPN and U2 for their magnificent 2010 FIFA World Cup television campaign,” said Beverly Bryer, the Choir’s Executive Producer/Director.

In their 8 years of existence, Soweto Gospel Choir has clinched numerous national and international awards. “It’s really exciting to add an Emmy to the Choir’s three SAMA Awards, two Grammy Awards, three associated Grammy Awards and an Oscar nomination,” added Beverly Bryer.

Well done and congratulations to Soweto Gospel Choir for putting Mzantsi on the international map, once again. We are very proud of their achievements. And we wish them all the best for the future.

Kenneth Nkosi and Sdumo Mtshali

The first introductory episode will be aired on SABC 1 this coming Saturday, 23 April. In celebration of all the hard work that has gone into kicking off another explosive season of the reality talent search competition, Metro FM, Amstel and SABC 1 are hosting the exclusive Metro FM Experience with Adil amplified by Amstel party.

They have extended the invite to a few of our readers. Therefore, we have 2 double tickets for 2 couples to attend the kick-off party that will be held on Friday, 29 April at The Bank.

Word has it that the newly-revealed Playboy‘s May Playmate and Cover girl will be in attendance. To rub shoulders with her and other personalities, mostly in the acting fraternity, answer the following few questions:

Send your answers to khetha@yeahbo.net. Please also attach the following details with your answers:

This promises to be a hot party, so keep the entries coming if you want to be part of the heat this winter. Please note that this competition is only for those who live or are in Jo’burg and surroundings, and will be able to attend the party. All the best!