Allow us to introduce to you the Live to Give (LTG) foundation. It was started by media and TV personality Nina Zani at the end of January 2010 in response to the glaring inequality present in our society. Live to Give has a mission to help in areas where there is need, and these of course are plenty.

Disadvantaged families and children in South Africa as well as World aid are a few of the causes to which LTG dedicates its efforts. The recent tragedy in Haiti really emphasized how the world is being destroyed and it made our everyday problems seem so far away and not even close to what is happening around us.

Live to Give is dedicated to social upliftment, to helping the least privileged among us approach the standard of living that the rest of us so often take for granted.

Drawing on our skills, networks and resources, we aim to raise awareness about poverty and hardship among those sectors of the community that have the power to help, while at the same time channeling these resources into feasible, effective projects.

Our first fundraiser took place on the 6th of March in aid of efforts to help the people of Haiti after their recent earthquake. LTG has teamed up with the haitirelieffund.org.
Our pledge to HRO was 1000 blankets and 100 tents; which we plan to send by the end of March.

LTG is currently preparing for out Easter Hamper project through which we plan to distribute 1000 food hampers to poor families. We still require help from the corporate sector, Schools and individuals to make small contributions of any kind in order to make these successful projects.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
BLANKETS, SLEEPING BAGS AND TENTS ARE WHAT WE NEED. IF YOU ARE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE ONE OF THE ABOVE ITEMS OR WISH TO DONATE R35 TOWARDS A BLANKET PURCHASE, THEN YOU MAY DO SO IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TWO MANNERS:

1.    Contact Nina@livetogive.co.za or Kate@livetogive.co.za
2.    Donations  for a blanket purchase can be done via bank transfer to :
•    Acc Name: Live to Give / Account No: 19564735561 / Br code: 195605
•    Swift code: NEDSZAJJ

Three lucky bloggers will each receive Luxury 4 Less vouchers to the value of R1000 for South Africa’s first and only VIP Shopping Club

Premium Brands + Bargain Hunting + Special Treatment =Luxury4Less is here – for YOU!

You are cordially invited to become a prestige member of SA’s first and only VIP Shopping Club

A windfall for the discerning shopper who seeks out quality and style, even in a recession.

You might already have heard whisperings about them, South Africa’s first and only Private Shopping Club, Luxury4Less?!. They have graced the pages of GQ, FHM, Garden and Home, Glamour Magazine, Sunday Times and Business Report and a few others. They have also been on radio and TV (Highveld Stereo, CNBC Africa and Classic FM) – all over the country, people in the know are talking about the new star in South African eCommerce, Luxury4Less, forking out premium brands to its exclusive member base at discounts that are hard to believe.

“Premium brands”, include high-desire international labels like Baby Phat, Fendi, Carolina Herrera, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Superga, British Knights, Apple, Sony, Rolex, Swatch and many, many more….

HOW TO JOIN AND HOW TO WIN

To win one of five R1000 Luxury4Less vouchers simply send an email to dudes@afrigator.com telling us that you’d like to get R1000. The only requirement to entering is that you have to spend your Luxury4 Less vouchers within 14 days from receiving them and then write a blog post about how you spent your R1000 voucher.
More great news!
Every blogger that registers as a member of Luxury4Less will receive R100 free voucher as a welcome gift.
How to register:
*Log onto www.luxury4less.co.za *Click on the ‘Become a member’ text link
*Enter your e-mail address and the following promo code: afrigator@luxury4less.co.za

The competition ends on the 31st March 2009, so register quickly.
This competition is only open to residents of South Africa.

MEDIA

For more information:
Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau  012-431-4217/ 079-111-8280/  trudeauek@state.gov

Presented by Old Mutual for the third year running, the cross-country tour will take in the major centres between April and August 2010. This unmissable musical treat will feature the three founder members, a six-piece band and 35 cast members – all united in uplifting, stirring, soul-nourishing song. But that’s not all: as part of Joyous Celebration’s ongoing drive to uncover new talent, aspiring gospel singers have the chance to show what they’re made of, with a view to possibly joining the group in 2011.

The Old Mutual Joyous Celebration tour kicks off with performances at the South African State Theatre in Pretoria from 1 to 4 April 2010. The choir then moves to Cape Town for a concert at His People Centre on 1 May, then Mmabatho Convention Centre in Mafikeng on 5 June.

Next stop on the tour is Durban, where the Joyous concert takes place on 31 July, at the ICC. The tour winds up with a performance at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Missionvale Campus in Port Elizabeth on 7 August. As Jabu Hlongwane, who founded Joyous Celebration 14 years ago with Lindelani Mkhize and Mthunzi Namba, explains ”the theme of this year’s concerts is ‘moving people towards worship without losing the normal Joyous feel” – and audiences can expect to experience the outfit’s original music together with traditional favourites, laced with different languages and rhythms.

For those who wish to join in and sing along during the show, song books will be on sale at the concerts because, as Hlongwane points out, “singalong is at the core of what we do – there is no Joyous without singalong!” Joyous Celebration’s membership is fluid, changing at least once every two years – it is not so much a group as it is a concept or project to groom singers to enter the music industry independently.

“Our tradition has always been to look for new talent and develop and nurture it on the country’s biggest gospel music platform – that’s at the heart of what Joyous is all about,” says Hlongwane. “People see Joyous on TV or DVD and have the idea that it’s a glamorous life, but when they join us they learn that you need to put in a lot of hard work to be successful,” relates Hlongwane. “They emerge as well-rounded, multidimensional, versatile artists who can go back to their communities with their skills, and they become quite desirable to other productions or artists as musical directors and backing singers, or even start their own music-based projects.”

The auditions will take place from 9am to 3pm on the day before each concert, with a passionate, standout singer from the auditions possibly being co-opted into the following day’s show. Members of the public who would like to audition should log onto www.joyous.co.za for more details, or can head along to the venue on the day of the auditions and fill in an application form. Booking for the Old Mutual Joyous Celebration concerts is open at Computicket, with tickets ranging from R150 to R300 in price.

Leading South African contemporary integrated dance initiative, the award-winning Remix Dance Company, celebrates its 10th anniversary and its new home at the Baxter Theatre Centre with five performances only of a brand new production, Lovaffair, from March 30 until April 3 at 8pm.

This has been made possible through the generous investment of philanthropic international businessman, Roger Jungblut, CEO of Youngblood Culture Development Pty Ltd, better known as Youngblood.

The five-member, full-time company comprises Malcolm Black, Lee-anne Meyer, Nadine Mckenzie, Andile Vellem and Marlin Zoutman. They are joined by actor, director and composer Bongile Mantsai and 2008 Fleur du Cap Best Actress winner Chuma Sopotela. Ina Wichterich-Mogane is the company dance teacher and the director of Lovaffair, with Nadine Mckenzie as the assistant to the director, and choreography is by the company.

Twenty-year-old Mckenzie, who is a performer using a wheelchair, has been crucial to the creation of Lovaffair and was due to perform in the new work but instead has had to withdraw due to surgery.

The company was founded and directed in 2000 by Nicola Visser and was only formalised as Remix Dance Project Trust in August 2001 with Malcolm Black. The aim was to bring together more and more differently-abled performers onto South African stages and to develop integrated dance locally.

“It is always a challenge to work with any group and try to get the best out of myself and the dancers,” says Wichterich-Mogane, who has worked with the company before. In 2008 she directed and choreographed the highly acclaimed BeautyFull, which was staged again last year in collaboration with Artscape and Jazzart.

She continues, “My approach is to walk into a rehearsal room without preconceived ideas, so when I start working I am able to do so afresh, allowing me the space to enhance and highlight what is really already there. There are some things which are best said with words and others with movement and gestures. Trying to find it is the hard part. It is both beautiful and scary. This is the journey of Lovaffair.”

This year the Remix Dance Company celebrates a decade of groundbreaking work and this latest production is no exception. The production combines differently-abled dancers as well as actors and gives further meaning and expression to the term integrated dance. Artistic Director Malcolm Black explains, “Firstly the cast is so diverse, then there is diversity of bodies and styles and then we have two actors joining us. We are used to diversity but in this regard where we combine dance and drama we have less experience. So it is equally exciting and challenging.”

Sopotela and Mantsai, both cast members of the multiple award-winning Karoo Moose and Aardklop Best Actor award-winners for their performances, have been brought on board to give the production another dimension.

A further innovation is that the backstage area of the Baxter’s Theatre will be converted into a performance space called Flipside, using scaffolding to create a 216-seater venue specifically for this production.

Remix explores and develops dance which values the honesty and integrity of the body. Emphasis is placed on a body-centred technical training which also listens, at a deep level, to what each body is saying as it moves; the story of the person who is moving and the stories of the society in which it is moving. It recognises that each person’s body holds their personal as well as their social history. This is the starting point for all education and performance work: the body: all bodies.

In 2002 the company won the prestigious Arts and Culture Trust Award for the Cultural Development Project of the Year in recognition of its work in education and performance. In 2006 the company won the Western Cape Cultural Commission Award for its Outstanding Contribution to Disability and the Arts.

As the first and one of the longest-standing integrated dance company in the country, Remix seeks, through its work, to simultaneously entertain, educate and challenge attitudes and policies in the human rights area with programmes of solid artistic integrity and excellence. In particular, social and cultural attitudes towards dance, gender and disability within the dance sector are tackled. Great emphasis is placed on audience development in the disabled communities where transport is difficult and where a culture of watching theatre and dance should still be developed in all South African sectors. Remix continues to pioneer innovative productions and collaborations.

Lovaffair previews at Flipside at the Baxter on Tuesday, 30 March, opens Wednesday 31 March and runs for five performances only until Easter Saturday, 3 April at 8pm. There is a matinee on the Saturday at 2pm. Booking is through Computicket on 083 915 8000, online at www.computicket.co.za or at any Shoprite Checkers outlet countrywide. For discounted block, schools or corporate bookings, charities and fundraisers, contact Sharon on 021 680 3962 or Carmen on 021 680 3993 during office hours. Ticket prices range from R50 (for preview and opening) to R95 (Thursday and Saturday).

Phoenix, who has already shared the screen with Nicholas Cage & Jared Leto (Lord of War) and Wesley Snipes (Gallowwalker), landed the role of the school’s sexy music teacher Eve, who shares some intimate moments with Crazy 8 member Rambo. Having signed up with ICE Model Management at just 15, Tanit’s stunning looks have landed her campaigns and photo shoots in Paris, London, Amsterdam, New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Her first screen role came in 2004’s Charlie Jade, before she hit the big screen in local film Crazy Monkey: Straight Outta Benoni. The South African edition of FHM named her on it’s 100 Sexiest Women list. Tanit has also frequently appeared on the covers of FHM, Cosmopolitan, Shape, GQ, Marie Claire and Maxim magazines worldwide. More than 20 of the commercials she has appeared in are international, including a Volvic commercial, in which she pole danced for a group of prehistoric men, her Aqua Minerale commercial playing a Nordic warrior, as well as a visually-stunning Transitions eyeglasses commercial that showed off the flora and fauna of her native South Africa.

Charlbi Dean Kriek will play one of Spud’s love interests, the feisty Amanda. Fascinated with acting from a young age, Charlbi enrolled in Cape Town’s Waterfront Theatre School to follow her dream. Spotted by a model scout at around the same time as her acting training began, and offered the opportunity to head to Tokyo to model aged just 14, Charlbi put acting on hold and pursued a career in the world’s fashion pages. Having spent three years jetting between New York, Paris, Milan and London, she rediscovered her passion for acting and enrolled at The Screen Actors’ Studio in 2007. A serious car accident in 2008 put her modeling and acting career on hold and gave her time to consider her future while she recovered. Charlbi decided that her future lay in acting and Spud: The Movie is her first big feature film. Both Charlbi and Tanit are signed to Cape Town-based Steffi Freier Talent, the acting division of ICE Models.

Rising star Alex McGregor already has an impressive acting resume, encompassing work on stage and screen in TV series, movies and commercials. Having decided that she wasn’t right for the part of Amanda and too young to play Eve, Spud producers Brad Logan and Ross Garland knew they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have this talented young model and actress play a part in Spud and offered her the role of man-eating tomboy Christine. The multi-talented Capetonian, part of the McGregor clan which includes superstar models Kerry and Tracy, also models, acts, sings, dances and plays the piano.

About the Novel & Film:

Spud is set in South Africa in 1990 and chronicles John “Spud” Milton’s first year at an elite, boys-only private school. Cursed with parents from well beyond the lunatic fringe, a senile granny, and a dormitory full of strange characters, Spud has to forge a new life for himself in this foreign and sometimes hostile environment. Surrounded by names such as Gecko, Rambo, Rain Man and Mad Dog, Spud takes his first tentative steps along the path towards manhood. (The path, it seems, could be a rather long road.) Armed with only his wits and his diary, Spud takes us from illegal nightswimming to the cricket field, from ghostbusting to teacher baiting. He also invites us into the mind of a boy struggling to come to terms with a strange new world; a boy whose eyes are being opened to love, friendship and complete insanity.

Spud: The Movie is produced by Rogue Star Films and BLM Productions

Top clothing designers, hottest ramp models, luxury brand sponsors and South Africa’s elite will be gathering at 8 Bree and The Butterfly Studio – Cape Town
for an evening of high fashion, art, complimentary drinks, delicious canape’s, massive goody bags filled with amazing gifts,
designer sunglasses and luxury accommodation give-aways.

SA’s most in demand DJ’s Dean FUEL and the Digital Divas will be taking us into the afterparty for an evening you wont forget.
Date –  8 April 2010
Venue – 8 Bree street, Cape Town
Arrival Time – 6:30pm
Show time – 8:30pm
Afterparty – 10:00 till 2:30

Tickets Prices – R195 through WEBTICKETS or R220 at the door

For more information click here.

Date: 16th March 2010
Time: 20h00 (doors open), comedy starts at 21h15
Entrance: R30
Venue: Purple Turtle
Address: Cnr. Shortmarket and Long Street, Cape Town, South Africa

The Purple Turtle and Mumz The Word presents Funny Bones – regular Tuesday night comedy. Every Tuesday will feature some of SA’s best comedians both established and up-n-coming. The show has already featured the likes of Martin Davis (UK), Paul Snodgrass (ETV), Melt Sieberhagen (District 9), Hannes Brummer (Kompleks), Ndumiso Lindi, Brent Palmer, Shimmy Isaacs and Dylan Skews. On Tuesday 16th March 2010 Funny Bones 5th show would like to showcase some of South Africa’s best comedians who may have met with unfortunate accidents in their life time.

The headliner for the evening will be Martin Evans who Funny.co.uk describes as: “a simple act to quantify; he’s a funny guy. With so many comedians trying so many different techniques to keep an audience attentive, to give themselves a boost of confidence or an element of originality, it’s sometimes more novel and refreshing to find someone who is – well – seemingly just themselves; a comedian who isn’t playing a part or being a character but concentrating more on simply being funny.” He is currently recovering from a very serious bike accident. He is a firm believer in the idea that laughter is the best medicine.

The funny, sassy and very witty Tracy Klass will be hosting the evening and she will be hosting Richard Deacon (previously a producer on 5fm and actor on SABC Learning Channel’s Study Slam) who recently had an accident that has forced him to have to be operated on along with Mum-z (previous TV presenter, TV actor, theatre actor, script writer and now one of South Africa’s best up and coming comedians) who will share his experiences from his accident in his 2008 car accident. With so many accident prone comedians on stage, it is for that reason that this evening is aptly  themed “Accidental Humour”.

Entrance for the evening is R30, which is extremely affordable for anyone who loves comedy or has never seen local comedy live. All bookings must be made through Mamello “Mum-z” Mokoena on talk2me@mumz-the-word.com or 076 801 2113

ABOUT MUM-Z

Born in Diepkloof Soweto, but raised in Sandton, Mum-z has a style of comedy that can be universally appreciated. His vivid imagination and uncanny story telling ability, combined with his unique use of accents and facial expressions has allowed him to provide audiences with a unique and original style of comedy, drawing most of his content from his personal experiences. His career starting with presenting on the SABC 2 teenage continuity programme ‘Kidz Can’ in 1997, he then delved in script writing where he co-wrote the 2003 Best Original Script at the Wits Raps Drama Festival. At UCT he was the 2004 UCT Radio Freestyle champion (undefeated) and in 2007 he was the Yfm Comedy Battle Champion (undefeated).

His love for theatre allowed him to perform in many productions including his recent performance as Demetrius in the Shakespeare Classic ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival 2007 and he acted in the Learning Channel educational programme ‘Study Slams’. His vast experience in the entertainment industry allowed for him to successful join the comedy scene, performing all over Gauteng and at the 2007 Matric Rage (in Umhlanga). His recent performance at ‘Blacks Only: Border Patrol’ has introduced him to the public as a young up-coming comedian who entertains and connects with his audiences on a very original and fresh manner.

Mum-z has performed all over the country including comedy festivals such as “Blacks Only”, “The 94.7 Heavyweight Comedy Jam”, “KFM Heavyweight Comedy”, “Arts Alive”, “Rocking The Daisies”, “Durban Matric Rage Festival” and the “Soweto Comedy Festival”. He has relocated to Cape Town to spread his comedy influence and broaden his fan base. He also has a comedy blog www.mumz-the-word.com which he treats as his comedy playground.

‘We tend to forget and look the other direction and become selfish in our own right, but giving because we want to, and have a love for giving because you care; makes all the difference in the world. And it is not about giving money, it is about giving to help.’ Nina Zani – Founder, Live to Give.

Annie van der Nest & Nina Zani

Despite the sweltering heat, artist and socialites took to the red carpet and were interviewed and filmed; Kitty Spencer was well dressed to the occasion and looked glamorous as ever. Performances from the Dane Taylor Trio, Justin Bergh, Chad Saaiman as well as Lu Chase – our very own Beyonce were well received, with many up and coming artist like Zee Q and Lifeasadj getting the party started.

Behind the bar, Christina Storm, Sergio Marques and actress Amalia Uys from the well known soapie 7-de Laan, made sure all the guest were well looked after, drenching their thirst with cold served beverages. The event was intimate and the venue perfect for such an occasion with amazing décor, perfect setting  and great prizes sponsored by brands like Pussy Energy drinks, Vida E coffee, Quatro Uno Bistro and the new 15 on Orange Boutique hotel.

A lot of hard work is still ahead for Live to Give as they still need to put together a package of 1000 blankets and 100 tents to send to haitirelieffund.org, as well as 1000 food hampers for their own Western Cape Easter project. It is a big challenge, but nothing will stop  LTG achieving what they set out to do.

Lex Orbit (Music Producer), Mum-z (Comedian), Daniela Tarnutzer (Model), Nina Delnon and Hannes Prinsloo

This unique new collaboration between Ster-Kinekor and AFDA (African Film & Dramatic Arts) rewarded 4th year and honours students at prestigious awards ceremonies in Johannesburg and Cape Town for the commercials they produced for Ster-Kinekor’s flagship CSI project, Vision Mission.

AFDA students were briefed, as part of their practical film studies, to produce commercials for Vision Mission – with the core copy brief: “700 000 kids in South Africa suffer from degenerating sight. Donate R2.50 to Vision Mission when buying your movie tickets at Ster-Kinekor”. Four of these student-produced commercials were selected as finalists and screened at the events last night – with “Flying Glasses” being chosen as the winner.

“We are very excited about this collaboration between Ster-Kinekor Theatres, our CSI project Vision Mission and AFDA; we basically offered AFDA students a practical internship of sorts – to create a real commercial for a real client. Apart from accepting the winning commercial as our new PSA for Vision Mission and giving it a screening platform via our cinemas nationwide, we are also considering screening the three runners-up at a later stage. The plan is to extend this partnership with AFDA even further, with Ster-Kinekor offering support in developing, unearthing & showcasing new filmmaking talent on our big screens,” explains Michael Bender, Ster-Kinekor Group Marketing Exec.

Below follow crew details (all AFDA students) for the four Vision Mission commercials:

WINNER
Flying Glasses (Cape Town) 
Wicus Labushagne (Director)
Saskia Schiel
Franco Jooste
Jessica Visser

RUNNER-UP
Tra La La: (Johannesburg) 
Jacque Visagie (Director)
Tapiwa Chipfupa (Producer)
Motheo Moeng (Cine)
Jackie Lotz (PD)

RUNNER-UP
Satchmo (Johannesburg)
Lauren Adendorff (Director)
Bryce Bowers (Producer)
Sindisiwe Hirschowitz (Producer)
Jessica Kleinhans (Assistant Director)
Barry Buttress (Cine)
Maritza Boucher (Editor)
Mario Shaikallis (Sound)

RUNNER-UP
Hammer (Cape Town) 
William Nicholson (Director)
Steele Stride
Ziane Le Roux
Mariius Strydom
Sarah Faye Demunyk
Jade Harworth
Cait Pansegrouw
Pierre De Villiers
Ashlea Downes

“A new in-cinema promo for Vision Mission has been long overdue, and we are now proud to accept these new commercials, which are the result of this great collaboration between Ster-Kinekor Vision Mission and AFDA. Our main objectives were to communicate the work that Vision Mission does, as well as highlighting the public donation points in place at our cinemas. Sight is key to learning; about 80% of what children learn is assimilated through their eyes. Eyesight problems consequently affect school achievement, sporting ability and by implication, social integration, hence our desired end result is to eradicate some if not all of these challenges amongst those who cannot afford treatment,” explains Geraldine Engelman, CSI manager for Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

It is currently estimated that, of the 3 million learners in Grade 1, 2 and 3, one tenth have eye problems which, if left uncorrected, could lead to severe vision impairment in adulthood. If this has to be populated for 2009, approximately 735 000 learners suffer from refractive errors. This is about 2,5% of the current South African population. The majority of these conditions are correctable but the tragedy is that many children, especially those from underprivileged areas, have no access to affordable treatment.

Vision Mission operates throughout the year nationally. Some of the past successes achieved by Ster-Kinekor Vision Mission include:
·         The screening of over 54 000 disadvantaged learners since 2005 with the assistance of the ophthalmic nurses, in conjunction with the Departments of Health and Education;
·         Refracted about 30% of these learners;
·         Provided spectacles for about 5 000 learners;
·         Through the Self Service terminals at Ster-Kinekor cinemas almost R1 million per annum is raised, which is utilized for providing eye care to disadvantaged learners.

With the assistance and endorsement of the Departments of Health & Education, schools are identified in underprivileged areas. The ophthalmic nurses do the initial screening and optometrists conduct visual examinations in a controlled environment – i.e. a Ster-Kinekor cinema foyer, a local clinic, school or at optometrist practices. Prescriptions are documented, frames selected, then everything is sent to the lab for completion. The kids who need specs are returned to receive their prescription and can then watch a movie with clear vision.