City Cape Town Showbiz Latest News and Updates

A single mum with cancer given just months to live is desperate to spend her final days in her native South Africa.

The annual Cape Town Pride Parade took to the streets of the Mother City to celebrate the LGBTIQ+ community and the freedom to be our authentic selves.

Love Island bombshell Rosie Seabrook has given a glimpse into her stylish Buckinghamshire home. The 24-year-old industry placement advisor arrived in the villa last week and soon ruffled a few feathers by setting her sights on Casey O' Gorman, who soon dumped Claudia Fogarty to pursue a new romance. Outside of the show, Rosie has shared snippets of her glamorous holidays to bucket list locations on her Instagram.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Studiocanal will stage at the London TV Screenings the international premiere of “Spinners,” an eight-part extreme sports action drama set on the mean streets of Cape Town’s Southside, that is not just a series but a sign of an industry zeitgeist. As the competition for talent grows, there’s a building drive into emerging production hubs beyond the traditional powerhouse territories in Europe led by some of its most powerful players, here France’s Canal+, Studiocanal and Federation Studios, and some of its biggest TV events, such as Series Mania.  Produced by Joachim Landau and Raphaël Rocher at Federation Studios’ Empreinte Digitale, and co-created by Landau, “Spinners” is a co-production of South Africa’s Showmax, Africa’s biggest pan-continental SVOD service available in 65 countries, and Vivendi’s Canal+, rating as both a Showmax and Canal+ Original. 

Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer is leading a thriller for South African network M-Net.

The inaugural annual Salon Kewpie: The Legacy Ball in Cape Town, in collaboration with the District Six Museum and GALA Queer Archive, will honour the life of queer icon, Kewpie, who passed away in 2012.

Series 9 of the winter Love Island series kicked off back in Jan, with Maya Jama making her presenting debut in replacement of Laura Whitmore. So far, we’ve seen plenty of drama, including Islander Jessie going off-script during the Knowing Me, Knowing You task, and viewers calling out Movie Night after the episode was not what they expected - all while the contestants bask in the sunshine of their Cape Town villa. But for many eagle-eyed fans out there, there may have been something else (or someone else, should we say) you may have recognised from a previous stint on the show.

Naman Ramachandran The Backstreet Boys, who have a massive fan base in India, will be returning to the country after 13 years for two concerts. The band’s world tour began after the release of chart topping 2019 album “DNA,” featuring the hit “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” BookMyShow and Live Nation are bringing the tour to India. The band will play at Jio World Gardens, Mumbai on May 4 and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi on May 5. Prior to that the Backstreet Boys have performances lined up in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Hong Kong, Reykjavik and Cairo. After India, the tour carries on in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Jeddah, Tel Aviv, Cape Town and Pretoria.

The symbolic show of support for Cape Town Pride has been dubbed “disgraceful” by a religious group (Photo: Cape Town Pride/Facebook)

Following in the footsteps of comedy stars such as Stephen Fry and Richard Ayoade, this year’s BAFTA film awards will be hosted by Hollywood actor Richard E Grant and This Morning presenter Alison Hammond. Dressed to the nines for one night only, the charismatic duo will be joining forces as the reveal the winners of this year’s closely run awards race, to see who will get to take home of of the iconic BAFTA mask trophies.

A former teacher accused of abusing a pupil at an Edinburgh school by a Scots broadcaster has been arrested in South Africa. The man, who is known as “Edgar” for legal reasons, taught at both the Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College in the 1960s and 70s.

Love Island viewers were left less than impressed after a series of technical issues interrupted the Winter series premiere.

The Love Island launch show was left in crisis after 50mph winds descended on the South African villa.

The wait is finally over for Love Island fans - Winter Sun launches tonight!

Scots presenter Nicky Campbell believes the fight to bring a predatory former teacher to justice could soon take a step forward.

A spokersperson for the New York City Medical Examiner has unveiled cause of death for Charlbi Dean, the South African actress and model who starred in the Ruben Östlund-directed Triangle of Sadness. She passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in New York City on August 29, at age 32. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been defended amid criticism their new Netflix series allegedly used footage and photography in a misleading manner. Supporters of the couple allies of the couple say the clips “tell a story” and aren’t meant to be “literal”. Trailers for the show have seen Prince Harry, 38, claims he and his wife Meghan, duchess of Sussex, 41, suffered from leaks and planted stories and the royal saying he had to do everything in his power to “protect my family”.

Netflix’s hotly-anticipated Harry & Meghan doc series has already been causing controversy as UK media outlets pick apart its two trailers and find footage and photos have been used in misleading ways.

French powerhouse Federation Studios and its Empreinte Digitale are launching Federation MEAC, a production subsidiary devoted to the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean. Co-founding chairman Joachim Landau, who has produced documentaries, unscripted programs and series with Empreinte Digitale, will lead the new outfit.

José Lopez from Puerto Rico was crowned Mr Gay World 2022 at the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town on Saturday night.

She’s vaxxed, she’s waxed, and she has more attitude than ever. Bianca Del Rio, everyone’s favourite “queen of mean” is returning to Cape Town and Johannesburg this October with her new comedy tour, Unsanitized.

OUT LGBT Well-being and MambaOnline publish a monthly overview of violations of the rights of LGBTIQ+ people in South Africa. We also look at the status of cases making their way through the criminal justice system. Here is our summary for September 2022.

Delegates from around the world have started arriving in Cape Town as they prepare to compete for the coveted Mr Gay World 2022 title.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Kimiko Glenn (“Orange Is the New Black”) and H. Michael Croner (“Craig of the Creek”) have been cast as voice-over co-stars in Disney Branded Television’s upcoming animated series “Kiff,” which will premiere in 2023 on the Disney Channel. Scroll down for a first look at the series. Glenn will play Kiff, described as “an optimistic squirrel whose thirst for life takes her on countless adventures through her town.” Croner will voice Barry, a bunny that Disney calls Kiff’s “naive and lovable bestie.” South Africa-based creators Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal are behind “Kiff,” which was set to be unveilved, with casting news and teaser trailer, on Thursday at New York Comic-Con.

What a shocking crime… Hopefully some small measure of justice is coming?

Dame Prue Leith has recalled the horrific moment she drowned a bag of kittens with her mother as a child, dubbing the ordeal a “traumatic experience.” The Great British Bake Off judge detailed the incident in her memoir entitled, I’ll Try Anything Once, which takes a deep dive into Prue’s career from her immigration to the UK in the 1960s to opening her own cooking classes in the country’s capital. While the book is undoubtedly filled with funny tidbits and laughable moments, one particularly dark except has shocked fans so much they are flocking to social media to share their concern.The 82 year old judge, who grew up in South Africa, wrote: “'My mother and I, then 11, had just drowned some kittens… and for weeks I imagined those poor dead creatures.

EXCLUSIVE: Amy Jephta, who directed South Africa’s most recent International Film Oscar entry, Barakat, will be showrunning the drama series Hanover Street from EPs Lesley-Ann Brandt (Lucifer, Spartacus), Adrian Cunningham, and Revelations Entertainment’s Lori McCreary and Morgan Freeman.

Sam Smith has announced a pair of shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall next month, marking their first headline gigs since 2019.Although the British pop star has appeared at numerous festivals and promotional events since 2019, their last tour concluded in Cape Town in April of that year.Smith will perform at the iconic London venue on October 21 and 22, with a setlist featuring some of their biggest hits and previewing material from their forthcoming new album. Fans can gain access to a special ticket pre-sale by pre-ordering the star’s new album directly from their online store before 4pm BST tomorrow (September 21).Those who gain access will receive codes at 6pm BST, with the pre-sale opening at 9am BST on Thursday (22).

Oprah Winfrey praised Queen Elizabeth’s sacrifice to live a life of service while speaking to Access Hollywood at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend. “You know, everybody gets called the queen, there really was one, and she is the standard for all the rest of us, whoever get called queen, and the reason she was is because of her service,” Oprah said of the late British monarch.Meghan and Harry reunite with William and Kate following Queen’s death“Martin Luther King said that it is the greatest offering anybody can bring to the world is service, because greatness is determined through service, and I think what she did was serve her countrymen and serve everyone for 70 years.

King Charles paid tribute to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in his first address as Monarch on Friday evening. While grieving the death of his mother, Charles has been thrown into official duties and shortly after meeting members of the public at Buckingham Palace, he filmed his inaugural address.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Costume designer Gersha Phillips drew upon African tradition while creating outfits for “The Woman King,” Gina Prince-Bythewood’s movie about female warriors in the 1800s. The film starring Viola Davis will debut Sept. 9 at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival ahead of a Sept. 16 release by Sony’s TriStar. During her research, Phillips discovered that Agojie warriors in West Africa wore baggy pants during that time. Initially, she designed outfits in that style, but several iterations later, she incorporated wrap skirts — also seen in historical archives. Since the women were going to be moving a lot, Phillips says, “I had to consider functionality. Everybody had to fight, so we ended up using a stretch-knit fabric so they could do what they needed to do in it.”

Gentleman Jack producer Lookout Point and South African player Expanded Media Productions are adapting Deon Meyer’s bestseller Devil’s Peak into a five-part series for M-Net.

Royal family fans may be shocked to know Princess Diana's childhood home will not go to either of her two sons, Prince William or Prince Harry, and will instead go to their cousin.

As South Africa slides into spring, LGBTQ+ ally Tamara Dey and queer singer/songwriter Latheem have released two new dancefloor stompers.

Charlbi Dean's family is in mourning. Following the 32-year-old star's sudden and mysterious death on Monday, her brother is speaking out and sharing new details about the rapid-fire succession of events of that day. In an interviewwith from his home in Cape Town, South Africa, Dean's 21-year-old brother, Alex Jacobs, says that Dean began experiencing «mild» symptoms while staying with her partner, Luke Volker, in New York City.

Girl You Know It’s True.Directed by Simon Verhoeven, Girl You Know It’s True follows the story of duo Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus who, after achieving international success in the late 1980s as Milli Vanilli, were involved in a scandal when it was discovered they didn’t sing vocals on any of their songs.Newcomers Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali are set to portray Pilatus and Morvan respectively in the biopic, while Matthias Schweighöfer will play German music producer Frank Farian (pictured on Deadline).Other cast members include Graham Rogers as Milli Vanilli’s US assistant Todd and Bella Dayne as Milli, described as Farian’s right-hand woman. Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann serve as executive producers on the project.The film is named after the group’s 1989 debut album, which led them to win a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1990.