Snakes In The City Returns This SSSSeptember

Siouxie Gillett, Simon Keys and Mbali Mtshali holding various snakes. (National Geographic for Disney)

National Geographic Wild’sSnakes in the City” has maintained its status as a cherished favourite among audiences for years. The exhilarating show features herpetologists Simon Keys and Siouxsie Gillett, who respond to calls for assistance in capturing and releasing snakes from homes and buildings in and around Durban. Last season, the pair were joined by local snake wrangler Mbali Mtshali. The ninth season premiered across Africa on Sunday at 18:00 (CAT) from 3 September, and the team extended their abilities facing new snakes, in a new city, in eight new episodes.

The bustling, coastal metropolis of Durban was once a lush jungle, teeming with black mambas, spitting cobras, green mambas, huge pythons, night adders, bush snakes and boomslangs. It’s their territory and humans built a city right on top of it. Today, the jungle may be gone, but the snakes are here to stay! In the height of summer, the heat and humidity bring thousands of snakes out of hiding, into direct conflict with the 3.5 million inhabitants of this city. To the relief of those who call, Simon, Siouxsie, and Mbali, experts in animal behaviour, track down and capture some of the world’s most venomous snakes.

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“The Little Mermaid” debuts on Disney+ on 6 September 2023

Disney’s live-action reimagining of the studio’s Oscar®-winning animated musical classic “The Little Mermaid,” which opened in theaters in May and went on to gross more than $542 million at the global box office, will premiere on Disney+ 6 September 2023.

Disney+ subscribers will be able to access special bonus content, including Oscar® winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) as King Triton performing the song “Impossible Child” with music by multiple Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin”) and lyrics by three-time Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,’ “In the Heights”); “Passing the Dinglehopper,” and “Under the Sea – Song Breakdown.”

“The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden from interacting with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy. 

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Donovan Goliath To Host The 2023 DStv Content Creator Awards

Donovan Goliath

Anticipation is in the air with just a few more sleeps until the “Purple Carpet” is rolled out to welcome the who’s who of content creation to the second DStv Content Creator Awards, in association with Samsung Galaxy on Saturday 9 September in Sandton.

The night promises to be electric; not only will all the winners be announced, applauded and celebrated, but the awards itself is going to be an energetic and extraordinary two-hour show packed with live dance performances, music from South African legends Black Motion, laughter, poetry and the awarding of the first content creator OG.

Award-winning comedian and content creator, Donovan Goliath, has been confirmed as the host for the night. Donovan made it onto stage last year to receive his DStv Content Creator Award trophy; this year he will own the stage as the host and is again a nominee in two categories, namely the Sol Content Creator and Thumb-Stopping Awards.

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Apple TV App Launches Women In Power Campaign That Celebrates South African Creatives

For the duration of August, Apple TV app, will be spotlighting South African storytellers across TV and film in their Women In Power campaign. The work of Micaela Kleinsmith (My Kind of Country), Jodi Balfour (For All Mankind) and Lou Llobell (Foundation) harnesses their innate strength, stirs us to action and inspires us to imagine. 

Micaela Kleinsmith showed a penchant for songwriting from the tender age of 14, and after a successful stint on SA Idols in 2016, went on to perform across almost every stage in and around Cape Town in order to hone her live skills. Her onstage vigour served her well as a contestant on the first season of Apple TV+’s My Kind of Country, as Micaela was first championed by masked country South African singer Orville Peck, before going on to be crowned the winner.

Jodi Balfour graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre & Performance at the University of Cape Town, before relocating to Canada and finally settling in Los Angeles, California. As Ellen Wilson in Apple TV+’s drama, For All Mankind, Jodi plays a budding engineer, who becomes one of NASA’s first female astronauts before fiercely pursuing a political career in season 3 that sees her elected as the nation’s 41st president in 1992.

London-based actress, Lou Llobell, grew up in South Africa after her Zimbabwean mother and Spanish father relocated to Pietermaritzburg when she was eight years old. In Apple TV+’s sci-fi series Foundation she portrays Gaal Dornick, a brilliant mathematical prodigy from the repressed water planet of Synnax. Recruited by Hari Seldon, Gaal becomes an integral part of his plan to preserve civilization.

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Disney Launches Global Create 100 Campaign

Create 100 is a global celebration of creativity marking 100 years of Disney storytelling. Some of the world’s most renowned visionaries and next generation talent across fashion, music, art and more have donated artworks, items and experiences inspired by their personal connection to stories and characters across Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and 20th Century, to benefit Make-A-Wish®. To begin, Disney is commemorating the launch with a $1 million donation to Make-A-Wish to support the granting of life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

The unveiling of The Structural Sorcerera Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey Sculpture, inspired by original artwork by Virgil Abloh, brought to life by Virgil Abloh Securities’ design firm, ALASKA ALASKA, at the Royal College of Art in Battersea, London for Disney’s Create 100. To mark its 100th anniversary, Disney has invited creative visionaries and next generation talent to donate artworks and experiences for the Create 100 initiative, each inspired by their personal connection to Disney stories and characters. Disney is commemorating the launch with a $1 million donation to Make-A-Wish® to support the granting of life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. (Vianney Le Caer/AP Content Services for Disney).

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