Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Memorable moments from the VMAs
United States hip hop artist Kanye West announced at the 2015 MTV Video Music awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, that he has ambitions of running for president.
“And yes, as you probably could’ve guessed in this moment, I’ve decided in 2020 to run for president,” West said during his acceptance speech, after receiving the highest honour award.
He received the Video Vanguard award, which is given to musicians who have been influential in the MTV culture. The Beatles, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Beyoncé are among the past recipients of the award. Pop singer Taylor Swift – who won awards for, best pop video for Blank Space, video of the year, best female video and best collaboration with Kendrick Lamar for Bad Blood – presented West with the Video Vanguard award.
“I still don’t understand award shows. I don’t understand how they get five people who work their entire life, won, sell records, sell concert tickets, to come, stand on a carpet and for the first time in their life, be judged on the chopping block and have the opportunity to be considered a loser,” he said. “Y’all might be thinking, ‘I wonder. Did he smoke something before he came out here?’ The answer is, Yes, I rolled up a little something. I knocked the edge off.”
Miley Cyrus (Reuters)
Other memorable moments include singer Justin Bieber breaking down on stage after a performance of his hits, Where Are U Now and What Do You Mean. Earlier in the year Bieber apologised to fans for disappointing them, following a series of run-ins with the law. The 21-year-old received a standing ovation after his performance, Billboard reported.
Both Swift and hip hop artist Nicki Minaj gave a surprise performance of the song, The Night is Still Young. Minaj then took a jab at the award show host, Miley Cyrus, whose hosting skills were rated flamboyant and awkward by New York Times. Cyrus recently made comments about Minaj’s criticism of MTV in an interview with New York Times. The Anaconda star and winner of the best hip hop video award, closed off her acceptance speech and then directed the attention back to Cyrus by saying “now back to his bitch that had a lot to say about me in the press the other day”.
‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ director dies
Wes Craven (Reuters)
Horror film director Wes Craven has died at age 76. Craven died on August 30 from brain cancer at his Los Angeles home, BBC reported. He wrote and directed the 1984 classic horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, which is still regarded as a game changer in the slasher genre. He directed over 20 films in his lifetime. He received a lifetime achievement award in 2012 from the New York City Horror Film Festival.
Craven directed and wrote films The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Deadly Blessing (1981) and Scream 2 (1997). According to BBC news he had recently signed a deal to develop a new Scream series for MTV and he was working on a graphic horror novel series.
Emzini Wezinsizwa actor dies
Actor Roland Mqwebu, who was best known for his portrayal of the character Mkhize on SABC sitcom Emzini Wezinsizwa, has passed away. Mqwebu (78) died on August 28 at eThekwini Hospital and Heart Centre in Durban; he suffered from renal failure, The Sunday Independent reported.
In February 2015, Sunday World reported that the actor was in ICU at Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre in Durban and was being treated for bowel obstruction and kidney failure, which he had been suffering from for three years.
“It is indeed saddening to learn that our own celebrated legend in the field of arts and culture, Mr Mqwebu, has departed. The industry has lost one of its much-loved and talented actors and the country is much poorer without him,” President Jacob Zuma said in a statement over the weekend.
Emzini Wenzinsizwa was set in a hostel, where men from different backgrounds and cultures lived together. The sitcom was never short of comedy and drama. Mqwebu will be remembered for his no-nonsense, father figure character on the sitcom and for the knobkierie that he always had on stand-by – ready to hit anyone who steps out of line in room 8, where his character stayed.
Mqwebu also starred in the 1980s series Shaka Zulu and in the classic film, Deliwe. Apart from acting, he was also a public relations and marketing practitioner.
He is survived by his wife, Pinky, and four children.
AKA’s alleged love triangle
Bonang Matheba
Top Billing presenter, Bonang Matheba, is allegedly the reason for showbiz couple, DJ Zinhle (born Ntombezinhle Jiyane) and rapper AKA’s split. The couple released a statement on August 26 on Jiyane’s blog, Moments by DJ Zinhle, where they announced their separation, just after welcoming their baby girl Kairo in July.
“After a great deal of thought, reflection and discussion we have decided to end our relationship of three years. We entered our relationship with love and it’s with love and kindness we leave it,” they wrote.
According to Sunday Sun reports, Jiyane discovered “raunchy” SMSes between AKA (born Kiernan Forbes) and Matheba on Forbes’s phone. A source told the newspaper that Jiyane read the messages while she was pregnant and saw more messages after giving birth to Kairo.
“Zinhle had been waiting for her baby to be born so she could sort out her life. They slept in separate bedrooms,” the source said. Jiyane kicked him out of their Jo’burg home on August 23 after an argument over Matheba, City Press reported.
Forbes and Matheba were seen all cosy on a couple of occasions, that include the BET awards in Los Angeles and at the Loerie Awards in Durban on the weekend of the August 15 and 16.
Forbes and Jiyane have been linked together since 2013.
Mumford and Sons headed to South Africa
British rock band Mumford and Sons announced on their Facebook page that they will be performing in South Africa in January and February 2016.
“Well, it is with great excitement, that we can announce one of our most anticipated adventures yet, South Africa! Many times we’ve tried to make it work, but this coming January, it’s happening and we couldn’t be happier about it,” Mumford and Sons wrote on Facebook.
“We’ve got a handful of shows across the Country, some really great artists sharing those stages with us. We know it’s been a long time coming and we hope to see you there to toast the occasion.”
Mumford and Sons is best known for their hits Little Lion Man, The Cave and I Will Wait. The band was formed in 2007 and has since released three studio albums. In 2013 it won a Grammy award for album of the year, for its second album, Babel. Its band members include, Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall and Ted Dwane.
Tickets for their shows in South Africa go on sale on September 3.