Falling Skies
Falling Skies launches exclusively in Africa on Fox Entertainment Monday, July 4.
In South Africa it sits on DStv’s rival, the force to be reckoned with TopTV, channel 180.
Executive-produced by Jaws, ET director Steven Spielberg, the series starts six months into a global post apocalyptic nightmare. Aliens have invaded earth and 80% of its people have been wiped out. Spielberg co-conceived the series idea with producer Robert Rodat (and fans can look out for 104 page graphic novel out on July 13 – out locally via Cosmic Comics, Heathway Square, Blackheath, Gauteng). And South African fans can look out for Canadian Mpho Koaho as freedom fighter Anthony. Turns out mum Khuli is from Alexandra Township, Johannesburg and dad Eric from Durban.
Bandying together in disparate groups, a key group, the Second Massachusetts Militia Regiment find themselves leaving home as they knew it, seeking food and munitions, thwarting the back-hugging beasts of burden, and basically surviving.
Captain Weaver (Will Paton) is the group’s leader. Second in command is Tom Mason (ER’s Noah Wyle), a Boston University history professor who has yet to put his book knowledge to practical use.
Falling Skies’ theme of survival against the odds, and redefining the notion of home, is not so dissimilar to the other Fox Entertainment African exclusive The Walking Dead last November. There the humans had to survive the flesh-eating zombies. (Season 2 comes out later this year). Falling Skies too has legs of steel. The series sits well on good old-fashioned acting, taut storylines, and well-scripted drama more than ambitious alien CGI and the like. It’s a return to good old fashioned storytelling to survive a competitive viewing market.
As the action moves on, we see the protagonist torn between listening to thecommander Weaver and providing for the 300 member unit and saving the group and saving his little boy, Ben (Connor Jessup), possibly captured by the aliens. While working with his teenager son Hal (Drew Roy), and other child and adult soldiers of survival.
Their battle is insurmountable. Like another group of survivors – the baddies preach – and to paraphrase: “We’re like the American Indians, we don’t stand a chance against the invaders”.
Falling Skies plays at 8.15pm on Monday, 04 July on Fox Entertainment channel 180 on TopTV.
Umlazi Kasi by Sihle Mlambo
SOUTH of Durban: Umlazi. One of South Africa's most adored townships and often mistaken as the second "it" township to the humungous Soweto – South of Johannesburg.
I am from Umlazi. From the upper Western side of the township that is built under the veil of 4-roomed houses. Of course some select do prosper and manage to renovate their homes suburban style. Others not to be deterred scatter around certain sections building shacks via tin houses, mud houses, cardboard houses, or just about any material that can be found.
The H section houses me. It’s an infamously hostile area, popular for it's crime ridden areas of "Bora-Bora", "Dark City" and "West-Side" where I reside. These areas gurgle with a rich history of thuggery and gangsterism. It would seem there is a rich future in such township pursuits. Many young boys that I grew up with have died from gang-violence. Others languish in jail with crime related sentences.
The people in my community, especially the old guard, who are amongst those that have always lived in these homes when the location was built in the 1950s, have a close-knit relationship and mutual respect for one another. Regardless of politics of social standing.
Of course my family is one such. Our home has always been our home. It has never belonged to a Mkhize or a McCarthy or any other person. It is Mlambo all the way.
With due respect to my community – for a myriad of reasons people grow slowly in these areas. Mentally. Financially. Physically. Perhaps an exception to the trend is better shown by new neighbours. The unstuck. They invest in the area by buying homes, fitting in with the community, bringing in a new energy. It is these people that suffer the wrath of crime though. From break-ins, to stealing clothes off the washing line, to vandalism and general thugery; the first three years are always tough. My neighbours found this out when their fence was holed gigantically in an attempt to stealthily steal a car from their driveway.
The future looks better though for the children of this community compared to those of 10 years ago say. Upwardly mobility can be tracked. So too can the concerning trend of people failing two, sometimes three grades before completing matric.
A Chassis 'Cherry' in SA's Big Apple by Najma Bibi Noor Mahomed
AT the tender age of 12 my jaw dropped at the sight of my relative dressed like she hopped straight out of a movie. Stepping out of her BMW, she carried a bag of goodies. I stared with beady eyes as my mother told me: "Be nice she is your aunty from Johannesburg."
Living in Durban, in Unit 7, the heart of Chatsworth to be precise, made me feel like a small town girl. Especially after seeing the Big Town girl. And like in the movies every small town girl has a big dream. That dream takes her to her destiny were she meets Prince Charming, gets her fairytale and well you know the rest.
I found myself having a bucket list after terminal east coast boredom, and taking a bite of South Africa's big apple- Johannesburg made its way to the top of my list. So here I am, following my dreams and finding my feet in this rat race. When my father announced he was jetting off to Johannesburg for work purposes and that we had to relocate I was ecstatic. I could almost taste my fortune.
So here I was, bidding farewell to my small town and gearing up for Johannesburg. My city of dreams. On touching dreamland I was soon to realise it wasn't going to be a time of overnight ease brought about with familiarity. No more tea with the neighbours, no more sleep-overs and most of all no more borrowing of DVDs and books. I have no clue who my neighbours are. That's a strike to my dreams but I never let that shadow my dream I'm still persevering. I'm still hoping that I find my place in this haven of fortune. I chase an internship to help my jump up the ladder and here at my city of dreams away from the smell of the sea and the smell of my neighbour's freshly-cooked fish curry in Durban, Johannesburg has to be my place of growth.
So I am slowly embracing my new surroundings and sunstealing in the winter sun pretending my pool outside is my ocean. Dreaming of great opportunities and awaiting that call of destiny. Here's to Johannesburg and all the greatness it has to offer and for the many memories to come. Cheers!
SAonSunday@gmail.com
Farm Girl No More - Kaz Gerasch
GROWING up in the rural area of kwaNongoma hadn’t been easy. Especially when one’s daughter of a priest. I’d always been acutely, painfully, aware of my surroundings.
Idle chatter on myself and my siblings hit the high decibels in my head. Everything one did at the missionary houses was monitored. Come to think of it, the anger today, all those many years later, wells up. Was I really robbed of a childhood of joy, no thanks to the Lord? Imagine playing around knowing that you have limits. If you break the window not only you’ll get it (serious discussion from your parents) but people from the congregation would put their two cents worth of words too. So basically my childhood was not an entirely pleasant one. Even though I had a courageous mother who allowed me and my siblings to be what we wanted to be, but it was not easy for her to stand up to my dad’s authority.
As much as I loved my father (I honestly believe I loved him), I’ve always been an independent person at heart. I hear peers often speak of how great their fathers were. In my case as much as I wanted to have or believe to have had that normal special father and daughter relationship, I didn’t. I’d always associated my father with a lion. On the prowl to bite my head off at the smallest scent of a misdemeanor. I remember when I was eight-years-old. I would get so excited when I came home and my dad was not at home. I knew that by the time he would come home I’d be fast asleep. Don’t get me wrong thinking that my father was a bad person. Sebastian (my dad) was a loving, caring and understanding person. But one thing I can say about him is that he was a strict person at the time. Much too strict for lil me. I used to think that he did not love us. Only now I realise how much he loved us. All what he did was because of the love he had for us. Being strict maybe was his way of showing it. I wish I could see it like that way back then…
SAonSunday@gmail.com
As much as I loved my father (I honestly believe I loved him), I’ve always been an independent person at heart. I hear peers often speak of how great their fathers were. In my case as much as I wanted to have or believe to have had that normal special father and daughter relationship, I didn’t. I’d always associated my father with a lion. On the prowl to bite my head off at the smallest scent of a misdemeanor. I remember when I was eight-years-old. I would get so excited when I came home and my dad was not at home. I knew that by the time he would come home I’d be fast asleep. Don’t get me wrong thinking that my father was a bad person. Sebastian (my dad) was a loving, caring and understanding person. But one thing I can say about him is that he was a strict person at the time. Much too strict for lil me. I used to think that he did not love us. Only now I realise how much he loved us. All what he did was because of the love he had for us. Being strict maybe was his way of showing it. I wish I could see it like that way back then…
SAonSunday@gmail.com
Nolwazi’s Umlazi – Wendy Nolwazi Ngcobo
I recently took two of my friends that were visiting from Germany on a tour of our township. At 7 o'clock at night I was concerned for their safety. They quickly assured me that they were not of the fearful type.
“African people are friendly,” they said.
So we made our way to my kasi (ethnic township). Umlazi township is where I hail from. It’s the second biggest township in South Africa after Soweto. We then began our journey by passing one of the newly built malls: Megacity. It’s at the the entrance of Umlazi, passing down the infamous Prince Mshiyeni Hospital. We paved our way deep into the township .After passing quite a few more houses my albino cousins of the Germanic variety then asked, “Hawu where are the shacks?”
'I laughed and told them this was not Soweto. (Though iof triuth be told Soweto has its larnet homes in then R2 million plus bracket too).
Umlazi has RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme) houses and is divided into alphabets from A to Z with the addition of AA ,BB and CC.
Umlazi has RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme) houses and is divided into alphabets from A to Z with the addition of AA ,BB and CC.
Almost each section consists of its own clinic and police station. The Zwelithini Stadium had recently been revamped as part of the FIFA World Cup 2O1O programmes.
We ended the night by going to the popular hotspot, Max's Lifestyle Lounge at V section. Our tourists were amazed to see a double story Tuscan-styled house in a township.
We ended the night by going to the popular hotspot, Max's Lifestyle Lounge at V section. Our tourists were amazed to see a double story Tuscan-styled house in a township.
With Zakes Bantwini pumping in the backround, they quickly got on the dance floor feeling the African drum. This place has become popular with the rich and famous.
The spirit of Ubuntu (working together for good) that our people portray is what will surely make these Germans come back and visit Umlazi. My home.
The spirit of Ubuntu (working together for good) that our people portray is what will surely make these Germans come back and visit Umlazi. My home.
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