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[hyhpopculture]

Thuso Mbedu to becomes the lead actress in Barry Jenkins latest project

Observation: Barry Jenkin’s released the trailer to The Underground Railroad, the limited series that will be aired on Amazon Prime. The Underground Railroad stars South African actress Thuso Mbedu. 

 Why: Even with a pandemic happening 2020 feels like it's the year where the world will notice Africa. Whether its Master KG making the world dance with his hit song Jerusalema, Burna Boy being nominated for a Grammy or  Black is King,  African has been the focus internationally. Even though it's not an African production academy award-winning director Barry Jenkins dropped the trailer for his latest project about The underground Railroad. The series follows the journey of slave girl Cora who is trying to escape the slave states of the South for the North. 

South African actress and Emmy nominated Thuso Mbedu plays Cora. We have seen Thuso in many local shows however it’s super cool to see her acting internationally and not a role based in Africa. Thuso had to change her accent to have a deep southern accent. It will be super cool to watch this show and she Thuso represent us.

[hyhpopculture]

Films and television shows during the #Metoo era

Observation: Mrs America is another show that is rewriting and showcasing the story of woman during the #METoo movement. 

Why: Similar to World War 2 and the Vietnam war,  the #MEtoo movement has had an impact in the film and television industry. The movement  has not only had an impact on casting and directing but also with the stories being told. After the Vietnam war we saw a lot of films such as Born on the 4 of July and  Apocalypse Now, specifically criticizing the war.

With the Metoo movement we have seen movies such as Bombshell, which directly looks at the movement and Misbehaviour which is more of a historical film looking at the growth of the feminist movement and intersectionality in the 1960s. The latest show to highlight the movement is  FX Mrs America. Mrs America is specifically impactful because of the many conversations it addresses about Feminism and even minority groups. What’s also interesting about Mrs America is that the historical events that the movie highlights still impact people today  in the US still today. 

It's interesting to see a lot of Metoo feminism and diversity focused movies being shown. It will be even more interesting to see what comes after Covid-19 pandemic.

-BT

[hyhpopculture]

The Academy’s leap towards diversity and representation

Observation: The Academy has implemented new rules to increase inclusion among underrepresented groups for best Best Picture nominations. Gradual effect starts in 2022 and will be in full effect in 2024.

These groups include race (including in a significant role), women, LGBTQ and people with cognitive or physical disabilities.

The new rules have instigated polarising views from celebrities.

Why: The Academy was called out in 2015 when all 20 acting nominations went to white actors. Activist April Reign created the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite which went viral. The Academy has since increased its diversity efforts. It has doubled its membership of people of colour and women to over 800.

-CS

[hyhpopculture]

Solomon Linda’s story inspired black is King a film by Beyonce

Observation: Beyonce was inspired to write Black is King because of the story Solomon Linda. Solomon Linda was the original writer and singer of the Disney hit song the Lion Sleeps Tonight  however he was never credited for the song and given royalties for the song.

Why: Solomon Linda was the original writer and singer of the Disney hit song the Lion Sleeps Tonight  however he was never credited for the song and was given royalties for the song. The Lion Sleeps has made 80 million dollars as the soundtrack to the Disney hit movie The Lion King however nothing was paid to Solomon’s family. Solomon’s family have won a lawsuit against Disney over the royalties however because of legal issues they have not received the full money of the settlement.

After hearing the story of Solomon Linda, Beyonce was inspired to write Black is King and even featured Solomon’s original version of the Lion Sleeps tonight. All the royalties from the song will be paid to Solomon Mhlanga’s family.

-BT

[hyhpopculture]

TikTok content collab houses keep Gen Z’s wanting more

Observation: Tik Tok creator collective mansions have all the drama, hype, lifestyle and viral dances and music videos to keep Gen Z’s wanting more.

Tik Tok Collab Houses are less than a year old but gaining huge traction, mainly in Los Angeles. Most popular include Hype House, Sway LA , The Clubhouse Delayed Moves and Poolside Videos.

The Hype House was the first (est. late 2019) and one of the largest  Generation Z content creator collective houses. It’s based in Los Angeles and originally included twenty of Tik Tok's rising and established stars. Including Charli D'Amelio. the most popular teen, has 64million Tik Tok followers, makes $51 000 per post and can create 3 posts per day (excluding merch).

Why: Its reality TV for Gen Z’s in snackable, addictive format. Collab groups make sense - they get support, ideas and build everyone up. Tik Tok stars pay for the rent and many haven’t graduated from school. However, with Tik Tok reaching over 2bn downloads, there is huge money and fame to be made.

-CS

[hyhpopculture]

Observation: Ridley Scott, who is best known for the massive Hollywood epics, also has a massive array of brilliantly shot and edited documentaries. on the 26th of July he, along with Youtube he is doing a collaboration with the whole world.  On Saturday, July 25, 2020, you can film your day and upload the footage and you may become part of a historic documentary – a time capsule of the year 2020.Anyone can participate and submissions from all over the world will be woven together to create a feature film, produced by Ridley Scott, directed by Kevin Macdonald, filmed by you, and premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

Why: With more and more people having access to quality cameras, the ability to source content is greater than before. Ridley is a master of telling human stories and this will be a remarkable achievement.  Future: As lockdown continues, the ability to get together to create as teams is harder and harder, this sourcing style of footage might be a powerful new way of editing and creating stories. This could be the age of the Editor, more than the director or writer.  - BR

[hyhpopculture]

How SA beauty influencer are creating their own beauty companies

Observation: like beauty influencers like Jeffree Star and Huda beauty SA beauty influencers are following suit with launching their own makeup ranges. 

Why: the beauty industry is has seen massive growth in a couple of years. Is still one of the industries that hold premium credentials but still accommodating to all, it can still be aspirational. In recent years, the beauty industry has been shaped by the new generation who are more inspired by beauty influencers on Youtube. Traditional brands are now competing with never start-up brands. People don’t buy any beauty brand without looking for a review of the product on Youtube. 

Beauty influencers have so much influence and following that they have created their own multi-million dollar brands that can compete with the L’oreal and Estee lauder. The biggest Beauty influencer Jeferree Star has his own beauty line. Hudabeauty which was created by Middle Eastern Beauty influencer Huda Kattan the creator of HudaBeauty. 

In South Africa, we seeing a trend without local beauty influencers creating their own beauty lines. Famous beauty guru Thandi Gama created her own line of eyelashes, Mbali Sebapu who is known for makeup has created a makeup and skincare line called Hermosa.

[hyhpopculture]

Appropriation Awareness

Observation: Darren Criss, who gained fame for his remarkable portrayal of Gianni Versace’s killer Andrew Cunanan, has announced that he will no longer be accepting scripts for characters that are LGBTQI+. He says he doesnt want to deprive LGBTQI+ people of roles in films.  Why: Representation and role models are both in short supply for minority groups. Jennifer Lawrence has long been slated in public for taking roles that have no relation to who she is. Whilst in the past Laurence Olivier said “Its acting darling”, this no longer flies in a world where some have had the ladders of success chopped in half. 

Future: Its unlikely that casting agents will allow people who are not from a particular “set” of people cast for those sorts of roles. 

-BR

[hyhpopculture]

SA Lockdown TV viewership habits - April 2020

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Observation: The spike in daily viewing minutes starting from week 11 is the week that President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster. As lockdown progressed, the daily viewing minutes stabilised. From week 18 (moved to lockdown level 4), the average daily minutes have started to decline slightly.

At its peak, South Africans were viewing TV for an average of 252 minutes (over 4 hours) a day. This increased 70% compared to before the pandemic with daytime increasing by 75% and primetime by 67%.

Top 10 LSM 4-7

The top three haven’t changed, but increase 20-54% in viewer number. News continues to climb with Zulu and Xhosa news increasing 38% and 44% respectively.

Top 10 LSM 8-10

Uzalo, Generations and Skeem Saam are usually top 3 (as per LSM8-10). However, whereas the President’s address was at number 2 in March, Contagion was number 1 in April. It was flighted on SABC 3, which hasn’t made any list, among any target audience, for a very long time.

Channel impact: Since January 2020, e.TV had 4 programmes in the top 10 but is now losing out with Scandal being pushed down the list due to news, and Rhythm City, Imbewu etc. being pushed off. 

Mzansi Magic continues to do well, with a new show— Gomora and Our Perfect Wedding (OPW) and The Queen remain firmly in place.

- CS

[hyhpopculture]

Gucci Changes Up

Observation: In a recent post Creative Director of Gucci, made an impassioned plea for humanity to make changes to the way we treat nature, each other, creativity, work norms and personal meaning itself. He has resigned the 12 yearly collections that Gucci do, and will instead be focussing on 2 collections which will no longer subscribe to the SS/FW standards.  Why: We are destroying each other, ourselves and nature with our ambition and relentless materialism and lack of care for each other.  Future: There are massive changes in store as far as peoples standards and norms are concerned. We are in a state of deep flux, and people and organisations want to make a change.  -BR

[hyhpopculture]

Netflix original South Africa series Blood and Water

Observation: On the 20th of May, Netflix its original series Blood and Water. Blood and Water were not only trending in South Africa, but the series was the top trending series on Netflix in the UK, USA, and Europe. 

Why: Netflix has made its mission to produce a lot of content that is about Africa. In 2020 released its first original African series Queen Sono which like Blood and Water was trending, Queen Sono has been renewed for a second season. Blood and Water is a teen mystery which is set in Cape Town. The series is six-part and the last episode left with a cliffhanger, a lot of viewers were frustrated as they were left wanting more. Blood and Water have been trending for the past days. A lot of people were excited that the series showcased fresh faces and showing that Mzantsi is can open up the industry. 

There were however mixed feelings about the soundtrack of the series. People were happy that it was showcasing local talent like Nasty C and Tellerman however they could have used other artists who would have fit the teenager dreamy vide the series was portraying.

Future: we are definitely going to see more South Africa series that are not centered around historical events.

-BT

[hyhpopculture]

No One is exempt from their Past behavior

Observation:  Miss SA 2020 contestant Bianca Schoombee has received enormous backlash on social media when her past racially insensitive and body-shaming tweets resurfaced.bianca’s past tweets were trending for two days. Bianca was not the only person who faced backlash, other Miss SA contestants were also called out for their inappropriate tweets. Bianca released an apology statement however people did not buy into it, eventually, she withdrew from the competition. Famous rapper Amala Zandile professionally known as Doja Cat also faced a lot of criticism for racially insensitive activity on the internet. 

Why: The internet has made it easier to get information about people and to trace their activities. Bianca, Doja, and others who were called out posted these racially insensitive things when they were early teens, they were still children however they were still not exempt from the backlash. No matter how old you are, your past activities on the internet will be held against you. We live in such a hyper-conscious era and people are expected to say the right thing or keep quiet. Brands are also under scrutiny as well when an influencer or ambassador of theirs behaves inappropriately or past behaviors are brought to light. Bianca’s modeling agency also faced black lash for standing by their client. Bianca’s scandal also highlighted the ‘Notepad apology trend’, when someone is called out for misbehaving an apology speech or statement shortly follows. The reason it’s known as the notepad speech is typed from the smartphone notepad app and often is a very self-entitled disingenuous speech. Cancel culture is a prevalent concept in social media in fact in society and people are being canceled for their past than their recent behavior.

[hyhpopculture]

The show must go on

Observation: The love/hate for Zoom calls continues, as Rupaul’s Drag Race decided to continue with their programming and held their reunion show on the platform. All previous episodes had already been shot and this is the show held before the finalè, which will also be held on Zoom.  Why: The show must go on. Recently a tournament was held between two darts players via this style of broadcasting...

Future: ... could this be the birth of a new style of TV entertainment, what are the possibilities, and what industries could very well end the “in person” elements of their programming.  

- BR

[hyhpopculture]

Robert Pattinson shoots his cover for GQ magazine

- BR

[hyhpopculture]

Naomi Campbell used her own iPhone to shoot her own cover Essence magazine

Observation: To celebrate their 50-year anniversary Essence magazine had Naomi Campbell on the cover.  the supermodel had to shoot the magazine cover picture and all other pictures with her iPhone.

Why: Due to Covid-19 many businesses have not been able to operate properly. The fashion magazines have not been able to shoot normally and have been finding other creative ways to bring to life their magazine covers. Vogue Italia last month had a completely black cover and Vogue America used AI as models.  While still keeping to their roots Essences magazine still had a cover girl legendary supermodel Naomi Campbell but instead, she had to be the makeup artist creative director stylist and photographer. For the last shoot Cosmopolitan, South Africa also went virtual, where fashion and Lifestyle Influencer Kefiliwe Mabote had her shoot inside her home and the cosmo team assisting her via Zoom.

[hyhpopculture]

Erykah Badu and Jill Scott in Verzuz Battle

Observation: Neo Soul legends Jill Scott and Erykah Badu also joined the Verzuz Series on Instagram live to live song battle each other. 

Why: For the past 2 months we seen musicians use live streaming platforms to showcase their music by having listening parties and at home concerts. The most popular live-streaming music having is battling each other through live songs. Up until Saturday, it has been only male artist battling each other. Songwriter and producers Babyface and Teddy Riley had a recording 600 000 people watching their battle. However, this record was smashed when Neosoul legends Erykah Badu and Jill Scott battled each with their chart-topping records. More than 700 000people were watching for 2 hours as Jill and Erykah shared the musician journey and some of their greatest hits. Some of the viewers were former first family Barack and Michelle Obama and our very own Pearl Thusi. Jill and Erykah were trending throughout the night, many South Africans asking for our very own battle between Simphiwe Dana and Thandiswa Mazwai.

Future: It is going to be a long process before we get back to normal. People are going to be very apprehensive to go to live concerts and interacting with crowds after Covid. Therefore live at home concerts are still a popular way of entertainment for many people. People are also exhausted with the virtual lockdown parties where people are just playing they want engagement from their favorite musicians. South African Brands should definitely tap into this, however, they need to use people who have legendary status.

-BT

[hyhpopculture]

No one say they’re a big fan of SPUMC

Observation: With full ownership of Spider-Man, Sony Pictures have created their own universe for their Marvel characters, and its name is terrible Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, or SPUMC for short. Why: The studio now owns the rights to all Spider-Man films, as well as spin-off movies that feature the characters from the Spider-Man comic books. To house all of these films together, Sony decided to create a proper cinematic universe. Fans have not reacted well to the name and its hard to see how you come back from this epic naming error. Future: Sony might very well change the name, as S.H.I.E.L.D or SPEKTR are far cooler names and will appeal to more people. Naming is important, and unless Sony can own this blunder in some way, they will fail to create a Universe with millions of fans. - BR