Ann Masina on being told she’s ‘too fat’ for roles

Opera singer Ann Masina opens up about being body shamed.

Internationally renowned SA opera singer Ann Masina is determined to fight against those who body shame and bully her, including while playing the role of Saartjie Baartman in the hit theatre show Venus vs Modernity.

The plus-sized singer played the lead role alongside award-winning poet Lebo Mashile.

The production explores the links between Saartjie’s experiences on show in Europe with the modern day struggles of body issues, gender based violence and sexuality.

The star told TshisaLIVE that she has often been discriminated against because of her weight and said it even reared its ugly head while performing the thought-provoking piece.

“I was on stage and there was a couple filming me. They were zooming in on my body, just my body, and making remarks about my size. I felt in that moment like Saartjie would have.”

She said the incident left her disgusted and determined to speak out.

“I was not being appreciated for my talents. I had been relegated to an animal, a toy, an exhibit to be poked at and made fun of. I was not human in that moment and in 2019, that cannot be accepted. We cannot be silent” she said.

Ann added that her weight had seen her being bullied, contributed to her marriage falling apart and being told to her face that she was too fat to perform on certain projects.

“I have often felt like I am judged. There was this one incident where I was auditioning for a part in a project and when I finished auditioning the director told me bluntly; ‘You have a beautiful voice but I cannot cast you because you are too fat.”

She said it made her feel she was being judged for her weight and not her talent.

“It is horrible. Suddenly you don’t get cast because of how you look. It shows me that I am not my voice but I am my body.”

Cassper’s team reveals that #FillUp stage costs more than R8m

Cassper Nyovest's stage cost a hella lot of money.

Cassper Nyovest dropped some serious coins for his #FillUpBafokengStadium show, with his team claiming that a stage for the concert series costs more than R8-million.

Fans from across the country headed to Rustenburg last weekend for Cassper’s #FillUpRoyalBafokengStadium concert, where they were treated to a world-class production on a giant stage.

Like all of the stages before it, it was imposing … and expensive.

When a fan came calling for a similar set-up at the upcoming We Back Home Festival, Cassper’s manager T-Lee Moiloa dropped some financial files.

T-Lee claimed that the #FillUp stage is R8.3m, excluding extras, and takes a rotating crew of 50 people seven days to build.

“Brother, that stage is R8,300,000 with additional random costs. Crew of 50 per shift to build, 2 x shifts per day, you cater and provide accommodation for all. Seven days straight. Basically minimum cover charge has to be R600 for 15,000 capacity venue just for stage,” he explained.

Despite scoring several sponsorships for the concert, #FillUpBafokengStadium still cost millions to produce.

Speaking about the bill he had to foot after a previous concert, Cassper said he was thrown into R7m debt last year.

“We went through a ditch after (#FillUpMoses) Mabhida. Had to pay 7-million rand in debt, then the tax thing happened as well. I’m only starting to recover now. Should be back in progress in a couple of months and then we rock,” he told fans in June.

He later told his fans that he didn’t want to be burnt again and was more cautious in planning shows for his signature series.

“Don’t wanna make last year’s mistakes and have people drop us last minute in a pile of debt,” he explained.

POLL | Who do you think 2019’s song of the year should go to?

Fans are torn between Kabza de Small and DJ Zinhle's songs.

Social media is buzzing right now as fans and music lovers try to predict what will be the Song of the Year.

From AmaPiano’s Kabza De Small dominating the music scene this year to DJ Zinhletheinternet is having a meltdown about who deserves the title.

So who will take the title this year?

To top things off, Ukhozi FM’s list of contenders this year has been met with backlash from social media users.

The list includes Samthing Soweto, Kabza de Small, Maphorisa, DJ Zinhle, Ntencane, DJ Tira, Sami-Tee, TNS and Blaq Diamond, to name a few.

This is not the first time the radio station has been accused of showing favouritism to its “own”.

Last year’s song of the year divided the nation after Ukhozi FM announced Prince Kaybee and Busiswa’s Banomoya as its song of the year and placed King Monada’s Malwedhe in third place.

While the announcement was celebrated by some, others said the only reason KwaZulu-Natal people did not vote for King Monada was because he was from Limpopo.

Hitting back at the tribalism debate at the time, Prince Kaybee said he didn’t understand how the song of the year vote was about tribalism, as he was not Zulu.

Tumelo Matlala describes his wedding as a ‘dream’

Tumelo Matlala, who portrays detective Roberts on the popular soapie, tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Ziphelele Beku at the weekend.

The actor and gospel star held the ceremony in King William’s Town, in the Eastern Cape. He took to his social media to share some snaps from the big day.

The whole family looked regal in modern black and white traditional Xhosa attires.Ziphelele Beku and Tumelo Matlala,

In an Instagram post, Tumelo said this wedding is a dream come and thanked attendees for honouring their invite.

Tumelo could hardly contain his excitement about this new milestone and expressed that he’s looking forward to a life of marital bliss while introducing himself and his wife as newlyweds.

“God is amazing. We had a dream and on the 15th December 2019 God made it a reality and we are grateful. We also like to thank everyone who came to experience and celebrate with us as we began a journey of grace and favour. I pronounce to you Mr and Mrs Matlala [sic],” he shared.

Acrylic Nail Designs 2020

Here are some step by step acrylic nail design that you can do at home . Some of these beautiful design wont have tutorial but will be able to still inspire you to achieve a beautiful look .

  1. Paint the thumb, pinky and ring fingernails with blue.
  2. Paint the index and middle fingernails white.
  3. Paint half-moons with the silver nail polish onto all of the nails.
  4. Seal the manicure with a top coat.Coffin nails are called casket nails because they look like coffins … In case that wasn’t obvious. Long, slim, and with a straight suggestion, they’re a relatively brand-new nail shape yet one that has taken the whole globe by storm since Kylie Jenner blinked her elegances throughout Instagram

Other Acrylic Nails you may like

5. Round Short Nails


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