Keep away from the winter chill…

Winter is slowly introducing herself and we all know by now how b*t*c*y she can become, so make sure the wardrobe does not lack an item or two better equipped to face the chill.

Don’t freeze those toes so get the Zara Quilted high heel ankle boots for R 981.34 (www.zara.com)

Keep warm with a Woolies trench coat for R 450.00 (www.woolworths.co.za)

The Zara faded skinny jeans will give you the confidence to turn heads during the chilly period for R 420.50 (www.zara.com)

Store your belongs in a Zara cut work tote bag for R 1 822.62 (www.zara.com)

Neatly wrap the neck with a Mr Price knitted scarve for R 59.99 (www.mrp.co.za)

You can keep the hands away from the dodgy winter freeze with the Mr Price Zebra print gloves for R 39.99 (www.mrp.co.za)

Beat Box: The French dance music maniac

French dance deejay and producer Martin Laurent Picandet known to his followers as Martin Solveig is back with a new sizzling dance song, “Hey Now”, which he collaborated with The Cataracs featuring Kyle. Kyle lyrically rides the beat of the song with some neat and relaxed style.

The Neuilly-Sur-Seine born dance music creator mentioned that his now ready to open a new chapter made of collaborations with talents he adores, most of them new in the music scene. Its tracks such as “Smash” that ranked Martin Solveig 26th deejay by DJ Mag top 100 in 2011, probably a recognition the dance beat creator relished for quite so time.

As a child he joined the delightful choir of the PetitsChanteurs de Sainte-Croix de Neuilly, The Paris Boys Choir which was founded in 1956 by Louis Prudhomme where he acquired classical music training and became a Soprano Soloist. With four studio albums under his belt, it was “Hello” a song that gained him more global fans and airplay.

His music career has seen him collaborate with musical talents such as Madonna, Kele of Bloc Party,Dragonette, and Salif Keita to mention a few and not to forget the French entertainer also hosts a weekly radio show called “C’est La Vie” on stations worldwide including FG Dj Radio in his native land.

Martin Solveig’s electrifying sounds have inspired many bodies to move about on the dance floor   and with his talent for making dance music I do not see him fade from the scene any time soon.

Ashley Mokwena

Twitter: @ashfonik

New Albums to check out

Artist: Will.I.am

Album title: #willpower

Genre: Pop

Featured artists: Eva Simons, Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Juicy J, Justin Bieber, Dante Santiago, Miley Cyrus, Skylar Grey and Nicole Scherzinger

 Artist: Dionne Warwick

Album title: Now

Genre: Soul Jazz

 Artist: Kid Cudi

Album title:Indicud

Genre: Hip Hop

Featured artists:King Chip, Kendrick Lamar, Father John Misty, Too $hort, Haim, RZA, A$AP Rocky and Michael Bolton

Ashley Mokwena

Twitter: @ashfonik

              @DaStitchBlog

Box Office: some Double-crossing and living youth to the fullest

Parker

Cast: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez and Emma Booth

Director: Taylor Hackford

Genre: Suspense

Running Time: 1hr 55 mins

The film revolves around a thief Parker (Statham) who’s double-crossed by his crew and decides to go for revenge. Parker travels to Palm Beach where he enlists the help of Leslie (Lopez) who assists him to steal from the crew. Leslie falls for Parker, who himself is faithful to his long-time girlfriend Claire (Emma Booth). The film has some exciting moments, but much could’ve been done to make it fire film.

21 & Over

Cast: Miles Teller, Skylar Astin and Justin Chon

Director: Jon Lucas

Genre: Comedy

Running time: 1hr 33 mins

From the writers of The Hangover, this comedy is about a student Jeff Chang who always did everything by the book. His two best friends Casey and Miller surprise him for his 21^st birthday and they decide to have a night out for a beer, but instead they over indulged and meanwhile the next morning Jeff has an important medical interview.

Ashley Mokwena

@ashfonik

In social media space

Waywire, “The Pinterest for videos” will now allow users to add hashtags.

Chinese social network platform Renren hit a new 52 week low last week Friday reporting a $3 (R27.45) drop to its shares.

LinkedIn the social network for business professionals has acquired content curation platform Pulse for $90 million.

Twitter has announced that its exploring new ways for Android users to discover tweets.     

Ashley Mokwena

@ashfonik

Tech Bite: Sony looking for mass market price for PS4

Sony the makers of PlayStation are having headaches on the pricing of its fourth generation gaming console the PS4. The console could be priced lower than its predecessor the PS3, the reason for such a decision is that Sony have created a console which is focused on gamers in a much broader sense. Does this mean a gaming maniac in Chennai or Cairo will be able to afford it when it reaches their stores?

When the PS3 entered the market, its initial price was sitting on the $500 (R4580) to $600 (R5490) which is a lot, so the electronics maker have learned a lesson from the experiences of the PS3 and most recent the PS Vita which didn’t meet expectations. Whatever the price of the PS4, Sony could always make adjustments to the market forces afterwards like Nintendo did with the 3DS.

The PS4 will come with an 8GB of GDDR5 memory, hard drive storage, Blu-ray drive, 3 USB 3.0 ports and a dualshock 4 controller to mention a few specs.

Let’s hope the dropping of the price benefits the electronics giants!

 

Ashley Mokwena

@ashfonik

 

Couture Corner: Hat-maker displayed some touch of elegance

New York based South African fashion designer Albertus Swanepoel showcased his range of clothing in more than a decade at South African Fashion Week held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Johannesburg on Friday night.

The prolific headgear maker has been living and sharing his craftsmanship with New Yorkers for over two decades, but never deserted his affection for his native land.

Swanepoel showed his elegant Spring-Summer collection which included knee-length skirts, trenches; well put tuxedo pants and chic dresses, which are made from high-quality fabrics and excellent cuts.

 

 

 

 

Ashley Mokwena

@ashfonik 

Sounds of the moment

‘Sounds of the moment’ will be showing face on Da Stitch once a month, with this feature we highlight sounds currently making noise.

 

Mirrors – Justin Timberlake

 

 

 

Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke FT. Pharrel Williams & T.I

 

  Vanilla & Chocolate – ifani

 

 We Up – 50 Cent FT. Kendrick Lamar

 

Scream & Shout (Remix) – Will.i.am FT. Britney Spears, Diddy, Waka Flocka and Lil Wayne

 

Ashley Mokwena

@ashfonik

Box office:Help of a fallen hero and love tale in the voice of a supernatural force

Olympus Has Fallen

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Angela Bassett, Gerard Butler, Robert Forster, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart

Opening Date: 12 April 2013

The White House has been infiltrated and held under the control of a terrorist while the President has been captured. The only hope the White House has lies with Mike Banning - a fallen hero in the eyes of the American government. Banning played by Butler who’s no stranger to throwing around his brawn in many an action flick can’t help but lead America to the predictable victory that we’ve become accustomed to seeing as South African spectators. Definitely worth the watch for the action-junkie, the script could use a twist or three though.

The Host

Directed by: Andrew Niccol

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, Chandler Canterbury, Frances Fisher

Opening Date: 12 April 2013

Not unlike the Twilight series, this story (based on another offering by author Stephanie Meyer) tells of a love story in the voice of a supernatural force, one human, one not; Melanie whose body has been invaded by an unseen enemy known as Wanderer. She refuses Wanderer complete control of her mind and as they become allies unwillingly and begin a dangerous search for the man both Melanie & Wanderer have fallen in love with. Typical of the author in my opinion but popular nevertheless so if you are a Twihard, go check it out.

Adhiti Naidoo

@AdhitiN

STER-KINEKOR’S “GIRLFRIENDS GETAWAY” PRESENTS THIS IS 40

Enjoy a special night out with the girls and celebrate this milestone age!

Are you dreading turning the big 4-0? If so, this month’s Ster-Kinekor “Girlfriends Getaway” event has the perfect movie to help you embrace this milestone age in any woman’s life! Grab your girlfriends, sisters, moms and cousins, and head on down to your nearest Ster-Kinekor theatre for an evening of laughter and fun, as you watch a special sneak preview of This is 40 on Wednesday, 24April from 19:00.

This is 40 is a comedy written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and has been billed as a stand-alone sequel to the 2007 film Knocked Up. The film stars Paul Rudd as Pete and Leslie Mann as Debbie, and follows the lives of this middle-aged married couple as they each face the daunting prospect of turning 40. Add their jobs and two daughters to their already stressed relationship and you have a recipe for chaos and comedy… something many of us can relate to!

Pete owns his own record label, with his friends Ronnie (Chris O’Dowd) and Cat (Lena Dunham) working with him – but the business is struggling financially. The couple also has to deal with the daily demands of their two daughters, Sadie, a young teenager, and eight-year-old Charlotte. For Debbie’s 40th birthday, the couple decides to go away to a resort for a romantic weekend away. However, things don’t pan out quite as planned as they get high after eating some ‘special cookies’, and begin fantasising aloud about different ways they would like to kill each other.

Apatow moves this theme up a notch by taking humours incidents borne out of extreme situations and making them connect with real life in an honest, believable and faithful way.

This is 40 releases to the public at Ster-Kinekor theatres countrywide on Friday, 03 May.

Don’t miss this month’s ‘Girlfriends Getaway’ event, which takes place at the following Ster-Kinekor cinemas on Wednesday, 24 April from 19:00;

WESTERN CAPE:

Cape Gate/ Cavendish/ Somerset/ Tygervalley

EASTERN CAPE:

The Bridge

GAUTENG:

The Zone/ Sandton/ Cresta/ Northgate/ Greenstone/ Brooklyn/ Irene

KWAZULU-NATAL:

Gateway

To make your evening out with the girls on 24 April even more special, there will be lucky draws, hampers and goodie bags for all our ‘girlfriends’. *Expect a little treat courtesy of Good House Keeping Magazine, Orthopedic Pillow & Mattress, Coty & Lentheric Fragrances, Vinolia, Satiskin, Tantol, Adventure Boot Camp, The Diet Everyone Talks About*.

(*Note: hampers and goodie bag contents may vary cinema to cinema.)

REMEMBER- no guys allowed!

To find out more, visit www.sterkinekor.com. Avoid the queues by booking online, by calling Ticketline on 082 16789 or you can book at the box office. you can also secure your seats by downloading the Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone and BlackBerry apps to book from your mobile. To find out what other exciting promotions Ster-Kinekor has on offer, follow @SKTheatres on Twitter or Facebook at Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

In social media space

Video site Dailymotion has added support for social networking site Pinterest.

Political satirist Stephen Colbert unveiled the twitter account he created for former US President Bill Clinton (@PrezBillyJeff).

North Korea’s official Flickr page has been hacked into by an individual who is reported to be posting mockery pictures of the country’s leader Kim Jong-Un.

Foursquared is to release a new version of its flagship iOSapp which will put 3.5 billion check-ins in the forefront with search and explore functionality.

Ashley Mokwena

@ashfonik

Tech bite: Facebook enters the vicious mobile market

A week ago Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg announced in a livestreamed event that HTC First will be the first in a series of Facebook Home Phones starting on April 12 in the US.

Facebook Home Phone will function on device from manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, ZTE, HTC, Huawei and Lenovo, Android operating devices. The users of the mentioned devices have the luxury of installing Facebook Home without buying a new Android operating phone.  Teaming up with Google, it’s evident that the social networking kings are serious about grabbing a market share and obviously pull profits, but can Facebook make it?

When unlocking Facebook Home Phone, the first thing seen is Facebook instead of the usual lock screen and Facebook Home Phone differ from other Androids, in that it allows people to pop up and chat with you as you’re apps.

From the music scheme of things, the removal of friction between listening to something and sharing music with someone, reason being that Facebook will be the main place to hang out on that phone.

With Mr Zuckerberg mentioning that Facebook Home Phone being available on Friday to the US user, one can only wonder when this side of the globe will get the taste of the Facebook Home Phone.

Ashley Mokwena

@ashfonik

Beat Box: The young wizard of Naija music

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogunknown to his fans as Wizkid quickly developed into hot property within the Nigerian music scene and the Africa music scene too. The pop and hip-hop sensation graced music lovers with songs such as “Tease me”,“For Me” and “Slow Whine” on which he featured RnB and fellow Nigerian homeboy Banky W from his debut album titled SUPERSTAR. The album positioned Wizkid as one of Africa’s hot and most admirable properties.

Wizkid was born with music in his veins! He has mastered the art of riding any beat thrown at him. Linking up with Nigerian music heavyweights such as Banky W, Naeto C and M.I helped the young muso break into the international music scene in which led to him getting nominated and going on to win an award for Best International Act- Africa at the 2012 BET awards, an award which was shared by him and Ghanaian rap superstarSarkodie, putting them on the same pedestal as the likes of 2Face Idibia, D’banj and FallyIpupa.

Since his break through Wizkid has managed to carve a niche for himself in the industry. Weeks after releasing the first ever EME All Star album (Empire Mates State of Mind) with Banky W, Skales, and other Nigerian acts, Wizkid went on to share his talent with the world.

Being loved across the African continent, Nigerian music contains a certain virus which one cannot describe and it has added some flavour to musical content on the continent. It’s such as Wizkid we as Africans should be proud of for sharing a piece of the continent with the rest of the globe.

Ashley Mokwena

@ashfonik

Link to video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0jPvTid8ss

Design my Samsonite

Samsonite Launches Design Contest for Curv Collections

Samsonite, the world’s leading travel solutions brand inspiring travel world-wide, has launched Design My Samsonite, a unique international design competition. It is open to registered undergraduate and graduate art and design students and those who completed their art or design education during 2012-2013 academic year.

Participation is open to applicants from South Africa, as well as every European country, Russia and Turkey.

Participants are invited to create their own artwork to be printed on a stylish Samsonite Curv Collection suitcase – either a Cosmolite or Firelite – using an innovative printing process. Showcasing Samsonite’s most innovate and best-selling collections, Design My Samsonite gives participants the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make their mark on these iconic luggage collections.

Ultimately, two eye-catching designs will be selected internationally – one for the Cosmolite collection and one for the Firelite collection – as grand prize winners. The two grand prize winners will see their design produced on a Samsonite Cosmolite or Firelite case as limited edition, will be awarded a set of luggage with their design and win an exciting trip to New York City or Cape Town (value of 3.000 euro’s, approximately R35 500)

In addition to the grand prize winners, one country winner may be awarded from each of the selected countries. The grand prize and country winners will be selected by a Samsonite jury comprised of six members of the design and marketing teams. Finally, a People’s Choice winner will be awarded to the design with the most votes on the Design My Samsonite website: www.designmysamsonite.com. The winners from participating countries and the People’s Choice Award winner will each be awarded a set of Firelite or Cosmolite cases.

All entrants will see their designs displayed on the Design My Samsonite website gallery (www.designmysamsonite.com), the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/samsoniteofficial) and the Pinterest page (www.pinterest.com/mysamsonite).

Samsonite has developed a revolutionary printing technique which enables bespoke designs to be embedded within the Curv material. Curv material, paired with Samsonite’s patented shell-forming process, results in luggage made with innovative material widely known for high-energy absorption and outstanding shock impact performance. Also used to make ice hockey skates, shin guard protection and body armour, Curv is widely known for its feather light and advanced impact-resistant qualities.

The Design My Samsonite winners will be selected in June 2013 and a limited production of the official winning Samsonite Design Lab case will feature in the 2013 September Samsonite Dealer Catalogue.

Participants may enter their design at the official Design My Samsonite website (www.designmysamsonite.com) where they will find the contest artwork template and briefing, product information on the Curv collections – Cosmolite and Firelite – and Curv materials, videos, pictures and a gallery page of submitted artworks.

The contest began on March 18 and participants will have until May 31, 2013 to submit their design. For the full competition rules, terms and conditions and additional information, please visit www.designmysamsonite.com or www.facebook.com/samsoniteofficial.

[1] Participation is open to applicants from every European country, as well as Russia, South Africa and Turkey, who are officially registered as undergraduate or graduate art and/or design students working towards a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree at the time the design idea is submitted of have completed their education during academic year 2012-2013. Registration is free and applicants must accept the competition terms and conditions.

[1] Cosmolite Design Grand Prize Winner: trip to New York, including flight and lodging and a set of three Cosmolite suitcases with the winning design. Firelite Design Grand Prize Winner: trip to Cape Town, including flight and lodging and a set of three Firelite suitcases with winning design.

[1] Entries from the following countries will be eligible for the Country Award: Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, UK, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Turkey and South Africa.