PROGRAMMING NOTE. Melanie Bala chats to Natasha Sutherland.

Melanie Bala who's brand-new local TV talk show, Let's Chat with . . . Mel starts this evening at 20:00 on M-Net Series (DStv 110) kick off with a high profile guest: Natasha Sutherland. Other guests include Dion Chang who talks about his new book Flux Trends and what 2010 will hold and Kate Emmerson who helps a hapless viewer get control of her clutter.

For my interview with Melanie Bala you can click RIGHT HERE.

Tonight's debut episode is a must-see. I was sitting right there in the live studio-audience at Clive Morris Productions and everyone were mesmerized. Mel who could have easily taken the more tabloid road, kept the high ground asking follow-up questions to some of Natasha's answers. The show is classy, clever and Melanie has a strong and really funny personality - which is exactly what talk show television thrives on.

Here's some choice quote bits from Natasha out of Melanie's great interview, so you can see why you have to watch tonight and see for yourself what Natasha said:

''I've put myself in a reclusive state because of my marriage. I had blocked women out because I judged them. They were threats.''

''If you want to change but you stay in the victim box, you will never change. I have to get out of the whole victim role and make it work.''

''When you're an actress you can hide behind a mask, I've been doing it my whole life. And what happened when all the stories came out -  there was no mask. I was completely naked. So I've learned so much.''

INTERVIEW. Melanie Bala: ''Yes. I am a little scared.'' I chat with the new TV talk show host about her return to television.

A few weeks ago, just before the end of the year, I sat down for a great interview with the lovely Melanie Bala just outside her TV talk show set in Johannesburg. Melanie's brand-new, weekly local TV talk show, Let's Chat . . . Mel debuts this Wednesday evening at 20:00 on M-Net Series (DStv 110) and I was there for the recording of the very first episode. Let's Chat with . . .Mel is filmed in front of a live studio audience by Clive Morris Productions is witty, clever and intelligent without being overly-cerebral. You watch it and you feel that you've been entertained and have learned something. And she's very, very funny. Tonight's first guest is Natasha Sutherland.

In a wide-ranging interview Melanie opened up about how she feels (''I am a little scared''), her return to television after 8 years (and why now!), what it is that she wants to achieve with Let's Chat . . .with Mel and how she first heard the news!

Click on READ MORE below for the complete interview!

BREAKING. 'Absolute Women' NEW NAME IS: 'Let's Chat. . .with Mel'.

You're reading it here first. I was FIRST with the news that Melanie Bala is doing an Oprah by getting her own brand new local talk show , then I spilled FIRST that it was tentatively going to be called Absolute Women, I did a set visit and was FIRST to bring you awesome pics from the show and a set reveal and now I can be FIRST again with the news that the show has changed it's working title from Absolute Women to: Let's Chat . . .with Mel.

The show looks awesome, Melanie Bala is uber intelligent and clever (but in a funny and completely relatable way to the female audience her show it pitched to) and I think the show is going to be a hit. It starts on 6 January on M-Net Series (DStv 110).