Rockville will try to rock as a new drama series on Mzansi Magic as the first TV drama of Connie and Shona Ferguson's Ferguson Films.

Everybody is tight-lipped but Ferguson Films will try to rock with its new drama series Rockville set to start on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) within months with husband-actors-producers couple Shona Ferguson and Connie Ferguson not only producing the drama series but also appearing in it.

Don't look for an on-screen reunion after Shona Ferguson's character literally died in the arms of Connie Ferguson's character in the shockingly negative and tragic ending of The Wild on M-Net at the end of March - they made a conscious decision not to appear in any scenes in Rockville together.

Rockville which had the working title of Black Diamonds and which is being produced by Ferguson Films revolves around two feuding families living in different places, similar to the Mzansi Magic telenovelas isiBaya and iNkaba.

In Rockville one family lives in Soweto (where Rockville is of course to be found) and the other in a leafy suburb.

Rockville's cast includes Minnie Dlamini, Luthuli Dlamini, Gail Nkoane, Boity Thulo, Bonnie Henna and Trevor Gumbi. Filming of the first season of Rockville ended on 2 April.

Mzansi Magic currently isn't able to give me a definite starting date for Rockville, doesn't want to officially reveal any actors in the show, or talk about the show at all.

MTV on DStv wants to lift viewership with a schedule more tightly focused on the needs of the South African audience.

MTV (DStv 130) wants to lift viewership of the channel on MultiChoice's DStv platform with a schedule more tightly focused on the needs of the South Africa audience.

With its emphasis now as being a general entertainment TV channel with a focus on reality, drama, docudrama and factual content, MTV says the channel has key programming coming up on MTV over the next 6 months which include genre-defining viewership winners "perfectly tailored for MTV's youth audience".

"Over the past decade, MTV has evolved from a music channel to one more focused on the broad spectrum of youth entertainment - driven by the phenomenal growth and enormous popularity of series such as Jersey Shore, My Super Sweet Sixteen, Pun'k and Beavis & Butthead," says Helen Smit, director of programming for MTV Africa.

"By combining this high-quality programming with a schedule more tightly focused on the needs of the South African audience, we expect to drive viewership and repeat viewing of the channel," says Helen Smit.

MTV will be offering viewers over the course of the next 6 months Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life (starting on 14 May), the third season of Teen Mom (April), the second season of Snooki & Jwoww (May), the fourth season of Geordie Shore, the third season of Ridiculousness (June) and Washington Heights (July).

The comedy drama Awkward will start its third season on MTV with Ashley Rickards as the gawky teen Jenna Hamilton in September.

The docudrama Catfish will start its second season on MTV in October with presenters Nev Schulman and Max Joseph.

MTV will broadcast the MTV Video Music Awards 2013 on 25 August and the MTV Europe Music Awards 2013 in November.

MISSING PERSONS REPORT. Top Billing's photoshoot and billboard 'with all the presenters' will have no Jo-Ann Strauss, no Ursula Stapelfeldt.

Every photo tells a story, and the recent Top Billing photo shoot for new billboards for SABC3's weekly lifestyle magazine show is as noteworthy for who's not in it, as the six people who are.

Top Billing's photoshoot, with Tswelopele Productions and SABC3 constantly hyped up that the fact that "all of the Top Billing presenters are together" in one room.

"For the first time under one roof to have all the Top Billing presenters doing a photoshoot," said Basetsana Kumalo, chairperson of Tswelopele Productions.

The photoshoot included Janez Vermeiren, Jeannie D, Bonang Matheba, Lorna Maseko, Simba Mhere and Jonathan Boynton-Lee.

Where then does that leave longtime Top Billing presenters Jo-Ann Strauss and Ursula Stapelfeldt who were both conspicuously absent from the photoshoot which will be made into billboards to celebrate the show's 21st anniversary on South African television?

Well, I couldn't ask on the specific day since South Africa's press - specifically TV critics and writers who are writing and being read nationally but who are not based in Johannesburg were completely dissed by Tswelopele Productions and SABC3's marketing and publicity team who couldn't communicate and even just tell that the event would be happening. (And if you don't know, you can't plan or make a plan.)

When Top Billing says "with the press joining us" what it actually means and underlies is unequal access to a non-exclusive event - one which the production punts as a "milestone". It's actually just Johannesburg-centric press who were informed and invited to attended the photoshoot at the 54 on Bath hotel.

So why is Jo-Ann Strauss and Ursula Stapelfeldt excluded?

Jo-Ann Strauss has of course started her own primetime TV talk show on another South African channel, Glambition on Mondays on e.tv.

Jo-Ann Strauss who is off Top Billing could possibly return with Tswelopele saying "we will be regrouping to discuss Top Billing with Jo-Ann in July".

Last week I also made a media enquiry to Tswelopele and SABC3 about the situation regarding Ursula Stapelfeldt and which wasn't possible to do at the "milestone" event.

"We chose the six presenters for the billboard shoot who are most featured on the show, now and for the past six months," says Tswelopele. "We needed to give Ursula Stapelfeldt a chance to do Bar-One Manhunt. We do this from time to time in order to allow presenters to do different things that add flavour and variety to their careers and personal interest."

"Now that Ursula Stapelfeldt is no longer going to do Bar-One Manhunt, Top Billing will continue to use her services as the need arises," says Tswelopele Productions.

M-Net analogue subscribers in Cape Town facing possible disruption from Monday of their pay-TV service due to interference from Cape Town TV.

M-Net analogue subscribers in Cape Town face possible disruption to their pay-TV service set to start this coming Monday, 22 April, due to the community TV station Cape Town TV (CTV) moving channels.

Subscribers who are receiving M-Net through analogue M-Net decoders and who live in Cape Town might experience interruption in their M-Net services from Monday depending on their set-up because CTV is moving from channel 67 to channel 32.

That could possibly interfere with the M-Net signal of M-Net subscribers. From Monday, M-Net analogue subscribers could experience a snowy picture, a buzzing sound or a flashing 7 or 8 on their decoders due to interference from the changeover of Cape Town TV.

MultiChoice is set to come to the aid of these subscribers who won't have to pay for an installer to fix the problem, with M-Net subscribers who experience interference from Monday who can call 021 508 2661.

BREAKING. TV Tattle calls it quits after 13 years; website which aggregated the day's TV stories says 'this is the end of the line'.

 

"TV Tattle comes to an end. TV Tattle is calling it quits. This is the end of the line. Thanks for reading."

That's the shocking shocking and abrupt end to the TV Tattle site ending its daily summary and digest of must know/wanna know stories about television with links.

TV Tattle which existed for a massive 13 years since it was launched in 2000, was run by Norman Weiss and proved a massive help to TV writers, TV critics and journalists covering television across the world. 

It was this journalist and TV critic's number one most favourite site and the first place I went to whenever I worked through my daily list of Favourites. I've checked it like a compulsive hamster clicking for a pellet in a Pavlovian experiment for years. YEARS.

And I can think of quite a few South African TV critics and writers who - like me - are probably definitely freaking out right now and flailing in the wind like a child who just got a trusted old teddybear or blankey ripped away. (What a cruel, cruel world.)

He explains to Jim Romenesko that ad revenue had dwindled so much that it no longer pays the bills.

"I want to continue doing TV Tattle. I'd love to continue doing it. But I've exhausted all options when it comes to advertising and so I've had no choice but to pull the plug," he explained to Jim Romenesko.

The great, great site combed the interwebs meticulously day after day finding the nuggets, the titbits, the must-reads and the laugh-out-louds of the medium called American television and is exactly as old as I've been writing professionally (meaning getting paid) about television as well.

It's a terribly shame and sadness that TV Tattle is ending. It means even more harder work for a lot of journalists and a lot of TV critics - in America, as definitely in South Africa, and maybe other countries around the globe too.

Rest in peace, TV Tattle. My most favouritest, bestest, had-to-read-always, had-to-check-always website in all of the interwebs. The thing out of the hundreds of things I read daily, which I read first. The thing which was right at the very top of my list. Missed doesn't even come remotely close to the feeling the end of the TV Tattle line makes me feel.

MultiChoice makes Russia Today available on the DStv Compact bouquet as another 24-hour news channel.

Russia Today, or RT (DStv 405) as Russia's English language 24-hour news channel is better known as, is now being made available by MultiChoice to the satellite pay-TV platform's cheaper DStv Compact bouquet.

RT joins euronews which was added to DStv Compact as well, which means two further international news channels are now additionally available on the second-tiered DStv bouquet for South African subscribers.

BREAKING. Third season of Step Up Or Step Out on e.tv calling for entries; auditions taking place in 5 cities this season.

e.tv's successful dance reality show Step Up Or Step Out produced by Endemol South Africa is now calling for entries for the upcoming new third season, with auditions which will be taking place in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.

Dancers older than 18 can enter and dance crews must consist of at least three people and a maximum of five.

I asked e.tv for more information about the show - the channel didn't release the audition information  to the press. e.tv told me the channel is only issuing a press release next Monday.

The auditions for the 3rd season of Step Up Or Step Out will kick off in Johannesburg on 27 April and 28 April at The Market Theatre Laboratory between 08:30 and 17:30.

The audition process then moves to Cape Town on 4 and 5 May at the Dance for All Studios between 08:30 and 17:30.

Durban follows on 11 May for Step Up or Step Out auditions at the BAT Centre between 08:30 and 17:30.

Bloemfontein's auditions will take place on 18 May at the Bloemfontein Showgrounds at the Iris Hall between 08:30 and 17:30, followed by Port Elizabeth on 25 May at The Opera House between 08:30 and 17:30.

The application form for Step Up or Step Out must be downloaded from e.tv's website and then emailed, or be uploaded through the website.

BOOM! SIT DOWN for this one: Twitter trash talk queen Nonhle Tema (now with child) to return to TV for the 1 000 episode of V Entertainment.

Boom. You'll wanna sit down for this one: The Twitter trash queen Nonhle Thema is returning to television for a once-off appearance on the 1 000 episode of the daily entertainment news show V Entertainment next Wednesday 24 April at 18:00 on Vuzu (DStv 116).

The now-notorious Nonhle Thema who flamed out after a disastrous attempt on a widely-panned reality show, Nonhle Goes to Hollywood, was a V Entertainment presenter after she got her TV break on another M-Net channel, Channel O.

Nonhle Thema (who has her own fragrance, her own child and more money than all the rest of us combined. Boom! Sit down! No, not you Basetsana Khumalo, you may stand) will moderate a dinner discussion between tabloidrati for the special episode, talking celebrity rumours.

"V Entertainment's 1 000th episode is a celebration and a thank you to the show's fans for helping turn it into a winning show," says the weekday production in a statement.

"It's unlike anything you've seen before and with Nonhle Thema reprising her time as host, the scene is set for more not to be missed television."

Al Jazeera now available on Windows Phone 8 news app where its 24-hour TV news channel can be watched for free.

Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / TopTV 401), the Arabic 24-hour news channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar can now be watched for free 24 hours per day through a newly-released Windows Phone 8 news app.

The new app provides users with free access to Al Jazeera's TV news stream as it is broadcast on television.

"We are delighted that Al Jazeera's multi-award winning news and current affairs coverage is now available on Windows Phone 8 devices," says Moeed Ahmed, the head of new media at Al Jazeera Media Network in a press statement.

"The launch of the Windows Phone 8 app comes after our success BlackBerry 10 and Android Tablet launch. Today's announcement re-emphasises our committment to ensuring that people can consume our content whenever and wherever they want - whether its on a tablet, mobile device, PC or connected TV."