DAILY TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 4 October 2017.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ South Africa's boxing community furious at the SABC over false promises, delays.
SABC slammed by boxers‚ trainers‚ promoters and Boxing SA (BSA) officials over its lack of communication. Even the press can't reach the SABC.

■ A Cosatu public protest could be coming to Newlands on Saturday over the lack of free-to-air coverage
of Springbok rugby test that's only being shown live on SuperSport on MultiChoice's DStv, depriving millions of South Africans from seeing it due to the SABC's failure.
"People who cannot afford DStv are treated like second hand citizens of South Africa," says Cosatu.

■ The duration of TV commercials in America keeps shrinking.

■ Jeffrey Katzenberg is looking for a massive amount of money for his new TV start-up plan.
Wants to create New TV - the mobile smartphone version of HBO with expensive TV shows costing $100 000 per episode, Game of Thrones type shows that's 10 minutes long.

■ More on Star Trek The Next Generation turning 30 years old.
- And Star Trek: Discovery becomes one of the most pirated shows in less than 24 hours.

■ Peak TV is pushing TV show budgets to the breaking point as costs skyrocket. TV channels are burning cash to meet the soaring per-episode costs of shows like Game of Thrones.
-  Something is wrong: TV simply can't support this big expansion this quickly. Is out-of-control per-episode costs going to kill Peak TV?

■ Hilariously lying TStv hyperbole as the new Nigerian satellite pay-TV operator says it will employ 5 000 people.
- And more falsehoods as TStv claims its available 24 hours per day - if only TStv actually responded to media enquiries from the press as well.
- "TStv can't compete with DStv" and the TStv offering looks more like "emotional marketing.

■ Namibia's public broadcaster Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) wants to force Namibians to pay their TV licence fees ... with enforcement help from the police.
Namibians are up in arms and like in South Africa with the SABC, Namibians say the NBC should first improve its actual bad content.

■ Uganda's broadcasting regulator does hard censorship.
The despotic Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) bans live TV and radio broadcasts from showing Uganda citizens what's happening in their own parliament.

■ The evolution of Tom Welling: From Smallville to Lucifer.
Tom Welling on why he is back on TV 6 years after Smallville ended.

■ Shocking social media censorship coming to Tanzania in draconian new law.
Even TV channels will have to "apply for registration".

■ Iran to launch its first TV channel packaged for Africa.

■ A TV trash Obama.
An uproar in Cameroon over the trash presenter Ernest Obama at Vision 4 who continues his hate speech on television.

DStv SHOWCASE SEPTEMBER 2017: The list of horror and thriller films included in M-Net Movies' Shock-Tober movie festival on M-Net Action+ during October.

M-Net's month-long Shock-Tober movie festival is kicking off on Thursday 5 October with several horror and thriller films that will be broadcast on M-Net Movies Action+ (DStv 106) every Thursday, Friday and Saturday this month.

The M-Net Movies Shock-Tober festival films are available to DStv Premium subscribers only and is done by M-Net to create a thriller and horror entertainment thematic film experience for the month in which Halloween happens.

"It's all those movies that make your hair stand up – thrillers, horror, with films from Stephen King for instance,” says Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's head of content.

Aletta Alberts says the DStv pop-up channels are popular with viewers. "We're really proud of them, when we play them they’re usually in the top 5 normally of most watched channels, and you'll see us doing them on an ongoing basis."

"We think it’s a much better way of curating content and really, really getting people into it."

Here's the line-up of films that DStv subscribers can watch during October:

Thursday 5 October
Sleepwalkers 20:00
A terrifying horror movie based on a Stephen King novel. Two supernatural beings travel to a small town to hunt and feed on a young virgin.

Burying the Ex 21:30
The late Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) stars in this horror romantic comedy about a man whose life is turned upside down when his girlfriend comes back from the dead as a zombie.

The Visit 23:00
M. Night Shyamalan returns to form in this chilling horror. Two siblings visit their grandparents on vacation, only to be terrified by their increasingly disturbing behavior.


Friday 6 October
Final Destination 21:40
Death is everywhere in this riveting horror story. A teenager’s vision prevents him and his friends from dying in a plane crash. But the Grim Reaper begins to hunt them down one by one in the order they are supposed to die.

The Exorcism of Molly Hartley 23:35
Terrifying sequel to the 2008 horror film. A young woman possessed by an unholy demon finds it slowly transforming her into a servant of evil.


Saturday 7 October
The Gallows 22:26
If you're a horror fan then this is up your street. 20 years after a horrific accident took place during a school play, a group of kids are being hunted by an evil spirit.


Thursday 12 October
I Know What You Did Last Summer 20:00
An all-star cast drives this thriller. Four inebriated teens hit a fisherman with their car. A year later their actions come back to haunt them.

The Lazarus Effect 21:40
Olivia Wilde stars in this sci-fi horror. A medical team discover a way to bring the dead back to life. They're forced to save one of their own, but she returns as something else.

The Boy 23:06
Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead) stars in this chilling horror. An American nanny is shocked to find that her new English family’s ‘son’ is actually a life-sized doll.


Friday 13 October
The Conjuring 2  20:00
For this equally chilling sequel to the popular horror, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine go to London where a terrifying and malicious spirit is awaiting them.

Final Destination 2  22:13
Death returns in this sequel to the hit horror film. After having a vision of a violent road accident, a teen seems to prevent it, but the survivors begin to die off one by one.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension 23:49
The final instalment of the terrifying franchise follows a family desperate to protect their daughter from an evil, sinister entity.


Saturday 14 October
The Forest 22:23
There’s no escaping true evil in this terrifying horror. A woman travels to Japan’s Suicide Forest in search of her missing twin sister. There, she is confronted by deadly spirits.


Thursday 19 October
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer 20:00
The thrilling sequel to the hit teen horror. After surviving the last massacre, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinz Jr’s characters must fight for their lives once again.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 21:40
Take the timeless Jane Austen classic, add a dash of horror and a whole lot of terrifying undead and you have a gritty action film about five sisters who take on a zombie horde.

The Unborn 23:34
A great ensemble cast fight for the soul of a young woman in this terrifying horror. A woman battles the spirit of her unborn twin, who is slowly trying to possess her.


Friday 20 October
Final Destination 3  22:00
The third installment to the horror franchise. A student’s premonition of a roller-coaster accident saves the lives of a lucky few, but death itself seeks to re-correct fate.

Woman in Black 2 - The Angel of Death 23:33
Terror returns to the Eel Marsh House in this disturbing horror sequel. It’s WWII and a group of children are evacuated to the countryside. But they are taken to a haunted place.


Saturday 21 October
Out of the Dark 22:48
Julia Stiles (Save the Last Dance) stars in this intense horror. A family move to Columbia to take over the family manufacturing plant, only to find that their home is haunted.


Thursday 26 October
Urban Legend 20:00
Jared Leto fights for his life in this thrilling horror. A college student begins to suspect that a bunch of unusual deaths are based on a series of urban legends.

Shaun of the Dead 21:40
Hot Fuzz stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost make the ultimate zombie adventure comedy. A man decides to turn his mundane life around during a zombie apocalypse.

The Other Side of the Door 23:20
Tragedy turns to terror in this movie when a mother tampers with unknown forces. After an accident, she tries to contact her dead son but brings back a dark evil instead.

The Conjuring 2 00:55 (Repeat)
For this equally chilling sequel to the popular horror, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine go to London where a terrifying and malicious spirit is awaiting them.


Friday 27 October
Final Destination 5  22:03
Death returns for another gruesome installment. The survivors of a tragic bridge accident find they haven’t really escaped death – as each succumbs to their respective fate.

Jessabelle 23:36
This bone-chilling horror sees a woman return to her childhood Louisiana home to recover after an accident, only to find that a truly terrifying danger awaits her.


Saturday 28 October
House of Wax 21:46
A heart-stoppingly good remake of the spine-chilling horror classic. A group of teenagers is hunted down, one by one, by a set of murderous twin brothers.

Confused brother of killer Oscar Pistorius says family will take 'legal action' over Lifetime's biopic, Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer.

The confused brother of the blade runner killer Oscar Pistorius says the Pistorius family will be taking "legal action" over the upcoming Lifetime (DStv 131) film, Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer chronicling the sensational saga of how Oscar Pistorius gunned down and killed Reeva Steenkamp.

Carl Pistorius - who appears confused about the TV business as well as what freedom of speech entails - said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the Pistorius family is distancing themselves from the Lifetime film "produced by A+E Networks, a joint venture between the Disney – ABC Television Group".

Carl Pistorius is clearly clueless that Disney and ABC are the same company and that A+E Networks is not a joint venture between Disney-ABC, but between Disney-ABC Television and Hearst Communications.

Carl Pistorius also appears uninformed about what freedom of speech in South Africa, and worldwide, entails and that filmmakers and writers are allowed to interpret and re-interpret anything they want - and how they want to. It's called artistic creative licence.

Just like OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Nelson Mandela and other high-profile people who've had several biopics and biographical films about their lives made, no one owns the story of their own life. 

It is absolutely legal for people to write unauthorized biographies, make documentaries or dramas about someone without needing their permission. You do not need permission to portray a real person in a work of art such as a book or movie.

A few years ago Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was upset about not being consulted for a Nelson Mandela film, and for her being portrayed by actress Jennifer Hudson. Ma Winnie couldn't take legal action.

In the statement on Tuesday Carl Pistorius, after getting the ownership of A+E Networks wrong, said "the 'film' was made with blatant disregard of both the Steenkamp and Pistorius families, as well as complete disregard for Reeva and Oscar. Neither Oscar, the defence or the family were involved in the production of this ‘film’ in anyway."

"The 'film' is not true reflection of what happened on the day of this tragedy and the subsequent trial of the matter. The 'film' is a gross distortion of the findings of the court."

"Oscar was subjected to a month long psychological evaluation which was insisted upon by the prosecution; the psychological evaluation of Oscar was undertaken by leading minds in the field. Oscar was subjected to in depth assessments and on-going tests almost daily for a month long; at no stage was Oscar found to have the mind of a killer."

"The 'film' is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. The 'film' is rather a representation of what the prosecution tried to portray.We will be taking legal action."

Having killed Reeva Steenkamp, Oscar Pistorius who is a killer, is portrayed by actor Andreas Damn with Toni Garrn playing Reeva Steenkamp who was tragically gunned down.

Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer will debut on 11 November on Lifetime in the United States, with no date available yet for Lifetime in South Africa and Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer was written by Amber Benson and produced by Eric Tomosunas and Swirl Films for Thinkfactory Media.

In taking legal action, the Pistorius family looks as if it will be throwing more good money after bad.

A few years ago the family of the killed singer Aaliyah also threatened to stop Lifetime's film Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B about the singer who died in a Bahamas plane crash in 2001 and wanted to stop production and the showing because they were not kept in the loop.

Although the relatives were up in arms, the world ended up watching Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B with talk show host Wendy Williams who produced it who said "The family doesn't want the story to be told but we're doing it anyway".

In 2011 The Guardian reported that Winnie Madikizela-Mandela felt insulted by the Winnie movie in which she was portrayed by Jennifer Hudson in the titular role.

Winnie's lawyers also threatened South African director Darrell Roodt to stop production, but the film went ahead.

"I was not consulted. I am still alive, and I think that it is a total disrespect to come to South Africa, make a movie about my struggle, and call that movie some translation of a romantic life of Winnie Mandela," Winnie told CNN.

Earlier this year Michael Jackson's family was offended by Lifetime's Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland movie that portrayed all of Michael's kids - Prince, Paris and Blanket - as well as his parents Joe and Katherine, and Dr Conrad Murray who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Michael's death.

The film aired.

OJ Simpson and the Kardashians were reportedly unhappy with their portrayal in the hit drama series American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson, as were the family of Whitney Houston with her 2015 Lifetime movie.

By saying the family will take legal action, the Pistorius family is giving Lifetime's upcoming Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer a huge international publicity and attention boost with earned media coverage that normal made-for-TV movie marketing budgets can't buy.

DAILY TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 3 October 2017.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ How the SABC's Bessie Tugwana allegedly tried to bulldoze in her "friend" over a senior producer.
The SABC's latest acting COO is the last of two appointments by Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Bessie Tugwana allegedly tried to get rid of Nompumelelo Phasha in favour of her "friend" Marcia Mahlalela.
Bessie Tugwana were warned that what she is doing will lead to irregular expenditure at the SABC.


■ Wendy Williams' husband Kevin Hunter has been having an affair with a young massage therapist. Allegedly.
Cheated on Wendy Williams in 2001 and has been living with "Sharina" for years with his mistress living just 9 miles down the road. Brave Wendy flashes an engagement ring to try and prove the love is strong, making sure the left hand is easily visible. She tells her Wendy Williams Show audience on BET (DStv 129)  "You can believe what you want,", says in a statement "there is not 'there' there".
- Rival talk show The Talk trashes in fake-seriously reporting the breathlessness as the audience goes "ooh, aah" - watch.


■ Still with talk, and the failing Megyn Kelly in her new talk show asks Jane Fonda about her plastic surgery - the rest of the interview is a wash-out.
"You really want to talk about that now?" is Jane Fonda's curt reply.

■ End of the TV remote control?
New TV technology changes the channel using body gestures.

■ Siesta Key episode order upped from 10 to 18.
First season of the new MTV reality show increased, will start on MTV (DStv 130) in South Africa and Africa in November.

■ Jason Isaacs talks about his new role as Captain Gabriel Lorca of the USS Discovery in Star Trek: Discovery.
"I deliberately concentrated on not giving a f- ".
And in another interview he says "you don't want to be asking about things that get revealed during the show".
And in another interview "I'm dealing with idiots left, right and centre".

- Executive producer Akiva Goldsman, who directed the 3rd episode talk about Star Trek: Discovery's bigger story and then there's the bastardisation of string theory but with space spores.
 - And Star Trek The Next Generation has just turned 30 years old.

■ Piers Morgan interviews Mariah Carey, sprawled out on a couch in front of a Christmas tree, about the Las Vegas gun massacre.
Because Mimi isn't used enough insightful analyses as an expert on America's gun violence.


■ Hilariously misguided and uninformed Nigerians are mocking DStv as TStv launches.
Clueless that new pay-TV operator TStv isn't an improvement.
- Idiotic Nigerians don't realise the cost doesn't include installation - the "secret" terms and conditions of TStv that consumers are not aware of. Although some Nigerians are catching on, are cautious and are realising the true facts.
- MultiChoice Nigeria is giving GOtv subscribers in Nigeria one month free subscription in October as part of the new GOtv Max bouquet launch.
- Even more idiotic is Nigeria's minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed uttering trash statements at the launch event like "TStv will totally redefine the televison industry in Nigeria". It won't.
- At least Lai Mohammed admits a massive problem Nigeria has with its TV industry at the TStv launch event: The lack of a proper TV audience ratings system in Nigeria that is damaging and holding back Nigeria's TV biz.
- Images from the TStv launch event. Of course no press release or basic press statement but at least the satellite dishes come with potted plants.


■ MultiChoice Namibia held a TV content workshop
for Namibian content producers to explain how to pitch content to TV channels for their shows to appear on DStv. VIA (DStv 147) says it's willing to put Namibian content on the channel. People’s Weather (DStv 180) says it's willing to create a "Namibian block" on its channel.

■ OnseTV on StarSat doesn't have a channel head yet after its launch last week.
Or very clear answers to a lot of questions.

■ "Mulder and Scully are swapping places."
Some teasies about the second season of the revived The X-Files that will be broadcast in 2018.

Left with no choice since it doesn't have any tapes, SABC3 is forced to remove The Amazing Race from its schedule; debut of 25th season postponed indefinitely.

SABC3 that had no choice, has pulled the scheduled next season of The Amazing Race from the channel's programming line-up indefinitely, after it failed to acquire the actual broadcasting material.

The 25th season of The Amazing Race was supposed to start last Monday as advertised by the SABC, but it didn't and caused viewer outrage. 

The reality show also didn't materialise a week later on the SABC's only commercial TV channel, with SABC3 that literally has nothing in its playout stack from the foreign distributor Disney Media Distribution (DMD) to show.

SABC3 realised it had no choice but to postpone the show indefinitely, with no new starting date for The Amazing Race announced.

According to sources, The Amazing Race tapes didn't arrive from overseas at SABC programme acceptance.

It's not clear whether the broadcaster failing to pay caused the logistical broadcast nightmare - something that has happened several times at the SABC.

According to SABC3 The Amazing Race is being replaced by rebroadcasts in prime time of the third season of the local travel magazine show, Top Travel. 

Top Travel will be broadcast indefinitely for the next couple of weeks.

According to the SABC the South African public broadcaster "will advise of a new broadcast date for The Amazing Race in due course".

No second season for Being Bonang reality show on VUZU AMP; 'thank you to everyone who watched,' says Bonang Matheba.

There won't be a second season for Bonang Matheba's reality show Being Bonang on VUZU AMP (DStv 103) although the star is thanking everyone who watched.

While Being Bonang was watched and avidly followed by TV critics, it wasn't a big enough hit on DStv where M-Net erred by placing Being Bonang on the top-tiered package only where it could just be watched by DStv Premium subscribers on VUZU AMP.

Similar reality shows - both in South Africa and overseas - court lower-tiered but bigger audiences by being available to more viewers, like Somizi Mhlongo's Living the Dream and the polygamy spectacle Uthando neSthembu that M-Net placed on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) where they did rate and pull in large numbers of viewers.

Being Bonang on VUZU AMP that wasn't accessible to the beloved celebrity's target audience at all and was scheduled in an odd and difficult timeslot, failed to reach more than 300 000 viewers for any of the first season's 14 episodes due to its botched channel allocation and weird schedule placement by TV executives.

Although the Bonang Matheba Entertainment (BME) and BarLeader produced Being Bonang wasn't a breakout ratings hit despite a new co-director who was brought in to help, the show did manage to turn her cousin Tebogo Mekgwe "Pinky Girl" - constantly cruising in the beloved celebrity's wake - into a star.

"No season two but a big thank you to everyone who's loved and watched my show. Means the world to me," said Bonang Matheba on Twitter. MultiChoice stacked the entire first season, with episodes that's available on DStv Catch Up.

Besides her reality show, this year Bonang Matheba released her app and customised emoji's as well as her in-demand book, Bonang: From A to B, that is back on sale following a reprint after a highly publicised proofreading gaffe.

Axed SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng pops up and now does 'that thing' on Dr Malinga's Giya Giya music video.

The axed and controversial former SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng is now doing "that thing" - funneling his full hands holding whatever gesture into possible music video superstardom by making an appearance in Dr Malinga's new "Giya Giya" music video.

The embattled and caustic Hlaudi Motsoeneng who had the SABC choir and others sing praise songs about him during his tenure at the SABC - and who has often been too ill to appear in court the past two months - has found time to record a music video appearance.

He is now popping up in Dr Malinga's new music video for "Giya Giya" where he does "that thing".

Although the audio is bad, Hlaudi Motsoeneng pops up early on in, and again towards the end of the Giya Giya" music video, and can be heard talking and seen gesturing just like he spoke to SABC staff and at his infamous press conferences.

With both hands holding imaginary round things, a raspy voiced Hlaudi Motsoeneng standing in a peach-coloured room, filmed his music video debut for the song that is apparently about his "that thing" gesture.

Teen variety show Hectic Nine-9 on SABC2 turns 10; will celebrate its decade-old anniversary with a new set and past presenters' reunion.

SABC2's youth variety programming block Hectic Nine-9 will celebrate its 10th anniversary today at 16:00 and reveal a new Cape Town set where the show is filmed by Okuhle Media, and include a reunion of current and former presenters.

"Hectic Nine-9 is, and always has been, for, by and about the viewers," says Noleen Nagel, Hectic Nine-9 producer.

"Hectic Nine-9 has, for years, been a place where South Africa's youth come together, and for the past 10 years, the show has produced content that has cemented its place as SABC2's flagship tween and teen program," says Zandil Nkosi, SABC Children commissioning editor.

"The birthday celebrations are SABC2's gift to the South African youth for continuing to tune into Hn9 and for making the show the success that it is today."

Hectic Nine-9 will unveil a new set today, completely rebuilt for the show's 10th anniversary. The show's audience will include Hectic Nine-9 friends and fans, with a old presenters' reunion included, as well as live performances from local South African artists.

The Hectic Nine-9 presenters Laurian Nortje and Ayanda Makuzeni, both of whom have been presenters since the first episode in 2007 say "viewers grew up with the show and are still loyal fans 10 years later. It’s an enormous privilege to be able to welcome some of them as VIP guests".

e.tv and Cell C launch own version of Shark Tank called Hangman, with Backers who decide which innovators ideas' are best.

e.tv is teaming up with cellular operator Cell C to launch their own version of Shark Tank, with the new entrepreneurial series Hangman that will start on e.tv on 8 October in which a set of judges - this time called "Backers" - will decide who gets a cash prize.

Hangman, presented by Maps Maponyane, will be streamed online and follows the format of Dragon's Den SA that was seen on Mzansi Magic and followed by Shark Tank South Africa that was on M-Net.

In the new reality show, a set of Backers will listen to contestants pitch their innovative ideas, as entrepreneurs who think that they have identified a gap in the market, get the chance to pitch and show their innovation that fills that space and explain how they want to bring it to the market.

The final 10 contestants chosen from a group of 45, will have to try and win the approval of the Backers - this time including celebrity economist Iraj Abedian, the business billionaire Quinton van der Burgh, chairperson of Shell South Africa Bonang Mohale, and the businesswoman Connie Mashaba.

Hangman will start on Sunday 8 October at 12:00 on e.tv with viewers who can also "invest" in a virtual stock exchange called "The Exchange" to help determine the outcome of the Hangman winner.

People who download the Cell C Reality app get 100 000 points which which they can participate in "The Exchange" to try and win prizes and viewers and contestants don't have to be a Cell C customer to download or play.