* Not one to rest on her oh-so-toned laurels, Beyonce made the announcement immediately after pulling out all the stops for her Super Bowl performance, that she’ll soon be heading out on a world tour. And world means Europe and North America, for now at least.
* Ahead of his appearance at the Grammys this Sunday, Justin Timberlake took to a New Orleans stage on Saturday night for his first solo concert in 5 years. While Jay-Z didn’t join in his wife’s Super Bowl spotlight, he did pop up on JT’s stage, as did the singer’s SexyBack collaborator, Timberlake.
* It’s been announced that filming on the anime movie, Kite, which was the last project director and stuntman David R Ellis was working on before he was found dead in a Joburg hotel room, will go ahead. Shooting is due to begin in South Africa this month, and Samuel L Jackson will still star in the movie, citing Ellis’ “zest and enthusiasm” as the reason he took on the part in the first place and why he’ll honour his commitment too. Jerusalema director Ralph Ziman now fills the director’s seat.
* In keeping with Ben Affleck’s “take-that” winning streak, Argo earned him the DGA’s stamp of approval for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film – a feat many see as almost all but surely sealing the film’s destiny, come Oscar night. Searching for Sugar Man won Malik Bendjelloul the documentary category, which also bodes well for him too.
* South African soprano Pretty Yende is a star in the making, who’s currently winning over audiences at the Metropolitan Opera’s Le Comte Ory shows. She sings the role of Countess Adele in Rossini’s comic piece – a part she learnt in only 11 days when the original singer fell ill. Keep an eye on this 27-year-old, who also performed with Andrea Bocelli at his most recent Central Park show.
[Pic: Pretty Yende, courtesy The Metropolitan Opera]