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This is one of those movies that audiences are going to love, and critics are going to slate!

Who are you going to listen to … the critics who are rating it at 2 to 3 stars out of 5 (or possibly less), or the audiences who sent it straight to the top of the box office charts in its opening weekend? Exactly!!

To give you some background, if you don’t already know it, this is what’s it’s all about:

The world’s top protection agent, Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) inexplicably botched a high profile job and fell from grace. 2 years later, he’s asked by Interpol agent Amelia Roussel (Elodie Yung), who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend, to guard the life of his sworn enemy, Darius Kinkaid (Samuel L. Jackson) one of the world’s most notorious hit men. The reluctant, but relentless bodyguard and happy-go-lucky assassin are thrown together for a roller-coaster 24 hours. They need to get from England to The Hague, but encounter every possible obstacle en route: high-speed car chases, bizarre boat escapades and the numerous (seemingly endless) henchmen of a cold-blooded Eastern European dictator (a chilling Gary Oldman) who is out for blood – he’s not really concerned whose!

Action fans will love it, and let’s face it, they aren’t going to care about low ratings. It has a stellar cast, lots of stuff gets blown up, the banter between the main protagonists is witty and sharp, and for the girls who’ve schlepped along to see Ryan Reynolds there’s even a bit of a warm and mushy love angle too! Generally it’s just loads of fun and makes for an enjoyable night out. If you’re looking for a movie where you don’t need to think, and where you can just sit back and watch it all unfold on the screen, then this is really perfect.

Thanks to Ster-Kinekor for treating us to a great preview night at Eastgate Prestige: complimentary bottles of Hunter’s Edge, amusing large, bouncer type men at the door (no really, a fabulous, cheeky touch), and hamper giveaways very cleverly executed.  It really was a thoroughly enjoyable night out!

The Hitman’s Bodyguard gets 4 glittery stars from me!

A tiny little gem of a place tucked away in plain sight in the hectic main street of Grant Avenue, Norwood. Their menu is limited – they do fried chicken in a variety of ways, and boy, do they do it well! The aioli is something out of this world (yes, I asked for more) – they definitely worked some sort of magic on it!

Gujon Chicken with Aioli

And the chicken is of course, fresh, crunchy and just moreish. The aim here is to provide good quality, wholesome food and to focus on what they do best rather than to provide a wide variety on the menu and focus on quantity, which is when quality often suffers. It’s obvious that the two guys who started this (with food trucks at festivals and markets) realised that they’d found something they did well and decided to stick with it! Good for them!

And don’t forget to try an amazing Jam Jar – the watermelon one was absolutely delicious!

The staff are friendly and obliging and the service is efficient. You have to go and visit. It’s fun, and probably not what you usually have in mind when you think of ‘eating out’, but you definitely have to try it. And once you do, you’ll be hooked!

AUGUST 5, 20h00 AT THE TEATRO, MONTECASINO

This live appearance will include a Q & A session and messages from the other side

The seminar will begin with an interactive question-and-answer session, after which Edward will then connect with the Other Side and give messages to the audience from family and friends who have crossed over.

No one attending the seminar is guaranteed a reading.

Bookings will be open from Tuesday 21 February 2017. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.johnedward.net or www.computicket.com/

John Edward has brought a fresh, honest and thought provoking attitude to the world of psychic phenomena. As a medium, author and lecturer, he has, over the last three decades, helped thousands with his uncanny ability to predict future events and communicate with those who have crossed over to the Other Side. Deeply compelling, often startling and occasionally humorous, John’s down-to-earth approach has earned him a vast and loyal following.

In 2000, John pioneered the psychic phenomena genre with the television program Crossing Over with John Edward on the Syfy network. It was the first television show syndicated worldwide devoted to psychic mediumship and it would go on to run for four seasons. John followed up the success of Crossing Over with John Edward with another television program, John Edward Cross Country, which debuted on the WE network in 2006 and ran for three seasons.

Every dog, as the saying goes, has its day.

The pooches of Parkview – whether pretty, pug-faced or pedigreed – are being pampered, preened and prepared for their big occasion.

It’s the inaugural dog show being held at the Parkview Golf Club on the afternoon of Sunday, 25 September (starting at 14:00) as part of the club’s year-long centenary celebrations.

“It’s one of several events the club has arranged for the year to involve local communities in the celebration of our 100 years,” said Franco Pellegrini, chairman of the club’s centenary committee. “Of course, we welcome domestic pets and their owners from all the suburbs around us.”

He stresses that the accent is on fun rather than stringent examinations of breeding and appearance.

“The pooches will be judged in categories including puppies, the ugliest and cutest dogs, dogs who resemble their owners, the best six legs shared by dogs and their owner, and the dog the judges would most like to take home.  And we’ll have some great prizes for them,” Franco says.

The afternoon will include displays by the Marks Park All Breeds Canine Club Johannesburg and Dancing with Dogs.  There will be other attractions for children and food and drinks will be on sale.

“Most pets are part of the family,” says Franco, “so we’re looking forward to a great afternoon for everyone.”

All set for the big Parkview dog show … Rocky, the Yorkshire terrier and Zuzu, the daschund, with Ella Schonborn (left) and her friend, Sophia Pellett

To enter before the day, please phone the club at 011 646 5400 or email tracey@parviewgolf.co.za.

For images or further information please contact Theresa Gibbon on 082 820 8437 or theresa@theresagibbonpr.co.za

Distributed by Behind the Scenes Communications on behalf of Thresa Gibbon PR.

Performed by Cat Simoni with Original Orchestration by Johan Laas

Devised and directed by Paul Spence

Presented by Daphne Kuhn at Auto & General Theatre on the Square

Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s (especially if you grew up Jewish), Barbra Streisand was a standard feature in just about all of our parents’ music collections. Whether they loved her or hated her (and really, how could one every really ‘hate’ Barbra?), she just couldn’t be ignored. After all, who could ignore the only artist ever to receive Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Directors Guild of America, Golden Globe, National Medal of Arts and Peabody Awards and France’s Légion d’Honneur as well as the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award? Okay, so she hadn’t won all of those quite yet back then, but she was well on her way from the very minute she started performing in the late ‘50’s.

So one would expect, as tribute shows gain increasing popularity, that vocalists of every ilk would be clamouring to mimic the award winning Diva. However it seems this isn’t the case. It would take a very unique voice and a very bold performer to be able to execute Barbra’s timeless classics in a style anywhere close to those of the original.

And here we have Cat Simoni, who arrives with the voice, elegance, poise, and just the right amount of chutzpah to tell Barbra’s story and sing her songs with the precise measure of passion and intensity that they were composed for. This is a treat for true music lovers; the combination of a voice that understands the notes, together with musical arrangements created by Johan Laas, who South African muso’s appreciate for the maestro he is.

Simoni is so comfortable, both on stage and with her audience. From the minute we hear the first strains of ‘Something’s Coming’ (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim), and she appears on stage it’s clear that she is at home. She jokes easily with Laas (“a man of few words”), hams it up in a Bronx accent, and gives a blazing rendition of ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ (Jule Styne, Bob Merrill) from Funny Girl, the story of the life of comedienne Fanny Brice, and the film that truly launched Barbra’s career (I have to admit, I can’t hear that song and not think of Lea Michele’s version in the TV show Glee).

But then, as you’re sitting there, nodding to yourself and admitting just how good Cat Simoni really is … she ups the ante. Her haunting version of ‘Memory’( Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Back, Tim Rice) from Cats, gave me goosebumps, and as if that wasn’t enough, she really came into her own when she sat down and played her own solo piano accompaniment to ‘Pappa can you Hear Me?’ (Michel Legrand, Alan & Marilyn Bergman) from Yentl followed by ‘Avinu Malkeinu’ – a version of the Jewish prayer that Barbra had sung at Shimon Perez’s 90^th birthday in Israel, and that Daphne Kuhn had asked to be added into the show. Simoni’s intonation and timing are pure perfection. Once again in the second half, she plays the piano for her own perfectly comic version of ‘Second Hand Rose’ (James Hanley, Grant Clarke) and this is where she truly shines.

The favourites are there, sung with such faultless clarity, and accompanied by short snippets about Barbra’s life: ‘Evergreen’ (Barbra Streisand, Paul Williams), ‘The Way We Were’ (Marvin Hamlish, Alan & Marilyn Bergman), ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg), ‘Send in the Clowns’ (Stephen Sondheim) and more.

The intricate musical arrangements by Johan Laas are a sheer labour of love. He doesn’t say much, he gives a wry smile here and there, but when his fingers hit those keys, he can transport you into a musical wonderland!

There’s not much in the way of a set, just a couple of leather chairs, some flowers and some velvet draping on the keyboard. But you’re not there for the scenery … this is all about the music, and boy … does it deliver!

Beautiful Barbra is on at the Auto & General Theatre on the Square in Sandton until the 30^th of July. Book your tickets at www.StrictlyTickets.com or call the theatre on 011 883-8606.

When I did my first Women to Watch post in November last year, I said that these would be posts about “… not the type of typical business-women who you picture putting on corporate suits and strutting their stuff alongside the men, but women who are forging their own path; doing things in their own unique way in their chosen field; dancing to the music only they might be hearing, and dressing in a way that their own inner fashion guru dictates! They’re making up the rules as they go along, not following any pre-ordained rule-book. They’re dedicated and devoted; hard-working and determined. They’re stating very loudly that they’re here to stay and that confidence and dignity are the banners which they proudly hold aloft!

These are the women we should be learning from … these are the Women to Watch!”

STACEY LEWIS – THE DIVORCE SOURCE

Well, if ever there was one such woman, Stacey Lewis is certainly it!

Many of us have experienced change that dramatically affects our lives. Often it’s a trauma from which we eventually emerge as an altered person. Despite the scars, we’re hopefully wiser, more empowered and stronger than we allowed our previous self to be as a result of the experience. Of course that mindset is usually reached quite some time after we have undergone our own private hell.

That’s life, and we learn to roll with the punches.  It is these experiences which define us and thankfully there are many people who are able to learn and gain enough strength from them to eventually give back and help others going through similar traumatic times.

As far as stress related traumas go, divorce ranks extremely high, (positioned at number two in the top 10 stressful life events on the ¹Holmes & Rahe stress scale), an event which Stacey Lewis experienced eight years ago.  “The hardest part of my divorce was the initial shock. There was no actual process. It was my husband’s decision and I had no prior warning,” says Stacey, a practicing paediatric physiotherapist, who was left with three young children, the oldest being 3 and the youngest being 8 months.

At the time there was very little offered in the way of support resources so after her divorce and gradual healing over time, Stacey was determined to create the ideal support structure which she would have wanted to assist her through her divorce.  By creating her own inventory of the various types of support that she would have liked, this led to the creation of an online resource for women: The Divorce Source (http://thedivorcesource.co.za/), so that they would feel less alone going through a similar difficult experience.

The site is a resource for all matters and issues relating to divorce with its own resident attorney, Noa Kinstler, as well as a mediator (also a qualified attorney), Sherie Grayman. Other experts include psychologists and life coaches who share their expertise in various articles.  Content is also provided by divorced women who share their own experiences.

The website is a hub, a home, a place where a woman can go to for support, inspiration and information relating to the divorce situation. There is also a resource section on the site which provides details of other useful websites and useful contact details of attorneys and therapists. As the site grows, so too will the resource network.  Future content will include financial matters and planning.

For now, Stacey is taking it step by step.  It took many years of fighting her fears and building up her confidence one small step at a time to reach the point where she is now able to help others.  “Life happens.  Divorce happens.  It can be heart-breaking, gut-wrenching and soul-destroying BUT you are not alone. There are many women who have been through the process and emerged happy and complete, eventually. Divorce does not have to be the end of your life.  It can, in fact, be a catalyst to a better life,” says this petite dynamo who is determined to empower women through the expertise and support of The Divorce Source.

Having experienced the pain of divorce herself, Stacey does not view the process lightly. The site is a place to provide the divorced or divorcing woman with information, inspiration and resources, equipping her to cope with the divorce and move on to create a better and ultimately great, successful, independent life for herself. It is a haven for them to turn to, to receive the support they need.

“The Divorce Source has only recently been launched. My vision is that it will ultimately be a “one stop shop” for the divorcing woman, perhaps there’ll eventually even a dating zone,” she jokes.

Despite her trauma, Stacey understands that her journey has given her many gifts such as overcoming her fear of adversity and having a life filled with greater meaning each day.  “Sometimes, when we are in the thick of pain and darkness, the gifts are not so apparent. I feel so privileged that I am now able to see the gifts of my initially terrible situation,” says Stacey who wishes the same turn-around experience for other women going through this difficult time.

One of her treasured gifts is how her divorce ultimately changed and empowered her.  “I far prefer the person I am today. I am more confident, assertive, happy and compassionate. My pain has given me a heightened sensitivity towards women in similar situations and I find immense meaning in being able to help others.

My message to anyone going through this difficult time is that recovery after divorce is a process. Be kind and patient with yourself. Commit to finding your happiness and take small steps each day towards creating a good life for yourself and your children,” concludes Stacey.

Today Stacey has come full circle:  she is happily re-married and has a baby of 18 months, while continuing undaunted with her commitment to help provide support to women going through a divorce and to show that no matter how hard the journey and the work needed to move on, it is possible to start over again.

And The Divorce Source continues to grow and thrive, proving that there is such a critical need of online support for divorced and divorcing women. They have negotiated free self-defence classes for divorced women in Johannesburg. There have been almost 20 000 visitors to the site, and the Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/thedivorcesource/?fref=ts) now has over 2000 likes.

Stacey will be releasing a book in September 2016!

¹http://stress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Holmes-Rahe-Stress-Inventory.jpg

Related Links:

https://youtu.be/LnAdK0k8_ps

http://m.women24.com/women24/LoveAndSex/Divorce/a-divorce-guide-to-support-you-every-step-of-the-way-through-your-divorce-20160222

http://www.goodhopefm.co.za/sabc/home/goodhopefm/podcasts/details?id=d5735c02-3611-4216-83d7-fac21a531e03&title=The%20Divorce%20Source%20with%20Stacey%20Lewis

http://www.childmag.co.za/content/middle-ground#.VsWRMmjg7qA

http://www.all4women.co.za/632502/lifestyle/inspiring/you-are-not-alone-support-for-divorced-women