Entertainment
9
02 September ‘13
Industry celebrates funniest funnymen MELINA MELETAKOS South African comedians came together to celebrate the industry’s funniest quipsters at the annual Comic’s Choice Awards which took place on 24 August. The show kicked off with Father Vittorio Leonardi reading the Comic’s Prayer. “Don’t be k*k. Let’s LOL. Yaymen,” he pronounced and the night of side-splitting humour began. Sporting an ironic moustache, a hat and folded jeans as the self-proclaimed Afrikaans Deep Fried Man, Schalk Bezuidenhout took home the award in the Newcomer category. Breakthrough award winner Mpho “Popps” Modikoane had the audience in stitches when, after receiving his award, he said, “I feel like an ANN7 reporter. I want to say something but it’s just not coming out.” Kagiso Lediga won the Times Comic’s Pen Award which, as a new addition to the list, celebrates written comedy. “I was competing against a figment of Conrad Koch’s imagination, Chester Missing and Loyiso Gola, who says things that I write for him,” said Lediga as he accepted his award. Trevor Noah beat Loyiso Gola, Tumi Morake and Riaad Moosa to win the Comic’s Choice of the Year. Noah could not make the show because of health reasons, so comedian Robby Collins was there to accept the award on his behalf. Presenting the evening’s most coveted award was director Jahmil Qubeka, whose film Of Good Report had been caught in some controversy as it was banned and subsequently unbanned by the Film and Publication Board. “Praise a nation that has heroes but more importantly, praise a nation that can laugh at itself,” he said before announcing Noah’s win. Everyone’s favourite “Cousin” Barry Hilton walked home with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Hilton said that after three decades as a comedian, he is blessed that he is “doing it like day one” even though he is still getting paid the same amount of money as he did on day one. The awards show, which was founded by potty-mouthed comedian John Vlismas and Taffia Keight of Whacked Management, sees comedians voting for their peers in each category. The only award decided by the public is the Audience Choice Award, which went to Sifiso Nene for the second year in a row. This year’s theme was “The Art of Funny”, which explores how comedians, through their wit, have the ability to reshape the world. This idea was deviously weaved throughout the polished production, with humorous sketches interspersed between each award. There were parkour runners who abseiled from the ceiling to stop graffiti artists and flower-arranging oumas who broke out in a hipthrusting dance. There was also a white rhino in the middle of a therapy session recounting her worries about getting poached and a parody news channel that covered Zimbabwe’s recent elections.
At the end, everyone who graced the stage during the evening came out to sing “Do You Hear The People Sing”, the ultimate song about redemption and revolution from the musical Les Misérables. It was a powerful moment, making us all believe, even if for a few minutes, that the ability to laugh and to make people laugh can somehow be redemptive.
Wittiest one-liners: “Every time anyone speaks Afrikaans to me I feel like I’m going to be oppressed.” – Gavin Kelly “Government high schools are like government condoms: you come back with an unwanted baby or an STD but no education.” – Gavin Kelly “Oscar brought back the bucket system. Nobody wants to go to the toilet now.” – Skhumba “It’s voting time again and I heard that the politicians are going to vote at the high schools they used to go to. Mbeki will vote at the high school he went to, Buthelezi will vote at his and Jacob Zuma, he’ll vote at the high school he wanted to go to.” – Sifiso Nene
Deep Fried Man. Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
Thapelo “King Flat” Mametja. Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
“Wait. Where’s ANN7? I have so much to say to you. You suck!” – Bevan Cullinan
Bevan Cullinan and his partner. Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
David Kau and his partner. Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
Donovan Goliath, Nicholas Goliath and Jason Goliath. Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
Comic’s Choice Awards winners
Lifetime Achievement Award
Savanna Newcomer Award
Blackberry Breakthrough Award
Times Comic’s Pen Award
Savanna Audience Choice Award
Comic’s Choice Comic of the Year
Barry Hilton
Schalk Bezuidenhout
Mpho “Popps” Modikoane
Kagiso Lediga
Sifiso Nene
Trevor Noah