Last Thursday I happened upon an episode of Top Billing on SABC 3. What ensued over the next hour was something, that as much as I try, I will never be able to forget.Excuse me then if you are one of the brides who have in past flashed your million-rand wedding ring at the camera (while the impoverished masses watch on) or if you happen to be one of the interior decorators or house owners responsible for the over the top atrocities that weekly assault our disbelieving eye- balls.
You need only posses a reasonable sliver of intellect to see that Top Billing (henceforth and aptly abbreviated in this column as T.B) is full of utterly useless information. One minute seducing you with a calorie infested cooking master-class and the next showing you how to burn it all off in time for the summer. In fact here is a show that aims to teach you a hundred and one ways how to guiltlessly indulge yourself to death in the new South Africa.
Of course if scrap booking, paper mache or mosaic are how you choose to idle your precious minutes away then you will find this essential viewing or if you are one of those house bound mommies who spend fortunes on a themed children’s party for a two year old– who let’s face it– will have absolutely no recollection of the costly celebration in a day’s time.
Such base exercises in escapism would have us believe that life in sunny SA is all frivolous chit-chat, five star dining and bourgeoisie little tea -parties thrown on the fringes of Zoo lake. Personally I couldn’t care less about these masturbatory spectacles of the rich and insignificant banging on about their Tuscan villas, hand-bag
I loved your article! A few years ago I came up with an idea to do a grass roots alternative to Top Billing called Bottom Billing. I shelved it for lack of focus. I couldn’t decide between satire and serious coverage of relevant issues. You’ve inspired me to revive the idea. Once I get this off the ground, I hope you’ll write for us.