Here is a link to a tale of a very jaded Halloween weekend from the LA Weekly. I actually went to the Dia de los Muertos festival in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and contemplated that Pumpkinhead screening.
Here is a link to the fascinating article about the Blood Diamond controversy. When I was younger I said I would never buy a diamond for anyone, as they are products of slavery and murder or something, but then, two years ago I bought one - in fact old entries of this blog (don't go back there!) chronicle that adventure. Oh well, I fucked up.
Well, here is a great poster teaser for a movie that does not and sadly will not ever exist, created by my adorable friend Anniee, enjoy.
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NELSON MANDELA & THE EXTRAS FROM "BLOOD DIAMOND" MOVIE
Local Heroes
With reference to a story that has been circulating on the internet the past week, I’d like to tell you the REAL story of a group of very special youngsters who were extras in a Hollywood film and have a chance at a new life because of it.
All of the youngsters are South African and students at the Vukuzenzele Special School in Bizana on the Eastern Cape in South Africa.
They are all part of a group from the Amputee Club of South Africa.
There is no charity known as the Eastern Cape - the Eastern Cape is the name of the province where the school is located.
None of the youngsters are victims of the civil war in Sierra Leone.
And, as far as I know they are not orphans.
They were extras on the movie set while it was filmed on the Wild Coast in South Africa.
Vukuzenzele Special School
One of the extras is a boy named Nkululo Mnisi. He is a 16 year old student at the Bizana’s Vukuzenzele Special School in South Africa in the Eastern Cape province.
Nkululo and his friend, Simon, a charming young (10 year old) amputee play a crucial role in pivotal scenes in the controversial Warner Bros film, Blood Diamond. Simon and Nkululo and 6 of their friends - all schoolmates from Bizana’s Vukuzenzele Special School (rural Transkei) - spent more than a week working with the Hollywood stars, Leonardo Dicaprio and Djimon Hounsou, on the WB movie set when it was filmed on location in South Africa near Port Edward.
Setting the record straight
Nkululo was born in South Africa, and lives with his mother in Mt. Ayliffe when he is not at the boarding school. Nkululo’s arms and legs were NOT cut off by machete-wielding rebels (as first reported in the New York Post).
He is a bi-lateral above the knees amputee. [He is certainly not a victim of any the civil wars and his disability comes from the fact that he was born with a deformity in one foot and the other foot didn’t develop properly.
At first it was a below the knee bilateral amputation; but after an infection, there were more operations and now he is what is considered an above the knee bilateral amputee.
Another thing, his classmates are not "cruel" -as stated in the same article - they are a loving caring close-knit group of friends - who have nicknames for one another as do many American kids.
Nelson Mandela
Just a few months after filming ended, Mnisi and his friends from school have all been fitted with new light weight prosthetics.
Nkululo has been practicing the past 2 weeks because the knees tend to lock and his new height makes him a bit dizzy.
He is a proud youngster and his dream is to play soccer: but, for now, his goal is to walk tall when he meets Nelson Mandela in a special celebration that is planned in Mt. Coke in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in November.
Posted by: at Nov 6, 2006 2:31:37 PM
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