The best day on radio thanks to Marah Louw: here's what happened
Veteran actress Marah Louw had the streets buzzing on Tuesday when she dropped some bombs on the industry's plight.
Here's a wrap of the dramz:
Marah said what? "In 2003, I was earning R65K a month. Now I have to be told by Shona, who is a child, that I am too expensive. If you wanna pay peanuts, go find a monkey."
A bit of a reach? Yes, but it still stands. The rivalry between Marah and the Ferguson film production, owned by Connie and Shona Ferguson, continued almost two years after she was sacked from the hit telenovela The Queen.
Why, exactly? You didn't hear? OK, here's the 411: on Wednesday morning, Marah had a lot on her chest and the good sis didn't leave any stone unturned during a dialogue with other media industry stakeholders and government representatives on Power FM. The chat was part of the station's #PowerDialogue event focussing on the state of the media industry.
She even slammed the ANC.
Haaibo! The ANC? Yes. Marah slammed the party, saying the biggest mistake made in the creative industry was to allow the ruling party to deploy politicians to be ministers of art and culture when they don't understand the industry.
TshisaLIVE Marah Louw claims she was 'blacklisted' after speaking out against the Fergusons 4 years ago |
Oh, is that so? Yes! She added that the ruling party should deploy people who understand the industry.
So, what sparked the whole thing? Well, the conversation was sparked by an open letter written by Vatiswa Ndara to arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa, in which she alleged mistreatment of actors in the arts and film industry.
Really? Hell, yes. Within minutes of the letter being shared on Twitter, people had a lot to say and guess who else came to her defence? The whole industry - well maybe not everyone. *awks*
So people are on the Fergusons side? Err... well it's hard to say. Let's just say it's a 50/50 kind of thing.
Have the Fergusons responded to this? Yes, they asked their lawyer to send out a letter to address Vatiswa's claims. They denied the claims, insisting Vatiswa's letter was "misguided, misdirected and misleading".
Marah is yet to hear what they will label her claims as Brendan de Kooker told TshisaLIVE he was waiting for instructions from his clients before commenting.
The result?: Arguably the most lit thing that has happened on SA radio this year.
Mzansi weighed in, saying ...
Shona should go for actors and actresses he could afford.There's negotiations and if an agreement can't be reached,we go our separate ways.I don't see any harm in that.Mara Louw also has a right to decline what's offered if she think it's peanuts and go look for a job elsewhere.. pic.twitter.com/6tgMirN9wW
— Sundowns Fanatic ๐ (@Madumetja_SoLo) October 15, 2019
This bickering is really unnecessary. Mara Louw knows her worth, and if she feels undervalued by @FERGUSON_FILMS , she has the right to decline their offer. But Shona also knows what he wants. If he feels that she's too costly for him, he has a right to learn her go. Move on...
— Mafa Sikhafungana (@I_am_Mafah) October 15, 2019
Mara Louw thinks she's the Meryl Streep of SA. Her career's been over since she died in that plane crash on Muvhango pic.twitter.com/r1Qmjwr4nM
— George O'Malley ๐ (@Thapelo_Malope) October 15, 2019
Only idiots think Mara Louw should start her own production company. If Woolworths is too expensive, you don't start your own supermarket. You go to Shoprite. pic.twitter.com/g7SNNOt3AR
— I Follow Back (@okayhudson) October 15, 2019
Mama #MaraLouw lost all credibility when she got drunk on the Idols set and got fired. Shes really not as legendary as she makes herself out to be. #Fergusons
— Anele Jan (@aneledyan) October 15, 2019
MORE
Video & Podcasts WATCH | In conversation with Vatiswa Ndara: 'This incident with Ferguson Films pushed me over the edge' 4 years ago |