After perusing the SA Blog Awards finalists and reading a comment on my previous post listing them, I figured it might be useful to select a category and do a quick review of the blogs that made the cut as well as maybe Eish's predictions as to who will walk away with 1st place. The review would in particular of interest to those who may never have read or experienced the finalists. I will attempt to cover as many categories as possible over the next two weeks.So here goes. The first randomly selected category is ...
Best SA Entertainment Blog
[Weblogs about movies, television, celebrities, theatre and topical issues with entertainment value]
... damn I would have to chose arguebly the most difficult category!
chump-style.blogspot.com : The 'Chumpstylers' take great pride in the irreverent look at the entertainment and online worlds. One of three finalists who were also a finalist in this category last year and winners of the "Most Humourous South African Blog" in 2006, Wezzo andJoffers are not newcomers to the SA Blog Awards. Their writing is short and easy to read and always well illustrated. Perhaps a little male-centric, but Eishman is certainly not complaining.
hottestgossip.co.za : Presentation is important, and it must be said that I'm not a great fan of the logo/banner, not that we can talk here @ Eish!! That aside they clearly have a massive readership as they are extremely high on all the necessary SA blog lists. The writing is short and to the point telling it like it is. No editorialising here, this is unashamedly gossip as the name says. Unfortunately, not been a regular reader and due to the lack of an 'About' page I cannot give you any further gossip on those behind the blog.
bangersandnash.blogspot.com : Here's a blog I haven't visited in a long time! The relaxed writing style and diverse topic spread has always appealed to me. A quick revisit shows that none of this has changed, although there is much replication of content available on other blogs, a phenomenon prevalent in thus category. An easy read and entertaining. Again no 'About' page so I can't provide any info on the publisher(s)/writer(s)!
peakperformances.co.za : Sorry Rouvanne, every time PeakPerformances reaches into my consciousness, I can't help but thing that this is a sport psychology or motivational blog. But no PeakPerformances is a music booking and production services company, makes sense the moment you hear 'music', doesn't it? The blog is an extension of this and allows them to share thier passion for the South African music scene with their readers. The layout is classy and content insightful always worthy of a read. Should PeakPerformances not have been on the list, it would have been a great injustice.
splattermail.org : Ok, so yes, I could look at the top banner all day! "Touching you where it feels nice" Splattermail, has been around for some time, and was a finalist in no less than 5 categories last year, won "The Best Lifestyle Blog" in 2006 and the shared "The Best New Blog" award in 2005. So clearly this is a blog that resonates with those who count! Over time it has been usurped by more 'mainstream' publications at the top of the various lists, but the blog remains an entertaining and enjoyable read, not limited to entertainment related topics, it must be said. btw, go and check out their 'About' page!
blog.ecr.co.za/breakfast : The online presence of ECR's Daryl Ilbury, this blog took the blogosphere by storm when it decided to 'get listed.' The radio/online link obviously assists with the massive amount of visitors it garners, but even those out of the reach of radio signal will enjoy diverse and entertaining posts. Impressively, unlike most blogs of this nature, the posts have substance and very often are longer than the two paragraphs most djs feel obliged to share with their readers.
2oceansvibe.com : Again the name of this 'entertainment blog' conjures up images of a different type of weblog in my perhaps warped, mind. I can't help but think of a site that will inform me of weather and tides. Again, a second thought gives you that Ah! moment. Seth has been around for many years and 2Oceansvibe is a multiple award winner and nominee at the SA Blog Awards. Last year he won "Best Post on a South African Blog", in 2006 they walked away with "South African Blog of 2005", "Best Post on a South African Blog", "Best Writing on a South African Blog", and in 2005 they scooped the "Best Overall South African Blog." So clearly this is a heavy weight, and the one to beat. While the content continues to entertain, the layout has gotten a little long in the tooth and there are some serious contender that have entered the blogosphere over the past 18 months carrying similar and/or the same daily content, which makes winning this year anything but a certainty.
themuso.co.za : Sadly this first-class voice of South African Indie music has all but closed up. The Don and The Muso have introduced me and many others to artists from this great country, that we may never known existed. Their insider knowledge and passion for the music scene here in SA shone through in the various expose's. Nevertheless the blog exists still and is thus eligible for this year's award. The layout has always been world-class and the content and download offerings fantastic.
imod.co.za : I am a little surprised that Chris and/or his readers decided to nominate iMod in this category. Although there are frequent posts that tackle the various entertainment genres, I am sure that Chris would not classify iMod as an blog on entertainment. Having said that, iMod is one of SA's premier blogs, covering a diverse set of subjects from an intelligent and engaging point of view. iMod is a much read for anyone remotely interested in the online world from an South African point of view.
CelebratingMovies : Celebrating Movies, is a blog written by FliekVlooi, who clearly has a passion for movies, in fact he clases himself as a cinephile. This is more of a review site than a blog on entertainment news as such, however the effort and indepth look you get from the posts on the various movies on the circuit makes this a deserving finalist. Unfortunately FliekVlooi is hampered in so far as design is concerned being hosted at 24.com, however the fact that this blog has made it into this list despite this restriction speaks for the content it provides.
So for my prediction.
- I suspect that chump-style, 2oceansvibe and imod are going to engage their readers and get a fair whack of votes, however the ECR Breakfast blog was very quick to marshal it's troops and has an obvious advantage over the others. I pick the ECR Breakfast blog to take this category.
- Eish's pick : themuso.co.za
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