Grace returns to TV

Former television host Grace Msalame will this month be gracing our television screens again and is set to host a lifestyle show on NTV.

The former Kiss TV host is overjoyed after landing a deal with Nation Media Group to launch a new programme on life matters. She took to her social media pages to announce the plan to host a new show — “Unscripted With Grace.”

In September, 2018, she had also announced that she had landed a new show at The Kenya Red Cross-owned station which mainly targets the youth (18-35 years) with the aim of empowering them with positive entertainment, but she was never seen on air.

Her new job at Nation Centre will see her host a lifestyle show that lets viewers share their stories and life experiences openly and honestly, for the purpose of shifting the culture of silence.

According to head of TV Justus Tharao, “It’s a guide to living a life inspired by dreams and passion, that expands the boundaries of your horizons as it paves the way for those dreams to happen and passions fulfilled … because life is unscripted!”

Despite being away from the screens, the mother of twins has never dismissed the idea of making a comeback on mainstream media.

“I want to try new things, challenge myself and most of all operate from my optimum, which can only happen if I’m living in my purpose. I’m also realising how powerful the digital space is so I want to focus more on that, and create content for clients and interested followers. I may make a return to the screens at some point but the jury is still out on that for now,” Grace had told Parents Magazine in 2017.

On Monday, she announced her comeback on social media by posting, “Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support, good people. All Glory back to God. It’s been a long journey getting here. So grateful for this becoming, it’s an ongoing process in refining it. Journey just began Tuonane Hewani. Because Life is Unscripted. Coming soon to NTV Kenya.”

Msalame has previously worked with KTN and Capital FM. Before leaving Radio Africa Group, she was the Content and Acquisitions Manager, Bamba TV.

Msalame started her TV career as a teenager by hosting “Straight Up” show at KTN between 2005 and 2007. She left to pursue her degree and returned to KTN to host “Art Scene”, before moving to Capital FM where she worked as a radio presenter. She would then join Radio Africa Group, where she worked for seven years, serving in different capacities.

‘Family Guy’: 20 years and counting

It has been 20 long years that this animated sitcom “Family Guy” has made jokes about just about every race, religion, ideology, and geographic location, to say nothing of domestic violence and sex crimes.

One of the show’s most remarkable traits is its unflinching willingness to push the boundaries of taste, for better or for worse. Sometimes, the show's myriad of genre-defining, cutaway gags produce comedy gold, but sometimes it just comes across as lazy and needlessly crude.

With, this Seth MacFarlane series — with the rape jokes, gay jokes, religion jokes, disabled jokes, transgender jokes or AIDS jokes — to some might come across as so repulsive that watching can be painful.

Fans who defend “Family Guy” argue that offensive bits are the whole point of the show, so if viewers don’t want to be offended they should simply not watch.

In mid-January, “Family Guy” aired an episode in which Donald Trump sexually assaults Peter’s daughter Meg, and people got so mad that the series’ producers had to publicly defend the joke.

The producer told Entertainment Weekly the only point in using Meg was to show that men like Trump can attempt to prey on vulnerable people. "It’s clearly offensive and gross and not appropriate. But not only didn’t we not want to show it, we don’t want to be too explicit about exactly what happened."

Executive producer Rich Appel explained that he and the rest of the team wanted to show how Peter and Lois first struggle to believe "that the president could be accused of an unwanted touching" before recanting and realising they need to listen to their daughter.

Despite all this “Family Guy” has become one of the television’s most beloved animated comedies, arguably second only to “The Simpsons.”

Understanding the impact of the show comes down to when Fox cancelled it in 2002, only to bring it back four years later. The catalyst for this unlikely rebirth was the sales of “Family Guy” DVDs which rocketed.

In one month alone in the US, a boxed set of the first and second seasons shifted 400,000 copies. Fox realised that it had killed the golden goose but that it had the opportunity to bring it back, which it did in 2005.

It has recently been renewed for at least another season.

"Ms President" — woman reality TV competition

A new reality local production titled “Ms President” — entertaining, educative and thought-provoking- premiered on Wednesday on television.

The series is a platform that is being used to portray to the national audience the capacity and ability of women to lead effectively. Through a series of tasks and challenges, the contestants (all female) display their leadership capacity and ability.

It showcases intelligent and articulate women who are “Presidential” with the aim of increasing the chances of women (both young and old) in Kenya taking up leadership positions. Following a 2-step shortlisting process, 70 suitably qualified women were chosen and went into the show.

During the premiere, all the aspiring presidential candidates gathered for an exciting high-level launch event, graced by top government officials and diplomats at Kenya National Theatre.

Former presidential candidate Martha Karua congratulated all the women who got nominated and wished them well. “To all the contestants of Ms President, congratulations! To those who do not get nominated, take this as the start of your journey to greater things. To those going forward give it your best shot!”

Also present was former Nairobi Women Representative Racheal Shebesh who told all the contestant to show the way women can work.

“Ms President” is a production of Media Focus on Africa (MFA) in partnership with MUHURI, and will be a 26-episode reality television series. The production and airing is supported by The European Union, Canadian government through Global Affairs Canada, and HIVOS East Africa.

Lisa Stadelbauer, Canada’s High Commissioner to Kenya said, “The show is not about old boy politics, it’s demonstrating how women are capable leaders. Under-representation of women is not unique to Kenya; we have only had one female Prime Minister (PM) in Canada's history. However, we have a self-declared feminist PM.”

The show, hosted by Jimmy Gathu, will see successful applicants being provided with leadership training and mentorship during their stay in the “academy”.