Big Brother Africa 4: Murder She Wrote

A KNIFE in the back. A puddle of blood…
Who killed Ms Soprano?

This week’s Blues Revolution task has turned into a murder mystery, complete with closeted skeletons, buried secrets, clandestine affairs, criminal connections, secret ties and … murder most foul.The housemates seem to love this task as they have immersed themselves in their new characters and are acting their hearts out. Each of the remaining eight housemates has been given a character profile and basic story line to follow. On Tuesday evening they entertained Biggie with a live music show, featuring sexy vocalist Betty Bee-Bopp (Emma) and Jazz-mad Toots Jaxon (Itai). I couldn’t help chuckling to myself on Tuesday evening as Itai and Kevin lay in the hammock, chatting as though they were in their very own Mafia movie.In a cross between ‘Goodfella’s’ and ‘The Godfather’, Kevin and Itai talked about being hurt by the women in their lives. Itai’s character, Toots, has been hurt before, sounds like by a woman, while Kev’s missus, Mrs Vinnie, is a bit of a cold, ruthless gold digger.Yesterday morning, King Vinnie found Sheila Soprano dead! (Don’t worry, no real housemates were harmed in the making of the Blues Revolution. Sheila Soprano is in fact being played by one of the bamboo statues in the garden.)Getting Into CharacterTheir task for yesterday was to find out who killed her. Housemates must secure the crime scene, take photographs, gather evidence, investigate and even take fingerprints. Sheila Soprano’s body even has to be sent off to be autopsied! Everyone is a suspect and each must present their own theory as to who is responsible for the gruesome murder. The task will be officially presented this evening on Channel 198 from around 19h00, when all will be revealed …The housemates have taken to this task with gusto, with Emma remarking in her diary room session that she feels the task is helping her escape from all the eviction pressure and alliance talks. Itai as Toots is also really good. As much as I hate to admit it, I think he has a real future in film. Kevin may have been overdoing it with the ‘you talkin’ to me’ Mafia boss routine, but he’s still fun to watch. Geraldine has come out of her shell in a big way this week. Her character Scarlet is a member of the oldest profession in the world. Clad in a cheap red wig, tiny black skirt, suspenders and stockings, Geraldine has had to bring out her inner vamp. Leonel as Donald ‘Dice’ De Lancey – the chef who can’t cook to save his life, paid a whopping R6 000 for Geraldine’s maiden lap-dance voyage. Somewhat shyly at first but bolstered by Leonel’s appreciative laugh, Geraldine performed a sexy lap dance. Since then, she’s been handing them out left, right, up and down. Cast of CharactersFor those who may be a bit lost as to who is playing which character. Here’s a short summary; •Vinnie (Kevin): Ruthless Jazz Club Owner, married to Mrs Vinnie.•Mrs Vinnie aka Nikki (Nkenna): Cold-hearted and married to Vinnie for his money.•Bee-bopp (Emma): Sexy jazz vocalist with big dreams of becoming a superstar.•Malahyde (Mzamo): Dodgy music agent, cigar smoking-gambling addict.•’Old Shoes’ Smith (Edward): sweet, sober janitor employed in the Club and calls everyone ‘sir’ or ‘madam’.•Jaxon (Itai): Charming Saxophone player and ex-convict on parole, who’s being seduced by Mrs Vinnie and most ladies.•’Dice’ De Lancey (Leonel): Brazilian-born chef who’s a bad cook and hates Mr Vinnie because he’s always criticising his food.•(Geraldine): Lady of the night – no man is safe when she’s around, and no one knows about her two children.Remember that Kevin and Leonel are up for eviction this week. So keep voting to keep your favourite housemate in the game.* Tune in to DStv Channel 198 to catch the intrigue live 24/7, or watch the highlights show on M-Net Africa (DStv Channel 102) and AfricaMagic (DStv Channel 114). Weekly highlights will also be aired on NBC, every Saturday from 21h00 to 22h15.