Pick of the day
Soul stage: Erykah Badu
MTV base, 9pm
Rating:*****
The one-time analogue girl in a digital world took time out from being "a touring artist who records on the side" to grace the Soul Stage.
Donning a gigantic Afro on her skeletal frame the soul singer gave an awe-inspiring performance in an intimate MTV Unplugged-like setting.
Delicately weaving through songs off her latest and absolutely brilliant offering, New AmErykah Part One (4th World War) as well as Baduizm, Mama's Gun and World Wide Underground, Ms Badu is a thing of beauty.
At a Brooklyn warehouse she sang her famous On and On, Honey and Soldier. But don't get it twisted, even though she is hailed as a neo-soul queen, a title she claims has no bearing on her art, because she isn't sure what the term means, she does know how to get the party started.
Jumping up and down on the stage, you'd never think that Badu is a mother of two (a boy named Seven and a girl called Puma - and you thought Gwyneth Paltrow's child has a wacky name!).
Following a five-year hiatus from recording - and to some, the land of the living - Badu hasn't lost her magic.
Now if only we could get Lauryn Hill to see that the world will still love her even though she's been out of the spotlight for a while.
Music
Crush:Pro
Channel O, 9pm
Rating:****
We've heard him scream "TS For Life" and we don't mind at all. Especially because it seems PRO (the artist formerly known as Prokid) is truly at home on DJ Sbu's record label and is doing the sort of music that he is thrilled about on his third studio album, Dankie San.
And we're thrilled too, when taking into consideration the number of people who go banoodles when the IV League- produced song Bhampa is played anywhere at any time.
Speaking of which, this first single is nominated for a Sama in the Record of the Year category and the album is nominated for a Sama in the Best Rap Album alongside the likes of Slikour.
Check his candid interview out on Channel O tonight.
Lifestyle
Street Journal By Night
SABC1, 10pm
Rating:****
Does someone at the SABC have a grudge against Siyabonga Ngwekazi? Please tell us now so that we can stop supporting the national broadcaster if that is the case.
I mean, the brother hasn't been seen on SABC 1, not even on adverts, before 10pm on a Thursday in forever. For such a talented and funky person's talent to be seen only once a week is an abomination. The witty way in which he presents Street Journal moves me to comment that it should be at an earlier time slot.
I hope someone at the SABC is listening.
Series
Star Talk
Go!, 9:30
Rating:****
It's the 23rd century. Weird hairstyles on people with eyes that could be mistaken for pop-up toasters are all the rage. And no, this is not a live report from inside Simphiwe Dana's head.
Okay, jokes aside, though, the original series of Star Trek starts on the Go! channel tonight. First aired in 1966, Star Trek tells the story of the starship Enterprise crew as they roam the galaxy in the 23rd century. Beginning with its trademark "Space the Final Frontier.
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no man has gone before "
This trip down memory lane will surely stir up something sweet in die-hard fans. The series generated quite a buzz and a few movies, too. It's rumoured that the 11th Star Trek movie will next year in 2009.