JOHANNESBURG: For rich corporate executives, fine food, expensive wine and five-star hotels come as standard.
But one discerning top boss with a spare $300,000 (€260,000) will give up creature comforts for a night in the cramped prison cell that was Nelson Mandela’s home for 18 years.
That is according to organizers of the annual CEO sleepout, an initiative which raises money for various charities.
South Africa’s first democratic, black president was kept on South Africa’s Robben Island prison off Cape Town for much of his 27-year incarceration.
A night in his iconic 8-foot by 7-foot (2.4 meters by 2.1 meters) concrete cell will now be auctioned for charity to mark the centenary of prisoner number 46664’s birthday.
“The suggestion was to auction the cell to raise money to fund the Prison-to-College Pipeline... educating incarcerated people in South Africa,” said Liane McGowan, spokeswoman for the CEO SleepOut South Africa adding that details of when the one night only fundraiser will take place, had not been finalized.
Online bidding started at $250,000 (€215,000) and has already attracted three bids, reaching $300,000 with the sale set to close on July 16.
The winner will spend one night in Mandela’s cell number seven, while up to 66 other bidders will sleep elsewhere in the island prison that is now a museum and World Heritage site.
The Museum’s management could not be reached for comment. The Nelson Mandela foundation said it was not a part of the initiative and could not be responsible for the usage of Mandela’s cell.
Sixty-seven was chosen as Mandela dedicated 67 years of his life to the fight against the racist apartheid system that governed South Africa until Mandela won the first democratic non-racial elections in 1994.
The initiative is part of the CEO SleepOut movement which auctions nights in unusual locations to wealthy business leaders to raise money for charitable causes.
The Robben Island event will raise funds for the Prison-to-College Pipeline (P2P), a scheme that began in New York to help prisoners access university-level education. The P2P initiative will be launched in South Africa on 18 July, Mandela’s birthday.
A similar event will be held on July 11 at the Liliesleaf Farm in northern Johannesburg which was used as a safe-house by several anti-apartheid fighters including Mandela.
The base was raided by apartheid security forces in 1963 and several anti-regime leaders faced the courts at the so-called “Rivonia Trial” which resulted in Mandela being jailed for life.
Executives have previously spent the night under the Mandela Bridge in central Johannesburg to raise awareness of poverty and homelessness.
The event was criticized online and in the media by some who accused it of mocking those forced to sleep rough.
A night in Nelson Mandela’s prison cell — yours for $300k
A night in Nelson Mandela’s prison cell — yours for $300k
- One discerning top boss with a spare $300,000 will give up creature comforts for a night in the cramped prison cell that was Nelson Mandela’s home for 18 years
- South Africa’s first democratic black president was kept on South Africa’s Robben Island prison off Cape Town for much of his 27-year incarceration
‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘Hamnet’ take top honors at Golden Globes
- While the Globes have a tradition of spreading the wealth around, Anderson became just the second filmmaker to ever sweep best film, best director and best screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson’s ragtag revolutionary saga “One Battle After Another” took top honors at Sunday’s 83rd Golden Globes in the comedy category, while Chloe Zhao’s Shakespeare drama “Hamnet” upset “Sinners” to win best film, drama.
“One Battle After Another” won best film, comedy, supporting female actor for Teyana Taylor and best director and best screenplay for Anderson. The director became just the second filmmaker to sweep director, screenplay and film at the Globes. Only Oliver Stone, for “Born on the Fourth of July,” managed the same feat.
Though “Hamnet” won the top award, “Sinners” won for best score and the prize for cinematic and box-office achievement. The win for box office and cinematic achievement, over franchise films like “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” was notable for “Sinners,” a movie that some reports labeled a qualified success on its release.
But “Sinners” ultimately grossed $278 million domestically and $368 million worldwide, making it highest grossing original film in 15 years.
“I just want to thank the audience for showing up,” said Coogler. “It’s means the world.”
Coming off years of scandal and subsequent rehabilitation, the Globes and host Nikki Glaser put on a star-studded ceremony that saw wins for the streaming sensation “KPop Demon Hunters” (best animated film, song), a meta triumph for Seth Rogen’s “The Studio” and an inaugural award for podcasting that went to Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang.”
Many of the Oscar favorites won. Timothee Chalamet won his first Golden Globe, for “Marty Supreme,” after four previous nominations. The 30-year-old is poised to win his first Oscar. Fellow nominees like Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney stood to applaud his win.
“My dad instilled in me a spirit of gratitude growing up: Always be grateful for what you have,” said Chalamet. “It’s allowed me to leave this ceremony in the past empty handed, my head held high, grateful just to be here. I’d be lying if I didn’t say those moments didn’t make this moment that much sweeter.”
Glaser comes out swinging
The Globes, held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, got underway with a pointedly political opening from host Nikki Glaser and an early award for the night’s favorite, “One Battle After Another.” Emceeing the show for the second straight year, Glaser kicked off the show with self-aware satire.
“Yes, the Golden Globes, without a doubt the most important thing happening in the world right now,” she said.
In a winning, rapid-fire opening monologue that landed some punch lines on the usual subjects — the age of Leonardo DiCaprio’s dates, Kevin Hart’s height — Glaser also dove right into some of her most topical material.
For the on-the-block Warner Bros., Glaser started the bidding at $5. Referencing the Epstein files, she suggested best editing should go to the Justice Dept. The “most editing,” however, she suggested deserved to go to Bari Weiss’ new CBS News — a dig at the Paramount Skydance-owned network airing the Globes.
Globes mix glitz and gloom
Political tension and industrywide uncertainty were the prevailing moods heading into Sunday’s awards. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros. Following the fatal shooting of Megan Good in Minneapolis by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, several attendees wore pins reading “Be Good” and “ICE Out.”
The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals.
But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can boost an Oscar campaign.
Jessie Buckley, the Oscar frontrunner, won best female actor in a drama, for her performance in “Hamnet.” In recent years, the Irish actor has had one of the fastest-ascending careers in film and theater. “I love what I do and I love being part of this industry,” she said.
Rose Byrne won best female actor in a comedy or musical for her performance in the not especially funny A24 indie “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”
Best actor in a drama went to Wagner Moura, the Brazilian star of “The Secret Agent.” The period political thriller also won best international film.
I think if trauma can be passed along generations, values can do,” Moura said. “So this to the ones who are sticking with their values in difficult moments.”
Other winners Sunday included the supporting actor frontrunner, Stellan Skarsgård who won for the Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value.” It was the first major Hollywood movie award for the 74-year-old, a respected veteran actor who drew a standing ovation.
“I was not prepared for this because I, of course, thought I was too old,” said Skarsgård.
‘The Studio’ and ‘Adolesence’ win
In the television awards, “The Pitt” took best drama series, while Noah Wyle won, too, brushing past his former “ER”-star Clooney on the way to the stage. Netflix’s “Adolescence” won four awards: best limited series, and acting awards for Erin Doherty, Stephen Graham and 16-year-old Owen Cooper.
Other winners included Rhea Seehorn for “Pluribus” and Jean Smart for “Hacks.”
But the most comically poignant award of the night went to “The Studio,” the best comedy series winner. Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satirememorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: “I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.”) Rogen also won best male actor in a comedy.
“This is so weird,” Rogen said, chuckling. “We just pretended to do this. And now it’s happening.”
