Sunday, May 30, 2010

Atawewe vows to rebrand Fuji music

In this global world where re-branding is
very essential to every industry and
individuals, our own Fuji artiste, Sulaimon
Adio Atawewe, is also trailing that path of
life. During a chit-chat with the dynamic
singer recently, he divulged that his
management and team would soon surprise
everyone beyond imagination.
“I have been in the music industry for close
to three decades now and I know what it
takes to be consistent and relevant in the
industry. But now, I am dragging the career
beyond that. I ’m re-branding the Fuji music
with some international elements that will
appeal to the world at large, not only the
Yorubas.
Atawewe
The re-branding process includes blending
the Fuji style with foreign beats to carve
something new. I ’m already working with
two international producers. Very soon, what
we ’ve been cooking will be ready to the
satisfaction of all,” he said.
Atawewe is a Fuji musician of note whose
dance-hall Fuji style of music widely appeals
to the old and young . With 15 musical
albums to his credit, Atawewe remains one
of the most sought after fuji artistes in
Yoruba land.
Currently, he entertains every Sunday
evening, live at the Infinity Hotel, Allen, Ikeja
in Lagos.

Help!female fans threatens my marriage

Benedict and his family: I ’m hooked
He’s one of the playboys of Nollywood who
hit limelight some years ago, but didn’t
become a movie star until a few years back,
and that was after his dream to make a
career in music was dashed. Known for his
mean and unperturbed roles, Benedict
Johnson, in this encounter, raises alarm
concerning the lustful attitude of his female
fans, who, according to him, disturb him by
calling him at odd hours, without minding
whether his wife is with him or not.
Read on ….
How has it been a movie star?
It’s been great. I have done a couple of
wonderful jobs in recent times. Generally, life
has been very good. So far, so good. The
journey has been interesting.
Would you say you’ve have impacted
immeasuarbly on the industry since you
were launched into the mainstream movie
world?
Yeah, I have made a lot of impact in the
industry. At least, I have affected a lot of
lives positively. I have done a couple of good
jobs which affected a lot of people ’s lives
both in Nigeria and outside the shores of this
country. Today, Benedict Johnson has
become a household name in the industry.
Why did you choose acting?
What gives one joy is a calling. Many people
miss the mark because they refuse to follow
the dictates of their hearts. To me, I followed
what makes me happy which is
entertainment. From my childhood, when I
was 12 years old, I composed music in
addition to anchoring notable events for
people as MC.
As a matter of fact, I paid half of my school
fees with such monies I realised from the MC
job. So, I have always wanted to be in the
entertainment business, not just acting.
I started out with music, and I thought I was
going to be one of the top music stars in this
country, because I did a lot of good jobs in
those days as far back as 1992/93. But I
wasn ’t able to release my own album
because of some circumstances beyond my
control. Some how, I found myself in the

Joke Silva dares Sanusi

Joke Silva’s commitment to the growth of
Nollywood is well known. On the day
Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi ,sneaked into
town to unwind, the versatile actress
deemed it fit to confront the embattled CBN
boss in respect of the indiscrminate lending
rates offered to her Nollywood counterparts
by the various commercial banks in the
country.
The event was the World premiere of Chinasa
Onyechere ’s flick, “Dry Waters”, held at the
National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, last Sunday.
Joke Silva
The CBN boss had just finished making his
speech, tasking Nollywood producers to
learn to use their films to portray the good
image of the country, when Joke Silva
suddenly mounted the podium to give her
own remark.
Joke, furious with the way and manner the
banking operators inflate their lending rates
indiscriminately, especially to movie
producers in quest of loans to finance their
productions, dared the apex bank governor
by asking him to implore the banks in the
country to reduce their lending rates to zero
level.
“The lending rates are very high, and as a
growing industry, Nollywood practitioners
cannot continue to afford to borrow loans
from these banks at a very high interest rate.
The interest rate at the moment is between
20 and 25 per cent.
We are appealing to you, sir, to come to our
rescue by formulating a policy that will
implore these banks to reduce their lending
rates, ” the screen goddess muted.
She believed that Nollywood desired to enjoy
the same zero interest rates as Education and
Agriculture, adding that, “Nollywood has
contributed immensely to the nation’s
economic growth.”
Fortunately, Joke’s momentous appeal to the
CBN governor was not in vain, as there were
many bank executives that graced the
gathering, including the Executive Director of
the First Bank Plc, Mr Alex Otim and many
others, who, many believed, would surely
pass the message to

Mumma Gee's best kept secret

Gift Uwame a.k.a. Muma Gee is a reporter’s
delight any day. And she showed it when
she visited the Saturday Vanguard during
the week.
In this interview she not only lays to rest the
ghost of her acclaimed love tango with star
actor Emeka Ike on the set of the Gulder
Ultimate Celebrity, she also shares her
experiences with Chioma Chukwuka and
how she sold pap as a child to support her
mother and more. Enjoy.
Muma Gee .. Emeka Ike is a true friend
What happened at the Gulder Ultimate Search
Celebrity show. We saw you lose your
comportment?
Was I really very angry? I just took back the
apology I tendered. We were all making
jokes.
They’d been talking for so long and I just
decided to say one thing and it triggered
problems. So, I said I ’m sorry.
But the sorry was not well deserved so I
withdrew it. I think I was just being human.
Your actions with Emeka Ike in camp
suggested that you had soft spot for each
other, even before GUS presented you with
an opportunity to play out the feelings.
No, no, no. I happen to have known Emeka
Ike for long but we don ’t see often. Who
wouldn’t fall in love with someone who cares
for you so much? What we shared was
emotional attachment and Agape love. If I
cook food for you all the time and you enjoy
eating my food, definitely, you ’ll get
emotionally attached to the food I make.
Even to the point you were ready to fight
every other person to keep his things where
you …?
No, that wasn’t what happened. I had settled
already at my corner and he brought his
stuff to me asking that I helped him take care
of them. That was what happened. And the
ladies thought he wanted to settle there; that
was the misunderstanding. And they said to
me to move his things away and I said, ‘the
guy is still alive, why don’t you meet him and
let him do that himself. I’m only a caretaker.’
I couldn’t have said no because he’s my
friend.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Al Pacino,Uma Thurman victim of $30 million ponzi scheme

There’s a new Bernie
Madoff in town, and his
name is Kenneth Starr. He
is the mastermind behind
a $30 Ponzi scheme that
stole money from huge
celebrities including Uma
Thurman, Al Pacino,
Sylvester Stallone, Annie Leibovitz, Martin
Scorcese, and Wesley Snipes.
Starr, who lives in Manhattan, made business
deals at charity events and parties, building a
star-studded client list of socialites,
financiers, philanthropists, A-list actors and
Hall of Fame athletes.
Bernie Madoff Sentenced to 150 Years in
Prison
But he was caught yesterday, when he was
arrested in his $7.5 million condo in NYC
where he lives with his wife. Funny enough,
she’s the one who told authorities he was
hiding upstairs in the closet.
Annie Leibovitz said in a statement: "News of
Ken Starr's arrest does not come as a
complete surprise to me, and I will follow this
story with great interest. Ken Starr no longer
represents me and has not for some time."
Thurman ended up confronting Starr
personally about $1 million that had
mysteriously gone missing from her
account. The money was then put back in
the account, and then Starr took it out of the
account of another client, an agent and his
wife.
U.S. attorney Pete Bharara told the New York
Times, “He used his access to famous and
powerful clients to burnish an image of
trustworthiness, inducing them to entrust
him with management and control of their
financial affairs.”
We know where this story is going! Bernie
Madoff is currently serving a 150-year
sentence for ripping tens of billions of
dollars from high-profile clients. Looks like
Starr’s fate will be similar. Maybe they can be
cell mates!

Miley Cyrus:I'm dating Bieber

MOST teenagers are still hoping for
their first shot of romance as they
battle their acne and angst.
But MILEY CYRUS is already well on her
way - with TWO boyfriends at the
tender age of 17.
The Hannah Montana star says she's
spoilt for choice dating Aussie hunk
LIAM HEMSWORTH - and pint-sized
singer JUSTIN BIEBER.
Miley quipped: "I have my travel-size
boyfriend and I have my oversized
security boyfriend. It's perfect!"
The teen sensation should be careful
what she says if she wants to avoid
bust-ups with the Bieber Fever
brigade.
KIM KARDSASHIAN revealed she was
threatened by Justin fans after posing
with him for a pic.
Miley met Liam, 20, in 2009 while
filming The Last Song together.
The former Neighbours actor
reportedly ended his relationship of
five years to be with Miley.

Alicia pregnant and engaged

R&B star ALICIA KEYS is pregnant with
her first child.
The singer - who teamed up with JAY-Z
on his hit single Empire State Of Mind -
has also announced she's engaged to
music producer SWIZZ BEATZ.
A rep for the couple said: "They are
very happy.
"Alicia is with the man who has
inspired so much of her music and her
album The Element of Freedom."
Swizz - who has two sons from
previous relationships - popped the
question in January.
The happy news follows the pair's
appearance at Alicia's Keep A Child
Alive ball in London last night.
The 29-year-old recently admitted
she'd love to start a family.
She said: "I absolutely am very
interested in starting a family.
"It is one of the most beautiful
experiences to have in this life and I
am looking forward to it when it is my
time."
Congrats to you both.

Happy Becks

LET'S hope DAVID BECKHAM has cause
to repeat this ecstatic pose pitchside
at the World Cup.
The injured midfielder exploded in
celebration as he watched his beloved
LA Lakers run out 103-101 winners in a
tightly fought contest with the
Phoenix Suns.
And Becks was in fine company at the
basketball encounter, chatting to
Hollywood heartthrob ZAC EFRON and
sitting next to RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
frontman ANTHONY KIEDIS.
The Under The Bridge star - sporting a
fetching handlebar moustache -
gesticulated throughout the gripping
game as Becks kept his cool.
But the footie ace let it all out as the
final whistle blew.
Despite his British roots, Becks has
developed a real passion for the Lakers
since moving to LA.
Anthony will argue that's the power of
Californication...

Lindsay lovelace

LINDSAY LOHAN has transformed into
legendary porn star LINDA LOVELACE
for her new movie.
The troubled actress steps into X-rated
Linda's undies for upcoming biopic
Inferno, and she's given us a taste of
what's to come with these sizzling
promo posters.
Lindsay - who teamed up with
photographer pal TYLER SHIELDS to
shoot the ads - was busy plugging the
film at the recent Cannes Film Festival.
Well, when she wasn't partying and
begging officials to replace her stolen
passport, that is.
As a result of being stranded in France,
Lindsay missed a probation hearing
relating to her two DUI arrests back in
2007.
She's since been slapped with an
alcohol ban by an LA judge and
ordered to stay in the LA area.
Still, there's no sign of the booze
monitor that's been fitted to Lindsay's
ankle as she sprawls out in her 70s
smalls for the Inferno snaps.
Speaking of which, the party girl has
begged Chanel to help her decorate
the device - so she can show off her
legs again.
The Mean Girls star has so far kept it
concealed under trousers.
She Tweeted: "Can CHANEL please help
me out by getting me some stickers to
put on my scram bracelet so that i can
at least wear a chic dress?! maybe!? X"
Wouldn't socks be a better option?

Coleen looks fit

COLEEN ROONEY hotfoots it to her local
beauty salon after a gruelling training
session.
The WAG has adopted a sensible
attitude to regaining her pre-baby
figure following the birth of son KAI
WAYNE in November.
But the hard graft has paid off in time
for the World Cup.
ALEX CURRAN was also spotted taking
time to exercise in Liverpool.
Coleen and Alex will be propelled into
the spotlight when they jet over to
South Africa to join husbands WAYNE
and STEVEN GERRARD next month.

Lady GaGa tears for ill Grandad

LADY GAGA broke down as she
devoted a song to her ailing
grandfather in Nottingham last night.
Returning to live action on the second
leg of her Monster Ball tour, the singer
had to pause midway through her
ballad Speechless to wipe away tears.
After telling the supportive crowd all
about her grandpa's illness, she
introduced the tune with a heartfelt
plea to the masses: "If we all sing
along loud enough, maybe he can hear
us."
Watch her emotional address below.
GaGa explained her father is keeping
vigil by her granddad's sick bed.
Still, the Nottingham Arena gig was by
no means a sombre affair.
The Poker Face star pulled out all the
usual stops, including an array of kinky
stage attire, a burning piano, plenty of
jaw-dropping dance routines and her
wildest headpiece to date.
The show must go on, after all.
As must the studded leather
underwear...

Thursday, May 27, 2010

50 cent is skin and bones

If there wasn’t a caption under this
picture, we never would have realized
this was 50 Cent. The rapper lost
about 50 pounds for an upcoming
role in a movie.
According to website thisis50.com,
he ’ll be playing the part of a football
player who is diagnosed with cancer.
So to lose the weight, he got on a
strict liquid diet and walked on the
treadmill for three hours a day!
He went from 214 all the way down to 160 in nine weeks. And he’s
a six-foot tall man!
"I was starving," says 50. But now he's back on tour and says,
"I've been eating. I'll be back in shape in no time!"
He looks unrecognizable! This movie better be amazing for him to
have done this to himself. We never thought of 50 as a real actor,
but we guess if he ’s going to do it, he might as well go all in!

Jennifer Lopez to Remarry

Don ’t worry…she’s just marrying
Marc Anthony again! Jennifer Lopez
and her hubby Marc Anthony are set
to renew their vows this year for their
sixth anniversary.
According to Us Weekly, the couple
plans on celebrating their six-year
marriage at a California mansion, and
they have a really funny reason why!
Jennifer Lopez: I've Never Felt
Negative About Myself
He tells the mag, "We realized the bets in Vegas (on whether their
marriage would last) stopped at five years, so we're really looking
forward to this one. This is a big anniversary."
At least he has a sense of humor about it! The couples plans on
having the ceremony on June 5th in Hidden Hills. There ’s mistake
#1 for you—saying where it is! You know that paparazzi is already
trying to figure out where it is!
Jennifer Lopez: My Relationship With Ben was Real
Renewing vows has become a big celeb trend lately—Heidi Klum
and Seal do it every year, and now Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon
do it too!
Congrats to J. Lo and Marc for making it past the five-year mark!

Christiano Ronaldo:from Kim Kardashian to Russian model

Kim Kardashian who? That’s what
Cristiano Ronaldo was saying while
vacationing on a yacht with a hot
Russian model this past week.
Rumors of a hook up started going
around when Kim Kardashian went to
Spain and had lunch with the sexy
soccer stud. The lunch must have not
meant much to him, since he has a
new girl and boy is she HOT!
Kim Kardashian Caught Kissing Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano was spotted on a yacht in Corsica with fellow Armani
model Irina Shayk. The Russian babe is a perfect 10!
Ronaldo is one of those hot boys that all the girls in Hollywood go
gaga over. After Kim K. was spotted with him, rumors started
going around that Paris Hilton was also in contact with him and
the two would meet up in South Africa during the world cup.
Sources tell us that there is no such plan.
Ronaldo and Irina make a hot couple! We would like to see more
pics of these two together. In the meanwhile, you can be
mesmerized by Irina by checking out the photos below!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Cheryl divorces Ashley

GENEROUS CHERYL COLE is not asking for one penny from
cheating husband ASHLEY in the divorce action she
launched yesterday.
She wants a "clean break" without any wrangling so SHE can get
on with her new life and HE can concentrate on England's World
Cup challenge.
Against expectations, the GIRLS ALOUD beauty will let Chelsea
soccer star Cole keep their £6million mansion.
And she has told lawyers to rush through a quickie divorce
because she is determined the key England defender must go into
the World Cup without being distracted by "emotional turmoil".
An insider told The Sun last night:
Cheryl made a swift decision to put England's World Cup
dreams ahead of herself. The divorce should be finalised before
England's first touch of the ball in South Africa on June 12.
See snaps of Ashley's five girls on the side below...
She knows how vital it is for Ashley to have a completely clear
head and concentrate entirely on his football and performance,
with no distractions or emotional pulls.
She wants a completely clean break with no malice or wrangling
over property or money. Cheryl will not take one penny of
Ashley's money.
Crucially, people
expected her to request
their Surrey mansion as
part of the divorce
terms. But the house
means nothing to her.
She only moved there
because it was
important for them to be
near Ashley's training
ground. Cheryl is giving
the house to him.
Cheryl's PR Supersonic
confirmed the divorce
this morning, but refused to comment any further.
The divorce papers cite the reason for the split as 29-year-old
Cole's "unreasonable behaviour".
They state that the 26-year-old X Factor judge confronted him
after The Sun's exposé of his sex texting.
She asked him about messages on his phone from another
woman. The documents say Cheryl "put it to him that he had
been unfaithful". And he "admitted" it.
Her lawyers had intended to start proceedings in July. But Cheryl,
who announced she was separating from Cole on Twitter in
February, insisted it should all be done and dusted before the
World Cup kicks off.
The lawyers have been working around the clock to complete
paperwork that will end the couple's turbulent marriage one
month shy of four years.
Lucrative
They formally lodged the action at 2pm yesterday at the High
Court in London.
Cheryl and Cole, who did not sign a pre-nuptial agreement, are
both worth around £10million.
He earns
£6million a year
from Chelsea and
lucrative
sponsorship
deals.
She has raked in
£5million with
Girls Aloud and
has a lucrative
new £1.7million
contract for X
Factor.
The insider said a
quickie divorce is in Cheryl's interests, too. The source said: "She
has fully accepted there is no going back after Ashley's cheating
and their marriage breakdown.
"So this divorce will be clean, swift, amicable and smooth. Cheryl
has no spite towards Ashley and has been incredibly mature and
considered in how she has handled the split."
The divorce will end what started out in July 2006 as a fairytale
match between showbiz and soccer.
It began to crumble when hairdresser Aimee Walton became
the first of FIVE girls to lift the lid on Cole's philandering.
Following a one-night stand with the footballer in December 2007,
she told how he lured her to a pal's posh flat in London, where he
bedded her.
Aimee, then 22, said he vomited twice in front of her, then
claimed she should feel "privileged" to be with him.
The mum of one, of Morden, South London, added: "It was a
big mistake and I regret it. I feel so sorry for Cheryl.
"I'd drunk too much and went along with what he wanted.
Now I feel really guilty. She should know what he's really like."
Cheryl forgave Cole weeks later after taking a trip to Thailand
with her Girls Aloud pals to clear her head. But he was soon
back to his wandering ways.
Blonde model Sonia Wild, 28, came forward in February to tell
how she had received X-rated photos from Cole by text in June
2009.
At first, he desperately tried to claim they had been sent to Sonia
in error by an unnamed pal.
But within days he was exposed as a liar as more revelations
emerged.
Sonia, of Hull, said: "I recognised him straight away from the
pictures I'd seen of him with his wife Cheryl - but couldn't resist
having a bit of fun. It was exciting getting a picture of a star."
Football secretary Vicki Gough, 30, then revealed she was sent
more than 300 smutty texts by Cole.
They included nude pics and some of him standing in front of a
mirror in a pair of white underpants.
Cole told her: "I beg u to keep this between us x." He then added:
"Please delete all texts I'll have no balls left."
Petrified
Eventually he bedded Vicki, who worked for Liverpool, during two
clandestine meetings at Chelsea's team hotel before away games.
On one occasion, a club official took her to Cole's room - next
door to that of Blues skipper JOHN TERRY.
Vicki said: "He was
petrified of getting
caught. That must have
been the thrill."
American government
worker Ann Corbitt, 28,
was next in line, telling
how she romped with
Cole during Chelsea's
tour of the US last
summer.
She met the player in a
bar following a friendly
between the Premier
League team and her local side Seattle Sounders.
After their session in the city's Four Seasons hotel, frantic Cole
launched an elaborate cover-up attempt.
He called Ann to beg her not to go public. And he later enlisted the
help of an unwitting Chelsea official, who gave her advice on how
to fob off reporters.
Brunette Alexandra Taylor, 27, hammered the final nail into the
coffin of the Coles' marriage.
She claimed Cole had sex with her in 2004 - during the early days
of his relationship with Cheryl.
The shameless star bedded her at his flat in the same block where
Cheryl lived after finding success with Girls Aloud.
Alexandra, of Blackpool, Lancs, met Cole while clubbing after the
National Television Awards in 2004.
Just hours earlier the footballer and Cheryl were seen dancing
cheek-to-cheek on the night their romance went public.
As soon as Cheryl left, Cole made his play and ended up taking
Alexandra home.
She said: "We were both drunk, started kissing and one thing led
to another. He was so off his face with drink. It was really lousy."

Bret Michael to undergo heart surgery

Man, Bret Michaels just can't catch a
break!
He just got out of the hospital after
suffering a brain hemorrhage in April
and stroke just last week and now he
has to go back for heart surgery.
“They have to let everything clear out
and then they’ll go in and do the
operation in my heart and then I’m
gonna be great,” said Bret.
Bret Michaels Hospitalized With Stroke
He continued, “I don’t have any other options except to think that
it’s gonna be great, it’s gonna be a smooth operation and I’m
gonna feel awesome.”
He's trying to keep his spirits high as he waits for the medication
that's currently in his body to flush out.
“I’m feeling a little beat up, but I feel great,” he continued. “I’m just
glad to be here, and I’m really glad that I won — and you have no
idea — inside my soul — how bad I want to throw down and party
right now!”
How about you lay low on the partying and take it easy for a while
Bret? We really hope he catches a break soon. He's spent more
time in the hospital this year than most of the Grey's Anatomy cast.

Genevieve Nnaji clinches mega deal

Star actress Genevieve Nnaji is certainly on top of her game. She
is one of the few Nigerian actresses that have international acclaim
owing to her make-believe skills. As such her fame transcends the
movie industry and now the beauty industry.
A few years ago, she clinched a multi-million naira deal to become
the face of Lux and since then she has not looked back.
Perhaps the latest entrant into the Nigerian cosmetic market, MUD
Cosmetics announced last week that they had chosen superstar
Nnaji as the face of the brand in Nigeria.
Make-Up Designory is an international make-up company that has
been creating genuine make-up products and providing quality
education for over a decade. In the international community, MUD
has been the expert choice of make-up professionals, as its
renowned make-up schools have produced renowned make-up
artists on a global scale.
The co-managing directors of Bellezza Cosmetics and Spa (the
official franchise owners and distributors of MUD in Nigeria),
Chinny Onwugbenu and Onyinye Onwugbenu enthused,
"Bringing Genevieve onto the MUD team was not a difficult
decision. A MUD woman represents beauty, grace, elegance, as
well as glamour. Genevieve epitomises all of the above, as her
glamour and yet understated style has such enduring appeal to
women of all generations.
"Genevieve plays more than a role as the Face of MUD. She is part
of the MUD family, and will be involved in every aspect of bringing
MUD products into the make-up purses of every Nigerian
woman."

Femi and I can never be enemies-Funke Kuti

Funke Kuti, the delectable dancer and ex-wife of Afrobeat star,
Femi Kuti, is one woman many find intriguing not only because of
her brilliance or what she has been able to do but also her
personality. Soft-spoken Funke, who is currently the image-maker
of National Sports Lottery (NSL), wowed many people when she
switched from being a dancer to getting a job in a top corporate
organisation some years back and is still holding her head high in
the sky. The University of Lagos (UNILAG) business administration
graduate, however, still has a knack for the entertainment world.
She recently began an entertainment management outfit, which
has female rapper, Weird MC as one of her clients, even as she
holds her position as the CEO of NSL Foundation and head of
Corporate Affairs and Marketing.
In this interview with Reporter, Gbenga Bada, the fair-
skinned and amiable Funke spoke on various issues
ranging from her alleged arrest to her resolve to still
dancing a chance as an instructor.
Where have you been all this while?
I have been around, at my place of work as a staff of the
National Sports Lottery. I have been contributing my quota
to the success of the company along with other good
people at the place.
How is it like?
It is pretty hectic and time-consuming. I work as the head,
Corporate Affairs and Marketing at the company so I am
engaged in multiple tasks and this makes me to be involved
in quite a number of tasks. But the truth is that in I am
enjoying myself because I am engaged in something I
believe in. I believe very soon we will showcase the best
way to practice lotto and let the whole world see the
benefits inherent in it.
How did you get into the corporate world in the first place?
When I stopped dancing, a friend of mine informed me of
a job opening at Sahara Energy and I applied. I got the job
and worked there for some time before joining the NSL five
years ago. Crossing over from entertainment to the
corporate world was 360 degrees for me because it was an
entirely new territory different from what I was used to. For a
couple of months after I started working, I was floating not
knowing what to do particularly to break forth. I was struggling to
find my feet as I did not have any working experience because as
soon as I graduated, I got married. My husband didn ’t want me to
work then, so it was straight from school to Femi’s house and
then, to dancing for his band. I love challenges, which made me
start asking questions about the job and how to excel in it. I love
asking questions, I actually learnt on the job.
You have a personal firm, Funke Kuti Management. Where does it
fit into all this?
Funke Kuti Management is an artiste management company that I
set up to fulfil my personal dream. I have always loved the
entertainment industry, and after a clinical study of the terrain I
believe with my experience both in and outside of the industry
one of the best ways I can make a positive impact is via the artiste
management terrain. I have viewed that particular area of the
industry and I believe there are certain things that are lacking that I
have what it takes to do a better job of.
What have you been able to achieve with your marketing
company?
That is my trade secret. Actually, I prefer to act than say it. I want
the world to see it and know the proper way to manage an artiste.
Weird MC is said to have signed up.
Yes, Weird MC is on the label and a couple of others acts, who are
not yet as big as Weird. We are handling her affairs and we thank
God that so far and so good, everything is working according to
projection.
How do you combine F.K Management and your job at NSL?
Actually, it is all about planning. And mind you I have some
people working for me as well, doing all the groundwork, for me
it is just about creating more time and putting in more energy for
my thing to work.
How comfortable are your employers about the arrangement?
There is no problem as regards the project and my employers
being in the know, because even before I initiated the plans I
informed them to let them know what was in the offing and we
reached an accommodation, as long as it doesn ’t affect my work,
everything is fine and we thank God everything is fine.
But naturally you would be looking forward to leaving the NSL
and facing your personal business full time some day, how soon
do you see yourself doing that?
Naturally, a time of stocktaking will come in everybody’s life and
certain decisions will have to be taken. But right now the answer
to your question is not one of the things immediately on the
horizon. For now I still have a job to perfect at NSL and also F.K
Management to put on the ground in a way that the two missions
will be accomplished in a manner that will not affect each other
and until that is done, talks of time to quit take the back row in my
projections for things.
What are the challenges that you face?
There are challenges with everything one sets out to achieve in
life. Combining every aspect of my job can be very demanding. I
could get mixed-up sometimes and the ability to distinguish the
various duties I have stretches me. At different times, I have to
determine what cap I am wearing, this is because my schedules
can clash with each other. My job is also time-consuming and
involves travelling a lot. I encourage myself and convince myself
that I can do anything. When my duties clash, I break everything
down and prioritise so as not to allow the weight get to me.
Did your projection for things at the NSL ever factor detention at
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) office?
Certainly not! Whoever prays for that kind of thing?
So, what actually happened?
In summary, it was a case of someone, Alhaji Olatunde Balogun.
He claimed to have won N51 million in a N50m promo jackpot.
Unfortunately for him he is doing it with numbers that did not
register on our system! In the course of investigation into the
matter he came up with another number that won N13,000 and a
couple of naira but he insists his winning money is N51 million. He
has gone to different law enforcement agencies before the EFCC, in
fact, we were in court at the time of the EFCC arrest, but thank
God we were able to prove our case beyond reasonable doubt
and the EFCC let me go after spending a couple of hours in their
store.
So what is the situation with the case now?
NSL has furnished the EFCC with all relevant documents about the
case. All the documents they asked for we gave them and they
told us they would investigate and come up with their own
report, so they are investigating the matter.
How did your people feel with the way the matter was celebrated?
Naturally they didn’t like the first report, ‘Funke Kuti in N51 Million
Fraud’ or something and funny thing was that if you read that
report you will see that it was apparent it was not Funke Kuti that
was in the so-called fraud. And they didn ’t even try to contact my
office or something to at least try to get our side of the story. The
whole thing was really embarrassing; I got countless calls from
people and all that. Some of my friends said, ‘so you had so
much money, oya come and borrow me N10,000’, but seriously,
it was not a funny thing at all. But when the other stories came
out and people were able to discern what happened I was relieved
and so were my people?
There is no way you talk about Funke without talking about Femi
Kuti, what is the state of things between the two of you now?
Femi is the father of my child and naturally, we can never be
enemies. With that said, I will adopt the no comment term on
further question about us.
But do you plan to remarry as was speculated or reconcile with
Femi for the sake of the child?
Like I said, no comment, whatever it is between Femi, myself and
our child (made) is a private affair. And I will appreciate it if we
treat it as such.
Was that why you went low profile all these years?
Yes, because I believe if you make your affair private people will
respect it and make it so, if you flaunt it in their face they will help
you to celebrate it far beyond your expectation.
What is your personal projection for yourself in the next 10 years?
To have taken my company, F.K Management, to such a level that
it will be a parameter setter and relevant force in the entertainment
industry in Nigeria and to have also actualised my dreams for
other businesses I plan to unfold in the nearest future.
How do you look this good and keep fit?
I don’t exercise but I dance a lot. I dance three times a week to
keep fit. It is not the regular dance people do for a while and stop.
I dance for two hours, sweating and doing it with all seriousness
as if my whole life depends on it. For my skin, I don ’t use any
particular product to keep it supple. I naturally have a beautiful
skin, which I inherited from my mother.
How fulfilled are you as a person?
I am very fulfilled because I love everything I am doing now.
Sometimes, my friends tell me I don ’t have a life that I need to
slow down or suffer burn out. I don’t like being in a place for too
long because I am a very restless person. I am fulfilled carrying
out every bit of my responsibility and contributing my quota to
the organisation. For financial rewards, I would say I am satisfied.
It pays my bills and I can survive on it.
What can you say about your life as an entertainment person?
That phase of my life was great and I enjoyed what I was doing
then. Whatever I set out to do, I try to make the best of it.
Naturally, I won ’t go for anything I don’t enjoy and I love
challenging jobs. Because I am naturally restless, I would describe
myself as a great dancer because I don ’t see dancing as a job but
as a hobby. I loved the tours, the energy we displayed on stage
and the fulfilment I got then. I miss that aspect of my life because
it was the most fascinating period of my existence.
Would you go back to dancing?
I don’t think I would be energetic enough to go back to dancing
like I did in the past. It is very tedious because we could dance for
two to three hours. At times when we go on tour, we could
dance everyday having little time to rest. We could travel for
several hours, change our costumes in the bus and rush out on
stage afterwards. Though I won ’t go back to dancing
professionally, I have plans to open a dancing school in future. I
would run the school as an instructor and not as a dancer.
Can you give us an insight into your growing up?
I shuttled between my mum and my dad. My dad was in the
army, which made him travel a lot. I spent more time with my
mum. Growing up was fun among my three sisters. I attended
Federal Government Girl ’s College, Shagamu and studied business
administration at the University of Lagos, Akoka. When I used to
dance, people had this assumption that people who dance on
stage have no future and no history. You are either seen as a
school dropout or a loser. I am from Oyo State, Ogbomosho to
be precise. Some are amazed when I tell them I am a graduate
and wonder what I was doing dancing on stage

Fatherhood is pleasant stress,says AY

AY is your regular humour merchant, who makes audiences
crack their ribs as they quake in ecstasy. But he does more than
say funny things. To borrow his own words, AY is an all-encomp
I ’m assing show biz personality.
“I run a television show, I produce and am on
TV everyday. I have a platform on HiTV and we
have the AY TV, which runs on that platform
every day. It runs both in Nigeria and the UK.
Apart from that I produce, I direct, I act, I
package events for companies and individuals, I
consult with people and I am a writer, ” AY says,
reeling out his ‘CV.’
Now that is what you can safely describe as
jack of all aspects of entertainment business. Is
the master of all? Your guess is as good as
ours. In this interview, he let ’s us get a peek into
how he shows love to his family. Excerpts….
Are you a modern dad?
Yes I am and I have serious time for family. As
a matter of fact before now my office was
located somewhere else, but now my studio,
my office and house are located together. So I
have all the time for my home and this doesn ’t
stop me from traveling because I need to go
and make the money to take care of the family.
When I come back and see that there is
vacuum in the family circle I often come and
make it up to them. We could go out together
but in a way there is a strong balance.
There is more balance on my part as a
comedian than the man who is a banker out there because for
some of them, they wake up and leaves home before the child is
awake. By the time he comes back the child is already asleep. So
all what he does is just to go to his child ’s room and pat his back
and wait until Saturday or Sunday when such child would get to
see his parent. Sometimes there are some events that I go to that
are family oriented; so I always make sure I go along with my
family so that they would be able to see how daddy is doing his
thing out there.
While your daughter was younger did you help in changing her
diapers?
Well, my wife should answer that question but I think I did that
regularly. When we had our baby I simply told myself that she
had performed her duty for nine months by carrying the baby
and getting to the stage of delivery. When we had our baby
whenever she was asleep I would be awake; before sleeping, my
wife would tell me what I was supposed to do. She would say to
me - put three spoons of that and add so and so quantity of
water. Really, I was having fun because it was so easy for me.
Do you take her to school?
Of course I do that (laughs) although there are times we drop her
off at school and we go together to pick her. But sometimes we
shuttle, it ’s a duty routine between the two of us. But of recent we
employed the school bus to come and pick her. However, there
are times we go to pick her so that she would have a sense of
belonging like other children.
Have you started attending P.T.A meetings?
No, I haven’t started the PTA thing but I think I should leave that to
the mum to handle for now. If I’m free and the need comes up I
would but you know these things usually come up during
weekends and that is more like the peak of my own call to duty.
You never found it demeaning doing all that for your wife?
Not in the least because before I became a full-grown man, and
long before I got married, I was already doing things like that for
my younger ones. I did that for all my younger ones; it was
something I learnt from my mum early enough and for me to
transfer it into my own life wasn ’t so difficult.
Do you help in doing other house chores too?
Of course I help out with other chores, but when I can’t do so, I
look for ways to reduce the stress for her by getting her help or
having some other people in the house to help run things. But one
thing I know that I won ’t do for her is to get someone that would
cook for her because I love eating my wife’s food.
What is wrong in eating other people’s food?
Of course we all eat out and that food is made by some else but
there are times you really want to get that satisfaction because the
Bible says that two shall come together and become one. There
are times you want to feel that oneness and sometimes it would
come by way of eating your wife ’s food.
Do you cook for her too?
Oh, my God I can’t remember when last I cooked for her, but I’m
sure she would remind me in the toasting era. But after you had
succeeded you now take backstage but its fun if I have to do so.
Incidentally, recently she challenged me that I only talk about
making food for her and I never do it. But I was forced to prepare
a Niger Delta delicacy for her and blew out of proportion. We even
invited our friends to witness and testify that this man can cook
ogwueri, I know you can’t spell it but I call it oil soup. (Laughs).
Why does it seem like romance ends after courtship?
It depends on individuals. I can only talk for myself. I always have
cause to show love to wife everyday; I always have cause to think
of something new to do to spark up the relationship, to keep it
alive. Especially when I know that a lot of people don ’t believe in
celebrity marriage and having their marriage intact. I’m not daft,
the day I pick up Encomium or City People and I read one headline
that something happened to a celebrity, it gingers me to fall back
home to do something that would sustain romance between me
and my wife. There is always something that keeps me going;
you know the same zeal and attitude I put into show-business is
what I also put into my marriage to sustain it.
What are your tips for making celebrity marriages work?
The simple thing is to get your partner to have full confidence
in you. There are ways you can do this – it is not about having
all the money in the world to give to her or by giving her all
the jewellery. The thing is to be there for her – no matter what
you are doing, just create time for the family.
Just when somebody is thinking to come and penetrate your
family and bring in rumour and say something like ‘we see
your husband here, we see your husband there’. But your
wife would say ‘my husband wey you see there na him an me
dey since o. You need to fill up that space and you need to
attend to her needs as well. When you are doing all of these
together you will know that there is a spark in the relationship.
I can say all other private things but these are just the peripheral.
What makes her unique?
I didn’t I just told you about her food and you were wondering
why it has to be her. Well, nobody does it better! As far as I’m
concerned no one does it better, but it also goes beyond cooking
because she has a good heart; she is a young woman with the
strong attributes of a mother. I ’m a young man without a mum
so sometimes I see my wife as my mum because she fills the
vacuum completely. There are times when I am mismanaging
myself and I always have her on my side to say to me – baby this
is wrong, I think your action should have been this. And when I
do things she asks me to do, it usually points towards positive
directions.
Was it love at first sight when you met your wife?
No, it was business at first sight because back then I was
organizing the Delta State beauty pageant and when I was leaving
that what was when she was coming in. So I needed to put my
last solid beauty pageant together, I needed it to be grand. Then I
spotted her and I was like wow, this girl should be a part of what
we are doing. She turned me down when I told her she had what
it takes to be in the beauty pageant. But she said she was not cut
out for it. I did everything to convince her but she refused. She
even refused to give me her name.
Then we forgot about getting her involved in the pageant. After I
left Abraka as a graduate, once in a while I would go there to
supervise what the other guys were doing. But each time I went
there I still saw this same girl always in the classroom, clutching
one folder or the other. Then the interest became different now
but she still refused to be friends with me in the first place. You
know when you enter a system and you have been cautioned
from home that it is about getting the degree and not get
distracted. But when my distraction started it was heavy on her
because I was consistently trying to see if I could win her over.
And then when I wasn ’t making any effort at all that was when
she came onboard because I had cause to be in Delta State
University longer than I should because I suffered from a major
priority problem.
NIGERIAWORLD | NIGERIAWEB | MESSAGEBOARD | ANNOUNCE STORY | NAIJANET | STATE NEWS | SEARCH
Good Morning! Wednesday May 26, 2010
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Fatherhood is pleasant stress,says AY

AY is your regular humour merchant, who makes audiences
crack their ribs as they quake in ecstasy. But he does more than
say funny things. To borrow his own words, AY is an all-encomp
I ’m assing show biz personality.
“I run a television show, I produce and am on
TV everyday. I have a platform on HiTV and we
have the AY TV, which runs on that platform
every day. It runs both in Nigeria and the UK.
Apart from that I produce, I direct, I act, I
package events for companies and individuals, I
consult with people and I am a writer, ” AY says,
reeling out his ‘CV.’
Now that is what you can safely describe as
jack of all aspects of entertainment business. Is
the master of all? Your guess is as good as
ours. In this interview, he let ’s us get a peek into
how he shows love to his family. Excerpts….
Are you a modern dad?
Yes I am and I have serious time for family. As
a matter of fact before now my office was
located somewhere else, but now my studio,
my office and house are located together. So I
have all the time for my home and this doesn ’t
stop me from traveling because I need to go
and make the money to take care of the family.
When I come back and see that there is
vacuum in the family circle I often come and
make it up to them. We could go out together
but in a way there is a strong balance.
There is more balance on my part as a
comedian than the man who is a banker out there because for
some of them, they wake up and leaves home before the child is
awake. By the time he comes back the child is already asleep. So
all what he does is just to go to his child ’s room and pat his back
and wait until Saturday or Sunday when such child would get to
see his parent. Sometimes there are some events that I go to that
are family oriented; so I always make sure I go along with my
family so that they would be able to see how daddy is doing his
thing out there.
While your daughter was younger did you help in changing her
diapers?
Well, my wife should answer that question but I think I did that
regularly. When we had our baby I simply told myself that she
had performed her duty for nine months by carrying the baby
and getting to the stage of delivery. When we had our baby
whenever she was asleep I would be awake; before sleeping, my
wife would tell me what I was supposed to do. She would say to
me - put three spoons of that and add so and so quantity of
water. Really, I was having fun because it was so easy for me.
Do you take her to school?
Of course I do that (laughs) although there are times we drop her
off at school and we go together to pick her. But sometimes we
shuttle, it ’s a duty routine between the two of us. But of recent we
employed the school bus to come and pick her. However, there
are times we go to pick her so that she would have a sense of
belonging like other children.
Have you started attending P.T.A meetings?
No, I haven’t started the PTA thing but I think I should leave that to
the mum to handle for now. If I’m free and the need comes up I
would but you know these things usually come up during
weekends and that is more like the peak of my own call to duty.
You never found it demeaning doing all that for your wife?
Not in the least because before I became a full-grown man, and
long before I got married, I was already doing things like that for
my younger ones. I did that for all my younger ones; it was
something I learnt from my mum early enough and for me to
transfer it into my own life wasn ’t so difficult.
Do you help in doing other house chores too?
Of course I help out with other chores, but when I can’t do so, I
look for ways to reduce the stress for her by getting her help or
having some other people in the house to help run things. But one
thing I know that I won ’t do for her is to get someone that would
cook for her because I love eating my wife’s food.
What is wrong in eating other people’s food?
Of course we all eat out and that food is made by some else but
there are times you really want to get that satisfaction because the
Bible says that two shall come together and become one. There
are times you want to feel that oneness and sometimes it would
come by way of eating your wife ’s food.
Do you cook for her too?
Oh, my God I can’t remember when last I cooked for her, but I’m
sure she would remind me in the toasting era. But after you had
succeeded you now take backstage but its fun if I have to do so.
Incidentally, recently she challenged me that I only talk about
making food for her and I never do it. But I was forced to prepare
a Niger Delta delicacy for her and blew out of proportion. We even
invited our friends to witness and testify that this man can cook
ogwueri, I know you can’t spell it but I call it oil soup. (Laughs).
Why does it seem like romance ends after courtship?
It depends on individuals. I can only talk for myself. I always have
cause to show love to wife everyday; I always have cause to think
of something new to do to spark up the relationship, to keep it
alive. Especially when I know that a lot of people don ’t believe in
celebrity marriage and having their marriage intact. I’m not daft,
the day I pick up Encomium or City People and I read one headline
that something happened to a celebrity, it gingers me to fall back
home to do something that would sustain romance between me
and my wife. There is always something that keeps me going;
you know the same zeal and attitude I put into show-business is
what I also put into my marriage to sustain it.
What are your tips for making celebrity marriages work?
The simple thing is to get your partner to have full confidence
in you. There are ways you can do this – it is not about having
all the money in the world to give to her or by giving her all
the jewellery. The thing is to be there for her – no matter what
you are doing, just create time for the family.
Just when somebody is thinking to come and penetrate your
family and bring in rumour and say something like ‘we see
your husband here, we see your husband there’. But your
wife would say ‘my husband wey you see there na him an me
dey since o. You need to fill up that space and you need to
attend to her needs as well. When you are doing all of these
together you will know that there is a spark in the relationship.
I can say all other private things but these are just the peripheral.
What makes her unique?
I didn’t I just told you about her food and you were wondering
why it has to be her. Well, nobody does it better! As far as I’m
concerned no one does it better, but it also goes beyond cooking
because she has a good heart; she is a young woman with the
strong attributes of a mother. I ’m a young man without a mum
so sometimes I see my wife as my mum because she fills the
vacuum completely. There are times when I am mismanaging
myself and I always have her on my side to say to me – baby this
is wrong, I think your action should have been this. And when I
do things she asks me to do, it usually points towards positive
directions.
Was it love at first sight when you met your wife?
No, it was business at first sight because back then I was
organizing the Delta State beauty pageant and when I was leaving
that what was when she was coming in. So I needed to put my
last solid beauty pageant together, I needed it to be grand. Then I
spotted her and I was like wow, this girl should be a part of what
we are doing. She turned me down when I told her she had what
it takes to be in the beauty pageant. But she said she was not cut
out for it. I did everything to convince her but she refused. She
even refused to give me her name.
Then we forgot about getting her involved in the pageant. After I
left Abraka as a graduate, once in a while I would go there to
supervise what the other guys were doing. But each time I went
there I still saw this same girl always in the classroom, clutching
one folder or the other. Then the interest became different now
but she still refused to be friends with me in the first place. You
know when you enter a system and you have been cautioned
from home that it is about getting the degree and not get
distracted. But when my distraction started it was heavy on her
because I was consistently trying to see if I could win her over.
And then when I wasn ’t making any effort at all that was when
she came onboard because I had cause to be in Delta State
University longer than I should because I suffered from a major
priority problem.
NIGERIAWORLD | NIGERIAWEB | MESSAGEBOARD | ANNOUNCE STORY | NAIJANET | STATE NEWS | SEARCH
Good Morning! Wednesday May 26, 2010
advertisement
Services
Front Page
Back Page
Advert Rates
Subscription
News
Home
National
International
Business News
Abuja Reports
Sports
Politics
Sun Girl
Editorial
Editorial Issues
Letters
Opinion
Columnists
Community
Standard Guestbook
View Guestbook
Sun Chatroom
Features
Apettit
Arts
BlockBuster
CEO Magazine
Celebrity Fashion
City Sun
Crime Watch
Covert Choice
CyberSun
Enterprise
Everyday Heroes
Exquisite Property
Fashion & Celebrity
Fashion & Beauty
Favourite File
Health Magazine
How I write
Life Style
Living
Mafia Series
Man in the street
Man in the pulpit
Managing a Law Firm
Me & My God
Media People
Money
Motoring
Power Game
Romance
Romantic Faction
Senior Citizen
Showtime
Smoking Guns
Sun Splash
Sunlight of Islam
Travels
Window of the world
Window on widows
Woman of the Sun
Women in Business
Women & Me
Videoscope
Weekend Sun
Saturday Sun
Sunday Sun
Weekend Sports
Weekend Cartoons
Company Profile
About Us
Management
Contact Us

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

P-Square,MI for BET Awards

The BET Hiphop Awards have for the first time ever, nominated
Nigerian acts in their 'International' category. According to the list
of nominees released by the organisers on Tuesday, homeboys,
P-square and MI, are up for the 'Best International Act' prize,
alongside other promising acts from across the world: Chipmunk
(UK), Kojo Antwi (Ghana), Estelle (UK), Dizzee Rascal (UK), HHP
(SA), K'Naan (Somalia), Sade (UK) and Corinne Bailey Rae (UK).
The development, analysts say, is in line with BET's
recent policy on the African continent, especially
Nigeria where they're already doing a lot of work in
terms of content. Nigeria is becoming one of the
biggest markets for global youth brands, and the
success of MTV (which came in February 2005),
appears to be giving the green light to many others.
MTV and MOBO are the first international awards to
recognise home-grown African talents. But, unlike
both awards which created separate 'African'
categories, the BET is pitching African acts against
their contemporaries from Europe and the US - a
move that could work for, or against the African acts
depending on who eventually wins what.
This year's BET, scheduled for June 27, will be hosted by Hiphop
veteran, Queen Latifah, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, some of the biggest nominees this year include Jay Z
and Beyonce - with five and four nods respectively. Alicia Keys is
also up for four categories...

TY Bello returns

Okay, so we can all now stop fretting. She's back! Publicity-shy
singer-photographer, TY Bello, is now back in town, after
spending endless weeks away, working and finishing work on her
second solo album.
The former KUSH girl told e-Punch early this week
she's 'back' and now 'ready' with the album fans
have been yearning for.
Mrs. Bello's debut, Greenland, made her the first
KUSH member to drop solo materials. She remains
the most successful and celebrated of the trio, even
though others are still pushing their individual
careers and doing great in their own rights.
Talks of a reunion album have been around for
years, but with all three ladies hopping on planes to
different locations every other day, it's not likely a
single track has been recorded.
Sources say TY's second album was also produced
by Mosa - same young man that cooked the beats
for her debut.
She has not announced when the album will be
released. But when she does, she'll have one more
question to answer: When will she finally hit the
stage and start performing her materials?

Kennis Music drags Kelly Handsome to court

Kennis Music has threatened to press charges against Kelly
Hansome if the singer 'doesn't cease to propagate false stories
about the label and its CEO while at the same time, failing to
honour his contractual obligations to the Label.'
In a document made available to e-Punch this week
by Adebayo & Adebayo Legal Practitioners, solicitors
to Kennis Music, the label insists that Hansome 'has
not discharged his obligations to our company under
the contractual agreement and to this end, cannot be
signed on by any other label.'
Kelly Hansome, popular for his hit single, Maga don
Pay, had taken to the internet these past weeks,
posting disclaimers on Kennis, and informing
everyone he was through with the label.
But A&R manager at Kennis, Godwin Ndidi, assures e-
Punch. 'We still have a subsisting contract with him.
And if he's serious about moving, he should come
and sit down and negotiate his exit.'
'I won't say more than that, because our lawyers are already
handling the matter.'
Keke Ogungbe tells e-Punch he has 'no comments. Our lawyer is
fully in charge,' he told us over the phone, Tuesday.
"Our client shall not hesitate to enforce her rights under the said
contractual agreement in the event of continuous breach of same
by the artiste or any record label that signs him on,' Dayo
Adebayo, the label's lawyer said.
Hansome, who is believed to be hibernating in Owerri, did not
respond to our enquiries.

Essence step out again

Kennis Music singer, Essence, will this Sunday, launch her new
album at the Oriental Hotels in Lekki, Lagos.
The talented but under-celebrated singer has been
busy rebuilding and remoulding herself and her
music, and with the recent release of fresh
materials, she appears now set to have her fair
share of shine time.
Although we're bothered about the increasing use
of vocoders and other vocal treatment, Essence's
new direction is interesting and refreshing. The
once-upon-a-time shy and reserved singer is now
splashing some sex in our faces; using her plus-size
to advantage, and getting more confident - and
naughty- with her lyrics.
In an environment where the time is pop-O-clock;
where sex sells more than everything else, it's not
surprising that Miss Essence is re-routing her steps
and joining the class of talented acts who are
waving critics goodbye and hugging the fans. Who
wants critical acclaim when it's Mo' hits that brings
in the pay check?
Like her other sisters, Kefee and KSB, Essence has
turned to producer, K-Solo, for the biggest cuts on
her new album. So when you listen, it'll be a totally
brand new sound. Not what you heard on Coming
out or African prince or Like dat.
''It's a whole new experience for me'' she tells e-
Punch, in the midst of preparations for her launch.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Madge pay £10k on Boogie

GENEROUS MADONNA coughed up
more than £10,000 on a night out for
a gang of her closest dancer friends.
The Material Girl invited 20 hip-shaking
chums to dinner at swanky eaterie
supperclub in London's Notting Hill on
Thursday.
Afterwards the party moved across
town for a boogie at the Aura
nightclub in posh Mayfair.
Her Madgesty kept a low profile but
her limber-limbed companions didn't.
Minders cleared the dance floor for a
20-minute routine by the troupe.
The night wasn't all fun though -
Madonna was slapped with a £120
parking ticket.
She may need all the money she can
lay her hands on if she's to get her pet
film project off the ground.
Madonna is finding it challenging
recruiting a team to put together her
planned biopic of KING EDWARD VIII
and his lover WALLIS SIMPSON.
I'm told: "She's been associated with a
fair few turkeys in her cinematic
career, so investors aren't exactly
falling over each other to finance the
project."

I am always the friend not the lover

WILL.I.AM has earned a reputation as
the ultimate ladies' man thanks to his
blossoming relationship with CHERYL
COLE and past links to beauties such
as NICOLE SCHERZINGER and NATALIE
IMBRUGLIA.
But the BLACK EYED PEAS frontman
insists he's always been useless with
women - because they end up thinking
of him as a brother, not a boyfriend.
Will, who has spent the week partying
with Cheryl at the Cannes Film Festival,
says: "I'm not a gold digger, I'm a boob
digger. I like boobs. But I was always
the homie, the friend, rather than the
lover.
"I'd have a crush on a girl and she'd say,
'I don't know, Will, I see you as my
brother'.
"I become a cuddler and a spooner. I'm
a conversationalist. I just like to talk -
to have random conversations about
odd things, like dance music and
jogging. If you don't talk about a girl's
interests, then forget it.
"Soon I want to settle down and have
lots of girl babies, because I don't want
to add to the destruction of the planet.
It's a man's world and I think it's gonna
be a female that changes it all."
Until this year 35-year-old Will was
just known as the bloke with the daft
name and the silly clothes out of US
band Black Eyed Peas.
Despite a series of huge hits such as
Shut Up, Where Is The Love, Boom
Boom Pow and My Humps, he
remained a man of mystery behind his
oversized specs.
But his relationship with gorgeous
Geordie Cheryl, 26, has thrust him into
the spotlight.
Will first grew close to GIRLS ALOUD
singer Cheryl when they worked
together on her debut solo album 3
Words last year. She credits him with
giving her the confidence to do her
own solo projects away from her
bandmates.
When she dumped cheating husband
ASHLEY in February, Will weighed in,
saying: "She's a beautiful girl and I
can't wait to hang out with her more.
I'd move to London if it meant being
with her. Cheryl's too nice to be
cheated on."
In the last few weeks the pair have
become inseparable after Cheryl
joined Black Eyed Peas on their
European tour.
They partied backstage at London's O2,
where she took the big step of
introducing Will to her mum, Joan.
Last week they cosied up at an
exclusive party in Cannes for jewellery
company De Grisogono, where Cheryl
picked up £250,000 for playing a few
songs. Later Will joined her in the DJ
booth and taught her how to mix.
Like Cheryl, Will recently went through
a bad break-up, with a long-term
girlfriend who he grew up with in Los
Angeles. He has always protected her
by keeping her name secret.
Will says: "We went out for eight years
and I learned a lot about relationships.
I read a lot, about the destructive
relationship we were in. It wasn't
abusive, it was just destructive
emotionally."
Will and Cheryl have a lot more in
common too. They both had humble
beginnings on rough city estates and
neither has anything to do with their
dads.
When Cheryl was 11 her dad Gary left
her mum to bring up five kids alone in
inner-city Newcastle.
Will, who was born William James
Adams Jr, grew up in East Los Angeles
with his single-parent mum. He says:
"My mom is the most awesome
woman. She raised us all by herself. I
have two brothers and a sister, and
Mom adopted two other girls when
they were infants. Then she just
recently adopted two other boys.
"I learned in counselling that me and
my ex-girlfriend both have a fear of
abandonment from not having a role
model in relationships. My mom's
never been married. I've never even
seen her kiss a dude."
Will released a solo album called
Songs About Girls, which was all about
his doomed romance. It featured
Cheryl on a track called Heartbreaker.
He says: "It's about one particular
relationship that I was really sorry how
it ended up. It was just me being a
young dude making dumb decisions."
Like Cheryl, Will is fiercely ambitious
and has become one of the most
successful and richest pop stars of his
generation.
The Black Eyed Peas have sold
35million albums and 41million
singles worldwide. Last year they were
at No1 in America for 26 consecutive
weeks with songs from their fifth
album, The E.N.D. Will has also
produced tracks for Justin Timberlake,
Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston,
Pussycat Dolls, Busta Rhymes and
fellow Black Eyed Pea, Fergie.
The band are at their absolute peak at
the moment and Will says: "We are
going to celebrate all year. Touring,
DJing parties, clubbing, making music -
that's what a Black Eyed Peas
celebration consists of.
"We like to keep it responsible,
although every now and then we do
get a little irresponsible."
Will had spent three years working
with MICHAEL JACKSON on new
material before he died last June. But
he doesn't think the songs will ever
see the light of day.
He says: "The stuff we worked on was
dance music but, of course, with the
Michael Jackson touch.
"It was real melodic, with seductive
bass lines. That guy was flawless. I
guess it seems kind of emotional now,
with what happened. I'm just so
grateful I got to know him like that and
learn from him."
Since Will and Cheryl arrived in Cannes
they have travelled to Antwerp and
Paris - the romantic capital of the
world - for more Peas performances.
Today they are expected to arrive in
Bangor, North Wales, where Cheryl will
perform this afternoon at the Radio 1
Big Weekend.
She is then due to join Will in
Barcelona on July 3 when the band
play the city's Espanol Stadium. Even
though Cheryl isn't on the bill he has
asked organisers to provide them with
a joint dressing room for the night.
Then he has arranged to treat her to a
meal at El Bulli restaurant, which is
regarded as one of the best in the
world.
If they are not romantically involved
they are certainly acting like they are.

Fox quit movie over weight loss

MEGAN FOX has quit the Transformers
3 film after a row over her
plummeting weight.
Megan, 24, shot to fame as Mikaela
Banes in the series and fans loved her
curves. But director MICHAEL BAY
became worried about her shrinking
frame and wanted her to gain weight.
A source said: "He thinks she's too frail.
She's going for this gaunt image and it
looks unhealthy."
Last year Megan told how she once lost
so much weight her hair fell out.

Tia's red hot sex proposal

EX porn star Tia Brodie has been
bombarded with messages from men
begging her for sex since appearing
on Britain's Got Talent.
The topless fire eater has been forced
to tell her eager fans to stop their
saucy requests - after several of them
even asked for nude photos of her.
After getting the cheeky emails on
Facebook, on Saturday the 33-year-old
wrote on her page: "Not sure how to
put this...PLEASE stop sending me
emails asking me for sex!"
She added: "I guess I should be
flattered but it's getting so tedious."
And on Monday Tia wrote: "Erm...no I
do NOT have any naked photos I can
send you!"
Last week TV Biz revealed how Tia had
burnt her boobs practicing her risqué
act before the next stage of the ITV1
show.

Blonde Bonce-y

I'D probably hit the bottle too before
having dinner with the President.
But as BEYONCE is a good, wholesome
woman, she opted for a splash of hair
dye instead of whisky.
She had a blonde bonce for her
performance at the Second State
Dinner at the White House on
Wednesday.
Looking like this, I bet she lightened
up the night for BARACK OBAMA and his
administration.
Her hubby JAY-Z was there too. The
showbiz couple and the Obamas have
become good buddies.
I bet Jay, Bey, Obama and First Lady
MICHELLE have brilliant nights in on
SingStar.

Naomi in Diamond war Trial

SUPERMODEL NAOMI CAMPBELL could
be called to testify at a war crimes
trial over claims an African president
gave her an uncut "blood diamond".
Liberian leader Charles Taylor is said to
have made the gift following a
reception shortly after taking office.
Taylor - accused of arming rebels in
neighbouring Sierra Leone in return for
uncut gems - is now on trial in Holland.
He denies
ever
possessing the
diamonds. But
prosecutor
Brenda Hollis
says British
beauty
Naomi's
testimony
would provide
"direct
evidence" he
was lying. Ms
Hollis also
wants actress Mia Farrow to testify.
In a written statement to the UN-
backed court, WOODY ALLEN's former
wife said she was at the reception
with Naomi, hosted by NELSON
MANDELA in South Africa in September
1997.
She said the next morning Naomi told
her that two or three men had woken
her by knocking on her door and
"presented her with a large diamond
which they said was from Charles
Taylor".
Another witness said she heard Taylor
declare that he was going to give
Naomi diamonds and saw them
delivered.
"Blood diamonds" are those mined in
rebel-held regions of Africa and sold to
fund warfare.
A court spokesman said Naomi denies
being given any. The model - 40
tomorrow - has apparently told
prosecutors through her lawyer that
she was "concerned for her safety" and
"did not want to involve herself in the
case".
Her London publicist declined to
comment.
The hearing is being held in
Leidschendam, Holland, after being
moved from The Hague last week.
Taylor, 62, is charged with 11 counts of
murder, torture, rape, sexual slavery
and the use of child soldiers and
terrorism.
Around 120,000 people died in Sierra
Leone's decade-long civil war, with
rebels cutting off the hands or arms of
thousands more.

Nike worldcup and exclusive

FOOTBALL'S biggest stars have been
given a glimpse into their futures —
with Nike's stunning new TV advert.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney,
Didier Drogba and ... er... Homer
Simpson all play a part in the three-
minute film, which was made by
Hollywood director and producer
Alejandro G Inarritu.
It will be shown on TV for the first time
across 32 countries during Saturday's
Champions League final between Inter
and Bayern Munich.
But you can see it here first with your
stonking SunSport.
Watch our fantastic 10-minute behind-
the-scenes documentary on the
making of the ad below.
The video includes an exclusive full
showing of the TV advert, which marks
the launch of Nike's "Write the Future"
campaign.
It begins with Drogba weaving his way
past defenders before chipping the
keeper.
But celebrations are cut short after the
acrobatic intervention of Cannavaro
and this is where the story really kicks
off.
We see Cannavaro's future mapped out
with chat show appearances and even
a song being released in praise of the
goal-line clearance.
Rooney's career-defining moment sees
him cross swords with Franck Ribery.
He loses the ball and we fast forward
to Rooney living in a caravan and
working as a groundsman, with his
career in tatters.
Rooney wins the ball back and his
future has changed dramatically, with
a knighthood in the offing.
Real Madrid hotshot Ronaldo also has a
big part to play.
As he lines up to take a vital free-kick
for Portugal we discover that if he
scores he can expect to have a movie
made of his life story and a stadium
named in his honour.
Ronaldo summed the advert up,
saying: "Every touch you have in a
game has the ability to change the
entire course of not just those 90
minutes but your entire tournament or
season.
"One touch of the ball can be an
opportunity to leave your mark on the
game and write your own future, or
equally a moment missed, that creates
a legacy for your opponent with their
fans."
For details of the Nike "Write the
Future" campaign, fans can sign up at
Nike Facebook and nikefootball.com
now.
All four Elite Series boots to be worn
by Nike players in South Africa, the
Nike Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II, Nike
CTR360 Maestri, Nike Total90 Laser III
and Nike Tiempo Legend III, are
available at retail and at
www.nikestore.com as of May 22,
2010.

Janet Jackson has a new man

May 19, 2010
Looks like Janet Jackson
has herself a new man!
After years of being on
and off with Jermaine
Dupri, Jackson is dating
a new guy!
A source tells Hollyscoop
that she is in an
exclusive relationship with Wissam Al Mana.
So who is this new guy??

Mariah Carey undergoing Fertility treatment to get Pregnant

May 20, 2010
Mariah Carey and her
hubby Nick Cannon are
so eager to start a
family together, she's
reportedly undergoing
fertility treatments to
get pregnant.
According to Star
magazine, Mimi has been taking hormone
enhancements to increase her chances of
becoming pregnant.
Nick Cannon is Ready to Be a Dad
“Mariah wants a baby ASAP. She’s actually
visited fertility specialists a number of
times,” a source said. “Mariah is not going to
be content until she becomes a mom, one
way or another.”
Speaking of babies, Nick recently said, “I
want to be a father that’s all about love,”
Cannon said. “That’s the main thing to get
right and at the end of the day it’s just about
smothering my children with love. The same
way I do to my wife!”
“I will probably be the fun dad because I’m
silly,” he adds. “I’m always trying to have a
good time and always doing funny and
stupid stuff.”
These two have been talking about
becoming parents since they got married, so
she'd love to see Mimi with a little bump!

Reeport:George Lopez has Hooker affair

May 20, 2010
The National Enquirer is
running a shocking new
story about George
Lopez, saying he
cheated on his wife with
hookers!
The tabloid spoke with a
paid escort from Tampa
Bay, Florida who claims she had sex with the
late night host, and there was definitely a
money exchange.
The woman, who goes by the name
“Tiffany,” says Lopez also tried to set up a
threesome with himself and two prostitutes.
"I had sex with George Lopez for money,
and so did a friend of mine,” the woman
claims. "He wanted a threesome and texted
me…"
This is pretty shocking, seeing that George’s
own wife saved his life by donating one of
her kidneys to him. Plus, he was just at the
side of his good friend Sandra Bullock after
she went through a cheating scandal with
her husband Jesse James.
George has told Hollyscoop on multiple
occasions the love he has for his wife so it
seems out of his character. But before you
go knocking the Enquirer, remember that
they’re the ones who broke the Tiger Woods
cheating scandal.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Kendra to receive 50 percent profit from her naked pix

May 20, 2010
Kendra Wilkinson
shamelessly shopped
around her own sex
tape, and she's about to
make bank off of it
when it finally gets
released.
According to
Radaronline, Kendra's ex is going to get a
$100,000 payment and she's going to get
50% of the profits from Kendra Exposed.
That's just enough money to cover her legal
fees when her husband Hank decides to
divorce her ass.
Kendra Naked Photos Leaked
They have cut a deal,” a source said about
both Kendra and her ex-boyfriend Justin
Frye, clarifying that they cut separate deals
with the company releasing the tape.
Frye sold the tape for $100,000, but he won't
get a percentage of the profits like Kendra
will.

Lindsay still blaming others for her Irresponsibility

May 20, 2010
In typical Lindsay Lohan
fashion, she's blaming
everyone else for the
fact that she's going to
miss her court hearing
today and will possibly
be headed for jail.
According to TMZ,
Lindsay is blaming everyone -- even her
alcohol ed instructor.
Lindsay: Someone Stole My Passport
She claims that he made it "uncomfortable"
for her to attend the required number of
classes because she claims the instructor was
texting that she wanted to hang out with
her.
And it doesn't end there, as for why she's
stuck in France, she has a whole different list
of people to blame. She reportedly sent
friends an email begging someone with a
private jet to give her a ride back to LA, but
no one wanted to help her out.
Her court hearing is set for 8:30AM and
Lindsay obviously won't be there. The judge
made it crystal clear--violate the probation
and you're heading to jail. We really hope the
judge keeps her word!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Lady GaGa gets a 9-5 job

May 18, 2010
Lady Gaga is bored of
her super style lifestyle,
so she’s getting herself a
regular job like the rest
of us. According to
Vogue UK, Gaga has
applied for an internship
with designer Philip
Treacy.
Treacy is known for his unique headwear,
and has worked with Gaga on designing
specially made pieces for her in the past.

Lindsay Lohan is still a Lesbian

May 18, 2010
Hooking up with men
didn't get Lindsay Lohan
much press, so she's
sticking to the ladies.
Lindsay has reportedly
been hooking up with
36-year-old
photographer Indrani
since they met on a photo shoot.
Indrani, who is also known as Julia I. Pal-
Chaudhuri, told the New York Post
newspaper: "We have been spending a lot of
time together. I have never had a
relationship with a woman before, but
Lindsay is just somebody who I find
fascinating, gorgeous and extremely smart,
as well as super-hot.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Corrie lesbian are soaperstar DJs

SOAP lesbians Brooke Vincent and
Sacha Parkinson look pretty in tune
with each other as they try their hand
as club DJs.
The Coronation Street actresses - who
play pals-turned-lovers Sophie
Webster and Sian Powers - have
already got fans in a spin by sharing a
kiss on screen.
And on Friday they got decked out for
a stint on the turntables at Dublin's
Palace club.
The duo larked about with
headphones and looked as close off
screen as they are on it.
Well, maybe not quite THAT close...
RADIO 1 DJ Scott Mills will present the
UK's scores at this year's Eurovision
Song Contest.
Scott, 36, will be watched by millions
of viewers across Europe as he
announces who Britain has voted for in
Oslo on May 29.
The UK is represented by Josh Dubovie,
19, with Pete Waterman-penned tune
That Sounds Good To Me - although
Brits can't vote for him.

Dr Who on UK tour

DOCTOR Who is going on tour for the
first time - with Daleks and Cybermen
fighting it out live on stage.
Huge replicas of the Time Lord's arch
enemies are being created for the big-
budget arena shows.
Other baddies such as the Weeping
Angels, Judoon and Oods will also be
brought to life - with a new storyline,
lots of special effects and a full
orchestra.
But new Doctor Matt Smith will not
appear. He and assistant Karen Gillan
have filmed special clips to be shown
on giant screens.
The tour -
with 25
dates at nine UK arenas including
Wembley, Glasgow's SECC and
Birmingham's NIA - is expected to
make millions of pounds for the Beeb's
commercial arm BBC Worldwide.
The Sun revealed last year that BBC
chiefs were planning the
extravaganza.
Show boss Steven Moffat promised it
will have the same excitement as the
BBC1 drama.
He said: "This is everything I ever
wanted since I was 11.
"A live show, with all the coolest
Doctor Who monsters, a proper story,
and brand new screen material for Matt
Smith's Doctor!
"I'll be writing scenes for it - and
probably attending every single night."
The show will be set in wartime
London and end with an epic battle.
Doctor Who composer Murray Gold has
also written a new score.
He said: "The live element always adds
something extra."
The shows start at Wembley on
October 8 and end in Belfast on
November 7.
Tickets - from £25 to £42.50 - go on
sale on Friday.
See www.doctorwholive.com for more
info.

At the kids' ''Beck 'n Call''

THEY look like any other normal
family - kids clambering over dad as
they watch a pop concert at a
shopping centre.
But this is DAVID and VICTORIA
BECKHAM's brood sampling a taste of
regular life in LA.
The superstar parents took kids
BROOKLYN, 11, ROMEO, seven, and
CRUZ, five, to the FREE JONAS
BROTHERS gig.
Little Cruz had the best seat in the
house, sitting on dad Becks' shoulders.
Not that it stopped him taking time out
posing for our snapper, below.
With injured Becks lined up for an
England coaching role at the World
Cup, dealing with kids could be the
ideal preparation.

Now you can go to bed with Bey

JAY-Z soon won't be the only chap to
slip under BEYONCE's bedsheets.
The singer is moving into home
furnishings.
It is an expansion of the House Of
Dereon fashion line she launched with
mum TINA KNOWLES in 2004 and will
include branded sheets, duvets and
pillows.
Beyonce has yet to release any
designs, though the collection is
described as "a fusion of bold colours,
sequins, studs, rivets and even mirrors".
Sounds scratchy and uncomfortable to
me...

GaGa to speak like the Queen

US pop superstar LADY GAGA is
learning to speak like her new idol -
the QUEEN.
The wannabe royal is trawling through
footage of Her Majesty's speeches to
perfect a cut-glass accent ahead of her
UK tour next month.
Sexy GaGa, 23 - who met Her Majesty at
the Royal Variety Show in December -
has even been dressing up in regal
outfits for inspiration.
A source said: "She's been copying the
way the Queen speaks from online
content. She loves all things British,
especially the Queen.
"She wants to be able to do a really
good accent for when she's over here
on tour later this month.
"If she gets dressed up in regal attire,
she feels like it helps her accent."
And the New Yorker, real name Stefani
Germanotta, reckons she has nearly
mastered her royal tones.
She tested the accent out on SIR ELTON
JOHN backstage at STING's rainforests
gig in New York last week.
The pair
are said to
have
discussed
all things
British. A
source
added:
"GaGa is
trying it
out on
every
available
opportunity.
"She chatted to Sir Elton about various
British elements - she can't get enough
of the monarch.
"One thing she loves doing is prank-
calling her friends to see if they can
guess who it is."
GaGa arrives in the UK on her Monster's
Ball tour later this month.

Mel supports Eddie @ Shrek

MEL B seems to have put her
differences with ex lover EDDIE
MURPHY aside as she supported him at
the world premiere of his latest film
Shrek Forever After in Los Angeles.
The pair split four months before the
birth of their daughter Angel Iris, three,
in 2007.
At the time Eddie publicly denied
being the father, even though a
paternity test later showed the
contrary.
But they appear to have made amends,
as Mel intimately hugged and chatted
with members of Eddie's family while
husband STEPHEN BELAFONTE watched
on.
Eddie - who has EIGHT kids - voices the
Donkey in the Shrek series.
He seemed relaxed with Mel in
attendance and joked about the huge
family turnout, saying: "It's crowded in
the limo!"
Despite the fun family atmosphere, co-
stars MIKE MYERS and CAMERON DIAZ
admitted they were emotional about
the movie being the last outing for
Shrek.
Mike confessed: "We're getting sadder
and sadder as we go down the carpet,
truthfully."
Cameron added: "I am sad it's the end."

Uzuri lifestyle magazine debut

Saturday, May 15, 2010
Despite the proliferation of magazines in
the market, another lifestyle magazine has
hit the Nigerian market. Uzuri, which means
beautiful in Swahili language, is set to make
a difference in the media industry. The aim
is to celebrate beauty. “Our unique selling
point is “bringing out the best in you”, says
Mrs. Linda Okome, the Publisher of Uzuri
Lifestyle”.
She said too often, perceptions of Africans
have been shaped and led by driving forces
without their existential experience and no
one knows better than us the beauty that is
innate in the African. Therefore, trumpeting
that beautiful side of the African shall be the
the publication’s guide principle, she said.
Uzuri Lifestyle is an African magazine aimed
not at looking at the dark side of human
nature that all races possess, but rather
simply focusing on the beautiful side of
Africans, cherishing that side and nurturing
it.
A bi-mothly magazine, Uzuri focuses on true
life story and in a critical way. It publishes
shocking stories in a very unique way.
On what inspired her, Mrs. Linda Okome said
she was insired to come out with the
publication by the inadequate reading
materials in the country and the fact that
she has a good reading culture. “I read a lot
and I like information because information
is power. I laso want to get information
when I want. People also need to know
what is happening in their environment and
the materials we have here are not enough.
I have been out there in America and this is
my second year in Nigeria. When I came
back I discovered that the magazines here
are mostly on fashion and style. So, I
decided to do something different”.
Uzuri is a lifestyle magazine with
captivating contents which range from
sizzling cover stories to must-read articles
on intimacy, health, beauty, fashion, true life
stories and entertainment, as well as
opinions.
On why she used Uzuri, a Swahili language,
the publisher said it is because she wanted
something African and not Nigerian so that
it will not be perceived as a tribalistic
publication.

Chinese Circus Debut in Nigeria

Nigerians who are already used to Chinese
dishes and China have something new
coming: An entertainment fare that is a
novelty in this clime. This is not about
bouncing castles and balloons. It involves
wit, grit and humour. Every member of
the family is in reckoning. Nseobong
Okon-Ekong previews preparation for the
debut of the Chinese Circus Show in
Nigeria.
They gave the world ‘Kung Fu fighting’
methods and much of what has become
known as martial arts or arms free method
of combat. Generations have continued to
be fascinated by these methods which tend
to defy normal human expressions. Again,
in gymnastics, the Chinese and the Russians
have shown the world the way to go. With
a developmental programme that catches
them young, China continues to make a
huge impression on the rest of the world an
unbeatable record in callisthenic.
Memories of the last Olympic Games in China
abound where audiences around the world
were held spellbound with superlative
displays.
Nigerian audiences in six major cities will
soon enjoy the electrifying Chinese Circus
show from the Qibu Circus Troupe. The 90-
day show which will cover Lagos, Abuja,
Port Harcourt , Enugu, Kaduna, and Calabar.
According to Ebun Roberts, CEO of Cranes
and Ladders Limited, organisers of the tour
“The show will feature more of everything,
from more momentum, more elements of
surprise, more audience involvement, more
energy and super Chinese circus heroes and
heroines than ever before.”
Mr. Roberts stated that “with over 100
shows spread across six cities in Nigeria ,
the Circus Tour will be the first platform to
provide brand owners a world class
entertainment event that cuts across all
segments. We are also going to have circus
workshops which would provide the
platform for kids from different
backgrounds to get together and build
profitable relationships in a fun
environment”.
Also speaking at the press briefing on the
proposed tour, Mr. Tosin Olukoga, Executive
Director of Cranes and Ladders Limited,
disclosed that “the tour is designed to
encourage group visits to a fun
environment. It will have family funfair
days where the shows will be staged under
a ‘Circus Big Top’ in an open field venue
with loads of side attractions for adults and
kids alike”. Mr Olukoga added that “there
will be special shows for students in
primary and secondary schools and tertiary
institutions in all the cities.”
Elaborating on the circus workshops for
children, Mr Olukoga pointed out that
“recent research has proven the benefits of
circus skills in Educational Programmes. It
has been successfully used as an
educational tool, and has been used
therapeutically with children at risk. Circus
skills can enable pupils to discover within
themselves the skills which can provide all
kinds of creative solutions. Skills such as
concentration, retention, conceptual
understanding and self-awareness, which
can be transferred to a social setting and
applied to more conventional learning
situations in the core subjects. “
Mr. Olukoga further disclosed that there will
be grand performances in high brow
venues including theaters and halls across
the country.
Mr. Roberts pointed out that the Qibu Circus
Troupe is a professional acrobatic troupe
established in 1976, adding that “through
the years, it has become a very famous and
sought after circus troupe. Its strength lies
in the repertoire of the older professionals
passed down to the younger ones in a
meticulous tradition of excellence. At
present there are more than 80 professional
acrobats and artists in the troupe”.
The Cranes and Ladders CEO further
disclosed that “Qibu Circus Troupe makes
full use of modern technique and
equipment in addition to the traditional
acrobatic forms to effect a modern relish to
the age old arts. The acrobats constantly
create superior and excellent acrobatic
masterpieces such as: Lion Dance , Rotating
Blanket, Foot Skill, Trapeze, Hoop Diving,
Plate Spinning, Play Diablo, Collective Bicycle,
among others.
Mr. Roberts added that some of Nigeria ’s
brightest, most versatile and energetic
acrobats, dancers, and drummers from
different parts of the country would be
performing alongside the Chinese in the
various shows. “You need to see them!
They look like mythical creatures, delivering
bright colors, infatuating rhythms,
fascinating dance and acrobatic moves.
They are so full of energy that they
generate an extremely stimulating and
exciting impact!! They bring unique combos
into the acts that make this magical circus a
truly remarkable experience.”