tansali paparazzi

I have been tagged a gazzilion times on facebook to do the 25 random things game.  This evening I decided I would just unveil mine in 5 installments if that is cool with you all...

 Here it goes.....

1. I had dog named Jimmy when I was a kid. Well, the dog actually belonged to my older and only brother Val but I remember arguing with him about who owned the dog. I would run to my mum, and just for peace sake, she would say it belonged to both of us. I used to do things like that just to show off my baby of the family status..lol

2. I was a good dancer when I was young... you don't believe me? Ask my siblings. They used to have me perform for their friends when I was young. After each performance, they would give me treats like sweets and biscuits. You can say this was my entry into the world of showbiz – getting paid with sweets and candy.

3. I remember being in a dancing competition for kids at the Aba Sports Club. The judges would go around removing dancers until you had the last four standing. From the four, they would choose the Queen and King and two other second place contestants.  You should have seen me, I was dancing  my little heart out.  All I was thinking of, was not to be pulled out of the competitition.  Late in the competition,  a judge came to pull me out but instead of looking up, I kept dancing harder hoping he would leave me alone. You should have seen me struggling .... LOL, little did I know that I had actually won the competition and he was trying to take me to the winner’s seat.

4. Do you know I started wearing heels at round 8 or 9 years old. My mum (bless her soul) bought me one of those scholls slippers for kids that had heels on them. I would wear mine out to kiddie birthday parties, feeling cool with myself.  As a kid, I wished so much that I could have my mum’s sense of style and fashion. I always, always wonder what it would be like if she were here today.

5. I am sure, it may not be news to you all but I looooooove shoes. I prefer shoes to clothes. Let me let you in on a little secret, if it was possible to wear just shoes out the house without breaking all standards of decency, Rita Dominic would definitely do it.

That’s it for now folks. God bless

Ree D

This is a much dreaded topic even i used to dread it, but i am getting there.
External factors in most cases affects our outcome as humans, but it should by no means be an excuse for dependency or irresponsibility. some depend on God, other people, society, the government etc.note this; no one else will be responsible for your own outcome its doesn't matter what happened to you.

The whole world operates by natural and spiritual laws, whomever works these principles will see its result, its makes no difference whether or not you believe in the supreme. God is not going to fill out job application forms for you, if you prayed all month instead of studying for your exams God is not going to send you the answers from heaven, believe it or not he is not a magician.

No company will pay you close to enough to make you rich, please believe me when i say/ write companies are never designed to make anyone rich. The government will not create laws that protects us equally, never. children at tender ages are supposedly government property, when they don't become much they are referred to as your children.Train your own children state policies won't.

I don't care whether you are in ancient day, or come from an African village with brutality in operation as government, you can take responsibility and direct your own path in the way you want; by no means am i belittling opportunities, but i will not glorify learned helplessness. if what is lacking is opportunity create your own opportunity. if you do not take responsibility for your life someone or something else will.

“The fact of being equal in rights, Status, advantage, social and opportunity
This is oxford dictionary’s definition of this wonderful term.
Its sounds right, acceptable and intelligent, but is this in any way attainable
Its seems nearly absurd to internalised this theory,
In my opinion equality is impossible

As long as knowledge and understand exist equality is a mirage
If our thoughts patterns differ, and our mental capacity not the same
We can never all be equal, even if God/ government did everything
some people will still not measure up to the advantage

A man once said never believe all everyone want is a good future,
For our wants is in our daily activities, and thoughts
For what separates one man from another is what is known
Versus what ignorance is achieving in such man.
I believe in opportunities to some extent, however, can we really all
Be equal? Given the same opportunities in live can this be achievable

human race sometimes think, if only I was from a different race
Or social background things will be different.
Will it.......................... Really?
Call me old fashion but, I believe gender equality is all bull....... and
You can add the rest
The mare fact that men differ from women defiles the concept of gender equality,
It’s impossible; there are things women do better than men,
There are task that only a man can do better
I am no tom-boy but I very much prefer a man as my president
Oooppppps this is a topic for another day.

By Funke Egbemode & Samuel Olatunji
Sunday, April 19, 2009 • www.sunnewsonline.com

She has a to-die-for figure even after four children, a face to match, talent that stands out in the Nollywood crowd and a marriage that has loads of made-in-heaven trimmings.  She was the 12-year-old girl who grew up in a hurry when her father suddenly died and had to resort to a moneylender to keep her brothers in school. She was also the schoolgirl who watched victims of Kaduna religious crisis stabbed and slaughtered as they scrambled to scale her school walls into safety while helping to deliver babies of female refugees when she hardly knew what to do. Try and imagine this same girl being thoroughly whipped by her mother for coming home a minute after 5pm which was her curfew time. Do those descriptions sound like Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde? Well, she is the actress who has lived all these parts not in her movie world but in her real life in addition to singing for armed robbers and listening to their eerie confession, and has turned it all into a money-spinning venture.



The ‘A’ Class act dropped by our corporate office and told us things we are sure you haven’t heard and we also learnt a few things from her apart from tips on how to invest in real estate. For instance, if you have had to speak up for yourself since age 12 and watch out for three younger ones and a widowed mother, bullies do not easily cow you. The journey has been long, very long, from the days she sold the family television set to pay urgent family bills to getting married to a pilot in an aircraft 20,000 feet above sea level. It is a no-holds barred story, another promise kept from Sunday Sun

I got into acting while waiting for my JAMB result.
When I left school in 1994, I was waiting for my JAMB result, and I had to wait for about nine months. A friend of mine, Akorede, who was a model told my mum that instead of wasting time at home I should join him in the modeling thing and my mum consented. That was how I started with entertainment. I was going for auditions. It was during one of those auditions that a lady told me about another audition and she asked if I’ll like to go. I said OK. I accompanied her for the movie audition and that was the movie, Nneka Part 2.

She went for the audition but didn’t get the part. She was quite sad and then she said there were still other auditions and would I like to go? I said no, but she said it was not like they would ask for money. I have nothing to lose. So I went and I got the part. That was my first contact with acting in movies. By the time I heard of the following audition, I was bold enough to go for it. That was how I started.

My widowed mother was so scared I would get pregnant before I was 16 and she used to beat me silly if I came home later than 5pm which was my curfew time. I remember those days when I would finish acting and go back home and I’d be beaten silly. My mum was a disciplinarian and there was this belief that if you are into acting, singing, entertainment you have to be wayward. So, when you mention going for audition for a movie, my mum would say “Acting!”. You didn’t even say you want to go into singing or any such area. My mum just couldn’t understand the difference. She was just being careful and protective.

My dad died when I was twelve and there’s a thing with your dad dying early. As a widow there was so much pressure on her. I’m the only girl and the first child and I understood the pressure on her. Everybody was talking and saying that I was going to become wayward and get pregnant. They told her to her face that they knew I was going to get pregnant before I was sixteen. She was really scared and when all those things were happening it was like I was doing exactly the things they said was going to happen.

Her response was to be really hard on me to prevent me from getting spoilt. I don’t know what propelled me to go on despite my mum’s disciplines because one, they weren’t paying me well in the movies; two, I wasn’t that interested in acting then, and three, there was nothing really to look forward to in terms of success models then. There was no fame then because the only famous people then were the ones on TV. Even those that were on TV then weren’t so admired. I still don’t understand what really kept me going. It had to be God or maybe because I didn’t have a lot of things to do. There was no money in it for me, there was no fame and on top of it I got beaten.

I was always coming home late, there’s no way you can do this job and still be in control of your time. No matter how much you try something is going to hold you back. I used to go home late I had a curfew of five o clock set by my mum, which I thought was unreasonable. Then, I still didn’t get home until nine or ten o clock and there was no GSM to call.

There are so many producers in this country today that will tell you they’ve met Omotola’s mum. Kingsley Ogoro, Emeka Ossai, Zeb Ejiro, Fred Amata, who has not seen my mum? Who? She never came on set. They had to go and meet her in the house to explain to her why they want to use me, and that they’d take care of me and when they were going to bring me back home. Everybody that had used me during that time had to go to her, all of them had to go to her. She had to know you personally, you have to give her your house address and everything about you. It was terrible I was so embarrassed.

In the initial days, you were into movies more like for the love of it and anybody who got on any pedestal at that time was purely on merit. Nollywood was not as wild as it is now. There was not much of the issue of sexual harassment then. I think Nollywood was decent then. It wasn’t as wild as now. Most of the people I met then were like father figures. It was even worse when they got to know your family. They felt they had to watch out for you. Sometimes when I was loitering around Zeb Ejiro’s office then he would shout and order me home and I’d have to immediately take a bus and go home. We weren’t that many, it was a small world. Everybody knew everybody. There wasn’t too much money in the game so nobody was trying so hard to impress anybody. Most of us used to come around in slippers (laughs) and shorts. We were all family and you wouldn’t even find anybody to attract you for affairs then, unlike now when you look at another colleague and he’s all trushed up, rich, clean.

I was still a virgin when I got married.
Given my mum’s stern attitude, it is natural to think I didn’t date anybody before I got married. But, that’s not the case. I had boyfriends before I met my husband but it’s not something too deep as people may think nowadays. You just go out and have lunch together and all the rest of it. As for deep my affairs went before I met my husband, it is just to say that I got married as a virgin, so that answers the rest of the question.

Everybody already knew my husband in the family before I got married to him and he was just like one of those friends. We actually got to know his elder sister before him because he didn’t live here and when he started coming around it was like an extension of the family friend, though my mum was always suspecting that that he had something up his sleeves. She was like hmnnnnnnnnn(laughs) but my husband is a very humble and likeable guy. I think she just naturally fell in love with him and we became like family. And I guess she knew when something started between us but she was doing as if she didn’t want to know what she didn’t want to know! She didn’t want to hear any story.

When I was 18, I felt I was already an adult. We told her what we wanted to do. She found it very difficult because she felt that this is not America, this is Nigeria, nobody sees you as an adult at 18. She thought I should finish my education at the higher institution before getting married. She knew the guy was good and didn’t want me to lose him. She knew the guy would take care of me but because she was thinking of my dad’s family, she didn’t want things to go wrong and get blamed.

Growing Up Without A Father
I wish I don’t have to answer this question. My father died when I was 12. My younger brother was four while the one after him was just two years old. My mum did not see it coming because my father was so full of life. It was my father’s club Ekimomi Social Club that paid my school fees throughout my secondary school. He was working at Ikoyi Club. I remembered that lots of meetings were done after he passed on so that we can keep up with our lifestyle. I was attending Chrisland, (an elite private school in Lagos) and that was not a cheap school. My mum was like a full time housewife though she had a store where she was selling drinks. Lots of people were telling her about all sorts and incisions were made on our bodies to keep away evil. You can see the one they put on my chest. It was a very terrible period.

The most interesting thing was that everybody would be with you within a few weeks when the incident happened and all of a sudden everybody leaves. It is the worst feeling in the world because you feel confused and alone. That was where I started developing independence. I had two options at that time, it was either I went down the drain or up the ladder. I did a lot crying in private but I never cried in front of my mother. She would cry and I was always telling her everything would be alright. But anytime I left her for my room, I would cry. My brothers had to move to another school because Chrisland was too expensive and by then I had gained admission into Command Secondary School, Kaduna. My mum had to struggle. There were times when we did not have food to eat.

I went to a money lender, sold our TV and Video sets to pay my brother’s school fees. I tried to keep busy and even though my mum was not in approval of what I was doing it was helping. The modeling and acting helped. And I’ve always been a shrewd person. Though my mum was not willing to take the money I was making but there was no where else money was coming from. I remembered a particular experience. There was this particular actor that was called Black. I used to go to Zeb Ejiro’s office and he knew about my struggles. My brother’s school fees was due and there was no money.

The people that were supposed to pay couldn’t come up with the money. I was at Zeb’s office crying when the Black guy saw me and asked what the problem was. I told him and he promised to help. He took me to one man who did Visa for people to travel out. I met lots of people in the man’s sitting room seeking help. When we met him he asked what my problem was and everybody’s attention shifted to me. I just started crying considering the background I came from. He loaned me some money and I was supposed to pay the Black guy the money from a job I did. Unfortunately, they didn’t pay me on time. The Black guy turned my life into a living misery. It got to a point where I had to sell personal effects from my house. I had to sell our TV and video to pay him which were the only consolation my younger brothers had. My mother cried during that period and it was then that my mother told me never to borrow money again. Yet, I didn’t take it against Black because he was there for me when I needed help. It got to a point where he was threatening my life because the guy was threatening his too. That was the peak of our suffering.

Mortal Inheritance was my fifth movie but it shot me into limelight
A lot of people thought Mortal Inheritance is my first movie because it shot me into limelight. It was officially my fifth but it came out as my fourth, coming out before Abused. Then, unlike now, you first have to be a local star in the movie circle before you’ll now be projected to the world. There was still a measure of formality then unlike now where you come from nowhere, do one movie and you’ll start feeling like a star and they start calling you top actress. In those days you came on set and you see the people that are older than you in the industry and you have to show them respect because you know that these same people are the ones that would recommend you. I was one of the first to earn N150,000 per movie The defining period for Nollywood came with Onome and Rattlesnake in 1995/1996. People started turning to it.

I was one of the people that started earning good money like N150,000, N200,000 but before that time it was just between N30,000—N70,000. And even the first time, they were telling me I was overpaid and the guy is still owing me N5000 (laughs). That was when the traders started trading with the Nigerian movie industry and later became marketers. It was that period that they came in that it now moved into home video the way it is now. Stories were very balanced then, not written to project any particular region but towards 1997 things changed.

I don’t blame them (the Igbos) for doing what they did, naturally I think you will want to project where you are from. I don’t think the Igbos necessarily buy more movies. Till date, the people that still goes to the theater to watch cinemas are Yorubas. I don’t think Igbos are still buying more movies than Yorubas but I think the bone of contention is that people think they should have been doing the movies in Igbo language so that we’ll know that they are doing Igbo movies. A filmmaker will not do a film based on a belief but because they were not film makers they projected their belief and I don’t blame them. The Igbos took over Nollywood because they are better businessmen while people like the late Hubert Ogunde made great, in-depth pictures just for the love of the arts. The theater started in the west with the likes of Hubert Ogunde but somehow the Igbos seems to have taken over especially when you are talking about home videos not cinema. I think it’s because they are business men. When Hubert Ogunde and the rest of them started it wasn’t because of business it was for the love of the game. I’ve watched some of these movies that were done back in those days and you could see the depth of art and you could tell that most of these people weren’t paid in millions but they enjoyed what they were doing, pictures that could live to any standard. These days a lot of people are more interested in doing movies for the gains. The first Igbo people that joined then were traders but now we have people who have transcended from traders to producers and marketers but in the beginning they just came in as business men.

I once heard that there was a gang-up to get me out of Nollywood because I was getting too powerful for an outsider. When I started in the movie industry, we had a lot of independent producers then who just wanted to work. You didn’t have to be Igbo, Hausa ,Yoruba then to be in Nollywood. We had people from every tribe in Nollywood but as time went on I remember a notable producer whom I don’t want to name but I’m sure if he’s reading this interview he’ll know I’m talking about him and he’ll probably be laughing. He called me and sat me down because he was like a godfather to me. He said you are a very bright act but there is a gang-up against you and you really have to be careful because some people have vowed to get you out of Nollywood. And I said what did they say I did wrong? He said because I’m not from their place and I’m becoming too powerful as an outsider. Actually, there were two of us that he talked about. The other person was a lead actor and I don’t want to mention his name as well. He is also not Igbo. They said both of us were becoming too powerful and we were outsiders and that there was a gang up to move us out of Nollywood.

He was really scared because the people that they were talking about were powerful. I laughed and said I was not going to bow at anybody’s feet just to win their admiration or anything. I believe I got to where I am on merit and by God’s grace I believe those two things should sustain me and if they don’t I’ll just fall back to business and in the mean time I have a man taking care of me so I won’t suffer. I remember him bursting out laughing and saying he should be discussing with the guy and not me. After that discussion I looked out for the signs of the gang-up. Maybe they came but I didn’t notice. Most of the people that have employed me are actually Igbos. To me there is no balance in that story. Maybe it happened and I didn’t notice, maybe people tried and they gave up or maybe they are still trying.

I don’t know what they mean by I was getting powerful but I think if you comport yourself in a certain way in an industry that was beginning to employ a lot of people with many suffering from poverty syndrome and people talk a lot to curry favour and some people do other things to get work and stuff. When you don’t fall into those categories, don’t greet anybody specially or call them any special name, you don’t attend their naming ceremony if you don’t feel obliged to so that they can count you worthy; at that point they start to feel who the hell do you think you are. Maybe when they meet with their friends they talk about it and end up saying ‘but we need am sha’. Yeas, I’ve heard those things like producers telling people to change to Igbo names. I don’t think anybody will risk telling me that to my face because they know that I might talk. I might say we have talked about it because we joke about it. People say I look like an Igbo girl. They gave me names like Ugonma. Instead of calling me Omotola they call me Ugonma in the movies. I don’t have any problems with it because my husband is half Igbo. I don’t see it as a slight on my person but as a continuation of who I am. I understand also that people think I’m Igbo because when I went to the market in those days people used to speak Igbo to me.

Top actors and actresses were banned to drive down our fees and pave way for new actors and actresses. Actually before the one-year ban happened I was told it was going to happen. There were so many things some of us heard and then when it happened there were so many other things that you now saw on the news and we were like are they trying to confuse us. The people that we heard were going to be banned were a certain kind of people (I don’t want to say more than that) and then we felt if it was because of this why is this person there or what am I doing there. It was one event that was confusing in a lot of ways. What we arrived at as the reason is that they were probably doing it to push down our fees.

Some people were not from a particular region, also that they wanted to launch some new faces into the industry at a cheaper cost. Obviously, they’d been struggling to do it because of us. There were some personal things also like somebody insulted one person, also that some people came on set with big cars. That was the most ridiculous of it all, and that some people tell the producers to pay their fees into their accounts. But we’ve come to agree that the reason was simply because of the pay because most of the people on that list are the highest earners.

I think initially it worked because they had to bring up a lot of propaganda to justify their actions and to get the whole public to lose respect for us. Things like Omotola is a snob, she’s very troublesome on set and people are like why is she like that now? There were all kinds of rumours about those on that list just to get us on the wrong side of public opinion and tilt goodwill towards the new person that they were bringing. Even journalists helped them hype it a bit but after a while the whole thing just died down.

I invest in real estate
I’m comfortable. I invest. I’m a business woman even before the so called boom in Nollywood. I was making money from other things. The only thing I don’t do is buy and sell because I feel I’m not cut out for that. I don’t think I have the temperament for that. I’ll lose money. I think a lot of us have seen what happens all over the world and are wise. We don’t want to end up being famous and then ending up in poverty. If you are from my generation of actors and that happens to you then they are following you from the village because you should have known better. I think a lot of my colleagues are money-wise.

READ ENTIRE INTERVIEW at  www.sunnewsonline.com

By Samuel Olatunji - www.sunnewsonline.com •The stars need to get their acts together — Shuaibu Hussein, Head, Screener College, AMAA Published Sunday, April 19, 2009

Once upon a time, venue of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) usually served as meeting point for entertainment stars across the spectrum of Nollywood and beyond. It is not uncommon to see the likes of Genevieve Nnaji, Ramsey Nouah, Stella Damasus-Nzeribe, Omotola, Rita Dominic, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Uche Jombo, Ini Edo, Mercy Johnson, Jim Iyke and the likes at AMAA, but this year witnessed a reversal in fortune as these big stars kept away from the Glover Hall at Bayelsa State, the venue of the award.


Susan Peters, Uche Jombo & Rita Dominic at Thelma Okoduwa's wedding

Findings by Showbiz Now reveals that the stars decided to stay away to protest some certain grievances they have against AMAA and its organisers. It would be recalled that two weeks ago, we reported and quoted star actor, Emeka Ike, saying he has some grudges with AMAA. And from what played out last week at the UBA/AMAA, it appears he is not the only one that has grudges.

Though no official meeting was held against AMAA, the stars in solidarity with one another decided to stay away from the event. For instance, Funke Akindele and Mercy Johnson, both award winners, were not present to receive their awards. Rita Dominic, Genevieve Nnaji, Uche Jombo, Susan Peters were all at Thelma Okodua’s wedding at Lekki, Lagos where Rita was the bride of honour. Eucharia Anunobi was not there, Ini Edo was on set while Omotola was simply at home. Ramsey Nouah was on set of Kunle Afolayan’s set and Kunle himself whom many see as AMAA’s baby was not there.


Ramsey cruising to set of Kunle Afolayan's Figurine 

These stars Stephanie Okereke (who refused to speak about the award when we spoke to her despite always being enthusiastic about it in the past), Chinedu Ikedieze, Kate Henshaw, Fred Amata, Patrick Doyle were the few handful stars that made it to the event. Though the English genre stars were absent, the Yoruba stars took over and they were heavily represented by Femi Brainard, Doris Simon, Eniola Badmus (Gbogbo Bigz gal), Tunde Kelani and a few others.

One star actress who spoke to us on condition that we keep her name out of print told us that AMAA treats stars as if they are not stars. “Can you imagine an award ceremony that has to do with actors and actresses and they have to sit with the audience as spectators? A colleague of mine that called them for the sitting arrangement at the dinner they had in Lagos was told bluntly that there was no special sitting arrangement for stars. If they want us to show loyalty to the award, they should treat us like stars that we are.”

Another actor who also prefers anonymity said he was not at AMAA because the whole concept was designed to make the organisers rich and nothing is added or given back to the industry. “What do I stand to gain by attending AMAA?”, he asked us when we asked him about his absence at AMAA. I will not only waste my time and energy going there, I would have to leave behind things that would fetch me money and add values to my life. In other parts of the world, award organisers give incentives to make stars want to come, but here, UBA/AMAA goes about as if it is doing us one huge favour by inviting us.”
One top producer queries AMAA for asking filmmakers to submit entries for the awards. “Why should filmmakers submit entries for the award? I expect AMAA, as the foremost award body in Nigeria, to have people who scout for movies and individuals that deserve entries.” Mildreb Okwo, producer of 30 Days who agreed to be quoted told us on record that for AMAA to continue to hold the interest of top stars, it must get more creative in the way it invites and treats the stars. “I don’t think any big star purposely gang up against AMAA as you said.

The truth is, no matter how big you get or how relevant an event is, you must find innovative ways to bring the stars to your event. You must create a platform that will make them not want to miss it. As big as Oscars has gotten, they still go out marketing to the actors. When stars go the Oscars, they are given all types of gifts that worth millions. I know we are not Hollywood, but you must find a way to make it worth people’s time. As it is, Nollywood hardly work now and you want those that are working to leave their job and go to Bayelsa.

Why should they be committed to you? That is the question every business person must ask. The days of thinking that you ‘it’ and you can get what you want are gone. This is for everybody. You can see the way Governor Fashola goes about with his consultation. Don’t think once you do something everybody must rush it. They should have reason to want to go to your event. You must also infuse creativity into the way you invite the people. We should stop referring to the actors as ‘these people’, they are stars.

They are brand. Samuel, you are also a brand, there are things we don’t expect from you. As brands, you must find a way of getting them to the event. It is ridiculous to do the same thing year-in year-out and keep people interested. Funke Akindele is one of the hottest stars right now. Why should she leave what she is doing and fly to attend your award? You must motivate her. Whatever you do to get these people there, you must do it. You must have people who market the award to them.” Another actor wondered why the organisers stop giving monetary rewards to winners. “if they get the kind of money we heard they are getting, there is nothing bad if they give monetary reward.”

However, head of screeners College of AMAA Mr Shuaibu Hussan, disagrees. “AMAA is not just a Nigerian affairs, it is an African thing. If some people did not respond to an invitation , it does not mean there is a gang up. I don’t know where you got this from. Invitation cards were sent to people and none of them wrote to say they were ganging up. If they did not respond, that means they have other things they are doing. If you were at AMAA, you will know that the industry was well represented. If people who have private engagements did not make the event, it does not mean there is a gang up against AMAA.  AMAA is not a Nigerian thing, it is an African thing.”

When we pressed further that something must have gone wrong for the very big stars to be absent from the event, he requested that we read out names of those that were absent and we did. Responding, Shuaibu says the big stars need to be more professional. “Some of these stars need to be more professional in the way they handle their things. Some of them don’t even have addresses. There are some that you are talking about that don’t have functioning email addresses. Some of them expect you to go and drop invitation cards for them at Ojez. Some of them don’t have functioning offices.

Some of them don’t even know AGN’s secretariat. We called some people and they asked us to drop their cards at Ojez. Is that supposed to be a greenroom for artistes? For instance, Genevieve that you are talking about, I have about six numbers that are supposed to be hers. Even trying to get to her as a journalist has been harrowing, not to talk of somebody that is organising an event. So, what are we talking about? If AMAA invites you and they ask you to respond and you don’t because you are a star, will they now go to NTA and announce that we are looking for so and so?

We have people that are not part of the event that called and asked on how to be part of it while major players can’t even send their personal assistants. They need to be more professional. Call them to send a media kit on themselves and you will be dazed that they don’t have it. On a personal level, I’ve tried to get them for festivals abroad and it’s been difficult. I’m not saying AMAA is perfect, but these people are not organised. There is no star that came to the event that was not well treated. I don’t think anybody will fault the AMAA awards itself, you may fault the logistics, particularly because of high profile of jury.

On Emeka Ike, Shuaibu says whatever view he expressed is his own opinion. He faulted him on claim that AMAA has not developed the industry. “The movie, Stronger than Pain that won last year has been to festivals around the world courtesy of recommendation from AMAA. Kate Henshaw has participated in some international events courtesy of winning. That is not the only film. Whitewaters has travelled to festivals courtesy of AMAA. Look at Irapada by Kunle Afolayan, it has been to festivals around the world, courtesy of AMAA. Again, the AMAA Academy organises training for people in the industry.

The members of the jury participate at festivals around the world and if they see good movies at AMAA, they are quick in making recommendations to other festivals. I know that Kenyan movies and Reloaded have gotten invitations to participate in festivals around the world, courtesy of their participation at AMAA. Some people should not rubbish AMAA because they’ve not won it before.”

•Whittiker gets chieftaincy title after DNA reveals his Igbo identity

For Forest Whittiker and his compatriot Danny Glover, it was sweet home coming on Sunday April 5, 2009 when the traditional ruler and people... of Nkwerre, Imo State, welcomed him with a chieftaincy title after taking part at the just-concluded African Movie Academy Awards in Bayelsa.“The sleepy town went in wild jubilation when the motorcade entered the ancient palace of Eshi of Nkwere while the traditional drummers and women dancers welcomed the guests with songs of praises. “The African-American A-List Hollywood stars were introduced to the people and chiefs of the town by Chief Nze Chukwuka Anyiam-Osigwe, the eldest son of the Anyiam-Osigwe brothers who is also a titled chief of Nkwerre.

The elated Anyiam-Osigwe told the crowd at the palace of Eze Dr. Chijioke Jeki Okwara IV, that the coming of Danny Glover and Forest Whittiker was the greatest thing to happen to black history as history was made on the day the two men re-established their connection with their roots.“Forest Whittiker has done a DNA which revealed that he has Igbo ancestral root and a link with Nkwerre people. The eldest Anyiam-Osigwe said: “This is our lost brother. We have found him and brought him home. It is only an Nkwere man that can find his way home after many years. We are a people from unparalleled kingdom. We are a pride of Igboland. Today, our brother Whittiker and his friend Mr. Glover will be made Nkwerre Chiefs and it is not an easy task to be an Nkwerre chief because there are only 30 Nkwerre chiefs in the whole world,’’ he said.




After introducing the Hollywood stars to the people and chiefs, the King ordered that they be brought into the inner chamber for traditional rites preceding their final confirmation as chiefs. It was an emotional one for Whittiker who has been working all his life to establish direct contact with his ancestral Igboland and the quest was made possible by attending the UBA-AMAA awards in Nigeria as a star guest. “After the traditional rite of hand-washing before the breaking of kolanut, which signifies purity and cleansing the Eze Okwara IV, Eshi of Nkwere called on the Eze Anyiam-Osigwe, the eldest of the Anyiam Osigwe brothers, to once again confirm if the guests were worthy to be made Chiefs of Nkwerre. Before the 20 heads of villages that made up of Nkwerre, Eze Anyiam-Osigwe proclaimed the worthiness of Glover and Whittiker to be chiefs of Nkwerre.

“Danny Glover is a member of our family for his attitude and ways of assistance to us. Being an Nkwerre chief will help us socially, culturally and economically as our dream of a film village and film institute will be realised with Danny and Whittiker as chiefs of our town. They are good people. We present them as worthy of being chiefs of Nkwerre,’’ Anyiam Osigwe declared. “Upon the public affirmation of the duo as worthy of the honour, Eze Okwara asked the palace chief to bring out a live eagle, a symbol of strength, vigour and power to complete the chieftaincy rite. The king removed the feathers of the eagle and stuck it in a red cap before both men wore their caps as red cap chiefs of Nkwerre. Whittiker was honoured with the title of Nwannedinambar of Nkwerre, which means a brother in foreign land, while Glover had the title of Enyioma, which means a good friend of Nkwerre. “The traditional ruler of Nkwerre told the people at the ceremony that good things were happening to the black race, with a black man becoming American President.

“The black race is an intelligent race. You will see how the Obama stimulus package will bail out the world economy already in recession. It is the same level of black intelligence that made it possible for our son and brother to get to the height of their career as Hollywood stars.”

When you get to America tell them you have discovered your root,’’ he told Whittiker . He went further: ‘’This meeting today will bring a relationship of partnership between Nkwerre and African-America through cultural exchange and economic opportunities,’’ the monarch explained.

While accepting the honours, the two men thanked the people and the king for accepting them and recognising their achievements as movie stars and for them finding worthy to be honoured. They promised the people that they would live up to the demand of their traditional offices.

Source:     http://www.compassnews.net/news/
Photos:     Simply Habeeb.blogspot.com

South African film wins 3 awards at the African Movie Academy Awards AMAA

Gugu and Andile, directed by Minky Schlesinger, walked away with 3 awards at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in Nigeria last week, including Best Picture in and African Language, Most Promising Actor and Most Promising Actress.

The film was nominated in 10 categories, and came home with awards for most promising Actor (Litha Booi) and most promising actress (Lungelo Dhladha), and the award for Best Film in an African Language. GUGU & ANDILE is a 90minute feature film produced by Luna Films (now rebranded as Fireworx Media) as a part of the Shakespeare in Mzanzi series for SABC in 2008. In the tradition of Romeo & Juliet, it's a love-story set against the backdrop of the war that raged through South Africa's townships in the early 1990s. It tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers, unlucky enough to be born into families on opposite sides of the political and cultural divide... Producer Bridget Pickering said: 'This is an incredible recognition for the years of hard work that the team put into developing the script, and despite the challenge of a limited budget, the production crew and director Minky Schlesinger pulled out all the stops under testing shooting conditions in the Thokoza township in the middle of the rainy season to bring the film in on budget and still focus on creating a compelling story with strong visuals that remained true to that difficult period in South Africa's history.' Producer Neil Brandt, who was in Nigeria with the lead cast, director and production designer Flo Ballack (nominated for best Art Direction), to collect the awards, said: 'The AMAAs was a truly fascinating experience, with the selection of films exceptional, and of course the opportunity to engage with fellow filmmakers from across the continent is an opportunity not to be missed. The awards ceremony itself was a well-produced live televised event, with stars such as Salief Keita providing entertainment, and Hollywood Danny Glover and Forest Whitaker providing some glamour. Our young lead actors, for whom this was their first time out of South Africa, could hardly believe it when they were personally congratulated by Danny and Forest! I strongly recommend that more South Africans submit their films to the AMAAs in future years. We at Fireworx are certainly going to be using this opportunity to explore future co-production opportunities with filmmakers in Nigeria.' For more information on Fireworx Media, go to www.fireworxmedia.co.za. For more information on the AMAAs go to http://www.ama-awards.com/ AMAA 2009 NOMINATION LIST (Fireworx Media nominations only) ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND 1. From a Whisper 2. Battle of the Soul 3. Seventh Heaven 4. Gugu and Andile 5. Grey Focus ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION 1. Small Boy - Michelle Bello 2. Five Apostles - Ifeanyi Onyeabor 3. Agony of the Christ - Jude Odoh 4. Gugu and Andile - Flo Ballack 5. Revolution - Eddybongo Uka MOST PROMISING ACTOR 1. Litha Booi - Gugu and Andile 2. Mavila Anthana Keriario - Battle of the Soul 3. Ruffy Samuel - Dead End 4. Segun Adefila - Arugba 5. Sherrif Ramzy - Seventh Heaven MOST PROMISING ACTRESS 1. Bhaira Mcwizu - Cindy’s Note 2. Bukola Awoyemi - Arugba 3. Lydia Farson - Scorned 4. Lungelo Dhladhla - Gugu and Andile 5. Mfouemon Bea. Flore - Ma Saah Sah BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 1. Femi Adebayo - Apaadi 2. Abubakar Mvenda and Ken Ambani - From a Whisper 3. Mac Mathunjwa - Gugu and Andile 4. Yemi Blaq - Grey Focus 5. Joel Okuyo Prynce - Battle of the Soul BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 1. Aggie Kebirungi - Battle of the Soul 2. Mercy Johnson - Live to Remember 3. Mosunmola Filani - Jenifa 4. Daphney Hlomuka - Gugu and Andile 5. Chika Ike - The Assassin BEST FILM IN AFRICAN LANGUAGE 1. Gugu and Andile - South Africa 2. Arugba - Nigeria 3. Mah Saah Sa - Cameroun 4. Uyai - Nigeria 5. Apaadi - Nigeria ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY 1. From a Whisper - Marius Van Graan 2. Seventh Heaven - Ramses Marzouk 3. Cindy’s Note - Izu Ojukwu 4. Gugu and Andile - Greg Heimann 5. Battle of the Soul - Stephen Njero and Tony Matomi BEST PICTURE 1. From a Whisper - Kenya 2. Arugba - Nigeria 3. Gugu and Andile - South Africa 4. Battle of the Soul - Uganda 5. Seventh Heaven - Egypt BEST DIRECTOR 1. Wanuri Kahiu - From a Whisper (Kenya) 2. Tunde Kelani - Arugba (Nigeria) 3. Minky Schlesinger - Gugu and Andile (South Africa) 4. Math Bish - Battle of the Soul (Uganda) 5. Saad Hendawy - Seventh Heaven (Egypt)

You all cannot imagine how much I did not want to do this. The idea of writing my thoughts down and having people read them was so scary especially when you consider the kind of job I do.  Well, I must push on, fear or no fear, I am committed to it now.  A little over a year ago, I was so apprehensive about joining facebook, it took a lot of  convincing before I took the first steps to join. Now, I am always checking my FB page just to keep in touch with the few 5,000 friends I have made on FB. J

 

Today, I want to write about the importance of good friends in our lives. No matter how popular, rich or important you think you are in life, there is nothing like having good friends. My friend Thelma Okoduwa now Thelma Ojiji (wow, that is so cool) got married April 4, 2009 and it was quite memorable especially for those who call the Bride and Groom their friends.

 

Thelma and I have remained friends regardless of the Nollywood and fame thing. We have shared good and bad times and through it all I can still call her a friend. I remember when we used to talk about the kind of wedding we would like and the kind of man it would be …( LOL…just thinking about). We have seen each other through the deaths of our parents, good friends and family members, and I tell you it has not been easy.  So you cannot imagine how happy I was at this wedding to see all our friends, old and new come to show support. It was like old times again. For that moment in time, we were all so happy that we danced to Bracket’s Yori Yori and Wande Coal’s Bumper to Bumper like there was no tomorrow. God has blessed Thelma with a lovely husband and I wish my friend well. 

Here is wishing you all good friends in your lives.

Yipee my first post.... Muah

Ree!!!!