Comedian Ali Baba buys truck head for N20 million as pleasure ride...

I don’t believe in divorce – Genevieve Nnaji opens up to Ovation for an Exclusive Interview & Photoshoot

Genny in new photo shoot
Love, Life, Passion & The Price of Fame – Genevieve Nnaji opens up to Ovation for an Exclusive Interview & Photoshoot

Just when we thought Ovation was strictly for the older folks, they grabbed a scoop that will entice the younger generation to pick up a copy of the magazine. In what can be described as her most in-depth interview ever, Superstar Nigerian actress and Face of MUD cosmetics Genevieve Nnaji sat down with Ovation’s Patience Ikpe and chatted about love, life, charity, family and so much more! Ovation also shot an exclusive photospread – for the shoot, she rocked pieces from her St. Genevieve line. Buy your copy of Ovation to read the entire interview as well as other features.

Here are quick facts and excerpts from the interview and check out the exclusive photos below:
Quick Facts

•Genevieve started her acting career at the age of eight with Ripples.
•She is hoping to hold the annual charity fashion show for her St Genevieve line in December.
•Her favourite colour is black. According to Gene, “I like white as well but, in general, I like dull colours. I’m not a bright coloured person” This explains why we see her in a lot of black on the red carpet.
•Gene considers acting as her job and designing her hobby. In terms of St Genevieve clothing production, Gene says, “I don’t cut, I don’t sew, I design. I make sketches and I have my tailors, people who cut and sew. I basically describe in the best way I can, what I want and I pick the fabric.“
Excerpts

What has been your most challenging role in a movie?
(Exhales) All of them come with their different challenges. But I would say playing the role of a blind girl in Wind of Glory was extremely challenging and I still consider it one of my favourite movies.

Do you have plans of going into producing or directing movies?
Yes obviously, I do.

Have you ever had any surgical beauty enhancements?
No. Not yet.

What does love mean to you?
Love, (exhales) well, what is love? (laughs,) love for me is when you derive joy in giving not in receiving. When you are happy loving someone and doing things for that person without asking anything in return, that is love, genuine love.

Are you in a relationship?
In God we trust.

Any plans for marriage?
As for marriage, it’s every woman’s dream to get married. We can’t lie to ourselves. I do want to get married but overtime I have had opportunities to get married but I realise getting married is not actually the problem. The problem is finding someone you are compatible with because I’m born Catholic, I’m raised Catholic, I don’t believe in divorce. If I get married, I really want to stay married and staying married is not an easy thing. It means you are completely in tune with your partner. It means you’ve found your soul mate because you’ll have to be able to stand a lot of disappointments that would definitely come but then again you have to learn to forgive. For me, before I choose a partner I have to ask myself if this is the kind of person I would be willing to forgive no matter what when the time comes. If the answer is no, then that person is wrong for me. That person is not the person you want to get married to. If you know you can look into someone’s eyes and say yes, this is the most you can do to me. if you actually cheat on me the first time, I can find it in my heart to forgive you. If you can answer that question honestly and truthfully to yourself then you’ll know if that person is your partner or not. So compatibility is the word aside from the physical attributes that have to go with it. I need to be comfortable because I’m a woman and I’m used to a certain lifestyle.

What should your ideal man look like?
My dear, let’s not go there, I don’t want to chase market (laughs).

Any word for your fans
To all of you, for whatever reason you love me, I want you to know I appreciate it. I would not be where I am today without you obviously and as much as I come first in everything I do, I always consider you because you are a part of the decisions I make in my life.

Photo of released hostages

Released hostages (L-R) James Robertson from the U.S., Gilles Mignon from France and Robert Croke from Canada sit before a briefing where they were presented to the media at the Nigerian Air Force base in the oil hub Port Harcourt November 18, 2010, after they were rescued by the Nigerian military Wednesday night. Nigeria's security forces reunited 19 foreign and local hostages with their employers on Thursday after freeing them from militant camps in the creeks of the Niger Delta oil region. - REUTERS/Austin Ekeinde.

Naeto C Bags His Masters Degree

Yesterday (Nov. 17th), multiple award-winning rapper Naeto C graduated with a Master’s of Science in Energy Economics from the University Of Dundee, Scotland, one of the leading energy schools in the world. Over the last few months, the emcee had been shuffling between his academic work, touring the globe and recording new material for his upcoming sophomore album – Super C Season.

According to an official press release from his record company Storm 360, ‘Naeto C is now qualified to discuss the knotty issues concerning power distribution, generation and solutions for Nigeria at any level and it is this balance that makes him unique’

Naeto C graduated in 2004 from the George Washington University, US with a B Sc. in Biology, and had intended to study further and become a medical doctor. However, after some deep self-searching he changed his mind and decided to pursue a career in music. According to the release, ‘Naeto C represents the new modern African youth, focused, professional, multi-tasking and built to win’

Naeto C’s sophomore album Super C Season is scheduled for release in December.

Genevieve Nnaji and D'Banj at P-Square's birthday bash

Koko master and Genevieve came together to P-Square's birthday bash.

Are they or are they not? I wonder, I just wonder..:-)

Pics thanks to 411daily

The truck used in picking up the Super Falcons. How disgraceful!

The Nigerian female National Team, the Super Falcons, won the 2010 CAF Women's Championship that held in South Africa and ended last week. The truck you see above is what the NFF, (Nigeria Football Federation) sent to the airport to pick them up. How they think it's OK to carry these girls in this type of plantain/cow truck is beyond me.

*Long hiss*

Rapper IKECHUKWU'S Lover Denies Sleeping with DBANJ.

Ikechukwu fumes-''nobody toasted my woman!''

Sarah screams-''over my dead body''

Rapper Ikechukwu and the Mohits team have parted ways and all is not well between them,so it was no suprise when the rumour started like a whisper ,but then it slowly spread round and soon;the it grew louder until Someone tweeted the rumour on the rappers timeline saying

''Theres a rumour going round that dbanj slept with your chick''.

The lovers responses on twitter are as follows.Killz says''nobody slept with sarah ofili!,Ok o I don't know how these stories are being made but nobody tried to toast my woman o. Gosh you guys can entertain yourselves o kai''.

And Sarah replies''over my f**king dead body will Dbanj sleep with me,thats just gross,have you seen my man Killz?I have enough 6pack,I
dont need two and half:.I live in london and not Ikeja.we have never been friends not to talk of lovers.if he has problems with my man he should take it up with him like a man and leave my name out of this market crap.how come he has not responded that this rumour is a lie?

Because it is feeding his ego,but when they said Ike beat him up his team quickly tweeted that its a lie but now that a woman is involved they dont want to clear names::...its disgusting Nigerian men quickly turn to women to do their dirty work,they cant stand the heat so all the blame is put on a woman.i will not tolerate my name and image being toyed with,if anyone carries this dirty rumour further without proof they will face the consequences:

This is libel.what a disgusting defamation of my character!''

Sarahs 'camp'further responded that''she has a lot of projects coming up,including her childrens foundation and this is not an image she wants to potray as a dirty cheating woman.everyone knows by now who her man is and she is very satisfied with him,''.

Can don jazzy and anyone of dbanjs team please respond to this allegation in anyway they deem fit?

keeping quiet when such tales are peddled is a wicked thing to do!...do the right thing boys,

''taaaaaalk,we are liszining'':(9ice Lyrics)

Prince William and Kate Middleton engaged

The look of love...how sweet!

After nine years together, Prince William and Kate Middleton are engaged. They'll wed in London in the spring or summer of 2011.

The couple, both 28, became engaged last month during a vacation in Africa after he proposed to Kate and presented her with his mother's engagement ring, an oval blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds from the jeweler Garrard.

Good for them!

The world of Nigeria’s leading comedians

Generally, these people make money by being funny. Generations before ours regarded them as jesters. A wretched and unserious lot .This generation regards them as comedians. Nothing short of big boys of the land. We are taking a look at big boys in the comedy business. By big boys we mean those who have done well for themselves through comedy.

Ali Baba
Many regard him as the grandfather of modern comedy and the title is apt, because he gave an otherwise colourless profession colour and added a befitting business acumen which paved the way for comedians of his generation. Ali Baba began his comedy career back in his university days at the then Bendel State University (now, Edo State University, Ekpoma,).

As a student, he established himself as a force to reckon with in show business on campus. Way back in 1988, when fathers wanted their children to be lawyers, doctors and engineers, he was earning up to N150 per show in a business that many didn’t regard seriously . After his university education, he joined the Charlie Boy Show and in no time, individuals and corporate bodies began to sign up for his services.

Ali B as his contemporaries call him , is a toast of the presidency and corporate clients. He is a friend of billionaires of the land and the first choice of corporate brands who want a specific image for their firms. Ali Baba also has XQZ Moi, an event centre, in his kitty and drives around town in eye-popping car. He reportedly charges about N2million to compere an event.

Basket Mouth
Call him the present day premium brand of comedy and you won’t be wrong but you would be surprised to know that years ago, Basketmouth dreamt of being a big time rapper. His encounter with Ali Baba in 2001 changed his career when the veteran comedian advised him to drop the mic for comedy since he seems to be a better comedian than a rapper. He complied and came to Lagos and that decision paid off for this comedian who staged the Lord Of the Ribs , one of the most successful comedy escapades in Nigeria. At the moment, his brand of comedy is preferred in the corporate world. He is a Globacom ambassador.

Earlier in the year, he became the first African comedian to perform at the O2 Arena in the UK . That performance is historic, because the show sold out long before its actual date. Basketmouth dines with the high and mighty including Mike Adenuga and Richard Branson. His real name is Bright Okpocha and he does lots of shows outside Nigeria where he is paid in hard currency. Basketmouth is the comedian of choice for most banks when they have events. With his own house in Lekki, Basketmouth has proved that comedy is a money spinning machine when you know the right button to press.

Julius Agwu
Julius Agwu is called D’genius and his ability to reinvent himself and diversify without losing the true essence of his brand is his unique selling point. Julius is a comedian, an actor, a musician and above all a master of ceremony with lots of comedy in his kitty.

A Theatre Arts graduate of the University of Port Harcourt and the best graduating student in his class, he possesses the rare acumen of mixing music with comedy and that has put him on a vantage position. He also had a stint in acting and he did not do badly in films he has featured in. His Crack Ya Ribs TV show has earned him fame as he remains one of the few comedians that have hosted successful shows overseas.Julius has lots of corporate clients too.

Gbenga Adeyinka
If you are seeking a crowd and want to sell your products or organising a rally, Gbenga Adeyinka is the man to call. Over the years he has done more rallies than other comedians and has anchored big crowd events more than any of them. His unique selling point is his ability to handle lots of corporate gigs and comedy shows for corporate giants including telecommunication companies. He is preferred for all Nigerian Brewery events.

Gbenga Adeyinka’s journey into the comedy world began at the University of Lagos, where he compeered events for people. After he graduated, people continued calling him to be the Mc for their events and he later went to Murhi International Television (MITV) where he did children entertainment programmes. From there, Funmi Davies invited him to be part of her comedy programme and ever since then, this corporate event choice comedian has continued to wax stronger.

TEE A
You don’t see TEE-A everywhere, but he is busy in the corporate world making cool money for himself. Though his charges are high , his clients don’t mind because they know what they get when it is brand TEE-A that is attached to their events or product. TEE-A is not “elitist” and ‘butter’. He’s got the street in him as well and he has demonstrated that he could do street shows and give Gbenga Adeyinka a run for his talent in handling a large crowd . He has the honour of being the first Nigerian comedian to stage a one man stand-up comedy concert, first Nigerian comedian to perform at the famous Hackney Empire Theatre bullion room. He is also the first African comedian to be invited for the California Comedy Conference in Palm Springs , California.

TEJU baby face
Though deeply engaged in his show, The Teju Bbabyface Show, Teju has not lost his acumen in comedy . He is an extraordinary master of ceremony , and he comperes events for fees that will make a banker wonder why he has to spend so many hours earning his pay when he could just pick up the Mic like Teju.
Teju Baby Face embraced the entertainment world when he acted with A-list Nollywood actors like RMD, Liz Benson, Bimbo Akintola in Diamond Ring . He however left the tube and took to comedy.

AY
Some call him a strategist and for those who followed his career from his days with Ali Baba, his rise to stardom depicts truly a man who knows a lot about winning. AY does lots of corporate and family events. Ayo Makun, is a graduate of the Theatre Arts from Delata State University. He made his mark in the comedy business with his almost perfect imitation of Rev Chris Okotie which earned him wide popularity .

AY cut his teeth under Ali Baba as his personal Assistant. AY was appointed UN Peace Ambassador in 2009 after winning six different awards in 2008 some of which include Comedian of the year, Diamond Awards for comedy, and Mode Man of the year.

A legend’s son rises to his own acclaim:“Say the government of Obasanjo, go carry all of us go for hell.”---Femi Kuti

Femi Kuti speaks like one of his many saxophone solos hands aflutter, voice rising quickly before a steep fall and hitting disparate pitches.

“I already believe we are already in a state of anarchy. But Nigerians are very resilient and are always praying and we want Jesus Christ to come down from heaven and change Nigeria for us. We are ready to wait,” the Afrobeat musician said.

He adds: “It’s boiling, slowly but surely. And if the government doesn’t quickly change … violence could start at any time.”

The driving rhythms of Kuti’s message follow that of his famous father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, who created the synthesis of pop and jazz fueling Afrobeat and served as one of the staunchest critics of military rule in oil-rich Nigeria. Now the focus of a Broadway musical, Fela’s mysticism and sexual exploits are reaching a new audience.

But Femi Kuti, 48, learned from the excesses of his flawed rebel father. A two-time Grammy nominee, Kuti found his own voice amid the growing noise in a Nigeria where freedom of speech exists like never before in his lifetime as well as a sustained commercial and worldwide following.

“I know when to be light; I know when to be hard,” he said in a recent interview.
The delicate balance of commercial success under the heading of world music helps Kuti and sister Yeni Kuti to keep open the New Afrika Shrine, a relocated version of the Shrine that their father lived and played in.

The original Shrine, raided repeatedly by police and later the military during Fela’s life, burned to the ground.

“A handful of unnatural, unbalanced people are running the world,” Fela once said, quoted by biographer Carlos Moore. He recounted seeing a rebel leader board a first_class flight from Berlin to Lagos in 1978, picked up by Mercedes Benz sedans at the other end.

“The leaders of the African freedom struggle will always want the struggle to continue. For them, it means travelling around on first-class tickets and being given VIP treatment wherever they go,” he said.

Much of that rage focused on Olusegun Obasanjo, then a military dictator and later an elected president who came from the same hometown as Fela’s family. After Fela’s mother died following a beating by soldiers, Fela carried her casket to the presidential estate in Lagos. It served a bold protest in a country cowed largely into silence by military rule.

“At the time of my father, there was nothing like human rights groups in Nigeria,” Femi Kuti recounted recently while backstage at the new Shrine. “He on his own solely fought the military dictators at that time and the civilians that they passed power through in the ’70s and ’80s.”

But life wasn’t easy for Femi growing up. When the military arrested his father and sent him to prison before a 1984 U.S. tour, Femi took over the band and displayed an innate business sense that kept the music alive, said Sola Olorunyomi, a Fela biographer and professor at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

“All of this period, I think, came to shape Femi’s own disposition to chart his own course,” Olorunyomi said. “For outsiders, the Fela experience is fun. But for (Femi), it’s real-life brutality, it’s real-life denial, it’s real-life sacrifice.”

Fela died in 1997 of complications brought on by AIDS, a disease that sapped his energy to perform in his last years and one he dismissed in song, calling protected sex “unnatural.”

Today, a giant red placard at the Shrine warns concertgoers that “AIDS is real” and Femi Kuti has appeared in awareness advertising.

Kuti continues to bring a business mentality to his music. He acknowledges some songs critical of the nation’s supposedly democratically-elected government won’t get airplay on Nigerian radio stations that are leery of losing their licences, so he fashions apolitical tracks as well. He even offered his voice as a DJ on a funk radio station in the violent video game franchise “Grand Theft Auto IV.”

His songs offer a pop-like, frenetic pacing at times, such as the driving backbeat of love story in “Bang Bang Bang.” But others, like “Shotan,” carry an angry political message inside the pulsing rhythm: “Say the government of Obasanjo, go carry all of us go for hell.”