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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Lupita Nyong’o’s first ad for Lancôme


Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o's first ad for Lancôme has been released and the current World's Most Beautiful Person is perfection as she promotes Lancôme's Tient Idole Ultra 24H foundation (don't hate...hehe). 

She was announced as a spokesperson for the brand back in April, making her the 1st African woman to rep the French brand and the company said ads featuring her will start running in September but guess Lancôme couldn't wait till then. Absolutely stunning! Black has never looked better...:-)




Luiz Suarez bites another football player


In August 2013, Liverpool player and Uruguay Forward, Luiz Suarez bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a match in Anfield, an action that got him benched for 10 matches afterwhich he apologized.

Fast forward 10 months later and he's done it again. During the Italy-Uruguay match that took place this evening June 24th, Suarez appeared to bite Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder (pictures above). Continue...

 


Suarez is seen chasing Giorgio for the ball and then suddenly both men fall to the ground, with Suarez clutching his teeth as if in pain while Chiellini pulls his shirt down to show the referee the bite marks on his shoulder. Unfortunately the referee didn't see the attack so didn't penalize Suarez but thankfully cameras captured it and people expect Suarez to be sanctioned again.

This is months after Suarez and his club manager claimed he'd changed his ways.


Meriam Ibrahim leaves Sudan finally


Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman sentenced to death for Apostasy, has finally been freed after she was re-arrested at Khartoume airport as she attempted to leave Sudan with her family to an undisclosed location.

U.S. State Department during a briefing with reporters in Washington D.C today said Meriam is now free, safe and secure but didn't make it clear if she'd left Sudan for the U.S, where she's expected to seek political asylum.

Sudanese officials later said they didn't arrest Meriam, that she was only detained over a “travel document issue” that was discovered at the airport but she's since been released and had boarded a flight out of Sudan today. Her whereabouts are currently unknown.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Husband of model Katie Cleary commits suicide after rumors she hooked up with DiCaprio

According to TMZ, the husband of "Deal Or No Deal" suitcase model Katie Cleary (pictured with her left) shot himself to death just weeks after she was photographed getting cozy with actors Leonardo DiCaprio (pictured right with her) and Adrian Grenier (pictured after the cut).
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Andrew Stern shot himself in the head Sunday while he was at a shooting range in the San Fernando Valley.  
The 40-year-old businessman was married to Katie ... who was also a contestant on "America's Next Top Model."  Katie was photographed in Cannes last month with Leo and the two seemed tight. There are also photos of Katie in Cannes with  "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier." TMZ reports. Continue...
Katie with Leo at Cannes and Adrien in LA
We're told law enforcement interviewed various people after the suicide, including Katie, and they were told -- among other things -- he was suffering significant stress over marital problems. 
Our sources say Katie told law enforcement she and Andrew were in the process of getting divorced.
A source close to Leo tells us Katie and the actor never hooked up and he left the club with his GF Toni Garrn.
In addition to marital problems, law enforcement says Andrew had a history of depression and had financial issues.
                           jumia.com.ng

Chris Brown still got it for Rihanna

Chris Brown's Instagram page may be flooded with pictures of his faithful girlfriend Karrueche Tran but maybe underneath it all, he still got it bad for his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna?

Chris 'liked' a bikini pic of Rihanna on Instagram (above) the other day and as soon as he did, some of Kae's fans called him out. Chris quickly deleted it but not before Mediatakeout got the screenshot.
                             jumia.com.ng

Plane flying from Nigeria to Gabon missing

A four-seater plane flying from Nigeria to Gabon via Cameroon has gone missing. The plane, owned by US company, Global Aviation, took off from Kano Airport around 6pm yesterday Monday June 23rd and was billed to make a stop over at Doula Cameroon before continuing to Gabon to arrive at 11pm but it never arrived at Doula, Cameroonian Aviation authorities have said. Only an American pilot was on-board.
 
The Gabon Aviation authorities say the last contact they had with the plane was when it was in Mongo which is a 2-hour flight from the Cameroonian economic capital. Search & Rescue operation has so far not yielded any result but the search operation still continues.

Alicia Keys New Album Due Out Early Next Year

Alicia Keys already dropped a new single this year with her Spiderman soundtrack cut “It’s On Again,” but the songstress is preparing to come back full force in early 2015 with a brand new studio album.
Keys spilled the good news to Women’s Wear Daily while promoting Givenchy’s new fragrance Dahlia Divin. When pressed for more details on the disc, AK revealed that it will be more conceptual than her past albums, which were more focused on melody.
“With this album, I find I have much more I want to talk about. This album is more about the concept, the thought I’m trying to get across, where in the past it’s been more about the melody. This time it’s more about what we’re going through as human beings. We all experience similar things. I find that the world puts us in these boxes where we’re only allowed to be one way — like, ‘to succeed as a career woman, you need to do it this way,’ or ‘to be a gay man, you have to be this way.’ First of all, we’re so much more complex than that. It’s about breaking down those boundaries.The songs concentrate on concepts like that. As human beings, we like to identify with something, and as for me, I love people with a strong point of view.”
Sounds promising, but hopefully there’s still some good hooks and melodies on there. AK can’t afford to put out another under-performing album after narrowly escaping a flop with 2012′s Girl On Fire. That album managed to go gold off of the unexpected success of the title track, but next time she might not be so lucky.

Omarion & Girlfriend Throw Intimate Baby Shower

Omarion - June 2014 - BellaNaija.com 04
American singer and actor Omarion who is expecting his first child (a boy) with his girlfriend Apryl Jones, had an intimate baby shower with a few friends and family in Los Angeles over the weekend.
For the event, the mom-to-be rocked a custom sheer dress accentuated with floral detailing by Haus of Milani.
Check out a few snaps from the event.
Omarion - June 2014 - BellaNaija.com 01Omarion - June 2014 - BellaNaija.com 02Omarion - June 2014 - BellaNaija.com 03
Photo Credit: Instagram

Ali Baba talks about what a photographer did with a 7D camera he gave to him


An interesting story shared by comedian Alibaba on his Facebook page about what a photographer did with a 7D camera he (Ali Baba) gave to the photographer after he came to him asking for help


Oweto Bridge in Benue Connecting North to South


Here's what the Oweto Bridge in Benue State looks like currently. When complete, this bridge will link the Southeast to the North and reduce travel time significantly. 

Ice Prince Becomes First Ambassador for Hotel Booking Site – Jovago


Ice Prince - June 2014 - BellaNaija.com 02 (2)
Nigerian rapper Ice Prince has signed on to be the first brand ambassador for one of Africa’s largest online hotel booking platforms – Jovago.com
The “Oleku” chart topper was recently named the company’s first brand ambassador at its office in Lagos.
The partnership would have the rapper use and recommend Jovago’s services to his fans.
Ice Prince - June 2014 - BellaNaija.com 02 (1)

Racism or Not? This Photo goes Viral on Social Media

Racism - June 2014 - BellaNaija.com 01
Over the weekend, a photo of an organic Baby K’Tan carrier with different photos went viral on Twitter.
One photo shows a happy white couple – a man and a woman with a sleeping baby, while another shows a black woman,  without a man, carrying a sleeping baby.
The uproar on social media was basically that the company clearly thinks black women are only baby mamas and are not necessarily married women, or women who have partners.
BellaNaijarians, what’s your take on the photo?
***
Here is the company’s response
It has come to our attention that there is a misleading photo circulating around the internet. Our company takes these matters very seriously and wishes to address them without any further delay.
The photo in question shows two Baby K’tan Baby Carriers on the shelf at an unidentified retailer. One Baby K’tan product features an African American woman holding her baby, and the other Baby K’tan product features a Caucasian couple with their baby. This portrayal has left many of our loyal patrons concerned that this is an unfair representation of African American families. Furthermore, the box bearing the African American woman was inaccurately priced lower than the box with the Caucasian couple. Let’s address these pressing matters head on:
1) We have a total of 5 different products, each featuring a different image on the front of the packaging. One box has the Caucasian couple on the front, and the other four boxes have individual mothers with their babies on the front (including African American and Caucasian women).
2) The Baby K’tan product featuring the African American woman is from our organic line which should actually be priced higher than the other product displayed.
3) The couple considered to be Caucasian is actually in fact an international couple, featuring a Caucasian mom and a Hispanic dad.
Our company was built and has prospered because of our focus on diversity and inclusion. We wholeheartedly reject any false, unfounded and baseless claims of discrimination as depicted in the above misrepresentation. We here at Baby K’tan fully support exposing any unfair and inaccurate stereotypes, racism and/or discrimination wherever it may exist.
We plan to continue including diverse parents, both individually and as couples, throughout our images. In fact, we are proud to have such wholesome and loving caregivers as the faces of our company.

Entertainment Industry unite for Kefee; form committee for her burial


Over 100 members of the Nigerian entertainment industry gathered on Monday in Lagos to strategise on ways and means of giving late singer, Kefee, a befitting burial.
 
Some of the notable faces at the meeting were, Nikki Laoye, Tosin Martins, Emem Ema, Tee-Y Mix, DJ Gosporella, Wamilele, Princess, , Perry Martins, Praise Machine, Mudi, Righteousman, Nene Soul Diva, Victor Gospogroove, Gordons and representatives from Kefee’s family. Continue...

Sammie noted that the death of Kefee has affected the Nigerian entertainment industry and the world over and not just the Gospel music community in Nigeria.
"Kefee was a major contributor to the development of entertainment in Nigeria and the industry will be there for her even in death. We are going to bury her as a queen and it would be nice for us to work together to make her burial a grand affair. It would also be nice to use this opportunity to get our acts together as Gospel artists and entertainers in general because that is what Kefee would love,’’ he said.
Also speaking, Tosin Martins, suggested that activities in honour of Kefee should extend beyond the immediate burial plans to include a more robust an annual memorial symposium and other events which promote the interests and passion of Kefee for posterity’s sake. 
 
A committee called the ‘Kefee Memorial Committee’ (KMC) was thus constituted to plan the various events which would hold in Lagos and Sapele, the hometown of the late singer.
 
The members of the committee are: Sammie Okposo, Nikki Laoye, Commorade Rex Anighoro, Momodu Inu Noah, Tosin Martins, Anny Ibrahim, Joan Paul, Aity Dennis-Inyang, Emem Ema, Gbenga Akintokun, Tee-Y Mix, Tim Tehilla, DJ Gosporella, Praise Machine, Victor Gospogroove, Princess, Perry Martins, DJ Direal and journalist, Chilee Agunanna, who was Kefee’s publicist
The committee would plan towards befitting burial events in Lagos and Sapele and some of the proposed activities were a symposium and Service of Songs tagged ‘An Evening With Kefee’ in Lagos.
 
There would also be a documentary of the singer’s life and times; performances of her songs by other artists; Kefee memorial merchandise and a tribute concert in Sapele.
Kefee’s husband, Teddy Don-Momoh, monitored the proceedings of the meeting from the U.S. where he is preparing to fly home the body of his wife.
 
He once again pleaded for the privacy of the family to be respected in these trying times.
He observed that some of the stories written about Kefee since her death were mostly untrue and cited the reports of a pregnancy which didn’t exist and the story that her body had been flown home as very insensitive and mischievous.
 
He also stressed that some reports that claimed that he was stranded in the U.S. and soliciting for financial help through a bank account were lies.
 
Teddy said that, customarily, he would have to return home to Nigeria first, to be on ground to receive the body of his wife which would then follow afterwards.
 
He said he was finalising the required paperwork before Kefee’s body could be flown from the U.S. to Nigeria and once those were done, more details of the burial plans would be released.
Teddy said that Kefee’s family had requested that she be buried in their hometown, Okpara-Inland, Ethiope East local government, with a celebratory service in Sapele afterwards and that he was comfortable with that.
 
Those, according to him, were the only definite arrangements for his wife’s burial so far.
Kefee whose real name was Irikefe Don-Momoh (nee Obareki) was a well-liked Pop-Gospel artist who had been active in the entertainment industry for the past ten years. She was born on Feb. 5, 1980 in Sapele, Delta State and was known as the Branama Queen, in reference to her debut hit track and album, ‘Branama’. She also scored a hit with the track, ‘Kokoroko’, featuring Timaya and had four albums to her credit— ‘Branama’ (2003), ‘Branama 2’ (2005), ‘A Piece of Me’ (2009) and ‘Chorus Leader’ in 2013. 
 
A Condolence Register has been opened for the singer at her restaurant, Branama Kitchen, at 11 Ajose Str., Mende, Maryland, Lagos.
 
Signed,
Chilee Agunanna (chileik@yahoo.com)
Publicist. 

Ekiti Governor: Ayo Fayose still has a case to answer - EFCC

Ayo Fayose may have won the election in Ekiti state but he still has a corruption case to answer, this is according to EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren. 

Speaking with Punch Yesterday, Mr. Uwujaren said Fayose's election has not affected his ongoing trial at the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, for alleged corruption.
"The EFCC has not dropped the case against the former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose. The trial is still going on; it is continuing at the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti. In fact further hearing comes up on July 15, 2014.
As you know, immunity from prosecution applies only to the President, the Vice President, sitting governors and their deputies.”
It is the court that would decide whether the case would be discontinued or not; all arguments will be canvassed in court and it is the court that would decide,” he said.

Arunma Oteh cover Forbes Woman Africa’s June/July Issue

Arunma Oteh - June 2014 - BellaNaija,com
Arunma Oteh, “the iron lady policing Nigeria’s financial market”, covers the June/July 2014 issue of Forbes Woman Africa Magazine.
Smiling on the cover in a polka dot blazer, and black dress, Oteh speaks to the publication about renewing investor confidence in Nigeria.

Popular Nigeria Forum NAIRALAND Down and Not Coming Back Soon- Seun Osewa


Nairaland is down

The best forum in Nigeria; Nairaland has been  down for about 48 hours now we are not happy about what is happening to the site.

Seun Osewa, the owner of Nairaland is yet to explain what really happened - he's not answering messages directed at him on any of the social media pages - he kinda hinted us saying 'the site may not be up soon'

He posted “I am so sorry” on twitter yesterday and further posted "it may be worse than you think, it may take much longer than you expect' today.

Mafikizolo to perform at BET in LA

Theo Kgosinkwe and Nhlanhla Nciza of Mafikizolo. TwitterMafikizolo will be joining some of the biggest names in African contemporary music as part of the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE for the first time ever.
South African Afro-pop duo Mafikizolo, Ghanaian hip hop artist Sarkodie and Nigerian singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage will perform as part of the Music Around the Globe presentation on Saturday, June 28. The three artists are all nominated in the BET Awards; 'Best International Act: Africa' category. This will be the first time that Mafikizolo and Tiwa Savage have performed in the United States, and the announcement follows their wins at the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) earlier in the month in the Best Group and Best Female categories respectively. Sarkodie also took home a MAMA for Best Hip Hop.

In addition, Nigerian hip hop superstar Ice Prince, who won the 2013 BET Award for Best International Act: Africa, will also take to the stage on Sunday, June 29: he will also present the award for the same category to this year’s winner at the BET Awards.
This is the first time international acts have performed as part of the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE since the introduction of international BET Award categories, 'Best International Act: Africa' and 'Best International Act: UK' in 2010.
British artists also set to perform on Sunday during the Music Around the Globe set will include hip hop duo Krept & Konan and acclaimed rapper MC Ghetts, both of whom are nominated in the Best International Act: UK' category.
More chart topping names have been added to the already stellar lineup of performances at the “BET Awards” which will now include Grammy nominated rapper Nicki Minaj, nine time Grammy Award Winner John Legend, American singer-songwriter Jhene Aiko and American hip hop singer August Alsina. 106 & Park hosts Bow Wow and Keshia Chante along with actor Larenz Tate will also present at the awards show.
In addition, K. Michelle and Mack Wilds will join Mary J. Blige, Trey Songz, and Jennifer Hudson performing at STAPLES Center on Sunday 29 June 2014.
Chris Rock will host the “BET Awards” 2014, premiering on Tuesday 1 July 2014 at 10pm CAT on BET International.

Tonto Dikeh new single Suga Rush ft D'banj


Click to Listen

Sunday, June 15, 2014

D’BANJ IN SECRET MARRIAGE? CLAIMED HE NEVER HAD CRUSH ON GENEVIEVE

Dbanj-Alaye-ArtTo mark his 34yrs birthday and Ten years on stage, D’banj decided to spill out some truths about him we all didn’t know, the singer disclosed to vgr earlier that he’s secretly married and Don Jazzy was the one who requested that they should go on their different ways, talks more about Genevive Nnaji and Agric, Enjoy the interview..
He spilled it out during an interview with Vanguardngr, read below…
You are celebrating your 34th birthday anniversary as well as your 10 years on stage, this year. How has the journey been so far?
It has not been an easy one. Though, it’s been interesting, full of ups and downs; sobbing and smiling. But importantly, it’s been rewarding. God has been so good to me. What I have achieved in my 34 years of life, as well as my 10 years as a performer, it’s only the Almighty Lord that could have done it for me. I am so honoured and privileged.
When you look back from where you started 10 years ago, what were the mistakes you made you wished you didn’t make?
I don’t really like to recount my mistakes. This is because I believe that for every individual, there is always a learning process. A good friend of mine used to call it ‘school fees.’ So, when you go through a bad experience, just have it that you have paid an expensive school fee.
What you should have asked me is that how many schools fees have I paid in the past 10 years? I would tell you that as every other human being, I am not perfect. I have made my own normal mistakes. But in my own opinion, there has not been any mistake I made that has been detrimental to my career. God has always saved me. Thank Almighty God for mercies.
Could you recall some of those mistakes?
One major mistake I made was not doing something differently in the past, considering all that happened between me and my ex-business partner, Don Jazzy. This is because we never really had issues. I believe, people that fueled the problem. May be, I should have fought more for what I brought up.
I personally found and signed everybody that belonged to the one time popular record label, ‘Mo Hits Records’ consisting of major artistes such as Wande Coal, Dr. Sid, Prince, K-Switch and co-partnered with Don Jazzy. I recall one time when he told me that he wanted us to go our separate ways. I also remember asking him to give me about six months to fashion out modalities for the separation.
May be, I should have requested for one year. But like I sang in one of my songs “Top of the World”, I have no regrets parting ways with him. However, I should have tried harder, which I did. But in all honesty, I’m grateful to Almighty God.’
But would you say, you are missing Don Jazzy in all ramifications?
Not more than the ordinary. You know, when you say you are missing somebody, it means you need the person in your life. No, I don’t miss him. But I saw him at the MTV music awards, in South Africa. We ran into each other every now and then. People are alleging that we have come together again.
Who told them that we are quarreling? It’s just that we are running our own different businesses now. He has his own record label called Mavin Records, while I have my own label, DBM Records. Nobody is saying, we cannot do music together, or perform on the same stage again. In fact, while I am celebrating my 10 years on stage, it also means that Don Jazzy is celebrating 10 years of his musical career.
Does the break up affect your relationship with him?
Of course, it affected our relationship for a long time. It’s close to two years since we broke up. But we have been seeing each other. Probably, we will get into the studio soon to do songs together.
How do you react to the aged-long rumour that you are dating top Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji?
There have been so many rumours about so many things. I don’t like to talk about my personal relationship again because people always misunderstand me. But rumours must always be rumours.
But it’s always good to put the record straight?
Honestly, I’m not dating Genevieve. Let me clear the air now.
You had a huge crush on her?
I never did.
At 34 years, is D’banj not thinking of settling down?
Of course, I am thinking of settling down. Who said, I am not married? My private life must remain private, especially to the press.
Meaning that D’banj is secretly married?
It could be so.
Who is the woman in your life?
I wouldn’t disclose her identity so that they don’t plan to kidnap her.
Could you share your memorable moments on stage in the past 10 years?
I have so many memorable moments.Just yesterday (Sunday), I was on stage with Trey Songz, at the just concluded MAMA awards, in Durban. We performed his monster track, Bottoms Up. I have been on the same stage with Kanye West, Kenny Rogers. I was on stage at the World Music Award, in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
I performed at the Mandela Charity Event in South Africa. I performed my hit track “Top Of The World” that became the theme song for the Africa Cup of Nation, which Nigeria eventually won. Every time for me is memorable.
I have adorned a lot of international stages. But I would say, that each time I’m on stage, something new happens to me, always. I am looking forward to the Grammys.
What do you think could be done differently in the Nigerian music industry?
I think we need to get to that level where the musician will be a heavy investor. There is so much money in the industry at the moment. But we are not well structured to diversify. So, we need to put structures in place. We have made so much money. Now, think of when we put structures in place.
We used to say that we live by example. With the kind of partnership I am doing with the Heritage Bank today, I think it’s not just for Agriculture alone. It would involve so many other things. One will see how you can become a musician and at the same time invest wisely in other sectors of the economy…..

Artistes mourn Kefee

SOME artistes and residents of Lagos have reacted to the death of Kefee Don Momoh, a popular musician fondly called the Branama Queen.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kefee died on June 13 after a 14-hour flight to Chicago, USA for an event.
She reportedly collapsed in the course of the flight and went into coma, forcing the plane to land in Los Angeles for medical attention.
The Leader of Infinity musical group of the ``Olori Oko” fame, Joseph Okugbo, described the death of Kefee as a `rude shock’ to the nation’s entertainment industry.
Okugbo said that he and other artistes were confident and hopeful Kefee would recover from her illness.
``Sincerely we are still in shock.  She was such a vibrant, talented and sweet person.



``Her departure can only be understood by God Almighty but we can only take solace in the fact that she lived a purposeful life.


``She impacted on millions of people around the globe and even though she is gone now, she will keep on inspiring young people for years to come through her music.
``We pray that God will give her family, loved ones and fans the fortitude to bear such a huge loss, ‘’ he said.
Another artist Jeff Ene, said:  ``No! no!! no!!! Please, tell me that you are kidding me that Kefee is dead.
``I can’t believe she's gone. Indeed there in nothing in this world. May her soul rest in peace,” he said.
Mrs Ngozi Okwu, a business woman, said in tears that Kefee did not deserve to die this early in her life.
``She was such a beautiful and hard working woman, and she also helped humanity.
``God why?  I love all her songs and they give me inspiration. May she rest in peace. God knows the best,” she said.
NAN reports that Kefee was born in Sapele, Delta, of Urhobo parentage. She studied Public Administration at the University of Benin UNIBEN).
She was fondly called the Branama Queen, because in 2007 she founded Branama Afrique, an entertainment outfit.
She was also the founder of Kefee Peace Foundation (KPF).
Kefee was honoured with the United Nations International Young Ambassador for Peace Award. (NAN)