mardi 30 juin 2009

Emmy Collins takes ThisDay Newspapers to court + Omowunmi is Lagos State Environmental Ambassador

I heard this story sometime last year but I honestly didn't take it serious until I saw Emmy's facebook status message yesterday. It read

"1st they ingnored me hoping I wud just go away but then realised it wudn't happen so they eventually responded to the case file against them @ Lagos State High Court. See u in court THIS DAY newspaper. They say one man can't make a change, I say busllshit. This one is for every model, designer OR individual who has ever been screwed over by them. WISH ME LUCK GUYS"

For those who don't know the genesis of this case, below is an interview he granted another newspaper late last year explaining his own side of the story.

Why I am suing ThisDay Music and Fashion Festival Organizers —Emmy Collins


How I got involved.
I was in Club 10 in Victoria Island early this year when Ruth Osime, the Editor of ThisDay Style Magazine met me and told me that they would want me to participate in the ThisDay Music and Fashion Show. I asked her the for me to take part she should make it official by sending me an official letter to participate in the show. I wanted to be part of the show because what they sold to me seemed like a charity event that would benefit Nigeria in the way of attracting investors to Nigeria. I bought into the idea.



The cancellation of the show.
I came down from UK for the show, did a collection for the show which cost me tens of thousands of pounds and I spent like two months working on that collection which included things I was going to do on the runway and actually I wanted people that would be there to know what fashion is all about. I did what I did because of the passion I have for the art and not necessarily for the money. When I came back, I was informed that I was going to be at the show that would hold in Lagos but later shifted it to Abuja. When we went to Abuja, we spent three days getting ready for the show and just thirty minutes to the show, it was cancelled. The same show that I spent so much money to come and participate was cancelled with a wave of hand. What amazed me was that when they knew all the way that they were going to cancel the show, they didn't even tell me. It started with a rumour and we spent three days there preparing for the show, fixing and teaching the models and even on the last day, I was still working. I just went up to my room dressed up and came down only for the rumour to start and then it became clear that the show was cancelled.


Seeking legal redress.
I waited up until last two weeks when I started sending them letters from my lawyer, the organizers did not even get back to me with as much as an explanation for the cancellation of the show and that is not professional. What we did was to send them a letter telling them that they had no right to behave the way they did and that I did cut a lot of expenses in preparation for the show and that what we want from them is to pay for those expenses because the stress I had gone through. Before I came back to Nigeria for this show many people, Nigerians for that matter, advised me against coming down because they felt that there would always be a negative intention in the invitation but I said no; I even wanted to get so many Nigerian designers, many of whom have never come home to Nigeria, back home and start up something like I have done here. I wanted us to have a whole building where we will showcase our products but they were not interested because of the kind of elements they have heard exists in Nigeria.


Depressed.
I was really depressed because when you put so much passion in what you do and it ends this way, it is very depressing; I was depressed not only for the money, I was depressed for the disrespect not only to me but to the entire Nigerian public who came for the show that day. The Abuja show was supposed to be Music and Fashion show which was the package the public paid for but when you produce the music part of the show and cancelled the fashion part and nothing was said about refund. That sounds like scam to me. I did not know that that is how the ThisDay thing works but since this happened I have started hearing things about ThisDay that doesn't sound so good and one funny thing is almost everybody knows these things about ThisDay and nobody was talking about it. I think someone is supposed to be talking to the EFCC now because what ThisDay is doing is like a money laundering scheme to me because when I come to think about it I ask myself where does Africa come into this? Where do we get the investments? Are the investments going to come from Naomi Campbell, Ozwald Boetang or Jay Z? So you ask yourself what was the essence of all those things.



Suing for damages.
I want to let you know that I am going to sue ThisDay and the whole money that we are going to sue them is £75, 000 and we are going to sue them here in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom. I am not going to be intimidated by anyone. Even when I told some people that I was going to sue ThisDay they got scared and pleaded with me not to do that before they run me down. For Christ's sake I can sue the president if he does something bad to me.

Role of the Banks.
What I apparently want to do now is to include banks that were involved in this in the suit because they should know more about the whole scam going on. I think the banks that are backing this whole thing should be brought to book to account about what's really going on.



Why suing when participation was for charity.
My complain at the moment is that they invited me for a show which I run cost and the show never happened. Now if the show had happened, everybody would have been happy and nobody would be complaining. And from what I am hearing, the show was not meant to happy; I don't know if that is true or false. I am complaining that after this show was cancelled, the organizers couldn't even write me a letter or give me a call to explain why the show did not hold. I believe if they had written me that letter I wouldn't be here right now; they lacked simple courtesy. I am not suing them because they invited me to participate in the show and they will pay me a certain amount of money, that's not what I am contesting. Why I am going to court is that ThisDay invited me to participate in a show and that show never happened and I had wanted to organise a preview of my collection in Lagos prior to the show on my own but I had to cancel that preview because I was transferred to Abuja. The essence of a preview is to showcase your collection and in that preview you make sales and get money but I was made to cancel all these opportunities because of I show that would never happen.
Source: nationaldailyngr.com

I don't know if going to court is necessary (I tried it once...it was a total waste of my time and money) but I salute his courage.

What do you guys think?

Meanwhile check out some of Emmy's fantastic designs below...





I don't know if you guys see it, but there's something totally cool and different about Emmy's clothes. Totally in love with him...his clothes I mean...lol

Goodluck with this case Emmy, God knows you need it :-)


Moving on...

Omowunmi Akinnifesi; Lagos State Environmental Ambassador
2005 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Omowunmi Akinnifesi is Lagos State Environmental Ambassador. She was endorsed by the Lagos State Governor some weeks back...
Check out the pictures...




Congrats babe!

Austin Osagie Photography/Centaur Photographers

Austin Osagie has been around for a long time...more than seventeen years as a photographer. I shot my first modeling job with him in 1998...and we've shot many others since then. He's my official photographer. He shot all the pictures of me you all have seen of recent (minus the i-tees). A really great photographer with world class equipments. You can call Austin Osagie on 08065440228. His office is at 34, Calabar str., off Adisa Bashua, Masha, Surulere.
Be sure to check on him for your events, weddings and portraits.

Photos of the day
2009 World's Ugliest Dog!
Pabst, a boxer-mix, took top honors at the 21st annual World's Ugliest Dog competition at the Sonoma-Marin fair on Friday night. Pabst's "bitter beer face" won over the judges and his owner, Miles Egstad, was awarded $1,600 for his mangey mutt's win.

Michael Jackson final rehearsal photos
Two days before suffering a cardiac arrest, Michael Jackson goes through a run-through during his final concert rehearsal at the Staples Center on Tuesday (June 23) in Los Angeles.



We'll always love you Michael, you were the greatest. Rest in peace!

Naija Entertainment news next.
P.S The free advert space on my sidebar still stands. Just send me an email...
Cheers.

LES MANGELEPA MARK 33RD ANNIVERSARY WITH CONCERT

Orchestre Les Mangelepa will be celebrating the 33rd anniversary since their formation, and will launch their latest CD, Vituko, composed by vocalist and guitarist John Monga. The event will take place at the Alliance Francaise in Nairobi. Les Mangelepa came to Kenya from what was then Zaire, now DRCongo, on July 1, 1976. Within a short time, the band, established itself as leading exponents of

HOW TV’S NEWEST DITZY BLONDE WAS CAST

The second episode of the Kenyan made drama, Changes, will be aired on Mnet. But what viewers do not know is that is was very hard for Njoki Muhoho, the Executive Producer to cast the role of Cindy Kamau played by Pierra Makena, actress and filmmaker. “Initially we thought I was going to be an easy task and the number of girls who turned up for the casting were many,” she recounts. However,

IS BEYONCE GOING TO KAMPALA?

If tabloid reports are anything to go by, Beyonce is scheduled to give a performance in Uganda, days before Christmas. This is causing quite the furore in the corporate circles as two major Telecommunications companies in the country, are reportedly tussling to sponsor the diva’s concert, set to take place in Kampala. The unnamed telecom giants have both contacted the event promoter, a Joseph

Koko Mansion Opening Show.

This reality show is only aired on HiTV, which means only those who have it...can watch it. -:(. Totally sad about that. But we'll keep ourselves updated via the show's publicist, James Amuta, who will frequently send in pictures and stories about the show; so stay connected to this blog.
Here we go...

First Day Inside the Koko Mansion – LIVE [1]

The reality TV show that had kept everyone guessing, speculating, and criticizing, finally commenced LIVE broadcast at exactly 5:30 pm on Sunday, 28th June.


Our first surprise was when the delectable darling of Nigerian television, Marian Anazodo came on screen to introduce the show. Marian Anazodo? On Koko Mansion? Yes, the same Marian Anazodo whom we’ve all fallen in love with for the past 12 years on NTA. Definitely, her presence in the mansion immediately dispelled all notions of vulgarity, as have been touted publicly by ill-informed critics, who just had to shoot without aiming.


Seeing Marian Anazodo, who in all ramifications is qualified to be referred to as an Ideal Nigerian woman take the reins as the presenter of the show was indeed an ice-breaker that went a long way to promise viewers a very good show, where intrigue and drama are more powerful than vulgarity.

But before we continue, let’s back-track a bit, to bring you highlights from the MCR, where the brains behind the show were throwing all their magic portions into one big technical calabash that transmitted the LIVE feed to you.

At about 5:00pm, the MCR was buzzing like a bee hive, more than 18 robotic cameras were being operated from here, to bring you this opening show. The satellite uplink system was humming like an athlete waiting for the sound of the gun, while the crew was running from one monitor to another like investment analysts on Wall Street, but then there was no sign of panic; these guys have done it before, countless times, and all the buzzing and humming was just part of a well-oiled ‘production machine’.

A few minutes later, D’banj walked in, so excited, he said, “thank you guys for making this happen, finally, we’re going live, after all the challenges we experienced along the way” he went round hugging everybody in the MCR, really emotional about the whole affair, “my mother called me to tell me that this is the best thing I’ve done in my career so far”.


Okay, fast forward to the live show. Marian Anazodo took the viewers on a guided tour of the mansion, from the foyer to the living room - with its sensuous red furniture, and a life-sized painting of D’banj hanging on the wall. All the awards D’banj has won so far were displayed in a glass encasement in the foyer. From the living room, Marian toured the dining room, and then the kitchen.
From the kitchen, she took the viewers to the leisure area - where we could see the wine bar, the lawn, and compact swimming pool – very ideal for private millionaire picnics.
From the leisure area, she took us upstairs, but on our way, we couldn’t help but notice the stainless-steel balustrade on the staircase, and its finely polished marble steps. Upstairs, we explored the living quarters – the two bedrooms with six beds each – one room has an excellent Jacuzzi – all these for the kokollettes.

First Day Inside the Koko Mansion – LIVE [2]
Okay, time to welcome the 12 contestants. Let’s just list them in their order of appearance, with very brief descriptions:

*Rekana Sharon Ojong: a 23 year graduate from the University of Calabar; she is one lady who is crazy about fashion, but determined to prove to the world that you can be beautiful and intelligent at the same time.

*Chidinma Mbalaso: she is a very attractive 20 year old student of University of Abuja; her major concern is for people to see her as more than just a pretty face.

*Mary Osinachi Bruno: she screamed when she walked into the mansion, stunned by the sheer beauty – she is 21, a student of Lagos State University.

*Chioma Akuezue: A lot of guys are already saying she’s hot, but this girl is a 21 year old musician wants to be a superstar but not at the expense of her integrity. She sang for Marian, and she did well.
*Chinwe Hilda Ukadike: Immediately nick-named “tattoo girl” by Marian, Chinwe is 23, and has 3 tattoos. She describes herself as fearless.
*Lilian Ebhohohon: she’s just 18, but this girl has already established herself as a brave young lady who speaks her mind regardless of whatever consequences. She took over the conversation from Marian in less than 30 seconds. Wow!
*Victoria Oloye: she’s 20, and she wants her life to be an inspiring rags-to-riches story. She strolled into the house with no drama – had a nice chat with Marian and went back upstairs.
*Elizabeth Efe Era: this 27 year student of University of Uyo has already started selling her “mama” role; did you see when she went round the mansion to make sure all the doors were locked before going to bed? She said she would do it, and she’s doing it – playing surrogate mother.
*Shona Merenu: Her dreadlocks and her charisma are hard to miss. She’s 23 and very self-assured, and Marian sensed this. Even D’banj was quick to note her style was different. That’s Shona for you – unpredictable, and hard.
*Rita Igbinedion Isoken: she came in looking very pretty; just 19, she’s been through a lot of emotional trauma, and it showed when she was chatting with Marian.
*Bidemi Jolayemi: 23, a student of Olabisi Onabanjo University. She’s reputed to be the girl with the P.M.A – Positive Mental Attitude. We hope to see her positivity in action during difficult tasks.
*Bolanle Okhiria: did you see her dress? She was stunning, and Marian acknowledged that much. She’s 21, a student of Lagos State University, who ended up winning many viewers over in less than 5 minutes with her warm attitude – she was such a chatterbox, no wonder she dreams of starting her own talk show.



After the contestants arrived, the presenter introduced the governess, Chika Anadu – one look at her and you’d be convinced that she was tailor-made for the job of keeping these girls in check. D’banj joined the ladies briefly, had cocktail with them; toasted to good health and an entertaining stay at the mansion before leaving the kokolettes in the capable hands of the governess.

That’s all for now, more updates coming soon. But let’s hear what you think about your favorite contestants, and maybe discuss what you’re looking forward to seeing on the show.

~James Amuta
Publicist for Koko Mansion


Thoughts?

KENYAN CELEBS REMEMBER JACKO

As the world mourns the death of the greatest pop icon ever, Three Kenyan celebs give their own thoughts on the same. Michael Jackson, 50, died early Thursday afternoon after suffering a cardiac at his Holmby Hills home. Paramedics were unable to revive him.RUFFTONE – VITA500 BRAND AMBASSADOR, PRODUCER AND MUSICIAN“I think it is a funny thing that he has become an instant hero now that he is dead

TID MIGHT GO BACK TO JAIL

Just barely six months after receiving a presidential pardon, Tanzanian singer TID might just find himself back in the slammer again for repeating the same offence, assault. According to a Tanzanian tabloid, TID beat up a high school student and was involved in destruction of property at a club called Thai Village. Sources at the scene say TID beat up a woman identified as Naima Abdul and later

SOUTH AFRICA GOSPEL MUSIC ICON WAS HERE!

Prominent South African Gospel Singer Deborah Fraser was in Nairobi for a two-day concert, last weekend. Nairobi Pentecostal Church Valley Road invited Deborah, whose first show was a dinner and concert at Safari Park Hotel, on Saturday 27, followed by a Sunday performance at NPC Valley Road from 3pm.Deborah has helped a lot of young people through her Abanye Bayombona Foundation. She has sung

MALIAN PRINCE CONFIRMED FOR LITERARY FEST

Y’all need to know that a Mali royalty will be in the country next month. Senegalese born Seckou Keita a descendant of the Malian Keita family of kings will grace the international literary fest, Storymoja Hay Festival.The four-day literary event will run from July 30 to August 2 at the Impala grounds, and will host acclaimed personalities including writers Hanif Kureshi, Michela Wrong, Vikram

LUPITA’S SHARED DIARY FROM RWANDAN FILM FESTIVAL

Jaques Rutabingwa (RFF's Tech Director), Lupita Nyong'o (IN MY GENES) & Joseph Kinuthia Kamau (JITU FILMS): Musarait Kashmiri (Director of MAISHA FILM LAB, Uganda), Meddy Saleh (Cinematographer), Lupita Nyong'o (IN MY GENES), Ayuub Kasasa (Hillywood Coordinator) and Daddy Ruhorahoza (Rwandan Filmmaker)View of Kigali from Cine Star, one of the festival's screening venuesRkPe5aq1-10/s320/IMG_4604_

lundi 29 juin 2009

Koko Mansion: Meet The Contestants

Meet the girls of Dbanj's Koko Mansion...currently airing on HiTV. LIVE transmission commenced 5:30pm yesterday.

1. Bolanle Okhiria

Age: 21
Occupation: Student [Lagos State University]
Bolanle’s first reactions to her selection was loaded with surprise, doubt, and utter consternation; she honestly thought someone was playing pranks on her, “I waited for so long for that call, and when it finally came through I was too excited to believe it was real – I had to tell the producers to prove to me that it wasn’t some kind of a joke” she said, still ecstatic about being selected. Bolanle, or Miss Bee as her close friends would call her, can best be described as a rounded character fresh off the set of a television sitcom – her intelligence, beauty, and sense of humour are some of the qualities that make her company completely irresistible. She describes herself as a romantic person who can’t be intimidated by anybody.
Bolanle was born into privilege, but by the time she turned 12, her family fortunes took a nose dive into recession, forcing her to switch from a life of opulence to one of abject poverty. “I was born with a silver spoon, but when my family fortunes turned, I was forced to learn that life is not a bed of roses”, she recalls with a warm smile, “my dad told me, it was always best to make a very positive impact out of any negative circumstance”.
As a student member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria [APCON], Bolanle describes the ideal woman as, “someone whose beauty is not just in her outward appearance, she has to be someone who understands that character is the most essential beauty ingredient in a woman”.
With a bouquet of talents ranging from rapping to dancing; Bolanle looks up to women like Cecilia Ibru and Tyra Banks as her role models. Thanks to the energy she’s derived from the lives of these exemplary women, her career ambition is to one day start her own talk show – The Bee Show, a platform to educate young women on the essence of being beautiful, bold, and brilliant.

2. Lilian Ebehohon

Age: 18
Occupation: Student (University of Benin)
Lilian is one of the youngest contestants on this show, yet she is by far one of the more imposing candidates. This young lady arrests your attention with her youthful “never let anyone or anything intimidate me” attitude; her zest for life is in fact highly infectious, as her demeanor gives away the fact that she’s determined not to be taken for granted as a result of her age.
She summarizes her ideology with this smug line, “the youngest may be the smartest”. She considers herself outspoken and not loud, and she posits that, “I don’t like dull people; they always get me very angry”. She is very confident that she’s going to emerge victorious, “I know I have the qualities of the ideal Nigerian woman - amplified by my strong will”.
She’s currently nursing a career ambition in public relations, as she muses about many charitable ways to spend her prize money, “if I win this money, I’d first of all, pay my tithe – and it’d be the first time I’ll be paying my tithe…”, she would also provide her dad with the resources required to pay for his eye surgery, since his sight is fast deteriorating.
However she’s coming to the mansion, with one self-confessed flaw, “I have anger management issues, but once I hear music, I’ll calm down”. This is Lilian, whose flaw may be her quick temper, but her virtue will always be brutal honesty.

3. Chidinma Mbalaso

Age: 20
Occupation: Student (University of Abuja)
For Chidinma, her biggest concern is for people to see her as more than just a pretty face. This pretty young lady, whose role models are Dora Akunyili and Oprah Winfrey, considers herself an emotional person whose life ambition is to be an entertainment mogul. “I want to do movies – I want to be on TV – I want to make a difference in the entertainment industry”, she says.
Growing up for her was very pleasant, “it’s not like my family is very well to do, but my parents made sure I didn’t lack anything, but they also made me understand that I couldn’t have everything”.
She considers herself someone with a good sense of fashion. She thinks she could be caring to a fault. She just finished reading Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows, and as such, one can assume she has a romantic streak. And if her attractive looks are matched with an equal amount of intellects, then her participation on this show may really be jump-starting a flourishing career on TV.
She has ten siblings, of which she is the youngest. And she comes to the mansion, determined to utilize this platform as a launch pad for her long-term career ambition in entertainment.

4. Victoria Oloye

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
When this young lady said, “I need to prove to people that you don’t need to come from a wealthy family to succeed in life” - she was just summarizing her travails, and describing her ambitions in life. She wants her life to be an inspirational rags-to-riches story. She is determined to use her participation on the show to buttress her point. Her dreams are gigantic, channeled in many directions. To her it is an effective strategy for success, because then when one door closes, she opens up another one. Her many dreams include running a successful travel agency, producing international standard movies, and owning a video-vixen agency. In order to keep herself focused on the bigger picture, she’s had to stoop on many occasions to conquer – she’s run a street-side phone call centre, worked as a sales girl, and later became a waitress in a classy bar, before enrolling into the Nigerian Institute of Aviation and Maritime Studies.
She cuts across as an emotional young lady with so much energy and determination to make the best out of the available options that life has presented her. Her strategy for success on the show is, “ to simply be me, because if the judges could find me interesting enough to shortlist me, then the public will also be impressed by the real me”.

5. Chioma Akuezue

Age: 21
Occupation: Musician
Chioma is a talented musician who has no time to disguise her motivation for participation on the show, “I’m here for the money, because when I get the money, I’ll be able to produce my songs, and the popularity will help too, because for you to succeed in the entertainment business, you need to be known”. She believes she’s different from the other candidates because she can sing very well.
Her slender frame lured her into modeling, a profession she is also passionate about. She even described her biggest challenge in life as her desire to prove to those fashion organizers who hurt her ego a few years ago by telling her she wasn’t fit for runway modeling, that she could and would become a successful entertainer.
She considers her participation on this show as a desirable opportunity to showcase her talent to the world. According to her she’s been through a whole lot, where sexual predators had tried but failed to take advantage of her under the guise of helping her with her career, “I want to be a superstar, but not at the expense of my integrity”.
6. Shona Merenu

Age: 23
Occupation: freshly graduated from the Imo State University
Despite the fact that Shona disagrees that she’s a loud person, she admits that, “I don’t seek out attention intentionally, but I always end up attracting attention to myself”. She was more of a tom-boy growing up with three elder brothers, yet she feels that she was pampered as the last child in her family. She’s a very opinionated person who likes dictating what she wants to do, believing that nobody is capable of intimidating her. She hates rules, but does not always go out to break them; instead she looks out for loopholes in the rules that could work in her favour.
“I’ve never struggled for anything in my life before, that’s why I want to struggle with eleven other beautiful ladies, because I need an experience to look back upon”, she says, going on to describe how she wishes to reconstruct people’s perception of her, “When people meet me, at first sight, they feel am a proud person with an attitude, and I want to correct this impression”
She comes to the Koko Mansion on a mission to prove how deep she really is, while exposing her many talents which include knitting, sewing, hair braiding, and make-up. Not forgetting that this young lady has her eyes set on establishing a career in modeling and acting.

7. Bidemi Jolayemi
Age: 23
Occupation: Student [Olabisi Onabanjo University]
Bidemi is an unrepentant optimist. “I’m a girl with a PMA – Positive Mental Attitude” she reaffirms, “I’m disciplined, sociable, and hardworking”. Bidemi’s strong faith in humanity gives her a romantic disposition that believes that something good could always be harnessed from very bad situations.
She’s always never in favor of popular opinions on issues, fashion, and everything in between, “I don’t like following the crowd, and I like setting my own unique trends, dictating my own pace, because I never let myself to be sucked in by peer pressure”
Bidemi recounts an incident that almost shook her faith in optimism, “ when my dad was in a coma, about to die, and the doctors told my family that he was going to die – I was the only one who stubbornly held on to the belief that he would live, but he eventually died”, yet she did not give up believing that her faith was not misplaced, “my dad had always wanted me to be a medical doctor because he was diabetic and hypertensive, and his sole heart desire was to have one of kids cure him…”. Though she was devastated by her father’s death, she’s determined to save as many people as possible, and this is the reason why she’s currently studying to become a medical doctor. Her life is a crusade to give good health to the sick, and save the world from pessimism.
She comes to the mansion, with years of experience living with strangers, from boarding school to her hostel on campus, “I’ve lived with strangers before and they all became friends with me, I’m patient, and it really takes time to get on my nerves, however I don’t like people taking me for granted"

8. Chinwe Hilda Ukadike
Age: 23
Occupation: Just concluded NYSC
The fact that Chinwe loves tattoos cannot be overemphasized, because her love for tattoos is buried skin deep in three different places on her body. But so also is her passion for fashion, and her ambition to become a celebrated actress. She likes to consider herself as someone who got the necessities of life as a child, “growing up was fun for me, I was always doted on by eight wonderful elder sisters”.
Chinwe grew up in Lagos. She loves watching horror movies, “I enjoy watching movies like Van Helsing, and whenever I’m watching a movie like this, I turn the light off [for that eerie effect]”.
She can best be described as a brave and courageous young lady, who is walking into the mansion with no fear for anything, especially not for needles, “I’m used to needles – I’m used to pain, I pierced four holes in each of my earlobes myself – my pain-resistant level is very high”.
Despite what many may consider eccentric, Chinwe believes that, “I have 90% of the qualities of an ideal woman, and will use the show as a ladder for my acting career…”

9. Elizabeth Efe Era

Age: 27
Occupation: Student (University of Uyo)
Elizabeth is a lady that strikes you as someone who’s out to save the world, even if this task ends up hurting her. Despite the fact that she is studying economics, she maintains an unrelenting flair for entertainment. However, Elizabeth is a young lady who tries too hard to change the people around her – in fact, she says, “I should be able to counsel my fellow contestants – I want to be like a mother to them – I want to change the mindset of the girls”.
She developed her inert motherly disposition as a result of her exposure as a child to the emotional needs of a large family – she was born into a family of eleven; gradually she developed into a surrogate parent to her siblings, acting as the voice of reason, and go-between between her siblings and her parents.
“I study people” she admits, “so it will help me understand the ladies at the mansion”. It is quite unclear how eleven dynamic young ladies would react to a stranger imposing as a surrogate mother, but it would be interesting to see how Elizabeth intends to pull this off, since she’s so passionate about playing this role, “I cannot change who I am – I am a caring person, and I was born with this disposition to nurture and care for people”
Not just that, Elizabeth comes to the mansion with a combination of self-uprightness, and one other character which she can be quoted as saying: “when I was growing up, I was like the Amebo (tell-tale girl) in the house – I was the one who always had to tell my dad things – I was bold, and I was the only one who could confront my dad with complaints from my siblings”.

10. Mary Osinachi Bruno
Age: 21
Occupation: Student [Lagos State University]/ Business Woman
Mary describes growing up as fun, with a few tough times. Her nickname Sleek Chic best interprets her personality; having been raised in Lagos, she describes the incessant traffic on the roads as an inspiration that influenced a deep appreciation for promptness, swiftness, and accuracy in her actions through life. As a result, she’s learnt to act on her decisions quickly.
She describes her parents as liberal disciplinarians, “they let you take your own decisions once they think it’s the right one”.
According to her, she’s on this show just to live the life, and show Nigerians the kind of person she really is. She’s not really in for the money, but here because she wants to experience what it’s like to live in the same house with strangers – mix with other people from different backgrounds, since all her life, she’s never shared a house with persons other than her immediate family. She however states that, “the fact that I’ve not lived with other people doesn’t mean I don’t know how to live with people”.

11. Igbinedion Rita Isoken

Age: 19
Occupation: student
Probably the most emotional candidate in the mansion, Rita is a walking example of determination. Over the years, through experience, she’s learnt that the only way to succeed in life is to believe in your self 100%. “I came here because I want to get exposure, not necessarily because of the money, because if I represent myself well, the future will give me more money than the prize money”, she said, admitting that she intends to be caring to her fellow contestants, and guide them whenever they’re wrong.
Coming from a very humble background has made her resolute in her pursuit to become successful. She believes her chances at the title are obvious, as she puts it, “I can prove myself as a woman because I know my left from my right”. Her ambition was inspired by an emotionally daunting experience a few years ago, when she was sent packing from school for her parents inability to pay her school fees – as she remembers, her dad was broke, and the rich folks she knew berated her for being poor instead of helping her with the required sum to pay her school fees – that incident introduced her to how cold the world was to the poor, “it was after this incident that I swore to myself that I was going to succeed in life”
She comes to the mansion with the ability to tell emotionally gripping stories, and promises to be an interesting candidate.

12. Rekana Sharon Ojong
Age: 23
Occupation: freshly graduated from the University of Calabar
She majored in Policy and Administrative Studies, yet her passion is deeply rooted in fashion. But if you think that being crazy about fashion is a denigrating attribute, then think again, because this young lady is on a mission, “I’m here to prove to people that I’m not just a beautiful person, but someone with enormous intelligence and depth”.
Rekana’s childhood was not exactly a Cinderella story, “growing up was very difficult – I was raised by my dad alone because my mum left us when I was eight”. She grew up with four older brothers, and one sister, and as the case would be, she became a Tomboy, until she was rescued by a professional model who was involved with her dad, igniting her passion for fashion, and gradually grooming her into becoming a delectable young fashionista who’s left no trace of her tom-boy days.
She decided to participate on this show because she loved the challenge of proving herself as an ideal Nigerian woman, “I like to be seen as a modern day woman who knows where she came from” she says, “from experience, I’ve been judged by my appearance, and for this reason, I want to advocate to people that they should not just look at a beautiful woman as a sex object”.
This young lady believes in challenging challenges.
What do you guys think?

dimanche 28 juin 2009

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT’S BREAST CANCER MONTH

For your information, The Aga Khan University Hospital will be holding a free Clinical Breast Cancer Examination this Saturday, 27th June from 9.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. The clinic will be held at the hospital's Family Medicine Centre. Thereafter, there will be a public lecture on Gynaecological Pain and Endometriosis from 12.00 noon to 12.45 p.m.presented by Prof. William Stones and Dr. Timona

R KELLY FOR NIGERIA

Tickets for the 2009 THISDAY Music Fes-tival starring American R&B legend, R. Kelly, with African icons, Lagbaja, D'Banj, Neto C, Wande Cole, PSquare and others performing, will go on sale today for the Abuja and Lagos dates.R. Kelly, who performed at the Arise African Fashion Awards in Johannesburg, South Africa, is scheduled to play at a VIP special command performance on July 3, at a

JAY Z’ TAKEN FOR A RIDE BY BABY MAMA!

One thing I would like to know is, does Beyonce know that Jay Z has a baby mama and he pays for her upkeep?If not, I suggest she check out this blog. According to a British tabloid, Jay Z’s 7-year-old son, Isa and his mother, Shenelle Scott, are living large in a $2.5 million mansion that Jay Z purchased for them on their native island of Trinidad. That everyone knows. However, Shenelle has since

THE LEGENDARY TANZANIA VIDEO WHIZ IN TV SHOW

Most people did not notice that the bad guy in the just launched M-Net Series, Changes, is actually a very well known video whiz. Most of y’all remember seeing Visual Lab Next Level credits, on bongo videos? Well, Adam Juma is the man behind those fabulous videos. He owns the company as well. I personally remember his work in Z Anto’s video Binti Kiziwi and Nakaaya’s Mr Politician. In the drama

CHANNEL O PAYS TRIBUTE TO KING OF POP

Channel O is paying tribute to Michael Jackson in the most fitting way possible – by a video mix and so much more - featuring hit after massive hit from the global icon. The 30-minute specialised O-Xpress will provide a platform for the universally acknowledged King of Pop’s astonishing array of hits, on Monday June 29 (13:00 CAT) and Tuesday June 30 (11:00 CAT).Hit songs like Thriller, Beat It,

AS WE MOURN MJ...

The following celebrities have sent out their condolences. Former Tanzania President Alhaj Ali Hassan Mwinyi gave a an exclusive BBC interview on Friday of June 26, 2009, on the death of Michael Jackson.In the interview, conducted in Swahili, President Mwinyi recalls Michael's visit to Tanzania in 1992 and described his sudden death as a huge loss to the music fraternity world wide, and that the

Seun Kuti at Jazz Cafe + Dora Akunyili Welcomes The Future + Djinee's Album Listening Party

SEUN KUTI & Egypt 80 Band 'live' @ JAZZ CAFE, London
(This monday, 29th, June, 2009)



EVENT: Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 Band "Live in London" with Special Guest Randolph Matthews.
DATE: This Monday, 29th, June, 2009
VENUE: Jazz Cafe, Parkway, Camden, London, NW1 7PGDOORS: 7pm
TICKET: £22
TICKET HOTLINE: 0207 485 6834 / http://www.jazzcafe.co.uk/
Be there!


The day Dora Akunyuli welcomed The Future

“What’s up?” Dora Akunyili, Minister of Information and Communications, piped up as she welcomed the team of The Future Nigeria Awards, upon a visit to the Minister’s Office in Abuja on Monday, 15th of June - kicking off the visit with a tone of delightful informality and sharing banters with her guests.

The Minister invited the team to formally introduce the project to the Information Ministry with the hope of exploring ways that the Ministry could partner with the project in order to extend its impact across the nation and beyond.

Organizers of the Awards, RedSTRAT, were represented by its Directors, Emilia Asim-Ita, Adebola Williams and Chude Jideonwo, and selected winners including the Business-Owner of the Year- Mosumola Umoru, two-time Best Use of Technology Winner- Bamidele Odufuye, Sportsperson of the Year- Yagazie Chukwumerije, On-Air Personality of the Year (Radio) -Tyeng Gang, and last year’s Journalist of the Year- Abdulkareem Baba Aminu of the Daily Trust. The Minister also came fully armed with her officials and other partners of the Ministry whom she excitedly invited to meet with the young people.



Good stuff...

Djinee's Album Listening Party Pictures







Pix thanks to werunthings.net
Make sure you buy his album...

MyAsho
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