Introducing - Thomas Ikimi - The Nigerian Hollywood Movie Director

31 year old handsome movie director, Thomas Ikimi, may not be known in Nollywood, but in Hollywood, the Nigerian movie director has made a name for himself as the first Nigerian to direct a Hollywood movie.

His movie, Legacy, featuring Idris Elba (featured above with Thomas) will be released in Nigeria later in the year.

Legacy will be showing next at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, followed by the American Black Film Festival in Miami.
 

Mini Bio
Thomas Ikimi was born in Westminster, London on April 10th 1979. He is of Nigerian descent. He attended primary school in Nigeria, prep and public school in England and university in America. He holds a literature and writing degree from Columbia University, New York.

Thomas' student film, 'Limbo' (2005), after a showing at the Cannes Film Market in 2005, was subsequently invited to the Taormina International Film Festival in Sicily, Italy as an Official Selection. It was one of only 12 films chosen worldwide, and had the added honour of opening the festival. This brought attention to Thomas due to the fact 'Limbo' only cost $9000 to produce mostly on his student credit card, and it was in a fest where the $153 million Batman Begins was premiering in Italy.

Thomas was a second year student when he wrote, directed and produced the film, balancing the 2 1/2 week shoot with his mid term exams. He was nominated for best director and best picture at the Eerie Horror Festival 2004, and he won the Honorable Mention Award at the Flint International Film Festival 2005. Thomas has been working as a screenwriter in London since 2005, writing and developing screenplays for producers.
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Ruggedman to tour 20 states in nigeria and uk

RUGGEDMAN is set to release two singles, She N Ma Swagga, which features Ice Prince, and Sanwo featuring Vino, in less than two weeks. She N Ma Swagga is already an internet hit just 24 hours after it's release.

For the album launch, Ruggedman plans to tour 20 states in Nigeria, and Manchester, London, Dublin, Babrigan on the outskirts of Dublin, and Sierra Leone.

On his relationship with NB Plc, after successfully handling the just concluded Ster Quest, he said it was great because every time he was called to work for the company, he delivers. His excellent performance last year earned him the opportunity to handle the Quest again this year.

Caught wearing a suit for the first time in a while, he said he was being himself. The suit is just me being a host. I don't want people to think it's a rap show just because a rapper is hosting it. Star Quest has different themes like Jazz, Naija Beat, Rap Battle and I dress accordingly to portray each theme.

The first time I came on set without my head warmer, a senior brand manager asked if it was my idea or I was being paid to do it. I told him it was my idea.

Ruggedman did duets with 2face Idibia, P.Square, Gino, Ice Prince, Da Grin, YQ, Kash Eleven, MI, Ojb Jezreel, Vino, Zainab, Lil Jojo, E Jay.

Source: Celebregion.com

Industry Night honours Dagrin

Every Wednesday, Industry Nite... A platform for Established & up and coming artists....takes place at Tribeca, Victoria Island, Lagos.

INDUSTRY NITE: Started over a year ago - A networking forum with attendees from Record Label Executives, Artists, Promoters, to Publicists, Media Houses, Brand Managers and more (including the General Public).

On April 28th, 2010, Industry Nite will pay tribute to Dagrin.

DAGRIN a charismatic young star whose music impact in the African Hip Hop scene has been revolutionary.

Dagrin performed twice at Industry nite: 5 weeks ago, and before then a year ago when he was relatively unknown.

His passing at 23 has stunned the Entertainment Industry not least his family,friends and fans.

'The Industry unites for DAGRIN', will pay homage to DAGRIN'S legacy and contribution to the African Music Industry.

Monetary donations will be collected at the entrance of the venue and ALL proceeds go to DAGRIN'S family.

Performances from an All star line up of artists have donated their time to payhomage and respect to Dagrin: GT Guitarman,Omawumi, TosinMartins, Sasha, General Pype, YQ, Sound Sultan, Weird MC, Shank, Waje, Show Dem Camp, Banky W, Lami, Pin Code, Zara, Overdose, Aquadragon, Benny P, Badman Floss and more.

There will also be speeches by major people in the industry to talk about DAGRIN and their relationship with him (business/personal).

Host: Olisa Adibua

Date;28th april,2010

Start time: 8pm

Come with a candle!!!

For more information on Industry Nite please email Matthew Ohio or Ngozi Omambala at industrynightnaija@gmail.com

For Press and Publicity matters regarding industry night please email bobby@bobbytaylor.ca

UNITE FOR DAGRIN.

Tweets Mourns for Dagrin from Friends and Colleagues

Still on the Death of Dagrin, Some of the tweets posted by Dagrin�s friends and industry folks on social networking site, twitter, in reaction to the news are written below.

Dr Sid- Please let�s pay our respects and pray for his family. I ask everyone to please change your avatar to his picture and trend #RIPDAGRIN

Kemi Adetiba- We all pray to rise to the top. We live every 2mrw like it could never be snatched from us. In our  minds. That can never be us.

Ikechukwu- God, it�s true, isn�t it? May the Almighty father accept my brother Dagrin�s soul into heaven and may he rest in perfect peace, Amen.

Munachi Abi- God! Da Grin!!! Lord Jesus no!!!! God please no.no.no.no. It can�t be true

Darey- Pray for the repose of his soul�RIP Dagrin. We shall miss you�your music�your swag�My heart goes to his family

Wande Coal- God bless you Dagrin RIP

BankyW- RIP Da Grin. Lord have mecy on us all. Damn.

Joke Jaiyesimi � Just when your star started shining, death decided to cheat and snatch you away. So sad. RIP Dagrin

Bouqui- Am sooooo sad

D�Prince- R.I.P Da Grin a shining star gone too soon

Glitz at The Future Awards 2010 as Warebi, M.I, Aniebo win

It was a brilliant night of glitz and inspiration as some of Nigeria �s most prominent citizens gathered to celebrate youth who are making the nation proud in sections including science, technology, business, the
media and others at the 2010 edition of the nation�s premier youth event, The Future Awards.

The event held last Sunday evening, at the prestigious Shell Hall of the Muson Centre in Lagos .

With a rousing keynote address by Managing Director of the World Bank, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who called the event �grand�, the guests were asked to refocus their efforts on nation building with a strong eye on the youth of the country who, according to Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, �have, at the event, shown immense potential that gives me hope.�

Warebi

Guests at the event, held in partnership with HiTV and the Federal Ministry of Information, included a high profile delegation from Lagos State that had the First Lady, Abimbola Fashola; the Deputy Governor, Sarah Bisi Sosan the Secretary to the State Government, Princess Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth, Dr. Dolapo Badru, who represented the Governor.

The night was anchored by a high profile team of young people that included musician Naeto C and former MBGN Munachi Abi,  with surprise take over mid-event by Idols West Africa finalist Omawumi and Big Brother Africa winner Kevin Chuwang.

Performances were a major highlight of the event, with spectacular themes that the audience hanged on to. Even more remarkable was that most performances were by a live band. One was a rehash of songs that defined the nation in a nod to Nigeria �s fiftieth anniversary by vocalists Waje, Timi Dakolo, Nene and Essence.

The other was themed The Future of Rap and had young hip hop artistes Lil H, Willy Bang, Mo�Cheddah, Scales and Whizkid revving the crowd up. There was a dance fest that had the nation�s reigning dance groups; �StreetHood� and �Dance na the main Thing� slug it out.

Kefee electrified the crowd with her hit song Kokoroko, and a collabo between Djinee and Bez
had the crowd screaming.

The awards also saw interesting takes on pop culture moments that included a recap by Dr. Reuben Abati and musician Banky W of their controversial articles over the state of the Nigerian music industry.

The winners were then announced across categories. The big winner of the night was young Ify Aniebo, a malaria research scientist who won a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant.

She won the award for Best Use of Science and also beat other nominees like award winning journalist Tolu Ogunlesi, musician Asa, music producer Cobhams Asuquo, youth advocate Toyosi Akerele, movie producer and actress Stephanie Okereke to picking up the Young Person of the Year award. Her plaque was handed over by last year�s winner, D�banj.

9ice Plans Second Album Soon

9ice has  confirmed that he is preparing a new album for a March release and not just that, there will also be four other albums to follow before the year runs out. Is it a grandeur plan?

Contrary to the impression that his album is doing poorly, 9ice said in a telephone chat that his album sold over 750, 000 in its first week of release and in this week alone, another 1.5 million units have been pushed meaning that approximately 2.5million copies of �Tradition� have been sold in CDs. And the next line of projects is the �Versus�.

He said, �a lot of people have been saying �why don�t you sing with this act? Why don�t you work with that act and all that. �Versus� is a concept we�ve (Alapomeji Records) had for a long time and its just time for us to carry it out now. It�s a five album project and its going to be released one after the other but all this year�

The singer explained that the coming albums are so titled to accommodate their features. The first body of work is nearing completion having recorded songs with Mode 9, Da Grin and soon there�ll be a 9ice versus P-Square. The first �Versus� will contain 12-tracks.

Curious about why the artiste is willing to commit hard-to-find revenue to recording five new albums which might or might not have full returns, the singer repeated that it�s (Versus) been a long time dream and the fact that he owns a personal recording studio will help cut cost.

Explaining the economics of the music business, 9ice confessed that the highest royalty paid to an artiste on every unit of  CD sold is, N10. �The street hawkers get it from the marketer for N45 and sell it for N120, N150 and the cost of production of a CD is N35?, he educated.

Commenting on the terms of trading between marketers, distributors and artistes, he said, � no marketer can give N50m on any album, even to those who sell out their album rights outrightly to marketers. Forget about anything you have heard before now or been told in that direction because it never happens.

As for me, I�d rather be paid royalties�.

9ice�s �Tradition� is being distributed by Soforte distributors, an independent distribution company managed by Gbenga Goerge (gospel singer Lara George�s husband cum manager) and operating outside the famous Alaba market.

On what his experience, doing business with Soforte is like, the ethnic singer said, �there are lots of difference.
For once you can know exactly how much you�ve sold. My marketer (in Soforte) can call me up and show full statistics of distribution for my CD.

With Alaba, you don�t get that. The marketer will be afraid that if they show you the record of sales, you might do your own calculation and then find out that he (the marketer) has robbed you and then you (the artiste) will start making demands�.

Overall, the talented father of one expressed optimism for the new year. And even though �Tradition� isn�t heavy on radio, music pundits believe that a good album grows on people with time. Hence, �Tradition� just might settle in as soon as people get to assess and enjoy the album as a fresh body of work and not viewed comparatively with �Gongo Aso�.

Another Hot Single From Nigerian Megastar �9ice�

Barely two weeks after dropping the first single off his up coming album �Tradition� 9ice hits us with the energy. �Energy� the latest single from 9ice has had people anticipating its release since its teaser was posted online.

In this feel good song, 9ice shows us he can be versatile by fine tuning his style and playing with different languages without drawing too far from what makes him 9ice. He doesn�t disappoint with fluidity in his lyrics, playing with words, and still reminding us about his happiness.


Energy produced by Cheepo, who is currently one of the hottest producers on market will have you dancing and bobbing your head to the tune while still reminding you that 9ice is infact a true modern connoisseur of our Tradition.

Gbamu Gbamu and now Energy leave us without a doubt that Tradition will be very well worth the listen and constant rotation.

Links to the song
http://iLike.com/s/AH5ZA
http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/1949031

From: 9ice Facebook Fan Group.

Genevieve Nnaji speaks on her beauty secret

Can you reveal 3 beauty products that you can't do without and why?
Genevieve "I can't do without makeup remover. I've discovered the monent you don't properly wash and clean your face, especially before going to bed, you end up with filth penetrating your pores and the result is spots and acne. I use N0 7 White Makep -up remover and it works fine for me. I also like face washes and I couldn't live without 'Shiseido range'. I've been using it for years now and I've found it works for me. The third product I couldn't do without is the Shiseido toner. It's good because it clears away all the last residue of your cleanser. Its called Softener and is very gentle on your skin.

What's your best beauty advise?
Genevieve "Something I would recommend for any woman is whenever you have the opportunity, let your skin breath. We need oxygen and air on the naked skin. Maybe it's because I have a career in acting, I appear on TV, in films and in adverts so we tend to wear makeup quite often. I find that when I don't need to wear makeup, I let my skin breath. I cleanse, tone, moisturise, and let my skin breath. If you are going to the gym or going to the market, you don't need to wear make-up. The skin in it's natural state eals itself and gets the opportunity to rejuvenate itself.

What other things do you do to keep looking good?
Genevieve "Getting enough sleep is very good, although having said that, I don't think I personally get as much sleep as I should. Apart from sleep, also visit the gym. I used to go every day but I'm trying to cut it down to every other day. I think you need toned, lean muscles and that's what exercise does. My basic routine is running on the threadmill for about 40minutes, then the exercise bike for about 20minutes and then I do a bit of weights to help tone the arms and thighs. I also play squash and tennis occasionally.

Lipstick or lipgloss?
Genevieve "I have very small lips, when you have tiny lips you end up with the colour everywhere but on your lips where you want it. I think lipgloss suits me better. I love Victoria Secrets glosses. The one I tend to use is nude, and it has a tinge of pink.

What kinds of things do you like doing to your hair?
Genevieve "It's weavon, weavon, weavon I'm afraid. I like curly weaveon. I do braids but I can say probably every four years. I actually like natural hair. My hair is moderately long. The last time I wore my natural hair somebody actually walked up to me and asked me if I were broke! I'm serious. I just said OK, that's the last time I go au naturel. (Laughs).

What do you do to relax?
Genevieve "I find it difficult to sit still for long. Other than a manicure and pedicure, I don't do anything. I don't really like massages. Apart from the fact that I don't enjoy someone touching me like that, by the time I've spent ten minutes there I would just feel that I could be doing something else with my time. I have such little patience. I don't mind watching films when I have time and I like watching TV series.

What's your favourite colour?
Genevieve "Earlier in my career when I was receiving so much attention, I thought that if I wore more black I would be less conspicuous, it didn't work. (laughs). Anyway, I still do a lot of black, I think it suits my complexion. I don't really like bright colours because they make me look 'clown like'. But Ive started mixing my blacks with colour.

How would you describe your style?
Genevieve "I like simple things, I treasure comfort. What I feel comfortable in, makes me feel confident. What I wear usually depend on the occasion".

What's your fashion fetish?
Genevieve "I have to say bags and jewellery. I just love bags. I think it's because I'm really a get-up-and-go kind of person. I'm very much into putting on a pair of jean, a top and I'm ready to go. That's the tomboy part of me coming out. (laughs). I like that look and the only thing that can make you look 'dressed' is a really good bag. I love the artistry of bags. I love the artwork and craftsmanship that goes into making a really good bag. I don't really go for trends, I prefer classic looks and bags that can last forever and never go out of style.

Would you ever consider plastic surgery?
Genevieve "I always say never say never. Realistically this is what I do for a living. This is what puts money in my pocket and food on my table and you do have to do what you have to do. So I have to make sure I look good. Who knows in 20 years how I feel? The truth is that our industry relies a lot on the way you look, that's why I'm doing everything I can not to resort to the knife in the future. That's why I go to the gym to get the fat out and look toned and leaned

She shared her beauty secrets with Desola Bakare of Encomium magazine