D'banj and Don Jazzy shun Solek's Birthday Bash

D'banj, Don Jazzy and other members of the Mo'Hits crew shunned Mr. Solek's birthday bash last weekend after they all got invitations.

Klieglights was told by those who should know that Mr. Solek, who was one of Don Jazzy's benefactor while he was in the UK, was not too happy with the absence of the self-made millionaires but had taken it in his stride and returned to his UK base.

Mr. Solek, it was learned, had personally sent the invitation and called Don Jazzy and D'banj, who used to be close to him when they were in the UK, to honour him at the event, but was disappointed when he couldn't see them at the party.

When he called the Mo'Hits stars, they apologised, saying they were far away in Abuja, though it is believed that they were in the Victoria Island axis on the said day. The birthday bash, which took place at the Biola Adegoke-owned Da Nu Grotto Nightclub on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island had several music acts in attendance. ID Cabasa, 9ice and Artquake were among those present at the party, which lasted several hours

Family Friendly – ‘Aki & Pawpaw’

Warm greetings to my people out there and thanks for your responses to the story I featured last week. I was already working on a follow up to the story and was going to look at why people get into extra-marital and the way out of it but all that changed when I got some calls from a couple of concerned mothers from 4 different states of the federation expressing concern over two of our most celebrated

Nollywood artistes and the impact of their movies on their children.

One of them said she visited a friend and they were seeing one of the movies where Aki and Pawpaw featured as lead artistes. On getting home that evening a close relative came visiting and as she knelt down to greet her everyone was shocked as her 5year old ran close to the lady, grabbed her breast and told her 'I have enough money to spend on you o'

The mother was too shocked to utter a word and started flogging the boy until she later realized the poor boy was only practicing what he had seen in the movie he saw earlier in the day.

The other people that called also shared similar stories although one of them was a violent story and she was able to trace it to the movie where our celebrated actors featured.

I have followed with keen interest Dr. Reuben Abati's write up on the music industry and the response of one of the persons concerned and I hope to share my take on the whole saga soonest but I hope one day we won't wake up and look back at the damage we have done to our generation in the name of singing hit songs.

When I raised the alarm that the ages of sexual initiation in Nigeria had dropped to 7 many people didn't agree with me but the truth right now is that so many 7year olds are already trying to get involved in sexual activities no thanks to some of our movies and songs.

Getting back to Aki and Pawpaw. I was one of their fans when they started out simply because I watch more of comedy than other serious minded stuffs. But lately I wouldn't know what has happened that has switched their gaze from being role-models to our children to trying to engage in adult's stuffs(I know they are not children) which is endangering our children.

I know someone out there might say the films have a 16+ rating but we all know that doesn't work in this part of the world.

I am aware these two actors are no spring chicken but they must realize their most ardent followers are our children. At a point they even featured in an advertisement of a children friendly product.

Apart from the lack of content and how realistic some of their latest movies are I do think they don't need to feature in adults stuffs to show our children they are adults. Nobody can take it away from them that they have turned what looked like a disadvantage to an advantage and we are proud of their achievements however their latest acts leave much to be desired.

I tried to confirm the issues some of the mothers raised last week and fortunately there was a movie that day on African magic titled 'Colonel'( I hope I didn't get the title wrong). It was full of violence with the two of them acting as leaders of rival cult groups in a university. They forced ladies to bed and made some of the girls to say all sorts about their dexterity in bed. I saw another one where Aki had bodyguards and would shoot to death anyone that didn't co-operate with him.

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Sex-for-role actresses are quacks----Uche Ogbodo

You can’t ignore Uche ogbodo for many reasons. One, she is a well-endowed lady while the other reason is the obvious cross and flower tattoo on her arm. She spoke with SAMUEL OLATUNJI on her rising career and what has kept her in the acting world.

Why did your dad introduce you to Nollywood?
Well, I’ll say he believed in me. Parents always have the thought that Nollywood is a not a place where you can take your child, especially when you are concerned about the wellbeing of the child. That is a wrong belief about Nollywood. The thing is between the parent and the child; the way parents raise their children also has great impact to do with situations like this. My father saw that I could make it from this part of the industry and he believes strongly in me because he has seen me do it before.

So, how has it been for five years?
It has been fun, and I am grateful to God because some people have been in this same industry for a long period of time, yet there is nothing much to show for it. So I give all the thanks to God. When it all started, I knew I was going to hit-the-peak, but I did not know how it would happen though I have the skill any good actress could possess.

What brought you this far?
It’s hard work and God of course. I will also say I had the opportunity, perhaps I came in at the right time when someone like me was really needed, so I just grabbed the opportunity and I made the best use of it.

Does it have anything to do with ‘behind closed doors deals’ with marketers?
(laugh) Why does everybody think like that? I want to tell you something very important. I have never and I will never sleep with a marketer for a role. For those that sleep with marketers, I will say they are scared of getting good roles because they know they are not good at acting. They believe that if they don’t go down with a marketer, they won’t get the job. I have never dated marketers for jobs. It has never been a priority for me, that is why I don’t give them positive answer.

Does it mean that no marketer has ever approached you?
They are men, you know. Marketers are not aliens and they are not made of steel. Some of them may be attracted to me and they ask me out. I might say yes if I like them and say no if I don’t. It happens that I have never seen anyone I like. So the answer has always been a constant no.

What are those things that can result into the rise or fall of an actress?
Hmmm. Commitment to your job and hard work. Try to learn new things every new day. Nobody knows it all. An actress can rise when she wants to learn from the people around her and there must be something that you believe strongly in by your side, it is either God or god. So, the power behind you will determine how far you will go plus your commitment to your job, I think it’d helps. Then what makes them fall is when they think they know it all, they tend to remain stagnant, they don’t like to learn new things and it is traceable to every aspect of life. When you are tired of learning new techniques, people will also be tired of you. When people see that all they do is repetition, why would they use you in their movies? So, it’s a very simple logic.

Why I am hunting for “Stupid” talents like me — Mr. Ibu

WHETHER on or out of movie set, it is difficult to separate John Okafor the comedian and John Okafor, the family man. An all round comedian who never fails to bring laughter to faces of people he accosts, John “Ibu” Okafor has decided to re-create himself in young Nigerians who would be willing to ply the trade of comedy in his new talent hunt programme “Mr. Ibu & friends”.

Why has the tour “Laughter Importation” yet to take off?
To be honest with you, the project has been aborted. It failed because its main sponsor embarked on a trip to the United States of America. Since he travelled, we have not heard from him.

Why did you not just go for another sponsor?

The idea was not mine alone, so it was not my decision to change him.

Must you continue to wait for his return?

That is what it looks like.

How have you been coping, giving the lull in Nollywood?

I have coped with God's grace. The real reason why we are not working is because there exist presently a conflict in the industry, despite the efforts of government to regulate distribution. The guilds are not in peace. They are all in disarray. The only guild that seems to be intact is the piracy guild. They are the most organized guild in Nollywood.

If that is so, why have other guilds not borrowed a leaf from the piracy guild?

The executives of that guild are people with crafty and smart ideas, maybe not entirely credible. That is why they are succeeding. You know it is difficult to succeed when you are doing legitimate business. But these people are full of thieving propensities, reaping where they have not sown.

Are you encouraging the recognition of the piracy guild?

No. The piracy guild is full of thieves. As they say, everyday for the thief, one day for the owner of the house. If only the legitimate guilds can united and co-operate in Nollywood, the days of the piracy guild are numbered.

Is the “stupidity” business still raking in good money?

Sure. The business of stupidity is still paying off for me. I am using this medium to encourage parents with kids who look and act stupid to keep their fingers crossed, for good fortune is coming their way soon. Don't condemn them or get tired of them, bring them to me. We will ensure they are trained to know how to harness their stupidity through comedy.

You talk as if you intend to start an academy to train comedians.

Not an academy, but a talent programme . I have tagged it “Ibu and friends”. Through this programme, we intend to fish out crude but untapped talents, from the crudest areas of Nigeria,

There are so many talents in our ghetto settings, despite the fact that they are unschooled. We want to expose them, give them the opportunity to be exposed in order to make money with their stupidity.

Omotola stuns all with dark goggles

The recent experiment of ‘effizi’ exhibited by Omotola Jolade Ekeinde could probably pass for one of the stunts that go with being a star or so.

It beats the imagination why Omo Sexy, who breezed into the final lap of the event with her black and white attire, wore a big dark sunshade in an enclosed place in the evening.

Curious also is the fact that after acknowledging her presence, the trim actress settled down to read a magazine with her goggles on.

However, she may not know the reaction of some of the people at the event. The truth is that the majority sighed and hissed.

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