Gerritnow: Jessica Simpson Yana Boots Giveaway

Check out this lovely Jessica Simpson Yana Boots Giveaway on Gerritnow.blogspot.com

You can win this, by leaving a comment with your shoe size and color.

Check it out HERE

Two Shotz, Kemistry at L.A.s Finest event

Naija's finest will be performing at the LA's Finest event on the 20th of December 2008 at Fantasy land in Ikoyi starting from 8:00pm. The list of performing artists consists:

B.O.U.Q.U.I., Kemistry, Blaise, Kel, Big Lo, OJB Jezreel, Lord of Ajasa, Bigiano, J. Martins, Klever Jay, YQ, MP, Eldee, Two Shotz, Timaya, Eedris Abdulkareem, and the list goes on. It will be a packed star studded event. DJ Jimmy Jatt will also be attending..

Tickets will be selling for N2,500 for Gold, N5,000 for Silver and N10,000 for platinum.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a Lagos-based charity home which shall be named during the event.

So my peeps...make sure you go out there and boogie..

Projects Fame West Africa 2008 winner

Cross Rivers state born Inyanya Mbuk of Nigeria has finally emerged the winner of the MTN Project Fame West Africa. The winner was decided strictly with viewers votes which has in the last one week till 8pm on Saturday been collated, verified and presented by Alexander Forbes Consulting, a leading human resources and employee benefit firm in Nigeria .

Inyanya was declared winner of the ten weeks long musical contest on Sunday 7th of December 2008, at the Ultima studio in Ogba, Lagos, venue of the Finals of the show, after defeating the other three finalists to the Ultimate prize of the Africa most popular musical television show that has attracted a whole lot of viewer ship across Africa.

He was presented with 2.5 million Naira, an international recording deal and a 2008 Toyota Rav 4, fully loaded car.

Ghanaian born Nii Anka was the runner up, and was presented with the sum of N 2 Million and a 2008 model Toyota Corolla Fully loaded car.

Praise Adejo of Nigeria was third and went home with N1.5 Million and a 2008 model Toyota Yaris, Fully loaded car and Annette cookie of Nigeria, came fourth and went home with 1 million Naira only.

The contest started on 28th of September, with 15 talented contestants chosen among the final 18 that were short listed from the thousands of entries across West Africa were exposed to the several weeks of training in different areas of musical performances, dance and choreography.

Inyanya said, “ I am very thankful to MTN and other organizers of the show for giving me the wonderful opportunity, I can bet you guys that the Inyanya I am today is not the Inyanya you used to know in terms of music, I am really grateful to God who has allowed what happened today to be. This is just the beginning of greater things in my life. At first I was scared because at a point I saw somebody who has never been on probation before being evicted from the academy, but I kept believing in God, I kept believing in myself and I kept believing in the wonderful people around the world that are showing faith in me. Everybody was a strong opponent because everybody in the academy has a unique quality but all I had to do was to work harder, listen to the faculty of the academy and do what they ask me to do, and that was what got me to this end”.

Great things abound for this young man. Congratulations once again Inyanya.

Arsenal out of the Carling Cup

Ade Akinbiyi's Burnley defeated Arsenal's young guns in a Carling Cup quarterfinal match
with a 2-0 win. Both goals came through Kevin McDonald.

Burnley was joined in the semi-final by fellow Championship side Derby County which defeated Seyi Olofinjana's Stoke City 1-0 in the Brittania Stadium thanks to a stoppage time penalty converted by Nathan Ellington.

Bisola exits Project Fame West Africa

Four left at the Academy and Bisola is not amongst them. She was evicted but was heard saying she felt good to be evicted after nine weeks in the Academy as it was an honour to have been there for such a long time. She thanked MTN, Ultima Limited, her fans and friends for the experience. She being as cheerful as ever, graced us all with her comedic skills one more time as she said her goodbyes.

Bisola attended her graduation party at Black Pearl in Victoria Island Lagos Nigeria and she was joined by her fans, friends and well wishers. We wish her all the best in her next endeavors.

Tonestar in the making

Tonestar’s career has been blossoming in the United States but he's still keeping it real to his Nigerian roots.

Anthony “Tonestar” Igbozulike, a native of Imo State, Nigeria. At the young age of 22, he has opened shows for artists including Faze, Dbanj and Rick Ross. He's also performed in Nigeria and Washington DC.

Tonestar comes out with a blend of both American and African hip hop and you can not forget this young man.

In a recent interview tonestar was heard saying “Follow your dreams and what you believe in and don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do it,” Just believe basically..

Many more things are to come from this talented young Naija star..

ARISE magazine

The 'ARISE' magazine was launched at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
'The Africa Issue' features designs by Naija designers such as Fati Asibelua of MOMO Couture and Deola Sagoe. Go get your copy now..

FDC Young Designer Awards 2008

Fashion Designers’ & Craft Makers’ Network held the annual, innovative 2008 Young Designer Awards and Gala Showcase at the Novotel London Hotel St. Pancras 100 Euston Road London NW1. The press, friends and families gathered together for what was an impressive and exciting award ceremony. The awards was established by knitwear designer Joanna Marcella with the aim to help raise profile of exceptionally gifted avant-garde young designers from multicultural backgrounds aged between 15 – 25 years.

Winners in the different categories were:

Young Designer Award category

Catherine Mc Aleer aged 19

Avant-Garde Award 21 – 25 category

Flett Bertram aged 21

Award winners will be given an opportunity to participate on a year long UK tour and showcase, which is a new exposure and awareness initiative. They will also receive mentoring and support accessing resources, such as, public relations, marketing, advice and general support, as they launch and build their fashion businesses.

MTV Africa Music Awards

The highly expected first ever MTV Africa Music Awards finally took place at the Veloderome in Abuja. Nigerian artists represented the winners table immensely.

The table looks like this:

BEST MALE
D’Banj (Nigeria)

BEST FEMALE
Wahu (Kenya)

BEST GROUP
P Square (Nigeria)

BEST HIP-HOP
9ice (Nigeria)

BEST NEW ACT
Naeto C (Nigeria)

BEST LIVE PERFORMER
Jozi (South Africa)

BEST ALTERNATIVE
Seether (South Africa)

BEST R&B
Alicia Keys (USA)

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
D’Banj (Nigeria)

BEST VIDEO
Ikechukwu (Nigeria) – Wind Am Well

MAMAs LEGEND
Fela Anikulapo Kuti

LISTENER’S CHOICE AWARD
D’Banj (Nigeria) – ‘Why Me’

BIG UP Naija!!!

Nkem Owoh 'Osuofia in London' is alive and well

Recent rumours have it that popular Nollywood star, Nkem Owoh died of complications from rupture of hard drugs he allegedly ingested for trafficking in Saudi Arabia.. but it is all false rumours...he is neither dead nor involved in any drug trafficking.

Nkem Owoh is widely known for producing and acting in the hit movie, 'Osuofia in London'.

Members of the public have been asked by the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) President - Mr Asiegbu - to stop spreading "such rumours about icons of Nollywood". He further claimed that the members of AGN are responsible and law abiding citizens.

Who is Amplifyd

Peeps are loving the new song from Amplifyd called 'Babi Babi' especially after Disco Peperempe. I have become a fan too. Have a listen

Students of Project Fame go on probation

The remaining seven students of Project Fame were all placed on probation following a series of performances. Five of the academy's students placed on probation last week were: Caroline, Kojo, Inyanya, Bisola and Dorcas. Dorcas and Caroline were finally evicted from the academy.

The judges'after complimenting the students for a job well done still chose to place all of them on probation.

With all seven students on probation, the two students with the lowest amount of votes will be evicted at the end of the week. So vote now to save your favourite student from being the next to be evicted.

Chinedu Obasi and TSG Hoffenheim

Nigerian international Chinedu Ogbuke-Obasi kept TSG Hoffenheim second in the German Bundesliga on goal difference from Bayer Leverkusen with a goal 20 minutes from time

Bundesliga league top scorer Vedad Ibisevic and Eduardo had put Hoffenheim twice ahead but Wolfsburg twice came back before Chinedu Ogbuke-Obasi sealed a 3-2 win for the surprise team of the Bundesliga, his eighth this season.

The results leave Leverkusen and Hoffenheim three points clear at the top ahead of third placed champions Bayern Munich.

Supermodel Oluchi comes to Africa with next top model

The next top model is coming to Africa in January 2009 and supermodel Oluchi is going to be the host. The show will follow the same format as the original American’s Next Top Model created by Tyra Banks.
West Africa’s next top model show will be produced by StatsMedia Group who have been granted the exclusive rights from CBS Paramount International Television to produce this reality show in Africa. Check back here for more..

ElDee and Dolapo

Happy wedlock to the rising Naija artist ElDee (lanre Dabiri) and his wife Dolapo.

The couple started dating since they were students of the University of Lagos. They have grown together and are madly in love and are now husband and wife. Congratulations..

Nigerian Artists at the World Music Awards in Monaco

Nigerian artists Tuface Idibia, Sasha Alabi, Tola Odunsi and Dayo Adeneye were at the World Music Awards over the weekend in Monaco. The World Music Awards recognizes the best selling artists worldwide.

Guests included Mariah Carey, Beyonce & Solange Knowles, Leona Lewis, Alicia Keys and many other international stars. TuFace performed his mega-hit ‘African Queen’ during the main awards show and won the ‘Best Nigerian Artist’ award.

Miriam Makeba dies at 76

South African music legend, Miriam Makeba has died at age 76 after taken ill near the southern Italian town of Caserta after a concert. She died overnight after singing with Roberto Saviano, a writer threatened with death by the Mafia.

Known as "Mama Africa", she was the legendary voice of Africa.

Makeba became a symbol of the fight against apartheid in her home country. She was born in Johannesburg on March 4, 1932. She made an international farewell tour in 2005.

Born from a Swazi mother and Xhosa father, Makeba captured international attention as vocalist for the South African group, The Manhattan Brothers, while they toured the United States in 1959. The following year, when she wanted to return home to bury her mother, the apartheid state revoked her citizenship and later also banned her music. As a result she spent 31 years in exile, living in the United States and later in Guinea.

She became the first black African woman to receive a Grammy Award which she shared with folk singer Harry Belafonte in 1965. Two years later her fame sky-rocketed with the recording of the all-time hit "Pata Pata" (Xhosa for "touch, touch" describing a township dance) although she unknowingly signed away all royalties on the song.

She hit an all-time low in 1985 when her only daughter, Bongi, died aged 36 from complications from a miscarriage. Makeba did not have money to buy a coffin for Bongi, and buried her alone barring a handful of journalists covering the funeral. But she picked herself up again, as she did many times before, like when her father died at a young age, or when she recovered from cervix cancer, or her many unhappy relationships, or unfounded rumours of alcoholism, according to her biography.

She returned to South Africa in the 1990s after Mandela was released from prison but it took a cash-strapped Makeba six years to find someone in the local recording industry to produce a record with her. She since released "Homeland" which contains a song describing her joy to be back home after the many years in exile in which she spoke out against apartheid and testified twice before the United Nations.

"I kept my culture. I kept the music of my roots. Through my music I became this voice and image of Africa and the people without even realizing," she said in her biography. {SOURCE}

Barack a hot name for new babies

Decontee Williams was so excited by Barack Obama's victory on Tuesday night that she started jumping up and down — and went into labor. Twelve hours later, Barack Jeilah was born at Phoenix Baptist Hospital to Williams and Prince Jeilah. The baby was 8 pounds 9 ounces and had a full head of hair.

"I love Barack Obama, and I love the name," said Williams, 31, who came to the United States as a refugee from Liberia in 2003. "In Africa, we call it a blessing. That is a good name."

In the last week, Barack, Obama, Michelle, Malia and Sasha have become inspirations for first and middle names across the United States, according to news reports. But the Obama baby boom has been even more pronounced in Kenya, particularly in Kisumu, an area in the western part of the country where relatives of Obama live.

From Election Day through Saturday afternoon, 43 children born at the Nyanza Provincial Hospital in Kisumu were named after the Obamas, with 23 boys given the first and middle name Barack Obama and 20 girls named Michelle Obama.

Pamela Odhiambo, who gave birth to a girl during Obama's victory speech in Chicago, named her Michelle Obama. "It's a new start, a new beginning," said Odhiambo, 18. {SOURCE}

Kelly Rowland and the MTV Africa Music Awards

R&B star Kelly Rowland will be flying to Abuja, Nigeria on 22 November to perform at the first ever MTV Africa Music Awards.
5000 tickets are to go on sale on 10 November, The tickets are priced at 5,000 Naira (standing tickets) and 10,000 Naira for Gold Access (seated tickets).

Tickets will be available at:

Lagos - The Silverbird Galleria and Planet One
Abuja - The Nicon Luxury Hotel, and the Mediterranean Entertainment Centre.

The tickets are expected to sell out so hurry on and grab those tickets.

Who is Stephanie Okereke

Nollywood star actress Stephanie Okereke launched her new movie ‘Through The Glass’ at the Silver Screen Theatre of the Pacific Design Centre in Hollywood, California. It stars Garreth Mckerchnie with Stephanie Okereke, Cheyenne Christenson, Brion Rose, Ranier L. Kenny, Geno Giordian, among others. Stephanie graduated from the ‘New York Film Academy’ and this is her first self-produced commercially released movie.

This new movie tells the story of a playboy who finds himself suddenly saddled with a baby, he then seeks the help of his neighbour (Stephanie Okereke). The Nollywood star received an Award of Recognition from the California Legislature Assembly.
Stephanie also has a clothing line called ‘The SO Collection’.
Great things are happening for Stephanie and we wish her all the best.

Check out Phunk Afrique

The raving designer at the moment..Is it the colourful fabrics, cuts or creativity..Phunk Afrique has got it..There's something to wear for any occasion from the collection..Check out these stunning photos...

Shoobeedoo video by Ikechukwu

By popular demand...watch video..

Ikechukwu and SHOOBEEDOO

Storm recording artiste, Ikechukwu just premiered his brand new video ‘SHOOBEEDOO (SHE MAKES ME GO)’. Ikechukwu won ‘Best Male Video’ at the Channel O Music Video Awards in October.The single comes off his brand new album ‘The Life & Time of Killz - Volume I’ which will be out by Christmas 2008.

Lewis Hamilton F1 Champion

ARGUABLY the most dramatic end to a world title race in Formula One history culminated in Lewis Hamilton becoming the sport's youngest world champion.

Hamilton's father Anthony was lost for words, telling ITV1: "I can't say (what I'm feeling).

"I can't find any words – it's absolutely great." With many of the Interlagos crowd booing the result, he added: "That's a shame the crowd is doing this – they should be fair sports people.

"Oh well – on to the next one." The 23-year-old himself was similarly speechless, saying: "Amazing, I can't get my breath back." [SOURCE]

Jahdiel and Gospel music

Jahdiel is a gospel artiste and is definitely doing her thang. Her hit song ‘Heritage’ is absolutely inspiring. Her voice is truely beautiful and has a lot of heart into it.

Omawumi and Music

Who is Omawumi and how is she affecting music? Well, meet this sassy and powerhouse singer from Idols West Africa that is making an impact in the music industry. Her performance always resonates power and her talent is unmeasurable. She is not only a singer but also a songwriter..Kudos to her...
Check out Omawumi's 'In the Music'. The song has an international appeal and is very memorable..

Nollywood Rukky Sanda

Rukky (Rukayat), Graduate of the Lagos State University, is definitely not a rookie in the movie industry. This stunningly beautiful actress, was born in Lagos. A few years back she chose Nollywood over working in the banking industry. Rukky is a real talent, has a really good dress sense and very confident. She has also produced several movies.

Project Fame students meet fans at UNILAG

Fans and friends of the four talented contestants who were placed on probation on Sunday 26th of October in the ongoing project fame academy had the opportunity of meeting their favourite contestants on Wednesday 29th of October.

The four contestants that visited the Unilag complex are Dorcas Yeboah (number 15) and Nii Ankra (number 3) both from Ghana, Caroline Agbonlahor (number 1) and Sopriye Opunsuju (number 12) both from Nigeria. They were hosted to an exciting event at the university campus where they met their fans, solicited for their votes and even signed autographs.

Viewers of the MTN Project Fame West Africa Academy are advised to send in their votes as many times as possible through their MTN lines to keep their favourite contestants in the academy for as long as the contest lasts as one of these four will be evicted this weekend in the fourth elimination round show.

The fifth elimination round show will take place on Saturday 1st of November where one of the four contestants on probation will be eliminated. The show will be broadcasted on AIT from 6:00 – 7:00 pm, NTA 12:00-1:00am, Nigezie serialized channels on Hi Tv and free to air stations, Superscreen, MBI and MITV at 7:00-8:00pm. [SOURCE]

Oluchi - The Face of Africa

In Nigeria, her name means work of God. Oluchi was born in Lagos. Before her rise in the fashion industry, Oluchi's tall and thin frame once earned her cruel nicknames at school. Nevertheless, young Oluchi enjoyed her days cooking and cleaning with a sense of self satisfaction. This blend of maturity accounts for where Oluchi is today..A supermodel, some call her superwoman.

MNET, Africa's premiere network launched a search for the face of Africa, someone who will embody the beauty and dignity of the Continent.

After an intense question and answer session in Zimbabwe, 12 contestants stood on the final stage and Oluchi was crowned the official Face of Africa. Oluchi's website

Lawsuit for Oprah Winfrey's school

A former dormitory matron at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa is back in court to face charges of abusing students. In the United States, another former employee is suing Oprah Winfrey for defamation.

Jennifer Hudson Faces Tragedy

The mother and brother of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson were shot down in a Chicago home. Now, an Amber Alert has been issued for Hudson's missing nephew. Cynthia Bowers reports.

Simone Williams

Sensual, modern, feminine, beautiful, only a few of the words used to describe the Simone Williams collection. Ranging from cutting edge denim street wear to sophisticated evening wear the Simone Williams collection has something to suit every discerning and fashionable woman. Her unique creative vision and eye for beauty has led to a collection filled with stunning one off ready to wear pieces that create attention wherever worn. [SOURCE]

Nigeria Expo 2008

The London Docklands, this weekend (24th/25th October), will be the epicenter of Nigerian global business relations, as the fifth Best of Nigeria Expo holds at the Excel centre.

The initiative, which was conceived in November 2003 and launched a year after at the Wembley Exhibition Hall, has established itself as the vital platform for projecting Nigeria's resources to the world at large.

This two day event, which will be crowned by Dinner & Dance on Sunday 26th October, is expected to attract well over ten thousand people from all over Europe and will inevitably create great benefits and opportunities for exhibitors whilst they interface with the visitors.

A pre-expo conference titled 'Accessing Nigeria's Investment Opportunities' will take place on Friday the 24th of October at the Excel Centre. The Expo will also feature a fashion show of exquisite and breathtaking designs from leading Nigerian fashion designers, and a two-day concert featuring world renowned Nigerian artistes. [SOURCE]

Wande Coal

Wande Coal is one of the best artistes that Mo'hits has produced after the kokomaster himself, D'banj. This young man came and took over the Naija music industry with his voice. He brought back the power of love songs into the industry and ever since, his presence has always been felt.

He has featured in albums such as Naeto C's Ashewo and Ikechukwu's Like You and almost all the the songs on the Mo'hits All Stars 'Curiculum Vitae' album.

Two of his songs making serious waves in Naija now and possibly across the globe, are "Ololufe" and "Banana".

Wande Coal has not released an album yet. Sources close to Mo'hits records say he might release an album before the end of 2008...stay tuned....