Tag: Nollywood
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Why I chose to ignore my ex-wife’s allegations – Olakunle ‘Abounce’ Fawole
Nollywood actor, Olakunle Fawole, popularly known as Abounce has stated why he refused to react over the backlashes and criticisms, his ex-wife, actress Yvonne Jegede throw at him.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that Olakunle got married to Yvonne back in 2017.
However, Jegede shocked many when she revealed that she quit her marriage three months after she was pregnant with her son.
She said: “We started having issues before the birth of Xavier. I think I was about two to three months pregnant when the issues came. Immediately the issues came, there was never a dull moment, it just kept going up and up and it got worse and it got bad and today here we are.
“Right now, we are not living together, and we are not living as husband and wife, we are not husband and wife anymore and I would say a mutual agreement to go our separate ways. It didn’t work out, it wasn’t working out.”
Despite the allegations, Jegede levelled against Fawole, the actor kept mum on the issue of their separation.
Sharing why he kept mum over Jegede’s allegations, Fawole said: ”I think I am just a calm person, that’s it, that’s why I choose to ignore them. I feel it is not worth it, there is no need. Well, I can say I am single for now,” he told independent.ng.
ALSO READ || My son is now asking to know his father – Actress Yvonne Jegede cries out
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Nollywood cannot replace me- Tonto Dikeh declares
Controversial actress, Tonto Dikeh has stated that she cannot be replaced in Nollywood. The fashionable role interpreter made this known in an Instagram live session she had with MMMG boss, Ubi Franklin, during the week.
“She said, “The industry can never replace me. I say this as a king and a woman. Nollywood can never replace me because I brought in so much to the industry. I brought in so much to the table.”
Speaking further, Dikeh added that Nigerians detest strong women.
“The truth is that as Nigerians, we don’t love strong women. We actually detest them because we fear them, not necessarily because we hate them. We are not used to people speaking their minds. I don’t just say things because I want to drive a point; I hate to be taken for granted. How many times have you seen me fight? Truth is, I am a social media sensation and everything about me goes viral.”
Baring her mind on the menace of sex-for-roles in Nollywood, Dikeh said, “It’ is very rampant in the industry. I always say my situation was different because the industry actually needed me. We didn’t have many leading actresses then, apart from me and Mercy Johnson. I won’t say I was rude; I would rather say I was principled, so they couldn’t bring such offers to me. I never went for auditions because they knew I was so good. I probably went for auditions once or twice, when they asked me to come and just show my face. It was different for me. I think the new generation of actors need to work on themselves. There are a lot of people who can act but there are a few people who can act exceptionally.
“We keep blaming these men but sometimes, the women actually offer themselves. I know of a producer in Asaba (Delta State) who used to receive over 5,000 messages from young ladies. He was one of the people who helped me in the industry.”
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COVID-19 pandemic shuts down Nollywood productions, movie premieres
Nollywood movie premieres and productions have been affected by the spread of coronavirus TheNewsGuru reports.
Popular movie producer, Emem Isong Misodi recently suspended the ongoing shoot of her TV series ‘City Crimes as a result of coronavirus scare.
In her words:” The filming of CITY CRIMES TV SERIES has been STOPPED till further notice. At @_royalartsacademy, nothing is more important to us than the safety of our cast, crew and students. Due to the pandemic that has enveloped the globe and in line the Government directive of no more than 20 people at a gathering we have shut down the filming of the series #CityCrimes, A @royalartacademy production for @roknigeria despite the terrible financial implication but health and safety remains first. Let’s stay Safe guys and PRAY for God to heal our land”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-EYdvmnadK/
In the same vein, Nollywood actor, Fredrick Leonard who has been promoting a movie ‘Our Jesus Story’ announced via his Instagram page that the release date has been postponed.
“The much anticipated Movie, #OurJesusStory produced by O.J Productions and Directed by @tchidichikereofficial has been POSTPONED till further Notice because of the pandemic, Coronavirus.We will keep you updated on the new release date”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Cop2rBQan/
The anticipated release date of ‘Fate of Alakada’, the latest instalment of Toyin Abraham’s Alakada comedy franchise has joined the list of ongoing film productions taking the brunt of the coronavirus outbreak.
On Monday, March 23, 2020, producer Toyin Abraham shared a video announcing the immediate suspension of the movie’s premiere billed for the 29th of March and its theatrical release on 3rd of April.
Some Yoruba movie practitioners who had scheduled movie shoots have temporarily suspended them TheNewsGuru reports.
A filmmaker known more in the Yoruba movie circuit noted that the pandemic, coronavirus has affected her movie shoot which was meant to commence this week.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-E8v_wH-Mz/
Cinema exhibitors are also being hit hard.
Filmhouse and Genesis, two cinema exhibitors, have temporary shutdown operations in Lagos in compliance with state government’s restriction on large gatherings to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Filmhouse released a statement on Sunday, announcing the closure “to ensure the maximum safety of our guests and staff.”
“In response to state government advice concerning the spread of COVID-19. we are temporarily closing all of our Lagos cinemas to ensure the maximum safety of our guests and staff,” it said.
“We look forward to welcoming you with the best possible cinema experience as soon as things return to normal.
“In the meantime, continue to follow the recommended guidelines for hygiene and social distancing in order to keep yourself, family, and friends safe and healthy.”
Dear movie lovers,
In response to State Governments advice concerning the spread of #covid_19 we are temporarily closing all our Lagos cinemas to ensure maximum safety of all our guests and staff. In meantime, let’s all try and adopt preventive measures to avoid the pandemic pic.twitter.com/RaVgW2VLal
— Filmhouse Cinemas Ng (@FilmhouseCinema) March 22, 2020
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AGN, not Nollywood honoured woman-beating Senator Abbo – Alex Eyengho
Former President of the Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP) and current Vice President (Africa) of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), Comrade Alex Eyengho has described as “annoyingly misleading” the report in some media outfits that Nollywood recently honoured Senator Ishaku Elisha Cliff Abbo at an event in Abuja, describing it as “falsehood taken too far for selfish reasons by those involved.”
Comrade Eyengho stated that the “so-called award” given to Senator Abbo was from a group of handful of members of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and certainly not the entire AGN as a guild or Nollywood as an industry of creatives, adding that it was absolutely impossible for Nollywood or indeed any right thinking association or guild in Nollywood to honor Senator Abbo for any reason whatsoever.
Said the award-winning filmmaker, “Nollywood honours Senator Abbo? For what? For being a woman beater inside a sex toy shop or for further aggressivelly showing off his temper towards Senator Oluremi Tinubu during the committee sitting set up by the Senate to investigate the allegations against him?The headline of the report of the so-called award is as nauseating as it is misleading. First, the AGN is one of the many guilds and bodies for actors operating in Nollywood. AGN alone is not and cannot be Nollywood because Nollywood is the collection of all associations and guilds in the Nigerian motion picture industry with the brand name Nollywood. My investigation revealed that even a majority of AGN members did not subscribe to this backdoor honour on this less than a role model Senator by a tiny cabal within the AGN fold. No right-thinking Nollywood stakeholder would subscribe to honouring Senator Abbo, no matter the financial inducement. It is insulting to the sensibilities of women generally, AGN as a guild and Nollywood as an industry of creatives. It is akin to rewarding bad behaviour by people occupying high offices in our society.”
Comrade Eyengho called on stakeholders in the industry, particularly his female colleagues to speak out against this despicable act by a few persons in AGN who made failed effort to rub it off negatively on the entire industry, adding, “it is akin to show me your friend and I will tell you who you are.”
“It is the prerogative of AGN to make whoever it so pleases patron of the guild, if it is okayed by majority of its members. However, it should end there and never used to taint the Nollywood brand by presenting it as a beggarlly and very unserious industry. This is why I am using this opportunity to call on the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to fast-track the presentation of our Motion Picture Practitioners Council (MOPICON) document with him as an Executive bill in the National Assembly. With a MOPICON in place, these nonsense by some practitioners and gatecrashers in the industry will be curbed if not totally stopped,” Eyengho stated.
“Going forward, I advise members of AGN to prevail on its leaders involved to immediately return to Senator Abbo the $1000 I heard he gave to them and withdraw whatever recognition/award they may have erroneously given to him. Senator Abbo is not befitting to be the patron of any guild or association in Nollywood. The lie that he will help the industry push the MOPICON document as a bill in the Senate is bunkum. In fact, I am strongly of the opinion that should he associate with the MOPICON document, other serious-minded Senators in the red chamber will treat the document as corona virus and ultimately quarantine it forever. Nollywood should be properly guided,” the ever outspoken Eyengho added.
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Nollywood actress Foluke Daramola debunks death rumours
Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola has debunked rumours of her untimely death.
The actress made this known via her Instagram page, where she shared a video to buttress her point.
In the video, Daramola, who was not happy over the widespread of the news, placed a curse on those spreading the rumours around that she had died.
“Hi guys, how are you all doing. I do not know where people are getting the impression that I have died. I do not know who died o.
“It is my enemies that will die. It is their family and everybody that wishes me dead that will die.
“I, Foluke Daramola is not dead.
I am living to the glory of God. So whoever is telling you such gist, just tell them to get the f… off because there is nothing like that.“Whoever is carrying such stupid gist should be sued…they should stop it immediately. I am hale and healthy, I am alive,” she said.
The actress made her acting debut in a Tv series titled, “Palace” in 1998 and has gone on to feature in many movies too numerous to mention.
She was nominated for Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a supporting Role in 2013.
Daramola is happily married to Mr Olukayode Salako and their union is blessed with lovely children.
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Nollywood created for selfish reasons – Lala Akindoju
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Kemi Lala Akindoju has said the Nigerian movie industry widely known as Nollywood was birthed by some Igbo traders.
The co-producer of the upcoming Netflix’s First Nigerian Original Series made this known while speaking at a panel session about the evolution of the Nigerian movie industry at the just concluded Social Media Week held at Landmark Event Centre, Lagos.
She joined other panelists like Isioma Idigbe, Bugo Arinze, Jim Donnett and Edi Lawani to discuss entertainment and its impact on Nigeria’s economy.
According to the actress, the traders from the eastern part of the country started the industry in order to sell VHS cassettes that were imported into the country from Asian countries in the 90s. She added that the people did not invest in Nollywood because of love for art but to do business.
“It is not because of their love for creative art but to make money. That is why they put a lot of money into it. Now that there is a shift in the industry to digital, those people no longer fund the industry,” she said.
Lala also urged Nigerians to stop comparing Nollywood with other advanced movie industries in the world because Nollywood lacks funding since the money bags have pulled out of the business because they are not making money from anymore.
She also lamented that despite the contribution of the Nollywood to the country’s economy, the actors are still not making money from their efforts.
“It is because we don’t have the right channel like Isioma said, the money is not getting into the hands of the right people.
“Two years ago, I made up my mind that I’m longer doing a play and be in debt, if the money is not making sense I’m not doing, no more acting for act’s sake. I am not going to be a poor person, she added.
She, however, commended Netflix for coming to Nigeria, describing it has a huge milestone for not just Nigeria but Africa as well.
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Fani-Kayode makes Nollywood debut
Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has made his Nollywood debut, featuring in movie series, titled: “Silent Prejudice.”
Fani-Kayode announced this on Monday, saying that he joined some of the Nollywood greats like Larry Koldsweat, Obi Idejimba and T.T. Temple on set last Saturday and making a cameo appearance in his debut movie which is a series titled “Silent Prejudice”.
“We were on set the whole afternoon and, though gruelling, it was a great experience and tremendous fun! Many do not know just how hard actors work and the energy and discipline that goes into their craft. Being a thespian is no mean feat.
“It requires total dedication and focus and, having been through what I experienced on Saturday, my respect for them is boundless. My friends, brothers, colleagues and fellow politicians, Chief Dan Iwuanyawu and Senator Dino Melaye appear in the series as well, as does our respected and much-loved big brother Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife, so I was not alone,” he said.
“Thankfully the producer, Mr. Chris Oge Kalu, guided us beautifully and taught us all we needed to know.
My beautiful wife Precious (@snowhiteey) was also on set with us and encouraged me immensely. She appears in the movie too!“Season 1 is already being aired on AIT on Wednesdays at 9.00pm and Season 2, in which I appear, will soon be aired. The series is about the evils associated with the Osu cast system and has the full endorsement and participation of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission whose Executive Secretary, Mr. Tony Ojukwu, also makes an appearance,” he added.
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Nollywood actor, Pa Kasumu is dead
Veteran Nollywood actor, Kayode Odumosu, popularly known as Pa Kasumu is dead.
Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola-Salako who announced the death on Sunday, said he died after a brief illness.
“It is with so much heavy pain in our hearts that we regret to announce that our #paraafricafoundation model-actor Pa Kasumu has given up the ghost after a brief illness. The news was broken by a close source that stays around the hospital he gave up the ghost,” Foluke Daramola wrote on Twitter.
Pa Kasumu is known for his uncommon talent in interpreting any role to near perfection.
However, in 2013, he was reported to be critically ill and said to be receiving treatment at Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for heart, liver and kidney-related diseases.
When he was questioned about his state of health, he replied: “Yes I must confess to you that I just thank God that I am alive. In fact, I had given up all hopes already. I taught the end had come for me.
I taught it was fever that’s why I left for the hospital. In fact, when I got to the hospital, I lost consciousness. I only discovered when waking up that my manhood was in the hands of two nurses while they guarded it into a receptacle for me to urinate. I got so confused. It was the following day that they tried to conduct a series of tests on me and they could not really achieve much due to the lack of enough medical facilities at the private hospital. That made the doctor on duty to refer me to Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH).”
In December 2019, Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola, launched a lifeline for ailing and aging Nollywood veterans.
Some of the beneficiaries include Kayode Odumosu a.k.a Pa Kasumu, Sadiq Daba, Barbara Soki, Kareem Adepoju a.k.a Baba Wande, Peter Fatomilola, Lanre Hassan (Iya Awero), Idowu Phillips (Iya Rainbow), Lere Paimo a.k.a Eda Onile Ola and others.
