Thursday, 28 June 2012
Next Big Thing Starts Airing On Sunday 1st July 2012
Come this Sunday July 1st 2012, the much anticipated TV talent hunt reality series geared at producing the next biggest Ghanaian rap act dubbed the Next Big Thing will start airing on the Gh One Entertainment TV channel.
The past two weeks have seen cherished viewers of the station as well as music lovers enjoy the teaser sessions of the series from the preliminary stage of auditions and one can only agree it has been fun and exciting.
The one hour weekly episode commences this Sunday and continues every other Sundays between the hours of 6 and 7PM. The initial episode this weekend will reveal the exceptional talents unearthed at the auditions in Kumasi and Accra.
Anchor for the Next Big Thing, Kwame Farkyewill be on the other hand to bring several of the amateur rappers who exhibited tremendous brilliance on the microphone up close and personal with the viewers.
Next Big Thing comes at the right time as a relieve to all amateur rappers with the series seeking to provide the needed platform for them to develop their talents and transform them into international and commercially viable artistes.
Nii Ayite Hammond, head of production at Gh One Entertainment TV stressed on the relevance of Next Big Thing to the amateur rapper and the music industry on the whole.
‘All talent hunt competitions we have around are music driven hence targeting singing talents leaving out the rappers. That has been the trend over the years neglecting of those associated with Hip hop and rap music in general’.
The coming weeks promises to be more fun and exciting with the specially packaged episodes of Next Big Thing showing on the Gh One Entertainment TV channel this and every Sundays from 6 to 7PM.
Sex In Ghanaian Movies Are Unnecessary Says Akorfa Edjeani Asiedu
Over the weekend, fans of the quickly climbing ‘Meet The Girls In The Yellow House’ tv show were treated to one of the best actors as a guest.
She entered the house looking all chic and sexy for her age. Dressed in a GTP loose wrap over chiffon with expensive matching hand bangles and necklace, it looked inviting into the life of this screen goddess. But for the other missing regalias, Akorfa Edjeani looked like a modern day traditional queen.
Obviously jealous by her young looks, the first question was targeted at knowing how old she was and what kept her going. ‘I take very good care of myself and as a cultural freak, I don’t like perming my hair so am very cool with my ‘down cut’,” she said coolly to wave off the Girls jealousy at her looks.
Does Akorfa’s looks with ‘down cut’ worry her? “I didn’t and still don’t care if my traditional African outlooks gave me out as ugly. What is important for me is to feel comfortable and good about myself. I am not shy of who I am,” she interjected beautifully with passion in her eyes.
The sassy and gifted actress who likes boiled/fried yams with hot pepper laced with koobi said, heartbreaks are a must for every girl despite the fact that they hurt. Although, she couldn’t remember her first heart break, the experience was a learning curve for her.
She married her husband, she told viewers, when she was 23 and has been married for 20 years with two children aged 19 and 15 years. Is anyone doing the maths to get her real age since she was very evasive about it at the beginning of the show?
Akorfa started starring in TV Theatre in 1983 before she went to the University but had her real taste of movies later. The bad girl who got impregnated in ‘Harvest At 17’ said, “acting is an inborn thing for me and it came naturally because I started acting before I knew I was acting.”
Why is the cocaine addicted American loving ‘Mataa’ star off our movies screens? Mrs. Akorfa Ejeani Asiedu said, “When I get good scripts, I sure will be in front of the cameras again. I don’t take movies for the money; the stories must mean something to me as a professional actress.
“I agree that sex sells today but some nudity and scenes in some movies are unnecessary. Some sex scenes won’t change anything in the movies if they are deleted. We should ask ourselves if that is what we want to project in making the industry a success. Most producers today used to be marketers who invest their monies where they think they can reap more,” spirited Akorfa replied to a question about sex and nudity in local movies lately.
Talking about her most challenging role ever in a movie, Akorfa pondered her character in the GAMA movie ‘The Noise of Silence’. In the said movie, she played the role of a 14 year old, a blind person, grew old before regaining her sight. This role she said was emotionally and physically draining for her then.
The ‘I sing of a well’ producer said, “Although actors must be able to detach themselves from the emotions of their characters; they should act instead of recite their lines.” This notwithstanding, she mentioned having been caught in the emotional web of her character once in the stage play ‘Raising in the sun’ where blatant racism was on display. This affected her and she remembers crying for over ten minutes after the stage call backstage.
Chances are that we will see a lot more of Akorfa in the coming months because she will be undertaking massive stage productions soon. Just so you know, she was at the Keri Hilson and Bow Wow concert to shake what her mama gave her…any ideas?
‘Meet The Girls In The Yellow House’ shows on Viasat 1 on Saturday at 10am with a repeat on Sunday at 9.30am. Don’t miss it.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
What Are The Ingredients Of A Good Song?
The above is an ad asking people to vote for their favourite musician in the upcoming Ghana Music Awards to avoid disappointments. I like the approach in the ad; it talks about what I’m writing on.
When one looks at songs that have been churned out every now and then in Ghana, one doesn’t have to be a music scholar to know that most of these songs are below standard.
I’m sure we can all pinpoint the good and the bad songs in Ghana.
By then what is good for you would not be necessarily good for the next person but surely there are several ingredients that makes a song a good song for people to enjoy.
What are the ingredients for a good song? Let’s get talking.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Mzbel Cries Foul: The Media Has Not Been Fair To Me
From a humble beginning to now as an established and successful artiste, Nana Ekua Amoah ‘Mzbel’ has had to deal with several stories and scandals ranging from her supposed provocative dressing on stage, being raped and currently news of allegedly slapping a uniformed Police Officer on duty.
Speaking on GhOne’s E-Talk show, Mzbel voiced out some of the things that the Ghanaian media has reported on her, which according to her were the exact opposite of the real issues.
She bemoaned the calculated attempt to always report negative stories about her. According to her, she wonders why she is never asked of her side of any story.
In her line of business, especially as a musician, the above is inevitable, something she concurred, however she believes that there will be balance and her side of issues will also be heard if she is contacted.
When asked of her relationship with the media and if she thinks they have treated her fairly, the not-too-happy Mzbel answered in negative, stressing that she will continue to speak against the negative publicity that she has always received from the media.
“No, they have not been fair to me at all”, she said continuing, “I will say it anytime, any day, anywhere. I don’t know why but I believe because Mzbel sells newspaper… They don’t talk to me; nobody cares what would happen if they write bad stuffs about me.”
Quick checks by GhanaCelebrities.Com indicates that, Mzbel’s inability to grab a deal as one of the many brand ambassadors, like her colleagues are enjoying might be as a result of the constant bad publicity. A quick google search of her name springs up with countless negative stories here and there to the extent that even the UK’s Guardian Newspaper featured her badly reported encounter with the Police Officer.
Touching on the over-hyped incidence involving herself a, the police and two others, Emmanuel Paa Kwesi and Maxwell Mamuli, she said since the case is in court, it would be inappropriate to comment on it. She however mentioned that the news of her having slapped the Police Officer is untrue and hilarious.
Legendary HighLife Musician Ben Brako To Celebrate 60th Birthday In A Grand Style
Highlife dynamo Ben Brako will on the 19th May 2012 celebrate his 60th birthday at the International Conference Centre in Accra. Lots of activities have been earmark to celebrate the life of one of the Highlife greats in Ghana.
The celebration is expected to attract crème de la crème of the major players in the entertainment fraternity as well as bring together fellow Highlife musicians.
Other legendary Highlife musicians expected to grace the event includes Amakye Dede, Pat Thomas, Bessa Simons, Dr. Paa Bobo, Paulina Oduro, Nana Ampadu and AB Crenstil.
New crops of young musicians have also been confirmed for the special birthday celebration. They include African Dancehall artiste Samini, silky voice Kwabena Kwabena and gospel musician Ohema Mercy. The rest include Ewe rapper Edem and Habiba formerly known as Mimi Divalish.
The four day event starts with a seminar on the 17th May at the Silverbird Cinema. Ben Brako would be expected to tell participants how life has treated him from the very day he started doing music. He would also share his experiences in life and challenges as a Highlife musician. One thing on the agenda is to chit-chat and offer advice to young and hopeful musicians.
On the second day of the celebration which is 18th May, Ben Brako would have a special Dinner With Friends, Industry Players, Sponsors and Corporate Executives at the plush Holiday Inn Hotel in Accra. The dinner would be graced by musicians.
19th May is the event itself at the Conference Centre. Several musicians will make staggering performances on the night as a special birthday present. To climax the celebrations, proceeds from the show will be donated to an orphanage home.
Born 20th May in 1952 with a musician career spanning over 20 years, Ben Brako has established himself as one of the serious musician ever to be born in Ghana. At a young age in 1960, Ben had a special interest in entertainment as he started to perform at St. John’s Preparatory and Primary School.
Even though he had strong penchant for music and entertainment, Ben still believed and had it at the back of his mind that education is paramount, so he took education serious as well as nurse his dreams of becoming a top Highlife musician.
He released his first album ‘Baya’ in 1978 and won The Leisure Foundation Album of The Year 1987, and Musician of the year 1987, and also received Gold status in 1988. The release of his second album ‘Everybody’ in 1989 coincided with his ECRAG Mahogany award for consistency in life Highlife music.
The rest they say is history. Ben holds a BA (HONS) in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ghana, Legon (1975) and BA (HONS) Media Communication Studies from East London University (1994).
Ben Brako has toured and performed in many cities worldwide including London, Nottingham, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Toronto, New York, Washington DC, Connecticut, Malmo, to mention a few. He has played and recorded with many of the top Ghanaian and African musicians,
Ben Brako is currently under the management of NMJ ENETERTAINMENT
The celebration is expected to attract crème de la crème of the major players in the entertainment fraternity as well as bring together fellow Highlife musicians.
Other legendary Highlife musicians expected to grace the event includes Amakye Dede, Pat Thomas, Bessa Simons, Dr. Paa Bobo, Paulina Oduro, Nana Ampadu and AB Crenstil.
New crops of young musicians have also been confirmed for the special birthday celebration. They include African Dancehall artiste Samini, silky voice Kwabena Kwabena and gospel musician Ohema Mercy. The rest include Ewe rapper Edem and Habiba formerly known as Mimi Divalish.
The four day event starts with a seminar on the 17th May at the Silverbird Cinema. Ben Brako would be expected to tell participants how life has treated him from the very day he started doing music. He would also share his experiences in life and challenges as a Highlife musician. One thing on the agenda is to chit-chat and offer advice to young and hopeful musicians.
On the second day of the celebration which is 18th May, Ben Brako would have a special Dinner With Friends, Industry Players, Sponsors and Corporate Executives at the plush Holiday Inn Hotel in Accra. The dinner would be graced by musicians.
19th May is the event itself at the Conference Centre. Several musicians will make staggering performances on the night as a special birthday present. To climax the celebrations, proceeds from the show will be donated to an orphanage home.
Born 20th May in 1952 with a musician career spanning over 20 years, Ben Brako has established himself as one of the serious musician ever to be born in Ghana. At a young age in 1960, Ben had a special interest in entertainment as he started to perform at St. John’s Preparatory and Primary School.
Even though he had strong penchant for music and entertainment, Ben still believed and had it at the back of his mind that education is paramount, so he took education serious as well as nurse his dreams of becoming a top Highlife musician.
He released his first album ‘Baya’ in 1978 and won The Leisure Foundation Album of The Year 1987, and Musician of the year 1987, and also received Gold status in 1988. The release of his second album ‘Everybody’ in 1989 coincided with his ECRAG Mahogany award for consistency in life Highlife music.
The rest they say is history. Ben holds a BA (HONS) in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ghana, Legon (1975) and BA (HONS) Media Communication Studies from East London University (1994).
Ben Brako has toured and performed in many cities worldwide including London, Nottingham, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Toronto, New York, Washington DC, Connecticut, Malmo, to mention a few. He has played and recorded with many of the top Ghanaian and African musicians,
Ben Brako is currently under the management of NMJ ENETERTAINMENT
Africa Movie Academy Awards Reacts To ‘AMAA 2012 Nominations Full Of Errors’ Article
GhanaCelebrities.Com has received a release from the chair of the Africa Movie Academy Awards [AMAA] Screening Committee; Shaibu Husseini responding to an article captioned ‘AMAA 2012 Nominations Full of Errors’ which was originated written and published in the Flex Newspaper, a weekly Entertainment newspaper in Ghana.
Below are full excerpts of the release sent to us.
The Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) welcomes all discussion on African film and its awards, but would like to set the record straight in response to yesterday’s article on Ghana MMA, “AMAA 2012 nominations full of errors.”
The Ghana MMA author raised a number of concerns, which Shaibu Husseini, the chair of the AMAA screening committee, will respond to in turn.
The author wrote, “Omotola Jalade did not play supporting role in the movie ‘Ties that Bind’. She played lead with other characters such as Ama K. Abebrese and Kimberly Elise. Omotola Jalade won best actress in a lead role with the movie – Ties that bind (Ghana Movie Awards, 2011) – so how can the same person become a supporting cast for another movie awards? There’s no logic in that.”
Shaibu says, “The AMAA board of jurors is not obliged to decide nominees just because one other award body has nominated a talent previously. Different juries will always see things slightly differently – that’s healthy. We disagree that there would have been ‘logic’ only if we had nominated Omotola in the leading actress category just because she won in that category in the Ghana Movie Awards. As far as we are concerned, the story of Ties that Bind revolves round the medical doctor who returns to revive the village clinic and encounters two other women with situations that bound them. The filmmaker may have intended for all three ladies to play lead, but in terms of the ‘weighting’ of the roles played by each character, Ama K is lead while the others, including Ebbe Bassey (the woman with the daughter that was defiled and infected), assist in advancing her story.”
The Ghana MMA author also wrote: “Martha Ankomah is a female so how can you nominate her for best young/promising actor? Has Martha Ankomah now turned into a MALE?”
Shaibu says, “Until two years ago, we gave out two Most Promising awards to a male actor and a female actor. But by last year, the academy decided that the award should just go to a promising actor irrespective of whether the actor is male or female, hence the decision to have that category called ‘Best Young/Promising Actor,’ with actor being the generic name for those who perform roles in a movie/ play whether male or female. If you check, Martha was not only the female actor nominated in that category: it was a mix of male and female actors. So she fits to be nominated as a promising actor who can take up any role with ease and who played the role of a student in Somewhere in Africa with a great aplomb.”
The author also said, “All the other movies in this (visual effects) category have got their respective countries against them except the movie, Behind the Mask. Without attaching Ghana to it, how can someone in say Angola, Sierra Leone or any other African country who might have not watched behind the mask movie know it is a Ghanaian movie?” Similarly, he wrote, “All the other movies in this category (costume design) have got their respective countries against them, except the movies, The Captain of Nakara and Queen’s Desire. I have never watched those two movies before and don’t know which countries they represent.”
Shaibu says, “Please check the nomination list on the AMAA website again and always rely on that website. That is the most authentic. Countries were placed in areas they should be placed. Please check again before you count it as an error against the academy. Behind the Mask was entered as Ghanaian production. The Captain of Nakara was entered as a Kenya movie while Queen’s Desire was entered as a Ghanaian movie. We demand that filmmakers state the countries of production on the entry form.”
The Ghana MMA author also wrote that the Prize for Best Film category “does not make sense. It is Prize for Best Film so the expectation is what will be given (prize) to the best film. Instead… the jury just listed names of films and their respective countries. How can Ties that Bind-Ghana or State of Violence-South Africa be a prize?”
The Prize For Best Film listed the nominees, not the prize, just as the Prizes for all the other categories did. This was consistent and is common practice.
As Shaibu says, “Even in the Oscars, you just get a plaque for Best Film. All those other prizes that should come with it, like cash or distribution deals, depend on sponsorship.”
The Ghana MMA author also wrote, “The jury has shown plain bias by creating a nomination category called Best Nigerian Film. AMAA is meant to award and to celebrate films produced in all the 52 countries in Africa. Objectivity is compromised with a category like Best Nigerian Film… No such category like BEST whatever African country must be created. Even if they had created Best Ghanaian Film, I would still have a problem with that. AMAA is for Africa. The jury should maintain that principle.”
While we agree that AMAA is for Africa, Shaibu clarifies, “We have continually explained that the award for the best Nigerian film is an endowment by the Nigerian government to identify the best films from Nigeria that are entered for the AMAA yearly. It is their own way of acknowledging and identifying with the best films from Nigeria for a given year. Because it is endowed, we cannot discontinue that category. Rather, the academy is in discussion with other governments for them to endow such prizes so that maybe next year we can have a category for the best film from Ghana or best film from Kenya. It is just a way of encouraging filmmaking and government participation in filmmaking in the continent. That’s the idea behind the award. It is not intended at giving Nigeria any undue advantage.”
AMAA thanks the Ghana MMA author for pointing out that the correct spelling of Rahman Bande is Rahim Banda. Shaibu says, “Because our filmmakers are in a hurry to submit films and care little about submitting appropriate documentations for the film, it has become increasingly difficult to get certain names right. The actors name was from the form submitted for the awards. We even cross-checked with the name on the movie credit list. But we thank you for calling our attention to that and note his correct name Rahim Banda. We shall effect the correction. You will do African cinema a lot of good if you use this your great platform to educate our filmmakers to be careful about how they spell the names of their actors.”
AMAA welcomes all feedback. For more information, http://www.ama-awards.com.
Below are full excerpts of the release sent to us.
The Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) welcomes all discussion on African film and its awards, but would like to set the record straight in response to yesterday’s article on Ghana MMA, “AMAA 2012 nominations full of errors.”
The Ghana MMA author raised a number of concerns, which Shaibu Husseini, the chair of the AMAA screening committee, will respond to in turn.
The author wrote, “Omotola Jalade did not play supporting role in the movie ‘Ties that Bind’. She played lead with other characters such as Ama K. Abebrese and Kimberly Elise. Omotola Jalade won best actress in a lead role with the movie – Ties that bind (Ghana Movie Awards, 2011) – so how can the same person become a supporting cast for another movie awards? There’s no logic in that.”
Shaibu says, “The AMAA board of jurors is not obliged to decide nominees just because one other award body has nominated a talent previously. Different juries will always see things slightly differently – that’s healthy. We disagree that there would have been ‘logic’ only if we had nominated Omotola in the leading actress category just because she won in that category in the Ghana Movie Awards. As far as we are concerned, the story of Ties that Bind revolves round the medical doctor who returns to revive the village clinic and encounters two other women with situations that bound them. The filmmaker may have intended for all three ladies to play lead, but in terms of the ‘weighting’ of the roles played by each character, Ama K is lead while the others, including Ebbe Bassey (the woman with the daughter that was defiled and infected), assist in advancing her story.”
The Ghana MMA author also wrote: “Martha Ankomah is a female so how can you nominate her for best young/promising actor? Has Martha Ankomah now turned into a MALE?”
Shaibu says, “Until two years ago, we gave out two Most Promising awards to a male actor and a female actor. But by last year, the academy decided that the award should just go to a promising actor irrespective of whether the actor is male or female, hence the decision to have that category called ‘Best Young/Promising Actor,’ with actor being the generic name for those who perform roles in a movie/ play whether male or female. If you check, Martha was not only the female actor nominated in that category: it was a mix of male and female actors. So she fits to be nominated as a promising actor who can take up any role with ease and who played the role of a student in Somewhere in Africa with a great aplomb.”
The author also said, “All the other movies in this (visual effects) category have got their respective countries against them except the movie, Behind the Mask. Without attaching Ghana to it, how can someone in say Angola, Sierra Leone or any other African country who might have not watched behind the mask movie know it is a Ghanaian movie?” Similarly, he wrote, “All the other movies in this category (costume design) have got their respective countries against them, except the movies, The Captain of Nakara and Queen’s Desire. I have never watched those two movies before and don’t know which countries they represent.”
Shaibu says, “Please check the nomination list on the AMAA website again and always rely on that website. That is the most authentic. Countries were placed in areas they should be placed. Please check again before you count it as an error against the academy. Behind the Mask was entered as Ghanaian production. The Captain of Nakara was entered as a Kenya movie while Queen’s Desire was entered as a Ghanaian movie. We demand that filmmakers state the countries of production on the entry form.”
The Ghana MMA author also wrote that the Prize for Best Film category “does not make sense. It is Prize for Best Film so the expectation is what will be given (prize) to the best film. Instead… the jury just listed names of films and their respective countries. How can Ties that Bind-Ghana or State of Violence-South Africa be a prize?”
The Prize For Best Film listed the nominees, not the prize, just as the Prizes for all the other categories did. This was consistent and is common practice.
As Shaibu says, “Even in the Oscars, you just get a plaque for Best Film. All those other prizes that should come with it, like cash or distribution deals, depend on sponsorship.”
The Ghana MMA author also wrote, “The jury has shown plain bias by creating a nomination category called Best Nigerian Film. AMAA is meant to award and to celebrate films produced in all the 52 countries in Africa. Objectivity is compromised with a category like Best Nigerian Film… No such category like BEST whatever African country must be created. Even if they had created Best Ghanaian Film, I would still have a problem with that. AMAA is for Africa. The jury should maintain that principle.”
While we agree that AMAA is for Africa, Shaibu clarifies, “We have continually explained that the award for the best Nigerian film is an endowment by the Nigerian government to identify the best films from Nigeria that are entered for the AMAA yearly. It is their own way of acknowledging and identifying with the best films from Nigeria for a given year. Because it is endowed, we cannot discontinue that category. Rather, the academy is in discussion with other governments for them to endow such prizes so that maybe next year we can have a category for the best film from Ghana or best film from Kenya. It is just a way of encouraging filmmaking and government participation in filmmaking in the continent. That’s the idea behind the award. It is not intended at giving Nigeria any undue advantage.”
AMAA thanks the Ghana MMA author for pointing out that the correct spelling of Rahman Bande is Rahim Banda. Shaibu says, “Because our filmmakers are in a hurry to submit films and care little about submitting appropriate documentations for the film, it has become increasingly difficult to get certain names right. The actors name was from the form submitted for the awards. We even cross-checked with the name on the movie credit list. But we thank you for calling our attention to that and note his correct name Rahim Banda. We shall effect the correction. You will do African cinema a lot of good if you use this your great platform to educate our filmmakers to be careful about how they spell the names of their actors.”
AMAA welcomes all feedback. For more information, http://www.ama-awards.com.
Kunle Afolayan ‘Phone Swap’ Director Will Only Use Ghanaian Actors If …
He said the above in an exclusive interview with GhanaCelebrities.Com after a short press preview of his latest movie ‘Phone Swap’. “I’m not going to feature them, if they are not going to play Ghanaian”, he said when asked if he will consider using other Ghanaian actors.
Actress Lydia Forson is the first Ghanaian to be featured by the award winning director, and for the better part of the movie spoke her indigenous language; Twi. According to the director, that added a lot to the movie.
He said a Ghanaian acting as a Ghanaian depends on the story. “If I’m doing a story that involves a Ghanaian and a Nigeria or a cross boarder story, why will I want to play Ramsey Nouah [Jnr.] as a Ghanaian? Why will I want to play Majid [Michel] as a Nigerian? No, for me, it won’t sell, it won’t work that way.”
He said if he plays them in their original territory, it works better because people can relate better with their language.
‘Phone Swap’ features Joke Silva – Jacobs, Lydia Forson, Chika Okpala, Wale Ojo, Nse Ikpe Etim and Ada Ameh. Aside directing it, Kunle Afolayan also produced it.
‘Phone Swap’ has been nominated in the upcoming Africa Movie Academy Awards [AMAA] 2012 in the following categories; ‘Achievement in Production Design’, ‘Prize for Best Nigerian Film’, ‘Prize for Best Actor in a Supporting Role’ and ‘Prize for Best Actor in a Leading Role’.
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