The Nation Newspaper

Category: Entertainment

  • No girl should be dreaming of marriage with me —Michael Ogolo

    No girl should be dreaming of marriage with me —Michael Ogolo

    Upwardly mobile dude and one of the eligible bachelors in the Garden City, Michael Ogolo is famed for entertainment and showbiz in Port-Harcourt. Michael’s foray into showbiz dates back as far as 2009 when he berth the Odudu Music Award. The award which has helped to shine spotlight on Port-Harcourt born stars, the likes of Wacomzy, Burna Boy is in its fourth year. The on-air personality of rave programme, Funky Four Plus One in this interview with Mercy Michael speaks on his passion, relationship with women, entertainment in Port-Harcourt and other things: 

    WHAT was your involvement in entertainment before Obudu Music Award?

    I’m a Theater Art graduate, from university of Port-Harcourt. After that I did some practice. Did one or two clips but it wasn’t my line so I concentrated on doing the corporate emcee’s and comedies out there in Port-Harcourt. I had a short experience with KORA Awards. KORA Award is one of Africa’s most recognized music Award. I worked with Ernest Ajovi, the owner of the award while he was in Nigeria. He made some attempts in Calabar. He made other attempt in Lagos; a few things didn’t work so he left. I gained some experience from that and I berth a music award in Port-Harcourt against the backdrop of the poor experiences we used to have in Port-Harcourt then. A lot of you then in Lagos use to think people don’t move around in Port-Harcourt in those days when we had the militancy, the camp struggle, so on so it sent a lot of shows and companies out of the town.

    Business was not moving smoothly for us anymore and a few of us came together and said to ourselves, we have to reinvent entertainment in Port-Harcourt. We have to tell the world that Port-Harcourt still got some talents that everybody can see. We needed to tell the world that Port-Harcourt is not totally dead; it’s still an entertainment centre in Nigeria just like Lagos and Abuja. That was what actually gave the push to start the music award. I thought to myself, I’m a comedian; if I start a comedy award how many of us are here, few of us. And for me, I think that the bedrock of entertainment is music, so if we start a music award we will reawaken the city because we have a lot of musicians with a lot of fellowship, a lot of listeners.

    And all the radio stations, TV stations, they all depend on music and not comedy so music is for me like the mother. So haven’t learnt a few tricks from KORA Award and being an entertainer so we decided to start a music award. And that led us to the kind of award we wanted to do. We didn’t want to do a popularity award. We wanted to do an award based on the quality of music and the genre.

    Today Odudu Music Awards is like the Headies award in Port-Harcourt. Initially what was it like breaking in?

    Breaking through a fresh idea is usually very difficult because the people you are coming to talk to are usually skeptical about what you are coming to tell them. They are not even sure you can pull through what you have proposed on your paper. I know that because I’ve done some events that I attempted to get sponsors but they never came through. I muted this idea a very long time, 2003. It only happened in 2009, six years after. That was because of these problems of raising fund to do an event of that magnitude. It was a big problem. I tell you a secret; I do some small contracts here and there. So I did one for NDDC. They paid me. I made some profit. I used the profit to do my first show instead of buying a car, land or something.

    I did job very well. My job is there. It speaks for itself because I was building a name. And I’m still building a name. I know people will make references to certain things you’ve done before in case of tomorrow. So I’m very careful about the things I do when it comes to public things. I spoke to my governor. He was in America then. He was on vacation. He said he was going to just give me something from his pocket. He did. Very small but it helped. It went a long away because at that point, like a week to the show I was drained financially. One naira wasn’t coming from anywhere. All I wanted to do was do it first so that I can say, I’ve done it before. Here are pictures. This is the video. That way people will listen to you.

    So I had to manage myself to do the first show. Second show I went back to those same people and told them I have content now because no sponsor will give you money for nothing. This time they took the proposal from me. But they were still not able to help. So this time, I now used my personal relationship with some of the commissioners in the government because I’ve always worked for them. And some of local government chairman that were my friends before they became chairman and they helped. The governor didn’t give me a dime this time. He was watching. But I was able to put all I got together. Fortunately the NDDC job I did, I was paid my retention so I used the money to do the second Odudu Music Award.

    As a celebrity in Port-Harcourt how to you relate to your fans?

    I try to be very humble and I think that’s an escape for me. I cannot say I am not a celebrity but I’m very down-to-earth with everybody. I’m actually not a snob. So I think I find people appreciating the fact that I could talk to anybody, eat anything anywhere so it makes me acceptable to the high and low but there is one thing I do not compromise. The way I dress. The way you dress is the way you are address. If I have an event to emcee you have no idea how far I’m going to go.

    If I’m paid for instance, N500,000 I spend sometimes, N200, N250 just to dress for that particular event. I do that. I have a number of suits that I’ve not worn more than once. To manager yourself through as an artiste in port-Harcourt, there certain places I don’t go to. Even If I go to those places, 10, 5 minutes I’m out. Before I’m in I’m out. I’m a Port-Harcourt boy, born, bread and schooled there. So I know a lot of people. I’m also a member of the Port-Harcourt Polo club. It’s an elitist club. A lot of people can’t get to come there so it gives me a hiding place most times. When people are somewhere drinking I’m in there on the pitch or on the field with a few friends gisting. You want to place yourself in a class but even if you place yourself in a class that does not mean you’ve become a superstar. Try and relate with everybody the way they are. Give everybody there respect. It will come back to you.

    You present a show on Radio Funky Four Plus One in Port-Harcourt. Tell us a bit about it?

    I tell people my problem is not Odudu Music award. In Port-Harcourt my problem is the show I do on radio, the Funky Four Plus One. We are four comedians. The plus one is a natural presenter of Rhythm 93.7 in Port-Harcourt. He speaks Pigin while the rest of us speak English. Now, that programme is the only satire problem in the whole of Port-Harcourt. You discover that most radio people end up praising singing the government. But you don’t help the government that way. Government is everybody. So why do you praise yourself if you’re government? For us what we do on that problem is we call the governor’s or public officers at it were, we call their attention to certain areas that we believing he’s forgetting.

    How easy is that when you dine with them?

    That’s were creative comes to play. I’m a former staff of Radio Nigeria. So I’m a trained broadcaster. Now, we dine with them, we are emcee’s for them yet we tell them Oga, this road was not well done. This road was done with sand instead of bitumen. Why ask questions,” Oga who did you give this work to? “We suspect that you gave this work to someone you were dating he’s sister when you were not yet Governor. If you think I’m joking, do me a favour ask anyone in Port-Harcourt, Funky four plus one, we call names on Radio. We say so, so, so, company what you’re doing for us is a bad job. We say Governor your aids are not helping you.

    We call commissioners. For instance the commissioner for education, you know they built new school in Port-Harcourt. So they contracted the security to a company and that company has not been paid therefore the company did not pay the staff. The staffs then locked up the schools. Teachers and students were outside. Oh come and see us on Friday, how we embarrassment the authorities in charge. We raised questions, “how can students learn outside?, Commissioner please come and explain. Those are the things we do on radio. So that’s where the problem is for me, not Odudu Awards.

    As a celebrity how do you handle the female folks?

    We are very careful so we don’t get a bad name. And the Port-Harcourt scenario is different from the Lagos scenario. Port-Harcourt is so small that sometime you virtually know everybody. As someone on the street, I don’t want to use the word celebrity, if you get down with one girl and you are trying to get down with another, the next girl will know. So it’s so small. So most of us are very careful with the things we do with women.

    Are you married?

    I have a daughter. I attempted marriage…Let me just make a blanket statement here. No girl should be dreaming that it will work. Marriage is far off my agenda for now. I have a mum to take care of us. I have a daughter to take care of us. I have an elder sister that lost her husband and her children to take care of. I have an elder brother. I have a younger brother who is in the university to make sure he gets through school. I go come carry one woman put for house now come begin carry her own wahala. I wouldn’t want to marry a woman who will say I’m doing this job because of this or because I have to take care of the home.

  • Nse made me cry on set —Kalu Ikeagwu

    Nse made me cry on set —Kalu Ikeagwu

    IN recent times Nse Ikpe Etim has been in the news for good reasons. She headline Mr. and Mrs. dazzled in Phone Swap and got married to her heartthrob, Mr. Clifford Sule.

    She is once again in the news as the lead act in new emotive movie, Broken. In Broken, Nse plays the role of a woman who tries to buried her past, move on in life and pretends that the past never exist. But as always, a dirty past has a way of rearing its ugly head; the two children she left in the past surface and turns her ‘perfect’ life to a living hell in double proportion.

    Nse is not the only act with ‘living and troubling’ past in the movie, Bimbo Manuel who plays the role of Nse’s husband is the father of the house girl, a secret he desperately wants to keep away from Nse.

    Kalu Ikeagwu, the philandering corper had a ‘bushmeat’ in the village girl that proves too strong to devour and digest. One way or the other, the lives of the three had a meeting point where sanity, life, happiness and silence got broken.

    Broken is from Bright Wonder. The movie will premiere on Thursday, March 28 at Silverbird Cinema, Abuja. Bright Wonder produced the mildly popular movie of Away and Beyond.

    Speaking on the experience, Kalu Ikeagwu said Broken is one movie he can’t seems to forget in a hurry. ‘At a point I was crying watching Nse act. It was like a real life scene to me. The storyline is touching. I’ve never worked on a movie like this’.

  • Anita Joseph answers God’s call

    Anita Joseph answers God’s call

    NOLLYWOOD actress and singer, Anita Joseph has exclusively revealed that she is ready to dump secular music for gospel music.

    Anita who has not released an album since she ventured into music says she is putting finishing touches to her first and only circular music album she has tagged Super Woman.

    The Anambra state born actress says once this album is released; she will say good bye to circular music and embrace gospel music. What is the reason behind this switch we inquired?

    “Life is totally controlled by the spiritual and I have been given a lot of revelations by different men of God that for me to make an impact in my career I must embrace the gospel of Christ and that is the reason why I am leaving circular music for gospel music”

    Meanwhile, the curvy actress who worships with Chris Oyakhilome’s led Christ Embassy has replaced her stolen Toyota FJ Cruiser with a Murano.

  • Nollywood: Exuberance @ 20 (3)

    TO say that Nollywood @ 20 is capable of being run in sequels, seemingly unending as a season movie, would not be a hyperbole. In 20 years that the phenomenon called Nollywood has been with us, the rights could be said to be moving in arithmetic progression, while the wrongs are geometric. Reasons are not farfetched: Nigerian government has not been meticulous, and this is talking about all the sectors. But perhaps the entertainment industry is among the worst hit.

    Entertainment from time immemorial has been largely regarded as a ‘play thing’. Nigerian parents, in the early days of musical and theatrical evolution didn’t want their children to take up entertainment as a career. Children who chose to toe that line were regarded as outcasts of a sort. The singers were not considered better than town criers. Same for members of the moving theatres who survived by entertaining kings while living on the generosities of the clapping crowd at village squares. Parents may love to be entertained, but they’d rather watch the children of others mount the stage. This brings to my mind, a Yoruba proverb that states that “a madman’s folly excites, but not when the madman is your child.”

    Our parents, some of whom were government people carried this sentiment into public office. They never saw entertainment as business. No matter how you want them to look at it, entertainment is leisure, it is relaxation, it is playtime event; it is not work, it is not a serious thing, and so should not be taken seriously. It is supposed to be a service rendered freely by those who don’t work, to those who work. Entertainment to the ignorant is that massage that a full-time house wife gives to her husband after a hard day’s job. But the one who renders these services cannot continue to be a low life. Even housewives today have become breadwinners.

    This is the ugly picture that we reflect as Nigerians as far as art and entertainment is concerned. The situation may be better than in times past, but our strides are slow. Our parents’ attitudes are merely changing passively; so is government’s attitude to entertainment. Its entire phenomenon remains ‘play’ which is what entertainment is in English; ‘Wasa’ that it is in Hausa, ‘Ere’ that it is in Yoruba and ‘Egwuregwu’ in Igbo.

    I am worried that our independence from the colonial masters was not total. We just knew that we wanted to rule ourselves; we were not moved by the passion to develop and give ourselves the self esteem that we thought the white man denied us. You would recall that the medium of film was a propaganda tool for the colonial masters. It was a medium of mass education on government policies. And that perhaps, is the reason that by accident, the film industry still remains under the Information Ministry where propaganda strives. But after the liberalization of the mass media, it appears that government is still struggling with its defeat, that it does not think that the film industry should be evacuated from its fortuitous spot. They look at the film industry from one perspective; a tool for international diplomacy, forgetting that on the flip side of the coin, Nollywood, is also a vehicle of cultural exportation.

    I have thought of two major reasons why the film industry cannot function effectively under the Information Ministry. One; ‘Information’ is such a large sector that endears the Ministry to areas of quick fund, like the telecommunications sector and other private media establishments that give government direct revenue. Two; the Information Minister, in our usual political complexity is too busy defending government’s wrongdoings, to have quality time for the entertainment industry. Yet, they have refused to let the industry go to where it may find succor.

    A strong but subtle statement was made about who the real ‘parent’ of the entertainment industry is, when recently, President Goodluck Jonathan announced a proposed grant of N3 billion naira for Nollywood, putting the fund under the management of Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The fund, which Mr. President said will be unveiled in the first week of April, is in solidarity with the industry which was said to have clocked 20 this year, judging from the acclaimed first video film production in Nigeria called Living in Bondage.

    If this is a gradual method of making the ‘parent’ get familiar with a child in shelter, say to the child, “I’m sorry for abandoning you as a kid,” and evolve strategies to bring him back home, to this, I say, kudos to Mr. President.

    But perhaps for the sake of emphasis, we need to knock ourselves real hard. The motion picture industry is the only sector in Art, Culture and Entertainment that is under the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication. In other civilizations, most of which we emulate as a country, the entertainment sectors are put under the Ministry of Culture. The situation, as it is in Nigeria, has caused a major disconnect between the movie industry and other sectors in the art.

    Apart from the fact that honchos at the Information Ministry are not by calling, trained to understand the heartbeat of a people’s culture wholesomely, their ‘unholy alliance’ with the entertainment industry is the reason for its stunted growth. One among which is the fact that only the Ministry of Culture is empowered to sign international treaties which are very needed for the continued growth of the industry.

    Of what use therefore is a father, who cannot contribute positively to his child, especially when it has to do with deciding the child’s promising future. Let the Information Ministry, a surrogate parent, who merely took custody of the child from an accidental scene created by the colonial masters relinquish the child to its original parent; the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

    But if this is a riddle, let’s see how government intends to solve it: let’s see what the composition of the committee on the N3 billion will look like. Will the agencies dedicated to the film industry, even though they run the mandate of Information Minister, be co-opted into the scheme by the Culture and Tourism Ministry? Or will they be made to watch the game from the sideline?

  • Gbenga Adeyinka upbeat about success of Laffmatazz 2013

    ACE comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, early in the week boasted that his upcoming show, ‘Laffmatazz with Gbenga Adeyinka and Friends’ which is set to be staged in the ancient city of Ibadan will be his best show ever.

    The show which is coming up on Easter Sunday, March 31 at Jogor Center will see actress, Funke Akindele and Davido lead the collection of stars that will grace the event in different capacity.

    Speaking further, Gbenga Adeyinka said his ‘boastful’ statement is not about the high number of stars gracing the event but the level of preparation he and his team are putting into it. ‘I know Funke Akindele and Davido are big so are the other stars coming but this show will be about the total package. I can assure you that you will see all the stars in different elements than you have never seen them before. The level of preparation going into this is huge, I’ve never prepared for any show like this in my career. You know I’ve done quite a number of shows, this will be different, and shows in Ibadan will never be the same again’ he said.

    Actress, Funke Akindele also revealed that she will be rocking Ibadan. ‘I will be bringing ‘art’ to stand-up comedy on Easter Sunday. My performance will be artistic and very funny. I have something special in mind on that day. You all should look forward to it. And I must add, Gbenga Adeyinka impresses me daily with his level of preparation. This will be a good show’ she concluded.

  • DStv launches new channel

    AS the second quarter of the year rolls in, the management of DStv has announced the launch of an exciting new channel. Come Tuesday April 9, Fox will be a new addition to the DStv Premium bouquet and will be available in both HD and SD as simulcast it management says.

    The 24 hour channel will introduce viewers to an offering of the best international fiction series of the moment, including drama and comedy. A new reality series, Being Mandela, which follows ZaziweDlamini-Manaway and Swati Dlamini, granddaughters of world renowned icon and former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. The Sisters invite DStv viewers on a journey into their busy lives and most importantly viewers will get to see the highs and lows of being a Mandela.

    Fox, according to a release from the stable of DStv, will bring the much anticipated historical series, Da Vinci’s Demons in May. The series follows the ‘untold’ story of the world’s greatest genius during his turbulent youth. Viewers will see how the talented artist, Leonardo Da Vinci, struggles to live within the confines of his own reality. He begins to not only see the future, but invent it.

    Managing Director of MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe says; “We are pleased to be launching Fox on the DStvbouquet. We hope that DStv viewers will enjoy the quality of programming offered on the new channel. The launch of this channel is just another way that we ensure our subscribers receive expanded viewing options and also bring them a greater variety of entertainment.”

  • Mercy Johnson returns in Amaco’s new flick

    NOLLYWOOD luscious mother of one, Mercy Johnson has shown that even after being delivered of her first child the pregnancy of talent that she carries is one that can never be aborted by any circumstance as she showed what stuff she is made up off in a new flicked titled Baby Oku in America.

    The movie produced by Gabriel Moses, the CEO of Amaco Films and I-Com International Company is a comedy that tells the story of a newly married Nigerian couple that relocated to the United State of America a move that brought out the ignorance and unpleasant character of the woman in the marriage as she strive to live and preach the gospel of gender equality in their marriage in the wrong way.

    According to Gabriel Moses, the executive producer of the movie, the cast and crew had to work in Nigeria and the United State of America to show the beauty of both countries while taking full advantage of the cordial bilateral relationship that exist between the United States of America and Nigeria.

    Meanwhile the ace Movie producer who has produced films like One Dollar, Abandoned, Old School among others, has promised that Baby Oku in America will not be his last movie in the business.

  • Silverbird reduces age limit for MBGN contest

    EFFECTIVE from the next edition which comes up in May, organisers of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) pageant have said that the maximum age of contestants is now 23 years as against the former 26. For the first time since the pageant was created in the 1986, wannabes of the 2013 MBGN can’t be more than 23.

    A source close to the organizers revealed that the reason is to make the eventual winner eligible for the Miss World contest. It would be recalled that the current queen, Isabella Ayuk, was above 25 last year, when she won the pageant. Thus, she was over-aged for Miss World competition. Besides, there were speculations that she could have been above 30 years of age. The current age limit for Miss World is 25.

  • Ebonylife TV wraps up Screen Divas

    FROM Tinapa in Calabar, EbonyLife TV has added a voice to the global fight against domestic violence with the wrap up of the filming of yet another of its reality programmes, Screen Divas. The programme which will enjoy a Pan African launch later on in the year on EbonyLife TV, comes with an unscripted and unedited glimpse into the world of four of Africa’s most eclectic Nollywood Stars, Funke Akindele, Rita Dominic, Kate Henshaw and Uche Jombo, as it showcases not only the glitz, glam, and gloss, but the struggles of their interesting lives outside the regular world of make-belief.

    Pamela Ofoegbu, Ebonylife TV’s Director of Reality Programming, could not hide her feeling of fulfillment on the project. “Domestic violence is simply evil and I applaud our screen divas for lending us their star status to give a voice to the voiceless. They gave a stellar performance throughout the thrilling 3-week filming journey and we are so proud of them,” she said.

    The wrap up of Screen Divas is coming fast on the heels of the conclusion of the filming of Sistaz, another of EbonyLife TV’s programmes. EbonyLife TV’s programming cuts across drama, comedy, reality, lifestyle, talk, magazine, feature film and factual and is poised to reach a global black audience through an exciting multiplicity of media platforms, including TV, Web, Mobile, Apps and Live Events.

  • KSA excites with double video

    IN his was of celebrating the Easter for his fans, Juju exponent, King Sunny Ade has promised a surprise in form of a double live video package titled Moments of Glory. According to Clement Ige, Managing Director of Distinct Associates Ltd, the two works which come in a single package and a title will actually be in the market to thrill fans during the Easter festivities.

    One of the live video packages, Ige says, will feature events of the recent honour bestowed on KSA by the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan and the second part of the 35th Anniversary of King Sunny Ade as the King of Music, an event which took place late last year.

    While confirming the release of the package, Clement Ige said that the real surprise about the package is based on a decision to satisfy the yearnings of millions of his fans who have been requesting for live video of his performances, especially in recent years.

    The video package, he added, is the beginning of several other live performances, audio and visual, slated for the market this year to fulfill the prophecy of his last album which he titled My Year. “So this is just one of the surprises to make this year great for his fans,” he said.