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Miss Universe unveils 12 finalists

Twelve finalists for the Miss Universe Ghana beauty pageant have finally been unveiled and it does not disappoint with many of them already involved in philanthropy work prior to entering the contest.
They are Akyere Gladys Rockson; physician assistant and Nana Ama Agyekum; a student representing the Ashanti Region, Peggy Boateng, of University of Ghana, Legon, (Brong Ahafo Region), Ruth Quashie; a Business graduate student and Hephie Armah; final year student at GIJ (Central Region) and Sefakor Esinam Ahiave; a BSc graduate of KNUST (Greater Accra Region), Loretta Doe Lawson; a model and a BSc graduate (Northern Region) and Nadia Sarbah; a Bachelor of Arts student (Eastern Region).
The rest are Nura Ladi Mohammed; a student at GIMPA, (Upper East Region), Emily Randolph; BA Journalism student at GIJ( Upper West Region), Cindy Emefa Coffe; a BA Architecture Graduate student of Wellesley College, Boston (Volta Region) and Sylvia Ama Owusu; a graduate of University of Ghana (Western Region).
This number will be watered down to 10 by the last week before the grand finals slated for September 2.
And to take the public along the journey, segments of the pageant organised by MALZ Promotions, headed by Mrs. Menaye Donkor-Muntari, a previous title holder has started airing on Sundays on GHOne TV at 4 pm.
According to Mrs Donkor-Muntari, the new Miss Universe Ghana beauty pageant boasts of the best and brightest of Ghana’s hopeful young women.
“The Miss Universe process has been carefully designed to diligently seek out a winner who best embodies Miss Universe Ghana ethos and I am honoured to be the New National Director, because platforms like this give us the opportunity to shine the spotlight on the standard and talent of young Ghanaian women in today’s society”
Miss Universe Ghana is sponsored by Labadi Beach Hotel, SHE-Y by Menaye, EIB Network, Rigworld, Fiesta TV, Ivana Couture, Maybelline, Dark & Lovely among others.

A failing movie industry, ‘Slay Queens’ & ‘NollyFund’

The organisation of the Golden Movie Awards last weekend stoked a fiery debate on critical issues concerning the movie industry in Ghana.
And it was all instigated by actor/producer, Yvonne Nelson, who was gutted by the what she called, ‘a show of pomp and pageantry on the red carpet at the movie awards when such efforts could be channeled into making the industry better.’
It was quite interesting reading jabs from the likes of Yvonne Nelson, Prince David Osei and Eddie Nartey, who chastised other actors who dressed and showed up at the red carpet event and it was even more intriguing to read the ‘clap back’ from the likes of actor, Nana Akua Addo and fashionista, Oscar Doe.
In all the rhubarb, it became apparent that, some commentators made some strong points, other assertions were misplaced while some were just in the mood to call out others.
Yes, The Industry Is Failing
It is no secret that the Ghanaian movie industry has teetered to the brink of total collapse for the past years. Many movie stakeholders have jettisoned the trade, opting for other viable business while the few who are still into film making have been floundering to produce movies.
The number of productions have reduced drastically, the relevance of films in Ghana has taken a dip, movie directors are finding solace in television series and of course, the actors are tinkering with theatre while some use red carpet events to remain relevant.
It is interesting to note the ratio of Ghanaian movies premiered at the Silver Bird Cinemas in a month, a sharp contrast to what transpired some years ago when movies had to go through stringent requirements in order to make the cut. Now, the Cinemas are doing more comedy shows than movie premieres. Times are hard!
Three years ago, some actors, especially the female actors, decided to take matters into their own hands and tried to produce and star in their own movies. The system was almost inundated with movies from Yvonne Nelson, Kafui Danku, Lydia Forson, Bibi Bright, Yvonne Okoro and Zynell Zuh among others, but today, the situation is different.
The crux of the matter is this; all facets of filmmaking in Ghana – production, promotion/marketing and distribution are on ‘lockdown’.
Attack On Golden Movie Awards Unfair
After the telecast of the Golden Movie Awards, Yvonne Nelson went on a tirade, sending out a couple of brash tweets, with one seemingly directed at the organisers of the award show.
She tweeted “Waiting for the day when there's no production to nominate since that has skipped them!”
Firstly, Yvonne should be appreciative of the efforts of the organisers of the award scheme. These guys, in an industry that lacks support for events, have been able to gather resources to boost local tourism and put Ghana on the map by bringing the rest of Africa to the shores of Ghana, the same way Nigeria takes the rest of Africa to AMAAs and AMVCAs.
Secondly, if there were no productions, they will be no awards. The awards is there because there are productions, so, that argument is flawed.
Awards are good and what Golden Movie Awards is doing is to award and encourage the few who are still ‘grinding’ to produce movies, striving to give directors, actors and other crew members work to do and to give movie fanatics something to enjoy.
‘Slay Queens’ Not The Problem
The coinage ‘Slay Queen’ emanates from the female celebrities, especially the actors who impress on various red carpet events for major shows in the country.
On the Slay Queens, Yvonne Nelson wrote; “Listen, let's put in same energy to bring back the dead industry rather than slay on carpets cuz truthfully y'all know there's no work! This is meant for those with foresight! Those who don't only wake up and think about slaying but about getting Ghanaian content out there!”
How do you the blame the actress who has been nominated for an award or invited as an award presenter walking on the red carpet over the lack of jobs in the industry? How do you blame the actress who walks the red carpet over the failure to get Ghanaian content out there?
It is not as though, the so-called ‘Slay Queens’ organise meaningless events in their backyard, fix red carpets and ‘slay’ – no! They are invited by event organisers to either pick award, present awards or just grace the occasion. How is that a crime?
Most importantly, these actresses must stay relevant to attract opportunities and endorsement deals and if making appearances on red carpets serve that purpose when the movie industry doesn’t, why not make it a viable venture?
The Problem Of The Industry
The major problem facing the film industry has nothing to do with award schemes and actresses minding their own business on red carpets. It is an issue of funding!
The Ghanaian film industry needs massive funding to stay buoyant and that all-important revenue injection ought to come from government, corporate firms and individual investors.
The core elements needed to make a film happen are the script, actors and the location among others but these element need a budget but unfortunately, Ghanaian filmmakers have faced the daunting task of scraping together enough money to get their film off the ground.
Financing is an important (and often dreaded) aspect of the making of any movie. Without money, films can't exist. Films are generally not cheap to produce and with all costs of production having to be paid up front as they are incurred, a film producer needs to have access to a significant amount of money in order to commence production – and in Ghana presently, producers do not have it.
‘Nollyfund’ Is Helping The Nigerian Industry
The issue of lack of funding in the film industry is prevalent in major industries including Hollywood and Nollywood. In Nigeria, some corporate firms are seeing the potential of the industry and are willing to help with funding.
The Bank of Industry (BOI) in Nigeria has developed a special Product Programme called ‘NollyFund’ under which Nigeria’s leading movie producers receive financial support to produce quality films and screen them through various platforms of movie distribution available both in Nigeria and on the international market.
The Bank did set up a NollyFund Implementation Advisory Group to critically review all the film scripts and associated budgets submitted to the Bank by movie producers and make technical recommendations to the Bank for credit appraisal and subsequent approval.
Thus far, ‘NollyFund’ has helped the production of six or more quality movies from Nollywood, which have all attained some form of international recognition. That’s the way to go!

Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale cannot intimidate me-Samini fires shots at critics

Experienced Dance-hall musician has debunked the assertion that the emergence of fellow dancehall acts, Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy has made him irrelevant in the music and entertainment industry His comments come on the heels of some section of the showbiz fraternity casting insinuations that his career was dying due to stiff opposition from other acts.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Peace FM, the “Sweet Mistake” song creator indicated that his career was not dying as many people were made to believe The “Linda” hit maker indicated that Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy could not intimidate him in anyway.
Samini added that he did not feel any pressure from the waves Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy were making. On the contrary, he indicated that he mentored Stonebwoy. He said he helped Stonebwoy come out with his first album. Samini went on to say that Shatta Wale had gone “missing” from the music scene for years before he made his comeback with his new brand Samini indicated that he was still relevant among the contemporaries he started with in 2001. He said that some artistes made hit songs way back and vanished from the music scene only to come back years later.
He added that he had stayed in the industry and is still making a mark on dance hall in Ghana.

Shatta Wale blasts his poor critics for hating his success with music

Self-acclaimed dance-hall king, Charles Nii Armah Mensah, known by the showbiz name, Shatta Wale has sent a strong word to his critics who keep hitting on him The “Taking Over” hit maker in a Facebook post advised his critic to stop hating him. He added that his brand was effective in the sense that all his songs were of the highest commercial value The “Ayoo” song creator gave a clear record of his recording prowess and indicatd that if the “feeling” was right, he could produce 4 hit songs just in one day.
He proved this by giving a breakdown of the record time in which he recorded most of his popular songs.
The outspoken musician indicated that it took him no more than 35 minutes to record his hit song “Taking Over”. He also said that his “Ayoo” song was ready just after 25 minutes of stepping into his studio. Shatta Wale then added that his “Hosanna” song was recorded in less than 20 minutes.
He said he was not stopping anytime soon and went on to add in the comment section that his haters were only hating him out of poverty The musician has been in the news for a number of reasons already this year. He was reported as going to present the Key to Worcester to President Akuffo-Addo.

People Think I’m Stupid Because Of The Roles I Play In Movies - Actor

Nigerian actor John Okafor, widely known as Mr Ibu – has confessed that many people see him as a ‘foolish’ and ‘stupid’ man due to the mere fact that he plays roles in movies designed to be that way.
Okafor has built a career out of playing comedic roles in movies and it seems that has transcended the screen onto his real life.
Even the name he’s most known by, Mr Ibu – is a throwback to one of his funniest yet stupidest characters ever.
“A lot of people think I’m stupid and foolish because of the roles I play in movies.” he told Punch in an interview.
“At times, when I have something meaningful to say, people don’t take me serious as they think I’m cracking jokes.”
Source: Ghanacelebrities.com

I am comfortable making music – Adina reveals

On countless occasions, some Ghanaian artistes have said their hard work in the music industry has not paid off as they expected.
Others have even shied away from answering the question on whether or not music is fetching them enough money.
The story is however different with Adina Thembi Ndamse known in showbiz circles as Adina.
Responding to a question posed by Joy News’ Doreen Avio, Adina revealed that she is comfortable making music.
"It is enough to pay the bills, it is enough to start up things", she said.
According to the 2017 Best Female Vocalist of the Year, financial stability depends largely on how one manages his or her finances rather than how much one earns.
"Money can come…even if you get a small amount, how you use it is what matters. So I can decide to squander it or put it to good use. Whatever it is that is coming in…I am comfortable," she added.
The singer bagged two awards at this year’s Vodafone Ghana Music Awards with her song titled ‘Too Late’. She took home the Best Female Vocalist of the Year Award as well as the Record of the Year.
Adina admitted that she came under pressure to keep up her good productions after winning the two awards but indicated that she is handling the pressure well.
The ‘Too Late’ hit maker who recently released a new song titled ‘Makoma’ which featured Sarkodie said it is an obligation to be consistent in the industry.

Mahama renews marriage vows with wife Lordina

John and Lordina Mahama are marking their 25th wedding anniversary after they first tied the knot in 1992.Former president, John Mahama has renewed his wedding vows with his wife Lordina.John and Lordina Mahama are marking their 25th wedding anniversary after they first tied the knot in 1992.They were joined by family members, friends and well-wishers. Present at the ceremony was the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Sam Dzata George."It is my prayer that the next 25 years bring them even more grace and greatness."

Medikal Rapper narrates how he was charged GHC 2,000 for feature

Even though Medikal is not yet on top of the game, karma is already at work for him.Getting a feature or a collaboration with mainstream musicians is one of the biggest hell you have to go through if you are an up and coming artiste. Over the years, up and coming Ghanaian artistes have complained bitterly about the hardship one has to go through or even a huge sum of money one has to pay before getting a feature with top artistes. This is exactly what one of Ghana's current best rappers, Medikal went through as an up and coming musician 3 years ago. The AMG Business artiste on Saturday took to Twitter to disclose the hell he went through when he tried to get a collaboration with one of Ghana's top artistes.According to the "Confirm" hitmaker, he once reached out to a top artiste for a feature 3 years ago and was asked to pay an amount of GHC2,000.00. But, fortunately for him, the same artiste is asking for a feature with him this year -- obviously, karma is at work. He tweeted: "3 years ago, you charged my 2k ghc for a feature. Fast forward to 2017 my team charged you 10k for a verse, you said I am not humble. Mumu artiste." Medikal is yet to reveal the name of the artiste.

Ebony Afro Dancehall artiste slays in extremely high slit dress

Afro Dancehall artiste, Ebony latest photo encompasses everything we love about her from sexiness to classy to radiance.The sponsor hitmaker totally looks carefree as she stepped on the red carpet of the 2017 Golden Movie Awards in a zebra designed dress.The extremely high slit was absolutely gorgeous and the tassels added some flair to the dress. The V-shaped dress showed off little cleavage as she posed flirtatiously for the camera.Addressing comments about her style of dressing, “I think my style is totally different. I chose to dress this way because well, I grew up with it and also this is dancehall. Dancehall is dancehall, you can’t be a dancehall artiste and be doing any good girl thing", speaking to Hitz Fm.

Shatta Wale accepts ‘big challenge’ from Samini Read more: https://yen.com.gh/96402-shatta-wale-accepts-big-challenge-samini

Self-styled Dancehall King, Charles Nii Armah Mensah better known as Shatta Wale has hinted, he is ever ready to pickAccording to him he would accept the challenge thrown to him by the Raggae Dancehall recording artiste, in a bid to seal up the never-ending ‘beef’ between the two. Emmanuel Andrews aka Samini, speaking on an Accra-based Joy FM disclosed that, he would love to collaborate with the Dancehall King to prove to his fans the kind of peace Ghana needs as far as entertainment industry feud is concerned. Samini sharing his thoughts on ‘Kasahari Level’ claimed that, their long standing feud has finally come to an end, after Wale apologized to him in an earnest manner. “I will sing along with him, he surprised me. He apologized to me. Showing up on my set [Saminifest], that was a surprise. He did make a mark and it helped the street calm down,” Samini told Dr Dancan on Kasahari Level up music collaboration with Dansoman-based musician, Samini.He added that he sees the music industry as a business therefore won’t waste time in having his first meeting with Samini on possible collaboration. “I love Samini and his music. And I know he is a fighter. I am ever ready to collaborate with him. I have a meeting with him and we need to show the love. I am ready for everything. I do this as business with regards to the career. Let us love ourselves, and when we do that everything in the industry will hold”, he told the host. The Dancehall King also preached peace, advised young rappers to avoid seeking for avenues to settle personal scores with others through rap music.“We should not take things personal. I speak my mind. I don’t take things personal. People should take it us business. People misunderstand me but I am up for it. Let’s support each other”, he insisted. Read more: https://yen.com.gh/96402-shatta-wale-accepts-big-challenge-samini.html

Ghanaian musician Mzbel has said that people are intimidated with her presence when she is around men they like Read more: https://yen.com.gh/96409-my-presence-men-people-nervous-mzbel.html

“It’s true any man I’m free with or friends with they’ll think oh there’s something going on even if I’m free with the Pope right now, they will think something is going on,” she said in an interview with Joy Prime. She stated that it was due to these perceptions that most organizations and stakeholders declined to sponsor her projects. “I don’t think there would be a day like that. I don’t have any problem with her, I have forgiven her, I have moved on. She is not the type of person I would love to hang around with me again. I am very honest and straightforward, I don’t hide my feelings,” she stated.

Let's mount fierce fight against corruption - Rawlings Read more: https://yen.com.gh/96421-lets-mount-fierce-fight-corruption-rawlings.html

Speaking at his residence during an inspection by sanitation officers, the former president made the case for government to deploy sanitation officers across public places so as to ensure that the quest to achieving a clean city is achieved. Ghana's capital of Accra has been described as one of the dirtiest across the world - a development which has led to the present NPP administration setting up a special task force to ensure sanitation issues in the country are well addressed. "This affects us in so many ways, if we are to talk about corruption then sanitation is part of corruption. Let’s take the fight to them for all to see so as to gain much respect for ourselves and the environment," Jerry Rawlings fumed.