How John Dumelo Celebrated His Birthday

John Dumelo

Ghanaian actor John Dumelo celebrated his birthday on February 3. Dumelo’s age is readily not known, but on Friday he received a lot of congratulatory messages from players and pals in the entertainment industry as well as his female fans.

That evening, he answered all who sent him birthday messages, saying, “Thanks a lot for the birthday messages. At a point in time I was nearly in tears because I didn’t know I had so much love from you guys. Thanks a lot for making my day. And above all I thank God for bringing me this far.

Let me leave you with a quote…’all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me’. Believe in whatever you aiming for and trust me it shall come to pass. It can be done. Love you guys.”

Every year, the debonair actor celebrates his birthday with significant activities that benefit society and this year’s was not different.Currently, he is in the United States of America, where he is launching his J Melo fashion brand in ten states.

The J Melo fashion brand, which comprises a jewellery line, hair pieces, handbags, casual African apparels and African-print boxer shorts, was first launched in Accra on December 27, 2011.

The launch in the United States of America is aimed at getting closer to his fans in the States and also supporting a good and worthy cause back home in Ghana.

It is one of John’s ways of giving to back society, as he will use the products to raise funds for his John Dumelo Foundation which is embarking on a school building project in the northern part of Ghana.

Last year, as part of his birthday celebration, John sneaked out of town to the northern part of the country to cut a sod to start work on a $40,000 school building project at Baayir Primary and Junior High School, which is a two-hour drive from Wa, the capital of the Upper West Region.

That project is part of the John Dumelo Foundation’s plan to help and promote education in the region. Last Wednesday, Dumelo threw a secret birthday party at his Adenta base in Accra.

Two years ago, he celebrated the day with a secret party with his family members. Three years ago, he donated items worth over GH¢1000 to the children’s unit of the Battor Catholic Hospital, located off the Aflao-Tema Highway.

Among the items he gave were bags of rice, gallons of cooking oil, biscuits, tins of Milo, milk, canned tomatoes, sardines, sugar, drinks and children’s clothing. He also donated a cash amount of $500 to the children.

John is currently one of Ghana’s hottest actors in Ghana and Nigeria.

Okyeame Quophi Gives Stacy Brand New Range Rover As Birthday Gift

Okyeame Quophi

Hiplife artiste, Music Producer and Radio Presenter, Okyeame Quophi has decided to surprise his wife through the social network site, Facebook. The former Hitz FM Presenter has given a brand new Range Rover to his wife Stacy Amoateng as her birthday present.

Stacy, will forever remember this day for the rest of her life if information available to us is anything to go by.

A message on Okyeame Quophi’s Facebook wall today, revealing that he has decided to give his wife a brand new Range Rover even though she asked for a new BMW X5 as her birthday present.

This is Okyeame Quophi’s message to his wife Stacy unedited; "HAPPY BIRTHDAY WIFEY! I KNOW U ASKED FOR A BMW X5 BUT I TOPPED IT UP TO A FULL SPEC RANGE ROVER. LOOK INFRONT OF THE MIRROR THE KEY IS THERE. THIS COMES WITH TWO YEARS MAINTENANCE AND SIX MONTHS FREE FULL TANK PETROL. LUV U MORE TODAY THAN EVER".... Okyeame Quophi to Stacy Amoateng.

Based on this, Eugene Osafo-Nkansah called Okyeame Quophi this morning to confirm if he indeed posted this message on his Facebook wall. He had a big laugh and said we should leave his family alone.

Even though Quophi confirmed leaving the message for his wife, he refused to comment further.We went further to contact birthday lady Stacy of TV3 “Music Music” fame, to find out if she is already cruising in her new Range Rover, but she denied any knowledge of her husband’s supposed surprise.

She however, said she had calls from several people including her brother early this morning asking if she had been on Facebook.

She said she left home very early this morning while her husband was asleep and has not being able to visit Facebook so is not aware of any surprise from her husband.  
Credit: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah

Problems in the black stars squad you need to know

The team now lies on top of Group D with six points with Guinea and Mali with three points each which leaves Botswana with no points

1. Not enough goal scoring opportunities and lack of chances – this is due to midfielders try to score, defeating their responsibility on the pitch

2. Lack of chemistry/understanding between players- Midfielders failing to tell strikers to follow up whenever they drive at goal

3. Goalkeeping inadequacy-the history of rich goalkeepers in the past is psychologically having an impact on our goalkeeper and the acclimatization on the continent as well

4. Right wing problem-the typical Ex Hearts winger Lawrence Adjei type has been missing in the squad and rather defenders and midfielders are being transformed which is making natural crosses.

5. Panicky measures in the central defense due to inexperience- The 4 and 5 had never played together till this tournament and will take time to settle.

6. Slow build up- the linkage from the defense, midfielder and attack is not smooth since opponents can be read

7. Over confidence- this is with Dede Ayew who over elaborates with the ball by playing simple ball and play according to game plane

8. Left back problem- Masawudu must be confident because Sulley Muntari has lost form and his recovery rate is poor and it time we need natural left in that position

Impressive entries collected for 2012 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards

The 13th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Festival has recorded an impressive turnout of entries for consideration into the 29 coveted award categories of the Scheme.

More than 350 individual songs and nearly 200 artistes have been submitted since the information on the call for entries was made public in early January. Many more entries are expected in as the process is yet to officially end.
The VGMA Board during their second sitting on Thursday January 26, 2012 began the arduous task of cataloging the over 350 song entries into their respective categories.

The dedicated Board team has their work cut out for them during this stage of the scheme. It is their responsibility to painstakingly place all the entries into categories for short listing – a task made more grueling by the fact that Members have to literally listen and debate on the appropriate category for each song presented. The impressive turnout this year is a good sign that the music industry did not do too badly in the year under review (December 1, 2010 – December 31st 2011).

The VGMA aims above all, to recognise the hard work and dedication of the music industry practitioners. It must be said at this point that the industry deserve a pat on the back for work done in keeping Ghana and the world dancing with their releases in all genres of music.
A cursory look at the work done so far in the categorization process reveals that there will be an interesting race for the Hiplife Song of the Year category. The category has received a tremendous boost with the advent of the “Azonto movement” with its accompanying dance rhythm. The competition here will certainly be worth one’s while.

Another category that is certain to create excitement is the Afro Pop Song of the Year. The number of works that have been placed in that category so far has Board.
The Public Categories of the VGMA is largely popularity based and though many songs have been tendered in for consideration, only 6 or 7 entries per category will make it into the final Nomination list to be voted on by the 3-tier voting panel (i.e. General Public, Academy and Board).

This however does not mean that the rest of the work submitted are substandard or not worthy of recognition. The whole industry has experienced a tremendous boost in the level of creativity as has been seen in the number of entries entered in so far and this is commendable.
The data collection process which continues for another week is accompanied by a painstaking verification process by all record labels that have releases in the scheme. They have to sign label submission forms that record details like release date, song writers and other such necessary details.
Nomination forms can still be obtained from selected radio stations, MUSIGA Secretariat as well as online on www.ghanamusicawards.com.

70,000 Nigerian babies born with HIV yearly

The National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA) has said that no fewer than 70,000 babies are born with HIV/AIDS annually in the country.
The Director-General of the Agency, John Idoko, revealed this at an event held to mark the World AIDS Day in Abuja.

He said that the prevalence of the disease in women was greater than in men, with about 1.7 million Nigerian women living with the disease.

“More women than men are living with HIV in the country as a result of inequity in the social, political and economic status of women in Africa in general, and in Nigeria in particular,” he said. Idoko disclosed that the country witnessed a reduction in the spread of HIV from 4.6 percent in 2008, to 4.1 per cent in 2010.
He however said that the high rate of infected people in some states was still a source of great concern to the Federal Government.

He also said that according to the United Nations report, the disease spread in the country was at a stable rate.

Source: codewit.com

PRESSURE ON RITA DOMINIC TO MARRY - FAMILY AND FRIENDS

RITA DOMINIC

Popular screen goddess, Rita Nwaturiocha Dominic Born on July 12, 1975 (age 36), apart from having an alluring appeal that makes one feel welcome, her smooth, soft voice is sensuous, especially when she wears one of her red trade mark lipsticks, which she has traded for a more matured look for now.Without mincing words, Rita is the fans’ delight anyway, anytime.

Rita’s stage presence in movies largely draws from the emotions and passion with which she enraptures her audience, as she successfully interprets her roles to the last detail. Often as sweet as candy, she’s got the looks such that one could at once feel she was born for the screens. In the case at hand, this particular actress seems to be finding right men for marriage elusive. She was at a time said to be dating Nollywood bad boy, Jim Iyke, she was said to be very serious with him, but their love story was put on hold when Jim was not forthcoming with marriage proposal.

Although Rita denies her supposed relationship with Jim then by saying I’m not denying the fact that Jim and I are good friends. If you ask him if he could add somebody else to his family, he would add me to his family, likewise me. To me you can have a best friend that is a guy and there’s nothing happening between you. I am just a pity that here when they see you guys talking or playing, they say you guys are going out. She said
Apart from Jim Iyke, she has been romantically linked with several other guys that yielded no fruit. In a nutshell, the talented thespian has not been lucky with men.

The latest gist swirling around the actress is that she is right now under unprecedented pressure by friends and family to marry and settle down. The family was concerned that the concept of success should be all encompassing and not limited to money and stardom which are temporal.

On the side of well meaning friends, the ground for pressure is that as a woman a little bit above forty that her biological clock is ticking.

Let’s hope that the wedding bells will soon be ringing

Slim Busterr to join the Azonto crew

Slim Busterr

Slim Busterr has said he won’t allow the memorable Azonto season to go without him being part of the excitement and euphoria, noting that he would release an Azonto album sometime this year.

He made the declaration on Monday night when he appeared on ETV Ghana’s Late Night Celebrity show with actress Sika Da Diva.
Slim and Sika displayed a bit of Azonto moves in the studio while they talked about their new movie, ‘Hell Mett’ which was premiered last Saturday at the National Theatre in Accra.

The premiere attracted quite a number of movie enthusiasts who were impressed with the movie produced by Slim Busterr. Sika, on the Late Night Show, expressed her appreciation to Slim for believing in her and giving her a role in his movie. The two have also been busy denying rumours about an amorous relationship between them.

“Are you not aware Slim is happily married? I am single but responsible. I wouldn’t want any lady to snatch my husband in future, so I don’t want to do that to somebody at my young age. Please let’s close this chapter. I don’t want to talk about this again.
I don’t care what you people say. Leave us alone.

VIP Battles Sarkodie

VIP

Ghana’s energetic trio, VIP is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to affirm its presence on the music scene.

Everything is in top gear for the group, made up of Lazy, Promzy and Prodigal, to take the game to the next level this year with a lot of scheduled events. Currently, the group and Ghana’s fastest rapper, Sarkodie are staging a comeback in what looks like a rap supremacy contest in the trio’s latest hot single titled ‘Which Kind Yawa Be Dis’, which also featured Sarkodie.

The song is due to hit the airwaves this week.
It is a hot song being released ahead of the group’s upcoming album titled ‘Seven Eleven’.
Each member of the group made a point with the lines in the song, with Sarkodie also taking his ‘Rapperholic’ antics to the next level.
It was as if the four musicians were battling for who had the best lines and rap styles.
The song’s beat is awesome and very cool for any dance moves including Azonto. The lyrics were very tight as Sarkodie tried to unleash a new catchy phrase into the music arena.
‘Which Kind Yawa Be Dis’ is produced by Nigeria’s Puffy Tee and mixed and mastered by Ghana’s hot sound engineer Kaywa.

Some industry stakeholders have given the song thumbs up. This is the first time VIP is featuring Sarkodie.
VIP is known for hit songs and its song ‘Change Position’, is still making an impact at parties, clubs and on the airwaves.
‘I Think Like Am’ is also making an impact not just in Ghana but in some African countries. VIP is currently Ghana’s reigning artiste of the year after it picked the award at the last Ghana Music Awards. The group also has a US tour coming up this year.

Van Vicker To Receive Creative Award In California

Van Vicker

Actor Van Vicker has been nominated to receive a special award, the African Channel Creative Award, at the 20th edition of the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) scheduled to come off at a Night of Tribute on Friday, February 10 at the Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Los Angeles, California.

Van is listed among seven others who organizers say have impacted immensely on their fields and contributed diversely to the development of stage, television and film production among blacks.

In a citation, organizers of the awards described Van Vicker as “one of Africa’s hottest movie stars, he’s one of the most sought-after Nollywood actors. The award-winning actor has appeared in more than 100 movies, including Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark, Royal War, Broken Tears, Return of Beyonce and Princess Tyra. He’s been nominated twice for an African Movie Academy Award.”

Among the eight special awardees, the Pan African Film Festival will honor award-winning actress Loretta Devine with its highest honor for this year, Lifetime Achievement Award for her work on stage, television and film.

The six other recipients include, Meagan Good - Beah Richards Rising Star Actress Award, David Oyelowo - Canada Lee Rising Star Actor Award, Mr. Leon Garr - Community Treasure Award, Jewel Thais-Williams - Community Service Award, Jimmy Jean-Louis - The Africa Channel Diasporan Award, Eric Kabera and the Rwanda Cinema Centre - The Africa Channel Visionary Award.

One of Van’s movies, Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark will be screened on Saturday, February 11 during the festival.

PAFF was founded in 1992 by award-winning actor Danny Glover, Emmy Award-winning actress, Ja’Net DuBois and executive director, Ayuko Babu, an international legal, cultural and political consultant who specializes in African Affairs.

PAFF is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art and creative expression. The goal of PAFF is to present and showcase the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images, help to destroy negative stereotypes and depict an expanded vision of the "Blackexperience".

PAFF holds the belief that film and art can lead to better understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.

This year’s festival selected a total of 160 films, representing 30 countries, 91 feature length films (narrative and documentaries) and 67 short films.

The festival will hand out prizes for Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Narrative Feature, and Best First Feature Film, as well as audience favorite awards at the close of the festival.

Kwabena Kwabena fights profane lyrics…calls on MUSIGA to censor

Kwabena Kwabena

Ghanaian Highlife artiste, Kwabena kwabena is calling on the President of the Musician Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) to find means of monitoring and censoring songs before they are released unto the market.

According to him the establishment of a censor body will help curb the rate at which profane lyrics are aired even in public.

‘Trust me there are certain songs played on radio I think should not just be there’ he told Xfm 95.1 in an interview”, adding, “I listened to my four year old daughter sing a certain song which I wouldn’t want to sing on radio. And I didn’t play it in my house but I know she heard it on radio’.

It is on this premise the award winning highlife musician is calling for the censorship board for the music industry.

“There is no censor board in this country for music. With all due respect to any musician; I believe that there are certain songs you cannot play publicly. The union should be looking at this. We need to maintain a certain level of decency in this industry. This is a big business and we need to safeguard it”, he said.

Kwabena Kwabena also identified the inability of MUSIGA to publicise its activities as some of the failings of the new executives headed by Obour, stressing, “I don’t see a lot on MUSIGA and what it is doing. I think there is a little problem as far as PR is concerned”

He called on the President to “begin to look at the percentage of local and foreign content as far as our music is concerned”.


Story by Dennis

War between Ebi Bright & Martha Ankomah over a Car

Ebi Bright

Actresses Ebi Bright and Martha Ankomah are reportedly involved in a cold war over a car belonging to Ebi Bright. News-One sources said the actresses used to be friends, but hell broke loose later last year when they rained insults on each other after a disagreement over the car.

Bright, according to the sources, offered her car to be used for a movie production headed by popular director Frank Raja and producer/actor Roger Quartey. But something went wrong during the production, the car was crashed and repaired secretly without Bright’s knowledge. Ankomah was rumoured to be involved in that episode.Bright didn’t know about the incident until the car nearly killed her while she was driving on the Accra-Tema motorway as a result of a fault caused by the previous damage.

Martha Ankomah

Mechanics later told Bright that the car had previously been crashed. The source said Bright called Ankomah to find out what exactly happened to her car on set. But things didn’t go well between them in the course of the conversation.

Bright’s issue was that at least, she should have been informed about the incident because she insured the car and there were procedures to follow when there was an accident. Currently both actresses are not on talking terms. Ghana’s Actors Guild is yet to wade into the matter but the sources said the actresses had threatened to handle each other in their own way.

Fred Nuamah Says He Was Never Thrown Out Of ‘His Home’

According to a recent report by Daily Guide, CEO and Founder Of Ghana Movie Awards-Mr. Fred Nuamah “has been thrown out of his residence at Community 19, Lashibi, by his land lady whom he has been playing hide and seek with for some time now”.

The story states that “Fred was ejected on Friday at about 6:30am while he looked on helplessly and in total shock. His mattress, chairs, tables, drinking glasses and other belongings were thrown outside by personnel from the Osu District Court, including a police officer.

The landlady had futilely chased him for a whole year but Fred had managed to avoid her by parking his unregistered vehicle in front of his next door neighbors house to avoid being noticed. Fred’s house was also alleged to have been always under lock and key, even if he was at home, thus creating the impression he was not at home.

His house was said to have housed several celebrities including Tonto Dike, John Dumelo, Kwesi Pee, who was virtually living with him in the house and popular TV host Naa Dede, who happens to be the one who helped him move his belongings into the house.

Fred rented the place for three years in 2008. The source said the landlady called him to inform him that his three-year rent agreement would be due in three months and told him to prepare to hand over the keys. Fred was said to have pleaded for an extra two years”.

Daily Guide continued that, “their source noted that he was initially asked to pay GH¢300 but he pleaded it was too much and was later allowed to stay based on an agreed amount between him and the landlady. When it was time for payment however, the producer deposited only six months rent into the landlady’s account, instead of the two years which was agreed on”.

Speaking to Fred Nuamah few minutes, he told GhanaCelebrities.Com that, there is no substance in the story and it is merely another attempt to taint his name and reputation.

Fred mentioned that, though he will not like to extensively comment on such a bogus story, he has recently moved to a better new place (3 Bedroom House), and contrary to Daily Guide’s report, he was not never thrown out by his landlady or anyone.

He was however shocked that, Daily Guide failed to contact him before putting out such unfounded story.

Source: Ghanacelebrities.com