Here are location pictures of the movie – Holding hope

Desmond and Nadia

office scene in Holding Hope

Talented leading gospel artiste and award wining vocalist, Lara George is doing us proud. The more we think we have had enough of her, her talents just keep proving us wrong.

It has now been established in all quarters that she is one of Nigeria ’s best in and outside the country.

Few weeks back, the respected vocal gymnast who recently won the Best Vocal Performer (Female)) at the just concluded Hip Hop World Awards, was selected as one of the voting academy members of BET set up to decide the winners in different categories.

Last weekend, Lara emerged as the Best Gospel Act of the Year 2010 at the City People Entertainment Awards in Lagos The cheering audience confirmed the fact that it was a well deserved award due to the standing ovation and applause all for the great singer.

In the same vein, she is also up for the Best Gospel Act Category in Nigeria Entertainment Awards (NEA) coming up in America on September 18, 2010.

Immediately after the awards ceremony, Lara George will proceed on a tour of the USA where her esteemed fans are already waiting for her superlative performances.

SOurce:

Anchor Baby, a movie shot by Lonzo Nzekwe And featuring City People
actress of the year, Omoni Oboli, Sam Sarpong of Hollywood and other
foreign cast is set to hit cinemas in Nigeria.

According to synopsis of the movie, Anchor Babe is the story of
married illegal immigrant couple, Joyce (Omoni Oboli) and Paul Unanga
(Sam Sarpong) have been ordered by the US immigration to leave the
country by voluntary departure. They agree to leave; but only after
Joyce who is 5 months pregnant delivers her baby inside the US. This
will guarantee automatic citizenship for their child. The couple
ignores the deportation order, and goes into hiding. Later, Paul is
caught and deported by a team of overzealous Immigration officers, led
by agent Mark Castello (Michael Scratch). This leaves Joyce to
struggle on her own to accomplish their dream.
Then, Joyce meets Susan Backley (Terri Oliver), a married freelance
writer who offers to help her with free accommodation until her baby
is born. Joyce accepts the offer and moves in. Now, with the help of
Susan, Joyce sets out on the most daring journey of her life; to
achieve the “American Dream” for her unborn child. She will try by any
means necessary.
The theme of the movie is about the Love, dreams, desperation,
betrayal and struggles, faced by these non-citizens in order to belong
to the American society. “Anchor Baby” is actually a derogatory term
for children born by immigrants or other non-citizens in the United
States. The movie Anchor Baby is set in the United States, but was
shot in Brampton and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Anchor Baby is written, directed and produced by a Nigerian first time
director Lonzo Nzekwe. The movie is being produced under his
independent film company Alpha Galore films, a division of Alpha
Galore Inc. based in Brampton, Ontario Canada. Other co-producers on
the project are Ian Sun and Jeremy Hood. For more information about
the company, please visit to www.alphagalorefilms.com or
www.anchorbabymovie.com.
The movie which be in cinema before the end of the year in Nigeria was
shot in Canada with a red one camera.

Click on the link to watch the trailer.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yx_kiBOZDA

In order that the labor of our past and present heroes don’t go in vain, the Stingomania Records is putting up an award project that will honor past and present entertainers in different categories; Movies, Music, Radio, Newsprint, Corporate Bodies, Comedians, Event promoters/Marketers, Executives and Theater. The award project has such categories as the most popular entertainer since independence, the most influential person in movies since independence and the most influential person in comedy since independence In addition, Stingomania Records, the brains behind the awards, will also honor the most influential person in sports since independence, most influential executives in entertainment and the most influential corporate bodies in entertainment will also be honored.

The award will have a special 13-event program to honor, encourage and recompense the top 100 most influential people in the Nigerian Entertainment Industry in the last 50 years. Golden Jubilee Award, an award that is only the best of the best can get a hold on. The full project will start with a book compilation of the 10 most influential people in entertainment in the last 50 years in 10 different categories of the entertainment and these will be suited by a 13 week television documentary. Each segment with a panel of discussants analyzing the top 10 nominated people and viewers will be franchised to vote for the most influential person in each category to win the award of the most influential person in their respective categories.

Already, an array of eminent personalities in the entertainment industry across the country has been drawn to select the best of our heroes past. Confirmed panelists and commentators include Patrick and Ireti Doyle, Joke Silva, Olu Jacobs, Dayo Adeneye, Dele Momodu, Seye Kehinde, Lancelot Imasuen, Emem Isong, Mahmoud Balogun, Amaka Igwe,

The list of the nominees is too intricate as individuals in each category are legends in their own rights, the likes of Hurbert Ogunde, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Art-Alade snr, Ali Baba, Mike Bamiloye, Omotola Jalade, Haruna Ishola, King Sunny Ade, Baba Sala, Ebenezer Obey amongst many others will definitely produce the best and only the best among the best will get a hand on the award.

Renowned Director, Lancelot Imasuen has joined Stingomania Entertainment in making sure that the life and works of late rap artiste Dagrin does not go down the drain. The respected Director has been drafted to be the Director of Ghetto Dreams a film which will be based on the life of Dagrin. The film will chronicle the growing years of Dagrin, his struggles, his rise to fame and his death.

The choice of the respected film director has been hailed

The film making is part of the formats Stingomania Records is putting in place to ensure that the man who gave the Yoruba rap music genre some breath of fresh air is memorialized in a constructive and enduring manner. The Dagrin Memorial Project, amongst other things will ensure that the family Dagrin left behind is catered for and the loss is made more bearable for his family in a tangible measurable manner. The memorial project will also provide a lasting structure and means to encourage upcoming, struggling and budding entertainment stars, while helping talented artistes deal with the different challenges and lack of resources limiting them from fulfilling their potential and set up a foundation to provide assistance for upcoming and struggling musicians with limited means and poor backgrounds to realize their ambition. The foundation will provide help for young musicians in areas of Finance, Training and Mentoring. All these were ideals the late musician stood for.

Nollywood Babylon is an in depth documentary that takes a look at the third largest film industry in the world. Yes, you heard me right, just behind the United States and India.

The film follows filmmaker Osita Iheme, a prominent film maker in Nigeria who, at the time of the film, was working on his 157th film. The Nigerian film industry started in the beginning 90’s as way for Nigerians to make films that they could relate to. Their film strategy is to pump out as many films as they can, and then sell them on the streets. The other side to their film industry is the religious figures that push films that they make they make themselves. These are directed towards promoting Christianity, and keeping those who are already devoted to their religion.

The main idea is to make films for Africans, by Africans. Sure, American films are featured in Nigeria, but they are not exactly easy to relate to. Their films have to do with culture, soul and issues related to society. This includes witchcraft. One of the biggest targets for the Christian films is to bring down witchcraft and evil. In one clip from their films, a woman admits to being a witch, and then her soul escapes her body in the form of a sitting dog. Let me tell you, these effects are epic!

The best part of the film are the clips from various films. These low budget flicks feature over the top acting, mostly in English, and effects that might have been acceptable in the late 60’s. early 70’s in the United States. In other words… I want to watch some of these films! They are completely different that what we are use to, and look like a lot of fun! One, for example, looked like a comedic version of “The Jerk” and featured some very obvious comedy, but was still hilarious.

This film is both interesting, and gives the viewer a glimpse into a film industry that is very different from our own. The films are made quickly to make quick money, unlike Hollywood, where it takes years sometimes to make one film. The only industry that I can remotely compare it to would be the porn industry. Not in the sense of nudity or profanity, but in the manner they shoot a scene, often times in one take, finish a film in a matter of weeks, and move on to the next one. It was mentioned in the film that the great Nollywood film has yet to be made, and with how fast they are producing these films, I can only assume that they are right.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Behind the scene videos of the upcoming movie ”Anchor Baby” hits Facebook and Youtube.

Synopsis:
Married illegal immigrant couple, Joyce (Omoni Oboli) and Paul Unanga (Sam Sarpong) have been ordered by the US immigration to leave the country by voluntary departure. They agree to leave; but only after Joyce who is 5 months pregnant delivers her baby inside the US. This will guarantee automatic citizenship for their child. The couple ignores the deportation order, and go into hiding.

Later, Paul is caught and deported by a team of overzealous Immigration officers, led by agent Mark Castello (Michael Scratch). This leaves Joyce to struggle on her own to accomplish their dream.

Then, Joyce meets Susan Backley (Terri Oliver), a married freelance writer who offers to help her with free accommodation until her baby is born. Joyce accepts the offer and moves in. Now, with the help of Susan, Joyce sets out on the most daring journey of her life; to achieve the “American Dream” for her unborn child. She will try by any means necessary.

The theme of the movie is about the Love, dreams, desperation, betrayal and struggles, faced by these non-citizens in order to belong to the American society. “Anchor Baby” is actually a derogatory term for children born by immigrants or other non-citizens in the United States.

The movie Anchor Baby is set in the United States, but was shot in Brampton and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Anchor Baby is written, directed and produced by a Nigerian first time director Lonzo Nzekwe.

See the video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlTvs7rjrXs

TITLE: High Blood Pressure

DIRECTOR: Teco Benson
STARRING: Kanayo O. Kanayo, Clarion Chukwura, Yemi Blaq, Lilian Bola Bach, Jibola Dabo, Jim Roach
SYNOPSIS:
High Blood Pressure is a film that mirrors the dirty politics, shenanigans, betrayal, greed, blood spilling, cultism and the unholy alliances daily going on among politicians in their desperate quest for power.

TITLE: Home in Exile
DIRECTOR: Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen
STARRING: Desmond Elliot, Uche Jombo, Julius Esiri, Beverly Naya, Francis Duru, Chiwetalu Agu
SYNOPSIS: This is the story of a prince who after studying medicine abroad comes home with his girlfriend (a Kenyan), and his best-friend in a bid to set up an ultra-modern hospital to save his community. However they face extreme difficulty when his fiance excitedly sits on the King’s throne against the tradition of his people and consequently must become the king’s wife – as tradition demands.

All is ready for the third season of MTN Project Fame West Africa. The highly popular talent competition which has enchanted millions of West Africans begins on the 12th of July, 2010 and ends in October.

The competition which has had two previously successful seasons is once again poised to take raw talents and mould them into music stars. After general auditions, 15 talented individuals will be taken to the Performance Academy where they would be taught how to write songs and perform from the very top professionals of the music industry.

According to the owners of the Project Fame franchise in West Africa, Ultima Limited, “Project Fame West Africa is not just looking for contestants with good voices. All students selected for the Performance Academy will be able to sing, perform and play musical instruments or write their own songs.”

Testaments to the refining abilities of PFWA are Iyanya Mbuk and Mike Anyasodo who both won the 1st season and second season respectively. Today they are among Nigeria’s most talented and professional singers with Iyanya releasing his critically acclaimed debut album My Story last year and Mike dropping three new singles that have all been met with positive reviews.

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