I HAVE CANCER - BIG BROTHER AFRICA WINNER KAREN REVEALS

Winner of the 2011 edition of the Big Brother Africa reality show, Karen Igho has revealed that she has cancer.

The Nigerian took to social networking site, Twitter Wednesday to make the disclosure but failed to specifically state the type of cancer she has.

She tweeted that: “I have cancer. Are you guys happy?????” and added that, "When I die .will you be happy then???".

Karen said she "Will be undergoing treatment soon", and added that, "Lord I commit my life into your hands".

Apparently this would not be the first time the reality TV star has gone public with issues relating to cancer.

She lamented that when she "told the world whole about my lumps and I get bullied every day for that.for been truthful.God in heaven will deal with all of [them] for me."

"Nigerians need to learn to appreciate their own.show your celebrities love instead of hate.other countries are watching you.#lionofAfrica. The way we worship other stars from other countries but look down on our own.love your own before you love others. U insult people for no reason then you call yourself a child of God.smh." she added.

PRINCE DAVID OSEI MADE BRAND AMBASSADOR

‘The Dead’ actor, Prince David Osei was last Saturday unveiled as a brand ambassador for a poverty reduction programme.

The programme dubbed ‘United Against Child Poverty’, is an initiative by the International Advisory Council and African Rights Initiative International.

Total Emancipation is a dinner fundraiser organised every year to raise support for children whose lives are affected by extreme poverty, low level of education and inadequate healthcare.

The programme provides the greatest opportunity for eminent professionals and entrepreneurs in Ghana and Africa, who are interested in Africa and its development, to discuss some of the major and sensitive issues affecting the pride and dignity of the African child.

The theme for this year’s humanitarian event is ‘Ending Child Poverty in Africa-The Role of the African’ and it is under the distinguished chairmanship of Alex Asiedu, chairman of Atlantic Trust Holding Limited (Ghana, Dubai and Hong Kong) with Dr. Kwabena Agyekum Addo, chairman of the KAMA Group as the Guest of Honour.

The event also commissioned three great personalities as Brand Ambassadors and Corporate Impact Ambassador respectively for the ‘United Against Child Poverty Campaign’ in Africa.

They included Prince David Osei, Laverne Carranza Naa Okailey Shooter (Miss World 2013-Second Runner-Up) and Mawuena Trebarh (Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre).

I’M NOT RAISING FUNDS ON FACEBOOK – LYDIA FORSON

Award-winning actress Lydia Forson has announced to the general public that she is not raising funds on any social network.

The announcement follows claims that the she is raising funds on facebook with a new account bearing her name, images and information.

But the bubbly actress has cautioned individuals who have given or may be lured to give money to anybody on the platform to block that account.

“If I ever need to raise any money in the future for a project, people will hear about it first in the news and the account will bare my name or the name of the organization,” she told NEWS-ONE yesterday.

“Anyone who sends money to someone on Facebook posing as me does this at their own risk. People should do a little bit more research before they agree to send money to someone they have never met,” Lydia added.

MERCY JOHNSON IS GOOGLE’S MOST SEARCHED NOLLYWOOD CELEB FOR 2013

Every December Google releases its Zeitgeist list, highlighting the top trending searches all over the world over the previous year.

In Nigeria, top actress Mercy Johnson returned in the list again this year as Google’s Most Searched Nollywood Celeb, while the shocking deaths of music star Goldie Harvey and Paul Walker top the list.

Also making it on the list are Wizkid as the Most Searched Musician, Beverly Osu, Chelsea FC, Range Rover Sport, How to Kiss and What is Money.

PHOTOS: YVONNE NELSON, KOFI ADJORLOLO OTHERS ON SET

Yvonne Nelson, the actress is currently on set shooting a new movie with Kofi Adjorlolo, Jackie Appiah, Frank Artus, Cameroonian born American actress-Okawa Shaznay and Elikem. 


We are told the movie is an Abdul Salam’s work which is being directed by Frank Rajah. And these photos were taken on Monday at a location at Cantonment, Accra.

NANA AMA MCBROWN TO RELEASE HER 7TH SELF PRODUCED MOVIE ‘YELLOW CECE’ ON DECEMBER 23

Talented Ghanaian actress-Nana Ama McBrown has been busy at work, shooting and producing her 7th movie-Yellow Cece, which will hit the market on Monday-23rd, December, 2013.

Nana Ama McBrown has in the past successfully produced hit movies like Alicia, ‘Diee Adie Wono’ and ‘Asofo Awarie’, featuring the likes of Lil Win, Jackie Appiah and Kofi Adjorlolo in her productions.

In order to make the Christmas a special one for her fans, the fans of Lil Win, Kofi Adjorlolo and Ghanaian Movie lovers in general, Nana Ama McBrown has tackled one of the most crucial issues in our societies in her latest movie-Yellow Cece…

In Yellow Cece, a young obstinate village girl-Cecelia, who had no respect for education stole from her mother and escaped to the city, in search for greener pastures—leaving behind her education, family and boyfriend-Lil Win.

In the city, she went through hell each day so to make it to the next, joining a gang of street girls who introduced her to smoking and a debauched lifestyle.

Then, Cecilia landed a job as a house help whose madam’s husband-Kofi Adjorlolo genuinely wanted to help her fix her life. But that was not enough for her, so she did something shocking.

With Cecilia in love with someone else, Kofi Adjorlolo deeply in love with her and Lil Win having come to the city to find his old village girlfriend, the story gets complicated and extremely funny. 

NIGERIAN MOVIE STAR JIM IYKE IN A FIGHT AT EAST LEGON

Nigerian movie star Jim Iyke was involved in a brawl yesterday, at the Crave Café at Adjiringanor, East legon in Accra.

According to an eyewitness account, some people were eating at the café, at about 5pm when a stout-looking gentleman in a black Range Rover with a Nigerian number plate, came to the café.

Jim Iyke also arrived about 20 minutes later in his Sports Chevy with a Nigerian number plate, and engaged the man in a heated argument over $10,000 which later turned into a nasty brawl on the street.

The eyewitness further explained that it became difficult for those around to separate the two, and at a point, Jim Iyke wanted to get into his car to pull out something which was suspected to be a gun, but he was prevented by those at the café.

The other man left but returned shortly with two policemen, one in mufti and other in uniform who arrested Jim Iyke and took him away.

But the eyewitness told The Ghanaian Times newspaper that barely 20 minutes later, the actor resurfaced at the venue, which created the impression the case had been ‘settled’ by the two policemen.

The Legon Police Commander in a telephone conversation, with The Ghanaian Times said, the men he dispatched to the venue had information of the scuffle, but those at the scene were reluctant to give the police indepth account of what actually transpired, and so they were unable to bring the two men to the police station.

HIPLIFE OWES ITS EXISTENCE TO PASSION, NOT MONEY - TIC TAC

The introduction of the Hiplife movement and its growth in the 90s and early 2000s in Ghana was fueled by something more than money.

According Tic Tac, one of the pioneering artists who took the genre global, the movement survived mainly on the passion of the artists and their promoters to grow and become that lucrative business it is today.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show with Bernard Avle in the build up to Decemba 2 Rememba, powered by Citi 97.3 FM and Airtel, he shared his story and that of the art Ghanaians and the world have grown to love so much.

“I was in secondary school when I started music. It started somewhere in class 6 and in 1996 I got into mainstream. I went professional in 1999/2000 when I graduated from Secondary School. Abraham Ohene Gyan gave me a chance to go professional. I had done gigs with Azigizah and Slim Buster before that though. I had a group called Naty Strangers, we were three and later we became four,” he explained.

According to him, music wasn’t his first choice career. Instead, he wanted to be a lawyer because he wanted to express himself.

“I always wanted to be a lawyer but along the line I became a musician. It was another way I thought I could express myself and my parents supported me. I used to tell my Dad I wanted to rehearse with the fish band in my neighborhood. The fish band gave me a chance and I flew on that chance. My parents were very supportive. They made me know that as long as I was going to be a good boy, I could pursue my passion of music,” he revealed.

Asked what was the driving force behind the Hiplife movement that employs so many people now, he explained that the passion to succeed was huge and that got the results we see today.

MOST GHANAIAN GOSPEL ARTISTS ARE NOISE MAKERS – PRECIOUS HANNAH

Gospel singer Precious Hannah after going solo to release her first album “Onyame Adom” seems not be impressed with most of her colleagues in the gospel fraternity even though she believes she is not in competition with any of them.

“I think the gospel music industry is very choked, choked in the sense that there so much out there that doesn't qualify to be out there as gospel music.” Precious Hannah opined. “I listen to some songs and wonder if it’s really gospel singers wanted to do.

“There are two kinds of gospel musicians that I see in the industry, those that are here to make noise and have fun and those that really understands the rudiments of music and knows what it means to be a musician touching other people’s lives with music.”

“My travel around the world has given me a lot of exposure and experiences that really came in handy making this album a more relatable album to everyone who listens to it. The countless stories I gathered from my work as a Nurse and a professor made “Onyame Adom” a richer album than you will get out there.”

Onyame Adom is a ten track album which includes the title track “Onyame Adom”,” Adom Nti”, “Agjei Wa Yeyie Nio”,”Osahene Nyame Nit3 Nam” and “Me Nya Tekyir3ma Apemaa”.

Born and raised in an Adventist family, Hannah Ewoo Asiem is a Nurse and Professor holding a Master’s degree and insists gospel music shouldn’t be seen as a business.

“I am not here to compete because I don’t see my ministry as a business, I am here to reach out to console and uplift spirits.”

“Onyame Adom” comes with a lot of projects attached to it and one is to visit the prisons and minister to them and share with them the little we have got for them to know we all deserve God’s grace irrespective of our situation. That is happening this coming Saturday at the Nsawam Prisons.

OBOUR IS CLUELESS - SAYS AMBOLLEY

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley has descended heavily on the current administration of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) saying its President, Bice Osei Kuffour and his executive are “clueless”.

The ace saxophonist, composer and rapper sounded worried about the current state of the music industry. He told NEWS-ONE that though it was a good thing to have young people in power, “the young kids at MUSIGA office don’t have a clue” when it comes to the structural management of the union.

“Some of them used to talk about youth empowerment. But when you talk about youth empowerment, it is the older folks that give you knowledge so that you can have a platform to stand upon and build,” Ambolley stated.

Bice Osei Kuffour also known as Obour happens to be the youngest president the union has seen since its establishment. Under his term, various young people like Tic Tac and Okyeame Kwame have been given the opportunity to serve the industry.

“The young kids at the MUSIGA office will have to know what it is to be able to have a ladder to stand on and build. Most of them fell into music because of the fame and other things which come with it. But talking about the structural aspect of it, they don’t have a clue,” Ambolley said.

On a scale of one to 10 Ambolley said he would place the performance of the current MUSIGA administration at two. His reason was that the current administration was just practicing what he called “trial and error tactics”.

“They don’t have any clue about the music industry because the music industry is called show business. The business is what brings in the income; the show is what makes people to identify what they can do. But with the current MUSIGA team, the business aspect of it, they don’t have a clue. Whatever that they doing there is just trial and error thing that they are doing. The fortunate part for them is government coming out with GH¢2 million to support them,” he added.

 The sole aim of the union is to ensure the welfare of all musicians—both old and young—who are members. Since he was elected into office, the Obour-led administration has commenced several initiatives like the Aged Musicians Fund among others.

Obour and his team have even published a booklet that details his achievements for MUSIGA within his first year in office. He is perhaps the most accomplished MUSIGA president so far.

But the ‘Simigwa’ hit maker thinks “MUSIGA could have done a lot with that money like having a recording studio or letting the old musicians teach Music so that the youth can have something to stand upon.”

“In life, you have to walk your talk but for me I know the current MUSIGA administration is all about the talk. All they are doing is just creating the impression that, yeah they are doing something.”

SARKODIE IS MOST SEARCHED GHANAIAN MUSICIAN IN 2013

Google has released their 2013 Zeitgeist of most searched items. Sarkodie takes the number one spot for the most trending musician in the last year. 2013 could also be said to be the year of hiplife and Afropop, with the top 10 most searched for musicians all coming from the hiplife and Afropop genre. Occupying the #1 top trending Ghanaian musician position is the fastest rapper in Ghana Sarkodie. He beat EL, Shatta Wale, R2bees and Guru to retain the title as the most popular musician of Ghana. Also featured on the list are Samini, Kwabena Kwabena, Edem Efya and Fuse ODG. There were not much surprises in the top trending Ghallywood celebs with Nadia Buari, Yvonne Nelson and Jackie Appiah at the top with the first three 3 positions In the sport category, Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona remained the top 3 most searched football clubs. For the first time, the Ghanaian Black Stars featured on the top 10 most searched football teams list, coming #7 ahead of AC Milan.Other Ghanaian-specific lists include Top 10 most searched cars, Top 10 Most searched Mobile Gadgets and Phones, Top 10 “How tos…”, and Top 10 “What is…”. Globally, the #1 trending search of 2013 was an international symbol of strength and peace: Nelson Mandela. Global search interest in the former President of South Africa was already high this year, and after his passing, people from around the world turned to Google to learn more about Madiba and his legacy. Zeitgeist — German for “spirit of the times” — is Google’s yearly look at the billions of searches performed throughout the year. Google’s Year-End Zeitgeist uses data from multiple sources while filtering out spam and repeat queries, to build fascinating top-ten lists across pop culture, sports, music, politics, news, and more.

Source: google