EDDIE WATSON TO RELEASE OWN MOVIE

Eddie Watson has joined the league of Ghanaian actors who have gone into movie production with his upcoming comedy, titled Jack & Jill.

The Liberian-born actor has been in Ghana’s movie industry since 2009 and featured in a number of movies like House of Gold, Single & Married, Bachelors, Single Six, Reason To Kill, Purple Rose, Somewhere In Africa, Death After Birth, among others.

Jack & Jill is his first movie and was produced in collaboration with Pascal Amanfo.

The movie was shot on locations in Accra with other casts; Livinus Nnochiri, Ruth Kadiri, Roselyn Ngissah, Too Sweet Annan, Naomi Baaba Watson, Biola Ige, among others.

Eddie, who played lead role in the movie, is yet to speak about the movie.

He is expected to release the movie’s poster today and its trailers something next week.

The 34-year-old is recognised as one of Ghana’s favourite guys on the screens. He crossed into Nollywood in 2011 and has since been around.

He is best remembered for his role with top actress Yvonne Nelson in Abdul Salam produced, 4play Reloaded.

His first movie role was in Bandex Production’s Million, as Kofi Adjorlolo’s security guard and had since not looked back.

I NEVER SAID WE MET THE QUEEN - HERTY BORNGREAT

A photograph of Ghanaian gospel singer, Herty Borngreat, and her husband, in a pose with a life-like wax figure of the Queen of Eng­land and her Royal family at the Madame Tussauds museum in London, has generated heat­ed controversy in some circles in the country.

The photos, first published on the musician's facebook page, 'Herty Borngreat Music', caught the attention of some journalists who churned out news reports claiming that Herty had met the Queen, toured the Buckingham Palace and interacted with the Royal Family.

The publications generated uproar and huge controversy on whether Herty was using the photos with the wax images of the Royal family to deceive her fans that she had actually met the queen.

"I have never said or written anywhere that I had met the Queen and taken photos with her. Madam Tussauds is a very popular wax muse­um and that was where I took the photos, so if some journalists saw the photos on my facebook page and decided to write stories saying I had met the Queen and taken a tour of Burkimham Palace, why am I the one receiving the insults when I have neither granted any interview nor said anywhere I had met the Queen," Herty told NEWS-ONE on Tuesday.

Herty explained that she and her husband, Rev. Daniel Ofori Borngreat, were in London on holidays when they visited the Madame Tussauds museum and took photos with the wax sculptures of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Pope Francis and other renowned world leaders they had admiration for.

She said they had no intention whatsoever of using the photos to deceive her fans.

"It is very common for people to take photos with the wax figures of people in the museum and we also did same just like any other person. Yes, we put one of the photos on our social page and said, 'God will position you in greater heights in life without much struggle.. .if you believe, type Amen.' We did not say I met the Queen, so I am surprised people have taken this simple thing and are running with it in a negative way.

"I understand that I am in showbiz and not everyone would like me. But taking the hate campaign to my husband and family is below the belt," Herty added.

The said photo, as at Tuesday afternoon had attracted 41,572 comments on Herty Borngreat's facebook page.

'I AM NOT IN LONDON BEGGING FOR MONEY' – BISMARK THE JOKE

Ghanaian promising actor, Bismark Odoi, has frowned on reports making round in Ghana that he was begging on the street of London on a news carried on an edition of UTV's Entertainment News few days ago.

The video which was uploaded onto the Official Youtube Channel of the comedian on July 5 who is currently filming in UK has said that he is not too happy with the way the news was reported.

“I am not in UK begging for money. I am in UK shooting movies here, and I have been here for the past one month. The short video UTV based on that I was begging for money was a video taken from a short comic video I shot here in UK; so for someone to say I am stranded and begging in UK for money is wrong,” he furiously lamented.

On the comparison people are making between him and Kalybos, he said that; Kalybos is doing well, and he is happy that he (Kalybos) is bagging corporate endorsement deals as a comedian.

“Kalybos and I are on different patterns. What he does is different from what I do but I don’t think if I have jobs with good offers in UK, I should still remain in Ghana. I want to be at the top,” he explained.

He stated that; not too long ago, people were comparing him to Funny Face and even tried to bring competition between him and Funny Face – now that new talent has popped up, they want to bring competition between him and the new talent – Kalybos.

To him; he will urge people to try and encourage new talents by not by killing the old ones, so we can all help to push the comic industry.

FIPAG TO DISCOURAGE PATRONAGE OF SILVERBIRD CINEMA?

General Secretary of the Film Producers Association of Ghana, FIPAG, Mr. James Aboagye has given a counter information, even threatening to discourage people from going to the cinema.

The marketing manager of Silverbird Cinema, Cynthia Elorm Dumfuor had earlier indicated that they do not show Kumawood movies because of their low quality and low standards.

The marketing manager of the cinema made the statement at Golden Tulip Hotel while the women in film making forum when the General Secretary made his statement on AM PLUZZ, a showbiz morning programme on Pluzz 89.9FM.

Read below what Mr. James Aboagye said on Pluzz AM show host, Sammy Flex in a telephone interview.

“The first question I ask the people at Silverbird is to show me which genre of movies is known as Kumawood, if they understand the dynamics of the movie industry?

All we know is Ghanaian movies, irrespective of the language used. I think silver bird should be bold to say the total movie industry should up its game and not hide behind Kumawood to say this.

Silverbird should also be compared to the international market for us to see? What pedigree do they have to set standards for us here in Ghana? They have done nothing for the industry after benefitting from the labour of our members who do the glamour movies.

Anybody who says a good movie is not about story lines does not know what he is talking about because the story is the raw material of every movie. Silverbird has not done anything to help the film industry and so cannot say that.

About 98% of practitioners in Ghana do not have formal training in film making and lots of the graduates from NAFTI do not even venture into the film industry because of the risk involved, leaving the industry with people who only have the passion for the industry.

We at FIPAG are now embarking on capacity building in collaboration with NAFTI. We are in contact with American Embassy who have agreed to do something starting 29th of this month regards film and Canadian High Commission.

If really we are talking about standards, then Silverbird should never even speak at all. They should rather support Ghanaian movies. They should call us in a meeting and point out our shortcomings then we'll know they really want to help.

We can also say they do not meet standards so people should not patronize the cinemas, and that will not be fair for them at all” irritated FIPAG General Secretary stated.

GHANAIAN FILMAKERS ARE INFRINGING ON ECOWAS TREATIES – UCHENNA MBUNABO

Nigerian veteran film producer, Uchenna Mbunabo, has revealed to Razz Newspaper that the way Ghanaian film producers are treating Nigerian filmmakers in Ghana is a clear infringement of ECOWAS treaties.

The producer, who doubles as the CEO of One & Two film production ventures, revealed that, there’s a positive side to some of the actions and laws Ghanaian film producers are implementing against Nigerians, although some of the other regulations are too stringent and not appropriate for the ECOWAS treaty of free trade.

According to him, he came to Ghana in 2008 because he thought Ghana had a friendly and peaceful ambience to shoot movies. He narrated that, any time he went on-set to shoot a movie, the Ghanaian film producers always came around with their task force and policemen to maltreat him and prevent him from shooting.

On one of such occasions, he claimed to have paid an amount of $5000 to Ghanaian film makers, without being given any receipt or document to show that he has paid a certain amount and the reason for paying that amount.

On many occasions after shooting, he has to change the movie credit into the names of some Ghanaian film producers as the owners, before the movies allowed into the Ghanaian market.

Talking about the positive aspect of the maltreatment, he said that, it is a good thing if the Ghanaian film producers are doing that to protect their industry, but they need to do it in a good and professional way.

On the subject of Ghanaian film producers shooting in Nigeria, he said that, Ghanaian producers he knows are all shooting freely in Nigeria. “Ghanaian film producers always shoot in Nigeria and they always shoot without any issues from their Nigerian counterparts.

Maybe some of them are not popular here in Ghana and much research has not been done that’s why Ghanaians don’t know about them. You can shoot in Nigeria freely as far as you are not doing anything discriminating,” Mr. Mbunabo said.