GOSPEL MUSICIAN ERNEST OPOKU IN TROUBLE AGAIN

Information reaching Flex newspaper indicates that gospel musician Ernest Opoku is in hot waters as one female gospel musician Angela Agyemang, has accused him of selling a song he sold to her, to another artiste.

Speaking to the manager of Kumasi-based Angela Agyemang (Lady Angie), Mr. Henry Antwi Bofiah, he said his artiste Angela Agyemang (Lady Angie) returned from the U.S. and decided to venture into gospel music so went to Ernest Opoku to buy a song titled ‘Me Hia Wo.’ His artiste, therefore, went to the studio, recorded it, shot the video and had the song registered at the copyrights office in her name.

“Yes, he sold the song for us and we paid for it but unfortunately we started hearing and seeing on radio and TV later, the same song titled ‘Me Hia Wo’ done by another female gospel musician called Francisca Sarpong which features he (Ernest Opoku),” he explained.

Henry said he contacted Ernest Opoku who apologized for giving the same song he sold to my artiste to another artiste, and even promised to stop the second lady from promoting the song and also compensate his artiste with four songs.

His problem, however, is that after some time, Ernest Opoku has not fulfilled his promise because the song composed by Francisca Sarpong is still making waves on radio and television and on sales at CD shops and the compensatory four songs are not forthcoming.

“Selling a song to two people is a fraudulent act and Ernest Opoku must account for it. It is very bad to be doing this in the gospel industry. We will by all means drag him to court if he tries to be unyielding to the terms we both agreed on,” he said.

All attempts to contact Ernest Opoku to hear his side of the story proved abortive because he is out of town but we promise to update our cherished readers on any new development on this story.

REGGIE ROCKSTONE: I HAVE HUMBLED MYSELF TO JOIN VIP, NOW VVIP

When Reggie Rockstone announced a couple of months ago that he was joining VIP, many were those who thought it was a joke because they could not believe that the Grandpapa of Hiplife would do a thing like that.

Showbiz can confirm today that indeed, Reggie is a member of VIP. Last Monday he told Showbiz that the trio will now be known as VVIP.

“It all began when I posted on Twitter that I was joining VIP. That simple message drew a lot of attention but the truth is that I have always wanted to be a member of VIP.

When Promzy left I told myself that VIP has to continue in order not to slow down the vision. I said to myself, I’m not bad looking and I can still rap so why not join my younger brothers to keep the vision in progress?”

Most importantly, Reggie added, “It is God’s work; it has nothing to do with Promzy’s leaving. It happened after many discussions but the truth is, it was all by divine intervention.”

As to people’s perception that he is too old or too big to come to the level of VIP, Reggie said that was neither here nor there because people still rap and sing regardless of their age, mentioning Jay Z as an example.

“No matter how old I am, I can still be a member of VIP, the merger is historical. Regardless of my age, I have humbled myself to join my younger brothers, it has not happened before and that is why I call it historical.”

Asked if he was going to be the leader of VVIP, Reggie said, “Originally, I think Lazzy (now called Zeal) was the leader but the chemistry of working together is so tight that there is no leader but my age and experience in African terms makes it easier for them to listen to me.

“There has always been mutual respect even before I joined the group and I must admit that they are both respectful.”

Reggie revealed that their first single, Selfie will be released tomorrow Friday which happens to be his birthday. “Today is Efya’s birthday and tomorrow is my birthday so there is going to be a big party at Rockstone’s Office, Django Bar to celebrate our birthdays.

According to Reggie, the party is open to all, “You just pay to get in and be part of the party, proceeds will go to charity, and it will be so much fun no one would want to miss it, please dress well.”

Throwing more light on Selfie, Reggie said it is a very danceable song and everyone will love it. “Another single will follow soon but I will keep the title of that one a secret for now,” he said.

“It was produced by DJ Breezy who comes from D-Black’s camp. “We are on a mature level now, call it senior citizens,” he said with a smile.

Incidentally all three VVIP have had baby girls within the last one year. Lazzy’s (now Zeal) is Jara; Prodigal’s is Nana; and Reggie’s is Rehji.

I DON'T WEAR PANTIES - ACTRESS

Female celebrities all over the world, because of the nature of their jobs and their status in society have an exotic and often highly developed sense of fashion and sexy actress Baby Blanche is no different.

Due to the kind of clothes she likes to wear and is comfortable in, Baby Blanche has revealed in an interview with Showbiz that she hardly wears panties when she’s going out.

“I love all kinds of lingerie that make a woman feminine because I’m a woman, but I hardly wear panties. This is not because I don’t want to wear them but because the clothes I love to wear wouldn’t permit me to,” she told Showbiz.

“I try as much as possible to act as a lady and not to let my panty lines show just because I like to wear dresses that hug my figure. So if I wear clothes and the outline of my panty is glaring like that I don’t like it,” she explained.

“Being a lady is not only about wearing make-up and Brazilian hair but also comprises the propriety of whatever you’re wearing,” says Baby Blanche.

Baby Blanche says she does not worry much about thoughts that she may be sexually attacked by unscrupulous men because she makes sure she doesn’t go to awkward places at awkward times. “ I wouldn’t ever put myself at risk by finding myself at an awkward place at an awkward time.”

Talking about her the progress of movie career, the actress says she refuses to be type-cast any longer in so-called ‘sexy’ roles as had happened in the past, she now chooses roles that are challenging because as an actress she believes she should be able to play different roles.

“When I first get a script, I read it and think about it. Do I really want to do this job? Is the story catchy enough? I just don’t say because I’m an actress I accept just any script. I read a script and if I’m interested, I give it a shot. I want to be challenged this time around so I want daring scripts that would have more challenging roles,” she explained.

Having been out of the limelight for some time now she says she is back with a vengeance.

“I’ve been away from movie sets for a while due to personal reasons. But I’ve sat down and decided that this is where I belong and this is my passion. My family and my fans let me know that this is my talent and since then, I’ve done three movies so they should watch out. I’m coming back soon, better and rebranded.”

Baby Blanche was discovered by Socrates Safo of Movie Africa Productions and started acting about four years ago. She has appeared in several movies helmed by the famed producer/director, including Hot Fork, Adults Only, What S*x Can Do, among others.

She assures her fans of nothing but the best from her in subsequent movies. “I can assure my fans that anytime they see me in a movie it will be something they will really want to sit back and watch. I’m going to surprise a lot of people who do not know the depth of my talent,” Baby Blanche says.

“I thank my fans for the support and the encouragement I’ve been getting on social media, like Facebook and Instagram. Had it not been them, there would be no point in me being out there. I thank them and everybody who wants me to come back. And I thank my enemies because they give me the urge to strive and give off my best,” she added.

The sexy actress says the parts of her body she feels most comfortable flaunting on any day are her flat tummy and her legs. She says she does it only to ‘tease a little’.

XCLUSIV FOTOS: GHANA MUSIC AWARDS 2014 NOMINEES JAM

This year’s Ghana Music Awards Nominee jams which took place over the weekend in Tamale will go down in history as the most dramatic so far in the 15 years of VGMA.

Right from the airport main artistes billed to perform including Samini, Sarkodie, Castro and other almost got stranded when officials of Africa World Airline (AWA) decided to leave the stars behind at the airport even though all the artistes were present before passengers began boarding because according to them "they had closed counter".

Mrs. Theresa Ayoade and George Quaye of Chaterhouse somehow were able to get the next available flight for all the artistes to arrive safely in Tamale on Saturday evening after the airline sorted out a technical problem which delayed the flight for almost an hour.

The much anticipated show started at about 9pm on Saturday evening April 5 as planned with some Tamale based artistes followed by new artistes Cabum, Eno, MzVee, Episode, AK Songstress and Strong man who have been selected for the “VGMA Unsung” competition. The new acts put up great performances to entertain the crowd.

Gospel sensation Joyce Blessing then took over the stage and turned the show into a big church. Immediately Joyce Blessing left the stage a very strong wind preceded a heavy rain storm which abruptly ended the show that was barely getting warmed up.

After the rain, organizers had no choice than to postpone the rest of the performances to the next day Sunday April 6 because all the equipments including the sound, light, LED screen, backdrops among other things were soaked in water. Even though Charterhouse-the organizers went through a hard time convincing remaining artistes; Samini, Sarkodie, Edem, Stonebowy and Castro to spend an extra day in Tamale, they agreed to wait for the love of their fans in Tamale.

On Sunday evening music fans gathered again in their thousands to continue from where they left off. The night saw memorable performances from these carefully selected artistes. Edem brought energy and precision on stage. Castro proved why he is still relevant and strong both in the studio and on stage after 15 years of doing music.

Fast rising dancehall crooner Stonebowy showed how fast he has matured from an underdog to becoming a great live band performer. His splendid performance attracted loud cheer from the crowd. Samini as always gave the crown just the right dose of his brand of music.

He communicated with his fans intermittently and surely got them to wave their handkerchiefs. He also gave a feel of authentic Fante Rap with live band by the new High Grade Family act Kofi Kinaata.

Sarkodie who undoubted is the most popular artiste in Tamale presently, turned the show upside down when he mounted the stage. The crowd rapped along every single song Sarkodie dropped as though they rehearsed with him. Sarkodie himself was touched by the genuine love his fans showed him.

It was almost a great show by all standards until something very serious and so sad ended the show just when Sarkodie was warming up.

Keep reading for video and pictorial details of what really happened at the Tamale Sports Stadium forecourt on Sunday April 6 between the Police and the crowd.

Checkout the exclusive pictures below:

MEN MISBEHAVE WHEN THEY SEE MY CURVES – ACTRESS

It is only normal for any guy to look at this figure twice. I say normal because guys naturally love ‘meat’ and therefore I do not find any reason for fast rising Nigerian actress Evia Simon to be worried if guys really want to have word with her or appreciate her figure.

At least most women dread for men to admire them but do not. The pretty actress expressed her displeasure over the way men reacted when they saw her and described it as embarrassing.

I find their reaction annoying sometimes and embarrassing. Some even go as far as screaming and they let me know I am the reason they are screaming.

One of the craziest things a guy ever did was to leave his car parked along the roadside and entered the same cab with me just to have a word with me because if he had kept on driving he would have missed me.”

I am not the type of girl who is only interested in money. I believe in love. To me, love comes first. I hate to have anything to do with a guy because of his money.

The actress has so far acted in movies like ‘Three Generals’, ‘Stubborn Generals’, ‘Ifunanya’, ‘Oga Madam’, ‘Men in Bondage’, ‘Girls Cot’, ‘When Love Dies’ and many others

FIPAG WARNS OVER INFLUX OF NIGERIAN ACTORS

Ghanaian movie producers in Kumawood who intend to involve foreign actors in their movies should expect to pay a levy to the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) and the Actors Guild.

The measure, according to Asare Hackman, president of FIPAG, is meant to protect the Ghanaian movie producers and the industry as a whole, but “not scare off foreigners”.

The leadership of FIPAG has expressed worry over what they term the influx of Nigerian actors into the local movie industry. A few Nigerian acts have been spotted in some famous Kumawood movies; a situation which appears to be gaining grounds in Ghana. The situation, according to the President of FIPAG, would prevent some Kumawood actors from getting roles in movies.

“The coming of Nigerian actors and actresses into Ghana to shoot our local movies is a worry to me and FIPAG as well. It is a worry basically because most of our local films are not in English. You know we have a huge market for Twi movies in Ghana and if we allow these artistes to come and take the role of Ghanaian artistes, it means that we are depriving our artistes here in Ghana from getting jobs,” the FIPAG boss told News One.

This new trend, according to Mr. Hackman, came into being because there was no regulation to check the situation “making it look like it was free for all.”

“Now we have put a system in place. Before a foreign artiste comes to Ghana to shoot a movie, the Ghanaian producer who engaged the artiste will pay a levy to FIPAG and the Actors Guild before the artiste will be allowed to work,” he stated.

Some Kumawood producers have argued that if they pair the Nigerian actors with Ghanaian artistes, the possibility of sales of the movie increasing is high.

“At least what we have put in place now will check the situation. People are starting to be cautious about which foreign artiste they bring down. Indeed, some producers can afford to pay all the sanctions but what we are trying to do is to try to put some measures in place to check the industry.

We should be careful about the seed that we are sowing as producers because if we are not careful, the likes of Lil Win and Kweku Manu will start to charge according to how much the producers pay these Nigerian artistes to act for them,” he added.

However, some players in the movie industry have held that no producer is mandated to pay FIPAG or Actors Guild any levy should they decide to bring down foreign actors. They also warned that the move by the union might create problems for Ghanaian actors who also ply their trade in Nollywood.

I STILL DON’T HAVE MY AWARD — AUNTIE B SPEAKS

Famous face of Efiewura, a local drama series, Auntie B, born Harriett Naa Akleh Okantey, has said she has not received her award after 2 years of winning the Best Female Actress in TV Series at the Ghana Movie Awards in 2012.

She made this revelation while speaking to Don Billy on the Mixed Grill Morning Show on www.hedjorleonlineradio.com.

“I was asleep and I started receiving congratulatory messages and phone calls from friends and loved ones but I didn’t know what it was about,” she said.

“I had just received an award from Kumawood so I thought they were replaying the video not knowing Nana Ama Macbrown and Gloria Sarfo received a different award on my behalf at the 2012 Ghana Movies Awards,” she recounted.

She said she thought it wise to take the award on set when she meets with Nana Ama Macbrown to shoot the next episode of the Efiewura series but to her surprise, she was told that the award was collected by the organisers before they left the event.

She made it known to Entertainment Today that she has been in touch with Fred Nuamah who is one of the organisers of the Ghana Movie Awards and she was assured that she would receive it but that has not happened.

“I have wasted lot of credits and money on this issue so I have even decided not to comment on it any longer. I was shocked when Fred Nuamah came on TV in 2013 to say that all the actors and actresses on the night have received their award,” he said.

According to her, she heard rumours that some major players in the industry said she didn’t deserve the award that is why she hasn’t been given the award till date.