Gh Entertainment

Wednesday, 8 January 2014

GHANA DJ AWARDS LAUNCH SLATED FOR JANUARY 18

Come Saturday 18 January, the nominees for the 2014 Ghana DJ Awards will be announced at a special ceremony in Accra under the theme Rhythm Nation, organizers Merqury Republic have announced.

Set to hold at Club 45, formally XL, Ghana DJ Awards main launch will officially unveil the nominees for the 2014 awards and also throw light on the main awards gala amidst performances by DJ Mic Smith, DJ Gospol, Keche, DJ Master J and Richie Mensah.

“We are thrilled to bring Ghana DJ Awards to life in such an exciting way to the music industry, DJs and fans”, says Merqury Quaye, founder of the Awards.

Generating suspense and excitement on social media, Ghana DJ Awards 2014 stems to be the first major entertainment event of the year.

With 23 award categories including a Lifetime Achievement Award and Best International DJ Of The Year, the scheme is expected to draw DJs from across the country and beyond for awards and recognition.

Last year’s event held on February 15 saw Joy FM’s DJ Black sweep three awards including the ultimate Best DJ of the Year award whilst Kwesi Kyei Darkwa and Tommy Annan Forson won honorary awards.

GHANA DJ AWARDS 2014 will be held in honor of the country’s most hardworking and dedicated Disk Jockeys who promote Ghanaian culture through music, as well as non Ghanaian DJs who promote Ghana music and skillfully play music to entertain music lovers in Ghana and other parts of the world.

This year, DJs would have the chance to vote one song as their most played in 2013 which will later be adjudged DJs’ Song Of The Year.

According to Merqury Republic, The main awards event will hold within the first quarter of 2014.

SAVE GHANA’S NATIONAL THEATRE NOW

The edifice of Ghana’s National Theatre sits on a building area of about 11,896m2 at a vantage location in the capital city, Accra with complex architectural design as well as modern interior and exterior features.

The 1,500 seating [main auditorium] capacity is the country’s sole event venue which was purposely built to discover and develop talents in theatre or performing arts.

However, my recent visits to the 1992 state-of-the-art facility have been a bitter-sweet situation; whereas smiles greet all over my face to witness some of the best concerts and art performances, I have rather been compelled to address a developing canker of national interest.

Sitting at the main auditorium of the international-standard theatre to witness a program, one may seem satisfied about the place but not when one decides to make findings into the negative changing phase of the theatre.

The year 2013 ushered to us many events in Accra which included “Becca’s Girl Talk Concert”, Uncle Ebo White’s “Festival of Plays”, the premiere of “House of Gold” movie among others, some of which I managed to attend but my most recent visit to the facility required that I inquire about some few issues concerning the maintenance of the place.

Upon arrival, the filthy fountain in front of the theatre greeted my irreproachable being once again as I passed by with load of questions boggling my mind but there were some interesting revelations in the end.

After interrogations I was made aware the theatre have employees who receive monthly salary to make sure these fountains, plumbing works and others function normally. But to my dismay, it was a completely different story all together. The pool of water at the VVIP and VIP Lounge area posed a similar story to the one in front of the theatre.

The main stage of the facility has always been grubby as the mountain of garbage heaped just at the entrance to the backstage of the theatre and other places within the facility giving room for mosquitoes and other insects to perch and operate freely anywhere.

Many patrons may not be aware the stage is a movable one because it is hardly utilized leaving room for corrosion to take place over a long period of time. The last time I saw the stage been moved from underground to the brink was when the Africa UMOJA Concert was held at the venue both in 2010 and 2011. Unfortunately, there was no information available to me as to whether this function is still in place.

It was also revealed to me that most of the control boards that could assist employees to go on their respective duties are damaged and to some extent pins are used to either switch on and switch off some equipment like movable objects and lighting systems.

If one could notice, the main air conditioner that could power the whole room has broken down making way for some portable unit and split ones to be used which still can’t contain the temperature of audience filled to capacity. The changing rooms are also as desolate as a moving van with a faulty engine; rooms are fitted with fans and air-conditioners but most of them have not been working over years.

Moreover, the National Theatre houses at least three resident companies including the National Dance Company, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the National Theatre Players but performances either within or outside the country are least heard of. Ironically, I understand the government of Ghana allocates some funds out of the national budget to a facility that seemingly paints a picture of a public establishment that is built to make no profit.

There are employees at the facility who are supposed to work tireless to maintain this beautiful structure but definitely someone is not doing the his/her work to the satisfaction of myself and many Ghanaians.

These and many other issues that need to be addressed are rather driving the affairs of the beautiful building we all boast of as a national property.

It is no surprise that the facility has loss patronage to similar venues like the Accra International Conference Centre and the Dome. I therefore entreat the government of Ghana or any appropriate body to react to this issue which is more or less ignored in order to save our National Theatre or cause the country a great deal of income and source of employment to hundreds of workers.

2013 TOP TEN SONGS IN GH

2013 year’s entertainment calendar has been filled with lots of fun and memorable moment the industry has ever produced. The industry’s players and stake holders worked tirelessly to uplift the music brand in Ghana very high.

In 2013, Ghanaians were treated with good music by various musicians, which were on constant replay by various media houses, events and various home theatres in various homes.

Musicians worked tirelessly to make their presence felt in once again in the year 2013. Their God given talents were crafted and master minded by creative producers to make instant hit for various musicians.

Some artist left a mark for this year which most people will always remember it till God knows when. Compiling this list was a bit challenging as numerous artistes were able to survive the music market.

But all the same the best has been figured out. Ladies and gentlemen we present to you 2013 top ten songs.

10. Okyeame Kwame Ft. Raquel – WOARA

The old papa I call him always has a way of winning Ghanaians with his music style. The versatile man, Okyeame Kwame with his experience in the music industry was felt with his hit song ‘Woara’. The hit song was a low tempo song which featured songstress; Raquel which caught the attention of lovers and broken hearted. Wink. The tracks massive airplay gained it the popularity as well as hitting weekly charts.

9. Sarkodie – ILLUMINATI

Sarkodie undoubtedly came out with yet another masterpiece which almost kept everyone talking; on the media, in various homes and even on the street. Well the song which sort to clear the doubts of his fan and rumors of haters claiming he was now an illuminati member made great waves this year becoming one of the most played song of the year. Sarks later came out with a great well planned video with a wonderful concept. This gained him the undisputed 9th position in this year’s top ten. If you have a problem with that ‘you better speak up.’ LOL

8. Samini ft. Wizkid – TIME BOMB

The great dancehall legend once again came out with another massive hit song which featured the young loved Nigerian artist Wizkid. The song was definitely a big bomb for 2013 it had the dancehall flavor as well as a touch of other genres blended together. This made the song versatile and loved by all kinds of music lovers. With constant hit on various weekly chat shows by various media houses made the song known to people in Ghana and beyond. A perfect blend from these two great artistes should undoubtedly fit in the 8th place in the top ten for 2013.

7. R2bees Ft. Wizkid – SLOW DOWN

It was a song from their just released album ‘The Revolution 2’. The song had two different acts pulling forces to woo the music audience in the year 2013. Ghanaian music duo, R2bees as usual were on top of their game with ‘Slow Down’ as Nigerian finest music star, Wizkid pulled his best vocal lyrics to make the song a hit. A well crafted, edited and directed video was shot to tie up the song. It was on various weekly chart shows and it sits comfortably on the 7th position.

6. O. J – MAYE SE MO PEN

After O.J being away from the music industry for a while, his presence was felt in the year 2013 with his single ‘Maye Se Mo Pen’. The song was released in early 2013 and had massive airplay throughout the year. It was the only gospel song which was played countless times on various media house and even played at various night clubs.LOL. With his natural voice, a well constructed verse was felt as he addressed social issues to help the youth stop dubious behaviors in the society. A well directed story line video was shot to make the song a complete song. I will not be surprised if he is nominated in the best gospel act category and best gospel song in this year’s Ghana Music Awards.

5. Bisa Kdei – METANFO

After his surprise appearance in the music industry, Bisa Kdei and his management team worked tirelessly to put the artiste on the global music market. In the year 2013 Bisa Kdei’s single ‘Metanfo’ which was obviously a movie sound track took Ghanaians by surprise. The song was on constant replay on various media house and was on various weekly chart shows. A captivate storyline video was shot to interpret the song to the people. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Bisa Kdei is adjudged the Best New Artiste come 2014 Ghana Music Awards.

4. Castro ft. Baby Jet & Kofi Kinaata – ODO PA

I never knew their collaboration will once again be felt in the music scene after ‘African Girls’ and ‘Do The Dance’ until i heard it been played on radio for countless times. The song ‘Odo Pa’ which featured Ghanaian international football star, Asamoah Gyan for the first time proved to Ghanaians that he is not just good on field but in music too. The owner of the song, Castro uses his full abilities as he wilds his silky voice to make the song a complete tune. Rapper Kofi Kinaata’s well crafted and creative rap was just on point as it perfectly suits the song. A well African video story line was shot to make the song a full song for 2013 and beyond.

3. Kwabena Kwabena Ft. Samini – ADULT MUSIC

Kwabena Kwabena who is noted for slow charming and loving music in this year showed his versatility as he tried his hands on a high tempo song like ‘Adult Music’. The song featured Dancehall sensation music icon, Samini who did justice to the song. What do you expect when two different talented artist with different kind of music genre wield forces together? It was one of the greatest hit songs in the year 2013.

2. Guru – ALKAYIDA

In 2013 if you wanted a song to boogie with at various events, DJ’s and event’s organizers look no further than the song ‘Alkayida’. The beat in the song was mid tempo which got our aged father’s and mother’s dancing ‘Alkayida’ (Me Papa esa Alkayida, Me maame esa Alkayida). The song topped various music charts on various media houses and gained it a comfortable number 2 spot.

1. Shatta Wale – DANCEHALL KING

Ghanaian Dancehall genre which has gradually been accepted by Ghanaians was the toast for Ghanaians as Shatta Wale stole the hearts of Ghanaians with the hit song ‘Dancehall King’. Shatta Wale better known as Bandana was among the little Dancehall artiste whose songs gained massive airplay. The song ‘Dancehall King’ which generated controversies as to who is the original dancehall king was the most requested and demanded song in the year 2013. After Shatta Wale reigning insult to organizers of Ghana Music Awards, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Shatta Wale gets nominated in 2014 GMA’s and go to the extent of winning most of the awards. But wait a minute Shatta Wale said he is going to sue Charter House if the organisers nominate him (Shatta Wale) again in an interview section. But wait a minute Shatta Wale just apologized to Charter house recently. Hmmm, let’s wait and see what happens. Dancehall king inna da whole Ghana.

YVONNE NELSON FIGHTS BLOGGER ON TWITTER

So earlier yesterday there was a publication that Yvonne Nelson will be featuring her ex boyfriend Iyanya in a new movie ‘The Ransom’.

This story according to Yvonne Nelson is false and has resulted in a fight between her and the Nigerian blogger who published that story. The two have been exchanging words on twitter for long.

According to the Nigerian blogger Linda Ikeji, Yvonne Nelson’s team sent her the story for publication but didn’t create it out of the moon. Read their tweets below:

Yvonne: Hi @lindaikeji pls be accurate with stories involving my name. Thank you

Linda: @yvonnenelsongh You and Iyanya are not set to star in a movie called The Ransom? What's inaccurate about that? It's not ur movie I hear..

Linda: @yvonnenelsongh Just found out its not actually ur movie but Elvis Chuks movie. Anything to stay in the news, right? Lol. At ur service..

Yvonne: OMG @lindaikeji you changed your previous story right?? I'm sure you feel bad about it. Get it right next time. Good you edited it.

Linda: @yvonnenelsongh no darling I didn't write something false. U and ur people sent me half-truths. When I found out the truth, I edited it.

Yvonne: The story and tries to get approval from readers. Now claim my team n myself sends stories? I don't have your phone number etc..I don't have

Yvonne: A team. I have family and crew members I work on projects with.this is really childish. The world saw your story so stop it. It's a new year

Linda: @yvonnenelsongh I'm kinda annoyed that I let you use me, but trust me, it will never happen again...you can keep talking. I'm done!

Hope this isn't one of those stunts, because with we have seen this kind of pranks before

AFRICA MOVIE ACADEMY AWARDS TO REWARD AFRICAN JOURNALISTS

The Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) has announced that it will be giving out a whopping $10,000 to some three African journalists as part its 10th anniversary celebrations next year.

This is to celebrate and encourage the continent’s journalists for their contribution towards a sustainable movie industry through the positive influence of the AMAA.

Journalists who have covered AMAA in the last nine years would be rewarded through a selection process by media professionals who would assess their past reports and reports they would write on AMAA till March 2014.

The announcement was made last week at a ceremony in Lagos to name Ghanaian actress Lydia Forson as AMAA Brand Ambassador for the 10th edition of the awards ceremony.

According to Steve Ayorinde, chairman of the Jury for the 10th anniversary edition, journalists in print, broadcast and online media will have a chance to win $5000, $3000 and $2000 respectively by submitting their best two articles or feature stories that depict the essence of AMAA and its impact on African Cinema.

“This media award is open to all journalists in Africa and we will have the first, second and third prizes, and the biggest amount goes to the journalist with the best story. So if you think you don’t have any good story in the last nine years, start writing now till March 2014,” he admonished.

RESPECT AFRICAN FILMMAKERS - LYDIA FORSON

Award-winning actress Lydia Forson has defended the crucial and priceless relevance of the annual Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAAs), saying it is a major stakeholder in raising the standards of African movies.

She has therefore called on African governments to respect and support the AMAAs in particular as well as filmmakers in general.

The actress noted that for the past nine years, the AMAAs has served as a huge a platform where African filmmakers are brought under one umbrella and has also helped improve the quality of movies from the continent.

Lydia said the award scheme has contributed to the African film industry, as it has “raised the quality of films over the past nine years. If we compare the movies made in 2006 to 2012 some of those movies would not even qualify for screening now. Through AMAA you’re forced to see what other countries are doing and you realize you probably have to step up your game. And it has created healthy competition for filmmakers.

“But most importantly it is gradually uniting African filmmakers. For years it was the only award system that brought filmmakers from across Africa,” she told NEWS-ONE in an exclusive interview.

Couple of weeks ago, Lydia Forson was named alongside other Nigerian filmmakers as brand ambassadors for the 10th anniversary celebration of the AMAAs.

She was chosen because her brand represents what the Africa Movie Academy Awards is all about; quality and projecting Africa to the world. She would among other activities represent AMAA on major platforms including international film festivals.

Lydia believes uniting the film industry with African leaders would not just inure to the benefit of film stakeholders but also all and sundry in each African country.

“I think filmmakers have the power to send messages politicians can only try to do. The power of film is that it cuts across gender, age, colour etc, so we have a far wider reach. If we want people to see Africa for what it truly is, it can only be done through film. For instance, all we know about the US is based on what Hollywood has shown us. The only reason why a little boy in the village will want to go to New York, or start dressing and speaking like an American is because of how it has been projected through film. Through movies we can increase investments, tourism etc. But none of this is achievable unless our politicians and government start to respect the power filmmakers have,” she added.

BULLHAUS ENTERTAINMENT SIGNS KOO NTAKRA

Koo Ntakra, winner of the MTN Hit-Maker season 2 would be signed on to Bullhaus Entertainment in a matter of weeks.

Bullhaus, a reputable artiste management company, is currently managing some of Ghana’s best acts including Shatta Wale, VIP, Iwan, Natural Face and upcoming act, Brainna.

Reports say there have been a couple of very fruitful meetings and negotiations between Bullhaus, MTN and producers of the Hit-Maker show, Farmhouse Productions.

Koo, by virtue of winning the Hit-Maker, is entitled to an amount of GH¢100,000 from MTN solely to record and promote an album.
Winner of Hit-Maker season 1, Naterial, had the same amount from MTN but his management has very little to show for the money.

Though Naterial has launched a 12-track album, ‘Adoley’ featuring Samini and Blakk Rasta, the promotion of the album was very poor and only one video was shot for the entire album.

Moreover, all the 12 songs on the album were singlehandedly recorded by Quick Action, who doubles as Naterial’s manager. Interestingly, they were the same songs Naterial used during the Hit-Maker competition even before he won the money.

Public complaints have been that the GH¢100,000 could have been better used in making Naterial a bigger star considering what his Nigerian counterpart, Iyanya did with his price money.

At a recent press conference, General Manager in charge of Marketing-Communication at MTN Ghana, Richard Acheampong, disclosed that though the agreement was that the GH¢100,000 would exclusively be used for the purposes of recording an album and promoting it, a decision has been taken to give Koo Ntakra 20 percent of the amount, which works to GH¢20,000 to take home, considering the fact that some money would have been spent on costumes and preparation for the contest.

Mr Acheampong explained that when Koo Ntakra’s management team, together with MTN, agree on an album and promotion plan, 50 percent of the money would then be released to be used for recording the album.
He said the final 30 percent would be released when the album is complete and promotion is about to take off, and that the same disbursement arrangement would apply for the winner of the second position.

Koo Ntakra lives in Jumapo in Koforidua with his mother and three brothers. He is the last of his siblings and completed the Kwabeng Anglican Senior High School two years ago. His mother owns a chop bar at Jumapo. It was his mother’s work that took him to school.

Koo wants to become a super star and says he is bringing pure Akwapim style to Ghana rap music.