Mainstream Press Deriding ‘Trekkies’

Despite the fact that the new Star Trek film is being largely embraced by those in the mainstream press — and, frankly, also by mainstream moviegoers — there seems to be an element of the media who still derive joy from deriding fans; perpetuating the negative and cliched stereotypes that Trek fans have endured for the past few decades.
TrekMovie founder Anthony Pascale notes that he has been contacted by a number of local, national and international media organizations to give quotes and do interviews on what he thinks of the new Star Trek film and how it is playing with fans. While the majority of outlets are typically interested in an honest appraisal, it seems others have an altogether different agenda—one of deciding that 'Star Trek' should still be mocked and looking to fix the evidence around their predetermined agenda (and we thought only Dick Cheney did that sort of thing).
Below, Pascale discusses his firsthand experience.
"…just this morning alone I have been contacted by ABC Good Morning America and NBC News, and both of them wanted to me to help provide a fan to put on camera to talk about how Trek fans as a whole are against this film. When I talked to producers for both, neither wanted to hear that those fans were only a small part, and in fact one producer (from NBC) hung up on me when I told him I thought it would be disingenuous for them to report that Trek fans as a whole were against this movie. I suggested to both that they could have two fans on with opposing views or at least represent the ‘negative’ fan as being part of just a segment of Trek fandom, but those suggestions fell on deaf ears. Our friend and star/producer of Star Trek Phase II James Cawley tells me that he has also turned down multiple mainstream media requests to attack the new movie."
Pascale is quick to point out that not all the corporate media types are so narrow-minded, a good example being the recent cover article from Newsweek, which you can see below. Nevertheless, it is interesting — and frankly, disturbing — to see how members of major corporate media are only interested in reinforcing dogma as opposed to doing what media is supposed to do: report both sides of the story.
Of course, this isn't just about Star Trek. One wonders what other stories are being so irresponsibly covered by mainstream media.

Chinese Films Seek to Rival Hollywood

Look out, Hollywood, the Chinese box office is on course to set new domestic records. The question now is how to keep that upward direction going.
After a record $630 million take last year, the Chinese film industry is on pace to rake in $800 million in 2009. However, at an occasionally contentious panel last Sunday, leading filmmakers in the region suggested the business still needs to grow in sophistication, reports Variety.
Speaking at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival, Yu Dong, head of the Polybona distribution group, said the industry only has "limited kinds of movies." He added that the next five to six years will be critical.
"The market has developed but outsiders will come in soon—like the arrival of Hong Kong directors. Also Hollywood, which was initially scared but now sees opportunities for co-production," said Yu at a forum entitled, "Made in China: What Kind of Films Does the Domestic Market Want?"
If ticket sales are any indication, what they want are more films like Crazy Stone, a Guy Ritchie-ish heist flick, and City of Life and Death, a drama about the Nanjing massacre. Both films' directors — Ning Hao and Lu Chuan, respectively — were on-hand at Sunday’s panel, and belong to a select group of mainland Chinese helmers known as the "100-Million Club", which consists of directors whose films have made more than 100 million yuan ($15 million) in China.
But another panelist, art house filmmaker Wang Xiaoshuai, criticized directors who go for commercial appeal.
"These films have all made more than 100 million yuan at the box office but as directors they fail," he said. "People say I should switch to commercial films but I want to stick to art. I believe in art and I believe in culture."
"I’m thinking of a greater good," said Wang, whose In Love We Trust won a Silver Bear for screenplay at Berlin last year.
The growing influence of Chinese films abroad has been helped by improved distribution. However, critics say Chinese filmmakers need to do less multi-tasking — they are often producer-distributor-helmer rolled into one — if they are going to have increased success abroad.
But Lu Chuan said the real problem is focusing on international film festivals instead of domestic audiences.
"Filmmakers are working in a changed market. Instead of deliberately separating art and commercial films, we should follow what the audiences want. The market is growing up and audiences are maturing,"he said.
"Arthouse and commercial films are in there together. What we acutely need in China are films like The Godfather or Apocalypse Now."

Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin Will Co-Host Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards®, Oscar telecast.
"We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars," said Shankman and Mechanic. "Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event."
"I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin," said Martin.
"I don't play the banjo but I'm thrilled to be hosting the Oscars—it's the opportunity of a lifetime," said Baldwin.
Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint. He has also served as a presenter on the show several times, most recently at the ceremony in February when he appeared with Tina Fey. He is currently touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in support of his latest album "The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo." In 1977 and 1978 Martin won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording. He earned a third Grammy in 2001 in the Best Country Instrumental Performance category. In 2007 Martin earned a Kennedy Center Honor.
Baldwin was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for his supporting role in The Cooler. That year also marked his most recent appearance as a presenter on the show. Baldwin currently stars as Jack Donaghy on the comedy "30 Rock," a role for which he has won two Emmys (in 2008 and 2009). Baldwin earned a Tony nomination in 1992 for his performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Randy Quaid’s Felonious Flight Comes to an End

Whatever happened to Randy Quaid? The Oscar-nominated actor — known for such films asBrokeback Mountain, Independence Day and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation — has gone off the rails in recent years, running afoul of the law in incidents ripped straight from the pages of Bizzaroworld.
Most recently, arrest warrants were issued for the couple after they reportedly failed to show up for a court hearing in Santa Barbara, Calif., on allegations they were squatting in the guest house of a Montecito home they once owned in the 1990s. Quaid's 47-year-old wife Evi was also charged with resisting arrest.
Last month, the couple were released from a West Texas jail after being arrested for allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 California hotel bill.
It seems their flight has finally come to an end in Vancouver, where both were arrested Friday on outstanding warrants from the United States.
They were scheduled to appear at a detention-review hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board on Friday afternoon.
According to the Vancouver Sun, Vancouver police got a call for assistance on Thursday and while checking the identities of a man and woman, learned they were wanted on outstanding warrants.
Vancouver police turned the couple over to the Canada Border Services Agency.
Meanwhile, Duane Chapman — better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter — had been warning Quaid that he was going to track the actor down and bring him to justice. "I hope Randy Quaid and his wife are watching right now," Chapman said the Lopez Tonight show on Thursday.
"We're announcing he has the chance to call authorities and turn himself in—and at least do it for your wife and for how you were raised. If not, the Chapman family is coming after you."
Chapman said it was time for him to intervene in Quaid's life and try to set him on the straight and narrow.
"There's something going on in his life. You know him and I know him too. He's not the same guy, so we need to do an intervention, Dog style."
It's nice to know that Quaid has a humanitarian in his corner. Meanwhile, something tells us that the Quaids won't be skipping again anytime soon.
We're betting a movie-of-the-week is already in the works.

‘Avatar’ Prequel Story Being Penned by James Cameron

Producer Jon Landau has told MTV that James Cameron is presently hard at work penning the prequel to Avatar. But this story isn't intended for the big screen.
"Jim is going to write a novel himself," said Landau."Not a novelization. A novelization basically retells the story of the movie. Jim wants to write a novel that is a big, epic story that fills in a lot of things [we] won't have time to do in the movie, or maybe in sequels. [So the novel will] give a foundation for the world."
"It would be something that would lead up to telling the story of the movie," Landau added, "but it would go into much more depth about all the stories that we didn't have time to deal with—like the schoolhouse and Sigourney [Weaver's character] teaching at the schoolhouse; Jake on Earth and his backstory and how he came here; [the death of] Tommy, Jake's brother; and Colonel Quaritch, how he ended up there and all that."
Landau says that he hopes Cameron will be able to finish the novel in time to see it published by the end of this year.
To the best of our knowledge, this will mark the writer/director's first published work of fiction.
Just when you thought Cameron couldn't possibly be busy enough with other projects, not to mention prepping the Avatar sequel. Are you looking forward to this tome, or do you think the writer/director would have been better handing this off to an established novelist and focusing instead on the next movie?

Stargate Goes Up For Sale…in Pieces

Want a piece of Stargate Command? CinemaSpy has learned that after hosting 14 years of Stargate production in Vancouver, Bridge Studios is to be the stage for a saddening sell-off of objects from the three series that made up the live-action parts of the franchise: Stargate: SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and SGU: Stargate Universe. The event will take place this coming Friday and Saturday.

Production on the Stargate franchise came to end after 17 seasons earlier this year following the regrettable cancellation of Stargate Universe and the permanent shelving of scripts for proposed spin-off movies from SG-1 and Atlantis. Universewas effectively killed in December 2010 when the US channel Syfy decided not to renew it for a third season due to poor ratings.
Despite the efforts of Brad Wright, a co-creator and executive producer on all three series, no replacement broadcaster could be found to allow production of SGU to continue in the form of movie follow-ups. Fan groups are still campaigning to save the show but it is virtually impossible to revive with the recasting of actors, dismantling of sets and now the sell-off of relics from all three series.
The ‘liquidation sale,’ conducted by Maynards, will include props, costumes, furniture, set decorations, memorabilia and other items from the three shows. It will take place at Bridge Studios’ FX Stage at 2400 Boundary Road in Burnaby, British Columbia on June 17 and 18. We’ve reproduced the advertisement below.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Presenter, Frank Edoho's Marriage Break Up Latest!

Wife moves out of home over inability to pay rent.
Sells off Lexus Jeep to make ends meet.
Contrary to his public posture, sources have reaffirmed that celebrated presenter of must watch television programme, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Mr Frank Edoho has indeed abandoned his family.
And not only this, fresh information has it that he has also stopped providing for his broadcaster wife, Kathrine and their three children.
He is said to have adopted this stance for close to a year now.
Information at our disposal revealed that Edoho had carefully masked the development from the public based on the after effect it might have on his job.
The promoters of his claim to fame, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire had warned him about any negativity about his person rubbing off their show.
He is widely seen as the face of the show all over town. It was their insistence that made him recalled his wife in the initial celebrated bust up that the couple later denied. There were talks of replacing him as presenter of the show before he bowed to the demand of the promoters of the show.
His present action of moving out of his matrimonial home and stopping all allowances due to the family for about a year is said to have started taking it’s toll on the wife and their three children.
Kathrine is said to have sold off the Lexus jeep her husband bought for her over inability to maintain it and part of efforts to make ends meet towards the end of last year.
In other to keep up appearances, she was said to have opted for another Jeep- though of lesser grade- identified as a Pathfinder.
She is said to have survived all these while on support from close knit family and friends in the know and her earnings as an employee of the Nigerian Television Authority.
But these efforts are evidently barely able to sustain her and the children.
Recent development has it that Kathrine has moved out of the home abandoned by Edoho over inability to continue paying the house rent.
The house located inside Chevron estate is said to go for around 3-4 million Naira per annum.
Unconfirmed sources described her new location as on ‘Abraham Adesanya’.
Further investigation revealed that as marriage break up generates increased public awareness by the concerned parties have started wading into the matter to patch things up before irreversible factors make the change in the marriage permanent.
Edoho, now living in a new apartment is said to be resisting the move- while maintaining public stand of just an everyday disagreement in the marriage.
The immediate reasons that resulted in the current state of the marital union are yet to be established.

Michael Jackson's Head of Security, Personal Assistant Reveal Frantic Details About Singer's Death

Prosecutors are calling a key witness Thursday in an attempt to show jurors that Michael Jackson's doctor delayed calling authorities on the day the King of Pop was found lifeless and was intent on concealing indications that he had been giving the singer doses of a surgical anesthetic.
As the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray enters its third day, testimony will keep jurors focused on events in Jackson's bedroom during the frantic moments when efforts were made to revive the unresponsive pop superstar.
Sept. 28: Witness Faheem Muhammad testifies during the second day of Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial in the death of pop star Michael Jackson in downtown Los Angeles. (AP)
The panel has already gotten a glimpse into the entertainer's inner sanctum through photos and testimony. On Thursday, they will hear from the first bodyguard to reach the room after Murray summoned for help.
In testimony during a preliminary hearing earlier this year, Alberto Alvarez said Murray ordered him to stash away vials of medicine and an IV bag before calling 911. Jackson, his eyes and mouth open, appeared to be dead, he said.
The bodyguard's testimony is crucial to prosecutors' contentions that Murray delayed calling 911 and was intent on covering up evidence that he had given Jackson propofol in his bedroom, a far different environment than the surgical settings where it is normally administered.
Alvarez's testimony will likely be challenged by Murray's defense attorneys, who on Wednesday questioned Jackson's head of security and the singer's personal assistant about why they didn't reveal certain details about the day Jackson died to police for at least two months. Defense lawyer Ed Chernoff asked Faheem Muhammad and Michael Amir Williams about whether they conferred with Alvarez before their interviews with detectives.
Williams, who was Jackson's personal assistant, said his interview with detectives had been delayed. He testified Wednesday that he received an urgent phone call from Murray on the day of Jackson's death but wasn't told to call 911. He called Muhammad, who then dispatched Alvarez to Jackson's bedroom on the second floor of the singer's rented mansion in the ritzy Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The room was off-limits to Jackson's staff, and Muhammad paused before racing up the stairs after reaching the mansion just before paramedics arrived.
He described a heart-wrenching scene. By then, he said, Jackson had been removed from his bed and was on the floor, where Murray, sweaty and frantic, was performing CPR.
Alvarez was pacing nervously, Muhammad told the jury. When he saw Jackson up close, he understood why.
"What did you observe about his face," prosecutor David Walgren asked
"That his eyes were open," Muhammad said. "That his mouth was slightly open."
"Did he appear to be dead," Walgren asked.
"Yes."
The bodyguard soon noticed that Jackson's children, Prince and Paris, had gathered by the doorway.
"Paris was on the ground, balled up crying," Muhammad said. He ushered the children out of the room, and then into a sport utility vehicle so they could follow the ambulance to the hospital.
Paparazzi were already swarming the perimeter of the mansion and were waiting at the hospital, Muhammad recalled.
Some of the scenes recounted by Muhammad will likely be repeated Thursday as prosecutors work to fill in other details about Murray's behavior after finding Jackson unconscious. Also expected to testify on Thursday are Kai Chase, a chef who spoke to Murray briefly on the morning of Jackson's death, and paramedics who also tried to revive the singer. The medics believed Jackson was already dead by the time they arrived, but Murray insisted the performer be taken to a hospital for additional resuscitation efforts.
Prosecutors contend Murray did not tell any of the bodyguards or emergency personnel that he had been giving Jackson propofol and other sedatives to help him sleep.
Chernoff claimed in opening statements that Jackson gave himself the lethal dose.
Much of the trial in later sessions will focus on the science of what killed Jackson, and dueling theories of Murray's role.
For at least another day, jurors will hear from witnesses who knew him when he was alive.

Tackles Cancer With Laughter, Dynamic Performances

But while most films dealing with the tender subject seem to focus on older audiences, this one slyly plays off the notion that most young adults think they are impervious to all of life’s cruel twists and turns. “50/50” gives a younger generation a sucker-punch of bittersweet humor to tell an uplifting, but ultimately frightening story.
Directed by Jonathan Levine (“The Wackness”) and based on a true story, “50/50” follows 27-year-old Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) whose perfectly normal and successful life crumbles to chaos when he finds out he has a unique form of spinal cancer.
Screenwriter Will Reiser focuses on the emotional effects of having cancer and how it affects all surrounding relationships from family to work to sex, splitting the film down the middle as half tear-jerker and half side-splitting comedy.
Providing both pain and comfort for Adam are his uncompassionate girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), who provides just as much heartache for him as his disease. Funny man Seth Rogen plays Adam’s larger-than-life pal who uses Lerner’s situation to hook up with single women and gets the two into some off-kilter situations. Rogen’s comic relief is hilarious, albeit occasionally excessive, and wonderfully counters the severity of Adam’s dilemma
The scenes between Adam and his mother (Angelica Huston) are particularly moving. The mother-son relationship is rocky at best and the tug-of-war between the characters brings out some of the best acting moments in the film.
Rounding out the film is Anna Kendrick’s sweet performance as Adam’s newbie therapist, whose inexperience helps the two face cancer together with fresh, young eyes.
The film never veers hard to either side of comedy or drama, maintaining a delicate balance between the two. Whenever the film feels like it may enter ‘after-school-special’ territory, it course corrects with some vulgar humor, usually at Rogen’s expense. Gordon-Levitt’s nuanced performance, especially, keeps the film grounded and realistic. The “3rd Rock From the Sun” star has come a long way and may see gold come awards season.
“50/50” certainly plays to Seth Rogen’s typical audience and the profanity may not be for everyone, but peppered among the scenes of crude dialogue and pot smoking is an inspirational and uplifting drama of a young man’s journey to embrace all that life, good or bad, throws his way.

Roman Polanski Apologizes to Woman He Raped When She Was 13

ZURICH, Switzerland – Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski apologizes to the woman he sexually assaulted when she was a 13-year-old girl in a new documentary that premiered Tuesday night at the Zurich Film Festival.
"She is a double victim: my victim and a victim of the press," he said in Laurent Bouzereau's "Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir," according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Franco-Polish director was charged in 1977 for giving Samantha Geimer, who was 13 at the time, champagne and drugs during a photo shoot at the Hollywood home of actor Jack Nicholson.
The then 43-year-old filmmaker then had sex with her despite her protests.
Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful intercourse as part of a plea deal in 1978, but fled the US before being sentenced. He has remained an active filmmaker from his home base in France and has avoided extradition to the US with limited travel.
France does not have an extradition treaty with the US.
In 2009, however, he was apprehended by Swiss authorities when he tried to attend that year's Zurich Film Festival to receive a lifetime achievement award. He spent 10 months there under house arrest before he was ultimately released.
Tuesday night he received a standing ovation at the festival as he finally accepted the award.
Polanski, 78, thanked the crowd, telling them it was "better late than never."
"It's a strange anniversary for me, two years, day for day [since his arrest in 2009]. … Certain parts of it I'd rather forget, but I'm happy to be here," he added.
Polanski won an Academy Award for Best Director for his 2002 film "The Pianist" but was unable to attend the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles due to his legal issues.

$200m fund: ‘To move forward, we must fix piracy

Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Documentation and Strategy, Mr. Oronto Douglas, explains how Nollywood can access the $200 million loan promised the industry and emphasised that piracy must be dealt with first.
The dinner is first to thank you for what you have done particularly as Nigeria’s cultural ambassadors, you have done so much for Nigeria no other single sector has been able to beat you. As laughter merchants, happiness generator and, above all, relaxation proponents, it is important that your importance in the industry and Nigeria’s ascendancy and development be recognised and appreciated. I want to beg you not to relent because this is just the beginning. I am not new to the industry.
I recall in 2005, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe came to see me with a proposal. I was at that time Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Bayelsa State. It was my duty and responsibility to do what is good for Nigeria, for Bayelsa, particularly as it affects the Performing Arts and the industry generally. When the proposal reached my desk, I felt this is a revolution and we must support it. Indeed, I made recommendation to the then governor, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha that this is a proposal that cannot be ignored. We have to support it and it is important that Nigeria take the initiative, take control of the process and drive it.
A lot of us do not know if the black man and the black world of Africa is going to stand up and be counted, the best way to drive that is through the Arts. If we do not support the Arts to drive the process of that change, we will not get there. So, fortunately, the governor, who is also very enthusiastic about the Arts, with his deputy at that time said, ‘look, this is what we must do’. That deputy is now President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Omoluabi Mai-nasara Jonathan. What is the President going to accomplish especially as it affects you? The first is the biggest threat to this industry, piracy. Why should somebody profit from what you create? If we do not fix piracy, we will not move forward. The second is resources for you to do what you want to do.
There was a pronouncement when the President came for the Silverbird 30th anniversary programme that an entertainment fund will be put in place. He announced $200 million for the entertainment industry. Before coming here, I called the Finance Minister because I would not want to be taken unawares. I said ‘can you give me the brief of what you have done with regard to the directive of Mr. President’?. ‘The $200 million Mr. President promised. There are some places that have not assessed the money. That who is holding the money and why are those who should benefit not benefiting from the money’?. This is what he told me. The first is that the total amount is $200 million not N200 million like some newspapers published a day after it was announced. And that the fund is coming from African Development Bank, ADB, which has already disbursed it. And that the money will be administered by the Bank of Industry supported by NEXIM. And that since the announcement, a meeting has taken place within the industry with a view to have an understanding and a value chain added to the process.
The Finance Minister said a meeting of the representatives of the entertainment industry took place with a view to have a common understanding on how these resources will be accessed. And that this will also be used for value added in terms of getting real value for those resources. He said that when this is completed, there will be a framework through which assessing the funds can be done. He used the words ‘Bankable Proposals’. He said for this kind of proposal, the individuals applying are well known. The minister also said an advisory board is being set up and that the board will be made up of the people in Nollywood. That the advisory board is to ensure management of the resources in a way that everybody has access.
According to him, the resources are not only for Nollywood people, it also includes musicians and other artistes. And that generally, it is for the performing arts. And that the situation now is that in the next two weeks, (from March 4) this whole thing will be resolved because he is going to address a major press conference to announce it. But that you do not need to wait till all this is announced. The Bank of Industry said it already has some money set aside and that people can apply in the mean time.
The minister said that so far, some of those who have applied have just written one page saying I want money. There has to be proper proposal to state that this is what I want to do and this is how I want to do it. This is the result, this is how I believe I will be able to get back the money and empower myself and also be able, in a few years time, to pay back. All that, according to him, are some of the hiccups in the whole process. Just writing ‘I want money’ and sending the proposal to the Bank of Industry, will not get you the money. It is important that the Lagos Business School, LBS, which has been contacted to help those who want to access the fund, prepare or train them in proposal writing and so on.
According to the minister, it is also possible some of bureaucracy will be sidestepped if whatever proposal prepared is important to national interest, to the economic security of the institution or corporation or individual that are applying. This is the message that I got from the Minister of Finance on phone. Going forward, Nigeria has reached a very important path in our nation’s advancement. We need to prop up our entertainment industry just like the United States; use this platform to evangelise the beauty, the glory of Nigeria. If we have to do that, you have to be supported. You cannot get a better person than President Jonathan who started supporting you while he was deputy governor. He is not a pretender to the industry. You have got to look at his track record, —where he is coming from, what he has done. If you want to judge somebody judge him from his record. That, to me, is the important step as we move forward at this level.

Bitter war between Helen Prest Ajayi and Nike Osinowo-Soleye

One story that is making the rounds in the Lagos social circle is about an alleged bitter war between former Miss Nigeria and ageless beauty,Helen Prest Ajayi and her erstwhile protégé and ex Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria pageant,Nike Osinowo-Soleye.
According to the gist,the two women do not see eye to eye and each of them in recent time,has been bad mouthing the other.
Those who peddle the gist,claim that the issues stems from a seeming”lack of respect” for her elders on the part of Nike Oshinowo-Soleye.
Those who hold this view,claim that years ago,Nike was a protégé of Helen Prest Ajayi,who is one of the most evergreen Miss Nigeria pageant winners.
As they put it,it was Helen Prest that persuaded Nike,who was then living in England to return to Nigeria to contest the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria crown which she (Nike) won at the time.
The gist peddlers say her victory,was also with the aid of the former Miss Nigeria who groomed and guided her through the processes that saw her tops.
Years later however,they claim that Nike,”grew wings” and was claiming equality with Helen Prest who incidentally is also five years or more older than her.It was this equality claim that tore the two erstwhile pals apart and started their unending war.
But even as they battle each other,a lot of celebrity women in their circle are already taking sides.Many say Helen Prest Ajayi is a little envious of Nike Oshinowo whom they claim dwarfs Helen Prest and is perhaps Nigeria’s most acclaimed and most celebrated beauty queen ever.
They allege that with her(Nike’s) achievement,Helen Prest should not expect her to be perpetually crawling to her even if it was she who pushed her into returning to contest the MBGN years ago.But Helen Prest’s supporters are saying that despite Nike’s popularity,that she lacks the sterling quality of a real queen.
They also claim that she is disrespectful and should kowtow to Helen Prest as her elder and erstwhile mentor.They claim that Nike has no substance to her persona except the media hype that follows her.
This they say is why she has fallen apart with all her friends including Erelu Dosunmu,Doyin Abiola,Biola Okoya and Nkiru Anumundu.

Genevieve, Omoni Oboli Lose Out At AMAA Awards 2011

Nollywood actors Jim Iyke, Mike Eze Ruonye, Ini Edo, Aki, Joke Silva, Kate Henshaw and others
The seventh Edition of the Annual African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) has come and gone. The Prestigious award ceremony took place at the Gloryland Cultural Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Saturday, March 26, 2011 and was well attended by various Nigerian movie stars including Mike Ezeruonye, Majid Michel, Joke Silver, Jim Iyke, Kate Henshaw, Chinedu Ikedieze (Aki), Ini edo among others.
Notable performances on the night includes African pop duo P-square who wowed the audience with their dance routines.
Congolese movie ‘Viva Riva’ which initially led with 13 nominations received the most awards on the night; an outstanding number of six awards were for Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Director (Djo Tunda Wa Munga) , Best Actor in Supporting Role (Hoji Fortuna), Best Actress in Supporting Role (Marlene Longage) and Best Film.
Surprisingly, Nigerian star actresses Genevieve Nnaji and Omoni Oboli who were up against each other in the Best Actress in Leading Role category for the movies ‘Tango with me’ and ‘Anchor baby’ respectively, both lost out to Manie Malone for the movie ‘Viva Riva’.
However, Nigeria bagged five awards on the night. They include Edward Kagutuzi in the movie ‘Mirror Boy’ for Best Young actor, ‘Inale’ for Best Soundtrack, ‘In America: The Story Of The Soul Sisters’ by Rahman Oladigbolu for Best Film for African Abroad and ‘Aramotu’ for Best Costume Design and Best Nigerian Film by Niji Akanni.
Best Film
Viva Riva – Djo Tunda Wa Munga (Congo)
Best Director
Viva Riva – Djo Tunda Wa Munga
Best Actress In Leading Role
Amake Abebrese – Sinking Sands
Best Actor In Leading Role
Themba Ndaba – Hopeville
Best Actress In Supporting Role
Marlene Longage – Viva Riva
Best Actor In Supporting Role
Hoji Fortuna – Viva Riva
Best Young Actor
Edward Kagutuzi – Mirror Boy
Best Child Actor
Sobahle Mkhabase (Thembi), Tschepang Mohlomi (Chili-Bite) And Sibonelo Malinga (Khwezi) – Izulu Lami
Best Film In African Language
Izulu Lami – Madoda Ncayiyana (South Africa)
Best Nigerian Film
Aramotu – Niji Akanni
Best Screenplay
Sinking Sands
Best Editing
Soul Boy
Best Cinematography
Viva Riva
Best Achievement In Sound
Shirley Adams
Best Visual Effects
A Small Town Called Descent
Best Soundtrack
Inale
Best Make Up
Sinking Sands
Best Costume Design
Aramotu
Best Production Design
Viva Riva
Best Film For African Abroad
In America: The Story Of The Soul Sisters – Rahman Oladigbolu (Nigeria/USA)
Best Diaspora Short Film
Precipice – Julius Amedume (UK)
Best Diaspora Documentary
Stuborn As A Mule – Miller Bargeron Jr & Arcelous Deiels (USA)
Best Diaspora Feature
Suicide Dolls – Keith Shaw (USA)
Best Documentary
Kondi Et Le Jeudi Nationale – Ariana Astrid Atodji (Cameroun)
Best Short Documentary
After The Mine – Diendo Hamadi & Dinta Wa Lusula (DRC)
Best Short Film
Dina – Mickey Fonseca (Mozambique)

Bare Escentuals Inspires Beauty Into Action With Its First-Ever Global Platform

San Francisco (September 2, 2011) /PRNewswire/ — Launching this September, Bare Escentuals (www.BareEscentuals.com) unveils its first-ever global creative platform and marketing campaign. Rooted in the company’s 35-year history, ‘Be a Force of Beauty’ amplifies the core belief that beauty can change the world, both by inspiring positivity and activating women to put beauty into action.
Playing off the notion, Pretty is. Beauty does.™ Bare Escentuals celebrates and gives emphasis to the influential power of beauty as more than meets the eye. By going beyond the surface visage, Bare Escentuals builds upon its heritage as an unconventional beauty brand, recognizing the opportunity to give women a voice and to champion the individual stories that represent their own ‘force of beauty.’
“Celebrating women isn’t new for us; it’s who we are and what we do. It’s always been more than a philosophy, it’s really our DNA,” explains Leslie Blodgett, Executive Chairman of Bare Escentuals. “We have a responsibility to not just tell a singular story of beauty, but rather share in the collective spirit of women around the globe.”
The new global platform is a natural extension to the brand and pays tribute to the millions of women that have established Bare Escentuals as the original community brand, that is as much about peer-to-peer community as it is about beauty products. A true testament to Leslie Blodgett’s legacy of fostering genuine personal relationships, ‘Be a Force of Beauty’ is the next evolution of the brand’s commitment to engage women in real, open and honest dialogue and will serve as a call-to-action to further ignite the conversation around beauty.
The first iteration of ‘Be a Force of Beauty’ will kick off in North America in early September and will roll out to international markets in Spring 2012, where each campaign will evolve from region to region. Supported by integrated marketing efforts, the campaign creative will feature five women, each personifying a ‘force of beauty’ as identified during a blind casting held in late summer. Recognizing that beauty is not solely defined by a physical manifestation, the methodology behind the blind casting is meant to highlight the symbolic relationship between confidence and beauty, demonstrating that it’s the effect of confidence on the world that is the hallmark of true beauty.
Bare Escentuals ‘Be a Force of Beauty’ Global Brand Campaign
The global campaign will be supported by TV, print, digital and social marketing efforts throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. The campaign creative is designed to elicit a social discussion around beauty and motivate women into action, summarized by such taglines as, “Pretty is what you are. Beauty is what you do with it.”
“We wanted ‘Be a Force of Beauty’ not only to be relevant, but also tangible for women around the world,” commented Simon Cowell, Global CMO for Bare Escentuals. “We acknowledge that there is real power and potential in beauty and it’s our role to inspire women and serve as advocates to showcase the cultural impact beauty can have on humanity.”
With a large scope for interpretation, Bare Escentuals partnered with the photographer Rankin to inject soul into the print campaign, and director Gregory Maya for fifteen and thirty second TV spots and webisodes. Both were tapped to breathe life into the ‘Be a Force of Beauty’ anthem and bring a sense of authenticity and sincerity to the campaign by capturing an honest expression of inner beauty. To uphold this mandate for authenticity, Bare Escentuals intentionally chose to leave in the distinguishing characteristics of each woman appearing in the creative and all signs of life that represent their experiences to further add value and integrity to the campaign.
“This level of truthfulness became critical for us as we continued to ideate on this campaign,” noted Cowell. “‘Be a Force of Beauty’ really sums up our brand anthem and pays tribute to the legacy we’ve already established and also carries us into the future as we continue to expand our global footprint.”
bareMinerals READY™ Eyeshadow Fall 2011
The empowering message behind ‘Be a Force of Beauty’ augments the less-is-more approach of Bare Escentuals’ award-winning bareMinerals product line. Made with healthy, good-for-you ingredients, Bare Escentuals introduces bareMinerals READY™ Eyeshadow, a new innovative concept in solid mineral technology for Fall 2011. Created through a unique cold-pressed method, the formula combines a proprietary SeaNutritive Mineral™ Complex with powerful antioxidants, cold-pressed borage oil, caffeine and cucumber to deliver anti-aging benefits, including depuffing and antioxidant protection for a softer, smoother, revitalized eye area. Formulated without parabens, binders, fillers, and chemicals, bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow delivers on this less-is-more approach with a high-performance product that delivers beautifully smooth, vivid, long-wearing color with the added bonus of incredible skin-renewing benefits.
Pure, intense, provocative color—from high-impact drama to sublimely subtle—these are shades that inspire a thousand stories. There’s a narrative behind every bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow palette, deep meaning in every vibrant shade, and boundless beauty in the blendability. Introducing fifteen one-of-a-kind duos and four quads, each conceptual palette takes the guesswork out of makeup artistry with complementary shades that work seamlessly together for endless blending options to illuminate the eyes.
bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow will first appear in ‘Be a Force of Beauty’ creative this October 2011 to mark its official launch in North America, followed by a global roll-out in Spring/Summer 2012.

UK police suspend demand for paper's hacking files

LONDON (AP) — London police said Tuesday they were dropping a demand that The Guardian newspaper reveal its sources for stories about Britain's phone-hacking scandal.
The Metropolitan Police said it "has decided not to pursue, at this time, the application for production orders" against the paper.
The Guardian said Friday that police were seeking a court order that would force the paper to unveil source material for stories about the scandal.
The stories include a July 4 article that revealed the now-defunct News of the World tabloid hacked into the voicemail messages of missing British schoolgirl, Milly Dowler, who was later found murdered.
The Guardian had vowed to fight the demand, and rival newspapers joined it in condemning the police move to uncover reporters' sources.
Officials with the paper could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night.
The Guardian has been at the forefront of reporting the hacking scandal, exposing the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid for routinely intercepting the voicemails of those in the public eye in its quest for scoops.
A police officer has been arrested on suspicion of leaking information about the force's hacking investigation to the newspaper.
The force said it would consult prosecutors about the next steps in its investigation of the officer.
It said in a statement that "despite recent media reports there was no intention to target journalists or disregard journalists' obligations to protect their sources."

loses equivalent of one Olsen Twin

Kirstie Alley, 60, long the butt of fat jokes, has finally shut up her critics. The “Dancing with the Stars” contestant has lost a jaw-dropping 100 lbs.
“I feel like I’m back in my element,” Alley told Entertainment Tonight. “I honestly didn’t even realize what I looked like.”
PHOTOS: Kirstie’s Weight Ups and Downs.
The former “Fat Actress” said she now fits into a teeny-tiny size 4. “Before ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ I bought these dresses from size 14 to 4,” she explained. “(They were) all the same dress, and I said, ‘You know what I really want? I really wanna be in this dress in a 4!’”
The now-skinny star even sashayed down the catwalk for designer Zang Toi during New York’s Fashion Week on Tuesday.
“I’ve known Zang since 1993,” Alley explained. “He just has the most beautiful clothes, period.”
While Alley lost the equivalent of one Olsen Twin, she’s not planning on going under the knife to remove any excess skin.
PHOTOS: Weight Yo-Yo Stars.
“I haven’t had plastic surgery,” said Allley. “Here’s the reason: People do plastic surgery to make you look younger. I don’t think it makes you look younger. I like it can make you look weirder.”

Even though she has a face and figure women half her age would envy, Alley says she isn’t looking for Mr. Right — she’s looking for Mr. Right Now. “This is what I think about sex,” Alley declared. “I think its fun to hookup every night for six months… Then it’s time to move on!”