See PHOTOs: Inside Mali Siege Hotel

 A picture of a peace symbol superimposed on an outline map of Mali hangs in the hotel lobby.
Malian special forces stormed the 190-room Radisson Blu Hotel in the capital, Bamako, where suspected Islamist gunmen had trapped scores of guests and staff. Here is the scene after the siege ended:

 Bullet holes can be seen on the wall of a stairwell. Malian special forces went room to room looking for the gunmen.

 There were 140 guests when the gunmen attacked. Some appear to have been holed up in their rooms as the militants took control of the hotel.

One hostage who survived the attack spoke of the professionalism of the Malian soldiers. They told him to stay in his room and then came to get him when they were sure the floor of the hotel was clear. 

 A television was left on - perhaps hostages were trying to follow events on a news channel.

Nineteen people were killed during the siege and two attackers also died. Bullet casings were later collected and put inside a blue helmet.

After the siege ended, investigators searched the hotel to try and figure out more about what exactly happened.

UPDATE!!! Mali Hotel Attack: Three Days Of National Mourning Begin

Mali has begun three days of national mourning following Friday’s militant Islamist attack on a hotel in the capital, Bamako, in which 19 people were killed.

Malian and international troops stormed the Radisson Blu hotel to free guests and staff being held hostage. Two gunmen were killed.

Two separate Islamist groups have said they carried out the attack.

Investigators have yet to determine the number and nationality of the gunmen.

However, one security source in Mali told the BBC officials believed that the two dead gunmen had been speaking English during the attack.
The source said six of the dead were Malian, including one gendarme. Thirteen foreign nationals are confirmed dead.

Ahead of the three days of national mourning, the chairman of the West African regional bloc Ecowas, Senegal’s President Macky Sall, visited Bamako to show support.

He said on Sunday: “Mali will never be alone in this fight, we are all committed because we are all involved.”

Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea are also observing the mourning.



Two militant Islamist groups have said they carried out the attack.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its affiliate, al-Murabitoun, said they were responsible. A spokesman told al-Jazeera two Malian gunmen had carried out the attack.

However, the Macina Liberation Front, which has been blamed for attacks in southern Mali, also claimed responsibility.

Security remains tight around major hotels in Bamako.

Gunmen entered the hotel on Friday morning, shooting and driving their vehicle through a security barrier, one eyewitness said.

Most of the hotel guests and staff were freed hours later when Malian special forces, French special forces and off-duty US servicemen stormed the hotel to end the siege.
The victims
Six Malians, including one gendarme – further details have not be released.
Six Russians were killed, all employees of the Volga-Dnepr airline, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. Volga-Dnepr reported that the six were Stanislav Dumansky and Pavel Kudryavtsev, mechanics; Vladimir Kudryashov, a flight radio operator; Konstantin Preobrazhensky, a flight engineer; Sergey Yurasov, a load manager, and Aleksandr Kononenko, a navigator.
Three Chinese, Zhou Tianxiang and Wang Xuanshang and Chang Xuehui were executives from the state-owned China Railway Construction Corp, the company said in a statement on its website.
Two Belgians, including Geoffrey Dieudonne, an official at the parliament in Belgium’s Wallonia region.
US national Anita Ashok Datar, 41, was in Mali working on projects involving family planning and HIV. Ms Datar, the mother of a seven-year-old boy, was a senior manager at Palladium Group, an international development organisation.
Israeli education consultant and executive Shmuel Benalal, who is reported to have been in Mali to work with the government.

Credit: BBC

Movie: Hunger Games Mockingjay – Part 2 Tops US Box Office

Mockingjay Part 2, the final Hunger Games film, has shot to number one at the North American box office on its opening weekend, taking $101m (£66.6m).

But it was the quietest first weekend for the series, which began in 2012.

The first film took $152.5m (£100.6m), the second $158.1m (£104m) and 2014’s Mockingjay – Part 1, $121.9m (£80m).

“When a franchise is this popular and this successful in this short a time, expectations run very high,” said Rentrak analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

“If we live in a world where a $100m opening is a disappointment, that’s pretty crazy.”
So far, there have been only 34 movies in history to open at more than $100m and each Hunger Games film has made it into that elite group.

James Bond film Spectre was second on this week’s US box office chart, with $14. 6m (£9.6m), followed by The Peanuts movie with $12.8m (£8.4m).

Seth Rogen’s comedy The Night Before opened in fourth spot, with $10.1m (£6.6m), while Julia Roberts’ thriller The Secret in Their Eyes, a remake of the Oscar-winning Argentinian film, debuted with $6.6m (£4.3m).

The weekend was down 11% from last year but Dergarabedian said: “We’re in the home stretch, but remember – we have a little secret weapon in Star Wars.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on 18 December.


Credit: jumpfon

Angelina Jolie Pitt Is Behind Closed Doors in ‘By the Sea’

 Angelina Jolie Pitt in “By the Sea,” which she wrote, directed and stars in. Credit Universal Pictures

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. — During the filming of “By the Sea,” Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt — who play a depressed former dancer and her blocked novelist husband — had a go-to method for lightening an often somber mood on the set. “There were a lot of jokes about how nobody is ever going to want to be our neighbor again,” said Ms. Jolie Pitt, referring to how their characters often spy through a peephole on two lovers in the hotel room next door.

 “By the Sea” is written, produced and directed by Ms. Jolie Pitt and represents the first time she and Mr. Pitt have appeared on screen together since their 2005 spy thriller “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” The potential pitfalls of directing one’s real-life spouse aside, the movie is a risk in other ways. Set in a quiet seaside town in France, it’s inspired by the deliberately paced European art films of the ’60s and ’70s, and — let the speculation begin — tells the story of an American couple’s imploding marriage.

 Sitting in a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel here, Ms. Jolie Pitt, 40, whose last film as director was the World War II survival tale “Unbroken,” seemed sanguine about it all — from the fact-or-fiction parsing “By the Sea” might generate to the possible critical reception of what she called “a bold choice.” She added: “I know some people are going to hate it. Some are going to like it. But it was important to me to feel like an artist again

 An American couple who are vacationing in a French seaside town begin to examine problems in their marriage. By UNIVERSAL PICTURES on Publish Date November 1, 2015. Photo by Internet Video Archive.

 On her right wrist she wore a thread bracelet acquired during a recent trip to Cambodia; a runic tattoo peeked from the left sleeve of her beige pleated dress. Candid and engaged, she spoke of the grounding influence of having her six children on location and of how hard Mr. Pitt worked on his French. “As we were shooting he’d sometimes say: ‘It’s strange. You seem to have given me 10 times more dialogue in French than you’ve given yourself,’” she said, laughing hard. “I told him, ‘That’s the bonus of being the writer.’” Here are excerpts from the conversation.

Q. Your first films involved lots of research. How do you prep for a circa 1970s marital drama?

A.It helped that it was set in France, so we focused on the culture and the time in history. But it’s really just me from a blank page. It’s like my study of something that I didn’t even understand about my own pain, my own self. It was a very strange experience — and not one I think I’ll do often. [Laughs] I got married right before: Maybe that was my study.

You had been with Brad for roughly nine years by then. Did tying the knot change anything? Photo

Angelina Jolie Pitt with Brad Pitt on the set of “By the Sea.” Credit Merrick Morton/Universal Pictures

It was just a nice thing. For me, the big moment was when [we] signed the [joint adoption] papers for Maddox and Zahara. That was a decision to parent together, to commit to being a part of each other’s lives for the rest of my life. So [marriage] wasn’t close in comparison. In a way, it was very casual.

Casual?

The ceremony was in France, but we had to do things legally in California. One day I was in the edit room, and [Brad] was doing something and an assistant said, “You have to sign some papers.” So we came back and between meetings we were told, “Here’s your license.” Then someone said, “The judge is outside.” We both said, “What do you mean, the judge is outside?” Then the judge came in, this lovely guy, and at some point, Brad said, “Shouldn’t we be standing up?” The judge said, “No.” Then suddenly we realized we were married, in the most unceremonial way possible.

Then not much later it was off to Malta to shoot a movie about a relationship in crisis. That’s your idea of a honeymoon? Photo

Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt in the movie "By the Sea." Credit Merrick Morton/Universal Pictures

Well, technically it was a honeymoon. A few days into filming I thought: This is such a bad idea. What was I thinking? This is going to destroy us before we’ve even gotten started. But by the time we got to the end of the film, we’d argued, challenged each other, disappointed each other, had good days, bad days, all of it. We’d pushed through, learned something about each other, found a new working relationship and came to like the idea of “Yeah, it gets really bad, but you work it out.”

When you reread the script for your movie — which you’ve said you didn’t initially intend to star in — what was it like to realize that you were going to be the actress put through the emotional wringer?

There were lots of scenes I wanted to change or cut. I realized it was going to be me [naked] in that bathtub. But I told myself, put all of that aside. Like, you can’t change or cut this scene because you’ve had a mastectomy, or because we’re married and people are going to analyze this or that. That would be cheating.

Talk about the challenge of directing and acting at the same time. Photo

Angelina Jolie Pitt on the set of “By the Sea” with the film’s script supervisor, Kristin Witcombe. Credit Merrick Morton/Universal Pictures

As a director I had to be very sure, very strong in opinion, stable. My character? She shouldn’t direct anything. Not even traffic. She’s a mess. The duality — being a director, then having to become a person that vulnerable — would often be hard. There’s a whole reel of me calling “Cut!” If a doctor saw it, I’d be put on medication. I’m hysterically crying and then calling “Cut!” or during a sex scene I am calling “Cut!” on Brad. You had to laugh at how bizarre it was.

There are so few female directors employed in Hollywood that a federal investigation was recently begun into gender discrimination in the industry. Yet you’ve often seemed to resist discussing what it’s like to be part of such a small group. Why?

I just think that sometimes people in the business focus on the fact that you’re a minority. I don’t want people saying, “Should we get a female director?” I want to hear, “Should we get a great director for this movie?” But I’m the first female director that Brad’s ever worked with. That doesn’t seem right when you think about it.

Agreed. Photo

Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (2005). Credit Stephen Vaughn/20th Century Fox

Sexism is part of every industry and must be addressed. But I try not to focus on the negative but the positive side of what we can bring. I want to support other women because of the opportunities I’ve had — and I’ve had a lot of opportunities. What I try as a female director is to do the best job I can and in the meantime bring attention to as many other female directors and writers as I can. Right now I am producing “The Breadwinner,” an animated film about Afghanistan. Nora Twomey is the director.

What do you think Brad’s first experience with a woman director was like?

I’m not just a woman, but a writer-director. We’re also husband and wife. I think it was doubly hard. We know certain things about each other. At first it was a little uncomfortable. You want to be careful what button you press and what you don’t. At the same time, he later said he felt like he could be the most open in his acting, because he trusted I was genuinely there to help him give the best performance.

In the midst of all this you had children to tuck into bed at night, one of them a teenage boy, Maddox, working as a gofer on a not-exactly-PG movie. Photo

Angelina Jolie Pitt with her son Maddox this year. Credit Candid/Barcroft Media, via GC Images

He’d be there for the lighter scenes or funnier ones, but obviously we had a rule that for certain scenes he was on lockdown, not on set. I remember one day I was in my robe, my mascara was running down my face, my hair was still in curlers, and we ran into each other in the hallway. He just shook his head, like, “Wow, Mom. Nice.” This business, I grew up in it myself, so I’d almost be happier if the kids weren’t interested. But he loved it.

Let’s talk about the hacked Sony emails that were released last year. Were you surprised when you read the bruising exchange about you between the former Sony co-chairwoman Amy Pascal and the producer Scott Rudin?

I didn’t read any of them.

Yet you knew what was in them.

Someone told me. There are certain things that bother me and certain things that don’t. Personal attacks on me? I think I’m just so used to it. Honestly, my first instinct was that I was worried about Amy. I had someone call her and ask if she was O.K. Not because I’m a saint, but because I think we have to look at the bigger picture. She’s got kids. I knew it was going to unravel for her.

Returning to moviemaking, do you ever dream of returning to less serious fare, like a romantic comedy?

I love comedies. But I’m never asked to do anything even self-mocking. I tried to do comedy when I was younger. It didn’t work. I don’t think I’m very funny.

In “By the Sea,” there’s plenty of shouting, tears, drinking and, at one point, kicking. Do you mind that audiences will see the film and read into it?

And think, this is what they’re really like? I think you have to accept that. But if people think these are our particular issues, well, that’s wrong. But if they want to think we have terrible fights, are imperfect, have insecurities and can be depressed and emotional, of course that’s true. We have problems, arguments. We are two very human, flawed people. And I think that’s a good thing to show.

American Music Awards: Taylor Swift And One Direction Lead Winners

An absent Taylor Swift dominated the American Music Awards, winning three prizes, including album of the year and song of the year.

One Direction also fared well, being named favourite group and artist of the year, for the second year in a row.
Jared Leto made a moving speech about terror attacks in Paris, recalling the time his band played at The Bataclan.
Celine Dion then sang Edith Piaf’s Hymne a L’Amour against a backdrop of Parisian landmarks.


“Tonight we honour the victims of the unimaginable violence that took place in Paris and around the world,” said Leto, who sings with rock band 30 Seconds to Mars.
“France matters. Russia matters. Mali matters. Syria matters… The whole world matters. Peace is possible.”

Celine Dion performed in front of a montage of Parisian scenes, including images of the tributes left outside The Bataclan, where 89 people died

The Paris attacks were very much on the minds of the other performers and nominees.

Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth said he had been in Paris a few weeks before the attacks and was heartbroken by the news.

“I want to write a song for Paris,” he told the ABC News.

Ashton Irwin of 5 Seconds of Summer, said the attacks “will change what we write about in the future”.

“We have a young fan base, and were almost the communicators of what’s going on in the world.”

Award winners

However, the rest of the awards show took a less sombre tone.

Host Jennifer Lopez opened the ceremony with an extended dance routine, set to a medley of the year’s biggest hits – including Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk, Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood and Drake’s Hotline Bling.

Audience members Nicki Minaj and The Weeknd, whose songs were included in the mix, looked somewhat bemused by the honour.

Alanis Morissette performed her breakthrough hit You Oughta Know, which turns 20 this year, accompanied by Demi Lovato; while Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor locked lips at the end of an impassioned performance of their duet Marvin Gaye.

Jennifer Lopez’s dance medley was a spectacular start to the show

Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor insisted they were “just friends” despite their on-stage embrace

Ariana Grande brought her grandmother Marjorie to the ceremony

Harry Styles’ floral print suit was widely discussed on social media

Actress Anna Kendrick skewered the cliches of acceptance speeches as she collected the best soundtrack prize for her film Pitch Perfect 2.

Reading out a “thank you” list, she praised arranger and producer Alana Da Fonseca and music director and vocal producer Deke Sharon, adding “you only made me want to kill myself three times”.

“You’re a ruthless little group of sociopaths and I admire that about you,” she added.
She then thanked music producer Harvey Mason Jr “for not telling anyone about that hooker we buried”, before giving her final shout-out to executive producers Julianne Jordan and Julia Michaels, exclaiming: “I don’t like you at all!”

One Direction addressed their upcoming “hiatus” as they collected the ceremony’s top prize, artist of the year, telling fans: “We’re gonna go on a little break, gonna spend some time with our families.”

They were not the only multiple award-winners: The Weeknd and Nicki Minaj both took home two trophies, with Minaj scooping the hip-hop album of the year prize for the third time in her career.

The Weeknd set the stage on fire – literally – as he performed his single, The Hills

Anna Kendrick was joined by the cast of Pitch Perfect 2 as she accepted the prize for best soundtrack

Nicki Minaj said her award-winning The Pinkprint was the “hardest album I’ve ever had to do, write [and] perform every night”

Coldplay were joined onstage by dancing gorillas

Ariana Grande was the surprise winner of best female, beating Taylor Swift. She used her speech to thank her grandmother, who accompanied her to the show.

The singer said her “nonna” had contributed to her victory, telling her before the show: “Ariana I went on the computer. I voted, so I think you’ll win.”

Earlier, Marjorie Grande was seen dancing in the front row as her granddaughter performed a cabaret version of her latest single. Focus.

The evening ended with a three-song medley by comeback kid Justin Bieber, riding high on the success of his new album, Purpose, which topped the US charts last week.

The former teen star performed an acoustic version of his summer smash What Do You Mean? followed by the dance hit Where Are U Now and a rain-soaked version of the current UK number one, Sorry.

Demi Lovato and Alanis Morissette performed an explosive version of You Oughta Know

Justin Bieber was drenched during his closing performance
The full list of winners was:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Luke Bryan
Ariana Grande
Maroon 5
Nicki Minaj
One Direction – winner
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor
The Weeknd

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Fetty Wap
Sam Hunt – winner
Tove Lo
Walk The Moon
The Weeknd

SONG OF THE YEAR
Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth: See You Again
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars: Uptown Funk
Ed Sheeran: Thinking Out Loud
Taylor Swift: Blank Space – winner
The Weeknd: Can’t Feel My Face

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth: See You Again
Rihanna & Kanye West featuring Paul McCartney: FourFiveSeconds
Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars: Uptown Funk!
Skrillex & Diplo featuring Justin Bieber: Where Are U Now – winner
Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar: Bad Blood

FAVOURITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Nick Jonas
Ed Sheeran -winner
Sam Smith

FAVOURITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Ariana Grande – winner
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor

FAVOURITE DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
Maroon 5
One Direction – winner
Walk The Moon

FAVOURITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
Ed Sheeran: x
Sam Smith: In The Lonely Hour
Taylor Swift: 1989 – winner

FAVOURITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan – winner
Sam Hunt

FAVOURITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Carrie Underwood – winner

FAVOURITE DUO or GROUP – COUNTRY
Zac Brown Band
Florida Georgia Line – winner
Little Big Town

FAVOURITE ALBUM – COUNTRY
Jason Aldean: Old Boots, New Dirt
Florida Georgia Line: Anything Goes -winner
Sam Hunt: Montevallo

FAVOURITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Drake
Fetty Wap
Nicki Minaj – winner

FAVOURITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
J. Cole: 2014 Forest Hills Drive
Drake: If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
Nicki Minaj: The Pinkprint – winner

FAVOURITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
The Weeknd – winner

FAVOURITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Beyonce
Mary J. Blige
Rihanna – winner

FAVOURITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown: X
D’Angelo and The Vanguard: Black Messiah
The Weeknd: Beauty Behind the Madness – winner

FAVOURITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Fall Out Boy – winner
Hozier
Walk The Moon

FAVOURITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift – winner
Meghan Trainor

FAVOURITE ARTIST – LATIN
Enrique Iglesias – winner
Ricky Martin
Romeo Santos

FAVOURITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Casting Crowns – winner
Hillsong United
MercyMe

FAVOURITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
Calvin Harris – winner
David Guetta
Zedd

TOP SOUNDTRACK
Fifty Shades of Grey
Empire: Original Soundtrack from Season 1
Pitch Perfect 2 – winner

 Source: jumpfon

Fifteen Relationship Mistakes Smart Women Make

Even intelligent women make not-so-great relationship choices sometimes.

1. Trying to get him to be more motivated. If he can’t get a job he actually likes (so he’s not constantly complaining about how horrible his social work job is because he hates children) on his own, you’re not going to be able to move his lazy-ass mountains.

2. Thinking that his past relationships don’t necessarily mean anything. So he dated someone who was a “total whore”? Yeah, guess what? He’s going to call you that too. If anything, she was probably a “whore” you’d get along with and you could bond over the sexist idiot you both dated.

3. Not paying attention to the way he talks about other women. See above, but also the way he talks about his female friends or even just the way he talks about Mindy Kaling or Lena Dunham; all of it adds up and speaks volumes. Don’t ignore it just because he has nice abs. (I have done this and I am very smart, but also: abs.)

4. Not putting enough time into the relationship. I get it. You’re working, you’re busy, you don’t have 24 hours a day to put into some relationship that might not go anywhere. But it’s 100 percent not going to go anywhere if you don’t spend a tiny bit more time and energy on it.

5. Not hanging out with your friends as much because he is your *~FuTuRe~*. And maybe he is! But you don’t want to stop watching Friends marathons with Katie and Jill. Even if he is your future, it’s still important to have more people in your life than one. That’s not what “The One” means.

6. Not paying attention to early warning signs or thinking that they don’t really matter. If the fact that he only eats stale dinner rolls for lunch bugs the hell out of you in the beginning, you’re going to throw one at his face six months from now.

7. Just being too lenient in general. It’s good to let the little things slide, but if you’re letting every annoying as hell thing he does slide, you won’t realize that you don’t actually like him that much. Which is basically the Lane of Relationships Past. I’m better now, I swear.

8. Not thinking it’s weird that you never hang out with his friends. It is weird. Meeting a guy’s friends is so important because if they’re jerks, he’s probably a secret jerk too. Or, if you’re like me, you meet his friends and realize one of them is way hotter/cooler than the guy your dating, thereby making you realize you don’t really like the guy you’re dating. Sobering stuff.

9. Going back to the same guy who treats you like shit over and over again. You deserve oceans of good things! Wait until you get them.

10. Disregarding your friends’ opinions of him. Their opinion isn’t the most important thing, but it’s a red flag if they all hate him. I mean, ideally, they’re all like “OMG how is he so great? Marry him right now… or whenevs, NBD.”

11. Settling for a guy who isn’t up to your standards and then trying to change him.He’s not going to magically become obsessed with reading all the books you love at age 28. You’re better off just joining online groups built around a shared love of Buffy The Vampire Slayer andVeronica Mars like I definitely didn’t.

12. Keeping a guy around way too long because it was so hard to find a decent guy and you don’t want to have to go through The Search again. Let me tell you something, the search is in fact terrible. But I truly believe it is not as terrible as being with a guy who is a pile of garbage wrapped in scraps of old meat.

13. Making all the plans. If he’s just agreeing to show up somewhere, he’s not making much effort. He’s just chillin’ with you ’til it’s time to touch your boobs. You deserve a legit night out that he actually planned for both of you. If not more than one night out. Lots of them, quite honestly.

14. Thinking that because he’s spending tons of money on you that means he loves you and is not just… him spending lots of money on you. It’s awesome when someone is treating you like The Beyonce of Beyonce Castle in terms of gifts and going places and doing cool shit. I love that stuff so much. What I don’t love is when that’s all the person is doing because they can’t articulate a single feeling in their brain or body (ahem, Mark and also Dave).

15. Letting one adorable well-timed text compensate for a shit personality. Aww, it’s cute that you miss me. But you’ve also never told me I’m pretty and we’ve been dating three months.

Source: cosmopolitan

2015 Back In The Day Concert Launched In Accra - Photos

The BACK IN THE DAY CONCERT scheduled for Saturday December 19th 2015 at the Accra International Conference Centre was launched live friday on Starr Drive on Starr 103.5 FM today the 20th of November 2015.The multi-talented group Akatakyie made up of two brothers, Prince Kwabena Budu Asumaning (Kobby Culture) and Ebenezer Kwasi Okyere Asumaning (King Pharoah) being part of the bill passed through to grace the launch.

Taking hiplife back in the day; one can say they have really contributed a lot and some call them the real inventors of hiplife that is the fusion of highlife and hip pop. Their style of music has been the trend many hiplifers has trended on. They came out with hits like Ghana mmaa, Agoo, Odo esikyire, Sinsima, Esi, Meyare, Masan aba, Oman baapa, Odo you musu anaa, and Sie sie obaa.

During the interview section with AKATAKYEI at the launch, they expressed their gratitude once again to Empire Entertainment for giving them a chance to bring back to life the good music of the past. The American R&B singer Sisqo was also granted a phone interview, according to Sisqo Ghanaians should expect historic performance and also showed gratitude to Empire Entertainment.

Organizers of BACK IN THE DAY Concert, Empire Entertainment, also promised Ghanaians that this year’s edition will be full of surprises and will also feature both home-based and international artiste will be electrifying outstanding and also promised to release the names of other artist on the bill in few days to come.

Reserve your tickets in advance by calling 057 009 5755.The 3rd edition of Back in the Day Concert is powered by Empire Entertainment with support from

Ibis Style Hotel, Zoozoo Restaurant and Coco Lounge.

Official Media Sponsors:

Starr FM, Live FM Kasapa FM,Ultimate FM ,Empire FM, GH One TV,Ghanamusic.comViasat1Tv.

If Only Sarkodie Would Listen To Obrafour’s Advice… - Reader’s Mail

Michael Owusu Addo, known by his stage name, Sarkodie is by far the most talked-about musician in Ghana now.

He has been described by legend rapper, Obrafour as “the best thing that ever happened to the hiplife music genre”. From winning the Artiste of the Year in the Ghana Music Awards on two occasions, to winning the Best International Act: Africa category at the 2012 BET Awards, the spirited performer has been endorsed by record producer and Founder of The Last Two Music Group, Hammer as, “a phenom for rap in our industry.”

Although many applaud him for his good works, his attitude towards media houses and his choice of words have been questioned by some major stakeholders and observers in Ghana’s showbiz.

This is where I think he needs a publicist. You may not agree with me; but before you cast your doubts, follow the chronology of events…

He was said to have shot himself in the foot when he released a mixtape titled “Free Press” in which he expressed his feelings about the Ghanaian media and how unfair it has been to him and others. Many entertainment pundits and media personalities found his lyrics annoying and disrespectful especially the line that questioned his targets if they think he pays the likes of Clarence Peters with pomade.

Not too long ago, Sarkodie was bashed and labelled a braggart by a section of the public for saying that he was called by American rapper, Ace Hood for a collaboration contrary to claims by Ace hood that he agreed to feature on the song when twenty five thousand dollars ($25,000) hit his account.

On this same issue, Mark Okraku Mantey, Chief Executive Officer of Slip Music, declared that he would not comment on any matter concerning Sarkodie following Sammy Forson’s [a member of the rapper’s management team] dig at him.

A seemingly unhappy Mr Forson took to twitter and lashed out at the Hitz FM Programmes Manager upon reports that the latter had described him as one of Sarkodie’s “errand boys”. Mark later denied ever referring to Sammy Forson as an “errand boy”.

The BET award winner after dropping his much anticipated fourth studio album Mary tweeted that his respect for Accra based Multimedia’s Joy FM had dropped from 100 to 0. He accused the radio station of inaccurately reporting an interview he granted its sister station, Hitz FM. Myjoyonline.com, a subsidiary of multimedia published an article which stated that the artist says he does not just grant media interviews anymore because he has come of age. Sarkodie alleged that the reported account was absolute “lies” targeted at gaining “traffic”.

Legendary highlife artiste, Obuoba J.A Adofo rebuked Sarkodie for the comments. He advised the rapper to retract and apologise to the media since radio presenters played a major role in his success story.

On this same issue, filmmaker, Socrate Sarfo has observed that Sarkodie is over stepping his boundaries and needs to reconsider his behaviour and relationships, lest he will go down.

“…one thing I will tell him is that he ought to remember where he started from. He is getting bigger than himself and that is what is affecting him. Sarkodie may come down because of this. People need to tell him the truth,” he said.

Prior to this, host of Peace FM’s Entertainment Review show, Kwesi Aboagye had denied Sarkodie an interview to promote his “Mary” album launch, saying that he sees no reason why he should give him an airtime to promote his event because the SarkCess Music act does not open his gates when called for radio interviews.

Is Sarkodie’s behaviour a cause for concern? Perhaps, he should listen to his collaboration with Obrafour in 2009: HIPLIFE

Sarkodie as a youngster had gone to seek advice from legend, Obrafour as to how to succeed and remain relevant in the music industry. He was urged, among other things, not to be egoistic nor carried away by stardom. ‘The Executioner’ knowing that some people may not like what Sarkodie will say, advised him to be mindful of his utterances and avoid bragging – for God gave him the rap talent.

Of course, whatever you do, some people will have their misgivings. However, as concerns are being raised about your person, you have to take a second look at your behaviour and adjust.

Sarkodie according to hiplife grandpapa, Reggie Rockstone is not as outspoken as dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale – a reason for which he acts as the unofficial spokesman of the BET award winner. However, in instances where Sarkodie comments on issues, either through music or tweets, he seems to go contrary to what Obrafour advised against.

His character has been called to question on a number of occasions although those close to him say he is calm and shy. You can pardon him for his lyrics considering the fact that he started as a ‘battle rapper’. However, if he is able to draw a line between when he is rapping [which requires strong punchlines and bragging, sometimes] and approach real life issues, he will be doing himself a lot of good. There is no need to show off as an artiste. And that was exactly the concept behind the HIPLIFE song. Sarkodie has come a long way but probably needs to take a sober reflection at this time.Knowing when and how to comment on an issue is key. It happens, that because the issue is about you, there is the possibility of being carried by your emotions; that is the reason why an artiste of his calibre needs a publicist. Arguably, your relationship with the media as an artiste can make or unmake you.

In all the instances cited above, Sarkodie might have had a case; yet his approach often exposes him to otherwise needless criticisms.

Source: zionfelix

New Photos Of Cancer Stricken Diezani Alison-Madueke Released

Last week, photos of former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke emerged online courtesy of Ovation Magazine publisher Dele Momodu‘s new publication, The Boss Newspaper. Yet again, Ovation Magazine publisher, Dele Momodu has just shared more photos of cancer stricken Diezani Alison-Madueke on his IG page.

See more photos below:

Actress, Fithia Balogun looking Stunning In Her New Photos

Single mum of two and actress Faithia Balogun, has just released some new photos of herself on her instagram page, see more below:

Rihanna Launches Weed Line ‘MaRihanna’ (Check It Out!)

 

The pop star is reportedly set to launch her own line of Marijuana named ‘MaRihanna’. This comes after a successful run with music, perfume and clothing line businesses.

Celeb Stone reports that the Bajan beauty will launch her very own line of weed and allegedly made the announcement at the High Times Cannabis Cup in Negril, Jamaica.

“However we have no official confirmation from her team yet on her weed line…. She reportedly said this about her marijuana line, ‘MaRihanna by Rihanna is truly the first mainstream cannabis brand in the world and proud to be a pioneer. Marihanna is blazing a trail for the industry'”.
It’s no secret that the 27-year-old singer is a huge fan of weed as she regularly posts pictures of herself smoking it on her Instagram page. The specific strains of weed will reportedly be called Karibbean Kush, Haitian Haze and Jamaican High Grade, the site reports.

Rih Rih isn’t the first celebrity to venture into the marijuana business — Veteran rapper Snoop Dogg also has his own weed line called Leafs by Snoop.

Legendary reggae star Bob Marley’s estate has the Marley National weed, a marijuana brand “offering heirloom Jamaican cannabis strains” and Wiz Khalifa also has his own strain of marijuana for sale at a California dispensary.

Rihanna’s MaRihanna will reportedly be available for purchase anywhere the sale of marijuana is legal. 

 

 

Souce:jumpfon