Desmond Elliot Takes Long Term Break From Acting

In a recent chat with NET, Nollywood actor turned politician, Desmond Elliot disclosed that he would not be featuring movie productions for the next four years as he needs to focus on his political office to help structure the industry and the people he represents. He stated that: “There is nothing acting in all I do now, it’s the job as a legislator and doing work to ensure that there is a better structure in the industry.”
He added that he still remains a part of the movie industry.
When asked how he intends to use his new position to impact Nollywood, he simply said, "just wait and see."

Daisy Ridley Covers ELLE Magazine

Photo Credit: Mark Seliger/ELLE
English actress Daisy Jazz Isobel Ridley known as Daisy Ridley is featured on the front of the December 2015 issue of ELLE magazine. Daisy shared with the magazine stating, “We were told about this scorpion in Abu Dhabi that, if it stabbed you, you needed treatment within half an hour. There was this bit where I was lying in the sand, and if a scorpion got me, the nearest hospital was an hour away. So I was like, I could die right now. I could be dead in half an hour.”
Daisy also noted that when she scored the role, she had to keep quiet about it- “I couldn’t tell any of my friends. I told my mum and my sisters— then my sister told her boyfriend, and my mum told her friend. I was like, ‘Great, guys—you are great.’”

Naomie Harris Covers Essence Magazine

British actress Naomie Melanie Harris is stunning on the cover of the December issue of Essence magazine. The actress told the magazine, “I always knew I was going to be an actress”

Natalie Dormer Covers Women's Health UK

Natalie Dormer is featured on the front page of Women's Health UK's December 2015 edition. Natalie told the magazine, “I don’t have a trainer. I’m entirely self-regimented… I place high demands on myself. After all, if you want to do something, do it properly, else what’s the point?”
Dormer also credits her “Hunger Games” stating, “When you have the likes of Liam Hemsworth and Sam Clafin standing next to you, you have to be able to keep up. I’m the kind of person who gets a kick out of physical exertion, when the endorphins kick in. You really feel like you’ve pushed your body and that’s quite refreshing in a role. Especially when I’d been playing Margaery Tyrell for the six months previously – sitting around, talking machinations in a silk skirt. Then there I was two months later, dressed in army fatigues, with a half shaved head, running around with a gun with some of the most virile young men you can hope to find on the screen.”

Why I Slammed Caroline Danjuma- Actress Ruth Kadiri

Nollywood actress Ruth Kadiri blasted Caroline Danjuma for calling out Cynthia Morgan on Instagram. In a recent interview, Ruth revealed why she defended Cynthia Morgan instead of Caroline.
Ruth said, “As a filmmaker, I understood the fact that she was trying to tell a story and when someone else tries to bring someone else’s act down, so he or she can feel good about his/her self, i’m not just going to sit there and be quiet.
Even if it wasn’t Cynthia and it was someone else and I felt that this person….. we are all entertainers. If I get a man of God, for instances criticizing her work, I would understand because in my mind, I would feel like this person doesn’t really have an idea or understand how things work down here. This person needs to be explained too. But if you have someone who is in the entertainment industry, who does one or two things entertainment wise, criticizing someone else’s work openly, in a manner that brings the other person’s work down, c’mon it didn’t sit well with me and I didn’t go beyond airing my opinion once. That’s it.”

Ama K. Abebrese Covers Trende Fashion Magazine

Award-winning actress, television presenter and producer Ama K . Abebrese looks flawless on the cover of Trende Fashion Magazine.

Desmond Elliot Speaks On Encounter With Ramsey Nuoah

In an interview with NewTelegraph, Nigerian Actor turned politician, Desmond Elliot revealed he never got good acknowledgment from fellow actor, Ramsey Nouah. While narrating his past ordeal, he said, “Now, it is funny how I see other young actors come to me. They call me by character name and try to explain the role they are playing just the way I introduced myself to Nouah then. It is now a conscious effort to be nicer because truth be told he wasn’t really nice to me. He just said okay and he continued listening to his song.” Desmond warned that people should learn to be nice to others no matter their status, “Don’t be quarrelsome because message spread faster. The fact that people felt I was humble worked for me, though they would never give you a bad or hard man’s role,” he said

“The Hunger Games” Stars Cover Entertainment Weekly Magazine

Entertainment Weekly is featuring Jennifer Lawrence , Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth on the latest cover. Hutcherson shares, “When you see the tons of people screaming and going crazy… I have the same problem that Peeta does of distinguishing reality from not reality. So for me, that’s not real. It
seems so strange.” Lawrence adds, “It’s like you’re an avatar of yourself,” and Liam chimes in, “You get back in to the car after a premiere and it’s dead silent and you’re like… ahhhh.”

Will Smith's 'Focus' opens with $19.1 million to win U.S. box office

Will Smith's new action drama "Focus" booted the kinky sex tale "Fifty Shades of Grey" for its perch atop U.S. and Canadian weekend box office charts, racking up $19.1 million in ticket sales.

Smith, in his first leading role since 2013's "After Earth," plays a seasoned con artist who meets up with an aspiring con artist, played by Margot Robbie, in the romance-caper film hybrid.

"Kingsman: The Secret Service", an adaptation of a popular comic series which stars Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Firth about a spy agency's training program and a global threat by a tech genius, also outpaced "Grey" to claim second place with $11.8 million.

Third place on a weekend that saw business hampered by rough winter weather in the south and midwest again went to the family-friendly "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water", based on the popular television show about a talking animated sponge. It sold $11.2 million in tickets.

"Grey," the smash hit adaptation of the best-selling novel which stars James Dornan and Dakota Johnson as the libidinous couple, took in $10.9 million, landing in fourth from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates. The film is closing in on $148 million at the domestic box office since opening just over two weeks ago.

Rounding out the top five, "The Lazarus Effect," which stars Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde as researchers trying to resurrect the dead, took the No. 5 spot on its opening weekend with $10.6 million in sales. Source: Reuters.com

Actress Linda Ejiofor Covers Cedar Magazine

Actress Linda Ejiofor covers Cedar magazine for the February/March issue.

Pierce Brosnan Endorses Idris As The Next James Bond

Pierce Brosnan, who played the debonair spy in four films between 1994 and 2002, gave Idris his backing during an interview with the
Radio Times this week.
Asked whether he thought Idris would make a good Bond, Pierce replied, "Yeah, he would actually. Colin Salmon also. May the best man
get the job, and may Daniel bring home the bacon for as long as he wants."
Pierce isn't the first star to endorse London-born Idris for the job; Kanye West has said the casting would be "visionary".
The US rapper told the Sun, "I know Idris a little bit and he is a big talent. The movies he has been making are special, and when the role for James Bond comes up it needs to be his.
"James Bond is a role made for British actors and you won't find a British actor who has the talent of Idris. To be honest, you won't find
many anywhere who have his talent.

Photos: Chris Attoh and Damilola Adegbite wed in Ghana

Actors- Chris Attoh and Damilola Adegbite wed in Ghana at La Viva Boutique Hotel in Accra. Congratulations to them. A Perfect
Valentine Gift for both

Jackie Chan's Son Released From Jail

Jaycee Chan, the son of kung fu movie star Jackie Chan, was released from jail in China on Friday after serving a six-month sentence on drugs charges, state media said, having been caught up in the government's aggressive anti-narcotics campaign.

The official Xinhua news agency said he was let out in the early hours of the morning having completed his sentence, taking into account time already served since he was put in detention in August.

The younger Chan, a 32-year-old actor and singer, was formally charged in December with "the crime of sheltering others to take drugs" after testing positive for marijuana, with police saying they found 100 grams of the drug at his home. He faced a maximum prison sentence of three years.

He is expected to hold a news conference in Beijing on Saturday.

Celebrities have been a major linchpin in the government's campaign to get tough on drugs.

Jaycee Chan is among a string of other mostly B-list celebrities detained last year by Chinese authorities on drug-related charges that have been publicized widely in both state and social media. They have included movie and television stars, film directors and a prominent screenwriter.

Illegal drugs, especially synthetic substances like methamphetamine, ketamine and ecstasy, have grown in popularity in China in tandem with the rise of a new urban class with greater disposable income.

State media has reported that Jackie Chan felt ashamed of his son's drug abuse and hopes that one day he will speak out about the dangers of taking drugs. Source: Reuters.com

NAACP Image Award Winners 2015

View complete list of the 2015 NAACP Image Awards winners below: ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR:
Taraji P. Henson

LITERATURE:
Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction
A Wanted Woman - Eric Jerome Dickey (Penguin Random House)
Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - Bryan Stevenson (Spiegel & Grau)
Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author
Forty Acres - Dwayne Alexander Smith (Atria Books)
Outstanding Literary Work - Biography/Autobiography
Breaking Ground: My Life in Medicine - Louis Sullivan with David Chanoff (University of Georgia Press)
Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional
Promises Kept: Raising Black Boys to Succeed in School and in Life - Joe Brewster, Michele Stephenson, Hilary Beard (Spiegel & Grau)
Outstanding Literary Work - Poetry
Citizen: An American Lyric - Claudia Rankine (Graywolf Press)
Outstanding Literary Work - Children
Dork Diaries 8: Tales From A Not-So Happily Ever After - Rachel Renee Russell with Nikki Russell and Erin Russell (Simon & Schuster)
Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens:
Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books)

RECORDING:
Outstanding New Artist:
3 Winans Brothers (BMG)
Outstanding Male Artist:
Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records)
Outstanding Female Artist:
Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration:
"Stay With Me" - Sam Smith feat. Mary J Blige (Capitol)
Outstanding Jazz Album:
"My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke" - Al Jarreau (Concord)
Outstanding Gospel Album: (Traditional or Contemporary)
"Where My Heart Belongs" - Gladys Knight (Shadow Mountain Records)
Outstanding Music Video:
"You and I (Nobody in the World)" - John Legend (Columbia Records)
Outstanding Song:
"We Are Here" - Alicia Keys (RCA Records)
Outstanding Album:
"Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics" - Aretha Franklin (RCA Records)

ANIMATED OR COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGE (CGI):
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance:
Loretta Devine - "Doc McStuffins" (Disney Junior)

TELEVISION:Outstanding Comedy Series:
black-ish (ABC)
Outstanding Drama Series:
How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series:
Sara Hess - Orange is the New Black - It Was the Change (Netflix)
Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series:
Erika Green Swafford - How to Get Away With Murder - Let's Get To Scooping (ABC)
Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie:
Shernold Edwards - A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime Networks)
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series:
Ken Whittingham - Parks and Recreation - Prom (NBC)
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series:
Carl Franklin - House of Cards - Chapter 14 (Netflix)
Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie:
Reggie Bythewood - Gun Hill (BET)
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series:
Anthony Anderson - black-ish (ABC)
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series:
Tracee Ellis Ross - black-ish (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:
Laurence Fishburne - black-ish (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
Yara Shahidi - black-ish (ABC)
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series:
Shemar Moore - Criminal Minds (CBS)
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series:
Viola Davis - How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:
Joe Morton - Scandal (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:
Khandi Alexander - Scandal (ABC)
Outstanding Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special:
The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime Networks)
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special:
Blair Underwood- The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime Networks)
Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special:
Cicely Tyson- The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime Networks)
Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)
Unsung (TV One)
Outstanding Talk Series:
Steve Harvey (Syndicated)
Outstanding Reality Series:
Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN)
Outstanding Variety (Series or Special):
Oprah's Master Class (OWN)
Outstanding Children's Program:
Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior)
Outstanding Performance by a Youth in a Youth/ Children's Program (Series or Special):
Fatima Ptacek- Dora and Friends: Into the City! (Nickelodeon)
Outstanding Host in a Talk, Reality, News/Information, or Variety Series:
Steve Harvey- Steve Harvey (Syndicated)

DOCUMENTARY:
Outstanding Documentary - (Film)
Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People (Chimpanzee Productions, Inc.)
Outstanding Documentary - (Television)
Bad Boys (ESPN)

MOTION PICTURE:Outstanding Motion Picture:
Selma (Paramount Pictures)
Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture:
Misan Sagay - Belle (Fox Searchlight Pictures/DJ Films)
Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture:
Antoine Fuqua - The Equalizer (Columbia Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture:
David Oyelowo - Selma (Paramount Pictures)
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Taraji P. Henson - No Good Deed (Screen Gems)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture:
Common - Selma (Paramount Pictures)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture:
Carmen Ejogo - Selma (Paramount Pictures)
Outstanding Independent Motion Picture:
Belle (Fox Searchlight Pictures/DJ Films)

SAG Award Winners 2015

View full list of 2015 SAG Award Winners below: Outstanding Performance By A Cast in a Motion Picture: Birdman Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Julianne Moore , Still Alice
Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood Outstanding Performance By A Cast in a Drama Series: Downton Abbey
Outstanding Performance By A Cast in a Comedy Series:
Orange is the New Black
Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
William H. Macy , Shameless Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor in a Comedy Series:
Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor in Television Movie or Miniseries:
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge

'American Sniper' wins big in U.S. box office

Oscar-nominated war film "American Sniper" led U.S. and Canadian box office charts over the weekend with a record- smashing $90.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates. “American Sniper” is not only a cinematic masterpiece. It is proof of what Big Hollywood has been arguing for more than 6 years: That you can tell the truth about America and the terrorists and the War On
Terror and the incredible men who fight and die for us, in a way that is both emotionally complex, patriotic, heartbreaking, and rousing. Dan Fellman, head of domestic distribution at the Time Warner Inc. unit Warner Bros., which distributed "American Sniper," said it had
become "an instant cultural phenomenon."

Kevin Hart: I Won't Play a Gay Character

American actor, comedian, writer, and producer Kevin Hart doesn't expect to play a gay character anytime soon.
During an interview with New York's Power 105.1 radio station, Kevin Hart admitted to turning down the role of Alpa Chino in 2008's Tropic Thunder because he didn't feel comfortable playing a gay role and that part was played in the film by Brandon T. Jackson. Hart explained that the draft of the script he read was different from the shooting script. "The dude, he was doing a lot of stuff in the draft that I read," Hart said. "It was real flagrant. I was like, 'I can't do this.' "Hart was then asked whether he would ever play a gay character. "I can't," he said. "Not because I have any ill will or disrespect. It's
because I don't think I'm really going to dive into that role 100 percent because of insecurities about myself trying to play that
part. Does that make sense?" Hart,made it clear that he doesn't have an issue with the gay community. "As people, I love you," he said. He added that he may change his mind
years from now on playing a gay role, once he gets more acting experience.