THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2014
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SHOWBIZ
Actors get Toronto buzz for Oscar 2015
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EELERS from the justconcluded Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Canada, have it that, in most of the films in competition, none got outstanding accolades like the individual actors in them. The assessments of the festival’s contents, by the several media in attendance, including Hollywood Reporter, Variety and IndieWire, stem from the curiosity that usually follows TIFF, as the last film ‘harvest’ leading to the annual Oscars. As predicted last year, 12 Years A Slave, which held its public premiere at the festival and won the People’s Choice Award, received nine nominations at this year’s Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Steve McQueen and went on to win three awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay for John Ridley and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong’o. Reports say among the more than 300 films that premiered at the annual movie feast, there were, of course, many terrific movies and a theater’s worth of fine filmmakers. But nothing captured the spotlight of this year’s Toronto, which wraps up on Sunday, like the actors’ performances. That’s very unlike last year where the loudest buzz from Toronto rang out for another masterpiece such as the stunning Gravity. Both 12 Years A Slave and Gravity left last year’s festival hoisted upon the shoulders of enthusiastic Oscar prog-
nosticators and awed moviegoers. Judging by this year’s nottoo-impressive outing, guests at the festival recalled other heavyweights or previous TIFF sensations such as the Academy Award-winners Slumdog Millionaire or The King’s Speech. Among the movie stars with the thickest applause at TIFF are, Eddie Redmayne, Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Bill Murray, Felicity Jones, Benedict Cu,berbatch, Julianne Moore and Jennifer Aniston. In James Marsh’s Stephen Hawking film The Theory of
Everything, 32-year-old British actor, Eddie Redmayne, wowed Toronto with his depiction of Hawking’s gradual physical deterioration and his undeterred spirit. Jake Gyllenhaal was also impressive in Nightcrawler, playing a poor but ambitious Los Angeles man whose nighttime prowling exposes him to a potential new career: shooting video of murder and car crashes for the “if-it-bleedsit-leads” local news. There is also Reese Witherspoon who plays a woman looking for catharsis on the Pacific Coast Trail after a divorce and her mother’s death in Jean-Marc Vallee’s Wild. Toronto was said to belong to Bill Murray for a whole day, with the hosting of a ‘Bill
Murray Day’ of screenings, culminating with the debut of St. Vincent, a comic but touching tale of a curmudgeonly neighbour (Murray) who reluctantly befriends a young boy next door. Reports say it’s the biggest, most dynamic role Murray’s taken on in years. Also, while the headlines for The Theory of Everything went to Redmayne, the film wouldn’t work without Felicity Jones as his wife, Jane Hawking. Another actor to look out for is Benedict Cu,berbatch, known for his precision and complexity in the film Sherlock. But in The Imitation Game, in which he plays World War II British codebreaker Alan Turing, Cumberbatch tackles an even bigger brain. Reports say the role is not only complicated by depicting the mathematical brilliance of Turing, but of the pressure he was under as a closeted gay man at a time when homosexuality was criminalised. There is also Julianne Moore, who was at the Cannes Film Festival in May for Maps to the Stars (also a Toronto entry) that earned her award for best actress. The actress took Toronto with Still Alice, in which she plays a Columbia University professor in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. In the same vein, Jennifer Aniston, was applauded for Cake, which is said to be earning her the best reviews of her career. It is said to be her most unglamorous role ever, as she plays a woman left scarred and in constant pain from a car crash.
Stars storm Monalisa Chinda’s 40th birthday party
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AST Saturday, Nollywood star and producer, Monalisa Chinda, played host to several Nollywood stars as well as political gladiators at a private dinner to mark her 40th birthday. Earlier in the day, she had held a charity walk alongside her colleagues and launched a campaign to sponsor no fewer than 200 less privileged children through her Arise Monalisa Foundation. The party train later stopped at the upscale Villa Medici in Victoria Island, Lagos. However, the highlight of the birthday
•Monalisa with her colleagues
shindig was her appointment as the first Slum2School Ambassador. Dignatories who graced
the colourful event include Joke Silva, Tonye Cole, Elizabeth Benson Amete, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, Rukky
Sanda, Zik Zulu Okafor, Patrick and Ireti Doyle, among others.
country, the United Kingdom and South Africa, will speak on the theme: “Ideas Hidden from Sight”. TEDx event, a non-profit conference devoted to integrating people and ideas, was designed in sync with the spirit of TED’s mission: “Ideas worth spreading”. This year’s TEDx event is organised in collaboration with DagDivad Af-
rica, one of Nigeria’s fast-growing shoe brands, among others. Reminisce, who is also famously called Alaga Ibile of Yoruba rap, has released two music albums and collaborated with top artistes such as Wizkid, Davido, Naeto C and Olamide in the past years.
Desmond Elliot joins Lagos House of Assembly race
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FEW weeks after he jetted to the U.S., where he recorded some songs for his forthcoming album titled Love and Consequences, awardwinning singer, Timi Dakolo, has reportedly returned to the country. He was said to have teamed up with talented producer, Cobhams Asuquo, at 226 Recordings in Houston Texas, USA. Following his critically acclaimed 2011 debut album, Beautiful Noise, Dakolo has dominated the airwaves lately with the release of his hit single, Iyawo Mi, as well as its video featuring his
wife, Busola. “We’ve been having a blast here with Cobhams. I like to pay attention to my work and to my craft, so as to ensure that those who believe in me get the highest quality music that I can give. I am excited about what we are coming up with here. Love & Consequences album is a story of hope and survival. Fans expect to be stirred and to be enriched. I look forward to them identifying with the messages I want to share,” an excited Dakolo said. The new album, he further revealed, will be released in the first quarter of 2015.
Eleyele out with Emimimo
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NSPIRATIONAL singer, Busola Oke, aka Eleyele, is out with another album titled Emimimo( Holy Spirit). The five-track album, according to the songstress, contains such songs as E Jeun Jo, which is already enjoying impressive airplay. The artiste features LKT, Artquake and G.O. in the track. She revealed that the album
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ORUBA rap artiste, Remilekun Abdulkalid Safaru, aka Reminisce, has been nominated to lead a session at the forthcoming TEDx event scheduled to hold at NuStreams Conference and Cultural Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State this Saturday. Reminisce, who will be joining other speakers from across the
OLLYWOOD actor, producer and movie director, Desmond Elliot, has officially declared his intention to contest for a seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly come 2015 under the platform of the All Pro-
•Cobhams Asuquo visiting a guitar shop in Texas
also contains a song that chronicles her tragic experience in an auto crash a few months back. “The Holy spirit operates in a supernatural way. Without God’s Holy Spirit, there’s nothing one can do. So, the title is from God,” she said. When asked why she featured some secular acts in an otherwise gospel album, she said: “It is because music has a universal language.” The album, according to her, will be launched on Sunday, September 21, and will be available to all music lovers from that day.
The Beat FM marks fifth anniversary in style
Reminisce to speak at TEDx session
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Timi Dakolo records new songs with Cobhams Asuquo
gressive Congress (APC). After months of speculation, the actor made his intention known when he unveiled his campaign posters bearing the name Olusola Desmond Elliot and carrying his six-point agenda. Desmond Elliot has
starred in over 200 films and a number of TV soap operas. He won Best Supporting Actor in a drama at the Second Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 10th Africa Movie Academy
Awards ( AMAA). By declaring his ambition, the actor has, therefore, joined the likes of Julius Agwu, Kate Henshaw, Funke Adeshiyan and 9ice who all have declared their political ambitions, respectively.
S part of activities to mark its fifth anniversary, The Beat FM is set to hold The Tripple 9 Concert on Tuesday, September 30, at Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. According to the station’s Programme Director, Olisa Adibua, “Our aim for the station was to become an integral part of our community and we will like to think that we have achieved this. The activities we have lined up for the month of September are to say thank you and give back to the community that has been so generous and loyal to us. We hope that everyone will come out to celebrate with us.” The anniversary concert, which will be headlined by the South African music group, Mi Casa, will wrap up the week-long activities scheduled to celebrate the top radio station. Some of the sensational acts expected to perform at the event, which has been generating some buzz, include M.I, Ill bliss, 2face Idibia, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Yemi A l a d e , Omawunmi, Waje and Chidinma.