PREZZO ON RUNAWAY AFTER ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTING SWISS MILITARY OFFICER

NAIROBI; KENYA: CONTROVERSIAL MUSICIAN PREZZO IS ON THE RUN AFTER HE WAS INVOLVED IN A GUN FIGHT OUTSIDE A POPULAR CLUB IN NAIROBI’S WESTLANDS AREA.

Police say they want Prezzo aka Jackson Makini to report to Parklands Police Station for grilling after he allegedly assaulted a Swiss military officer in the head with gun butt and holster on Saturday morning.

The two are said to have been involved in an argument outside Aqua Bar over a parking slot at about 3am.

According to Gigiri Division police boss Vitalis Otieno,Prezzo had obstructed the military colonel fromSwitzerland which prompted the argument.

“When the military officer came back ready to go, an argument broke out over the parking slot which degenerated to an assault using a gun. We want him to report at Parklands,” said Otieno.

The military officer is attached to Amisom and was headed to Ethiopia Saturday morning when the incident occurred. He was forced to cancel his flight. Otieno said he was treated and discharged from MP Shah Hospital.

And after the drama, Prezzo is said to have tried to cock and shoot at the officer who was bleeding at that time.

Otieno cited witnesses who said Prezzo was restrained by his bodyguards who dragged him to his car and drove off.

A hunt on him was on-going on Saturday morning even as police appealed to him to surrender.

Police visited his home but they did not find him.

It’s not clear if Prezzo is a licensed gun holder. We could not reach him for a comment over the allegations as his mobile phone was switched off.

By Cyrus Ombati, The Standard

DAR FILM FESTIVAL SET TO TAKE OFF SEPTEMBER 24

HAAK NEEL PRODUCTION COMPANY IN COLLABORATION WITH A NETWORK OF INFORMATION FILM HAS ORGANISED A DAR FILM FESTIVAL (DFF) AIMED AT ENABLING MANY TANZANIANS TO PARTICIPATE IN SWAHILI MOVIES.

Coordinator Staford Kihore said in Dar es Salaam on Monday that the festival will motivate Tanzanians to watch Swahili films. The festival will be held in Dar es Salaam from September 24 to 26 this year and Swahili films will be screened to improve Kiswahili language and introduce them as important products in the country.

“This is the first festival and we intent to screen Tanzania Swahili films only. In the second festival we will include other Swahili movie from different parts using Kiswahili,” Kihoro said.

He added that due to the advancement of the local film industry, different actors from all regions in the country will perform during the threeday festival. “The festival will consider all people in the country especially film stakeholders and all youths who will get the opportunity to showcase their films,” he noted.

Kihoro said a seminar for all film stakeholders and participants will be conducted during the festival in order to provide more opportunity for them to get accustomed to the film industry in the country.

He thanked government institutions, movie board and local actors for their support in preparing the DFF. Others are Tanzania Film Federation (TAFF), Leo Media and Proin Promotion Company. Kihoro called upon all Tanzanians to love Swahili film so as to improve Kiswahili language within and outside the country.

By FATMA ABDU, Tanzania Daily News

TANZANIA FILM STAKEHOLDERS ASSIST POLICY MAKING PROCESS

FILM STAKEHOLDERS ARE TAKING STEPS TOWARDS HELPING THE GOVERNMENT PRODUCE AN UP-TO-DATE POLICY FOR THE SECTOR.

From funds given by the Masaki-based BESTAC Company the Tanzania Film Federation (TAFF) has employed the expertise of a South Africa-based film consultant, Martin Cuff.

The specialist in economic development using film had the task of spearheading the research into establishing a national film policy.

Local stakeholders within the creative industry gathered on Monday and Tuesday this week to compile suggested inputs to the new policy, which will be handed over to the government.

“Hopefully the government will want to take into consideration what members of the industry have prepared to be cooperated into the new policy,” TAFF’s President Simon Mwakifwamba told the ‘Daily News’ after Tuesday’s session.

He further explained that before the two-day session with stakeholders, Cuff had spent 15 days in the country visiting more than seven ministries to research on the issue. By the end of the workshops stakeholders were asked to present their suggestions for the new policy.

Cuff told the stakeholders’ one of the main things, which had come to light during the course of the research, is the existing gap between the current cultural policy, which highlights how local culture is managed through film and the “new knowledge economy” of film as a business.

He maintains that allows the film industry to move from a “small cottage industry” into something that can dramatically contribute to the economy. “At the moment Tanzania is not going to move forward unless there is a film policy that allows it to override the pure cultural elements and move towards dramatic, economic business-based policy for films,” said Cuff.

“All over the world governments have been looking at how films can create jobs and boost more businesses together, contributing towards the county’s branding.”

Another thing he noticed that came up repeatedly is the failure of the existing government processes to create an enabling environment for film. He found out that most of the existing policy around film is about managing culture, almost from a censorship perspective without any guidelines from the government on culture.

The problem becomes graver when it is taken into affect that the world has changed very quickly. “When the government first started to write a film policy in 2004, we weren’t even using websites and now distribution is on line, production studios are on line,” Cuff said.

By IMAN MANI, Tanzania Daily News

Vitali Maembe - Tanzania's young original artist

Vitali Maembe, is Tanzania's young original artist. Graduate from Bagamoyo College of Arts; he's known for Tanzanian traditional music, Maembe has created music that is universal yet distinctly Tanzanian.

Maembe study music at the Bagamoyo College of Art (Bagamoyo). After he finished his studies in Bagamoyo, Maembe dedicated his time to music with the vision of bringing an international and contemporary world music perspective to Traditional Tanzanian music. He is also a painter. He performs with his own band, The Spirits.

Diamond Platinumz

Diamond 

Diamond Platinumz also known as Nasib Abdul is a Bongo Flava artist from Tanzania. He has performed in the Big Brother Africa eviction show of may 2012. Diamond is considered influential more especially among his fans. He was also been reported to be the highest selling Tanzanian artist of ringtones by mobile phone companies in 2013.

Usher’s Ex-Wife Retaliates After Son Nearly Drowned

While 5-year-old Usher Raymond V is recovering after nearly drowned in pool, his mom Tameka Foster files for an emergency custody request in Fulton County Superior Court.

Tameka Foster retaliates against ex-husband Usher upon learning that their 5-year-old son, Usher Raymond V, almost lost his life after diving in to rescue a pool toy earlier this week. The former stylist has filed legal docs in Fulton County Superior Court, Georgia, asking for an emergency hearing on Friday, August 9.

In the motion obtained by ABC News, Tameka accuses the R ‘n’ B singer of “negligence and failure to properly supervise the minor child.” She additionally claims that he is rarely at home watching over the kids as he uses “third-party caregivers” while going out of town working on “The Voice” and his new album.

Usher Jr., who was rescued by two men working in the house, is currently staying at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. According to reports, the kid is already sitting up in bed, eating, talking and even laughing. He, however, will not be released for a few more days since doctors want to continue monitoring him.

Tameka currently only has limited custodial rights of Usher Jr. and his 4-year-old brother Naviyd. Her 11-year-old son Kile, from a previous relationship, died last year after a jet ski accident on Lake Lanier.

-AceShowbiz.com

 

 

Mariah Carey Was Spat on in Racist Attack as a Child

The ‘#Beautiful’ singer says during a press conference of ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel that she has experienced some incidents because of racism.

A scene of “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” evokes a painful memory of a racist incident which Mariah Carey experienced when she was a child. The singer, whose parents are Irish American and African American/Venezuelan, said during the movie’s press conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Monday, August 6, that she was spat on when she sat in a school bus.

“That actually happened to me,” the 43-year-old singer told the crowd, referring to a scene in the movie in which a black student was spat on by a white woman. “I know people would be in shock and not really want to believe or accept that, but it did. That right there, that was almost the deepest thing to me in the movie because I know what she went through – and it happened to be a bus as well. It was a school bus,” she explained, as quoted by Yahoo! Movies.

Oprah Winfrey, who was also present at the event, chimed in, “Where somebody spit on you?” Carey replied, “Yeah. In the face and in the same way.”

Carey has spoken up about being a biracial kid several times. The Hattie Pearl depicter once said that her mother Patricia’s family disowned her because she married a man from different race in 1960.

She added during an appearance on Oprah’s show, “One of the first memories I have is when I was in kindergarten or nursery school they asked us to draw a picture of our family and so I was drawing everybody and I got to my father and I started to make him brown.”

“And, they were like, the kindergarten teachers are often young, and the two women were standing behind me giggling. And I turned around, self-conscious, and asked, ‘Why are your laughing?’ And they said, ‘You’re doing that wrong. Why are you making your father the wrong color?’ And I said, ‘No, that’s the color that he is.’ They made me feel like something was wrong with me, that it was a bizarre freakish thing,” the mother of two concluded.

-AceShowbiz.com

New track featuring Amy Winehouse surfaces

A new track by Nas, 'Cherry Wine', featuring previously unreleased vocals by Amy Winehouse has surfaced.

A new track featuring previously unreleased vocals by Amy Winehouse has surfaced.

Rapper Nas had formed a friendship with the 'Back to Black' singer before her tragic death from accidental alcohol poisoning a year ago, and uses one of their collaborations for the chorus of his new track 'Cherry Wine'.

In the song, Amy sings the lines: "Where is he / the man who is just like me / I heard he was hiding / somewhere I can't see.

"I'm alone / and I realise that when I get home / I want to go to my red and my cherry."

The track was produced by Salaam Remi, who had introduced the singer and the rapper, and worked on both of Amy's albums released when she was alive, 'Frank' and 'Back To Black'.

Another collaboration between Nas and Amy, 'Like Smoke' was released on the posthumous album, 'Lioness: Hidden Treasures'.

Speaking about that track, Nas said hearing it back was difficult for him.

He said: "It's a bittersweet feeling to do something with her now that she's not here. I'm happy... the sweet part is that we do have the music, fans have new music from her.

"The bitter part is that she's no longer here to really give it to us and to really live her music and for us to see her smile and hear her voice."

'Cherry Wine' appears on Nas' new album, 'Life Is Good' which also features work from Drake, Rick Ross, Mary J Blige, Swizz Beatz and Heavy D and will be released on July 17.

Drake: My new track is a wedding song

Drake

Drake insists his new single 'Hold On, We're Going Home' isn't a "rap record", instead he is hoping it will be played at weddings for a decade or more.

Drake insists his new single is a "wedding record" rather than a rap song.

The 26-year-old rapper is hoping his new track 'Hold On, We're Going Home', which features on his upcoming album 'Nothing was the Same', will be played at nuptials for the next 10 decades and more because it has a "timeless melody".

Speaking to MTV News, he said: "It's not a rap record. It's not 'Versace,' it's not [previous single] 'Started From the Bottom.'

"In approaching this album I was like man, it would be great if we had a record that was played at weddings in 10 years or that people that are away from their families in the army could listen to.

"Something that just [has] timeless writing, timeless melody. So I did it with the group that we signed to OVO called Majid Jordan."

The rapper worked with producer Noah '40' Shebib on the song, and admits the pair were going for a Quincy Jones/Michael Jackson-style production.

He added: "It's me and 40 just channelling our Quincy Jones/Michael Jackson production duo.

"Obviously no offense to the greats, I know we're not anywhere near that - it's just us kinda doing our thing, humbly attempting."

- The List

Celebrity Big Brother to kick-off with 'big twist'

Celebrity Big Brother host ... Emma Willis

THE new series of Celebrity Big Brother will kick off with a " big twist " , show bosses have teased.

The star-studded reality favourite, which returns to Channel 5 three days after the current run of Big.