Project Fame Opening Gala Event

2nd Of October, 2011; Expo Hall Eko Hotel & Suites, V/I, Lagos.

MTN bring the house down with the Project Fame Gala opener this weekend. The event will showcase two of the biggest US acts in Brandy and Game throwing down with some of the best acts from Nigeria. 

The soiree will be a worthy opener to the popular MTN Project Fame show, with the promise of discovering top new talent from Nigeria and other participating countries around. Earlier editions have provided premium entertainment this edition will be no different, and will even seek to up the ante as 18 contestants from around West Africa vie for 15 available slots for 10 weeks. 

Expect a night of glamour, glitz, and of course entertainment, as the best of Nigerian and US music hit the stage for a night of unforgettable bliss. Wanna win tickets to this one-of-a-kind event? hit our spotlight page for a chance to get up close and personal with Brandy and Game.

Michael Jackson's Eldest Son May Take Stand in Manslaughter Trial

The trial of Michael Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, starts today (September 27), and one high-profile witness in particular is bracing himself to approach the bench. Michael's eldest son, Prince, has reportedly told family members that he's ready to take the stand to ensure that justice is done.

Still, according to TMZ, Prince, who is on the list of witnesses for the prosecution, is a little on edge about testifying. Sources told the site that the 14-year-old is "nervous" and doesn't want to "mess up." When the time comes for Prince to take the stand, the family's lawyers may ask that the courtroom be cleared in order to make him more comfortable. But the judge doesn't have to grant this request.

Prince is said to have been in the room, at Dr. Murray's request, when his father's condition went south two summers ago.

Suge Knight Is Focus of Showtime Documentary

Kicking off a series of documentaries on iconic and controversial figures, Showtime will produce a doc focusing on the life and exploits of Death Records co-founder Suge Knight.

The as-yet titled project will be helmed and produced by Training Day director Antoine Fuqua and co-produced by Bradley J. Fischer.

Why a documentary on such a tumultuous figure as Suge Knight?

“Suge Knight’s reputation and rise to power in the music business has become the stuff of legend,” Fischer said in a statement on Tuesday, “and he remains one of the entertainment industry’s most provocative and enduring myths. But while his name elicits an immediate and powerful reaction from people around the world, very few can legitimately claim to know the man.”

Knight will participate in the documentary, discussing his rise to fame, why it all (particularly Death Row Records) fell apart and what he has planned for the future.

As the former CEO of Death Row Records, he is not only credited with launching the careers of rap icons like Snoop Dogg but overseeing one of the most power hip hop labels in the genre’s history.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Showtime project will also act as a re-launching pad for Knight’s music career. He will oversee the documentary’s soundtrack, which will feature music from new and established artists signed to his new company, Black Kapital.

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Had To Share: The Game Is Born Again

Sup folks! So I’m typing this post from sunny L.A., (ok, not so sunny…) where I spent the weekend as a presenter and host for Darnell Davis & The Remnant (my favs) One Voice Conference.  Last night (Sunday), after the conference was over, those of us who remained in town went to the well known City Of Refuge Church pastored by Bishop Noel Jones for their annual Back To School Concert. The evening was a long one with too many invited guest artists and speakers and was hosted by radio personality LV and TV star Kel Mitchell. Early in the evening, Kel made mention of The Game being “here tonigh”t sort of as a passing statement, So I thought it might have been a part of his act. You know, we’re in church and a notorious “gangster rapper” is going to show up… Ba-dump-bump.

So as the evening goes on, Kel Mitchell introduces The Game and he does in fact come out, looking rather preppy in some jeans, a plaid shirt, and trendy geek chic glasses. He greeted the crowd, encouraged the kids to stay in school and stay in church and he began to discuss how he had recently gave his life to Christ thanks to his grandmother and the ministers at City Of Refuge. The crowd was visibly excited to see him and everyone in attendance seemed proud of him and there wasn’t much of an air of “judgment” that sometimes accompanies these kinds of announcements. What was interesting to me was how he made sure to clarify that not only did he had given his life to God but that he’d also been “baptized in Jesus’ name.” Those of you familiar with church, denominational and theological difference know that this is sticking point and the subject of much debate amongst different denominations of Christianity. (As a quick refresher course, Apostolic denominations believe that you must be baptized in Jesus’ name while other are proponents of baptism in the name of the “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” I’m of the “whatever floats your baptismal boat” philosophy. Sue me.) The Game apparently is decidedly “Apostolic” as is the doctrine of The City Of Refuge.

So what do you think of The Game “coming out” as a Christian? Am I the only person who didn’t know this? Either way, I think it’s great news! What do you think?

Torrence

Michael K. Williams May Join Whitney Houston in Sparkle

In addition to warring with the Ku Klux Klan on HBO's Boardwalk Empire, actor Michael Kenneth Williams may be acting alongside Whitney Houston. 

The man who plays Chalky White alongside Steve Buscemi, and originally caught Hollywood's eye with his incomparable performance as the gay stick-up kid Omar on The Wire, is in talks to join the cast of the most recent remake of the 1970s film, Sparkle. 

"I’m getting a lot of heat from this remake of an old film called Sparkle," Williams shared with Ain't It Cool News.

The Game executive producer Mara Brock Akil wrote the new script while her husband, Salim Akil, who cut his teeth directing episodes of The Game and Brock Akil's first hit show, Girlfriends, will serve as director. Producers include Debra Martin Chase, TD Jakes, the Akils and Curtis Wallace.

Sparkle, loosely based on the backstory of Diana Ross and the Supremes, follows three sisters and their struggle out of the 1950s Harlem ghetto and into the spotlight. The original Sparkle lead character was played by Irene Cara alongside actresses Lonette McKee and Mary Alice, who played her sister and mother, respectively. Actor Tony King played the evil local hoodlum, Satin, who ultimately kills McKee's character.

In the new version of Sparkle, Jordin Sparks will play the timid lead character and Houston will play her mother. Mike Epps will reprise Satin, but instead of a local hood, he'll play a stand-up comedian who marries one of Sparkle's sisters and hooks her on drugs.

Elsewhere, Williams may also be cast with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for an upcoming film. 

"My film plate is getting a little full. I recently booked a role in an upcoming film called Snitch with The Rock and Susan Sarandon. I am in huge discussions again with QT, as I call him, you might know him better as Quentin Tarantino. We were talking about another role for Django Unchained." Bet.com

Buju Banton to Serve 10-Year Sentence in Texas Prison

Buju Banton, the dancehall star who was sentenced for drug conspiracy in 2009, has been transferred to a Texas prison, where he will serve out the remainder of his 10-year sentence.

Banton would have carried out his sentence in Florida, where the crime was committed, but the Bureau of Prisons arranged a transfer due to a shortage of beds. Another prison in Mississippi was considered, but then nixed after it was determined that one of Banton's co-defendants would serve his sentence there.

The reggae singer was convicted in February of possession with intent to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine. He was caught on video sampling the drugs with an informant in a DEA-controlled warehouse in Miami.

Banton is currently at the Limestock County Correctional Institution in Groesbeck, Texas, where he is expected to remain until his sentence is completed in 2019.

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Did Morgan Freeman’s Anti-Tea Party Remark Hurt Dolphin Tale

Could a celebrity’s criticism of a political party (or rather, a faction) hurt the box office of the project? Some have speculated that recent comments by Morgan Freeman, accusing the Tea Party of being racist, may have hurt ticket sales for Dolphin Tale, a film he is prominently featured in, especially for the film’s ads.

Last Friday, Freeman went on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight and denied he’d provided narration for a Tea Party-supported Republican candidate’s attack ad last November. Afterwards, the Oscar winner called the Tea Party’s virulent ambitions of opposing President Obama’s at all cost, racist. “Their stated policy, publicly stated, is to do whatever it takes to see to it that Obama only serves one term,” Freeman said. “What underlines that? ‘Screw the country. We’re going to whatever we can to get this Black man outta here.’” Freeman called the Tea Party’s agenda as showing “the weak, dark, underside of America.”

Freeman’s statement caused a buzz on the web, with some speculating that his criticism of the Republican faction would hurt Dolphin Tale at the box office, especially in the heartland. Andrew Kosove, co-founder of Alcon Entertainment, which produced the film, expected the movie to win the box office race but it finished number three.

To speculation that Freeman’s interview was the cause of Dolphin Story not being number one, Kosove toldDeadline: “As far as Morgan, I don’t need to be 'off the record.' (I am not really an 'off the record' kind of guy). I do not believe it affected Dolphin Tale‘s gross by even one dollar! I do not share Morgan’s view and do not believe this kind of harsh partisanship by either end of political spectrum is helpful in these very difficult times. That said, as a person who has some libertarian viewpoints myself, I STRONGLY believe in Morgan’s right to express whatever beliefs he has on any topic. We are a free country…thank God!"

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Trailer for Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton's Joyful Noise

Queen Latifah will be trading vocal chops with country music legend Dolly Parton this coming year in themusical dramedy Joyful Noise.

The film centers on the two as dueling choir members of a small town’s gospel choir. Both want their group to win the national choir competition, but have different views on how they should go for the prize. Conflict arises when Parton’s grandson falls in love with Latifah and comes up with an idea to make some changes in the choir.

Jesse L. Martin will star as Latifah’s husband and Keke Palmer will play her daughter.

Joyful Noise will hit theaters in January 2012. Check out the trailer above.
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Justin Timberlake to Star in Biopic of Famous Music Exec

Justin Timberlake is set to star in Spinning Gold, a biopic on the life of Neil Bogart, 1970s record producer and co-founder of Casablanca Records.

Written by Neil’s son, Tim Bogart, the film tells the “rags-to-riches story” of an impoverished Jewish kid from Brooklyn who would become a multi-millionaire. He helped define ‘70s pop culture with his Casablanca label, which launched the careers of such superstars as Parliament, Donna Summer, the Village People andKISS. He died of cancer in 1982 at age 39.

“This is a saga about a young dreamer who started with nothing and came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, believing anything was possible and every risk was worth taking,” Tim Bogart said. He also added thatSpinning Gold has been “literally three decades in the making.”

“We needed a young actor who can carry this picture,” Bogart explained. After Timberlake was suggested, a meeting was set up. “When Justin walked into the room, that was the moment I had been waiting for for 29 years,” Tim Bogart said. “He has the exact same energy as my father, the same glimmer in his eye.”

According to Deadline, Spinning Gold will be independently financed but with a major studio-size budget. Boardwalk Entertainment Group, which is producing the film, is currently in talks with potential directors. Production is scheduled to begin before the end of 2012.

Timberlake will also act as a producer on the film. He recently completed filming the sci-fi crime drama In Time.

Simon Cowell: Beyoncé, Gaga and Katy Perry Are "Boring"

Music mogul-turned-TV personality Simon Cowell believes that when it comes to pop music's leading ladies, it's more important to be seen than heard. The X Factor judge made some (characteristically) blasphemous statements to UK newspaper The Mirror about Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Katy Perry.

"If you only ever heard Lady Gaga, she’s the most boring singer in the world," Cowell says."You’ve got to see her — you need TV. Same with Beyoncé. Or Katy Perry. We’re all about image. You have to have that x factor.”

We're giving Cowell's callous comments some major side-eye, and we're inclined to think his co-judge, music executive LA Reid, would agree with us. Reid, who recently took a seat at the X Factor judging table, prefers a more positive approach to artists. He told BET.com last week:

“Mentoring comes naturally to me. That’s what I do. I just love talent that gives me chill bumps.”

That attitude has lead him to discovering and mentoring such stars as Usher, TLC and Rihanna. As for Cowell, we have to wonder how many demos of future stars must have crossed his desk unnoticed because they didn't have a sexy picture attached.

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Amber Rose Disputes That Kanye West Made Her Famous

After being called out by Peter Rosenberg on Twitter for getting famous from her relationship with Kanye West, Amber Rose visited the New York radio personality's Hot 97 show with DJ Cipha Sounds to set the record straight. Rose dished on a number of issues in a 43 minute interview, including wanting to marry her new beau Wiz Khalifa, Kanye's bitterness, her leaked nude photos, the difference between her and Kim Kardashian, writing a book and who would win in a fight between Ye and Wiz.

When confronted early on in the interview about her path to stardom, Rose took exception to the notion that she's only famous because of who she's dated. 

"Kanye was engaged to a girl, he was with a girl for six years," Rose said of 'Ye's former fiance Alexis Taylor. "She went to fashion week with him, was photographed everywhere with him, pretty much the same kind of relationship we had, but she didn't become famous. No one cared about her."

"When people say Kanye made me famous, I don't feel that way," she continued. "People had an interest in me, and that's not my fault. What do you want me to do?"

Rose said that she doesn't date people because of their status and that when she started dating Khalifa she was on a hip hop purge and hadn't even heard "Black and Yellow." 

"I wasn't with him because he was hot, we just really, really, fell in love and I've never been this happy in my life."

Now that she's expressed aspirations to write a book, many have wondered if the model and club personality will expose titillating details about her relationship with West.

"It is not a book about my ex," she said flatly. "Girls that come from where I come from in Philly, they would have dogged him out for money. They would've wrote a book about him and said so much foul stuff. I can't sleep at night and do something like that. That's just not me."

Even though some believe the hip hop superstar has taken veiled shots at Rose in some of his songs, the 28-year-old said she isn't tempted to fire back.

"He's bitter, I'm not. I don't care to talk about him," she said. "He can talk about me all day."

Rose dismissed the claim that West had paid for her silence.

"No one paid me, there's not any gag order or anything like that," she said. "I'm just not that type of person. I don't feel the need to talk about someone I really loved and cared about in that way.

Despite rumors to the contrary Rose said there are no issues between West and Khalifa because of her.

"Kanye and Wiz, they don't know each other. There's no beef," she said. But if it came down to a fight? 

"I think [Wiz] would beat the crap out of Kanye and I would kick him while he's down," she confessed.

Hypothetical scenarios aside, Rose said Kanye is just not a topic of discussion in her new life with the up-and-coming Khalifa.

"We don't talk about our pasts at all. It's just not even relevant," she said.

Though her current relationship is the real deal, Rose said marriage talk is as yet premature.

"I would die for him. That's how much I love him," she said. "We will get married, we will have babies, but we have time. We have the rest of our lives."

On the topic of her much publicized nude photos that made the rounds earlier this year, Rose said a former assistant, whom she called "Crazy, schizophrenic and jealous" stole the photos from her laptop.

Rose also dished on her bisexual history: "I believe that you can really love anyone, it's not a big deal," and indulged a comparison between herself and Kim Kardashian over who has the more bodacious bod.

"I got way more booty than Kim," she said.

Both supporters and detractors of Rose will have plenty of opportunities to sound off in the future, as the bombshell isn't going away any time soon. In addition to writing books, Rose said she wants to pursue a music career, has already completed her first film and is currently reviewing a script from Tyler Perry.

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J. Cole on Lil Wayne/Jay-Z Beef: "Not a Real Situation"

The long-simmering tiff between Lil Wayne and Jay-Z may be heating up even more of late, but J. Coledoesn't think it's that deep. The North Carolina rapper, who's signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint, talked with Hot 97's Angie Martinez yesterday and shared his thoughts on the so-called beef.

“I honestly don’t think it feels like anything, for real... I’m sure they throwing jabs on songs, but don’t we all do that? That’s just part of the game,” he said. “Wayne’s just happened to be like, 'OK, you went all the way. You really let it be known.' But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a jab-throwing sport. I personally like it. I love when I hear a jab and I know it. I love it.”

Cole said that he himself has been the target of subliminal shots from his peers—though he wouldn't name names. “It’d be from people. I see these people, I know these people. It’s not like animosity. I see them, I say what’s up. It’s a sparring of words—that’s it,” he said.

The "Work Out" rapper, who just dropped his studio debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, also said that he wouldn't necessarily jump in to defend another Roc Nation artist in an on-wax beef (sorry, Jay). “It depends," he said. "My heart tells me no, because it’s not a real situation. Like, what is it really about? Then how am I connected to that?”

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