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JERUSALEM (AP) -- When it comes to stating its case internationally, Israel is tired of playing it straight: It is

recruiting gays and lesbians as unofficial envoys.

In a bid to boost its international image, the country's ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs has established a cadre of diverse volunteers who speak about Israel around the world.

In a recent post on its website, the ministry encouraged minorities and members of the gay community to step forward.

Ministry spokesman Gal Ilan said Thursday that the goal was to highlight Israel's diversity. He said when people think about Israel, the gay community is often overlooked.

There are no details yet on how many people have volunteered.

Israel has recently been promoting itself as a gay friendly oasis in an intolerant Middle East.

Man Stabs Friend After Finding Out Beyonce’s Married To Jay-Z

A Parma, Ohio, man was stabbed by his friend just an hour before the New Year rang in 2012 because he learned that songstress Beyonce was married to rapper Jay-Z.
SEE ALSO: Ron Paul Confused By His Own Tweet
Friends Mark E. Kozelka and Ronald Deavers (pictured below) got into a heated discussion about the marital status of the superstar diva while watching music videos.  According to a police report, Deavers, 31, became irrational when Kozelka, 48, broke the news to him that Beyonce was in fact married to Jay-Z.
Parma Police Detective Marty Compton then says Deavers exploded into a rage:

Both males then faced off during the heated argument, Deavers pulled out a knife and stabbed Kozelka in his left side.

Two witnesses, Jennifer Lee Fornari and Anthony Butler, ended up transporting the victim to a local hospital. Detective Compton added that when police were called to the scene and tried to question Fornari about the incident, the woman told them that Deavers was not in the apartment and that he left the premises.  According to Detective Compton, the 31-year-old woman allegedly tried to stall police while Deavers climbed out of a rear bedroom window to escape:

The officers heard a disturbance coming from the back of the apartment, went to investigate and saw that the window was open,” said Detective Compton.  Officers then tried to take Fornari into custody but she put up a scuffle.  Fornari was eventually cuffed and charged with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest.

Deavers was caught wandering not far from the scene of the crime.  Police apprehended, arrested, and charged Deavers with felonious assault.
Kozelka, a handyman, received severe lacerations, internal injuries, and underwent surgery.  He remains hospitalized and is in stable condition.

50 Cent Losing It: Rapper Lies About StreetKing Pepsi Deal?

Despite being one of the wealthiest rappers in the history of the game, mega-rap mogul 50 Cent seems to think that he is headed for an early grave.
SEE ALSO: Santorum Denies Making Blacks Comment
In a move that has many scratching their heads, 50 Cent took to Twitter, lamenting not only his own demise but also his disgust with the inner workings of the music business:

50cent 50cent
Ill be honest I don’t think I’m gonna live much longer. That’s why I started my street king movement. I want to … http://t.co/ADT2zTrj

50cent 50cent
I have lost all the faith in the team I’m on. I having nothing left to say I will not be promoting my music.

50cent 50cent
Music was so much fun for me now the people and politics involved disgust me. I’m putting out a song tonight FT … http://m.tmi.me/k2OhK

Over the last few months, 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with his record label, Interscope, because his fifth album was allegedly mishandled.  On New Year’s Eve, the rapper/entrepreneur/marketing whiz ranted that he was fed up with Interscope executives and even directed a tweet at the company’s chairman, Jimmy Lovine, to discuss the record deal.
Recently, 50 Cent also claimed to have inked a deal with Pepsi that would distribute energy shot Street King nationally.  The businessman tweeted that every time a shot is purchased, a meal would be provided for a hungry child with a donation to the United Nations World Food Program.  The artist hoped to feed 1 billion children worldwide via the initiative.
But now, there are reports that 50 Cent actually misrepresented the distribution deal with the soft drink supplier. BEVNET, the beverage industry news company, is reporting that the rapper’s deal is actually with the Honickman Group, which distributes PepsiCo’s products in the New York City area.
NewsOne got an exclusive quote from a PepsiCo spokesperson, who asked not to be named:

I can definitely state, that 50 Cent does not have any deal whatsoever with regards to his new energy drink with either PepsiCo or Pepsi Beverages Company.  He might very well have a deal with Honickman but we cannot comment on that situation because we don’t have any knowledge with regards to it.  But as far as our company is concerned, the statements that are being reported are completely false!”

Is 50 just enjoying the shock factor of his tweets or is he losing his grip?  Time will tell.

GHANA: Female Musician Shows Her Sex Organ On Stage

Just when we thought we had finished compiling our wildest celebrity photographs for the year 2011, a new picture that reached our editorial desk during the Christmas break can potentially top our list.

The latest entrant shows the naked hairy vag*na of a very well-known female musician while she was performing on stage at the Accra International Conference Centre during the Christmas season.

The said female musician, whose name we would withhold for now, had mounted the stage dressed to kill, in a very sexy evening wear, with entirely no panties beneath. No panties means no panties, underwear, no slacks, no beads, just her naked hairy vag*na.

During her performance, she positioned herself in such a way that our cameras captured her sex organ which we believe might also have been seen by a good section of the audience, especially those on the front raw.

It was quite sizeable, chubby, dark and hairy but appealing.

The photograph has sparked a fiery debate on whether or not NEWS-ONE should publish it uncensored or slightly blurred. Persons who have seen the picture have so far expressed disappointment that a Ghanaian female musician would have the guts to mount the stage at the Accra International Conference Centre to perform, wearing no panties at all.

This is the second time our cameras have captured a top Ghanaian female celebrity at a public event without her pants on. The first was at a press conference of an all-female concert that was held a few months back and one of the artistes at the conference sat in such a way that exposed her sex organ, that was not in pants in any way.

What is not yet certain is whether the musician deliberately used her naked sex organ as part of her stage craft or she was doing something else back stage which could not give her enough time to put on her panties.

'News-One' will drop the full name and details soon in one of its edition as well as the photographs that were snapped from all sides and all angles.

In the meantime, she goes by a single first name. It is not an indigenous Ghanaian name. She is a talented professional musician, composer, choreographer, actress, writer and professional artist. she is blessed with multiple musical and artistic abilities and still developing, managing and increasing her skill set with maximum focus and love for making quality and real music.

Rapper Snoop Dogg Caught Doing The Azonto Dance!

It seems Ghana’s Azonto dance may soon become a global phenomenon.
A few days after American football wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco shared a YouTube video of a whiteboy dancing azonto, and commenting that he loves the Azonto dance, a picture has surfaced online suggesting that US hiphop star, Snoop Dogg has also caught the bug.

The picture shows the skinny rapper topless with some friends and sees him bending down and positioning his arms in the air like in an azonto pose.

Make No Mistake, Mr Ibu Is Not Stupid

Popular Nigerian actor, John Ikechukwu Okafor better known as Mr.Ibu is not happy about the fact that people regard him as stupid due to the roles he plays in movies.

According to Mr. Ibu, the fact that comedy is his preferred style of play does not make him stupid. The 51- year old actor who was in Accra as a guest of Ghana Movie Awards 2012 told Showbiz, “If you are dealing with me, you just have to get it right or you won’t like me at all. Those who are close to me know I am a different person when I am not on set”.

The veteran actor said he could play any role given to him but he is more comfortable playing comedy roles in movies.

Asked whether he expects people who watch his movies to take him serious, Mr. Ibu said if you consider him stupid then he remains stupid in your eyes but if you see him a wise person that is up to you, “I just want to make people happy”, he said.

Giving an account of one embarrassing situation he once faced, Mr. Ibu told Showbiz he went to town to watch a football match just like every other sports enthusiast. But to his shock, when the crowd saw him, they left the football match and started running towards him to the point that even the referee had to stop the match to also catch a glimpse of him.

Mr. Ibu who has featured in movies like Mr. Ibu, Jealousy, Vuga, Sheri Coco among others said he is grateful to the late Sam Loco Efe for introducing him into the movie industry.

Married with two kids, Mr. Ibu said the people he loves to play in movies with are Okey Bakasi, Nkem Owoh and Osita Iheme aka Pawpaw.

Besides acting, Mr. Ibu is a football player agent and performs MC roles for programmes.

Former X Factor finalist Kerry McGregor dies of cancer

Simon Cowell has lead tributes to late X Factor contestant Kerry McGregor following her death from

cancer.The Scottish singer, who appeared on the TV talent show in 2006, lost her battle with the disease aged just 37.
The wheelchair-bound singer and actress was first diagnosed with bladder cancer two years ago.
But it was thought she was beating the killer disease after undergoing three months of gruelling chemotherapy which almost left her deaf.
The singer leaves a son, Joshua, seven, with property developer partner Dean Robertson, 36.
The mother-of-one had been spurred on by messages of support from her X Factor mentor Sharon Osbourne and Britain's Got Talent (BGT) star Susan Boyle, who hailed her as an inspiration in her autobiography.
Last night, it was revealed that Kerry and Miss Boyle were about to go into the studio together to record a duet until the project was halted just days ago by the former's ill health.
Kerry, of Pumpherston, West Lothian - who broke her back in a fall when she was 13 - was diagnosed with cancer in September 2010 after suffering two years of stomach pains.
When details of her illness were first made public in April last year, she said: 'It was small cell cancer, one of the fastest-spreading. I wasn't surprised. The fight is long, but I want to live. I've got so much more to give.'
However, last night, a brief statement from her management company said: 'It is with deep sadness we announce that Kerry passed away at home, earlier today following a battle with cancer. At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.'
Her manager, Ewan Gallagher, said: 'This is a desperately sad time for all Kerry's friends and family. She was such a gifted singer and song-writer. She left more than 40 of her own songs unrecorded at her death.
'And she had forged a close friendship with Susan Boyle, who became very attached to Kerry because both are from West Lothian.
'Susan wrote in her autobiography that Kerry's appearance on X Factor was what gave her the courage to appear on BGT.
'The pair were about to record a duet of Wings To Fly, which has only appeared as a bonus track on an album released by Susan in Japan. I'm sure it would have been a huge hit and the words have such poignancy. I don't know what will happen with that project now.'
Born in 1974 into a musical family - her late grandfather, Bobby McKerracher, was known as 'the Scottish Bing Crosby' – Kerry was aged five when her father was killed in a road crash.
Raised by her mother, Margaret, also a talented singer, she showed early promise as a gymnast at West Calder High School before she fell from a tree aged 13 and broke her back, leaving her partially paralysed from the waist down.
Determined to remain in mainstream schooling, she re-learnt how to walk with crutches and leg braces in just six weeks, earning a Child of Achievement Award.
Of her disability, she once said: 'Life changed completely for me from an early age. In some people's eyes it could be a hindrance but in my eyes it's not. If anything, it gives me all the more reason to kick my heels in and go on. I am determined and I will achieve.'
After studying music and drama at Jewel and Esk Valley College in Edinburgh, she formed the dance band Nexus in 1993 before leaving to join QFX, whose album Freedom reached Number 21 in the UK charts.
Talent spotted by Kenny MacDonald, manager of The Proclaimers, she was selected to record a song for the UK´s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1997, coming second to Katrina and the Waves, who went on to win Eurovision with Love Shine a Light.
In 2006, Kerry secured her biggest break after making the finals of series three of The X Factor, which was eventually won by future Grammy award nominee Leona Lewis.
She managed to last until Week 3, when she was voted off by Louis Walsh.
Kerry later concentrated on her acting career and songwriting and had more than 40 songs still unrecorded at her death.
As an actress, she performed on stage, radio and television productions, with notable appearances as Carol-Ann in Annie Griffin's Channel 4 series The Book Group, and in the award-winning BBC children's drama series Grange Hill.
Last month, she accepted a role as an ambassador with Action for Bladder Cancer (ABC), the UK's only charity dedicated to fighting bladder cancer, the fourth most common cancer in men and 11th most common in women with around 10,000 Britons diagnosed with the disease every year.
Colin Bunce, chair of Action on Bladder Cancer, said: 'We are deeply saddened by the news about Kerry. She was a truly inspirational person and we were delighted when, before Christmas, she accepted our invitation to become an Ambassador for Action on Bladder Cancer.
'She was deeply committed to helping raise awareness about bladder cancer and our thoughts are very much with her family at this time.'

D'banj's Producer Don Jazzy Regrets Voting For Goodluck Jonathan

Before the last general elections held in April 2011, those in the showbiz industry in Nigeria mobilized for and endorsed President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as Nigeria's next President after the death of President Yar'adua.

President Jonathan gained the sympathy of many Nigerians based on how he rose to power, especially from a poor background.

In one of his pre-election campaigns, one of Mohits members, D Banj, interviewed the President who was then an acting president. That development gave birth to insinuations that D Banj and Mohits crew were paid for their support for the President.

The recent removal of the hotly debated fuel subsidy by the President on New Year's day has brought about tongue-lashing on President Jonathan by the masses and some Nigerian celebrities.

One of such is the boss of Mohits crew, Michael Elebeli Collins, who is well known as Don Jazzy, he said, "I hardly regret decisions I make. That my one vote added to put the current government in power is one decision I regret with all my heart."

Bearing his mind further, this Delta State talented music producer said, "what I don't know is if the man we all voted for deceived us knowing [that] he would turn out like this or he is not the one leading us. May God help us.

"God knows that government has not given Mohits any penny like I have always told you guys. I am boldly putting [it] out here for anybody to
contest.

We all voted for the guy [President Jonathan] because at the time, we thought and believed he would be the one to move the country
forward. My conscience is clear," he concluded.

The fuel subsidy removal has seen fuel price skyrocketed from N65 to N141 - N158. It has also been greeted with widespread condemnation and protests around the country with deaths already recorded.

Azonto Metamorphosis Into "Chriszonto"

Azonto dance has metamorphosed into "Chriszonto" in some charismatic churches, the Ghana News Agency
(GNA) observed during a tour of some churches in Accra on the eve of the New Year and New Year Day services.

The traditional Ga dance, Kpanlogo which has been modernised into Azonto dance, has now taken another transformation as the Christian community joined the secular dance Christian “Chriszonto”.

GNA observed that most of the youth in charismatic churches led the infectious Azonto-Chriszonto dance revolution, with most pastors and the older generation watching in admiration.

The Azonto-Chriszonto dance craze in the churches is taking deep root as song leaders, choristers, Praise and Worship groups as well as the mainly younger generation with youthful exuberance try to out-do each other with the antics and gestures.

Research by the GNA showed that Azonto dance originated from the traditional Ghanaian dance, Kpanlogo, which started in indigenous localities in the Greater Accra Region such as Bukom, James Town, Chorkor and in Tema.

Now the Azonto dance has taken over other dance forms at clubs, house parties and churches.

The free style dance involves the shaking of hips, stretching and pointing hands to different directions at a tempo to the song and sometimes demonstrating the performance of household chores like washing or doing ironing. 

MUSIGA Goes Mad Over Naked Sex Organ

The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) has taken notice of media reports concerning a Ghanaian female musician who was caught (on camera) performing on stage without any underwear at the 'Decemba 2 Rememba' concert held at the Accra International Conference Centre on December 24, last year.

The artiste had mounted the stage, dressed to kill in a sexy evening wear, with no underwear.
In a statement issued and signed by its spokesperson, Okyeame Kwame, MUSIGA noted that although there was some proof to the story, it was highly concerned that the issue had gone too far, with the media taking great interest in it.
MUSIGA, in the statement, failed to accept that the said female musician deliberately refused to wear panties to cover her private part.
Exhibiting her creative skills on stage during her 20-minute performance, the female artiste positioned herself for cameras to capture her sex organ, which many believe might also have been seen by a section of music fans on the front row.
There are suggestions that the artiste's impropriety might have been part of her stage craft.
Others suggest that her lack of underwear was caused by an abrupt call to get on stage while in the middle of a rendezvous.
Though MUSIGA executives have not seen the pictures yet, they chose to issue a press statement to condemn any attempt by the media to publish the pictures.
'Publishing the private parts of any Ghanaian woman would to a large extent not only be an embarrassment to the artiste in question but to womanhood in general.  It can also traumatize and destroy the career of an up and coming Ghanaian superstar and we believe that it is not the motive of the media to destroy our stars, but has been a major partner in building up stars on the contrary.
'In as much as MUSIGA respects the freedom of the media and appreciates its contribution to the growth of the music industry, it would want to intervene in this instance and call for a cease fire on this issue,' MUSIGA said in the statement.
It noted that, 'inappropriate dressing among some Ghanaian Musicians has become a major source of concern not only to the general Ghanaian populace but to members of the union and steps are being taken by the new administration to educate its members on paying heed to cultural sensitivities in their public appearance and pronouncements.'
 'MUSIGA, in the interest of protecting its members and female members, most especially, is of the opinion that the media would be doing more harm than good to society if it goes ahead to publish the said photographs of the female musician in question,' it said.

Genevieve Nnaji: Fuel Subsidy Removal Is The Right Move At The Wrong Time

There is tension everywhere, public outcry rent the air, protests in key cities of Nigeria are fast rising up.

This is the situation Nigeria presently find herself since the announcement of the removal of fuel subsidy by President Jonathan on January 1, 2012.

The Nollywood fraternity has been under serious attack lately from the public owning to the fact that they sang support for the present government during the electioneering campaign era.

One of the recent beneficiaries of National Honours by the present government, Genevieve Nnaji, has opened up on her view on the removal
of fuel subsidy by President Jonathan.

Throwing her weight behind President Jonathan, the sultry actress stated, “I still can’t help but feel [that] it [fuel subsidy removal] is the right move at the wrong time. There is tension and unease [everywhere].”

When asked if she would join other Nigerians in protest, this make-believe queen with an MFR National honours said, “I own quite a few things that consume a whole lot of fuel, so, yes. I am a concerned citizen.

“Someone tried to explain the positive impact the removal [of fuel subsidy] would bring to the economy, just like GSM did. I could see the point but I don’t think a proper explaination was given to the public,’ this mother of one concluded.

I Have No Problem Kissing Katawire Or Agya Koo- Martha Ankomah

 Ghana’s favourite actress Martha Ankomah says that there is only one kiss and that is the real one.
In this make-believe career, she says, when you are supposed to kiss another character, you are expected to do so as convincingly as you can; there are no two ways. “I have no problem kissing Katawire, Agya Koo or any character when my script demands it”.

The pretty actress told Showbiz last week that, in movie acting, movements and gestures are meant to be as believable as possible. “If you fake any action in a scene such as kissing, the viewers can tell so either you are an actor or you are not”, she said.

”Cameras are being made more sophisticated and sharper every day and actors can no longer fool viewers as was possible a decade ago.”

Martha Ankomah has been admired by movie enthusiasts for her realistic acting, especially when it comes to romantic scenes. Her performance in movies such as Kiss Me If You Can, Bed Of Roses, Seduction, Heart Of Men, and Keep My Tears has won her much endearment with viewers.

Unlike some actors who are choosy when it comes to characters that they are expected to play romantic scenes with, Martha said she really did not mind who she shoots flirty or in-bed scenes with as long as the director is satisfied. She said she doesn’t have to have any special feeling for an actor before she plays a romance scene with.

“What if I landed in a Hollywood contract and was asked to play a romantic scene with, say, Will Smith or Jim Carrey, should I say I don’t have any affection for them so will not take the contract? If so, then we don’t expect to see any Ghanaian in Hollywood.

Asked whether her boyfriend or church members don’t have a problem with the romantic roles she plays, Martha said she doesn’t complain about her church members careers so she doesn’t expect other’s to complain about hers. “I worship at International
Central Gospel Church and my faith in God is unshakeable but when it comes to acting which is my profession, I don’t play with it at all” says Martha.

About her now famous long drawn kiss with Majid Michel in Heart of Men, Martha explained that she needed to make the movie real. “Ghanaians will be the same people who will say the kissing is fake if I didnt act it well, so I needed to do it professionally”, Martha said.

Martha had lots of nominations in ZAAFA, AMAA and was adjudged the most favourite actress at the just ended Ghana Movie Awards. The actress says she is grateful to any individual who buys her movies. 

Big Brother Africa To Call For Entries Soon!

M-Net has hinted that the seventh season of the continent’s attention-grabbing Big Brother Africa series will be hitting DStv screens in May! With TV commercials promoting the series’ return now screening on M-Net, entry for the new season opens in just a few short days and once Coca-Cola returns as series sponsor.

So just what can viewers expect from the reality TV powerhouse that continues to draw widespread audience interaction, fan fervor and some of the most entertaining personalities on African television? According to series executives, viewers can once again get set for drama, action and entertainment with twists and turns galore!

“This show is definitely a high demand property that draws and holds audiences from start to finish,” explains M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi. “And while the basics are the same, every season is different from the last. Re-invention is crucial so I am very pleased to confirm that this year we’re doing something that has never been done before in the history of Big Brother Africa!”

She continues, “Big Brother Africa remains relevant because it constantly surprises audiences with everything from two houses, more housemates, unexpected guests and new participating countries to unveiling two winners, an All Star reunion, super star performers and the list goes on. So to be able to say that we’re doing something that has never been done before in Big Brother Africa is wonderful. And we really believe it’s what our audiences want to see next!”

Format owner and producer Endemol South Africa’s MD Sivan Pillay says, “We look forward to surprising and entertaining Africa’s viewers with more twists and turns that have seen this compelling format continue to succeed on the continent as it has around the world. M-Net have established a highly engaging continental audience for the Big Brother brand.”

With more details of the new season to be revealed shortly, there is one secret M-Net is opening up about already. “At the end of 91 days, while many housemates will walk away with fame and the experience of a lifetime, there will be only ONE winner. So this season, the winner takes all,” says Alabi.

“And we’re announcing the new season very early so that people who are interested in participating can start thinking about whether they want to take this incredible journey. That decision is the first step on a road that may well lead right to the Big Brother house!”

For more information on how and when to enter the new season of Big Brother Africa, keep a close watch on M-Net, or check the website www.mnetafrica.com regularly for updates. And with the entry criteria and the all-important prize money also set to change again, it’s clearly going to be a roller-coaster ride every step of the way. But then again, who expects anything else from Biggie?!

'I Am No More Ayigbe Edem'

Years after using the name Ayigbe Edem, the Ghanaian rapper has announced his decision to drop the Ayigbe from his name.
Edem was born Denning Edem Agbeviadey. However, he adopted Ayigbe Edem as his stage name when he broke into the music scene with the release of his maiden album, ' The Volta Regime', in 2008, which has songs like the hit ' U dey craze', 'Bra fremi fremi', ' Nyornuviade', 'Give it up', 'Emmre Sesa' and ' Lorlortor.'
The name Ayigbe is reportedly a local Akan word which refers to the Ewe ethnic group that occupies most part of the Volta region of Ghana.
Currently, Edem said he has dropped the 'Ayigbe' because he has fulfilled his mission with the name.
'This has nothing to do with image crisis. It has everything to do with growth of brand. The intention of 'Volta Regime' as an album was to make a statement for my region to be respected…this statement was to make everybody know that you can use your dialect and sell anywhere across the world and in doing that I wanted to also make sure that the people from my region take pride when they are derogatorily called Ayigbe people or anything. And so I decided to adopt that name in addition to my real name. Two years along the line after executing 'Volta Regime', I know a lot of people who take pride in the name now. They don't take offence when they are called by that name. So I think the purpose of the name has been fulfilled as an artiste and so moving on to another album which has a totally different direction from me as an artiste, I needed to stick to Edem,' he explained at a press conference for his latest album titled ' Mass Production' at Reggie's Office on Wednesday.
His ' Mass Production' is a 12-track album with hot banging songs such as 'The Legacy' featuring Tinny, 'Ghetto Arise', 'Wey Tin', 'Over Again', 'Medekuku', 'Kate' featuring Joey B, ' Believe', 'Go Getter', 'Megbonna' and more. The album, he said, has every flavour of music genre.
It will be launched with an anticipated huge party at the Barcadis night club in Tema on Saturday, December 31, where he will also mount the stage to do what he knows best.
High profile artistes to pass through include Reggie Rockstone, Tinny, Trigmatic, Okyeame Kwame, Asem D-Black, Obrafour, Eazzy, Richie and a host of others.
There will also be subsequent events to welcome the album including giving to charity.

Ghana Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings (tells NDC to embarks on immediate 'house cleaning' exercise.)

NDC founder and former president of Ghana Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings has stated clearly that he will only support the Mills administration for the 2012 general elections if the president and the leadership embarks on immediate 'house cleaning' exercise.
He said the reason why the same people who worked with him as president were not corrupt but are corrupt today under president Mills is because he did not tolerate corruption under his reign. The former president made this pronouncement at the national theatre in Accra today during a commemorative lecture to mark the 30th anniversary of the 31st DEC revolution. The NDC founder lamented the situation where some people in the NDC government are behaving as though there are no ideological bases for the establishment of the NDC.

In a direct message to the NDC leadership, the former president said , ' if Jerry Rawlings represent the NDC, it must be an NDC that represent these ideals….otherwise I will be acting as a hypocrite if I start saying hail the NDC..The time has come for those who have the responsibility of changing the freefall of the NDC to bring it to a halt and take drastic action however late to re-embrace the ideals that won the NDC victory in the 2008 election… it is not too late to go back to the grassroots, foot soldiers and listen to them….we have so far failed to correct the wrongs of the past…I interact with people on the daily bases and they express their disappointment in what is going on and it is based on this I criticize government."
The former president questioned why there is rather the situation where you have the general secretary of the NDC and some young ministers insulting people and calling others dogs and so on, and the next time these same people are standing by the president, questioning what message the president is sending out by that action. 'Speak out and compel your leaders to listen,….do not allow the sweet gifts of election year to confuse you into a false sense of security.' the NDC founder advised.
'Investigating past officials now will be so opportunistic nobody will take you serious…the only time you will be taken seriously is to clean the house…to clean up and bring back the dedicated, committed ones because people who run away, who didn't suffer for it, they are the ones the Prof. has appointed as DCE's etc….this is the only way otherwise I don't see the chance they stand because I don't operate alone but with the support base…This is what I said to my friend Gen. Nuuno Mensah when he came to see me the other day about the way forward' he revealed. He blamed the NDC leadership for being timid in the last elections especially when the president and his vice failed to show up for a rally in Kasua because, according to the NDC founder, they were afraid the rally will fail to match up with the NPP rally.
He also lamented that in a by- election in the eastern region recently the vice president John Mahama failed to go down to campaign and cited security concerns whiles the president was also absent. 'The vice president who is chairman of the police council was sitting in Accra and citing security reports for his inability to go and campaign for the NDC candidate there in a by-election…the president was also absent I don't know if he had travelled or not but Nana Akufo Addo had a field day. So how you expect your supporters to fight this fight whiles you're sitting in Accra' Mr. Rawlings questioned.
The former president accused the Mills administration of been mean to him and his wife NANA KONADU AGYEMAN- RAWLINGS. He said a judgment debt of $5m dollars have not been paid to the 31 DWM three years in office even though government is making campaign with it on the air waves. 'You can't believe how mean our own leadership has been. Why'? He questioned.
Other speakers at the lecture also included P.V Obeng, Hon. Nuamah Donkor, Mrs. Valerie Sacky as well as former first lady Nana Konadu Agyman- Rawlings who all took turns to give the history and legacy of the 31 December revolution.

Becca Lied... But The Show Was Super

The Becca Girl Talk live concert which came off last Friday at the National Theatre was emphatically touted as an exclusively female show for a strictly female audience but when the time came, Becca could not carry out her bluff because there were a lot of males on stage as performers, technicians and even in the auditorium as audience.
“No guys, no boyfriends, no men… This is the ultimate girls night out,” said the concert’s catch phrase.
Considered on face value, not only was this show expected to feature only women performers, it was also to be watched by an all female audience.
Organisers said that for males who woulr drop off their girlfriends, there will be a comfortable waiting area outside a pool bar and big screen TV showing sports.
Well, it didn’t happen that way and some female members of the audience who were disappointed to find the first male performers, the Calvary Methodist Church Youth Choir, on stage, attempted to clap them off. “Away, Away,” they shouted.
Despite the initial disappointment however, the show reportedly turned out to be a magnificent entertainment package that left patrons satisfied.
It was well-thought out presentation that carefully embraced music, dance, bits of drama and motivational talk.
Becca has gradually improved her skill at communicating with audiences and she employed it to pull off a lively, memorable event.
She was helped along the way by a host of guests that included Majid Michel, Kofi Okyere-Darko, John Dumelo, Kwame Thomas, Dzesi Band, Kwabena Kwabena, Samini, Trigmatic, Ama Abebrese, DSP Kofi Sarpong, Funny Face and the National Dance Ensemble.
The audience enjoyed her renditions of songs like Woman, Daa Ke Daa, Eeba, Why and I’ll Survive.
They also definitely enjoyed Joselyn Dumas’ exhortation on being one’s self and applauded when she said she lost weight to please herself and not for the sake of any man.
Mrs Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was in a bubbly mood and hit if off well with the enthusiastic audience on how to control the head by ‘boldly’ knowing how to manoeuvre the neck.
A source at EKB Records, Becca’s management outfit said after the show that there were already requests from several people for Becca to repeat the success of the Girl Talk Show next year.

NPP-USA reveals the truth about Mills' unusual USA trips

NPP-USA finds the notoriously lying NDC's official explanation for President Mills' sudden trip to the United States on Christmas Eve to be puerile and insulting to the intelligence of Ghanaians. Exactly a week after he returned from a month's trip to North America, including a two-week holiday in the United States, the president made a quick dash to the United States on a nine-day official visit on December 24 for a supposed investment meeting when the investors he purports to meet were on holidays.
 
On Thursday December 15, 2011 between the hours of 8:30 and noon, President John Evans Atta Mills was seen in the company of four Caucasian security operatives on the 4 th floor of the world famous Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, “the world's oldest and largest private cancer center” located in New York. NPP-USA upon receiving this information elected to respect the president's privacy due to the sensitivity of a cancer treatment. But in light of what appears to be a persistent practice of the NDC administration to not only lie to the Ghanaian people, but also to insult our intelligence with such impunity, we feel compelled to publish what we know.
 
It may be recalled that President Mills took a two-week leave, but ended up staying for 31 days. The Ghanaian public began to raise questions as to why the extended stay abroad by their president. To these questions, the president's communications team gave a variety of reasons. These reasons included meeting with investors in Canada, visits to Wall Street in New York, meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, and a justification that the president deserved the rest.
 
On December 17, 2011, the president returned from his month-long “working vacation” and boldly stated during his comments on arrival that his trip to the United States “was not to seek medical attention,” and that he worked on the quiet “brokering catalytic deals to accelerate the national development agenda.” Exactly one week after his return to Ghana, the president rushed back to the United States under the pretext that he is meeting investors. Evidently the President rushed to the USA to attend to a very highly prioritized personal issue of which he tries to conceal from Ghanaians.
 
In their desperate attempt to cover up President Mills' cancer treatment in the USA, his handlers have spun lies that border on the ridiculous. On his arrival in Ghana on December, 31 the President is reported to have stated as follows “In the US the 26 th is not a holiday; it is rather the 25 th , so I used those days ………to accomplish all the assignments that I had in mind” Ghanaweb,December 31, 2011
 
The NPP-USA would like to point out to the President's handlers that in the USA if a Christmas falls on a weekend, as it was the case in 2011, the following Monday, i.e. December 26 is treated as a holiday and most offices are closed. In addition, the US investors are family oriented people who travel to the various parts of the country to spend time with their families during the holiday season - Hanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa respectively.
There are many questions on the minds of Ghanaians that need answers. First, if these so-called “catalytic deals” were so important and obviously not completed, why burn airplane fuel to return home for one week after staying away for 31 days? This brief trip home is especially inexplicable considering that the only significant activity the president engaged in while in Ghana was issuing a statement in defense of the thievery of the national treasury by Alfred Woyome and Betty Moulds Iddrisu.
 
Second, what Christian president would abscond from his country on the eve of Christmas to meet with investors who themselves have left their offices for holidays? What “catalytic deals” are so time sensitive that they cannot wait for at least one week until after the holidays especially if they took 31 days to manifest?
 
Third, could President Mills' visit to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on Thursday December 15, 2011 have been for tests, which showed tumors that need immediate attention hence his rushed return to New York? Or is the president adhering to a chemotherapy treatment, which cycles are supposed to have weekly intervals?
 
Fourth, although it is tempting for presidents to cover up their medical conditions, is President Mills not being hypocritical given that he was reported by Wikileaks to have implored the late Nigerian President Y'araDua to “come clean” on his health conditions when the latter was in a similar mysterious situation of missing in action?   And if the Castle's objective is to hide the president's health issues, can the communications team not be a little more intelligent about it rather than insulting Ghanaians' intelligence with less than thoughtful excuses?
 
Fifth, upon arrival on December 30 th , 2011, the lying Mills communication team alluded to the fact that President Mills met with Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs to secure the $18 million SADA loan. Here again the facts indicate otherwise. The same SADA loan was supposedly secured by this same administration back in September 2011 when they announced it. In addition, our research indicates that Detroit, Michigan native Dr. Jeffrey Sachs' schedule of activities broke off on December 22, 2011 and resumes on January 19, 2012.
 
Cancer is a serious ailment, and NPP-USA is obviously concerned about our president's health. It is for this reasons that we elected not to sound the alarm when we first obtained information about his visit to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York on Thursday December 15, 2011 between 830hrs and 1200 hrs. But if the president and his communications team feel compelled to lie to Ghanaians about his abnormal forays into the United States, we feel compelled as well to share what we know with the Ghanaian people.
 
This is a delicate issue that requires matured rather than derisive response from the dysfunctional NDC communication team. President Mills should stop toying with the intelligence of Ghanaians and tell us the truth; especially at the time when Ghanaians have become suspicious of his health condition.
 
The Public Relations Committee – NPP-USA.

3 Die In Accident On Tema-Afao Road

It took a combine team of Fire Service and Police personnel over two hours to cut through a Toyota saloon car to retrieve the remains of three men, whose vehicle collided with another vehicle while taking on the Tema-Aflao road, resulting in their instant death.
The three, in their late 30s, died on the spot in the early hours of Saturday when the Toyota Carina E, with registration number GR 5767 Y in which they were travelling was dragged into a ditch by an oncoming tanker between Miotso and Dawhenya.
Inspector Emmanuel Degboem the leader of Dawhenya police patrol team which arrived on the scene minutes after the accident, told the Daily Graphic that at about 4:45 a.m. the saloon car heading towards Accra attempted to overtake a trailer without regard for an oncoming tanker.
Inspector Degboe said in the process the saloon car drove head-on into the taker with registration number AS 9566 D, which was on its way to Ada.
The tanker loaded with premix, dragged the car over 50 metres before it eventually run into a ditch.
Although the deceased were not identified at the time of filing this report, the team of Police and Fire Service took the badly deformed bodies to the nearest hospital.
The driver of the tanker whose name was given as Ebenezer Nartey, could not be immediately found at the gory accident scene but his mate, Adjetey Mensah, told the Graphic reporter that his master had been rushed to a nearby clinic for first aid.

Immediate House Cleaning is only way forward for NDC- J J

NDC founder and former president of Ghana Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings has stated clearly that he will only support the Mills administration for the 2012 general elections if the president and the leadership embarks on immediate 'house cleaning' exercise.He said the reason why the same people who worked with him as president were not corrupt but are corrupt today under president Mills is because he did not tolerate corruption under his reign. The former president made this pronouncement at the national theatre in Accra today during a commemorative lecture to mark the 30th anniversary of the 31st DEC revolution. The NDC founder lamented the situation where some people in the NDC government are behaving as though there are no ideological bases for the establishment of the NDC.
In a direct message to the NDC leadership, the former president said , ' if Jerry Rawlings represent the NDC, it must be an NDC that represent these ideals….otherwise I will be acting as a hypocrite if I start saying hail the NDC..The time has come for those who have the responsibility of changing the freefall of the NDC to bring it to a halt and take drastic action however late to re-embrace the ideals that won the NDC victory in the 2008 election… it is not too late to go back to the grassroots, foot soldiers and listen to them….we have so far failed to correct the wrongs of the past…I interact with people on the daily bases and they express their disappointment in what is going on and it is based on this I criticize government."
The former president questioned why there is rather the situation where you have the general secretary of the NDC and some young ministers insulting people and calling others dogs and so on, and the next time these same people are standing by the president, questioning what message the president is sending out by that action. 'Speak out and compel your leaders to listen,….do not allow the sweet gifts of election year to confuse you into a false sense of security.' the NDC founder advised.
'Investigating past officials now will be so opportunistic nobody will take you serious…the only time you will be taken seriously is to clean the house…to clean up and bring back the dedicated, committed ones because people who run away, who didn't suffer for it, they are the ones the Prof. has appointed as DCE's etc….this is the only way otherwise I don't see the chance they stand because I don't operate alone but with the support base…This is what I said to my friend Gen. Nuuno Mensah when he came to see me the other day about the way forward' he revealed. He blamed the NDC leadership for being timid in the last elections especially when the president and his vice failed to show up for a rally in Kasua because, according to the NDC founder, they were afraid the rally will fail to match up with the NPP rally.
He also lamented that in a by- election in the eastern region recently the vice president John Mahama failed to go down to campaign and cited security concerns whiles the president was also absent. 'The vice president who is chairman of the police council was sitting in Accra and citing security reports for his inability to go and campaign for the NDC candidate there in a by-election…the president was also absent I don't know if he had travelled or not but Nana Akufo Addo had a field day. So how you expect your supporters to fight this fight whiles you're sitting in Accra' Mr. Rawlings questioned.
The former president accused the Mills administration of been mean to him and his wife NANA KONADU AGYEMAN- RAWLINGS. He said a judgment debt of $5m dollars have not been paid to the 31 DWM three years in office even though government is making campaign with it on the air waves. 'You can't believe how mean our own leadership has been. Why'? He questioned.
Other speakers at the lecture also included P.V Obeng, Hon. Nuamah Donkor, Mrs. Valerie Sacky as well as former first lady Nana Konadu Agyman- Rawlings who all took turns to give the history and legacy of the 31 December revolution.
Story by A.S Denis/xfm95.1/Accra/Ghana

Sarkodie, Nana Boroo, Efya and Yaw Siki spend last day of 2011 with James Town Sarkodie, Nana Boroo, Efya and Yaw Siki spend last day of 2011 with James Town kids

Ghana's fastest rapper, Sarkodie, bubbly songstress, Efya, Nana Boroo and Yaw Siki joined forces to spend time with kids in James Town in Accra on December 31, 2011 to climax the year.
The artistes, together with representatives of Children of the Future foundation, Feed Forever Foundation and LifestylezGh USA, all NGOs, chit chat and had fun with hundreds of kids from James Town and its environs.
In the spirit of the yuletide, which is a period of sharing and caring, the artistes distributed assorted items such as food, fruits, drinks and cloths to put smiles on the faces of the kids.
The event was under the auspices of the Children of the Future foundation founded by sound engineer, Awal Alhassan popularly known as Possi Gee.
According to Angel Bejamin Chili of Duncwills Entertainment, management of Sarkodie, who spoke in an interview with Myjoyonline.com, the event was “to spread love and to bring smiles on the faces of these unfortunate kids into the new year even before its main outdoor and exposure.”
He said, the foundation which is expected to be launched this year is “targeted at helping orphans, the needy and street children through music.”
The foundation has so far signed on eight artistes namely, Sarkodie, Efya, Chase, Fritz, Yaw Siki, Tiffany, Ruff N Smooth and Mohammed to help push its agenda. It will soon shoot and release a theme music video which features the above listed artistes for the project.
There was a special Azonto competition, musical chairs among the kids and the artistes.

E – X – C – L – U – S – I – V – E: Another Fight Brewing Between Mercy Johnson And Colleague

According to fresh gist pouring in on the ever busy desk of NigeriaFilms.Com from an eye witness grapevine, there might be another big war to break out in the movie industry between Mercy Johnson and another colleague of hers, Collette Orji.
As we learnt, the two beautiful actresses, who were once in good rapport and have both worked together on some movie projects, which include Strength Of A Woman, Diary Of A Player, and others, are now enemies of each other.
The gist getting to NigeriaFilms.Com confirms that trouble started when Chika Ike was getting too close to Collette, who is also an Abuja based actress as Chika Ike. This development, we learnt, did not go down well with Mercy Johnson, who believed Chika Ike should not be associated with non A-list actors in Nollywood.
As we were told, Mercy confronted Chika Ike about this, but Chika didn't heed to the advice by Mercy Johnson not to associate herself with Collette.
According to the source who confidently divulged this information to us, this step by Chika not to let go of Collette has a bit strained the relationship between Mercy Johnson and Chika Ike.
The source which witnessed the brouhaha further told NigeriaFilms.Com that Mercy Johnson and Collette were on a movie set this month in Festac, Lagos, but trouble almost broke out when Mercy Johnson told Collette to stand up from a sit she was sitting on.
“We thought both of them would fight each other when Mercy Johnson told Collette to stand up, but Collette didn't say a word to her. We had smelt trouble when Mercy Johnson did that act, but Collette showed maturity on her side,” the source told NigeriaFilms.Com.”
The source further said that, “another funny incident was a scene that is yet to be shot, where Mercy's Jeep was used as prop in the movie, and you know what? That was the car that Collette and Frank Artus and Maureen Solomon would be in for the scene.
“But when Mercy Johnson learnt that Collette would be in her car for that scene shot, she drove her jeep away from the location and gave an excuse of having an urgent call to attend to outside the location. We all know that she does not want Collette enter her car.”
We also learnt from our source that the scene is yet to be shot by now..

American Football Star Tweets About The Azonto Dance

American football wide receiver, Chad Javon Ochocinco yesterday tweeted about Ghana’s phenomenal Azonto dance, telling the world how much he loves the dance which is fast going global.

The football star tweeted on Saturday afternoon: “I love this dance called the #Azonto” and shared the link to a viral YouTube video with a white boy dancing Azonto on the streets of central London with Sarkodie’s ‘U Go Kill Me’ in the background.

Ghana's Azonto Dance hits global entertainment stage

Legal experts in the entertainment industry has called on Ghana to patent, brand, package, and adopt international marketing mechanism for the modernisation of traditional dance, Kpanlogo, into Azonto dance for socio-economic gains.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA), has learned that that the sole Ghanaian Dance Craze Azonto, is making wide waves around the world and threatening to spawn its own YouTube industry as dance enthusiasts try to out-do each other by posting the most hilarious and most accomplished Azonto moves on the video channel.
According to the GNA study, the Azonto dance originated from the traditional Ghanaian dance, Kpanlogo which first started in indigenous localities in the Greater Accra Region such as Bukom, James Town, Chorkor and in the port town of Tema.
Now the Azonto dance has taken over other dance forms at clubs, house parties and churches in the country as mainly the youth and those across the world are infected with Azonto movements.
The free style dance involves the shaking of hips, stretching and pointing hands to different direction at a tempo to song beat and sometimes mimicking the performance of household chores like washing or doing some ironing.
More recently, some popular Ghanaian hip hop stars such as Sarkodie, 4×4 and Gasmillan have adopted the dance and arranged their musical beats to the movements of Azonto dancers.
The world has seen lots of Dance Craze creations ranging from break-dancing, the Macarena, the Twist and many more but few will beat the exhilarating vigour, dynamism and sheer creativity of Azonto.
Entertainment legal experts are therefore calling on the Ghanaian authorities to capitalize on the Azonto dance wave and protect it and use it to market the country.