BREAKING NEWS

So much TALENT in one room. The Hollywood Reporter  recently unveiled a simply beautiful cover of 6 of the most buzzed actresses who are racking Oscar buzz as the awards season approaches. And they are; Oprah Winfrey  – Lee Daniels’ The Butler Lupita Nyong’o  – 12 Years a Slave Julia Roberts  – August: Osage County Amy Adams  – American Hustle Emma Thompson  – Saving Mr. Banks Octavia Spencer  – Fruitvale Station They had a stunning photo shoot and had a roundtable conversation about life, acting, sacrifices and a whole lot more. by bella naija

Ever since he won the third season of Nigerian Idol, Moses Obi-Adigwe has gotten a few heads turning and will hopefully clear their doubts also in his new music video, “Number One”. by Onos O

The idea of Idris Elba polarises. To women, he’s a sex symbol. Handsome, tall, bearded and blessed with a pleasing to the ear British accent. To men he’s another of those figures we are somewhat envious of. To compensate for our inadequacies, we socialise ourselves into thinking that his sex appeal is responsible for the modest success he has earned. I used to like Mr Elba for no other reason than he was an Arsenal fan. And then he hosted a disastrous concert I attended in Lagos last Christmas. Whilst he was not at fault for the logistical flaws, his visible intoxication didn’t help. When I read that he was cast in the new Mandela bio pic, I was apathetic. The lines above were written before I saw the movie. Mr Elba, welcome to the A List. This is Will Smith in Ali, Denzel in Malcolm X, Jamie Foxx in Ray, Forrest Whittaker in Last King of Scotland territory. The stuff on which careers are defined and laurels won. The accent is close and the mannerisms and style of walking evolve o...

Big Brother Africa: The Chase  star  Beverly Osu  and her media personality friend  Denrele Edun  paid their last respect to the legend at his house in South Africa. by bella naija

Microsoft has offered a bizarre take on wearable technology with a controversial new ‘smart’ bra for women. Researchers  for the software giant claim the undergarment will stop women comfort eating when stressed. The hi-tech bra measures the wearer’s heart rate and breathing and alerts them when their stress levels are rising by sending a Bluetooth alert to their smartphone. Senior Microsoft researcher Mary Czerwinski hopes the bra will make women think twice before opening the fridge. ‘It’s mostly women who are emotional overeaters and it turns out a bra is perfect for measuring the heart,’ she told Discovery News. ‘We tried to do the same thing for men’s underwear but it was too far away.’ However, many seem less than impressed with Microsoft’s latest product, with one Twitter user asking: ‘The most sexist product ever invented? ‘

First Royal Events, the organisers of  Exquisite Face Of The Universe beauty pageant has announced that 2face Idibia and Tiwa Savage will be performing at the  Exquisite Face Of The Universe  finals holding on Saturday December 19 2013. The biggest African beauty pageant event, being staged in Nigeria for the first time will take place at the prestigious Eko Hotel & Suites by  6pm . 2face and Tiwa will join other performers at the Exquisite Face Of The Universe finale to serenade guests and contestants with some of their latest hit singles. 2Face Idibia, who is no stranger to beauty pageants, will be joined on stage by some of the beauty queens vying for the top prize. Continue... Recently wedded Tiwa Savage is also expected to perform her upbeat  Kele Kele Love  and the recent chart topper,  Eminado . Guests will be treated to an exciting dance competition by the exquisite beauty queens in addition to talent and fashion shows during...

For quite some time now, the Copyrights Society of Nigeria (COSON), has been harassing the Broadcasting Society of Nigeria (BON) and the Independent Broadcasting Society of Nigeria, IBAN, insisting that they pay royalties for playing the songs of Nigerian artists. COSON has dragged several radio and TV stations to court, demanding millions, sometimes billions of Naira in royalty. Well, it seems IBAN and BON have had enough. Two days ago, they announced the ban of all Nigerian artists registered with COSON. Meaning that they ordered the immediate stop to the airing of songs of artists who are COSON members. The artists include 2face Idibia, D'banj, Onyeka Onwenu, Iyanya, Banky W, Flavour, Ice Prince, Dr Sid, Olamide, 9ice, M.I, eLDee, Ruggedman, Wizkid, Asa, Waje, Omawumi and several others. In a statement released and signed jointly by the President and Secretary of IBAN, Sonny Adun and Guy Murray Bruce, the need for such a drastic step was due to "the antagonism and harassme...

JOHANNESBURG - A film based on the life of Nelson Mandela, “Long Walk to Freedom”, has became South Africa’s all-time highest grossing picture after its opening last week, production company Videovision Entertainment said Tuesday. The British-South African co-production, starring British actor Idris Elba as Mandela, has earned 4.4 million rand ($427,000, 315,000 euros) — shattering records previously held by blockbusters like “The Wolverine”, “Hangover 3″ and some locally produced films. South African producer Anant Singh said he was “extremely pleased with the audience reaction” and the emotional response to the two-and-a half-hour movie. Largely based on Mandela’s autobiography of the same title, “Long Walk to Freedom” traces the life of the revered leader from his childhood in the rural Eastern Cape, through his anti-apartheid activism and decades of incarceration, to his election as the country’s first black president in 1994. The film opened in the United States on N...

After the much buzzed about exit of young tech executive  Michael Ugwu   from   iROKING   in October, a CEO for the brand was yet to be named. Today BellaNaija received a release that  Jason Njoku , the original founder and CEO of iROKING and its sister company  iROKOtv , will now be at the helm of affairs for the brand. Read the press release sent out; iROKING, Nigeria’s leading digital music platform, announces that its new CEO is Jason Njoku. Njoku was the original founder and CEO of iROKING alongside his role at iROKOtv, the world’s largest online catalogue of Nollywood movies. Njoku will now return to take overall control of iROKING artist management, all aspects of music distribution, including YouTube, iTunes and Amazon distribution, and oversee platform partnerships with the likes of Mxit and Eskimi. Speaking on returning to a company he founded, Jason Njoku says: “What we’ve built with iROKING in its 23 month history is pretty incr...

The atmosphere was incredible, the people beautiful and the music was fantastic as  Johnnie Walker  hosted its  Step Up to the VIP  event which took place last Saturday on the 30th of November 2013. The guest turnout was fab as guests like  Toke Makinwa ,  Noble Igwe ,  Banky W ,  Huawa Mukan , and Ebuka Uchendu  came out to support the event. The space stayed true to the theme of the day as it had Formula1 accents were placed all around from the speed tunnel to the main hall where an F1 race car was placed at the center of the hall. There would be no event without music which was provided by Banky W,  Seyi Shay ,  Davido ,  D’banj  who gave electrifying performances and yes of course Wale. And that’s just the half of it as earlier that day there was a drive of a lifetime experience where 2-time F1 Champion,  Mika Hakkinen  wowed the city of Lagos with his driving skills in the  Johnnie ...

For failure to return to classrooms, the Senate of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) has sacked all academic staff on its payroll with immediate effect. The sack order was made known by the Public Relations Officers (PRO) of the institution, Mr Chike Ezenwa, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune in Owerri, through telephone. According to him, the senate of the university had declared all the positions of academic staff in the institution, adding that they would be advertised starting from Monday, December 2. The senate council, he explained, had already compiled the list of vacant positions in the school, adding that who were willing to resume would be adequately protected. Continue... Meanwhile, the FUTO branch of ASUU has said any attempt to break their ranks would be strongly resisted by their members. This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end o their meeting held on Monday, and signed by both the chairman and secretary, Dr Ikenna Nwachukwu and Dr F....

Coca-Cola has been around for over 100 years, since 1886. It was first used as medicine and was claimed to cure many ailments, including impotence. Through the years, Coca-Cola has become the most popular soft drink in the world, but, did you know it has other uses besides refreshing us on a hot day? 1) Defrosting A Windshield Tired of scraping off that pesky ice from your windshield during winter? Simply pour a can of Regular Coke over it and wait. You’ll be amazed! 2) Jellyfish Sting Have you ever heard that the only way to soothe a jellyfish sting is to pee on it? This is not only gross, but untrue. Instead, pour some Coca-Cola over the sting. The relief will be almost instantaneous. 3) Window Cleaner Coca-Cola contains citric acid, which makes it the perfect glass and window cleaner. No more harsh chemicals, just pour Coke over your windows and wipe them down with a moistened cloth. 4) Car Battery Terminals The crud that a...

Popular actress Liz Anjorin surprised many recently when photos of her on Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca surfaced online. She later announced that she was changing her religion from Christianity to Islam. She also dropped the name Elizabeth and announced that she would like to be addressed as Aisha, in light with her new religion. Liz has finally opened up about why she made the decision..  Liz tells City People  "It happened in a miraculous way which I have been expecting for long, not that I woke up yesterday and decided to change my religion. By birth, I was half Muslim and half Christian. My father was Christian while my mum was Muslim. Growing up I went to church because of my father. I didn't have a choice at the time but I have always had interest in Islam so immediately my father died I switched over to my mum's religion. It is a religion I love so much. Also Aisha is now my official name though Liz is still my name and I will continue to use the name to do movies. ...

PREMIUM TIMES Transcript: Stella Oduah armoured car scandal House Committee hearing (2) – Live Update Ini Ekott   The House of Representatives committee on Aviation, will today conclude hearing on the purchase of two armoured cars for the aviation minister, Stella Oduah, for N255 million. The hearing was adjourned from yesterday, Wednesday, to allow the aviation minister attend. The minister was expected at the Wednesday hearing but was absent because she was away in Israel for a bilateral air service agreement signing. The highlight of today’s hearing would be the minister’s appearance. Her absence at the hearing yesterday angered many lawmakers who said it would be her last opportunity to be heard. PREMIUM TIMES’ National Assembly correspondent, Ini Ekott, will provide you with updates as they unfold from the hearing room.  14:25 :  Hearing Ends. Thanks for following our updates. Do stick around our site for the rest of the day as we will put the proceeding in their...

Aliko Dangote is still an Oga at the Top! Yesterday Wednesday 30th October 2013, Forbes released its list of the most powerful people in the world. Business mogul Aliko Dangote makes the 64th position. The publication lists Aliko’s net worth as $ 16.1 Billion. He is still the richest man in Nigeria and Africa. Vladimir Putin , President of Russia takes the No. 1 spot on the 72-man list Also on the list are President of the United States Barack Obama (2), Pope Francis (4), German Chancellor/Backbone of the 27-member European Union Angela Merkel (5), Bill Gates (6), David Cameron (11), Warren Buffett (13), Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google (17) and Bill Clinton (43) By BellaNaija.com

 The remarkable 11 year old Nigerian girl has been named one of the most influential young people in Africa. (Zuriel Oduwole pictured above with Jamaican Prime Minister - Portia Simpson Miller) Her journey began about a year and a half ago, when this relatively quiet and unknown young ‘pre-teen’ girl, proudly Nigerian, but a true Pan-African child with parents from both Nigeria and Mauritius, began with a simple mission – to show the rest of the world that African leaders are capable of solving their own problems, such as managing a successful economic and social turnaround. Continue...

The 2013 Miss World pageant held today Saturday September 28th at Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center in Bali, Indonesia. Miss Philippines Megan Young (pictured left) beat 126 other contestants to win Miss World 2013. Miss France Marine Lorp helin was named runner-up, while Miss Ghana Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter (pictured right) came third. by linda ikeji

Diddy tops this year’s Forbes list of hip-hop’s top earners, pulling in $50m over the past 12 months - June 2012 - 2013. See the top 20 highest paid hip-hop artists below... 1.Diddy - $50million 2. Jay Z - $43million 3. Dr Dre - $40million 4. Nicki Minaj - $29million 5. Birdman - $21million 6. Kanye West - $20million 7. Lil Wayne - $16 million 8. Wiz Khalifa - $14million 9. Ludacris - $12 million 10. Pitbull - $11million Continue...

A 22 year old Chinese man named Xiaolian has had a new nose grown on his forehead after loosing his original nose in a car accident. Xiaolian had the treatment to create a replacement for his original nose which was infected and deformed following the accident in 2012 . He actually left his damaged nose unattended to after the accident which led to the infection and eventual deformity, leaving the surgeons unable to repair it. Surgeons in China were left with no option than to create another nose for the man to breathe properly and then transplant it to the original place. The nose was created by placing a skin tissue expander onto Xiaolian’s forehead. This was cut into the shape of a nose and was supported by cartilage taken from the man’s ribs. Continue...

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde took time out from her Italian vacation with her family for an appearance in London. The Nollywood star is scheduled to attend the I’m Going to Nollywood with Muyiwa show this evening at the Forum, Highgate Road, London, UK. Just before she dazzles on the red carpet, the star flaunted her easy chic ensemble as she made a stylish touchdown in London. Omosexy rocked a pink blouse, jeans, a beige bag and cream peep toes. She completed her look with gold hoop earrings, a gold bracelet and dark shades. By Damilare Aiki

The Ghanaian professor is known as “Africa’s father of the internet,” a web pioneer who helped establish some of the continent’s first online connections. In a fast revolving world, one thing we have become so heavily reliant on is the internet. It’s the one-stop shop for information worldwide. So how did Africa get on the train of the internet? Well, we all have a Ghanaian professor to thank for that. Nii Quaynor has been at the forefront of web development across the continent. According to international news media organization, CNN International , Quaynor “ is the first African to be elected to the board of ICANN, the internet corporation for assigned names and numbers. He’s also played an important part in launching the African Network Operators Group and AfriNIC, the African internet numbers registry. As a result, Quaynor was recently inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame, lauded as an instrumental figure “in the early design and development of the internet....

That’s a lot of pricey luggage. Nollywood superstar Genevieve Nnaji arrived in Toronto, Canada for the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival , where the movie adaptation of  Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie ‘s best selling book Half of a Yellow Sun will premiere. The star studded cast including Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anika Noni Rose and Genny are all expected to attend the premiere. Genny who recently made headlines for rocking a £5,370 Chanel “Lego” clutch ( Click here to read ), arrived Toronto in pricey style. She wore a chic sleeveless white blouse with black satin, black pants and black ankle strap heels. She styled the look with a pair of dark shades. Her chic look isn’t what’s getting the BellaNaija Style team talking but her travel luggage. Genny rocked a $16,950   Hermès Birkin bag and three Louis Vuitton travel luggage bags with a combined retail price of $9,800 By Damilare Aiki

The Skelewu crooner is currently in the US to perform some shows and of course attend his sister's wedding holding this weekend in Miami. While there, he decided to put diamonds in his Rolex watch. A watch like his is worth about $20/30, 000 + diamonds

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country will press forward with efforts to ward off military action by the U.S. and its allies against the Tehran-backed regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iranian state TV reported on Thursday. The report said the remarks came late Wednesday during a phone conversation between Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Rouhani was quoted as saying “military action will bring great costs for the region” and “it is necessary to apply all efforts to prevent it.” Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, chief of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, used stronger rhetoric while talking to the Tasnim news website, saying an attack on Syria would draw in Israel. “The Zionists should know that a U.S. military attack on Syria will not save the fake regime from the resistance but it means the immediate destruction of Israel,” Jafari was quoted as saying. According to the state TV report, President Rouhani said both...

Nine-time European champions  Real Madrid  have been paired with  Juventus  in the pick of Thursday afternoon's Champions League draw in Monaco.  Carlo Ancelotti's men and the current Serie A champions, who met in the final in 1998, have been joined by Galatasaray and Copenhagen in Group B. Barcelona and AC Milan will resume rivalries again after meeting four times in the last three seasons, with Lionel Messi inspiring the  Blaugrana  to a memorable comeback at the last 16 stage last time round. Joining them in an intriguing Group H is Ajax and Celtic. Arsenal face a difficult task in maintaining their record of consistently reaching the knockout stages after being joined in Group F by Marseille, Napoli, and last season's beaten finalists, Borussia Dortmund.  Elsewhere, holders Bayern Munich will take on Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City for the second time in three years, and Real Sociedad are rewarded for their play-off victory over Lyon ...

The three-time Champions League winner and four-time African Player of the Year is looking forward to getting started in west London… Welcome to Chelsea, what are your first impressions of being here? I am very happy to be here but also anxious because I want to get playing as soon as possible. It wasn't a hard decision. I saw the qualities Chelsea have, and I was very happy with Jose Mourinho before, so when the opportunity came, I was very happy to take it. Have you spoken to the manager, and what did he say to you? I've spoken to him quite a few times, but what was said is confidential! Have you always been keen on a move to England, after playing in other top leagues? I've had a couple of opportunities to come to England before, including the first time Jose was here, but it didn't work out for one reason or another. Since that time, I have had a career where I have been lucky enough to win a lot of trophies in different countries, but one of my la...

The 30-year-old French international capped off a magnificent year by being presented with the prestigious award following on from the draw for the Champions League group stages. Ribery was instrumental in Bayern's Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League treble in 2012/13 and was voted Uefa Player of the Year by the continents football journalists. The individual honour has been ran for the past three seasons, and was previously won by Messi in 2010/11 and club teammate Andres Iniesta the following year. Upon acceptng the award, Ribery said, "It’s a very special moment to be standing here this evening. I want to thank all of my team-mates from FC Bayern München, my family and my kids.” Ribery will have little time to celebrate the accolade as he'll soon be en route to Prague, where his Bayern side are preparing to take on Chelsea for the Uefa Super Cup tomorrow night. The former Marseille man has been at the Allianz Arena since 2007, over which time he's collected...

In a new interview, Kelly LeBrock reveals that her bitter divorce from Steven Seagal left her too afraid to leave her house. Now, she’s emerged after spending years in hiding, as she prepares for a return to Hollywood. Good for her! Steven Seagal & Kelly LeBrock’s Divorce Was ‘Ugly’ — Actress Reveals All “I admit, I became a hermit,” Kelly, 53, tells Daily Mail. “When I split with Steven, the divorce was very ugly, and details of the case were on the evening news. I didn’t want my kids seeing it, so I simply got rid of the TV. I moved my kids out of LA so they could grow up with real people—the kids of gas pump attendants, plumbers, and real family people.” Kelly says she suffered a horrendous incident at the hands of Steven in 1988. According to the actress, it changed their relationship forever and led to their “ugly” divorce. She continued, “I had absolutely no self-esteem. I hated myself. I decided to swap my old life in Beverly Hills for a new one...

Nigeria's Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar is set to remarry about a year after he lost his wife, Maryam Abubakar, to cancer in January 2012. The IGP will be engaging in a three-day wedding ritual to a popular 35 year-old Safiya according to sources close to the Mr. Abubakar. The wedding proper will take place on Septemeber 14, 2013. Saharareporters obtained a photo from a series of photos taken during a photo shoot in preparation for the grand wedding. by sahara reporters new york

Being healthy is more important to me than being acceptable to society” Beginning her sojourn into the entertainment industry as a model, the young Titi Oyinsan (nee Adelagun) found massive success from TV commercials, billboards and press campaigns. Having been in some iconic ads for Fanta, Close-Up toothpaste, Cowbell milk, True Love magazine, Coca-Cola and many more, Titi meteorically rose to fame. From TV commercials to presenting on Nigezie and Soundcity, the MBGN 2007 Miss Lagos soon became a media darling gaining her the nickname ‘Titi Fanta’. She also had stints as a music video model featuring in 2Face Idibia’s “Keep On Rockin’ ”, Shank’s “Julie”, the Freewindz’s “That Girl” and most recently in Lagbaja’s “Knock Knock Knock”. An on-air personality at Inspiration FM Lagos, Titi got married to a fellow on-air personality, Gbemileke Oscar Oyinsan of  City FM Lagos back in April 2012. Titi welcomed BN exclusively to her home ...