Nigerian Times

Chiwetel Ejiofor Rumored For Villain Role In 'Bond' Flick Speculation is building about who might be cast as James Bond's nemesis in the 24th installment of the long-running film series. Tweet

Anthony Quinn (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001) remains one of the greatest actors of all time and one of my favourites.    Anthony Quinn as Eufemio Zapata with Marlon Brando's Emiliano Zapata in Viva Zapata! (1952) Unknown to most people, Quinn’s record as the first and only actor so far to win an Academy Award for the shortest period of acting remains unbroken and it was for his 8 minutes role as the iconic painter Paul Gauguin in Vincente Minnelli's van Gogh biographical film, Lust for Life (1956). Quinn was the first Mexican American to win an Oscar when he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice: for Viva Zapata! in 1952 and Lust for Life in 1956. The first one was as Marlon Brando’s brother in Elia Kazan's Viva Zapata!   I loved Quinn best as as Hamza in Mohammad, Messenger of God, 1976, and one of his greatest roles as Omar Mukhtar in Lion of the Desert, 1981, about the real-life Bedouin leader Omar Mukhtar who fought Benito Mussolini's It...

When the shoot finally began, the drama didn't stop. "Myself and several members of my crew and cast got typhoid. Some even had malaria. Thandie Newton got typhoid too, but she was incredible. She was really suffering but didn't take a single day off work. It was like she was possessed by God knows what. The experience of shooting was tough, but every single day I woke up and wanted to be on set, because you just didn't know what was going to happen." Chiwetel Ejiofor as "Odenigbo" with Onyeka Onwenu as "Mama". See Photo gallery of over 40 images from "Half af a Yellow Sun" . Read the full report on http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/19/biyi-bandele-half-yellow-sun-interview . Tweet

Majid Michel on Nollywood’s success Nollywood actor Majid Michel talks about the African film industry’s success. Nollywood, Nigeria's booming film industry has been noted as one of the key contributors that helped in boosting Nigeria to overtake South Africa as Africa's largest economy. "Nigeria has moved to be the largest economy by GDP size in Africa and has moved to be the 26th largest economy in the world," finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said. "On a per capita basis, Nigeria is number 121 in the world. So, we have a total GDP size where we have moved up to 26th," the former World Bank managing director added. The widely expected results are based on calculations taking into account a range of new sectors and industries that were negligible or non-existent in 1990. They include the mobile telephones market - Africa's largest - music and the hugely popular local film industry, Nollywood. ~ The Telegraph of UK . The Telegraph note...

The World Premiere of "Invasion 1897" is scheduled for the first weekend of June, 2014, to celebrate the Nigeria Centenary in Benin City, the centre of the historical epic in Edo State. “Invasion 1897” has been endorsed by endorsed by the Benin monarch, Oba Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolopolo Erediauwa 1, Crown Prince Eheneden Eradiauwa of Benin Royal Dynasty Trust, Sir. Chief (DR) Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the Esama of the Benin Kingdom, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC) and the Obong of Calabar, HRH Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Out. There will be international premieres in over 30 selected countries; including the UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil. Followed by a school tour of selected colleges and universities in Nigeria and abroad with Art Exhibitions of the bronze artworks, including a boat made in bronze, the first in the world. The Nigeria Centenary epic film "Invasion 1897" has been strategical...

XSCAPE-Long Awaited New Music From Michael Jackson Out On Epic Records May 13  Epic Chief L.A. Reid Teams Up With Top Producers To "Contemporize" Songs From Iconic Artist's Archive NEW YORK, March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 13, Epic Records, in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson, will release XSCAPE, an album of new music by the internationally beloved music icon and King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The project features eight new tracks, which the world will be hearing for the very first time on the new album. For the ultimate fan experience, XSCAPE will also be available in a Deluxe Edition, which includes all of the sourced Michael Jackson recordings in their original form. The XSCAPE standard and Deluxe Edition's are available for pre-order beginning April 1 on iTunes.com/MichaelJackson and elsewhere, and available at all retailers worldwide on May 13. XSCAPE is executive produced by Epic Records Chairman and CEO L.A. Reid, who, after an ...

Top 10 eCommerce Facts About Nigeria According to the World Bank, 32.9% of the population in Nigeria was dependent on the technologies of this age like, High-speed Internet, Broadband and LTE Broadband amongst others, as of 2012. Nigeria ranks 8th out of a total of 212 member countries of United Nations in terms of number of internet users. Contrastingly, it occupies 128th spot in terms of internet penetration. Although, the number of internet users in Nigeria are more in absolute terms but internet penetration in percentage terms is much lower than other African countries. According to Internet World Stats, there were 55.9 million Internet users, representing 32.9% of the population of Nigeria in 2012. During the same year, number of Facebook users totaled to 6.6 million, being the most popular internet activity amongst Nigerians. According to World Economic Forum, out of every 100 urban Nigerians, 50 access the internet monthly, 58 have internet capable mobile phones and 21...

Using Black Magic in Nollywood By Daring Filmmaker C.J. “Fiery” Obasi Why I Shot My Horror Feature OJUJU on the Black Magic Cinema Camera By C.J. “Fiery” Obasi I shot about 50% of my upcoming feature film on the Black Magic Cinema Camera. My verdict? It is a brilliant camera. Like many filmmakers and tech geeks I was waiting for an opportunity to use the BMCC, way before it was even released. Soon as I got the opportunity, I embraced it with both hands. Literally. First, I was making a horror feature film OJUJU on a budget (mostly without a budget), and I had weighed first my pocket, obviously and the cons that come with shooting with a typical high-end digital camera such as a Red-Epic or an Arri Alexa without having access to world-class post-production equipment. In my experience, besides the fact that they can afford it (I couldn’t) most filmmakers in Nigeria shoot on a RED because they want crisp pictures, and that’s fine. For me though, I wanted to shoot on a RED bec...

Legendary Broadcast Journalist Tom Brokaw to Narrate IMAX® Theater Film "D-Day: Normandy 1944" 3D Entertainment Distribution To Release Film Worldwide As Of March 2014 LOS ANGELES and PARIS and LONDON, Jan. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- 3D Entertainment Distribution announced today that legendary journalist and author Tom Brokaw will narrate "D-Day: Normandy 1944," written and directed by Pascal Vuong and produced by N3D LAND Films. The 40-minute film brings a new perspective to a monumental event in history that changed the world. It is slated for a staggered release worldwide in 3D and 2D, 15-perf./70-mm film and digital formats beginning in March 2014. "What I was drawn to in this exceptional giant screen film is that it tells the story of D-Day in a manner that gives such clarity to one of the most important events in the history of mankind," said Brokaw. "By using digital technology, as well as stunning live-action images, audiences have an ide...

Making the Anti-Hollywood Movie with John Putch April 1, 2014, 11:30 am PDT Join longtime DCS member, Director John Putch as he teaches how to make an independent film on a budget, sharing tips and tricks for both pre and post production that go against the Hollywood norm. For more information and to register, visit: http://moviola.com/webinars/making-the-anti-hollywood-movie/ . Tweet

Cover Photo Shoots - How Did You Feel the First Time You Saw Yourself on Film? Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, Brie Larson, and the rest of the stars on our Hollywood Issue cover tell Krista Smith. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o, leading stars of the multiple award winning Best Film at the Oscars "12 Years a Slave". The film won three Academy Awards: Best Picture (becoming the first film made by a black director or producer to receive the Academy's highest honor). Tweet

Audience Entertainment Partners with Barco Alliance to Revolutionize the Future of Cinema, Offering Interactive Global Network in Thousands of Movie Theaters Worldwide NEW YORK, March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Audience Entertainment, the leading innovator in interactive group gaming, and global digital cinema pioneer Barco, Inc. (NYSE EBR: BAR) have announced a strategic partnership, creating a new interactive technology platform for moviegoers called iD - Interactive Dimension™. iD builds upon digital projection and 3D technology to create a new cinema environment allowing moviegoers to physically connect and control the screen's content the moment they take their seat. The partnership marks the start of the rollout of Audience Entertainment's technology as an integral experiential component of Barco's newly announced CinemaBarco entertainment concept to 3,000 screens globally in North America, China, Western Europe and Latin America. Barco and Audience Entertainment a...

Mountain Dew Joins X-MEN: Days of Future Past Universe With Official Partnership Mountain Dew(R) Joins X-MEN: Days of Future Past Universe With Official Partnership. (PRNewsFoto/PepsiCo). PURCHASE, N.Y., March 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- #DEWXMENDOFP – Mountain Dew® today announced an official international-wide partnership with 20th Century Fox's X-MEN: Days of Future Past, this summer's most eagerly awaited blockbuster, signaling the start of a robust campaign that will see Mountain Dew bring fans around the world closer to the film. With a star-studded international cast including Hugh Jackman , James McAvoy , Michael Fassbende r, Jennifer Lawrence , Halle Berry , Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart led by Director Bryan Singer , the seventh film in the X-MEN franchise unites stars from across the X-MEN generations for an epic cinematic journey of good versus evil. Building on more than a decade of successful entertainment partnerships, Mountain Dew is launching its ...

Orikinla Offered Residency at the Famous Tyrone Guthrie Centre Award winning Nigerian artist and writer Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, aka Orikinla Osinachi has been offered residency at the famous Tyrone Guthrie Centre for creative artists at Annaghmakerrig, Ireland. Orikinla started writing professionally at 18 as a scriptwriter for the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Channel 10 in Lagos in the early 1980s and his drawings for books have been exhibited in Japan when he was 20. He is the author of Children of Heaven (1987), Scarlet Tears of London (2006), Bye, Bye Mugabe (2008), In the House of Dogs (2011), Diary of the Memory Keeper (2013), The Prophet Lied (2013), co-author of Na-ked Beauty (2006), The Language of True Love (2006) and also the most prolific African blogger with over 30 blogs of which the most popular is Nigerians Report Online and Publisher/Editor of Nollywood Mirror, the most circulated publication on Nollywood in paperback, hardcover and Amazon Kindle. He s...