Famous American singer, Beyonce is set to headline the 2024 National Football League’s Christmas programming.

The singer in a post on her Instagram page, announced that she will be performing during the halftime show of Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens NFL game.

Beyonce’s performance at the match-up between Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens is anticipated to be the first live show to include her pivotal country album song, ‘Cowboy Carter’.

In 2013, Beyonce headlined NFL Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, and also in 2016, she performed during the championship game with Coldplay and Bruno Mars.

The 43-year-old recently became Grammy’s most nominated singer ever, after leading the pack for most chances at Grammy gold this season with 11.

Award-winning Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has stated that he once directed a movie without understanding its storyline.

Afolayan stated this while narrating his work experience at the third edition of KAP Film & Television Academy’s Reel Circle.

He narrated: “I was asked to direct something I know nothing about. I tried to bail out but I was convinced that I could do it. But I knew I didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t understand the storyline. It is an installation film; even at the time, I did not know what the installation film was.

“I read the script and I did not understand it. I called Biodun Aleja (may his soul rest in peace). He read it and said, ‘This is crazy,’ and then a few other people. I spoke to the person who introduced me to the project that, ‘Can I meet with the producer? Maybe if she shares her vision, I would get it.’

“Then he flew me to London and we sat for like two hours and she was talking. She showed me her showreel and I knew there was a problem because the showreel didn’t make sense. It was a complete abstract installation; people just doing weird things and I am a narrative director. Then I called the link and said, ‘I am not doing this. I would not even know what to say.’

“But he was like, ‘You have to do it; they are paying you $40,000.’ But I was like, ‘Let us do an adaptation of a scene.’ But even with it, I didn’t know what to adapt. But because Biodun Aleja was there—he studied Performing Arts, so his literature is stronger—and I was like, ‘Look, we have to find a way. They are flying us to Miami and Chicago; we cannot turn that down.’

“They did this and we went, we filmed in like the oldest museum. I was the director and there were five trucks of equipment. It’s like someone throwing you into the ocean and asking you to start swimming.

“Up till now, I did not understand the story. There was no story. If I watch it again, I am like, ‘What was the story?’ But guess what? They flew me in business class to five countries to premiere the film in 2007.”

Nigerian singer, Niniola has opened up about why she chose to remain an independent artist despite approaches from record labels.

She explained that she rejected offers from record labels to sign her because she’s mindful of the business side of music unlike some of her colleagues.

According to her, being an independent artist gives her creative freedom.

The ‘Maradona’ crooner spoke in a recent interview with TVC.

“I have been an independent artist for 10 years. There are pros and cons of signing with a record label. I have seen the business side of doing music which a lot of people don’t see, they just focused only on making music.

“Being an independent artist gives me the opportunity to also do what I want. I’m in charge of my creativity.

“A label wanted to sign me after my debut single but I was sceptical because I didn’t want anyone to switch my style. Because at that time, nobody was doing Afro-house. They can dictate what you do because they are the ones financing you.

“For me, creative freedom is one of the major pros of being an indie artist,” she said.

Niniola also disclosed that she’s an introvert but music brings out the extrovert in her.

The Nigerian gospel film industry is mourning the loss of one of its prominent figures, Moses Korede Are, popularly known as “Baba Gbenro” from the popular Mount Zion series Abattoir.

The actor’s death was announced by his colleague, Oluwaseun Adejumobi, who shared the sad news on his verified Instagram account on Thursday.

Adejumobi wrote, “Heaven’s Gain Again. A General Has Gone to Rest.”

Another tribute came from gospel actor Zoe Adeola, who posted on X, “Rest in peace, Baba Gbenro. Your role in Abattoir will definitely leave a great memory of you in our minds. So painful.”

Fondly known as Baba Gbenro, Korede Are was born on 11 June 1959. He grew up in Kano State, Nigeria, where he received part of his early education, later studying in Plateau State before moving to southwestern Nigeria for higher education.

After his studies, he completed his National Youth Service Corps programme in Jigawa State.

Baba Gbenro was the founder and International President of Calvary Movies Drama Ministry, based in Ogbomoso, Nigeria, which he established on 2 September 1995.

Through this ministry, he used drama evangelism to spread the gospel. He also served as the CEO of Calvary Movies Television, an online Christian streaming service dedicated to drama and evangelism.

Throughout his career, he collaborated with other notable figures in the gospel film industry, including Toluwalope Israel Adegbo and Evangelist Damilola Mike-Bamiloye.

His role in the series Abattoir cemented his legacy in gospel drama, where he became widely known as “Baba Gbenro.”

The controversial blogger and online activist, Vincent Otse, also known as Very Dark Man, has arrived at Ikeja High Court over the defamatory suit leveled against him.

It was gathered that VDM arrived at the court on Thursday in Edo attire with his fans cheering him on.

He is facing a defamatory lawsuit filed against him by Mr Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, Folarin, also known as Falz.

Recall that the court had on October 14 ordered VDM to bring down the alleged defamatory video that he made on Sept. 24 against the SAN and his son.

The court had also ordered the service of originating summons to VDM through his lawyer, Mr Deji Adeyanju within 14 days.

Famous music executive, Banky W has said that Wizkid started his career as a studio rat.

Banky W stated this while reflecting on Wizkid’s early struggles before fame.

In a viral video on social media, Banky W, who was pivotal in launching Wizkid’s career through his record label, Empire Mates Entertainment, EME, disclosed that Wizkid spent hours hanging around various studios because he couldn’t afford studio time.

The music executive who described the afrobeat star as a studio rat, acknowledged the singer’s commitment and skill.

“Wizkid for a long time in his life was not fortunate enough to afford studio time.

“So he was a studio rat as he will go to any studio where they will let him hang out and he will hang out all day waiting, hoping and praying that engineers and producers to just pity him and say oya, come and record for 15 or 30 mins because he could not pay for his session.

“So, all day long, he would be working on hooks and melodies and just coming up with things in case he was given the opportunity to jump on the mic for five minutes.

“He didn’t have time to think about what to write at the moment, so that became his process.

“And now he is one of the fastest songwriters that I have ever encountered in my life, he will just sit, listen, and start freestyling a melody that would become a song that the whole world would want to sing. That is where the name Wiz started from,” he said.

French and Dutch authorities raided Netflix’s offices in Paris and Amsterdam on Tuesday as part of a tax fraud investigation, a judicial source told AFP.

The search of “various locations” in France by specialist financial investigators relates to suspicions of “covering up serious tax fraud and off-the-books work” and is part of an investigation opened in November 2022, the source said.

Netflix’s Amsterdam headquarters for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa was also searched by a joint team of French and Dutch officials.

“French and Dutch authorities have been cooperating on this criminal case for many months,” the source said.

Netflix is under investigation in France for its tax filings for 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The company did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment on Tuesday.

Netflix stated last year that it complies with tax laws in all countries where it operates, following media reports about the investigations.
The French outlet La Lettre A reported that until 2021, Netflix’s French operation was structured so that all subscribers were signed up through a Dutch subsidiary, which allegedly minimised its tax bill.

This left Netflix paying less than one million euros ($1.1 million at current rates) in taxes to France in 2019 and 2020, despite having around seven million French subscribers.

Authorities are now investigating whether Netflix continued to use illegal strategies to reduce its reported profits and, consequently, its tax obligations, La Lettre A added.

The French subsidiary reported very low operating margins compared to its US parent company in 2021 and 2022, paying just 6.5 million euros in taxes on its 2022 profits.

However, the practice of billing a significant share of revenue to entities outside France constitutes a “tax optimisation strategy that is legal” under certain conditions, according to La Lettre A.

Netflix earned over $9.8 billion in revenue worldwide from its 282 million subscribers in July-September this year, with net profit reaching $2.4 billion.

The company launched in France just over 10 years ago and now has 10 million households subscribed.

Netflix asserts that it adheres to local laws on commissioning French content, pays the full rate of VAT, and contributes to a film industry levy.

In 2023, the company said it invested 250 million euros in producing French content, including 50 million euros for feature films.

Its popular French productions include the “Lupin” series starring Omar Sy, a modern reimagining of Maurice Leblanc’s classic stories of “gentleman thief” Arsène Lupin—France’s answer to Britain’s Sherlock Holmes. The show broke into Netflix’s top 10 most-watched shows in 70 countries, according to the platform.

Nollywood actress and producer, Ufuoma McDermott, has shared her experience with Stage 4 kidney disease, revealing how her struggles with chronic pain and drug abuse nearly claimed her life.

In an exclusive interview with Media Personality, Chude Jideonwo, McDermott disclosed that her health challenge began after losing her younger brother to kidney disease.

She said she was later diagnosed with Stage 3 kidney disease, which progressed to Stage 4 due to her delay in seeking treatment.

McDermott attributed her kidney disease to years of ingesting excessive painkillers.

She said in part, “I had pushed my body and I was borderline stage 4. Last year was a very very trying time in my life where I thought I was gonna die. I have battled chronic kidney disease for about 12 years now.”

Social media personality Okuneye Idris, popularly known as Bobrisky, was removed from an Amsterdam-bound KLM flight and detained by immigration officers late on Thursday night while attempting to leave the country.

The popular cross-dresser posted on his Instagram page to alert followers about the arrest, stating that he had sustained injuries during an altercation with the immigration officers.

Bobrisky alleges that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is responsible for his detention.

He wrote, “Nigerians help me, EFCC just arrested me. I’m badly injured.”

On 22 October, Bobrisky was intercepted at the Sème border while allegedly attempting to flee the country.

The controversy surrounding Bobrisky began in April 2024, when he was sentenced to six months in prison by the Federal High Court in Lagos for naira abuse.

Although he was officially incarcerated at Kirikiri Prison, reports later alleged that Bobrisky spent only three weeks in the facility before being discreetly moved to a private location.

This sparked widespread speculation that his early release and special treatment were facilitated through bribery, with accusations of a 15 million naira payment made to officials to secure his transfer and preferential conditions.

The situation escalated in late September 2024 when social media influencer VeryDarkMan posted an audio recording allegedly involving Bobrisky.

In the leaked recording, Bobrisky purportedly claimed that music artist Falz and his father, human rights lawyer Femi Falana, had approached him during his imprisonment, seeking ₦10 million to secure a presidential pardon.

In response, Falana and Falz issued a cease-and-desist letter on 16 October 2024, demanding a retraction and public apology for what they described as defamatory statements.

Bobrisky, however, denied making these claims, stating he was not responsible for the leaked content and urging the Falanas to hold VeryDarkMan accountable instead.

Football superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed his favourite singer between Davido and Wizkid.

This comes after Ronaldo in a viral video on social media vibed to Asake’s hit song “Active” featuring American rapper, Travis Scott.

However, creating content on his YouTube page, he was asked to pick his favorite between Davido and Wizkid.

Giving his honest answer, Ronaldo picked Davido ahead of Wizkid.

A check on the singers’ Instagram page confirmed that Davido and Ronaldo are following each other while Wizkid is not following anyone on Instagram.

The rivalry between the Nigerian singers has been the longest in the industry as their fans are always fighting themselves on who is the best.

Suspended Nollywood actress, Nkechi Blessing has tendered a public apology to
the Theater Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners of Nigeria, TAMPAN, over her past criticism.

TAMPAN is the umbrella body of Yoruba actors and filmmakers in Nigeria.

The apology comes 3 years after her suspension following her online altercation with actor, Lege Maimi over Baba Ijesha’s alleged child abuse case.

Blessing with colleague Iyabo Ojo’s campaign against Baba Ijesha led to backlash from some TAMPAN members, including Yomi Fabiyi and Lege Maimi.

Reacting to the public chaos, veteran actor Jide Kosoko barred directors from working with Iyabo Ojo and Blessing prompting her to mock the association’s decision.

However, speaking on Sunday at the 2024 Celebrities Entertainment Awards in Canada, Nkechi Blessing publicly apologised to TAMPAN amidst tears.

In a viral video on social media, she said, “I am so sorry for all that I did. I’m begging from the bottom of my heart that I miss the industry. You all made me who I am today. I’m being celebrated all over the world because of you. Please, I’m sorry.”

In response, TAMPAN’s president, Mr Latin, acknowledged her apology bringing a sense of resolution to the situation while actor Odunlade Adekola praised her for the public apology.

Recall that Baba Ijesha was sentenced to prison by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of Ikeja Special Offences Court in July 2022, after over 12 months of trial.

Skit maker, Nasty Blaq has bemoaned the rate at which singer Davido is getting “disrespected” online.

Blaq lamented that the DMW boss is getting “way too much” disrespect.

He claimed that people were taking advantage of his kindness.

On his X handle, he wrote, “The disrespect davido is getting is way too much sha, man just wants to help people and that’s all.”

Nasty Blaq’s post was against the backdrop of content creator, Korty EO, calling out Davido and his team for allegedly ordering her not to post an interview video she shot with the singer after initially granting her permission.

“They [Davido’s team] agreed that I should re-edit this video and now have said I must not post the video for reasons I still don’t understand. I am not scared of anyone, but I am wise enough to stay out of battles I’m not equipped for,” she wrote.

“I’ve filmed so many artists who eventually tell me not to post the video. If you don’t want people to see you for who you are, please do not come on my show. Stop wasting my time.”

Controversial street-pop singer, Portable, has resumed fighting with his baby mama, Actress Ashabi Simple on social media.

Portable blasted the actress for showing him what he described as fake love barely a month after welcoming their second child together.

Ashabi had praised herself in a video shared on Instagram. She tagged herself as “a blessed, happy, determined, peaceful and grateful woman”.

Portable, who was triggered by the post, took to the comment section to blast Ashabi for praising herself, noting that she got pregnant for him because of her quest for fame.

He wrote; “You dey look for fame that is why you born for star. No dey use your own fake love dey spoil real love for me.

“Your leg no good oo, you need prayer.”

Ashabi and Portable unfollowed each other in January 2024, following the actress’s interview on ‘Talk to B’ podcast.

Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, has slammed the convener of Bring Back Our Girls Movement, Aisha Yesufu, over her advocacy for women’s liberation.

Kuti blasted the activist while recounting how he disagreed with her stance on women’s freedom during a TV show.

Condemning Yesufu for advocating for the liberation of Nigerian women while putting on Hijab, the musician argued that embracing Islamic or Christian practices leads to abandoning African identity.

Seun in a post on his official page said
“It’s the Africanness in us that is helping your European behaviour. That is why Aisha Yesufu and I engaged in an argument on TV, she wan dey talk anyhow, and I told her father off.

“Once you are a Christian or Muslim, you have abandoned Africanness. That one tied hijab saying she wanted to liberate Nigerian women. Mherfker liberates yourself from your Hijab first.”

Nigerian gospel artiste Damilare ‘Dare Melody’ Odunuga’s wife, Adedoyin Odunuga, has died.

She was reported dead on Thursday.

“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we inform you of the transition to eternal rest of our beloved mother, wife, sister, and friend,” Dare Melody said on Instagram.

Dare Melody had often publicly celebrated his wife’s unwavering support and shared life.

In February 2023, the singer gifted his wife a new house as a birthday present.

Dare Melody is considered a prominent figure in Nigerian gospel music. His praise and worship songs, including hits like ‘Damilare’ and ‘Alade Ogo’ have resonated with many people.

Dare Melody has often sung about faith in times of trial.

In one of his songs, ‘Eleti Gbaroye’, he reflected on God’s listening ear and ability to comfort in moments of pain.

Nigerian singer and activist, Folarin Falana, professionally known as Falz, has warned popular social media critic, VeryDarkMan, that he will get the trouble he is looking for.

Falz said this while speaking for the first time about the ongoing legal battle between him and VeryDarkMan.

The legal battle followed a leaked voice recording of crossdresser Bobrisky narrating how Falz and his father, Femi Falana, who is a human rights lawyer, allegedly contacted him over a N10 million presidential pardon during his six-month jail term for naira abuse.

The audio which was leaked on social media by VeryDarkMan generated diverse reactions from netizens.

Reacting to the backlash, Falz in a lawsuit explained that Bobrisky was the one who reached out to him to seek financial assistance.

However, speaking in a now trending interview on the Afro Beats podcast, Falz on Wednesday noted that VeryDarkMan lacks proof for his allegations.

While frowning at VeryDarkMan’s failure to tender a public apology, the singer threatened that he will give him the trouble that he is looking for.

“When I reached out to him over the audio, this guy was instantly defensive from the beginning; I’m like bro, try and listen. What are you instantly fighting about?

“And he said without mincing words, ‘shebi you are a lawyer, you can go to court’.

“I will have him know that there is a criminal angle to defamation, but I chose not to go that way. He could have been arrested because what you posted is absolutely false and I need you to take it down and tender an apology within a certain amount of time and what did he do? Nothing.

“I don’t know if it portrays him as a hero. He didn’t apologise, and people are trying to peddle me as an oppressor. So if you say you want to find trouble, that is my work. If you insist that’s what you are looking for, let’s go.”

Afrobeats singer, Ayra Starr, has lamented about the effects of her busy schedule as an artist on her looks.

The songstress said despite being born in 2002, she already feels “old.”

She revealed that she had met people born in the 90s who were younger and more vibrant than her.

Starr spoke to Rode in Nairobi, Kenya.

“I have met people who were born in the 90s and they’re so vibrant and so young. I’m old and I was just born in 2002,” she lamented.

“I want to stay home, I want to sleep.”

On what inspires her creative process, the singer said, “I feel like the more I make music, the more I recognise what my path is and what I’m trying to do.”

A Deputy Comptroller of the Nigerian Correctional Services, NCoS, Emby Anukwara, has disclosed that crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky, was kept in a ‘privilege cell’ during his jail term in Kirikiri Prison.

He explained that Bobrisky was sent to the privilege cell because he was examined and found to have both male and female sex organs.

The deputy comptroller disclosed this at the correctional centre while addressing members of the House of Representatives investigative committee.

The committee had visited the facility as part of their investigative hearing into the allegations against Bobrisky.

A Lagos Court had sentenced Bobrisky to six months in prison for naira mutilation.

But recordings of a conversation leaked by social media sensation, Martins Ortse aka VeryDarkMan, suggested that Bobrisky never served his jail term at Kirikiri prison as ordered by the court.

In the audio, the crossdresser said he served his jail term in a lodge due to the influence of his ‘godfather’.

However, an investigative panel has said there was no evidence that Bobrisky slept outside the prison during his six-month jail term.

However, the officer while addressing the House of Representatives committee, said: “I am Emby Anukwara, Deputy Comptroller of Corrections and officer in charge of Medium when Bobrisky was brought in here.

“On the April 12, 2024, Bobrisky was brought here at about 10:30 pm and at about that time, we could not do the necessary documentation.

“So knowing his history as to if he’s a male or female, we decided to take a proactive action; so I directed that he should be given a single cell in the privilege ward – privilege cell.

“He was taken to P-ward room 2 where we are. The next day when we did the admission, he was taken to medicals where the doctor and matron examined him and said he had a male and female organ.”

Controversial crossdresser, Okuneye Idris, otherwise known as Bobrisky, is currently in detention at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos State, where he spent the night in a cell at the police facility.

A source, who confirmed the development to our correspondent, said further directives were being awaited regarding Okuneye’s case, adding that he was taken to the FCID for safekeeping following his arrest by officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service during his attempt to exit the country through the Seme border.

The source said, “Bobrisky was brought to the FCID, Alagbon, around 10 p.m. on Monday. Immigration arrested him at Seme Boarder and brought him for safekeeping.

“He is in detention at the FCID, Alagbon. He was arrested on Sunday, detained overnight, and taken to the FCID, Alagbon, around 10 pm on Monday. He is still at the FCID.”

Confirming Okuneye’s detention, the spokesperson for the FCID, Lagos, Mayegun Aminat, during a conversation with our correspondent on Tuesday, said, “He is detained at FCID Alagbon. He is with us and we are to get a remand to keep him in custody today.”

It was reported that the spokesperson for the NIS, Kenneth Udo, in a statement on Monday evening, described Okuneye as a person of interest over recent issues of public concern.

“In keeping with its commitment to securing the borders, Nigeria Immigration Service intercepted Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, otherwise known as Bobrisky at the Seme Border over an attempt to exit the country.

“He is undergoing interrogation and will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action. The Service assures the public that it will continue to be civil and professional in its statutory responsibility of manning the country’s borders,” Udo said.

Sean ‘P Diddy‘ Combs, the hip-hop mogul, is seeing a rise in streaming numbers despite facing growing s*x trafficking allegations and being dropped from several radio station playlists.

Mr Combs is grappling with more than a dozen allegations bordering on sx trafficking, sxual abuse, assaults and racketeering conspiracy.

Despite the gravity of these charges and his growing alienation from the entertainment world, his music has experienced an unexpected rise in streaming numbers.

Mr Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, was indicted last month and is currently appealing his detention in a Brooklyn jail.

His songs have been removed from major radio playlists, and his reputation in the music world has taken a nosedive, which is evident in his exclusion at the Grammy Awards, where he once reigned supreme.

Nevertheless, platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have seen a notable rise in streaming his songs. In the past year, his Spotify following has grown by about 15 per cent, from 1.5 million to 1.8 million, according to Chartmetric.

Mr Combs’ hit song ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ has now garnered 622,297,503 streams on Spotify, solidifying its place as one of his most successful tracks on the platform.

In the week leading up to his September 16 arrest, his music catalogue garnered 3.2 million streams in the U.S. Following his arrest, that figure surged by 50 per cent, rising to 4.8 million, according to data from Luminate, which tracks music streaming statistics.

This jump in streams occurred despite the mounting legal challenges surrounding him.

While support for the artiste has fluctuated across social media platforms, TikTok users have rallied in his defence, using the hashtag #FreeDiddy over 12,000 times.

Similar support has emerged on Instagram, with the hashtag being used over 5,000 times.

This loyalty contrasts with the damning media reports, including a leaked video of Mr Combs allegedly assaulting Cassie in 2016 and federal raids on his homes earlier this year.