To Nigerians in Nigeria or Diaspora - Let's Get to It!

If Nigeria is a game, are we on the same team? If we are, then let's start acting like that. It's time to get out there, and get to it! Done't stop believing, create a better dream and keep going, and keep going. What will we create that'll make Nigeria more awesome? Nothing if we sit here, talking and doing nothing. This is your time, this is my time, this is OUR time. We can make Nigeria a better one for each other. If we're on the same team, let's act like it. We have work to do, we can cry about it, or we can dance about it. We can get out there, and get to it!

Above is paraphrased from the video below. I did a little blog round today and saw that Atilola's post I'd read last week got a response from T-Notes, one that tugged at my heartstrings. And then I saw this video at Didi's, and it said everything I had been trying to say on Naijalines post, but in a much cooler way. I can't beat the kid president, I guess. Hear him...

Date Night Movie Review - Ije (The Journey)

When it comes to deciding which Nollywood movies to watch, I can find no more excellent recommender than Myne. If she says "I'm going to look for any Nollywood movie to watch", then that's my cue to stay as far away as I can from the movie. On the other hand, if she says "There's this specific movie which I heard about that I want to watch", then I ask her to shift and make room for me beside her, because I know that it's going to be a good movie. Unfortunately for a wannabe fan like me, there are too few of the latter kind of movie.

So I was very happy when I heard that Ije, a movie that Myne had expressed a very definite interest in the past, was now available to watch. I promptly sat myself down next to her and we started watching.

The movie is about Anyanwu Opara (played by Omotola Jalade Ekeinde) who is being tried in the US for the murder of her white husband, and her sister Chioma (played by Genevieve Nnaji) who flies to the States to assist in her defence. Chioma meets a lawyer, Jalen, who agrees to defend Anyanwu, and a friendship grows between them while Jalen tries to put together a defence for Anyanwu.

Banky W - February Man Candy #3

Menu Ideas - Chili with Rice and Tomato Stew

What we call chili over here is very close to our beans stew, but made with more tomato paste, minced meat and a variety of vegetables and spices. I will be sharing the full recipe soon. On this occasion, I combined it with our traditional white rice and stew for a very hearty meal topped of with chicken. Enjoy.

Tuning in to the Superbowl XLVII for Beyonce?

When it seemed like there was genuine odds that the Seattle Seahawks would make it to the Super Bowl, the excitement in these parts was palpable. Even uninformed I was caught up and I was cheering them on. They didn't make it and the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens are the team of the day. So with no horse in the race, the half-time show is my draw to the Superbowl this year.

The buzz has been on for months, then Beyonce addressed a media conference a couple of days ago, now the big day is tomorrow. I have blogged about how I love the commercials, and the ones I'm rooting for, but I just saw some rehearsal videos for Beyonce's performance, and I'm also looking very much forward to that.

I wonder what her performance will be like, what songs she will perform and whether Jay-Z will join her on stage? I have seen both large and intimate Beyonce performances, but for the Super Bowl, I'm guessing she'll go big. I'll like my favorites, I was Here, Four, Love and Top, and other Ballads from her last album, but more likely she'll perform songs like Countdown, Run The World, and Bodied :)

Check out these rehearsal videos and some promo pics;

Blast from the Past: Awolowo and HID on Wedding Day

This picture is an amazing memorabilia. It's of of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his wife HID Awolowo on their wedding day, 26th December, 1937. Most of us know about Awo's political exploits, but less about his wife. She looks so meek and mild here, right? But she went on to be just as ambitious and achieveing as her famous husband. And she lives on.

A few days after her 92nd birthday [she's now 97] she granted an interview talking about the first days after she met her late husband, around 1934. “In those days,” she recalled, “a man would propose to you in writing. Obafemi wrote a letter to me that he was in love with me and wanted to marry me.” [How sweet :)]

Wisdom teaches that women are like diplomats. Do not expect a straight answer from them to such a request. They would never say yes. They would say “No” when they actually mean “Maybe” and “Maybe” when they mean “Yes.” So it was that young Hannah said “No” which late graduated to a “Maybe.” At this point, young Obafemi knew he had won the battle.

Praiz + Seyi Shay in "For You" Valentine Special

With the Valentine’s Season already upon us this year, LOVE is definitely in the air as usual and as we are in a period for sharing love gifts, Nigerian musician, PRAIZ has two gifts especially for his fans and music lovers this year.

First is a duet with the Seyi Shay titled “For You” produced by Dekumzy. The duo harmonizes vocals on a mid-tempo highlife beat giving it a touch of sensuality. Then there's the Wilson J’adore Joel-produced R&B/soul cut titled “I Miss You”.

Praiz will will be releasing his debut album this year, and it features some of the biggest Nigerian musicians with production from Cobhams Asuquo, Tee-Y Mix, Wole Oni and Praiz himself among others. Listen and download the singles below;

Ramsey Nouah - February Man Candy #2

This February, I am making an album of sexy Nigerian male celebrities. It is my Valentine Ode to the handsome and hardworking Nigerian men on the entertainment or sports scene. First up was Lynxx, Nigerian Musician.

#2 is Ramsey Nouah, Nollywood Actor.

Whitney Houston Gets Grammy Special for Anniversary

Grammy organizers plan to mark the first anniversary of the sudden death of Whitney Houston with a behind-the-scenes TV show on how they scrambled to honor the singer just 24 hours after she died.

The Recording Academy said on Thursday that the hour-long special entitled "The Grammys Will Go On: A Death in the Family" will air on February 9, the day before the 2013 Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Houston, who sold hundreds of millions of records and scored the mega hits "I Will Always Love You" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," drowned in a bathtub at a Beverly Hills hotel room on February 11 2012 - the eve of last year's Grammy Awards show.

How to Make Chin-Chin with Eggs and Milk

Chin Chin is one of Nigeria's favorite pastries. It is made from short crust pastry mixture and then deep fried. The result is usually crunchy, but you can switch up the ingredients to have a more textured and soft outcome. I prefer mine not too crunchy, so I use eggs, and more milk, butter and sugar. There is no rising, or baking, rolling and cutting the dough is the only complicated part of the process.

Ingredients
2 eggs
500g of Plain Sieved Flour
75ml of 2% milk
150g of sugar
150g of butter
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
1/2 a teaspoon  of baking powder
1/2 a teaspoon  of Lion Curry mixed spices
Vegetable Oil (enough to deep fry or half your pot)