Messi Wins 4th Ballon D'Or

The Barcelona forward has superseded Marco van Basten and Johan Cruyff and looks certain to win more world player awards.

Lionel Messi won his fourth successive Ballon d'Or after a glorious 2012 with Barcelona and Argentina.

Lionel Messi finished 2012 on 91 goals in 69 games. He began 2013 by winning the Fifa Ballon d'Or (with 41.6% of the votes), Cristiano Ronaldo (23.7%) came second and Andrés Iniesta (10.9%) third. It is the fourth time Messi has won it and no one else has won it so often.

Because the award is a merger of the old European Footballer of the Year and the Fifa WorldPlayer of the Year which was inaugurated only in 1991, Diego Maradona never won it and nor did Pelé but it is doubtful even they would have matched Messi's achievement. Marco van Basten won the European award three times in five years, Johan Cruyff three in four and Platini three years in a row. Alfredo Di Stéfano won it twice. Messi has superseded all of them.

Months of speculation slowly gave way to a growing realisation, especially as the European Championship was left behind and Messi accelerated towards the end of the year: it was going to be him again. He scored twice in each of eight successive games and they were almost all goals of barely plausible brilliance; when he scored only once in his final game of 2012, it was as if he had underachieved. On Monday night, finally it was confirmed. "The good thing about the Ballon d'Or is that it's being handed out tomorrow," the Barcelona coach, Tito Vilanova, had said the night before.

Everyone could get on with their lives, talk about something else for a change.

Hardly: first there will be the reaction and then it will not be long before talk turns to next year's award. Except that right now it is hard to imagine anyone else walking away a winner from Zurich in 12 months' time; 2012, like 2010, was an opportunity for others. But Messi swept all before him again. All the excitement, all the debates, all the headlines.

Michael Owen recalls how Gérard Houllier had to pull him aside after he won the Ballon d'Or in 2001 and impress upon him the significance of the award. Owen had taken it in his stride; Houllierwas shocked at how blase he was. In France, he insisted, it is huge.

In Spain, too. The Ballon d'Or has become more important in England over the decade since international football, projected by the Champions League, carried by a television and internet boom, accessible in a way unthinkable 10 years ago, is followed far more closely than it was then and European exposure brings European tastes. But, at least while the candidates all reside south of the Pyrenees, the interest still does not match that of the Spanish.

Only one Spaniard has ever won the award: Luis Suárez in 1960. Many have never forgiven Owen. Some consider it a grave injustice that Raúl did not become the second; 2001 was the year when Raúl's candidacy was at its strongest; the England striker's Ballon d'Or was "rightfully" Raúl's. Similarly, had Owen not been a former winner, Real Madrid's president Florentino Pérez would surely have been less interested in signing him: here was another one for the collection, status guaranteed. An "objective" measure of the best player in the world.

Just as with Raúl, a sense of injustice exists now. Itis quieter, but it is there. This Spain side is the most successful international team there has ever been. But none of its players have won the award. In 2010, even Messi seemed surprised to finish ahead of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. Here, Iniesta was Spain's sole representative – the winner of Uefa's Best Player in Europe award following Euro 2012. "I don't need individual awards to feel recognised; football is a collective game," he said. But that collective success, some argue, should have been recognised in this award.

Spain's media and fans remain divided along club lines, though. Over 60% of the country declares itself a fan of Madrid or Barcelona and sports newspapers wear their club colours unashamedly. Even the idea of a Spanish winner only unites them at a superficial level: they want a club winner. When the list for the team of the year was released the front cover of AS said it all: "Madrid 6 Barcelona 5".

And so it is that the battle comes back down to the two men who have come to represent Spain's biggest two clubs, the personification of the greatest rivalry. Messi had already admitted that he would be voting for Xavi, Iniesta and his Argentina team-mate Sergio Agüero; asked why he did not vote for Messi, Ronaldo insisted here that the reason was simple – he hadn't voted at all. Injury meant that he missed international duty and his voting papers were passed to a team-mate– who voted for him.

By the time the ceremony came round, Ronaldo had got used to the idea that he was not going to win: "This is not a life and death issue," he said. In August he had insisted: "I only want justice to be done." José Mourinho, who did not attend despite being short-listed for the managerial award, bemoaned that Messi would win, "after the campaign that has been carried out". Yet the most aggressive campaign had been his own in favour of Ronaldo. "How can Messi win the Ballon d'Or without winning the league or the Champions League?" Mourinho asked.

Last year Messi picked up almost half the votes; there was no question. This time, a case can certainly be made for Ronaldo, who helped carry Real Madrid to the league title, taking it from Barcelona for the first time in four years and breaking an all-time points record. He scored the goal that effectively clinched the title at Camp Nou, one of 63 he scored in 71 games. Ronaldo, like Messi, reached the Champions League semi-final and, like Messi, missed a penalty. But Ronaldo missed his in the shootout having scored in normal time.

At Euro 2012 Portugal reached the semi-final where they were defeated by Spain; Ronaldo was down to take the final penalty but never got the chance. Messi, of course, was not there. At team level Messi only won a Copa del Rey.

But then he scored more goals than anyone in a calendar year (the last man to hold the record, Gerd Müller, did not win the Ballon d'Or either: Franz Beckenbauer did in 1972). Messi finished as the Champions League's top scorer for a fourth year in a row. And he started to do the one thing that everyone agreed he still had pending: perform brilliantly, consistently, for Argentina: his 12 international goals included a hat-trick against Brazil.

This is a wider electorate now than the ones used for either of the awards that preceded it. With the old system, where only journalists voted, Messi would not have won in 2010. With 600 in the electorate now, the criteria are widened and yet also narrowed; virtually no one is going to leave Messi out of their top three.

Beyond the analyses, a very simple question: who is the best player in the world? Few would doubt that the answer is Messi. "For as long as Messi is around, the Ballon d'Or makes no sense," Dani Alves said, while Agüero concurred: "The Ballon d'Or will always be for Messi."
Messi is 25. It may be a long wait for someone else.

Fifa World XI of the Year

Iker Casillas; Dani Alves, Gérard Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta;Lionel Messi, Radamel Falcao, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Tunde Kelani Working On A New Movie

One of Nigeria's foremost producers Tunde Kelani is preparing to shoot a new movie. The movie is an adaptation of the book, ' Dazzling Mirage ' written by Olayinka Abimbola Egbokhare. Tunde Kelani is said to have been impressed by the twist of pain and love in the tale which tells of a lady suffering from the sicklecell anaemia disease.

The book tells of the trials of a young lady suffering from sickle cell anaemia and her eventual triumph over the disease. The movie is currently in the works and we can be sure to expect a masterpiece from one of Nigeria's finestproducers, Tunde Kelani .

CNN Says Nas Is The Best Lyricist Ever

CNN is no Source Magazine but the worldwide leader in news recently entered Hip Hop waters when it crowned Nasir as the "lyricist of all time". That is one huge title for a rapper and a debatable one at that. CNN defended it's positionby stating Nas' active years in the game and his unique rhyming scheme and technique.

According to CNN " With "Life is Good," Nas dropped his ninth No. 1 hip-hop album since 1994. Seven of those have gone platinum, which places him second among rappers only to Jay-Z with 11. (We're not counting compilations or collaborations here, only original solo efforts, andyes, Tupac Shakur had nine, but five were posthumous releases.)

It also ties Nas with Snoop Dogg or Snoop Lion orwhatever his name is, and it puts the Queens native one plaque ahead of Eminem, Too Short, OutKast and LL Cool J, all of whom belong in the greatest-ever discussion, as well "

The writer of the CNN feature Eliott C. McLaughlin says that the only advantage Jay-Z has over Nas is his commercial sensibility.

"Here is where that "lyricist" v. "hip-hop artist" distinction becomes important.
Jay-Z said it best himself: He's not a businessman; he's a business, man. When you consider 11 of his albums have sold at least a million copies — seven of those 2 million or more— as have his four collaborations, two with R. Kelly and one each with Linkin Park and Kanye West, it's as if Hova is King Midas, but with platinum.
He's a hit maker extraordinaire, maybe the world's best, but that doesn't translate to best lyricist. Jay-Z acknowledged as much on "Moment of Clarity" when he rhymed, "If skills sold, truth be told/I'd probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli."

Even in dissing Nas on "Takeover," he explained why he had sampled Nas' lyrics on "Dead Presidents": "So yeah, I sampled your voice; you was using it wrong/you made it a hot line; I madeit a hot song."

What Celebrity Mag Are Saying About Kim Kardashian And Kanye's Baby

While Prince William is "terrified" of the worldwide attention their baby is garnering, Kim Kardashian can'tcourt enough of it.

Both New Idea and Woman's day have the reality TV queen and her superstar pregnancy on their front covers.

Kardashian's singer boyfriend of eight months Kanye West announced their pregnancy at a concert last week.

Since then the obvious question has been "how much money will the most famous Kardashian make out of all this?"

New Idea puts the likely sum at US$1 billion dollars (NZ$1.2b) while Woman's Day doesn't estimate a figure instead saying she was bombarded with $100 million worth of deals when the news broke.

Unashamedly, (or shamefully, whichever way you care to look at it), the baby dubbed "Kimye" will most certainly bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in TV deals and magazine exclusives.

New Idea tallies up a US$25 million fee for rights to film the birth and promote exclusive photos, a US$2 million baby products endorsement deal, a reportedly US$500,000 post-birth weight loss deal and US$1 billion for the baby's own clothing line, cosmetics and general pay from E! network reality shows.

What could be more obscene than that, you ask?

But across the Atlantic, the tabloid media's obsession with the baby of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has reportedly reached "terrifying" levels for the young couple.

Woman's Weekly labels the future Queen Catherine"the worlds most wanted woman" and try as he might,Prince William is worried he cannot protect her from the media fire storm their baby will bring.
He has said in the past "I have already seen all too clearly what it can do to a person".

"The overwhelming attention that was focused on my mother will not be brought to bear on my wife," he said.

While the gossip mag sympathises with William's view, it hasn't quite reached the level empathy required to not run the story of her pregnancy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Back

As he famously droned on-screen in his signature"Terminator" movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back.

A year after leaving the California governor's office andbecoming tabloid fodder for fathering a boy with his family's housekeeper and splitting with his wife, Maria Shriver, the 65-year old former bodybuilder will star in no less than three Hollywood movies over the next 12 months.
None are likely to win Schwarzenegger an Oscar. Indeed, the movies, and Schwarzenegger's own fee, are low-budget compared with his global blockbusters of yore. But studio executives are betting that overseas fans especially will once again respond to a personality whose 24 films generated worldwide ticket sales of US$3.9 billion, according to boxoffice.com.

"He is still a worldwide star who resonates with action audiences around the world," said Rob Friedman, the co-chairman of the Lionsgate motion picture group, which is scheduled to release his next two films. "The Last Stand" will open on January 18, and "The Tomb" in September.

"Ten," the third film, is scheduled for release in January 2014 by Open Road Films, a joint venture of the AMC and Regal Theater chains.

"When you have left the movie business for seven years, it's kind of a scary thing to come back because you don't know if you're accepted or not," Schwarzenegger said at a Saturday press event for"The Last Stand."
"There could be a whole new generation of action starsthat come up in the meantime."
The actor said he was "very pleasantly surprised" by what he called a "great reaction" to his cameo in the 2010 action film "The Expendables," which featured fellow action stars Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham. The film grossed US$103.1 million in U.S. ticket sales and US$274.5 million worldwide.

Since then, Schwarzenegger appeared in a second"Expendables" and says he will join a fifth instalment of the "Terminator" if it is made.

Comcast's Universal Pictures wants to "do a bunch" of new films based on the 30-year-old "Conan The Barbarian" movie, said Schwarzenegger, in which he would reprise his role as a barbarian.

He added that Universal, after 10 years of prodding by Schwarzenegger, also wants to do a sequel to the 1988 comedy "Twins," in which he and Danny DeVito played mismatched twins, to be called "Triplets."
Schwarzenegger no longer commands the US$25 million paycheques he cashed in his heyday and will get between US$8 and US$10 million for each of his next three films, according to two people with knowledge of his salary but who were not authorized to speak publicly about it. He also gets a percentage ofthe profits, according to one of the people.

The new Schwarzenegger calculus banks on his films doing outsized business overseas while operating within budgets that are a fraction of the US$200 million cost of his last action film, the 2003"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." The budget for"The Last Stand" is estimated at US$50 million, according to movie resource site IMDB.com.
"He has significant value outside the United States and Canada, where he is still revered by people who have grown up with him throughout the years," said Jere Hausfater, chief operating officer of film production company Aldamisa International, which hopes to do a film with Schwarzenegger in the future.

What audiences will see is an aging star who isn't afraid of showing his drooping muscles and widening paunch, or of making fun of being past his prime. In the "The Last Stand," a less than rock hard Schwarzenegger plays a retired Los Angeles policemanwho becomes the sheriff of a small border town and is then called on to stop a violent drug lord from crossing.
In "Ten" he plays an aging drug agent, and in "The Tomb" an older prison inmate.

"We all go through the same dramas, we look at the mirror and say, what happened? You once had musclesand slowly they are deteriorating," said Schwarzenegger at "The Last Stand" press event.

"The great thing in the movie is that they we're not trying to play me as the 35-year-old action hero but the one who is about to retire, and all of a sudden there is this challenge where he really needs to get hisact together."

The one-time muscle man compares his career metamorphosis to that of his friend Clint Eastwood, who transitioned from his Dirty Harry days to a wiser person who's not afraid to make fun of his slipping abilities in recent films like "Trouble with the Curve."
"That's called evolution," said Sylvester Stallone, who stars with Schwarzenegger as aging inmates in "The Tomb." "There are no more woolly mammoths. Things change, but the one thing you cannot replace is charisma. Certain people have it, and will have it until the day they die."

Schwarzenegger's infamy in fathering a son outside of his high-profile marriage to Shriver initially seemed to hurt his popular appeal. Within weeks of the disclosure, "The Governator," a comic book that would feature his likeness, was cancelled.

Ultimately, though, moviegoers will be less interested in Schwarzenegger's political adventures and personalscandals than in what he puts on the screen, says Peter Sealey, founder of The Sausalito Group and a former Columbia Pictures president of marketing and distribution.

"The movie-going audience really don't care about things like infidelity, DUIs," added publicist Howard Bragman, vice-chairman of the firm called Reputation."They overlook a lot. Ultimately, it remains, how are the movies? Is he credible? Is he going to be a joke?"

Justin Bieber And Selena Gomez Relationship Hit The Rocks Again!!!

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have reportedly split up for a second time.
The couple allegedly had a bust-up over "high school stuff" during a New Year break in Mexico.

The pair reunited in November following a brief split earlier in 2012.

However their trip over the weekend, which was supposed to get them back on track, has resulted in another disagreement.

"It's just high school stuff," a source told TMZ about the nature of their conflict.

According to the report, the pair didn't even make it into 2013 before their relationship crumbled again.

Gomez left their holiday destination on December 30 for Los Angeles, while teen singer Bieber departed the next day on New Year's Eve.

The pair, who have not been seen together since, both took to Twitter, where they further hinted things were over between them.

"New beginnings. Fresh start. I love you all :) (sic)," Gomez wrote.

Justin tweeted a less cheerful message to his followers, following their rumoured spat.
"2013 got some big things coming.... gonna stay positive (sic)," Bieber tweeted.
In a report on the New York Daily News, sources have come forward to explain this isn't unusual behaviour for the on/off couple. However, another source told the publication the difference this time is that Selena is instigating the split.

"They keep breaking up and getting back together," a source told the publication. "It's an on-again, off-again relationship. It's probably not correct to characterise this as a final breakup."

"Selena's been giving him a really hard time," another source told the newspaper. "She's been partying without him, and it drives him crazy."

Josh Brolin Arrested!!!

Josh Brolin was arrested on New Year's Day for public intoxication, the Associated Press reported.

The Gangster Squad actor was taken into custody just before midnight Jan. 1 after officers found him heavily intoxicated on a sidewalk in Santa Monica, Police Lt. Darrell Lowe told the AP.

TMZ reported that Brolin was booked into jail at 3:02a.m. and released at 7:14 a.m.
Lowe said Brolin was not given a citation, which means he probably will not have to go to court.

Gangster Squad, which opens Friday, Brolin plays a leader of a crew of LAPD outsiders who try to bring down mob king Mickey Cohen ( Sean Penn ).

'Texas Chainsaw' No. 1 With $23 Mil; 'Django' Strong No. 2 With $20.1 Mil

Lionsgate's Texas Chainsaw 3D exceeded expectations in its debut, grossing $23 million to win the crowded domestic box-office race.

Produced and financed by Millennium Films, the seventh installment in the slasher franchise scored one of the better openings for the first full weekend in January, a favorite landing place for horror. On thesame weekend last year, The Devil Inside debuted to $33.7 million.

Texas Chainsaw , picking up where Tobe Hooper 's classic 1974 horror pic left off, earned a C+ CinemaScore. Normally, a poor grade would spell trouble for a film's playability, but horror films often receive a C.

In an era where moviegoing has fallen off among teenagers and younger adults, Texas Chainsaw was an exception, with 63 percent of the audience under the age of 25. Among this demo, one out of three said a major draw was singer-songwriter Trey Songz , who stars in the film alongside Alexandra Daddario and Dan Yeager .

Texas Chainsaw , costing $20 million to produce, marks another victory for Lionsgate, which crossed$1 billion in domestic ticket sales in 2012 for the first time.

"To reach this level is a very pleasant surprise," said Lionsgate president of domestic distribution Richie Fey .
Prerelease tracking had suggested that holdovers The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Django Unchained would battle it out for No. 1, followed by Les Miserables .

Django , from the Weinstein Co., came in a strong No. 2, falling only 33 percent from the previous weekend to gross $20.1 million and jump the $100 million mark at the domestic box office. Django , surpassing Les Mis with a cume of $106.4 million, is on track to become Quentin Tarantino 's top-grossing film in North America. Inglourious Basterds holds that record with $120 million in ticket sales.

Peter Jackson 's Hobbit placed No. 3 in its fourth weekend, grossing $17.5 million for a domestic totalof $263.8 million. The tentpole, from New Line and MGM, has now earned north of $820 million worldwide.
Tom Hooper 's Les Mis , opening opposite Django onChristmas Day, also jumped the $100 million mark domestically. The film reached the milestone in 13 days, the fastest for any musical. Combined with international earnings of $81 million, Les Mis has earned $184.6 million worldwide.
Comedy Parental Guidance rounded out the top five domestically, grossing $10.1 million for a domestic cume of $52.8 million. The movie, from 20th Century Fox, continues to benefit from being family friendly and is playing especially well in America's heartland.

The Matt Damon - John Krasinski drama Promised Land continued to struggle as it expanded nationwide. From director Gus Van Sant , the movieplaced No. 10 with a gross of $4.3 million from 1,675theaters.

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty continued to dominate at the specialty box office as it expanded into an additional nine cities, grossing $2.75 million from 60 theaters for a stellar location average of$45,834. The film has earned $4.5 million since opening in Dec. 19 in New York and Los Angeles.

Zero Dark Thirty has sparked the ire of some lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who maintain the film -- chronicling the U.S. government's decadelong hunt for Osama bin Laden -- puts too much emphasis onthe role torture played in tracking him down. Last week, the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said it would investigate whether the CIA gave classified information to Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal .

The controversy doesn't appear to be diminishing interest in the film, which expands nationwide Jan. 11. The top five theaters for Zero Dark Thirty included locations in Orange County, Texas and Chicago, and the movie was No. 1 in 29 of the top 30theaters and 51 out of 61 overall.
Sony Pictures Classics' Amour continued to play nicely in three theaters in New York and Los Angeles,grossing $63,596 in its third weekend for cume of$315,011 and location average of $21,199, the second-best of the weekend after Zero Dark Thirty.

Summit Entertainment's tsunami drama The Impossible upped its theater count to 572, grossing$2.8 million for a cume of $3.4 million and location average of $4,825.
Starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor , the film continues to make headlines overseas, where it has grossed an outstanding $81.2 million. The Impossible opened in the U.K. during the weekend, taking in $6.4 million including previews. That was good enough to put the drama in a close race with Hobbit for No. 1.

In North America, The Impossible was beaten by Silver Linings Playbook , which grossed $3.6 million from 745 theaters in its eighth weekend for a cume of $34.7 million. The Bradley Cooper - Jennifer Lawrence starrer fell only 11 percent from last weekend.

The Met: Live in HD's live Saturday broadcast of Les Troyen took in $1.3 million from 800 theaters in North America. An additional 45,000 opera fans saw the live broadcast in 650 theaters in 28 countries.
Here are the full results for the weekend of Jan. 4-6 at domestic box office:

Title, Weeks in release/Theater count, Studio, Three-day weekend total cummulative

1. Texas Chainsaw 3D , 1/2,654, Lionsgate, $23 million.

2. Django Unchained , 2/3,010, The Weinstein Co., $20.1 million , $106.4 million.

3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , 4/3,755, NewLine/MGM, $17.5 million , $263.8 million.

4. Les Miserables , 2/2,904, Universal, $16.1 million , $103.6 million.

5. Parental Guidance , 2/3,368, 20th Century Fox, $10.1 million , $52.8 million.

6. Jack Reacher , 3/3,288, Paramount, $9.3 million ,$64.8 million.

7. This Is 40 , 3/2,931, Universal, $8.6 million , $54.5million.

8. Lincoln , 9/1,901, Disney/DreamWorks , $5.3 million , $143.9 million.

9. The Guilt Trip , 3/2,312, Paramount , $4.5 million ,$31.2 million.

10. Promised Land , 2/1,675, Focus Features , $4.3 million , $4.7 million.

Life of Pi' Crosses $300 Mil Overseas

Marking veteran filmmaker Ang Lee's top-grossing film, Life of Pi has jumped the $300 million mark at the international box office for a worldwide total of$393 million through Sunday.

The 20th Century Fox film took in weekend earnings of $60.1 million from 64 foreign markets for the weekend for a foreign cume of 301.9 million, narrowly beating Peter Jackson 's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey .

Hobbit , which had topped the foreign chart for three weekends, is certainly no slouch. The tentpole took in $57.1 million from 65 markets for an internationalcume of $561 million and worldwide total of $824.8 million.

Many questioned whether Life of Pi , based on Yann Martel 2001 novel about a young Indian boy lost at sea with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, could be successfully adapted for the big screen. Costing north of $120 million to produce, the movie has earned $91.1 million domestically but is doing muchbigger business overseas.

Life of Pi made headlines when debuting first in Asia,grossing $90.8 million in China alone. Now, it's doing impressive business in Europe and Latin America, as well as Australia.

Lee's film opened at No. 1 in seven of eight new markets during the weekend, with Russia leading the pack with $14.1 million. In Australia, the movie opened to $8.3 million to come in No. 1 ahead of Hobbit and Les Miserables , which headlines Aussie star Russell Crowe .

Tiny New Zealand generated $1.2 million from 140 screens for a per-screen average of nearly $8,500. InEurope, Life of Pi has taken in $28.7 million in the U.K., while it has earned $15.4 million in Germany.

Life of Pi held at No. 1 in Mexico over the weekend, putting its total there at $11.2 million.

" Pi is resonating with people of all cultures around the world," Fox president of international distribution Paul Hanneman said.

Meanwhile, Hobbit drew $6.1 million from 560 sites in its second weekend of play in Australia, lifting the market cume there to $29.7 million. Biggest territory for the film remains Germany where the cume stands at $74 million.

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty made its first appearance at the international box office as it opened in Spain via Universal. The movie took in$1.5 million from 232 screens for a stand-out location average of $6,500, the best of any film. The opening was 545% larger than for Bigelow's 2008 Oscar winner The Hurt Locker .

Opening in 15 markets over the weekend, including U.K. and France, Paramount's Tom Cruise action pic Jack Reacher grossed $22.3 million from 47 countries for an overseas cume of $55.6 million.

Wreck-It Ralph , Disney's 3D family animation title, boosted its total foreign take well past the $100 million mark ($132.7 million) thanks to a $19.5 million weekend in 56 territories. It has been playingfor 10 stanzas on the foreign circuit. Worldwide, the film has grossed $311.2 million.

Universal's Les Mis drew a weekend total of $14.5 million from a total of 1,014 venues in 17 markets, lifting its early offshore cume to $81 million. The musical continued to enjoy a strong run in Japan, where it has now grossed $25.2 million
And chip it in stone: Final 2012 figures received this week from the Hollywood major studios -- Fox, Disney, Universal, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros. -- confirm that their recent string of consecutive yearly box office records set on the foreign theatrical circuit has been snapped. Collective 2012 takings total $13.5 billion, slightly less that the record of $13.6 billion record set in 2011.

Fox, which leads the six companies, scored a 26 percent jump in yearly foreign box office with a totalof $2.71 billion registered this year. No. 2 was Sony, which set this year a foreign box office record for thecompany, coming up with a total of $2.67 billion overseas. (Sony's previous best was $2.14 billion in 2009.)

Warner Bros. came in third with $2.67 billion for the year, down seven percent from last year and nine percent from the company's foreign b.o. record of$2.93 billion in 2010. No. 4 Disney recorded $2.09 billion in foreign box office, down 4 percent from 2011.

Despite one or two high-profile disappointments, No.5 Universal logged a record year overseas, taking in$1.79 billion in foreign box office -- 41 percent higher than 2011 and 4 percent more than the company's previous record of $1.72 billion in 2008. With a contracted overseas release schedule, Paramount took a 51 percent tumble from 2011, grossing $1.57 billion offshore this year.

The biggest indie by far was Lionsgate, which collected $1.25 billion in foreign box office – up 280 percent from 2011 on the strength of Twilight: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2 (which drew $524.7 million offshore) and The Hunger Games ($284.8 million).

P-Square Collabrate With Diddy's Protege Kalenna Harper

Our artists have been doing us proud over the last few years, recording monster hits with International artists. Well, 2013 won't be anywaydifferent as the Psquare twins have just gotten their break into Atlanta, U.S to work with media mogul Diddy 's protege Kalenna Harper (of the DiddyDirty Money fame) and have recorded a song.

Ice Prince isn't dulling as well. After his success last year, he is working harder. The 'Aboki' rapper says he hooked up with a 17-year-old singer 'Holly' for a new single which was produced by the Grammy Award winning eccentric producer David Guetta.

The Rise And Rise Of Gay Night Club In Nigeria

About 50 people, mostly men, crowd around the front porch of a social club in Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, cheering on a shy-looking young man, who proceeds to sing a ballad.

Backstage, another man puts on his wig and takes a quick glance at his pocket mirror, before adjusting his tight-fitting red dress. Five other men also dressed in drag outfits appear, checking on each other's make-up as they wait for their turn to perform for the crowd.

"A friend invited me here a few months ago," one chatty spectator says excitedly."I love this place because it makes me feel at home".

This gathering of members of the gay and lesbian community in Lagos is held regularly, albeit discreetly, but it could soon be illegal. The vast majority of gay Nigerians may not be interested in this kind of event but they still haveto hide their sexuality in this conservative society. Whilst already illegal, homosexuality is widely frowned upon across Nigeria and has been the subject of several bills in the National Assembly.

The Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill specifically outlaws same-sex unions. It also bansgatherings of homosexuals or any other support for gay clubs, organisations, unions or amorous expressions, whether in secret or in public.

The bill has been passed by Nigeria's Senate – the highest chamber – and is now being reviewed by the lower chamber, the House of Representatives. If approved, it will be sent to the president to sign it into law, after which same-sex couples could face up to 14 years in prison.

But Nigerian homosexuals complain that the stigma they face is already enough punishment for their way of life. Kunle (not his real name), a gay man living in Lagos, is outraged by the proposed law: "How does a government think that sending someone to prison would change his or her sexual orientation? "How logical is that?"
One of Nigeria's few openly gay human rights activists, Rashidi Williams , notesthat the bill seeks to ban something which is already illegal and which no-one is publicly advocating. "All we are asking for is to repeal the repressive laws in this country," he says.

The bill has been condemned abroad – most recently by Australian lawmakers – making its proponents see this piece of legislation as a way of protecting Nigeriansociety from foreign influences.

"Ours is to weigh the aggregate of opinion – what the majority of Nigerians want," says AbikeDabiri, a member of the House of Representatives. "If majorityof Nigerians want same-sex marriage, then why not?"
She adds: "You have a right to your sexual preference but by trying to turn it into marriage do you realise you could be infringing on the human rights of the other person who finds it repulsive?"

This view is echoed on the streets of this country,where religious influences, particularly from Christianity and Islam, are heavy. "How do you even become gay, not to mention wanting to get married to another man?" asks Okechukwu Ikenna, a 33-year-old software engineer, visibly irritated by the topic.

Friends and family members of gay people could get implicated if they do notreport cases of same-sex unions because they could be seen as being in support of them.
Critics of the bill also worry that health workers who provide HIV counselling and treatment to homosexuals could be committing an offence as well.

However, some of these doctors say they hardly ever know the sexual orientation of those they attend to because it is not arequirement for treatment and counselling, and even if the patients wereto reveal that they were homosexuals, it would not affect the quality of healthcare offered.

Some lawmakers have condemned violence against homosexuals but this hasdone little to prevent the growing anxietyamong those the billwould target as its likely adoption, in whatever form, approaches.

If the bill is passed, same-sex couples could face 14 years in prison.
Mr Williams says some gay Nigerians may seek asylum in countries where homosexual people are accepted, while others will have to go underground.

At the gay club, despite the jovial atmosphere, there is heightened caution, and no-one is allowed to take any photos. The thought of beingidentified as being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender in a country where the public still turns to mob justice haunts some here.

And that is a huge concern for Richard (not his real name): "If you don't become discreet and tryto hide yourself, even the man on the street will want to also act on the bill because it has been passed.
"If you're walking on the street and he stones you, he knows the law would standfor him because the law is against you."

Rapper Commits Suicide

Fast rising rapper and youtube sensation Freddy E committed suicide last night after his break up with his girlfriend who's also a rapper, Honey Cocaine.

The 22yr old rapper took his time to tweet about his action and apologized to his family before commuting suicide.

This report hasn't been confirmed by the police.

His Family released there statement on facebook.....check it out above

Sunny Ade Pushed Me Into Drug Trafficking - Ex-Guitarist

Fatoke Abiodun, the arrested King Sunny Ade's, KSA, former guitarist for 30 years, has recounted what led him to the business of drug trafficking. According to the 62-year-old grandfather, his unceremonious retirement from KSA's band in 2007 pushed him into the 'white substance' business.

Fatoke said that since his 'forceful' retirement from the band, which he was never prepared for, life has been frustrating and unbearable for him to live. He also said that taking care of his family has been difficult, which then led him into drug business. He stressed that this was his first attempt in trafficking the cocaine he was caught with on Tuesday.

Fatoke reportedly said, "After my primary education, I only did one year in the secondary school before I went into music. I can play any kind of guitar but my music career is a sad story.

"I played for King Sunny Ade for 30 years before I was unceremoniously retired in 2007. I was unprepared and without severance money,I saw the bitter side of life.

"This is my first time of involving myself in drug trafficking. I did it out of frustration because at my age I could not provide for my family. I am ashamed of myself," Fatoke recounts.

Fatoke was allegedly caught with 1.6kg of substance believed to be cocaine while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy. Fatoke stated that after collecting an initial N50,000, he was promised one million naira (N1m) when he returns from the trip until he was caught on New Year day by men of NDLEA at the airport.

There are indications that if convicted, he could spend 25 years behind bars.

Olu Maintain Talks About His New Single With 50 Cent And Olivia

Award-winning singer,Olu Maintain in a recent interview, discussed his International collaboration with American rapper 50cent and velvet-voiced singer Olivia, in his new single "Hypnotize Me" which was released yesterday.

This is what he had to say about the collaboration

"For me, doing collaboration with any international artiste should not just be by the star power of the artiste; it should be by merit that this artiste can genuinely do justice to the song in question.

So, if I was asked who I would love to do collaboration with, a female singer that is equally as pretty and hasa beautiful voice, my choice would be Olivia because I've always been her fan.

So, when we met and I played her the song, she liked it and said she was willing to do it. Then we met in New York at the Platinum Studio owned by Jerry Wonder, one of the most sought after producers in the world.

"Coincidentally, Olivia is Jerry Wonder's new artiste as well. 50 Cent has his lines on this track too. And there was this chemistry upon our meeting and we did the song with a beautiful experience and the video too is on the way.

"Everything is pretty much falling into place and I'm more than happy that I've waited this long. In terms of quality, you should never compromise because youhave the obligation to always beat your best.

So far, my name has evolved from Mr. Yahooze to Mr. Nawti. So, I look at 'Nawti' as the best effort that I've put out there and Hypnotize Me has to come to beat what Nawti has done.

Another Picture Of Tiwa Savage And Manager Hits The Internet

The photo above was posted by an industry friend with the caption 'My favourite couple'

Their publicist says there's nothing more than business between them but with intimate photos popping everywhere like this, it's quite hard to believe Nigerian music star Tiwa Savage and manager Tunji 'Tee Billz' Balogun aren't lovers.

Over the weekend, marriage rumours hit the blogs . Even though all parties involved have denied the rumours, it only adds to the numerous times their 'supposed' relationship has been talked about…

Tonto Dike Shoots Music Video

Tonto Dike is going on with her music career whether you like it or not.

On Sunday, January 6, 2013 the Nollywood actress shot her first music video – for the single ' Itz Ova '.

The video was shot at KOGA studios , Ikeja, Lagos.

We sure can't wait to see how that comes out…