My Greater Disappointment with today’s Nollywood— Clarion Chukwurah

Two years ago, ageless beauty and veteran actress, Clarion Chukwurah took a break from acting to tour three countries following her position as a special UN peace envoy. She’s back in the country and upon her return, she bagged a prestigious award in recognition of her contribution towards the development of the Nigerian film industry.But in spite of all these, Chukwurah still feels disappointed with a lot of things happening in the industry. She bares her mind on the issues.
You recently won ‘Legends of Nollywood’award. How do you feel being recognised as a legend in the industry?
I was on location in Enugu when the award was held and as you can see, ‘Best Female Act, Mirror in the Sun, Clarion Chukwurah’. The award was received on my behalf by my publicist, Cornell Udofia. This award is yearly organised by Paul Obazele’s company, Royal Pictures. Frank Rajah, I think was part of it as well as Zack Orji and many others. I appreciate the award having been given this recognition for the role I played in the now rested ‘Mirror in the Sun.’ But I think that the name of the award and the work for which it was given is rather misplaced.
That is because the award is called, ‘Legends of Nollywood’. Nollywood is today’s euphemism for the Nigerian film industry. ‘Mirror in the Sun’ was the second national network soap opera. It was a television drama. I understand that before the award was held, AMP president,Mr. Zik Zulu Okafor and other stakeholders celebrated Nollywood at 20, which witnessed an award ceremony called Legends of Nollywood Awards.
They honoured those whom they considered as foremost actors and cinematographers in the industry.
However, when Paul Obazele set out to hold his own Legends of Nollywood award, he gave people the impression that he was going to correct the anomalies. I was expecting Zik Zulu’s ‘Legends of Nollywood’awards to honour actors, producers, directors, cinematographers who have made their marks dating back to late 1950s, till the advent of the new Nollywood. That was my expectations.
They actually wanted to give me an award for ‘Koko Close’, a TV drama I did in Ibadan while I was an undergraduate in the University of Ife. I was surprised, you are talking about ‘Legends of Nollywood’ and you are giving me an award for a role I played in a TV drama. Are you not confused here? I expected to see the likes of Chief Hubert Ogunde being given a posthumous award, MKO Abiola who was the first Nigerian business mogul to sponsor a multi million Naira technicolour Nigerian film titled ‘Bisi Daughter of the River’.
I was expecting to see Kunle Afolayan received a posthumous award on behalf of his father, Sunday Omobolanle’s (Aluwe) first wife stepping out to an award on behalf of her father, Moses Olaiya, Jeta Amata mounting the stage to pick an award on behalf of his grand father.
That was what I expected to see at the ‘Legend of Nollywood’ awards. But whilst Zik Zulu and his partners deliberately refused to recognise that there was a film industry before the production of teh movie, ‘Living in Bondage’, Obazele’s faction proved themselves more ignorant by lumping TV and everything together.
They are two different things. I think it’s high time, the Nollywood practitioners should stop feigning ignorance and face the truth that before Jesus Christ, there was Abraham. Before Nollywood, there was a Nigerian film industry and that is the main reason Nollywood is stagnant today. That is why Nollywood is not growing. If a child doesn’t recognise his mother, how can he grow? If you don’t know where you are coming from, how would you know here you are going to?
No doubt, you are a legend in the Nigerian motion picture industry. What’s the difference between Nollywood of yesteryears and today’s Nollywood?
It hasn’t improved at all. It is now a proverbial ‘ state’ that makes one to weep. Everything has fallen to a disgraceful state. No standards are left. I was on a location in Enugu last month and the production manager was insulting the director of photography. I was shocked.
The producer and the director were shouting at each other. I could not imagine it. The artistic director would just walk away and actors are not directed on what to do. Any greenhorn could hit the set and believe that she could sleep her way to the top. She is pretty and sleeps with the Executive Producer. It’s just sickening. And they say to you, this movie is meant for the market and the cinema. It is not for film festival, just do it anyhow because this is for inside the market. That goes to show there are no standards. It is pathetic.
We didn’t see much of you last year in the movies?
I was out of the country for two years. I came back in May last year and I shot my very first movie in the same month. I shot about six movies from May through December 15th when I returned to my home. Those movies were, Last Family Reunion, That Fateful Night, Hustlers, The God of the Ghetto and Apaye, Land of Canaan.
Why did you travel abroad for two years?
I was appointed a United Nations international special peace envoy on international peace day at the ECOWAS building in Abuja. I had two years to travel to three countries in the course of my NGO because I was given that appointment in recognition of my NGO, Clarion Chukwurah Initiative International.
We have been dealing with women and children. More over, I worked in Kenya, Tanzania and Los Angeles. In those two years, I was travelling from Kenya to Tanzania and LA.
It was wonderful.
For me, I have achieved something that gives me a deep sense of satisfaction, a feeling that I have an edge above all this issue of fame. I have risen above all that. In Kenya, my initiative was supporting this community school in a slum called Soweto Kayole in Nairobi. When I started working in that community, I encountered school children who are fatherless and whose mothers are HIV/AIDS patients. I had about 50 of them, but before the end of October 2012, the number increased to 350 children. They increased when they heard I had a daily feeding programme for the children.
They also had no clothes. I put uniform on the back of every kid and sandals on their feet. We had environmental sanitation, health aids and collaborating with the UN Habitat and the Rotary. I am a member of the rotary club of Nairobi. The bulk of the members are non Africans- Italians, Americans, British and others.
They were bringing support to help teach these children and of course, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, East Africa, a section of which I am a member. Even when Daddy Adeboye came for the East Africa convention, he saw my work and commended it. Mummy G.O. also prayed for me.
For their mothers, we taught them about basic personal and environmental hygiene. We built toilets, cleared gutters and taught them how to protect themselves against sex related diseases. We also put them on drugs for HIV AIDS. Because the UN headquarters is there, there are a lot of bodies to collaborate with for an NGO like mine which is recognised. We started skill acquisition.
In Los Angeles, I got support from the Church of Science in Hollywood to produce some episodes on women empowerment and women related issues in terms of what is happening in the Caribbean were men are killing their wives and girlfriends. It happens in Kenya. The idea is to bring these issues to the fore what African heritage men are doing to their women so that we can look at these issues and find a way to re-orient the women on how to handle them.
We also reached out to the men to learn to handle things differently and this we sent to the TV. The initiative representative in Canada, Nicola Rodney came to the state for this programme so that she could take it back for informative training to impact on the lives of women in the Caribbean especially in Guyana.
This is an era where actors and actresses are producing their own movies; do you have plans to go into movie production?
I do have plans for that but I don’t want to look at it as producing my movies. I intend also to do a lot of collaborations. I talked about how things are.
I intend to work in and outside the mainstream Nollywood world and to collectively move Nollywood forward.
What is the way forward?
The mainstream Nollywood world is the one that caters for the populace, not necessarily the cinema movies. And with the new distribution channel that is coming, the important thing is for the professionals to come into it and not say we can’t relate with this people. In order to make things right, you have to go back in there with a determination to make things right.
You are still looking beautiful after putting in several years in the movie industry. What’s the secret of your ageless looks?
The secret is discipline. You have to be as my son Brian would say wellness freak. You have to know when to exercise. You have to know the importance of water, eating the right things. It is about healthy living, healthy eating.
Aside movie making and your NGO, what else do you do?
I have a clothing line. I still have the C3. We have a partner outlet in Toronto, Kenya and the UK. We are doing well by God’s grace.
Are you not thinking of marriage?
Give me a break. Please don’t ask. Don’t go there. Please spare me.

Modeling for Lady Gaga was amazing —Nigeria-born UK Model

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Oni Oladimeji was the first runner up at the 2013 edition of the UKTop Model. The model, in this interview with Doyin Adeoye, spoke about his fashion preferences, career and style, among other things.
Foray into modeling…
I had always had the passion for modeling and that basically started a long time ago, but because of some restraining factors here in Nigeria, I had to subdue the passion. But I remember ever since I was at the university, around 2010, my friends used to tell me of how good my body looked and how I could make a career in modeling, but I never gave it much thought. It was not until I got in contact with Mon Ami, the prominent Nigerian fashion designer, that I began to see it as a major career. He groomed and encouraged me into the modeling field. He taught me about perseverance, which is important in this line of profession. I was serving then in Abeokuta, Ogun State, so I used to shuttle between there and Lagos, following him to shows and it was a really good experience.

Modeling in the UK…
I travelled to the UK for my Masters after I finished my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme and I remember initially when I got there, I still had the same mentality I had from Nigeria, that it wouldn’t be easy to get an equal chance with the models there. But I got triggered one day as I was shopping online for some wears; I saw these perfect blazers on a mannequin and I looked at its structure and it struck me that I could do such as well. So I went online and surfed for modeling agencies and after I got one, I did some photo shoots and later  I had the opportunity to work with a marketing company, the N2O Experiential Marketing Company, UK, which created a platform for me to model at some shows, as a promo model and a brand ambassador.

Modeling for Lady Gaga…
While at the company, I got an opportunity to represent one of their models, Lady Gaga, to work in Sheffield as an in-store model, to boost and create awareness about her brand; her perfume known as Fame. It was an amazing three-day modeling platform, because the people there were very nice and welcoming. They came into the store everyday to the extent that we ran out of stock of the product. So it was really amazing modeling for Lady Gaga.

Other brands you represent...
I also worked as a brand ambassador for The Links body spray, as well as a brand ambassador for some Unilever products, such as Dove and some of their other products. I was also a rigger for Toni and Guy at Boots Store, Wolverhampton, where we put in place the necessary rigging equipment in store to facilitate the demonstration of their hairstyling products.

UKTop Model experience…
The experience was awesome. We were chosen after some auditions and thereafter, we went for the opening ceremony in Soho, London, where we showcased ourselves and met with other models.  The event was held on April 20, 2013 at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel. It was the grand finale; the men’s category of the competition and we had the opportunity to meet with different designers from different countries and it was really a good time for me.

Emerging as a winner...
I never thought I would be part of the winners. The winner was from Italy, while the second runner up was from Britain. I was the only Nigerian in the category and I remember that while at the back stage, as everyone was admiring the Italian’s effort for winning, my number was called as the first runner-up and I didn’t even realise that was me until it was called for about three times. So it came as shock, but I felt elated.

Platforms it exposed you to...
There were so many benefits that were supposed to come out of it, had it been I stayed back in the UK, but I couldn’t. If I had, I would have been able to use the platform to pursue other things, but I wasn’t chanced to stay longer.

Education background…
I attended Doland International School and Rose International School, both in Akute, Ogun State, for my primary school education. Then I proceeded to the Lagos State Model College, Badore, for my secondary school education and then to the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, where I studied Crop Protection. Then I went ahead to Coventry University, London, for a Master in International Business.
How Nigerian modeling industry can be improved...
Unlike the UK, where there are lot of companies and modeling agencies online for you to work with, the reverse is the case here in Nigeria. Back in the UK, you can get contracts to work for some brands once your profile is put out there and I think that is a very good way to encourage and promote aspiring models. Also the Nigerian industry focuses more on female models, which I feel if such attention was also paid on the male counterparts, would go a long way in helping. Even Nigerian designers work more on female clothings than the males, with 80 per cent of the industry focusing on the females and 20 per cent on the males. So if this can be addressed, then it would get better.

Definition of style…
Style is your personality. If your personality is not into your line of style, then people would know that you are only trying to create what is not within you. But if you bring in your own personal style, probably in the way you talk, walk or dress, then that would define you. So basically, style, to me, is the way you do your things. Then style has to do with your personal grooming; the way you look and compose yourself. Personally, a driving force for me is ‘never forget yourself when you are out there. Present yourself in a way that gets you noticed.’ So I would say the definition of style is to stay well, stay fit, stay nice.

What makes a good outfit...
Well, my response to that is quite funny. My favourite guy in every movie I’ve seen is Harvey Specter in the series, Suits. The role was played by Gabriel S. Macht and I really loved his personal grooming. He was always looking so good and his carriage and everything about him was a perfect blend. He dressed as if the outfits were personally made for him. So to answer your question, every outfit he wore in that movie was a good one.


Besides modeling, what else do you do?
I’m a businessman and that is basically what I’m doing now.

Favourite accessory?
That would be my perfume. The truth is UK changed a lot about me. If someone had told me before I travelled that I would spend as much as N5, 000 on a perfume, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. But my mentality changed over there. So the perfume I use is Amouage Memoir, which goes for about 200 pounds.

Kim Kardashian Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction, Has "Anxiety" Finding New Outfit.

After suffering a wardrobe malfunction before her appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, an anxiety-ridden Kim Kardashian shared photos on Instagram asking her followers for help in choosing a replacement outfit.Credit: Courtesy Kim Kardashian

Fashion crisis! Right before Kim Kardashian was set to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres, she suffered a major wardrobe malfunction. In a panic, the 33-year-old reality star took to Instagram to share photos of possible sexy replacement outfits to wear instead.

PHOTOS: Stars' most embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions

"OMG my dress for Ellen just broke!!!" she wrote on Thursday, Jan. 16. "I have to leave in 5mins . . . I need help! Should I wear this???" Kardashian shared a photo of herself trying on an ultra low-cut white top and long curve-hugging tan skirt. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star posted a front and side view of the look and struck a fierce pose.

PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian's post-baby body style

Shortly after -- even with the apparent rush -- Kardashian posted a second photo of her final pick. "Ok found my look! Thank God!" she wrote. "I ran out of time . . . off to the taping #phew #thedrama #anxiety."

Kim Kardashian picked a sexy ensemble for her appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Credit: Courtesy Kim Kardashian

The fashionista settled on the same white top, but changed her skirt to a similar but shorter style. She posted a front and side view again of her outfit while posing with a very serious expression for the camera.

PHOTOS: North West's fabulous life

Kardashian had a big smile on her face, however, once she arrived on set to The Ellen DeGeneres Show. During her interview with host Ellen DeGeneres, Kardashian gushed about her fiance Kanye West and 7-month-old daughter, North, and shared an adorable new baby photo.

"She changes all the time," the new mom said of her baby girl. "One day she'll look like Kanye, one day she'll look like me. It's so crazy. And her personality is so cute. She is really calm and really quiet."

On the Scene at the Oscars nominations announcement

It’s Oscar nomination day, and for movie nerds, it’s like Christmas morning. Like Santa and his sleigh, we eagerly await the announcement of the year’s Oscar nominees. Who will get snubbed? Who will be surprised? Fans across the country can watch the nominations announced live either online or on some TV outlets. But what’s it like to actually be at the Academy on a morning like this? EW was on the scene (before the sun) to be there for the 5:38 a.m. PT air time. The room is full of press and publicists there to support their clients or films, hoping to hear their names called.

The Academy and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced that this year’s Oscar telecast would have a movie hero theme, so the lobby of the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills was filled with images and video clips of some heroic characters from past Oscar films. Everyone from Shrek to Superman to Thelma and Louise were represented. Publicists can be overheard pre-congratulating each other on such a great year for film. “Just hoping the best for everybody. There are just so many films, so many actors,” one was overheard saying. Soon, the friendly smiles turned to focused concentration once the theater opened. As you can expect, there’s a lot of security for an event like this, to make sure the nominees stay secret and in the right person’s hands. Once inside the theater, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs coyly announced that we had our own superhero among us to help announce the nominees: Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth. Here is what went down during the 12 categories they announced live:

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi, the breakout star of Captain Phillips, received a warm reception when he was the first name called for the morning. One publicist was heard whispering “wow” after his name. An Oscar nomination is a pretty impressive thing for a film debut. However, there was an even bigger reaction for Jonah Hill, who was definitely a surprise in the category for Wolf of Wall Street. Jared Leto, who just won a Golden Globe for Dallas Buyers Club, received an applause after his name was announced.

Supporting Actress
Blue Jasmine actress Sally Hawkins, the first name in the category, received the warmest response, probably because she was the least expected nominee in the category. I’m still trying to process not hearing Oprah’s name this morning.

Original Song
Some really big responses in this category. One person screamed with enthusiasm when the song “Alone Yet Note Alone” was nominated from the film of the same name. Also “Happy” from Despicable Me 2 by Pharrell Williams and “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom by U2 received very warm responses. I’m happy to see a full category here again and the potential for great performances, but the real question remains: Will Idina Menzel or Demi Lovato sing Frozen‘s hit “Let It Go” now that is was also officially nominated?

Adapted Screenplay
Also a lot of reaction for this category, specifically for Before Midnight, Philomena, and The Wolf of Wall Street. The latter reaction was the beginning of a strong showing of support for Scorsese’s controversial film.

Original Screenplay
Huge cheers from one section for the Dallas Buyers Club nomination.

Animated Feature
A respectful acknowledgement for The Wind Rises, Hayao Miyazaki’s last film, took over part of the crowd and some surprised reactions for Despicable Me 2 getting nominated, perhaps over Disney’s Monsters University. Disney still has a good shot to take the prize home with Frozen, though, and The Wind Rises was produced by Disney as well.

Documentary Feature
Really big response for 20 Feet From Stardom, which was the last film announced. Many people were immediately surprised by the snub of the anti-Sea World doc Blackfish.

Director
The biggest response was for Alexander Payne and Martin Scorsese, even though Alfonso Cuaron got some applause. It seemed Payne and Scorsese were more of a surprise to everyone.

Best Actress
Biggest shock was Emma Thompson was missing, and it wasn’t realized right away. A couple of publicists were heard laughing, almost in fear of the strong category, one saying, “Oy, tough one,” after Meryl Streep’s name was announced.

Best Actor
Again, what a morning! A quiet hush took over the room before this one, because everyone knew this was THE one that, no matter what, people would be upset. It seemed almost instantly people knew things were going to be crazy when Christian Bale was the first name announced, alphabetically of course. Leo received a little bit of applause, but the clear favorite in the room for the category was the last name called, Matthew McConaughey. Lots of Dallas Buyers Club support overall.

Best Picture
The holy grail. Now that there can be anywhere from five to 10 nominees, you never know when they are going to stop with this one, so you really have to be paying attention. Big cheers were especially given for Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Philomena, and, again, The Wolf of Wall Street.

Ellen DeGeneres hosts the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on ABC.

Police investigate Kanye West for possible battery

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Beverly Hills police say they're investigating Kanye West for misdemeanor battery after a man accused the rapper of attacking him.

Sgt. George DeMarois says several witnesses identified West as being involved in an altercation around 12:15 p.m. on Monday at an office on exclusive Wilshire Boulevard. The rapper had left the premises by the time officers arrived.

Police said Tuesday they weren't releasing further details and Blair Berk, an attorney representing West in another case, declined comment.

West was charged last year with misdemeanor battery and attempted grand theft after a fight with a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport. He's pleaded not guilty in the case.

The photographer has sued West for assault and battery. West's attorneys stated that West was in fear for his safety.

Peter And Paul Okoye To Wed Their Brides In April 2014 in Dubai

According to Maestromedia, Paul and Peter Okoye will walk their beautiful brides Anita and Lola down the aisle this April, 2014. The twins haven’t picked a particular date in the month of April yet, but they are reportedly quietly working on where, when and how for now. Venue is definitely Dubai unless they make last minute changes.

Young Jeezy charged with beating teen son

(CNN) -- Rapper Young Jeezy allegedly beat up his teenage son and threatened to kill him during an argument 15 months ago.

Jeezy -- whose real name is Jay Wayne Jenkins -- was released on a $45,000 bond on Friday, hours after turning himself into the jail on a grand jury warrant, Fulton County, Georgia, sheriff's spokesman Tracy Flanagan said.

The 36-year-old artist is set to appear in an Atlanta court on January 29 on felony charges of battery, terroristic threats and false imprisonment, Flanagan said.

His son told police the alleged incident at this Atlanta apartment in September 2012 "stemmed from a text message he sent to his father."

His father "walked into the bathroom where he was and slammed his head against the sliding shower door," then "picked him up and threw him into the wall in the bedroom," the police report said.

When the teen tried to run downstairs and away, he was blocked by his father's bodyguard, the report said.

Jeezy then "pulled him back into the room, threw him on the bed, choked him and stated 'I'll kill you," the son told police. He then allegedly threw him against a wall and onto the floor before kicking him in the head.

"The juvenile stated his father stated to him 'I'll put a bullet in your head right now,'" the report said.

The boy's mother called police two days later when her son returned to her and she noticed bruising and scratches on his face," the police report said.

Jennifer Lawrence, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber Make Forbes' 30 Under 30 List for 2014

Jennifer Lawrence is just 23 years old, but she's accomplished more than most people could in 23 lifetimes! For that reason—and surely many others—theAmerican Hustle star is one of Forbes' 30 Under 30. She's in good company, too—with stars like Miley Cyrus (21), Justin Bieber (19) and Quvenzhané Wallis (10!) also making the cut. Bruno Mars (28), Drake (27), Katy Perry (29) and Lady Gaga(27), Lorde (17) and obviously the boys of One Direction (all between the ages of 19 and 22) are also blessed with youth, influence and financial success. According to Forbes, 1D's world tour grossed over $1 million per city with the guys earning a total of $42 million in 2013. And to »

                                               Read full article @ EONLINE

Kim Kardashian and Blac Chyna's Booty Selfie Is a Work of Art—Literally!

Sometimes a booty photo can become inspirational, especially if said booty belongs to Kim Kardashian. The E! star's latest sexy selfie with pal Blac Chyna, that shows off their toned bodies and perky backsides, has served as a model for an Aussie illustrator. Kim reposted the creation with the caption, "Lol @blacchyna Love This!" Australian artist Mads Francis drew the ladies' photo as one of her many celeb pieces that she's posted on Instagram. Francis has drawn inspiration from Kardashian before, and even created an illustration of other E! gals, Giuliana Rancic and Ali Fedotowsky! Kim posted the original photos over the weekend. Posing in a low-cut, cleavage baring sports bra and black »

                                                          Read full article @ EONLINE

A Woman Created the Most Horrifying Dating Profile Ever to See if Guys Would Be Interested (Ugh, They Were)

This is why we can't have nice things, at least when it comes to dating. Men are going after women like this. Alli Reed, a writer for Cracked.com, created a fake profile on OkCupid simply to see if a truly appalling and terrible woman could still get men to hit on her as long as she was attractive. She blogged about the entire experience, but here are the highlights. Alli used a picture of her friend (a model) for the profile, and gave herself the username "aaroncarterfan." That should have been red flag number one. Actually, here are just some of the red flags from her profile that the guys on OKCupid ignored, just because she had a hot photo: -She says she's really good at "convincing »

                                                                           See full story at eonline

PGA Awards Unveils Film, Longform TV Nominations

The awards will be handed out Jan. 19 at the Beverly Hilton.

The PGA unveiled on Thursday its film and longform TV nominees for its 2014 ceremony

Ten feature films -- ranging alphabetically from American Hustleto The Wolf of Wall Street -- have been nominated by the Producers Guild of America for its Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. The other nominees are Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club,Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Saving Mr. Banks and 12 Years a Slave.

The PGA noms are considered indicators of which films have momentum heading into the Academy Award nominations, announced Jan. 16. The Academy also follows the PGA's lead in deciding which specific producers to nominate in the best picture category, since the PGA vets the producers listed for each film to determine which individuals should be recognized.

Annapurna Pictures' Megan Ellison stood out on the list of nominees since she was credited on two films -- director David O. Russell's Hustle, where she was nominated along with Jon Gordon, Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, and Spike Jonze's Her, where she was nominated with Jonze and Vincent Landay.

Brad Pitt earned his second PGA nom for 12 Years -- he also was nominated in 2012 for Moneyball. Also nominated for 12 Years were Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, director Steve McQueenand Dede Gardner. But the PGA did not include two of the movie's other credited producers, who provided financing for the film -- New Regency's Arnon Milchan and River Road Entertainment'sBill Pohlad.

While Wolf secured a nomination, the PGA did not name director Martin Scorsese and the movie's star Leonardo DiCaprio among the producers nominated for the honor. Instead, it cited their fellow producers on the film Riza Aziz, Emma Koskoff and Joey McFarland.

Michael De Luca, who co-chairs the PGA Awards with Lori McCreary, also was among the nominees, acknowledged for his work on Captain Phillips alongside Dana Brunetti and Scott Rudin.

A number of high-profile titles were left off the list completely in what has turned out to be a very competitive year. They included Lee Daniels' The Butler, August: Osage County, Inside Llewyn Davis, All Is Lost and Rush.

Turning to animated features, PGA noms were handed out to such major studio entries as DreamWorks Animation's The Croods, which was distributed by Fox; Universal and Illumination Entertainment'sDespicable Me 2; Fox and Blue Sky Studios' Epic; Disney's Frozen; and Pixar's Monsters University, which was distributed by Disney.

HBO had the best showing for the longform TV nominees with the Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra and Phil Spector, starring Al Pacino in the title role, earning PGA noms for Candelabra'sSusan Ekins, Gregory Jacobs, Michael Polaire and Jerry Weintraub and Spector's Michael Hausman and Barry Levinson. The other nominees are Jane Campion's moody mystery Top of the Lake (Sundance Channel), Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's American Horror Story: Asylumand National Geographic Channel's Killing Kennedy.

The nominees closely mirror last year's Emmy and recently announced Golden Globe nominees. The Emmys gave noms to four of the five PGA-nominated projects. Only Killing Kennedy did not receive an Emmy nom in the category. Candelabra was the big Emmy winner in the category, taking home the statue for outstanding TV movie as well as lead actor for Michael Douglas. Candelabra also has racked up several Golden Globe nominations for best television movie as well as lead actor and supporting actor (Matt Damon). The Globes, which will be handed out Jan. 12 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, also gave nominations to Starz miniseries The White Queen and Dancing on the Edge, neither of which earned PGA noms.

This year, the Producers Guild will also present special honors to Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), Robert Iger(Milestone Award), Peter Jackson and Joe Letteri (Vanguard Award), Chuck Lorre (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Chris Meledandri (Visionary Award) and Fruitvale Station(Stanley Kramer Award).

As previously announced, the TV nominees include Arrested Development, Breaking Bad, Homelandand the final season of 30 Rock. Alex Gibney's We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks is among the best documentary nominees, which were announced in November.

The awards will be handed out at the 25th annual PGA Awards, which are set for Jan. 19 at the Beverly Hilton.

The theatrical motion picture nominees are:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

American Hustle (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Megan Ellison, Jon Gordon, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle

Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum

Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin

Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)
Producers: Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter

Gravity (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producers: Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman

Her (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producers: Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay

Nebraska (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa

Saving Mr. Banks (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producers: Ian Collie, Alison Owen, Philip Steuer1

12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Brad Pitt & Dede Gardner

Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Riza Aziz, Emma Koskoff, Joey McFarland

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

The Croods (DreamWorks Animation)
Producers: Kristine Belson, Jane Hartwell

Despicable Me 2 (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Janet Healy, Chris Meledandri

Epic (Twentieth Century Fox)
Producers: Jerry Davis, Lori Forte

Frozen (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Peter Del Vecho

Monsters University (Pixar Animation)
Producer: Kori Rae

The television nominees are (the longform television category encompasses both movies of the week and miniseries):

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television:

American Horror Story: Asylum (FX)
Producers: Brad Buecker, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, Ryan Murphy, Chip Vucelich

Behind the Candelabra (HBO)
Producers: Susan Ekins, Gregory Jacobs, Michael Polaire, Jerry Weintraub

Killing Kennedy (National Geographic Channel)
Producers: Mary Lisio, Larry Rapaport, Ridley Scott, Teri Weinberg, David W. Zucker

Phil Spector (HBO)
Producers: Michael Hausman, Barry Levinson

Top of the Lake (Sundance Channel)
Producers: Philippa Campbell, Jane Campion, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman

Tonto Dike Establishes Her Own Record Label

Nollywood actress up coming singer Tonto Dike is one controversial person and doesn't care what anyone has to say, after receiving blast for releasing tracks that were not pleasant to the ears to many people, she tends to hit it more harder as she has moved a step further into the music industry big time this year.

Your Poko queen Tonto Dikeh has just launched her own record label called "POKO Entertainment" and She don't want you to call her a CEO because she is not building a company! She said she is building an Empire!!!which means she should be called empress.

Wondering Who is gonna be the first person to be signed under POKO Entertainment? But wait a minute? Thought she was said to have being signed into D'banj record label and also seen in his house, probably he was training her on how to go about it!
WAY TO GO DIKE,JUST KEEP IT ROLLING.