DEATH & CELEBRITY (Wed 3rd Feb 2010)

INSIDE MY WORLD - Death & Celebrity

A plane carrying 90 people crashed off the coast of Lebanon. The Ethopian Airlines passenger plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Beirut Airport, the plane was heading to Addis-Ababa. Most of the passengers were either Lebanese or Ethopian. At least 21 bodies have been found, all dead. Whilst rescue operations continue, we must not give up hope. Some people have said hope has left Nigeria and relocated to Haiti -as the death toll increases to almost 200,000- where it is needed most. In Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince the dead lie in piles on street corners, the living are crowded in tents and as many as 20,000 still await food, water and medical attention. However, through this grim scenery, hope still lives. Amidst the heartbreak and tormented city, rescuers are still combing the mounds of rubble and pulling people out alive. Thousands of Haitian locals are begging the Haiti government to continue the rescue mission and search for survivors. Since the earthquake on January 12, over 130 people have been rescued including Wismond, a 24 year old man, who was found hours after United Nations officials called off the hunt for trapped survivors. They believed no one else could possibly be alive in the ruins of Haitian capital. Rescues such as this have sparked hope among families of the missing. However, disaster experts consider the first 72 hours the most critical period of finding survivors. Over a week has passed and rescuers are still defying the odds. Let’s not give up hope. If you are reading this, I ask, what have you done to provide aid? Not even to those suffering in distant Haiti, we have thousands of less fortunate around us. I see it every day sitting in traffic: people begging, naked children, malnourished adults, swarms of handicapped people of all ages infiltrate our streets. We have become so accustomed to this spectacle we close ourselves to the reality that this way of life should not be accepted as normal. I urge you this week to provide aid in any way you can. Give to charities, non-government organisations, to your church, or even distribute can food and unwanted clothes. I would love to hear that on every street corner people setup a stall or even distribute items of clothing from the boot of their cars and help the needy. If you are unable to provide financially, giving your time is also priceless. If you see a lady around Surulere parked in the middle of the road causing traffic because she is distributing food to the homeless, it is probably me, so I apologise in advance. My aim is to eradicate the notion of extortion which is the premise of today’s society; take as much as you can from whoever you can. I hope to encourage equality and humility towards one another.

God Bless until further notice...

Celebrity News

The movie Avatar was the big winner at the 67th annual Golden Globe awards in Hollywood. Sunday night proved lucky for James Cameron, who won best director for Avatar and also took home the Best Motion Picture Award. The sci-fi blockbuster became the first film of the century to claim 5 weeks at number one. It is now the third biggest grossing movie in America and has made over a billion dollars globally. The Hangover claimed the award for the Top Comedy whilst actor Robert Downey Jr was awarded the Best Actor trophy for his role in Sherlock Holmes.
The Golden Globe award evening was bittersweet for many celebrities who had the earthquake disaster in Haiti on their minds. Whilst collecting and presenting awards, many stars took the opportunity to urge everyone to give generously to charities. George Clooney and Wyclef Jean have joined forces to host a telethon to raise money for the people of Haiti. Artistes that will attend and perform include: Bono, Sting, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys.
The parents of pop diva Beyonce have almost finalised their divorce proceedings. After 30 years of marriage, Beyonce’s mother, Tina Knowles took legal actions against her husband on Nov 11, 2009. Beyonce keeps tight lipped about her family, but she has announced she is going on a six month break after her tour ends next month. Beyonce and her husband Sean Carter aka Jay-Z were named by Forbes to be the top earning couple of 2009. They reportedly earned a total of over $122 million. Interestingly, Beyonce is the one who brought home most of the money. She earned $87 million to his $35 million. While this is a huge amount of money, it’s actually much less than these two made the previous year, when they pulled in $162 million cumulatively. Judging by how hard the 28 year old Beyonce has worked over the past decade, perhaps her well deserved six month break should be extended to a year. After all, she can afford it.
The much loved Sade Adu is one of the distinctive voices in pop music. She has developed her unique, inimitable style which sets her apart from the average pop singer. The sensational songstress is releasing a new album on the 8th Feb 2010. The whole world is eagerly anticipating her sixth album. The first single to be released from her new album is entitled ‘Soldier of Love.’ I will definitely be purchasing a copy of her album as soon as it is released.
Popular twin duo P-squared have now released a video for their track ‘I Love You’ from their Danger album. The video is available to view on YouTube.com. Keep an eye on your TV screens because this simple yet effective video is set to be a hit!
Soon to be a house hold name, Oladotun Alfred Taylor, is a producer, director and script writer. He has directed and produced numerous films and music videos, but his latest achievement with ‘One Thousand Miles’ film, has gained him critical acclaim. One Thousand Miles is a cleverly written and beautifully directed love story which has been recently nominated Best Captivating Movie and is currently out in the cinemas.