Entertainment
Funke Akindele Fires Back At Kunle Afolayan’s Cinema Remarks
Famous Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele, has responded to her colleague, Kunle Afolayan’s comments on profit making strategies and N2 billion cinema gross.
Afolayan had spoken at the recent Lagos Business of Film summit, describing the relentless cycle of content creation required for modern film promotion as “unsustainable.”
While addressing his colleagues on his approach to filmmaking and profitability, the filmmaker during the launching of his movie ‘Anikulapo’, said “There is no competition between us. I don’t just want N1 billion or N2 billion in the cinema that I won’t be able to personally receive N10 million from.”
Afolayan also took a swipe at Funke, saying, “I want to make a film if you guarantee that I do not have to dance to sell that film. Are there other ways? We need to come up with other strategies. How do we sell without exhausting ourselves?
“I do not know how Funke and the likes of them are doing it – creating all of those skits, changing costumes every day.
“I cannot do it. But we have stories we have been working on for more than four years, and we are willing to do,” he added.
However, reacting in a series of Instagram stories, Akindele presented a different perspective, urging filmmakers to innovate rather than withdraw.
She argued that creators can and should develop their own promotional models.
Akindele maintained that she is committed to her own promotional style, stating she is “believing in Gods plan for me”.
She emphasised that the industry holds limitless opportunities, and success does not require following a single blueprint.
“I’m not the one hindering your progress. Karin ka po, yiye ni n ye ni,” she wrote in a mixture of Yorùbá and English.
“If you can’t beat them or join them, create your own path. No allow jealousy burn you. The sky is so big for everybody to fly. Eyin Werey jojo!!!
“Go ahead and create alternative promotion or marketing strategies for promoting your business, or hire a company to handle it.
“You can do it! The opportunities are endless, and everyone has their own path. I’m focused on mine, and I have faith in God’s plan for me.”
Entertainment
Simi Welcomes Second Child With Adekunle Gold
Popular Nigerian music star, Simisola Bolatito Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, has welcomed her second child with her husband, singer Adekunle Kosoko, widely known as Adekunle Gold.
She shared the news on Instagram on Wednesday evening.
In her post, Simi revealed that the baby was born on March 10, 2026.
She posted maternity photos and addressed earlier rumours that she had given birth to twins in January, making it clear that this is her second child.
Simi referred to herself as “mommy of two,” while Adekunle Gold responded in the comments, calling himself “Daddy of two.”
She wrote, “+1. 3.10.26. God bless my little family. Mommyof2.”
The couple did not disclose the baby’s name or gender.
Entertainment
Bill Cosby Ordered To Pay $19m Over Sex Abuse Case
A woman who said she was drugged and sexually assaulted by veteran US entertainer Bill Cosby was awarded more than $19 million on Monday after a civil hearing in California.
Donna Motsinger said she was working as a waitress more than 50 years ago when the performer began to target her.
In the civil case decided in Santa Monica, the suit stated that the comedian had initially come into the restaurant where the now-84-year-old Motsinger worked.
According to court filings, one day, when he picked her up in his limousine, Cosby gave her a glass of wine and what she thought was aspirin.
She began slipping in and out of consciousness, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up at home, wearing only her underwear.
“She knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby,” the suit said.
Attorneys said Cosby, 88, did not remember any sexual contact with Motsinger, but that any that had occurred had been consensual.
The jury took three days to deliver its verdict, ordering Cosby to pay $19.3 million, a figure that could increase if they add punitive damages.
The case was heard in the same courthouse where a 2022 jury ordered Cosby to pay $500,000 in damages to Judy Huth after finding that he had molested her in 1975 when she was just 16 years old.
The man formerly known as “America’s Dad” was jailed in Pennsylvania for drugging and molesting a woman in a separate criminal case in 2018, but was freed in 2021 when his conviction was overturned on a technicality.
Cosby was a towering figure in late 20th-century American popular culture, including for his starring role in “The Cosby Show,” which ran from 1984 to 1992.
Dozens of women have accused Cosby of being a calculating, serial predator who plied victims with sedatives and alcohol before assaulting them over four decades.
AFP
Entertainment
Funke Akindele’s Record-Breaking “Behind The Scenes” Hits Netflix On April 3
Funke Akindele’s blockbuster film, which broke box office records in West Africa, will premiere on Netflix on April 3.
This follows a successful theatrical run that grossed over N2.7 billion, making it the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time.
The film’s streaming debut marks Akindele’s return to Netflix since “Omo Ghetto: The Saga”, highlighting her consistent cinema-first approach and record-breaking annual December releases.
“Behind The Scenes” features an ensemble cast, including Scarlet Gomez, Uzor Arukwe, and Tobi Bakre, and explores themes of generosity, family, and personal responsibility.
Produced by Akindele and Wendy Uwadiae Imasuen, the film’s success extends beyond Nigeria, with notable performances in the UK, Ireland, North America, and Canada.
It became the first Nollywood film to cross the N2 billion mark and achieved N512 million within its first 12 days.
The film’s distributor, Filmone, announced its Netflix premiere, stating, “From shattering box office records to streaming in YOUR HOME and on the go! The record-breaking title, Behind The Scenes, is coming to you on NETFLIX.
“After shattering records with over 2.7 billion at the Box Office, Behind The Scenes will be available for streaming from April 3rd. Watch Behind The Scenes on Netflix from April 3rd”.
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