Many things determined to which side the entertainment world moved in 2010. These included personalities and issues just as there were movie blockbusters and musical chartbusters during the year.
BLOCKBUSTERS
Ije
It is understandable if you don’t like the brashness of Chineze, the director and producer of Ije. But one thing you cannot take away from the flick is that it has the record of being the longest running and most successful movie in cinema after Avatar in Nigeria. The movie was inching towards 60 million at the last check and with plans to bring it back in 2011, Ije might just edge past Avatar.
Anchor Baby
No movie got such publicity as Anchor Baby in 2010. Indeed, the premiere and subsequent cinema runs justified the noise, with Anchor Baby nicking six awards and the lead act, Omoni Oboli, winning two international awards courtesy of the movie. With a simple story told with sequential plots, Lonzo Nzekwe produced one of the very best movies of the year.
Home in Exile
Yes, Lancelot Oduwa-Imasuen can talk, but he added more than that to Home in Exile, his latest work. The movie is not all about the awards but the convincing delivery and stellar cast. The manner the whole project was packaged goes a long way to show that D’Guvnor, as Lancelot is called, was serious about his promise that his 2010 projects would not be jokes. And he delivered.
Save Our Souls
It has been a long while that a movie made us cry after Titanic. That is one feat Oby Edozieh’s movie, Save Our Souls, achieved in 2010. It was about the dreaded cancer and the story was told in such a way that no one is put off and ended in a way that was not so predictable. Though not yet on DVD, the movie is one of the most heart-touching in 2010.
Silent Scandal
Although released late last year, Silent Scandal continued to grab headlines in 2010. With a storyline that borders around mother and daughter falling in love with same person, Vivian Ejike, the producer, added extra layers and convincing plots to give us something to droll over.
Guilty Pleasure
Emem Isong’s Guilty Pleasure brought many things to the fore. Can one genuinely fall in love with his brother’s wife? And what is the consequence of allowing such misdirected emotion to linger? Emem held audience attention with her movie and made more than headlines with the movie.
Omo Ghetto
With Jenifa, Funke Akindele proved to be an actress and producer of note. So in 2010 it was with worthy expectation that many waited for her new movie, Omo Ghetto, and she did not disappoint as the movie as at the time of writing is grabbing attention and selling hot.
Omotara Johnson
For a Part 1 to 3 movie, one would have thought movie enthusiasts would get tired of Bukky Wright and her Omotara Johnson. But it was not so and people are still eagerly expecting Part Four from the ageless actress and mother of two. If you know how easily jaded our movie audience is, you would agree Bukky pulled one of the rarest feats of 2010.
Eti Ketta
Saidi Balogun could be anything to anybody but one thing you cannot away from the cross over actor is that he is not a dull filmmaker. Balogun’s creativity was evidenced in his last movies, Modupe Temi, Gbogbo Ere and the latest, Eti Keta. Although not showing at cinemas yet, his movies made more headlines than most others. This was not even for the star-studded premiere, but simply because the story and acting delivery in Eti Keta is worth the talking.
CHARTBUSTERS
Facebook Love (Essence)
2010 must have been a good year for Essence. Her song, Facebook Love, featuring her record label mate, Jaywon, was a sort of re-invention for her. It topped charts for weeks and was one of the most popular songs in the first half of the year.
Only Me, Implication (Tuface)
Still enjoying wide airplay across the country, Only Me is one of the few philosophical songs still maintaining a wide market appeal. The song further established Tuface as one of the greatest musicians to come out of Africa.
Implication was another song that confirmed Tuface as an artiste of worth in 2010. The song topped various charts across the continent during the year.
Turn Me Around (Kenny Saint Brown – KSB)
Few gospel songs made the charts in 2010, one of which was Turn Me Around by KSB. But the track, which featured the late Yoruba rapper, Dagrin, is perhaps KSB’s most popular song till date.
10 over 10 (Naeto C)
This was another song that made the second half of the year tick. It further proved that the classy musician, Naeto C, knows what to give the Nigerian entertainment market and how best to go about it.
Oleku (Ice Prince)
Ice Prince obviously made a name for himself in 2010 with this track that had elements of fuji music. It remains the only Nigerian song with the highest number of remixes.
Scapegoat (D’Banj)
Scapegoat is obviously one of the most popular songs of the second half of the year. It took a while before it peaked but since it did the song has continued to be a club banger and a chartbuster.
Something About You (Dr Sid)
Having been in the music industry for a while, Dr Sid sure knows how to go about his trade. His song, Something About You, is still ruling the airwaves.
Pon-Pon-Pon (Dagrin)
It was already a club banger before the unfortunate death of its right owner but the song further topped charts after the death of Dagrin.
Gbamu Gbamu (9ice)
Though no song off his last album, Tradition could match up with Gongo Aso which topped charts across the world in 2008, Gbamu Gbamu was sure one song that left 9ice relevant in the course of the year
Lagos Party (Banky W)
For those who rocked during the year, Lagos Party was a sure song to rock with. The song also topped major charts.
Critical (Ikechukwu)
Featuring Koko Master, D’Banj, Critical was also one of the major hits of the year.
Kiss Your Hand (R2Bees & Wande Coal)
From Ghana to Nigeria, Kiss Your Hand by Ghanaian act, R2Bees, and featuring Wande Coal was one of the songs that made the year rock.
STARS MISSING IN ACTION (MIA)
Styl Plus
After the groundbreaking success recorded with its first singles, this group of three has continuously tried to claim a top spot in the industry. It had an album that did not fly and Styl Plus was missing in virtually all the major gigs of the year.
Infinity
Although the group is now broken into three, with two members going solo, none of this all-boy group got any award or performed at any major gig during the year.
Chidi Mokeme
He got into our consciousness with his brilliant acting skills and good looks but year 2010 was not this actor’s year. He did not feature in any major movie but his presence at some major events and the death of his father put him in the news a few times.
Baba Suwe
Gone are the days no Yoruba movie was done without him getting a role. At a point, he was so popular that he would grace the cover of movie jackets but only appeared in two scenes. All that was before 2010. Throughout the year he was conspicuously missing in action, with some speculating that he had relocated.
Toyin Adegbola
She remains one of the most elegant ladies in the Yoruba movie industry and used to be the toast of major movie producers. But what we don’t know is what has kept this beautiful actress (also known as Asewo To re Mecca) away from us.
Sola Sobowale
No one would have believed that the light-skinned respected thespian would totally be missing in action in 2010. Apart from the fact that she is a good actress, she is also a crossover actress that can hold her own in both the Yoruba and English movie industry. But she was inexplicably missing in both industries in the course of the year.
Fred Amata
The biggest news about him this year was that Fred Amata of the popular Amata movie clan had become a pastor, a rumour he denied severally, explaining that it was due to his role in one of his movies. Other than this news, Fred didn’t make any major news during the year.
Ramsey Nouah
He actually had a movie or two to his credit during the year but that is nothing compared to who we used to know Ramsey to be. Not only was he missing in the movies, he only graced a few events in 2010.
Faze
Gone are the days you hardly came across an event billboard without him being one of the leading artistes. It seems this talented musician decided to slow down in 2010 as he featured in few events during the year.
Aki and Paw Paw
But for the national award bestowed on Aki by President Goodluck Jonathan, nothing would have been heard of the two actors during the year. They only appeared in a handful of movies.
Iyabo Ojo
Except on the pages of newspapers, this actress was conspicuously missing in action. There were no major movies to her credit, and unlike her colleagues who took to movie production, Iyabo preferred the back seat in 2010.
ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITIES
Kene Mparu
He gave the face of cinema in Nigeria a lift as the Managing Director of Genesis Cinemas. He got in the news when he brought Sci-fi and Iron Man into Nigerian cinemas. He also got media attention for his intention to start Film House, which is a chain of cinema houses across Nigeria.
Ben Bruce
The CEO of Silverbird Entertainment has remained relevant in the entertainment industry over the years. He brought the attention of the President to the movie industry during the year, which saw the Nigerian leader pledge $200 million to the industry.
Peace Fiberesima
The story of the Nigerian movie industry in 2010 won’t be complete without Peace Fiberesima’s brainchild, African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), where various African actors were recognized. Her awards event got a lot of compliments from within and outside the country.
Mildred Okwo
She personifies management in Nollywood and shows others the way things should be done. The testimony of her works are evident in Rita Dominic, Kate Henshaw, Mike Ezuruonye and Jim Iyke, who she manages.
Omotola
The year marked a lot of achievements for the respected actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde. Not only did she launch her sophomore album at a five-star event, she was also at the forefront of those who supported charity in 2010 through her charity show, Give and Let Give, and at other fora.
Chineze
Her movie, Ije, gave Nigerians a sense of pride, and it outsold several Hollywood movies like Salt and Inception in the cinema.
Kate Henshaw
Kate isn’t all about Onga or Glo, the brands she represents. She pulled her weight behind Project Alert, the NGO that fights for abused women, and the results are there for all to see.
Globacom
Without a shade of controversy, Globacom is one of the major supporters and sponsors of the Nigerian entertainment industry. The telecommunication giants threw its weight behind the industry by sponsoring one of the biggest TV reality shows, Naija Sings. It also made several musicians and actors its ambassadors.
Nigerian Breweries
The brewing merchants got our pick for consistently investing in the entertainment industry. From Maltina Dancehall, Star Mega Jam, Gulder Ultimate Search and AMBO, NBL proved to be one of the entertainment pillars of 2010.
Uche Eze
Her site, Bellanaija.com, is arguably the most popular site in Nigeria. This entrepreneur turned around the face of entertainment reporting in Nigeria with her balanced news reporting and coverage.
Love Idoko
No other promoter in the North Central region of Nigeria can boast of an event that has a huge turnout like any of her two major events of the year: The Democracy Day and Independence Day festivals. The two events helped shape entertainment in the North Central region in 2010.
Van Vicker
Although he did not feature regularly in Nollywood movies, Van Vicker was however one of the outstanding entertainers of the year. His Van Vicker Foundation also established him as a celebrity-philanthropist
Patrick Lee
Patrick Lee is Managing Director of Ozone, the highest-selling cinema house in the country. The cinema serves most cinema buffs on the Lagos mainland.
THE STARS
Omoni Oboli
Omoni is, perhaps, the most decorated actress of the year. She was voted actress of the year at the City People awards for her role in Figurine. Months after, she went ahead to clinch other awards at international film festivals like Harlem World, Los Angeles Movie Awards for her role in Anchor Baby.
Genevieve
2010 must have been an eventful year for this diva and mother of one. She topped the year by featuring on the popular Oprah Winfrey Show and was also on CNN.
Mo Cheddah
Undoubtedly the major revelation of the year, Mo Cheddah was a major award winner in the year.
MI
MI couldn’t have had it better during the year. He was nominated for various awards from which he clinched several. His latest album is also not doing badly in the market.
P-Square
They were nominated for BET awards, performed at several international shows and won numerous awards. For P-Square, 2010 must have been one of their best years.
MoHits crew
From D’Banj to Wande Coal, Dr Sid, Da Prince, the MoHits crew all shone throughout the year. Their songs were chartbusters just as they had numerous awards to show for their hard work.
