BIG BROTHER SET TO AMPLIFY THE FINALE.

This year's Big Brother Amplified has been jam-packed with entertainment, drama and non-stop action from the moment the 26 housemates met on Sunday 1 May.

Triumphs and tantrums, romance and rivalry, friendships and feuds, the housemates have laughed, cried, bonded, argued and danced their way through a 91 day reality TV adventure, screened live continent-wide on DStv channel 198!

Now M-Net has revealed the star-studded line-up for the show’s dramatic two-hour finale during which two winners, chosen by the public, will each walk away USD 200 000 richer.

In addition to the finale including the biggest prize in the history of the show, it will also welcome the talents of six of Africa’s hottest performers - the incredible Fally Ipupa from the DRC, Nigeria’s sensational WizKid and Mo’Cheddah, South Africa’s Professor and Speedy, plus Tanzania’s Cpwaa. Joining them on stage will be all the previously evicted Big Brother Amplified housemates and the Big Brother Amplified dance crew, whose fast routines and smooth dance moves have won the hearts of fans continent-wide.

“We’re going all out to amplify the finale!” says M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi. “In addition to these great performers, there’s going to be one really magic moment when it becomes clear to the final housemates that this year, there are two prizes. We know, our audiences know but the housemates competing for the big prize don’t know this as yet – and I can only imagine their shock and delight when they find out that there are TWO prizes of USD 200 000!”

Meanwhile, the current season of Big Brother Amplified has already set new records for voting. Last week, over 1.4 million votes were logged, the highest of any Big Brother Africa voting period. In addition, this current season has already achieved the highest cumulative total of any Big Brother edition, a total of 6.3 million votes. With voting for the final now well underway, total vote numbers look set for a new record.

So with just a few short days to go, audiences are encouraged to vote for their favourite housemates. Only you can decide which two winners go home with the big prizes! Competing for this year’s big prizes are – Hanni (Ethiopia), Karen (Nigeria), Lomwe (Malawi), Luclay (South Africa), Sharon O (Uganda), Vina (Nigeria) and Wendall (Zimbabwe).

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M-NET LAUNCHES NEW SEASON OF GLO NAIJA SINGS.

M-Net has confirmed that DStv audiences will soon be able to tune in for the third season of the popular music reality series GLO NAIJA SINGS!

Tapping into the talent of Nigeria’s music community, the series combines the energy and emotion of aspiring performers with the expertise and skill of already established industry stars. The result is sensationally entertaining television that has the unique potential to change lives, as in the case of season one winner Jon Ogah and season two’s breakout star Casey Edema who both walked away with USD 100 000 in cash.

Open to a wide range of vocal music performers from soloists and duos to groups of up to 4 persons, GLO NAIJA SINGS gets underway later this month with free auditions set for seven cities across the country where hopefuls can put their singing ambitions to the test. So whether you like to express yourself through hip-hop, reggae, R&B, Afro-Beat, pop, soul or jazz, now’s your chance to step into the spotlight. The competition is open to entrants over the age of 18, with valid proof of Nigerian citizenship. All entrants will have to complete an entry form and are only allowed to audition once.

Produced by M-Net Nigeria and Nevermachine, in previous seasons the show included special celebrity judges as part of the audition process and this year, it will be no different. Past celebrity judges have included General Pype, Djinee, Omawumi, YQ, GT the Guitarman, Tyeng Gang, Kore Brown and TJ to name a few, so fans are advised to keep an eye out for more top performers this time round.

“We’ve been very fortunate that the cream of Nigeria’s music industry have joined us over the past two seasons, to the absolute delight of our audiences and the benefit of our contestants. By giving so generously of their time and their talent, they have grown not only their own fan base but also played a vital part in the development of Nigerian music” says Biola Alabi, Managing Director M-Net Africa.

She continues, “M-Net is happy to partner with GLO once more on a program which has really begun to draw large audiences eager to see, hear and celebrate great music from rising Nigerian stars. It’s fantastic that audiences are so responsive to this kind of series, that viewers participate through voting and that they really want to see the contestants succeed. It’s exciting, dramatic, and of course, fun!”

So if you want to have fun, and possibly find great fame and a large fortune along the way, make sure that you enter season three of GLO NAIJA SINGS.

Auditions are being held as follows:

Ibadan - 18 July
 Ibadan Civic Centre                  
816 Agodi GRA, Idi Ape-Iwo Road (Near NECO office)

Benin City - 21 July
Constantial Hotel                      
24/26 Airport Road GRA, Opposite Benin Airport Exit Gate

Enugu - 24 July
Dannic Hotel
3 Edem Close, Upper Chime Avenue, New-Haven

Port Harcourt - 27 July
Hotel Presidential                      
Aba Road, Port Harcourt

Kaduna - 1 August
Command Guest House      
30 Muhammadu Buhari Way, Former Waff Road, Kaduna

Abuja - 4 August
Abuja International Conference Centre                      
Plot 900 Herbert Macaulay Way, Garki District, Abuja

Lagos - 8 and 9 August
Phillips Warehouse
Ojota Bus stop, Ojota, Lagos

And to watch GLO NAIJA SINGS, DStv subscribers can tune in to M-Net from Sunday August 21 and follow the action weekly until the grand finale on Sunday November 13. The program will also be screened in high definition on the M-Net HD channel. GLO NAIJA SINGS will also be available on the AfricaMagic channel, shortly after it’s screening on M-Net.

For information on GLO NAIJA SINGS and other great M-Net programs, visit www.mnetafrica.com



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M-Net launches Africa Magic Swahili on July 1.

M-Net has announced the arrival of their new baby, Africa Magic Swahili, a gift for more than 124 million Swahili speakers across the continent.

M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi says the complete Swahili package will debut on DStv channel 127 on July 1, at 3pm to be precise.

General Manager of Multichoice Kenya Stephen Isaboke  and  M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi

“Kiswahili is one of the oldest and most beautiful languages in the world. It’s also one of the most widely spoken languages in the region,” she said, stressing that it was a by-product of an urgent request from subscribers in the region.

Africa Magic Swahili will be the fifth offering of more localised content for the region after Africa Magic, Africa Magic Plus, Africa Magic Hausa and Africa Magic Yoruba.

DStv Channel 127 will initially broadcast on six hour loops much like the M-Net Series channel, and content will range from movies, drama series, talks shows and music videos.

“Content is a big challenge,” says Wangeci Murage, program Manager for M-Net in East Africa, who acknowledges that most of content is currently being sourced from Tanzania.

She however stresses that since there is a platform, local producers and film makers should take advantage of the chances to come up with more content.

It should come as good news to film makers in Kenya who rarely have an outlet for their creations that would generate revenue.

Wangeci has called on any film maker with relevant content to drop it at the M-Net offices in Rahimtulla Towers in Upper Hill,Kenya.

Biola said that most of the contracts they sign with programmes on their pay-TV channel range between 12 and 18 months, and this has been a successful model across the continent.

Stephen Isaboke,Biola Alabi and Wangeci Murage, program Manager for M-Net in East Africa

She also took the chance to announce that they would be shooting another season of Changes in the near future.

The General Manager of Multichoice Kenya Stephen Isaboke said the channel would be available even on their cheapest bouquet – DSTv Access – making it within reach for anyone who can afford to pay the monthly subscription.

Anyone can enjoy the programmes on the channel though as the dramas and movies will have English subtitles.

Big Brother Gets Amplified

Running 91 days and 24/7 with a dream grand prize of USD 200 000, the sixth season of Africa’s biggest reality show will include more of the drama, the emotion, the excitement and the suspense that have made the series a firm fan favourite.

And it’s all going to be amplified!

So says M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi who heads up the channel’s initiatives across the continent. “By definition amplified means to increase the volume, to make louder, to make more powerful. And that’s exactly what we want to do with season six. To take the elements that audiences find so fantastic and present them in a refreshing new way while adding big surprises and entertaining twists. Amplified is such a well-known pop culture term and Big Brother has definitely become a pop culture success. So the name fits perfectly.”

With a dramatic new eye, etched in a carbon fibre background with an edgy, futuristic feeling and with a sophisticated polished reflective finish, the newly unveiled show logo sets the scene for a bold new season!

With the deadline for entries now closed and the next phase of selection now well under way to choose housemates from the 14 participating countries (Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe), Big Brother Amplified is on track to launch in little over a month!

“We received an unprecedented amount of entries this year,” says Alabi. “It’s been truly phenomenal, with almost 7000 written entries received from across the continent and countless more people attending the ‘last chance’ open auditions. We’ve had people from all walks of life from very different backgrounds with completely different aspirations …all take this one opportunity to enter Big Brother. It’s really heartening to see that if anything, the show is going from strength to strength.”

Created and produced for M-Net by Endemol South Africa, the series will once again be hosted by charismatic IK Osakioduwa, who has been at the heart of the action since he joined the show two seasons ago. With a brand new house also under construction, it’s a matter of weeks before Big Brother Amplified hits DStv screens!

Watch this space for more details.


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Big Brother Africa 6 audition veunes

M-Net has made an exciting announcement for all those people who have left it too late to enter!

With a vast amount of entries streaming in from across the 14 participating countries, M-Net has confirmed that it will also run open auditions in the different countries – so that those people who didn’t submit a paper entry, still get one last chance to try out for the new season.

"We’re extremely pleased with the response that this year's call to entry has had," says M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi. "Going into a 6th season, we knew that there would be interest but the scale of this interest has been quite phenomenal with over 5000 entries already received, certainly among the highest number of entries for any edition of Big Brother Africa."

She goes on to say, "However, we're aware that there are always people who leave it too late to enter and then arrive at the audition venues, where our teams are holding phase two audition sessions, to plead for a chance to try out. So this year, in addition to paper entries, we'll also have open audition days. This way, if you submitted a paper entry, your entry has already been evaluated and successful candidates will be called and seen first at audition venues. But those people who didn't do a paper entry will have one last chance to enter when our selection team is in the participating countries. They simply need to arrive at the audition venue on the relevant days."

Remember that all entrants must be tolerant of views and lifestyle choices other than their own and must have the social flexibility to live in close proximity with others.

BIG BROTHER AFRICA 6 begins on Sunday May 1 this year and once more, the dedicated DStv channel 198 will be providing 24/7 live coverage for the 91 day duration of the series.

Audition Dates and Venues:

COUNTRY	DATES	VENUE
Angola	3 - 5 March 2011	Skyna Hotel, Luanda
Botswana	28 February - March 1 2011	Grand Palm Hotel, Gaborone
Ethiopia	28 February - 2 March 2011	Hilton Addis Ababa Hotel
Ghana	28th February - 2 March 2011	Holiday Inn Hotel Accra Airport
Kenya	4 and 5 March 2011 (Nairobi) 6 March 2011 (Mombasa)	6 March 2011 (Mombasa) Little Theatre, Mombasa
Malawi	11 - 13 March 2011	Protea Ryalls Hotel, Blantyre
Mozambique	8 - 10 March 2011	Southern Sun Maputo
Namibia	28 February 2011 1 March 2011	The Playhouse, Windhoek
Nigeria	4 - 6 March 2011 (Lagos) 7th March 2011 (Abuja)	Protea Leadway Hotel Maryland Estate Ikeja, Lagos Protea Hotel Asokoro, Abuja
South Africa	8th March 2011 (DBN) 9th March 2011 (CPT) 10 and 11 March 2011 (JHB)	Southern Sun Marine Parade (DBN) Holiday Inn Express St. Georges Mall (CPT) The Forum - Turbine Hall Newtown (JHB)
Tanzania	12 - 14 March 2011	Mövenpick Royal Palm Hotel,Dar es Salaam
Uganda	8 - 10 March 2011	Sheraton Kampala
Zambia	7 and 8 March 2011	Golfview Hotel, Lusaka
Zimbabwe	4 - 6 March 2011	The Meikles Hotel, Harare

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Uti and Helen Paul host JARA on AfricaMagic.

Want to go behind the scenes in Nollywood? Want to get the inside scoop on what’s going on in Nigeria’s vibrant film industry? Want to catch up with your favourite Nollywood stars as they chat about their stellar careers? Then tune in to AfricaMagic as the channel puts Nollywood in the spotlight with its first production, JARA.

The flagship new series is packed with fun news and information, direct from the thriving heart of Africa’s busiest film hub. Screening to DStv audiences every Saturday evening in primetime (6:30pm Nigerian Time), JARA is hosted by two of Nigeria’s hottest stars…popular and sociable Big Brother All Stars winner Uti Nwachukwu and sensational entertainment personality Helen Paul.

Speaking about the debut of JARA, M-Net Managing Director Biola Alabi said the series had been in planning and development for some time. “M-Net has created numerous original productions like Tinsel, Studio 53 and Comedy Club, which have been shown on the AfricaMagic channel.  Further to this, we’ve licensed a lot of African series from producers across the continent. Now we felt it was time for AfricaMagic to have its very own original production, something we developed specifically for this very popular channel and its enthusiastic audience. JARA is the result and we’re very pleased to have the chance to really profile Nigeria’s directors, producers, stars – showing them at premieres, galas, awards shows and at work.”

She continues, “This kind of programming is in demand internationally and is very powerful. We are delighted that we can help facilitate a closer relationship between the world of Nollywood celebrities and their fans across Africa – those viewers who just love the movies and those stars that want to share their experiences with these viewers.”

JARA is filmed on location in Lagos and some of its first inserts have included – a focus on the Bon Awards and the Tima Awards, a visit to the Port Harcourt International Film Festival, a countdown of the top female actresses to watch in 2011 and profiles on producers Tunde Kelani and Lonzo Nzekwe. Guests in studio have already included Ini Edo and Omoni Oboli plus JARA has also included an insert on Desmond Elliot on holiday. Also coming up is an interview with Nollywood legend Ramsey Noah (Saturday January 29).

JARA is re-screened on AfricaMagic every Monday at 11am and Wednesday at 10pm

Thanks to Ameyaw of http://www.ameyawdebrah.com for this gist.