Entertainment
Late Aretha Franklin Awarded 2019 Pulitzer Prize, Ellen Reid Too
Legendary music star, Aretha Franklin has been posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her contribution to American music and culture.
Also, composer, Ellen Reid was also awarded this year’s Pulitzer music award for her opera “Prism,’’ which premiered at the Los Angeles Opera last fall.
Franklin, who passed away in August 2018 at age 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, was honoured with the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.
She became the first individual woman to receive a special citation prize, which was first awarded in 1930.
The iconic music star became the 12th musician, and first female performer, to be given the citation – joining the likes of Bob Dylan, Scott Joplin and John Coltrane.
Franklin, whose powerful voice, trained in the gospel tradition, moved on to embrace jazz, soul and rhythm and blues had won 18 Grammys, had 17 top 10 US chart hits and became the first woman admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Pulitzers also honour the best in literature, theatre, and journalism.
Jackie Sibblies Drury won the drama prize for “Fairview’’, a play which seems to be a black family comedy in the style of The Cosby Show or A Different World.
Similarly, novelist Richard Powers won the fiction prize for “The Overstory’’, a multi-narrative look at nine Americans who are brought together unfolding natural catastrophe.
While David Blight picked up the history prize for his acclaimed biography of Frederick Douglas, the escaped slave who became a leader of the abolitionist movement.
The New York Times and Washington Post won journalism awards for their coverage of President Trump, while there was a special citation for the staff of Capital Gazette
.(NAN)
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in New Mexico along with their dog, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told CNN. He was 95.
Their causes of death have not been confirmed, but foul play is not suspected, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila told CNN on Thursday morning.
Deputies responded to a welfare check request at the home around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday and found Hackman, Arakawa and a dog deceased, Womack-Avila said. An investigation is ongoing, the sheriff’s office said. The gas company is assisting in the investigation, The Associated Press reported.
The welfare check was conducted after a neighbor called authorities, concerned about the couple’s well-being, CNN affiliate KOAT reported.
A search warrant shows that Hackman, his wife and their dog had been dead for some time, and the couple’s bodies were in different rooms when deputies found them during the wellness check, the AP reported.
Hackman was found dead Wednesday in a mudroom, and Arakawa was found dead in a bathroom next to a space heater. There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the countertop near Arakawa, the AP reported.
Medical examiner’s reports with the final cause of death “generally take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to generate,” said Chris Ramirez, spokesperson for the New Mexico medical investigator’s office.
CNN has reached out to Hackman’s representatives.
The actor’s death comes just days before the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Hackman’s performances in such films as “The French Connection,” “Hoosiers,” “Unforgiven,” and “The Firm” elevated character roles to leading-man levels.
Hackman’s best roles were often of conflicted authority figures or surprisingly clever white-collar villains, such as the iconic, evil Lex Luthor in the “Superman” film series in the 1970s and ’80s. Many held a hint – sometimes more than a hint – of menace.
He won an Oscar for his portrayal in 1971’s “The French Connection” of New York cop Popeye Doyle, a detective who gets his man but at a high cost. His surveillance expert in 1974’s “The Conversation” is single-minded to the point of obsession, losing all perspective.
He won his second Oscar for his performance as Little Bill Daggett, the violent sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 film, “Unforgiven.”
Source: CNN
Nigerian music star, Patoranking, is guest this week on the Glo-sponsored African Voices, the magazine programme of the Cable News Network (CNN) International.
He will share the story of how he rose from the slums of Lagos to global fame to host of the programme, Larry Madowo.
The programme will equally host Ghanaian Derrick Cobinnah, who has been using his “Forces Help Africa” to turn round for good the fortunes of Ghanaian war veterans.
Patoranking, whose full name is Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, hails from Onicha in Ebonyi State. He was born in Lagos on 27 May 1990. He is a Nigerian Afrobeats and reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter who starred out in life as a street musical performer.
He has won notable awards including Headies, Vodafone Ghana Music Awards as well as the MTV Africa Music Award in recognition of his hit albums including God Over Everything (2016), Wilmer (2019), Three (2020) and World Best which was released last year.
Patoranking has used his wealth and his position as a UNDP Regional goodwill ambassador to champion the cause of youth development in Nigeria.His counterpart, Derrick Cobinnah, has been employing his Forces Help Africa, a non-government organisation to render help and support to war veterans who are sick, injured, displaced or destitute.
The current edition of African Voices started airing on DSTV Channel 401 om Saturday, with repeats coming up on Sunday at 7p.m. and at 4 a.m. on Monday.
Entertainment
Behold the Prophetess: DJ Cuppy Foretells End of Singlehood in 2025 As Nigerians Offer Advice
Disc Jockey, DJ Cuppy, has prophesied that Valentine’s Day 2025 will be her last one as an unmarried woman.
The 32-year-old, in a post on X, expressed faith in God to help her get a husband.
“Happy #ValentinesDay to me! Manifesting that this is my last one unmarried… Lord, do your thing!” she wrote.
There have been diverse reactions to her post. While some professed love to her, others dished out unsolicited advice and even made recommendations for life partners.
Ogunniyi Taiwo (@tcarz45) wrote: “Baby come let me give you love unconditionally.”
Another X user “SanTa ExqCobar”≠ (@SanTaExqCobar) commented: “If na bad character make you never marry, change am. Happy Val.”
Mr Gibenny (@mrgibenny) suggested: “@uchecrypt is single @cuppymusic. @Crypto__hub is single @cuppymusic. Choose either of them, you won’t regret it.”
Mezie Abia (@MezieAbia) had this advice for Cuppy: “I hope you do realize that the Lord will not find husband for you? Go out there and make use of your woman skills to lure a man who will stick with you. We can’t have a good number of handsome and single men roaming the cities, and you’re always worrying and disturbing Lord to do His thing every damn year.
“Heaven helps those who help themselves, therefore, make a haste while the sun shines (sic).”
Olubunmi Aro (@bummiearo) wrote: “Don’t be under any pressure to marry please.”
Sulucious (@sulucious) asked Cuppy to marry him. “Let get married, na you they fine who get money,” he wrote.
DJ Cuppy announced her relationship with British boxer, Ryan Taylor, in December 2022.
After getting to know each other for 25 days, she disclosed that they got engaged.
However, after un-following one another on Instagram in July 2023, the couple gave rise to rumour that they were no longer together.
Cuppy later opened up about the failed relationship while recounting the setbacks in her life at an event.
Born as Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, DJ Cuppy is the daughter of billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola.
