Interview With Nollywood Actress Mimi Quaker: I’m Not a Lesbian, I Only Organise Girls…

Mimi Quaker isn’t really a rookie anymore, since featuring in “Evil Mind” some two years ago. The beautiful, curvaceous girl from Port Harcourt has got enough under her belt to rub shoulders with the very best in the industry. Unlike most of her peers, she has seen the two worlds of music and movie. Having featured in close to ten movies, Mimi also has a stake in the music world as a music video vixen. In fact, she was named as one of the top ten video vixens in 2012 by a popular blogger.

But the jovial, down-to-earth Mimi, had a sling of controversy thrown her way when she was accused of being a lesbian for keeping and displaying pictures of various girls as her Blackberry DP (Display Pictures). In this chat with Weekend Groove, she opens up on why she keeps pictures of different girls as her BB Display Pictures, her career and many more. Enjoy:

How did you get into acting?

It was a bit easy for me. I met Chico Ejiro on Facebook and told him about my intention to go into acting. He invited me for an audition and that was how it all started for me.

When did you know  you could act?

I have always loved acting right from my childhood. Back in primary school, I would gather my friends together and got them laughing by putting up different acts. It was then people started taking notice of my talent. Even,some of them advised me to go into acting. It is a childhood passion that has now been realised.

You said you have been acting since 2010. How many movies did you do in 2012 alone?

2012 was really hectic. I had to go back to school full time. So, my studies  took most of my time. Right now, I am in the University of Lagos and I’m studying philosophy. Even at that, I still managed to shoot about six music videos last year.

So, who have you shot music videos with in the past?

I have shot videos with people like KAN, Brymo, Rex, Terry G and several other Nigerian artistes. I was even picked as one of the top ten video vixens by Linda Ikeji, the blogger.

What is the actual difference between doing music videos and doing  movies?

There isn’t much difference between the two. Both involve acting in the real sense but the acting in movies is more intense than the acts you need to put up in music videos. However, for me, the big difference is in the pay. Music videos pay far more and it doesn’t take much of your time like movies do. While movies takes months to wrap up, music videos can be a day thing.

Are you telling us that doing music videos are more lucrative than acting in movies?

Yes, it is. For one, the time you spend in producing  just one movie, you could spend the same amount of time doing over ten music videos.

Now, give us an idea of how much it pays for one music video production ?

I can’t tell you that now. It’s  like revealing my salary to the whole world. All I can say is that it pays well.

We learnt that artistes usually take advantage of girls who do music videos, is it true?

It is everywhere, not only in the music or movie industry. It is more of a personal thing. You see, it depends onthe individual.If that is what you have come for, fine, you get it but nobody forces anybody on anybody. For me, I have not experienced such since I started singing.

But some artistes usually make passes at you?

Yes, of course. Like I said , it depends on what you are set to achieve. If that is what you set out to achieve then, you are bound to get it.

So when passes are made at you, how do you fend them off?

You just nicely turn them down…

(cuts in) Is it that simple. Imagine somebody grabbing at you roughly and suddenly…?

(cuts in)  That has never happened to me. Maybe it is in the way you carry yourself but that has never happened to me. Besides, I work with decent and respectful bunch of people who are too nice and cultured not to consider that. All the artistes and directors I have worked with are not rude or indecent to descend that low. Maybe it happens in other places but I have never had to face such a situation. Never.

How far do you intend to go in acting?.

I intend to go very far. You know, it is something I really like to do and I have no intention of dumping it entirely for music video or anything. I just want to finish my education first. Education is important because if you are educated people would take you more seriously. After my education, I intend to come back with a storm, and probably do one or two movies of my own, with my own money.

Between doing movies and music videos, which one are you more involved with right now?

Music videos of course, because it doesn’t take all my time. In 2012 I featured in more than five videos.

And those five paid enough to last you the whole year?

Yes they did. Apart from that I also organise girls for music videos.

How do you mean. Like an agency or what?

Yes. Most of the directors are my friends and they ask me to bring girls for music videos. So, I organise girls for their videos. All they do is ask me to bring girls with certain specifications and I search for girls with those specifications. Sometimes, I provide nothing less than five girls for a music video and what I do is to get paid from the girls’ payment.

How much percentage do you take off their cuts?

Well, sometimes I take up to 40 per cent.

So, what do you look for in the girls you pick?

The shape is the most important feature. The girl must be very curvy with nice skin colour, not necessarilylight-skinned and the height doesn’t matter. The type of girls to choose often depends on the director’s specifications. In some instances, the director may require a busty girl, big backside girl or even a slim-waist girl. Generally, a sexy curvy girl passes.

There have been a lot of girls on your Blackberry (DP) Display Picture. Does this have anything to do with your sexual preference?

I don’t know what you are talking about but those girls you have been seeing on my DP are some of the girls I selected for a music video.

Why do you flaunt them on your DP?

(laughing), is it giving you headache or is there any problem with that?

Some have said you flaunt them because you are a lesbian and are involved with them.

(laughing) I don’t want to talk about that.

What do you mean you don’t want to talk about that?

Are you done? I don’t want to talk about that. Next question.

Are you a lesbian, Mimi?

No. next question.

Are you in a relationship?

Yes I am.

So what attracted you to the man?

I guess the physique. I also like guys with a good set of teeth. He must also be handsome, tall, well built and God-fearing.

As an upcoming artiste, imagine you are given a script that entails you having séx on set, would you take it?

Yes, because it is only make-believe. You are not actually having séx but making it look like you are having sex.

But what if it involves exposing vital parts of your body?

Well, if the money is good enough, I will take it. The whole idea is make-believe and getting the job done. It has nothing to do with my person.

Who do you consider your role models in the industry?

In Nigeria, I have Mercy Johnson and Genevieve. I used to like Rita Dominic but not any more because she has not lived up to my expectation.

What do you consider first before taking up a role?

The role itself. I must be able to assimilate it and project it to perfection before I can take it on. Then, I look at how it would be viewed by the society and the likely criticisms that may arise from it. Then, I look at what impacts it has on the society. I like to do films that pass messages to the society.
 TalkOfNaija

Breaking News: Chinese Company Workers Protest Poor Working Conditions In Lagos

Some workers of the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company, CCECC, are protesting against poor working conditions at the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Lagos.
The workers are believed to be casual labourers of the chinese firm, which is handling several construction contracts in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
Naij

Lucky :How Nicki Minaj evaded arrest in Dubai

Nicki Minaj was at the Jimmy Kimmel Live show and disclosed how she almost had herself arrested in Dubia for hugging a police officer

“I went to Dubai. I almost got in so much trouble because the guys in Dubai are so cute. It’s not even funny. One of the rules [is] you can’t hug a man if you’re not married to the man. And so when we were leaving, there was this one guy that was so freaking cute, I was like, ‘Bye!’ because I just wanted to have this one last moment to…savor the moment with him…”

“Literally, I didn’t know he was a cop. They don’t have a police [uniform]. It was like a private airport. They were just dressed in their regular garments. I went to give him a hug, and it was literally, I almost felt like time stopped in Dubai. I felt like everything froze. Every single person turned around in slow motion like, ‘Nooo!’”
Minaj concluded, “Everyone in my team thought I was going to be put in jail. It was the scariest thing. He kinda put his arms up a little bit and cracked a nervous smile, and I was just like, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry!’ and I just left.”
 TalkOfNaija

Woman Takes New Car on Test Drive, Then Robs Bank With It

A California man became an unsuspecting getaway driver when a woman taking a test drive in his car stopped to rob a bank.

The Manteca Bulletin first reported that Gail Castle asked to take the 1987 Chrysler 5th Avenue for a test drive but that the owner, who asked to remain anonymous, insisted on coming along for the ride.

A few blocks into the ride, Castle allegedly asked the man to pull over to a nearby Bank of America so she could withdraw the necessary funds to pay him the $2,200 asking price for the vehicle.

She reportedly emerged a few minutes later, “flashing him a purse stuffed with bills,” according to local Fox affiliate KTXL.

The pair then headed to the man’s house to complete the transaction. However, the police were also on their way.

Castle, 51, reportedly handed the Bank of America teller a note reading, “This is a robbery and I don’t want anybody to get hurt.”

“I turned my left signal the other side of the crosswalk here, and that’s when the sirens went off. I thought, ‘What in the world is going on,’” the man told the station.

The police, who were not aware at the time that the man was not involved in the crime, then ordered him to step out from his vehicle. That’s when Castle reportedly threatened to shoot the man if he complied with the authorities.

"I thought I’d rather take a chance on her shooting me in the back,” the man told KTXL, explaining why he chose to get out of the car. Thankfully, police say Castle didn’t actually have a firearm in her possession.

Interestingly, while the man did not want to be identified in the story, Castle reportedly asked the Bulletin to interview her after her arrest.

TalkOfNaija

Opinion: Saving women from themselves

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by Ifesinachi Okoli-Okpagu

Perhaps, we (women) are the cause of our limitations. Take urban societies in Nigeria for instance. In a society where the worth of a woman is judged by her beauty rather than her desire to achieve goals to better her people, Nigerian women have gone the extra length to re-define the concept, even taking life-threatening risks to mould themselves into the acceptable Western standard of beauty.

A few weeks ago, I heard a story that would change everything I believe in. On the way to town, my friend met an old friend of hers whom she thought was happily married. The young lady looked older than her age and her eyes barely concealed the hurt she was trying so hard to hide. After several minutes of talking with her, my friend learnt that the lady, who got married few years ago, was thrown out of her marital home. For a long time she had suffered physical abuse from her husband and finally, she was thrown out with no job to support herself with. At the end of the conversation, my friend did not quite understand the reason for the abuse but she left the lady feeling dejected. The lady had somehow managed to convince herself that she deserved the abuse.
After I heard the story, it occurred to me that it would be quite difficult to convince a woman who had sentenced herself to a life of self-torture that she was worth more than the measly value she had placed on herself, even if the government had to tear down the walls of her ears and scream it into her brain. The government’s efforts at empowering women can only do so much.  It also occurred to me that like the golden fleece of Jason and the Argonauts, we still have not been able to fully grasp if women really need to be empowered as much as they need to be enlightened.
The concepts of enlightenment and empowerment are like twins in a pod; they share the same space but are quite different. Enlightenment refers to such terms as broad-mindedness, comprehension, literacy and insight. It is an illumination that stems from an inner knowledge or conviction. Empowerment, on the other hand, seeks to liberate from external forces.
Women empowerment is the breaking of personal limitation; limitations rooted in universal and local norms and culture. What we believe, the way we do things have a way of shaping our existence and our belief in reality. Yet, time and time again, the world has shown us that there are always better ways of doing things and that most things we previously thought existed, were in fact a lie (remember the theory that the world was originally thought to be flat). But in the case of women, many things are yet to change.
Perhaps, we (women) are the cause of our limitations. Take urban societies in Nigeria for instance. In a society where the worth of a woman is judged by her beauty rather than her desire to achieve goals to better her people, Nigerian women have gone the extra length to re-define the concept, even taking life-threatening risks to mould themselves into the acceptable Western standard of beauty. Gone are the days of virtue and hard work; the average Nigerian young woman would rather ‘enhance’ herself to attract the attention of a wealthy man, only discovering years down the line, that beauty is only skin deep. In the end, beauty fades, but brains reign.
Women have accepted to be bound by the unhealthy mentality of ourselves in the society. Take for instance the case where a successful career woman thrives, we are quick to point out her flaws rather than celebrate her strengths. When a marriage ends in a divorce, we are quick to point to the woman; whether she is working or not. When a woman is raped, the first question is ‘what was she wearing?’ When she graduates top of her class, ‘which lecturers did she sleep with?’ When she can’t have a child, ‘there must have been an abortion in her life’. No matter what women do right or wrong, many times, there is always someone pointing to how weak and flawed women are in the society. This is, of course, minus the silent competition by women to outdo each other.
It is quite obvious that women do not know their worth in the society, and unless each woman gets to the stage of illumination and enlightenment, it is difficult to truly liberate her from her own limitations. Perhaps it is what the online platform Fabulous-City.com seeks to do – to provide a platform for Nigerian women to realize that they are more than the value they have pegged themselves with; that every woman has the mandate to visualise, pursue her goals and contribute to the nation’s socio-economic development but she must not shun her family responsibilities; that every woman must think of herself as a complete individual by herself, and not as an attachment to a man. This is not to say that women don’t need husbands – not at all. This is to say that a woman should decide to marry not as a means to an end – the end of which is happiness – but if she should decide to marry, because she is happy about being who she is – a woman first before someone’s wife.
Finally, I will leave you with the advice by an accomplished professional, Chief Mrs. Bola Kuforiji Olubi. According to her, women must adjust their mentality for winning and forget past frustrations which have led many to peg their aspiration low. She suggested that women should grant themselves intellectual liberation and cast away timidity while expressing informed and enlightened boldness and confidence. Finally, she said that rather than depend on the use of feminine attraction, women should be able to match aspiration with ability, ambition with qualification; and be informed while exploiting legitimate opportunities to foster their career potentials.
YNaija.com

“Employ the ‘three-minute rule’”: 25 tips to change your life positively

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from Real Buzz

If only people could put as much energy into finding a new job as they do into moaning about it, then they could make a major change to their lives.

Stuck in a rut? If you feel it’s time to make a fresh start then take a look at our top 25 tips to help you change things for the better and get more out of life.

Life-changing tip 1: Travel the world

If it’s possible, then you should make sure you fit some travelling in. Okay, so you might not have the time or the funds to go on a round-the-world trip, but it certainly is a truism that ‘travel broadens the mind’. If you can’t manage that backpacking trip around the globe, then consider going to some far away location where the experience will be totally different — perhaps even life-changing — rather than settling for the usual two weeks in the same destination.

Life-changing tip 2: Change your job

If your job is getting you down, then change it. The only thing preventing you finding something that you’ll enjoy more is you. If only people could put as much energy into finding a new job as they do into moaning about it, then they could make a major change to their lives. Your workplace is where you spend a large proportion of your time, so it’s important to try and be as happy there as you can be.

Life-changing tip 3: Sell your house

Your home and affording it might be one of your greatest sources of worry, so a simple solution would be to remove that worry from the equation. Do you really need that spare bedroom when you could quite easily cope in a smaller house? Downsizing and moving to a smaller (and likely cheaper) property will make it a lot easier to manage, will remove one of your major worries, and may free up some funds for you to actually start enjoying yourself a bit!

Life-changing tip 4: Do volunteer work

Volunteering makes us feel good about ourselves while we do something practical to help others. Volunteering also inevitably means having greater opportunities to meet other people. You could think about volunteering for an overseas project in a Third World country — which is bound to have an impact on your outlook — or you could simply give up a few hours a week to help an elderly person do their shopping. In any case, realising you are more fortunate than others while you do your charity work will have a profound and lasting effect on you.

Life-changing tip 5: Change your routine

Having a regular routine can be a safe option, but can make your life a little more exciting as well. Try changing something in your routine, such as taking a different route or method of transport into work. If you’re one of those people who usually says ‘I can’t do that on Tuesday because I normally do …’, then break that cycle and try to do things in a more spontaneous manner. Just because it’s Friday doesn’t mean you always have to eat fish!

Life-changing tip 6: Have a goal

Always have a goal in mind — whether it is saving up for that new car or that trip around the world, or alternatively realising some career ambition. If you don’t have anything to look forward to, then you can quickly become bogged down and will be effectively just living to work rather than the other way round. Having a target to work towards keeps you motivated and helps prevent you from just drifting along and falling into a rut — so make sure you always have a particular goal in mind.

Life-changing tip 7: Do something that scares you

There’s nothing that quite makes you feel as good about yourself as overcoming a fear by completing a challenge. If there’s something that you’ve perhaps always fancied doing but have been too scared to do it, then just go for it! There are many people out there who have been skydiving, for example, and described leaping out of a plane as a ‘life-changing experience’ — and then have gone on to complete challenge after challenge because of the buzz they get from it.

Life-changing tip 8: Write your autobiography

Putting down in writing your own life will inevitably make you think about it — including those things that have gone right so far and those that haven’t. Although you’ll not necessarily intend to let other people read it (although it might let others understand you better if you do!), it will help you to reassess your life and think about the direction in which you want it to go. It may also be a good way of exorcising some of your demons and reinforcing your beliefs.

Life-changing tip 9: Get more active

If your lifestyle has consisted of coming home from work and slumping in front of the TV every evening, then it might be time for a change of tack. We’re not necessarily talking about becoming an Olympic athlete, of course — but we are suggesting you get more active. You could introduce some exercise into your day simply by walking — for example by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. And if you take some more rigorous exercise, then it’s likely you’ll start feeling a lot healthier in a short space of time.

Life-changing tip 10: Get a new image

Your image might be the one thing you feel is holding you back and making you lack confidence. If you’ve had the same old tired look for ages, then it may be time to change your appearance in some way. Spend some money on yourself and get a new hairstyle, buy a new wardrobe of clothes, and just do things to make you feel as though you are special. It amazing how you can feel more comfortable and confident in certain clothes when you make the effort — so make an effort more often!

Life-changing tip 11: Sleep more/less

Some people just don’t get enough sleep, while others have far too much — the end result of which will be a feeling of constant tiredness. Getting the right amount of sleep will leave you more alert and able to relish doing things and get more out of experiences during your waking hours. Plus, one added bonus of sleeping less is that it enables you to fit more things into your day. After all, as they say, ‘you can sleep when you’re dead’

Life-changing tip 12: Change your diet

‘You are what you eat’ is a much-used phrase, and it may be that your diet is making you feel pretty rotten. Just changing a few things can have positive health benefits as well as give you more energy and make you feel better all round. Of course, there’s a lot of advice out there (some of it contradictory!) — but generally, eating everything in moderation is the best way to go. Also, making sure you drink enough water and get your five portions of fruit and veg are two of the golden rules to follow.

Life-changing tip 13: Change your outlook

If you think negative thoughts all the time then that’s exactly how you’ll feel! Smiling a lot and being positive will transform you into a more optimistic person. It has been said that people are only as happy as they allow themselves to be — and if you can put aside negative thoughts and be more optimistic, then that will transfer itself to how you feel about life in general. There is even evidence to suggest that people who smile a lot actually live longer!

Life-changing tip 14: Change your friends

There are some people who can just drag you down or use you as an emotional crutch for their negativity. While we may want to be there for people when they need us, there is no need to be constantly brought down to their level. Some people can be just plain bad for you and surround you with so many negative vibes that you just don’t want to listen to them anymore. If that’s the case, then don’t put yourself through it and get some new friends instead!

Life-changing tip 15: Read more

Books are often a great source of inspiration, and new ideas and can often have a major impact on you. There are people who will swear by certain ideas put forward in a book and actually live their life by them. Autobiographies of people who have overcome insurmountable odds or had that certain stroke of luck that we’re all looking for can often act as a great inspiration — and may even lead you to consider making some life-changing decisions.

Life-changing tip 16: Buy a pet

Owning a pet is thought to have health benefits such as helping lower blood pressure and being good for your general mood. Having a pet — in particular a dog — will lead to increased activity levels because they need to be taken for regular exercise. Pets can also help to relieve your stress and anxiety by promoting laughter and affectionate behaviour.

Life-changing tip 17: Have a baby

Many people consider this to be perhaps the most life-changing experience of them all! The birth itself can be such a significant moment in people’s lives — including the mother, father and other relations. Of course, parents often spend much of the rest of their lifetime caring for their children, even when they’ve fled the nest — so you need to recognise the impact it will have on you (emotionally, physically, and financially) before you decide to have a baby. However, the positives of having children far outweigh any negatives.

Life-changing tip 18: Say ‘yes’ more often

Don’t be the sort of person that is always turning an invitation down. If you say ‘no’ that often, then people will eventually stop asking! So, stop looking for excuses not to go out, and make a promise to yourself never to turn an invite down (within reason, of course!). You never really know what is going to happen — and it’s quite often the nights out that you initially have low expectations of that end up being the most enjoyable.

Life-changing tip 19: Watch less television

The number of hours of television being watched by many people these days is so great that, after the time you spend asleep and in work, it is probably the one activity that takes up most of your time. Watching less TV will free you up to follow other (hopefully more healthy) pursuits. Making this change will have a positive and radical impact on your life — and also on your general health.

Life-changing tip 20: Give up alcohol

Too many people rely on alcohol as a means of relaxation or escapism, and while there are some health benefits from drinking alcohol in moderation (red wine being a good example), the benefits of not drinking cannot be stressed enough. Try giving up alcohol — even just for a trial period — to see if you feel any better. Realistically, most of us are not going to become teetotallers, but the there are many people who have given up and not regretted it whatsoever.

Life-changing tip 21: Find a new hobby/enrol on a class

There’s probably something you’ve always wanted to have a go at but keep putting off. But there’s nothing to lose by trying something out — and it may be that if you do enjoy whatever activity you choose, it will become a regular part of your life. Many people become so ‘addicted’ to certain activities that they become obsessive about them — in a good way! — or even end up following a career path connected to that hobby or pastime. So why not check out what classes there are in your area and sign up to one of them?

Life-changing tip 22: Employ the ‘three-minute rule’

Write down three things you have been trying to achieve — whether it’s changing bank, sorting out your photo album or a career change — and give yourself a month to get them done. When you decide to tackle one of your chosen tasks, set your alarm clock to buzz you in three minutes, then concentrate on the task in hand. You’ll find that once you have broken the fear of starting something, you’ll be fired up to get it done.

Life-changing tip 23: Conquer stress

It sounds simple, but if you stop worrying about something then that will eradicate much of the stress. Some people are naturally able to cope better with stress than others, but at the end of the day what good does stressing out about something do you? If you calmly look at the problem and ask yourself, ‘Can I do something about it?’, then there either will or won’t be a solution to a particular problem. Things usually work out in the end, making all the stress that went before it seem so unnecessary — so quit stressing!

Life-changing tip 24: Treat yourself

It’s not always possible to put yourself first, and all too often people actually forget that they deserve to be treated well too. If you keep waiting for others to treat you well, then it might never happen. Make a resolution to treat yourself every now and again by putting yourself first, so that you get what you deserve at regular intervals. It’s the one way of guaranteeing that at least one person is going to be good to you in your life — and that person is you!

Life-changing tip 25: It’s your life, so live it!

Keep reminding yourself that it’s your life and you are the one responsible for making yourself happy. Other people can add to your happiness, but ultimately it comes down to you to get the most out of life, as nobody else can force you into making positive changes which may improve your lot. So, don’t keep waiting for things to happen for you, as life may just pass you by. Instead, take each day by the scruff of the neck, and learn to make the most of the time you have.
YNaija.com

Soldiers kill four soccer fans in Mubi

by Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz

Soldiers attached to Military Joint Task Force (JTF) yesterday shot dead four youths in Mubi in Adamawa State.

One Josiah Musa, a resident of the area, confirmed the incident to Daily Trust, alleging that it was unprovoked.

The youths, according to him, were on their way to their respective homes after watching a football match when the JTF personnel opened fire on them which resulted to the death of four among them.

Spokesman of the military in the state Lt. Nuhu Jafar said he was not aware of the incident as he was actively participating in the military recruitment exercise currently going on in the state.

DailyTrust