Queen Adelakun
RIRI ON FORBES BILLIONAIRE LIST
Rihanna has been featured on Forbes’ billionaire list for the first time in her career due to her wildly successful ventures into fashion and beauty. The latest list of international billionaires, released by the US business magazine on Tuesday, ranks the singer at 1,729. The 36-year-old, who is currently expecting her first child with rapper ASAP Rocky, is Barbados’ first billionaire. Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West have all made their debut on Forbes’ billionaire list alongside the world’s top earners. According to the annual list, Rihanna has now become the world’s richest female musician with a net worth of $1.7 billion (£1.3bn), largely thanks to her Fenty Beauty business and Savage X Fenty lingerie line. She sits at number 1,729 on the worldwide list of richest billionaires, with Jay-Z following at 2,076 with a net worth of $1.4bn (£1.1bn), and Kanye, who sits at 1,513.
Mum to be Rihanna has bumped on the Forbes billionaire list for the first time. She came in at No. 1,729 in the magazine’s annual ranking, with a reported fortune of $1.7 billion (£1.3 billion). Sitting pretty as world’s richest female musician, RIRI 34, thanks to the success of her cosmetics line Fenty Beauty. The company co-owned by French retailer LVMH made more than $550 million (£420 million) in 2020. She also owned 30 per cent stake in the Savage X Fenty Lingerie range valued at $1 billion (£760 million) in February last year. Rival Kanye West was ranked at No.1,513 with a $2 billion (£1.5 billion), fortune thanks to his Yeezy partnership with Adidas and clothing deal with Gap. Lord of The Rings director Sir Peter Jackson makes his Forbes debut at No. 1,929 with (1.6 billion) (£1.2 billion) fortune after selling part of his
Wets digital film effects shop to Unity Software. At the top of the list is Tesla founder Elon Musk who recently bought a stake of twitter at $219 billion) (£167 billion), followed by Amazon’s Jef Bezos with ($17 billion) (£131 billion). In an interview with The New York Times, the singer and businesswoman, said that she is still getting used to her new financial status.
from,” she said.
“It’s tricky because it’s hard to even accept that’s where you’re at because I know where I’ve come
“At the same time, it feels good to be able to inspire young women and boys, who like me, come from humble beginnings, who come from parents who are immigrants or who are immigrants themselves, to be able to do this.” After becoming a billionaire last year, Kardashian, 41, landed at 1,645 on the Forbes’ billionaires list, with a net worth of $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion).
Jack Morgan
CUBA GOODING JR. PLEADS GUILTY IN FORCIBLY TOUCHING A WOMAN IN NEW YORK NIGHT CLUB.
The actor has been accused of guilty on one count of forcibly violating three women but pleaded touching a woman in a New York guilty to just one of the allegations. nightclub. Cuba Gooding Jr. has pleaded In court on Wednesday (April 13),
withdraw the misdemeanor charge the actor admitted he “kissed the and instead plead guilty to a lesser waitress on the lips” without violation of harassment. consent at the LAVO New York nightclub in 2018. Gooding Jr. has Speaking to the court, Gooding Jr. been accused of violating three said: “I apologise for making different women at various clubs anybody ever feel inappropriately in Manhattan in 2018 and 2019, touched. but has only pleaded guilty to one of the allegations. “I never want them to feel slighted or uncomfortable in any way.” As part of his plea deal, Gooding Jr. avoids jail time but he must Gooding Jr. was arrested in June continue with alcohol and 2019 following an incident at a behaviour counseling he began in Manhattan nightclub, where a 292019 for six months without any year-old woman accused him of arrests. If that happens, he can squeezing her breast without her
gestures” or consent at Magic Hour Rooftop “commonplace misunderstandings into crimes. Bar & Lounge in New York. Following the incident, two more women came forward with allegations of inappropriate touching. The actor was accused of pinching a server’s buttocks after making a sexually suggestive remark to her at TAO Downtown and forcibly touching a woman inappropriately at the LAVO nightclub in 2018. Gooding Jr. previously pleaded not guilty to six misdemeanor counts and denied all other allegations. His lawyers argued that the allegations were trying to turn
According to The New York Times, more than 20 women have come forward to accuse the actor of groping or forcibly touching in incidents spanning the past two decades. In a separate case from August 2020, Gooding Jr. is facing a civil lawsuit from a woman who has accused him of raping her twice in 2013 in a New York city hotel room. He has denied the accusations.
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Stephen Akinmosa Cleopatra Magazine, London
ED SHEERAN WINS FIGHT OVER ‘MAGPIE’ CLAIM
Ed Sheeran was labelled a “magpie” who allegedly “borrows” ideas from other artists to use in his songs on the first day of a High Court trial over his hit Shape Of You.
The singer is in a legal battle with two songwriters, Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue, who claim Sheeran’s 2017 hit rips off parts of their track Oh Why. Chokri, a grime artist who performs under the name Sami Switch, and O’Donoghue allege that Shape Of You infringes “particular lines and phrases” of their song released in 2015. They argue that a central “Oh I”
Ed SHEERAN
Sam Chokri
hook in Shape Of You is “strikingly similar” to an “Oh Why” refrain in their own composition. Their lawyers allege Sheeran “habitually copies” other artists and that it was “extremely likely” he had previously heard Oh Why.
heard Oh Why before the legal fight and deny the allegations of copying. Sheeran and his co-authors launched legal proceedings in May 2018, asking the High Court to declare they had not infringed Chokri and O’Donoghue’s copyright.
But Sheeran’s lawyers have told the High Court that the singer and his co-writers, Steven McCutcheon and John McDaid, have no recollection of having
In July 2018, Chokri and O’Donoghue issued their own claim for “copyright infringement, damages and an account of profits in relation to the alleged
infringement”. "Shape Of You" is the U.K.'s most-streamed song of all time, with 496 million. At the start of the 11-day trial, Sheeran was accused of being a "magpie," who "borrows" musical ideas from others. The "magpie" tag went on to be used to refer to Sheeran in a number of videos across social media. Moments after the verdict was
revealed, Sheeran took to Twitter to share a video statement, in which he said that he hopes the case will lead to "future baseless claims like this" being avoided. The video can be viewed at the top of this article. He said: "Whilst we're obviously happy with the result, I feel like claims like this are way too common now and have become a culture where a claim is made with the idea that a settlement will be cheaper than taking it to
court—even if there's no base for the claim. "It's really damaging to the songwriting industry. There's only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music. Coincidence is bound to happen when 60,000 songs are being released every day on Spotify. That's 22 million songs a year. There's only 12 notes that are available." Sheeran is one of the world's most successful musicians, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide, according to The Independent.
court battle over "Shape of You," Sheeran admitted that he had settled a previous copyright case over his 2015 single "Photograph," though he said it was because his lawyers had advised the $20 million lawsuit from songwriters Thomas Leonard and Martin Harrington was "more trouble than it was worth."
The musician has faced similar lawsuits in the past.
Insisting that the similarities were purely coincidental during his trial last month, Sheeran said: "Even though I felt that I had done nothing wrong, we decided to settle the case because of the money and time it would take to fight it.
He was accused of copying parts of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" for his 2014 hit "Thinking Out Loud." In 2019, a U.S. judge threw out Sheeran's attempts to have the case dismissed, stating that a jury should decide on the matter. The judge added that he found "substantial similarities between several of the two works' musical elements." During his recently-concluded
Leonard and Harrington alleged similarities between Sheeran's hit and their track, "Amazing," which was performed by Matt Cardle, a previous winner of the U.K. version of The X Factor.
"However, that left me with a very bad feeling afterwards. The decision to settle felt morally weird given that we were innocent of the allegations made. It made me feel like I did not want to play the song any more."
GRAND OPENING OF DARTFORD QUEENS GARDEN PLAYSPACE
A ribbon-cutting ceremony by the worshipful Mayor of Dartford, councillor Rosanna Currans marks the official opening of a newly constructed play-space at Queens Garden, Dartford, Kent.
Councillor Avtar Sandhu, Mayor Rosanne Currans and Councillor Jeremy Kite. The park was closed for a prolonged period of time due to covid.
The editor of Cleopatra Magazine, Stephen Akinmosa and Mayor of Darford, Councillor Rosanne Currans.
Councillor Jeremy Kite, Leader of the Council.
Editor of Cleopatra Magazine and Councillor Avtar Sandhu Conservative Member for Brent Ward and Lead Member for Business & Enterprise.
OLUWABUSAYO SHOMIDE AJAYI CELEBRATE 40TH BIRTHDAY
Oluwabusayo Shomide Ajayi celebrates 40th birthday. It was a glorious occasion when friends and family gathered at Communion of Saint Evangelical Church, Dartford, Kent.
Stephen Akinmosa Cleopatra Magazine, London
AFRICAN FILM REVIEWS
The script was written by 2011, it was filmed in 2016 but has only graced screens in 2022. In the film business, it’s anyone’s guess as to why some films get the green light and others get shelved. Taking 6 years to finally get to screen, the best guesses would be that it was either
deemed too bleak or needed considerable reworking. Either way, the good news is that the hard work that goes into producing a film – a veritable miracle in most cases – has finally paid off. Amandla is visually compelling,
well-paced, promising, fearless, taut and impassioned enough to keep watching, crafting some curious characters and swathing the story in rich themes. This is enough to power home with a tragic resolution that will probably disappoint and challenge. The bleak tone and brutal violence gives it a similar spin to many other intense crime drama thrillers from South Africa. The screenplay is deeply flawed, has gaps and doesn’t do
all that much to distinguish itself from other local genre entries. While you never doubt the underlying passion of this production, the film is stunted by a half-baked script and a rerouted edit. It’s entertaining enough if you’re willing to roll with it but may prove to be frustrating at times and have you scratching your head when all’s said and done. Rating: Average.
A simple lie is a romantic comedy produced by Biodun Stephen and David Wade a coproducer of the movie ‘Breaded Life’. Emmanuel Ikubese, Bisola Aiyeola, Bolaji Ogunmola, Kachi Nochiri and Kie Kie Adoage were at there best.
The choice of wardrobe could have been better. Simple lie cannot be described unforgettable or reverting, but surely entertaining with appealing moments. Rating: Good.
THE BLACK MEDUSA Black Medusa comes from firsttime Tunisian film-makers Youssef Chebbi and Ismaël, who may conceivably be fans of Ana Lily Amirpour’s cult monochrome vampire film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. There is a scene when Nada is walking one of her victims back to his apartment and a couple of cats wander into view that reminded me of Amirpour’s very cat-friendly movie. And Nada’s deadpan and implacable avenger might put you in mind of Carey Mulligan’s assailant in Promising Young Woman.
The noir mood of menace and emotional deadness in Black Medusa has been very carefully contrived and curated. Perhaps the ultimate irony is that it is Nada who has been turned to stone. I wasn’t sure quite how far the procedural aspect of serial-killing takes us in this film, however – either as commentary on the macho culture of north Africa (or anywhere) or as a drama on its own terms. The approach is cool, blank, as if the film does not want to risk investing too much in what is happening. Rating: Average.
Evelyn Maisvoreva
UGANDA FILMMAKERS EYE NEW AFRICAN STORY DISNEY ANIMATION DEAL African countries that is set to premier on the Disney Plus streaming platform later this year. Malinga, 32, is one of 14 film makers from South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Kenya who are contributing to the anthology of sci-fi and fantasy stories set in Africa's future. Oscar-winning film director Peter Ramsey is serving as executive producer on the project. Film Director Peter Ramsey is serving as Executive Producer "The narrative in Africa has been, you switch on the news right now, Ugandan filmmaker Raymond I bet you it's (about) something Malinga, whose work will feature bad that just happened," Malinga in the upcoming Disney anthology told Reuters at his studio in of animated films from across Kampala. Africa, hopes the project will bring African animation to the The positives gets lost in the narrative, Malinga says, and this world. should change. "Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire", is a ten-part collection of short "For me (the anthology) is an animations by producers from six opportunity to contribute to that
Festival and won six awards, including for best animation film, Malinga, 32, who holds a degree at the African International Film in animation and visual effects Festival in Nigeria the following from a university in Malaysia, year. started his company, Creatures His team, which has grown over the last few years to 10 people, Animation Studios, in 2015. works from a small dark studio Their big break came in 2017 sandwiched between cubicles of when their short animated film "A other startups in a makeshift Kalabanda Ate My Homework" innovation village built from was showcased at the Cannes Film repurposed shipping containers. conversation," he said.
African content is gaining popularity globally thanks to growing commissions for series and short films by streaming and services like Netflix and Multichoice's Showmax. In Africa, however, foreign content still dominates and Malinga said that the Disney anthology was an opportunity to combat stereotypes and bring African consumers more content that features people who are like them. As Malinga's studio brand and
talent pool grows, he said, they are venturing into gaming and also exploring opportunities in virtual and augmented reality. His dream, he said, is to bring on the world stage African film and animation, to replicate the success of other African industries. "Afro music has started going around the world... we have some of our comedians going around and I am like, why not animation too, why not film?" Malinga said.
AWARD IN HONOUR OF DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS
SPICE GIRL, Mel B was made an MBE by Prince Williams and dedicated her honour to all the other women who have suffered or facing domestic abuse. The 46-year-old Spice Girl – known to most as Mel B, or Scary Spice – looked elegant in a bright red dress, designed by her fellow band mate Victoria Beckham.
described as relationship.
an
abusive
She received the honour from the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace.
Asked about her conversation with Prince William after receiving her award, she said: "He commended me on all my work that I’ve been doing, and he goes, 'I’m so sorry Brown, who made her name as you went through such a horrible Scary Spice in the 1990s, became a time'. patron of the charity Women's Aid in 2018 after leaving what she "He did say, 'I can’t believe I’m
giving you one of these – I’m towards her. The ceremony was the first major delighted'." investiture at the Queen’s London Asked about her career highlights, residence since the start of the she said: "I’ve had a really pandemic more than two years amazing life so far and it was ago. turned into something horrible for 10 years and I’ve made something The palace has been undergoing a worthy." 10-year £369 million renovation project to update essential services, Mel and ex-husband Stephen but work has been paused for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Mel has become a prominent celebrations. domestic violence campaigner Mel and ex-husband Stephen after leaving what she said was a 10-year ordeal with ex-husband Mel has become a prominent Stephen Belafonte. domestic violence campaigner after leaving what she said was a He has repeatedly denied 10-year ordeal with ex-husband allegations that he was abusive Stephen Belafonte.
He has repeatedly denied 10-year £369 million renovation allegations that he was abusive project to update essential services, towards her. but work has been paused for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee The ceremony was the first major celebrations. investiture at the Queen’s London residence since the start of the Investitures will continue to take pandemic more than two years place at Windsor Castle and ago. Buckingham Palace over the summer. The palace has been undergoing a