Latest news with #TheParty
Business Insider
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
From finance to film: How Ope Ajayi is engineering Nigeria's cinematic renaissance
When The Party, a riveting three-part Nigerian murder mystery, premiered on Netix in May 2025, global audiences were drawn in by its glittering high-society setting and delicious unravelling of betrayal, love, and ambition. But behind the screen, behind the glamour, is the mind of a man quietly reengineering the future of African cinema. Ajayi is not just a producer; he is an architect of story ecosystems. As the Founder and CEO of Captain of the Sea Productions and Cinemax Distribution Limited, Ajayi doesn't merely greenlight projects; he builds pathways: from script to screen, from concept to culture. In an industry often fractured by silos, Ajayi's integrated approach, spanning production, distribution, and exhibition, is both rare and revolutionary. 'We're not just telling Nigerian stories,' Ajayi says. 'We're building a globally respected cinematic economy, one story at a time.' Before stepping behind the camera, Ajayi cut his teeth in the engine rooms of business. With over two decades of cross-sectoral experience spanning nance, hospitality, and entertainment, he's as comfortable in boardrooms as he is on set. As Executive Director at Genesis Cinemas, Ajayi oversaw the development of 11 cinema locations across Nigeria, including Cameroon's rst-ever multiplex, a landmark moment in West African lm exhibition. But it was not enough to screen lms; he wanted to shape them. In the years that followed, Ajayi quietly evolved from cinema operator to creative catalyst, co-executive producing Nigerian blockbusters like Ada Omo Daddy, Queen Lateefah, and Thinline. His latest work, however, marks a signicant turning point: Executive Producing The Party. This title not only leads Nigeria's entry into prestige television but sets a new standard for emotionally intelligent African storytelling. Directed by acclaimed lmmaker Yemi 'Filmboy' Morafa and starring A-list talents like Kunle Remi, Shay Bello, and Eva Ibiam, The Party is more than a whodunit. It's a character study on power, pain, and the personal costs of ambition. As Bobo Balogun, a beloved entrepreneur, is found murdered at his birthday party, the show spirals into a sharp exploration of fractured friendships, concealed aairs, and generational trauma. Ajayi's ngerprints are all over the depth and complexity of the series. 'What Ope brings is vision,' says Morafa. 'He sees beyond the project; he sees the movement. He doesn't just want good content; he wants stories that resonate globally while staying rooted in our lived reality. Ajayi is an alumnus of the University of Lagos and the Lagos Business School; his true education, he often says, has been 'in listening rst to audiences, then to intuition.' What makes him stand out is not just his business acumen, it's his ability to marry it with creative bravery. In a country brimming with talent but often limited by infrastructure, Ajayi is building a full-stack ecosystem for African storytelling. He understands the need for not only great scripts, but great studios, great theatres, and great business models. As a nancier, producer, distributor, and exhibitor, he is among the few Africans currently designing the full supply chain of screen entertainment. And in doing so, he's catching the eye of international players. 'Africa is not just a market,' Ajayi often says. 'It's a voice, and the world is nally ready to listen.' With several high-concept projects in development and talks underway for co-productions with international networks, Ajayi's trajectory is unmistakably global. But even as his sights expand, his heart remains at home. 'The goal,' he says, 'isn't to make Nollywood like Hollywood. It's to make Nollywood fully itself and to let the world see its brilliance.' As The Party continues to trend and conversations buzz about its Emmy-worthiness, with beign No. 1 on Netix for 4 straight weeks and still in the top 10, Ajayi is already several steps ahead, sketching the next story, the next structure, the next cinematic moment. In a world hungry for authentic narratives, Ope Ajayi is doing more than feeding that hunger; he's curating a banquet.
Scoop
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Andy Shauf's Foxwarren New Album, 2, Out Now Via ANTI-
Canadian quintet Foxwarren – Andy Shauf, Avery and Darryl Kissick, Dallas Bryson, and Colin Nealis their new album, 2, out now via ANTI-. Alongside the album they release the new single/video 'Deadhead'. Following 'Yvonne,' praised by AV Club as 'an understated kind of gorgeous,' 'Deadhead' sees Foxwarren on a quest for levity. The song seamlessly moves from an MF Doom -like pitch-shifted sample to a line-dance guitar lick to honeyed country-rock harmonies of the titular band all in three minutes. There are darting flutes, mangled electronics, and meticulous snippets of rhythm, all expertly placed to illustrate the song's emotional tumult. 'I won't stop dancing,' as Shauf sings, is exactly the feeling the song evokes. 'Deadhead' exemplifies the unique approach Foxwarren took in creating 2. After touring their lauded 2018 self-titled debut, the band dropped the familiar band-in-a-room routine. Instead, in their own home studios across four provinces, all five members would upload song ideas, melodic phrases, or rhythmic bits to a shared folder. In Toronto, Shauf would then plug these into a sampler and construct songs from the fragments supplied by his bandmates, leaning into classic hip-hop techniques and musique concrète alike as unlikely lodestars. Foxwarren would convene at weekly online meetings, offering long-distance suggestions about which way a song might shift. The result is mesmerizing and uncanny, an album that traces two sides of a relationship through 37 minutes of collage art that aspires to 'sound best blasting out your car window,' as put by Shauf. By himself, Shauf has already had a stellar career, his reputation built by the sweet melodies and uniquely imaginative and precise storytelling found on 2016's The Party through to 2023's Norm. Foxwarren, especially here, is a crucial part of that ongoing process, but 2 represents something even more significant—five friends now nearing the end of their second decade making music together, pushing against what they've learned how to do in order to venture somewhere new. It is the sound of friends who trust each other, cutting themselves loose from their past and their preconceptions to have some fun with a sampler and the very idea of songs.
Daily Record
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Miley Cyrus' medical condition that affects her voice and prevents touring
The Flowers singer has Reinke's edema, which results in a swelling of the vocal cords due to a build up of fluid. Miley Cyrus has revealed she has a medical condition, which causes her voice to give off a raspy tone and says it prevents her from touring as much as she would like. The Flowers singer has Reinke's edema, which results in a swelling of the vocal cords due to a build up of fluid. 'It's a part of my unique anatomy,' Cyrus, 32, said, adding that she has a 'very large polyp,' which is an abnormal tissue growth, on her vocal chord. 'It's given me a lot of the tone and texture that has made me who I am, but it's extremely difficult to perform with because it's like running a marathon with ankle weights on,' Cyrus continued The Party in the U.S.A. singer recognised that staying up late, drinking, smoking and partying after every show back when she was 21 did not 'help' her issues, but she clarified it did not 'cause it.' 'My voice always sounded like this,' Cyrus said, revealing that that sometimes when she is overtired, her mom points out to her that she sounds like she is 'talking through a radio.' 'It creates that, like, ultimate vocal fry, and so I do have this blessing of a condition that I live with,' she said, seemingly finding a silver lining. 'My voice is super unique because of it.' Cyrus said that she is not willing to take surgical measures to 'sever' the polyp on her vocal chord because she does not want to risk the chance of not sounding like herself. In the meantime, the Grammy winner, who is also known for her 2013 Bangers hit Wrecking Ball, said she is taking other avenues to avoid straining her vocal chords, like not putting on shows as often as perhaps her fans would like. Cyrus added that in order for a global tour to happen, it would have to be done 'in a way that is sustainable' for her because she doesn't lip-sync, adding that live performance are 'taxing.' If she doesn't do a certain amount of concerts, then it won't 'mathematically make sense' to do the tour because she'll be unable to pay the costs required for the crew and other expenses, she claimed. The candid admission about her voice comes as has opened up about other recent health battles. She also admitted she had a 'pretty traumatic experience' when performing on New Year's Eve because she had an ovarian cyst rupture. Cyrus then shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that her 'leg began to disintegrate around the kneecap area' after she rolled around on the floor of the Hollywood Walk of Fame for one of her latest music videos. She said, 'By November at Thanksgiving, I was put in the ICU for a moment — just for a moment.'
The Independent
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Simpsons voice actor says stepping away from Apu role ‘required a deep dive'
The Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria has explained in a new interview why he chose to step back from voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon following controversy surrounding the character. Azaria voiced the Indian shopkeeper on the animated comedy for 30 years, but his depiction faced high-profile criticism in 2017 with the release of a documentary titled The Problem with Apu. The film saw comedian Hari Kondabolu investigate why the character was problematic and a racial stereotype. Simpsons writer, producer and erstwhile showrunner Mike Reiss confirmed in 2018 that the sitcom had decided to retire Apu. In a new discussion on the topic, Azaria has told the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast that his decision to step away from Apu 'required a deep dive'. Azaria explained that the character's voice was inspired by Peter Sellars's performance in the 1968 film The Party, where the British actor wore brownface. 'What's the difference between Inspector Clouseau, a silly French voice, or Doctor Strangelove, a silly German voice, and Hrundi V Bakshi, a rather silly Indian voice?' asked Azaria. 'And it's a question I still get asked. People will say comments still to this day, 'Why can you do [Italian Simpsons character] Luigi and that's not offensive? Why can you talk like [stereotypical hick character] Cletus and that's not a problem, but you can't do Apu? Right?' 'Honestly, at first, I thought let me look into this, and then I'll go back to doing the voice, and say I understand, but I'm going to keep doing this. And I was surprised myself that I came down on, 'No, actually, I think I am participating in a harm here.'' He also said he is 'not a hero' and had a 'professional public decision to make' when he left the character. The 60-year-old went on to express his regret after learning that Apu was often cited when hate crimes were committed against South Asian people. 'It became a slur when convenience store guys were stabbed or shot or robbed, you know,' he noted. 'There's all this other stereotyping and things that have teeth in them that affect people of colour in this country. So, while Apu might not be the most important thing in the world, it's a window into something quite important.' Azaria had previously apologised for voicing Apu. In 2021 he told the Armchair Expert podcast that: 'I was speaking at my son's school, I was talking to the Indian kids there because I wanted to get their input. A 17-year-old ... he's never even seen The Simpsons but knows what Apu means. It's practically a slur at this point. All he knows is that is how his people are thought of and represented to many people in this country.' 'I really do apologise,' Azaria continued. 'It's important. I apologise for my part in creating that and participating in that. Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologise. And sometimes I do.'
