Mr Mahogany - Fashions Finest

Mr Mahogany Has Moved Homes...

2011-02-06T01:46:00.002Z

Mr Mahogany is now permanently residing at Fashions Finest. so please visit me here

look forward to you reading my blogs at my new home

The Peoples Award for All Nationalities... Fashions Finest Awards

2011-01-19T01:17:00.005Z

I ask you how many awards ceremonies are there out there? I am sure you will say there are a few - which is true.

Besides the British Fashion Awards how many high class awards ceremonies are there that are specifically for the fashion industry, but more importantly that recognise up and coming designers, models and creatives that are either new or are established but have not been recognised by mainstream fashion either because they are different or don't come from a named background or have influential friends. NONE that I know of, so Fashions Finest decided that things must change and the everyday, hard working designer, creative or models should be recognised and show the world what they can do and what they have done.

Fashions Finest is pleased to announce that finally there is an awards ceremony for the everyday or culturally diverse designer, creative or model that has not yet been recognised by the mainstream fashion industry, regardless of whether you are White, Black, Asian or a high end luxury designer, urban, formal or casual wear designer these awards are for you.

Fashions Finest aims to redress this imbalance and through the Fashions Finest Awards, designers, creatives and models that work within the culturally diverse fashion industry will be acknowledged and recognised for their talent.

July 2011 will host the first ever annual Fashions Finest Awards, which will be a prestigious awards ceremony that would be truly appreciated by its recipients and would be recognised generally within the British fashion industry and internationally as a sign of true talent and professionalism.

How Will Nominees be selected?

Nominations will open from 1^st January 2011. Individuals and companies can submit nominations for themselves or other individuals or companies that they feel are worthy of recognition and an award.

Nominee submissions close on 31^st March 2011.

During the month of April an elite selection panel will decide upon the final nominees that will vye for a coveted FF Award. The panel of industry experts will include Fashion Editors, Designers and well known creatives who will decide upon a shortlist of 3 nominees in each of the 10 categories.

The FF Fashion Icon Award will be decided upon by text voting by members of the public.

The FF Hall of Fame Award will be decided upon by the editor of Fashions Finest.

On the 8^th May at an exclusive Nominations party the 2011 FF Awards final nominees will be announced and the winners will be announced at the FF Awards ceremony in July 2011.

AWARD CATEGORIES & CRITERIA TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION

1. Graduate Designer of the Year

2. Emerging Designer of the Year

3. Fashion Photographer of the Year

4. Make Up Artist of the Year

5. Stylist of the Year

6. Female Model of the Year

7. Male Model of the Year

8. Accessory Designer of the Year

9. Menswear Designer of the year

10. FF Fashion Icon

Any members of the public can nominate and vote for an individual or company that they consider to be a fashion icon. The fashion icon award is open to the public’s interpretation of what they consider to be a fashion icon.

11. Fashions Finest Hall of Fame

This category will be decided upon by the editor of Fashions Finest whom will decide which individual or company should be elected into Fashions Finest Hall of Fame. This alongside Designer of the Year is one of the most prestigious awards.

The recipient of this award will be informed that they have won the award prior to the event.

12. Designer of the Year

This is the most prestigious award and is open to any genre of fashion designers.

EMAIL FASHIONS FINEST info@fashionsfinest.com to obtain an information and application pack or to pass onto other worthwhile nominees.

Please read the selection criteria carefully and ensure that if you are submitting a nomination that you provide as much relevant information as possible.

The deadline to submit an application is 31^st March 2011.

THIS MAY NOT BE DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO YOU AS YOU DO NOT FIT INTO ONE OF THE RELEVANT CATEGORIES, HOWEVER YOU MAY KNOW SOMEONE ELSE THAT DOES FIT THE CATEGORY SO PLEASE PASS IT ON!

Think of anyone you know that has worked hard but has not been recognised

We look forward to receiving your completed application.

If you would like to be a sponsor of the event please emails Fashions Finest info@fashionsfinest.com.

A Good Read...

2011-01-07T04:18:00.000Z

If you are anything like me every time the post drops through the letterbox there is a feeling of dread as most of the time the mail just includes demands for money. So it is always a pleasant surprise when I get a nice package as opposed to a bill and this happened just the other day when I was sent a complimentary book in the post. Not only that but the author signed it and wrote a nice message in the book " To Sola Oyebade with gratitude for all you are doing". Even though I don't feel I do anything, it is nice to be appreciated.

The book is entitled "ALMOST BRITISH" by Olivea M. Ebanks, it is a deep read and is over 420 pages long and has been endorsed by Doreen Lawrence OBE (The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust).

The book is about Olivea's rare story of victory. " This can't be happening! Not racism. Not in the 21st Century in England. and not in Her Majesty's Prison Service! But it was happening and Olivea had two options: she could either take the constant abuse , ignore the racial comments, and differential treatment in the hope that it would go away or she could stand up to her bullies. In 2008, Olivea chose bravely, and took the Prison Service and her colleagues to court for direct racial discrimination, harrassment and victimisation. She stood alone to represent herself in a 15 day hearing and won!"

It is a great read and I think Doreen Lawrence OBE surmises the book eloquently "I believe this book will bring attention to the racism and suffering of individuals and it will help to bring about change for the institution as a whole"

Another great read is a book that has been donated to TMC 2010 winner Nana Afua by Alison Husbands entitled "THE AFRO HAIR & BEAUTY BIBLE". The must have beauty book for women of colour. Ever wondered how some women of colour can grow long thick healthy hair down to their waist; when your hair seems to stop growing at shoulder length? Yes...then this book is for you.

In this book you would discover the secrets of how to achieve and maintain beautiful healthy Afro hair and learn the proper techniques and methods to make you look and feel your best.

Learn what skin care and make-up brands work best with black skin as well as discovering natural alternatives for everyday beauty regimes. So natural or relaxed, grab a copy of this book and find out how to get the long hair you have always wanted.

Do You Suffer From Angry Black Woman Syndrome (ABW)...

2011-01-02T05:31:00.000Z

Its 4.35am and I have just finished for the day and as I do before sleeping I like to watch a movie or one of my TV series I have downloaded. Tonight I decided that I would watch a movie I had been wanting to watch for a very long time and the movie is entitled Diary of a Tired Black Man.

This is a movie that ALL black women must watch, the issues and topics that it deals with are worthy of discussion and debate.

The synopsis of it is that black women believe that ALL black men are useless and they are not man enough for them and there are no good black men out there.

My question to you is the above true - DISCUSS.

Even though this is an American movie and gives an American perspective, I must say that working with women everyday I am here more and more black women that live in the Uk come up with the same excuses as being portrayed in this movie.

Ladies a few questions for you - is this the cause of the problems?

Is it true that black women still have a problem with black men going out with white women?
So if a man does not pay on a date is he useless?
If he is married and lies to you about it, is he any different from men of other races, are you saying men of other races don't lie?
Should black women disrespect and talk bad about a child's father in front of the child
Is it right to take out her anger on her "male" children?
Do your friends actually end up being the cause of the break up or trouble within your relationship because when you tell them about your relationship, they give you bad advice and tell you how you should tell him about himself?
Is the black woman's mouth her worst enemy?
Does having a child for a man mean that he is indebted to you for life & it should be thrown into his face all the time?
Are men scared to come home because they know their woman is going to fight about something or the other?
Why do women always pick the wrong time to pick a fight (e.g when men are sleeping or watching football)?
Should women be proud that they consider themselves to be angry and aggressive?
Does the relationship change once a man gets married?
Statistics say that 90% of black children are raised in a one parent home, does that not mean their are more problems with black women then black men?
Is being a strong black woman and the aim to no longer be submissive the real cause of problems in a relationship?
The last and final question is - does money matter, if the man has money the relationship is more likely to last than if he doesn't?

My View

I have sat as a panel member on relationship seminars and I have seen women aggresivley tell me about myself, when I give them the black man's perspective on being in a relationship with a black woman. I sometimes can feel the anger and the bitterness coming through when I say something which hits a raw nerve and all that anger comes flooding out. I don't scare easily but sometimes I have a vision that when these women are talking they don't see me they actually see there ex and they want to "kill him", and after having done it once I put 999 on speed dial just in case.

For some reason a lot of women still seem to be "bag ladies", this is where they bring their baggage from previous relationships to their new one and because of that when they do find a new and a good man they end up driving him away because they are making him pay for the man before the man before the man.

I am a black man that loves black women but even I, as cool as I think I am, do believe that a number of black women do have issues, are aggressive and do blame the black man for everything that is wrong in their life.

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!!!

2010 Reviewed... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-01T07:41:00.002Z

It would be very bad manners of me if I did not start by saying Happy New Year to you and I pray that it is an Austerity Free year for you and all of your hearts desires may be fulfilled, whether it be seeking financial reward, love or marriage, a new job or the success of your business or career, you will achieve them – that is my prayer for you.

It is amazing that the besides people going to church for christenings, weddings and funerals the one other time that most people seem to attend church is on New Year’s Eve, it is as if people feel that if they go to church on New Year’s Eve good luck will follow them for the whole year (before you asked I was one of them that made it to church last night) and I must be honest that I have not attended church as much as I should have, so I may just be in the group of people I talk about above. I do however pray daily but as I have been told I should go to church more regularly.

At this time of the year I like to do a quick review of what has happened throughout the year and also briefly talk about what Mr Mahogany has been up to.

President Obama

We still have the most powerful man in the world being a black man, but 2011 will be a tough year for him as he prepares to bid for a second term. Mr President we got your back because the world would be in serious trouble if Sarah Palin gets elected as president.

Afghanistan

The war still goes on, enough already.

Wikileaks

This website has changed the way spies work and how governments will communicate with each other. It would be interesting to see what the long term effects will be on freedom of information, but more importantly will the Americans get their man the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange. You know they will not rest until they get their man dead or alive – I wonder!

Is the World Coming to an end?

Haiti - One of the poorest countries in the world faced further devastation with an earthquake that killed at least 150,000 people. Sadly the international response was very slowly and may have been the cause for many people dying.

Pakistan – record flooding in northwest Pakistan led to tens of millions of people being made homeless or having to leave their homes.

Iceland – the volcano eruptions in Iceland led to worldwide disruption of air travel for many across the world.

UK and USA – unusual heavy snowfall led to the closure of two of the world’s largest airports, JFK and Heathrow and a lot of angry people.

Chilean Miners

One of the happiest stories of the year was the rescue of 33 Chilean miners that were trapped underground for over two months. Well done to the Chileans that were able to complete a fete that many western countries would struggle to do. Can’t wait for the film.

Africa is the New Fashion and Entertainment Capital of the World

If you have not been to Africa then you better get on the band wagon as Africa is the new fashion and entertainment capital of the world. Nollywood is officially rated as the second largest film industry in the world and with films like, Aje, The Figurine and Mirror Boy getting rave reviews across the world. The quality of films produced by Nollywood has improved and some of them are on par with Hollywood films. An aside, watch out as I am expecting the Ghanaian movie industry to do some great things having already produced great films like Sinking Sands featuring Ama K and the likes of Rachael Williams (Miss Black Britain) hoping to make her mark within the Ghanaian film industry, things are looking good.

Nigeria – this has been a good year for Nigeria, in February they hosted the Face of Africa Finale and in December they hosted the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA’s) which was hosted by Eve.

South Africa – hosted the first ever World Cup in Africa which in my view was an outstanding success and Ghana was the only African team that did us proud, I am still an adopted Ghanaian. Well done to Spain for winning the World Cup for the first time in their history and shame on Holland for trying to kick their way to winning the World Cup.

Shows that got it Wrong:

Africa Music Awards – it has all been said in a previous blog but we look forward to them getting it right in 2011 and if they don't invite me cos they have black listed me I will still sneak my way in cos I have to support our own.

Beffta’s – as above.

Australia’s Next Top Model – get the result right in 2011.

X Factor – Gamu, Wagner, Cheryl Cole – enough said. However I am looking forward to X Factor America and wondering if I would like American Idol now that Simon Cowell has left.

Mr England

Mr England – congratulations to Vaughan Bailey for being the first black man to win the coveted MR England pageant lets hope he will not go down the line of Ms rachael Christie the first ever black winer of Miss England.

Sour Grapes – one of the most disappointing events of 2010 was the attitude of the English football establishment at not being awarded the 2018 World Cup finals. Guys you lost, live with it and get on with life, you have no God given right to host it and like how you put South Africa down when they won, you did the same with Russia. Russia will host a good World Cup, not sure I want to go there though as it is far.

Mahogany Review:

It has been a good year for Mahogany with our events growing from strength to strength and Mr Mahogany himself (by the way that is me) producing and event managing more shows abroad and in the UK, doing more presenting and judging work. I am eagerly looking forward to 2011 as I seek to become an actor (excuse me stop laughing, I am sure I could be a good actor) and we will be doing a lot more shows that aim to assist people get started or promote themselves within the fashion and entertainment industry. I have included some brief details below.

TMC Holland – the first ever winner of TMC Holland Adut Mawien was crowned in March 2010 and TMC Holland 2011 is expected to be even bigger.

TMC UK – celebrated its fifth year and Nana Afua Antwi and Jason Daniel Best won and to commemorate our 5^th year all of our previous winners were presented with a special award.

Fashions Finest Magazine – is one of our biggest projects to date. We have been working on it for the past 6 months and it will go live in the middle of January 2011 and is an online fashion magazine that aims to promote people that either mainstream or the big players in the fashion and entertainment are not eager to promote or anyone locally or international that has something interesting to say or promote. The magazine is for EVERYONE of all nationalities, fashion and entertainment genres.

Fashions Finest Renaissance – fashions shows will be taking place every month throughout the year with the primary aim to promote new, aspiring and established designers, creatives, photographers etc to achieve maximum exposure within their communities as well as within mainstream fashion. The shows confirmed so far are on the 16^th and 30^th January and the 19^th and 20^th February (taking place during London Fashion Week).

Fashions Finest Awards – this is the event that everyone has been asking for and looking forward too. Fashions Finest Awards aims to redress the imbalance of small or medium size individuals or companies not being recognised by mainstream fashion either because they are different or not considered big enough or prestigious enough to be considered for a British Fashion Award. Through Fashions Finest Awards, designers, creatives and models that work within the culturally diverse fashion industry will be acknowledged and recognised for their talent. These awards are open to EVERYONE, of all nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, all genres of fashion, small and large. July 2011 will host the first ever annual Fashions Finest Awards, which will be a prestigious awards ceremony that would be truly appreciated by its invited guests, nominees, recipients and would be recognised generally within the British fashion industry and internationally as a sign of true talent and professionalism.

People I feel should be recognised (I am not giving a reason as if you know them I think what they do or have done speaks for themselves – if you don't then go and find out about them):

Charles Thompson, Sherry Dixon, Alexander Amosu, JLS, Rachael Williams, Yemi Oshunkoya, Eryca Freemantle, Deborah St Louis, Natalie Barrett, Naomi Campbell and the Sleek Sisters (based in Nigeria – ok on this one I will explain – they run the biggest Sleek franchise in the world and are such nice as people), My TMC Team (Tope, Amina, Claudia, Redz, Eva and Gregory).

Obituaries

Finally I must end by paying tribute to all of those that have left us in 2010 including family and friends of people I know, but whom as much as I would want to mention them by name I am unable to, but our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has lost someone dear to them. Here are a few of the celebrities that left us in 2010.

James MacArthur

Teddy Pendergrass

Tony Curtis

Alexander McQueen – British Fashion Designer
Dennis Hooper – Actor
Gary Coleman - Actor
James MacArthur – Actor (Dan O in Hawaii five O)
Lena Horne – Legendary Singer
Teddy Pendergrass – Singer
Tony Curtis - Actor
Teena Marie - Singer

It’s now time that I stopped as I know some of you are recovering from a hangover, lack of sleep from hard core partying or just want to spend some time with the family, so reading a long blog is far from being on your mind.

MAY 2011 BE YOUR BEST YEAR EVER!

The Family - Is This Is a Fair Depiction...

2010-12-23T05:20:00.002Z

For a while now I had been hearing about the series on Channel 4 called the family but had never watched it as I thought it would be another one of those programmes that just paints the Nigerian family (or black family generally) in the wrong light.

Last night I so happened to have the TV on Channel 4 and I saw a little bit of The Family, now to my surprise I saw my late mums friend and my aunty Vicky - no blood relation (everyone that is older than you in Nigeria is called either Aunty or Uncle), and was I in a state of shock or what as Aunty Vicky is my favourite aunty (cos of her cooking) as I regularly go to her restaurant Aso Rock to buy my Pounded Yam and Oxtail.

So upon seeing the clips I had know choice but to go to 4OD and watch all the back episodes, yes I have been up all night watching the 6 episodes and I found them quite intriguing, especially seeing a Nigerian family involved in a fly on the wall documentary.

The biggest problem I have with a programme like this is whether Julie (Bayo) is for real, as to be honest I so do not like her. I think she is brash, aggressive, disrespectful and rude. But is it all an act just for TV or is that the real her? For me whichever one it is I still don't like her. However she did add some good flavour to the programme which I suppose without her it may have been a bit boring and it is clear to see that the producers centred the programme around her as she was the spark in the programme.

As an aside those of you that speak Yoruba will love the translation as with any translation it is never really accurate and Aunty Vicky says some great stuff during the series that are not actually translated.

I think we need a few more of these type of programmes and Channel 4 should be commended for being brave enough to do something different and as far as I am concerned different.

Fashions Finest Renaissance

London Fashions Week Show..

Mahogany Events in conjunction with Fashions Finest Magazine will be holding a series of fashions shows starting on Sunday January 16th and Sunday January 30th 2011.

We will be having a special London Fashion Week Show on Sunday 20th February. We have places for 6 designers only.

The shows are aimed at brand new or emerging designers as well as established designers that want to use these shows to either launch themselves or a brand new collection that they have. The shows will be held at a classy West End Venue. The aim of the shows is to give designers the opportunity to showcase their collections in an affordable and very classy way, in a fantastic venue with professional models.

The fashion evenings are open to all designers of all genres from urban to swimwear, to couture - whatever type of clothes you design you may participate. For further information on how to be involved email us

If you would like to attend the fashions shows they are free to everyone on the guest list.

Mahogany Bridal Show 2011...

Taking place on 20th March 2011, if you would like to be involved in Europe's Largest African Caribbean Bridal Show then visit MAHOGANY BRIDAL SHOW for more information.

Screen Nation Christmas Party...

The celebrity event of the year took place on Thursday 16^th December and a number of celebrities braved the near artic conditions to attend the party.

Josey Darby and Charles Thompson Screen Nation Creator

TMC Winners Jason and Nana

TMC 2010 Nana and Actor Chucky Venn

Gambian Actress Fatima Jabbe and X Factor Contestant Natasha

News In Brief...

Face of Fashion4Africa...

Congratulations to Samira Hashi on winning Face of Fashion4Africa and to Yvonne Akwetey and being 1st runner up. It was also good to see Matthew Mensah (Catwalk the World) who was the head judge.

Snow...

Very simple - GO AWAY

Merry Christmas...

Everyone at Mahogany and Fashions Finest would like to thank everyone for all the support and love you have given us throughout the year.

HAVE A GOOD ONE!!!!

A Dramatic Few Weeks...

2010-12-10T15:24:00.000Z

I hope you all have been either reading or listening to the news, it is important that you keep up with what is happening within the world, even if it is only to exercise the muscles in your brain. I do know that some peoples brain muscles have completely wasted away, at least that cannot be said for those of you that are advent readers of my blog.

There has been a lot happening both in the UK and abroad, so let’s do a quick catch up...

The British World Cup 2018 Bid...

I am going to get straight to the point and say that the British can sometimes be the most arrogant people in the world, what gives them the right to say that because they sent their so called 3 lions (David Cameron – British Prime Minister, David Beckham - famous footballer and Prince William – future king of England) to front their bid that the whole world must bow and give them the world cup to host in 2018. Something must have been seriously wrong with how people perceive the English bid as they only got TWO, yes two votes out of 22, of which one of them was by their own British representative. Then as soon as they lost they said, things within FIFA (the world football association) must change as how could Russia get the bid over them.

Sepp Blatter FIFA President

I cannot be sure if the Sunday Times fraud expose and the Panorama programme once again on fraud within FIFA had an effect on their bid, but I definitely don't think it helped being done 2 days before the vote was to take place. Whichever way you want to look at it you can’t bite the hand that feeds you. I don't often agree with Sepp Blatter (president of FIFA) but on this occasion I do, as I feel the British have been very sore losers. Someone please tell me what gives England the right to assume that they must be given the world cup by right and when they have not been given it then they scream foul.

I must be honest as I am not sure why Qatar was awarded the 2022 world cup but FIFA for a while have stated that they wanted the world cup to move around the whole world.

Not sure if any of you can remember but the British conducted a very negative programme against South Africa when they won the bid to host the world cup, saying that South Africa was crime ridden and every visitor that goes to the South African world cup would be robbed or murdered in their sleep, did that happen? NO. The English need to wake up and remember that colonialism is over and we no longer have to vote for you. By the way you got the Olympics, the rugby world cup, the cricket world cup etc and the only you did not get was the football world cup – come on now!

Wiki Leaks...

I am all for freedom of speech which is why I can write my blog and say things the way I want to say them and in theory this is what Wiki Leaks is attempting to do. However freedom of speech sometimes must be done with caution as it could put people lives at risk and cause tension between nations which is very dangerous. But on a separate issue Julian Assange the founder of Wiki Leaks is in big trouble, he is currently on remand under a European arrest warrant for allegedly committing sexual assaults against a number of women in Sweden, being the sceptic that I am I believe that the sexual assault charges will be used to shut him down or find a way to have him extradited to the United States. Generally people are not remanded to custody for sexual assault cases particularly when their passport has been seized and the accused is ready to pay a very high bail fee. If he is extradited to Sweden, then I feel sorry for him as I expect the Americans to request his extradition to the states once they can come up with some charges against him – which they will do. I read that one top US politician said he should be executed for what he has been doing with Wiki Leaks – a bit extreme when you consider that he did not steal the documents but they were provided to him by American personnel and all he has done is publish them.

America being the super power that it is has exerted it might on the likes of Visa, Master Card, PayPal and Amazon to stop servicing Wiki Leaks and the world is retaliating in turn by trying to bring down the servers of these companies as we are now enter the age of Cyber Warfare. This one will go on and on.

Top Model of Colour After Party and Mahogany Christmas Party...

Now it is party time and on the 18^th December everyone is invited to come and party hard with all of the TMC finalist and 100’s of beautiful models and people from the fashion and entertainment world and of course the press. As with everything Mahogany does we want as many people as possible to come and party free of charge (see below).

This hot party will be held at KC’s Bar – 149 Holloway Road, London N7 8DD on 3 floors, from 10pm to 5am There is a guest list which is free before 12 midnight. If people are not on the guest list or they arrive after 12 the entry fee is £10 per person. You must Submit your own name along with those of your guests to me by email (preferably) or by text on 07971 388687.

THIS IS GOING TO BE A FANTASTIC PARTY – SO DON'T MISS OUT & GET YOURSELF ON THE GUEST LIST NOW!!!

Fashions Finest Renaissance Fashions Shows..

Mahogany Events in conjunction with Fashions Finest Magazine will be holding a series of fashions shows starting on Sunday January 16th & Sunday January 30th 2011. The shows are aimed at brand new or emerging designers as well as established designers that want to use these shows to either launch themselves or a brand new collection that they have. The shows will be held every 2 to 3 weeks at a classy West End Venue. The aim of the shows is to give designers the opportunity to showcase their collections in an affordable and very classy way, in a fantastic venue with professional models.

If you would like to attend the fashions shows they are free to everyone on the guest list, please email names and the date you would like to attend to

Naomi Campbell Makes the Right Headlines...

Naomi Campbell attended the 2010 British Fashion Awards where she was honoured for her contribution to fashion and whilst being interviewed she was asked whether she thought there were enough women of colour within mainstream fashion and it was nice to hear her say that she felt that things had gone backwards and that there were in fact fewer models of colour being used within the mainstream fashion industry than ever before. Today I have spent a lot of time speaking to various media outlets about my views on this matter and I for one have been saying this for a while now and you if you go back to my previous blogs, soon after fashion week I stated that there were far fewer models on the catwalks at London Fashion Week so this is nothing new – its a pity I don't have Naomi Campbell’s influence.

Ms Campbell said

"When I look at the shows this season, there weren't as many as a year-and-a-half ago. We've got to keep speaking out, so as boring as it may be, if you hear me saying it over and over again I have to stand up for my fellow comrades.

"It's not for myself, but the younger girls who come up to me and say, 'We didn't get used this season, we didn't do this, someone used 81 models and didn't use one of us'. In that respect if they come up and talk to me, and I'm able to speak on their behalf, then I will."

It is sad that it is only when we make noise we get a bit of change but as soon as we feel things have changed and we stop complaining things quietly go back to normal. The only way that we will ever have permanent change and for things to improve is by us hurting these companies where it hurts most which is in their pockets and this can only be done by boycotting the companies, including the British Fashion Council, Vauxhall Fashion Scout, London Fashion week and mainstream magazines etc that refuse to promote us and reflect the cultural diversity of the country we live in.

So well done to Naomi Campbell and the Evening Standard for once again putting the issue out there.

New in Brief...

Miss Elegant...

Picture Courtesy Kenneth Asia

I was asked to event manage the Miss Elegant beauty pageant (which even if I say so myself was a great success). However it had one major issue which was that two days before the show it was hit with a potential law suit for trademark infringement and it managed to stave off legal action from the legal team of the Miss World organisers. I won’t go into the nitty gritty but they were able to resolve the issue and the show went ahead.

Word of warning just because you can register a domain or company name with companies house it does not mean that you have the legal right to use that name and if you get it wrong it could cost you lots of money. So if you want to use a name that sounds similar to something that is already in existence I would suggest that you check out the rights to use the name with the patent office.

By the way asking your friends that know nothing about these type of issues does not help, as they have no idea of the law or what they are talking about when they advise you to go ahead and use a name that is not rightfully yours to use, they won’t help you when you you get sued and have to pay out £1000’s in compensation.

ACM Fashion Show London 2010...

Alongside the likes of Yemi (Kosibah Creations), Ola Shobowale, Shady Blue and Lara from Genevieve Magazine (a top Nigerian magazine) I attended this brand new fashion show. It was a very entertaining evening and was a mixture of fashion and entertainment. I had a nice evening out.

Face4 Africa...

Mr Mahogany will be co hosting with award winning Sporah of the Sporah Show the Face4Africa competition. The battle is on for the new Face For Fashion4Africa model contest taking place on Saturday, 11th December 7pm till late at Covent Garden’s legendary Africa Centre. Fifteen models from the African continent take to the runway to battle for the title as the Face of Fashion4Africa. So if you will feel like a fun night out come down and join me and the beautiful models competing to be the face for Face4Africa.

Mahogany Bridal Show...

Taking place on 20th March 2011, if you would like to be involved in Europe's Largest African Caribbean Bridal Show then visit MAHOGANY BRIDAL SHOW for more information.

Miss Nigeria UK...

Taking place on the 11^th December at the Porchester Hall, I have no idea why I am promoting this as they never invite me or respond to any press information so we can assist them in promoting the event on Fashions Finest – please how do they promote this event – I am lost, anyway enough said.

Screen Nation Christmas Party...

The celebrity event of the year is taking place on Thursday 16^th December (at a mystery venue). As a sophisticated networker and supporter of fashion, arts & cinema you are cordially invited to attend the Screen Nation Christmas Soiree at a luxury NW London venue. Music headlined by the award winning DJ Abrantee of Choice FM plus DJ Nevada. Imagine bumping into Colin Salmon or Angelica Bell or watching Solaman Kalaou & Nathalie Emmanuel strut the latest moves or just networking with other inspirational people. This will be a truly memorable night allowing you to mingle freely with countless familiar faces from the worlds of TV, Film, Theatre Music & Sports include former nominees, winners and guest presenters. You know how they do. Confirmed and invited guests include stars of Eastenders, X Factor, Big Brother, Hollyoaks, The Apprentice, top Comedians, Premiership footballers, Olympic champions PLUS a sprinkling of your favourite Film, TV, Sports & Music stars, top Promoters, Agents, Managers and PR Executives. Stars of Fela, exclusive new British movie trailers, top BBC comedians and artists confirming.

Select Guest list VIP ACCESS with complimentary Cocktail, Canapés & Gift bags (very early birds only) Pre-pay £25 to guarantee entry

Mr Mahogany will be there along with the winners of TMC 2010, Nana Afua & Jason Best.

Moan and Groan...

You have to admire the students for mobilising and protesting against the rise in student fees and it does remind me of my old school days when we protested and I must admit do our own little rioting back in Lagos (of course I never rioted), our catch phrase at the time was “Ali must go”. In this sad country where we agree to anything that throw at us, it is refreshing to see people fight for something they believe in (by the way I am not in any way condoning the violence that has taken place).

Let me ask you a few questions how many of you have complained at the rising council tax bills, the slow but steady increase in petrol prices and the general increase in the cost of living? Yes, most of you have but have you done anything about it? NO. Why not? Because we live in Englannnnnnnd and in England when someone slaps you, you turn the other cheek and say please, please, please slap me again. It’s a bit like the story above about the lack of black models within mainstream fashion industry. There is power in solidarity and in protesting and protesting does not necessarily mean you must go on marches or violently protest, it can be done by simply writing letters of complaint to your local MP or organisations that are treating you bad or boycotting people that refuse to use us in their advertising campaigns.

Since the issue with Tommy Hilfiger I made a stance to never ever buy his goods again, but not everyone is prepared to make such stands. My view on this is if someone is treating you bad and you can’t be bother to write a letter, send an email or officially complain then stop moaning and groaning and complaining because by your silence you deserve to be treated the way you are treated. Sorry people I know this may hurt but its the truth and when I go to the airport and as a Nigerian you try and treat me differently from other airline passengers, I pick up my pen and write a strong letter of complaint and in return I get a letter of apology and a promise for change and if that does not happen I take my hard earned money elsewhere.

If you hit people where it hurts in their pocket they will change.

Well done to the students, as even though they did not get the student fees overturned they at least had concessions made to them to try and appease them, that is what happens when you complain and the Americans have learnt that which is why you don't mess with them.

Top Model of Colour Review – Is it True or Not?

2010-11-29T00:01:00.001Z

It is so hard doing a review of your own show and I am sure some of you are thinking that’s ok, let’s see what he has to say and whether he will say it as it is or not especially after he has sometimes come down hard on other peoples shows. This may be a bit long but I want to ensure that I cover everything so you don't come back and say that I was hiding things.

I will start by congratulating Nana Afua (female winner) & Jason Best (male winner) the winners of TMC UK 2010.

When I get things wrong and things don't go according to plan it is only right for me to say it and I must start by apologising at the fact that we started 6 minutes late (I thought it was 4 minutes but I was informed that it was 6 minutes), and even within that time I heard that some people were already questioning that when were we going to start, I do accept the criticism and fully understand that even though 98% of these type of shows that I go to and I am sure that some of you attend notice that they tend to start an or more late. This however does not mean that I should be bigging up Mahogany or feel that we are good when we only started 6 minutes late, late is late (I do have a good excuse though but it might look that I am being defensive – well done to Homdiggy for starting our intro music exactly on time at 8pm).

SPECIAL PRESENTATION to Previous TMC Winners
L to R Ibukun (TMC 2008), Vicky (TMC 2008), Paula TMC 2009 & Emmanuel (TMC 2009)

I am trying to deal with the things that did not work first and get them out of the way and later on hopefully I can say what did work – I don't want any of you to think that I am dealing with the good things first and then will sneak in the bad things at the end.

We had a MAJOR problem with the food for the VIPs, a lot of people were either not served on time or at all and for those that did get food in some cases it was cold and there were also some issue with people getting there drinks on time – (I heard there were no problems at all with people that purchased food). Unfortunately as much as I see myself as a fixer as this was not in my direct control there was absolutely nothing that could be done to resolve this but I would like to thank my staff that did their utmost to resolve things especially Redz & Claudia and sincerely apologise to EVERYONE that was affected.

The final thing which I felt was an issue and this is from me wanting to be a perfectionist, is that for the film crew and the photographers we got the lighting wrong and this does upset me as we spent an enormous amount of money on this aspect of the show. The great thing about this is that the audience all felt it looked great and were extremely expressed, so this was more of an issue for the film crew and the photographers – sorry guys.

Nathifa Douet designed the set and created the ambiance of the venue and I think she did a great job and she was fully supported by Tama Ra Event Designers who has worked with us on ALL of our shows for over 10 years, did all the table settings and chair covers – just making the whole effect beautiful. I personally think Nathifa and Tama Ra worked well together as a team and this was proven by what they produced.

When it comes to artist I don't normally like to criticise them but after giving a specific brief to the person that booked one of the comediennes for us, I must say he was a disaster and a number of the audience were highly offended by his jokes so at some point I had no choice but to end it by playing music. A valuable lesson I learnt here was I must do much more research on the acts I book. However the comedienne Glenda Jaxson was hot but I had to cut her time as we were slightly over schedule and I wanted to finish on time – these are the hard decisions I have to make when I am event managing a show. K’son the singer wowed the models during the swimwear with his sultry voice and I am reliably informed that the women loved him

Neecie our female host was amazing and pulled the whole show together, she looked fantastic in the 2 dresses designed specifically for her by one of the UK’s hottest up and coming designers – Shi Dolor. Seriously people if you need a hot outfit for that great event you need to talk to her to do one for you. David our male host was good and he did look good. I am aware that some of these fashion designer names were hard to pronounce but my advice to all presenters is you must learn how to pronounce any given name at a show. But between them they kept the show going and they worked extremely hard and had to put up with me talking in there ear throughout the show whilst they were presenting and I think that bearing that for most shows, they do not wear ear pieces whilst working and have directors continuously giving them instructions they did a remarkable job.

We had judges come from a wide array of the fashion industry and from as far away as the Netherlands. Normally I am able to look at the finalist and say I expect this person to win and these ones to make it through the top 11 etc. But this year I and my team had no idea as to whom would win and we thought that for both the male and female models it was one of the most open competitions ever. Mary Bello (was the head judge for the men) and along with Joseph Sinclair and last minute stand in judge Jade Fletcher (model agent and events organiser), by the way thank you for stepping at such short notice, they had the hard decision of naming Ashton Leon as second runner up, Jerone Goode as 1^st runner up and the eventual winner Jason Best. It must have been extremely difficult for them as any one of the 7 male contestants could potentially have been in the top 3.

Leading the female judges was Afua Adom, with able assistance from Monica Van Halder (CEO of TMC Holland) and whom came over specifically to judge TMC UK from the Netherlands and of course Mr Gorgeous whom on the night was known as MR Nasty for giving the models good honest, constructive feedback (and even though some of you may not agree with his comments 95% of what he said to the models were the things that I and my team had been saying to the finalist during rehearsals. I do believe that they had a very very hard job and they were able (I don't know how) come up with a fantastic top 5, which included Cherry Gallow (5^th), Siobhan Lewis (4^th), Maggie Umo (3^rd), Ujunwa Nwobodoh (2^nd) and the winner Nana Afua.

TOP 5 - Siobhan, Uju, Nana, Maggie, Cherry

Top 3 - Jerone, Jason, Ashton

I have do a few shout outs to the makeup team Spikes makeup, hair was done superbly by Adeline Adebayo (sorry that you were outside in the cold for so long), Dorothy Tenkorang as head stylist did a great job pulling it all together and along with her fashion label - House of Abeytu did a great job dressing the models.

Every contestant put their heart and soul into the competition and I hope and pray that they will go on and do some fantastic things in their modelling careers, they had to put up with me for long periods and that in itself deserves an award and I do hope that after the majority get over the disappoint of not winning that they will realise that EVERYTHING we did was with an honest and open heart and was aimed at ensuring that after TMC they will leave will the knowledge and full understanding of the modelling industry and will be great ambassadors for all models of colour.

A BIG APOLOGY TO SIOBHAN RIGUARD AS IN THE BROCHURE WE PUT THE RIGHT PICTURE BUT THE WRONG WRITE UP – I ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS AND HAND ON MY HEART APOLOGISE FULLY TO HER FOR THE ERROR.

There is a saying that No Man is an Island and that is so true, as TMC would have been impossible without all of our sponsors (way too many to mention), all of the volunteers, including the entire back and front of house teams that made sure that the show ran as smoothly as possible as without them we would have had no show. But I must give special mention to a team of ladies (and and one guy) that have been with me and have worked on TMC for a number of years such as Redz who was our artist manager, Eva (who also was very bold as she agreed to be body painted and worked the red carpet like a superstar) and Gregory that our hospitality manager, Claudia who was our overall events manager and kept and eye on ensuring everything came together, Homdiggy international DJ and music producer who produced the opening fashion show music and as always did a great job with the music throughout the night.

For the first year ever TMC worked with a PR company, Sassi PR who did a tremendous job handling the 100’s of press enquiries we had from across the world, putting together the press evening and so much more. We had press who specifically came over from as far afield as Nigeria and the Netherlands,

I kept to the end the last two, Tope (backstage Manager) and Amina (floor manager & judges liaison), yes I do have a lot of managers but that is what makes a show work. Anyway back to saying a special thank you to Tope and Amina who were both former contestants of TMC (so was Redz & Dorothy) and now for the past 3 years have worked not only within different aspects of the show but each year they have worked with me on producing the choreography for the opening fashions shows and I am proud to say that each year we have always been able to produce something completely different and people can’t say that you know our style of you have seen that before. They both work tirelessly behind the scenes throughout the year pulling the whole show together, I love them dearly.

I have a couple of people that I know love to remain anonymous so I am not going to embarrass them by naming them but they know who they are and without their unwavering support TMC may not have gone ahead, true and good and special people are hard to find. My heart is touched.

Normally when I give a review I always end it by giving my thoughts on the show but as it is my show I am unable to do so and ask that you give your own reviews GOOD OR BAD, trust me I am man enough to take the bad along with the good.

Thank you to everyone that attended, my friends who supported me, my loves ones for being there for me and my sponsors for believing in us and of course to the MAIN MAN himself the Lord almighty – THANK YOU (sorry if this sounds like an OSCARS acceptance speech).

Moan and Groan

I have so been wanting to do this moan and groan for a while but as TMC had not yet happened I was FORCED to hold my tongue but now that it is over, some people better put on their bullet proof vests, riot police helmets and if you have the ability you better become immortal because I am about to fire some scud missiles.

As I was planning my show and as it drew closer I was inundated with 100’s of calls and emails and I am not exaggerating. from people that were asking for free tickets to the show. I do believe in the philosophy that if you don't ask you don't get BUT when I try to explain to people that due to the enormous amount of people that I know that it is impossible to accommodate everyone, they then give me attitude about it and say such things “I am an events organisers and should be invited” or “I attend all events and am always invited for free” AND SO XXXXX WHAT.

This is not about being stingy or being hard but for me this is my business, my livelihood, I do this full time and I easily could have filled up the entire venue with freebies but how would I have paid for everything. I am in entertainment and get a lot people say when are you going to invite me to your event, you are so hard, you are so stingy – if that is how you feel fine but I can’t remember the last time those same people invited me to their staff meeting at work. I have no problem inviting people to my event if 1) they have assisted, supported or contributed to Mahogany or 2) they give me work or 3) I want to potentially get work from them so I invite them to my shows so they can see what I do. But if you are just a person that does not contribute to me or Mahogany in anyway don't be calling me up to ask for a free ticket.

I am on a roll now, now the cheek of some people – they call me up to ask for a free ticket and they have not yet secured a comp ticket and they have the audacity to say I don't do standard it has to be a VIP ticket – see your mouth and VIP...

I have friends that I grew up with and have known for over 30 years and people that have worked with me on shows and when they called they did not ask for free tickets, they said I want to buy tickets and booked tables etc and booked at the level they felt they could afford and these are people that if they asked me for tickets I would find it hard to say no cos I know what they have done for me in my life but they recognise that this is my living.

Now I am sure some you event organisers can relate to the above and know where I am coming from and if you are thinking of doing your own events in the future please bear this in mind, if you are not tough, these type of people will make you bankrupt and when you make a loss not one of them will come forward to assist you and to make matters worse it is these same people that come their for free whom will be the ones to criticise you the most.

I get invited to many events but I never call people and say can I get a free invite as I know what it is like. So if you ain’t doing anything for me or with me in the future, don't be calling me for a free ticket and before some of you get on my case about being this way, people can tell you that for most of our shows we give out 100’s of comp tickets from the bridal show to the TMC regional heats, but I like you have a mortgage to pay.

Finally to my esteem members of the press unfortunately we are not one of those companies that you can just show up and get into our event just cos you are press or carrying a camera, as always we asked all press to apply for press accreditation and with receiving 100’s of request we could not accommodate you all. I am sure that people that attended the show can attest to the amount of film crews and photographers that were at the show and this is aside from the editors from top magazines and newspapers that were at the show. So in future when you get an email from us to apply for press accreditation reply and reply on time and if you didn’t, don't just show up and hope to get in or that because you know me you will get it, it won’t happen.

We have to change how we work and always be professional in everything that we do.

Nigeria is Building a New Positive Image...

2010-11-17T04:28:00.012Z

Sorry before I get into my blog, you really do not want to be told that you missed a great show, so get your tickets now for Top Model of Colour taking place on the 27th November at Porchester Hall, not that many tickets left - either buy online or call 07971 388687,

Fela Lives Again...

Don't panic Fela Anikulapo-Kuti Nigeria's legendary musician has not risen from the dead, but via a fantastic play he has been brought back to life. After 4 successful years on Broadway Fela the play has found its way to the National Theatre in London.

It is a great achievement for ANY play to make it to the National Theatre and an even bigger achievement for a Black African play to feature and credit must be given to Bill T Jones and co- producers Jay Z (and I hear Will Smith) for having the courage and tenacity to push for it to come to the UK, in fact to even do the play at all.

After we all got to watch this great play on press night, there

was a great celebration and after event and it was good to

catch up with the cast including Sahr Ngaujah, who has played Fela for the past 4 years, Paulette Ivory & Melanie Marshall.

The highlight of the evening besides the play was catching up with old friends that I had not seen for many years like Atiti & Dele Sosimi of Afrobeat (he use to play for Fela as a youngster), Yeni & Seun Kuti as well as Femi Kuti who has taken over his fathers mantle and will soon start his UK tour for his new album Africa For Africa from the 27th November.

I was fortunate that as a youngster I was able to go to Shrine (this is the legendary place where Fela use to play in Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria) and as I was good friends with his late youngest daughter Sola (pronounced as written not like my name which is pronounced Sholla) I got to spend a lot of time both at Shrine and at his house and it was an experience I would never forget.

I do hope that the legal battle will be resolved sooner rather than later as the producers of Fela the musical are being sued by Carlos Moore an author who claims that they used his biogapghy Fela Fela, Cette Putain de Vie as the concept for the musical and not paying him the appropiate royalties. He is suing for £5m. That aside I am hoping that it will find its way to Nigeria and it is rumoured that discussions are taking place with the Nigerian singer D'banz to play the role of Fela should it come to Nigeria.

This is a play that I very highly recommend that you go and see, I am aware that everyone is saying times are hard but it is worth the expenditure, so call the National Theatre and tell them that you wish to buy a ticket on Layaway!

An Audience with Nollywood Stars...

In my bid not to live in my house ever again I was once again out on the streets of London attending an audience with some of Nigeria's Nollywood stars. As usual I prepared myself to be bored out of my mind listening to celebrities that believed they were demi Gods but to my pleasant surprise they were definitely not arrogant, pompous superstars, in fact the two actors that were in attendance were very down to earth and I and others that were in attendance had a very enjoyable evening (would not say the same about the food though).

Ariyo Expo organised a two day Culture and Tourism EXPO at the Hilton Olympia in London on 5th & 6th November and it culminated with an interview with some of Nollywood's top stars including Ejike Asiegbu actor and former president of Actors Guild of Nigeria and the first Lady of Nollywood "Omo Sexy" Omotola Jolade Ekeinde

Some of the audience included the likes of Charles Thompson CEO Screen Nation, Brenda Emmanus BBC presenter and Fatima Jabbe, producer and actress, Nigeria's Ambassor to the Court of St James and of course myself amongst many others and it was beautifully hosted by Henry Bonsu, presenter and journalist.

Ejike

I was fortunate enough to be able to ask Omotola a question as to whether she would still do low budget films and she gave an eloquent answer that many Hollywood actors do small budget films and if the film script is right and she felt it was right for her she would do it.

She was also asked about her relationship with Genevieve Nnaji and she politely moved on to the next question without answering, but did give a plausible answer as to why she would not answer and this is because she has asked and answered this question too many times and she is TIRED ALREADY.

It was a great evening and a lot of credit must be given to the organiser Ola Wright on a job well done.

I do hope that Ola would be able to work with me and produce a real audience with some of Nigeria's Nollywood superstars here in the UK with the UK celebrities.

An Evening Out...

2010-11-05T04:59:00.001Z

Miss Flavour 2010

My beautiful cousin Mary Bello who is a writer with Flavour Magazine invited me down to come and watch Miss Flavour at the Cafe De Paris that took place on the 3^rd November. I can’t believe that it has been going for 4 years and this is the first time I have ever attended Miss Flavour.

It was a full house packed with a lot of young, hip and trendy fashionistas, family and friends who came out to support the 14 beautiful girls that were competing to become Miss Flavour 2010 and take the crown from last year’s winner Melissa Lewars.

The evening was hosted by 1xtra's Ace & Vis who did a great job with the young , what I call Hip Hop crowd and there were 10 celebrity judges including Jasmia Robinson (Britain's Next Top Model), who had a hard time picking out the eventual winner and celebrities like the comedienne Slim and Yolande of La Geneve North were in the house.

The only traumatic thing that took place was when Ace & Vis had an Australia's Next Top Model moment and announced the wrong winner. These things happen but it was a bit sad as one raises the expectations of the person that thought they had won and the next minute they are shot down.

Eventually they got it right and I must say congratulations to Neetu Sahota for winning Miss Flavour 2010 and Léa Gladys Poupelin being the first runner up & Siobhan Copland coming 3rd.

If I am invited again I would look forward to attending again and if you want an informal night out it is definitely worth attending.

Sacred Childhoods Foundation Ethical Fashion Show

What I a week I have been having literally running from one event to another and today was no different as I attended the Sacred Childhoods Foundation Ethical Fashion Show at the exclusive Vanilla Club in the West End on 3^rd November 2010. Sacred Childhoods is working to safeguard vulnerable and underprivileged children in Indonesia, South East Asia.

For me this was a show with a difference as its principle aims were to raise funds for the foundation but at the same time promoting sustainable, fairly traded fashion using beautiful models, who often face discrimination by the mainstream fashion industry. So this definitely was an event that pulled on my heart strings.

A number of designers donated pieces for the event and on this occasion I deem it only fair that I name all of them - here goes.

Amethyst Accessories

Beulah London

Bhavna

Charlie Chambers

Da-Lata

DIY Couture

Emesha LTD

Eternal Creation

Fee Uhssi Design

Hope Sew

Ivana Basilotta

Lilia Yip

Lily Kamper

Little Grass Clementine

Lunamano

Piece of Mind

Monkee Genes

Natural Cotton Color

OU Pambu

Pants to Poverty

Paper Vine

Peter Spilsbury

People Tree

Pure Design Company

Re-Collect

Sampi Couture

Serefina

Tina Lobondi

Toto Knits

Trashy Bags

Ware

Zanaa

From Somewhere

Lost Property of London

I know that it is a long list but it is well worth listing and if you are ever looking for ethical designers this is a great place to start from.

It was surely a show with a difference as the models walked around the room wearing the pieces with the designers on hand to talk through what inspired them and I am amazed at the designs the designers have created out of recycled items.

This was truly a worthwhile and inspirational evening, very enjoyable.

TMC Grand Finale 27th November 2010...

To get tickets please buy online http://www.mahoganymodels.co.uk/list-services.php or

0845 388 7249 / 07971 388687

Standard tickets are £30 in advance (or £45 at the door) - Table of 10 £300

VIP tickets are £50 in advance (or £75 on the door) - Table of 10 £500

Please note that all vip guests will be served a 2 course meal and some drinks on their table.

Beffta's Special - This is not Sour Grapes...

2010-11-02T22:25:00.001Z

I am now starting to feel that every time I write a blog I only seem to have negative things to say and that is definitely starting to worry me. But people it is not my fault, honestly. I actually said that regardless of how I felt that I was not going to blog about the BEFFTA's but following NUMEROUS requests to say it as it was I have had no choice but to respond to your requests.

The BEFFTA's which stands for Black Entertainment Film Fashion Television and Arts Awards, that is the original version of what BEFFTA's means but the new version is unprintable and involves a lot of cussing and I have some people that are under 16 that read my blog.

MAHOGANY MODELS & TEAM

Anyway I have washed my mouth with soap and I can continue, the BEFFTA's took place on Saturday the 30th September at a lovely venue called Westminster Central Hall. Following on from last year I came with an open mind thinking to myself that it could not be any worst than last year - boy was I wrong.

In a chronological order let me give you an insight into the event.

I arrived at about 7pm (as the show was due to start at 7.30pm) and I queued up with the other guests to give my name and collect my tickets to gain entry. When I got to the young lady that was doing the tickets I was very impressed as they had a laptop and I assumed they would do a quick search on the laptop and I would be given a ticket within seconds, yes you are right they could not find my name, anyway she asked me if I was a nominee? wrong question to ask a black person when we sense weakness we go in for the kill, in this case I was a nominee, so I answered yes and she then asked me if I had any guest with me and I said yes that there were 4 of us in total and without any checks she gave us 4 VIP passes (this also happened to others as well), so as per what I said above if people were intending to pay when they saw the shambles that was going on they quickly would have changed their mind as they would have realised that it was free to get in.

Anyway we then proceeded upstairs and based on lasts years experience I told my guests to go and secure us seats before they all go as I had a feeling that there might be problems and there was. I would will leave this bit with a quote from a highly respected person within the black entertainment industry in the UK “I did not even have a table in my name and had to sit in a corner with my guests which was embarrassing as they were very influential people.”

So my guests had secured a table for us to sit after many problems, I must add whilst I was downstairs doing some press interviews and assisting Fashions Finest TV.

The press section was badly organised and only got better when Remel London took it upon herself to help out and organise things. Eventually I went upstairs at about 9pm and they were only just about to start (yes over an hour and a half late).

Westminster Central Hall has a reputation for finishing on time and bearing in mind the organisers have used the venue before they knew exactly what would happen at 11 pm. However in their wisdom a decision was made to entertain us for the next one hour with act after act and we had the unfortunate pleasure of having one of the most boring presenters ever (they said she was meant to be a comedienne, now if she was a comedienne then I am the one that taught Eddie Murphy everything he knows about comedy), to be fair to her they only gave her an hour’s notice that she was going to present but if she is meant to be a professional that is no excuse.

So at about 10.10pm they now decided to start announcing the award winners, you must bear in mind that they had about 500 awards and 1500 nominees , ok I am exaggerating but it is to emphasis the point that there were too many awards and some crazy categories. At 11 pm as expected the venue switched on the house lights and turned off the sound by this time they had not even announced half of the awards which includes one of my categories best modelling agency, up to now I have no idea who won that award.

But it was nice to hear that on the Sunday some people were being phoned to say that they had won awards in categories they did not know had even existed, I guess they felt they needed to get rid of the excess awards that they had.

So we left the awards very dejected but decided let’s make the best of a bad situation and go for the after party which was meant to be taking place at a lovely venue. About 50 of us found our way to the venue to find out there was no such after party and none of the organisers were there or had any intention of showing up. I say no more!

Normally I end my piece by giving my views, however this time round I will end it with quotes from a variety of people that emailed or text me about the show.

“I myself actually checked her facebook page yesterday to see if she had offered an apology on her status...more fool me lmao”

“I have no idea whether she agrees it was a shambles (I doubt it)”

“she seems to be in denial...we were clearly at a different award show to her!”

I know others offered their services and was shoved aside.

“xxx cannot use people who have worked hard to establish their brand and then disrespect their name like this. I am done”.

“she used many of us to bring attention to this shambles”

“She has made the award vulgar. I felt as if I was attending an event in a third world country!!! With all the expertise we have in the UK this is unacceptable”

This is not sour grapes it’s about people stepping up and doing the right thing and using the right people, Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles could have done a better job running the show and without any assistance.

If it goes ahead again I will still support it as I believe we must work with each other for change and potentially this can become a fantastic event within our community, but I would say to anyone doing a show, know what you are good at and then bring in people like me to do the things we are good at which is making your event great!

Remel London's Video Blog on the BEFFTA's

TMC Grand Finale 27th November 2010...

To get tickets please buy online http://www.mahoganymodels.co.uk/list-services.php or

0845 388 7249 / 07971 388687

Standard tickets are £30 in advance (or £45 at the door) - Table of 10 £300

VIP tickets are £50 in advance (or £75 on the door) - Table of 10 £500

Please note that all vip guests will be served a 2 course meal and some drinks on their table.

Sinking Sands, official trailer

2010-10-24T14:54:00.000+01:00

African Music Awards – What Really Happened?

2010-10-20T02:14:00.003+01:00

People read my blog and expect Mr Mahogany to be truthful and to the point. So this is one story that has really made me struggle as to whether I should do a review on the AMA’s or not. I know you are thinking “that what is the big deal, just say it as it is” and in a way you are right but before I do I feel it is only fair that I explain why I am feeling this way.

The organiser of Ama is a young man that has put a lot of effort into trying to make the AMA’s a top international awards show and he is someone that I know and it hurts me to have to do this review, but I think it is only fair to him and also a way of ensuring that people hear what is fact from fiction.

So here goes (it’s a long one)... The African Music Awards was due to take place at Wembley Arena on the 15th October and trust me when I heard it was being done at Wembley Arena and was being sponsored by O2, I was thinking my boy has made it and I was very proud of him. Then on the Thursday the day before the show was meant to take place rumours started circulating that the event had been cancelled and I checked the Ticket Master website and yes it was confirmed as being cancelled. So being the person I am I felt that I had to find out what was going on and if I could help out or confirm that it was truly not going to take place. I made some phone calls to the powers to be who were in the know and I was told that a new venue was been sourced and a new venue hopefully would be found by late that evening. Anyway later that evening I got a phone call to say that a new venue had been found and that the event was still going ahead.

I have been doing events for many years and I knew that this would be a major problem as to try and inform everyone that the event was still going ahead would be hard especially at such short notice, also people would not really want to buy another ticket when they had already purchased one and of course most people would be very sceptical and possibly not take it seriously. So the organisers were in a catch 22 situation, should they cancel it and lose an even bigger fortune or try and do it at another venue in an attempt to try and keep the AMA’s keep some credibility.

So moving swiftly on... I won’t bore you with all the bits in between as I know you must be asking why did it not take place at the Arena? I have my ideas and thoughts as to why but truth is, it is only speculation and as such I can’t give my views as I would be adding to the speculation (but trust me I know the truth). So what happened to the sponsorship money and how much did they get? once gain I can’t give specifics but I am sure if the organisers could do it again they would do it all differently including using Max Clifford as the PR company for the event.

The event itself... now this one I can comment on as I was there and am not relying on hearsay or rumours. As much as I would love to gloss it up I can’t. As much as some key figures within the black entertainment industry did their best to try and make it work and attended to give their full support it just did not work. It was poorly organised from front of house to backstage. They had some great presenters lined up including myself, Kanya King (CEO MOBO’s who unfortunately had gone to Wembley Arena as no one had told her it was no longer taking place there), Alexander Amosu, Fatima Jabbe and Jermaine Jackson to name but a few. But can you believe it after spending about 2 hours at the venue we were eventually told that we were not needed as they would not be presenting the winners with any awards. In fact they just read out all of the winners names in one go from a piece of paper.

When we were eventually shown to some seats in the hall, can you believe it some of the hostesses came and asked us to move to some rows behind because they wanted some beauty queens to sit where we were sitting. Trust me in no uncertain terms I politely said I am not moving.

Organisers that is so not cool when we give up our time, not being paid, no food or drink and no VIP seating to then be told to move for some beauty queens , you definitely got that one wrong. (PS before I am bombarded with emails from present and former beauty queens I have nothing against beauty queens but a number of us at this event actually put the events together to make you the queens that you were/are so in terms of the pecking order we sort of should be a bit more important than you).

The show ended very suddenly with no warning after about an hour and a half and a some people even started shouting that they wanted their money back especially as some of them had paid for VIP seating and were not provided with appropriate seating.

Most of the advertised acts such as D’Banj did not show up and same with the hosts Simon Webb and Genevieve Nnaji who gives her reasons as to why on her tweet page “I agreed to host the show, signed a contract and even publicly announced my participation on a tv program in the uk last time I was thr.. mostly because I wanted an opportunity to meet some of u 1on1 at the show. Unfortunately the organizers wr unable to fulfill any of. ..their obligations even to the last minute which is this morning. (Eg; no ticket arrangements). At this point I feel partially used.. ..to publicize the show and I owe it to u guys to explain my absence”.

Even though the venue had a capacity of 2000 people it had just over 700 people if that in attendance.

To be fair though the acts that were there were really good such as JJC, Big Brothaz with ‘We Are Africans, and a Fela Anikulapo Kuti tribute band.

In Conclusion... this is a great event that must continue and despite all of the mishaps and problems it is an event that we must continue to support and now I am being unashamedly tartest here and would say to the AMA’s if you need an event run and managed properly you need to hire me to produce it for you or act as your consultant and I can assure you this would never happen again and you would have a great event.

To all of you that have been kicking a man whilst he is down, shame on you. This could happen to anyone and I can assure you that the AMA’s will be back bigger, stronger and better next year.

TMC Press Launch...

TMC Finalist Press Launch took place on Sunday 17th October at the Jewel in Covent Garden. The finalist were dressed to kill in a variety of purple outfits and entertained the audience by doing a variety of poses on the podium. Press and celebrities attended and everyone had a great time.

The evening was hosted by Jordine Bartlett and was beautifully organised by Sassi PR. If you would like to do a review of the event or require pictures and further information please EMAIL

Limited tickets are still available for the TMC finale taking place on the 27th November at the Porchester Hall. Tickets can be purchased ONLINE or by calling 0845 388 7249.

Uti Wins Big Brother All Stars (African Version)
Uti Nwachukwu out fought all of the other Big Brother contestants to win Big Brother All Stars and pick up a lovely sum of $200,000 (I wish I was his best friend)

The final two left in the house were Uti and Zimbabwe's Munya Chidzonga. Uti being a proud Nigerian did the most patriotic thing when he won and that was to sing the Nigerian national anthem.

Yes I know it is only Big Brother but he is still a Nigerian and we are proud of him.

Moan and Groan

Nigerians Why?

As a true green blooded Nigerian it hurts me to have to once again say that we have made the news for the wrong reasons. I have no problems with such programs as Louis Theroux documentary entitled “law and Disorder in Lagos” as it is well known that western reporters tend to only show Africa in a negative light, so I can live with that

BUT it pees me off no end when we put ourselves into a position that we confirm that we are nothing but a corrupt nation. Why is it that once we get into a position of authority we will use and abuse that position to try and make as much money as possible.

A number of countries are currently bidding to host the 2018 World Cup including the England and representatives from the FIFA committee will be voting on the 2nd December as to which country would host the 2018 World Cup. The Sunday Times did an undercover sting and allegedly exposed corruption in the voting process. When I first heard this I immediately prayed to God and said please let their not be a Nigerian involved and low and behold a Mr Amos Adamu who is a Nigerian and the West African executive committee member on the FIFA bid panel and he was allegedly willing to sell his support for £500,000. To make it worst he was caught on video doing this.

In Nigeria we understand that to get things done you grease peoples palms and as far as I am concerned that is the way things are done and that is cool, it is done in the west but it is called corporate hospitality in the UK or contributing to an election fund in the USA and appropriately entitled lobbying.

However if you are a Nigerian sitting on a foreign committee of any kind you are prime material for a sting operation and you are the most stupid human being in the world to think that you can allegedly ask for a bribe and not get caught. This once again has just shown that Nigerians are allegedly corrupt or open to corruption and you just make it harder for the rest of us to be viewed as being honest in anyway shape or form.

Nigerians enough is enough, if you really need to make money and cannot resist temptations and feel you will be open to bribery and corruption then do not take a job abroad, just stay in Nigeria and that way we won’t have a bad reputation abroad.

I am so peeved off by this aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Is Reality TV Really Real...

2010-10-15T03:11:00.000+01:00

Reality TV is back in full force from The Apprentice to X Factor and of course they have all come with the drama that is needed to get them plenty of press attention.

X Factor...

This is by far the UK's biggest reality TV show especially with the demise of Big Brother and one must give enormous credit to the guru himself Simon Cowell for being able to keep X Factor fresh and making front page headlines.

I am sure that you are aware of Gamu Nhengu who was the unfortunate X Factor contestant that seemed to out sing the other contestants at Cheryl Coles X Factor rented mansion in Berkshire of all places (maybe it was good that it was in Berkshire otherwise Gamu would not have been able to travel to one of the foreign destinations). Unfortunately Gamu was not chosen to go onto the live shows. It is very possible that you signed the petition to get her back on the show and had a lot of sumpathy with her and felt she was unfairly treated.

This is a wake up call, reality TV shows are fake and are manipulated to sucker in you the audience, get maximum ratings and ultimately make the producers a barrel full of money (being someone that produces and consults on such shows, trust me I should know as I have done it many times myself). The golden rule of X Factor is to make Simon Cowell and ITV tons of money and that ultimately means choosing people that the public would vote for and/or if they did win that they had the right look and personality to make a lot of money (once again for Simon Cowell as they are signed to his record label).

My take on it: firstly you only see an edited version of what really takes place at the judges houses as each contestant sings more than one song and for viewing purposes and suspense what they showed of Katie Waissel and Cher Lloyd made far better television than them singing their song well. Secondly I definitely feel Cher Lloyd deserved to go through as she is quirky and original, not so sure about Katie Waissel though, but what I can say is from a financial perspective she is a better bet than Gamu. So for me I can live with the decision not to put her through.

I am not being heartless (but besides Gamu's immigartion problems) it is a win win situation for everyone, Gamu got more headlines then she would ever have got if she made it through to the live shows and will be famous regardless and X Factor got loads of free publicity and over 14 million people tuned in.

Roll on Money Man Cowell.

The Apprentice...

Joanna Riley

I absolutely love the Apprentice but for the first 2 episodes our sister Joanna Riley, is she aggressive or what? In the second episode or i should say how they portrayed her on TV she came across unnecessarily loud, rude and aggressive. I think she is smart as she was brave enough to lead the first task and made it through by the skin of her teeth and then she came up with the idea for the second task which they could have won if the team leader had been a bit braver and sharper, she has made her bones so now she can afford to take a bit of a back seat. I do hope that she takes Lord Sugar's advice and calms down otherwise she is out for sure.

I don't know why but my money is on Melissa Cohen to win.

Fashion Diversity Goes International...

TMC Grand Finale 27th November 2010...

News In Brief...

Africa Music Awards Change of Venue..

Africa Music Awards is no longer taking place at Wembley Arena on the 15th October 2010, at the time of going to print the new venue (which maybe at Westminster Central Hall) has not yet been confirmed.

I really do hope that it takes place but it is going to be a close call.

Merit of Excellence Award...

I am truly humbled and proud to say that on Saturday 9 October I won the award for most outstanding achievement. Other nominees in my category included Sade Adu, Patti Boulaye and Adebayo Jones very esteemed company as you can see.

Well done to Yomi Oyekanmi & Chermiah Hart for putting on a fantastic show and we were well entertained by presenters Kayode Akintemi and the beautiful long time friend of mine Samyra Gellatly-De La Torrezz (yes i know it is a mouthful).

This award is dedicated to all of you that have supported me throughout my career and my two beautiful children.

Black 100+ Exhibition of Black Achievers in Modern Britain ...

I was fortunate enough to be included in the Black 100+ exhibition. The

Black 100+ Exhibition & Legacy consists of photographic images of modern day achievers within the black community. It includes VIPs, celebrities, professionals, community leaders and members of the general public. These inspirational individuals are from the world of politics, sport, business, religion, media, entertainment, music, the arts, education and community support.

Their photographs, complimented by a brief biography about their personal achievements, form part of this inspirational exhibition, which creates a record of achievement that will influence the aspirations of generations of people.

Moan & Groan...

This is a bit of a funny moan and groan and it is a quick one and goes as follows. You live in a house where you are fortunate that all your bills are paid for or inclusive of the rent, however you in your big self see a phone socket in your room (with no phone) and decide to go out and buy a phone and plug it in and start using it and when confronted about how come you are using the phone which you are not suppose to, your response is I thought using the phone was inclusive of bills.

I can hear some of you laughing your heads off as you think yeah right phone is inclusive of bills, can you imagine what the bill would have been like if it had been an African, Caribbean or Asian person living in the house and they took that attitude, the landlord would have been bankrupt.

On this one i am so lost for words.

Nigeria is 50 Today...

2010-10-01T11:38:00.051+01:00

It would be very wrong of me not to congratulate Nigeria on its Golden Jubilee, which I whole heartedly do but at the same time I think that it is a good time to reflect on our beautiful country Nigeria.

Nigeria is the biggest and richest black nation in the world with over 150m people scattered around the world and we are extremely rich in natural minerals such as oil, sadly though Nigeria is still wrecked with numerous problems from the inability in this modern age to provide 24 hour electricity and non stop flowing water, to a worldwide reputation of corruption and unfortunately the last one which I can and would never be able to explain we are on the USA terrorist watch list (now this one has nothing to do with us for sure and is an unjustified tag).

Leaving the above aside, Nigerians are fun loving, peaceful people who are resilient, intelligent, ambitious and in our own way extremely patriotic. Around the world, Nigerians that need the smallest excuse to party and make some money are currently celebrating our independence and I for one will be doing the same.

Even though I was born in the UK (no fault of my own), I am a green blooded Nigerian, I am green, white and green proud and I and like minded people like me will do everything we can to make Nigeria one of the greatest countries in the world.

NIGERIA WE LOVE YOU - HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

How Could They Get It So Wrong...

I woke up early on Tuesday morning, I have to emphasise the early because i normally do not wake up before 10.30am but for some strange reason I woke up switched on the TV to BBC News (BBC by the way I expect my cheque in the post for the free advertising, I also accept credit cards), anyway they cut to showing the announcing the results of the winner of Australia's Next Top Model and then I can’t believe my eyes and ears as they announce the winner Kelsey Martinovich and 2 minutes later they announce that they got it wrong and had announced the wrong name and the correct winner was Amanda Ware. Watching it I felt so sorry for both contestants, as for one minute you feel on top of the world having just won ANTM and the next minute you are brought back down to earth with a massive bump after finding out they had made a mistake.

As a true sceptic I wonder if this was possibly done on purpose and was an attempt to get them worldwide publicity which it did, if not then the producer and everyone that works on that programme should be fired.

Regardless though behind every cloud there is a silver lining and Kelsey has got worldwide fame, a cash prize she would not normally have got and a trip to New York - so Miss Kelsey take it from me this massive mistake has turned you into a superstar and you will be far more popular than Amanda who actually won it - LIFE IS A BITCH!

SHORT NEWS VERSION

FULL LENGTH FOX 8

News In Brief...

Live TV Broadcast to 30 Million People ...
As part of d Nigeria is 50 celebrations I will be a part of a live studio television broadcast that will interact with Nigerians all over the world switching between our Lagos and London Studios. It will broadcast to over 30 million homes worldwide. It will be live on sky 199 OHTV & HiTV from 8.30pm
Moan & Groan...

I know I have not done a moan and groan for while and I have been getting emails etc asking when it is coming back, but I can only do one if I have something genuine to talk about and today I do.

I get invited to lots of events and ten times out of ten they are complimentary and VIP tickets but sometimes on those rare occasions like Australia’s Next Top Model something goes wrong. I was recently invited to a gala dinner (not saying anymore as on this occasion I decided not to name the event, luckily for them it is our day of independence and I am in a good mood) and I arrive there with the ticket they sent me and I am told that they have over booked and they don’t have a seat for me but they would do their best to find somewhere for me to sit.

Being the nice mellow person that I am I say no problem, as at some events there are problems around organising. So I go into the main hall and chill out by the bar (not drinking as I don’t drink) and fortunately there are a few people I know and we talk so I am kept busy. As the evening is progressing they are all running around like blue arse flies trying to sort out the mess and seat people, and I am still standing by the bar and an hour later still standing by the bar they have not found a seat for me - so my nice mellowness is starting to slowly disappear as I am thinking why am I here.

So I am now at that stage where I feel I have to say something and ask whether they had forgotten that I still exist and whether they had found a seat for me or not and they nicely say we are still trying to sort things out. So I go back to standing by the bar, slowly boiling (I will explain why at the end of the piece). 30 more minutes have passed (hey people be patient I am getting to the crux of the matter in a minute) and now it is time to get ghetto cos they are now taking the piss - sorry I don’t normally get ghetto but when people are taking advantage of you - you have to get gentleman ghetto on them, so i spoke to the organiser and in a firm voice with a twang of ghetto I said are you getting me a seat or its time for me to leave this place - of course they found me a seat on a table right at the front next to the stage.

The moral to the story is this DO NOT invite people to your event if you cannot give them the respect they deserve, in my mind as far as I am concerned (and you should be as well) I am a VIP and that means that if I spend money putting petrol in my car, leaving my nice warm house and make my way to your event you better make sure you know where I am sitting especially as I did not ask to be invited or beg for an invitation etc and to make this worst they wanted me to do a feature for them on Fashions Finest - I really don't think I can cos the review would not be cool.

PS Don't mess with the press, cos they can mess you up big time - a word to the wise!

Be good and take care – tomorrows another day

Miss Nigeria is Back...

2010-09-27T14:27:00.000+01:00

Damilola Agbajor Miss Nigeria

After an absence of nearly 6 years Miss Nigeria is finally back. On the 25th Spetember 2010 the final was held in Abuja with over 20 girls competing for the coveted title of Miss Nigeria.

19 year old Damilola Agbajor from Delta State was crowned Miss Nigeria, 24 year old Erica Okuneye from Lagos State was 1st runner up and 25 year old Obori Edenkwo from Cross Rivers was the 2nd runner up.

Korean Fashion Student Shows at London Fashion Week..

Fashion Student Eunjin from Korea is just about to complete her MA in Fashion at Kingston University. The title of her collection is ‘A woman confined’ and was it inspired by a photograph she found in a book documenting the work of Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat. Through her range of over-sized jackets in neutral tones of grey and black 25-year-old Eunjin explores visual representations of what it means to be emotionally or physically restricted.

www.kingston.ac.uk

Where Have I Been - Been to London To Visit The Queen...

2010-09-24T00:08:00.003+01:00

Last night I finally went to bed at a sensible hour after many days of only a couple of hours sleep, London Fashion Week had finally ended. I know some of you are expecting a blow by blow description of what’s in and what’s out in terms of fashion trends but if you were really thinking that, you are having a laugh. By now you should know me, that is never going to happen.

It you want updated news and reviews of the shows and fashions trends then check out Fashion World on Fashions Finest.

My London Fashion Week Diary...

I can’t believe that I used the word diary considering that I didn’t actually keep one and I am trying to remember things as I write, one day I will become organised and maybe keep one.

So what did I do – o yes now I remember.

FASHION DIVERITY - The night before fashion week opened we had our own show, Fashion Diversity and it was our VIP Gala & Press Launch which took place at a lovely quirky venue called the Islington Metal Works. For me the highlight of the evening was the honorary awards and it was great to be able to honour 3 outstanding designers, Jolaby, Patrick Kevin and Adebayo Jones for their contribution to fashion.

Fashion Diversity continued for two further days and featured an array of emerging designers which included Mong Hsuan Jiang, Nia’s World, Arif Khan, AAMAA Couture, Blaq by Sacha James, Chichi London and Bebe Grafiti.

On the Friday alongside the emerging designers we had the student/graduate competition which featured Beth Spurr, Farah Deeba Ismail, Georgina Kitchen, Iga Wlodarczyk, Hermes, Jade Hope, Katrina Ferrari, Linda Ntumy, Stency Kidega, Stephanie Zeinati and was won by Stency Kidega.

Winner of Student/Graduate competition

The student show ended with a collection by Little Hands who are young designers ranging in age from age 5 to 14.

It would have been great if every evening after a long days work I could have gone home ate some pounded yam and oxtail and gone to bed, but that was never going to happen in a million years as after each show I had to head down to the West End to attend a number of LFW shows including Masha Ma, Fashion Mode, J Maskrey, Paul Costello, Fashion Shenzhen, Orschel-Read, Krystof Strozyna, Kingston University, Romina Karamanea, La Geneve North and KTZ and these are the only ones that I can remember (I think all the others are on Fashions Finest).

Now for news on what will be in next year – the answer is I have no idea, as I have
said many a times previously I am so not into fashion but I love attending the shows and seeing the production and checking out the latest models and how the shows are produced.

I can say for sure that white was back in, I am referring to all white models at the shows, it is sad that most of the designers hardly used any models of colour. I really had thought that we had made progress on this front but it seems that it only lasts as long as there is bad publicity

Pictures from Masha Ma Show...

www.mashama.co.uk

Pictures from Osman Show...

www.osmanyousefzada.com

Ozwald Boateng

To celebrate 25th years in menswear the iconic Savile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng closed London Fashion Week with a spectacular show held in the Odeon Leicester Square on Wednesday 22nd September 2010 and it featured over 100 male models - what a show.

News In Brief:

Beffta Nominations (Black Entertainment Film Fashion Television and Arts)...

It is with great humility and pride that we are pleased to announce that we received 4 nominations for the upcoming BEFFTA Awards which was decided by a panel of BEFFTA members.The awards are taking place on the 30th October at Westminster Central Hall.

We are nominated in the categories of

• Best Event Promoter
• Best Modelling Agency
• Best Male Model – Ibukun Jegede
• Best Female Model – Kadiatu Kamara

To vote for Mahogany Productions ‘VOTE‘ followed by 157 to the code 80010.

To vote for Mahogany Models ‘VOTE‘ followed by 261 to the code 80010.

Entry by text costs £1.00 plus your standard network rate.

Top Model of Colour Grand Finale Date Announced...

Get your tickets now as this is going to be the event of the year and not to be missed!!!

Face Of Sleek Nigeria & Nigerian Supermodel do LFW...

Makida Moka & Uju Nwobodoh were lucky enough to be sent over to UK from Nigeria by Sleek Nigeria in collaboration with Mahogany Models to participate in shows at LFW. They had a great time appearing in various LFW shows, attending fashion shows, events and parties and meeting a variety of celebrities. We believe that this is just the beginning of many collaborations that Mahogany Models will do to promote models of colour within mainstream fashion.

Be good and take care – tomorrows another day

Short Film Screening...

2010-09-10T17:06:00.004+01:00

Sorry for the lack of blogs but things are crazy at the moment with London Fashion Week around the corner and so many events taking place everywhere, so I beg your indulgence.

On Wednesday 8th September I headed down to the Charlotte Sreet Hotel in Soho for the screening of a number of short films by up and coming film directors and one of the film directors showing was a young Nigerian by the name of Keni Ogunlola whom I first met as a contestant in a reality TV show i was producing as he vied to be the next big African presenter.

He has now decided to move from being in front of the camera to taking up what he feels is his rightful position of being behind the camera and if this short film is anything to go by he made the right decision.

THE LIFE AFTER: (A brief synopsis)

Lonely Adam Borgetti is out jogging on a bright, summer morning. He sights something very unusual. An Enraged middle-aged African man is engaged in a very fierce scuffle with this gorgeous, innocent looking, 'white' lady.

Adam decides to intervene...But should he have?

THE LIFE AFTER is the heart rendering short story of a couple's incredible resolve to cope with a most shocking discovery about themselves.
RUNNING TIME: 15MINS

CAST:
NICKOLAS KARPENKO
CLEMMY ROI
NDUBUISI ANNIKE
VANESSA FAIRLEY

WRITER/DIRECTOR: KENI OGUNLOLA

With THE LIFE AFTER, Keni Ogunlola takes on his second short film but his first time Directing after recently concluding a directing course at the MET Film School, EALING Studios, London. His first short film, JOSIAH MY LOVE!- which he wrote and produced- can be seen for free on www.ecinemalive.com.

OFFICIAL SCREENING for THE LIFE AFTER was held in SOHO at the screening room of CHARLOTTE STREET HOTEL on the 8th of September 2010 @ 7pm

Although Admission was STRICTLY BY INVITATION, the event was well attended as guests were treated to a series of exciting shorts from young Film makers Tricia Dipre, Claire Wells, Omar Gordon, Garry Simpson and Keni Ogunlola.

THE LIFE AFTER along with the other shorts are been scheduled to screen again later this month at Ealing Studios, London, before screening in Film Festivals across the globe including the Africa International Film Festival 2010.

See the trailer:

Nollywood on Route to taking over from Hollywood...

2010-08-29T02:34:00.000+01:00

A good friend of mine was kind enough to send me an article that appeared in the London Evening Standard Newspaper recently and it reported that officially Nollywood (the Nigerian film industry) is considered to be the second largest movie industry in the world.

Nollywood films are popular around the world, some for the right reasons but many times for the wrong reasons. They have been renowned for poor acting, badly written scripts, very long never ending scenes and more movie bloopers than has ever been seen in the history of film making (ok a slight exaggeration on my part) but I think for those of you that have watched Nigerian movies, you know what I am talking about.

However just as we have done with the music industry and are starting to do with the fashion industry (and as a fashion show producer I believe I am also contributing to the improvement of standards in the fashion industry), the movie industry has and is making some fantastic strides in producing better quality movies and the stereotypes of Nollywood movies being bad is well on its way to disappearing forever.

I attended the screening of the latest movie The Figurine – Araromire, produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan, a person who I was fortunate enough to meet when I spoke at the Flair Talent Seminar, in Lagos Nigeria. He is a very unassuming and down to earth actor/director and it is hard to believe that he is such a superstar.

Normally I would talk about all of the London celebrities that graced the red carpet but not today as the attention this time must not be taken away from the fantastic movie I watched.

As part of the Nigeria 50th Anniversary celebrations Lagos State Government and First Bank Nigeria sponsored the premiere movie screening of The Figurine – Araromire at the Greenwich Odeon cinema in London.

This is a movie that has a fantastic well written script and screenplay, the cinematography was like I have never seen before for a Nigerian movie and the acting by its four principles actors Kunle Afolayan, Ramsey Nouah, Funlola Awofiyebi-Raimi, Omoni Oboli was worthy of Golden Globe or OSCAR nominations.

I have no intention of giving you the synopsis of the film as I know if I do I won’t stop and would end up giving the whole story line away. But I would say this it was imaginative, creative and well acted. For the first time ever I am so proud to say that this is not about watching a Nollywood movie but about watching a great movie.

PS: There is also another great Nollywood movie that I highly recommend that you watch. It is called “IJE” that stars Nollywood heavyweights Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Genevieve Nnaji as well as Nollywood star Clem Ohameze alongside international actors such as Odalys Garcia, Jeff Swarthout and Ulrich Que, this movie was Produced and directed by Nigerian international filmmaker, Chineze Anyaene.

Trust me people alongside The Figurine - Araromire, this is another great Nollywood movie.

All I can say is watch out Hollywood as Nollywood is about to take over!

News In Brief:

Merit Award for Excellence...

I am pleased to say for the second year running I have been nominated for a merit Award for Excellence in the category of Most Outstanding Film/TV Director/producer. The awards ceremony takes places on Saturday 9th October at HMS president www.ogeyinka.com

Top Model of Colour Finalist...

Male TMC UK Finalist

The heats are over and all of the finalist have been chosen and their will be 30 female and 9 male models competing to be come the Top Model of Colour UK for 2010.

Top Model of Colour Holland Winner on the Road to Greatness...

Adut Mawien TMC Holland 2010 (her own bag)

Adut Mawien Top Model of Colour Holland 2010 is well on her way to becoming a supermodel since winning TMC Holland - she now has her own bag with her picture on it - CHECK HER OUT

Elisha Francis Jewellery

2010-08-28T12:59:00.000+01:00

I discovered my love for jewellery as a child playing in my mother’s jewellery box, a love which I still harbour many years later; and never feel completely dressed for a night on the town unless I am appropriately adorned.

Whether the pieces are cheap and cheerful or one of a kind, vintage trinkets; the correct jewellery has the ability to make the wearer feel sophisticated, glamorous and of course Fabulous.

South London based Jewellery designer Elisha Francis definitely understands this concept.

Inspired by her “love of all things beautiful” Elisha Francis has created a handcrafted collection of exquisite and imaginative Necklaces, earrings, headdresses and bracelets using a impressive variety of semi precious stones, pearls and crystals, which have deservedly earned her an Award for Innovation in the Creative Sector from GLE One London in March 2010.

Describing her personal style as quirky, feminine with a touch of glamour Elisha identifies her favourite piece from her collections as being the Midnight Fall Necklace, which is a Black Agate Centrepiece, surrounded by an array of Swarovski Crystals and glass beads from the shimmering Waterfall collection and was inspired by the Dunns River Falls in Jamaica.

Elisha Francis Jewellery can be purchased from elishafrancis.com Or a number of Stores around London.

Custom pieces for special occasions such as weddings can be commissioned upon request.

Images courtesy of Elisha Francis Jewellery

Wotshernameagain.com

WRITTEN BY LEE-ANNE WEISE

“feMALE” Fashion

2010-08-18T10:03:00.002+01:00

Over the past couple years we’re used to seeing catwalk reports and latest celebrity trends of a “Boyfriend’s” jackets, jeans, etc; and even “boxers” are happen to look incredibly “hot” on many of us. And I would say we’re going “in hand” with the time as the female society is progressing and is predominant at this stage, when women’s independence could have its own statue similar to the one of Liberty in the US, with our high flying careers and “bread-winning” roles. However the latest catwalk reports from Berlin Fashion Week, especially designer Patrick Morh with his indirect “message”-projection of the future direction of the feMALE society appeared to me rather shocking.

Many of us are no longer being asked the question of: Who wears the “Pants” in personal or profession relationships? ; Since the answer to that is pretty obvious by now. But is this the vision or a goal that our female ancestors were trying to achieve with the Feminist Movement of the 19th century, when demanded to switch Victorian dresses for more practical wear that would allow women to engage in the activities that now we became very successful in, rather than domestic ones in most cases.

While majority of us cannot “Bend it like Beckham”, but would still like to maintain the “Devil wears Prada” professional image, the question that rises is: How do we maintain the “Status Quo” while still looking feminine in the current feMALE fashion trends.

The answer to that question has leaded me to the place where once upon a time Ms. Gabriel Coco Chanel dared to wear man’s hat creating a new era of “Classic”; that’s right, the inspirational research of this topic has brought me to the root of the industry or better to say the catwalk of fashion capital of the world.

One of our favourites John Galliano created yet another compromising semi-feminine look for those who favours feMALE trend on Christian Dior catwalk And even though from the Image Consultant’s point of view the cropped pants are not one the must have wardrobe pieces, the F/W’10 jackets combination does seem to work together.

Who could possibly pull it off better than Damir Doma, not a stranger to the menswear; he sure did prove the fashion world that his signature of contemporary masculinity could be well turned into something rather feminine.

There is no technique other than draping in feMALE fashion trends that could actually highlight the femininity of otherwise strong and in some way aggressive image of Haider Ackermann’s latest creations.

Sharp shoulders of the jackets from Nicolas Andreas’s collection do demonstrate some degree of feMALE fragility, along with the wide belts that once again highlights that “wait is a must” even this season overall portraying the picture of a mystical but in the same time strong and independent women warrior.

One of Russia’s favourites Valentin Yudashkin, does show strong characters of the women-inspiration of the country he’s originally from. Even though keeping his classic style, his slightly flared trousers in combination with the lace blouses doesn’t make any less of the feMALE statement.

BY KATRINA YAKUSHEVA

A little glamour to make you sparkle

2010-08-16T16:40:00.002+01:00

Isn’t it amazing how a little bit of bling can not only transform your outfit but your whole demur??

Opulent, eye-catching and fabulous Oversized Cocktail rings have appeared all over the catwalks and are are being flaunted on the fingers of your favourite celebrities, everywhere from film premieres to private parties

While the trend in earlier rings was to use precious stones, particularly diamonds (For those that could afford it), there is no shame in sporting the cocktail rings with faux or semi precious stones which cost significantly less money, are less likely to be stolen, and If lost, it can be replaced without causing significant harm to one’s purse.

Worn on any but the ring finger of the left hand, which represents that one is married or engaged; the general rule is that the bigger the stone, the better!

The whole point of Cocktail rings is to catch and dazzle the eye.

If decide to Opt an Oversized Cocktail ring on your next night out on the town or to add a bit of sparkle to your everyday attire remember that’s is probably best to limit yourself to wearing one statement piece of jewellery at a time and if you do opt to wear more than one oversized piece, be careful not to drown yourself in accessories as you will risk ok quite tacky.

Add some major sparkle to your outfit with one of these statement cocktail rings from blossom-uk.com

Remember ladies, think glamour, think gorgeous and have fun!
BLOSSOM-UK.COM
WATSHERNAMEAGAIN.COM

Special Offer on Makeup...

2010-08-11T08:55:00.001+01:00

Available: September 2010 for a limited time only

Turn up the heat! Take your make up cues from the smouldering shades of nature. The season’s Smoke & Fire look is inspired by the rich natural, earthy colours of the changing season combined with the dramatic flash of light associated with breath-taking autumn skies. Create the look or have it expertly applied by make-up artists in a The Body Shop store.

Autumn Leaves Compact £16.00 RRP

Light up with a choice of two pressed powder compacts, each with a mix of four pearly shades pressed together in a beautiful autumn leaf design. Enriched with Community Fair Trade marula oil from Namibia and Brazil nut oil from Peru to moisturise and soften skin.

Kajal Eyeliner £7.00 RRP

Create this season’s sexy, smoky eye with the new Kajal Eyeliner. This Intense eye look is traditionally used in India as a protector against the evil eye. Features Vitamin E and moisturising Community Fair Trade marula oil and conditioning beeswax.

Stockist WWW.THEBODYSHOP.COM

Fishing for a pedi?

2010-08-08T11:54:00.000+01:00

BY DANNIKE WALTERS | 4 AUGUST 2010

Fishing for a pedi?

As our beauty manic society becomes more and more obsessed with finding new ways to enhance the physical appearance, one often wonders what the next latest invention may be and how we can use it to make ourselves 'beautiful'. From Minx Nails, worn by celebrities including Rihanna and Beyonce Knowles, to nail wrapping, which can also be applied to natural nails, the choices are endless.

Just as we thought things couldn't get weirder and more wonderful as this, a form of pedicure involving aspects of mother nature is introduced. Garra Rufa, a specie of the Doctor fish also referred to as nibble fish have swum their way into some of London's beauty salons.

Although the idea of having around 200 exotic pedicurist fish swimming around in a foot basin nibbling the dead skin from your feet may seem daunting, it is scientifically healthy and causes no harm. The little fish have no teeth and in return only eat the affected areas of dead skin leaving the healthy skin untouched.

The practice of Gara Rufa originally occurred in river basins of the northern and central east parts of Turkey and Iran and is often used to treat skin disorders such as psoriasis. But sooner or later this type of pedicure will be the trending topic of our fashionable city with Gara Rufa seen in a few beauty salons around town.

For all of you health and beauty fanatics fishing for a pedi, Aqua Sheko may be the right place for an amazing experience.

As the first fish therapy spa in London; Aqua Sheko offer their clients a chance to feel relaxed in their environment of dark décor softly lit by ambient lighting, whilst enjoying either 45 minutes of a deluxe treatment (£45) or 25 minutes of the Express at £30 in black oversized leather seating.

For the chance to enjoy a pedi of a lifetime visit Aqua Sheko and be fished away.

Haute Dubai Summer

2010-08-06T22:36:00.000+01:00

BY KATRINA YAKUSHEVA | 6 AUGUST 2010

Haute Dubai Summer

Yet another fashion- fabulous weekend has passed at the luxurious desert “Oasis” Dubai, proving once again that Dubai can get really Haute in the summer.

Dubai Fashion Fiesta 2010 was held from 22nd to 24th July, bringing out the best of the region’s fashion creations to a catwalk, and I couldn’t help but share some of those stunning incredibly feminine designs with you.

Amato Couture

The never- ending catwalk drama of Amato Couture by Furne One, the brand that has dressed the finalist of Heidi Klum ‘s “Top Model of Germany” for the second time this summer and not only that; Amato Couture is considered to be the “Dubai’s Hottest & Most Luxurious” label to date. The designer’s “fairytale” creative style can never be compared to any other and that could be the main reason behind the “Excellency” of his work that brought him well deserved clientele of local and international “High Profile Society” as well as couple of “Royal Houses”.

Amato Couture is far from being an easy affordable fashion, but if you do get a chance to get your hands on it, I would suggest not to let go, as the only “tag” that could go well with this brand is “Priceless”.

Amber Feroz

Not one of the local media favorites, but definitely one of the region’s female society; Amber Feroz has marked the Opening of his new boutique in Dubai on DFF ’10 catwalk, proving the critics that his “art” could be well wearable. Beginning his career with internship at Armani Prive, through the years we’ve been watching him creating amusing pieces with the simple cuts and seamless stitching, but this time the designer’s vision has changed and finally those pieces could be worn by any woman irrespective of the age and size.

The best part of Amber’s new Couture collection is that, the garments are simply gorgeous and do not only highlight the best features of one’s body, but also effortlessly camouflage the flows of any figure, making the one who wears it feel like a goddess. And that is not all, each of the garments could be worn in several different ways that makes the size of our wardrobe smaller, but increases the number of special occasion outfits.

Archana Kochhar

Fast fame- raising Indian designer Archana Kochhar, is the one to watch in this region. Having several Bollywood Celebrities’ that comes to mind along with the Brand’s name, such as Celina Jaitley (Miss India 2001 & Infamous Bollywood Actress).

Archana’s work is concentrated on purity and femininity, wearing those haute couture garments does make you feel like a princess; taking you back in time of the far Centuries where the men remained Gentlemen and women had never had to open the door on their own.

I believe her dresses have been specially designed to bring out the emotional side of “Cinderella” in each one of us, and give the feeling of the magic childhood stories with only difference that now you can dress and really feel like one in one those gowns.

Art Fashion

Aldwin Ornopia Guardiana is the designer behind the brand whose name does speak for itself. Aldwin is one of the up-and-coming or I would rather say “Rising” stars of the “Desert”. His design inspiration comes from the life events and environment the combination of which transforms his imagination on the catwalk. However in my opinion Aldwin’s creations are not only catwalk but more of a “Walk of Fame” material that takes my imagination straight to the Hollywood Red Carpet.

Incredible Haute Couture designs with a touch of Avant-garde and “hand-made” work of so not “echo friendly” details, and combination of Crystals, feather, lace and silk makes the garments a breath taking and phenomenal to look at, never mind wearing one. So the next time you’re wondering “Who” to wear for a Red Carpet Gala or how to make an “Entrance”, wonder no more as the only thing you have to do is to put on one of the gowns and the Art Fashion will do the rest.
www.dubaifashionfiesta.com

Naomi the Diamond Queen..

2010-08-06T01:34:00.001+01:00

Naomi the Diamond Queen...

The former president of Liberia Charles Taylor has been on trial at the Hague since 2007 and I bet most of you didn’t even know that or you had thought it was all over years ago and he was currently rotting in jail, but I guess after being inundated today with news of the appearance of the glamorous Naomi Campbell at the Hague to give evidence for the prosecution, you suddenly realise the case is not over.

A few points to note here, firstly she was not a willing witness as she was ordered to give evidence after Mia Farrow alleged that representatives of Taylor gave the supermodel a diamond in the dead of night in 1997, after they'd all been guests of Nelson Mandela at a charity dinner in South Africa. Secondly there is her appearance as a hostile witness and the testimony she gave if you can call it that. Just in case you have no idea about what she said I will paraphrase, she alleges that she had a knock on her door late at night and two men whom she did not know just gave her some "dirty looking pebbles", which were allegedly diamonds but Ms Campbell was not aware of their value or what they were.

Now I am not that bothered that a trial that has been going on for 3 years received hardly any media attention until Ms Campbell showed up, cos that is the media for you and lets be fair she is a celebrity in her own right so she will attract a lot of media attention. But please are we really to believe that when she was given the diamonds she had no idea of what they were, if that was the case why did she not just throw the pebbles away. What I want to know is what happened to them and if it was all just as innocent as she has made the world to believe why was she so reluctant to give evidence. These for me are questions that need to be answered as no matter what you may believe Naomi Campbell does not fall into the “dumb blonde” category of a model. I guess we will never know the truth and I assume only Mr Taylor & Ms Campbell know what really happened.

It’s a Secret...

I am sitting at home doing some work on the computer and I have the TV on at no particular channel but I do think it was “E” (the old entertainment tonight channel) and they are showing one of the reality TV programmes that they regularly show, it’s not that I watch them but being in the fashion and entertainment business I have to know what is going on so that in case I am asked something about them I can comment – that’s my version any way. Back to the issue at hand, so I am watching the programme and then I hear a woman say I need to tell you something but you must not let anyway know as it is a secret and nobody must know about it. She then proceeds to say that she may have a problem of a sexual nature, which is top secret.

I know that I am not the brightest spark in the universe, but hello are there not millions of people watching the programme, so how the hell is it a secret that she wants no one to know about, I know and now all of you know as well.

Facebook Advertising Skin lightening...

I have always thought that I am quite innovative and creative when it comes to trying to market my events and things that I am involved in, but recently I was contacted by a reporter from the Eastern Eye Newspaper and she was doing a story looking into whether there is a lack of dark-skinned models from ethnic minority groups in the fashion industry, but with particular reference to the recent Vaseline campaign for skin lightening creams fronted by Shahid Kapoor.

In brief Shahid Kapoor is a celebrity Bollywood actor.

Now what made this story interesting was not the lack of dark skinned models but the fact that they were using Facebook to actively advertise the product and secondly it was primarily aimed at men.

It is a pity that we still feel we have to be light skinned to make it in the world, but I do think doing an advertising campaign for this type of product on Facebook was ingenious and following on from some more research that I have done it has been a very successful campaign.

HEALTH WARNING: Skin lightening creams can serious damage your health.

News In Brief:

Abuja Fashion Week 30 September to 2 October email for more information on how exhibit, sponsor, show your designs of generally just get involved.

Mahogany Bridal Show Nigeria 19 to 20 February 2011 email for more information on how exhibit, sponsor, show your designs of generally just get involved.

Top Model of Colour final 2 heats are on the 7 & 21 August (which includes the male heat) - Purchase Tickets or call 07971 388687 tickets can be purchased on the door.

MOAN OF THE DAY..

To Bra or Not To Bra...

When out and about I see young men walking down the street and their trousers are around their ankles and I see the disdainful look given to them by some women and some men and I am never sure if it is because they don’t like the style or it is because the underwear or boxer shorts the men are wearing are not fashionable or because there are skid marks showing. But whatever it is, it is about fashion. I guess fashion is a bit like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. The trousers around the ankles is not personally my style, as I think it is hard to walk with your trousers around your ankles and not fall down and also it sometimes attracts the wrong type of attention, including attention from some men but everyman to his own.

For a while I thought that it was just men that were developing this very bad fashion sense, but recently more and more I have noticed that women have developed their own fashion disaster. A while back it was the thong showing over the jeans or trousers but now it is the bra showing. I accept that you may consider me old fashion but my point is this, in the good old days bras were hidden underneath clothing and occasionally we got the brief flash of the front part of a woman bra but now women show off their bra all the time regardless of what they are wearing. Besides it not looking that great as a fashion statement, the worst things is that some of the bras being worn are extremely ugly, some are well worn (out) and in some cases you can see that they have not been washed in a while.

So ladies just like the men if you are going to go down the line of showing your bra, please make sure it is fashionable and clean and guys make sure your skid marks are not showing and your boxers are on point.

DONT’ BE A FASHION DISASTER!!!!!

Be good and take care – tomorrows another day

Iscapade A Chilling Affair

2010-08-01T12:21:00.000+01:00

I am not someone that is easily impressed especially bearing in mind the high number of events that I attend and the high number of events that are absolutely rubbish but Iscapade was an event with a difference and one that was definitely worthy of a lot of praise.

It is was an all white affair, which being honest did cause me a lot of problems as it has been many years since I owned or even wore a white pair of trousers but after visiting many shops (and I hate shopping), I finally found a pair of white trousers, the worst thing ever is to show up being the odd one out.

It was held at the opulent Bloomsbury Rooms, London and the N4Life (Naija4Life) team really outdid themselves. On arrival everyone received a complimentary glass of champagne and it was not the cheap stuff it was Moet (I know, I don’t drink but I can recognise the brand names), there were live statuettes, well dressed hostesses, the venue was decorated to a “T” (and I will be speaking to Ace about why he stole all of my ideas) and the best DJ’s London has to offer including of course celebrity DJ Abass.

It was nice of N4Life to recognise one of the UK’s and Nigeria’s foremost female presenters, Princess Deun Adedoyin-Solarin who has presented on the likes of NTA News and Ben TV to name a limited few. She was recognised and presented with an award for her contribution to the UK and Nigerian entertainment industry. It was of course presented to her by no other than Adebayo Jones one of Nigeria’s foremost designers, who himself was a recipient last year.

The who’s who of the UK fashion and entertainment scene were there including Kunniks, Ellen Thomas from Eastenders, Biodun from Radiant Glow, filming was done by Laja Than Life and hosted by the beautiful actress Yetunde Oduwole. I could go on and on but just take it from me it seemed like everyone was there.

This is one of those rare times when I can say that if you were not there YOU MISSED.

CHECK OUT N4LIFE

Fashion Articles by Fashion Writers

2010-07-19T21:10:00.011+01:00

Alongside my social commentary blogs I will occasionally send out Fashion related articles written and sent to me by some of the great and emerging writers out there. So if you would like to have your article printed please EMAIL me with "MR Mahogany Publish My Article" in the subject heading.

HAPPY READING

SWIMWEAR FOR ALL...

Summer is here to stay and swimwear can be a daunting prospect for some of us, as we want to hide our lumps and bumps. Don’t despair! The high street has a wide range if swimsuits to offer so take advantage of it.

Use the changing rooms, bend over, jump around and make sure that the garment comfortable for you and everything stays in the right place.

I’ll show you some swimwear that will make you look your best on the beach.

If your slim and want to make a statement. Then the cut out swimsuits sold in New Look, River Island and Topshop are for you. The nautical theme is still on trend for this season, so horizontal strips will broaden your assets and hips!! There is a new company called, Mermaid England that I saw whilst at Clothes Show London, which produce swimwear that changes colour in water.2 pieces of swimwear for the price 1, which means more money in your pocket for cocktails! Just do what it says on the label, add water!

WWW.MERMAIDINENGLAND.COM

Hourglass curvy ladies, look for swimsuits with panel control with detail around your hips such as a mock belt to emphasise your hips and make them look smaller. John Lewis has some lovely pieces of swimwear on offer so check them out, prices start from £20.

Booty luscious Girls, vertical stripe swimsuits will draw attention away from your bum. Team it up with a sassy sarong, if your still self conscious.

THE FASHION DIARY

BY V NOIR

Dermalogica Facial...

After much contemplation I finally parted with my hard earned pounds to get a Dermalogica facial at the Beauty Haven Spa in South London.

I had previously heard about how good Dermalogica products were for the skin however I also knew they were quite expensive I wanted to have the correct products recommended for my skin by a trained professional.

Upon my arrival for my appointment I was asked to fill out a questionnaire containing questions about my skin profile, lifestyle, allergies, existing skin care regimen and my Skin goal's.

Once I finished the questionnaire I went over my answers with the Beauty consultant then, she ushered me to the treatment room where I was asked to remove the clothing from the top part of my body and was provided with a towel and a shower cap.

Once I was comfortable on the table covered in fluffy towels a Beauty consultant completed a Face Mapping Skin Analysis of my face using the Dermalogica Face Map as a guide.

Face mapping skin analysis procedure provides the skin care therapist with an objective view of the skin's condition as well as an indication of the issues that might be affecting it.

Face mapping skin analysis divides the face into 14 distinct zones, each with its own set of potential problems and unique needs. Using the zones and the Dermalogica Face Map as a guide, the therapist is able to conduct an inch-by-inch, methodical analysis of the facial landscape, guaranteeing that the subsequent professional treatment and home-care prescription will fully address each client’s concerns.

Please not this procedure is only available from approved Following Face Mapping skin analysis.

A facial was tailored to my specific needs which included:

• Face Cleansing
• Steam
• Exfoliation
• Extractions
• Pressure Point Face Massage
• Arm Massage
• Hand massage
• Foot massage
• Facial Mask

The whole experience took just over an hour 15 min and I found the experience to be really relaxing and at some point I'm sure I fell asleep.

I immediately noticed a difference in my skin after the facial; my skin had a really fresh feeling and was a lot smoother to the touch.

Once I was dressed Beauty consultant told me that my skin was generally in good condition but i had an oily T-zone area with a lot of dead skin around my cheeks which is stopping my skin from absorbing moisture and giving the illusion that my skin is dryer than it is.

I was then advised that I needed to drink more water and to steer away from oil based moisturizers as they only sit on the skin giving the the impression of moisture without actually rehydrating the skin.

It was recommended that I purchase the Dermalogica travel kit for Oily skin which costs around £24 then if i was happy with the results I could consider buying the larger bottles cost around £22 each.

The Dermalogica travel kit for Oily skin included the following products:

Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser
This is a thick clay based liquid which doesn’t foam up, when applied it has a kind of tingling sensation which was kind of weird but my skin felt really clean when i washed it off.

Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub
This is a skin-polishing exfoliant with natural grains that are meant to remove dulling surface debris from the skin. Normally it would be advised to exfoliate around three times a week however as I have a lot of dead skin I have been advised to exfoliate every day and also use a buff puff.

Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner
I never used a toner before but it has a lovely cool sensation after using the Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub as it contains a refreshing blend of skin repairing aloe, moisture-binding humectants plus soothing lavender, balm mint and arnica.

Dermalogica Active Moist
This is a lightweight, oil-free lotion that is meant to help combat hydration; it looks creamy white and is very runny unlike the Lotions I used previously which were a lot heavier. For this reason I thought that I would eventually have that tight dry feeling on my face and need to reapply but I was wrong.

Dermalogica Climate Control Lip Treatment
I do actually suffer from chapped lips and have to regularly moisturise. However I am finding this balm to be adequate without being too heavy.

I intend to continue using the Dermalogica Products until my next facial which I have booked for next month, hopefully by then the effects of using the products on my skin will be more evident.

WOTS HER NAME AGAIN

BY LEE-ANNE WEISE

Interview with Mr Mahogany by Style House

2010-07-16T23:00:00.000+01:00

Sola Oyebade – Mahogany International

POSTED BY ISABELLA ON JULY 15, 2010 AT 9:18 AM

Tell us about your vision for Mahogany International?

Since inception, the vision of Mahogany has always been to promote everything for people of colour and attempting to fill the gaps within our community or to enable us to compete with or be on par with mainstream fashion. For example, we have been doing the Mahogany Bridal Show for over 14 years which has been the only African Caribbean bridal show for most of that time, it was set up because there was no bridal show that specifically catered to the African Caribbean bride and groom. The same also applied to our Top Model of Colour competition which we set up because models of colour were being marginalised by mainstream fashion and not only was it hard to get models of colour into mainstream fashions shows and adverts, it was also impossible for them to win any mainstream competitions. Our vision is to put black models and creative people on par with mainstream, to increase their representation and begin to create our own supermodels within Africa.

What are your views on the emerging African fashion industry?

I am extremely excited about what is going on within the African fashion industry and by African fashion industry I mean both within Africa and also Africans in the Diaspora. The industry is actively expressing itself and showing and being very proud of our strong heritage. Africans are no longer being afraid to be Africans and have very much gone back to their roots, using African fabrics and designs that show off the curves of the African woman. Our shows are more ethnic orientated and are expressive of whom we are. I have worked in the UK and around the world for many years, most of my shows have been Eurocentric but with the emergence of a move to everything African, we have started producing more shows in Africa and moving the majority of our business there.

What contributions does Mahogany hope to make to its progress?

Mahogany is not only about producing shows and events but also about trying to induce change within the fashion industry and we have been trying to do this via our Black BUT Invisible campaign. Within the campaign we have had two major successes, one of which was making the all black Italian Vogue issue the most successful selling vogue ever and via this achievement, it brought the issues of black models to the worlds attention. Following on from this, we then took on the British Fashion Council and their failure to use enough black models on the runway at London Fashion week and since including them in our campaign, significant changes have been made.

We will work anywhere in the world but we currently give priority to shows and events within Africa. We are also about educating and we have been giving and doing workshops and seminars around Africa to educate models about what they must do to improves themselves, produce better shows, be able to tap into mainstream and increase their commercial viability across the world.

How can fashion inclined people get involved in Mahogany International?

In the first instance, they can contact us letting us know that they would like to work with us, seek our advice or for us to act as consultants for them. We also take on volunteers that want to get hands on experience of working within the fashion industry.

What will you consider as your greatest achievement till date?

The greatest achievement to date is making the Italian Vogue all black issue the biggest selling vogue ever.It was reprinted twice and both times sold out across the world. Following the press contacting me to find out my opinions on what they expected to be the worst selling Vogue issue ever because it featured all black models, I felt I had no choice but to do something about this because if it had indeed become the worst selling Vogue ever, people would now have statistics to prove that black does not sell and we could not afford to let this happen. We initiated a campaign via our Black BUT Invisible campaign and got the entire world involved and made history. At the same time, it brought about change and the question and issue of the lack of black models within the fashion industry – this is an achievement that would be remembered forever and has been talked about across the world on the likes of Sky News, BBC, ITV, The Guardian, Evening standard and 100’s of other newspapers, magazines, blogs etc

Share with us some challenges you have had to overcome on the way.

When I started within the industry there were not many black people involved and everyone believed that western culture was the best. There were limited people that one could turn to for support or to collaborate with. It was initially a uphill struggle getting started and having the conviction to continue through adversity, this was made worse by the fact that was and there is a company that is open about supporting black and pushing and fighting for black issues. This has meant that we have been branded as being racist and sometimes have struggled for mainstream to accept us and work with us. We believe that in the end it has all been worth it because we feel we have led the way and cleared the path for others to more easily succeed.

On the business side of things, what words of wisdom do you live by?

Be professional, treat everyone with respect and get your costings right. Do not let adversity, hurdles or difficulty stop you from achieving what you wish to achieve. If something knocks you down get back up brush yourself down and start over. If the mind can perceive it you can achieve it.

How do you balance a fully packed schedule with your personal commitments?

When people ask me this I normally say, “I sleep when I die.” I work extremely hard on a multiple of projects at the same time across the world and it seems like I never have time to rest but I do and my primary form of release is going to watch my beloved Arsenal play at the Emirates as a season ticket holder, I am there as often as I can. It is important to get the work play balance right and I strive to do this as often as I can.

If you weren’t doing fashion and beauty, what would you be doing?

I was and would have been a Chief Executive of a big charity or government organisation as I love giving something back.

What should we expect from Mahogany in the near future?

We feel that our journey as only just started and there is a lot more to come and to achieve. Our Top Model of Colour franchise is now in 6 countries (Holland, UK, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana and the Gambia) and a number of additional companies will be coming online next year. Mahogany will continue to expand across Africa producing more fashion and reality TV shows as well as spending a good part of our time educating creatives within the fashion industry. We will continue with our aim to work and put the fashion industry in Africa on the world map.

Nothing To Say...

2010-07-14T17:14:00.003+01:00

Its been a while since I last wrote to you, well at least in my mind it has been a while and I thought before I lose all of my hard earned friends I had better put a few lines together. But the hardest part is I do not have the foggiest idea of what to talk about, I know some of you think that is strange but the world is relatively quiet at the moment.

So I guess this will be a blog with a small difference as I am just going to ramble for a bit, if you get bored feel free to switch off and come back when you can’t sleep and you need something to help bore you to death and put you to sleep. This is serious rambling.

When you have nothing to say the best thing is to talk about oneself and hope people won’t desert me forever.

DONATIONS...

I have added a donation button to my blog as we need your assistance in assisting and developing young talent who want to achieve things within the fashion and entertainment industry.

At Mahogany we are all about change and trying to influence change as well as help people to achieve their dreams and in order to do this we do need assistance both in kind and in monetary terms. So please feel free to donate to a very worthy cause, no matter how little it all helps.

IT MAN...

As I progress through the world of fashion I have been given a new name which I am not sure I deserve or that it even fits me. You may have seen it on my Fashions Finest articles, I am now referred to as “Mr Mahogany – Celebrity IT Man”. By the way what is a “IT Man”, it sounds like just a silly term and bearing in mind that I am far from being a celebrity I am not sure the name suits me. I think I am also being a bit of a hypocrite here as I always call a good friend of mine, Ola Shobowale an IT Man and I can now see why he was not that keen me calling him this. If anyone can let me know exactly what an “It Man” is I would appreciate it.

GREAT BLOGGERS...

Going against the rules of self preservation I am about to commit Hari Kari by talking about some of the great bloggers that are out there, this could seriously impact on my follower ship as after reading some of these great bloggers you may stop following me. When I first started my blog I thought that all I would do is talk about fashion related issues but it somehow has not panned out that it has become more of a social commentary blog with the occasional fashion items thrown it.

So for you fashionistas out there I thought I would refer you to some of the great bloggers that are out there and are also contributing to Fashion World on Fashions Finest.

The FBC Blog: written by my beautiful cousin Mary Bello and she is an IT Girl, as she is at evey celebrity or VIP event in town. The FBC is a fashion, beauty and celebrity blogspot that focuses on whats hot in the UK and worldwide right now.

Bedroom Diaries of a Black Woman: written by Benny Bonsu who is a woman doing great things as writer but also within the Olympic 2012 organisation and within sports PR. This blog focuses on sex and relationship topics and they are dealt with in a very frank and open style, some of the articles and videos are not for the faint hearted

The Musing of Ondo Lady: written by Ronke Adeyemi, her blog is a slice of pop culture in the form of films, magazines, books, TV, fashion and music. She has a passion for fashion, travel, magazines, books and property. What's the deal with Ondo Lady? Well Ondo is a town in Nigeria where her parents are from. It is located in the south west of Nigeria and holds just over 4 million people and is nicknamed the Sunshine State.

TIME IS SHORT...

This is not one of my usually long blogs as I have so much to do, getting ready for the Top Model of Colour regional heats starting on 24th July (if you buy tickets before Sunday 18th July online we will give you one free ticket for everyone bought), Tickets can be purchased online @ Fashions Finest or by calling 07971 388697.

Then I am off to Nigeria for a few days to speak at the biggest talent seminar ever held in Africa and will feature the likes of supermodel Oluchi and Kelechi Amadi of CNN and so many others.

After that the real works begin as we have more TMC regional heats on the 7 & 21 August, Fashion Diversity 16 to 18 September, Nigeria’s 50th Celebrations 1 October and shows in the Gambia, Sierra Leone and South Africa as well as the grand finale of TMC UK. So I am not sure if I will get any sleep between now and December.

MOAN OF THE DAY...

I am fed up, yes fed up with people that expect something for nothing and on top of it when you are trying to do something for them they abuse you. I thought that it was a one off when I received an email from a model having a go at me for trying to do things to change the modelling industry and give models the chance to excel or gain great exposure within the industry, but I have had a few such emails and texts and upon speaking to other businesses and individuals I have found that others get similar sorts of comments made to them.

Recently I put the below email out on Facebook for people’s comments and I was encouraged by the replies that I received. This is an email a model sent to me about TMC: - "Please note that i am no longer interested in taking part in this competition. it is a scam and i am not a fool. You do not need to pay to be in a competition, then you have pay to do catwalk training? you have to do your own hair & make up?"

So the crux of the matter is that I and other business people are suppose to invest our time and money in running competitions, provide training etc for free just because you are who, you are not my mother, sister, aunty or girlfriend or wife, so I should give you all of my experience, pay for venues and other expenses and allow you to turn up for free and so much more because of what. (all the time i was saying that my head was moving side to side American style and my hand was all up in your face - Shaniquwa style).

Another model wrote to me saying TMC is “just a money making scheme”, and in a fit of madness I wrote her the following reply (would love your views):

... in every business that is done a business must find some way to cover the cost. For instance if you go to a concert you buy tickets – that is a money making scheme, if you go into a shop and buy a dress that is a money making scheme.

However in this case the situation is far different in that you are asked to pay £100 sponsorship which does not even cover 10% of the overall costs to put the entire show together, but it is our way of working with models that are committed as in the past when a model makes no investment last minute she may drop out and yes it is us carrying the can.

Last year we took 50 contestants and staff to the Gambia for 10 days, if every model paid £100 that is only £5000, we still had regional heats in the uk where we had to hire halls, feed models, pay dj and staff and then fly 50 people to the Gambia put them up in a 5 star hotel and feed and provide them with refreshments 3 times a day for 10 days – bearing all of the above in mind I would be grateful if you could tell me how we make money from the models.

This year we are looking to do the finals in somewhere like the emirates or Chelsea football club and the hire fees alone are £10,000 without lighting, staff, rehearsal hire etc.

If you feel the competition is not for you and you cannot afford it that is fine as at no time have we tried to force you to enter, but I do feel it is wrong to accuse us falsely of trying to make money from you. This is part of the reason why mainstream has stated over and over again they do not wish to work with black models.

I hope this has put a bit of light on the show and what it is really about and that the money we get from the models could never even start to cover our cost and further more we encourage models to get it from companies who see the benefits of advertising or through ticket sells which if you are going to watch a movie or anything you would have to pay an entry fee anyway. So if like a number of models have done, you followed this route it would actually have cost you nothing to participate.

I LEAVE IT TO YOU TO DECIDE!

Be good and take care – tomorrows another day

Female "Find a Man" Football Fans...

2010-07-01T16:11:00.001+01:00

Every four years around the 11^th June to 11^th July the world goes football crazy and more or less comes to a standstill as those of us lucky enough to have our country qualify for the World Cup goes crazy supporting them and in 2010 it has been no different. I am hoping that the women that read my blog are not going to immediately stop reading because this is a World Cup special blog, as besides talking football there is something in here for you trust me.

The Once in a 4 Year Female Football Fan (find me a man)...

What I really love about the World Cup is that once every four years women across the world go crazy about football, they actually go & watch games and dress up in patriotic regalia to show their support for their country of choice. Now I am not being cynical or accusing every woman of doing this but I feel in most cases there is an ulterior motive behind this and yes I am prepared for the barrage of texts and emails from women telling me about myself and that this is not true. But when I go to matches in public places like at the big screening centres that have been setup and at various bars and clubs showing the matches, I walk in and in some cases there are more women there than men YES IT IS TRUE, the women are DRESSED TO KILL, all sorts of fashion comes out. It is so bad that I have seen harden male football fans find it hard to concentrate on the game and spend half their time pushing their eyeballs back into their sockets. I love women as they are so smart, they choose where they are going to watch the games very carefully as they have to feel the footfall of men is of a significant number to increase their chances of success.

You might feel I am being critical of the women of all ages that come out to these football events, which is not the case as I think they are very smart women especially those that are looking for a man as look at this way, in one place there are a lot of men congregating, under the excuse of football you can talk to the man you like and hopefully he will ask for your number and you end up getting a man – is that not smart.

Some of you would say that you go there to just watch a game and support your country and that may be true BUT some women walk into places half naked both bottom wise and top wise I only noticed as I was doing research for my blog, then these half dressed women do not even watch the game as throughout they have their back to the TV or are on their mobile – however when their team scores which of course they did not see they start jumping up and down, going crazy and of course showing off even more than they are already showing and in the delight of their team scoring they are of course hugging people around them (and it is not always their friends or fellow women) - I say no more and leave it for you to come to your own conclusion of whether they are true football fans or just smart women taking advantage of the situation to find a man.

Ghana the Hope of Africa...

On one hand I stand up and clap for Ghana’s achievement in the World Cup being one of only 3 African teams that have ever made it to the quarter finals of the World Cup (the other 2 being Cameroon & Senegal), but on the other hand I sort of do not envy them as now the whole of the weight of Africa is on their shoulders. Due to the poor showing of the other 5 African nations that qualified the rest of Africa must and is supporting Ghana and praying that they will go as far as possible – but OMG what pressure this must be. In my humble opinion the little advice I can give is just forget the pressure, play your best and beat the rest.

I AM AN ADOPTED BY GHANAIAN BY FOOTBALL!

Football Corruption...

I am just so fed up and disgusted by the antics of the greedy people that run football in Africa (for the sake of not being sued everything within this article is allegedly). There I am eating my Jollof rice with Oxtail and stew with some lovely Plantain and watching the BBC (their coverage of the World Cup is better than ITV) and I see my not too favoured ex arsenal player Emmanuel Adebayor being interviewed and he is talking about corruption in African football, I stop eating with the fork full of food half way towards my mouth as I listening in disbelief to what he is saying. He states that African countries do not want to take on local African team managers because local managers would not agree to the practise of inflating the actual salary that is paid to them. Glenn Hoddle said he'd rejected the post (Nigeria football coach) after being told his short-term deal worth US$1m would be announced as US$1.5m by the NFF. Adebayor also stated that they ended up taking a bus to the African Cup of Nations and nearly being killed because the officials that were sent the money for air tickets kept the money for themselves. Marcel Desailly backed this up stating that it was a major problem within African football (excluding North Africa).

Greed will always be a perpetual problem within Africa and is the one thing that is stopping us progressing as a continent and gives the western media the opportunity to rubbish us, as much as I feel I want to be witty about the subject I just can’t as without corruption we would be a powerhouse continent.

News In Brief:

A World Cup of Surprises...

It has not been a great World Cup for many of the so called big teams – in brief

· France went home not winning a game and finishing bottom of the group

· Nigeria not worth a comment

· England drew with the USA & Algeria and were mercilessly beaten by Germany

· Cameroon did not get a get single point and of course finished bottom of their group

· Italy the 2006 world champions went home in disgrace finishing bottom of their group

Where Are All the African Teams...

We all know that the World Cup is being held in South Africa and for those who are not sure where that is it is in the continent of Africa, sorry but I had to say that as some fools have been asking me where South Africa is – do people not go to school anymore? At this World Cup the African continent had 6 representatives (Ghana, Nigeria, Algeria, South Africa, Cameroon & Ivory Coast) Ghana being the exception, all of the other African countries including the host nation were knocked out at the group stages. It was a very poor showing by the African nations and it seemed that they ate too much Fufu and Pounded Yam. The teams were far from being up to par and when it came to delivering they woefully failed.

As a diehard football fan I was very saddened at the poor showing of African teams, but maybe we are also being unfair to them as a number of the governments of these teams did not inform them in advance that if they win they would be given houses, cars and money so there was no incentive for them to play well.

If anybody has any answers as to why the African teams did so bad please tell me.

Nigeria – Fake Giants of Africa...

When people talk about Nigeria they refer to it as the giant of Africa – BULLSHIT, excuse my Nigerian English, Nigeria is only giant by the fact that we are the largest black nation in the world - 150 million plus people and the richest black nation however even though this may seem like a contradiction we are in fact one of the poorest nations, but that is for another day. The Green Eagles as they are called, as you may have realised by now every African nation has a nickname for their team, showing at the World Cup was woeful, they were beaten by Argentina 1 nil which to me is ok as Argentina are on fire but Greece who had never EVER won a game at the World Cup beat us 2 1, but God was still smiling on us and said I will give you one more chance, so all you have to do is beat South Korea and you will go through and what did we do – we drew and thus were knocked out.

Nigeria when it comes to football you should not talk, in fact you should not only not talk but you should be completely silent as you have given up your right to say you are a football nation that one day aims to be a football power house and in addition with immediate effect we have removed the title giant of Africa and have changed it to fake giant of Africa.

Breaking News...

Can it get any worst, Nigeria's president Jonathan Goodluck has suspended the nation's football team from international competition for two years after a poor showing at the World Cup. It is possible that they along with France may face sanctions from FIFA as they do not allow government interference into football federations.

TMC Gambia & TMC UK Heat Dates Announced...

REGIONAL HEATS FOR TMC UK... Now in its 5th year and this will be a year to remember. The TMC UK regional heats will be taking place on the

24th July @ Bush Hall, London

7th August @ Bush Hall, London

21st August @ Bush Hall, London (this will also feature the mens heat)

Tickets can be purchased online @ Fashions Finest or by calling 07971 388697 for further information on the heats visit Top Model of Colour

MOAN OF THE DAY...

Football Prima Donnas

This piece is not written because I am envious of the ridiculously high salaries that footballers are paid for kicking a ball around, even though if any of them feel like making a donation to the charity of Mr Mahogany all donations would be willingly received. It is written due to the behaviour of a number of the footballers at the World Cup which was utterly disgraceful. I am sure you read or heard about the carrying ons of the French team who were not only fighting amongst themselves but were fighting the management and the French football federation, they indirectly went on strike by refusing to train because Anelka the biggest spoilt brat of them all was sent home for insubordination – are these players for real.

Then you have David James live on TV trying to undermine the England team manager who was duly followed by the disgraced former England captain John Terry who at a press conference tried to start a rebellion, which was duly thwarted by Fabio Capello.

England Players Living it up after Losing to Germany

I have no idea about where you work but when I use to work for people and I had a manager, when my manager told me to do something I did it otherwise my arse would be fired and I definitely did not try to undermine my manager or lead a rebellion. My understanding is that these fools were brought to the World Cup to do their best and ultimately try and win the World Cup.

Most of these footballers are treated like Demi Gods and everything is at their beck and call, so why have they grown bigger than their boots (excuse the pun) and now feel that they want to run the team their way as well as play and still lose. Managers need to step up and sort things out and I applaud the French federation for sending Anelka home and Fabio Capello for publicly saying that John Terry made a big mistake (which he seems to do regularly).

It’s only a Game...

In the 1998 World Cup David Beckham was sent off for a rush of blood to the head during the game against their arch rivals Argentina, a game which England went on to lose but following that game, on Beckham’s return to the UK he and his family who by the way did not play in the game, received death threats, nasty songs were made up and sang about him and his wife. His life was made an absolute misery for many many months, at the time I thought it was crazy and over the top and 12 years on one would have thought that things would have changed, but no they have not.

Sani Kaita a Nigerian footballer was sent off during the game against Greece for the most inexplicable behaviour ever and subsequently he has received death threats and the Nigerian football federation had to ask FIFA for protection for him.

People as much as I am football crazy, it is only a game and people will make mistakes and our favoured team will lose and be eliminated from the competition but that does not mean that people should totally lose their senses and become sub human and threaten to kill someone over a game of football. Some of you and you know whom you are were sending out or forwarding nasty emails and jokes thinking it was funny, even though you may feel you did not make the threat yourself you are no better than those that actually make the threats. Imagine if every time you made a mistake at work everyone in the office threatened you with psychical violence, sent you death threats or used the internet to send out nasty emails about you how would you feel – EXACTLY I SAY NO MORE!

An audience with ‘QUEEN OF TALK’ WENDY WILLIAMS

2010-06-19T02:29:00.000+01:00

It was nice to receive an invite from Black Entertainment Television International (BET), to attend an exclusive invitation-only event entitled Getting to Know Wendy Williams.

Wendy Williams is the hottest American talk show host who is bringing her unique brand of entertainment to the UK. I felt privileged to be invited as you know me I don’t consider myself a star (even though others say the opposite) and I was amazed to see that it was a who’s who of the British entertainment industry that was in attendance.

It was hosted by the beautiful Jackie Joseph, a great comedy Sketch by the first lady of comedy Angie Le Mar and other guests included Kanya King (MOBO’s), Henry Bonsu (Broadcaster), Sherry Dixon (Broadcaster), Yana Johnson MBE (Yana Cosmetics), Annaliese Dayes (Mahogany Model & BNTM), Dorothy Tenkorang (Mahogany Model & Stylist), Ellen Thomas (Eastenders), Alexander Amoso (Entrepreneur), Angelica Bell (TV Presenter), Michael Underwood (TV Presenter), Valley Fontaine (BBC Radio Producer), Rudolph Walker (Actor), Angela Wynter (Eastenders), Patrick Williams (Chef), Gillian Joseph (Sky News), Mary Bello (My Beautiful Cousin & Journalist) and of course myself Sola Oyebade (Mr Mahogany)

Wendy Williams is known for her celebrated opening line “How you doin’?” and it was definitely an evening where Williams interacted with the audience and engaged in conversation about her broadcasting and writing career, as well as memorable celebrity interviews, whetting the appetite for this exciting addition to BET International’s programming. The Wendy Williams Show combines celebrity gossip, news events, relationship advice, as well as diverse mix of celebrity interviews from film, music, fashion, sports and television. Williams has taken the world of talk by storm with her irreverent and witty commentary on life and continues to make the headlines, with the New York Times calling her show a “breakthrough in daytime”.

Williams, who has made an effortless transition from hosting a top rated national radio show, said: “I am really excited and honoured at this opportunity to take The Wendy Williams Show outside the US and connect with a whole new International audience. Ava Hall, Vice President for Production and Content for BET International said: “These are exciting times for BET internationally and the addition of Wendy Williams Show offers UK viewers the opportunity to see why Wendy is such a valuable asset to the channels weekday line-up. Wendy has a great ability to connect with viewers and guests and we’re confident BET’s UK viewers will warm to her unique brand of entertainment.”

Rob Dauber, the show's Emmy Award-winning executive producer, who has worked with Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O'Donnell, said: "Someone like Wendy Williams doesn't come along every day. I am sure that UK audiences will really connect with her, not only as a talk show host but as a person.”

The daily one-hour entertainment show has been a huge success since the show was syndicated nationally in July 2009 and will premier on July 14th 2010 at 9pm on Sky Channel 191 and Freesat 140.

If the evening was anything to go by the Wendy Williams show is sure to be a great hit in the UK and I for one am looking forward to it and will be telling the world to watch it.