Cameron welcomes gay celebrities to Number 10

David Cameron pledged his support for gay rights tonight before jokingly referring to his deputy, Nick Clegg, as 'my own civil partner'.

Gay celebrities and members of the Armed Forces partied at Number 10 as Mr Cameron became the first Tory Prime Minister to reach out to the gay community.

BBC newsreader Jane Hill and Today presenter Evan Davis were among almost 200 guests invited to the Downing Street drinks party.

Guest: Newsreader Jane Hill

Guest: Singer Duncan James

Guest: Actress Amanda Barrie

Others included former Coronation Street actress Amanda Barrie, journalist Matthew Parris, and singer Duncan James, of the boy band Blue.

Gay representatives of all three branches of the Armed Forces also attended, in full uniform.

The event was designed to help reposition the new Government as a champion of equality after decades in which the Conservatives have been accused of anti-gay prejudice.

The Tories' bid for the so-called 'pink vote' was derailed during the election when the then Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said Christian B&B should have the right to refuse accommodation to gay couples. His comments outraged gay activists. After the election Mr Grayling missed out on a seat in Cabinet.

'My own civil partner': Nick Clegg, right, laughs along as David Cameron makes a speech at the Gay Pride reception at Number 10

Gay rights: Mr Cameron looks serious as he chats to a guest in the Downing Street garden

Government sources acknowledged that the No10 event, held in the run-up to the annual Gay Pride festival, was partly designed to repair the damage done.

Arrival: Gay representatives of the Armed Forces attended in full uniform

But a source said it was also a sign of the coalition Government's commitment to equal rights.

Mr Cameron told guests that he backed 'equal rights and equal treatment', adding: 'I'm standing here as leader of the Conservative Party that has not always got that right.'

Guest Rosey Cox, from Nottingham Pride, said she thought her invitation was a hoax when it first arrived.

She said: 'I just do Pride. I didn't know what it meant to so many people.'

The event was held as the Government unveiled a 'Transgender Action Plan' to crack down on discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals.

Proposals-include allowing gay civil partnerships to take place in religious buildings, but stop short of allowing 'gay marriage' - a key demand of some activists.

With Mr Clegg by his side, Mr Cameron said he wanted civil partnerships to be carried out in places of worship if possible, adding: 'We shouldn't have this legalistic nonsense getting in the way of people who want to celebrate their civil partnership in churches.'

Guest Antony Cotton, who plays gay character Sean Tully in Coronation Street, was there as an ambassador of The Albert Kennedy Trust, which helps homeless gay teenagers.

He said: 'It was set up after a young boy died in Manchester.

'He was homeless and was being chased by what you would now call homophobic bullies and he was chased to the top of a car park and jumped off.

'The trust helps young people all over the country who are homeless after coming out.'

PRETORIA--South Africa is on the verge of becoming the first World Cup host to be knocked out in the group phase following a comprehensive3-0 defeat to Uruguay on Wednesday night.

After drawing the opening match with Mexico last Friday, the Bafana Bafana were schooled by the Uruguayans who were led by a Diego Forlandouble and an injury-time strike by Alvaro Pereira.

Forlan struck in the 24th minute with a deflected drive from 25 meters out before the former Manchester United striker made it 2-0 10minutes to time with a penalty, following a straight red card for SouthAfrican goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who took down Luis Suarez inside hisown area.

South Africa now must beat 2006 finalist and 1998 winner France in its last game on Tuesday at Bloemfontein to finish in the top two ofGroup A to reach the second round.

Uruguay sits pretty on four points after a 0-0 with France in its first match, and will face Mexico at Rustenburg also on Tuesday..

"Right now, we're hoping for other teams and that's not a good position, " said captain Aaron Mokoena, whose side fought Uruguay to agoalless draw in a friendly in September.

"The most important thing is that we show belief. It's always not good to lose, especially the way we did. But we have to move on andprepare for France."

Coach Oscar Tabarez is on the brink of taking Uruguay to the Round of 16 for the first time since the 1990 tournament. The 1930 and 1950champions did not even qualify for Germany four years ago.

"We are extremely happy," said Tabarez. "I think we have beaten a very good team that was also in a position to win the match. Nothing hasbeen decided in our group, but I think we have taken a very importantstep forward."

South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was blasted referee Massimo Busacca after the game, accusing the Swiss official of beingbiased toward Uruguay.

"We are very disappointed with the referee," Parreira said. "Myself and everyone said it was the worst referee of this competition so far,and he was very unfair from the beginning, the way he acted toward ourteam.

"He was giving fouls that weren't fouls, giving yellow cards that weren 't yellow cards and then he left the ground with a big smile onhis face.

"I hope we don't see his face again because he does not deserve to be here."

SOUTH AFRICA: Khune, Gaxa, Masilela, Mokoena, Tshabalala, Mphela, Pienaar (Josephs 79), Modise, Letsholonyane (Moriri 57), Dikgacoi,Khumalo

URUGUAY: Muslera, Lugano, Godin, Fucile (Fernandez 71), Cavani ( Fernandez 89), Suarez, Forlan, A. Pereira, Perez (Gargano 90), E.Pereira, Arevalo Eee

In 13 World Cup games thus far, Nigeria has won 4 (over Bulgaria 2x, Greece and Spain), drawn 1 (against England) and lost 8 (to Argentina 3x, Italy, Paraguay, Denmark, Sweden and now Greece). One more loss and we will end up with a 4-1-9 record !

Michael Jackson's brother Randy rushed to hospital after suffering heart attack

Michael Jackson’s youngest brother has been rushed to the hospital after suffering a mild heart attack.

Randy Jackson, 48, was immediately taken to Huntington Memorial in Pasadena, California, after he began experience chest pains earlier today.

He was working on arrangements for a service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park to mark the first anniversary of the pop star's death on June 25.

Randy Jackson, pictured attending Dr Conrad Murray's hearing with sister Janet in LA yesterday, has been rushed to hospital

A Jackson family friend tells Mail Online: 'It appears Randy has had a mild heart attack, but he is okay.

'He was joking around with his father and he is feeling pretty good all things considered.

'He’s been under a tremendous amount of stress lately but Randy’s a fighter. He’ll pull through.'

Randy is recovering at the Huntington Memorial in Pasadena, California

It is yet another blow to the Jackson family, who were left bitterly disappointed yesterday when Dr Conrad Murray was given permission to continue practicing medicine in California while he awaits trial over
Michael's death.

Randy, who was not part of the Jackson Five, joined father Joe, mother Katherine, sister LaToya and brother
Jermaine at the hearing in a Los Angeles court house.

Murray is accused of administering Michael Jackson the fatal dose of Propofol and Judge Pastor set August 23 as the date for
the start of the preliminary hearing.

Randy (second from right) with his brothers Marlon, Jackie, Michael and Tito in 1979

Naija Etuhu,England coach Fabio Capello calls jabulani ball fake

The "former hand of God" or "la mano de Dios." Diego Maradona made stinging comments

about fellow soccer greats Pele and Michel Platini on Wednesday after thepair criticized Maradona's performance as Argentina coach.

Maradona said he was not surprised by their comments and that "Pele has to goback to the museum."

As for Platini, "I always had a very distant relationship with him -- hello and goodbye. Weknow how the French are and Platini is French and he thinks of himselfas being more than the rest of the world. I've never paid him anyattention and I won't do it now."

Earlier, Maradona had criticized Pele, who led Brazil to three World Cup titles, for doubting Africa'sability to organize a World Cup.

Asked about Brazil, Maradona said Argentina's fierce South American rival was not tested by North Koreain the 2-1 win on Tuesday.

"Brazil played a relaxed game, too relaxed," Maradona said. "Korea never challenged them. For [goalkeeper] Julio Cesar,it would have been the same to shower or not after the game.

"Brazil is Brazil ... and Dunga has done a good job. When more will be demandedof them, they will play better for sure."

Maradona said the general lack of scoring so far at the World Cup could be blamed partlyon the teams' initial cautiousness.

"I'm not worried about the lack of goals. The goals will come and there are players here to makethat happen," Maradona said. "Of course, in the first matches one ismore careful than maybe one should be. The teams are studying theiropponents, which is why there are fewer goals."

Maradona also assigned some of the blame to the much-maligned 2010 World Cup ball,saying the Jabulani was having "a large influence" on the low scores. Healso asked the sport's authorities to pay more attention to the qualityof the ball.

One fact about pele:

In 1967, the two factions involved in the Nigerian Civil War agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire so they could watch Pelé play an exhibition game inLagos.^[22]

Some Facts & Legends of El Diego

Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of recognition, even in remote places.^[8] The Tartan Army sing a version of the Hokey Cokey in honour of the Hand of God goal against England.^[58] In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. In the Argentine film El Hijo de la Novia ("Son of the Bride"), somebody who impersonates a Catholic priest says to a bar patron: "they idolized him and then crucified him". When a friend scolds him for taking the prank too far, the fake priest retorts: "But I was talking about Maradona".

Maradona was included in many cameos in the Argentine comic book El Cazador de Aventuras. After the closing of it, the authors started a new short-lived comic book titled "El Die", using Maradona as the main character.

In Rosario, Argentina, fans organized the "Church of Maradona." Maradona's 43rd birthday in 2003 marked the start of the Year 43 D.D. - "Después de Diego" or After Diego - for its founding 200 members. Tens of thousands more^[59] have become members via the church's official web site.

A television commercial^[60] for Brazilian soft drink Guaraná Antarctica portrayed Maradona as a member of the Brazilian national football team, including wearing the yellow jersey and singing the Brazilian national anthem with Brazilian caps Kaká and Ronaldo. Later on in the commercial he wakes up realizing it was nightmare after having drunk too much of the Brazilian soft drink. This generated some controversy in the Argentine media after its release (although the commercial was not supposed to air on the Argentine market, fans could see it via internet). Maradona replied that he has no problem in wearing the Brazilian national squad jersey, but that he would refuse to wear the shirt of River Plate, Boca Juniors' traditional rival.^[61]

^{Pele Vs Maradona vs Zidane vs Kaka vs Messi vs both Ronaldo who is the greatest}

WASHINGTON – BP will set aside $20 billion to pay the victims of the massive oil spill in the Gulf, senior administration officials said Wednesday, a move made under pressure by the White House as the company copes with causing the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

The independent fund will be led by lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw payments to families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In his current role, Feinberg is known as Obama's "pay czar," setting salary limits for companies getting the most aid from a $700 billion government bailout fund.

Obama was to announce the deal in a Rose Garden statement later Wednesday after wrapping up a meeting with BP executives at the White House.

The officials familiar with the details spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity before the announcement.

The still-unfolding disaster in the Gulf, as tens of thousands of gallons of oil continue to pour from the broken well daily, is jeopardizing the environment and ecosystems along with the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people across the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Those affected ranged from fishermen to restaurateurs to oil rig workers idled by Obama's temporary halt to new deep-sea oil drilling.

BP spokesman Toby Odone declined to comment on the fund..

Several big questions remain unanswered, including when BP would start processing claims and paying people out of the fund; who and what would exactly be covered under the plan; how the White House and BP came up with a figure of $20 billion; and whether other involved companies will be required to chip in.

At $20 billion, the size of the fund is the same that was recommended by congressional Democrats.

BP has taken the brunt of criticism about the oil spill because it was the operator of the Deepwater Horizon rig that sunk. It also is a majority owner of the undersea well that has been spewing oil since the explosion.

But when the day of reckoning finally comes, it may not be the only one having to pay up. That's because Swiss-based Transocean Ltd. owned a majority interest in the rig. Anadarko Petroleum, based in The Woodlands, Texas, has a 25 percent non-operating interest in the well.

Feinberg ran the unprecedented $7 billion government compensation program for the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks. It was a job that lasted nearly three years as he decided how much compensation families of the victims should get, largely based on how much income they would have earned in a lifetime.

As pay czar, Feinberg has capped cash salaries at $500,000 this year for the vast majority of the top executives at the five major companies that received bailout funding: American International Group, GMAC Financial Services, Chrysler Financial, Chrysler and General Motors.

The selection of Feinberg was praised by Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York. "He did an amazingly good job in New York for the families of those lost on September 11 and received plaudits from all sides. I believe when Feinberg completes his mission here, the people in the Gulf will feel the same way," Schumer said in a statement.

The development came as Obama was meeting on his turf with top BP leaders to press the London-based oil giant to pay giant claims.

BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, CEO Tony Hayward, and other officials walked slowly as a group from the Southwest Gate of the White House, climbing the steps leading to the West Wing.

Joining the president in the room were Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and the secretaries of energy, interior, commerce, homeland security and labor.

The meeting came the morning after Obama vowed to an angry nation that "we will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused."

The crisis began with a deep water well that blew out on April 20, killing 11 rig workers and triggering the spill.

Obama in his speech to the nation on Tuesday night backed creation of a fund administered by an independent trustee to pay damages and clean up costs associated with the spill.

For the president, the tough diplomacy with a few officials behind closed doors is a bookend to his attempt to reach millions at once. Using a delivery in which even the harshest words were uttered in subdued tones, Obama did not offer much in the way of new ideas or details in his speech. He mainly recapped the government's efforts, insisted once again that BP will be held to account and tried to tap the resilience of a nation in promising that "something better awaits."

Obama's forceful tone about BP's behavior shows how far matters have deteriorated. The White House once had described BP as an essential partner in plugging the crude oil spewing from the broken well beneath nearly a mile of water. Now Obama says BP has threatened to destroy a whole way of life.

An Associated Press-GfK poll released Tuesday showed 52 percent now disapprove of Obama's handling of the oil spill, up significantly from last month. Most people — 56 percent — think the government's actions in response to the disaster really haven't had any impact on the situation.

For all his reputation as the nation's Top Talker, Barack Obama took his sweet time giving a maiden Oval Office address to the country. And waiting another nearly 60 days to speak nationally

about the oil spill that’s become the worst environmental disaster in

the nation’s history..

Obama, the first modern president to pass his first full year in office

without addressing the country from his historic desk, had the setting

right. Just back from a day-and-a-half on the gulf coast listening,

reassuring, talking tourism, eating seafood. He wore the proper suit,

had the requisite flags and family photos in the background.

For 18 minutes he delivered the words crisply and forthrightly, though too often distracting anxious viewers with his fidgeting hands like the lecturing professor he once was. Or wait! Was Mr. Cool nervous?

Obama had the firmness down OK: Make no mistake etc. We will hold BP accountable etc. He....

...had the God references. The talk of real live shrimpers devastated. An American way of life threatened. And though he likened the spill more to an epidemic, he also brought in the requisite battle

metaphors. And, in case anyone hasn't heard by now, Obama mentioned once

again the Nobel Prize winner in his cabinet, Stephen Chu,

who hasn't been able to stop the oil leak either.

But there was something wrong. The first two-thirds of the president's remarks read just fine (Full text over here on The Ticket as usual). By

golly, we’ll get the money, we’ll clean it up, no matter how long it

takes.

Barack walks to the Oval Office shortly before his national speech

6-15-10" class="asset asset-image

at-xid-6a00d8341c630a53ef0134846e6c81970c " src="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0134846e6c81970c-300wi" style="width: 320px; margin: 6px 6px 6px 4px;">

But watching the president and hearing him was a little creepy; that early portion of the address

was robotic, lacked real energy, enthusiasm. And worst of all specifics.

He was virtually detail-less.

After almost two months of waiting through continuously contradictory reports, an anxious American public wanted to know, HOW are you going to accomplish all this?

Even Obama's cheerleaders over at MSNBC were complaining. "Where was the How in this speech?" demanded Keith Olbermann. Seriously.

Everyone's assumed that fixing the leak was a given since Day Four, which was still five days before the Democrat got his big plane and presidential entourage down

there.

Local gulf coast officials are tearing out their hair trying to comprehend and comply with seventeen (as in seven more than 10) federal agencies falling all over

themselves to do The Boss’ bidding and help and impose and superimpose

their visions and regulations on what is a war zone with hundreds of

ships and some 30,000 people involved, many of them frightened. And all

of them inexperienced on a disaster of this scale.

Trust me, the president said, tomorrow I'm going to give those BP execs what-for. As CBS' Mark Knoller noted on his Twitter account, the president has allotted exactly 20 whole minutes this morning -- 1,200

fleeting seconds -- to his first-ever conversation with the corporation

responsible for the disaster.

Then, he's got an important lunch with Joe "I Witnessed the World Cup's First Tie" Biden.

Well, just-believe-in-my-change-to-believe-in may have been good enough to win Obama's party primaries and the general election in 2008 and drag along into office enormous congressional majorities of fellow

party travelers.

But after yelling "JOBS!" for a year and getting a protracted Democratic intra-party fight over Obama's beloved healthcare instead, Americans wanted some Oval Office specifics Tuesday evening on

stopping the uncontrolled undersea oil escape.

Instead, Obama was like a Harvard-trained nurse talking vacation to a new patient bleeding all over the ER floor. Hello, could we please stop the blood flow here before we discuss the long-term recovery?

Obama’s delivery did not really come alive until the end when the ex-community organizer got into his favorite Big Picture stuff. Memo to American Homeowners: Do not call

Obama over to fix your leaking roof – or

pipe. Have him design a new house, no, better yet an entire neighborhood

or city

from scratch.

Following the advice of his chief of staff, Rahm "I Got a Rent-Free Apartment from a BP Adviser" Emanuel, Obama is determined to leave no crisis unused. When he got into the decades-long

fossil fuel addiction rehab stuff, his eyes shone. His delivery punched

up.

Now, that is an issue that requires greatness. Another galactic reform out of Hyde Park. It sounds swell unless mega-trillion-dollar federal deficits are on your mind, which voter

polls now show ranks with terrorism as Americans' top fears.

Obama’s historic presidential campaign was not only big in terms of an

unprecedented three-quarters of a billion dollars to win. It was about

Big Promises. He was going to change America, radically reform the

entire education system, healthcare, comb the entire federal budget

line-by-line, oh, and change the 200-year-old partisan ways of the

capitol. About the only big change the White Sox fan didn't promise was

getting the Cubs a World Series ring.

It was all impractical, of course. But the country wanted to believe....

....in his change to believe in. And it did, handing complete control of the federal government over to Obama and his Democratic party. And today, after 17 months of lop-sided Democratic majorities now nervously

confronting midterm elections Nov. 2, about 60% of Americans would like

the new healthcare bill repealed. And they're hinting they'd probably

like some more Republicans in Congress too.

President Obama has said he doesn’t sense an appetite to address something as large as the

illegal immigrant issue this year. But suddenly – watch the left hand

over here because he wants you to not focus on how long it’s taken him

to take charge of the spill – he thinks there’s a compelling need to

spend a motorcade full of moola that the federal government doesn’t have

in order to change the country’s energy habits.

And we've gotta start that right now because of an underwater leaking pipe 40 miles off Louisiana that we haven't plugged and don't really understand how it broke in the first place. So let's do the electric car

thing and build more windmills now.

And if, by chance, the nation’s politicians end up fighting over an energy plan during the next five months until the voting, maybe the politically damaging healthcare regrets and hidden costs will drown in

all the words like so many thousands of seabirds in all the gulf’s

still-surging oil..

MONROE, Ohio- A six-storeyed statue of Jesus Christ was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground, leaving only a blackened steel skeleton and pieces of foam that were scooped up by curious onlookers Tuesday.

The "King of Kings" statue, one of southwest Ohio's most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.

The lightning stroke set the statue ablaze around 11:15 p.m. Monday, Monroe police dispatchers said.

"THE IMAGE ON FIRE"

The sculpture, about 62 feet tall and 40 feet wide at the base, showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed "Touchdown Jesus" because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signaling a touchdown. It was made of Plastic foam and Fiberglass over a steel frame, which is all that remained as at Tuesday.

See Pictures Before And After !!!

The nickname is the same used for a famous mural of the resurrected Jesus that overlooks Notre Dame football stadium.

The fire sprode from the statue to an adjacent amphitheather but was confined to the attic area and no one was injured, police chief Mark Neu said.

Estimated damage from the fire was set at $700,000 to $300,000 for the statue and $400,000 for the amphitheather, Fire capt. Richard Mascarella said Tuesday

The Ohio state Highway Patrol was at the scene Tuesday to prevent traffic jams and potential accidents from motorists stopping along the highway to take photographs.

The patrol began issuing citations about 4.p.m. Tuesday to motorists for stopping on the side of the highway, dispatcher Adam Brown said. The number of gawkers coupled with construction had slowed 1-75 traffic in the area to a crawl , the state Highway patrol said.

Some people were scooping up pieces of the statue's foam from the nearby pond to take home with them, Said church co-pastor Darlene Bishop.

"This Meant a lot to a lot of people," she said.

Keth Lewis, of nearby middle, arrived at the church arround 7:am Tuesday to photograph the remains for his wife.

Lewis said he had viewed the statue as both an oromddity and an Inspiration.

Cassie Browning, a Church member from Dayton, said she was driving home when she saw smoke and noticed the statue was missing.

Travellers on 1-75 often were startled to come upon the huge statue by the roadside, but many said America needs more symbols like it. So, many people stopped at the church campus that church officials had to build a walkway to accommodate them.

Bishop said the statue will be rebuilt.

"It will be back, but this time we are going to try for something fireproof." she said.

The 4,000--member, nondenominational church was founded by Bishop and her husband, former horse trader Lawrence Bishop.

Lawrence Bishop said in 2004 he was trying to help people, not to impress them, with the statue. He said his wife proposed the Jesus' Figure as a Beacon of Hope and Salvation.

It has stars to rival Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard and Mumbai's Juhu Beach. But the tabloid tracking the every move of Nigeria's"Nollywood" actors isn't in Nigeria, or even Africa- it's in Queens.

For the past two years, Nigerian-born journalist Ekerete Udoh has run the Diasporan Star - the only paper covering Nollywood outside ofAfrica - from his home in St. Albans, distributing it tothousands of readers in cities across the country.

"We're like the National Enquirer, the US Magazine and the Magazine"">People Magazine of Nollywood combined," Udoh said of thepaper.

Nollywood surpassed Hollywood as the world's second largest movie industry in 2006 (India's Bollywoodoutpaces both, producing some 1,000 titles annually). But itscross-cultural appeal has recently become apparent in NewYork, where superstores in the Bronxand Brooklyn sell thousands of DVDs aweek.

Now the films - long preferred by African and Caribbean immigrants - are enjoying an explosion of popularity among a diverseaudience in Queens. New releases are sold in salons, groceries andbodegas across the borough.

Since March, the blockbusters can even be found at six branches of the Queens Library, though you might have a hard time getting your handson one.

"They don't stay on our shelves," said Patricia Eshun, the Rosedale branch manager.

Fans say the films - often serialized love stories or family dramas - are highly addictive. Many female viewers first see the movies at thesalon, where hairdressers play them back-to-back during long hairappointments.

"You're doing your hair for seven or eight hours, you get hooked." said Dominique Lewis, 48, a legal assistant whotraveled from Brooklyn to pick up a film called "Virginity" at the Jamaica bus depot. Like many, she saidshe has several dozen Nollywood DVDs at home.

"My kids made fun of me [saying]: 'Mom, do you do anything else?'" she said.

Part of the appeal is the price: $4 to $7 buys two or three hours of heart-wrenching drama. Releasing a single film across two or three DVDsalso keeps customers coming back.

"I sell American movies, but not a lot," said Tass Sacko, who owns a Nollywood movie store on Jamaica Ave. "The original American movies areexpensive."

But Udoh said the films also present an alternative view of Africa, one that viewers are eager to explore.

"Above all, I think Nollywood has done a lot to rebrand Africa," he said. "A lot of people had the notion that Africans were still living intheir mud houses - they are shocked when they see places that look likeManhattan,and they can't believe that that is in Africa."

It has stars to rival Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard and Mumbai's Juhu Beach. But the tabloid tracking the every move of Nigeria's"Nollywood" actors isn't in Nigeria, or even Africa- it's in Queens.

For the past two years, Nigerian-born journalist Ekerete Udoh has run the Diasporan Star - the only paper covering Nollywood outside ofAfrica - from his home in St. Albans, distributing it tothousands of readers in cities across the country.

"We're like the National Enquirer, the US Magazine and the Magazine"">People Magazine of Nollywood combined," Udoh said of thepaper.

Nollywood surpassed Hollywood as the world's second largest movie industry in 2006 (India's Bollywoodoutpaces both, producing some 1,000 titles annually). But itscross-cultural appeal has recently become apparent in NewYork, where superstores in the Bronxand Brooklyn sell thousands of DVDs aweek.

Now the films - long preferred by African and Caribbean immigrants - are enjoying an explosion of popularity among a diverseaudience in Queens. New releases are sold in salons, groceries andbodegas across the borough.

Since March, the blockbusters can even be found at six branches of the Queens Library, though you might have a hard time getting your handson one.

"They don't stay on our shelves," said Patricia Eshun, the Rosedale branch manager.

Fans say the films - often serialized love stories or family dramas - are highly addictive. Many female viewers first see the movies at thesalon, where hairdressers play them back-to-back during long hairappointments.

"You're doing your hair for seven or eight hours, you get hooked." said Dominique Lewis, 48, a legal assistant whotraveled from Brooklyn to pick up a film called "Virginity" at the Jamaica bus depot. Like many, she saidshe has several dozen Nollywood DVDs at home.

"My kids made fun of me [saying]: 'Mom, do you do anything else?'" she said.

Part of the appeal is the price: $4 to $7 buys two or three hours of heart-wrenching drama. Releasing a single film across two or three DVDsalso keeps customers coming back.

"I sell American movies, but not a lot," said Tass Sacko, who owns a Nollywood movie store on Jamaica Ave. "The original American movies areexpensive."

But Udoh said the films also present an alternative view of Africa, one that viewers are eager to explore.

"Above all, I think Nollywood has done a lot to rebrand Africa," he said. "A lot of people had the notion that Africans were still living intheir mud houses - they are shocked when they see places that look likeManhattan,and they can't believe that that is in Africa."

Nollywood A-list Actress Stephanie Okereke was at the Cannes festival May 12-May 23 for the screening of her movie “Through the Glass”.
This screening was made possible by the partnership between Stephanie’s own production company Next Page Productions and ID communications Canada. The Movie was screened to a very diverse audience on Monday, May 17th, giving a very international promotion to the ever growing Nollywood industry and one of its goals to reach a western audience..

“I cannot begin to describe my excitement and appreciation for this industry. It’s not about approval; it’s about opening up the world to a different type of film making experience, the hybrid of Nollywood and Hollywood.” –Stephanie Okereke

ABOUT THE STEPHANIE:

Stephanie Okereke came into the Nollywood scene in 1997 as a student at the University of Calabar. After graduating, her thirst for an acting career propelled her into Nollywood fulltime. Stephanie made her mark with the movie Emotional Crack which premiered at the African Film festival in April 2004. With Over 90 films to her name, Stephanie Okereke is continually building her brand in the movie industry.

A recent graduate of the New York Film Academy, Stephanie has expanded her title to include Director, producer and writer with the introduction of her latest movie: Through the Glass which premiered at the Silver Screen Theatre of the Pacific Design Centre on
October 18th 2008 in Hollywood, California, and premiered across theatres in Nigeria on September 16th 2009 to record topping viewings and now at the Cannes Festival.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

Through the glass is the story of Jeffrey [Garret Mckechnie] who lives the ultimate bachelor's life going through numerous non-committed relationships, but struggles to excel at work and gain his father's love and acceptance. Jeffrey's life gets even more intriguing when life deals him a card that stops him in his tracks. On a typical day, he returns from work to find a note "take care of your responsibility" left on top of a baby who is abandoned on his doorstep. In nothing short of what is scary, confusing and comedic, he turns to his Nigerian neighbor, Ada [Stephanie Okereke] who he has a secret crush on, to help him. What happens to the baby? Will Jeffrey break through the glass of his phobia for commitment and keep the baby? Will Jeffrey confess his secret crush on Ada?