Congo Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Broadcaster commissioning initiative The European Alliance has put The Kollective, a journalism-based mystery drama from Leonardo Fasoli and Maddalena Ravagli (Gomorrah – The Series, ZeroZeroZero) and producer Femke Wolting, into development.

The plight of pregnant women living on the streets, relying on sex work and eating from bins as asylum seekers in Greece has been highlighted by Manchester-based volunteers, including former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are back in the United States after a trip to the West African nation of Gabon. The Amazon CEO and the philanthropist landed in Los Angeles aboard their private jet. The lovebirds looked very casual, with Lauren rocking a white top paired with camo leggings and Jeff wearing a brown shirt and cream pants, completing with a baseball cap and sunglasses.In September, Sanchez shared a video about the importance of restoring the climate crisis.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex has made history, after becoming the first member of the Royal Family to travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that Sophie, 57, is carrying out an official visit to the African country at the request of the Foreign Office.The Palace said that the countess’s visit will focus on addressing the devastating impact of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict, while supporting and empowering survivors and tackling the stigma they face.

The UK’s first-ever Official Afrobeats Chart Show is celebrating its one year anniversary this Sunday on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Eric McCormack and helped raise more than $725,000 for education in Haiti at the annual Artists for Peace and Justice Festival Gala held in Toronto on September 11 during TIFF.  MORE: All the highlights from HELLO! Canada and Toronto Life's Hollywood North party during TIFF 2022The Will & Grace star was given the annual Artist for Peace and Justice Award to recognize how much he's given back over the years, which was presented to him by Murdoch Mysteries actor Yannick Bisson and Zoomer Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Suzanne Boyd. Environmentalist Dax Dasilva was also honoured with the Canadian Changemaker Award.

Ian Evatt feels Elias Kachunga get the 'rough end of the stick' out of Bolton Wanderers' forwards but sung the player's praises for the selfless work he does for the team.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Director Edward Berger and producer Malte Grunert are set to follow up their new adaption of Erich Maria Remarque’s harrowing war novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” with a much more upbeat work, a remake of the rollicking 1967 French-Italian pic “The Last Adventure,” which starred Alain Delon, Lino Ventura and Joanna Shimkus. Grunert and Berger had been working on the remake and were already in development when “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which makes its world premiere at the Toronto fest Sept. 12, came along. They are now planning to return to the project after Berger finishes his next pic, the Vatican-set thriller “Conclave,” based on the Robert Harris novel and set to star Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini. Berger goes into prep on “Conclave” in October in Rome, with production scheduled to start in January.

RELEASESZedd and Maren Morris are back together again with new single ‘Make You Say’, also featuring Beauz. “I loved working with Zedd again on ‘Make You Say’ after such a thrill ride with [2018 single] ‘The Middle’’”, says Morris. “It’s such a vibey melody and making the music video was definitely a first for me as far as choreography and animation go.

Few films at TIFF 2021 were as genre-bending and defiantly original as the Senegalese thriller “Saloum.” Congolese director Jean Luc Herbulot mixes styles as diverse as spaghetti westerns, monster movies, and samurai dramas in the movie without overshadowing the story’s West African backdrop. Sound exciting to anyone else? Well, IFC Midnight thinks so.

Tom Morello has praised the guitar playing of a 10-year-old boy called Ludovick Tshiswaka after watching him play.The Rage Against The Machine guitarist took to Twitter to praise the youngster, who is a Brazilian-Congolese musician and producer whose cover videos on Instagram and YouTube help to showcase his skills.Morello said of the clips that they were “some of the best guitar playing” he’s heard recently.Morello said: “Well that’s some of the best guitar playing I’ve witnessed in quite some time,” he said, quote-tweeting a clip of Tshiswaka  playing some jazz over a backing track.Well that’s some of the best guitar playing I’ve witnessed in quite some time https://t.co/Fy41xp7Csh— Tom Morello (@tmorello) July 29, 2022Morello has previously shown his support for ten-year-old drumming sensation Nandi Bushell who jammed with him and his son Roman.Last year, Nandi shared a video of her playing drums alongside the pair. In the clip, Morello and his son can be seen playing guitar.“Jamming with legendary #guitarist @tommorello (from @rageagainstthemachine / #audioslave) and his #incredible son, Roman,” wrote Nandi on Instagram.“We have written an #Epic song together (not the one you hear in our sweet improvisational jam).

Manori Ravindran International EditorBelgian-Congolese TV personality Kody Kim has signed with CAA for representation.Kim is best known for hosting a flagship program on Belgian broadcaster La Deux from 2015 to 2017. The presenter, who was born in Belgium to Congolese parents, stood out for his impersonations of famous French stars such as Gérard Depardieu and Jean Paul Belmondo.He’s also a comedian, actor and radio personality.

Ashley Judd took a unique approach to justice.

A man has been hospitalised after catching a deadly fever with grim symptoms such as bleeding from the eyes.

Todd Gilchrist On July 25, Laura Linney is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s exactly the kind of high-profile status symbol Wendy Byrde might finagle to burnish her place among Tinseltown’s most successful and respected, except that the actor earned the honor precisely for playing the master manipulator on “Ozark” (and dozens of other unforgettable roles) so convincingly.

Video: Federal prosecutors claim R Kelly 'poses serious danger to the public' (The Independent)Brawl on Carnival MagicBlood test shows Covid nurse arrested for DUI was soberUS congresswoman arrested at abortion rights protest outside Supreme CourtClimbers scale Paris skyscraper in support of UkraineUS Navy helicopter crashes near U. S.

Britney Spears' father has denied claims he set up hidden recording devices in her bedroom during her conservatorship. Jamie Spears had been accused of planting the devices during the months of testimony that led to the end of his control over his daughter's estate.

The Real Housewives drama is continuing off-screen.

Monkeypox virus has been in the news as the number of cases in the Los Angeles area and across the country is on the rise, according to data from the California Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Duchess of Cambridge, moved around a little, cosying up to both his parents and his grandfather the Prince of Wales. At one point, Charles rocked his four-year-old grandson from side to side on his lap.

Good Morning Britain’s Dr Hilary Jones has warned that monkeypox may have become ‘more transmissible’ amid the recent outbreak in the UK.

A fuming mum has hit back at trolls who have slammed the food she feeds her daughter amid claims it's 'abusive'.

Mike Wass Never one to rehash the past, Madonna is taking a two-pronged approach to celebrating the 40th anniversary of her debut album — nodding to the past with two career-spanning remix collections, while remaining rooted in the present by remixing Sickick’s mega-viral reimagining of “Frozen.”For the third and final iteration, dubbed “Frozen on Fire,” Madonna added new lyrics to the song and invited the masked producer to contribute his own vocals. The result is a trap-tinged adventure that rounds out a trilogy of free-wheeling remixes that began with an Afrobeats overhaul, featuring Nigeria’s Fireboy DML, and then a genre-blurring collaboration with New Jersey’s 070 Shake.While Sickick tinkered with “Frozen” independently, Madonna was quick to realize its potential.

Monkeypox has spread to both Spain and Portugal as health officials confirmed cases.

Madonna is preparing to release a charitable NFT collection that includes a video of her avatar giving birth to a rapidly growing tree.The pop star’s Mother Of Creation collection is described in press material as a “labour of love” made over the course of a year with digital artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) who sold an NFT last year for $69million (£55million) [via Billboard].All proceeds from the trio of digitally rendered collectables will go to three charities: the Voices of Children Foundation, which helps women and children affected by the war in Ukraine; the City of Joy Foundation, which advocates for victims of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Black Mama’s Bail Out, which provides bail for incarcerated caregivers.Madonna’s Mother Of Creation videos are part of an “NFT triptych”.

COVID-19-related pneumonia yesterday (May 4) following a long battle with liver disease.Describing Pyro as “my best friend and brother”, Malin wrote on his social media channels: “He fought real hard right till the end. He changed my life and so many others in ways I can’t even begin to say.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor“POV,” the Emmy-winning PBS documentary series, has announced the acquisition of environmental thriller “Delikado” as part of its upcoming 35th season.The film, which premiered April 29 at the Hot Docs Canadian Intl. Documentary Festival, is the directorial debut of award-winning journalist Karl Malakunas.

NEW ORLEANS -- The memorial garden at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is about to get a lot more crowded as fellow musicians honor the many musical icons — known as “Ancestors” — who have passed since the festival was last held three years ago.Jazz Fest, which began Friday and will conclude on May 8, will feature on-stage tributes, as well as jazz funeral processions that will cross the Fair Grounds and conclude with the unveiling of the honoree’s likenesses alongside the other Ancestors at the rear of the Congo Square field.“That’s Jazz Fest,” Quint Davis, the festival’s longtime producer/director, told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Like many African cultures, “we stay connected to our ancestors.

Wilson Chapman editorFor more than 20 years, Harry Lennix — an actor best known for his roles in TV shows and film such as “The Blacklist,” “Dollhouse” and “Justice League” — has been an advisor for the Chicago-based Black theater company Congo Square Theatre. The company, which doesn’t have a permanent performance space, has struggled to find venues for shows, a situation Lennix says is all too common for many Black arts organizations.“On two hands, you can count the number of Black theatre companies in the country that actually have bricks and mortar,” Lennix tells Variety.

Ebola has been confirmed in Africa just four months after the end of the last outbreak.

Congotronics International will release their long-awaited debut LP Where's the One on April 29. Today, after sharing the album's first three offerings — "Banza Banza," "Beyond the 7th Bend," and the title cut — over the course of the past two months, they're premiering the album's fourth and fifth singles, "Mulume/Change" and “Bombo & Stifflets” with The FADER. Listen to the new songs, and read our interview with six of the international super group's 19 musicians and the project's curator Marc Hollander below.

The first anniversary of Prince Philip’s death is days away.

Bolton Wanderers forward Amadou Bakayoko has been rewarded with his recent form in front of goal with a call-up for Sierra Leone and has explained why he feels now is the right time to head on to the international stage.

Right Said Fred, who took issue with the TV personality’s upcoming trip to the Ukrainian border.Rinder is heading to the area to help the grandparents of his former Strictly Come Dancing partner Oksana Platero find safety.According to the UN, more than one million civilians have fled Ukraine because of the Russian invasion.Earlier this week Rinder, a criminal barrister, shared his plans to fly to Poland, which borders Ukraine. “Right now (Platero’s) grandparents are a week into their struggle to find sanctuary in a safe country,” said Rinder on Twitter.

Ashley Judd is sharing new details about her near-death experience while in the Congolese rainforest.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent“More Than I Remember,” an animated short directed by Amy Bench and designed by Maya Edelman — who was born in Kiyv and came to the U.S. at 13 as a refugee — is having its premiere Friday at the SXSW fest in Austin.The timely pic, which delves into humanitarian and refugee issues, particularly as they relate to minors fleeing conflict, is set in southeastern Congo where militia attacks on the Banyamulenge, a persecuted minority, have led to the destruction of hundreds of villages and the displacement of over 200,000 people.It’s the story of a 14-year-old named Mugeni who, after waking up to the sounds of bombs, finds herself completely alone since her family has scattered to the surrounding forests, inadvertently leaving her behind.