entertainment-news

The youngest richest singer in Ethiopia

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:40:50 +0100

Many churches have contributed a lot of share for the current music industry. Beyonce Knowles was a soloist in the choir of her church, in St. John's United Methodist Church.

The well known Whitny Houston was also a soloist in the junior gospel choir at her Baptist church; at a teenager.

Singing in the local church choir or in your school choir is a modest place that you could possibly achieve your talent. This will give you the opportunity to use your voice with other singers and will teach you how to harmonize. The instruction and encouragement you get from a school music teacher can also be helpful and inspire you to excel. School choirs often perform at concert events, which is a good way for you to build the self confidence necessary to sing well. Yared music school instructor, Ato Fanta Belay was raised and one of the practitioners from Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

In recent development,

Few days ago, a 9 year old girl has released her first church album (Ethiopian Orthodox Church song) for public. According to the news, this girl has been much attached with her local church (at Modjo) as her parents cultivated her with church morals.

The young Enkuselassie Gossa, “shomegn lemesgana” translated as ‘appointed to praise God’ album was released at the end of June 2010. It was not long before this gifted young singer began receiving recognition for her talent. This, her first album has got 11 songs, their lyrics are written by Diakon Gashaw (Mame) Melek & the Melody from singer Habtamu shibiru; 3 male & 3 female quires also participated in her album. Moreover, the music is organized by Yared Tefera digital studio.

According to the local sources this new album has been sold for Birr 100,000 which was distributed by Bitahnya songs shop. If this amount of sale is attested by a primary sources; this young Enkuselassie Gossa will be the first youngest richest singer in Ethiopia.

NewsDire

በሙዚቃ ቤቶች ላይ በተደረገ ፍተሻ ከ31 በላይ የሕገወጥ ...

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:01:43 +0100

የኢትዮጵያ ቅጅና ተዛማጅ መብቶች የጋራ አስተዳደር ማኅበር፣ አዲስ አበባ ውስጥ በሕገ ወጥ መንገድ የዘፈኖችን፣ የፊልሞችን እና ሌሎች የኪነ ጥበብ ሥራዎችን አባዝተው እና አስመስለው ሠርተው በመሸጥ ሥራ የተጠረጠሩ 108 ሙዚቃ ቤቶችን ከአዲስ አበባ ፖሊስ ኮሚሽን ጋር በመተባበር በትናንትናው ዕለት ሕጋዊ ፍተሻ ለማድረግ ማቀዱን ገልጿል፡፡
የማኅበሩ ዋና ሥራ አስፈፃሚ አቶ ዕቁባይ እንደተናገሩት፣ ማኅበሩ ከተመሠረተበት ጊዜ ጀምሮ ችግሩን ለመፍታት ከስድስት በላይ ከሆኑ ጉዳዩ ከሚመለከታቸው አጋር የሙያ ማኅበሮች ጋር በመሆን ሲንቀሳቀስ የቆየ ቢሆንም፣ ችግሩን ሙለ ለሙሉ ለማስቀረት አልተቻለም፡፡

ከዚህ ቀደም በጎንደር እና በደሴ ከተሞች በተደረገው አሰሳ፣ በመቶ ሺሕዎች የሚቆጠሩ ሕገ ወጥ የኪነ ጥበብ ውጤቶች መገኘታቸውን ኃላፊው ገልፀው፣ በተለይ በጎንደር ከተማ በሕገ ወጥ መንገድ ሲያባዙና ሲሸጡ የነበሩ ግለሰብን ሕግ ፊት በማቅረብ በ6 ዓመት እሥራት እንዲቀጡ ተደርገዋል፡፡ አዲስ አበባ ውስጥም ችግሩ በሰፊው በመንሰራፋቱ አሰሳ ለማድረግ እንደተገደዱ ተናግረዋል፡፡

ትናንትና ሕትመት ከመግባታችን በፊት በከተማዋ በተደረገ ፍትሻ፣ ከ31 በላይ የማባዣ ማሽኖች እና ሕገ ወጥ ቅጂዎች መገኘታቸውን አቶ ዕቁባይ ገልፀው፣ በተለይ በመስኪድ አካባቢ 46 ሕገ ወጥ ሱቆች የአገር ውስጥ እና የውጭ የጥበብ ውጤቶች በብዛት እንደተገኙና ማባዣ ማሽኖችንም በመያዝ ላይ መሆናቸውን ሊቀመንበሩ ገልፀዋል፡፡

ፍተሻውን በአዲስ አበባ ማድረግ ከሌሎቹ ከተሞች በበለጠ ከባድ እንደሚያደርገው የሚናገሩት አቶ ዕቁባይ፣ ለዚህ ደግሞ ዋነኛው ምክንያት የማባዣ ቦታዎቹ ከከተማዋ ውጭ፣ መሸጫ ሱቆቹ ደግሞ ከተማ ውስጥ በመሆናቸው በቀላሉ ለመሰወር አመቺ በመሆኑ ነው፡፡

ተጠርጥረው ሱቆቻቸው እየተፈተሹ ከሚገኙት ሙዚቃ ቤቶች መካከል፣ ትላልቆቹና ታዋቂዎቹ እንደሚገኙበት አቶ ዕቁባይ ገልፀው፣ ስሞቻቸውን በቅርብ ይፋ እንደሚያደርጉ ተናግረዋል፡፡ ሕገ ወጥ የማባዛት ሥራ እንደሚያከናውኑና እንደሚሸጡም በሙዚቃ ቤቶቹ ላይ ባደረጉት ክትትል እንደደረሱበት ተናግረዋል፡፡

በተደረገው ድንገተኛ የፍተሻ ሥራ ብዙ ቁጥር ያላቸው በሥራው ላይ ተሰማርተው የነበሩ የሱቆች ባለቤቶችን በቁጥጥር ሥር ለመዋል መቻላቸው ተገልጿል፡፡
በአዲስ አበባ ከተማ ውስጥ ብቻ በአሁኑ ሰዓት ከ2 ሺሕ በላይ ሕገ ወጥ ሱቆች እና ከአራት ሺሕ በላይ ሕገ ወጥ አዟሪዎች የጥበብ ውጤቶችን በማከፋፈል ላይ እንደሚገኙ ጥናቶች እንደሚያመለክቱ አቶ ዕቁባይ አብራርተዋል፡፡

ሪፖርተር

አርቲስት ሙላቱ አስታጥቄ ሜጋ አምፊ ትያትር ቤትን ...

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:51:08 +0100

ዋልታ ኢንፎርሜሽን ማዕከል እና የኢትዮጵያ ጃዝ ሙዚቃ አባት የሆነው አርቲስት ሙላቱ አስታጥቄ በጋራ በመሆን አዲስ ኩባንያ ያቋቋሙ ሲሆን፣ ይህ ኩባንያ ሜጋ አምፊ ትያትር ቤትን ያስተዳድራል፡፡
ሁለቱ አካላት የሚያቋቁሙት ኩባንያ ዋል አፍሪካ ጃዝ መንደር የሚል ስያሜ ያገኘ ሲሆን፣ ማን ምን ያህል ድርሻ ይኑረው የሚሉ ጉዳዮችን በሚቀጥሉት ጥቂት ቀናት ተጠናቀው ኩባንያው ከንግድና ኢንዱስትሪ ሚኒስቴር ፍቃድ እንደሚያገኝ አርቲስት ሙላቱ ለሪፖርተር ጋዜጣ ገልጸዋል፡፡

አዲሱ ኩባንያ የሚያስተዳድረው ሜጋ አምፊ ትያትር፣ በማዕከላዊው አዲስ አበባ አራዳ ክፍለ ከተማ፣ ቸርቸር ጎዳና ላይ ከቴዎድሮስ አደባባይ ፊት ለፊት ይገኛል፡፡ ይህ ትያትር ቤት በኢትዮጵያ የመጀመርያው ፊልም ቤት የሆነውንና በቀድሞ ስያሜው ሰይጣን ቤት እየተባለ የሚጠራውን አምፊ ትያትር ቤትን ያጠቃለለ ነው፡፡

ትያትር ቤቱ ቀደም ሲል ይተዳደር የነበረው በሜጋ ኢንተርፕራይዝ ሥር ሲሆን፣ ውጤታማ ባለመሆኑ እና በተለያዩ ጉዳዮች ትያትር ቤቱን ሲያስተዳድር የቆየው ሜጋ ሥራውን እንዲለቅ ከተደረገ በኋላ ንብረቱን ዋልታ ኢንፎርሜሽን ማዕከል እንዲረከበው ተደርጓል፡፡

ዋልታ ኢንፎርሜሽን ማዕከል በ1987 ዓ.ም. የተመሠረተ ሲሆን፣ ኩባንያው የአገሪቱን የኢንቨስትመንት፣ ቱሪዝም፣ ባህል እና ኪነጥበብ ለቀሪው ዓለም በማስተዋወቅ ላይ ይገኛል፡፡ ይህ ሥራው ከ42 ዓመታት በፊት የኢትዮ-ጃዝ ሙዚቃን ከፈጠረው አርቲስት ሙላቱ ጋር ሊያገናኘው እንደቻለ ለጉዳዩ ቅርበት ያላቸው ሰዎች ይገልጻሉ፡፡

በቀጣይነት በሁለቱ አካላት የተመሠረተው ኩባንያ የብሔር ብሔረሰቦች ሙዚቃ እና ባህል በአምፊ ትያትር ቤቱ ያቀርባል፣ የጃዝ ሙዚቃ ት/ቤት ይከፍታል፣ ልዩ ልዩ ዶክሜንታሪ ፊልሞችን በፊልም ቤቱ የማሳየትም ዕቅድ ነድፏል፡፡

ይሁንና ትያትር ቤቱም ሆነ አምፊ ትያትር ቤቱ አሁን ያሉበት ይዞታ ዝቅተኛ ደረጃ ላይ በመሆኑ፣ አዲሱ ኩባንያ እስከ ሰባት ሚሊዮን ብር ወጭ በማድረግ ትያትር ቤቱን እና ፊልም ቤቱን በአዲስ መልክ በድጋሚ ለማደራጀት ዕቅድ መያዙን አርቲስት ሙላቱ ለሪፖርተር ገልጿል፡፡ ይህ ገንዘብም በሁለቱ አካላት መዋጮ እንዲሁም ከውጭ አገራት በሚገኝ ፋይናንስ ለመሸፈን መታቀዱን አርቲስት ሙላቱ ጨምሮ ገልጿል፡፡

የዋልታ ኢንፎርሜሽን ማዕከል ምክትል ሥራ አስኪያጅ አቶ ተሻለ በልሁ ለሪፖርተር እንደገለጹት፣ አቶ ሙላቱ ትልቅ የኪነ ጥበብ ሰው በመሆኑ የጥበብ ማዕከሉን የላቀ ደረጃ ላይ ያደርሰዋል ብለው እንደሚያምኑ ገልጸዋል፡፡ በሜጋ የአስተዳደር ወቅት የነበረው ሥራ በአሁኑ ሰዓት ኦዲት እየተደረገ ይገኛል፡፡

ሪፖርተር

Ethiopian musician Dereje Dubale dies at 37 (video biography and news)

Mon, 31 May 2010 15:06:26 +0100

Semahegn Belew to serve 4 Years for manslaughter

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:59:10 +0100

Ethiopian federal high court passed a 4 year imprisonment and issued a warrant to arrest a well known traditional music artist Semahegn belew for his involvement in 2002 car accident that killed a man named Girum Tesfaye.

Semahegn belew was accused for intentionally killed Girum using his vehicle and the court adjourned before yesterday found him guilty.
previously the case was dismissed as the artist was not guilty but after a reviewed the case the court said they found a mistake on previous high court decision.
The victim mother w/ro kidist Amare stated she is happy with the court decision.

Artist Semahegn was found not guilty by the court before some months ago after a long years wait.

Artist Semahegn Belew is famous for his traditional song titled Ere Balager

NewsDire

Mulatu Astatke Gets Cooler Still

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:08:12 +0100

No offense to Nas and Damian Marley, but the recent excitement over "As We Enter," a leaked track from their upcoming collaborative album Distant Relatives, focused mainly on a relatively minor component: the slamming, horn-driven sample from Mulatu Astatke's "Yegelle Tezeta," a mind-bendingly cool nod to the crucial but often overlooked figure credited with creating a remarkable fusion called Ethio-jazz.

Though a crate-digger's favorite who's currently on a long European tour, the sixtysomething Astatke (or Astatqé) has yet to break through in the U.S. But he's revered in his native Ethiopia as a composer and musician (on vibes, piano, and percussion); he's also something of a musical activist, working on the business side as a club owner, DJ, and music-school founder. In addition, he is the first prominent Ethiopian musician to receive formal training outside his homeland, with stops in London, New York, and Boston, where he has since returned to lecture at Harvard.

This background gave Astatke the necessary skills and worldview to fuse aspects of jazz and Latin music with Ethiopian rhythms; initially, the resulting fusion had an Afrobeat-style lounge vibe, a sort of Martin Denny exotica, wherein wah-wah guitar, echoing xylophone, throbbing electric piano, and wild-animal sounds filled out the mix. Some African-music world aficionados have already encountered the results on his 1966 debut album, Afro-Latin Soul, and its handful of official follow-ups, but as those are often tough to find, a more likely entry point is 1998's amazing Ethiopiques, Vol. 4 comp, which featured some of his classic '60s and '70s stuff. Last year came both Inspiration Information, Vol. 3 (an excellent collaboration with Brit band the Heliocentrics) and New York–Addis–London, another retrospective, both on the super-hip Strut label.

Keeping up that momentum, Strut now offers the all-new Mulatu Steps Ahead, with the marquee attraction backed by the Heliocentrics, Boston's Either/Orchestra, and a host of notable African musicians. Whereas his classic material often involved part-time musicians and police bands, this expanded approach comes off as more sophisticated than the lovable cheese of the past. "Green Africa" offers up a classic Afro-jazz rhythm that vacillates between percolating African groove and bebop; meaty, hook-laden horns raise the temperature, recalling the brass heat of Afrobeat and classic soul-jazz. Things cool down nicely on "Motherland" and "Assosa," a harp-like kora casting an almost mystical spell. More earthy is the aptly titled "Ethio-Blues," which highlights Astatke's light touch on vibes as a slinky vamp moseys along, seemingly inspired by the creepy-cool music of Twin Peaks. And "The Way to Nice" is a seamless marriage of Martin Denny's James Bond soundtrack work and playful Latin funk. Beautiful, varied, and richly detailed, Mulatu Steps Ahead gives us the opportunity to see Astatke as the artist his countrymen already know him to be.

Villagevoice

Teza Film Review

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:56:05 +0100

Teza -- Film Review

By Frank Scheck, April 06, 2010 03:43 ET

"Teza"

Bottom Line: Ambitious, sprawling drama about Ethiopia that well overcomes its rough-hewn edges.

Few contemporary films burn with the passion and authenticity of "Teza," Haile Gerima's elaborate drama chronicling three decades in the life of an Ethiopian man anguished by his country's social and political crises. The Ethiopia-born director, responsible for such acclaimed works as "Ashes and Embers" (1982) and "Sankofa" (1993), has produced a challenging but rewarding effort that will be essential viewing for those interested in African themes. Currently playing at New York's Lincoln Plaza Cinema as part of a nationwide tour that recently included a two-month run in Washington, the film recently was the subject of a front-page article in the New York Times.

Complicated and occasionally off-putting in terms of structure and style, "Teza" begins in 1990 when Anberber (newcomer Aaron Arefe, delivering a powerful performance), a doctor, returns to his native village and is reunited with his elderly mother. Suffering from various mental and physical infirmities, including the loss of a leg, Anberber is dismayed to see that his country has been devastated by the oppressive Marxist regime that has come into power.

When tribal elders fear that the new arrival is cursed and begin a ritual to cure him, it cues a series of flashbacks depicting his leaving his country in 1974 to move to Germany and study medicine. There, he and his friends embrace socialism and work from afar to overthrow the dictatorial Emperor Haile Selassie. Returning to his homeland upon the rise of power of Haile Mariam Mengistu in the 1980s, he soon discovers that one form of repression has been replaced by another.

The film ultimately takes on more ideas than it can comfortably handle, resulting in a sprawling but never tedious tour throughout modern Ethiopian history, interspersed with meditations on such subjects as personal responsibility, racism and the relationship of the self-exiled to their native lands.

Handsomely shot despite an obviously low budget and considerable logistical difficulties, "Teza" is a valuable addition to the annals of African cinema.

Venue: Lincoln Plaza Cinema (New York) (Mypheduh Films)
Production: Negod-gwad, Pandora Film
Cast: Aaron Arefe, Abeye Tedla, Takelech Beyene, Teje Tesfahun, Nebiyu Baye, Mengistu Zelalem
Director-screenwriter: Haile Gerima
Producers: Haile Gerima, Karl Baumgartner
Director of photography: Mario Masini
Editors: Haile Gerima, Loren Hankin
Music: Vijay Ijer, Jorga Mesfin
Art directors: Patrick Dechesne, Alain-Pascal Housiaux
Costume designer: Wassine Hailu
No rating, 140 minutes

Hollywood Reporter

Michael Jackson's doctor appears in court

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:40:22 +0100

Michael Jackson's relatives are attending a court appearance by the doctor accused of giving him a lethal dose of powerful anaesthetic.

Dr Conrad Murray, 57, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

During a brief procedural hearing in Los Angeles, Dr Murray's case was assigned to Judge Michael Pastor.

Judge Pastor adjourned the case until mid-June, when he is expected to rule on whether to revoke Dr Murray's medical licence pending the full trial.

Members of the Jackson family turned out in force for the largely procedural hearing, led by his parents Katherine and Joe. His siblings Janet, Randy and Jermaine were also present.

Dozens of journalists and fans also packed the downtown courthouse.

California's attorney general has asked the judge to suspend the cardiologist while he faces the charges.

Fans of the late pop star gathered outside the courthouse in downtown LA

Dr Murray's lawyers are fighting that move, saying he needs to practise medicine to pay for his defence.

"He is, without fear of overstatement, hanging on by a thread," they said in court documents.

Dr Murray has previously been ordered not to administer any anaesthetics as a condition of his $75,000 (£49,050) bail.

He is alleged to have administered a lethal dose of Propofol and other drugs, which resulted in the pop star's death on 25 June.

According to US reports, Dr Murray's legal team is to argue that Jackson accidentally killed himself by injecting himself with Propofol.

At the preliminary hearing, scheduled for 14 June, Judge Pastor will decide whether there is enough evidence to go forward with a jury trial.

If convicted, Dr Murray faces up to four years in jail. BBC Entertainment

Album: Mulatu Astatke, Mulatu Steps Ahead (Strut)

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:22:52 +0100

Following his 2008 collaboration with The Heliocentrics, Ethiopian jazz legend Mulatu Astatke's star has risen appreciably, with last October's New York – Addis – London compilation drawn from his Sixties and Seventies work now followed by Mulatu Steps Ahead, his first new studio album in some time.

Recorded with a mixture of Ethiopian musicians, Heliocentrics, British jazz players and Boston's genre-straddling Either/Orchestra, it's an enjoyably eclectic collection in which Astatke standards like the Afro-Latin groove "I Faram Gami I Faram" and "Mulatu's Mood" rub shoulders with more recent compositions such as "Radcliffe" and "The Way To Nice". The former, written for Boston's Radcliffe Institute during Astatke's stay as a Harvard lecturer, makes a languid, meandering opener to the album, its breathy flutes finding shared space with the hoarse quality of the middle-eastern bowed-string sound, before vibes, electric piano and muted trumpet direct it to more exploratory, miasmic territory. "The Way To Nice", by contrast, sounds rather like the Road To Addis Ababa tempered with a few 007 chordings. The cinematic mood continues with "Ethio Blues", where loping, Mancini-esque brass work in alliance with the dry scrape of Ethiopian violin and Mulatu's own vibes.

Listen Mulatu Astatke's Oldies music here @addismood.com

Independent

Obama Twitter account 'hacked by Frenchman'

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:15:05 +0100

A Frenchman who police say hacked Twitter accounts belonging to US President Barack Obama and celebrities could face jail.

The unemployed 25-year-old was arrested on Tuesday after an operation lasting several months, conducted by French police with agents from the FBI.

The 25-year-old is said to have hacked into the micro-blogging website, by simply guessing users' passwords.

The suspect reportedly targeted other celebrities, including Britney Spears.

After being questioned by police, he was ordered to appear at court in the central French city of Clermont-Ferrand on 24 June.

Hacking into a database in France is a crime which can carry a two-year jail term.

The suspect, who used the pseudonym "Hacker Croll", had no specialist training, Adeline Champagnat, head of the French central office against online fraud, told Reuters news agency.

He gained access to Twitter accounts by simply working out the answers to password reminder questions on targets' e-mail accounts, according to investigators. BBC Entertainment