300 PEOPLE, PLACES, EVENTS AND THINGS THAT SHAPED 2011

By Osagie Alonge, Ayomide Tayo, Joseph Akahome, Damilola Ojo and Victoria Ige

Thank God 2011 is over. With it goes all the drama, conflict, and scandal that made Nigeria sometimes an unbearable place to live in. But (and this is a very big but), maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. There was also the music that made the dance-floor the perfect place to forget those conflicts, the  events that helped us get away from reality, and the people that, throughout the year, gave us fodder for gossip, laughter and sometimes, even tears.

There were the blogs we went to, to laugh at red-carpet ‘fauxshionistas’, the hot spots to be seen at, the moments that united us as a people, and the tragedies that brought us to our knees.

If you weren’t tweeting about the hottest topics from your Blackberry, you were probably taking a picture or playing ‘Angry Birds’ on your iPad, or for the lucky ones listening to music on your ‘Beats by Dre’. So yes, thank God 2011 is over. It’s a year that gave us new music, new moments, and the memories that will take us till 2012 and beyond. Here are 300 of those things that made 2011 a year to remember.

234 NEXT

After two years on the stands, the company shutdown their print edition. Reports suggest that the company was plagued with financial trouble throughout its two-year life.

2FACE

It wasn’t a dull year for 2face. The African pop star was jointly awarded ‘Best International Act for Africa’ act at the 2011 edition of the BET Awards. He turned out as the highest winner at the sixth edition of The Headies, taking home three awards. The celebrated singer was featured on popular comedian Monique’s talk show as well as BET’s ‘Welcome to America’ show. Collaborations with Mary J. Blige and Akon also happened, although the materials are yet to be released.

4SHARED

Promoting your music online is a necessity for today’s artiste. This year saw most Nigerian artistes going to 4Shared to upload their music for their fans to download. The file sharing service became the default file sharing site, making it easier for artistes to spread their music on the internet.

9ICE AND VICKY GODIS

Following 9ice’s separation from his wife Toni Payne, news of an Abuja-based lady Vicky Godis delivering a set of twins for the Alapomeji boss hit the tabloids and was the talk of town for weeks. This sparked off reactions from Payne who eventually opened up about what led to their separation.

ABSU RAPE

The gang rape of a female student of the Abia State University by five male students of the school generated a lot of anger and furore by rights activists in the country and beyond. The video of the crime, initially uploaded on popular file sharing network, YouTube was removed because of the outburst it generated.

ADEFEMI OLUBAYO

The super Eagles player died in a car accident while driving on Egnatia Odos, near the city of Kavala, Greece. He was on his way to Nigeria in order to finalise details of his wedding. Adefemi represented his country at the 2008 Olympic Games, playing all the games and scoring a goal in a semi-final match against Belgium. He was 25.

ADELE

English singer-songwriter who recorded enviable success with her sophomore album, 21, released in January, which hit the number 1 spot in 18 countries including the U.S. Adele, is the first living artist to achieve the feat of two top five hits in both the Official Singles Chart and the Official Albums Chart simultaneously since the Beatles in 1964. In July, her single ‘Someone Like You’ set another record, becoming the first song to sell over a million copies in the UK this decade and was named Billboard’s ‘Artiste of the Year’. The latter part of the year saw the singerquit her live shows due to a throat disease.

AGBANI DAREGO

The former Miss World received two endorsements in the space of three months. Darego, a model, was announced as an ambassador for hair care brand Natures Gentle Touch and Arik Air. She also covered the second edition of Mania Magazine.

AGN

The Actors’ Guild of Nigeria is usually in the news for the wrong reasons and never short of drama with the current theme being power tussle. The main characters of this year’s edition of ‘AGN’s Squabbles’ are Emeka ‘Mr. one man mopol’ Ike and Segun Arinze. Apparently both factional leaders are sparring over legitimacy with the one declaring the other’s position illegal. The Emeka Ike faction recently went to an Ikeja High Court to seek a restraining injunction preventing the Segun Arinze faction from holding any election which was earlier scheduled for November. While we watch events with bated breath we can at least commend them for the show of care extended to stricken Nollywood actor Enebeli Elebuwa by providing financial support to him…even if the money wasn’t from their coffers!

AIT

Africa Independent Television marked its 15th year anniversary since it kicked off operations back in December, 1996. The TV station was founded by Raymond Dokpesi through his DAAR Communications platform.

ALASARI

The death of notable Yoruba actor/ producer Ahmed Durojaiye, popularly called Alasari, in a car crash caused a lull in the movie industry as fellow actors and fans alike mourned what they called ‘one death too many’. The bulky Yoruba actor was well loved by fans for his vivid portrayal of boisterous characters in his movies and has featured in several popular Yoruba movies. He was 49.

ALEX IBRU

The founder and publisher of The Guardian Newspaper, passed away at 66 after a prolonged period of illness.

ALIKO DANGOTE

Africa’s richest man and the richest black man in the world with an estimated net worth of $13.8 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Dangote’s business empire traverses the food, agro, manufacturing, oil and gas and transportation sectors of the economy. In November 14th, he was awarded the second highest Nigerian national award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, by President Goodluck Jonathan who, as the 2011 presidential media chat showed, is one of Mr Dangote’s biggest fans.

AL MUSTAPHA

The former Chief Security Office to late Military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, charged with the 1996 murder of Kudirat Abiola, wife of late billionaire businessman & presidential candidate M.K.O. Abiola. In May 2011, there were rumours that al-Mustapha had been murdered at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prisons where he was being held, but they turned out to be untrue.

AKI

One half of the popular acting duo ‘Aki and Pawpaw’ tied the knot with his heartthrob Nneoma Nwaijah at the bride’s hometown in Imo state and later at awhite wedding in Lagos.

ALABA MARKET

In 2011, Alaba showed no signs of getting weaker. The market still distributed a large chunk of the albums in Nigeria. Despite alternative routes springing up and online distribution, Alaba proved that it was still number one home for legitimate and illegitimate music distribution. Such is the influence of Alaba, that many artistes now construct their albums to meet the demands of the Alaba marketers; while many are willing to pay, to have their works included in bootleg mixtapes and compilation CDs.

AMAA

The African Movie Academy Awards held its 7th edition this year. The event which took place at Yenagoa, Bayelsa saw the Congolese gangster movie ‘Viva Riva’ win the majority of the awards. The Ghanaian movie Sinking Sands won three awards, while Nigerian actresses failed to win any award.

AMBER ROSE

This vixen had the whole internet in frenzy when explicit pictures of hers surfaced online setting off a chain reaction of events that strangely saw her profile soar. In the wake of this event, the model and former girlfriend of rapper Kanye West’s highly anticipated visit to Nigeria for the Music Meets Runway fashion show failed to happen. In November, she became a spokesperson for Smirnoff.

AMERICAN IDOL

The tenth season of the series premiered on January 19, 2011. Many changes were introduced, from the format to the personnel. For the first time, the show included online auditions, while Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined Randy Jackson as judges. It was also the first season to have eleven finalists instead of the usual ten. Scotty McCreery won the competition in May, being the youngest male winner and the fourth male in a row to win American Idol.

AMY WINEHOUSE

The world was stunned with news of her death, on July 23, of this promising, award-winning singer at the age of 27. A recovering drug addict, given to bouts of heavy drinking and eccentric behaviour, it seemed strangely ironic that Winehouse would succumb to the lethal effects of alcohol poisoning. However, after her death, her second album ‘Back to Black’ became the UK’s best-selling album of the 21st century, while the Amy Winehouse Foundation was established to provide support to people afflicted with some of the troubles the singer battled unsuccessfully with in her short but memorable life.

ANDROID OS

Android is an operating system for mobile devices such as smart-phones and tablet computers. It is developed by the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google. Android was listed as the best-selling smart-phone platform worldwide by Canalys, with over 200 million Android devices in use to date.

ANTI-GAY BILL

The Nigerian parliament pushed ahead with the bill that not only frowns against; but will punish Nigerians who partake in gay marriage or same sex partners who show public display of affection. The Punishment? 14 years behind bars. The Senate passed the anti-gay bill in December. A couple of human rights groups have however raised its voice against the bill.

APPLE INC

The multinational corporation dominated the IT market this year with the release of new versions of their products, including the iPad 2 and iPhone 4. Following founder, Steve Job’s death, C.O.O Tim Cook assumed the C.E.O’s position.

ARAB UPRISING

Also known as the ‘Arab Awakening’. It is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began December 2010. Its effects have been felt in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya resulting in the fall of its government, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen, the latter resulting in the resignation of the Yemeni prime minister. Major protests occurred in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, and Oman; and minor protests in Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Western Sahara. Clashes at the borders of Israel in May 2011 have also been inspired by the regional Arab Spring.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

The former governor of California made the headlines, not because he was returning to acting, but because an extra-marital affair with a former housekeeper, which produced a son. This scandal led to the crash of his 25 year old marriage.

ARTISTES COALITION

Banky W, Eldee and their colleagues joined PMAN veteran Tony Okoroji to attempt acoalition of artistes that’ll attempt to do what PMAN has failed at. It all seemed up to a good start, with constitutions sorted, and media attention near its peak. And then everything died down. We’re still waiting for something, someone, to rekindle the fire

ASA

Nigerian singer-songwriter whose profile witnessed a boost with numerous international performances and outings, including headlining the 44th edition of the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival, and whose second album ‘Beautiful Imperfection’ made an appearance on Billboard’s World Music chart for the week.

ASHLEY NWOSU

The avalanche of woes befalling the Nigerian movie industry seemed unceasing as one of its foremost practitioners; Ashley Nwosu died after a protracted illness. The well respected actor had earlier slipped into a Coma at the Military Hospital, Yaba where he was being treated for severe liver issues. He was 54.

ATTAHIRU JEGA

Electoral umpire for the 2011 elections. The university professor turned head of INEC was adjudged to have conducted a reasonably fair election, introducing innovative voting patterns and instilling confidence in the voting public after years of general electoral indifference among the masses.

AY LIVE

Popular comedy series of award winning comedian Ayodeji Richard Makun aka AY. This year’s edition set the 5,000 capacity Eko Hotel hall venue of the show alight with brilliant musical and comic performances. In attendance was a veritable line up of stars from all areas of the entertainment industry.

BABA IJESHA

The Popular Yoruba movie actor whose real name is Lanre Omiyinka survived a gruesome motor accident he was involved in while driving to Ogun State in his Toyota Camry Saloon. While he survived the accident, the same cannot be said with the woman who lost her life on the scene of the accident.

BABA SUWE

Main character in one of the most dramatic and bizarre drug scandals ever in Nigerian history. With the local and international frenzy the case generated, the comedian achieved more fame than in all his previous comedy flicks put together.And with a potential 25 million naira to boot, 2011 couldn’t have been a better year for him.

BANK MDs

No room for hiding, for Cecelia Ibru, Erastus Akingbola and other bank chiefs fingered in the Sanusi Lamido corruption sanitation. We’re all too familiar with details of Plea bargains, convictions, asset freezing and property confiscation. And even more facts continue to emerge (as in the Akingbola case) of the volume of misdemeanour the disgraced MDs engaged in while in office. Lessons, for those now occupying those seats

BARACK OBAMA

The president of the most powerful country in the world turned 50 in August. Obama boosted his dwindling political ratings when his administration took out world’s most wanted and most elusive terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, in a ‘surgical operation’ that saw wild jubilation across America and other parts of the world. President Barack Obama has announced his intention to seek re-election in 2012.

BARCELONA FC

Spanish Football Team known for their exciting play and brilliant teamwork. In the 2010–11 season, Barcelona retained the La Liga trophy, their third title in succession, finishing with 96 points. In May, they defeated Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League Final 3–1, winning their fourth European Cup. In August 2011, Arsenal star Cesc Fàbregas was sold to Barcelona, to help defend the Spanish Supercup against Real Madrid. They also added the UEFA super cup to their trophies.

BEATS BY DRE

Initially created to be a part of the now fabled Detox album; Beats by Dre are now one of the most popular headphones in America. Created in 2008 by the legendary Hip-Hop producer Dr. Dre, Beats is no longer seen as studio equipment but a beautiful item to have, especially among true audiophiles. The headphones are so popular that you can see people rocking them on the red carpet and in the clubs. A music video is not complete without one. This year saw the release of the wireless Beats by Dre and other editions.

BEAZY

Fast rising act who set the record as the first Nigerian rapper to record and release the highest number of songs in a year. The 52 songs, which comprise original recordings and remixes were recorded and released from August 2010 to August 2011.

BEN MURRAY-BRUCE

The President of the biggest entertainment empire in Nigeria, the Silverbird Group. His considerable influence in Nigerian entertainment circles did not amount to much in the murky waters of politics, as he was muscled out in the race for governorship of his home state of Bayelsa by what he termed ‘undemocratic’ forces.

BELLA NAIJA

The fashion and lifestyle blog continued to consolidate on its success all through 2011 – premium by all standards, and retaining the crown, even though number one rival Linda Ikeji surpassed it in ranking and audience popularity.

BET

Known for promoting hip hop across the globe the Black Entertainment Television hosted two award shows in 2011 and also introduced the BET cypher, which featured Nigerian rappers: Sauce Kid, Mode9, MI and Naeto C, as well as female rappers Kel, Muna and Blaise.

BEYONCE

The megastar’s release of her album ‘4’ was small potatoes compared to her announcement at the VMAs that she was pregnant. The big revelation drove fans crazy with excitement, prompting nearly 9,000 tweets per second, a record for micro-blogging site twitter in 2011! Beyonce is reportedly due to give birth in February, although speculation is growing that the baby could arrive this December.

BEZ

Alternative soul artist, whose much anticipated album ‘Super Sun’ debuted in July 24th, to positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Bez’s unique sound and unique style stand him out in a crowd. The 15 track ‘Super Sun’ album, which was produced by the enigmatic Cobhams Asuquo, captures the rare and exceptional musical abilities of the singer.

BIANCA OJUKWU

The widow of Igbo revolutionary Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was earlier in the year appointed as a Special Adviser in February 2011, but her husband’s health issues kept her from settling down in the position. After Ojukwu’s death in November, the beauty queen’s name appeared on the list of nominees for ambassadorial appointment. 2011 definitely had its highs and lows for the ex-beauty Queen.

BIG BROTHER AFRICA 6

The sixth season of Big Brother Africa, tagged ‘Amplified’ ran for 91 days from May to July, bringing together 26 housemates from 14 different African countries. Its distinctive feature was the fact that it was the first ever series of Big Brother in the world to have 2 winners – Nigeria’s Karen Igho and Wendall Parson from Zimbabwe.

BLACKBERRY

2011 saw Blackberry manufacturer RIM’s market share further decrease, thanks to stiff competition from iPhone and Android. Blackberry took a huge bashing from the public when the RIM servers went out for 3 consecutive days in October. What made the outage even worse was the release of the new iPhone 4S within the same week. Research In Motion Ltd, the manufacturers of the Blackberry saw their shares plummet at the stock market. Another flop for the brand was the Blackberry Playbook, which failed to make waves in a market dominated by Apple’s iPad.

BOKO HARAM

Arguably the biggest threat to Nigerian national security in decades. This terrorist organization, which openly boasts ties with Al Qaeda, operates mainly by means of bombs, strategically located and detonated to cause maximum impact. They took their scope of operations a notch higher when in August; the UN Headquarters in Abuja was blown up by a suicide car bomber incurring national wrath and international spotlight on their nefarious activities. They have vowed to outlaw western education in the entire northern region.

BRANDY

Grammy award winning singer Brandy Norwood was recently in the country to perform at the MTN Project Fame West Africa season 4 opening. The ‘Aphrodisiac’ singer, who thrilled the audience during her performance, said she was delighted to visit Nigeria for the first time.

CABO SNOOP

After a successful 2010, the Angolan artiste did not relent on his achievements. Rap star Fat Joe jumped on the remix of his smash hit Windeck, while he joined J. Martins on a remix of his track Good Tym. The singer was also nominated alongside Wizkid and Fally Ipupa for ‘Best International Act’ at MTV Europe Music Awards.

CALABAR CARNIVAL

The annual Cross River State Christmas festival stands out as one of the most colourful events of the year in Africa. Featuring carnival, games, cultural display, art exhibition, pageant and music performances, tourists from all across the world to enjoy themselves.

CD JOHN

Fast rising comedian, John Chijioke, popularly called CD John, appeared to have finally made a breakthrough in the business, when the cold hands of death snatched him via a car crash in March. The late comedian was on his way home after performing at the ‘Industry Nite’ event. He was known for his hilarious portrayal of imaginary Igbo Evangelicals during his comic shows. He died barely three days before his 28th birthday.

CHANNEL O

The Channel O Music Video awards, also known as Spirit of Africa Music Awards, organized by South African based Channel O television. The awards are prestigious and winners are voted by Channel O’s viewers across the continent. This year’s edition took place in South Africa, and was co-hosted by Nigerian R&B sensation Banky W.

CHARLY BOY

The eccentric former PMAN president got picked as a judge for the second season of popular reality show ‘Nigerian Idol’. He also conducted his own ‘Street Idol’ where he went to the streets in search of talented individuals. During the Enugu auditions of the show, he appeared with his pet python, which caused a lot of commotion.

CHIDINMA MBALASO

Finalist on the 2009 Koko Mansion reality show who died in a car crash on March 25 while on her way back to Abuja in her new car. The University of Abuja undergraduate was the 2nd runner up in the maiden edition of the TV show. She was 22.

CHINUA ACHEBE

The Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic made headlines a couple of times during the year; Achebe who was named the most influential celebrity in Africacame out to stop rapper 50 Cent from titling his movie ‘Things Fall Apart’, the name attributed to his 1958 award winning novel. And to think that was all, the 81-year-old for the second time turned down a National Honour stating that it was ‘inappropriate’ for the government to offer him the award again since the issues for him rejecting it the first time had not been resolved.

CHOCOLATE CITY

Chocolate City, which is home to acts like M.I, Jesse Jagz and Brymo continued its winning ways by releasing Ice Prince’s highly anticipated album Everybody Loves Ice Prince. Chocolate City also expanded its base by signing the popular DJ Caise as an artiste, DJ and producer. The record label, owned by Audu Maikori, has also expanded into the East African market.

CHRIS AIRE

Though from a well to do family, the young Chris left Nigeria at an early age to pursue his music dreams in the United States of America, much to the chagrin of his businessman father. Chris Aire worked menial jobs and after stumbling into the jewellery business climbed his way slowly and steadily up the success ladder in a field ‘not meant for black men’. His designs have been worn by top celebrities in the entertainment world including Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, 50 Cent, Jamie Foxx and a host of others. The ‘Iceman’ as he is fondly called is reputed to be the first jeweller to stage a show during the New York Fashion Week to display unusual jewelleries as fashion. He recently launched a boutique in Abuja, Nigeria on November 30.

CHRIS BROWN

Brown’s fourth studio album F.A.M.E., released in March, debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 270,000 copies, giving Brown his first number-one album in the United States. Its lead single, ‘Yeah 3x’, reached the top-ten in eleven countries worldwide. The album’s second single, ‘Look at Me Now’ featuring rappers Lil’ Wayne and Busta Rhymes, reached number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it remained for eight consecutive weeks. His chart-topping success aside, Brown also made headlines with a nude photo leak, and several twitter outbursts, which led to him leaving the social network in November.

CHRISTY ESSIEN-IGBOKWE

Nigeria’s Lady of Songs and former Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) president, died in June after a brief illness. She began her musical career in secondary school, where she sang at various clubs. In 1976, she joined the satirical NTA series, The New Masquerade where she acted the very engaging character, Apena. Her farewell was an elaboration week-long celebrationspanning several states in the country. She was mourned by many, cutting across all sectors of the economy. She was 51.

CHROME

Popular Night club which witnessed a lot of events in the year. It is a favourite hang out spot for celebrities and has hosted a-list events including album release parties and even the eviction party for Big Brother Africa Amplified winner, Karen Igho. It has however been enmeshed in controversy lately over ownership tussle. It was formerly known as Tribeca.

CITY FM

Radio station in Lagos that debuted in July 2010. It frequency is 105.1 and is owned by Orpheus communication. The radio station was recently in the news over mass sack of its employees- some of them foundation staff- allegedly without accumulated benefits.

CITY PEOPLE

Nigeria’s leading weekly soft sell magazine is still very much popular, building a readership base that transcends location, class and taste. Now 15 years and counting, CP expanded its interests in events, fashion and entertainment – throwing the most number of events by any journal in 2011.

COOL FM

The popular radio station might just have remained as passive as they were the year before if not for the termination of employment issued to two of their popular On-air personalities Ejike and Vicky Alozie. Ardent listeners of the station expressed their bitter thoughts on their departure which was followed by another popular OAP at the station – Larry D.

CONRAD MURRAY

The personal physician to the late pop star Michael Jackson was tried and found guilty for the crime of involuntary manslaughter of the music legend. He was thensentenced to four years in a county jail.

COSON

Headed by former PMAN president Tony Okoroji, the collecting society was active all year, emphasizing the need for artistes to register their content in other to benefit from royalties. They also waged war against popular radio station Cool FM when they asked President Goodluck to revoke their licences as well as that of the sister company Wazobia FM.

CLARENCE PETERS

The talented video director/editor tried to be as ubiquitous as possible and did just about that. Directing a chunk of music videos this year through his CAPITAL pictures oufit, Peters travelled to Eastern Africa to shoot and direct a few jobs for a handful of popular acts which include CAMP Mulla. Lest we forget, he also travelled to Miami along with Naeto C to shoot his ‘5 and 6’ video.

COBHAMS

Award winning producer and prolific songwriter whose December, 2010 wedding to sweetheart Odunola made entertainment headlines across the country. Almost a year later, in November, the couple welcomed the arrival of their baby boy who was born in the U.S. Cobhams reigned all year as one of Nigeria’s leading producers, lending his fingers and his voice, to some of the year’s biggest cuts.

CRISTIANO RONALDO

In May 2011, Ronaldo became the highest goal-scorer in a season in the history of Real Madrid with 51 goals. He would later finish the season with a total of 53 goals, making him the first Real Madrid player to ever reach and surpass 50 goals in a season. Six days later, Ronaldo broke the record of most goals ever scored in a season in La Liga with 40. Ronaldo also broke Telmo Zarra’s record of most goals per minute, with a goal scored every 70.7 minutes. He also won the European Golden Shoe award, becoming the first player to win the trophy in two different championships.

D’BANJ

2011 is a year that witnessed unprecedented showers of blessing on the ‘Koko master’. He made his international debut in a big way, featuring rap legend Snoop Dogg on the Mr Endowed remix, inked a deal with GOOD music label boss, Kanye West and even managed to have the famous rapper make an appearance at his Koko concert in London.  He also made headlines when he failed to show up at the Channel O Awards ceremony where he was scheduled to receive a special recognition award. Our candidate for man of the year…

D’PRINCE

The Mo’Hits act and younger brother to the label’s boss Don jazzy has enjoyed huge media attention after the release of his three singles and the follow-up hit ‘Give it to me’. Late in the year, he set up his night club called ‘Jonzing’, which is actually a transformation of the popular Club Karma situated on Victoria Island, Lagos.

DAGRIN

The rapper might have passed away a year before but still remained very relevant with recently released posthumous recordings and videos. He was fondly remembered on the anniversary of his death; with a biopic premiered in his honour.

DAKORE EGBUSON

Nollywood actress who made headlines with her high profile wedding to billionaire businessman’s son, Olumide Akande in January. The couple welcomed the arrival of their baby daughter in the United States of America.

DAREY

2011 has been a very busy and rewarding year for R&B act Darey. In between recording songs, notably his high-life duet with Flavour, & a remix with U.S rapper Chamillionaire, he also released his humorous ‘Ba Ni Ki Di’ video. The father-of-one also found time to juggle hosting the ‘Glo Naija Sings’ talent show, and Gulder Ultimate Search, throwing in the occasional interviews and shows here and there. It’s no wonder that this dynamo sits pretty at the top spot of highly sought after entertainers in the land.

DAVID CAMERON

Prime minister of the United Kingdom, 43-year-old Cameron is the youngest British Prime Minister since the Earl of Liverpool 198 years earlier. He generated a furore recently when he hinted on plans to hold back aid from countries that do not recognise gay rights, apparently in a response to Nigeria’s position on same sex marriages. In December, he made international headlines when he vetoed an EU-wide treaty change to tackle the eurozone crisis, saying it was not in the UK’s interests.

DAVID GUETTA

This French music producer and DJ has sold over three million albums and 15 million singles worldwide and is currently one of the most sought-after music producers. Guetta’s fifth studio album, ‘Nothing but the Beat’ was released on August 30, 2011. The album features the hit single ‘Sweat’ with Snoop Dogg, and features songs with Ludacris, Taio Cruz, Kelly Rowland & Usher, among others.

DAVIDO

The Promising fast rising pop singer who made a huge entry into the Nigerian music scene with his chart topping single, ‘Back When’, featuring Storm records rap act, Naeto C.

DELE MOMODU

The publisher of Ovation International, Chief Dele Momodu contested for president under the National Conscience Party ticket. He eventually lost, but his colourful comments and speeches were highly entertaining during the election period.

DEOLA SAGOE

Fashion designer from Ondo State in Nigeria. She began designing in 1998 and has gained international exposure for her lively and colorful designs. Her fashion brand, the house of Deola Sagoe was established in Nigeria in 1989. Sagoe frequently exhibits her couture collection at Cape Town Fashion Week and has been an invited guest of New York Fashion Week in the past. Sagoe has won the ‘Africa Designs’ and the MNET/ Anglo Gold African designs 2000 awards for which she was nominated by Andre Leon Tally, US Vogue editor. She was recently honoured at a colorful ceremony by the Creative Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria as a fashion icon and for her contributions to that field and for placing Nigeria in the limelight of global fashion. Her numerous fans include Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.

DENCIA

Up-coming singer and video vixen who was in the news for everything but her music this year. From a bathroom brawl at the Headies, to taking delivery of a Bentley, to a prank reality show casting call, to apparently being involved in an accident, people have been talking about Dencia. Some have argued that the model, who couldn’t take her aspirations in entertainment far in the U.S, has been involved in one publicity stunt or the other to become a force to reckon with in Nigerian entertainment. She has sometimes been referred to as the African version of Nicki Minaj for her outlandish attire, surgically enhanced body, and quirky style.

DENRELE EDUN

This former Soundcity VJ, known for his outlandish attires and bizarre hair-do, is very well known in entertainment circles. He is one of the most featured acts in Nigerian music videos even though not a professional musician himself. He was recently selected by Channel O as one its new faces for the station among Joey from Kenya, Jtwon from Ghana, Joe Kate from Tanzania and Flavia from Uganda.

DIMEJI BANKOLE

Former speaker of the House of Representatives, whose arrest by the EFCC over misappropriating funds in excess of 40 billion naira made headlines. He lost his re-election bid to the House of Representatives to Hon. Segun Williams.

DJ CAISE

BEAT FM’s in-house DJ, DJ Caise in 2011 went from deejaying at Piccolo Mondo every Friday night to deejaying at some of the biggest events this year, including Big Brother Africa. He also released a few songs off his upcoming Gidi Mafia House album and was signed to Chocolate City later in the year.

DJ JIMMY JATT

Veteran Disc Jockey whose profile, despite having spent over a decade in the industry, continues to be on the rise. JATT’s performance schedule reads like a novel with hardly any space between. He performed in various shows in and outside the country including the Notting hill Carnival and the Smirnoff Midnight Circus. He also hosted his annual Jimmy’s Jump Off gig which was attended by a host of Nigerian artistes.

DJ TEE

Just when we thought the popular video director had mastered his disappearing act and gone off the radar, he often reared his head (or in this case, his camera) back in the scene. His efforts paid off as he received two awards for ‘Best Director’ at The Headies and NMVAs.

DOMINIQUE STRAUSS KAHN

Touted as the next president of France, Strauss Kahn’s ambition of ruling his country took a huge dent earlier this year, after 32 year old maid Nafissatou Diallo alleged that he sexually assaulted her after she entered his hotel room. He was formally indicted seven days after and was placed under house arrest in his New York apartment. After a lengthy investigation all charges against him were dropped.

DON JAZZY

Enigmatic head-honcho of the Mo’ Hits empire and producer extraordinaire. He clinched a deal with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. music label as one of its in-house producers and has lent his production expertise to Jay Z and Kanye West’s ‘Lift Off’ which features Beyonce. He was rated the 36th ‘most powerful celebrity in Africa’ according to Forbes. He recently turned 29.

DUECES

Situated in the Lagos Island and managed by Lanre Nzeribe, this popular hang out for celebrities offers a classy environment for the social elite. It also boasts of an enviable VIP section that simulates the converted end of a swimming pool. It has hosted top notch events over time.  However the ownership of the club changed hands over what may have been caused by financial troubles.

DUNCAN MIGHTY

2011 was definitely full of great memories for Duncan Okechukwu Might. The year saw him achieve his much sought after musical success with his breakthrough smash hit single ‘Port Harcourt Son’. The Ikwerre-born singer had everybody singing his popular tune, while he smiled all the way to the bank. The chart busting hit earned him pride of place in the assembly of A-list entertainers in the country.

EKO HOTEL

Five Star Luxury Hotel situated in the commercial capital of Nigeria, which hosted a majority of the A-list events that took place in 2011. Its one-in-town 5000 capacity banquet hall (called expo hall) was the main attraction for big-budget weddings, concerts, awards, expos and all.

ELDEE

Lanre Dabiri enjoyed a career boosting year after featuring as a judge on the sprite triple slam competition, co-hosted the prestigious Headies awards (alongside Rita Dominic), and collaborated with Banky W and Tiwa Savage on ‘Toast to the good life’. More remarkably, he inaugurated his own talent show called ‘top talent’, and resumed his role as an A&R guru…

ELECTIONS

The 2011 elections marked another historic chapter in the country, incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan flying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) waselected as President edging out his closet rivals Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) flag bearer Nuhu Ribadu. But it was a tad chaotic before then as issues of voting registration, voting procedures and violence reported in the Northern part of the country almost marred the election.

ELIZABETH TAYLOR

One of Hollywood’s greatest screen legends, the late British-American actress was one of the world’s most famous film stars. Taylor was recognized more for her glamorous lifestyle, beauty and distinctive violet eyes than for her acting ability. She died of heart failure in March, having suffered many years of ill health. She was 79.

ENCOMIUM WEEKLY

The weekly tabloid remains a go-to publication for decent celeb news and gossip; retaining the respectability that eludes most soft-sell journals.

EMINEM

2011 saw this Detroit rapper re-assert himself as the undisputed king of hip hop. In March, his previous albums: ‘The Eminem Show’ and ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ were certified diamond by the RIAA, making him the only rapper to have two diamond-certified albums. He also climbed to the top of the Facebook charts by being the most followed person with more than 40 million ‘likes’, outscoring Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Michael Jackson.

ENEBELI ELEBUWA

Andrew needs your prayers again. Not to check out this time; but go get well. The veteran actor is lying in hospital, after suffering a stroke that has kept him down.The man confused by many as Don Jazzy’s father was in the news for months, following the announcement of his health challenge, and efforts to help him through it.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

A group of Nigerian youths marched to National Assembly as part of a peaceful protest. The group made up of youth from various fields and industries protested against ‘the current state of the nation’ and saying ‘Enough is Enough‘. EiE soon became a movement that resonated with young Nigerians across the country; becoming one of the most influential voices during the 2011 general elections

ENTERTAINMENT EXPRESS

Former front men of The Sun, Dimgba Igwe and Mike Awoyinfa teamed up with Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase and Ehi Braimoh to deliver a 16-paged entertainment tabloid that got everyone buzzing. In less than a year, the weekly newspaper is now finding love with the vendors, and increasing its frequency…

ERNEST COOVI-ADJOVI

The executive producer and chairman of the KORA Awards, Ernest Adjovi is no stranger to controversy. This year, he was arrested after allegedly defrauding three Nigerian bodies. His arrest stemmed from his involvement with the Cross River government in 2008. He allegedly collected $2.5M from the state government, then also allegedly took an advance payment of $7.5m from the Bola Tinubu-led Lagos State government. He later allegedly absconded with the money and held the awards in Burkina Faso. At the event, the pop duo P-Square won the ‘Artiste of the Year’ award which came with $1M cash prize, which the musicians say they still haven’t received.

EYO FESTIVAL

The Eyo Masquerade festival, one of the biggest festivals in Nigeria was held in November and was staged in honour of the late Pa Yesufu Abiodun Oniru, at the Tafawa Balewa Square.

FACEBOOK

Facebook’s market growth started to stall in some regions, with the site losing 7 million active users in the United States and Canada in May 2011. Nevertheless, the site boasts of 800 million followers worldwide. Rumours of the site shutting were also debunked by the founder Mark Zuckerberg. What’s true, actually, is amazing revenue growth, profitability and influence that sees FB more powerful that several countries.

FACTORY 78

Based in the UK, Factory 78 conducted interesting video interviews with some of Nigeria’s biggest artistes who performed in the U.K, including P-Square, Darey, Wande Coal and Olamide; opening new angles to developing showbiz content not just for Nigeria-based audiences but for those scattered all over the world.

FAJ

Femi Akintunde Johnson, the writers’ writer who ruled for decades – from The PUNCH to Encomium and Treasure – before seeing his star dim, returned in 2011; publishing two books and celebrating his 50th birthday.

FALLY IPUPA

The Congolese singer continued his domination of the African pop scene in 2011. He also made his presence felt in the Nigerian market, featuring on J. Martin’s ‘Jupa’ remix and performing at the MTV Live stage concert alongside 2Face Idibia and J. Martins. Romanticized by the ladies, Ipupa is working on his spoken English, and working to spend more time here, so he can  reciprocate the love Nigerian girls are showing him.

FEMI KUTI

Grammy nominated and KORA-winning eldest son of Afro beat Maestro, Fela Kuti. The 48 year old Femi has achieved musical integrity and is a bonafide musician in his own right, having played in major stages all across the world. He has also shown a strong commitment to social and political causes his father lived, and died for all his life. His recently released album Africa for Africa has earned him a Grammy nomination, his third in a row in the world beat category. And yes, he’sexpecting his sixth child (this one, from another Positive Force dancer)

FELABRATION

‘Felabration’ is a week-long music festival which began in 2007, in celebration of the life of a music icon- FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI, the iconic Afro-beat king who died in 1997. The musical jamboree attracts fans from around the globe, with each year witnessing even greater audience participation, in terms of numbers. The 2011 edition featured international acts like Wizkid, Mo’Hits All Stars, Da-les (of Jozi), Darey, Sound sultan, etc

FELA!

The three time Tony award winning musical with a book by Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis is based on music and lyrics by the late Nigerian singer Fela Kuti. It is based on events in the life of Fela Anikulapo Kuti and portrays him in his turbulent days with the Nigerian military government. The musical ran Off-Broadway for one month in 2008 and premiered on Broadway on November 23, 2009.  Fela! Showed in Nigeria this year, becoming the first-ever Broadway production to happen here. The FELA!  tour which ended in November 6, had an opening performance on Sept 16 at the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington D.C. It starred Sahr Ngaujah and Adesola Osakalumi.

FERNADO TORRES

The Spanish striker who plies his trade with English premier league giants, Chelsea FC. Torres completed his move to Chelsea on a five-and-a-half year contract in January for an undisclosed fee reported to be £50 million, which set a new record for a British transfer and made him the fourth most expensive footballer in history.

FEYI WINFUNKE

The founder of Waterparks and Aquatic Hotels died on May17, 2011. He had been ill for some time and was undergoing treatment in America. The recreation events centre had hosted numerous music events since its creation in the 90’s.

FIFA CRISIS

The apex body governing world football was steeped in controversy earlier in the year over issues of corruption leading to suspension, and subsequent ban of some of its senior officials.

FLAVOUR

Flavour is not quite an A-list musician in the strict sense, but his music was a club, and radio stable this year. In an era during which hip hop inclined music is the norm, Flavour has raised the bar and upped the ante with his highlife sound. Hit songs like Oyi and Ash*wo (remix) have firmly established him as a household name all over Nigeria and beyond. With star collaborations with rapper M.I and R&B singer Darey, this young artiste has proven his star power and versatility beyond reasonable doubt. The highlife singer was also involved in record label squabbles but managed to keep calm and focus on his music.

FLOODS IN LAGOS

The effects of the much talked about global warming seemed like stories from faraway lands, as most Nigerians were concerned. Until unprecedented rains and consequent flooding earlier in the year ravaged Lagos state and its’ environs, leading to loss of lives and property. The devastating effects were attributed to improper waste disposal by people and erection of unapproved buildings along ‘waterways’.

FLYTIME PROMOTIONS

Cecil Hammond’s events company would easily win the prize for show promoter of the year. With over a dozen in-house and third party events; drawing cumulative crowds that could total over a million, Flytime reigned supreme in 2011. Hopefully, someone, someday, will explain their deal with Eko Hotels…

FOURSQUARE

In January 2011, foursquare, a location-based social networking website for mobile devices, was named Best Location Based Service in the TechCrunch Crunchies 2010. As of June 2011, the company reported it had 10 million registered users, and managed to raise $50 million on a $600 million valuation. Popularity in Nigeria is still growing, but those who know what time it is, are already on the train.

FRANK EDOHO

Ranking as one of the biggest entertainment news of the year, popular presenter of ‘who wants to be a millionaire’, Frank Edoho stunned many with the announcement of his separation from his wife Katherine. The father-of-three revealed through his twitter handle that there was no going back on the separation and even further added that if he spilled on what really occurred, ‘jaws will drop’.

FUNKE AKINDELE

She is regarded as the queen of the Yoruba genre of Nollywood, having made a considerable mark in that area. Funke Akindele, more than any actress, has set standards that are hard to ignore in terms of story-telling and acting. Her award-winning movie, Jenifa has sold more than any movie in 2008. The follow up, ‘The Return of Jenifa’ premiered to widespread commercial success in 2011. She was recently unveiled as the face of SoKlin, a popular detergent marketed by Eko Supreme.

THE FUTURE AWARDS

The Future Awards held another successful edition this year. The 2011 edition took place at the Landmark Events Centre, Oniru Estate, Lagos; with the organisers merging advocacy, youth development and reward, with lavish red carpet fun and memorable performances…

G-SHOCK WATCHES

G-Shock Watches reigned supreme in 2011 when it came to wrist-wear. Manufactured by the electronic devices company Casio, G-Shock watches were initially built for sports and outdoor activities, but found their way to the entertainment sector. Since its entrance, G-Shock has fast become the number one watch to rock. At many events, you’ll see celebs rocking the watches from the most simple to the customized blinged out types.

GENEVIEVE

Despite not featuring in many ‘Nollywood’ flicks this year, this star actress and one of the leading lights in the Nigerian entertainment scene, witnessed an immense career boost after being hosted on CNN’s ‘Connect Africa’ program. She was also honored with a Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) medal.

GET ARENA

A top spot all year, for hosting big events as well as a perfect recreational spot. It is an ideal place to watch Live Matches, offers an activity arena including, games arcade for kids, go-kart for the family and various groups, fine Dinning and more. It is located in the Lekki axis of Lagos and has hosted events and celebrities in its arena including playing host to DJ Jimmy Jatt’s ‘Jimmy’s Jump Off’ Live earlier in the year.

GLO NAIJA SINGS

The television reality show, currently in its second stage, was initially called Naija Sings. It offered one of the biggest prize monies in Nigerian entertainment: a hundred thousand US dollars which no doubt attracted a lot of contestants for the challenge. The show’s audience-centric format, judges and hosts were subjected to criticism from many. Telecoms giant, Globacom was responsible for providing the cash prize of $100,000, in addition to a Toyota RAV4 SUV.

GODWON

Returnee rapper Godwon joined the fray of artistes in the country battling for stardom and offering rap audiences a wide variety of options to feed off. He released his album, ‘Evolution’ on the 18th of June and it featured lead singles like, ‘As we dey go’ and ‘Too much money’ featuring Sauce kid. Later in the year, he parted ways with the label, stating he wasn’t getting the much needed attention.

GOLDIE

The very resilient ‘Nigerian Lady Gaga’ Goldie Harvey has emerged from just another wannabe to a confident and grounded artiste over time, leading to quite a number of achievements in the music industry. She emerged the best hip hop female artiste of the year at the City People Awards and her video ‘You Know it’ and its audio were nominated in the best collaboration category and the best video category in the 2011 edition of the Headies Awards. She has definitely stepped up her game and deserves the accolades and more trailing her success.

GOODLUCK JONATHAN

This Bayelsa-born former university lecturer shattered Nigerian political power myths when he assumed office on May 29th, 2011 as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His meteoric rise to the top office in the country remains an unparalleled phenomenon. From Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, to Governor, on to Vice President, then Acting President after late president Musa Yar’Adua’s death, and eventually to President, all within an 11 year span, Goodluck Jonathan sure does embody the definition of his first name. The amount of support received during his presidential campaign attests to the fact that Nigerians saw in him someone with whom they could identify. His presidential campaign machinery will go down in history as one of the most effective ever assembled and coordinated by any previous presidential hopeful.

GOOGLE

The world’s number one search engine directly challenged Facebook when it created its own social networking site, Google + this year. The social network is integrated with all of Google’s products, such as Gmail and You Tube. Lips zipped on whether it was a successful venture or otherwise.

GRAMMYS

The 2011 Grammy Awards were a spectacular affair with Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Christina Aguilera, Gwyneth Paltrow and the Muppets taking the stage. It was the biggest night in the music industry featuring brilliant performances by Mick Jagger, the Muppets, Eminem and Bruno Mars, it held at Los Angeles.

GULDER ULTIMATE SEARCH

Created in 2004, the popular reality show has continued to hold millions of Nigerians spell-bound. This year’s edition was no different as ‘The Champion of Champions’ became a ‘must watch’ for many Nigerians. This year’s format was expanded to accommodate more contestants, with prizes for this edition totalling over N30 million.

HAIR

Indian hair. Brazillian hair. Malaysian hair. Etc etc etc. Just like designer bags and shoes, hair extensions continued to be a must have accessory for fashion forward ladies who have the means.

HIP TV

The Urban 24 hour music channel begun broadcasting on the cable platform of HiTV in 2011. The new channel is mainly pre-occupied with broadcasting news from the world of entertainment, video profiling, documentaries, interviews and others. Hip TV regulars include ‘Caught Out There’, ‘I Thought You Knew’ and ‘Dead Curious’.

HITV

Entertainment Highways multi-channel digital satellite TV service launched in 2007. It is the first television platform in Africa to deploy Hypercable, a terrestrial pay per view TV decoder system. It, however, was recently in the news over debt problems (reportedly over N7b), prompting its closure by a court order effected by its creditors, GT Bank.

HENNESSY ARTISTRY

Hennessy Artistry held its fifth edition this year. The theme song in 2011 was performed by eLDee, Tiwa Savage, Banky W and was produced by Jesse Jagz. The title of the song was ‘Toast to the Good Life’. As part of the build-up, the artistes were taken to the cognac region in France to have a first-hand glimpse of the Hennessy process.

HEAVY D

Hip Hop legend passed away on November 8, 2011. His death was traced to pneumonia. He died at the age of 44. His death shook the Hip-Hop community, which regarded him as a pioneer who laid the stylistic blueprint for other great rappers such as Notorious BIG, BIG Pun, Fat Joe and Rick Ross. His funeral was attended by many influential personalities in the Hip-Hop industry such as Diddy and Jay-Z.

ICE PRINCE

Chocolate city rapper and hitmaker, Panshak Zamani, otherwise known as Ice Prince debuted his much awaited album, ELI, or Everybody Loves Ice Prince, to the public in October 9th 2011- few months after losing his mom. The LP featured his smash hit single Oleku, featuring label mate Brymo.

IDIBIA BABES

2Face’s baby mamas stayed in the news all year. News of Sumbo Ajaba becoming born-again hit the newsstands. Pero Adeniyi also made the headlines when she claimed that 2face gave her a diamond engagement ring; a claim that was denied out rightly by the singer.  Annie Macaulay also got into the act when it was revealed that she got into a fight with her friend Ojia Adamolekun over the latter’s affair with Idibia.  There are unconfirmed reports of affairs with Tiwa Savage and Ure Okezie. But no, we won’t bother going there.

IFEANYI DIKE

The Nollywood giant and TV star had it low this year, with a lingering illness that threatened his life and livelihood. Colleagues and fans, as well as few public officers, rallied round him, helping to secure overseas treatment for the ailing actor. He’s since returned home, well and alive…

IK

‘Wildchild’ as he was formerly called has no doubt seen several notches carved up his totem pole with his rising profile, anchoring the Temptation Nigeria, studio 53, comedy club live in Lagos to Big Brother Africa All Stars and the Big Brother Amplified. His services as a Master of Ceremonies are sought after nationally, and he was recently announced as one of the M-Net stars chosen for M-Net’s Forever Magic campaign celebrating ‘25 Years of Magic’! All the professional accolades were topped off with the addition of a baby girl to his family in November.

IKECHUKWU AND SARAH OFILI

This high profile couple continued their love affair in the New Year with Ikechukwu proposing to his model partner. Later this year, the popular celebrated his birthdaywith Sarah and a select number of celeb friends. That they’re engaged is no longer news; what we’re hoping is that they’ll announce a wedding date in 2012. Jealous? Yeah, we are too…

INDUSTRY NIGHT

Industry Night, a weekly event, became the gathering where artistes, DJs and industry tastemakers could meet and catch up on industry trends. Most importantly, mainly upcoming acts got a chance to perform at the event, alongside more established musicians.

INI EDO

Nollywood actress who after her marriage withdrew from the scene for a while. However, she came back to the scene in unusual circumstances. On the one hand, she successfully premiered a movie she produced titled ‘I’ll Take My Chances’. On the other hand, she was involved in an online vote rigging scandal for viewers favourite Nollywood actress that led to supposed rivalry between her and colleague Rita Dominic.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABOS

International collabos were the ‘in-thing’ in 2011 among the A-list artistes in Nigeria.D’Banj did the Mr. Endowed remix with Snoop Dogg; Akon dropped a verse on Don’t Dull remix by Wizkid and Don Jazzy co-produced two tracks off the ‘Watch The Throne’ album by Kanye West and Jay-Z. And then, remember Darey’s duet with Chamillionaire on the remix for ‘the way you are’…

IPAD 2

The iPad 2 continued where its predecessor stopped. It was released on March 25, 2011 in 25 countries. Upon its release, the iPad 2 was sold out within hours in many cities across the world. It is estimated that Apple has sold almost 40 million units of the iPad 2.

ITUNES STORE

The software-based online digital media store operated by Apple Inc has become the number one site to buy digital songs which sells for $0.99 per track. As at July 2011, over 10 billion songs have been downloaded

IYA OFILI

Popular Yoruba actress, Modupe Tomori, otherwise known as Iya Ofili Ganga was one of the numerous Nollywood acts that passed away this year. She died at her Oshogbo residence after reportedly complaining of headache.

JAPAN

The island nation in East Asia was plagued with a series of unfortunate disasters which started with a devastating earthquake; followed by a Tsunami and subsequently a nuclear crisis when reactors malfunctioned. The country’s governing Democratic Party elected the former finance minister, Yoshihiko Noda as the prime minister in August after Naoto Kan, who had failed to galvanize Japan after the disaster was forced to resign.

JARA TV

Jara TV hosted by Helen Paul and Big Brother winner Uti was created this year and has since gone on to become one of the most interesting and well produced shows on the cable channel, Africa Magic. Packed with a lot of humour, the pidgin-style show informs the audience on the latest happening in Nigeria’s movie industry.

J COLE

Born Jermaine Lamarr Cole, this German born American rapper, singer and record producer was the first artist signed to Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation. His heavily anticipated debut album, titled Cole World: The Sideline Story was released in September. It features the lead single, ‘Cant Get Enough’ with R&B star Trey Songz.

JENNIFER LOPEZ

The beginning of the year saw the superstar sexy singer making a comeback to music, after a hiatus, with her lead single titled ‘On the Floor’ featuring Pitbull. It achieved worldwide success on the charts, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Lopez her first top ten on the chart since 2003. ‘I’m Into You’, the second single, was released in April, and featured rapper Lil Wayne. It reached #41 in the U.S, and top 20 positions internationally. The song also reached the Top 10 in The U.K. The album ‘Love?’ was released in May, and reached #5 On The Billboard 200. The singer also stunned the world in July with news of her separation from her third husband Marc Anthony, after seven years of marriage.

JESSIE J

Her debut album, Who You Are, was released in February 2011 and charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. Also in that same month, the young singer won a BRIT Award, Critics’ Choice. It was revealed in October 2011 that Jessie J will be a coach and a mentor on the television show, The Voice UK.

JOBBERMAN

Jobberman.com is a popular job search engine that went live in August 2009. The site reportedly attracts over 50,000 users each day. Jobberman matches job seekers with the right employees based on certain parameters. It has become hugely popular among the teeming majority of job seekers in the country. Its co-founder and chief visionary is 27-year-old, Nigerian-born Ayodeji Adewunmi.

JOKE SILVA

The veteran actress celebrated her 50th birthday and 25 years of acting. She alsorenewed marriage vows with Olu Jacobs at a special gathering attended by a few friends.

JUSTIN BIEBER

2011 is another fantastic year for 17-year-old Justin; winning six Billboard Awards, five MTV awards, one Brit Award amongst others. He released his follow up album to his debut ‘Under the Mistletoe’ in November and landed at the top of the Billboard Chart. We were already getting used to his highly publicized relationship with teen pop actress/singer Selena Gomez when rumours of the pop star impregnating a fan surfaced.

JOE FRAIZER

Former Olympic and undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion Joseph William ‘Joe’ Frazier died at the age of 67 after battling with Liver Cancer, a month after he was diagnosed. He was buried a week after his death.

JULIANA OBEY

Juliana Obey, wife of the juju legend turned pastor Ebenezer Obey died of a heart related disease in August at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). She was married to Dr. Ebenezer Obey for 48 years.

KAFFY

Guinness world record holder in dancing Kafayatu Shafau has been featured in quite a number of music videos where she displays her energetic dance moves to the admiration of viewers. However, one dance move we didn’t quite get to catch resulted in the baby bumpwhich the media was quick to notice and jump on. Suddenly she was all over the news for reasons other than her dance prowess. Initially, the dancer- choreographer kept mum until it was physically impossible to do so. She’s since announced that a Psquare band member is her ‘baby daddy’, and wedding is on the cards…

KATE HENSHAW

When news broke of this Nollywood actresses’ failed marriage to husband Rodderick Nuttal, quite a few industry watchers and critics were shocked beyond limits. Why?  Before the news broke, Kate Henshaw, being the exceptional actor she was had given the façade of a happy marriage even during her 40th birthday party where she and hubby acted out what now appears to be a well interpreted script. At the time, they were already living apart and rarely saw each other, though still within the Lekki suburbs. And the winner of the Oscar for best actress is … (Apparently, NUT-ALL that glitters is gold)!

KELLY ROWLAND

This year, ex-Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland finally stepped out from Beyonce’s huge shadow, scoring a number one hit with her song ‘Motivation’ featuring Lil Wayne. Motivation was at the top spot on the Hot R & B/Hip-Hop songs chart for seven weeks in a row, and was certified platinum in August. Kelly Rowland was also picked as a judge for the 8th series of the British television show The X-Factor.

KAREN IGHO

Probably the most vilified contestant ever in the history of the popular Big Brother Africa reality show. Karen Igho rode the storm and controversies with uncommon skill and dogged determination to emerge the winner of the 2011 series of the reality show. BBA Amplified had its memorable highlights; and Karen was the star of them all!

KANYE WEST

Controversial and egoistic rapper Kanye Omari West kept himself in the spotlight this year with numerous music projects. ‘Watch the Throne’, a collaborative studio album by West and Jay-Z, was released by Def Jam Recordings on August 8, 2011. West said through a recent interview with MTV that the album is ‘going to be very dark and sexy, like couture hip hop. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 436,000 copies its first week. As of November 2011, the album has sold 1,103,900 copies in the United States. On April 17, 2011, West closed the Coachella Festival with a headlining set that received glowing praise from fans and critics.

KECHI OKWUCHI

You can call her a survivor; but we call her God’s property, a miracle. The only student who survived the horrible Sosoliso plane crash of December 2005, came to our attention again in July, following a widely-publicised Lagos fund-raiser. 75 surgeries after, Kechi is still going under the knife, undergoing facial reconstructive surgeries and fighting to have her life back.

KEVIN PAM

Winner of the 2009 Big Brother Revolution and popular MC, Kevin Chuwang Pam made history when he got married to his ‘housemate’ sweet heart Elizabeth Gupta in January. The Pams are the first Big Brother couple around here, and the whole industry buzzed with excitement when they tied the knot. They welcomed their first baby on Tuesday, August 16 2011.

KIM KARDASHIAN

Most people speculate that all Kim Kardashian does is probably to keep herself in the public eye no matter what. Consider her ability to attract payments of up to $10,000 from sponsors for each tweet that she broadcasts and you may understand why her short-lived marriage with Basketball player Kris Humphries may yet spell massive income for her in the future. The most famous member of the Kardashian Clan reportedly earned several million dollars for her much hyped televised wedding.

LADY GAGA

This eccentric pop diva’s second studio album and third major release ‘Born This Way‘ was released on May 23, 2011. Its arrival followed the release of its eponymous lead single ‘Born This Way’ on February 11, 2011, which was performed live for the first time at the 53rd Grammy Awards two days after its release. The song, debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the 19th number-one debut and the 1,000th number-one single in the history of the charts, while selling more than 3 million digital copies in the United States by October 2011, becoming her eighth consecutive single to exceed the sales of two million. In November, Gaga startled many by announcing that half her earnings will go to her Dad which puts the figure at tens of millions of dollars yearly.

LARRY KING

Born Lawrence Harvey King, Larry King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards. King, who retired earlier this year and was replaced by former Daily mirror editor, Piers Morgan, recently made headlines when he announced he would like to be frozen when he dies, a process known as cryonic preservation.

LAURYN HILL

More sad tales for Ms Hill as long-time lover and baby daddy Rohan Marley denied paternity of her unborn child one month before her EDD in July… Marley issued his disclaimer via Twitter! Rohan, one of Reggae legend Bob Marley’s sons and the father to Hill’s first five children met the singer back in 1996.

LIL’ WAYNE

After a stint in prison, Lil Wayne re-entered the music scene in fine form. The head of the Young Money label released his highly successful Carter IV album which sold 964, 000 units in its first week, making it the most successful rap album of 2011.

LIONEL MESSI

Diminutive Barcelona forward, known for his furious pace and mesmerizing manoeuvring abilities on the pitch. Messi has won five La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, scoring in two of those finals, against Manchester United in both 2009 and 2011. Messi is the first to win the Champions League top scorer titles for three consecutive years after Champions League changed its format in 1992. He also won the  Fifa Ballon d’Or title for World’s best player.

LINDA IKEJI

The model and sole owner of the very popular www.lindaikeji.blogspot.com became notoriously known for her lucid, canny and sometimes bizarre stories on just about anything including herself. Soon enough her blog rose to the 30th most visited website in the country which also suggests she has been making financial gains. The ubiquitous blogger recently acquired a Toyota Camry 2008 model.

LOVELY OKOJIE

In 2011, Lovely Okojie was the most famous disgruntled ex-wife. Once married to popular actress Mercy Johnson’s now-husband, Prince Odianosen Okojie (or is he? Even we’re confused), she fought tooth and nail to stop the wedding between Okojie and Johnson. She provided documents stating they were not divorced, but after several weeks of drama, she lost her bid.

M.A.I

The designer Ohimai Atafo officially launched his new ‘Weddings By Mai’ collection and featured ex-beauty queen Munachi Abii and past BBA winner Uti Nwachukwu as the bride and groom at an exclusive event tagged ‘The Dream Wedding’. Mai took his brand to interesting heights in 2011, reaping the dividends of quitting his job at Guinness to stand on his own…

M.I

Jude Abaga, otherwise known as M.I is a member of the Choc boiz (along with younger brother Jesse Jagz and label mates Ice Prince and Brymo). M.I recorded a first this year when he debuted at number 9 on Billboard’s next big sound 25.

MALTINA DANCE ALL

The fifth edition of the popular dance reality show saw the Ekubo family declared winners out of 15 families who made the finals. As winners, the Ekubos were presented with the grand prize – a five million naira cheque and a brand new SUV.

MALTA GUINESS STREET DANCE

The fourth season of the dance reality show took place back in July and two dance crews – ‘Genesis Plus’ and ‘Shadowz’ were chosen to represent Nigeria at the Pan-African Championship. They however lost out to Kenyan dance group Wapi-Wapi who came out tops after battling with other dance groups from Gabon, Ivory Coast, Cameroun, Tanzania and Ghana.

MANIA

Mania Magazine, published by respected photographer Kelechi Amadi Obi made its colourful entry into the Nigerian magazine industry in 2011, with a ‘nude’ Modupe Ozolua on the front cover. The magazine, made up of stunning photography has featured Funmi Iyanda, Agbani Darego and TY Bello on its cover.

MANCHESTER CITY

Without doubt, the premiership club to watch is Manchester City especially after they put the fear of God in others by trouncing local rivals, Manchester United 6-1 in October. Earlier in the year, City reached the 2011 FA Cup Final, their first major final in over thirty years, defeating derby rivals Manchester United in the semi-final to set up a meeting with Stoke City. They won the final 1–0, securing their fifth FA Cup (and first since 1969) and their first major trophy since winning the 1976 League Cup. City made a number of high profile signings, including Gael Clichy, Stefan Savić, Sergio Agüero, Samir Nasri and Owen Hargreaves.

MBGN

Prestigious beauty pageant put together by the silverbird entertainment group. The winner of this year’s keenly contested edition, Sylvia Nduka, went home with a brand new Hyundai car and N3m. But controversies soon showed up; with contestants alleging favouritism and corruption.

MC LOPH

Nigeria suffered another loss with the death of the Igbo rapper, whose real name was Obiajulu Kenneth Nwaozor. Famous for his remixed version of the late Osita Osadebe’s classic, ‘Osondi Owendi’, MC Loph died in a car crash along the infamous Benin/Ore road, which also claimed the life of his only sister, Chinwe, barely a week to his traditional wedding.

MERCY JOHNSON

The highly controversial Nollywood actress was in the eye of the storm prior to her wedding to (Prince) Odianosen Okojie. The media publicized allegations of a prior marriage by her hubby to a certain Lovely Okojie which was proven with pictures. However, the sultry actress defied the critics and got married in August. She also made the news recently after a clever hoax intended for publicity surfaced about her being rendered blind due to a fight with a colleague.

MEX

Gifted special effects artiste and video director behind award winning videos like Ice Prince’s Oleku, Djinee’s Overkillin’, Dipps ‘Kosorombe’ among others no doubt had a happy year as he got married to his better half and best friend Ngozi Nkiri. Mex Osai is the CEO of pixel chaos, a video production company and a record label.

MISS NIGERIA

Long forgotten beauty pageant which had produced exceptional queens before going comatose, was resuscitated by Nike Osinowo-Soleye, who is the Chief Executive Officer and Creative director of the pageant. The 2011 edition of the pageant shortlisted contestants representing the various states of Nigeria, and embraced values that sought to distinguish it from the more popular MBGN. In the pulsating finale of the event, which held at the Expo Centre of the Eko Hotel and Suites, 21 year old Feyijinmi Sodipo, representing Ogun State, emerged the winner of the keenly contested position, clinching the top prize of a brand new car, N3m one year salary package and will serve as an ambassador of the brand partnering with different organizations ‘to bring succour to the needy and neglected’.

MOBO AWARDS

The 16th edition of the Music of Black Origin Awards took place in Glasgow, Scotland and was hosted by pop act Jason Derulo and English singer-songwriter, dancer, model Alesha Dixon. Nigerian acts D’banj, Seun Kuti and Wizkid were nominated in the ‘Best African Act’ category which was eventually won by the latter.

MODENINE

Even though he released a free album online, the veteran rapper kept silent earlier in the year. And even when he returned to the country from the UK, he was hardly paid attention. It however took Modenine’s unwavering rap skills to push him into the limelight once more as he championed the first ever BET Niaja Cypher and trended on Twitter for days. Also, don’t blame him for winning the Lyricist on the roll award for the sixth year running.

MO’HITS RECORDS

Record label, founded by Michael Collins Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy. The record label, upon release of its flagship act, D’banj’s song, ‘Oliver Twist’ announced a freestyle competition on a beat created by Don Jazzy titled ‘Enigma’. Another dance video competition was announced with fantastic monetary benefits attached. The record label is a foremost entertainment company in Nigeria, affiliated to GOOD music imprint owned by Kanye West, with star artistes including D’banj, Wande Coal, D’Prince and Dr Sid.

MUAMMAR GADDAFI

The late Libyan leader was one of the high profile casualties of the famous ‘Arab Spring’, a wave of revolutions that engulfed virtually the entire Middle East. Muammar Ghaddafi was captured alive in his hometown of Sirte but was subsequently killed by rebel forces. The late dictator had ruled the North African country for 41 years. He was aged 69.

MR IBU

Popularly called Mr Ibu, after a character he played in a very popular and highly successful movie, Okafor is unquestionably one of Nigeria’s most talented comic characters, and is usually stereotyped in films playing characters that are noted for stupidity, hilarity, imbecility and a sharp disconnection from reality. The actor was kidnapped back in January but was released days later. He recently welcomed the arrival of his first daughter after six boys in November.

MR NIGERIA

The annual Mr Nigeria contest organized by Silverbird entertainment group seeks to exhibit ‘the finest, fittest young men from across the Nation in the search to find Nigeria’s most desirable man. That desirable man for 2011 was Multi media specialist, Deji Bakare, who beat 17 other contestants to win the Mr Nigeria title, a brand new car and one million naira cash.

MTV

Although MTV turned 30 this year, the network apparently ignored this milestone in favour of its current programming schedule. Outsourcing all of their 30th Anniversary Celebrations to sister networks MTV2 and VH1 Classic; MTV said it preferred to focus on current viewers, as they felt the anniversary wasn’t something that would be meaningful to them, especially since many of them weren’t even alive in 1981. MTV has, for decades, been a major leader in music broadcasting in virtually all parts of the globe.

MTN PFWA

The MTN Project Fame West Africa reality show was the last notable music talent hunt to kick off, little wonder they did so in the biggest of ways -starting off the fourth edition with a concert that was headlined US Brandy and Joe (who was a quick replacement for rapper The Game).

MUSIC MEETS RUNWAY

The brainchild of Jennifer Olize, the Music meets runway show was a brilliant conception, which debuted to Nigerian fashion and music buffs at the Expo Hall of the Eko Hotel and Suites in July. The show featured the very best musical performances by top notch artistes and the exhibition of collections by notable and upcoming but hugely talented designers. The much hyped show failed to feature American model Amber Rose as host, but still lived up to billing as an A-class event, judging by the amount of stars present.

NAETO C

The Storm Records rapper released his second album titled ‘Super C Season’ which spawned hit tracks like ‘10 over 10’ and ‘5 and 6’. The WFA rapper is also leaving bachelorhood behind, as he proposed to his model girlfriend, Nicole Chukwueke. The pair has already started wedding preparations.  In December, he was decorated as an anti-rape ambassador by the Nigerian government.

NAIRALAND

Nairaland is an all purpose Nigerian forum featuring discussions in Jobs, Business, Romance, Music/Radio, Travel, Autos, Politics and Sports. It is the brainchild of Seun Osewa who initially dreamt of making sixty thousand naira with the website but has since flown past that mark, generating millions in revenue, and recording an unbelievable Alexa ranking and user community. It marked its 6th year anniversary in March 2011.

NATE DOGG

Nathaniel Dwayne Hale better known by his stage name Nate Dogg, was an American musician who is noted for his unique singing voice and membership of rap trio 213. Nate Dogg died in 2011 in Long Beach, California, from complications associated with multiple strokes.

NEA

Friday September 2, 2011, saw Nigerian music stars trooping in to New York for the annual Nigerian Entertainment Awards which organizers proudly dub ‘African Entertainment Weekend’. The event, the 6th in its series, witnessed performances by the Choc Boiz, Waje, Samklef, and Rotimi among others. No doubt the award serves to give more exposure to the abundance of talents in the Nigerian Music scene.

NEWS OF THE WORLD

NoTW was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations. It was announced on 7 July 2011 that, after 168 years in print, the newspaper would print its final edition on 10 July 2011 following revelations of the on-going phone hacking scandal, with the loss of 200 jobs.

NDLEA

The National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency got itself in a PR mess when itarrested popular actor Babatunde Omidina a.k.a Baba Suwe on the 12th of October on suspicion of drug trafficking. After the actor spent 24 days in the NDLEA office with no evidence that he had drugs on him, the court ordered the NDLEA to let him goand pay the actor N25m as compensation for unlawful detention. The NDLEA now plans to appeal that judgement.

NFF

The perennial crisis rocking the Nigerian football governing body, the Nigerian Football Federation appeared unceasing as the fortunes of football in the country took a nosedive. The country witnessed a string of ill luck; the super eagles failed to qualify for the Nation’s cup, the female team failed to qualify for the Olympics and the All Africa Games and national team coach Samson Siasia was fired. And the in-house bickering shows no sign of ceasing.

NGOZI OKONJO- IWEALA

NOI was appointed in July as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, making it a record of sort, after holding same position under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration. Prior to this appointment, she was the Managing Director of World Bank. She has been vocal in her denunciation of the manner in which the country is currently accumulating huge debts.

NICKI MINAJ

Young Money Records rapper who recorded a string of successes with her debut album, Pink Friday. Minaj was named the 2011 Rising Star by Billboard. It was pretty much a good year for Minaj save for her boobs popping out while performing at the ‘Good Morning Show‘ in August.

NIGERIAN IDOL

In March, 26-year old Onyeka ‘Yeka Onka’ Gilbert Elizabeth Onwuka from Abia State became the first ‘Nigerian Idol’. She was awarded the sum of 7.5 Million Naira, a recording contract with Sony, a car and an all-expense paid trip to South Africa. Already, the 2nd edition of the musical talent show is underway. It began with auditions across major cities of the country and witnessed a large turnout of hopefuls aiming for the top prize. This year’s judges comprising Charly Boy, Yinka Davies and Jeffrey Daniels are expected to add more zest to the show.

NN24

The news cable station made stellar moves this year, hosting the vice-presidential and presidential debates. Known for its innovative style of reporting, the channel later delved into negative territory when it could no longer pay its staff salaries. As a result of money issues, NN24 went from 24 hours on DSTV to 13 hours. Weeks later, the station went off-air. Things later came back on track with the station now back on DSTV and hiring former BEAT FM OAP, Oreka Godis.  NN24 briefly shut down again in November but has since resumed broadcast)

NSE IKPE-ETIM

Nollywood actress Nse Ikpe-Etim seems to have the world at her feet in 2011, clinching awards and nominations, both at home and away. She was named ‘Best Actress’ at the best of Nollywood awards and at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards in New York, and was nominated for Best Leading Actress at the African Movie Academy Awards for her role in the film ‘Reloaded’. With her boundless talents, striking intelligence and charm, Nse looks set to conquer the Nigerian movie industry and beyond.

NOKIA

The Nokia brand, valued at $25 billion, listed as the 14th most valuable global brand in the Interbrand/BusinessWeek Best Global Brands list of 2011. In February, Nokia announced a partnership with Microsoft where all future Nokia smartphones will be powered by the Windows Phone 7 (WP7) operating system. Facing stiff competitions from rival phone manufacturers RIM (makers of Blackberry phones), they released their WP7.5 powered handsets Lumia 710 and 800.

NOTJUSTOK

Just like the year before, the site has gathered a lot of attention and references and has become the number one destination when it comes to showcasing and breaking new Nigerian music content. Popular artistes like Don Jazzy and eLDee also ran competitions on the blog’s platform which attracted quite a number of fans and upcoming acts. NJO debuted with its annual concert in December.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

This young Serb had an outstanding year, winning the 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open, becoming the sixth player to win three Majors in a calendar year. He was also ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals. Djokovic won a total of ten tournaments this year.

OCCUPY

The Occupy movement is a phenomenon sweeping through the world. It is an international movement which originated in the U.S to address economic, social and political imbalances. The movement started in New York City and spread to other major cities across the globe.

ODUNLADE ADEKOLA

The funny Yoruba actor totally dominated the Yoruba movie industry in 2011. His versatility as an actor ensured that he got top billing in several best-selling movies in 2011, and his ability to mix strong dramatic roles with humour kept him in high demand. He also became a brand ambassador of telecoms giant GLOBACOM.

OJUKWU

The Former Biafran leader and politician died at the age of 78 in a London hospital. Ojukwu, the leader of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) had been hospitalized to treat the effects of a serious stroke he had suffered in 2010.

OLAMIDE

This young rapper burst into the scene with his ‘E ni Duro’ hit track, which immediately drew comparisons between him and the late Dagrin. The video for his hit track, which was produced by DJ Tee clinched an award at the prestigious Headies for best video. He has grown in leaps and bounds and has collaborated with big stars in the industry.

OLISA ADIBUA

Popular On Air Personality at the Beat Radio Station. Was involved in a one-sided brawl where he allegedly beat up a colleague for sleeping on the office couch. Despite growing agitation for his sack, Olisa received a four-week suspensionfrom the station’s management. He also continued his gig as a judge on the Glo Naija Sings talent hunt show, to the outrage of many. Olisa has since apologised for his actions; and is back on his beat on the Morning Rush.

OMAWUMI

This diva set tongues wagging with pregnancy rumours back in January when a ‘bump’ was noticed in her ‘If You Ask Me’ video. By June, Omawumi made headlines when she put to bed a beautiful baby girl in Atlanta, United States of America. The star has bluntly refused to divulge the identity of the father of her baby. Several stellar performances, including one at the Headies reminded many that the gifted singer is still a voice to be reckoned with.

OnTV

All round entertainment channel which debuted on 30th August. It is owned by Consolidated Media Associates led by Tajuddeen Adepetu. It is an offshoot of the popular music programme, Soundcity. It also maintains its website at www.ontvsite.com .

OPRAH WINFREY

After 25 years and 28,000 guests, Oprah bid farewell to her much beloved ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’, but went on to introduce the ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter’. The richest black woman in entertainment is now trying to surpass herself, with the coming of her OWN (Oprah Winfrey network) platform. We’ll see how that goes.

OREKA

Popular former Beat FM OAP whose radio programme, ‘Morning Rush’ with Olisa drew in hundreds of calls from a diverse range of participants. The red carpet favourite stunned fans with her exit from Beat FM to television station NN24, for reasons that were not disclosed, but coming closely on the heels of the Olisa ‘brutality saga’, which left tongues wagging.

OSAMA BIN LADEN

If the death of one man can elicit mass jubilation across the world, with so much rejoicing even enemies exchange handshakes, then that one man has definitely got to be public enemy number one, aka Osama Bin Laden. He was the founder of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, which was responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous others. In May, bin Laden was shot and killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan, by U.S. Navy SEALs and CIA operatives in a covert operation ordered by U.S. President Barack Obama. Shortly after his death, bin Laden’s body was buried at sea.

OSCARS

The 83rd annual Academy Awards (popularly known as the Oscars) was held in February and was hosted by Anne Hathaway and one of the year’s nominees, James Franco. The big winners of the night were ‘The King’s Speech’ and ‘Inception’ who both bagged four Oscars each. ‘The Social network’ followed with three while ‘Alice in Wonderland‘, ’The fighter’ and animated movie ‘Toy Story 3‘all received two awards.

PROTOOLS AND REASON

These are the most popular beat making software programmes around. In an industry that’s gone fully digital, both softwares have become the backbone of many producers; from Lagos to Port Harcourt and Jos. Ask Don Jazzy. Ask Sam Klef and ID Cabasa. Ask Cobhams Asuquo…

PATIENCE DAME JONATHAN

The first lady was arguably the most popular individual during the campaign period.A walking encyclopedia of grammatical blunders, the president’s wife was the butt of many jokes across social media and mobile devices…

PIPPA MIDDLETON

Philippa Charlotte ‘Pippa’ Middleton, English party planner, socialite and younger sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. On 29 April 2011, she was the maid of honour at her sister’s wedding to Prince William. A Facebook page devoted to her erm … behind, the Pippa Middleton Ass Appreciation Society, already has over 24,000 fans. She recently broke up with boyfriend Alex Loudon and has been rumoured to be dating English Prince Harry.

PIERS MORGAN

Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan, British journalist and television presenter. Morgan branched into television mainly as a presenter, but has become best known as a judge or contestant in reality television programmes. In the UK, he was a judge on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. Morgan is best known in the United States as a judge on the show ‘America’s Got Talent’, and as the winner of ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’. On 17 January 2011, he began hosting Piers Morgan Tonight for CNN in the timeslot previously occupied by Larry King Live before the retirement of host Larry King.

PLANKING

Youths around the world participated in the funny craze which entailed lying face down in unusual locations such as roofs, bridges, boardrooms or bridges. Pictures were posted to different social networks for the amusement of all.

PMAN

The violated musicians’ union continued in its misdemeanour all year. Factional operations, suits and counter suits, controversial elections, sudden deaths, and total exodus off relevant musicians were the order of the day, all year.

PSQUARE

The Nigerian pop duo released their fifth album ‘Invasion‘ and topped it off with an outstanding album concert which featured some of the hottest acts in the country.

RADIO LAGOS

You wouldn’t expect a 100% Yoruba-speaking station to be the number one station in Lagos. But 107.5FM, popularly called ‘tiwa n’ tiwa’ (what’s ours is ours) is a leader by kilometres, as far as mass audiences are concerned. Just like Wazobia FM, the station is feeding listeners that the likes of Cool FM and Rhythm FM abandoned for years.

RANDY SAVAGE

Wrestler Randall Mario Poffo better known ‘Macho man’ Randy Savage lost his life after suffering a heart attack back in May. Savage was most popularly known for his deep raspy voice and his signature ‘bandana and shades’ costumes he constantly wore to the ring.

REUBEN ABATI

The former Guardian newspaper columnist and outspoken analyst was appointed Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan in July. His appointment, and his acceptance was met with harsh critiques from people from all spheres of life – especially those who had followed his commentary on the PDP and GEJ.

RIHANNA

Apart from winning a Grammy Award this year, the Barbadian recording artist also released her sixth studio album ‘Talk That Talk’. The 23-year-old singer was also named the ‘Sexist Woman Alive’ by Esquire magazine.  One minus though -she had the video to her single ‘We found love’ banned in France.

RICK ROSS

‘The Boss’ as he is reverently called is definitely one of the hottest rap acts in the international rap scene at the moment. And that distinction surely didn’t come easy too. Rozay reportedly works non-stop day in day out, releasing singles, headlining shows; like guest appearing in Lil Wayne’s ‘I Am Still Music’ tour , featuring in collaborations with associated acts like DJ Khaleed’s, ‘I’m on One’ featuring Drake and Lil’ Wayne. Perhaps as an indication of how less time the Miami rapper has for himself, he made the headlines when he was reportedly hit with two seizures in one day, while aboard an aircraft. He has however gone on to prep for his upcoming 5th Studio album, ‘God Forgives, I don’t’ which features guest appearances from a host of stars including JayZ, Nas, Lil’ Wayne and others.

RMD

Richard Mofe Damijo, the Commissioner for Commerce & Tourism in Delta stateturned 50 this year. The seasoned Nollywood actor also returned to the silver screen, with a feature in the popular soap opera Tinsel.

ROYAL WEDDING

Prince William of Wales, the first born to the late Princess Diana and Prince Charles tied the knot with Catherine Elizabeth Middleton in an elaborate wedding in London. In what could be described as the wedding of the decade, the ceremony was attended by celebs and top notch dignitaries and was covered by nearly every media house worldwide.

RUGGEDMAN

The ever controversial rapper didn’t make much noise with his music but made the news with the re-launch of his Twentieth September Wear (TWS) with a new collection of shoes and accessories. There were also accusations of him stealing shoe designs but that didn’t stop him from forging ahead.

RYAN GIGGS

In April, the veteran footballer was exposed as the person who got an anonymous gagging order in relation to an alleged extra-marital affair with model Imogen Thomas. Giggs took legal action against the social networking site Twitter after he was named by a user in a list of identities of individuals who had allegedly taken out so-called ‘super-injunctions’.

SAM LOCO-EFE

Will we ever get over Sam Loco’s death? The veteran actor who lived all his life on set and stage, passed, unsurprisingly, on August 7, 2011, while shooting a new movie in eastern Nigeria. Nollywood is still weeping…

SAMSUNG

With RIM grabbing almost the entire market share in Nigeria, Samsung (just like Nokia) spent the bulk of 2011 trying to weaken RIM’s hold and remain in business. Smart move with the Banky W and Sasha signings, and with back-to-back releases of new, superior OS products (eg the Samsung Galaxy s II), even RIM could see that Samsung aint joking!

SAMKLEF

The Imo State born producer/singer released his debut album ‘Nonilizing’ whichspun the hit ‘Molowo’, and produced over half of pop star Wizkid’s ‘Superstar’album. Add that to his award for ‘Best Producer’ at the NEAs, and it adds up to one very successful year.

SANUSI LAMIDO

The CBN boss continued his tough reforms in Nigeria’s troubled banking sector, gaining global recognition & notoriety within Nigeria. He was number ten on TIME Magazine’s 2011 100 most influential people in the world. Forbes Magazine voted him as Africa’s Person of the Year, beating the likes of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Aliko Dangote. (Have you heard those rumours saying GEJ plans to get rid of him in 2012? Oh, we have, too!)

SAX APPEAL

The third edition of Mike Aremu’s annual Sax appeal went down in July, with Jazz great Kenny G as a special guest. Other performers included Yolanda Brown, Judith Sephuma, Waje and Kunle Ayo. The gig was attended by notable dignitaries including Aliko Dangote, Donald Duke, and Abimbola Fashola.

SEAN KINGSTON

The Jamaican-American singer was involved in a jet-ski accident that had fans all across the world scared to death. A miraculous twist of fate saw the 21-year-old bounce back from the accident, only to be fined for his ‘inexperience and inattention’.

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL

The basketball legend left the game after 19 years in the NBA. He surprisingly announced his retirement via micro-blogging site Twitter, following it up with a formal press conference two days later.

SIKIRATU SINDODO

Tayo Odueke a.k.a. Sindodo’s health status had generated a lot of controversies and speculations. While some were of the opinion that she was suffering from a strange illness, others said she was suffering from spiritual attack. It got even worse as rumours of her death hit town. The Yoruba-movie actress however denied the death rumours stating that she was ‘alive and nothing had happened’ to her.

SILVERBIRD

The entertainment company group leads others by kilometres; lounging as the one-eyed man in the city of blind men… You fill in the gap!

SILVIO BERLUSCONI

The former Italian Prime Minister was a prominent feature in 2011, due to his numerous corruption and sex scandals. He was notoriously known as the old playboy of Italian politics after several accounts of his alleged trysts with prostitutes and underage women became public. He resigned on 16, November 2011 after losing his majority in parliament. Berlusconi surprised the media when he released his ‘True Love’ music album

SIRLEAF JOHNSON

The 24th and current President of Liberia got re-elected into power after serving as president for four years. To top that, she was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakel Karman of Yemen for ‘for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work’.

SIR SHINA PETERS

The veteran Afro-Juju singer was inducted into the Headies Hall of Fame – the first musician of his generation to be so honoured. And SSP delivered a thrilling performance that rocked the entire auditorium. Peters soon got his groove back, moving into high demand across the country and closing the year with a classic performance at the ‘Tymeout With Tee-A Live Dinner Concert’.

SKINNY JEANS

‘Since when did grown men start wearing skinny jeans?’ our writers asked last year. If only we knew it’ll become a mainstream fad in 2011… if only we knew men would begin to favour orange, pink, blue and even red skinny, crotch-squeezing   pants…

SMOOTH FM

Definitely on our list of top radio stations for the year! If Beat Fm switched the time to pop-O-clock, then Smooth FM opened their arms wide and embraced a thousand-and-one other genres. The music choice at 98.1, and their well thought-out concerts make them one of our top favs for 2011. And they’d better up the ante in 2012!

SPRITE TRIPLE SLAM

The yearly event kicked off on a high note with a host of Nigerian youths trying out at the Basketball, Dance and rap categories. The talent show took place in four cities in the country and was spiced up with performances from Overdose, Iyanya, Praiz and DIL with a grand finale at the Eko Hotel and Suites.

SOUNDCITY

The no 1 wholly Nigerian-owned urbane channel and lifestyle brand continued to give big players MTV, Trace and Channel O a run for their money. And, even though lack of sponsorship prevented the SMVAs from holding this year, Soundcity remained a giant in the scene

STARTIMES

The Chinese based cable company about a year ago launched its services in Nigeria. Partnering with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and setting up services in five states including Lagos, Abuja and Kano, what makes the cable company unique is that it requires no satellite dish. Startimes rose to popularity this year, finding favour with the masses -statistics suggest that the number of subscribers on the network is now near half a million.

STAR MEGA JAM

After months encouraging fans to vote and decide who gets to headline the big-budget multi-city concert in 2011, it came as a shock to music lovers in the country, when organizes of the yearly event announced that the concert wouldn’t hold due to ‘logistic challenges’.

STAR QUEST

Star Quest continued in its tradition of creating the next big band. This year’s competition saw the B.E.A.T band emerge as winners. They have now joined the likes of KC Presh, D’ Accord, Jewelz, Diamondz, The Pulse and JukeBox.

STAR TREK

The longest running annual tour in Nigeria was held in 10 cities, with top notch performers like M.I, Flavour, Wande Coal, and Banky W on standby to entertain the crowd.

STEVE JOBS

The founder of Apple Inc. passed away in October after seven years of battling a cancerous tumour in his pancreas. Jobs, 56, in August had stepped down from the position of C.E.O stating that he could no longer ‘meet his duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO’.

STORM RECORDS

The Obi Asika-led label continues to controversially part ways with talent after talent; but Naeto C and Sasha still call Storm home – and they reaped the benefits in 2011. Storm 360 however spent the year concentrating more on productions and online distribution.

STUDIO 53 EXTRA

In just a year and five months since its launch, the Eku Edewor and Dolapo Oni anchored show has become a one-stop access to fashion and entertainment glitz. The show which is a revamped version of the original Studio 53 has become a household favourite among urban TV viewers.

SWE BAR

The popular bar located at the City Mall, Onikan, Lagos Island played host to quite a number of shows and artistes who were celebrating birthdays or milestone achievements of their careers. Despite its small size, party poppers still turn out en masse to have fun; making Swe (run by Ajibola ‘Ayana’ Olubiyi) the top spot for mini entertainment events in Lagos.

T.I.

The self-proclaimed ‘King of the South’ spent most of the year behind bars after he was found to be in possession of narcotics. His drama with the law continued when, less than a few hours out of prison, he was sent back again. He has since been released and is working on his new album. He is currently in a reality show with his wife Tiny and their kids.

TAYO ADERINOKUN

The co-founder of GTBank passed away in a UK hospital after a reported long battle with lung cancer.

TEJU BABYFACE

Again, Teju Oyelakin escaped 2011 without getting married. But the multi-talented entertainer made it difficult for us to complain: he drove The Teju Babyface show to unbelievable heights, dominating TV networks and hosting some of the biggest names on his David Letterman-styled set.

TEJU COLE

The Nigerian author is already an e-celeb; with huge following on social media. And offline, he’s building a strong profile too – what with his book ‘Open City’ enjoying rave reviews and showing up on the list of 2011 top 10 books by Time and The Economist.

TERRY G

Terry G or Terry G’zuz, as he likes to be known these days, had an eventful year. The Akpako master had an unstable relationship with Efe Omorogbe’s Now Muzik. They eventually parted ways, with Terry G claiming that the management company was eating off his brand. This year also saw him release his third album ‘Terry G’zuz’ which spawned the hit song ‘Akpako Master’. In between robbery attacks and song jacking accusations, Terry G had the time to secretly begin wedding rites with his longtime partner Mimi.

THE EXPERIENCE

This year’s edition of the gospel concert was power packed as it featured US gospel acts Kirk Franklin, Don Moen, Chevelle Franklin and Bishop Tudor Bismarck from Zimbabwe.

THE BEAT FM

Our favourite radio station continued to up the ante with their urban music playlist and trendy programming. Catering mainly to the youths, 99.9 ruled the year as the beat of Lagos and environs, determining what became a hit and what did not; and throwing some of the biggest club gigs we can remember. Not even the ill-managed Olisa Adibua fiasco could dampen the love for the Chris Ubosi-led station.

THE GAME

Real name Jayceon Terrell Taylor, the US rapper released his fourth album ‘R.E.D.’ and it hit No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart with first week sales of 98,000 units.

THE HEADIES

Ranked as the biggest music awards in Nigeria, the popular hip hop world awards was re-christened the Headies, and featured the introduction of new categories. With no corporate sponsorship or third party funding, it was a pleasant surprise that the awards help successfully…

THE INDIGO O2

The live music club reserved for smaller musicians, club, corporate and private events and after parties, played host to African pop stars D’Banj and 2face back in August and November respectively. A regular destination for Nigerian entertainers seeking a befitting venue to fete London-based fans, the Indigo, at London’s O2 Arena is one of the facilities shaping the future of London-made Nigerian concerts.

THISDAY ARISE MAGAZINE FASHION WEEK

The Arise Magazine Fashion Week saw the convergence of the designers, models and journalists from all over the world at Victoria Island, in Lagos. The international fashion show featured the likes of Eki Orleans, Bridget Awosika, Ituen Basi and others.

TIMI DAKOLO

After keeping us waiting for nearly five years, Timi Dakolo finally released his debut album ’Beautiful Noise‘ - to amazing critical acclaim. And 2011 is also the year news broke on his out-of-wedlock baby… We hear he might be walking down the aisle with his ‘baby mama’ in 2012. Fingers crossed.

TINSEL

The MNET-produced soap opera is often criticized for its many limitations; but Tinsel remained the Soap of the year, celebrating 500 episodes and recruiting loyal fans from far and near.

TINIE TEMPAH

Born Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, the 23-year-old rapper might have released his debut work Disc-Overy back in 2010 but the ripple effect paid off in 2011. Hitting the airwaves hard with his single ‘Pass out’, he clinched the award for Best International Act: UK at the BET awards 2011.

TIWA SAVAGE

Tiwa might best be described as the hottest Nigerian female of the year. With her return to Nigeria, she was well accepted with her debut single ‘Kele kele love’. A powerful second single ‘Love me, love me, love me’,  co-headlining this year’sHennessy Artistry Project, co-hosting the Nigerian Idol talent reality show plus performing at several top shows cemented her spot as one of the most sought after artistes in the industry. And it definitely doesn’t hurt (that much) that she’s sodesperately trying to bring sexy back!

TMZ

TMZ in 2011 maintained its spot as the number one celebrity news site in the world. In March 2011, TMZ had 18.5 million readers, second only to Yahoo owned OMG!

TONI PAYNE

No word yet on whether she has actually reconciled with estranged hubby 9ice. But repeated hook-ups caused many to speculate the pair was considering reuniting. Ms Payne however parted way with more people in 2011: Zara, Olamide, and W4. And the tongues continue to wag…

TONTO DIKEH

The contentious Nollywood actress didn’t slow down on her controversial path as her name popped up in the tabloids one too many times. From exchanging words with popular blogger Linda Ikeji to stealing the shine from Uche Jombo’s ‘Damage’ movie tour when she added a big, scary tattoo to her back, to a shaky venture into music, she proudly tweeted her opinions without a care in the world.

TONY OKOROJI

COSON boss, Tony Okoroji never fails to make the news. In 2011, he was accused of pocketing the N3m donation made by the Cross River State Government for Late legend Christy Essien Igbokwe’s burial. This accusation was made by Onyeka Owenu in a public letter. Mr. Okoroji responded by suing Ms Onwenu for the ‘damaging’ letter and asking for N200m as compensation for defamation of character.

TONY ONE WEEK

The popular musician and Nollywood actor (real name Tony Muonagor) was elected into the House of Assembly in Idemili North Constituency, Anambra State. Tony, 41, rode on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, and remains one of the very few entertainers to get elected into political office

TOOLZ

What has made the Beat FM OAP stand out this year must have to do with her Midday Show which is vastly heard all through the Lagos metropolis. Coupled with a number of gigs she hosted, the ‘well endowed’ presenter has become a favourite with entertainers and their followers.

TOSYN BUCKNOR

The TOP FM OAP is moving from strength to strength. Her morning programme ‘Area’ remains one of Nigeria’s most successful breakfast shows. The prized OAP is also behind the fast growing One Mic Event, as well as other initiatives including s.h.a.r.e.

TRACE

The French music video television channel, devoted to playing urban contemporary music videos, reached out to Sub-Saharan Africa (including Nigeria) and has become one of the most watched cable network stations across the continent. A Nigeria launch saw former MTV man Sam Onyemelukwe named country manager, but local activities are yet to fully kick off.

TWILIGHT

The series of supernatural romance fantasy films which has grossed over $2 Billion till date created widespread buzz with the release this year, of ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn’..

TWITTER

The micro-blogging site continues to amass global popularity and relevance, beating the major news networks to the year’s biggest breaking news, and becoming the social media platform of the year. As at November, the site registered its 380 millionth user. What’s left? How the guys over there will monetize this phenomenon.

TY BELLO

Mrs bello had it good in 2011 -the former member of the conscious group KUSHmade a graceful comeback to the entertainment scene with the release of the patriotic ‘The Future’ single. She also performed at the ‘Lunch with Goodluck Jonathan’ forum, and added another feather to her cap as she was named President Jonathan’s official campaign photographer.

TEE A

The comedian-entrepreneur retained the title of Nigeria’s preferred corporate and wedding MC. And, with his syndicated variety show Tymeout With Tee A, he got his ratings shooting up all year – especially thanks to the skits with Madam Princess and Professor. Then in November, Tee A celebrated the 15th anniversary of his career, hosting 500 big-wigs to a lavish dinner and concert at the Civic Centre, in Lagos.

TUMBLR

The micro-blogging site was founded in 2007 but in 2011, scored a record 13.4 million unique visitors. The platform allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their tumblelog, a short-form blog.

MOHAMMED BOUAZIZI

Nicknamed ‘the hero of Tunisia’, Bouazizi was a street vendor who set himself on fire in December 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides. His act became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring. In 2011, Bouazizi was jointly awarded the Sakharov Prize along with four others for their contributions to ‘historic changes in the Arab world’.

UCHE JOMBO

The Nollywood actress/screenwriter/film producer scored it big with the movie ‘Damage’. Starring herself and Nollywood hunk Kalu Ikeagwu as lead actors, the movie centres on violence in relationships.  Damage premiered in July at the Silverbird Galleria and later in the UK and the US.

UCHE OKAFOR

The former Super Eagles defender’s dead body was reportedly found hanging at his Dallas home back in January. Initial reports had suggested that he had committed suicide but further investigations by the FBI say he was murdered.

USAIN BOLT

The Jamaican sprinter was tipped by almost everyone to win the 100 meters at this year’s World Championships in South Korea, but was eliminated from the final for a false start. He however picked up the Gold Medal for the 200m and 4×100 meter relay with team Jamaica, setting world records in both races.

VICTOR IKPEBA

Former Super Eagles striker, Victor Ikpeba now makes his money off the pitch, working for cable channel Super Sports. In 2011 he became one of the major analysts for the widely popular English Premier League. By the way, leave his pronunciations alone – we love our Ikpeba just the way he is!

WAJE

Even though the talented singer did not release her debut album ‘Words Aren’t Just Enough’ after much expectation, she managed to whip up some magic; featuring onNaeto C and P-Square’s albums.  Performing and winning at The Headies and the Nigerian Entertainment Awards were the highlights of her career this year.

WANDE COAL

The dark skinned talented singer trended worldwide for the second time when he released three singles off his yet-to-be titled album on December 6. The Mo’Hits act instantly got Twitter buzzing when Mo’Hits boss Don Jazzy hinted the release of the songs. Wande Coal trended worldwide for the first time last year July when alleged naked photos of him surfaced online.

WATCH THE THRONE (WTT)

The much talked about rap collaboration album from two of the hottest rappers around Jay Z and Kanye West created a lot of media buzz before and after its release. Producing the hit single ‘Otis’, the album has sold over a million copies since its release and sparked a country wide tour.

WACONZY

The Port Harcourt-bred singer fully launched himself into the music scene with the smash street hit ‘I celebrate’ and a bag of new videos which quickly got rotation on terrestrial and cable TV. He was also successful enough to break into the Lagos market after championing the eastern region with the release of his debut album ‘I celebrate’.

WALE

The US rapper born to Nigerian parents made the news when he signed up with heavyweight Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group and released his ‘Ambition’ album under the label. He also became a favourite to Nigerian music listeners with the release of his remixed versions of Nateo C’s ‘Ki ni big deal’ and Psquare’s ‘No one like you’.

WAZOBIA FM

The pidgin-speaking radio station was consistent enough with a boutique of local content to keep its listeners glued to their 95.1 dial. And even with the coming of a rival station (Naija FM), the station’s OAPs like Yaw, Diplomatic OBJ and Matse (before her departure) made sure Wazobia continued to top the ratings.

WIKIPEDIA

The free, web-based, collaborative encyclopaedia ranked as the 6th most visited website in the world, still remains a go-to site for internet users to research on just about anything even though critics continue to insist it cannot be trusted for authentic and accurate info.

WIKILEAKS

Wikileaks is a non-profit organization, founded in 2006, which publishes secret and confidential governmental information. In 2011, Wikileaks, spearheaded by Julian Assange exposed several cover-ups, corruption, shady deals in third world countries, scams, war crimes, and more. The organization also leaked a lot of information from diplomatic cables which exposed how developed countries manipulate third-world countries.

WIZKID

Pop sensation Wizkid was one of this year’s most celebrated stars. With the release of his debut album ‘Superstar’, the young singer topped charts and worked his way up to being one of the most expensive performers in the country. Wiz won a MOBOfor best African act, joined the millionaires’ club and worked his way to the A-league. News of the 21 year-old EME signee allegedly fathering a child also led conversations and put his image in near-jeopardy.

WIZ KHALIFA

The 24-year-old US rapper is credited for creating one of the biggest hit songs (Black & Yellow) of the year off his third album ‘Rolling Papers’ which he released back in March. The single quickly reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Sparking a hot romance with model/video vixen Amber Rose also put the somewhat shy rapper in the full glare of the media.

WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE

The very popular game show, now in its seventh season, resumed recording and begun airing in February. In 2010, the show faced a major setback when Ultima Studios, where it was being recorded, was gutted by fire. Frank Edoho, who has been the anchor since season one, continued as the show’s host.

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

The sixth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup competition was hosted by Germany. Japan became the first Asian team to win a FIFA World Cup, after beating the United States on a penalty shoot-out following a 2–2 tie.

YEKA ONKA

26-year-old Onyeka Gilbert emerged as the first ever winner of the inaugural edition of the Nigerian Idol reality show. Beating 12 finalists, she walked away with 7.5Million naira, a brand new car and a Sony entertainment TV center. We’re waiting for her career to kick off, as Nigerian Idol prepares to crown a new winner.

X-FACTOR

The TV talent show which originated from the United Kingdom made its entry in the United States when it premiered on September 21, 2011. Simon Cowell ditched American Idol and pitched his tent with X-Factor USA, which has been a hit in America. Other judges on the show include; LA Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul.

YOUTUBE

In 2011, the video-sharing site, ranked as the 3rd most visited website in the world, reported that it was receiving more than three billion views per day. It also launched its company in 12 countries including Nigeria.

Related posts:

1. 300 People, Places, Events and Things That Shaped 2010 – Full List
2. 65 People, Places, Events, Ideas and Things To Watch Out For In 2011
3. 300 People, Places, Events and Things That Shaped 2010
4. 65 People, Places, Events and Stuff to Watch Out For In 2010
5. All You Need To Know About The Headies 2011

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