\u201cAnd the Winner Is\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
New York, NY – (Sept.6th, 2011) – Over the weekend, the city of New\u00a0York played host to some of Nigeria and Africa\u2019s finest in the\u00a0entertainment \u00a0industry, during the three day long Nigeria Entertainment\u00a0Awards event. The event line-up included a welcome party, seminar, movie\u00a0premiere, the official award ceremony followed by the after-party. The\u00a0main event being the award ceremony was definitely the highlight of the\u00a0weekend, with nominees, guests and fans being able to finally hear the\u00a0words \u201cand the winner is…\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s NEAs definitely lived up to the organizers promises of \u00a0bigger, and better. The entertainment seminar was not only informative,\u00a0but served as a great networking medium for great minds. The movie\u00a0premiere of \u2018The Return of Jenifa\u2019 gave loyal fans of the movie the\u00a0opportunity to not only enjoy the movie, but the chance to connect with\u00a0the main act, Funke Akindele who was present at the premiere, and also\u00a0hosted the award show. The award show itself was stellar, with\u00a0outstanding performances that thrilled the sold out theatre, and great\u00a0laughs by the show\u2019s hosts \u00a0Funke Akindele and Julius D\u2019 Genius Agwu.<\/p>\n
At the Award Ceremony, Waje, winner of the Best R&B\/Pop Artist of the\u00a0Year, thrilled the crowd with her version of Sade\u2019s \u201cSweetest Taboo\u201d and Bob Marley\u2019s \u201cTurn Your Light Down Low\u201d before doing one of her original\u00a0tracks. The crowd was on their feet to get a good view of the\u00a0performance of one of top producers in the game now and also the winner\u00a0of the Producer of the Year Awards, Singer and Producer Sam Klef aka Sam\u00a0Klef Noni. Sound Sultan was super in his first performance at the NEA\u00a0Awards.<\/p>\n
The show closed with the performance of MI, Jesse Jagz and Ice Prince\u00a0aka Choc Boyz. Each of the artists performed their hit songs. MI kickedoff the performance his hit song \u201cAction Film\u201d with Jesse Jagz on the\u00a0drums, then comes in Ice Prince who then performs his new hit single\u00a0\u201cSuperstar\u201d. Jesse Jagz performed \u201cWetin Dey\u201d. The group then did a skit\u00a0of \u201cThe Light\u201d, the song made popular by Rapper Common and followed up\u00a0with \u201cAfrica Rapper #1\u201d. The crew departed the stage briefly only to\u00a0return to perform what the crowd probably was hoping to get a glimpse of\u00a0– Ice Prince\u2019s performance of \u201cOleku\u201d. The performance drew the stars in\u00a0the house onto the stage, an NEA tradition, where all the celebrities in\u00a0attendance always go on stage to dance to the last performance of the\u00a0evening.<\/p>\n
Full List of the 2011 NEA Awards Winners:<\/p>\n
After weeks of voting, anxiously waiting and with over 8,900 votes, the\u00a0winners of the 2011 NEA Awards are as follows:<\/p>\n
MUSIC<\/p>\n
– Best Album of the Year \u2013 MI2 (MI)<\/p>\n
– Best International Artist \u2013 Nneka<\/p>\n
– Best Music Video \u2013 Eni Duro directed by DJ Tee<\/p>\n
– Best New Act \u2013 WizKid<\/p>\n
– Best Pop\/R&B \u2013 Waje<\/p>\n
– Best Rapper \u2013 MI<\/p>\n
– Best US Female Act \u2013 Naira<\/p>\n
– Best US Male Act \u2013 Rotimi<\/p>\n
– Best in Gospel \u2013 Lara George<\/p>\n
– Hottest Single of the Year \u2013 Oleku (IcePrince)<\/p>\n
– Best Indigenous Artist \u2013 Duncan Mighty<\/p>\n
– Most Promising Act \u2013 Jhybo<\/p>\n
– Music Producer of the Year \u2013 Sam Klef<\/p>\n
– Pan African Artist \u2013 Fally Ipupa<\/p>\n
FILM<\/p>\n
– Best Actor in Film \u2013 Ramsey Nouah<\/p>\n
– Best Actor in TV \u2013 Frank Edoho<\/p>\n
– Best Actress in Film \u2013 Omoni Oboli<\/p>\n
– Best Actress in TV \u2013 Dami Adegbite<\/p>\n
– Best Film Director \u2013 Lancelot Imasuen<\/p>\n
– Best Picture \u2013 Inale (Jetta Amata)<\/p>\n
– Pan African Actor \u2013 Chris Attoh<\/p>\n
– Pan African Actress \u2013 Jackie Appiah<\/p>\n
OTHER<\/p>\n
– World DJ \u2013 DJ Obi<\/p>\n
– Best Comedian \u2013 Gordon<\/p>\n
– Entertainment Executive \u2013 Audu Maikori<\/p>\n
– Entertainment Promoter \u2013 TiwaWorks<\/p>\n
Humanitarian Award: For the first time in the history of the NEA,\u00a0Sutainable International Medical Missions was honored wit the\u00a0humanitarian award for their humanistic efforts in bridging health care\u00a0gaps in mutiple states in Nigeria. The awardees are Dr. Babafemi\u00a0Adenuga, an assistant professor and Interim Chair of the Department of\u00a0Community and Family Medicine at Howard University Hospital, Dr. Chinedu\u00a0Ahaghotu, an associate professor of Urology and Chief of the Urology\u00a0services at Howard University Hospital, Dr. Chukwemeka Onyewu, a\u00a0plastics and reconstructive surgeon and adjunct professor of General\u00a0Surgery at Howard University Hospital and Dr. Alexander Nnabue,\u00a0CEO\/Owner of Visual Eyes. Congratulations to them for all their\u00a0services.\u00a0Congratulations to all the nominees and winners in the different\u00a0categories.<\/p>\n
The winner of the International Artist of the Year category, Nneka,\u00a0will also be receiving an all expense paid one-track music production\u00a0collaboration with an International artist and also an all expense paid\u00a0music video for winners of the Hottest Single of the Year (Ice Prince)\u00a0and Most Promising Act to Watch (Jhybo) couresy of Spinlet, Spinlet is\u00a0a downloadable application that enables consumers to browse and listen\u00a0to their favorite music on their mobile phones.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"