ACTSCENE:Amina’s the new host of The Trend

Amina’s the new host of The Trend

Amina Abdi Rabar was on Friday unveiled as the new host of NTV’s The Trend. The sassy presenter first show was at the new Nairobi University Chandaria auditorium in front of a live audience.

The popular show has been without a permanent host since Larry Madowo called it quits in June. Madowo, who started the show back in December 2012, expressed his gratitude to viewers’ for their support during his stint as the host. On his last day he said that everyone who was on television every Friday evening was trying to do exactly what he was doing and that is the reason he was leaving the popular show.

According to head of TV  at NTV Justus Tharao, the show will have a new look with new segments. Asked why they settled on her? He said, “Amina presents a new fresh air of breath in the entertainment and she has a 360 degree understanding of the entertainment industry. She is the new face of entertainment, from TV, radio to emcing and that is what NTV was looking for.”

The Trend has since been hosted by former Nation FM presenter Ciru Muriuki, Hot 96’s Cindy Ogana, Capital FM’s Anita Nderu, funnyman Dr King’ori and Njambi Koikai.

Amina has hosted radio shows and has also been a presenter of two other television shows. She has been hosting the popular radio show, Hits not Homework at Capital FM for the past five years.

Apart from her radio shows Amina has expanded her career beyond the studio from singing, emceeing, doing voice overs to hosting television shows. Last week she announced she had quit her morning show at K24. “I have been with K24 Alfajiri for the last two years and it’s been amazing,” The mother of one is married to Homeboyz Radio CEO DJ John Rabar.

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Justice League premieres early in Nairobi

Five of the world’s most watched and admired super heroes come together in an attempt to restore faith in humanity.

Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman and The Flash stand against a newly awakened threat of catastrophic proportions.

So begins Justice League, by awkwardly reintroducing two of DC comic’s characters: the ageless Amazon warrior-princess Diana (Gal Gadot), better known as Wonder Woman and billionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), who dons high-tech armor to fight crime on the industrial rooftops of Gotham City as Batman.

A few lucky DStv subscribers in Kenya on Wednesday got to see one of the most anticipated films of the year after it premiered in Nairobi two days before its official release.

The pre-screening of Justice League that was held at Century Cinemax at Junction Mall saw over 200 movie enthusiasts watch the film that features five of the biggest super hero names of all time.

“The movie Justice League is one of the most anticipated block busters of the year and it is a great delight for DStv to be able to give our subscribers the first opportunity to watch the movie ahead of the worldwide release,” said Philip Wahome, MultiChoice Kenya Corporate Communications Manager.

To some the big budget movie could have done better but Justice League is about solidarity rather than flying and soaring solo, so the movie spends considerable time piecing together its newest parts: the Flash, a.k.a. Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), a zippy wisenheimer wreathed in lightning; Aquaman, a.k.a. Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), muscular and tattooed superhero and Cyborg, a.k.a. Victor Stone (Ray Fisher), a machine man built from metal with serious attitude.

In the movie, Superman (Henry Cavill) has been dead for a year, so it’s a quite the pickle since the other superheroes need him to save the day.

The arrival of Parademons has something to do with a generic horned villain named Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), who’s looking for three magical MacGuffins called Mother Boxes.

They entrusted for safekeeping thousands of years ago to Diana’s fellow Amazons on the hidden island of Themyscira, the Aquamen and Aquawomen of Curry’s sunken Atlantis, and the tribes of men.

The film settles into a groove once it finds its gang.

The Flashgets the bulk of the best jokes, and he makes most of them work, largely in the role of in-house fan-boy with a touch of the cowardly lion. He keeps you hooked, as does Momoa who flexibly shifts between seriousness and comedy.

When Aquaman chugs a bottle of booze before plunging into an angry sea, the movie hits the comic-book sweet spot between deadly seriousness and self-amused humor.

Spoiler alert: There are moments here too where an interesting sub-story seems bricked over, Superman’s resurrection is the best sequence in the film and teases existential questions which are never developed, while Cyborg and his Dad could prove very interesting characters in a film less relaxing than this one.

None of the actors are bad, and spin-offs for The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg hold plenty of intrigue. But as a film to be enjoyed alone, it’s dead behind the eyes. Its chaotic and unimaginative action scenes can drag on forever but the touches of humor in the film lighten the whole thing. 

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Expendables actor names male executive who sexually assaulted him 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews has named the high-level Hollywood executive he accused of groping him at an industry function last year.

Crews says he felt totally “emasculated” when he was sexually assaulted at a Hollywood party.

During an interview with Good Morning America earlier this week, “The Expendables” actor is one of the few male actors who have come out in the wake of harassment allegations. At least 20 high-profile men in Hollywood, the media and the political sphere have since faced allegations of sexually harassing or assaulting women and men.

Crews bravely shared his own experience first on Twitter revealing his genitals were grabbed by a male executive at a Hollywood party.

He said the male executive who assaulted him is well connected to probably everyone he knows in the business.

“My wife and I were at an event with Adam Sandler. He’s Adam Sandler’s agent, he’s Sylvester Stallone’s agent, he’s Eddie Murphy’s agent, he’s connected to everyone I know in the business. Here’s the thing, I did not know this man. I have never had a conversation with him, ever. The first time I ever had an interaction with him was at this event,” he said.

During the interview he recalled how in February 2016, he was assaulted by Adam Venit, who is head of the Motion Picture Department at William Morris Endeavor, one of the biggest agencies in the world.

Two of his clients, actors Dustin Hoffman and Brett Ratner, were also accused of sexual misconduct earlier this month.

The 49-year-old former NFL star described the bizarre encounter with Venit alleging that he (Venit) made “overtly sexual tongue moves” at him while he was attending a party with his wife, Rebecca King-Crews, in 2016.

“He comes over to me. I stick my hand out and he literally takes his hand and puts it and squeezes my genitals. I jump back like, ‘Hey, hey.’ And he’s still licking his tongue out and all this stuff and I go, ‘Dude, what you are doing? What are you doing?’ and then he comes back again. He just won’t stop,” Crews recalled.

The enraged star who has starred in several films like “White Chicks”, “Scary Movies”, “The Gamer” among many others said that he then pushed the agent away, causing Venit to bump into other attendees. He also said that he went over to actor Adam Sandler, one of Venit’s other clients at the party, to tell him what happened.

“I have never felt more emasculated, more objectified. I was horrified,” Crews said. “It’s so bizarre. I wake up every morning wondering, ‘Did this really happen?”

Crews – who was a successful football player in the NFL before he became an actor – went on to say he was totally stunned when the man touched his private parts and his first instinct was to punch him in the face.

Crews said his wife calmed him down, and was proud of him for not resorting to violence. As an African American man, Crews said, he is aware that, had he physically confronted Venit, he would “immediately be seen as a thug.”

He added that he understands why many victims don’t come forward. They’re up against powerful people in Hollywood and fear people won’t believe their stories, and that their careers will suffer as a result.