• EbonyLife TV boss hosts Nigeria’s high society to the grand premiere and memorable after-party of her movie, FIFTY
Like a tsarina of unusual spirit and descent, Mo Abudu summons infinite aces up her sleeves, like the fabled Queen of Spades. Chic, brilliant and fabulous, the proudly African broadcast entrepreneur manifests imposingly and brilliantly in the international business scene in her spirited dash for fame, industry and honour. However, Mo Abudu is no way emblematic of the seedy, urban characterisation erroneously ascribed to the “Queen of Spades.” Rather she exudes unusual brilliance, class and passion for excellence, triple traits of the queenly. The Queen of Spades is considered to be a sign of intelligence. Such a woman is representative of superior judgment that is practical, logical, and intellectual; a “Queen of Spades” is a woman who is creative and makes her plans ahead of time. A Queen of Spades is Mo Abudu and she’s still got many aces up her sleeves, writes LANRE ALFRED
Mo Abudu’s style is grand; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EbonyLife TV flaunts an impeccable taste for order and excellence. Thus the charm and hypnotic appeal by which she channels purpose, poise and worth. At the grand premiere of her movie, FIFTY, for instance, Mo sparkled like a treasure trove of brilliance and infinite chic.
The high octane event which held on Sunday, December 13, at the Eko Hotel and Suites, was entrancing and infinitely instructive. Among other things, it revealed why Mo Abudu a.k.a Queen of Spades, steals under your skin at your first and subsequent encounters with her.
The movie premiere was breathtaking. In many ways, it deviates from every other movie premiere. Everything about the black and silver-themed premiere was grand and exquisitely planned to the minutiae. For instance, the invitation card to the event was an unprecedented keepsake. It’s pleasing to the eyes and emblematic of Mo’s extraordinary standards and persona. The card had an access card which made it impossible for anyone to attend the event without invitation – this was surely bad news to party crashers.
Interestingly, prior to the event, there was jostling over invitation cards by folk desperate to be part of the exclusive gathering of Nigeria’s elite socialites. Those that were privileged to get the invitation cards considered themselves extremely lucky and favoured by the Queen of Spades.
Her daughter, Temidayo, was in charge and very helpful and respectful to invited dignitaries. Dress code to the premiere was exquisite, grand and audacious. Male and female dignitaries engaged in a silent couture war like fashion buffs wishing desperately to be crowned King or Queen of infinite chic. But for a snag; Mo Abudu effortlessly took the crown and mounted the throne of the most glamorous dame at the event. Prior to the premiere, invited dignitaries and members of the high society trooped to foremost fashion designers and boutiques at home and abroad to purchase expensive, trendy wears and jewelry for the event.
At Mo Abudu’s FIFTY premiere, plenty of things took place that would never normally happen at such an event; its red carpet unfurled like an iconic symbol of sort – it glittered with several shades of crimson hue, blue, white, black, gold, black and other brilliant colours donned by the elite social crowd that graced the event.
Glamorous personalities trooped out to grace the event in a rich and stunning celebrity parade.
As each dignitary treaded the red, plush rug, an aura of contentment and uncontainable exhilaration wafted from their toothy smiles and effervescent bulk. You could be forgiven for thinking that to each guest at the premiere, being invited was a rare a privilege. They were visibly excited about the red carpet and picked their way along its lush folds in apparent deference to its mystique and infectious aura within the social firmament.
Inside the beautiful expanse of the Eko Hotel and Suites where the event held, guests struggled to retain their poise amid the intoxicating decor and ambiance of the tastefully furnished hall. Mo Abudu indeed left no stone unturned in her bid to make the event the grandest social outing of the year 2015.
Forget the glamour at the event, the after-party presented even greater avenue for Mo’s guests to marvel and drool over her brilliance and unimpeachable social capital. Besides the rich collection of evergreen medley belted out at the event, juju maestro, King Sunny Ade and his band treated the guests to timeless classics from his musical repertoire. The after-party, according to many of the guests, was great and unprecedented in the history of high society outings in t he country. It had an old school theme that resonated pleasurably and nostalgically with matured souls among the elite party crowd in attendance. Guests swayed and shuffled to the beats and lyrics of timeless oldies that brought back memories of their youth and impressionable years.
By the time the party drew to a close in the wee hours of today, Monday, December 14, 2015, many of the guests groaned and gave vent to their dissatisfaction – they wished for the party to go on. And this among other realities, truly attests to the matchless luster and panache of Mo Abudu.
FIFTY explores the fascinating lives of four female characters with salty humour and valour. Starring Iretiola Doyle, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, Omoni Oboli, and Nse Ikpe-Etim, the brand new movie from EbonyLife Films captures the lives of the women at the pinnacle of their careers.
Tola, Elizabeth, Maria and Kate are four friends forced, at midlife, to take stock of their personal lives, while juggling careers and family against the expansive and highly entertaining backdrop of the upper middle-class neighbourhoods of Ikoyi and Victoria Island in Lagos.
They live and work in the resurgent, ever-bustling, 24-hour megacity of Lagos, the commercial capital of Africa’s biggest and most vibrant economy.
Tola is a reality TV star whose marriage to an attorney, Kunle, never stood a chance, thanks to an unpleasant family secret. Elizabeth is a distinguished obstetrician whose predilection for boy-toys alienates her from her daughter. Forty-nine year-old Maria however, has an affair with a married man that results in an unexpected pregnancy and Kate’s battle with a devastating ailment forces her into religious extremism.
Despite themselves, these four Nigerian women whose fascinating love lives are explored subscribe to the myth of a knight in shining armor and light at the end of the very dark tunnel. By the end of the film, these princely paragons glimmer as shining exceptions to every rule and every norm of societal correctness. They flirt with egotism, duplicity and uproariously depicted sexual ineptitude cum independence with varying degrees of forbearance, until they run out of patience. Then, with habitual soap opera-like candour, they set in motion the climax with flouncy, theatrical flourish.
Although FIFTY aspires to be more than a slick soap opera, underneath its feistiness it glistens with romantic fancies. Contributing to the heady atmosphere is a luscious soundtrack of folk ballads, rendered by King Sunny Ade, Femi Kuti, Nneka, Tiwa Savage and Waje who all make cameo appearances. Although the songs slip unobtrusively in and out of the background, they function subliminally as romantic chorale that lends the movie depth and a crimson romantic flush. That radiance complements the story’s phoenix locale, a posh suburban delight of rosy sunsets, large, pristine homes, offices among other sceneries.
The four leading ladies elicit awe by their flamboyant, flavorful performances. Doyle has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a young wife in TV sitcom “Fuji House of Commotion” seem too laborious and unwieldy. Oboli imbues her character with blush and a sexy comic swivel, and Ikpe-Etim exudes smoldering heat that is tempered by Dakore’s ambitious poise.
The movie is little more than a collection of vignettes strung around a candy-sweet theme and soundtracks. Fifty is no doubt, a sequence of star turns by four enchanting divas evoking dramatic fireworks from every discerning movie buff.
