NATIONAL DRINK WINE DAY

The 20 Hollywood TV Characters Most Likely to Toast National Drink Wine Day Today is National Drink Wine Day—one of those mysterious holidays that seem to spring fully formed from your Facebook or Twitter feed. A Google search leaves the holiday’s origins ambiguous but seems to at least source it to a year: 2011. So happy Fifth-Annual National Drink Wine Day, everyone. Who are we to argue with such a fantastic idea? To put you in the mood to guzzle some grapes, here are 20 TV characters who know their way around a bottle. Let their hardy livers inspire you. Tyrion Lannister—Game of Thrones The shortest member of the Lannister clan is, nonetheless, its most accomplished drinker. Ever since Tyrion made his first appearance in the pilot he’s not been too far from a wine bottle, goblet, or skin. Cersei Lannister—Game of Thrones But if anyone could give Tyrion a run for his money in the drinking department, it’s his sister: Cersei. The thirst she developed when holed up during the Battle of the Blackwater in Season 2 has only increased in the intervening years. Maybe if she had been drinking less and scheming more, Season 5 wouldn’t have gone quite so terribly for her. Alicia Florrick—The Good Wife Alicia recently got in trouble with her neighbors for running a law office out of her swanky Chicago apartment. But if I shared a recycling bin with the Florrick household, I would have raised a few flags long before. But, as Alicia puts it, she doesn’t need wine—she likes wine. For the record, she likes tequila too. Lindsay Jillian—You’re the Worst Any one of the four core characters on this show could have cropped up here but somehow I think Linds is the most inclined to prefer wine. It’s classy, just like her. I’ll see you all back here on National Trash Juice Day when we celebrate all things Vernon. Robin Scherbatsky—How I Met Your Mother It’s possible now that she’s found a happily ever after with Ted, Robin is less inclined to drink under a desk while weeping. Then again, when Ted gets out his red cowboy boots, we won’t blame Robin for taking a deep swig, or 20. The Cul-de-sac Crew—Cougar Town If you don’t have a Big Carl or Big Joe to call your very own, then fill the closest vase with all the wine you have, make fun of your neighbors, play Penny Can, and fondly remember this late, great show. Tami Taylor—Friday Night Lights Truth be told, both Eric and Tami Taylor enjoyed unwinding with a glass of wine, but I decided to put Mrs. Coach on here because . . . Amy Schumer—Inside Amy Schumer . . . Amy Schumer paid such a beautiful homage to Connie Britton’s character in her sketch “Football Town Nights.” Bleary eyes, full glass, can’t lose. Bernard Black—Black Books I don’t recommend trying Bernard Black’s wine popsicle (or ice lolly if you’re British) at home. Freezing a full, glass wine bottle sounds like a recipe for disaster. But if you can pull it off, more power to you, and may I suggest a nice rosé? Liz Lemon—30 Rock You know what pairs well with Night Cheese? Treadmill wine. But if neither of those sounds good, you might want to try some of Liz Lemon’s patented Funky Juice. Find the recipe here. Hannibal Lecter—Hannibal What good is an elegantly prepared meal without a nice Chianti to wash it down? Carrie Mathison—Homeland I don’t, however, recommend you wash down your meds with wine. But if you do, make sure you’re ready to blow your life up completely and repeatedly. Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb—The Today Show O.K., yes, Kathie Lee and Hoda aren’t exactly characters, but, well, aren’t they? Like Tami Taylor before her, Kathie Lee got her own loving send-up courtesy of S.N.L.’s Kristen Wiig. Wiig’s preferred accessory? A wine glass, of course. Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone—Absolutely Fabulous Eddie and Patsy—maybe the original Hoda and Kathie Lee?—are back in the news today thanks to the teaser for their upcoming movie. As you might expect, the women have not changed their hard-drinking ways one bit. You wouldn’t want it any other way, would you, sweetie darling? Skyler White—Breaking Bad When things got especially rough in the White household, Skyler turned to some classic white-wine therapy to get her through tense dinners and even tenser nights. I’d like to think that with a little bit of closure from Walt, Skyler is no longer hitting the bottle quite as hard. But she should go ahead and do whatever she needs to do to get through. She deserves it. Olivia Pope—Scandal If you decide to go full Olivia Pope today and drink red wine while wearing white, then I take my over-sized white hat off to you. You’re a braver drinker than most of us. Some people had trouble getting into this moody, deliberately paced thriller. Which is understandable. This is one of the first shows written with binge-watching in mind, unfolding like a long, engrossing novel. Episodes don’t really have arcs, they’re just chapters in the longer narrative. If you give the series time, it delivers a story as grim as its Florida Keys setting, all palm-dotted and picturesque, is gorgeous. Like too few shows do, Bloodline has a richly realized sense of place, the melancholy island breezes and ominous storm clouds rolling in off electric-blue water giving a classical family saga—about a black sheep returning to the flock, with disastrous results—the weight of something mythic. Bloodline also boasts one of the best performances by any actor, in any medium, this year: Ben Mendelsohn’s devious, pitiful, funny, scary, tragic Danny is a character for the ages, brilliantly brought to life by an actor working at the height of his powers. If you’re in need of the TV equivalent of a literary beach read, Bloodline is the show for you. — Richard Lawson

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WHAT IS THE WAY FORWARD ECONOMICALLY?

During the past few years, consumers have been told that this is the time to invest in diamonds. A flurry of companies has arisen, offering consumers an opportunity to invest in the most desirable categories of polished, colorless diamonds, most often larger than two carats, in the highest color, clarity and cut ranges. Arguing that the production of rough diamonds is dwindling, and that the supply of the top categories will decrease, prices, the investment firms say, will inevitably go up sharply and therefore, diamond are a solid investment. Most industry experts, one way or another, seem to agree with this contention. But what about natural coloured diamonds? Nicholas Weinberg, of Level Diamonds, an exhibitor at the upcoming Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair, says that to the best of his knowledge, nobody has yet come up with an investment proposal involving natural coloured diamonds. “Only one out of every 10,000 diamonds mined and polished is a natural coloured diamond,” Weinberg noted. “That makes them the rarest of diamonds in the market. And coloured diamonds are consistently outperforming colourless diamonds, and for that matter, the top three coloured gemstones, i.e. sapphire, ruby and emerald. “We have put together a number of ‘natural coloured diamonds investment packages’ that we will be exhibiting at the ADTF next week. he stated "We are excited to be presenting this new project in Antwerp!”

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How true is this?

Here is a recent observation of a research conducted. STEP 1. You see a post STEP 2 You skim over it or sometimes go through the comment section STEP 3 You read it if interesting STEP 4 Your mindset changes STEP 5 You tend to reason in line with the leading motion. I advice that you have a mind of your own. Don't always follow the crowd. The exceptional people in the society decided to stand out and stand for something. REMEMBER: If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

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Mr Pee APOLOGIZES

Peter-Paul-Okoye-P-Square-Instagram-September-2012-BellaNaija00 Following his 24 hours non-stop twitter rant, accusations and counter accusations, Peter Okoye of Psquare has just apologised. It’s not clear if the apology is directed to his fans, his twin brother (Paul Okoye) or his elder brother and manager, Jude Okoye, but he says ‘I am so sorry for my actions’. Following his 24 hours non-stop twitter rant, accusations and counter accusations, Peter Okoye of Psquare has just apologised. It’s not clear if the apology is directed to his fans, his twin brother (Paul Okoye) or his elder brother and manager, Jude Okoye, but he says ‘I am so sorry for my actions’.

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SENSATIONAL BREADSELLER TURNED MODEL

IN just two weeks, she has soared above her painfully obscure background. Her fortunes have changed. From a bread seller on the streets of Lagos to a model. She is now set to mount the rostrum on February 20 at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. As a motivational speaker, she will talk on the theme “ If we were the government .” In local parlance, God has picked up and answered the call of Jumoke Orisaguma. Fast-rising afro-pop artiste and Orente crooner, Adekunle Gold, last December dropped a new song, titled Pick Up, which has become an instant hit and upstaged Korede Bello’s I Don Get Alert, Godwin. Pick Up, which is rendered in Yoruba, is a prayer asking for God’s blessings. Modeled after a telephone call, the musician in the song implores God to ‘pick up’ and answer his call. Since Jumoke got her ‘pick up’, her life has never remained the same. The mother of two is now the face of online shopping brand, Payporte and Stanbic IBTC Bank. Jumoke is also the proud owner of a luxury apartment in Lagos. These days, people no longer pray for daily bread, they want to hit the streets to ‘sell’ the proverbial bread. The latest model whose full first name, Olajumoke, is affectionately shortened to Jumoke has now joined popular on-air personalities, Toke Makinwa and former Big Brother Africa first runner-up, Tayo Faniran, as fellow brand ambassadors of Payporte. Stanbic IBTC was also quick when it used her image in one of its adverts, which went viral on the Internet on Monday, cementing her place as a model to be reckoned with in the country. Basking in the glow of her new fame, Jumoke is also enjoying massive media exposure locally and globally, the latest coming from international news network, Cable News Network (CNN.) Her story has become an inspiration to all categories of people with little means of income, especially every tall, model-looking bread seller out there, hanging on the statement that someday luck might smile on them. It’s a classic case of being in the right place at the right time. A young street seller oblivious to the scene ahead, her wares perched atop her head, photo-bombed a shoot and in that split second her life changed forever. Originally a hairstylist from Osun State, she was struggling to make ends meet, and left her husband and two children in their home town to become a street vendor in Lagos. Renowned photographer, TY Bello, was behind the change in Jumoke’s fortunes. TY Bello was photographing UK pop star, Tinie Tempah, when Jumoke walked into the shoot. “She seemed a little confused,” said Bello. “Some people were asking her to walk past really quickly, others were asking her to stay, and she was just in limbo. I said ‘is it okay to take your photograph?’ And she nodded ok.” A teary-eyed Jumoke said she never expected her fortunes to turn around like this. “I never expected that this could ever happen to me. My friends have told me they saw me on TV and they are really happy. My parents cannot believe their own child can become such a success. They are all so happy,” she said. However, Ayo Shonaiya, a TV producer, lawyer and music talent agent, has expressed his fears for the former Agege bread seller. Sharing his opinion on his Facebook page yesterday, he noted that at the risk of sounding like a hater, he is genuinely nervous about the amazing story of Jumoke. “This type of story gladdens everyone’s heart and serves as inspiration to millions of people, but I can’t help but look beyond the fairytale and feel a sense of apprehension at the same time. In my line of work, my job is to look where no one else is looking when it comes to negotiating contracts, maximising earning potential for talent, and pretty much protect such talent, and I pray to God there’s someone doing that for this girl. “When I saw that this Olajumoke girl couldn’t even speak or read English, my first concern was she’s going to be bewildered by a lot of things, especially in the fashion and modeling world in Nigeria. The sudden fame and spotlight, even often times confuse ‘experienced’ talents. I really do hope and pray that, whatever happens to Olajumoke from now on, she is well protected. The fashion and modeling industry can be the worst place you wanna be when ‘they’ decide you’re no longer happening or trending, or worse, not useful anymore,” he stated. Also, popular fashion designer and CEO of Ouch! Clothing, Uche Nnaji, has taken to Instagram to write an open letter to Nigerian banks as they struggle to use Jumoke as the face of their brands, to forget about the mad rush for her endorsement and rather help grow small businesses. “I am still excited and happy that TY Bello allowed God use her to turn around the captivity (circumstance) of Olajumoke, but I am shocked at the sudden awareness by corporate bodies to jump on the bandwagon to celebrate her with all sorts of ‘gifts’ from apartments to endorsements, as if this act has or will take away all the other million Jumokes on our streets searching and waiting for their own TY Bello. “The shocker for me is seeing a Nigerian bank rushing to make Olajumoke a brand ambassador when they would not move an inch to save a dying Nigerian. This action has further shown that most banks seldom grasp their role in growing the economy. Olajumoke is one individual, but a business or an idea the Nigerian bank supports or celebrate can become a new Facebook or Dangote, which would create jobs and feed families,” she wrote.

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