 Snoop Dogg wants you to know that he’s tired of hip-hop, is Bob Marley reincarnated and is embracing reggae instead of the culture of guns he once rapped about.
Also, he’s got a new name: Snoop Lion.
The artist said at a news conference Monday in New York that he was “born again” during a visit to Jamaica in February and is ready to make music that his “kids and grandparents can listen to.”
Talk about giving back for your birthday! Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, who in 2010 used their birthdays to raise $109,000 for charity: water, a non-profit organization which brings clean water to developing nations, have taken it one step further.
The couple just visited Ethiopia with charity: water and inaugurated a clean well for a village of 400.
Spotted smiling at each other while receiving gifts from grateful villagers, the two witnessed the construction of a brand-new well in the Maego village, Tigray, and even manned the organizations new drilling rig, Yellow Thunder. The celebration for the new water supply was made complete when the Smiths danced and sang along with the community.
"Our trip to Ethiopia with charity: water was an incredibly eye-opening and authentic experience," said Smith in a statement. "It was extraordinary to meet and spend time with the people of Tigray and to see first-hand how clean water changes everything for these communities."
The Smiths also raised an additional $789,000 for charity: water by promising to take the top donors with them to Ethiopia.
Ethiopia, the most populated landlocked country in the world, still has 50 million people who live without clean water. If you'd like to learn more about the Smith's mission to bring water to Ethiopia.
Source : DireTube
 Now it’s time for those from the Horn of Africa to shine. For those of you who don’t know, the Horn is comprised of East African countries like Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. And although they belong to the same region, these countries (like those in the rest of Africa) boast a myriad of languages, customs, and histories.Unless you live in Washington DC or Minneapolis, you may not be familiar with many people from the region but best believe, they do represent stateside despite the fact that they don’t have a heavy presence in Hollywood. And although they don’t hail Haile Sellasie, these following 7 celebs are all working the entertainment circuit as models, chefs, musicians and even video vixens.
You may be surprised by a few…
Liya Kebede
Representing: Ethiopia
Even if you don’t know her name, you surely have seen Liya Kebede’s face and body behind some of the most lucrative fashion and beauty brands of our time. Open any magazine and you’ll see the Ethiopian-born beauty modeling H&M, J.Crew, and Estee Lauder (as its official spokeswoman). But like many of her supermodel colleagues, the mother of two hasn’t stopped at just modeling. She also has an Ethiopian-inspired fashion line, has delved into acting, and launched her own philanthropic organization to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality.
 The name Ethiopians give for themselves seems to revolve around pride. It is also a fact that most Ethiopians are not star-struck or there is no celebrity culture like the ones in Hollywood which includes asking for an autograph, cheering and the paparazzi.
But with regards to Teddy Afro this seems to have changed where even his personal life seems to be highly publicized on social media like Facebook while some people tweet about his life on twitter. After the release of his highly anticipated album, ‘Tikur sew,’ a music video of the song ‘Tikur Sew’ was officially released on Tuesday at Addis Ababa Hilton Hotel.
 American Idol judge, jennifer Lopez, already has four-year-old twins Max and Emme with estranged husband Marc Anthony, but after working with siblings who had been adopted from Ethiopia after their mother died on new movie What to Expect When You're Expecting, Jennifer is considering the 'selfless act'.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "It's funny because before the movie I never really thought about adoption, I just always wanted to have my own baby and I was so focused on that and it took me a while to have my own."
"But after the film and during the making of the film when I held those two little Ethiopian twins I fell in love instantly and I can see how somebody can do this, how it is so easy to embrace a child who has nothing.
"It's a beautiful, selfless act of love and it's something that you go, 'OK, I understand these feelings, I get this. I almost took those babies home. I fell in love with those babies."
However, right now Jennifer - who is dating backing dancer Casper Smart - says she is kept busy raising Max and Emme.
She explained: [Adoption] would be a blessing but I'm focused on doing it right with those two and I've really got myhands full.
SOURCE:.dnaindia.com
 Gemena drama 2 By Samuel Getachew
A year ago, at the Toronto International Film Festival, I stood up and asked a daring question to international actress Natalie Portman. Covering the event for a local Ethiopian paper in Toronto, knowing she had recently been to Ethiopia, I asked her about Ethiopian film making as well as any future plans to take some of her work to Ethiopia for a public showing.
The whole room looked at me with confusion as if I had asked a very irrelevant foreign question about a country that everyone associates with something entirely different. In an almost patronizing tone, she answered, how much she liked being involved in charity work in Ethiopia and how much she was struck by the beauty and humility of Ethiopians that she had met on her brief visit. My question not being answered, I sat down and heard other more mainstream news outlets ask friendly questions such as the name of her hair stylists, if she had a boyfriend and so many similar popular questions.
A year after that experience, on my current visit to Ethiopia, the first thing I wanted to do was to be exposed to local film making. As much as I wanted to visit many historical places, I wanted to read and experience the stories behind the great talents of Ethiopia. I visited many cinemas and theatres and was always pleasantly surprised to discover that most cinemas were always sold out with local Ethiopian produced movies and plays. At the weekly Alatinos Film Makers Association discussion event at the Russian Cultural Center, for instance, there are literally hundreds of amateur students who come together to discuss very creative ideas and proposals with leading Ethiopian artists such as Sayat Demessie.
In many ways, movie making in Ethiopia is now a mainstream business and, as a result, many talented actors and actress are being afforded a rare opportunity to showcase a beautiful talent. Meseret Mebrate of the very popular TV drama, “Gemena”, is such a person.
I was first exposed to Meseret at a movie premier of “Hiroshima” in which she is one of the main actors. The movie is about leading Ethiopian business people who try to smuggle hazardous waste to Ethiopia by exploiting many people and families along the way. In it, Meseret plays a partner of the main character in his pursuit of due justice and the protection of his country. In every scene, she is the star in so many ways.
Tall, elegant and beautiful to watch, she makes every part, whether the happy or the sad, come to life. At the screening, dressed in what is perhaps the most beautiful cultural dress I have ever seen, designed by multitalented Designer Mafi, she goes around the auditorium meeting her many fans and asks for their opinion. This is rare for many stars and it might just be the making of one of Ethiopia’s successful films, TV, radio and stage superstar. I ask her for an interview for The Reporter, and she grants me the privilege in a heartbeat the following day.
At The Reporter’s office near Bole International Airport, her arrival tells a true story of where she is headed in her career. Arriving in her brand new spanking clean blue Lifan, for which she is a spokesperson of the company, hands were being thrown her way even before she got the opportunity to park her car. She was given the opportunity to park in a privileged area while the guards promise to clean her car while she is away. From the posh business men to the cleaners, they complement her work and tell her they were all her biggest fans. She finally arrives on the 4th floor located Reporter’s office, and many stood up to her and also ask if they could have their pictures taken with her.
Many complements could be heard from a distance. “She is more beautiful in person” seems to be the universal complement that is heard, while “I can not wait to put our picture on my Facebook” is what I could also hear from those who had a chance to take a picture with her. Like the perfectionist she is or has become with everything she has touched in her career that spans over a decade, she shakes our hands and apologizes for being late by about 10 minutes. We were all taken a back with her presence to even notice that she was that late.
The first question is to have her reflect on her journey so far. Her movie career began, as she tells it, near her neighborhood, in Gibi Gabriel, at the Saint Gabriel Church where she was a member of the “Bete Kenet”. “I really liked the experience of being born in that surrounding and it gave me a rare fulfilled life that I still carry with me”, she tells me. In time, she was discovered and was recruited to do a starring role in the TV series, “Yeshama Emba” (Tears of a Candle). This series exposed the stigma associated with HIV / AIDS in Ethiopia. Her brilliant performance as a rape victim in the TV series made her a household name in the minds and hearts of many people. It was even reported in a local paper how her strong performance convinced her father to often refuse to watch some of her work.
At the conclusion of that short series, she moved on and starred in many movies and TV shows. One notable performance was in the movie, “Gudefecha”, where she was a love interest. Through such a convincing performance, she gained the trust and mentorship of Director Tatek Tadesse, whom she describes as one of her mentors. She also looked upon and credits great directors such as Asheber Kabetamu of “Gemena” for paving the way for many talented actresses to be successful. In the “Gemena” series, where she won the first Ethiopian TV and Radio Drama 50,000 birr Award, she has played a multiple of roles including that of a psychologist student and that of a housemaid.
A graduate of the Master Photography and Videography Vocational Center in photography, Meseret wants to someday follow in the footsteps of such talented directors like Tatek and Asheber and try directing someday herself. With countless starring roles in movies such as “Yefikr Shimya”, “Sema Hiwot”, “Yemoriam Mider”, and with a reputation of often advising directors at movie sets, “with respects and.
love” she tells me, it seems the birth of Director Meseret Mebrate is nearer than expected. She looks at the careers of great international actresses such as Julia Roberts and local talented actor Fikadu Teklemariam for inspiration. As a fan of Buna Soccer Club, she can often be spotted cheering them on at the Addis Ababa National Stadium and describes soccer as an “art”.
With a huge diamond on her finger, I ask the question that is on the mind of millions of her fans. She laughs and tells me that she has a steady partner and the ring was indeed a promise ring. For a minute, I reflect on the kinds of questions I often heard at the Toronto Film Festival a year ago, and ask her who her stylist is. She literally spends about five minutes telling me the story of her designer, the young and talented Mahlet Afework, aka Mafi. All of a sudden, I become a fan of Mafi and her inspirational work. Then again, how can I not be, when the complements and words are coming from the most talented and convincing actors in Ethiopia.
In thousands of ways, Meseret Mebrate is, indeed, a true future international superstar in the making!
source: ethiopianreporter
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