Entertainment
Erica Celebrates Hollywood-Style Birthday – The Making of a SuperModel
By Eric Elezuo
Hurray! Nigeria’s own Miss Classic is 27, and she is not keeping quiet about it. Consequently, a Hollywood style celebration has been planned to make the birthday of the single most influential individual, who featured in the ever popular Big Brother Naija, a memorable one.
She had a month earlier announced via a tweet that her birthday was going to be a grand one, creating euphoria among her fans, who are fondly called Elites.
Erica said this in a tweet after EyeCan, a singer and a great fan of hers who composed the song ‘AYFLE’ tweeted that he would be emotional performing the song for the first time at any event.
AYFLE is an acronym for ‘Are You Fine Like Erica’. The song was composed and dedicated to the reality TV star due to deep love for her.
In the history of the Big Brother Naija, followers of the reality TV show have come to agree that no single individual has received the attention the character, Erica had received and continues to receive. Even from those who claim not to like her style.
Right from the first day she entered the House, the 27 years old thriving enigma left no one in doubt that she had something up her sleeves. She was determined to make an impact, and by so doing further launch herself into the entertainment and social circle in the best of styles. There is no doubt she did just that.
Many of those that passed through schools with and sat at very close range with this wonder of the world, never realised that they were actually at a touching distance of one of the greats nature has bestowed on mankind.
A product of decency, grace, determination, hard work, absolute focus, charming personality, can do attitude, and with a skin glowing like the sun, Erica Ngozi Ugonma Nlewedim was born on March 13, 1994 to Oby Nwokolo and Eric Nlewedim Christian in Lagos. She is a native of Umuahia in Abia State. Erica is an only child who was raised in Lagos by her mother.
It is quite an understatement to say that Erica, popularly known as Star Girl is an actress, model and entrepreneur, she is all that, and more. She is a uniting factor, a joy merchant and a girl radiates happiness and warmth
Erica had her secondary school education at Victory Grammar School, Lagos and later moved to Command Secondary School, Ikeja, where she was groomed to follow her dreams, no matter how lofty and ambitious. Well bred and thoroughly read, Erica attended the prestigious Covenant University and obtained a degree in Business Administration.
It is on record that she discovered her modeling talent at a tender age, and went ahead to become brand ambassador to gigantic brands among which is Guinness and Glo.
In 2013 at the age of 19, she hit the ground running becoming the brand Ambassador for Natures Gentle Touch; a personal style brand that uses natural ingredients to solve hair and scalp challenges.
She followed it up in 2014 by participating in the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MGBN) pageant where she won the MBGN Miss Photogenic award, in addition to stealing the hearts of the audience. Of course, it is believable that her smiles are infectious, spreading love and warmth to whomever is privileged to encounter her.
She gained ground afterwards, connecting to high profile brands and featuring in a Peak Milk TV advert alongside Nigerian pop Artiste, Falz.
In 2015, Erica kicked off her acting career, and gradually edged her way to becoming a screen goddess. In the first instance, she landed the lead role in Secrets and Scandals on her debut. She went ahead to also feature in the TV Series, Royal Castle for three consecutive seasons.
The year 2015 was more like a roller coaster for her as she crowned with a place in the movie, Poka Messiah, directed by Ernest Obi.
Her line up of performances in 2016 was legendary. She bestowed on the soap opera world like a colossus, featuring in thriller after thriller. Some of them were Once Upon a Night, where she played a supporting character, My Flatmates, The Paternity Deal, Being Farouk, Dead Rites, Fractured, Win or Lose, Made in heaven and a host of others. She also played a supporting role in the blockbuster movie, Hire a Woman.
In 2019, she took her acting career a notch higher, and got enrolled into the Met Film School, London, to study Acting for Film. The knowledge attained at the Film School is already being showcased, gathering accolades wherever she found herself, with her attendance at the Season Five of BBN (Lockdown) as the icing on the cake.
A supermodel of repute seeking the Naomi Campbell form of glory, Erica has worked with brands such as Glo, Jumia, and MyZotoApp. And not forgetting that she was the brand face for Zaron Cosmetics, Access Bank and Maltina.
Recently, the star girl, whose influence cut across the African continental, where her arrivals had raise dusts of love, had adding more wholesome endorsements, including the ever popular Legend and Star Radler liquor by the Nigerian Breweries products.
Erica had not in the least looked back, but keeps breaking barriers of rejection, stereotype mediocrity to success. She has continued to bag lucrative ambassadorial deals at regular intervals.
In February 2021, she bagged a new endorsement deal with a fast-growing fintech company, Kuda Microfinance Bank. There is no doubt that Erica has been the hottest celebrity whose impact is helping institutions to promote their brands.
Her influence has been helping companies cash in on the lucrative market. It must sell so long Erica or Stargirl endorses. Few days after her romance with Kuda Microfinance, the ebullient actress was unveiled as the new face of an international luxury jewellery brand, Swarovski.
Who would ever believe that this rare gift was disqualified from the 2020 Big Brother Naija reality show. She is the Queen and President of the Elites and has continued to secure endorsement deals in geometric progression.
One of her greatest promoters, Chief Dele Momodu, once announced that Erica was a girl to watch. This was way before she left the BBN House. Of course, the Momodu is a vessel to be taken seriously, and true to his prediction, Erica is today about the only BBN name in the mouth of fans, arguably though.
Erica is not just about endorsing deals, she is also carving a niche for herself. At the age of 24 in 2018, she founded Erica Nlewedim Foundation in 2018; a non-governmental organisation to cater for underprivileged children. Her foundation undertakes periodical visits to orphanages homes and make donations.
Also, In December 2019, Erica Nlewedim Foundation launched its Hunger Heroes Campaign which successfully fed 1000 less privileged individuals on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria.
She is the indisputable Chief Executive Officer of her Luxury hair brand, Beluxia Hair. Erica’s case is a case of who God has blessed, no one can curse.
Happy birthday Stargirl!
By Samantha Ofole-Prince
From AAFCA to BAFTA, the Golden Globes to the Critics Choice Awards, it’s certainly the season of splurges and speeches.
Each year between November and March, Hollywood becomes host to a majority of significant film awards as numerous guilds and critics associations heap accolades on movies which have moved them.
With 3 more major awards that include the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Oscars and the Image Awards left to dole out their nominations list, Samantha Ofole-Prince shares the scorecard on who’s snagged what statuettes so far.
Paul Thomas Anderson‘s action-thriller “One Battle After Another” has dominated the season. The film about a washed-up ex-revolutionary on a quest to rescue his daughter from a resurfaced nemesis that stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Sean Penn and Teyana Taylor, has struck a chord with audiences receiving more accolades than any other movie. Some of the categories it has been nominated for include Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Ensemble, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design and Best Visual Effects. The film will most likely receive multiple Oscar nominations on January 22nd.
“Sinners,” the supernatural horror film directed by Ryan Coogler, follows close behind with 17 nominations, nearly matching the record of 18 that “Barbie” achieved two years ago from the Critics Choice Awards. The film collected a nod for Best Picture, while cast members Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku, and Miles Caton are up for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Young Actor / Actress respectively. Ryan Coogler was recognized in the categories of Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, and the film also received nods for Best Casting and Ensemble, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Stunt Design, Best Song, Best Score, and Best Sound. Coogler also received the Director Award at the Critics Choice 8th annual Celebration of Black Cinema.
Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” hasn’t done too badly either this awards season. The live-action film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel about a scientist bringing a monstrous creature to life in a daring experiment, earned several Golden Globe nominations with additional recognition at the Critics Choice Awards and Gotham Awards for its screenplay, design, and performances.
Other notable nominations include Akinola Davies Jr.’s “My Father’s Shadow.” His feature length film debut, which is set against the backdrop of the 1993 Nigerian presidential election, has won several notable awards and special mentions at international film festivals and award ceremonies. Directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Wale, it secured two major awards at the 35th Annual Gotham Film Awards with a Breakthrough Director for Akinola, an Outstanding Lead Performance for its main actor Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù. The film also received 12 total nominations at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
Tessa Thompson’s role as a manipulative woman in an entangled relationship between two men in the movie “Hedda” recently earned her several nominations including a Golden Globe nod for Best Actress, a Spirit Award nomination and Best Actress wins at the African American Film Critics Award and Critics Choice Celebration of Black Cinema. Other accolades include Gotham Awards and nominations for Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival, with production design and score.
Notable Nigerian actors Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo and Ego Nwodim have also received accolades. Idris received a Best Supporting Actor nod from the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and was honored by the Critics Choice Association (CCA) for his role as a race car drive in the movie “F1.” Erivo received two Golden Globe nominations and a Critics Choice Award nomination for her work in “Wicked: For Good” in the Best Actress category and Ego Nwodim received a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for “Saturday Night Live.”
Despite decent reviews and strong performances from both Dwayne Johnson, who plays a real-life former amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist in the movie “The Smashing Machine,” and Ayo Edebiri, who plays a PHD student who accuses a Yale Professor of rape in the film “After the Hunt,” both have failed to garner many accolades. Johnson did receive his first Golden Globe nomination and Edebiri, an Emmy and SAG award-winning actor, writer, producer, director, and comedian, did get another Golden Globe nod in the television category, but it was for her portrayal of chef Sydney on the television series “The Bear.”
Now the countdown begins to the Oscar nominations, one of the most-watched live entertainment events of the year, the NAACP Image Awards and the SAG Awards nominations.
Samantha Ofole-Prince is a U.S. based journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film.
Photos: Critics Choice Association
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