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‘Barbie’ makes $155m in first weekend to dominate US box office

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‘Barbie‘, the recently released comedy fantasy movie, has emerged at the top of the US box office after raking in over $155 million in its first weekend.

Variety reports that ‘Barbie’ was not alone in its triumph.

The combined release of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ alongside ‘Barbie’ created a pop culture sensation.

It reported that both movies drew massive crowds, with cinemagoers turning out en masse for ‘Barbie’, propelling it to a $155 million debut.

Additionally, moviegoers also showed up to see ‘Oppenheimer’, which amassed $80.5 million during its opening weekend.

Jeff Goldstein, the president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros, was quoted as stating that the $155 million amassed came as a surprise.

“We thought it would be $75 million for the opening weekend. Nobody saw $155 million coming. This doll has long legs,” he said.

Before ‘Barbie’, the title of the biggest opening of 2023 belonged to ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’, which earned $146.3 million domestically.

The Super Mario movie first debuted at the New York Toy Fair in 1959 and was the creation of Ruth Mosko.

‘Barbie’ has achieved the biggest domestic start for a female-directed movie.

This has drawn comparisons to the 2017 performance of ‘Wonder Woman’ which was directed by Patty Jenkins.

‘Wonder Woman’, Box Office Mojo reports, earned approximately $38 million domestically on its opening day.

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Davido gifts Lexus SUV to personal driver

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Davido, the Grammy-nominated Afrobeats star, has purchased a new Lexus SUV for Tunde Yussuf, his personal driver.

On Thursday, Yussuf, who is also a tour assistant to the singer, shared a photo of the Lexus RX with his 18000 followers on Instagram.

The driver, who is also referred to as Doro DMW, expressed his appreciation for the gift. He also showered prayers on Davido.

“Congratulations to me🙏🙏🙏🙏 God bless you 001 my boss @davido You no go ever fall my oga. OBO DAN DO AM AGAIN,” he wrote.

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Diddy placed on suicide watch in prison

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the embattled rapper, has reportedly been placed on suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The 54-year-old music mogul who was arrested at a hotel in Manhattan on Monday is currently facing federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

On Tuesday, Robyn Tarnofsky, the US magistrate judge, ordered that the hitmaker be sent to jail to await trial in his case. The Bad Boy Records founder was also denied bail.

Tarnofsky’s order followed after Diddy pleaded not guilty to the 14-page federal indictment against him.

On Thursday, People quoted sources at the prison as saying that the rapper has been placed on suicide watch for “preventative measures”.

It added that “Combs is in shock and his mental state is unclear”.

Prison occupants are placed on suicide watch as “supervisory precautions taken for suicidal inmates that require frequent observation,” according to the US Department of Justice National Institute of Corrections.

The news outlet did not reveal how long Diddy will remain under suicide watch, or if he is suicidal.

The rapper is expected to remain at the Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of trial — although the date has yet to be revealed.

The New York Times reports that the detention facility, which holds more than 1,200 people, has a reputation for violence, filthy conditions, food contamination, and suicides.

On Tuesday, federal prosecutors charged Diddy with sex trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.

They alleged the rapper, with help from Combs Enterprise associates, ran an “enterprise that he engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor or, kidnapping, arson and other crimes”.

Combs was said to have “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” from 2008 to now.

Diddy is the highest-profile musician to face sexual misconduct charges since Robert Sylvester Kelly, the R&B singer popularly known as R. Kelly.

Kelly was sentenced in 2022 to more than 30 years in prison for sexually abusing fans, some of them children, racketeering, and sex trafficking.

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Oxlade reveals the reason he once ran away from home

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Nigerian singer Oxlade has opened up about his decision to drop out of university and run away from home due to threats from cultists in school.

During an interview with Punch Newspapers on September 18, 2024, the singer discussed his motivation to drop out of school to save his life.

“I dropped out of the university in my final year because it was a crazy time. There were some gangs after me because I’m a fine boy. Being a fine boy makes you a target. It is either you join them or they off you. So I had to leave that environment,” he added.

Oxlade, who attended Lagos State University (LASU), noted that while the institution has since improved its focus on academics, the atmosphere during his time there was tumultuous. “At that time, it was a hot period. Now everyone is chasing money,” he stated, acknowledging the university’s efforts to curb such dangerous behaviours today.

“After I left school, I ran away from home because I couldn’t tell my family why I dropped out,” he revealed.

The first time he opened up about his experience with the cultists was during an interview on the Tea with Tay Podcast in October 2023.

He explained, “During my university days, I was always in the church reading Bible and books. Then I dropped out in my final year. I’ve never said this before. I dropped out when some boys were trying to make me join a gang.”

Oxlade shared a touching moment when his grandmother unknowingly saved his life by asking him to come home.

“I don’t know how my grandma knew, she just told me to come to Ibadan, that I shouldn’t go and pack anything from the hostel, so I was there for a week. So the next few days my roommates said that they came to beat the shit out of them because of me,” he explained.

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