To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, Netflix is partnering with UN Women to launch a special collection “Because She Watched” curated by groundbreaking women in entertainment from around the world, and our very own Kemi Adetiba has been included among them.
“Because She Watched” is a special Netflix collection of series, documentaries and films to celebrate International Women’s Day. The collection, which will be available all year, is curated by female creators from behind and in front of the camera, who live all around the world, including Sophia Loren, Salma Hayek, Yalitza Aparicio, Millie Bobby Brown, Laurie Nunn, Lana Condor, Petra Costa and Ava DuVernay.
From “Unbelieveable” and “Luna Nera” to “Orange is the New Black“, “Lionheart” and “Sex Education“, female creators have enabled audiences around the globe to see themselves and new perspectives on screen. These series, films, documentaries and the creators behind them have started important, often hard, conversations that have helped to challenge the way we see the world.
Created for International Women’s Day, the collection celebrates the stories that have inspired the women who inspire us. These series, films and documentaries have started important, often difficult conversations that have helped to challenge the way we see the world.
Hollywood actress, Laverne Cox has this to say about her empowerment as a woman:
Having a world where everyone is truly represented is about true democracy. And truly seeing ourselves allows us to envision endless possibilities for ourselves, and each other. Orange is the New Black is the first project where I felt genuinely empowered as a woman, thanks to the woman at the helm of the show, Jenji Kohan, and the many women directors, writers, producers and crew members as well as the stories that centered diverse women in an unprecedented way. This show created a space and platform for me as a black openly trans woman that created space for other openly trans women of all races to be truly seen in the depth of our humanity.
The collection is available at Netflix.com/becauseshewatched or by searching for “Because She Watched” on Netflix. Every title in the collection will be labelled “XXXX’s Women’s Day Pick” so members can easily see who picked which story. In addition, members will be able to choose from a selection of “Because She Watched” profile icons to celebrate their favourite female characters from the collection.
Singer Jason Derulo got candid about a shocking past injury during a recent appearance on Paris Hilton’s podcast “I Am Paris.” Derulo revealed that he actually broke his neck in 2013 while training in the gym in preparation for his “Future History World Tour.”
The incident sounded horrific. Derulo described experiencing a fall that left him fearing the worst. The severity of the injury was so significant that it ultimately forced him to cancel his entire world tour.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Derulo persevered. He shared with Hilton that his recovery process took roughly seven months. This experience undoubtedly served as a major challenge, but Derulo’s determination to heal and get back on his feet is surely an inspiring story for many.
He said,
“I broke my neck in 2013. I was getting ready for my world tour and working with this trainer. He was like, ‘Today, we’re going to work on endurance, so I need you to do these back tucks back-to-back.’ I slipped during one of the back tucks, and I landed on my head, breaking my C-2 vertebrae. As soon as it happened, I heard a big crack, and I was like, ‘Holy s**t, is this it? Is this how it all ends?'”
“All the thoughts you could imagine are going through my head at the time, and I remember thinking to myself, ‘S–t, my mom is in the car waiting for me outside.’ I didn’t want to scare her.”
Jason Derulo was only 22 years old at the time of the accident. Even though the injury sounds serious, he tried to downplay it. While holding his neck in pain, he simply told his mom he was hurt.
“I think I just hurt myself a little bit,” before asking to take him to the hospital “just to check it out.”
“The doctor was like, ‘Well, I have some good news and some bad news,’ Jason noted of his X-rays. “‘You’re still here with us and can move all your limbs. The bad news is you’re going to be out for seven months,'” he added.
In a recent interview with Capital XTRA, Afrobeats singer Ayra Starr dished on a variety of topics. She shared her experiences touring alongside the legendary Chris Brown. Ayra Starr also spoke about her latest album, “The Year I Turned 21.” This album holds a special place in her heart as it chronicles experiences from a pivotal year in her life.
Perhaps most surprising was her take on cultural similarities. Ayra Starr revealed that she doesn’t find a huge difference between Nigeria, her home country, and the United Kingdom. This might surprise some listeners, as these two places have distinct cultures and traditions.
The host asked, “You said that in the US, the biggest culture you’ve experienced is the food portion size. What is the biggest culture shock in the UK?”
Ayra Starr responded, “I feel like the UK is very similar to Nigeria, so the culture is not as different, but I think it’s the food. The UK food, not Chinese, Nigerian, or Italian food, is British food. There was one food that I had that was jellied.”
During the interview, the conversation turned to other artists’ music. The interviewer asked Ayra Starr an interesting question: is there a song by another artist that she wishes she had written herself?
“Bitch better have my money by Rihanna or Snooze by SZA, the whole of SZA’s SOS album,” the singer replied.
The interview continued with a lighter question about hidden talents. When asked what her hidden talent might be, Ayra Starr laughed and said, “I can sleep anywhere. I can sleep standing; I can even sleep in a pool.”
The conversation shifted towards fans. The host asked about the most special gift she’s ever received from a fan. Ayra Starr then recalled a heartwarming story about a recent encounter where a fan surprised her with a bracelet.
“Oh, I have so many. Two weeks ago at the arena on tour, a fan gave me a bracelet that she made for me because the last heartbreak song is her song because she just broke up with her boyfriend and we started crying together,” she narrated.
Ayra Starr also opened up about her personal life, revealing that if she could pick up and move anywhere in the world, her dream destination would be New York City in the USA.
Seyi Awolowo was on the BBNaija TV show. He was part of a special All-Stars edition in 2023. While on the show, Seyi said something that many people thought was wrong. His words were seen as disrespectful to women. After the show ended, many people were angry at Seyi for what he said. They criticized him online and in the media.
Recently, Seyi was invited to talk on the “Just Chude” podcast. Media personality Chude Jideonwo hosts this show. During this podcast, Seyi talked about what happened in 2023. He discussed how people reacted to his words on the TV show.
Seyi used this opportunity to say sorry for what he said. He wanted to address the situation and explain himself.
He said,
“I admit that it was messed up, and at that point in time, let’s put it this way: I had already lost the show even before that statement.”
“The house had already gotten to me, but that’s not an excuse. I was not sure how to react to the people in the house or if I was to give it back to them in their own language or just look for another way to survive,” he added.
The podcast gave Seyi a chance to speak directly to people about this issue. He could share his thoughts about what happened and how he feels now.
This shows that Seyi is trying to take responsibility for his actions on the TV show. He wants people to know that he understands why his words upset so many people.
Seyi Awolowo of BBNaija explained more about his controversial comments.
He said that drinking alcohol was not the main cause of his behavior. However, he admitted that alcohol did make his feelings stronger.
Seyi then talked about the content of what he said. He stated, “What I said, in honesty, has been said by a lot of men, but the way I said it out of emotion made it worse.”
This means Seyi thinks many men have similar thoughts, but he expressed them in a particularly bad way because he was very emotional.
To help people understand, Seyi compared his comments to certain types of talk. He called it “locker room chatter” or “beer parlour talk.” These terms refer to the kind of disrespectful things some men say about women when they’re in private settings.
Seyi emphasized that he regrets the strong emotions behind his words. He feels bad not just about what he said, but about how intensely he expressed these hurtful ideas.
He clarified,
“The emotions behind what I said was what was wrong at that point in time. I’m not trying to defend it; that’s why I have apologised again and again. I’m really sorry about it. To everyone who took it wrong, that was not my intention; at the time I was venting, and I should not have said it from a place of emotion.”