Entertainment
Legendary actor Val Kilmer dies at 65

Prolific American actor Val Kilmer, who was propelled to fame with “Top Gun” and went on to starring roles as Batman and Jim Morrison, has died at age 65, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The cause of death was pneumonia, his daughter Mercedes Kilmer told the Times. He had battled throat cancer following a 2014 diagnosis, but later recovered, she said.
AFP has reached out to his representatives for comment.
Originally a stage actor, Kilmer burst onto the big screen full of charisma, cast as a rock star in Cold War spoof “Top Secret!” in 1984.
Two years later, he gained fame as the cocky, if mostly silent fighter pilot in training Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in box office smash hit “Top Gun,” playing a rival to Tom Cruise’s “Maverick.”
A versatile character actor whose career spanned decades, Kilmer toggled between blockbusters and smaller-budget independent films. He got a shot at leading man status in Oliver Stone’s “The Doors,” depicting Jim Morrison’s journey from a psychedelics-loving LA film student to 60s rock frontman.
After a cameo in Quentin Tarantino-written “True Romance,” Kilmer went on to star alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in “Heat” and took a turn as the masked Gotham vigilante in “Batman Forever,” between the Bruce Wayne portrayals by Michael Keaton and George Clooney.
A 1996 Entertainment Weekly cover story dubbed Kilmer “The Man Hollywood Loves to Hate,” depicting him as a sometimes surly eccentric with exasperating work habits.
A New York Times interviewer in 2002 said Kilmer “hardly lives up to that reputation” and found the actor instead “friendly, buoyant and so open that he often volunteers personal details about his life and is quick to laugh at himself.”
“You have to learn to speak Val,” director D. J. Caruso told the newspaper.– ‘ Magical life’ –Born Val Edward Kilmer on New Year’s Eve 1959, he began acting in commercials as a child.
Kilmer was the youngest person ever accepted to the drama department at New York’s fabled Juilliard school, and made his Broadway debut in 1983 alongside Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon.
In Hollywood, the Los Angeles native longed to make serious films but found himself in a series of schlocky blockbusters and expensive flops in the early 2000s.
Chastened by a decade or more of low-budget movies, he was mounting a comeback in the 2010s with a successful stage show about Mark Twain that he hoped to turn into a film when he was struck by cancer.
“Val,” an intimate documentary about Kilmer’s stratospheric rise and later fall in Hollywood, premiered at the Cannes film Festival in 2021 and showed him struggling for air after a tracheotomy.
Kilmer “has the aura of a man who was dealt his cosmic comeuppance and came through it,” US publication Variety wrote of the film.
“He fell from stardom, maybe from grace, but he did it his way.”When he reprised his role as “Iceman” in the long-awaited sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kilmer’s real-life health issues,and rasp of voice,were written into the character.“
Instead of treating Kilmer — and, indeed, the entire notion of Top Gun — as a throwaway nostalgia object, he’s given a celluloid swan song that’ll stand the test of time,” GQ wrote.
On his website, Kilmer said he had led a “magical life.”
“For more than half a century, I have been honing my art, no matter the medium. Be it literature, movies, poetry, painting, music, or tracking exotic and beautiful wildlife,” he wrote.
According to the Times, he is survived by two children, Mercedes and Jack Kilmer.
AFP
Entertainment
‘Things Fall Apart’ actor Fabian Adibe dies at 82
Born on December 1, 1943, Adibe belonged to the older generation of actors who laid the foundation for Nollywood.

Legendary actor Fabian Adibe, best known for his role in the NTA adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s classic novel, “Things Fall Apart,” has died.
His death on Wednesday was confirmed by the CEO of Best of Nollywood, BON, Seun Oloketuyi, in a post on his social media.
“‘Things Fall Apart’ actor, Fabian Adibe, is dead. Died 2:30 am this morning,” Oloketuyi posted on social media.
Adibe earned widespread admiration for his iconic portrayal in the adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart,” and his calm demeanour and powerful performances endeared him to generations of viewers.
The actor and television personality, who led Nigeria to its first Commonwealth Art Festival in 1965, began his acting career in 1987 in the acclaimed Nigerian TV series, “Things Fall Apart.”
He played the role of Ogbuefi Uzowulu and acted alongside Pete Edochie.
His other co-actors, Justus Esiri and Sam Loco Efe, in the series are now deceased.
Born on December 1, 1943, Adibe belonged to the older generation of actors who laid the foundation for Nollywood.
He featured in over 300 movies, including “Slave Warrior” (2012), “White Kingdom 2” (2014), and “Father’s” (2014), among others.
The revered actor featured in foreign movies, including “Soweto,” a story about the struggle in South Africa, and “Mr. Johnson,” a Hollywood film.
He was a staff member of the Nigerian Television Authority until he was retrenched on May 25, 1984.
Entertainment
Google Launches Gemini Storybook for Nigerian children aged 6 and below
Storybook allows you to place a child directly at the centre of their own learning adventure, which is key to holding their attention and helping them grasp new concepts.

Google has launched Storybook, a new feature within its Gemini app, aimed at providing a creative and interactive learning tool for Nigeria’s 39 million children aged six and under.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, communications & public affairs manager for Google in West Africa, said that the AI-powered feature transforms simple prompts, personal photos, and children’s drawings into customised, narrated storybooks, bridging a critical gap in early childhood education through technology rooted in storytelling.
This launch provides a powerful new creative tool in Nigeria, a country with a rich and deep-rooted tradition of storytelling.
With a young population that includes approximately 39 million children aged six and under, the need for engaging and accessible educational content is more critical than ever.
Storybook is designed to help bridge this gap by empowering anyone to create personalised learning experiences.
“It addresses a real need for parents and educators who are looking for fresh ways to captivate the minds of our youngest learners. The challenge is often making education interactive and personal.
Storybook allows you to place a child directly at the centre of their own learning adventure, which is key to holding their attention and helping them grasp new concepts,” he said.
Entertainment
Gen Z Slang: Bet, Simp, Glow Up and More
I’m Dead: When something’s really funny, Gen Z won’t just say “lol.” They’ll say “I’m dead,” meaning something is so funny it killed them with laughter, rather than just typing “lol.”

image credit : howstuffworks
Language evolves, and Gen Z — born between the 1997 and 2012 — has introduced an entire dictionary of expressive, clever, and sometimes confusing slang.
These Gen Z slang terms dominate social media platforms, group chats, and online video game lobbies.
Here’s a breakdown of the phrases you’ll hear from this generation.
- 1. No Cap: Used to express truth, “no cap” means someone is being honest or serious. If you say, “This new song is fire, no cap,” you’re saying the song is great (fire) and you truly believe it.
- 2. Bet
- Bet is a casual way of saying “OK” or “I’m down.” It’s a quick response that shows agreement or enthusiasm. You might use it instead of “sure thing” in real life or online.
- 3. Simp
- Originating in Black American hip-hop slang, simp became a derogatory term for a man perceived as overly subservient to a woman in the hope of winning her affection. Saying, “You’re such a simp,” carries negative connotations, especially in a romantic relationship context.
- 4. Main Character
- To describe someone as the “main character” is to say they carry themselves like the star of a movie. It’s both a compliment and a slight knock, depending on tone — often used in social media captions and stories.
- 5. Glow Up
- A “glow up” refers to a transformation — usually physical or stylistic — that makes someone look or feel better than before. This phrase is a great example of Gen Z’s thirst for self-improvement and style.
- 6.Cringe
- Cringe is used to describe anything awkward, embarrassing, or trying too hard. If your Baby Boomer uncle uses Gen Z slang words unironically, that might earn a “yikes” or a full-on “big yikes” from the group.
- 7. Touch Grass
- A favorite insult among Gen Z, to tell someone to touch grass means they’re online too much and need to get back to real life. It’s a witty way to say “log off and go outside.”
- 8. Vibe Check
- “Vibe check” is all about gauging someone’s mood or the feel of a space. Passed the vibe check? You’re cool. Failed it? Time to reassess your energy.
- 9. Whole Meal
- Calling someone a whole meal is a step beyond calling them attractive. It’s a bold phrase used to express approval or attraction: “She’s not just cute, she’s a whole meal.
- 10. I’m Dead
- When something’s really funny, Gen Z won’t just say “lol.” They’ll say “I’m dead,” meaning something is so funny it killed them with laughter, rather than just typing “lol.”
- In other words, this is the Gen Z equivalent of using a crying-laughing emoji to show something is hilarious. It shows they’re expressing excitement and humor in a big way.
- Source: HowStuffWorks
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