Larry Madowo has interviewed loads of celebrities ever since he took over the Trend; he has exposed newsmakers who have uncouth behaviors that the public didn’t know about.
As 2016 comes to an end, Larry Madowo decided to share his experience of interviewing and interacting with celebrities throughout the year.
He was full of praise for South African jazz star Hugh Masekela, British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo, Trey Songz, Aloe Blacc, Victor Wanyama, Mafikizolo, Oliver Mtukudzi, Yemi Alade, Tinie Tempah and Jose Chameleone.
The NTV anchor described the named celebrities as extremely cheerful and friendly persons; he said they have a placid disposition that is totally awesome.
But Larry didn’t have nice words to say for the likes of David Rudisha, Lupita Nyong’o, Jimmy Gait, Koffi Olomide, Flavour, Sinach and Nyashinski.
He revealed his last interview with Lupita Nyong’o in Kampala ended in disarray when he asked her whether she had a narcissistic personality disorder.
“I was back in Kampala for a show in late September when I heard that the Oscar-winning actress, Lupita Nyong’o, was in town to premiere her new film, ‘Queen of Katwe’. I made a few calls and got an interview. Traffic was horrendous that Sunday because of a huge festival that was taking place in the middle of the city, so I jumped onto a boda boda to get to her. Like all the other journalists at the junket, Disney gave each of us just 15 minutes. In her room, Lupita was sitting between co-stars Madina Nalwanga, 16, and her on-screen son, Martin Kabanza.“We like your ugali video,” I told her as we settled down, referring to a Vogue-produced clip where she learns to cook the Kenyan staple from her mother. “You put me in a lot of trouble,” she responded with a smile. She had confessed to me in a previous interview that she missed ugali but didn’t know how to make it, which set Kenyan social media alight. She was detached and appeared bored throughout the rest of the interview, which prompted some to say she didn’t value African presenters, compared with her American appearances. The interview ended abruptly when I asked about reports that she was a prima donna and I was ushered out without a picture.” Larry Madowo wrote in part.
The NTV anchor said the likes of Jimmy Gait and Nyashinski were drama kings who cancelled interviews with him through text messages and stopped answering calls.
“Others like David Rudisha, who has consistently refused to do the show with an ever-expanding list of excuses. Even that is still better than Jimmy Gait, who cancelled last October in a text message to producer Kevin Gitau, then refused to answer calls.
Then there are those who are booked in advance but decline to come on when they land in Nairobi, like Koffi Olomide, or Nigerian artistes Flavour and Sinach. Well before he got deported for his airport drama, Olomide just couldn’t be bothered to honour an invite. Flavour reportedly had drama with immigration officers when he arrived that ruined his mood while Sinach wouldn’t leave her hotel room.
Every so often, there is also a guest like Nyashinski who confirms, then stops answering calls and ends up on another station station.”
