Tuesday 20 October

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Nollywood, Afrobeats, celebrity and everything on your screen.

  1. The Walt Disney Company is cutting a few hundred jobs, mostly in HR and technology, Reuters and CNBC reported on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.
  2. CNBC put the figure at around 300, citing a person familiar with the matter; Disney had not commented publicly in the reports.
  3. It is the third round of Disney job cuts in 2026 under Josh D'Amaro, who became chief executive in March 2026.
Gist Reel

TV & Streaming · 3 min read

Disney layoffs hit about 300 HR and tech staff in third 2026 round

People familiar with the plan told Reuters and CNBC the cuts fall mostly on human resources and technology. They follow about 1,000 job losses in April and another round in July under new chief executive Josh D'Amaro.

Disney layoffs are back for a third time this year. The Walt Disney Company is cutting a few hundred jobs, mostly in human resources and technology, according to reports by Reuters and CNBC on Tuesday, 29 September 2026. CNBC put the number at around 300, citing a person familiar with the matter. Variety was first with the story, and Reuters…

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  1. Miley Cyrus's Bass Persuades debuted at No 1 on the Billboard 200 with 61,000 units, according to Billboard figures reported on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.
  2. It is Miley Cyrus's first Billboard 200 No 1 since Bangerz in October 2013, and her sixth chart-topping album, counting Hannah Montana releases.
  3. Bass Persuades is on major streaming services, including Apple Music and Spotify; no Nigerian chart position had been reported as of Wednesday, 30 September 2026.
Gist Reel

Music · 3 min read

Miley Cyrus tops Billboard 200 again, 13 years after Bangerz

Bass Persuades opened with 61,000 US units, and 47,000 of them were copies sold, not streams. Ella Langley's Dandelion finished almost level in second place.

Thirteen years after Bangerz, Miley Cyrus has another No 1 album in America. Bass Persuades debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 with 61,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Thursday, 24 September 2026, according to Billboard figures reported by Arise News. Most of that came from people buying the record. Album sales made up 47,000 units, streaming…

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  1. Florence Pugh's seven-part Netflix drama East of Eden, adapted by Zoe Kazan from John Steinbeck's novel, arrives on Netflix on Thursday, 1 October 2026.
  2. Akinola Davies Jr.'s My Father's Shadow was Netflix's No 2 movie in Nigeria on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, according to FlixPatrol, eight days after it began streaming.
  3. Showmax closed on 30 April 2026, so this week's GistMatrix Streaming Countdown covers Netflix and Prime Video, where Maria Sten's Neagley leads the Nigerian TV chart.
Gist Reel

TV & Streaming · 6 min read

New on Netflix Naija this week: East of Eden leads 10 to stream

Florence Pugh's seven-part Steinbeck saga lands on Thursday, 1 October, but two Nigerian titles are already near the top of the local charts. The ranking covers Netflix and Prime Video, and explains what happened to Showmax.

Florence Pugh's East of Eden is the big new arrival on Netflix Naija this week, landing on Thursday, 1 October 2026. It heads the GistMatrix Streaming Countdown: 10 picks across Netflix and Prime Video for the week of 28 September to 4 October. Nigerian titles are holding their own. Akinola Davies Jr.'s My Father's Shadow was Netflix's No 2 movie…

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  1. Lagos dancer Benjamin Daniel Gabriel, known as Bendancer, finished a 168-hour dance marathon at Freedom Park, Lagos, on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, Vanguard reported.
  2. The Guinness World Records title for the longest individual dance marathon is 127 hours, set by Indian dancer Srushti Sudhir Jagtap in 2023.
  3. Guinness World Records told Vanguard on Tuesday, 29 September 2026 that no record can be confirmed until it has reviewed and verified Bendancer's evidence.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 3 min read

Bendancer finishes 168-hour dance marathon, now Guinness must rule

The Lagos dancer came off the floor at Freedom Park on Tuesday, 29 September, well past the 127-hour record. Guinness World Records says his evidence must pass review first, and Hilda Baci's 2023 wait shows what that involves.

Seven days on his feet. Lagos dancer Benjamin Daniel Gabriel, known as Bendancer, completed his 168-hour dance marathon at Freedom Park on Tuesday, 29 September, in a bid for the Guinness World Record, Vanguard reported. That is 41 hours more than the current mark. The record for the longest dance marathon by an individual is 127 hours, held by Indian…

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  1. Actor Andrew Garfield told the YouTube music show Track Star, in an episode released on 2 September 2026, that Fela Kuti's music shaped his Spider-Man.
  2. Garfield said the way he moved in the Spider-Man suit drew on Fela, and that Fela's revolutionary politics gave Peter Parker a justice-seeking streak.
  3. A clip of the interview spread on Nigerian social media on Tuesday, 29 September 2026; the full episode is free to watch on YouTube in Nigeria.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 4 min read

Andrew Garfield credits Fela Kuti for how his Spider-Man moved

The Oscar-nominated actor says a Fela playlist shaped his body language and sense of justice as Peter Parker. He said it on Track Star in early September; the clip hit Nigerian timelines on Tuesday.

Andrew Garfield has credited Fela Kuti for the way his Spider-Man moved. The British-American actor told the music show Track Star that he made a playlist for the role and that Nigeria's Afrobeat pioneer ended up at the centre of it. Garfield said he started listening to Fela when he first got the part. "There was something about the sound…

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  1. Nollywood actress Joke Silva turned 65 on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, and Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD) marked the day with an Instagram tribute.
  2. RMD's message noted that Joke Silva is mourning her husband, veteran actor Olu Jacobs, who died aged 84 on Wednesday, 16 September 2026.
  3. Olu Jacobs' Night of Tributes held on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, at Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos, and his funeral service is at 10am on Friday, 2 October.
Gist Reel

Nollywood · 4 min read

Joke Silva turns 65 a day before Olu Jacobs’ Night of Tributes

Richard Mofe-Damijo marked the veteran actress's birthday on Instagram with a tribute to four decades of friendship, 13 days after the death of her husband, Olu Jacobs, whose Lagos tributes night holds on Wednesday.

Updated 12:50pm WAT, Thursday, 1 October 2026: speeches and guests from the Night of Tributes added, including Joke Silva, her sons Gbenga and Soji, and arts minister Hannatu Musawa. Updated 7:50pm WAT, Wednesday, 30 September 2026: Olu Jacobs' Night of Tributes held on Wednesday evening at Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos; details added. Joke Silva turned 65 on Tuesday, 29 September,…

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  1. A black-and-white graphic claiming Jackie Chan had died, marked ‘1954–2026’, spread on social media on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, without any source.
  2. As of 2:30pm WAT on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, no family member, representative or credible news outlet had reported the death of Jackie Chan.
  3. Jackie Chan, 72, visited a Singapore school on 7 July 2026 and was reported to be filming Armour of God: Ultimatum in Baku in August.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 3 min read

No, Jackie Chan is not dead. The viral ‘1954–2026’ post is a hoax

The 72-year-old's family and representatives have announced nothing and no credible outlet has reported a death, yet a memorial graphic pulled in millions of views on Tuesday. Here is where it came from and when he was last seen.

Jackie Chan has survived six decades of his own stunts. On Tuesday, 29 September, he also had to survive the internet: a black-and-white graphic bearing his name and the dates "1954–2026" spread across social media, but there is no credible evidence that the 72-year-old has died. The fake memorial travelled fast. One post had more than 3.8 million views within…

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  1. Sylvester Stallone, 80, has released The Steps, a memoir covering his life up to Rocky's Best Picture win at the 1977 Oscars, The Independent reported on 29 September 2026.
  2. In The Steps, Sylvester Stallone says he told a director he would knock Richard Gere's teeth out on the 1973 set of The Lords of Flatbush.
  3. Sylvester Stallone writes that he and his father squared up on Rocky's final shooting day after his father failed to ring the timekeeper's bell on cue.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 4 min read

Sylvester Stallone memoir: 5 revelations, from Richard Gere to Rocky

The Steps traces the 80-year-old's road from cleaning lion cages at a New York zoo to the Oscars, including a stand-off with his own father on the last day of shooting Rocky.

Before Rocky made him famous, Sylvester Stallone was shovelling out lion cages at a New York zoo. That is one of the stories in The Steps, the 80-year-old's new memoir, which follows his life up to the night Rocky was named Best Picture at the 1977 Oscars, The Independent reported on Tuesday, 29 September. The book is a warts-and-all account…

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  1. Comedian Carter Efe beat rapper Speed Darlington by unanimous decision after four rounds at Chaos in the Ring in Lagos on Thursday, 1 October 2026, TVC News reported.
  2. Before the fight, Speed Darlington told Nevo Media he wanted to box Burna Boy next, P.M. News reported on 28 September 2026; no such bout has been announced.
  3. Phyna knocked out Nkechi Blessing in the fourth round on the same card on Friday, 2 October 2026, then challenged Etinosa Idemudia, who accepted on stage, The Guardian Nigeria reported.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 7 min read

Speed Darlington loses to Carter Efe after Burna Boy call-out

Carter Efe kept his celebrity boxing belt with a unanimous decision over Speed Darlington in Lagos on 1 October. The rapper had named Burna Boy as his next target; no such bout has been announced.

Updated 4:10am WAT, Friday, 2 October 2026: Phyna stopped Nkechi Blessing in the fourth round and has challenged Etinosa Idemudia, who accepted on stage; Carter Efe named DDG and Floyd Mayweather as the opponents he wants next, The Guardian Nigeria reported. Updated 2:35am WAT, Friday, 2 October 2026: Carter Efe beat Speed Darlington by unanimous decision, according to Balmoral Group…

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  1. Danielle Adewusi, a medical doctor representing Lagos State, was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2026 on Sunday, 27 September, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.
  2. Anita Osikhena of Edo State finished first runner-up to Danielle Adewusi at Miss Universe Nigeria 2026 on 27 September, Pulse Nigeria reported.
  3. Danielle Adewusi will represent Nigeria at the 75th Miss Universe in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 24 November 2026, according to Pulse Nigeria.
Gist Reel

Celebrity · 3 min read

Miss Universe Nigeria: doctor Danielle Adewusi wins the 2026 crown

The Lagos State representative, a King's College London-trained physician, beat 19 contestants and will fly Nigeria's flag at Miss Universe 2026 in Puerto Rico.

Danielle Adewusi, a medical doctor representing Lagos State, has been crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2026. She won the title on Sunday night, 27 September, at Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Pulse Nigeria and Vanguard reported. Who is Danielle Adewusi, Miss Universe Nigeria 2026? Adewusi studied at King's College London, where she earned a medical degree (MBBS) and…

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  1. President Tinubu congratulated Damilola Osikoya and Nora Awolowo in a statement signed by his adviser Bayo Onanuga on Monday 28 September.
  2. Guinness World Records counted 51,000 viewers at Lagos's Tafawa Balewa Square, beating the 43,624 mark set in the Philippines in 2015.
  3. Directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay, Black Market is due in cinemas in October, according to What Kept Me Up.
Gist Reel

Nollywood · 3 min read

Tinubu hails Black Market filmmakers over 51,000-viewer Guinness record

A State House statement credits filmmakers Damilola Osikoya and Nora Awolowo for the Tafawa Balewa Square screening, lifting a Nollywood milestone into national conversation as the film heads for cinemas.

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the producers behind the Black Market Guinness record, hailing Saturday's 51,000-viewer screening in Lagos as a showcase of Nigerian talent and business muscle in a statement on Monday. The message turns a weekend Nollywood milestone into a national talking point. It also puts two filmmakers, rather than the film's star-studded cast, at the centre of…

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  1. Dennis Haskins, Principal Richard Belding on NBC's Saved by the Bell from 1989 to 1993, has died aged 75.
  2. His agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed the death to ABC News; he died in Burbank, California, on Sunday 27 September, and no cause of death has been made public.
  3. Haskins kept the role through Saved by the Bell: The New Class until 2000 and reprised it on Jimmy Fallon's show in 2015.
Gist Reel

TV & Streaming · 3 min read

Dennis Haskins, Saved by the Bell’s Mr Belding, dies at 75

His agent confirmed the news to ABC News, closing the story of a teen-sitcom principal who played the same role across three series and more than a decade of American television.

Updated 10:07 WAT, 30 Sep 2026: Haskins died in Burbank, California, on Sunday 27 September, his friend and caretaker Kimberly Snow told the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. Dennis Haskins, the actor who played Principal Richard Belding on the teen sitcom Saved by the Bell, has died aged 75. His agent confirmed the death to ABC News…

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