There are several reports which are stating that Dancehall Superstar Mavado was robbed at gunpoint while voicing several dub plates at a studio in Canada early Sunday morning.
According to one report, Mavado and his manager was robbed at a studio called Sonny Diamonds located in Toronto, Canada.
Another report also stated that the Artiste was so upset, that he immediately begun thrashing the studio after the incident.
According to the reports, a group of armed men stormed into the studio making demands. They allegedly stole Mavado’s jewellery and money and they also robbed other persons who accompanied the Deejay to the studio.
However, according to the Manager of the artiste Julian Jones-Griffith says he was sitting outside the Sonny Diamonds located in Toronto, Canada, using his laptop while on his phone when 3 men approached him, one pulled a gun on him and demanded that he wind his car window down.
According to Julian, the men grabbed his phone and laptop and ran away. Contrary to reports, Julian said the men did not steal any jewellery, money or passports.
He also noted that Mavado was inside the studio at the time of the incident and was unhurt and unaware of what had taken place.
Mavado suffered a similar fate in the same country back in 2007, when his passport, credit cards, laptop and other valuables were stolen. Due to the fact that he didn’t have his documents, Mavado was forced to cancel his appearance at several events, leaving fans in Atlanta as well as in Trinidad and Tobago disappointed.
The Deejay and his manager return to the island today, February 8, 2010.
Source: ZIP 103 FM
John Edwards goes on the record about allegations made in a new book by a former aide and related to his sex scandal with his ex-mistress Rielle Hunter.
Edwards is speaking out after his former aide Andrew Young made allegations about the former presidential candidate in a new book and in an interview with ABC’s “20/20,” airing Friday night.
Edwards tells ABC: “While we have not had an opportunity to view the interview or read the book, we urge extreme caution by everyone involved. From media reports, it is obvious that there are many allegations which are simply false. It appears that Andrew Young is primarily motivated by financial gain and media attention.”
Young had said in media interviews that he recovered a “mangled tape” of Edwards and a woman who he believes to be Hunter having sex. Hunter was just granted a temporary restraining order related to a video, which she described in court documents as “personal and private.”
Reprint from the Insider.
Haitian Flag
Pat Robertson and others have suggested that Haiti has suffered since its 1804 Independence to present, because it is cursed. Others have pointed to a string of corrupt leaders as the ones responsible for keeping Haiti from advancing to the place of shaking the dubious distinction of being the “poorest country in the Western Hemisphere”. Haitian communism and other ridiculous things have also been cited amongst a slew of explanations used to ultimately suggest that Haiti is and has been a failed state up until the recent earthquake because of its own devices.
It would be absolutely wrong, absurd and offensive to disregard the agency of Haitians and claim that they have played no part in creating a situation where, before the quake, 80% of the population was living under the poverty line and 54% of its people lived in abject poverty. read more…
OUR NEWS Team has just received news that Vice-chancellor emeritus at the University of the West Indies, Professor Rex Nettleford is dead.
Checks by us reveal that Professor Nettelford died late Tuesday evening at the George Washington Hospital in the United States six days after collapsing in a US hotel, where he was on visit for a fundraising dinner for the UWI.
The Jamaica Observer reported through its webpage that “Nettleford, who reportedly suffered a massive heart attack and was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit, never regained consciousness and finally passed at 8:00 pm.”
He would have been 77 tomorrow.
Professor Nettleford is the recipient of Jamaica’s third highest honour – the Order of Merit and is a cultural advisor to the prime minister. He graduated from the University of the West Indies with History (Hons.) and as a Rhodes Scholar from Oxford University with postgraduate studies in Politics
He’s also the author of several publications including, “Manley and the New Jamaica”, “The African Connexion”, and “In Our Heritage”. His latest published book is “Caribbean Cultural Identity, the case of Jamaica”.
Professor Nettleford is also a member of the Inter-American Committee on Culture, founding governor of the Canada-based International Development Research Centre, and had acted as expert/consultant to the government of Ghana, FESTAC, CARIFESTA and UNESCO. Professor Nettleford is a radio and television commentator and has lectured in many countries including India, the Phillipines and Israel.
The Vice-Chancellor has a wide international reputation and has been honoured at home and abroad. His “Mirror Mirror” gives a special insight into growing up and coming into full consciousness in Jamaica in the sixties.
The University of the West Indies also named the largest Hall of Residence at it’s Mona Campus after him.
Air Jamaica has announced that it will be cutting its service to some of its routes because the airline will be losing three of its planes.
The national carrier says effective March 9 flights from New York to Grenada and Jamaica to Orlando will be suspended.
The airline said it will be suspending flights from Jamaica to Curacao, Chicago, Havana, Cuba and Nassau, Bahamas as of April 12.
President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Jamaica Bruce Nobles said reducing the size of the fleet has become necessary as the airline seeks to meet its financial obligations.
The national carrier will now have six planes.
However, Mr Nobles is seeking to assure that the airline’s service will not be affected by the reduction.
Air Jamaica has also announced adjustment to its flight schedules for some of its destinations.
Flights from New York to Jamaica have been reduced to three daily departures, effective March 14.
Travel to Nassau has been reduced to two daily flights, while flights to Chicago will be reduced to three weekly flights between March 9 and April 11.
Come April 12, Air Jamaica will only operate weekly flights between Jamaica and five cities with daily service to Baltimore, Philadelphia and Toronto, and four daily flights to Fort Lauderdale.
Babyface, Joss Stone, Local acts please at first night of the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival
It was more than an ordinary performance. Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds delivered a soul-stirring, goose-bump raising, concert style show that can easily rival any performance the singer has given around the world – and it was clear that the night belonged to him.
Sharply dressed in an all-black ensemble, Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds indelibly wrote his name in the annals of the history of the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival. Making his triumphant entrance on the epic stage to the chords This Is For The Cool, and the stage lighting bounced off his skin magnificently.
“Whoo!” he said, to excite the thousands gathered at The Greenfield Stadium in Trewalany, and in complete sync with his band, he shouted “Good evening Jamaica!” Then it was official, Babyface had arrived and was ready to rock the Festival and its patrons.
He beckoned to the ladies to scream, before performing Close My Eyes , which he dedicated to his now fawning female fans. Babyface’s vocal chords are still in shape and well tunes, and he used every bit of his musical mastery to woo the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival for almost two hours, with a full set of the extensive repertoire of music the artiste has developed over the years, including a guitar showdown with his band’s lead guitarist.
Every now and then, the smooth-skinned and agile Babyface threw in a bit of comedy and his on-stage antics bolstered the crowd to show him even more love and the crowd seemed to have reached its capacity for screaming. That soon proved to be only temporary, as Mr Edmonds decided to go through a medley of songs he wrote and produced for other artistes including Day and Night, Every Step I Take, I Wanna Rock With You Baby , Can We Talk For A Minute , My My My , Mama , and To The End Of The Roa d – to which he added a spontaneous jump into the crowd. His set also included a tear-jerking tribute to the late King of Pop Michael Jackson, with Gone Too Soon .
While Babyface’s performance was hands down the performance of the night, stagemate and UK-based singer Joss Stone also proved to be more than worth watching. Walking out by asking “are you ready to sing with me now”, the songbird jumped into the crowd who were lukewarm to the petite bombshell. The crowd now fully excited and engaged, Stone made her way back to the stage where her band struck the right note as she posed another question to the Festival’s patrons. This time, it was “are you digging on me?” The answer was simple and loud: “yes”, followed by emphatic exclamations from the multitudes ready to see her perform.
She breezed through her fast-building catalogue of music, and like most international acts do when the touch Jamaican stages, Stone sang the King of Reggae’s I Wanna Love You, and made the Marley melody all her own. Her performance reached a crescendo when she brought saxophonist to front of stage, and transformed the space into an onstage jazz café, and patrons didn’t mind in the least.
Local acts also rocked the stage well, including Romain Virgo and Cherine Anderson. The two, who performed early in the night, had persons rocking and rolling to their sweet songs and infectious music. So much so, that the two acts stayed locked in media interviews until wee hours of Friday morning, talking to persons who not only saw their stint on-stage, but heard raving and glowing comments about it.
Also of note were the Festival’s closing act, The Whispers. They go the beat going even as drizzles of rain damped the musically satisfied patrons, and when the energy-laced beat of When The Beat Goes On began to make familiar with jazzmaniacs, not even the showers could stop the dancing. Their mellow-mood set ended with patrons reaching a musical high that will not soon be forgotten.
The JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival will continue today, Friday January 29 with Erykah Badu, Billy Ocean, Machel Montano HD, Robin Banks, Deborah Cox, Tamia, and Kelly Price. The latter three will be performing as The Queens Project. Friday night, nicknamed ‘Friday on Fire’ is sure to go down in history as one of the best ever concert nights of the Festival.
Reprinted with material from Headline Entertainment.
The National Resource Defense Council Action Fund, of which DiCaprio is a trustee, has launched the This Is Our Moment effort urging Congress to pass the Clean Energy, Jobs and American Power Act.
“We’re going to be watching all you senators, very closely,” DiCaprio says, explaining how to flood their email in-boxes via a link on the campaign’s Web site, which also features an all-star PSA.
Material Reproduce from People Magazine
Singer Alicia Keys has said her duet with Beyonce celebrates both of their successful careers.
Keys, 28, has teamed up with the star for an upcoming single called Put It In A Love Song.
Keys told UK newspaper the Daily Star: “We had a lot of fun. It’s nice that we just celebrate each other’s careers, that’s what the song is about, coming together to empower each other.
“This song was meant for us at this time. We’ve become really good friends. We’ve both been in the business about the same amount of time and both signed to Columbia records together when we were 14.
“It was like a party in the studio, the energy was so high and the chemistry was genuine. We’re doing the video for that one next.”
Yup, yeah, yes….what other ways can i say it? The news about Samantha Harris leaving Dancing With the Stars is true!
According to an interview in People Magazine the Dancing With the Stars co-host will not return to ABC’s celebrity dance competition when it returns for its tenth season on March 22. Harris, who has co-hosted with Tom Bergeron for the past eight seasons, told PEOPLE Thursday that the decision to leave the show wasn’t easy.
“[DWTS] could not have been more of a dream job,” she says. “I loved every single second of it and I’ve made lifelong friends at the show.”
But Harris, who majored in journalism at Northwestern University, says that she is focusing on other projects like her correspondent duties at The Insider, which she says have expanded in the past year.
“I interned at Entertainment Tonight 15 years ago, the summer after my sophomore year at Northwestern and I dreamed of working in the same space as hosts Mary Hart and Mark Steines and now I’m living that dream,” says Harris.
“Samantha has been a brilliant part of [DWTS] and we wish her the best of luck on The Insider,” Dancing executive producer Conrad Green says, noting that he has begun the search to fill Harris’s slot. “She’s done an incredible job. Some of the most memorable moments on the show have been facilitated by Samantha. I think we’ll all walk away with enormous happy memories of working with one another.”
Material Content taken from People Magazine.
After a series of Creative Workshop hosted by OAasis International, headed by Anthea McGibbon and 30 artistes from January 13 in the inner-city Primary School of Allman Town, the curtains were finally called on the event last Friday, January 22.
Iyah Shine doing "Livity" and "violence no sweet".
Lasting some 3 hours, the closing ceremony showcased of host of creative skills in the form of expressions, performing, literary and visual arts including culinary; to the satisfaction of the school’s principal, parents and students.
Bring the closing a notch over were performances from Reggae and Dancehall artistes Sophia Brown, Cecile, Chris Martin, and Iyah Shine.
Addressing the group comprising students, parents and well-wishers, Principal of Allman Town Primary, Kandi-Lee Crooks-Smith, noted that creative was a necessary attribute for success in any field just before narrating the years of appeal for creative arts support. Crooks-Smith noted that at one point classes were being held under a tree and that the school operated without an art and music teacher.
Principal Crooks-Smith commended Founding CEO of OAaSIs International Foundation, Anthea McGibbon, for championing the creative workshop. The principal said it was a step in the right direction and said that she anticipated future ventures to contribute to the intellectual development of the students. She opined that her “heart was filled with thanks” for the interest generated by McGibbon and team.
The programme, emceed by radio personality Derrick Wilks, saw student drummers, taught by drama teacher Omaro Mazlyn, performing and a new display of talent from Cleshede Williams of Grade 5T who did a rendition of “Strength to carry on”.
The literary arts were showcased in the format of poems written on certificates of appreciation and recognition issued to those who supported the event, while culinary skills were lavishly displayed by the school’s caterers.
Sophia Brown is mobbed by children waiting for her autograph or just a hug.
“Colour Harmony” a painting done by the participants in a hands-on workshop with Melhanie Spence, was given to Bank of Jamaica, which was collected by Sandra Moodie and Ellan Neil.
Children react to Chris Martin performance January 22, 2010.
In the highly energetic closing entertainment segment, the magician held everyone spellbound in breathtaking moments of illusion, setting a dove free from a painting of a dove.
Then it was on to Sophia Brown who belted out “Weak to You” and “Come back home”. While Cecile changed pace with “Take my wings” and Chris Martin upped the tempo even more with an interactive delivery of “I’m in love with you” and a melody of his songs. Iyana Shine who barely missed the mobbing and hugging by the students did “Livity” and “Violence no Sweet” as the children were settled again for snacks provided by Burger King.
The artistes all encouraged the students to approach education with a level of seriousness, while noting that it was important to discover and practice their creative skill(s).
During the day, student reporters highlighted the favourites presenters, Farenheit, Jermaine Gordon, Peter Lloyd, Melhanie Spence and the mural (painting), Reiko Nagase, Colonel Derby and of course the Kemarch “Wizad the Magician” Dodd.
The creative workshop series which were hosted by the OAaSIS International Foundation, founded by Anthea McGibbon teaming with over 30 artists and artistes from January 13-22, were sponsored by: Whistling Frog (Sebastian Odgen), Howard Moo Young (master at graphic design and photography), Print Xpress, Hot off the Press, Berger Paint, Burger King, Videographer Robin Chin, owner of Enhanced Realizm Studios and his team, Xclusiv Entertainment, and Paralegal Dwane Forbes).©
Cecile in the middle bigs up to points made by Chris at the closing ceremony of the Creative Workshop.
