LAST Week's News
MUST WATCH :: Jamaica Win Men’s 4x100m Relay Video featuring Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell World Record At Olympics
MUST WATCH :: The Broken Leg Sports Injury Of The Century
MUST WATCH :: The Broken Leg Sports Injury Of The Century
St. Kitts To Host 6th Annual International SOCA Awards
Bolt sets yet another record, being the first man ever to win both 100m and 200m finals
OLYMPICS: Melanie Walker breaks the Olympic record in the 400m hurdles
OLYMPICS: Shericka Williams' Silver Medal Run
Usain is Doing What Comes Naturally'... Jennifer Bolt
Shelly-Ann Fraser heads Jamaican 1-2-3 in women's 100m
'Fantastic Performance' - said Bruce Golding
MUST WATCH :: Barack vs McCain Showdown
Photo of the Week :: Usain Bolt's World Record Sprint of 9.69
Sean Kingston: Announcing Album #2 Is On Its Way
WAT TO GET :: Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite Collection
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| UPDATE: Tropical Storm GUSTAV :: Projected path [28.08.08]
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| ICM Fest, 10 years and going strong [28.08.08]
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The International Caribbean Music Festival (ICM FEST) returns with a vengeance on its original pre-Thanksgiving weekend on Sunday, November 16, at the historic Virginia Key Beach Park in Key Biscayne, Florida.
This popular event has experienced a lot of positive changes since its inception in 1997 as a family fun day, when it was originally billed as the "Reggae Bash" and held at the AT&T Amphitheatre, with a lineup that is still being talked about today. Among the artists that graced the stage were Beenie Man, Capleton, Sanchez, Spragga Benz, Richie Stephens, and General Degree. It was also Sean Paul's first major show in the States.
In 2001, "Caribbean" was added to the event's title to reflect the new direction of the festival. Artists from various genres throughout the Caribbean were added to reflect the diversity of the region and also of Miami's Caribbean-heavy population. Haitian acts like Sweet Mickey, Zenglen, Nulook, Boukman Experyans, and the Virgin Islands' super group Jam Band, along with dancehall act T.O.K., and veterans Sugar Minot and Cocoa Tea, were on the bill. It was clear that the event had outgrown the venue.
In 2006, the name was changed to the "International Caribbean Music Festival" or ICM FEST, and the lineup was expanded to include international musicians other than reggae and dancehall. It was also the first time that reggae, dancehall, reggaeton and soca artists appeared together on one stage. This was also the year that the ICM FEST was invited to be a part of Miami Carnival, which took place in early October. Morgan Heritage, Wayne Wonder, Bunji Garlin and Alison Hinds were the headlining acts.
In 1999, 2005 and 2007, there was no staging of the festival. The promoters regrouped and have now returned with a vengeance, with the ICM FEST back on its original weekend and back at the Virginia Key Beach Park venue. This year's staging, by all indications, will be the best thus far.
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| Billboard Blesses Machel Montano [27.08.08]
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(RHONA FOX, INC.)- Billboard Magazine, the most prestigious mainstream music publication, this week poses the question if whether Machel Montano can take the soca genre into the mainstream pop culture. With its bold headline, if the team at Billboard is asking, then Trinidad-born Machel Montano must be doing something right.
Billboard begs the question in the current issue (cover date August 30, 2008) that's on newsstands this week, in its first feature ever on a soca artist. The article has since been picked up and distributed by REUTERS, the ultimate international news reporting agency, and has appeared on Yahoo News, among other major web sources. And Montano, crowned "Soca King" by fans from and beyond the Caribbean, is taking it all in stride.
Singing soca since he was a child, Montano is now poised on the brink of mainstream success. And mainstream media, such as Billboard Magazine, know it. Montano is wrapping up appearances at Notting Hill Carnival in the U.K. before he heads to New York City this week, where he will perform at the infamous S.O.B.'s on Thursday, August 28. Montano's fans will get a double dose as he brings the biggest show from Trinidad Carnival to New York, and to one of the most exclusive venues in Manhattan. The show is billed as "Alternative Concept New York" and will be held on Saturday, August 30 at Cipriani Wall Street, which has played host to other musical heavyweights including Akon, Fergie, Rihanna and also P. Diddy's über-exclusive 30th birthday bash.
Montano is currently enjoying airplay in urban markets for his remix with Pitbull and Lil Jon, "Defense - The Anthem," and its subsequent video, which just debuted on MTV Base and Trace-TV all across Europe. The video entered the Latin Top 20 Video Charts in the U.S. this month and stays strong this week, coming in at number 17 among all Latin videos aired in the United States.
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| Irie Jamboree catches Olympic Fever [27.08.08]
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(Ms. Raine Inc.): In honor of their stellar performance at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Irie Jamboree, New York's signature Caribbean music festival, will be dedicating this year's staging to Caribbean athletes, in particular, Jamaica's three time Gold Medal winner Usain Bolt, who shattered three world records, Women's 200m Gold Medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown, and Women's Gold and Silver Medalists Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson, and Kerron Stewart who made history by sweeping the Women's 100m finals.
In addition, it was recently announced that top ranking Dancehall artist Mavado, whose Olympic theme song "On the Go," was written in tribute to Gold Medalist and former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, will be making his first U.S. appearance in six months at Irie Jamboree.
Upcoming Reggae artist Prestige will also be making his Irie Jamboree debut with his Olympic tribute "Olympic Feeling" on the festival inspired Rivival Riddim (Rhythm), which pays homage to Bolt, Fraser, and Powell.
A special Usain Bolt tent will be established at Irie Jamboree, appropriately dressed in Jamaican colors and used as one of the VIP suites. The Usain Bolt tent will be supported by Digicel, one of the lead sponsors for Irie Jamboree. This follows on the close relationships forged between Usain, Digicel and Irie Jam Radio at the Reebok Grand Prix in late May when Usain first created pandemonium by smashing Asafa Powell's sprint record to become a contender for the title of the fastest man on earth.
The organizers will also work with sponsors Western Union, Pay-o-matic and Grace Kennedy to decorate the "Veronica Campbell-Brown" Media Tent which will honor our Olympic Queens.
The food court will also be re-named the "Caribbean Olympic Village" to honor all Caribbean athletes who competed at the Olympic Games this year. Irie Jamboree is also expected to be a media feeding frenzy for international music press, with journalists coming from Japan, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and all across North America.
"Our company, and especially our radio division, Irie Jam Radio has a long history of participation in track & field athletics, and when we looked at the jaw-dropping, gravity-defying performances in Beijing, it was really the logical move to dedicate this year's festival to our athletes", Bobby Clarke, CEO of Irie Jam Radio commented.
Irie Jamboree will commence on Sunday, August 31st at Roy Wilkins Park in Jamaica, NY. Confirmed acts include Mavado, Elephant Man, Sizzla Kalonji, Beenie Man, King Yellowman, and Prestige.
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| D'Angel : The Woman behind the myth [27.08.08]
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Michelle Downer more popularly known as Dancehall diva D'Angel was born and raised in Spanish Town. As a mother, businesswoman and artiste, D' Angel is the epitome of a true Caribbean woman, continuing to break down barriers and be a role model to numerous young women.
At an early age D'Angel honed her vocal ability when family friends encouraged her to sing and perform at school parties, and local concerts. Those close to D'Angel from childhood knew that she was destined to be on stage.
She drifted from her musical pursuits and entered the fashion world when she launched a modeling career in the early 90s, landing jobs for brands such as Rocawear . The looming glitz and glamour lifestyle was not enough, to keep D'Angel away from Jamaica and in 2002 she returned home and immediately capitalized opened her unisex fashion boutique 'Angel's'.
With a modeling career and a fashion boutique 'in the bag', she began to pursue her ultimate dream: Music. Her first solo effort "Hottie Girls" was produced by Kevin Blake and released in 2004. Later that year she released "Blow," was produced by internationally acclaimed producer Cordel 'Scatta' Burrell.
In 2006, D'Angel dominated local and international media with her celebrity marriage to Dancehall Mogul Beenie Man and both collaborated on the hit single "One Man." On the heels of that success, she later released the single "Woman Power," which spoke of the strength of a woman and implored society to give women the respect that they deserved. D' Angel then teamed up with dancehall lyricist Vybz Kartel on the track "Baby Father," which hit both local and international charts. Her spicy lyrics and charismatic stage performances landed her a nomination for the 2006 Female DJ of the year and was awarded Best Dressed Female in the same year.
Despite personal problems in 2007, D'Angel released the hit single "Blaze" produced by Arif Cooper for Fresh Ear Productions. The groundbreaking video, directed by Kamala 'LaLa' Bennett, quickly rose on the local cable stations' video charts.
In 2008, with the propelling success from "Blaze," D'Angel copped several awards including Best Dressed Female Artiste (Irie FM Awards) and Favorite Fashion Female Icon (Gleaner Youth View Award) . She boosted her presence in the music fraternity with a plethora of singles claiming heavy rotation on the local airwaves including the singles: "Caan Stall" featuring Vybz Kartel, "Lucky Charm," and "Good Day." Working again with Arif Cooper, D'Angel dropped the single "High Intensity " followed by "Hustling Ladies," "Real Gangsta" "Don't Hate," "Naw Go Nuh Weh," and "Stronger."
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| QUAD nite club, donates to PALS [26.08.08]
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Peace and Love in Society (PALS) Jamaica last Wed-nesday received a donation from New Kingston nightclub The Quad.
Nola Mignott, assistant general manager of PALS, said she was happy to receive the cash that would kick-start an account at Jamaica Money Market Brokers Ltd (JMMB) for the non-profit organisation.
"I am happy about the donation. It was their (The Quad's) initiative and we hope it will encourage other companies to do likewise, especially those that are concerned about crime and violence in the society," said Mignott.
Sean Lyn, marketing manager for Nite Time Promotions Ltd, said The Quad decided to donate to PALS because the nightclub was also concerned about the level of crime in society.
Lyn said that on June 21, the management team decided to give part proceeds of the night's gate receipts to PALS.
for more info, visit our source
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| Obama Assassination Plot? [26.08.08]
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A TV station reported that authorities may have foiled an assassination plot against Barack Obama, and there is talk the suspects may be members of a white supremacy group.
Three men are in custody claims KUSA-TV, after a routine traffic stop in Aurora (near Denver) turned up two rifles, high-powered scopes, ammo and meth. The man in the car led authorities to a hotel where another suspect jumped out of a fourth floor window in an attempt to escape.
A third guy was busted at another hotel but the info on him is sketchy.
The arrests went down Sunday. The TV station says sources said "Two of the men had tattoos and jewelry popular with white supremacists."
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| Britney Spears won't be performing on MTV Video Music Awards [26.08.08]
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Everyone expected Britney Spears to be performing at MTV's Video Music Awards.
Her manager, Larry Rudolph, shared the bad news Monday in a report that the troubled singer would try to erase memories of her disastrous performance at last year's awards show by strutting her stuff.
"She did the promo for them, but there never were any plans for her to appear on the show," a spokesman for Rudolph said.
The spokesman said it was "wishful thinking" when Britney's hair colorist told E! News that he might be working on a look for her VMA performance.
Spears is up for three VMA awards, including the coveted Video of the Year prize.
"Britney Spears made last year's MTV Video Music Awards a memorable one with her performance of 'Gimme More' - albeit in ways she may not have intended," MTV wrote on its Web site when her nominations were announced. "But on Sept. 7, Spears will get a chance at VMA glory."
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| MUST SEE :: JOJO from KC + JOJO fell during Performance "ALL MY LIFE" [26.08.08] |
K-Ci and JoJo performed in Sydney, Australia recently and JoJo straight fell out on stage during their “All My Life” performance. And no one came over to help this man! Apparently, according to folks who were there, he was drunk and high per usual and it caught up to him. And when JoJo finally came to…after K-Ci finished the song while his brother remained on the floor… everybody acted like it was no big deal. I see that over a decade later K-Ci and JoJo still haven’t gotten it together. Damn shame.
By the way, K-Ci went on the radio today to attempt to clear up what happened. He said it was not drug or alcohol and that JoJo has epilepsy.
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| Jamaica ends doping talk after track success [25.08.08]
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Jamaican track and field officials were quick Saturday to end any rumours that their Olympic medalling athletes were doped, saying that more than half of the team had been tested in Beijing.
The charge has been led by Usain Bolt, who set an unprecedented tally of three world records in claiming gold in the 100m, 200m and as part of the 4x100m relay team.
The 22-year-old said he had been continually targeted for doping tests.
"We've been tested a lot," he said. "I was tested four times (in Beijing) before even running, they took blood and urine tests.
"We know we're clean. We work hard. Anytime they want to test it's pretty good for us.
"Jamaica's a very proud country. We work very hard to stay on top. We have some serious coaches who really push us to be the best we can."
Mike Fennell, president of the Jamaican Olympic Association, argued that Jamaica's track medal haul was indicative of what had started when Arthur Wint won the 400m in the 1948 London Games.
"We're the leading athletic country in the world," he said, adding that it was a result of "pure, raw talent that has been properly nurtured. We're reaping the rewards of all that hard work.
"We take this anti-doping question very seriously and have done for some years.
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| MUST WATCH :: Cassie ft Lil Wayne - Official Girl [25.08.08] |
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| Olympic Village -- 'More like sex festival' [24.08.08] |
Guess this is what happens when chiseled, half-naked Olympic athletes hole-up together in one place.
Former Olympian Matthew Syed, who now works as a commentator, wrote for the Times of London, "This sex fest ... [happened] right here in Beijing. Olympic athletes have to display an unnatural ... level of self-discipline in the build-up to big competitions. How else is this going to manifest itself than with a volcanic release of pent-up hedonism?"
Syed said that winners "as geeky as Michael Phelps" were sought after by the female athletes, but that losers get their share as well.
Matthew says he "got laid more often in those two and a half weeks (at the Barcelona games in '92) than the rest of my life up to that point." And he was freakin' table tennis player!
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| Mr. Vegas, Mighty Crown, and high Energy thrill 40,000 in Japan [24.08.08] |
A massive crowd of 40,000 revelers turned out to Japan's largest Reggae festival, Yokohama Reggae SAI, last weekend -- to soak in the exhilarating energy of Mighty Crown, Mr. Vegas, High Energy, other guest Jamaican Reggae artists and a slew of top Japanese Reggae acts.
Saturday, August 16, 2008 in Yokohama, Japan was far from an ordinary day for Irish and Chin, Inc. clients, top-of-the line sound system and entertainment outfit Mighty Crown, phenomenal Dancehall artist Mr. Vegas and the stimulating dance crew High Energy. Impressively, this day commemorated the 17th anniversary of Mighty Crown in a colossal way, with a record-breaking 40,000 birthday guests in tow to share the experience.
The excited crowd erupted in applause when none other than Mr. Vegas took center stage. He rocked the swollen venue for his entire energetic set, capturing the undivided attention of his Japanese fans. Mr. Vegas consistently delivered flawless selections of timeless classics, new gems and his smash hits in Japan "Do You Know?" and "Up and Live." Mr. Vegas was last in Japan on a Mighty Crown tour in 2006.
"This is indisputably the largest audience that I have performed before in my career," says Mr. Vegas enthusiastically. "Japanese fans have a committed love of Reggae/Dancehall music, making this opportunity more than worthwhile.
A climactic moment of Mr. Vegas' stage show was a performance of High Energy, his background dancers that constantly bring the fire with pulsating dance moves and acrobatic feats. Throughout their segment, they received monstrous forwards. Led by Boricia Anthony Brown and Tishana Ellis, High Energy is blossoming in recognition, with requests for appearances through out the world. |
| 'My Louis Vuitton Stolen' [24.08.08] |
To mark the launch of the new Damier Graphite collection for men, Louis Vuitton cooked up a novel window display concept. The company’s Fifth Avenue flagship in New York currently features two windows with the bag in a museum-like glass case, surrounded by chrome and metallic security cameras pointing at it. The adjacent windows show the same scenario, except with the cases broken into, glass shards on the floor, the bags missing and the security lasers activated. While it makes for great viewing pleasure, the concept apparently proved too real for some. Last Wednesday morning, police officers entered the boutique to investigate the broken glass.
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CLICK TO VIEW previous NEWS
Week of 20 - 26 July 2008
Week of 27 - 02 August 2008
Week of 03 - 09 August 2008
Week of 10 - 16 August 2008
Week of 17 - 23 August 2008
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