America's Next Top Model axes three presenters
Three stars of America's Next Top Model have been dropped from the long-running TV show, after falling ratings.
Photographer Nigel Barker, runway coach J. Alexander and photo-shoot director Jay Manuel will not return, said the show's host Tyra Banks.
The show follows a group of girls as they are put through a series of modelling tests in order to become the ultimate series winner.
Barker said he had been expecting to be dropped for some time.
"It wasn't a shock. I'm friends with Tyra and the producers," the photographer, who joined the show in 2004, told E! News.
"There had been a discussion that ratings were down and that something like this would happen. We had an incredible run and there aren't any hard feelings."
Former model Banks and the show's executive producer wrote on Facebook and Twitter: "Nigel Barker, Miss J. And Mr Jay: Thank you for all our years together on America's Next Top Model.
"Working with you is always an absolute pleasure. Excited for what the future holds for us."
Manuel thanked fans in a blog post for their support and said he was moving on to other projects.
"Nigel, Miss J and I had a great run, and now it's time for us to move on," he said.
No information has been given as to who would replace the three.
America's Next Top Model, which airs on the CW channel in the US, has lost more than half of its 2005 audience, and is currently watched by less than two million people.
In the UK the show is broadcast on Sky Living.
Kamla prays on 60th birthday
PRIME MINISTER Kamla Persad-Bissessar spent her 60th birthday yesterday holding a thanksgiving “puja” (Hindu prayer ceremony) at her private residence in Estate Drive, Phillipine near San Fernando.
The prayers began at 2 pm and was attended by Persad-Bissessar’s relatives and specially invited guests including children and several elderly persons. She gave thanks to the Almighty for her family and strength of body and mind to lead the People’s Partnership coalition Government.
Persad-Bissessar, a devout Hindu, had a pundit perform prayers while she and members of her family bowed their heads. At her side were husband Dr Gregory Bissessar and their son, Kris.
Persad-Bissessar then distributed gifts to her invited guests, who gathered in the downstairs lobby and dining room of her residence.
Persad-Bissessar was born on April 22, 1952, in Siparia to a family of eight children. She became the country’s first female Attorney General and thereafter emerged to lead a coalition government in the General Elections 2010, to become the country’s first female Prime Minister.
Dressed in a radiant yellow and pink sari, Persad-Bissessar listened attentively to pundit Abdhenand Persad-Sharma, who performed Hanuman, Ganesh and Durga pujas with Dr Bissessar and Kris at her side.
Seated among the guests were Transport Minister Devant Maharaj and Minister in the Ministry of Works Stacy Roopnarine. At the time of the celebrations, Works Minister Jack Warner and Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan were touring parts of Tabaquite to view road conditions.
Maharaj wished Persad-Bissessar a happy birthday and praised her for leading the Government which places special focus on children and the elderly. He thanked the Prime Minister for setting an example for others to follow in celebrating a birthday with prayers and thanksgiving.
“Whilst we’re accustom to the partying on such occasions as birthday celebrations, our Prime Minister chose to thank God for the gift of life and good health,” Maharaj said. Persad-Bissessar then distributed gifts to approximately 75 children and elderly persons. “You all are close and dear to me,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Newsday
Lil Kim Ready to Kick Off Her “Return of the Queen” Tour
The “Queen Bee” has been plotting her comeback for the past three years, and now comes the announcement that Lil Kim will hit the road on an 11-city tour, dubbed the “Return of the Queen.”
The “Return of the Queen” tour, which will kick off on May 11 in Austin, Texas, before making stops in cities like Philadelphia, Cincinnati, San Francisco, and the Bronx, New York City, before wrapping up on June 13 in West Hollywood, California.
Kim is currently hard at work on her untitled fifth studio album, the follow-up to 2005′s The Naked Truth, which included the singles “Lighters Up” and “Whoa”. Most recently, she released the promotional track, “Keys to the City“, featuring Young Jeezy, which may or may not be featured on her upcoming LP.
Jaden Smith In Talks To Star In Sci-Fi Thriller “Boy Nobody”
Sony Pictures and Will Smith’s Overbroook Entertainment have acquired the rights to the novel “Boy Nobody” as a starring vehicle his son, Jaden Smith.
According to Variety, Overbrook won an intense bidding war with several other major film studios for the movie rights to the book “Boy Nobody.”
The novel “Boy Nobody,” which hasn’t even been released yet, is a three-part science fiction story written by Allen Zadoff.
The movie will feature Jaden Smith starring as a teenage assassin who has been brainwashed.
Over the course of the film, he slowly regains his memory and his emotions.
Jaden Smith’s next movie will be M. Night Shyamalan’s movie “After Earth,” which also stars Will Smith.
Ambrose full of praise for Roach
FORMER WEST Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose has given young pacer Kemar Roach a ringing endorsement following his ten-wicket haul in the recently concluded second Digicel Test against Australia at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain.
Roach’s effort was the first time since 1993, a regional bowler took that sum against the Aussies and he was subsequently named “Man-of-the-Match”.
Prior to Roach, the last man to do similar damage against the Aussies was none other than Ambrose who took ten wickets for 120 runs in a thrilling one-run win at Adelaide.
The ex-Leeward Islands player commended Roach on the feat and encouraged him to continue trying to match and better the accomplishments of his predecessors.
“I wouldn’t want to say he emulated my feat because that is what cricket is all about. You want to try and do better than the past cricketers so we can show the world we have an abundance of talent.
“I thought Kemar Roach bowled extremely well because to take ten wickets on a pitch like this which is unresponsive to fast bowling was a tremendous effort. He really bowled well except for his first spell on the first morning but since then he came back with decent bounce and I am happy for him. He worked hard and got his reward,” Ambrose pointed out.
Of Roach’s ten wickets, three came via three leg-before-wicket while four were bowled and Ambrose commended the 23-year-old for adapting to the conditions.
“If you know the Queen’s Park Oval pitch, it is always a situation where when you bowling consistently between wicket and wicket you will get wickets (then you do that).
“One or two (deliveries) will keep low and you get some leg-before or bowled down, that is the key to bowling here especially here on a pitch like this where there is no grass, no sideways movement, you have to bowl between wicket and wicket. That is what Kemar Roach did and he got the results,” Ambrose continued.
The Antiguan believes Roach is now bowling the best of his career after a slump in form last year and called on him to now begin performing consistently for the regional team.
“I never had any doubt that he can become a great fast bowler. He went Australia not so long ago and really came to the fore on that Australian trip and really caused the Australians all sorts of problems. He came back to the Caribbean and I believe that maybe he relaxed a little bit and figured he had a good Australian tour, people began talking about him and probably didn’t keep working hard at his game. He perhaps relaxed a little bit, lost form and was dropped from the team and that for me was a bit of a wake up call for him.
“He really realised that no matter how good you are you’re only as good as the last game. He came back, put in the hard work and is reaping the rewards at the moment,” he added. Ambrose also believes there is a bright future for the West Indies in the bowling department with an abundance of good pacers as well as spinners.
“I don’t think the fast bowling attack is a bad one. You’ve got guys like Kemar Roach and Fidel Edwards who when he is fit and bowling well can be a handful. Ravi Rampaul has been very consistent for the West Indies over the years until injury forced him out but he’s on his way back. You’ve got (Shannon) Gabriel who looks to be a very promising one for the future. There is one from Barbados - (Christopher) Jordan... he’s another good prospect and Jason Holder from the CCC (Combined Campuses and Colleges) so the cupboard isn’t as bare as people think.
“We’ve got a bunch of spinners as well. We’ve got (Sunil) Narine, (Devendra) Bishoo, (Narsingh) Deonarine, Shane Shillingford, Nikita Miller and Odean Brown. So when looking at both departments the cupboard isn’t as bare as people think,” he reiterated.
NEWSDAY
Manchester City win and send Wolves down
Goals from Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri saw Manchester City relegate Wolves and move to within three points of leaders Manchester United.
Both sides had early chances before City took control and Aguero slid them ahead from Gael Clichy's superb cross.
Joe Hart made an excellent save to deny Steven Fletcher as Wolves worked hard to level, but Nasri slotted in to earn his side a vital win in the title race.
If City beat United at home on 30 April they will be top with two games left.
Their goal difference is six superior to that of their local rivals and all eyes will now be on that meeting at Etihad Stadium.
City spent much of the season in top spot but their defeat at Arsenal on 8 April left them eight points behind United with six games remaining.
Suddenly, though, they are very much back in contention and it promises to be a thrilling end to the campaign.
The same can not be said for Wolves, who drop into the Championship after three years in the top flight.
Terry Connor's side have lost a club-record nine successive home games and are without a win of any description since 4 February.
They needed little motivating for a match of this magnitude and produced a spirited display but City, buoyed by news of United's 4-4 draw against Everton earlier on Sunday, ground out a professional win.
Carlos Tevez fired just over the bar after only 17 seconds and at the other end Sebastien Bassong's shot was deflected narrowly wide.
Aguero then drilled across the face of goal before David Davis forced Hart into a fine save with a powerful effort from 18 yards.
City seemed intent on moving the ball wide, letting full-backs Pablo Zabaleta and Clichy stretch Wolves and create space for Aguero and Tevez.
Zabaleta and David Silva combined well on the right to slip Nasri through on goal, but the Frenchman dragged wide of the far post.
Aguero was again off-target on 20 minutes but there would be no mistake at the end of his side's next foray forward.
Clichy nutmegged Michael Kightly before curling a delightful low pass to Aguero, who kept his footing to stab a finish past Dorus de Vries.
Wolves deserve credit for their positive response and it took a superb diving save from Hart to repel Fletcher's header shortly after half-time.
City had now lost their earlier rhythm, they were misplacing passes and Mancini introduced Nigel de Jong for Silva.
It may not have been an attacking move but City actually looked more composed with De Jong on the field, and they duly ended the contest.
Tevez took a quick free-kick, squared for Nasri and he benefited from Bassong pulling a hamstring to coolly slot past De Vries.
Wolves were furious with referee Lee Probert's decision to penalise Davis for his challenge on Tevez, but their protests were in vain.
City celebrated as Wolves commiserated. The full-time whistle sounded as torrential rain arrived, an apt conclusion to their Premier League stay.
Rafael Nadal secures his eighth consecutive Monte Carlo title
Rafael Nadal won his eighth straight Monte Carlo Open, easily beating world number one Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-1.
It was Nadal's 42nd consecutive win in Monaco but only his first victory over the Serbian in eight attempts.
After winning the first set, the Spaniard - who entered the tournament with a troublesome knee - raced to 4-0 in the second.
Off-key Djokovic broke for the first time to make it 4-1 but Nadal hit straight back before sealing the title.
Nadal took only 78 minutes to see off Djokovic, who suffered the loss of his grandfather on Thursday and never quite looked himself.
The Serbian managed just one break point throughout, while the world number two converted five of his eight.
Djokovic won his first service game to love but was broken in the third game of the set and struggled to get back into the match.
Nadal, who will be seeking his seventh French Open title in Paris next month, held his service game to love to race to 4-2 before breaking again in the ninth game to take the opening set.
His domination continued throughout the second, leaving Djokovic feeling he had to apologise.
"I'm sorry for my performance, Rafa played well and deserved to win today," he said.
"I just didn't have any emotional energy left in me. I was there physically, game-wise I was playing OK throughout the week.
"But it was a bad day. If I wanted to have any chance of winning against Rafa on clay, I needed that extra gear, which I didn't have.
"I'm still very happy to reach the finals for the second time.
"This is one of my favourite events at the most beautiful centre court in the world."
The win was Nadal's 47th ATP title and his first since claiming last year's French Open.
"I always loved this tournament, seriously, since I was a kid," he said. "One of my dreams was to play here. It's an historic tournament where you see all of your idols playing.
"To have eight victories, you must be lucky, you have to be in the right way, no injuries, perfect conditions for eight years in a row.
"I had lost to Novak seven times, so losing eight would not have been much different. But to win this one makes a big difference."
Fed Cup: USA secure promotion back to world group
The USA secured their place back in the Fed Cup World Group with a crushing 5-0 win over Ukraine.
Serena Williams was in impressive form, winning both her rubbers and losing just eight games as they bounced back from Group II at the first attempt.
In the other play-off matches Japan beat Belgium 4-1 to reach the World Group for the first time since 2007.
Slovakia beat Spain 3-1 while Australia also secured their promotion with a 3-2 win over Germany .
The USA were playing in the second tier of the tournament for the first time, after suffering relegation last year.
But they made easy work of Ukraine in Kharkiv and were 2-0 up after the first two rubbers.
Four-time Wimbledon champion Williams, 30, demolished her opponent Elina Svitolina 6-2 6-1 after Christina McHale had won the opening match against Lesia Tsurenko 1-6 6-4 3-6.
Williams then beat Tsurenko 6-3 6-2 to wrap up the victory.
But the USA, who have won a record 17 Fed Cup titles, were not finished yet and went on to complete the whitewash.
Kimiko Date-Krumm, 41, was the hero for Japan as she won two rubbers to help them overcome Belgium.
Her 6-1 6-4 victory over Tamaryn Hendler and Ayumi Morita's 6-4 6-4 win over Alison van Uytvanck gave them a 2-0 lead at the end of day one.
Morito then beat Hendler 7-5 6-2 to tie up the victory before Uytvanck beat Kurumi Nara 6-7 (7-2) 0-6.
Uytvanck then played her third rubber as she linked up with Ysaline Bonaventure in the doubles but was beaten 6-2 6-4 by Date-Krumm and Rika Fujiwara.
Australia were also two rubbers to the good after day one as they took on Germany in Stuttgart.
Sam Stosur's 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 win over Angelique Kerber and Jarmila Gajdosova's 6-4 6-4 victory over Julia Goerges put them in a strong position going into day two.
World number 11 Andrea Petkovic was forced into action earlier than planned for the Germans as they looked to claw their way back into the tie.
After three months out injured she was scheduled to only play the doubles but instead took on Stosur, although she could do little to prevent the Australian winning the match 6-4 6-1 and therefore the tie.
In the final play-off match Slovakia beat Spain with Daniela Hantuchova securing the all-important victory.
The world number 20 recovered after losing the first set 6-0 to win 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to give them an unassailable 3-1 lead.
The tie was level at 1-1 after the first leg with Dominika Cibulkova winning 6-3 6-0 against Lourdes Dominguez Lino before Hantuchova was beaten 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 by Silvia Soler-Espinosa.
Cibulkova then beat Soler-Espinosa 6-4 6-4 to give Slovakia a 2-1 lead and Hantuchova secured their return to the world group.
China manufacturing on the mend, HSBC survey shows
China's manufacturing activity slowed less quickly in April than the previous month, a preliminary HSBC survey has showed.
The HSBC Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) rose to 49.1 from 48.3 in March easing concerns of a sharp slowdown in China's economy.
There have been fears that slowing growth in key markets such as the US and eurozone may hurt China's economy.
China relies heavily on manufacturing and exports for growth.
The PMI is a key indicator of manufacturing activity. A reading below 50 shows contraction in the sector and the HSBC index has remained below that mark for six straight months now.
However, Markit Economic Research, which publishes the index, said the latest reading "pointed to a slower pace of deterioration than in March, largely reflecting slower rates of decline of manufacturing production and new orders."
Additional easing?
The figures come just days after China reported that its economy expanded at an annual rate of 8.1% in the first three months of the year, the slowest pace of expansion in almost three years.
Prompted by concerns over the impact of a global slowdown on its economy, China's has been easing some of its policies in a bid to boost growth.
China's central bank has cut the amount of money that banks need to hold in reserves, twice in the past few months, in a bid to boost lending in the country.
Data out earlier this month showed that banks extended 1.01tn yuan ($160bn; £100bn) in new loans in March. much more than the forecast of 800bn yuan.
Hongbin Qu, chief economist China at HSBC said the latest PMI data indicated that "the earlier easing measures have started to work".
However Mr Qu added that despite the improvement in April, "the pace of both output and demand growth remains at a low level in an historical context."
He said that authorities need to take additional measures to ensure a sustained growth in the manufacturing sector.
Hong Kong fines brokerage firm for inadequate diligence
Hong Kong's securities regulator has fined a brokerage firm and revoked its corporate finance licence as it seeks to implement tighter control over share sales.
Mega Capital (Asia) has been fined HK$42m ($5.4m; £3.4m) for "inadequate and sub-standard" diligence work and "failure to act independently".
The firm was the sole adviser to Hontex International, which had raised HK$1bn via a share sale in 2009.
Mega Capital has denied the charges.
"Mega Capital's failure in discharging its sponsor's duties prejudiced the regulatory assessment of Hontex's suitability for listing and jeopardized the interests of the investing public," said Mark Steward, executive director of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).
The fine is the largest so far imposed by the SFC.
'Regarded most grimly'
Hontex International listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in December 2009.
However, just months after the listing the SFC filed a case in the High Court alleging that the prospectus filed by Hontex contained "materially false or misleading information".
The accounts of Hontex and four of its subsidiaries have been frozen and trading in its shares has also been suspended since March 2010.
The SFC said that Mega Capital, being the sole sponsor of Hontex, had failed to carry out its duties and gather proper information on the company.
In its statement, the SFC alleged that while collecting information on Hontex, Mega Capital had not approached any of Hontex's suppliers or customers directly.
The regulator said that all interviews conducted by Mega Capital "were arranged by Hontex and conducted in the presence of Hontex's representatives".
It also alleged that there were "no records showing what background or other due diligence searches had been conducted by Mega Capital on the suppliers, customers and franchisees of the Group".
"Given the important role played by sponsors, these failures must be regarded most grimly. The sanctions imposed on Mega Capital should make it clear that the SFC condemns such failure in the strongest terms," said SFC's Mr Steward.