Nick Cannon Released from Hospital
Good news for Nick Cannon. He’s on the mend and has been released from an LA hospital after dealing with what’s described as “mild kidney failure.”
“He is resting and recovering at home and would like to thank everyone who has expressed concern, well wishes and prayers,” his spokesperson, Tracy Nguyen said Monday.
Cannon will be back on the air with his New York morning radio show next week, Nguyen said.
Nick and wife Mariah Carey were vacationing in Aspen with their twins, Monroe and Moroccan, when he fell ill last month.
Kartel's lawyer ponders Supreme Court move
Yet another bail application made on behalf of embattled Jamaican entertainer Vybz Kartel was turned down in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.
The entertainer, who has been in custody since last October, had sought bail on charges that he and protégè Gaza Slim, whose given name is Vanessa Saddler, conspired and attempted to pervert the course of justice in one of the two murder charges brought against him.
However, Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey, in denying the bail application, pointed to the serious nature of the other cases the controversial dancehall artiste, whose given name is Adidja Palmer, has before the courts.
After the ruling, one of Palmer's attorneys, Christian Tavares-Finson told The Gleaner he was examining the possibility of going to the Supreme Court to seek bail on the new charges.
Tavares-Finson said he has asked the magistrate to outline her reasons for not granting the bail request in writing and will then "sit down with him (Palmer) and look very closely at this option (going to the Supreme Court)."
Palmer has been in custody since October 1 last year when he and four persons were arrested at a New Kingston hotel for ganja possession.
Four days later he was charged with the murder of St Catherine businessman/promoter Barrington Burton, who was shot dead in the parish last July.
The entertainer was slapped with a second murder charge on October 24, when the police alleged that he and members of his entourage had been implicated in the killing of Clive Williams in Havendale, St Andrew, last August.
Assault claim
The charges of conspiracy and attempting to pervert the course of justice, which were filed last month, came after Saddler filed a report with the St Andrew North Police claiming Williams had assaulted her during a robbery on October 29.
Police investigators believe this was an attempt to help Palmer's defence.
Palmer was granted bail in the sum of $3 million in the Supreme Court last December in the case involving Burton.
However, he has not been able to take up the offer because the other cases are still pending.
The Devil Inside tops US box office
Low budget horror film The Devil Inside has spirited its way to the top of the North American box office, taking $34.5m (£22.4m) on its opening weekend.
It is the tale of a woman investigating exorcisms performed on her mother.
Like Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield before it, the film is released by studio Paramount and is filmed in a mock-documentary style.
Last week's number one, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, dropped to two, with receipts of $20.5m (£13.3m).
As with 2007's Paranormal Activity, which has gone on to spawn two sequels, and 2008's Cloverfield, which topped the US and Canada box office in January 2008, The Devil Inside benefited from a cryptic online marketing push.
Don Harris, president of domestic distribution for Paramount, said: "The marketing campaign was very much like Paranormal [Activity].
"It was online, trying to find the younger movie-goer, the fans for this genre."
Paramount bought the independently-produced film - which has been widely slated by critics - for just $1m (£648,000).
The success of the film, the only new release in the US last week, took many industry experts by surprise.
"This one caught everyone looking, but the devil got his due," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said.
"It's just very difficult to track the horror fan base, no question about it."
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows dropped a place to number three, taking $14.1m (£9.1m).
Guy Ritchie's film, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, has now taken $157.4m (£102m) in North America since its release on 16 November.
David Fincher's film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo climbed a place to number four, with $11.3m (£7.3m).
And family film Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked dropped two to five, taking $9.5m (£6.2m).
Nelson Mandela mini-series planned for TV
A mini-series based on the life of Nelson Mandela is in the pipeline, with producers including the former South African president's grandson.
Writers attached to the project include Nigel Williams, who wrote the 2005 Helen Mirren mini-series, Elizabeth I.
Mr Mandela and his family will give input and feedback on the script for the six-part series.
His grandson Kweku Mandela said his grandfather's response when told of the plan was: "How much am I getting paid?"
Shooting will begin in South Africa later this year.
Two of Nelson Mandela's books will be used as source material - the memoir Conversations With Myself and a compendium of quotations, Nelson Mandela By Himself.
The working title is Madiba, the tribal clan name which Mandela is known by in South Africa.
Kweku Mandela said the series would not paint his grandfather as "Mandela the saint" but would seek to "unravel Mandela the man".
It will follow the life of the former leader - from his early relationship with his mother, to his engagement with politics, imprisonment and finally his election as president of South Africa.
The project is being put together by three companies across the globe - the UK's Left Bank Pictures, Canada's Blue Ice Films and South Africa's Out of Africa Entertainment.
Left Bank Pictures is behind films such as football drama The Damned United, while its TV credits include Wallander, starring Kenneth Branagh.
Casting for the Nelson Mandela series has yet to be announced.
Knicks avenge loss to Bobcats
Carmelo Anthony spent all night watching his shot spin out, except for the times it was Amare Stoudemire's turn to miss.
But Anthony knew when it was close at the end, somebody would make a play.
And he was one, making the tiebreaking basket with 2:39 left and scoring 22 points as the New York Knicks avenged an embarrassing loss to the Charlotte Bobcats with a 91-87 victory Monday night.
"It was just a will to win out there tonight," Anthony said. "Shots was going in and out, we wasn't making shots, myself, Amare," Anthony said. "We shot 30-something percent from the field, so we had to grind it out on the defensive end and then crunch time we had to make something do."
Stoudemire shot 7 of 25 but had 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Tyson Chandler finished with 20 points and 13 boards. Anthony, perhaps still bothered by a sore lower back, was only 6 of 18 from the field, but scored eight of the Knicks' final nine points.
Iman Shumpert scored 16 points for the Knicks, who won their third straight since a 118-110 home loss to the Bobcats last Wednesday. New York still figures it will score like it did that night and defend like it did in this one.
"There's going to be definitely nights where we've got to lean on our defense, but I think once we start clicking we'll be in the upper 100s and these games will be blowouts," Chandler said.
Boris Diaw had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Bobcats, who dropped their third in a row since that victory at Madison Square Garden. He scored a season-high 27 points in that game.
"They did play better than they played against us last week," Diaw said. "It was more of a defensive game tonight. They adapted from what we did in the first game."
The Knicks defended much better in the rematch but almost wasted it as they struggled to finish around the basket all night. They made just two field goals in the opening nine minutes of the fourth quarter, and D.J. Augustin's 3-pointer tied it at 82 with 2:57 remaining.
Anthony drove for the go-ahead basket with 2:39 to go, then was credited with another field goal on a goaltending call about a minute later. A jumper by Gerald Henderson was followed by a free throw by Anthony and one by Landry Fields to make it 88-84 with 13 seconds remaining.
Augustin's 3-pointer from the corner cut it to one with 10 seconds to go, but he missed a chance to tie it again with 3.7 to go after Anthony made two free throws with 8.6 seconds to go.
"The last play of the game we got a wide-open 3 from our best 3-point shooter. So I can't fault us at all for the effort," coach Paul Silas said.
DJ White scored 15 points and Henderson had 14 for the Bobcats, who opened a stretch of five games in six nights. Augustin had 12 points but shot just 4 of 13, missing six of his nine 3-pointers.
The Bobcats' points and 55 percent shooting were the highest allowed this season by the Knicks, who insisted they were committed to playing better defense after acquiring Chandler. But a crowd that was buzzing that night with the returns of Stoudemire and Shumpert from injuries was booing the Knicks by the second half.
"We did play an excellent game, but they're going to come at us with a vengeance tonight, no question in my mind," Silas said before the game, "because I don't know if they took us for granted or not a little bit, but I know tonight they're going to really go all out to show us that we don't belong with them."
But the Bobcats came out looking capable of a repeat, breaking out to a 10-0 start. The Knicks regrouped to take a 24-21 lead after one quarter, extended it to a nine-point advantage midway through the second, and were up 50-45 at halftime.
The Knicks finally put a charge into the crowd midway through the third. Shumpert threw down a dunk after a steal, then Chandler bolted into the lane to catch and slam down a lob pass from Anthony. Chandler then made a pair of free throws for the Knicks' first double-digit lead of the game at 69-59 with 4:33 remaining.
"They played a lot better in this game," Silas said. "They played tougher defense. They really played us hard and tough, and last game they didn't really play us that tough."
SI
Thierry Henry return to Arsenal a dream - Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger says Thierry Henry has added to his legendary status at Arsenal with his late winner in the FA Cup tie against Leeds United.
The 34-year-old - back on a two-month loan deal from New York Red Bulls after leaving Arsenal for Barcelona in 2007 - scored 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute to give Arsenal a 1-0 victory and a place in the fourth round against Aston Villa.
Henry showed his class with a composed 78th-minute strike and the Gunners manager said: "He was already a legend here but he added just a little bit more to the whole story with that goal.
"It was a little bit like a dream. It was a story you would tell young kids if you want to tell them a story about football.
"Unfortunately it doesn't often happen like that in our game, but it did tonight."
Henry, who scored his 227th goal for Arsenal, has signed for an initial six-and-a-half-week period which can be extended to eight weeks - but Wenger said no plans had yet been made to extend the stay.
"Thierry has seen it all and done it all," said Wenger. "You could see straight away when he came on he was a presence and that if we could find him he would be dangerous. He is sharp physically.
"In training I have seen that he was sharp and ready to play. With what he has done here, I wouldn't have put him on the pitch if was not ready.
"That would not have been fair but he is a special player and what is good for the club and the young players is that he is a guy who has done it all but still prepares 100%, is motivated and comes with an immense desire to do well.
"He still feels some pressure so he was so pleased to score. He is a proud guy - he doesn't want to disappoint people. It is a kind of a comeback and you want that to be a success when you are a player."
The veteran striker himself spoke of his delight at returning to the club he supports and scoring his side's decisive goal.
"I came back from holiday 15 days ago. I never thought I was going to play for Arsenal again or score a winner," Henry said.
"I don't know what to say. I love the club and I hope I can do more.
"I hope it won't be the last one. The feeling I had when I scored was amazing.
"I rejoined the club as a fan; [when I joined first time] I wasn't.
"With one opportunity, it's very important, you don't know if you'll have a second. You have to make sure you take it. I took it well."
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It was a great evening. It was just made for him to come on and to score his trademark finish. The place just erupted when the ball went into the back of the net.
Trinidad beaten by Windwards
The Windward Islands shocked defending champions Trinidad and Tobago yesterday by 11 runs in the first match of the 2012 Caribbean T20 Cricket Competition at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
Captain Darren Sammy led from the front, hitting 41 from 31 balls to help his team to 129 for six. He also dismissed the dangerous Darren Bravo for 15, and – off the penultimate ball of the innings – made a running catch to send the other Bravo, Dwayne, back to the pavilion after he tried to hit his fifth six in an enterprising topscore of 51.
Trinidad were restricted to 118 for nine, starting on a losing note under new captain Denesh Ramdin.
Next Former West Indies captain to coach Kent
Kent County Cricket Club have announced the appointment of former Jamaica and West Indies captain Jimmy Adams as their new Head Coach.
Adams, who is a former technical director of the Jamaica Cricket Board, will take up the role at the St Lawrence Ground in early February.
The 43-year-old was a determined left-handed middle-order batsman, capable left-arm spinner and occasional wicket-keeper. He averaged 41.26 with the bat in 54 Tests and made a career-best 208 not out against New Zealand in 1996, and also played 127 one-day internationals.
He went on to be coach and manager of the West Indies Under-19 team and was also a member of the West Indies management unit for the 2010 ICC World T20 Tournament, which was played in the Caribbean.
Adams said: “I am delighted to be given this opportunity as head coach at Kent Cricket. They are a county with a proud history and tradition. I look forward to working towards further success in the year to come and can't wait to get started.”
Chairman of cricket Graham Johnson added: “We have run an extremely thorough process to select our new head coach and are delighted that Jimmy will take up the position.
“He has a strong desire to see young players develop and this shone through in our discussions with him. He also has a tremendous amount of experience from his time in international cricket, particularly as captain.”
Guyana beat Leewards by 5 wickets in T20 opener
Guyana recorded a last over 5 wicket victory over the Leeward Islands in their opening match of the West Indies Cricket Board Twenty20 tournament being played in Antigua yesterday.
Led by man-of-the-match Leon Johnson, who scored an unbeaten 37 including a huge six to finish things off, Royston Crandon 10 not out, Shivnarine Chanderpaul with a breezy 30 inclusive of four sixes, and skipper Christopher Barnwell 21, saw Guyana reach 139 for 5 off 19.2 overs chasing 134 made by the Leewards.
Coming in at number six Johnson partnered with skipper Christopher Barnwell to put up 47 and take Guyana from 69 for 4 to 116 for 5. Chanderpaul scored an uncharacteristically aggressive 30 off 17 which included four 6’s to push things earlier.
Leewards, who won the toss and batted first, looked set to score a dismal total but some blistering shots in the closing overs saw the home team posting 134 for 6 off their 20 overs. Justin Athanaze led the batting with 30 off 15 balls, while Kieran Powell was run out 22 off a brilliant direct throw by Sewnarine Chattergoon, Chesney Hughes 19 and Devon Thomas 26 led their effort.
Steven Jacobs grabbed 2 wickets, while Narsingh Deonarine, Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo each picked up one.
The win would be sweet for Guyana following the problems the team faced in the lead up to the tournament due to the administrative wrangling between the Guyana Cricket Board and government, who had set up an Interim Management Committee to take over the running of the game here, but had to back down after the intervention of the West Indies Cricket Board.
Guyana next face Trinidad and Tobago in the second match on Friday at 8:00pm and will look to continue their winning run against keen rivals who will be looking to rebound from their defeat against the Windwards in the opening match yesterday.
The early match on Friday pits Canada versus the Leeward Islands at 4:00pm.
The tournament continues today with Combined Campuses and Colleges against Jamaica at 8:00pm in the lone match.
Caribbean tops cruise passenger destination survey
The Caribbean continues to be the destination of choice for most cruise passengers, according to a new survey.
The region topped the Cruise Holidays 2012 Cruise Trends ranking with 59.88 per cent bookings, leaving Europe (including Mediterranean, Baltic, Scandinavia & Greek Isles) a far second at 11.47 per cent.
Western Caribbean cruises were the most popular overall, followed by the Eastern Caribbean and Southern Caribbean.
Cruise Holidays experts predict the best cruise values will remain in the Caribbean and Europe.
“These two regions are the clear-cut leaders when it comes to the bang for the buck that a cruise vacation can provide,” stated Mark Schiffner, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Cruise Holidays.
“On the flip side, with fewer cruisers turning to the Mexican Riviera as a top vacation choice, its value proposition is increasing. Mexico’s famed Gold Coast is pulling out all the stops to showcase its world-class beach communities, which depend on tourism for their livelihood.”
Prices to the region and the Mediterranean are still averaging lower than 2008-10, the survey said, though there has been a slight increase since 2011 because of increased demand for travel.
Additionally, it appears that cruisers’ tastes are becoming more sophisticated since Celebrity Cruises – a “premium” cruise line – boasts the most popular new ships for both 2011 and 2012, according to Cruise Holidays cruise experts across North America.
The Celebrity Silhouette was selected as the favorite ship to debut in the past calendar year, while the fifth and final Solstice-class ship, Celebrity Reflection, was voted as the most anticipated ship for 2012.
Looking ahead to the first three months of 2012, known in the cruise industry as the “Wave Season”, the level of optimism is at a three-year high for Cruise Holidays experts.
More than 73 per cent of the 118 consultants surveyed between December 21, 2011 and January 4, 2012 said they are very optimistic or somewhat optimistic.
The survey is based on actual bookings from Cruise Holidays’ proprietary booking system and a supplementary opinion survey taken by top Cruise Holidays owners and agents. Click
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