Lauryn Hill arrives in Jamaica for Shaggy's concert
Lauryn Hill, the talented singer, songwriter and actress, quietly slipped into Jamaica Monday night as she prepares to perform at the Shaggy and Friends Charity Concert set for January 7.
The concert that will also feature performances from international recording stars Ne-Yo and Deniece Williams on the lawns of Jamaica House, is being held to raise much-needed funds for the Bustamante Hospital for Children, the beneficiary of the Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation.
The 36-year-old former member of the Fugees, who, along with her six children, arrived in the dead of night, is making the trip thanks to LIME, who is on board with the foundation to the tune of almost $8 million.
According to LIME's head of marketing, Stephen Price, his company came on board to assist with helping to make the charity concert special.
"They wanted to bring in someone unique," he said, explaining why LIME came on board to help make the Grammy-award winning artiste available.
"She is one of the most beloved artistes and we thought it appropriate for Jamaicans to see her in other than a purely commercial light."
Hill, of course, has a strong Jamaican connection. Five of her six children were fathered by Rohan Marley, son of the legendary Bob Marley. She has also covered Marley's Turn Your Lights Down Low and Redemption Song. "In addition to her command of several genres, she also has a very healthy command of reggae music," Price said.
Media reports say she has invested financially in Jamaica, but the nature of those investments is unknown.
Price revealed that she consented to perform at the concert because she respects Shaggy's efforts in trying to raise money for the hospital that sees to the needs of many of Jamaica's children. "That's why we wanted to join forces and come on board for this," Price said. "The work of the Bustamante Hospital for Children is a tremendous and invaluable service to Jamaican children and their families. We feel it is our duty to support this noble effort being championed by Shaggy and his team, and so we are 100 per cent committed to helping the foundation achieve its targets."
He continued: "In addition to partnering with Shaggy, we have also created opportunities for our customers and Jamaicans in the Diaspora to participate and contribute to the effort. As such, we will be providing a live broadcast of the concert on LIME Mobile TV and via pay per view online, from which we will donate proceeds. "We take this opportunity to commend Shaggy, who has been a long-time member of the LIME family, for continuing to use his celebrity status to raise awareness about the needs of the institution and for inspiring many others to do something about it".
Hill's Grammy-winning album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide, topping Billboard's 200 albums chart and its R&B chart.
Released in 1998, the album would help Hill enter the record books. At the 1999 Grammy Awards, Hill became both the first woman ever to be nominated in 10 categories in a single year, and the first woman to win five times in one night. Hill won the awards for Album of the Year, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist.
She also starred in the hot movie Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit that starred Whoopi Goldberg.
DESTRA PREPARING SURPRISE PERFORMANCE FOR JAMAICA
Destra Garcia promises fans attending the 2012 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival - The Art of Music this month some new flavors from her already impressive menu.
"I am no stranger to Jamaica - everybody knows I can rock the house," said the soca music sensation from her Trinidad home last week. But she promised that festival attendees will see "a different side of Destra that Jamaica has never seen before."
Without sharing any clues, the Trinidad and Tobago musician whose 2012 Carnival release "Baddist" is currently rocking Port-of-Spain parties, said "I live for the element of surprise," pledging that fans will definitely be treated to hot soca but they will also get a bit of 'something else'. "I promise they will thoroughly enjoy it, and as usual I will rock the house."
Following the summer release of the pop-flavored "Beautiful Day" from the new MYDESTRA.COM album, Destra has also released the soca-pop fused "Breaking Away"; the groovy soca "Baddist" with Kerwin Du Bois; chutney soca hit "Pania" with Rikki Jai; and "Keep on Wukking Up", a soca and R&B fusion. She has also submitted two selections for the steel band fraternity, and will soon release two road march contenders for the 2012 season.
Destra Garcia has grown from strength to strength since her 1999 debut and the entertainer is showing no signs of slowing down - challenging herself every year while taking her music and her fans along for the exciting journey, and taking soca music to international markets.
A guaranteed hit with music-loving audiences everywhere, her energetic performances and eye-catching costumes command the cameras, while her maturity is evident in her demeanor, her command of the stage, her writing and her sense of self.
"We are so proud of Destra and her accomplishments throughout the years," said Walter Elmore, Chairman of Art of Music Productions, producers of the festival. "She is one of the best songwriters and performers the region has produced and I am proud to call her West Indian."
In addition to Destra Garcia, a dazzling lineup of top international, regional and local superstars has been announced for the three-day festival taking place at the Trelawny Stadium from January 26 to 28, 2012.
Joining her on the lineup are Celine Dion, Cee-Lo Green, Nicole Henry, Heads of State, Jully Black, Earl Klugh, The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, Gentleman; and Jamaica's finest musical talent, including Shaggy, Richie Stephens, John Holt, Yellow Man, Half Pint, Tessanne Chin and Tami Chynn, Marcia Griffiths, Lloyd Parkes and We The People, George Nooks, Luciano, Mykal Rose, AJ Brown, Freddy McGregor, Pluto Shervington, Etana, Chris Martin, Marcia Barrett (Boney M) and Byron Lee's Dragonaires.
In honor of Jamaica's 50th Anniversary of Independence, the opening night of the festival is dedicated to all the rich sounds that have shaped Jamaica's music over the past 50 years, and so it will feature ska, rocksteady, dancehall and reggae, the island nation's influential contributions to world music.
The 2012 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival - The Art of Music is supported in part by the Jamaica Tourist Board, Iberostar Hotels and Resorts, FLOW, RIU Hotels & Resorts, Half Moon - A RockResort, Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, Sunset Resorts, CVM TV (Official television partner), The Gleaner (Official print partner), Scotiabank, Pure Country, Loyal Haylett Management Services, Delta Air Lines and Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort.
Aretha Franklin announces engagement
Aretha Franklin has become engaged to her long-term friend William "Willie" Wilkerson.
The 69-year-old soul legend and Grammy award-winner said she was hoping to marry over the summer.
She told AP that she and Mr Wilkerson were considering Miami Beach, Florida, as a possible location, followed by a reception on a private yacht.
Franklin, whose latest album is called Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love, has been married twice before.
"We're looking at June or July for our date, and no, I'm not pregnant, LOL!," she said in a statement.
The singer returned to performing in May last year after being admitted to hospital for an undisclosed ailment.
UK album sales fell in 2011 but digital downloads rose
Digital music sales continued to rise in the UK in 2011, but not by enough to prevent an overall decline in album sales, according to the BPI.
The music industry body said that 26.6 million digital albums were sold, a 24% rise on the previous year.
However, CD album sales fell by 13% to 86.2 million discs. Overall, 6% fewer albums were sold than in 2010.
The BPI blamed the decline on piracy and accused the government of taking too long to tackle the problem.
'Creative crunch'
Digital downloads have recorded rapid growth over recent years. In 2007, only 6.2 million albums were bought as files over the internet according to The Official Charts Company.
The year 2011's tally was more than four times that amount. Fifteen albums sold more than 100,000 digital copies, with Adele's 21 proving the most popular.
However, shoppers still showed a preference for CDs, buying more than three times the number of albums on disc than downloads.
The BPI said that "physical ownership" still played an important role, but said "a backdrop of chronic piracy" posed risks to the music industry.
"While other countries take positive steps to protect their creative sector, our government is taking too long to act on piracy, while weakening copyright to the benefit of the US tech giants," said Geoff Taylor, the BPI's chief executive.
"The UK has already fallen behind Germany as a music market. Unless decisive action is taken in 2012, investment in music could fall again - a creative crunch that will destroy jobs."
Letters
The government is pursuing a plan that would involve rights holders sending lists of internet addresses suspected of illegal downloads to internet service providers (ISPs).
The ISPs would then send a letter to suspected account holders, saying that their account had been identified as being used to download copyright infringing material.
They would offer advice on how to prevent such illegal activity, but would not make demands for money or threaten disconnection.
By contrast, France has passed a law that allows pirates to be blocked from the net from one year after three infringements.
A spokesman for the UK Department for Culture Media and Sport said: "We will continue to work with industry on how they can better tackle online piracy but this is not an issue that ISPs or rights holders alone can deal with".
"All elements of the internet industry - payment companies, advertisers, search engines, ISPs and rights holders - need to play their part in tackling unlawful activity online."
Streaming
While piracy may be partly to blame for the drop in album sales, the data also suggests changing buying habits.
Sales of singles rose for the fourth successive year to 177.9 million copies, versus 86.6 million in 2007.
Digital copies accounted for 98% of the sales. Each of the top 20 singles of the year sold more than 500,000 copies.
One industry watcher said this underlined the fact that shoppers had become more choosy.
"People now buy the individual songs they like rather than buying the whole album because they like a single," said Philip Buxton, an independent digital media consultant.
"So they might buy the single and then use services like Spotify and Lastfm to listen to the other tracks and are then much more selective about what they purchase.
"The implication for the record industry is that they need to embrace this new model rather than fight it."
2011 Official Artist Albums Chart
1. 21 - Adele
2. Christmas - Michael Buble
3. Doo-Wops & Hooligans - Bruno Mars
4. 19 - Adele
5. Mylo Xylo - Coldplay
6. Loud - Rihanna
7. Born This Way - Lady Gaga
8. Who You Are - Jessie J
9. + - Ed Sheeran
10. Talk That Talk - Rihanna
TCIFA'S GENERAL SECRETARY, SONIA BIEN-AIME APPOINTED TO FIFA U-20 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP
Sonia Bien-Aime, The Turks & Caicos Islands Football Association's General Secretary has been appointed to the Organising Committee for the FIFA
Under 20 Women's World Cup by FIFA's President Joseph S. Blatter. This news follows on the heels of her most recent appointment to the Caribbean
Football Union Finance Task Force in December 2011, where she was charged with the preparation of Advice that would allow for continuity of the
Union, in addition to a more optimum means of functioning.
The Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, will be responsible for organizing the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, in compliance with the provisions of the regulations, applicable to this competition, the List of Requirements and the Organising Association Agreement.
Mrs. Bien-Amie said:'I am extremely honored and humbled to have been selected to serve on the Organizing Committee for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. An appointment of this magnitude to serve on the world stage of football is incredible for me, the TCIFA and the Turks & Caicos Islands as a country. This is indeed a great opportunity for me; not only am I coming from one of the smaller countries of FIFA's members, but also being the first female from any Caribbean Football Association to serve on a FIFA Standing Committee.'
"This is indeed validation and recognition for my work and tireless contribution to the TCIFA and development of football in the Turks & Caicos. For this, I am truly grateful. It will be my privilege to serve with a distinguished panel that endeavors to make an incredible impact on Women's football. For me, there is no doubt that this appointment serves as a great start to the New Year and has sparked new energy within me, and an even greater love and appreciation for football: the worlds greatest sport, added the General Secretary.
Other members appointed to the Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup include: Chairman - David Chung, Oceania Football Confederation President, Deputy Chairman Sen-es Er-zik, UEFA 1st Vice President and Honorary President Turkish FA, Bangladesh's Mah-fu-za Ak-ther. Members are Mozambiques Pal-mira Francisco, former USA national team player, April Hein-richs, Coach for South Africas Senior Women's National Team, Fran Hilton-Smith, New Zealands Shelley Mc-Meek-en, Italy's Marina Sbar-della, Colombia's Celina Sierra, Germany's head of womens soccer, Hei-ke Ull-rich, China PR, Xue Li. Advisors to the
committee are former Japanese football player, Kozo Ta-shi-ma and Canada's IOC Member, Walter Sie-ber.
American Howard appointed CONCACAF's acting general secretary
American Ted Howard will act in the post of general secretary of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football (CONCACAF).
CONCACAF announced yesterday that Howard was officially named acting general secretary to replace compatriot Chuck Blazer in the position.
Blazer, who blew the lid off the cash-for-votes scandal that bedevilled the game in the Caribbean in the second half of last year, announced last October that he would be stepping down from the position at the end of last year.
Howard has been CONCACAF deputy general secretary over the last 13 years. He served as director and group manager of NBA Marketing from 1988 until joining CONCACAF a decade later.
He was also executive director of the North American Soccer League from 1971 until it folded in 1984.
Howard's appointment maintained the strong American influence at its corporate offices and his primary challenge will be to restore the image that was tarnished from the fallout of the cash-for-votes scandal.
CONCACAF still has to appoint a full-time president to replace Trinidad & Tobago's Austin 'Jack' Warner, since Honduran Alfredo Hawit is currently doing the job on an interim basis.
Warner resigned from the post at the height of the bribery scandal after he facilitated a meeting in Port of Spain last May at which Mohamed Bin Hammam was alleged to have offered US$1 million to Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials in exchange for votes in last June's FIFA presidential candidate election.
Warner resigned all of his posts in the game, including CFU President and FIFA vice-president, and FIFA dropped their investigation into his part in the scandal on the condition that he stay away from football.
Several CFU officials were suspended, fined or reprimanded, while Asian Football Association President Mohamed Bin Hammam was banned for life.
Barbadian Lisle Austin, Warner's elected CONCACAF deputy, was suspended for a year after illegally trying to fire Blazer in the wake of the scandal.
Bolt tops them again...Database ranks Jamaican sprinter as No.1 in 2011
World 200m champion, Usain Bolt, was yesterday named by highly regarded international track and field website www.all-athetics.com as the top male athlete for the just-concluded year.
American 100m world champion, Carmelita Jeter, claimed the female top prize.
The awards were based on the athletics database website's overall ranking system as at December 27, 2011.
Despite failing in his bid to successfully defend his 100m world title at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Bolt returned to power his way to his second consecutive 200m world title with a strong 19.40-second run.
The 100m and 200m world record holder had gone 14 races unbeaten in 2011 and ended last season as the fastest over 100m, with his 9.76-second run in the IAAF/Samsung Diamond League curtain-closer in Brussels. Bolt, who was also named IAAF Male Athlete of the Year, tallied 1,458 points.
Bolt's training partner, Yohan Blake, who won gold in the 100m in Daegu before posting the fastest 200m (19.26) and second fastest in history - also in Brussels, finished second in the ranking, a mere seven points behind Bolt.
Double World Championships silver medallist, Walter Dix of the United States, was third in the ranking, with 800m world champion and world record holder David Rudisha and steeplechase standout Brimin Kipruto rounding off the top five.
Asafa Powell, who registered the second fastest time in the 100m last season, with 9.78 in addition to winning the event in the IAAF/Samsung Diamond League, finished in 12th position on 1,397 points.
Veronica Campbell-Brown, in third place (1,415 points), is the highest placed Jamaican on the women's overall list, which is topped by Jeter, who tallied 1,438 points.
Jeter beat Campbell-Brown into second place in the 100m in Daegu, before the Jamaican returned the favour in the 200m. Jeter was the fastest over 100m with 10.70, while Campbell-Brown was next best with 10.76.
Vivian Cheruiyot, the 10,000m and 5,000m champion is in second place, with 100m hurdles champion and Diamond League winner Sally Pearson and shot put supremo Valerie Adams completing the top five.
Interestingly, all-athletics.com has Blake (1,423) ranked above both Powell (1,397), Bolt (1,393) and Nesta Carter (1,370) in the 100m, as Jamaicans account for four of the top five spots.
Bolt (1,417), is the top 200m athlete, with Nickel Ashmeade (1,319) being the next best Jamaican in fifth place.
Like it was in Daegu, Jeter is the top-ranked 100m female athlete with 1,415 points ahead of Campbell-Brown (1,379) and Trinidad and Tobago's Kelly-Ann Baptiste (1,363).
In the half-lap event, world and Olympic champion Campbell-Brown is ranked fifth with Jeter again coming out on top.
Novlene Williams-Mills is the best placed Jamaican in the women's 400m at sixth with 1,310 points, one spot ahead of Rosemarie Whyte (1,302) with Shericka Williams in ninth in 1,296 points. World champion Amantle Montsho (1,400), Allyson Felix (1,361) and Francena McCorory (1,325) are the top three in the event.
In the male equivalent, it's a Caribbean one-two with Jamaica's Jermaine Gonzales (1,346) in second place behind world champion, Grenada's Kirani James, who tallied 1,359 points. World Championships silver medallist LaShawn Merritt (1,342) is in third place.
Dwayne Bravo fails to fire
Dwayne Bravo was a bust again in his final Big Bash League match before returning home for the Caribbean Twenty20.
The Trinidad & Tobago and West Indies all-rounder made just seven and failed to take a wicket in two costly overs, as the Sydney Sixers slumped to their second defeat in the Australian domestic T20 tournament, losing to the Melbourne Renegades by eight wickets yesterday.
Bravo again opened the batting after the Sixers chose to bat at Docklands Stadium, but he was bowled by Australia left-arm fast bowler Dirk Nannes in the second over, as the visitors reached 161 for six from their allocation of 20 overs.
Moises Henriques led the way for the Sixers with 41 from 30 balls, Nic Maddinson scored 29, and England import Michael Lumb and Australia leg-spin all-rounder Steve Smith, the Sixers' captain, both hit 25.
Nannes and Shane Harwood collected two scalps apiece for the Renegades.
The home team then reached their target with 14 balls remaining, following an unbroken, 124-run, third-wicket stand between Australia internationals Brad Hodge and Andrew McDonald.
Hodge struck five fours and three sixes in the top score of an unbeaten 72 from 51 balls, and McDonald smote an incredible seven sixes in 60 not out from just 37 balls.
Bravo leaves this week to return home to be part of the T&T side that will try to regain the CT20 title when the tournament opens next Monday in Antigua.
Beckham to remain in L.A. and sign with Galaxy
David Beckham is set to stay with the Los Angeles Galaxy after turning down a chance to join Paris Saint-Germain, the French club said Tuesday.
After weeks of negotiations with PSG, the 36-year-old midfielder and former England captain decided he doesn't want to move his family from the United States.
"David Beckham is not coming,'' PSG President Nasser al-Khelaifi said at the Qatar Open tennis tournament. "We feel a little disappointed. But both sides agreed it would be better that we not do the deal ... maybe in the future.''
Beckham's five-year contract with the Galaxy ended after he won his first MLS Cup in November. He was wooed by several clubs across Europe.
"David Beckham is in Los Angeles,'' al-Khelaifi said. "And he's going to stay there.''
Beckham will try to finalize a new deal this week with the Galaxy, which was paying him an annual base salary of $6.5 million.
French media had reported Beckham would have been paid almost double that at PSG, whose Qatari owners have spent more than $100 million on players during six months in charge.
Beckham and wife Victoria, a former member of the "Spice Girls,'' moved to California in 2007 after he left Real Madrid.
The celebrity couple now have four children and decided during a Christmas break in England that they did not want to move back to Europe permanently.
The Galaxy's recent success and the signing of Ireland captain Robbie Keane have shown Beckham that the LA club can meet his ambitions for the final years of his career, which began at Manchester United.
Beckham also has expressed hope of playing for Britain's soccer team at the London Olympics.
The new MLS season starts in March.
SI
TEENAGE ESSAY WRITERS WIN UK FACT-FINDING TRIP
Ten (10) lucky teens from the various high schools throughout the islands, will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the sights and sounds of the mother country Britain.
Ten top teenage TCI essay writers are off on a ten day trip of a lifetime to the UK after winning the Governor's annual essay writing competition it was announced today, Tuesday, 3 Jan 2012.
Six students from Providenciales, three from Grand Turk and one from North Caicos were chosen by the judges from 19 entries received from across the TCI.
They each had to write on the topic of: "A 21st Century relationship between the UK and the TCI. Discuss."
Governors spokesperson, Neil Smith, said in a press release that the competition was developed as a means of satisfying the appetite of the TCI's young people to find out more about the UK and how the countries can further benefit each other by promoting serious discussion among secondary and tertiary level students about the nature of the modern relationship between the UK and the TCI.
The 10 winners are:-
* Rashunda Campbell of the TCI Community College, Grand Turk Campus and
* Phildreka Mayham of the TCI Community College, Providenciales Campus
* Samuel Cantos of the British West Indies Collegiate, Providenciales
* Candre Skippings of the HJ Robinson High School, Grand Turk
* Leyshan Grant of the Champions for Christ International School of
Excellence, Providenciales
* Kevin Downer of the TCIPS Comprehensive High School, Providenciales
* Lemelko Missick of the Raymond Gardiner High School, North Caicos
* Stephen U-lysse of Clement Howell High School, Providenciales
* Chal-si-anna Missick of the Maranatha High School, Providenciales and
* Samell Harvey of the Wesleyan Methodist High School, Providenciales
Explaining the criteria for the Governor's annual essay-writing-competition, Mr. Smith said that each contestant had to compose an original, un-published essay of between 1,000-1,500 words. It was open to all students 16-19 years of age, who are registered in a secondary or tertiary level institution in the TCI. Points were awarded for understanding of the topic, originality of the author's ideas, coherence of the case made and clarity of style.
The winners will travel as a group on a 10-day visit to the UK in February of this year (2012), and will be involved in a number of activities, arrangements for which are now being finalized. These include:-
*Sightseeing in London, including a bus tour of the London sights such as Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, the Metropolitan Police Museum, the London Eye, the Tower of London and the famous London Parks; * Seeing UK Government ministries in action - meeting Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development (DFID) Ministers; other Ministers in the Overseas Territories Department, the Cabinet Office and No. 10 Downing Street;
* Visiting both the House of Commons and House of Lords - the Houses, meeting members of the Foreign affairs Committee, and receiving a presentation from the British Youth Council on the UK Youth Parliament * Spending a day in a London school and possibly week ending with British families.
His Excellency the Governor Ric Todd, said QUOTE:- "All of the essays were extremely interesting, with some very supportive of the existing relationship between TCI and the UK; others much more ready to move towards independence for the territory.
"What was encouraging was the range of ideas and suggestions on offer - it bodes very well for the future of democracy here that a wide range of ideas and beliefs can co-exist. Well done to everyone who entered and I hope that you have a terrific trip."