Why J-Hud passed on 'Precious' role
Jennifer Hudson says staying true to herself and staying healthy come ahead of any movie role.
In a preview of her new memoir posted by Uptown Magazine, the actress and singer says she turned down a shot at the lead role in “Precious" -- you know, the film nominated for a slew of Academy Awards in 2009 -- because she didn’t want to gain weight for it.
But she doesn’t see it as a loss. Hudson explains why she passed on the opportunity in her new book, “I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down.”
Hudson had packed on the pounds once before, to play Effie in “Dreamgirls,” a role that landed her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. But when director Lee Daniels approached her about the lead role in "Precious," Hudson wasn’t willing to play yo-yo with her weight again.
“As much as I was moved by this film, I wanted to try a role that had nothing whatsoever to do with my weight,” she writes in her book.
Hudson went on to play Carrie Bradshaw’s personal assistant in “Sex and the City: The Movie,” and continued to drop the pounds. Since the start of her career on “American Idol” Hudson’s lost 80 pounds with the help of Weight Watchers (she's a spokesperson).
Popcaan, Tony Matterhorn, Kiprich shine at Sting
GAZA-based Deejay Popcaan emerged as the top artiste at last night's Sting dancehall stage show at the Jamworld Entertainment Centre in Portmore, St Catherine.
Blazing through his hits Only Man She Want, Party Shot and Ravin to deafening screams the deejay was in fine fettle as thousands of patrons ignited aerosol spray torches.
Tony Matterhorn, Kiprich, Iyara, Specialist each emerged victorious in their lyrical battles with their musical enemies Twin of Twins, Merciless, Deva Brat and Hurricane respectively.
Yanni performs to sold out crowds in Puerto Rico
Contemporary composer Yanni fulfilled a 20-year-old dream when he performed at the beautiful and historic 16th-century Castillo San Felipe Del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
During Friday night's performance, Mother Nature interfered when high winds and rainstorms blew through the castle, forcing the band to end the concert early for safety reasons. Saturday night concertgoers were treated to better weather and the production went off without a hitch, creating a truly memorable night.
Backed by his world renowned orchestra, the two sold-out concerts were filmed in HD for PBS. Yanni performed an awe-inspiring 2-hour set of favorites from throughout his career as well as two encores.
In addition to the ticket-holders, thousands of Yanni fans gathered on the lawn outside of El Morro, bringing chairs and blankets to view the concerts under the stars on a large screen provided by Yanni, the Minister of Tourism and the promoter Jose Dueno Entertainment.
The performance at El Morro joins the famed Puerto Rican landmark -- a recognized UNESCO Heritage Site -- with other sites such as the Taj Mahal in India, the Acropolis in Greece and the Forbidden City in China that have played host to Yanni's world-renowned performances.
Debuting March 3, 2012, the program, Yanni: Live at El Morro, marks the composer's 10th collaboration with PBS and will air exclusively in the United States. An accompanying CD/DVD package will be initially available exclusively through PBS pledge drives, and is scheduled for worldwide release through Sony in the spring of 2012.
"El Morro lived up to its reputation, the evenings were magical, the weather became part of the show and the audiences were among the best I have ever played for," Yanni said.
Tearful George Michael says illness was 'touch and go'
Singer George Michael has admitted that his recent bout of pneumonia was "touch and go for a while" and was "the worst month of my life".
The 48-year-old star, who has returned to London following a month-long stay in a Vienna hospital, said he was "very weak" but added he feels "amazing".
In a press conference outside his home, an emotional Michael said he still has "plenty to live for".
He was forced to shelve the remaining 14 dates of his tour after falling ill.
Michael acknowledged the gravity of his illness, explaining that the General Hospital (AKH) in Vienna was "the best place in the world I could have been".
"They spent three weeks keeping me alive, basically... I'm incredibly fortunate to be here.
"Somebody here still thinks I've got some work to do," added the star.
The musician apologised to his fans for not contacting them, saying "I was really not in a state to".
He added that the "plan is to play to every person who had a ticket" for his shelved gigs.
Michael also said he wanted to play another show for the Austrian medical staff who "saved my life".
Michael was advised by doctors to take a "full and complete rest" after contracting a severe form of pneumonia last month.
He had performed 45 dates in his concert schedule before being forced to cancel the performance in Vienna.
The shelved dates have yet to be rescheduled.
In October, the musician pulled out of a gig at London's Royal Albert Hall, suffering with a viral infection.
After he was admitted to hospital in Vienna, Michael's publicists said that he was "responding to treatment and slowly improving".
They added in a statement: "George Michael is ill with pneumonia and any other speculation regarding his illness is unfounded and untrue."
Jamaica's Daryl Vaz gets death threats after gay-funding question to PNP
JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) candidate for West Portland Daryl Vaz says he has received death threats after asking the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) to state whether it has got funding from the international gay community.
According to Vaz, he got two calls on Sunday in which the callers, he said, admonished him for "fighting against" gays after threatening his life.
"You must' die before election," Vaz reported one of the callers as saying. The other, he said, told him: "Yu gwine cause PNP fi lose."
Yesterday, the police confirmed that Vaz had reported the threats to them.
"We have received a report of threats on the life of a candidate," a senior police officer, who requested anonymity, told the Observer.
"The threats are being investigated by the National Intelligence Bureau and the Criminal Investigation Branch."
On Sunday, Vaz was reported as asking the PNP to state whether it received funding from the gay community and what, if any, commitments were given in exchange for that funding.
Vaz suggested that PNP President Portia Simpson Miller had injected homosexuality into the election campaign when, in response to a question in the national leadership debate last week, she said that a future PNP Government would review the buggery law and initiate a conscience vote on the issue in the legislature.
Vaz, who made the query in his personal capacity, said he was trying to ascertain whether there was any truth to claims that the PNP had received money from the international gay community.
"We would like to know if this is true; and more importantly, what commitments the PNP has made in exchange for that funding, because we know that is how it works," he said.
"We are not happy about the opposition leader introducing the issue of homosexuality into the campaign and we are wondering how deep it goes and how much involved the international gay community is with the PNP. We have been hearing of the interest that that community has taken in our elections since her pronouncement," said Vaz. "It is the first time that we have seen such strong interest from the gay community in any Jamaican election," he added.
Vaz was referring to a report last week on gay website, Gaystarnews.com, praising as "positive" Simpson Miller's promise to review the buggery law and not to discriminate against homosexuals in appointing her Cabinet.
The Gaystarnews.com story also said that the PNP has at least two gay candidates contesting the upcoming election and one of them is being targeted by the governing JLP in a homophobic campaign.
US government spent over $200 million for subversion activities against Cuba
US administrations since 1997 have earmarked more than $200 million for subversion activities against the Cuban government, the Cubadebate.cu website reported on Tuesday. The figure was released after a study was carried out by Just the Facts, a civilian guide to the US government’s spending for defence and security assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The research took place between 2009 and 2010 and it came after critics questioned the efficiency of the Cuba programs, most of which are managed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The article by Cubadebate added that, over the past few years, USAID paid a Washington D.C. firm at least $1.47 million to audit the agency’s Cuba programs.
In March 2011, journalist Tracey Eaton, who manages the blog Cuba Money Project, requested a copy of the audit results through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and USAID replied earlier this month, providing a 10-page report that omits most of the findings, recommendations and other key information.
“I find it impossible to believe that a $1.47 million audit didn’t leave more of a paper trail,” Eaton wrote after USAID said it could not find any other reports or paperwork related to the audit.
“That would mean that the 10 pages posted above cost taxpayers nearly $150,000 each,” the journalist noted.
Meanwhile, an article published by The Miami Herald under the title “Time to clean up US regime-change programs in Cuba,” authored by former Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s lead investigator Fulton Armstrong, claimed that the US State Department’s programs to provoke a regime change in Cuba “have all the markings of an intelligence covert operation.”
Armstrong added that “like the other millions of dollars we have spent to topple the Cuban government, these programs have failed… It’s time to clean up the regime-change programs…”
Armstrong worked on the Cuba issue on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration and later as National Intelligence Officer for Latin America and senior advisor on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Over two hundred Haitian migrants apprehended in The Bahamas
A sloop carrying 244 Haitian migrants was apprehended west of Exuma in The Bahamas on Sunday afternoon, according to Director of Immigration Jack Thompson.
Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Sub-Lieutenant Origin Deleveaux said the 60-foot wooden sloop was sighted around 3:40 p.m. during surveillance patrols in the Exumas. The sloop was immediately intercepted.
“They favour traveling within the channel and chain area because it provides some camouflage, which makes them more difficult to track,” Deleveaux said on Monday.
“What these vessels tend to do is come up from Haiti to Inagua and hit the chain of lights from Crooked Island through to Long Island, and up again through the channel.”
The 187 men, 54 women and three children were transported to HMBS Coral Harbour Base before being turned over to the Department of Immigration for further processing.
“We observed them and there are some physical signs that we look for, but they have to be tested,” said Deleveaux, when asked if any migrants displayed signs of cholera.
“They were in good condition from our standpoint. There were one or two persons who were dehydrated but they were overall in good health.”
Thompson told The Nassau Guardian that the 244 migrants were transported to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre early Monday morning and were processed.
“A medical team of six persons checked them out and there were no cases of cholera found,” he said.
Deleveaux explained that there has been a high number of illegal Haitian migrant landings this year, particularly during the month of December, “which is consistent with previous years”.
“The water is very rough in December and it is certainly not a favourable time to make these kinds of trips,” he noted.
“However, they favour around this time because there is a popular belief that the country is enjoying the festivities and authorities will not be as attentive.”
He added, “We step up patrols around this time because this is when a lot of them make that trip and attempt to land in The Bahamas.”
Defence Force operational statistics reveal an increase in the number of Haitian migrants illegally landing and attempting to illegally land in The Bahamas since 2009, according to Deleveaux.
A total of 718 Haitian migrants were apprehended during 2009, compared to the 1,258 Haitian migrants apprehended in 2010.
Some 1,093 Haitian migrants have been apprehended for 2011 so far.
Deleveaux pointed out that Haitian migrants are often prepared to be assimilated into Bahamian society, frequently traveling with additional clothing and cellular phones.
Source:http://www.thenassauguardian.com
Three Jamaicans to face courts over drugs
THREE Jamaican nationals are expected to appear before a magistrate tomorrow on drug trafficking charges. The three were arrested in separate incidents at the weekend.
In the first instance, on Friday around 2.30 p.m., officers of the Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau (OCNFB) went to a hotel in Port of Spain and searched the room of a guest.
Officers also searched the man's underwear and allegedly found a sex toy filled with 342 grammes of cocaine.
The officers believe the man was awaiting the arrival of a female drug mule who would have taken the drugs out of the country. The man is expected to appear in the Port of Spain Magistrates' Court.
And around 8.30 p.m. on the same day, a 33-year-old man, a clothing salesman, was arrested shortly after arriving in Trinidad aboard a Caribbean Airlines flight. The man, who officers reported has only one leg, was using a motorised battery-operated wheelchair.
A search was conducted by officers of the OCNFB and Customs and Excise Division and 10.9 kilogrammes of high-grade marijuana were allegedly found in the compartment of two batteries powering the wheelchair.
The marijuana has an estimated street value of $35,000, police said.
He is expected to appear in the Arima Magistrates' Court.
On Christmas Day, around 12.55 a.m., two passengers exited a Caribbean Airlines flight at Piarco International Airport.
One of the passengers, another man in a motorised wheelchair, was accompanied by a relative. The casing of batteries was searched, and 7.3 kilogrammes of marijuana were allegedly found.
The 30-year-old man is expected to appear in the Arima Magistrates' Court. His relative was still being interrogated up to yesterday.
Boxing Day shooting is 17th murder of 2011
Police were still busy identifying the St. Maarten's 17th murder victim for 2011 on Monday night. The man was shot dead close to 3:00 p.m. on Boxing Day (December 26) close to Ace on Well Road in Cole Bay.
Both the Public Prosecutor Hans Mos and Police Spokesman Inspector Ricardo Henson confirmed the shooting, but neither had the man’s name when contacted by this newspaper. Several sources have said the man’s name is Raoul.
Police were first called to the Cole Bay for the shooting at 2:50 p.m. Once there they closed off the area and called the police doctor, who declared the man dead. He’d been shot once.
Officers from the Forensics Unit have collected the available evidence and detectives have questioned witnesses. None of the information they had was enough for police to make a concrete determination of what happened.
Oil jumps over 2% as Iran threatens supplies
Oil prices jumped over 2% Tuesday, crossing the $100-barrel-mark after Iran threatened to choke off the flow of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian threat came in response to a recent tightening of Western sanctions against Iran that attempt to limit the amount of oil that country can export.
"If Iran oil is banned, not a single drop of oil will pass through Hormuz Strait," Iran's 1st Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said Tuesday, according to the Iran State News Agency.
Iran is also currently conducting Naval exercises in and around the Strait.
Over 15 million barrels of oil a day passed through the Strait in 2009, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. That's about a sixth of the world's total oil production and a third of all oil traded worldwide. EIA calls it the "world's most important oil chokepoint."
Most of the oil passing through the strait goes to Asia, but because oil is a globally traded commodity, a shortage of oil in any one place impacts oil prices worldwide.
Iran oil targeted by Obama sanctions
Analysts note that with escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf the potential exists for an accident or some other event to lead to a full scale war.
"We are in a situation where there is essentially no communication between the Iranian government and the U.S. government," Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, told CNN Monday after reports said Iranian military forces confronted a Western helicopter near the Strait. "It is very worrisome."
Iran has been sparring with the West over its nuclear program for years. Iran says its uranium enriching activities are for peaceful purposes, but many Western governments suspect they are intended to produce a weapon.
Last month the Obama administration upped the pressure on Iran by declaring its central bank a threat, which many analyst took as a prelude to an attempt to cut off Iran's oil exports entirely.
Iran, the world's third-largest oil exporter, conducts its oil export business through its central bank.
It's thought that Washington and other Western governments would love to put additional pressure on Iran by threatening its oil industry, but they are mindful of the impact that may have on oil prices.
Investment bank Merrill Lynch predicts a $40 rise in oil prices if the country's 2.2 million barrels day of crude are shut off completely.
Prices could spike much higher if Iran tries to disrupt oil tanker traffic flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, although it's unclear how long the spike would last.
Iran attacked ships passing through the Strait during the 1980s in an attempt to cut off Iraq's oil exports when those two countries were at war. The impact on prices was minimal however after foreign navies began escorting oil tankers through the Strait.
Many experts say Iran would only have limited success in blocking the Strait for an extended period of time as many governments maintain a naval presence in the region, notably the United States.