Venus Williams wins through at Aegon International
Five-time champion Venus Williams continued her Wimbledon preparations with a 6-3 6-2 defeat of Ana Ivanovic at the Eastbourne Aegon International.
The American, 31 on Friday, has dropped to 33 in the world rankings but will be seeded 23rd at SW19 next week following withdrawal of Kim Clijsters.
Williams has been sidelined since the Australian Open in January because of abdominal and hip injuries.
She needed just over an hour to oust former world number one Ivanovic.
Having marked her return with a 7-5 5-7 6-3 victory over Germany's Andrea Petkovic on Monday, she looked sharper against Ivanovic, breaking her opponent's serve four times.
"Obviously, it's great, no breaks of serve. That's ideal for me in the match," she said.
"To get a double break at the end just feels awesome. I was really happy to have those clean service games and not a lot of errors."
It was not all good news for the Williams family, however, with Serena beaten 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 5-7 by top seed Vera Zvonareva in a match lasting three hours 12 minutes.
Playing for the first time in a year after two operations on a foot she cut after last year's Wimbledon followed by further surgery in February to remove blood clots from her lungs, Williams was serving for the match at 6-4 5-4 but double-faulted after two net cords.
The 29-year-old, who hit 59 winners, fought back from 5-2 down in the deciding set and saved three match points at 4-5, but Zvonareva immediately broke again and secured only her second victory in eight completed matches against the American.
"It was definitely a tough match, Serena is a great champion and played some unbelievable tennis after a year not playing. A lot of respect to her," 26-year-old Zvonareva said.
"I was really happy with the way I played today and that I won this match."
Despite the defeat Serena was also pleased with her progress as she prepares to defend her Wimbledon title and said: "It was a good two matches for me. I couldn't be happier with the amount of tennis I played so it's good, just keep going.
"I haven't played in almost a year so I'm a little sore. But it's good that I'm sore now because hopefully next week. I won't be as sore. (The foot) is holding up really well and I'm just really excited about that."
Fourth seed Francesca Schiavone was another casualty, losing 6-3 6-2 to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
Bahrain Grand Prix cut from 2011 F1 calendar
Formula 1's governing body the FIA has confirmed that the Bahrain Grand Prix will not be part of the 2011 programme.
The race, originally scheduled for 13 March, was called off in February after more than 30 lives were lost during pro-democracy protests in the country.
Earlier this month, it was reinstated and rescheduled for 30 October.
But teams objected on logistical grounds and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was forced to come up with another calendar with Bahrain removed.
When asked to ratify the calendar, the World Motor Sport Council, which decides on rules and regulations for the FIA, unanimously voted in favour of staging the inaugural Indian Grand Prix on 30 October.
The FIA's decision at the start of June to restore the race to the calendar, with Bahrain taking the October slot and the Indian Grand Prix moving to 11 December, was announced as unanimous but proved highly controversial.
The decision to reinstate the Bahrain race also outraged human rights campaigners, with nearly half a million people signing an online petition demanding a boycott.
Cancellation was seen as inevitable since any change to the calendar required the unanimous written agreement of the teams.
They expressed their concerns to the FIA and F1's commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone, voicing strict opposition to the idea of a race in December.
Fota - which represents all the F1 teams bar back-of-the-grid Hispania - explained how a grand prix so late in the year would be "unbearable to our staff".
Max Mosley, the former head of world motorsport, said the sport would suffer enormous damage if the race took place.
He told BBC Radio 5 live at the time: "I will be astonished if the event goes ahead. I don't think it will happen."
Bahrain lifted emergency law this month after crushing anti-government protests but tensions remain high.
It remains on the FIA's provisional 2012 calendar as the 11 March season-opener, although one of the 21 races is expected to be dropped.
WI cricketer Marlon Samuels says he's confident form will return
It was a confident Marlon Samuels who touched down at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday, as he looks forward to the Jamaica leg of the Digicel Pearls one-day inter-national series.
The West Indies and Jamaican middle order batsman, who spent two years out of the game after an International Cricket Council ban, made his return last year and is playing in only his second series since.
"Everybody appreciates me coming back, so it is just for me to continue putting in the hard work and show the world what I can do, but everything takes time," Samuels shared. "My cricket is basically taking time, but once I get the flow going there is no turning back and most definitely I will be unstoppable.
"The greatest thing is that I am back, and I am in international cricket, so I guess everything else will fall into place," he added.
Despite the West Indies being 3-1 down in the five match ODI series, Samuels believes the team is a good one and it is just a matter of time before they start winning consistently.
"It is a good team, it is a happy team and we are gelling together; it is just for us to get the complete cricket going; batting, bowling and fielding and just try to win more games," Samuels expressed. "We have to get accustomed to winning, and that is what this team is trying to do because the hard work is there, it is just for us to start winning more games," he added.
The 30-year-old Samuels is looking forward to playing in Jamaica in front of his home crowd and intends to put on a show for them.
"Coming here to Jamaica, I am definitely looking forward to playing here; it is home," Samuels highlighted. "I am here to entertain my fans, so I am definitely pumped up right now and ready to come and show Jamaica what they have been missing for a long time," he added.
The part-time off-spinner who averages 28.84 runs in 30 Test matches is looking forward to playing the longer version of the game if picked for the Test series, which begins on June 20.
"Coming back after a long layoff from cricket, I am most definitely looking forward to playing the longer version," Samuels said. "I have been playing some one day cricket, but the longer version will put me in a better rhythm," he added.
Bolt shoots new Gatorade commercial
As he prepares for what is expected to be another career-defining year in his already illustrious athletic career, the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, recently took time out to participate in the filming of a commercial for a new Gatorade campaign to be launched this summer. The commercial was filmed right here in Jamaica.
This campaign will roll out less than a year after Gatorade successfully launched the Bolt-inspired Lemon Ice flavour in Australia. It will feature a stylish new Gatorade package and more competitive pricing for consumers.
Shot at the University of the West Indies/Usain Bolt track where Bolt has been preparing for this championship season, the commercial did not impact too much on the champion sprinter's training schedule. He also explained that it was very important that he shot the commercial there. "Any opportunity to showcase Jamaica in a positive way is important to Brand Usain and Brand Jamaica," Bolt said.
very animated
The triple Olympic and World Champion was very animated while speaking about the shoot and the upcoming campaign which he believes further cements his relationship with Gatorade. "Jamaica is an important location to any brand, and it is my home, so I am always excited about Jamaica," Bolt said. "I do realise that Gatorade was a company committed to maintaining relationships with the best sport has to offer, and I thought I represented an aspect of that. Gatorade is an A-class organisation and I am pleased. I look forward to strengthening that relationship."
The campaign will feature Bolt drinking from the new Gatorade bottle and, according to the world record holder, he is already in love with the new design. "It's cool, and easy to handle," he said.
Word is that behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot will be made into a viral video that can be viewed on facebook.com/ pepsijamaica, as well as other popular sites, to prepare the public for the upcoming campaign that should be ready for launch about June or July this year.
Bolt has been using Gatorade since 2008 and continues to because he said it has become an essential part of his daily training regimen. "Gatorade represents rehydration, which is key to training, especially in Jamaica's warm climate," he said.
Ne-Yo seeks local talent - Launches Caribbean leg of his record label
R&B superstar Ne-Yo has launched the Caribbean leg of his record label and yesterday, announced plans to have a series of parties in Negril for Emancipation weekend.
The singer announced his intentions for the island's music at his media launch last night at the Spanish Court Hotel.
He unveiled the Caribbean leg of Compound Entertainment label, dubbed 'Compound Island.' The Compound brand takes the Jamaican initiative even further with his Compound Island series of parties set for Negril from July 29 - 30 this summer.
Speaking about his Compound Island label Ne-Yo said, "the reason we decided to do this here, besides the obvious talent, is that the Jamaican market is very single-driven, where you have that one special song. We believe that is where the music business is heading right now, that singles matter more than the album."
Ne-Yo explained that artistes like Rihanna and Bruno Mars have taken Jamaican melodies, rhythm and reggae music to achieve success overseas. The singer believes that local acts can reach just as far with reggae music. "Reggae music is global music, you can go anywhere to hear it, you can go to Australia and hear it," Ne-Yo said. He added that it is a lack of knowledge on the worldwide, global music business that has been the drawback for local acts.
According to Ne-Yo, his label will be doing a local online talent search competition for singers, groups, songwriters, producers and more in the near future. Compound Island has a team who will be working here, conducting the search and more. Nonetheless, Ne-Yo explains that he plans to be very 'hands on' for his new venture giving his expert advice to local talent.
Ne-yo told The STAR, "we're looking for fresh talent, people we can mould." What can persons do to impress the international star? Ne-Yo explained, "be the best you can be, at what you do."
To introduce 'Compound Island' to Jamaica, Compound Entertainment will be hosting the Compound Island Party Series. The Compound Island Series will feature three events over two days to be held at the Jungle nightclub. The first day features the VIP Welcome Party, with the second day hosting the 'All White Party' during the day and the 'Finale Party' in the night.
The singer was in Jamaica for a three-day stay, hitting the local entertainment scene visiting various parties. This marks Ne-yo's third visit to the island, the last, being when he performed at Reggae Sumfest in 2009. He said, "this experience has been a lot different, the other times I was here it was for a show, which was the highlight of my time here. This time I got to hang out and experience the Jamaican night life."
Justin Timberlake Rejects Chance of Jay-Z Collabo
Justin Timberlake has ruled out a collaboration with Jay Z after the rapper snubbed a chance to record a track for the singer’s 2006 album.
In the new issue of Vanity Fair, the star of “Bad Teacher” said he reached out to Jay Z while he was working on “FutureSex/LoveSounds” to discuss a possible duet, but the rap mogul was unable to fit the studio session into his schedule and instead promised to help out on Timberlake’s next project.
But Timberlake turned down the offer – because he’s convinced they’ve already missed the perfect opportunity.
He tells Vanity Fair magazine, “Jay Z has put out 11 albums, and I was talking about doing a collaboration with him, and he said, ‘I can’t do it right now, but I’ll get you on the next album.’ I was like, ‘No, man, I don’t work like that. This sounded good to me for you and me to do together, and if it doesn’t work, then I totally get it, but I won’t be putting an album out next year; these aren’t a dime a dozen to me.’”
Prequel to ‘Takers’ a Big Possibility
Chris Brown alerted his fans via Twitter this week about a possible prequel to the movie “Takers.”
He wrote, “S/O 2 every1 watching Takers … talked studio into writing a PREQUEL..”
However, there is no real backbone to Brown’s announcement. The producer of the original film, Will Packer, neither confirmed nor denied the next movie.
He said in a follow-up tweet, “guess it’s time 2 go 2 work again *puts down margarita *.”
This isn’t the first time talk about a prequel came up. Last summer producer and co-star T.I., Brown and actor Michael Ealy talked about the possibility before the film premiered.
“I just wanna see how this eclectic group of people got together… It’s interesting. We talk about back-story [a little bit] but how did this British guy, this guy from the South and this surfer guy, how did they all come together to form this crew?” Ealy discussed with MTV News. “That’s going to be interesting to see, it all comes together.”
“There are definitely whispers around the studio about that… Some phone calls have been made about that. But ultimately, it depends on what happens on August the 27th,” said T.I.
Aug. 27, 2010 was the movie’s release date and it did well, making more than $20 million during opening weekend and grossed triple that overall. Given the film’s popularity, a prequel is definitely worth looking into.
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli accepts libel damages
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has accepted undisclosed libel damages from newspapers that suggested she used her position to fund a charity she chaired.
Last August, the Mail papers claimed Broccoli, as a board member of the UK Film Council, had improperly awarded the First Light charity a grant.
On Wednesday the High Court was told the articles were "deeply upsetting" and had been harmful to her reputation.
Broccoli took over the Bond franchise from her late father Albert "Cubby".
She and her stepbrother, Michael G Wilson, are currently working on the 23rd official James Bond film, due out in the UK in October 2012.
Founded in 2001, First Light provides funding and expertise to enable five to 19-year olds in the UK to create digital short films.
The organisation received £1.1m of National Lottery funding each year from the now-defunct UK Film Council.
Broccoli, who has been chair of First Light's board of directors since its inception, was appointed to the Film Council's board in August 2008.
According to articles in the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, the 50-year-old used her latter role to award herself or her company a sum of public money.
Her solicitor, Michael Skrein, said their publisher, Associated Newspapers, had now accepted that she "did not award herself or her own company any grant [and had] not misused any public funds".
He said that Broccoli accepted neither remuneration nor expenses from First Light and donated to it herself.
In a statement, Broccoli said it had been "very important" for her to get a correction and a published apology and that the damages would be passed to First Light.
"I am very committed to my work with the charity... and am delighted that all of these damages will assist in funding film-making projects for kids from all backgrounds across the country," she said.
Joe, Beenie Man, Sky bring fitting close to CFW
As R&B singer Joe strutted down the runway like a model, so too did he easily stroll into the hearts of the women at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
The singer appeared on the runway after 11 p.m. on Sunday night as the featured artiste at Pulse's Caribbean fashionweek. Joe, headlining International Night at the event looked debonair in a suit and had the women in the audience screaming, as they ran to get a closer look at the singer. He started with Baby Where You At and continued strumming at heart strings with If I Was Your Man before going into Late Last Night. As he walked from one end of the runway to the next, the ladies followed, walking on the sidelines.
As he sang hits such as More and More and I Wanna Know persons sang along word-for-word, nearly drowning out his vocals.
Female fans closest to the stage were the luckiest, as he drew one and two into an embrace or slow dance. For his last number, he went on the mini stage, whipped out his guitar and played. In closing he commented, "Jamaica is one of my favourite places in the world. I love the culture, you guys are beautiful."
Prior to Joe, entertainment was provided by the likes of Cen'C Love and model-turned-actress-turned-artiste Nicole 'Sky' Grey.
Grey premiered her debut single and video for Lollipop. After the video was played she followed with a short performance.
King of the dancehall, Beenie Man, made his appearance as part of the Everblazing collection. The 'doctor' modelled an item from the Everblazing line before reappearing for a brief performance.
Although the stage was smaller than what Beenie Man is used to, the artiste easily showcased why he is a master performer.
Getting the crowd off their feet and waving their hands, Beenie performed his Rum and Redbull, new single Inna Di Go-go Club and older hits.
Fashion for the night was sexy and young with designs from the likes of Rebel Unit, Minka, Heights International, Earl 'Biggy' Turner, United Kingdom designer Gavin Douglas, Attitude, which had an eye-catching selection, and Italian collection, Everblazing.
White House: US 'can act in Libya without Congress'
President Barack Obama does not need congressional approval for the US to continue its role in the Nato-led Libya mission, the White House has said.
In a 32-page document, the White House said the president already had legal authority to order forces into Libya.
A Vietnam War-era law states Congress must authorise participation in hostilities longer than 60 days.
Members of Congress have accused Mr Obama of violating that law since 20 May, when the 60-day deadline ended.
'Limited nature'
In the report delivered to Congress on Wednesday, the White House argues that US forces involved in the Nato campaign are merely playing a supporting role.
That role, the White House says, does not match the definition of "hostilities" as described under a 1973 law that constrains the US president's ability to wage military conflict.
"The president is of the view that the current US military operations in Libya are consistent with the War Powers Resolution and do not under that law require further congressional authorization," the White House wrote.
"US military operations are distinct from the kind of 'hostilities' contemplated by the resolution's 60-day termination provision," it added.
The US role in Libya involves helping Nato aircraft with refuelling operations and assisting with intelligence-gathering, the White House says.
The Obama administration insists that the US is not engaged in sustained fighting or "active exchanges of fire with hostile forces" that put US troops at risk.
Under the US constitution, the power to declare war lies with Congress.
If the president orders the US military into a conflict without an explicit declaration of war, the War Powers Resolution requires him to seek authorisation from Congress within 60 days or to end US involvement in the conflict.
The law allows the president to extend the period before going to congress for another 30 days.
'Illegal policies'
Sunday marks 90 days since the US joined the Nato-led no-fly zone mission over Libya.
This week the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, said "it would appear" that on that day the Obama administration would be in violation of the War Powers Resolution.
Mr Boehner said that the administration would be in breach of the resolution unless the White House "asks for and receives authorisation from Congress or withdraws all US troops and resources from the mission".
The White House rebuttal came as a bipartisan group of US lawmakers sued Mr Obama in federal court for taking military action in Libya without authorisation from Congress.
The lawsuit alleges that the president had violated the US constitution in bypassing Congress.
The lawsuit, which also targets Defence Secretary Robert Gates, challenges the policy "that any president can take the US to war unilaterally", Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio said.
"We have asked the courts to move to protect the American people from the results of these illegal policies," he added.